From/To Peru
(The following exchange with the men in Peru explains pretty well what is going on. See our plans at the end of these letter. UPDATE -- The "fund raising" letter we sent to several on our mailing list alone with the letter from a missionary in Perue is at the end of this file.)
Introduction:
I met Bro Thomas Williamson in Chicago in the early 90s. He is a Anglo layman who loves Spanish, and has a burden for Spanish speaking ministries, particularly overseas. He had a pastor friend, whom I met when I went to Chicago to meet Bro Williamson, who translated the little salvation booklet, "The Other Jesus ..." Having a print shop at the time, when I did the last printing of the small booklet, I printed maybe 2500 in Spanish. (I sold the print shop when I left Linden.) Since then, Bro Williamson has included a few of the Spanish booklets with other Spanish material he sends out.
Though he has sent out many of the Spanish booklets over the years, the following letter is the first real response he has received. The exchange has been interesting, as well as encouraging and exciting. I will only reproduce the Lima letters, and not my responses. The first one was sent from Lima to Bro. Williamson, who sent the following letter to me with a copy of the first letter he received from Lima. (We offer anyone extra copies of The Examiner who requests them.) I have removed the contact information for Lima, but will give it upon request.
Sandy Groves, who has done the translating for us, was raised in Puerto Rico. Her father's parents were missionaries there, and her father married a Puerto Rican woman. He is a Reformed Baptist, and is still there. He has a very large and effective ministry to the Spanish speaking peoples of Central and South America. Sandy has been a friend of Bettie's for many years. She, her husband, David, and their three children live a about 5 minutes from us. They faithfully attend a home church, Reformed Baptistic in faith and practice, down the road about 3 miles south of us.
February 26, 2005
Dear Pastor Need:
Thank you for the 30 copies of the February 2005 Biblical Examiner which is a good issue. I am glad that I was able to contribute slightly to the content of this issue with my article on the Temple in Jerusalem With Animal Sacrifices. This same article was featured for a while on the home page of the Baptist Missionary Association of Texas (it is now in their archives). This may be a sign that Christians in general are getting tired of the emphasis on promoting the Jewish religion and are ready to get back to promoting Christianity like we should have been doing all along. We can only hope so.
I am including an e-mail that I received from "Bread of Life Baptist Church" in Lima, Peru. I sent them a box of Bibles several months ago, and also included a bunch of Spanish articles, including almost everything I have ever written in Spanish. In their reply they have thanked me for the literature but they have mentioned only one item by name, your booklet, "The Other Jesus - The Gospel Perverted." It sounds as if a revival has broken out in Lima as a result of their reading this booklet.
Here is the translation of this letter, as best I can figure it out:
"Dear Pastor Thomas, It is with much joy that I inform you that at the end of December we have received your donation of Bibles and Christian literature. I want to repeat the gratitude in the name of the Director's Council of Prodic-Jireh. And likewise I want to share how important and marvelous have been to us the literature you sent, above all "The Other Jesus - The Gospel Perverted." Know that having been confronted with the word has been of great impact for our own lives. For some, our salvation had been put in doubt and in others they have discovered that they never had it. Personally, having placed in my heart all that I have read and meditated upon, I wanted to confirm my salvation to the Lord Jesus Christ, and my wife and children have truly been born again - now all my household are sure that we are heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven."
[I am not sure what the writer is saying - I showed this to a Spanish pastor, and he thought it was saying that this writer believes he was previously saved, but his wife and children were not previously saved. I am not sure what they mean to say, but it is clear that they now have assurance of salvation after reading your booklet].
"Now all that the Lord has revealed to us, from the place that God has now placed us within the church where we meet, we are preaching like we always should have been preaching the Gospel of Salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now in our "Bread of Life Baptist Church" in the district of Villa El Salvador, City of Lima, many of our brothers among the leaders, teachers and members have understood the true message of salvation, they are preaching in the central worship at the altar, and through the Sunday Schools (adults, young people, teens and children) and in the home cell-groups. This complete revelation of our salvation has filled our spirits with the spirit of God, and therefore we have immense joy and strength to evangelize all the dwellers of our locality.
"God is showing us a new vision for the walk of our institution Prodic-Jireh. It is totally evangelistic, but without setting aside the care of our children, even an evangelism specially for them. In Villa El Salvador there are more than 10 Baptist churches, and we want to be prepared to share with them that which is revealed by God, so we would be thankful if you can supply us with this booklet in order to transmit it to the other Baptist churches, and sharing with them (?) to have an evangelistic campaign, all in the same language Christ and His substitutionary work for me, for you and for all humanity.
Dear Pastor, we would be delighted if you could visit us and make for yourself and your congregation this evangelistic labor, meeting in the first place with all the churches of the district in order to receive your teachings and secondly a campaign clearly evangelistic directed at lost souls.
"We are a small and new institution and we would like to do a great work in the service of the people of God and of all those who want to know Him. Your visit is important for us, please confirm if you can visit us this year and what would be the expenses that we can provide for your stay in Peru. We thank God for what is being done in our lives, and how He has used you and your congregation as an instrument of faith and strength in our locality. God keep you and bless you always, Cesar Cabezas."
That is the letter, as best I can figure it out. As you can see, there are some places where I am not absolutely sure what they are saying. There is no way I would be able to go to Peru, but if you know of any Spanish speaking preachers who would like to visit this group or minister to them in any other way, please put them in touch. If you print this letter in the paper or on the Internet, I would strongly suggest that you not publish their address or phone number (which appear on the second page of the e-mail) because I really don't know anything about this group or who they are affiliated with except that they use the Baptist name, and if you publish the contact information, this could be used by some group that we may not approve of, in order to get them to affiliate with this other group. I have not sent them a second box of material, but I am going to consider doing so. Also, it just occurred to me to send a copy of this letter to a pastor I know in Chile who may be able to assist this group, whose convictions are mostly in line with ours, but he is located about 2000 miles south of Lima. If you know of any missionaries down there that you trust, please feel free to share this e-mail with them and see if they can make contact.
Yours in Christ,
Thomas Williamson
[MY response to the above.]
March 4, 2005
Dear Pastor Cabezas:
Bro Williamson forwarded your e mail to me, after he translated it. I am Pastor Ovid Need jr who wrote the booklet, "The Other Jesus..."
I rejoice in your account of how the Lord has used it to speak to your heart, and to the hearts of others. The purpose for writing the booklet was to help give the Lord a chance to speak to those who think they are saved.
I do not speak Spanish, but my wife was raised a missionary kid in Brazil, and she speaks Portuguese.
If you have a translator there, I would love to come down. We live about one hour West of Washington DC. I resigned the Linden Baptist Church three years ago, so I could write and attend preaching meetings.
Either Bro. Williamson or myself can supply more of the booklets, "The Other Jesus..."
We more than rejoice in what the Lord is doing there.
By His Sovereign Grace Alone,
Rev. Ovid Need
[HIS response. Translated by Sandy Groves.]
3/13/05
Dear Pastor Ovid Need:
Receive our greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, trusting that the peace and blessings of our Heavenly Father be over abundant in your life, your family and your congregation.
