LESSONS LEARNED FROM GUATEMALA--IN THE WORLD NOT OF IT!

One of the things that stuck us the most about the believers in Guatemala was their joy in the Lord despite overwhelming poverty and hardship. It was so unique to see people with so little have so much more than we have here in the United States. Our higher standard of living and stuff get in the way. We have more things to rely on, so we don't desperately cling to the joy of the Lord the way these poor Guatemalan villagers did.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:12: "Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, IN THE HOLINESS AND SINCERITY THAT ARE FROM GOD. We have done so not ACCORDING TO WORLDLY WISDOM but ACCORDING TO GOD'S GRACE." (emphasis mine)

God has set His seal of "ownership" on us and "put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit," (2 Cor 1:22) and yet so many evangelicals live like the world does in embracing our culture and popular media in an effort to not separate ourselves from the world.

Do we really do any witnessing there? Do we blend in just to be accepted or do we deal IN the world IN THE HOLINESS and SINCERITY THAT ARE FROM GOD? God's holiness has no part with the sinful and debasing cultural norms that we have become so comfortable with. Even in missions work, it's easy to get lost in the humanitarian work and neglect the Gospel.

Paul reminds us in 2 Cor 3:12 that because we have the hope of the Gospel we are "VERY BOLD" in our dealings with the world. He goes on in verse 13 & 18 to remind us that we "are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to eep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away...and we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the LORD."

So often we make excuses for our cultural acceptances and popularity seeking compromises by comparing ourselves to Jesus being in the world. The Word reveals this to be another deception of the enemy, however, when you truly examine Christ's life. He didn't merely dwell in the mud with the pigs and therefore get dirty himself. He sought to bring those pigs out of the mud and purify them to present them to His Father. He didn't avoid getting muddy, but he never joined the world in accepting the materialistic, and sinful cultural norms. On the contrary, He challenged everything society and worldly wisdom had to offer in a bold "holy" and "sincere" way that touched a spiritual nerve deep down inside the tax collector, the street prostitute, the dirtiest of sinners. He did so not by accepting and joining in in their behavior, but by showing them the way out of their behavior and into the fulfillment that can only be found in the joy of the Lord.

Those of us Christ-followers lucky enough to live in a well-off country like the United States need to really ask ourselves when the last time we dealt with the world in the Lord's holiness was? When was the last time we didn't just merely attempt to fit in and be friendly with the world, but that we actually put ourselves and our position, money, and reputation on the line to further the Gospel of Christ? When was the last time that we seriously attempted to help a fellow pig out of the mud instead of wallowing around in it with them?

The believers in Guatemala understand this holiness and joy of the Lord. Let their unveiled faces reflect the radiance that we seem to miss in the glare of all of our stuff!

Check back often as we will continue with this blog! Also, we are prayerfully planning a return trip to Guatemala next summer with a team of people. More details to follow. Let us know if you are in for the adventure of a lifetime! God Bless!