To influence others you have to be in their lives
The following is a weekly blog of my missions experience and my take away from what I feel God has shown me this week. Also to help me to process the good the bad and the ugly. If it’s too long, or painful that’s because God showed me lors of stuff.
watch our video of PureHeart… maybe it will encourage you to donate! clic here https://youtu.be/Y7WKFRkDgHc
Attractive
2 Cor 2:15 For we are into God a sweet Saviour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish
Do you smell like Jesus to others? Or do you smell like curried milk?
There is something attractive about Jesus. People were drawn to Him when He was walking around the world 2000 years ago. People are still drawn to Him through true believers when they see Jesus’ love in them. It’s extremely important to keep that in mind when people reach out to you. If you are a real Christian, (noted by caring about lost souls), be nice! Many Christian’s, well know pastors and even missionaries fail miserably in that area. They’re saved. They’re going to heaven, but they are unkind and loosing many rewards.
I know an extremely famous pastor, maybe the most famous pastor in the world 10 years ago. He is now doing a tour around the world. He has visited a ton of cities over the recent years and is keeping count. I am concerned for him because of many reasons. One is because he went from 1M social media followers to 5 (and I am one of them). That’s worse than Jesus who went from 20,000 to 12 in one sermon! I am still following this pastor in hopes to see some form of repentance make a great testimony for my God of reconciliation. I am rooting for him. Innocently, I asked him, ‘what are you trying to accomplish by traveling so much?’ His answer was a snippy ‘don’t you know?’ Nope! That’s why I asked. The question was legit. We are called to ‘go and make disciples’, not just go and speed tour cities (with no speaking engagements). We are to go, make friends, and lead them to the Lord. It’s not a race. Missions 101.
I have lots of missionary friends in every part of the world. Often they tell me the great things they are doing for the Lord and it convicts, challenges, blesses and thrills me. But sometimes they say something like ‘God’s all over our ministry, God’s really close to what we are doing or the most troubling statement for me, God has showed up.’
Like we teach in AWANA at the WinnerHome, God is everywhere. Omnipresent. An attribute that only God has. God is close to the broken hearted Psalm 34:18 no matter where they are. They can be in a boring place, or in an interesting place. God loves us and is attentive and present wherever we are. That’s what makes Him so attractive. So when someone says God is present somewhere, they are kind of misrepresenting God, inferring that He is there, and not somewhere so exotic That leads me to my first question.
Question #1 How can God be closer to one situation than to another? God’s close to everyone. He is attractive to anyone. God is love. He’s omnipresent. He is just as close to that drunken atheist grump in Paris France as He is to the broken hearted orphan that cries out to Him in the garbage dump of Managua Nicaragua. There’s a misunderstanding about God when someone says that God is closer to one place than another. That wrong opinion often leads to a mistaken concept of who we are, what we should be doing, where we should be doing it and how we should be doing it. That leads me to my second question.
Question #2 Are you even nice? People have done horrible things since forever because they felt what they were doing was special for God, and that they were superior because of it. I loved knowing Jon Courson and Adriann Rogers. They could just have finished preaching to 20,000 people and sit down and eat a hamburger with you a half an hour later like it was nothing. Totally kind, nice, humble people. When you knocked on their door, Jesus answered, always,
We are all special to God. Especially born-again Christians. He sees us through the blood of Jesus’ one time, singular, sacrifice on the cross of Calvary for all of our sins, past, present and future. Watch Jon Courson’s Revelation Series on YouTube. Absolutely the best I have ever seen. Fun to watch to boot!
Not only are we special, but everything we do in Jesus’ name is special to God. Whether it’s delivering a housebound old lady her newspaper from the driveway every morning or climbing the Himalayas to spread the Gospel, it’s all about a servant being obedient to his Master, nothing more.
If someone tells me they how much they do for the Lord, how He’s really showing up in their ministry, and how humble they are in the same breath, it just shows me pride and error. Just share what Jesus did. That’s more than sufficient. The real, most important question is, are you nice and kind as you go about serving God? Are you encouraging people or are you a screaming nut case? Many are not very nice in the day to day minutia. God doesn’t need angry and mean bafoons doing His work for Him. We must realize that we are Jesus containers. When people knock on our door, we should let Jesus answer it instead of us. They need to see Jesus’ smiling face instead of the sneer of a cantankerous old man. Even other worn out and broken Christian laborers need to see Jesus when they knock on your door.