Dear brother, thanks for the honor of lovingly
calling me Pastor, which I am not. My participation in the congregation
I attend is that of Sunday School teacher for the children, role
I partake with my wife. I am also President of our Institution
PRODIC-JIREH.
We are very glad to know you, and of knowing that you are the servant of God that wrote the beautiful pamphlet "The other Jesus....", which has been of much edification to our lives. In that same manner, we are pleased to know that you are willing to support us in the work that we are carrying for our Lord Jesus Christ in the District of Villa El Salvador (The Savior's Village) in the city of Lima, Peru. We would be so pleased to receive a visit from you, in which you will be able to personally support the evangelistic work that has been taking place in our locality.
I want to share with you about our Institution PRODIC-JIREH, which is part of a Baptist group. We have initiated an evangelistic pilot program through the distribution of 50 evangelistic tracts. These tracts will be distributed throughout the year in areas surrounding our locality. Last Sunday (03/06/05), we started with La Iglesia Cristiana Bautista Pan de Vida ( Bread of Life Baptist Christian Church). We have also held door to door visitations to share these pamphlets. We will continue with the other churches of our District of Villa El Salvador in Lima, Peru at a later date.
We are very thankful to our Lord for impressing upon your heart the desire to support us. Another work that we will like to start is that of sharing the true message of salvation to all the churches in our locality and its vicinity. The desire to do this was initiated by your beautiful pamphlet "The other Jesus...." . We were confronted with the totality of the Holy Word of the Lord.
To make this labors viable, we need that you support us by donating this pamphlet. In this way, we will then be able to remit them to the leaders of other Baptist churches in Villa el Salvador and its vicinities.
In our plans for evangelization, we have included Open Air Evangelistic Meetings, for which we will need tents and chairs. These will facilitate the congregating of the needy and lost souls and the preaching to them about the gospel of Christ by the pastors of our Baptist churches.
We ask, dear brother, for your prayers and those of your congregation. Pray that God will permit us to have the necessary resources to acquire those things necessary for the furtherance of these evangelistic labors. And most of all, that these things be done in accordance to the will of God.
The following brethren are part of our Institution:
Brother Hubert Jimenez Bravo, Vice-President
Brother Martin Antahurco Fernandez, Treasurer
Sister Jackeline Avila Guerra, Secretary and also my loving wife
May God keep you and always bless you,
Brother Cesar Cabezas
[MY response back, translated into Spanish by Sandy Groves.]
3/13/05
Dear Hermano César Cabezas :
Thank you for the kind letter. I had a local lady from Puerto Rico translate it for me. I can not speak Spanish.
I have been thinking. Would it not be good to hold some training sessions for the pastors? I have been confronting the "false gospel" for 25 years, and have learned many things in trying to get the truth to people.
The key is to train pastors to both deal with those with the false gospel and who will be able to train their people. If we could work with them in a centeral location, it would be cost effective in both time and money.
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
We will see if Bro. Williamson can send you more booklets.
By His Sovereign Grace Alone,
Brother Need
[HIS response back. He uses a computer for translation and sends the original Spanish with the computer translation. I then have the Spanish translated by Sandy Groves. However, this one is still in the computer translation. Thus, the words are misused, but understandable.]
3/15/05
It wanted Brother Ovid Need:
It greeting in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are very you thanked by having an arranged heart to preach the Gospel, without measure borders, nation, race, neither any condition, only by love, the love of Christ.
The idea charms us that You visit us to qualify the shepherds and leaders of the Baptist churches of our locality. We are going to carry out the necessary coordinations with all they to meet us in a central place and to be able to receive in joint form the necessary sessions to expand still more our understanding on the True Gospel of Salvation.
We are going to plan the period of execution of the workshops, and for it we need that You the date need us that to arranged to visit us aqui in File - Peru. In base to the date that you determine its instance in our country, we will plan the dates of the workshops.
It wanted brother if you would be able to come with a translator would be a great blessing for us, in view that it do not we have. If this order was not possible, we go to do the effort to obtain a translator for the period that its visit be summarized.
I reiterate, my gratitude and esteem, expecting confident that the Mister continue him maintaining full of the Holy Spirit for you go for the world and to preach the gospel to every creature.
God keep him and bendiga by always
Brother César Cabezas
[MY response back. Translated into Spanish by Sandy Groves.]
3/16/05
Dear Brother Jireh:
Greetings to you also in the name above every name, the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our common faith makes us close brothers in Christ.
First, let me thank you for answering in English. Your English is much better than my Spanish, which is nothing. We can read what you wrote, and understand what you mean. Thank you.
The work the Lord is doing there thrills us all here, and we rejoice at the prospect of having even a small part in it.
We would rejoice at the opportunity to come help the local Christian leaders better prepare for a more effective presentation of the true gospel of total trust in the work Christ did for his people.
A very informal, united session and series of workshops with the leaders whom the Lord would send our way to help equipt them for the work of the ministry is very exciting. I believe such a united workshop would be the best use of the limited time we might have together. We could work with the leaders, and try to answer questions that will better equipt them to minister to their people and to the people around them with the truth of the Gospel.
I have been trying to confront the many false versions of the gospel here in the US since the Lord opened my heart about it in 1977. Over that period of years, the Lord has shown us some things that we have found to be effective in dealing with the errors so prevalent today.
It looks line our calender is full until the end of May. I hope that is not too late for you there. But it would give you all time to plan, and the leaders time to make plans to attend. How long would be a good amount of time to stay? (We would have plenty of little booklets to bring with us.)
What is the PRODIC-JIREH? Is it a Bible training institution?
I would like to bring my wife with me, and maybe even our 20 year old daughter. Would there be a place we could stay?
I believe we can find a translator down there. I am sure there are some mission schools there that could spare a translator for us.
The workings of the Lord are beyond our comprehension, and ponderous beyond words.
By His Sovereign Grace Alone,
Your brother in Christ, Bro Need
[HIS answer to me. Translated by Sandy Groves.]
3/21/05
Dear Brother Ovid Need:
Receive our greeting in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Forgive my lack of a prompt response to your last e-mail. There are various reasons that have prevented me from responding in a timely manner. One is that we have, in our local church, been developing various activities. The other reason is that we have spent time coordinating with other pastors the training seminars that you so generously will be teaching us.
In regards to the second reason, we have received some requests from different pastors. They are wanting to have details about the topics that you will be covering and the amount of days that you are planning on teaching. To be able to answer these requests, we need, dear brother, a detailed outline of your planned teachings. This outline will be shared with the pastors for approval. Once it is approved, we will then give an open invitation to all the Baptist churches in our locality. In this way we will also be able to determine the amount of days needed for the seminars.
Once everything is decided, we will be determining the dates for the Seminar. We project the possibility of it taking place in the month of June. As you indicated, June is an available month for you and is also one that will give us enough time to organize and prepare for a successful assembly.
