[0:00] Tonight, we have Wayne and Lena Cook. I don't know if Abby wants to come too, but they're going to come right now and give a word of testimony to you as a church. They'll be leaving here in like two days, and they'll have a word of testimony.
[0:11] Right after that, Robert Canfield will preach. And after that, Brother Jimmy Sonko is going to preach to you in English. And I'd like to explain to you how difficult that is.
[0:24] For those of you who have never preached in another language, it's not your original language. I promise you it is not easy. So they always need encouragement. Can I get an amen there?
[0:34] So you don't ever amen me, so amen him. And let him know that you are with him. And after that, the Spanish church has a couple of specials they'll sing right after Brother Jimmy.
[0:47] All right, well, I'm just going to pretend like I'm not going to cry and hope for the best. You guys, you don't know how much you all mean to me personally. Each, every one of you guys have had a really big role in my life, and you've really raised me into the person that I am.
[1:03] And you guys have taught me that I can have a part in my parents' ministry, and that it's not just, I'm not just a kid. I get to go and influence people for the Lord. I'm going to try to say something in Spanish, so just correct me if it's bad, but...
[1:16] I just want to start by saying thank you so much as a church for being here for us, for supporting us, for being our friends, being our family.
[1:43] Thank you, mommy. Thank you, mommy. Thank you, mommy. Thank you, mama and daddy. Thank you, my family, for being here, for supporting us. We love each one of you.
[1:56] But I'm just super excited to get back to Guatemala. I can't wait to have this there. I love you guys. Thank you.
[2:08] Thank you. Thank you, mommy. Thank you. Paul writing to the Romans in chapter 1 verse 8 he says first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world if I think of a better verse that describes Vision Baptist Church is that verse right there that your faith truly is spoken of throughout the whole world I'm glad by the John to have it be part of a church that gets it sometimes it's hard sometimes it's sad sometimes it's difficult many times there are tears but there's also excitement you know I thought about when we left our house yesterday we walked through and just had a little moment of just crying and praying for the neighbors and praying for the seeds that were left there and I said this I said empty house but a full heart why because it's sad what we're leaving but it's a joy about what we're going to get to do so thank you being a church that gets it thank you for family who may not always understand it but they let us go and they don't try to put roadblocks and I know they're proud I know that they pray for us thank you to a pastor that uh that gets it also and part of that means not just he wants to send a lot of missionaries but he knows that means he's going to put up with knuckleheads like me who are a little bit slower and man we get there but finally uh but we finally get there anyway and I'm thankful for that I'm reminded over there with Timothy uh excuse me John Mark you know he leaves Paul and Paul gets mad and all this but later on he comes back and says hey bring Mark with him why because he's useful and so brother Austin understands that and gets that and doesn't throw anybody away and so I'm thankful to all of you and thank you for the Spanish church that's uh last place uh the iglesia hispana por como han tratado a me iha well over the cook it's been a privilege to know you thank you for the example you set up here um always bringing people always worrying about your neighbors what you said this has made me think about all the people that you brought to church and all the people that you guys invested in while you guys were here I really do appreciate your testimony I appreciate you guys's love and thank you guys for going to a special country there in Central America we'll be praying for you we love you like to talk to the church tonight I was trying to look to find something for brother cook and um I looked up stricken in years and I came to this this passage now I'm just picking so if you could please open sus biblias to uh the libro de Josué there you go you're supposed to amen people that don't speak that language Joshua chapter 13 verse 1 this is what it says now Joshua was old and stricken in years and the Lord spoke unto him he said something to him he says thou art old and stricken in years that's kind of funny God says you're old and there yet and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed I want to tell you something church we can't quit doing this we can't quit we can't quit because I'll give you three points how about this one the first one we can't quit because we're not finished until we're all in heaven all right we got to realize our job is never finished until we're with the Lord we must keep pressing towards the Lord and what he has set before us
