Dear Lord, this morning we thank you for your presence.
We thank you for this wonderful day that you have given us.
We thank you for this chance that we have to study your word together,
together in a place without any fear.
And we pray especially for all of our brothers and sisters around the world
who do not have that privilege.
We pray for every group of people that gathers today
to worship you, to honor you, to hear from your word, to praise you.
And we pray that your Holy Spirit be with everyone.
And those persons that hear for the first time from you,
that they might be drawn towards you
and may accept you as their Lord and Savior.
And those that do know you already,
that they might be built up in their faith.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
My name is Martin.
I am from Paraguay.
My wife Betty is there.
We are married 30 years.
Actually, that will be tomorrow.
We have three sons.
The oldest is 26.
The second 22.
The third is 14.
And except for 10 years that we lived in different parts of the world,
we lived all our life in Paraguay.
Our parents were born in Paraguay, at least mine.
And our grandparents were immigrants,
Soviet Union refugees,
that for some weird reason spoke German.
So, English is obviously not my first language,
not even my second.
So, please forgive my spelling mistakes and pronunciation and so forth.
This month we are talking about prayer.
And last Sunday we had a wonderful explanation on how to pray.
So, I thought I can't add anything to that.
So, how are we supposed to pray?
So, I was decided to focus more on what does God do in answer to our prayers.
So, I don't know if the truth is correct there.
How does God answer to our prayers?
Or how does God answer our prayers?
Whatever.
But I see from Psalm and from many other parts that people who pray to God expect an answer.
So, in Psalm 17 it says,
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me.
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
When I was much younger,
we were taught at church that God has three ways to answer us.
He says, sometimes he says yes,
which is what all of us want to hear.
Sometimes he says no.
And sometimes he says wait.
So, I thought, well, that's good.
And when I tried to teach that to my sons,
once they were smart enough to debate me,
they said, well, that covers all the bases.
So, you can, with that answer,
you can always use something of that.
Whenever you pray and you don't get what you want,
okay, God said no or God said wait or whatever.
So, it wasn't very helpful for them.
But I think God hears all our prayers.
I think he answers.
I found seven ways how God answers in the Bible.
There might be others, of course,
but I want to share these ones with you.
First, and that's what most people would like to hear,
God speaks directly sometimes.
And I think all these parts that we have in the Bible
are still, should work, or are working today.
I know people who have heard God's word directly.
And one of these nice conversations that I find in the Bible,
of course, we have to be very selective.
We can't go over everything,
is between Jonah and God.
And it says there, it's in Jonah 4,
but to Jonah, this seemed very wrong,
and he became angry.
He prayed to the Lord.
So, let's use the word, he prayed to the Lord.
Isn't this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home?
That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
a God who relents from sending calamity.
Now, Lord, take away my life,
for it is better for me to die than to live.
But the Lord replied.
So, he speaks directly to Jonah.
Is it right for you to be angry?
And then the conversation goes on.
When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind,
and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint.
He wanted to die and said,
it will be better for me to die than to live.
But God said to Jonah,
is it right for you to be angry about the plant?
It is, he said.
And I'm so angry, I wish I were dead.
But the Lord said,
you have been concerned about this plant.
Though you did not tend it or make it grow,
it sprang up overnight and died overnight,
and so on.
We know that conversation.
So, there is a,
we wish for this to happen.
So that we pray and God speaks to us directly.
At the end of our class,
we will have some minutes that you can share the ways that God has spoken to you.
I know there are some people who have heard God's voice.
In my case, it happened only once.
And where you hear a voice,
and you know it's God,
but you don't know where it comes from.
But it is clear,
and sometimes,
in my case,
it was not as long as this.
It was just one sentence.
So, that is one way.
Okay, here.
Okay, there it goes.
I'm not a good expert either on PowerPoint,
so I had to do it myself.
Before that, when my sons,
the oldest were with me,
they helped me always with that.
God speaks through the Bible.
That is, I think,
what we are most familiar with.
You know, we have some concern,
and so we open the Bible,
and look if the Bible tells anything to us.
And that's what the disciples did.
After Jesus went to heaven,
and they were together,
and there were 11 of them,
and then Peter says,
so it's up and says,
okay, we have to do something here.
And then he quotes two scriptures,
two verses from scripture,
that today,
theologians will be having
a little problem,
maybe saying,
okay, this does not directly speak
to the problem that they are having there.
But he says,
may his place be deserted.