Our dear brother, Thomas Williamson, is sending us approximately one hundred of "The perverted gospel, the other Jesus" pamphlet. These should be arriving here by the end of April. We will be distributing them to pastors, leaders and teachers in all the Baptist churches in our area as soon as they arrive. This will allow them to get to know or reinforce with detail the context of the doctrines of Salvation.
Dear brother, PRODIC-JIREH is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, created to support Baptist churches in their efforts to share the gospel of Christ through the instruction of their leaders, the evangelizing of lost souls and the outreach ministry to the community. On May 21st of this year we will be celebrating our first anniversary. Our labors have just started. We trust that with God's help, all doors will be opened. With thanks to His love and mercy we will, step by step, be accomplishing every goal and objective of the vision that He has placed in our hearts. In two weeks, we will be completing our Web page. We will let you know our web address, which will facilitate your becoming better acquainted with us, our plans and our needs.
Dear brother, we would be delighted to meet your beautiful family, but we really do not have the appropriate facilities to host them. If need be, we can make an effort to find a humble and simple house were you could stay while visiting us in our country.
We know that God is in these plans and we trust that His will be done. We will be awaiting your response. May our Lord continue to bless you immensely.
Brother Cesar Cabezas
Prodic-Jireh
[MY answer back to him. Translated into Spanish by Sandy Groves.]
March 22, 2005
Brother Cesar Cabezas:
Thank you for the opportunity to come down and "minister" to God's men.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I am 63, and started in the ministry as a layman in 1965. I served on church staffs until 1983, when I became pastor of the Linden Baptist Church. I spent the pastor years is serious study and writing. I have 14 commentaries on complete books of the Bible, plus other partial books as well as many other theological writings dealing with specific social, religious and family issues. I have one book published by Sovereign Grace Publishers, "Death of the Church Victorious". It is a lengthy book in which I trace the roots and results of modern dispensationalism, or rapturism.
I have written several more books, including identifying the Biblical Israel, and Israel's conversion. Another on Matthew 24, tracing Scripture from Matthew 21 to prove Matthew 24 was fulfilled in 70 AD.
I have published a theological news letter, The Biblical Examiner for close to 20 years now. It appeals to and is directed toward pastors primarily. You can check it out at http://www.biblicalexaminer.org
As associate pastor of several large churches (600 and more), I was in charge of the visitation, particularly door-to-door visitation. At the last church before I became a pastor, I spent 6 hours a day 4 days a week in door-to-door "soul-winning" visitation. I did that for about 5 of the 7 years I was there.
In 1970, I first went full time on a church staff, working with door-to-door visitation. During those years, I found several problems: Though I could get many professions from people in their homes, the people would not follow through in baptism and church attendance. Second, out of those who did attended church, including our regular church crowd, many kept coming back again and again for "salvation".
However, after the Spirit dealt with me and I was saved, I realized that emotions were making the "decisions" for Christ, rather than the Holy Spirit. I thus changed my manner in dealing with people. The result: Before I changed and started letting the Holy Spirit deal with people, maybe 1 or 2 out of 10, or less, would follow through with their profession. After I changed and started letting the Spirit deal with folks, the results were reversed. Out of 10, maybe 1 or 2 would not follow through. Out of the many "saved" under my ministry as a pastor, maybe only 2 out of 10 failed to follow through. Many did not serve the Lord in "my" church, but they are still faithful to the Lord as far as I know.
As you noticed in the little booklet, my view of salvation was very shallow until I was saved. Now salvation is very real and important to me, and we must make take the truth of salvation very seriously to those with whom we deal. We must be extremely careful that the Spirit is dealing with individuals, or we will give false assurances as we work to see how many "we can get saved", as is so commonly done in the average "soul-winning" program.
In 2000, my wife died of cancer. She left a married daughter, and a 15 year old at home. I remarried a widow whose first husband died in a plane crash in 1997. He left three grown children. We met through a mutual pastor friend, and were married in 2001. She was a pastor's wife with me for a year in Indiana. Then we were asked by her son, who was living in her house, to move back to Virginia. I saw that as a good opportunity to spend full time writing theological works, and doing things like coming down to visit you all.
Her first husband was also an ordained Baptist minister. She and her first husband worked with drug addicts for 6 years after they were married, until the Lord moved him into writing WW II aircraft history books. (Look up Jeff Ethell on the web, and you will find some of his books.) She was raised in Brazil, and came to the states at age 17 to attend High School and college. She was homeschooled, her 3 children were homeschooled, and her 14 grandchildren are now being homeschooled.
She is now 60, and is highly qualified to teach a Titus 2 class to ladies. However, she also would need a translator, for she only speaks English and Portuguese. Do you know anyone down there who could translate? The Lord will have to supply the translator. He has supplied thus far, so there is no reason he will not supply what we need in this area.
Where to stay?
I would like to bring my wife and 20 year old daughter. A simple house would be fine with us, if such a thing were possible. Meals?
How long would we stay depends on what you
would like for us to
discuss.
What to cover?
I do not know what the men in that area of the world need, so what do you feel would be the most effective use of our time and energies?
How long would be a good amount and efficient use of time? One day, two days, or ??? I know it depends upon the topics you would like to cover.
Topics we could cover:
1.) First, of course, the doctrine of salvation and how to deal with people, and the importance of the Spirit's work in conversion.
I would like to have at least a day, maybe 4 very informal sessions concerning salvation, where the men can ask questions, and we would have time to deal with the subject as throughly as we can.
I would like all sessions to be very informal, where the men can ask any questions they like, and we will try to address them from Scripture.
2.) My wife and I could do a family conference, which we have done here in the states. We are trying to help others with what we have learned through 30 years each of a good marriage, and remarriage. We are putting together a book concerning the matter, and already have a publisher for the book.
3.) Historic Baptist doctrine, The London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. Spanish version found at: http://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/1689lbc/spanish/1689scontents.htm I can download the Spanish version, and bring printed copies with me.
Dealing with this Historic Baptist Doctrine would take however many days that would be convenient, for it would cover about every other area we could discuss.
4.) Eschatology, study of last things, prophecy.
5.) Calvinism compared with Arminianism.
Note that Arminianism emphasizes free will in the sense that salvation is man's choice. Calvinism emphasizes God's sovereignty in saving individuals, and the needed work of the Holy Spirit. It was my salvation when the Lord dealt strongly with me that convinced me that salvation is of the Lord and of the Lord only.
6.) Dispensationalism, from a Calvinistic view, which is what my book deals with.
Any other subject you fell would be helpful to the men laboring in the Lord's vineyard in that part of the world.
I have always been very interested in the Andes and the Incas, so we would love to do some sigh-seeing. We would love to visit Cuzco and Machu Picchu, but those visits may be out of the question.
Your servant in Christ,
Bro Need
http://www.biblicalexaminer.org
[HIS response back to me. Translated from the Spanish by Sandy Groves.]
3/26/05
Dear Brother Ovid Need:
Thank you for allowing us to know about you and your family. It will be an honor to have you all here in our country. I know that your teachings are going to be a blessing to so many here in our churches. They have been for my family and me. Pray for them, my wife Jackie Avila and children, Diego (12), Andrew (11) and Andrea (4). Also pray for our small ministry, our Sunday School teachers at the Baptist Church "Bread of Life" (Pan de Vida), for the leadership of Brother Hubert Jimenez and teachers Richard, Lorenza, Raquel, Maritza and all those others that God will be adding in the future.
