Posted on

To Build a Church…

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it” (1 Cor 3:10 KJV).

Through the Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit gives us many metaphors in trying to describe the multi-faceted wonders of the church. So many different metaphors are absolutely necessary when discussing something as living and organic as the Church. He refers to the church as a field to be farmed, a building to be built, a flock to be tended, a body that is grown, and a bride to be wed. Each of these illustrations reveal a unique perspective of what God has intended for the Church for whom Jesus “gave Himself” (Eph 5:25). “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph 5:32).

There is a crucial difference between merely having a burden for building and having a true passion for people. In reading through Paul’s epistles, he gives many clear instructions, guidelines, and warnings on building the church, but it is easy to see he driven by his passion for people. Paul explained that he was “jealous” over the church. but it was a “godly jealousy” based on sacrificial love for the precious souls for whom He was laboring.

My wife, Marietta, and I long both for ourselves and for those who are and who will labor by our side that God would creatively grow within us a sincere passion for people that would motivate and move us in our burden for building what He has entrusted to us. We believe that building without passion for people would end up as nothing more than “wood, hay, stubble” (1 Cor 3:12 KJV) which will never survive the testing by fire. Whereas, work accomplished by people who will give of themselves out of agape love for people would be a work which Paul likened to “gold, silver, precious stones” (1 Cor 3:12 KJV) which will only become more precious and pure when tested by fire. Paul says:

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Cor 3:13-15 KJV).

Living Connection Church/Iglesia Conexion Viviente must be all about loving people and seeing them be connected with Christ, and then connected with one another, and also connected with the community where God has strategically placed them. All else we do as members individually and corporately must purposefully and creatively serve this purpose. While utilizing the many methods available to achieve this goal, we feel that because we are working with living and growing people, our approach should be more organic than methodical.

Utilizing some of the Apostle Paul’s metaphors concerning the Church, we see the following five aspects of this work along with organic ways of evaluating success:

  • A Field to be Farmed. Field preparation is required before seed can be sown. Intercession and prayer together with the anointing and gifts of the Spirit are necessary to see that the “field” of our community is properly prepared. God gives the promise that if we carry the “precious seed” of God’s Word and sowing with tears, we will “reap with joy” and bring our “sheaves” with us (Psalm 126). A successful field is evaluated not merely in quantity of crop produced, but also in quality.
  •  Building to be Built. A building needs a foundation based on how tall the building needs to be. Paul’s goal for height is “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13 KJV). With a building of that “stature,” the foundation must be sufficiently deep and laid “on the rock” (Luke 6:46-49 NKJV). Hebrews discusses the importance of foundational teaching which must be firmly laid (Heb 6:1-3) in order to “go on to perfection (maturity NASB)”. To this end, we will work to ensure that each member has these foundations properly laid through individual discipleship, and teaching corporately. Evaluation of a building would be its ability to face the storms and stand the test of time.
  • A Flock to be Tended. Sheep need so much more care than cattle. They need loving shepherds who will lead with their lives. Likewise, personal discipleship is required and must be based upon life examples and experiences. Evaluation of successful shepherding is based on healthy sheep that know the Good Shepherd’s voice and follow Him (see John 10:1-30).
  • A Body to be Grown. Hands, feet, eyes, ears, the inner organs – the many parts of the body all need to grow and mature together. Key to growing a church is assisting people not only to discover their purpose and function within the Body of Christ, but also their dependence upon one another (see 1 Cor 12:12-27). A body of believers would be evaluated in both their maturity in function and their love and commitment to each other and how they bear witness in the community around them. “…that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:23 NKJV).
  • A Bride to be Wed. Paul’s zeal had nothing whatsoever to do with “marrying” a group of people to himself, but to Christ: “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Cor 11:2). Ministry goals must, above all else, seek to wed people to Jesus Christ. The Church is His Bride. She is the one for whom He gave Himself. He is the one washes her in the water of the Word, cleanses her from spots, and dresses her in unwrinkled, fine linen (see Eph 5:25-27 and Rev 19:7-8). “Simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” is how the preparing of the Bride should be evaluated. The Church must have as its heart-throb cry: “Come quickly, Jesus! Marantha” (see 1 Cor 16:22; Rev 22:17,20; 2 Tim 4:8; 2 Peter 3:12).

It is a great work to which God has called us. Though he referred to himself as a “wise master builder,” Paul knew it was only by the grace of God (1 Cor 3:10). He cried out, “…who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor 2:16 KJV), and then he promptly answers his question in the very next chapter: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers…” (2 Cor 3:2-3 KJV).

Posted on

Forward, Yet Looking Back

Looking back over my life always produces deep gratitude for the leadership role models who have touched my life since I first came to Christ. There are many, so since I am unsure of which one to write about, I’ll just start with the very first one.

“Remember your leaders who taught you the Word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith” (Hebrews 13:7 NLT).

