Hope for Jamaica

2011-11-06T22:57:00.004-05:00

The FBI and the Jamaican authorities have been working together for some time on trying to break up an organized criminal network of scammers in Montego Bay. Every few weeks we hear of another arrest and confiscation of upscale homes, businesses, BMWs, etc. Apparently these criminals are connected to international scammers who con unsuspecting people out of their hard earned money. One hoax I read about that officials in Minnesota, USA have warned about, is an inheritance scam where unsuspecting people are notified that they have come into a large inheritance from a distant family member or wealthy benefactor: all they need to do is to sign some legal documents and, of course, pay the "taxes and other related fees." Official looking documents arrive in the mail even with a forged seal from the courthouse convincing people they have become wealthy.

How different is the Christian's inheritance that Paul reminds us of in Ephesians 1:11, "In [Christ we have obtained an inheritance..." Instead of promising us an inheritance and asking us to pay something in order to access it, God sends us the downpayment; He sends us the Holy Spirit: "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and beleived in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." (1:13, 14) The only thing that we bring to him is our sin! We respond in faith, give him our sin, He places it on Christ, takes the righteousness of Christ and deposits it to our account, and to certify that this is genuine, He puts his royal Seal on us, the Holy Spirit. And what incredible benefits we get with the deal: wisdom and revelation (illumination) to understand all the implications of the gospel (1:17-20); inner strengthening in the gospel (3:16); direct access to the Father (2:18); unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (4:3); thankful worship and inspiration to godly living (5:18-20); help with our prayers (6:18).

If you are in Christ, you are his purchased possession, not because of anything you have done or anything attractive about you, but so that God would be praised..."to the praise of his glorious grace." (1:6, 12, 14) He has paid a very high price for you, though you were not worth it. But he gave all he had to purchase you for his own, and he has made it official, certified the transaction with placing in you his Holy Spirit. And he is waiting! Yes, God is eagerly waiting in anticipation for the day that He has planned for when he will have you with Him in eternity to be able to fully enjoy what he has purchased for his glory.

Remedy for inner turbulence

2011-11-01T21:06:00.007-04:00

The Jamaica Observer reported last week on a group of protesters in Kingston who chained themselves to a fence in Halfway Tree in solidarity with the Occupy protesters in New York and around the world. They are protesting their harsh living standards due to the difficult economic conditions. Signs read, “Can’t buy food, can’t pay light, it’s not right,” "Hard to swagger when Jamaica de stagger!" They are worried about the future, dissatisfied with the present and longing for a better way of life. They see the suffering of people around them in poverty and joblessness; what seems like runaway crime and pervasive corruption; they see the troubled youth getting an inadequate education so that they will find it hard to provide for themselves or a family. They see entire economic systems of some countries collapsing like the situation in Greece, and our own crushing burden of debt. They know that the world is broken, lives are broken, cultures and economic systems are broken. They know everything needs fixing, needs to be restored. And many are short on hope.

Christian people, if we are honest, oftentimes struggle with a similar attitude and outlook that is short on hope and lacking in joy and peace. Our spirits are prone to encounter turbulence. I haven't decided yet if I will make a sign and chain myself to a pole, but I definitely lose my joy and peace sometimes. Our help, we know, comes from the Lord (Ps. 121) and what we need to do is daily go back to the basics of the gospel. What does this mean? Pastor and missionary, Jack Miller, was fond of saying, "our legal right--leads to personal delight." Meditating on my legal "rights," my "full rights of being a son" (Gal. 4:4, 5) before God, reminds me of my justification (as if I'd never ever sinned), my adoption and my incredible inheritance, sanctification (my grateful imitation of Him by the power of His Spirit), and my glorification (made to be just like Christ for all eternity). Embracing these gospel truths impacts me emotionally. It leads me back to delighting in Him and his plans for me at this particular time and place in history. And it should also give me greater compassion and empathy for the protesters, many who have not heard they can enjoy the full rights of sons in God's family.

Our amnesia and its cure

2011-10-31T15:00:00.007-04:00

Someone said that every problem Christians face in life is because they forget something about the gospel. When we forget the many blessings we are freely given in Christ, our condition could be called “spiritual amnesia.” We have all of the blessings that Paul mentions in Ephesians 1, like being adopted by God and no longer homeless orphans; chosen by him before the foundation of the world; declared to be holy and without blame or guilt; sealed or certified by God with the Holy Spirit; having the heavenly Father as our inheritance. Unfortunately, when the challenges come our way, we oftentimes don’t remember this or we don't believe it.

I recall reading about Jay Tower who was a successful NY lawyer with a wife and two children. On August 1, 2005, he said goodbye to this wife and family and went off to his office in White Plains. He did not come home that evening and simply disappeared. His family did not see him for another six months when it was discovered that he was living in a homeless shelter in Chicago. One of his homeless friends in the downtown Pacific Garden mission recognized him on the ABC television program, “America’s Most Wanted.” Somehow, Tower experienced severe amnesia and completely forgot who he was, didn’t know he had a wife and children who were worried about him, didn’t know he had a successful law practice, didn’t know he had a lovely home in NY, and didn’t know how he ended up homeless in Chicago. The authorities surmise that his sudden, severe case of amnesia was a result of stress. On 9/11 Jay Tower just missed being killed by the attacks on the World Trade Center in Manhattan where he worked at the time. He left his office just moments before the attack and was walking between the two buildings when the first plane hit. This trauma along with some experiences he had suppressed from his time in the Vietnam War, led to this severe case of amnesia some 4 years later.