We will like for all our children to become great servants of the Lord, leaders and future men of good. Our goal for them is that their lives be used as instruments of God's faith, so the multitudes bow on their knees to the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray also, my dear brother, for our congregation "Bread of Life", for Pastor Francisco Neyra and his family and for each of the adult, young adult and youth ministries. I have great concern for our congregation in general, we are in difficult times and only the Lord can release us from this "pseudo religious" times. We need a lot of prayer from all God's people. Please share this need with Brother Thomas Williamson and all those servants of the Lord that you fellowship with. We need to petition our Lord for the need of our church to live again with the Holy Spirit constantly filling their daily lives. That they preach the message of salvation to all people in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and for His glory and honor, great and full of mercy. Also, keep our PRODIC-JIREH organization in your prayers.
Dear brother, we will be meeting with a group of pastors to coordinate and determine the topics that are of priority to us. We will inform you of our decision as soon as it is made.
We are pleased with the idea of having your family accompany you during this trip. We are already searching for a small house to rent for you. As for your meals, we will be providing them. We would enjoy having you visit for 10 days, primarily for the conferences and to minister with your wife to the women and men of our congregation.
Thank you for the interest you shared to learn about our culture. Machu Picchu is one of many historical cities that we have in Cuzco and the surrounding areas.
May our Lord always bless and keep you,
Brother Cesar Cabezas
[MY answer to him. Translated into Spanish by Sandy Groves.]
March 27, 2005
Dear Brother Cesar Cabezas:
Thank you for your last letter. We certainly rejoice over your desire to serve the Lord, and to see your own children grow up to love the ways of the Lord.
I spent much time in the "Christian" movement that said that if I would do the Lord's work, then the Lord would take care of my family. After I heard what happened to the children of the leader of that movement, the Lord opened my eyes, and showed me that my family was more important than anything I might be involved in for the "Lord." I learned the hard way, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own family?" Scripture requires that a man's first responsibility be to his wife, then his family, and then to whatever ministry the Lord has given him, whether that ministry be in the "Lord's work", or an occupation in the "world". Ephesians 5.
As we make plans to come down, let me mention some things.
1) Is there any chance of getting a translator from there? Do you know any Christians who can translate well? We can bring someone down to translate, but we must pay the expenses, which will be high.
How much time could my wife have with the women, if we can find a woman to translate for her?
2) What kind of electrical service is there: 120 or 240 volts. What kind of plugs are required?
3) I am impressed at the Lord's movement there among your fellowship, for you see the danger of the "pseudo religious", something that many American "Christians" refuse to recognize. Lord willing, we will deal with the problem of "pseudo religion" from God's word, and replace it with true the Biblical faith that was once delivered to the saints. Jude 3.
4) Our presence there will not bring any kind of revival, so please do not expect that of us. All we can do is present the word of God in the context that God has shown us in the last 35 years in his service, and is presently showing us. Any work in the hearts of the hearers must be the Spirit of God, Philippians 2:13. Our prayer, of course, is that in his divine sovereignty and grace, he will see fit to give me the words and you all the hearing hearts that are required to see his Spirit move in both of our lives. Daniel 4, Romans 9 & 11.
5) Biblical Salvation must be defined in its Biblical meaning that is, deliverance, preservation, victory and health, and it refers to material and temporal deliverance, as well as personal, national, temporal and eternal triumph. Salvation is not escapism from the trials and temptations of this present life. It is victory through Christ in the midst of everything that is going on around us in this evil world. Salvation is victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. 1 John 2:14-19, 3:8, Hebrews 2:14, 2 Timothy 2:26. Thus, salvation involves much more than assured eternal life. It is very much how to live for Christ here in this life. It is how to be salt and light in a dark, evil world. It is letting our light shine, so that others will see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16.
6) Topics. My advice and desire is to teach through a book of the Bible, Galatians, and from that book about everything can be covered. I need to have an idea of what you feel is needed as soon as possible, so I can start working on proper messages. We are going to be gone for almost 4 weeks between now and then, which will cut down my "study time" dramatically.
7) 10 days would be good. I would like for my wife to have the opportunity to teach your mothers and daughters. I am confident she would be a blessing to them. Her three children are all married and serving the Lord today. By their fruits ye shall know them, and her fruit speaks well of her. If she does have the opportunity to work with the ladies, she will need a translator also. Is it possible to find good CHRISTIAN translators there?
Though our social circumstances are quite different, sin is not. Sin may take a different form there, but the Bible is true for whatever social circumstance in which it finds itself. The same problems brought about by sin here will be common there also. So the same basic needs are world wide, for it is the same basic problem, sin.
We are looking forward with great weakness, fear and trembling because of the great responsibility that comes with teaching God's word to those whom God places before us, particularly having to go through a translator (something I have only done one time before, but our Lord and his grace is sufficient to do what he opens the doors for us to do). 1 Corinthians chapter 2. We also look forward with great and good anticipation at spending time with you all in the service of our common Lord and Master, the crucified and risen Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ.
As I reviewed Inca history, I am awed by God's grace, and how he is moving among the descendants of those who were so given over to false gods. And he seems to be giving us an opportunity to be part of his movement there in Peru. 1 Corinthians 6:11. Is not our God of Grace a marvelous God?
Your servant in Christ,
Bro Ovid Need
[HIS response to me. Translated from Spanish by Sandy Groves.]
3/31/5
To Brother Ovid, whom we love:
I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting that our Heavenly Father is taking care of you and your family.
Please forgive our lack of a prompt response. We have full time secular jobs during the week, 9 am to 7 pm, and spend the evening in activities with the church and Prodic-Jireh. We spend Saturdays with our families and Sundays we totally dedicate to the work of our Lord.
The following is our response to your last e-mail:
1. Providing your own translators will be of great help to us. It has been difficult for us to find someone with that skill. We are still in search of one and do believe that God will provide what we need. It would be ideal to have two translators, one for you and one for your wife. Please do all that you can to raise the monies to cover the costs for the translators. We will be offering our prayers in regards to this matter, that those that support your ministry be able to donate enough funds to cover these costs. We do delight in the idea of having your wife teach our women.
2. Our electric power is 220 amps. The plugs that we use have two entries, either flat or rounded. In any case, there are adapters sold that allow your electrical appliances to be used in our country.
3. We have been discussing with other pastors about what topics will meet our people's needs, and these are our priorites:
a. the knowledge from the whole biblical context in regards to Salvation. It will be a blessing to discuss the teachings given in your pamphlet "The other Jesus.....the Perverted Gospel".
b. to learn how not to lead our churches into "pseudo-christianity" or "judaism tendencies"
c. to be challenged into a deeper study of the Word, which will encourage pastors and leaders to have constant and thorough study of the Bible.
d. the need to have committed leadership, willing
to give of their time, efforts and money
e. to motivate our churches to be better organized and have clear
and defined short and long term visions
4. We feel that the expositional teaching from the book of Galatians will be great, since the majority of all other subjects are covered through it. The other subjects can be taught through additional or complementary teachings.