[5:02] God has told Joshua he says you're old but yet you still have a whole bunch to do and even though this church is 13 years old we still have a whole bunch more to do and we can't quit we can't quit it's a biblical truth for us not just for Joshua we're never finished in the Christian life the apostle Paul was always striving he was pressing towards the mark he was never done in Hebrews chapter four verses nine through eleven he says there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God for he that entered into rest hath also ceased from his own works as God did his we're not done we're not done until our work's done does that make sense we got to keep on pressing forward we're not finished until we get to heaven oftentimes we think the pinnacle the pinnacle is rest right it's when we've arrived is when we can arrest when we can rest you're gonna have no more work that may be true for the American dream but that's not true for the Christian life our best life is not here and if your best life if you're living your best life now then your eternity must look very dismal this verse in Hebrews tells us we aren't finished until we get to heaven when we die we cease to work we aren't done until we get to heaven because God has given this church get this a job to do we don't quit get this because God has given us a job to do and he told Joshua that we have much land to possess and we don't get to quit until we possess all the land and we can never forget that as a church we can never forget that man our job is not yet done our job is not yet done he commanded Joshua but can I tell you he commanded us too he said that there is a there is a harvest that is white that is white unto harvesting it's ready for the picking he says that there is a ministry of reconciliation that I gave you he says that there are some without the knowledge of Christ we have a job to do and we can't quit we never quit get this we never quit because we think about the past in Joshua chapter 13 verses 22 through 23 Joshua speaks of this of Balaam and the son of Eor the soothsayer you know what happened in that story Israel was out wandering for 40 years they were out wandering they were out all because of disobedience but then they just lacked up they pitched their tents and then they just started mingling in with the world they started acting like the world and you realize what happened they committed whoredoms with the other people right they started marrying the other the the the world they started going after money they started pursuing the the lust of of all the stuff that the world has to offer it was covetousness that that caused that can I tell you we can't quit we can't let this world off track us and get us off off what the task he has for us we can't quit because God has given us a job we can't quit because we're not done until we get to heaven we can never forget that I'm so excited to see how many missionaries we get to send out but you know what I pray I pray that we send a whole bunch more I pray that we never forget man we can't quit there's still a word there's still a job that we have to do and there are still countries out there like like Guatemala that needs the gospel it desperately needs men and women who would take this book and that would share the gospel that would impact and change their lives church we can't quit we get to quit whenever we're dead we get to quit when the job's done and he's not back yet and our job's not done yet there's still thousands and millions and billions that are that don't know about Christ let's not quit that sounds really good I already forgot what I supposed to say but in the book of Matthew in chapter 8 we see how Jesus is healing people and casting out demons he heals a leper a centurion servant and even thought you don't believe it he even healed a mother-in-law I love you sometimes we are not we are not going to understand why the Lord would decide to leave a place when everything is going it was going so awesome like what we see in this verse if you can turn with me to the book of Matthew
[9:07] chapter 8 verse 18 Matthew chapter 8 verse 18 it says now when Jesus saw great multitude about him he gave commandment to the part and to the other side in the Spanish church it hurts us to see a member live even more when it is when it is one that has been serving faithfully and has become a part of the family to the point that I have heard several people say how are things going to be without them things that are not going to be the same without them God is blessing the work in the Spanish church but a testimony that you are going to you are going to hear from them is the love that is felt between everyone here have seen a proverb that I love come true you can turn with me with to the book of proverbs chapter 17 verse 17 maybe you already know this verse it says a friend love at all times in a brother is born for the church church we are not only people that attend church we are friends we are family and that is why the cooks are to us but we know God is working in us and God is working through us you can turn to the book of Matthew again chapter 8 verse 28
[10:58] Matthew 8 28 the Lord he decided to cross over to the other side because there were others that needed to be set free this verse says and when he was come to the other side into the county of the Gergesins there meet him too possessed with devils coming out of the tombs exceeding fears so that no man might pass by that way we know that God has compassion for the chaplainis chaplainis is a nickname from for people from Guatemala right chaplainis yeah you can call them chaplainis so we know God has compassion for these people people from Guatemala and we know that
[12:00] God put this burden on brother Wayne and his family's heart we know there are so many people enslaved by sin those people they need to hear that Jesus is the only one that can that can free them so even though it hurts it hurts us to see them go but we are happy and joyful for what God will do through Job in Guatemala we will be waiting to hear of many converted to the Lord turn to the last book last chapter the book of Job if you would please and we'll be there in a little while I like the book of Job I don't understand all that God did to Job the pastor will preach through it and he'll explain everything I mess up tonight but it started out