Christians tend to have some of the same experience as Jay Tower: when the difficulties come, when the stress builds up, we lose sight of who we are and all the blessings we have in Christ, and we wander around aimlessly and afraid, like a homeless orphan, a vulnerable child who has no one to care for him.

The answer to our forgetfulness is faith: it is believing the basics of the gospel once again, affirming all the good news of the gospel of grace.

2011-10-20T12:34:00.000-04:00

On National Heroes Day in Jamaica, Billy and the boys got together with some of the men from two churches, Bamboo Missionary and Barry Town Missionary to try to catch some fish. The fish were hungry and ate all the bait, but they weren't in the mood for latching onto the hooks. We guessed that they knew it was a holiday. Regardless, we all had a good time together with plenty of laughter and enjoying the sun and sea breeze. Billy is preaching at each of the two churches in October.

While we were sleeping

2010-11-22T10:54:00.004-05:00

We are counting our blessings today on the beginning of Thanksgiving week. We woke up Sunday morning to discover that a thief had been in our house during the night while we slept. Apparently a tool like a car jack was used to pry open the bars on a kitchen window enough for a person to squeeze through. We have two dogs that bark faithfully, but for some reason they failed us last night.

With all the bad news that is often reported of Jamaicans losing their lives in robberies, we are especially thankful to the LORD that we are alive to tell about his grace. We lost a laptop computer and some cash, easy things to replace. We are happy to be unharmed.

The writer of the Proverbs reminds us of God's sovereign grace in good and bad circumstances, that he foreordains everything that comes to pass, even break-ins, and nothing can happen to us that does not first pass by his permission: "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." (Prov. 21:1) We are very thankful that He is still in charge of the hearts of kings and robbers.

How did Jesus respond?

2010-09-16T22:08:00.007-04:00

I'm being impacted this week by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert in their book "When Helping Hurts" as I'm preparing some material to present to church leaders on developing holistic ministry to the needy in their communities. How are we as Christians to view the brokeness all around us--like cancer, poverty, crime, unbelief, unemployment? How did Jesus respond to the needs all around him, physical, social, emotional as well as spiritual needs? Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom, and he showed the good news of the Kingdom!

If Jesus had ministered to poor people the way much of the church does today, he would have just given a gospel tract to the blind beggar in Luke 18:25-43. Quoting from Fikkert and Corbett, "How useless it would have been if Jesus had only used words and not deeds to declare the kingdom...What if Jesus had said, 'I am the fulfillment of all prophecy. I am King of kings and Lord of lords. I have all the power in heaven and earth. I could heal you today of your blindness, but I only care about your soul. Believe in Me'?

Who would have believed that Jesus was the promised King if he had not given any evidence to prove it?"

We must do as Jesus did--not just preach the good news, but demonstrate it with our deeds of compassion.

A life not wasted

2010-08-11T01:13:00.004-04:00

My dad, Jack McKillop, just reached his 90th year and the entire McKillop family was able to get together to help him celebrate. He and my mom were married on his 23rd birthday making this occasion their 67th wedding anniversary as well. One of the things about my dad that has influenced me most is his love for the Bible and his desire to serve Christ. Every morning, he can still be seen in his easy-chair with his reading glasses on pouring over some passage of Scripture. For Him, Jesus is everything! And his has certainly been a life not wasted.

Love at first sight

2010-07-07T14:15:00.009-04:00

Today is my anniversary, 26 years of lovely benefits of marriage to a lovely lady. Next to life itself, this Sweetheart is the most lovely benefit that God has blessed me with.

Knowing that all good things come directly from the hand of a gracious heavenly Father (the not so good things too), and nothing happens by chance, my heart is filled with gratitude to Him for bringing her into my life and for continually strengthening and sustaining our love. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Ps. 102:3)

Sherry, in thinking back to the very first day that we met, (in a country church the summer of my sixteenth year!) I remember it well. I first laid eyes on you from behind, your long, blond hair was captivating. And when you turned around and looked at me, Oh, my heart skipped. You introduced yourself, and my world changed.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-05T14:51:00.008-04:00

It's great to be in America on the 4th of July! Yesterday we celebrated Independence Day by joining in worship with Antioch Baptist Church, Camden, NJ. Pastor John Parker and his dear wife, Marianne, are so encouraging and supportive of missions and ministry in Jamaica. Pray for Pastor and Mrs. Parker as they celebrate 31 years of faithful ministry there, and pray for the strengthening of the church in every way.

Later in the evening we tried to drive over to Philly to see their famous fireworks display, but our GPS let us down by getting us turned around in the heart of inner-city Camden. Just one more adventure!