5. We would love to have your wife teach our women on your recommended book and chapter, Titus 2.
6. Due to our full-time jobs, we would like you and your family to arrive here on a Saturday. This will allow us time to meet you, help you settle in and introduce you to the families of Brother Hubert Jimenez, Brother Martin Antahurco and of our Pastor, Francisco Neyra.
The next day, Sunday, we would like you to attend our Sunday School classes, from 9 to 10 am, our Church Services, from 10:00 am to 11:30 and 7:00 to 8:00 pm.
We would take Monday to show you around and familiarize you with the location of the participating churches and of the building where we will be holding the Seminars. The Seminars can take from 3 to a maximum of 4 days. We could start them on Wednesday and go to Saturday, or from Thursday to Saturday.
We estimate a total of 4 hours a day in segregated groups and all day Saturday with the general assembly. Your wife can teach one to two days, Thursday and Friday or just Friday. On that following Sunday, you will probably be teaching at two different churches, one for the morning service and the other in the evening. Monday will be your day to visit Cuzco and your last day to be with us.
7. The above is a suggested outline for your stay. Please let us know if there are any concerns or corrections to it before we submit it to the Board of Pastors in our locale.
8. We foresee the dates of June 4th to the 13th. Is this a good date for you? Or is there any other days that would work better for you?.
9. Would it be possible that you provide the materials needed to be distributed to the attendees at your Seminars?
Brother Hubert and I are working on all the details concerning your visit, in conjunction with the Board of the Southern Region of Lima. We will inform you of any progress or changes made, if any. We will wait for your response before we continue with the planning.
God has awesome things planned for each one of us and we know that your visit to Peru will be a blessing to all of us.
We pray that our Heavenly Father will guide us in wisdom and understanding for the planning and completion of this Conference with the only purpose of honoring and glorifying the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May our Lord Jesus Christ continue to immensely bless you,
Hermano Cesar Cabezas
[ME to Peru]
3/31/05
Thanks for the last letter. I will answer it in more detail later.
One short question:
Can I have access to a computer and printer, or must I bring a printer with me?
Thanks
Bro Need
[Peru to me. Translated by Sandy Groves]
4/1/05
Ovid:
Many thanks, dear brother, for taking the time to organize and prepare for your trip here. We do have a computer and printer. We will be installing these in the house we will be renting for you. The house does not have Internet access, but there are places near by that offer it.
What we do not have is a Multimedia projector and/or a screen where we could show videos. It would be a help if you could bring the equipment you might need. If you can not do this, let us know ahead of time and we will try to find them.
I want to take advantage of this opportunity to ask for any information you might have on Christian organizations that could donate bibles to us. Many families in our churches do not own more than a few bibles, having to share these with their members. Unemployment and low income situations are the cause for the lack of Bibles in many homes. We are not aware of any organization in our country that donates them. The Christian Bookstores in the area sell them at a higher price than most people can afford.
In his love and care for his brethren, Pastor Thomas Williamson has sent a second shipment of eight bibles. These we are targeting for our children's Sunday School classes. The need for Bibles is common in many of the churches in our poor areas, ours being one of them. About 35% of our 60 children and teen membership lack the ownership of one. I can testify to this need since we are Sunday School teachers.
It is because of this, that we, a Christian institution in the power, sovereignty and mercy of God, come to you, beloved brother Ovid, to ask for any contacts that you might have. These people and/or organizations will in return be able to bless us as Jesus Christ leads them with the donation of the Holy Word, not only to our local church, but also to others in our locale. The need is great. It is so important that all of us Christians walk everywhere we go hand in hand with the Word. And this for our spiritual growth and so we can at any time be prepared with our mouths to testify His word.
May our Heavenly Father continue to bless you immensely,
Brother Cesar Cabezas
[ME to Peru]
4/1/05
Brother César Cabezas
What is your mailing address? I want to send you a list of Spanish material that is available.
Bro Need
[PERU to me]
4/3/05
Translated by Sandy Groves
Dear Brother Ovid:
Our group owns an Inkjet Printer that may be of great use to you. I could also make my own printer available to you if you so decide that you need more updated equipment.
Our postal address is:
PRODIC-JIREH
Serpost del Distrito de Villa
Salvador
Estafeta de Lima 42
LIMA - PERU
We will be meeting with all the pastors this week to finalize the topics and dates for the Conference. Because of this meeting, we need to know if you agree with the program details we sent you in our last e-mail. If you have any other ideas, please let us know about them as soon as you can.
We realize that we have been organizing this activity in our own power and strategies. Forgive us for not being of one accord in our prayers. Starting today, we will persevere together in our prayers to the Heavenly Father. In this way, everything we do that relates to this event will be solely guided by God, in His will and not ours.
May our Lord Jesus Christ be our guide and the captain of our lives and may He help us to always walk in Spirit and Truth.
May God always keep you and bless you,
Brother Cesar Cabezas
[Me to Peru]
April 5, 2005
Answer to 3/31, 4/1 & 4/3/05
Dear Brother Cesar Cabezas:
My apologies for not getting back with you sooner. We have been extremely busy getting ready for a lengthy trip that we had planned before we heard from you the first time. We are leaving early Thursday morning, April 8, and will not be back until May 2.
I will have access to e mail along the way, but from other's computers. So please answer to all the addresses on this letter. Sandy Groves <sjgroves@shentel.net> is the one who has been translating for us. She is a wonderful lady who was raised in Puerto Rico, and has been a friend of my wife's for many years. Her dad has a far reaching Spanish Radio ministry from Puerto Rico into Centra and South America, including Peru. Please add her to your e mail list as you answer letters.
About our plans.
An inkjet printer would be fine, if Windows 98 has a driver for it. I will bring a lap top computer, which uses Windows 98se, and either 110 or 220. The only thing I might need is an adapter so my plug will fit there.
We are praying about and working toward having translators. We could bring a pastor from Chicago with us, but the added expense will be high. We are looking at $1,000 US per person for expenses. We are in the process of raising the funds, so really the trip depends on the Lord providing the funds, and the translator.
After looking at a web site from there, <http://www.lifemissions.com/> I see you have the same problem with "pseudo-christianity" as we do here. I confronted that problem as a pastor, and faithful, Bible believing churches here also must confront it. I guess it is expected that the mega-church movement would reach into all areas of the world, for that mentality does appeal to the flesh.
I feel your point 3, a., b., c., d., & e., will be fine things to cover. These points can easily be addressed from a good study in Galatians.
Again, we want the meetings to be informal, and those attending feeling free to ask questions.
If we can find a good translator for my wife, she would enjoy working with your ladies. However, if she is able to work with them, then I will need to also have a session or two concerning the men's responsibilities in the areas she will be covering for the woman. God's word places the primary responsibility on the husbands' and fathers'. We probably should discuss these matters with the men whether or not she gets to meet with the womenthings we have learned over the years of marriage and then second marriages after our spouses died.