For St. Peter,
it is written in the book of Psalms,
may his place be deserted,
let there be no one to dwell in it.
That was one thing.
And may another take his place
for leadership.
So,
he says,
therefore,
it is necessary to choose
one of the men
who have been with us
the whole time
the Lord Jesus
was living among us.
So,
I don't know
if you are
one of those persons
who says,
okay, Lord,
I need your direction.
You close your eyes,
you open the Bible,
you put your finger
on some verse
and say,
that must be the answer.
And,
sometimes it works,
but most often,
not quite.
There's one lady
in our church
who bought a house
according to that one,
because she didn't know
if she should move
closer to a church or not,
but one day,
she opened the Bible
and read one of the Psalms,
let us go to Jerusalem
to the house of the Lord.
And she says,
okay,
that was the answer.
So,
okay.
I wouldn't,
probably not buy a house
according to one of those verses,
but she did.
It worked for her.
This one,
I think,
we would be most
uncomfortable with.
God speaks
through casting lots.
I mean,
the same verse,
portion that we were
just reading,
continues after that.
When the disciples
had decided,
according to some
Old Testament scriptures,
that they needed
a replacement,
that there couldn't
just be 11 of them,
and then they chose,
according to my opinion,
the wrong guy,
because there it is,
oh no,
here it is,
yeah.
They had one Joseph
called Barzavos,
also known as justice.
So,
that was a person,
in my opinion,
it sounds like a just person,
when you go into Greek.
He has,
he has,
we say in Spanish,
a curriculum,
he has,
he has built something up,
and Matthias.
We don't know anything
about Matthias.
But he got chosen.
And after that,
he never appears
again
in the whole Bible.
So,
we don't know
if he did anything.
We would think,
well,
Paul,
for instance,
would fit much better
with the apostles,
or maybe
Barnabas,
or some of the guys
who are really good,
you know,
who did lots of things.
But,
it was Matthias,
according to this.
So,
you just cast lots.
I know
two churches,
one church
and one seminary,
who chose
their leaders like that.
When the board
was divided,
deadlocked,
okay,
they cast lots.
In the case
of the seminary,
in the case
of the church,
it was the whole
procedure from
the beginning.
Everyone knew
at the end,
there will be
two candidates
and God
will decide
through lots
who will be
our senior pastor.
And according
to the members,
God chose wisely.
You know,
I tell you
because it's
in the Bible.
I'm not suggesting
anything.
This was actually
in Acts chapter 1.
God speaks
through dreams.
And
what strikes me
most is that
God so often
speaks to people
in dreams
who are officially
not His people.
Or who officially
don't acknowledge
Him as the only
God in heaven.
God
So we have
a list
from Abimelech,
for instance,
who through
some lie
on Abraham's
side
or of his
wife's side
got together
with Sarah
and then God
had to intervene
because before
something happened
bad,
so He spoke
to him in a dream
and He said,
that woman
that you have
there belongs
to another man
and you should
not have anything
to do with her.
So that's the way
He spoke to them.
Laban or Laban,
I don't know how
you say it in English,
he was the uncle
of Jacob.
He worshipped
other gods
and God speaks
to him in a dream.
We know,
of course,
the story of the
copier and the
baker in the
jail who met
Joseph.
The pharaoh
himself had a dream.
God spoke to him.
A Midianite
soldier
had a dream
where he dreamt
about Gideon.
Nebuchadnezzar
had several dreams,
bad ones
that made
scared him very much.
The Magi
were people
who had a job
that was not
allowed in Israel.
Observing stars
and reading stars
and interpreting
stuff from that.
In the Bible,
the autonomy,
God says
people like that
should be cast
out of Israel,
should be killed.
But then he reveals
himself to them
in a star,
first one,
but once they are
in Bethlehem
or wherever they
went to find Jesus,
that night he speaks
to them in a dream.
Not through stars
or anything,
he speaks in a dream
to them.
And even the wife
of Pilate
had a dream,
seems not a pleasant
one,
because she says
her husband,
let him go,
don't have anything
to do with him.
But of course
God speaks to his
people,
also,
Jacob,
Joseph,
Solomon,
Daniel,
Joseph,
the husband
of Mary.
It always is
interesting to me
that God speaks
once to Mary,
but three times
to Joseph.
I can understand
that.
If he would ask
me to marry
my girlfriend
who is pregnant
from the Holy Spirit,
I mean,
he would have to
talk a lot to me
to convince me
about that one.
But we must be
aware also
that not all
dreams are from
God.