[13:02] God and talking to the devil and then the devil on Job and then Job's three so called friends show up if you got friends like them my advice is shoot them and find some enemies and fellowship with them so the friends show up they just browbeat beat Job up just the best they can do to Job and somewhere toward chapter 38 God begins to work with Job and Job I love chapter 38 39 40 and 41 and 42 because God looks at Job and said Job where were you when I did this and I did that Job where were you at sometimes we think we might have made we might have done something sometimes we think we might have learned something and elevated ourselves way up here God said where were you then in chapter 39
[14:02] Job God looked at Job and said Job can you do this and the answer is no I can't do anything brother Cook can't do anything I love Wayne love his wife his children he can't do nothing I mean I got to think I get to think I can God's gonna look at me and say can you then in chapter 39 God looks at Job and he says Job do you know you're so intelligent son do you know of course the answer is he didn't know chapter 41 can you but you get to chapter 42 and I love this chapter 42 verse we're gonna skip down to verse 3 who is he that I have counseled with knowledge therefore I have uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me which I know not here I beseech thee and I will speak I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me verse 5 is out of this world good
[15:02] I love it Job said I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear and we've heard a lot we've heard a lot brother Cook's heard a lot he's one he's heard a lot I've heard a lot got saved started Bible college heard a lot rode around with a guy named Dan Truax heard a lot at fellowship best friend one of the best I've had in my life a guy named Jim Whitty I heard a lot from him you know what good he did me in my life a lot but not enough look at what Job said I've heard of you but look at the last part of that now mine eyes see it he said man I've heard this and heard that and heard the other wow I really see you now I can't do this I can't do that I really don't know much but God now I see you Wayne you're going to have to see God for you for you and we all are individuals the day will come you'll be sitting here
[16:08] Nate and Emily one day are going to be here like them going where they're going and then he's going to have to do it on his own he's going to have to see God why did God put Job through this I ain't got a clue I'm not near that smart but I know sometimes God does that I walk and pray and then I come back and I'll pray some more and me and God talk God didn't talk all of me I'd stop walking and I'd start running but God talks to me in my heart and there was a while I wasn't hearing a lot and I'd cry and we talk to God and I wasn't hearing a lot but one day last week I didn't stop praying didn't stop walking I just kept on walking kept on praying kept on praising God because I knew one day God was going to talk back and then one day I was walking and had my phone and whew something in the mood of my heart and I literally come back in my house my wife will remember
[17:13] I come back in the house I said honey God's talking again God spoke to me again and that does all the time but this was real special I put stuff on my phone takes a while for an old fella but I had my phone with me and I'm writing stuff down God's giving me stuff like he does your pastor and all of you sitting here I started writing that stuff down come back got my notebook wrote it now where I can read it that's what I want to do I don't want to hear about it I want to see what God's doing I want to see what God's doing I want to see God's power I want to experience God's presence and that's what they want and all these missionaries that leave that's what they want I want to see God do something but in all respect to see something you got to do something and I'm sure you will my prayers are with you I love you find a place somewhere and talk to the God of this book talk to the
[18:17] God that he's sing about he's precious and he's what they but I watched the addicts as he sang and the girl next to him and I'd have to understand that I could see them to know it was good find a place you see God for you and then people get around you and you can tell them what God has shown you we were blessed as a church to be part of nights like this very special that was a special night for the cooks a special night for a church for the people of Guatemala and to the glory of God and so we're just grateful to get to be here tonight and to know the Cook family and we've had many special nights together through the years their family's very much part of this church so look back over the years on the special days I always think about getting to enjoy that with them and the reward of surviving Alex and the youth group was that I got to have Jordan and Abby it was a pretty good trade-off there and I have loved it I have many memories we could talk about and Abby taught me last week at camp that I gotta open my mouth more when I say Guatemala all right and so if you're not opening your mouth real big you're not saying it right but I'm excited for you guys
