There is no doubt that unity is God’s will for his people. There is no doubt that the church has found unity to be among the most difficult aspects of its life in Christ. Though there is always so much to say on this subject when it comes down to brass tacks, I just want to celebrate with a simple word of praise the fact that we have unity with other Christians in Arequipa.
The Responsibility to Evangelize
Our method is sometimes referred to as “friendship evangelism”. That just means that we don’t spend our time recruiting in more direct ways, like knocking on doors, holding large meetings, or advertising. Rather, we have chosen to step into the lives of the people around us, walking alongside them, learning from them, and watching for opportunities to guide them to the life found in Jesus Christ. It’s slower than other methods, but we prefer to grow depth rather than breadth and leave behind a movement that can carry itself and will no longer rely on us.
Bapteezy
We’ve enjoyed the girls’ experience of our first baptism. On the way to the water, Shaye was very curious about Jose Luis getting “babertized.” Most often since that day, when Ana prays she thanks God for “Jose Luis and bapteezy in the water.” The ritual made quite an impression on the kids—and on us as well.
Relationships
I often think about the words of Dr. Cox, who was very influential in my formation at Harding. He tells of a lesson he learned as a young missionary in Africa prone to focusing on sermon preparation and delivery. He came to realize that his priorities were slightly misaligned and posted a written reminder for himself: 20% of what you do is sermon preparation and delivery, 80% of what you do is about being in the lives of people. I’m sure he’ll forgive me if my quote isn’t exact; the essence is right at least.
Estudio Biblico
I have to say that it has been a relief to get some Bible study going. For all our desire to be holistic in our work, it is no easy thing to make expressions of faith a seamless part of the activities that are less religious per se. Perhaps that will come with practice, but for now we rely upon the reading and study of Scripture to be the primary point of departure for religious discourse. By always making ourselves available to anyone interested to talk, pray, or study at any time, we create a lot of open doors for those who are already friends. No pressure, just availability, and service in the mean time. So far God is blessing this lifestyle.