And we were
together at a
seminary in
Europe with my
wife a couple
years ago,
where every
day in the
morning,
people were
invited to share
their dreams.
And the staff
interpreted the
dreams for us.
and some
of us
participants
also wanted
to chip in
and say,
I think it
means that,
but we were
not allowed
to interpret,
only staff
could.
So,
that was
rather an
interesting
experience,
because we
all dream a
lot,
and most of
us don't
think much
about it.
We think,
okay,
psychology
says it's
what you
lived through
the last
days or
hours or
whatever is
on your
mind,
that's what
you're
dreaming.
but maybe
there might
be more
to it as
we think.
Jeremiah
says,
Indeed,
I am against
those who
prophesy
false dreams,
declares the
Lord.
They tell
them and
lead my
people astray
with their
reckless lies,
and yet I
did not send
or appoint
them.
They do
not benefit
these people
in the least,
declares the
Lord.
So,
those people
who just tell
their dreams
and always
say,
I dreamt
something about
you and
so on.
Even God
himself says,
be a little
careful with
that.
But,
there's a
promise from
Joel 2,
and we know
that promise
got fulfilled,
and afterward,
I will pour
out my spirit
on all people.
Your sons and
daughters will
prophesy.
Your old men
will dream
dreams.
So,
I think I'm
almost in that
category already,
you know,
of the dreaming
dreams.
Your young men
will see
visions.
And,
Peter says,
once the
Holy Spirit
falls on the
disciples,
and they
all are
speaking the
gospel,
and everybody
who is there
can understand,
Peter says,
this is the
fulfillment.
This is what
Joel spoke
about.
So,
according to
him,
that happened
in Pentecost
already.
God speaks
also to
visions.
Visions and
dreams are
not the
same.
They are
often paired
in the
Bible,
so they
appear together
in many
verses,
but vision
is something
that a
person sees,
and it can
be in broad
daylight.
It's not a
dream while
you are
sleeping.
and I
know people
who have
seen visions.
To me,
it happened
twice that I
know that I
suddenly see a
picture in
front of me,
and then it
disappears again,
and you
know exactly
what it is,
or you know
most often
what it's
supposed to
be.
So I
just took
one from
Isaiah,
first verse
of the
whole prophet,
the vision
concerning Judah
and Jerusalem,
that Isaiah
son of Amos
saw during
reigns of
all these
kings.
So of
course,
then it
goes on
66 chapters.
That's a
very long
vision,
I should
say a
long list
of visions
that he
saw there.
God
speaks to
open and
also to
closed doors.
Some call
this the
situations or
the opportunities
and so on.
So,
from Paul,
we know,
and I
like to
ask my
students,
how did
Paul know
where he
was going
while he
was led
by the
Holy Spirit?
When they
did their
first missions
trip,
because it's
interesting,
they start,
they don't
go just
like,
okay,
now we
are sent
out by
our church,
let's go
down to
the port,
take the
first ship,
and go
where it
goes.
Actually,
they go
first to
the people
of where
Barnabas
came from.
He came
from that
island,
Cyprus,
in English,
yeah.
That's where
he came
from,
so they
went first
to visit
his people.
But,
normally,
good students
say,
Holy Spirit.
So I
say,
well,
look at
this,
Paul and
his companions
traveled
throughout the
region of
Phyrgia and
Galatia,
having been
kept by the
Holy Spirit
from preaching
the word in
the province
of Asia.
So they
wanted to
preach in
Asia,
but the
Spirit did
not allow
it.
When they
came to
the border
of Mesia,
they tried
to enter
Bithynia,
but the
Spirit of
Jesus would
not allow
them to.
So,
again,
they closed
the door
there.
But then,
in other
parts,
in 1st
Thessalonians,
Paul says,
I wanted
to go to
you,
but Satan
did not
allow me.
So I'm
amazed how
Paul could
tell the
difference.
When is
the Holy
Spirit
closing a
door,
and when
it is
Satan?
I only
know when
the door
is closed.
And,
well,
probably the
difference
isn't
that much
important,
because if
the door
is closed,
it's closed.
But Paul
had this
capacity of
discerning
who had
closed the
doors.
So,
in this
case,
two doors
got closed
to Paul,
and it
was after
that that
he had
this vision
at night
from this
guy from
Macedonia
who were
calling him
come and
help us
there.
So,
through these
closed doors
where he
could not
go in,
he understood
that he
had to go
somewhere else.
and,
when we
wanted to
go to
the United
States to
study many
years ago,
it was
very easy
for God
to close
doors.