[19:22] I'm excited for our church I'm excited what God's going to do there and Brother Wayne I think about a time that you took me to roosters to get some chicken wings when I just I was a youth pastor and the church wasn't that old and you shared your heart with me about what you wanted for your kids and how they would serve God and they wouldn't serve man and I'll never forget that conversation I have blind spots now I certainly had them then of parents wanting to raise their kids to the honor and glory of God and realizing that Christian parents are like a partner with them and get to enjoy these special moments in their lives you just poured your heart out I saw a family that loved the Lord that loved the church that wanted God to be glorified more than anything saw a man that was concerned for his kids and Brother Wayne looking at it right now God used you in Miss Lena you have three wonderful children or many more than that but three here by birth and God has allowed them to marry him and that's a special I know God's going to do that he's going to continue to extend your family there in Guatemala allow more to come in Acts chapter number five verse number 28 says saying did they not straightly command you that they should not teach in this name did we not tell you guys to stop preaching in this name and behold you went and filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and you intend to bring the man's blood upon us after we told you guys to stop telling this message you went and filled those city with the doctrine and then you attend for us to fill a personal responsibility for the death of
[20:47] Christ Peter and the other apostles answered and so we ought to obey God rather than man Bible tells us here what the message was what the doctrine we're not left to guess so as they're being told not to they are being commanded and a command to not talk about the message they say are you talking about this message verse 30 the God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom he slew and hang on a tree him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior for give repentance to Israel and for the forgiveness of sins just to make sure they were talking about the same message the gospel just came out once again so they preached the doctrine they preached Christ and they intended for all men to realize they have a responsibility I know from the time you land in Guatemala that that's the message you're going to preach while looking at houses and finding places to go everywhere you go and they'll start off with just a few of you but then somebody's going to get saved and you're going to sit down with them maybe over chicken wings and they're going to ask you what it is you want to do and you're going to tell them I want to fill this city and this whole country with the message of Jesus Christ and it says here that they did it because they had a radical obedience to
[21:51] God they said we would rather obey God than anything I've seen that in your life and I've seen it come out in life of your kids is that they just want to serve God more than anything else in this life so we have to obey God rather than man and why is it that they would have such a radical obedience verse 32 that's what brother Jim just preached about and we are his witnesses of these things and so it's also the Holy Ghost whom God has given to them that obey him you've seen God work in wonderful ways you have been a witness to it being a witness to God's work makes you want to be radical in your obedience to him and I'm praying for you as you feel whatever city whatever town he puts you in as you feel that with the doctrine of Jesus Christ I thank you so much for letting us be part of your life not just church members that sit beside each other really co-laborers in the work getting them to enjoy watching you serve God and watching your kids serve God and it's been a wonderful blessing I'm going to pray as they come to receive the offering for the night take your Bibles if you wouldn't turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse 3 see it through sindal okay no levy a trust pensaba que había escapado I asked if he was still translating
[23:01] I didn't see him hiding back there I wonder where the translator went boy he's a good God isn't he there's nobody like our God that song is so true he takes care of us he blesses us I thought about all the junk I've seen and I saw how God's always done something good with it you ought to be thankful what a God we serve none of the nobody nobody in this room so far gone he won't work in your life nobody so far gone he won't love you it's just not the way he works he's just such a good God well Wayne I just want to take a couple minutes I mean it's three minutes till I usually pretty punctual I wasn't this morning so I almost got fired and so I may put the last nail in my coffin but anyway the 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 I just want to talk to you for a minute we walk in the flesh for though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ I just want to tell you brother
[24:15] Wayne that you're going where are you did he come to church there he is you know you're about to walk into the pit you've been there before sitting your first rodeo you know you're about to walk into the pit you know that while you're there a thousand thoughts will assail your mind every kind of imagination will come into your head that is possible things that you know aren't what God says will exalt themselves in your heart envy will come and jealousy will come and bitterness will come and anger will come because they're all weapons of the devil and I'm not so worried about you getting beat up and not so worried about you getting robbed not so worried about something violent happening to your family but I am challenging you to watch and pray I am reminding you that we all live in daily warfare there's something about being the guy that the devil is out to get because you haven't been pastoral leadership that he does at us pretty hard takes a little bit of being an emotional being to be in the ministry to feel your burdens and to feel the burdens of others and to carry loads it maybe you ought not have to carry but it's kind of what
