Ecuador Missionary Update and Acts 1:1-8

Haha, thank you for that Cindy. And we ask everyone to if you know someone who's hurting and these folks at send you mentioned come around then show love, most of the concerns are are on media social media somewhere. You can get the information there and I pray for them cuz they need our prayers. They need to be lifted up while we have a special treat for you today. Pastor, Jeff Duvall. He's our missionary to Ecuador. I'm correct about that. All right, he's going to come. We're going to have a word of prayer and let's pray. Father. We do want to lift you up. Thank you, Lord, you are always there for every need that. We have. We pray for those who are hurting those who have lost loved ones, those who are not feeling. Well today. We lift them up to you. Help us father as a church. Come together to pray for them to lift them up to show love. Thank you for Pastor Jeff. Who's come all the way from Ecuador. I'll be with him, fill them with your spirit. Give him words. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you to ask chapter 1. Please Acts chapter 1 in a couple of minutes. We're going to get there, but I want to just take an opportunity to share with you a little bit about your ministry in Ecuador and the Privileges that we do have of serving the lord, Jesus Christ representing. You the extension of a local church in a foreign country. What a great blessing it is, to be able to do that. I need your help this morning. First. I need you to let me know monkey or llama on the count of three just called out ready? One, two, three. Okay, I heard Lamas. We're going to go with Lima. I don't have a clicker to advance the slides this morning. So this is going to be my helper and when I start wiggling the Llama then we're going to go on to the next slide, but I did have a monkey here just in case and so you're helping preach this message this morning, but we want to thank you for your ministry. And I realized I'm excited to be here today. I left the house and Amsterdam New York where my son is a pastor at 7 this morning. He was up in his office doing some final prep for the day and I turned on the radio. And I heard let me tell you about my Jesus. The song is on. I never heard that before and it just excited me. And it literally just kick-started me for the rest of the day. And I was singing that, I mean, I even called him and I sang it over the phone, which was not pretty. But I just make a Joyful Noise and he was real. Joyful when I hung up, I'm sure. But it is great to be here with you and to share with you. What Jesus Christ is doing in the country of Ecuador through your ministry. They are. Wife and I have been serving the lord together for 31 years. She is not with me today, as many of, you know, she struggles with migraine headaches and so she is in Amsterdam. We moved out of the altitude in Quito 9500 ft into the coastal area and that's helped her quite a bit. But she still does when there's weather changes and things like that. It really messes her up, but our family is expanding and growing. Hey, John. Thanks, man. I'll write when I get Scott here plugged into guess. I didn't see the llama and I just want to make sure that we get it up there and and going. But we're going to take a look at our family is growing and our family has no. I'm just getting will stay on the family for just a minute, but that she is more than just a helpmeet. She is my right and my left lung. I can't do anything to in Ministry, in life, without her, we serve together. And it has just been a huge blessing of the last 31 years to see how God has used us together. On the left side is Lucas our youngest and he's going to be Mary and Julie up next to him in June of this next year. So we're excited for what God is doing in their life. He is a teacher in a Christian School, teaches Spanish down in Lynchburg, Virginia right now. They are looking at a mission field. She speaks and teaches French at a public school. And so I'm kind of pushing towards the Spanish side. And so we're going to see what God does in their hearts and their lives eventually. But several years ago. Getting ready to go to Word of Life, to the Family Campground. You, and my kids to go with you. I think I was back in 2008 when my wife, and I had to go for some training at the mission and Lucas. He was 9 years old, baby and he prayed, literally this. He said, Lord, during this week. I please pray that we don't lose support from Hoosick. But I mean, I don't know how bad he was planning on being. But praise the Lord, that didn't happen. In the partnership has continued and we teased him about that. Your pastor was a huge blessing to him because when we went out to lunch after the first time we've been here with you and serving in missions. They put Luke is right next to him. And of course his parents sitting on the other side of the table, we are a little bit nervous and eight year old and sitting next to the pastor and he ordered a pizza. Pastor Clyde took part of his meat and cut it and gave it to Lucas. His pizza came out pretty little and then he got him a milkshake and that kid was broken ever since. I mean, it was just an absolute mess. It was during that time, that Lucas realize that pastors are pretty cool people. They care about people and so anytime would go into a church after that, we come out and he'd be in the car. We're getting ready to leave and go home. And he said, well I made another one, I said you made another one. He said, I made another pastor friend in so that is a great memory that we have of your pastor here and a great blessing that he has been to in our family over the last several years. Next to me behind me. There is my daughter Bethany. She served in Peru for a couple of years, but she's back here in New York State trying to figure out what God's Next plan is for her. And then there is the reason we came to the states is John and Amanda. Amanda our third child. She got got married in December to John, they live in Jacksonville, Florida and we don't call him son-in-law. We don't call the sun in love. It's just fun because I think that's just a whole lot easier. And then when I get older and have to remember what the actual relationship is, he just part of the family, but we're just praising the Lord for what gods? Turn their hearts and their lives. And then for the right