Because I
told him,
you know,
we are so
dependent on
you,
not just
because of
finances,
because of
visa.
There
isn't
anything you
can do
as
Paraguayan
to get a
U.S.
American
visa.
You
depend
completely
on
God
in
first
place
and
on
the
mood
of
the
person
in
front
of
you
who
does
the
interview
with
you
at
the
embassy
and
so on.
So,
we said,
if you
get us
through that,
we understand
when the
door is
open,
we can
go in.
If not,
we go to
some other
place.
And,
the
seventh
way of
speaking,
God speaks
through other
persons.
In the
Bible,
he did
that often
to
prophets.
But,
it doesn't
need always
to be a
prophet.
And,
I will
speak to
that
in a
personal
short
testimony.
I'm
trying to
refrain
myself
to give
an example
to each
of those.
So,
I will
just give
one here.
In
Acts
21,
we have
this
interesting
experience.
After
we had
been there
a number
of days,
a prophet
named
Agabus
came down
from
Judea,
coming
over
to
us,
he took
Paul's
belt,
tied his
own hands
and feet
with it,
and said,
the Holy
Spirit says,
in this
way,
the Jewish
leaders in
Jerusalem will
bin the
owner of
this belt,
and will
hand him
over to
the Gentiles.
So,
that was
very specific.
But,
the problem
is,
when we
think that
Paul said,
okay,
then I'm
not going
to Jerusalem,
he said,
well,
thank you for
the information.
I knew that
all along,
the Holy
Spirit told
me in
every part
that that
will happen,
so I
will just
keep going.
Even though
his whole
entourage,
his whole
team told
him not
to go to
Jerusalem,
Paul didn't
take this
as an
advice from
God for
not going
there.
For him,
it was just
a piece of
information,
you know,
okay,
or confirmation.
Okay,
we know what
will happen
there.
So,
often,
I'm
teaching at
a seminary
for,
this would
be if I
was at
a seminary,
I started
teaching 27
years ago,
we married
very young,
so,
these days,
most people
would not
get married
during college
years,
I think,
but at
that time,
we were
thinking,
being poor
alone and
being poor
together,
what's the
difference?
So,
let's just
being poor
together and
have fun
while we
are being
poor and
whatever.
So,
what I want
to say,
my two
oldest sons
are older
than me
at this
point,
when I
got married
and they
are still
single,
I'm fine
with that.
Just get
your bases
down and
so on.
Yeah,
very,
yeah,
I'm the
student,
so I
had the
privilege for
over 20
years,
always having
young students
in classes
who always
want to
know,
how does
God speak
to me?
So,
I tell
them these
seven things
and often
I,
we end up
at the
seventh.
I say,
just go to
some people
that you
consider
mature,
spiritual
Christians
and ask
them for
advice.
And God
speaks through
them.
in the
year 2011,
I was
taking my
first
sabbatical
in Paraguay
it is
very unusual
to take
a sabbatical
so that
means you
don't get
paid.
You have
to find
your own
way to
live during
that
sabbatical.
In my
case,
it even
meant I
had to
step down
from the
position I
was director
of a
seminary
because they
said,
well,
we don't
have
sabbaticals,
if you
want to
take a
year off,
you have
to step
down.
I did
that because
I was so
convinced that
God wanted
me to
take a
sabbatical.
So during
that year,
we had to
decide what
we will do
next year.
In Paraguay,
the appointments
all run
from January
to December.
I mean,
everything starts
with January,
not like here
because right
now we have
summer there.
So it's
all just
the way
around it,
like here.
School year
starts in
February,
ends in
end of
November
and so
on.
So I
got three
proposals,
three offers,
job offers,
very good
ones,
and people
wanted me
by the
end of
June to
tell them
which one
I will
have so
that they
had another
six months
to look
for some
other person.
So I
was very
thankful
that the
Lord didn't
abandon me
and say,
okay,
there's
enough work
to do.
But I
didn't feel
very good
with any
of these
offers.
They were
good,
but not
exactly what
I was
thinking would
fit me
and my
concerns and
so on.
So I
was invited
to
Colombia,
Bogota,
Colombia,
for a
big
revival
meeting.
There's a
church that
they claim
that sits
25,000.
It's a
bunch of
factories that
they bucked
together and
threw out the
walls and
made.
It's called
the city
of God
because even
the aisles
are numbered
and have
names so
that you
don't get
lost once
you go to
the bathroom
and you
find your
way back
again.