When people are attracted to us, it is extremely important to remember that they are really just attracted to Jesus in us. Jesus is sweet. Jesus is good. Bad and naughty sinners, and broken Christians, are attracted to Jesus, not us. We need to honor that, to be humble, and introduce people to Him when they come to us. We need to be graceful, kind and gentle. It’s not our wit or beauty or even our good deeds. There is nothing in a true believer himself that is attractive to a lost soul. It’s our reborn kindness that they see, Christ within us. Don’t let it go to your head. No one is good no not one. Only God is good. People are attracted to Jesus, not us. When they knock on our door, they need to see Jesus opening it up to them, not you and your bad mood.
Romans 3:10 None is righteous, no, not one.
Jesus is attractive. When I dwell on Him and His Holiness, time stops. Problems disappear. Anger dissipates. My heart burns with love for Him, wanting to have a closer walk with Him. I immediately beg for a fresh infilling of His Holy Ghost. I immediately beg for forgiveness and long to only know Him better. I want to realize His presence in my life. I am not alone. Even His own disciples didn’t recognize Him but were still attracted to Him.
Luke 24:32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
I think the biggest sign that someone is truly born again is that they can’t keep Jesus’ attractiveness to themselves. When I got saved, it was with one condition. That I was going to be a ‘quiet Christian’. That lasted until I ran into my first unbeliever. Jesus is so attractive that a born again believer can’t believe that someone would not be attracted to Him once they new about Him. I am astounded when someone backslides and turns their back on Jesus. I have blown it bad and tried to turn my back on Him but it was impossible. Nothing is as attractive as Jesus. No one and nothing is better than Jesus. Everything else is boring and drab. I firmly believe that if someone walks away from Jesus, it’s only because they never knew Him in the first place. He is truly unforgettable. People say, ‘I tried Jesus and it didn’t work’. Nope! No they didn’t. How do I know? Because it is impossible to truly TRY JESUS and just walk away.
There’s a song, ’Jesus there’s just something about that name, like a fragrance after a rain. (We just had a frog strangler here in Managua, so I reminded of it. The smell after the first rains of the winter are incredible). When it rains here I am reminded of two things. The opening verse, 2 Cor 2:15, and this song song by the Gaithersburg brothers. https://youtu.be/5G8b_QiXz4c
Jesus doesn’t attract people to Him through angry opinionated people who are skilled at closing deals and winning arguments. He attracts people through people who demonstrate His great love. I am saved because God’s love was and is irresistibly attractive to me, as demonstrated to me by others. Never by arguments and snide comments. He brings us to Him through His tender chords of love.
Hosea 11:4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
That’s the reason that PureHeart Pre-School is a public school and not a Christian school (although all of the staff and teachers are Christian). I want to show Christ’s love to confused kids, from troubled homes. Even kids from other religions and lifestyles. That’s why we are here, to share Christ’s love who don’t know it.
Although I was forced to go to Sunday School EVERY Sunday from infancy (no ‘lazy’days, ever) and church afterwards (where I managed to count every board in the sanctuary’s ceiling) my FIRST Spiritual Encounter was in Burton Elementary School (a public school) in FIRST GRADE!
The teacher wheeled in the movie projector (remember the excitement?) and we watched Johnny Appleseed. After that movie, future Drs, artists, engineers, Lawyers, Airborne Rangers, cops, bank robbers, drug addicts, sex offenders and alcoholics were gleefully singing in unison, Johnny Appleseed’s theme song ‘the Lord’s been good to me, and I will thank the Lord’ https://youtu.be/3_OO4-XUlA8
That song and movie, in a public school, made my heart burn with an unforgettable passion to know Him and to make Him known. It made me really love God for the first time in my life, and it showed me it was possible to know Him and to make Him known. https://youtu.be/3_OO4-XUlA8
Are we showing Jesus to others? Are we making their hearts burn with love for Jesus or are we just giving them heartburn? Do we smell like Jesus or the tuna sandwich I left in my back pack for the past 2 months in 100 degree heat?
selah!
Just a reminder!!
We need donations, desperately.
For a nice tax write off, 1 dollar feeds three kids a nutritious, home cooked meal W/juicy. $30 dollars sends a kid to school for a month with lunch. We need donations only for the children. 100% goes to them, not to us. We are fine. Actually 74% of what I collect from bird dog commissions, VA and social security goes to them as well 🙂 a GREAT cause that I believe in.