About a month after I was born again, there was a man and his wife (Leo and Doris) with whom I became closely connected. He was a very unique and gifted Bible teacher and I was hungry to learn more. Right from the beginning, he told me: “This house is your house. The door is always unlocked. Don’t knock! Just come on in! If I showed up while they were eating, they’d have me sit down at the table with them. That’s the way it always was – not just for me, but for many others.

After school hours (my senior year), I would go to Leo’s house as many times a week as I could. I don’t ever remember them telling me he was too busy! He always had a teaching or a testimony to share with me. Water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit were the first things he taught me about. It was the first I had heard about it. I wanted it! Within a few weeks Leo baptized me in a neighbor’s swimming pool, and when I came up out of the water, Leo and another man laid hands on me, and I began speaking in tongues. Afterwards, the group of us went straight to his house. We all sat on the floor and Leo said, “Let’s all sing, “Amazing Grace.” Then after a couple verses, he said, “Let’s sing ‘Amazing Grace’ in our prayer language.” And that went on for another hour!

He always had some visual that he would use for his teachings (no PowerPoints or computers back then!). My favorites were a “felt board” with a large map of Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan, and another large felt of Moses’ Tabernacle (ones he drew and painted by himself). He also had a 10-foot wooden pole fastened horizontally in his living room from which he taught about God’s Eternal Purpose (something not heard about very much back in the 70’s!). Seeing the bigger picture in Scripture secured within me a solid foundation and deep respect for God’s Word, the Bible.

There were several youth and young couples that met at Leo’s house frequently. It seemed like there was always someone new there. His teachings were quite casual and we would often interrupt to ask questions. He always encouraged us to take what we were learning and to share it with others. I did just that and would take my lunch and break times to share with others at school.

In January of my senior year, the doctors found cancer in my dad. When I got back from school, my mom and grandparents told me the news, the first thing I did was to drive to Leo’s house. It was late at night, but their door was unlocked as usual. They shared and prayed with me for a long time that night.

During the next four months, Leo spent time with my parents. They both got saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit and Leo baptized them in our bathtub (my dad was too sick to leave the house). Leo was always encouraging us to believe for healing and taught us many healing promises in the Bible. He spent long hours praying with us. During the last hours of my dad’s life, Leo spent the whole night next to Dad’s hospital bed in prayer. Seeing Leo’s passionate faith and prayer life during those times deeply impacted my life.

There always seemed to be someone at Leo and Doris’ house. People in need of counseling, people in need of prayer, and people hungry for the Word.  Amazingly, many of the young people that passed through Leo’s house ended up leaving the area to be involved in a full-time ministry somewhere…and I am grateful to say that I was one of them!

Posted on

An Appointed Time and Place

We are excited about the challenge God has placed before us here in T-County (Tuscarawas County) in having us reach out to a long established, uni-cultural community that has transformed into an multicultural society in a very short time.

God’s timing and placing is certainly amazing! In speaking to the men of Athens, the Apostle Paul said it like this: “And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories” (Acts 17:26 Amp).

I was born in T-County, Ohio, which during my childhood years was very much a uni-cultural area. I left in 1977 to serve full-time in a ministry that involved a lot of traveling and working with people of many different cultures. I loved it! During those 11 years I learned Spanish while serving in churches throughout various Latin-American countries. In 1989, I married my wife, Marietta, who is Cuban, but born and raised in Miami, FL. Together we planted and pastored a bilingual (English-Spanish) church in San Francisco for 14 years.

Hurrican Ike, September 2008

Then the Lord called us to Houston where we worked in a Spanish-English church. Hurricane Ike hit in September of 2008. “The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm” (Nahum 1:3 NKJV). Through a series of expected events, that hurricane crisis landed us in my hometown. We originally just assumed that it was merely a temporary stop, but God had other plans (like always!). He opened our eyes to a timely opportunity to serve this community.

We currently find ourselves befriending and working with a precious culturally-diverse group of people – Hispanics from a variety of Latin-American countries and Americans who have a heart and passion like us to connect with the Hispanics in our community. It is quite surprising to see how, even though they speak the same language, Hispanics from one country are very different from those of another country.

My wife and I work as medical interpreters in the local hospital, doctors’s offices, and in other social service organizations in T-County. Our son has organized a very successful and professional business in serving the Hispanic community’s transportation needs. We have also made connections with churches and some organizations that want to serve our multicultural community.

Music seems to be one area of ministry in which we have connected with others also. Our family is musically-oriented. My oldest daughter married a Salvadoreño who plays drums and has a real passion to train others and bring them into an authentic worship and worship leading experience. We have several youth in the church that are involved in both the music and media productions for our Sunday and Tuesday meetings.

I am currently mentoring several youth and a few men in the church who show a real passion to want to win souls. One of them keeps me busy taking me to the homes of people he meets on his job or in the community. His gifting is growing! Another brother helped us organize a community soccer event which is huge with the Hispanics here! We are planning more events like this in the near future.

Together we are connecting and networking with people in our community in some very unique ways, but we are not satisfied. There is an inner feeling that there is much more. In Acts 17, Paul continues his discourse with the men of Athens, by explaining that God has a reason why He determined the times and boundaries: “This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).