It's a
huge place.
I didn't
count if
there were
25,000 in
it, but
I believe
it.
So
preachers
were very
charismatic
and had
this
Pentecostal
touch that
I don't
like very
much during
preaching when
they always
say,
tell your
neighbor,
God is
great.
Tell your
neighbor,
God made
you beautiful
and tell
your neighbor
this and
tell the
person next
to you
that and
tell the
person,
I don't
know what
else.
So I
usually
participate
once or
twice in
that.
I think
it's
ridiculous
because the
person heard
what the
preacher was
saying and
I think
the preacher
is just
using that
to think
what he
will say
next.
So usually
I tell
the person,
God is
great,
you are
great,
and after
that,
after I
have done
it once
or twice
or three
times max
that I
just,
I mean,
you heard
what he
said.
But one
of these
occasions,
I had
prayed before
the trip,
it was at
the end
of June,
I prayed
to God,
please show
me on
this trip
which one
of these
offers I
have to
accept,
which one
would be
the one
that you
want me
to take
on.
So suddenly
the preacher
says again,
tell the
person next
to you,
I show
them my
thumb up
to my
neighbor,
and he
turns to
me and
says,
God says,
don't move
until I
tell you
so.
I don't
know if
that makes
sense to
you,
but that's
what I
heard God
saying.
He didn't
know me,
I didn't
know him,
it was
not what
the preacher
had said,
of course
not.
So,
he didn't
know if
it made
sense to
me,
I didn't
tell him
that it
made a
lot of
sense to
me,
but it
scared me
also a
little.
I came
back home
and I
called all
the three
places and
told him I
would not
take it,
which is
very
not
responsible
for a
person who
has a
family.
So,
you are
six months
short of
your
sabbatical,
you don't
have anything,
July passed,
all of it,
half of
August passed,
and nothing,
and then I
was in,
we have in
Paraguay,
we have every
year a
national
marathon of
prayer,
where the
whole country,
well,
all the
Christians in the
country are
invited to
pray for
24 hours,
and in
that
gathering,
the
president of
the
Pastors
Association
of
Paraguay
invited me
for a
meeting
together
with
another
guy
who
runs
a
foundation,
a
ministry,
and they
told me,
you know,
we have so
many pastors
in Paraguay
who have
never had a
chance to
go to a
Bible school,
and we
need to do
something with
them.
They
didn't tell
me anything
new,
I had
done a
survey,
for a
U.S.
American
university,
so I
knew the
percentage,
I knew
that 90%
of pastors
in Paraguay
never had
any formal
theological
training.
So they
are standing
every Sunday
before a
church,
not knowing
what they
are doing,
basically,
or not
knowing what
they should
do.
A church
like this,
that has
at least
three
well-educated
pastors
would be
a huge
luxury
in Paraguay.
It would
almost be
admirable
to have
that.
You should
split those
pastors and
send them
somewhere else.
But I
know the
situation is
different.
So during
the next
month,
the Lord
gave me
a vision
for what
we call
the Aquila
and Priscilla
Institute.
And you
might ask,
is there
anything wrong
with formal
theological
training?
I don't
think there
is anything
wrong with
it,
but we
know,
at least
in Paraguay,
it's elitist,
only a few,
very few
people can
go there.
It's
expensive,
it's
geographically
bound,
you have to
go to
the capital
city to
go to
that
seminary,
you are
there confined
for a
couple of
years,
and it
often doesn't
produce the
kind of
leaders we
wish for.
At least
that's what
always the
churches tell
us,
saying,
you know,
we had a
pastor that
went there
and it's
not quite
what we
were thinking
and so
on.
So is
there a
need for
an
alternative?
When you
have 90%
of churches
that don't
have a
pastor,
there is
a need
for it.
In
2016,
there was
a congress
in Thailand
that I was
able to
attend where
it says
that the
number
worldwide
is at
85%.
So
Paraguay
is a
little
worse
than the
average
in the
world.
The
United
States
is a
lot
better
than the
rest of
the world
because most
of the
churches
have
pastors
who went
to seminary.
So
since most
pastors don't
have academic
preparation to
go to an
institution of
higher education,
it means they
never finished
high school.
We even have
pastors who
can't read
or write
and you ask
yourself,
so how do
they preach?
preach.
I
discovered
they preach
by memory.
They have
some 50
or 100
or 150
verses in
their mind
that they
heard and
that's their
whole repertoire
what they
are preaching
by.
