The Favor of God

I was reminded 2 times this week of something that happened to me and our group from 12th Street as we journeyed back from Guatemala after providing medical care for a village of Kekchi people, an Indigenous group in the jungles of North Guatemala.

We arrived at the airport in Guatemala City extremely tired and beat up. Rachel Jones was using the garbage cans in the airport for barf bags and the smell of the airport was far from a fragrance found in a flower garden. We had spent 3 days in the jungle with no running water or power and for 7 days had to use bottled water to brush our teeth and rinse our mouth with. We were tired and ready to get home.

While looking for our place in line we quickly noticed that airport security was tight. They were looking through each persons suitcase. They would totally remove stuff and not put it back neatly. We all saw this and instantly became frustrated. Rachel was sick and we were all tired. The last thing we wanted to deal with is someone snooping around in our luggage for fun.

Suddenly a thought came to me. I heard this in my spirit, "Ask me for favor." My countenance change and my faith began to rise. I let everyone know that I was asking God for favor with the security. That none of us would have our luggage checked. As we approached security a lady with a stern look in her eye locked in on all of us and told all five of us to go on through. The other 4 in our group looked at me and all began to praise God.

His favor is something we need and can have. Ask for it in Jesus Name and see your faith rise!

Blake

And, There Were 12

Twelve students from different backgrounds and different talents joined together to make SIFAT a week to remember. (From top left) Christina, Cierra, Jacklyn, Haley, Cody, Canaan, Andie, Barry, Macey, Amber, Kale, and Blaze (sitting) spent 5 days of their summer in order to learn about international and local missions. They learned various appropriate technologies for third world countries such as spinning yarn from sheep wool, making candles, creating saw-dust stoves, and how to add safe eating/vitamin filled leaves to sugar cookies. The week was not just about survival, it was about learning how to serve. We are so accustomed to thinking of ourselves (I-Pod's, MySpace, etc) that we sometimes miss why we are here on this earth. What these 12 students did was very similar to what Jesus did when He walked the earth. He served. He served while not even having a place to lay His head.

These 12 also spent 24 hours in the 'global village' (simulated 3rd world village representing Asia, Africa, and South America) experiencing the life of a third world citizen. An example of the extreme differences this presented the 12 students compared to their normal Alabama lives, is how they obtained drinking water. How many times do you leave the water running while you brush your teeth? In third world countries women and children will walk up to five miles, one way, in order to gather a bucket of dirty water. When they arrive back to their mudhut or make-shift home they must then boil the water on an open fire for ten minutes in order to make it safe to drink. This process is done everyday. If we brush our teeth in the morning and at night and leave the water running we have used about the same amount of drinking water a third world family will need for one day.

I have never been more proud than I am of these 12 students who worked extremely hard in very difficult circumstances and succeeded in their efforts to become more Christ-Like.

1 Corinthians 13:8-12

8 "Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

When I read this short passage found in Pauls first letter to the church of Corinth I am amazed at how people of similar faith and passion find different theological philosophies in regards to the nine manifestations listed in 1 Corinthians 12, especially tongues and prophecy. Cessasionists would take this passage and attempt to convince you and I that tongues and prophecy are not for today, for when the cannon of Scripture was closed (v. 10 "the perfect comes") these ceased to be of any use to Christians. On the other side of the aisle, those who might be called charasmatics, pentecostals, third wavers, etc. would look at this passage and find validity in their super-natural experiences. Those who believe the nine manifestations are for today would look at verse 10 and say that when Paul says, "When the perfect comes," he is referring to Jesus' second coming. Until then Christians need these manifestations and are encouraged to pursue them (1 Corinthians 14:1).

I find it astonishing that Christians on both sides of this passage are just as passionate as the other, yet disagree on the interpretation. Who's right? Thankfully God is!

Blake