God has opened up a wonderful opportunity by placing us in this time and in this place. We are seeking Him for direction and relying upon His divine wisdom to lead us onward and upward in His mission to this community.

Posted on

Call to Health

Physical Health. Something we all want. Something we know we need. From childhood we‘re told: “Eat your vegetables.” “An apple a day…” “Zip up your coat.” “Early to bed, early to rise…” Media sells us on the importance of water and exercise, and, of course, their supplements, latest diet fads, or must-have gym memberships. It’s important. It is a matter of life and death and it is so easily neglected. Even Apostle Paul weighed in on this matter in his advice to young Timothy: “For physical training is of some value (useful for a little)…” (1 Tim 4:8 Amplified) – and for most of us, every little bit helps!

Emotional and Spiritual Health. Something all those following Jesus want. Something we know we need. As leaders, we excel in telling others they need it and we tout our many varieties of multi-point prescriptions. It’s important. It really is a matter of life and death AND eternity and it really is so easily neglected. Paul continues his fatherly advice to Timothy:

“Practice and work hard on these things; be absorbed in them [completely occupied in your ministry], so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:15-16 Amplified v.2015).

Although Paul did not tell Timothy to abandon ministry to take take care of himself, he did give a strong warning:  “Pay close attention to yourself…” and he even tied it in to ensuring one’s salvation. Yes, it really is a matter of life and death.

There exists a tendency in the DNA of man’s fallen human nature: we equate knowledge of a thing with actual life experience and practice. [Consider that Adam and Eve choose the Tree of Knowledge over the Tree of Life.] We read a best-seller book on healthy eating and exercise. Excitedly, we tell others. Start our own club. Even go through training to become certified trainers. Yet, with all that, we can so easily slip into neglecting follow the regimen with which we so passionately coached others!

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day had reached an apex of religious knowledge. They knew it all, taught it all, and personally neglected it all! To make matters far worse and much more complicated, pride (more stuff in the DNA of our fallen nature) blinded them. “Knowledge puffs up” (1 Cor 8:1 NKJV). To a terrifying extreme, they preoccupied themselves in maintaining their professional façade. The end result? Frightening! They criticized, rejected, and condemned to crucifixion Jesus – the very embodiment of  the “Word” about which they thought they possessed so much knowledge!


How ironic! Like a person becoming so busy promoting the benefits of drinking water that he suffers dehydration! In Isaiah 29 (the chapter Jesus quotes in His harshest rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees. See Mat 15:3-14; Mark 7:6-13), the prophet paints a frightening illustration of the dangers of this kind of deception:

“As when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he is eating, and awakes with his hunger not satisfied,
Or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he is drinking, and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched…” (Isa 29:8 ESV).

Any ministry can suffer this same fate. Even with the most passionate vision, we can easily become (in Jesus’ words) “blind leaders of the blind” and both the leaders and those being lead can “fall into a ditch” (Mat 15:14 NKJV). And how deep that ditch can be!

“God forbid!” (KJV) or “May it never be!” (NASB) – to use the Apostle Paul’s favorite expression. Paul was extremely serious about this. He was determined to finish his race and ministry “with joy” and he was not “disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 20:24; 26:19). Paul uses this analogy:

“But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit]” (1 Cor 9:27 Amplified Bible).


Balanced Health – physically, emotionally, spiritually – is something I want. It is something I desperately need to elevate and hold on to personally – for my sake, my wife’s sake, my family’s sake, and for the sake of those precious eternal souls with whom God brings us into community. I think I’ll start with the following prescription:

(1) Humble myself, recognizing that knowledge does not automatically equate with experience and practice.
(2) Humble myself, acknowledging my desperate need for a powerful incarnational life “from on high” working deep inside me to clothe the dry bones of knowledge with flesh and blood.
(3) Humble myself, slowing down intentionally to bare my heart, soul, and mind before the Light of the Word.
(4) Humble myself, bringing my wife and family into a rhythm of whole-being wellness checkups and time-outs.
(5) Humble myself, being transparent and vulnerable before those with whom God brings us into community, seeking to disciple others with life and not mere words.

“…for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” ( 1 Tim 4:16).

Posted on

Amateur Providences

Reading today’s devotional from “My Utmost for His Highest” bared my heart for another arrow of Spirit’s conviction about the crucial difference between ministry that begins and ends as a “for the Lord” experience and ministry that flows out of a “being with the Lord” life. Oswald Chambers says it this way:

Christian work may be a means of evading the soul’s concentration on Jesus Christ. Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, we may become amateur providences, and may work against Him whilst we use His weapons. – My Utmost for His Highest, March 25 (John 3:29)

“Amateur Providence” working against Him with His own weapons! What a frightening description!

In the previous day’s devotion, a similar warning was given:

If you become a necessity to a soul, you are out of God’s order. As a worker, your great responsibility is to be a friend of the Bridegroom. – My Utmost for His Highest, March 24 (John 3:30).

Quite the challenge Chambers has set before me! Thank You, Lord, for calling me Your “friend” (John 15:16), and affording me the grace to honor and love You above all else.