And so
you don't
have to
wonder if
the sermons
are repeating
themselves
regularly.
They don't
have the
finances to
pay for
this excellent
but highly
elitist
kind of
education.
the possibility
to relocate
their families
to one of
the bigger
urban centers
leaving their
church unattending
during the
absence,
they don't
have that.
And on
the other
hand,
82% of
pastors in
Paraguay
cannot live
with what
the church
pays them.
So they
have to
have jobs
besides
the church.
So that
is when we
founded the
Aquila and
Priscilla
Institute.
According to
Acts 18,
I like that
so much,
there came
this guy
Apollos who
was a
very good
speaker,
but he
had limited
knowledge.
And instead
of exposing
him before
the whole
church,
laughing about
him or
discussing
him and
saying,
you know,
this guy
is a good
speaker but
he doesn't
have any
knowledge,
you shouldn't
listen to
him.
It says
that Aquila
and Priscilla
took him
beside and
explained him
the way and
everything that
had happened
so far.
And with
that new
knowledge,
she got
sent out
to Corinth
and he
had a
very
successful
ministry
there,
so that
even the
church in
Corinth
later on
became
known that
someone said
they were
followers of
Apollos and
some of
Paul and
so on.
You know,
I mean,
he had
almost the
same impact
as Paul
there.
But I
like what
Aquila and
Priscilla did
and we
have them
together in
the Institute
because we
always want,
if a pastor
gets training,
that his
wife comes
with him
and gets
the same
training.
Or if
the woman
comes,
then her
husband
comes
also.
So we
have a
vision,
mission,
whatever you
need for
these things.
We would
like that
every pastor
in Paraguay
could have,
could get the
tools that he
needs to
lead a
church.
And that's
our vision,
that every
church in
Paraguay could
have at least
one person
equipped for
that task
to do.
So we
offer a
program of
15 modular
courses that
each one of
those has
16 hours and
is being
taught during
two months.
Normally we
gather pastors
of one place
on one
weekend and
give them
eight hours
of classes.
Next one,
same weekend,
so if it's
the third
weekend, it
will always be
the third
weekend so
that they
get into
a rhythm.
They get
the next
eight hours
and then they
complete one
course.
How did
we come
up with
these
courses?
Well, I
ran a
survey among
pastors and
they gave
me actually
over 70
teams, but
we got them
down to
15.
And so we
are teaching
things that
are not in
any seminary,
for instance,
the pastor
and the law.
Many pastors
don't know
anything about
the laws in
our country,
so they can
get in trouble
because they
know many
secrets of
their members.
And if
they don't
report certain
things,
to the
authorities,
then they
can end up
in jail as
well.
For instance,
so I
show you
some pictures
that on the
left is our
biggest prison
in Paraguay,
has 4,000
inmates.
We have a
church there,
we have
classes there,
sometimes we
have them
under a tree,
some because
it's too hot
in the church.
There are
some places
where we can
only go with
the airplane
because there
are no roads.
Of course,
we don't have
an airplane and
we can't pay
an airplane,
so we have
to ask
businesses or
big cattle
ranchers if
they can
give us for
free a ride.
And it's
not always
easy because
in that part
of the country
where we have
to go,
there are
lots of
other airplanes
that transport
all our
stuff,
especially at
night.
So no one
wants to be
in the wrong
list.
they don't
want to be
in the list
of the
government
or the
Paraguayan
DEA,
they don't
want to be
in the list
of some
of the
competing
drug bosses
there.
So you
have to
figure out
stuff like
that.
Sometimes you
have nicer
classrooms,
as I said,
sometimes you
do it
outside.
After
three years,
those that
participate
and stick
to it
for three
years,
at least
12 of
those 15
courses,
they get
a graduation.
And to
pretend to
be humble,
I only
put a
picture of
the smallest
graduation
that we
had,
with three
persons.
But of
course,
it's much
nicer if
you have a
graduation
with 26
people,
and so that
means that
they all,
because
perseverance
is not
a virtue
in Paraguay.
It's very
hard to
continue for
more than
one year
in any
program.
Where are
we now?
At the
Akila and
Priscilla
Institute.
Until last
year,
we had
established
33
training
centers.
That means
where pastors
gather once
a month.
In less
than seven
years,
it will be
seven years
now,
in May,
we have
trained
almost 1,200
church
workers,
I call
them,
because not
all of
them are
pastors,
church
leaders.