We are happy to be free and happy that we are his. Happy to be royal priests serving him "who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood...to him be glory forever and ever." (Rev. 1: 5-6)

2010-07-01T11:07:00.003-04:00

Psalm 127
"Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain...

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.

Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!

Thanking Him for cousins: Father, you are always looking for ways to bless your children! Thank you for these children you have entrusted to our care. Thank you for their cousins, Micah, Noah and Seth McCrum in Richmond, VA and for the faith that you have given to them. Thank you for your faithful covenant promises. Help us to always keep your grace and your gospel before our children.

Generosity

2010-06-29T09:33:00.005-04:00

Thank God for generous people

Prov. 22:9 "A generous man will himself be blessed." I'm thankful to you, Father, for guys like Matt Kilby, who give generously to others. Matt took our van for 3 weeks and carefully went through it to fix things that were broken or needing maintenance, replacing a headlight, fixing an oil leak, repairing the A/C system, etc. to make certain that it was safe for traveling with our family for so many miles we will travel this summer. And even though he earns his living through working on cars, Matt did not charge us anything! Here is another reason for praising You. So make your faithful promise work for Matt that blessing will come to him, spiritually, mentally, materially, every way possible, for his generosity to others. And keep reminding us of Your own amazing generosity, your reckless abandon to giving your all to us in the Cross of Christ.

2010-06-25T00:36:00.004-04:00

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let you gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present you requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

Dear Father, our family boards the plane today to head to Miami and several other cities over the next 10 weeks as we visit churches and friends who support our ministry. I have to confess that I am anxious over a few things. The many meetings, the many miles, a older vehicle, all that is left undone here at home and in the ministry in Jamaica, how to cover all the expenses, etc. I need to hear the firmness of your command today to "Rejoice always." To remember that this is no suggestion, not merely a point to ponder, but rather, a point of action, of willful obedience. It's easier for me to rejoice when I think about you, Lord Jesus, as my example of unhurried gentleness. You never worried. You always trusted your loving, sovereign Father was near and in control. And you are near, always abiding in me with your Spirit bringing comfort. Help me to bring all of my cares to you and to pray continually, thankfully, confidently and to anticipate that your incredible peace will stand watch over my heart and my mind because I know that I am in Christ and Christ is in me. I pray in the name of Jesus, our Lamb. Amen!

Pastor Phillip Cardis

2010-06-24T12:30:00.007-04:00

Meet Pastor Phillip Cardis pastoring Messiah Gospel Assembly in Mandeville, and who assists with Sharon Gospel Assembly in Contrivance, Manchester. Phillip is also the Dean of Discipline for Spalding High School where he keeps order for 1,600 students.

Ministries in Action is assisting Pastor Cardis and the church in a poor farming community with the construction of a multi-purpose building that will minister through providing early childhood education, job skills training, and adult literacy classes.

We welcome short-term teams to come and help us with this needed building. You do not need experience with construction. Come and enjoy building relationships with the youth and adults in the lovely community of Contrivance, serve through VBS, sports, music or other outreach ministry, and add some of your "sweat equity" to this multi-purpose community center for God's glory and advancement of the gospel.

2010-06-23T10:25:00.008-04:00

I was reading Proverbs 23 this morning and have seen this "eagle" in full flight! "Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven." (v. 5)

But I'm encouraged that what Jesus prays for me in John 17 is not for more earthly riches that tend to make themselves wings, but for the "full measure of his joy" (v. 13), joy that stays with you!

Jerram Barrs writes about our "dilemma" with joy in The Heart of Prayer--What Jesus Teaches Us: "Is this full measure of joy what we experience as we reflect on our lives? Is this full measure of joy what we expect or even hope for? Do we, in fact, pray for a full measure of joy? Do we believe that such joy is possible?...Maybe we don't even want joy. Perhaps we desire personal fulfillment and happiness instead--fulfillment and happiness as we define them, or rather fulfillment and happiness as our culture defines them for us: comfort, financial security, a good job, a nice home, a decent car (or two or three), moderately up-to-date clothes of good cut ad quality, a beautiful wife or handsome husband, healthy and gifted children...you complete your list of what you think might make you happy and fulfilled." (185)

Let's pray for joy, not a little joy, but the full measure!

2010-06-22T11:17:00.003-04:00

Our children are studying hard and taking comprehensive exams this week. They all agree with Solomon who said, "much study wearies the body" (Eccl.12:12). We sometimes have to remind them of the importance of working hard and earning a good education, but also the far weightier matter of knowing God and what He has said... "here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good of evil." (Eccl. 12:13-14)

Why not join a short-term ministry team

2010-06-21T15:22:00.005-04:00

Philip Ajamian works for Mission to the World and is here in Jamaica this week with a team from Hixson Presbyterian Church near Chattanooga. They are serving at the CCCD village for the deaf in Manchester. Philip hung out with our family for a couple of days before meeting his team so that we could show him some of the ministry that we are involved with here. We hope that MTW will send us some teams to serve with the Gospel Assembly churches in Manchester (or here in Mobay). Why don't you put together a team from your church? We'd love to have your help, and we're sure you'd fall in love with Jamaica.