is Taylor, everybody say, oh. Yeah, thanks the half of you. That did that. That's my granddaughter. She's 3. And she's expecting a baby brother sometime in March. And so Jordan, and Amber. Jordan is a pastor of her purse, Bible Church, and we're just praising the Lord for what he's doing Scott. Let's show him. The picture comes up next to hear of his ordination. We had the privilege of being here in the summer time for a few weeks, to celebrate with him as well. Ordination. I have no Greater Joy than to know that my children walk in truth. It's a lot of fun. He came over the other day and he said, dad. I got a question. We need to talk and my father-in-law was my pastor in Jordan and I and so we've had overtime the last several years. Three generations of people that have been sitting down and discussing the word of God, together and iron sharpens iron, and he is a blessing to me. He sent me this next picture though, and he the sword that I gave him. The sword has our life verses written on it. Scott my life verse and my initials Got his life first and his initials are both of his grandparents, his grandfather's our pastures or missionaries when they were live here on this Earth. And so, it's got their life verse and scribed on there. And we gave this to him as a visible reminder daily, that he is to wield while the sword of the spirit which is the word of God and to teach. Well what the word says a little punk out. He, he sent me this picture and he said that I'm calling this one Isaac's Revenge. So, you can, if you need a help in interpreting that, just let us know after the service and we can help you when I, as exact a fighter, when Abraham went to sacrifice his son and God provided a ramp. So I'm not quite sure how safe I am walking into his office, but I want to just let you know that during this day that our churches, meeting together in Ecuador. And this is La Quinn xcii on Peninsula are locked. When I see on means the connection we connect to God through his son, Jesus Christ. We connect with, Jesus Christ through his blood. We connect with the community Through evangelism. We connect with Believers through discipleship and fellowship and it says a good remember, reminder for us last week. The church had forty-seven people even with our absence, there were 47 that were in church, that day, even with the covid shutdown, and everything else that takes place in the uncertainty in Ecuador in. So I just told him I said, I'm not coming back if you're doing well without me will just grab 5 or 6 people. From the church will go start another one close by in fellowship. And like I don't know, we're not doing that you We're going to we're going to be there. And so we did have the privilege in October of going to the first church plant that we had the privilege of starting back in 2010. It's locked for next year on Kumbaya, which is about 8 hours away from where we live. Kumbaya was the name of the town and that church. I want to tell you, is a huge blessing. We left in 2014. The Lord brought in another pastor and the church is now indigenous, which means there is not any foreign leadership. There are no missionaries. There are no foreign pastors. They are running together. That's the idea. But the train National brothers and sisters to do the work of the ministry, within their own cultural context. The church has grown to about 200 people. It's more than doubled in size, and when we were there. And so, in order to continue moving as he desired in that was a huge, huge blessing for us. My wife is a wonderful discipler of ladies. She's a wonderful speaker. Conference has another child as we call them other meetings and she connection. Very well even while we're here in the states. Obviously that wasn't this week that was back in the summertime and through technology were able to connect back in. I do remember us when there are shutdowns here or difficulties here. Not too many of our people have technology or connectivity. We had 20 weeks during the shutdown. We were not allowed to meet as a church and we would only have five or six that were able to connect online because they either don't have the finances for sourdough for connectivity to pay, or they don't have reception in the areas where they are. So that's a very difficult thing when you cannot meet together as the body. And during that time, the Lord allowed us to go and to distribute food in our area. We have over 500,000 Venezuelans that have come to Ecuador over the last couple of years clean their country looking for a better life, literally looking for food and basic. Necessities in our church, people have gathered together. They make any Latinos here this morning. All right, they make arroz con pollo chicken and rice and how it is delicious. Is a Ministry that I can literally sink my teeth into

You didn't get that one, but we'll keep going. Anyhow, but we go on the street. We meet them where they are. We sit down and not just flip food out at him, but we sit down. We eat with them. We give them a Gospel of John. We give them an invitation to the church and we find out. How long have you been traveling? What's your plan? What is the next step? Where are you going? We invite them to church and if they come to church with us, they end up coming out afterwards. We end up having a lunch. They are out there, so you don't get a choice. You don't get a menu. It's, You are either getting chicken or fish. That's the only things they cook that day. A nice big plate, of rice, a bowl of soup, a fruit juice and usually some kind of little salad, beet salad, or onions, and tomato. That's in town, where it's going to cost a grand total of $2 and fifty or $2.75. And so, when someone comes to the church for the first time, we take them downstairs to the restaurant, that's underneath where we rent and give them a meal and it's at that time that we have greater opportunity to get into their lives. And ask them. If the day we stand for Jesus in heaven, what would you say or other way to get into their lives and find out spiritually where they are to know better? How we can connect in with them. If they keep coming. We then have the opportunity of investing in their lives a little bit more. During the pandemic, things were shut down and when I say they have no money. It's different than when we say we have no money when they have no money. That