The only
requirement
that we
have is
that they
work
at the
church,
that they
have a
ministry
in church.
We don't
want to
have any
tourists
there.
Only people
that really
are working
at church,
including their
spouses,
have been
trained at
the Akila
and Priscilla
Institute.
And we
all know
this verse
in 2 Timothy,
two things
you have
heard me
say in
the presence
of many
witnesses
and trust
reliable
people.
That's what
we try to
do with
where do
we get
our
teachers
from.
We have
47
teachers
at this
point
and most
of them
were my
students
at the
seminary.
So once
they get
graduated,
I invite
them to
become
teachers
themselves,
two pastors
and other
people who
never had
the chance
that they
had to
go to
an
accredited
Bible
school.
So we
will skip
this.
Just to
show you
there's
an
economical
reason
for doing
this as
well.
This is
what I
try to
show our
church
leaders.
The
yearly
cost of
college
education
in
Paraguay
is
$5,000.
So if
you consider
that for
your kids,
you know,
if you
want to
save big,
you can
send your
kids to
Paraguay.
This
includes
room and
board and
everything.
$5,000.
But
training a
pastor who
is already
in the
field,
it takes
only $400
for a
whole year.
So the
total cost
of producing
an
official
pastor is
$20,000
compared to
$1,200
for one
that is
already there
at the
church and
we know
that will
be a
pastor because
unfortunately
we also
know that
from all
the graduates
of our
school of
theology,
which at
this point
is part
of the
evangelical
university,
so it
has at
least
college
level
degree,
only four
from our
graduates go
into full
time ministry,
so in
the other
case,
in Akila and
Priscilla,
we know
everyone is
already working
there,
so down
there it's
just 100%,
6% is the
cost of the
Akila and
Priscilla Institute
from the
other ones.
thank you.
We have
seven minutes
for questions
and sorry
Greg asked
me to leave
ten minutes
but we
have seven
minutes for
that you can
share something
how God
spoke to
you or
that if you
have any
questions about
our ministry,
what we are
doing, I'm
still teaching
at the
seminary, I
never left
it, I
think that
God allowed
me to get
an education
so that I
can prepare
other people
and so my
life is like
this, during
the week I'm
doing high
theology, at
least in
Paraguayan
context and
for the
weekend we
shift two
gears down
because in
Paraguay we
drive shift,
stick shift,
you know,
we shift
down, so
then we go
grassroots level
with the
people and
it's very,
I thank God
for giving me
that opportunity,
it's just
great, especially
if you, after
eight hours of
teaching you
want to go
home and
the pastor
says wait,
wait, wait,
I still have
a question,
you know, and
at the
seminary once
it comes at
12 in the
morning when
it's lunch
time, you
know, everybody
is packing
up and you
try to teach
something but
no one is
listening because
they are hungry,
you know,
hungry for
other stuff,
so.
Any comments?
How does God
speak to you
when you
pray?
So are you
employed by
the seminary
to do this
project?
No, the
seminary employs
me to teach
at the
seminary, I
am employed
by this
independent
ministry, which
in Spanish is
called Jesus
Responde al
Mundo de Hoy,
Jesus Answers
the World
Today.
It is an
independent
ministry that
owns the
Aquila and
Priscilla
Institute.
And is
that run
by a board
of pastors
or just
by you?
No, it's
a board
of pastors
is for
the foundation,
for the
ministry.
Yeah.
The school
is pretty
much, I'm
the director
and so no
one, problem
is I'm on the
whole organization,
I'm the only
guy with a
PhD, so no
one wants to
tell me how
to do it.
They're all
too respectful.
I will need
some people
who would
say, Martin,
we need to
do it that
way or so.
And how
many are
So until
now I depend
on the
Holy Spirit
and my
wife.
How many
are on
your board?
Six people.
And do
they come
from different
denominations?
Yeah.
That is the
thing, the
ministry is
interdenominational
while the
Bible school
belongs only to
one denomination.
So that's, I
think that's why
we have so
many open
doors.
Among our
students, they
are from all
over, they're
Pentecostals to
Catholics.
So how do
you deal with
interminational
theological
differences?
We don't.
Now we
are, mostly
it's just
practical stuff,
how to preach,
how to interpret
the Bible,
I mean, of
course, you
know, how
you interpret
the Bible
feeds into
what you
believe later
on, yeah?
But how to
handle finances
at the church,
your own
finances, how
to have your
family, a
Christian family,
pastoral
family, pastoral
counseling, and
many of these
things.
Yeah.