(There are so many things we need to cover.)
The time schedule sounds fine. Whatever works best for all involved there. If we can get the translator, my wife could use the two days, I think.
The dates, June 4-13 sound fine. We would have to leave here June 3, and would get back June 14. How far are you from the airport? Would someone be able to pick us up?
I will send you a list of Spanish material that is available that I could either bring down or have Mount Zion's Chapel Library send to you. I will certainly either bring down or send down some London Baptist Confessions of Faith of 1689. How many copies should I bring? You can order it from Mount Zion. A good catechism would be good to have for you and the children. There is a good children's catechism in English, but I do not know if it is in Spanish. It would be excellent for use with children. I will check with Mount Zion and see if the two catechism's are available in Spanish. If so, I will see that some get to you.
I will not send a letter with the list, and you can answer by e mail, which I will forward to the supplier. In fact, if you will contact the publisher, they will send material you request. The e mail address will be on the list. When we get back in May, it will be too late to send material down by land, and it will be too expensive to send by air. So I will need to know as soon as you receive the list what you think you can use.
Internet access will be fine from another location. I will try to find some Spanish bibles. I trust you use the Casiodoro de Reina (1569) version, revised by Cipriano de Valera (1602) . I understand it is the best, comparable to our King James.
We will be at your disposal and convenience while we are there. We will try to do whatever is best for you all.
Obviously, we are praying about the whole situation, including messages, finances and translators.
I have been trying to get all the details covered before we leave, because there will not be much contact until we get back. Also, Sandy Groves is going to Puerto Rico to visit her parents for a period of time, so there goes my translator. I will have to go through her father there in order to get the letters understandable.
We are looking forward with great fear and trembling to being with you. We hope and pray that we can be a blessing to you all.
1 Corinthians 2:3.
By God's Sovereign Grace Alone,
Bro Need
I. Translation of: PRODIC-JIREH letter to Thomas Williamson on Wed., April 006
Dear brother Thomas Williamson:
We thank the Lord for putting the desire in
your heart to support us and are very glad for what you have been
giving us.
As I said to Bro. Ovid, one of our primary material needs is that
of obtaining Bibles for our ministries. We are joyful to learn
that there are 21 Bibles on their way to us. Also, we than you
for the Adult Sunday School Class materials, they are so needed
by our congregations.
Dear bro. Thomas, this week we will be firming up Bro. Ovid's Conference promgram with some pastors from our locale. We know of the enourmous efforts that he is putting into this visit, for him, his family and the search for translators. He has mentioned the high costs of this endeavor. The love of God surpasses all of these, to go to the world and to preach the gospel to all.
If it is His will, this visit will be coming to fruition this upcoming month of June and we do trust it will be so. We are a recently formed institution, in May of this year we will be celebrating our first anniversary. Because of this, we lack financial resources. Also, the ministries in our area are going through difficult financial crises. Our institution will be footing the bill for Bro. Ovid's Conference. According to our calculations, the total cost for this activity, including the rental of a house, feeding all attendees, transportation and the closing ceremony refreshments add up to US $400. We do not want to burden Bro. Ovid with these costs, he has already been so generous.
Because of this, dear brother, I ask if you, in the love of our God, can raise some offerings to cover these costs. If that is not possible, we will continue to pray to locate the means to finance it. If it is possible for you to do so, do forward these funds to us through Brother Ovid, as he can bring them with him in June.
Dear brother, I ask your prayers in regards to God supplying all of our needs, these being spiritual and material, and that His Will be done.
May our Lord Jesus Christ keep you and continue to immensely bless you,
Brother Cesar Cabezas
II. Translation: Letter from PRODIC-JIREH to Ovid Need - Wednesday, April 06
Many thanks, dear Brother Ovid, for your love and service to God and your concern towards us.
We trust in the grace and mercy of God to provide the needed translators for you and your wife. We also trust that our Lord Jesus Christ will burden many hearts in the United States to be willing to give for the financing of your trip and that of the group you will be bringing. We will continue to pray for this, trusting in our God who always provides, asking Him for direction and foremost, that His will be done.
The airport is one and a half (1 1/2) hours away from our locale. Do not worry, we chose for you to arrive on Saturday so we could be available to pick you up.
We are looking at a minimum of 100 attendees, between leaders, teachers and church workers. We will be able to determine the exact amount of attendees throughout our planning during the next months. We predict a larger group.
Thanks, brother, for the offered list. I will
be waiting for it and then choose the topics of most need and
interest to us. I repeat my gratitude for the other materials
you are sending. Thanks also for the bibles. We use de Casiodoro
de Reina (1569), revised by Cipriano de Valera (1602), 1960 revision.
If this is the one you mention, it will be fine, and if it is
an older version, then that would be even better.
Now that we know and have agreed with the itinerary, I will present
it to the pastors for its acceptance as a final draft for finishing
up coordinating for this conference. In this way we will be able
to initiate the advertising and propagating of information for
it.
May our Lord bless you, dear brother,
Cesar Cabezas
[END]
THE FOLLOWING IS A "FUND RAISING" LETTER SENT OUT TO SEVERAL ON OUR MAILING LIST. THE LAST LETTER FROM A MISSIONARY IN PERU WAS NOT SENT OUT.
[START]
Dear Friends:
This is the first time I have ever done this on my mailing list,
but this is a request for help as we plan a trip to Peru. As we
placed in the Examiner, my wife and I have been invited to go
to Lima Peru. (The various correspondence are posted at <http://www.biblicalexaminer.org/Peru%20Letters.html>
Our pastor, Lloyd Sprinkle, contacted an English speaking missionary
who is in the mountains of Peru to check on the legitimacy of
the requests made by Bro. Cabezas. The missionary told him that
these pastors would probably be poorly educated (as we think of
education), for they have no theological schools, no English nor
access to translators (we found one locally for $40 an hour),
very strapped for funds, and are evidently trying to establish
a group of small Baptist churches on sound Scriptural basis. These
men also have the same "mega-church" problem as plagues
US Christianity. Note that their only requests thus far have been
for Bibles and the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689
in Spanish. We will post the missionary's letter on our web site.
The folks there asked us to deal with " pseudo-christianity'
or judaism tendencies' " in the church, which we are
glad to do. With Bettie going also, we will deal with family issues.
I realize it is a lot to cover in the few days we have, but our
goal is to give them the desire to do the study themselves, and
try to provide sound material in Spanish.
We plan to leave Miami at 11:50PM June 2, and arrive in Lima at
4:19 AM Friday, June 3. The best price for plane fare is an overnight
flight. We would like to have some time to rest from the trip
and prepare with the translators before Saturday's meeting. We
plan to return the morning of June 15? [The cost of transportation
for the five of us is about $3700.]
We need your help. Please send any contributions to Providence
Baptist Church, PO Box 1008, Harrisonburg VA 22803.
ALSO, PLEASE DO NOT SUBSTITUTE THIS GIVING FOR SUPPORT FOR THE
EXAMINER.
