Wednesday

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro

throughout the whole earth,

to show Himself strong

on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

~2 Chronicles 16:9a~

Continue to pray for two ladies who are dealing with heart issues.  Mrs. Mildred Birch is in Baton Rouge General on Blue Bonnet.  Also, Mrs. Brenda D. Bryant who is undergoing tests.

Chilean engineer gives miners sermons, music

Posted on Oct 12, 2010 | by Tristan Taylor

SANTIAGO, Chile (Baptist Press)–As the day of their rescue draws near, trapped miners in Chile are listening to recordings of sermons, Bible studies and Christian music a half-mile underground, thanks to the efforts of Chilean engineer Igor Bravo.

Bravo has been part of the rescue efforts for 33 trapped miners in northern Chile for weeks. But it isn’t only the miners’ physical needs that concern him — it’s their spiritual needs as well.

“I had to help in some Christian way,” Bravo said. “If there is an opportunity to share the Gospel — even if we’re extremely occupied — and to contribute to the Christian cause and evangelism, it’s something that’s in [my] blood.”

A partial collapse blocked the mine Aug. 5, leaving the miners trapped in a living room-sized chamber for more than two months. Bravo owns the geo-technical monitoring company that is helping the rescue efforts on the desert surface 2,300 feet above the miners.

A member of First Baptist Church of Santiago, Bravo realized that though the miners’ physical needs were being met, their spiritual needs had been overlooked. He called his pastor, Luis Cortéz, for help.

Cortéz recounted: “He [Bravo] said, ‘I’m here basically by myself providing the spiritual support…. If you are able to send me materials, hunt, search and call [for them].'”

Cortéz contacted Radio Harmonia, a Christian broadcasting station in Santiago, which was able to provide MP3 files of pastor Adrian Rogers’ sermons and Bible studies in Spanish along with Christian music. Rogers, the late pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., was a former Southern Baptist Convention president, author and TV-radio speaker.

While Cortéz made contacts in Santiago, Bravo searched Copiapó, the nearest town to the mine, for other spiritual materials. He found 33 New Testaments and two entire Bibles that met the size restrictions for what could be sent down the chamber.

On Sept. 17 he sent the materials to the miners via the “paloma,” a device used to transport objects between the trapped miners and the surface. (“Paloma” means “pigeon” or “dove” in Spanish.)

Three of the 33 trapped miners were evangelical Christians when the mine collapsed. Since that time, two more of them have made professions of faith. One of the original believers, José Henríquez, has been leading Bible studies for the miners each evening.

“It [Bible study] started out 5, 10, now 20 participants,” Bravo said. “[The people on the surface] have José Henríquez identified as the spiritual leader; they call him ‘The Pastor.'”

Bravo wrote Henríquez’s name in one of the Bibles and sent it specifically to him but left the other blank. Henríquez says he intends to give the second to the Bible study’s best student.

As Bravo ministered to the miners, he knew their families waiting at Camp Esperanza (Hope) needed spiritual encouragement as well.

“A lot of people don’t know the Lord,” Bravo said. “That’s when the second need surfaced.”

Bravo called on the Chilean Baptist Union for help, and soon pastor Marcelo Leiva of Vallenar Baptist Church in Vallenar, Chile, was on-site comforting the miners’ families.

“Pastor Marcelo has been fundamental in meeting that need,” Bravo said.

Amid ensuring that both the miners and their families have the spiritual support they need, Bravo continues to play a vital role in the rescue efforts. His company determined the size of the rock blocking the mine following the collapse and is currently monitoring the status of the rescue shaft.

“I was very involved in the technical aspects and then later became involved in the spiritual,” Bravo said. “It’s been a great blessing.”

(Tristan Taylor is an IMB writer in the Americas.)

Swirling in My Head and Heart by Rev. Jason Dukes

I grew up in New Orleans. One of the guys I played basketball with there used to utter a phrase that still makes me smile. When a player would make a strong move to the basket, particularly if he slammed it down over someone, then my friend would scream out, “RIGHT ON THEY HEAD!!!” It was quite amusing, both the dunk and the declaration.

Well, this last Sunday morning, we wrapped up a series on Romans 12 called “It Just Makes Sense.” We focused in on Romans 12:17-21, which says:

17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine , I will repay ,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry , feed him , and if he is thirsty , give him a drink ; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head .” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We talked a lot about the lie of our culture that love is nothing more than a feeling that you lose when someone treats you poorly or when a relationships gets tough. In fact, just the opposite according to the New Testament teachings of Jesus and of Paul.Love is the choice to give your life away to someone and be more concerned about who he / she is becoming than about our own interests, no matter how they are treating you at the present time.

Paul, in Romans 12:17-21, challenges the Jewish Christians living in their segregated ghetto of Rome to not think so much of themselves that they forget to choose love even toward their enemies. Revenge is not an option. The bitterness behind revenge usually does more damage to the one exerting revenge more than the action damages the one upon whom revenge is being exerted. Paul even goes so far as to challenge his readers to actively serve their enemy. Feed them. Give them drink. Be hospitable. In so doing, they will heap burning coals on their enemies head.

What in the world does that mean?

My mom had always told me this phrase when challenging me to be kind to someone being unkind to me. The implication seemed to be some kind of bonus to aggravate them by exposing their rudeness with my kindness. Some sort of appeaser while we wait for a vengeful God to pull out His great and mighty revenge taser in the sky and rain down wrath upon our enemies. While that might still be an option, at least upon those who choose unbelief and defiance toward a loving, patient, graceful and JUST God, my dad suggested otherwise.

Sunday afternoon, he shared the following story with me:

Coals of fire may refer to making the enemy feel guilty and ashamed, but Dr. Ray Robbins suggested an interpretation that fits the context of unconditional love much better.

He was in the Holy Land and was talking to a Bedouin who, in the course of conversation commented, “That would heap coals of fire on his head.” Dr. Robbins stopped the conversation and asked the man what the saying meant to him.

The Bedouin said before matches were invented, a traveler in the desert would carry a hopper of coals on a pole above his head. He would carry it for the purpose of building a fire in the absence of matches, and he would carry it above his head so that the rising heat would not make him hotter than the desert sun already was. If a rider found another camp, he would stay there as a guest for the night.

Desert hospitality called for the host to do all he could for him to make him comfortable during his stay. When the traveler was about to leave and after the host had done everything else he could to meet the needs of his guest, the last thing he would do for him would be to fill the hopper with fresh, burning coals and lift it up over the rider’s head for the next leg of his journey. An amazing show of hospitality.

The meaning, therefore, Dr. Robbins suggested – Anyone who arrives at your camp, do what you can to help him. Be good to him as long as he will let you, even to the point of sending him away with an abundant act of love.

In the context of Romans 12, this certainly fits. And Paul calling for such hospitality even for an enemy certainly fits the call for us to love like our Savior loves. Not a feeling lost but an active choice to give, even to someone who lacks the same expressive love towards you.

So, this week, look for ways to heap coals of fire right on they head!

3 But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? [Romans 2:3 & 4]

Look for ways to show love this week (even to those who do not show love to you)!

Anna Lee