[25:32] God gave you makes you kind of open and susceptible to that do you need to know that vision doesn't love you that's what he's going to say that other missionaries are more successful than you that's what he's going to say that your language isn't up to par that's what he's going to say that God's not going to use you that's what he's going to say that everybody's against you that's what he's going to say but you don't fight that fight you cast down imaginations you cast down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and you bring every thought into captivity every thought to obedience of Christ and you say so what the book says because this is obedience to Christ sometimes sometimes we try to figure out people always asking me Bible questions somebody asked me one day and they said what's that mean I said what's it say they said it I said well that's what it means they said no but what's it mean I said well what did you say they said I said well that's what it means it's not that hard whatever it says is what it means really it's really not a trick book you don't have to have a seminary degree to understand the
[26:51] Bible no matter how many educated people said you did and here's this right here's obedience to Christ right here and in this he says he loves you and in this he says a whole lot more what about what got sung than what the devil's going to say to you and you got to say to him I'm going to take every thought you put in my head I'm going to take every jealous thought and every every angry thought and every bitter thought and every pity thought and every self-resault and everything that comes into my head and I'm going to bring them into obedience to Christ that's how you're going to have victory you got victory because it's not about how many people you lead to Christ or how many men you train to be in the ministry how many churches you start or how many ministries how many men you train but it's about did you stand and having done all that you just stood and that when we see you we'll know you stood faithful against the assaults kind of corny maybe but the goal was to see if the still that star-spangled banner was still waving the next morning did she stand when the bombs were bursting in air and when the battle was going on did she still stand and here's what I bring to you it's all going to come down buddy just a few hours you get on an airplane probably before you ever get on the airplane very likely even tonight the thoughts are hitting you and assailing you and condemning you and telling you you're you're no good and you're a failure and you can't do it and you're getting a whole bunch of junk thrown at your head well here's the question when the sun comes up in the morning will it still be standing when that evil day is over will you still stand and the way you'll stand is this I'm just going to believe
[28:39] Jesus you can try you can count on this he loves you the hardest thing that'll ever happen to you he'll make it for your good the worst thing that could possibly happen in your life God's going to do something great with it the weapons of our warfare are not carnal it'd be so much easier if they were if it'd be a gun I'd just buy one of them if it'd be a sword I'd buy one of them if it'd be any kind of weapon I'd buy it but I already have what I need to win I have the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation I have my feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace I have the shield of faith on me I have my loins girt about with truth I have all I need my weapons aren't the weapons you can see but I win because I can throw down imaginations and when junk comes at me I can say listen to that junk I can do just like that that's all I got to do submit to the Lord resist the devil and he'll take off running I'm challenging you brother Wayne don't let the devil win the letter I wrote you that you'll find sometime later when you look through there I'm going to tell you pray yourself happy every morning don't you even leave the house don't go do anything until you've gotten along with God and gotten victory and sometimes you wake up in a foreign country and you ain't got enough money and things smell different and money's different and people are different and culture's different and customs are different and you feel out of place and no one can understand that everybody thinks it's like when they went on their honeymoon and they visit Guatemala it was a wonderful place with a bunch of drinks and five star hotels they have no idea what the real world's like you know but you stand and God will use you to do something great