Here are the correspondences we have exchanged thus far. They
will show you the need. The following is the translation of their
latest letter, translated by Pastor Hector Hernandez, Chile:
Dear Bro Ovid Need:
We greet you in the name of our Lord Jesús Christ, hoping
that our good God continues using your life for edifying many
through your teachings.
We are very happy because our Baptist Pastors Association (JUPAB),
of the southern part of Lima has accepted the conference you and
your wife will deliver to us.
Likewise, the JUPAB will also help us with the diffusion of the
event. This group of 25 to 30 pastors are in charge of several
Baptist churches.
God willing, there will be around 200 people in the conference,
pastor, leaders, teachers. In that regard, dear brother, we ask
the Lord that the study material that you are preparing for us
can be delivered to all those who will be present in the conference.
Likewise, we ask you, in the love of God, that you could send
100 more confession of faith than what you originally offered,
200 unities in total. The Pastor Thomas Williamson has sent 100
booklets: "The Other Jesus, the Gospel perverted" that
will probably be receive this week. We begged that you could sent
100 more books in order to have 200 the day of the conference.
We think that it will be quicker if you bring those books with
you when you visit our beloved country, so this way we will avoid
problems the day of the conference and we will be all set for
that day.
Dear Brother, we have planned the activities, according to our
needs here in Peru as it follows:
Saturday, June 4, from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. Preaching at Iglesia
Bautista Pan de Vida.
Youth meeting: Leadership Replacement meeting.
Topic: The attitude of the leader who leaves the charge and the
attitude of the leader who leaves the charge, and the attitude
of the disciples. If possible we would like your daughter to give
her personal testimony in order to encourage our young people.
Sunday, June 5, from 9:00 to 10:30 A.M. Preaching at Iglesia Bautista
Pan de Vida
Topic: Living the gospel fervently reassuring our commitment.
Sunday, June 5, from7:00 to 9:00 P.M. at Iglesia Centro Bíblico
Bautista. Evangelistic preaching. Topic: Salvation.
Monday & Tuesday, June 6&7 from 5:30 to 7:30 at Iglesia
Bautista Pan de Vida:
Teaching Workshops. Topic: Book of Titus, chapter 2. Expositor:
Your beloved wife. All the ladies in the meeting will interact.
Monday & Tuesday, June 6&7 from 8:00 to 10:00 at Iglesia
Bautista Pan de Vida
Teaching Workshops. Topic: Rescuing our commitment with God and
our local church. All men in the meeting will interact.
Wednesday, June 8 to Saturday 11, from 3:00 to 10:00 at Iglesia
Centro Bíblico Bautista. Conference: "Rescuing the
true gospel", according to the study of "The Other Jesus"
and the study of the book of Galatians in presence of pastors,
teachers, and leaders in the church.
Friday, June 10 & Saturday 11, from 3:00 to 6:00 at Iglesia
Centro Bíblico Bautista.
Topic: Book of Titus, chapter 2. Expositor: Your beloved wife.
All the ladies in the meeting will interact.
Sunday, June 12 from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at Iglesia Bautista Luz
del Mundo.
Evangelistic preaching. Topic: Salvation.
Sunday, June 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 AM at Iglesia Bautista Pan de
Vida.
Evangelistic preaching. Topic: Salvation.
This program is according to the perspective to our needs. We
´d like you to confirm this plan of activities, and if you
have any suggestions or changes that you might like to do, let
us know. Now, if you feel your the agenda is too heavy let us
know too. We can avoid some activities according to your will.
These week we will be ready to start promoting the conference
and this Friday we will start to distribute flyers to all the
churches that we are going to invite. For that reason we need
information about you and your wife, for example: Churches where
you have been pastor, Schools you had been to, and anything else
you would like to add. In order to put it in the flyers.
Dear bro., we would like to know, what chances are there, if you
can take with you two interpreters to our country. We are doing
everything possible to have at least one interpreter.
This week we will confirm where will you be staying. Probably
in a comfortable place where other foreign missionaries had come
before.
This week we will also contact our brethren in El Cuzco to tell
them that you are planning to visit Macchu Picchu and other archaeological
places around that beautiful place in order that they will guide
you in the trip.
Dear bro. We are very glad and waiting for your answer and confirmation
of what we have informed you in this letter. We know that that
day will be of much edification for our lives and that everything
will be done according to the will of God.
That the Lord keeps and guides you to walk always in spirit and
truth.
God Bless you dear Bro. Ovid,
Cesar Cabezas
[END]
I asked Bro Williamson about the above request, and here is part
of his response:
Bro. Need:
... As I was sharing with Hector Crespo on the phone yesterday,
there is always the possibility of someone trying to take advantage
of us, not just from Peru or the Third World but right here in
America or in Chicago. There is always the chance that a false
brother will disappoint us or turn against us or try to get something
from us under
false pretenses, and the only way to prevent that from happening
is to never work with anyone or take a chance on anyone. Meanwhile,
the compromising convention Baptists, Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Muslims, charismatics and other groups are pouring
big money and resources into these Third World nations, and if
we fail to do anything or help anybody down there because we are
not sure they are absolutely perfect in their doctrine and motivations,
then we are going to be left behind in the dust while all these
other groups move forward.
So it seems to me that we have to stick our necks out just a little
and take a chance with people to see if we can plant some seeds
of sound doctrine. If you get down there and they make it clear
that they do not want to hear about postmillennialism, I don't
see that as a really big problem. Just teach them as much as you
can and go as far as you can on the subjects that they do want
to hear about, and plant all the seeds of sound doctrine that
you can, and then we can follow up with them later with printed
materials in Spanish. You and Hector Crespo will be able to do
a good assessment on the site as to whether these folks are worthy
of any financial support, and if there is any doubt about that,
there is no need to send them a dime. Maybe we will talk some
more on the phone or email or whatever, before you go. How are
the finances for the trip coming along? - T.W.
[END]
Here is my response to the Peru letter:
Dear Brothers in Christ,
You have honored us with your request for us to come to Peru and
teach your church leaders. Here is the information you requested
about us.
I am a Post-Millenium Calvinist. My "education qualification"
is that I am "self taught". 1 Corinthians 1, 2. However,
I have one major book published ("Death of the Church Victorious",
by Sovereign Grace Publishers), and two more major works self
published ("Triumph of Titus", which Scripturally proves
that Matthew 24 was fulfilled in 70AD, and "Israel's Identity/Israel's
Conversion", proving that the Gospel Church is the new Israel
of God), and "Identifying Identity", an exposé
of the "Christian Identity" movement. I also have several
smaller booklets, and I have published a theological paper since
1985, "The Biblical Examiner", which has international
circulation. Time and finances have reduced the publication schedule
to about four times a year. We post the issues at www.biblicalexaminer.org.
I also have put together 14 commentaries on complete books of
the Bible, including Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy (a major question
and answer study in the law of God), and another simple question
and answer study in the book of John, meant for use in the home.
Most of these are posted at the web site above.