I stepped
out for a
moment, and I
think I
missed at least
one of the
ways God
answers prayer,
but one of
yours, while
praying, a
strong impression.
Can you
repeat that?
One?
One way I
believe God
speaks to me.
Yeah.
is that while
I'm praying,
not hearing a
voice, not
seeing a vision,
but having a
strong impression
that's almost
like somebody
speaking to
you.
I used to
pray a lot,
Lord, show
me what to
do, and
then hurry
off and do
something else,
and not think
about it again.
Yeah.
Of late, I
feel like
God, if I
listen for a
while, that
sometimes it
gives me a
strong impression
which, for
me, seems
like a clear
message.
Yeah.
from the
Lord, including
a while ago,
Matt, do you
really love the
person you're
praying about
right now?
Or do you
just want to
go away and
go to hell?
And so
God changed
my heart, and
he just called
me through
the Sunday
school class.
He's coming
to the church
this morning.
Thank you,
Lord.
Amen.
Yeah,
I would
describe it as
a thought that
I know doesn't
hold me.
Okay.
Yeah.
So, it
may even be
an interruption
or an
antithetical
thought.
So, a
friend who
was praying
that God
would change
her husband,
and God
said, he's
not the
problem.
You know,
so this was
an interruption
in her thoughts
because she
was grinding
her eyes
was false.
and God
said, he's
not the
problem.
So, I
think sometimes
when God
speaks to
us, it's
in that
different
thought, a
thought that
obviously isn't
coming from
us, and
it's consistent
with Scripture,
so you know
it's God.
Yeah, yeah.
And it's
short and to
the point,
isn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
You know,
James said that
the wisdom
from above is
peaceful, and
it's gentle, and
it's easy to be
entreated or
applied, and
it's sown in
peace by those
who make
peace.
And so, when
God speaks to
us normally, it
makes sense, and
it has a
peacefulness about
it, you know.
And yeah, if
the Lord asks
you, do you
really love this
person you're
praying for?
That's definitely
God.
Right.
Okay.
Someone else?
Doesn't the
fact that you're
praying for
somebody necessarily
mean you have
some love for
them?
Not always
very much.
Yeah.
Sometimes praying
almost out of
guilt, okay, now
I've done it, I
don't have to do
anymore.
You may have to
be really sinful
to be like that,
but you're
right.
Or worse, we
have neighbors who
always have very
loud music, especially
on the weekends.
I have prayed a
lot for them, but
not out of love.
Yeah.
Well, we have to
get up to the
main...
Yeah.
Because I think
this might really
be helpful.
One day I was
praying to, and
the Lord said to
me, the person
that you see when
you're praying is
you.
And I said,
what do you
mean?
He says, well,
when you're happy,
you see me as
being happy with
you.
And when you're
upset, you see
me as being
upset with you.
You're really
just seeing
yourself.
And I went,
wow, that's
true.
Because Scripture
is what describes
how God feels
about us.
And it's not
that harsh person
that we tend
to be.
That's my phone.
Oh.
Like mine.
Take it,
my phone went.
Anyway, yeah,
hopefully that's
helpful.
Well, thank you,
Martin.
Martin and his
family are staying
at the Overseas
Ministry Study
Center this year,
so they'll be
here until June,
is that right?
And it may be
beginning of June.
So I encourage
you to get to
know them,
spend time with
them over the
next few months
if you have an
opportunity to do
that.
Let's close in
prayer.
Father, thank you
for the ways that
you hear and answer
our prayers, Lord.
Thank you for the
ways that you guide
us and lead us in
the ways that we
should go.
Lord, we pray
this morning that
we would fix our
eyes on Jesus,
the author and
finisher of our
faith, and that
we'd be encouraged
to run the race
that you have set
before us with
perseverance and
endurance.
We pray for the
Aquila and Priscilla
Institute.
We pray, Lord,
that you would
continue to
strengthen the
pastors and church
leaders and their
spouses and families
in Paraguay.
Lord, that your
church would be
founded upon the
solid rock of
faith in Jesus
Christ and the
word of God, and
that it would be
empowered by your
Holy Spirit and
directed in the
ways of righteousness
and truth and
peace.
Lord, we pray that
you would strengthen
and guide Martin and
Betty, and we pray
for their time here
in Connecticut, in the
United States, that it
would be refreshing to
them, and that you
would give them wisdom
for the next steps that
are ahead of them when
they return.
We pray these things in
Jesus' name, amen.
Amen.