[30:24] I like what brother Jim said I like what all of them said but you don't know nothing you don't know anything but he does and you know him let's stand there father I love you I thank you for the chance to be with your people be with your man I thank you for what you're doing in our lives I pray your name will be glorified now bless Wayne and Lena bless little Abby she goes bless my grandchildren they're going to miss Abby bless our Spanish church it's going to hurt for missing them bless the rest of the church God bring glory to your name help us all to stand and to stand strong and do not let the devil win and we'll give you praise honor and glory for all that you do in Jesus precious name amen well we'd like to pray over you so if Wayne and Lena would come and I say we'll get a third chair somebody get me a third chair will you let's get three chairs up here there's two of them up here already and we'll get all three of them to come and I'll just do it this way deacons deacons deacons wives cabinet cabinet wives staff staff wives and if you got kids bring them that way they can pray over her how about that and we're going to pray over this family as they leave they leave on July the 2nd if I'm not mistaken and that's like two days from now is that right two days from now they're getting on an airplane
[31:45] I'm proud of all you people too all you church people man I'm proud of you I'm blessed tonight tonight's one of them kind of services you write down about in your diary your journal and you say glory to God he's been good to us my goodness we got a lot of kids one thing about being a young church all right guys we might have to change that up move this girl out of the way get her over here in the middle move her to the middle them old women can't even get next to the old woman all right all the young people get over to this young lady and who is the field director for the Americas do we have one we don't even have one so I'm naming one let me just find out who God's leading to be the next one I don't see I already know one I already got one all right which one of you which Spanish guy speaks English besides Alex
[32:52] Luis get up here you're gonna lead us in prayer you're gonna lead us in prayer Lily all right Lily you're coming too okay somebody take care of her kids don't let her just throw them in the floor you're coming over on this side you're on the man's side both you men over you're on the man's side you two girls there and Joy you can pray there and Lily you can pray there and Luis right you can pray there and I need to throw in we don't have a man we got work on this world evangelism cabinet all right you can pray there Lamar how about that and that's enough praying there's one two three four prayers let me throw in another man there why are you okay I thought you were all right
[33:53] Jimmy you can pray in English that's two Spanishers in English speaking in tongues tonight all right ladies who started Joy Lord we thank you for this evening it's been a special night we've been able to honor you and glorify you through your word and through singing Lord but we come now asking you to please bless the Cook family I ask you to help Brother Wayne to stand for you and lead his family and be able to start churches and people be able to come to know you through his word that you're going to speak through him I ask you to help Miss Lena I know she's going to be a blessing to so many ladies there I ask you to give her women that can be there to help and learn from her I ask you to help Abby as she is there to do the same as she's been doing here in the Spanish church to be able to find some young ladies that she can invest her life in and they can know you through her Lord I ask you to help Jordan as she's staying here I know it's going to be hard without her family but she has her other family here in the church and I ask you to help us all to be of encouragement to each one of them as they go to serve you
[35:04] Lord use them greatly thank you for all your many blessings so far and all that you are going to do in Jesus name we pray amen Louie our father I pray for this family that is going to follow the commandment that you have left that you have left for us I pray that you help them every day I pray that you protect them and I pray that you use Abby as you used her in all these young girls lives as you used her as an example in my life I pray that you help them bring people to your word and I pray that you help us to encourage them every day and everything that you have ready for them to happen in Guatemala in Jesus name we pray amen God thank you for the privilege that you have given us to work to the side of this family thank you for the love and the charge that you have put in the family Cook for the people of Guatemala
[36:14] I pray to God to keep you putting those desires and I pray that you can use grandemente all in Guatemala Lord we pray that you have that you have in the world help us to look at the multitude to the people of the same way to have compassion of them and do something for this world that is going to condemnation Lord we thank you for the Cook family we know that we're going to miss them all a lot but we know that they're going to on a mission they're going on a mission to bring more more lives into the path of God we know that it's going to be hard being here without them but we know that they're going to change many lives we pray that you protect them that you save them and that you don't that you give them the strength that they need to bring all those people to know your name to know what you did for us and we hope to hear from them very soon that they're changing lives that they're doing the work that you want us to do for you and that they bring more people to want to do the same thing that they're doing for you and get more missionaries out there we ask you for all this in Jesus name amen show your power use them raise up people call preachers we magnify you in Jesus name amen you you