My father was a Baptist pastor, and after I got out of the US
Military in 1965, I started working as a layman in a large Baptist
church. The Lord opened doors, and I went full time on that church's
staff in 1971, in charge of their evangelistic outreach. After
1 ½ years, the Lord moved us to another large Baptist Church
for 3 years, where I was also in charge of their evangelistic
outreach. Then the Lord moved us into another large Baptist church
for 7 years, where, as the associate pastor, I was in charge of
the evangelistic outreach, as well as some preaching and teaching.
I spent the first ten years or so of my time on church staffs
involved in evangelism, primarily in children's ministries. The
Sunday Schools I worked with commonly had over 400 school age
children in their Sunday Schools. Obviously, not all of the parents
of those children attended church.
Then in 1983, the Lord placed me into the pastorate. (I resigned
in 2002 after 19 years.) Starting in 1971, I started spending
many hours a day reading Scripture. In 1975, I started keeping
notes as I read. As a pastor, I normally spent 6-8 morning hours
a day studying and writing, and the books and material I now have
are results of those long hours of study. My wife died of cancer
in 2000.
Bettie is the daughter of missionaries to Brazil. She grew up
in Brazil, but returned to the United States to attend college.
She and her first husband (who died in an airplane crash in 1997)
ran a home for drug addicts for several years. They were active
in a Baptist church, where her husband was ordained to the ministry
to drug addicts and youth. Bettie has spent many years teaching
young ladies and women, and helping her husband counsel families.
Ovid and Bettie Need have been married 4 years. Ovid's daughter
Christina and Christina's 95 year old grandmother live with them.
Please keep in mind:
I am a simple man who loves and tries to follow God's Word by
his grace. I am not a charismatic, motivating speaker. Rather,
my God given abilities fit more into being a teacher. Our primary
goal is to teach others who can and will in turn teach others
about the truth of salvation and God's command-word. (2 Timothy
2:2.)
I believe that if we want to see the spirit of God work, our goal
must be to lay a firm foundation in God's word with those willing
to listen, and the more who will listen, the more souls the Lord
will have with which to work. We need to avoid thinking that large
numbers means godliness, as is so common with the world today.
1 Timothy 6:5. We need to train the saints who are leading the
church and then those leaders can train and evangelize others.
We desire to come down as your servants, and as teachers to help
you equip the saints for the work of God. Ephesians 4:11.
Our goal is not to have a large group, and we will not be disappointed
if there is not a large group. But a large group would be nice.
A large group means more to hear the word of God, and more opportunity
for the Lord to deal with hearts. Please feel free to make attendance
as accessible to as many as possible. Do as you see fit in this
area. We want to be a blessing to you in your area of the Lord's
kingdom work.
Christina is looking forward to speaking with the young people,
and we will try to challenge those responsible in that area.
Please place on the advertisements that the schedule may be changed
as might be required by situations.
We will bring as much printed material as permitted by our weight
allowance: Spanish Bibles and London Baptist Confessions of Faith.
We are eagerly looking forward to meeting the beloved brethren
in Peru, praying that God will encourage us all in spreading God's
truth wherever we are.
With much love in Christ,
By God's sovereign grace,
Ovid, Bettie and Christina Need
[END]
Here is the missionariey's
letter Pastor Sprinkle received:
I have read through the correspondence now. The situation sounds
legitimate to me. The communication is consistent with the culture
and typical circumstances of the Peruvian church . It is especially
encouraging that they had the foresight and level of local coordination
to from a non-governmental organization (NGO). The church leaders
in Peru appear to be acting in faith, offering what they have
(which isn't much) and trusting God to meet their needs.
Here are some comments on your specific concerns:
1 ) they wish for a translator to accompany the pastor, stating
that they are unable to provide one:
This is a legitimate need. They have never before had an English
presenter, and thus no connection to a translator. The church
members are not professionals with associates who can sneak both
Spanish and fluent English. At the same time, it's clear that
they are not affiliated with a local organization, other than
the one they themselves formed. That could be good (after all,
it's a new work). But it would also be good for them to connect
with an existing seminary or denomination or. There are very few
seminaries, very few "trained" pastors, and developing
a relationship with a seminary/denomination can take a long time.
Having said that, I would hesitate to send two others whose only
role is to translate. It would he more "professional",
but that level of professionalism isn't necessarily called for
here. If the Peruvians knock on some more doors and there still
is no local translator, maybe worth sending one from here.
One thing to keep in mind is the wife speaks Portuguese. Anecdotally.
Portuguese speakers don't have much trouble understanding Spanish
in context. But Spanish speakers have a much more difficult time
with Portuguese. The translators would only he needed for the
"teaching" times.
2) the Peruvians have also stated that they are unable to properly
accommodate the guests:
Actually, the Peruvians offered a place to stay and all meals.
It may not be what Brother Need is used to, but he and others
will do just line. This expense (and shame,) is a burden the Peruvians
are offering to bear. They see US houses on TV and they all look
like mansions, so they're being courteous and deferential. But
it's a nice gesture on the part of Bro Need to cover the $400
(which looks tiny to us, but huge to the Peruvians) for rent,
food, etc. My recommendation would be to accept whatever meals
are provided without payment, but only to pay for any meals they
eat out. At the same time, whatever funds the Peruvians raise
for this event should be gladly used for their ministry purpose.
Wouldn't want to rob them of the joy and increased faith that
God promises.
3) it appears that the Peruvian church is seeking some type of steady monetary support:
The Peruvian church doesn't appear to be looking for steady monetary
support, though they would probably make good use of it if offered.
Rather. they are asking, for Spanish Bibles (which can be obtained
very cheaply here in the US, and really are beyond the means of
many people there). They are asking for more Christian literature/tracts,
like they have already been using with apparent success. And they
are looking for relationship/connection with some level of sponsorship/support.
As needs come up, they will undoubtedly make these needs known,
as would be natural.
I lope this helps. I actually don't have much experience in this
type of urban mestizo-Spanish church, but rather in rural Quechua
churches.
Blessings, Dan
END OF LETTERS
Sadly, we had already purchased the ticket for the lady translator.
(She is the daughter of the pastor from Chicago who is going with
us.) The Lord knows what he is doing.
We have purchased the tickets. We need to be prepared to spend at least $100 each in addition to the tickets, making a total of close to $5,000.
Or would you be willing to help with Bibles ($1.96 ea in
lots of 24, $49.85 each case, including S&H, from the American
Bible Society).
Or would you help with
The London Baptist Confession of Faith
of 1689? $1.03 each.
This appears to be an excellent opportunity to counter some of the false teachings that are going around in the Spanish countries. From what I have been told, "easy-believeism" has made huge inroads into Mexico, Central and South America.
We have attended with Bettie's sister to her Baptist Church in Brazil. That church is a typical "fly away" church as you would find in the States. When we were there, they spoke of their pastor being on a mission trip into Peru.
IF YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP, PLEASE LET US KNOW!
We need your help.
Pray:
for translators
for proper messages for myself and for my wife
for funds
for someone to watch after Christina's 95 year old grandmother who is living with us.
We request that gifts be made through our church:
Providence Baptist Church
PO Box 1008
Harrisonburg VA 22803
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