Send a check made out to: GraceLifeOutreach (with PureHeart in MEMO please)
and mail to; PureHeartChildren’sFund
c/o GraceLife
190 Seminole Ln #302
Cocoa Beach, Fla 32931
or for your ease, you can use a PayPal or Credit Card online at whatistheloveofGod.com
WE also now have ECHECK option @ www.PureHeartChildren.org
Dean and Winnie Peters
Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Managua Nicaragua
Praise Reports
1. Our ministries are thriving
2. The home back up power plant is a few days from up and running. Thank you, we desperately need it! They say it should be ready next week.
3. Our Semana Santa was great.
4. English class, Daily Bible studies, school and feeding centers are all going well.
5. Winnie is healthy and doing great.
6. Just started AWANA in the Saturday afternoon WinnerClub. Cosita’s running it and doing a great job.
PureHeartChildrensFund is stronger than ever.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. For Souls and Fruit.
2. FOR HEALING OF LOVED ONES WITH EVERYTHING FROM CANCER TO MENTAL ILLNESS.
3. FOR HOME VISITATIONS TO PRODUCE RESULTS, FOR VISITORS TO OUR HOME TO GET SAVED. FOR THE FAMILIES AND PARENTS OF ALL THE PUREHEART WORKERS TO GET SAVED.
4. FOR OUR 2 FEEDING CENTERS AND THE TWO OTHER FEEDING CENTERS THAT WE HELP. FOR OUR SISTER FEEDING CENTER IN ISLAMABAD PAKISTAN (ASMA’S). FOR THE WORKS WE HELP WITH IN THE STATES TO CURB PROSTITUTION AND WITH NATIVE AMERICANS ON THE RES. AND FOR A MINISTRY AND ORPHANAGE IN THE UKRAINE.
5. THAT WE BE THE LIGHT AND PEACE OF JESUS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM.
7. GOVERNMENTAL PAPERWORK, I CALL IT ´DEATH BY 1000 PAPERCUTS’. IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, FRUSTRATING, AND EXPENSIVE. AMONG OF WHICH IS FOR PERMISSION TO HAVE AN ORPHANAGE-OLDFOLKS HOME ON A SUSTAINABLE GREEN FARM IN THE MANAGUA CITY LIMITS. WE AREN´T GOING ANYWHERE. THE LEGAL AND CPA PAPERWORK AND ACCOUNTABILITY IS ESPECICALLY TOUGH.
8. THE DELAY IS OK, BECAUSE WE ARE STILL WAITING ON THE LORD TO PROVIDE THE MONEY AND THE PERFECT RESOURCES FOR ALL THE FULL TIME STAFF, DOCTOR, NURSE, AIDES ETC THAT COME WITH A FARM THAT HAS ROOM FOR AN ORPHANAGE AND AN OLD FOLKS HOME ON IT, AS WELL AS THE PROPERTY ITSELF. EVEN WITH JUST AN ORPHANAGE HERE, OUR STAFF WILL ALMOST HAVE TO DOUBLE IN SIZE PER NICARAGUAN REGULATIONS
9. FOR OUR OWN CHILDREN`S SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND SAFETY WHILE STUDYING IN THE STATES. (Dean and Winnie Jr)
10. AGAIN, THE GOVERNMENTAL PAPERWORK IS HORRENDOUS, AND GETTING MORE DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE EVERY DAY.
11. Looking to buy (or get
donated) a large tract of land to
put the orphanage and old
folks home on.
12. Pray that everything continues to go smoothly in all our ministries.
Here’s how you can help
PureHeart without
spending a penny
Please Keep PureHeart in you mind at your job and ask about your company’s matched donations, or corporate donations. Help me to get ahold of them please. We are a stand alone 501c3 and are happy to share proof to any company wishing to add us to their ‘matched donations’ or corporate donations. We are extremely careful with every penny donated, meticulous in our accounting. That is why we are highly rated.
A TALL ORDER, BUT NOTHING IS TOO BIG FOR GOD, NOT EVEN DIFFICULT.
Please continue what you are doing to keep us going.. WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING, IT’S WORKING!!. pray, donate, and spread the word!
LOVE
DEAN AND WINNIE PETERS
OUR BEST EMAIL IS [email protected]
Dean and Winnie Peters
Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Managua Nicaragua