means they don't have a quarter to buy a half a pound of rice. That's what no money means. They don't have anything at all. They are completely broke. It is a difficult time for them because if you don't work, you don't eat. But usually what they work and gain during the day, they come home, stop at the little store on the way home, buy, whatever they need for supper, and I'll become supper breakfast and lunch for the next day until they gained enough to earn for the X. And during a pandemic, there wasn't a whole lot of work going on. So the Lord provided to give us during that. I'm more than 1,200 bags of food that would feed a family of four for a week. And I'm not an American family. We have greater desires here than what they're accustomed to, but Wednesday morning, we can only drive from 5 a.m. To 2 p.m. Because of curfews during the pandemic and so on Tuesday people would call us and say I've got five people in my neighborhood that are destitute and our church. People would say here are their identification cards that let us know what the need is. What the age of the children was and then on Wednesday, we would go at 5 a.m. We would buy a bananas. Great big, huge branch of bananas that come off of the banana tree or plant beans, noodles break those up and then give that to them. Sometimes it came with a meat. Sometimes it didn't, we just whatever finances we had and it was a blessing during the pandemic to watch how God worked. Their hearts and their lives and they gave of their own and they gave what we were able to give to them. And so God provided during that time. I do have a question, how many of you have ever gone to the store and you bought something that was not on your list because it just caught your eye when you got there. Anybody. Yeah, so, ladies are more honest than the, man, but I went to the grocery store and it wasn't on my list, but I bought 1290 cans of tuna. They were on sale. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Alright by third of the price. And so I bought just as all the tuna that they have to put that was at that price and brought it back and got juices that you can see some of it behind us there as we would distribute it. What happens when we meet people on the street. They don't have anything. We give them a can of tuna a pack of crackers, a bottle of water, a Gospel of John, in an invitation to the church, and it's not just flip it out. It is stop talk. How long have you been traveling? Where are you coming from? There's a group of people that love Jesus, that would love to meet you somewhere in your exact situation from Venezuela. Some have been here for a little bit longer and have their paperwork. Would you please come? Because we want to love on you a little bit and it's just been a nice thing. To God has used our church to be able to do there in Ecuador. This is Jose, a faithful member in our church. We were able to purchase through the local church. A tricycle for 3 diff. Family. So that they could go and work and Jose gets up every morning. He and his wife make empanadas and coffee, and he goes out and sells them until they're gone and just earned whatever they need, just to be able to provide. As soon as many different ways of touching people and touching their lives, right? Where they are. I want you to know that my favorite helper was Taylor. She came down at Christmas time and just was super involved and he just loved the only problem was he take the bags of food and she checking if people because, you know, wanted to get as much out as she could, but on her left there, on our left, you can see some Peggy. Those are 20 lb bags of animal crackers. Oh man. That was so much fun. I don't think it was for the kids. It was for me. Cuz how many of you have ever bought a 20 lb bag of human and animal crackers. I was just a blast to be able to divide those up and distribute them among the children. And then we praise the Lord for their Ministry, when they came to help us out as well. I want you to know that. Ministry doesn't take place, just in the four walls of the church. My vision for accomplishing. My part of God's Great Commission, the mission that he has given to us about how we accomplish that is loving God. And loving, man, from Matthew chapter 22, by preaching Christ. Or his name is not heard loving God and loving man, by preaching Christ, or his name is not heard. We look for groups of people that will not drive by the church, and see the sign and come in. We look for groups of people that in general. If you invite them aren't going to come walking in the doors of the church. And so we go out to them in one of the groups that we have found several groups. Actually are different motorcycle, as this is an Enduro and an off-road group. I'm a little old to be doing this. So ibuprofen is one of my best friends, but we go out invariably while we're out there though. Say, what do you do? Where are you? Why are you here? And then I'll ask me to pray for lunch and then they get the whole gospel message and their lunch and we do bless the food as well. But then After that is often times of conversation as we are with them. As we go, visit them explain a little bit more and so we're just praising the Lord for the opportunities that he is given to us in being able to reach a community that not necessarily would come into our church. I'm going to give you two names to pray for on the left side of the picture. Would you pray for Eduardo? Eduardo is a friend of ours that needs Jesus. We met Eduardo riding, with a group of friends, when my wife and I went out to a restaurant one day and they found out that I ride motorcycles and they said, oh, by the way, I have a nickname. In Ecuador, if you're just mr. You're not part of the group. I have a nickname. My nickname is mr. Miyagi. I had no idea why and so we're sitting at the meal one day and I said why do you say that and they all kind of got quiet and backed up and like you don't know why I'm like no he goes and then it goes like this and then I understood. So I mr. Miyagi. I don't have that on any paperwork or any shirts at all, but they have brought us and they've accepted us when he added this to the group of WhatsApp. To let us know when we're going riding and where he put down Pastor, Jeff Duvall. The group's name was Angeles Del Diablo the Devil's Angels. Call Greg, couldn't we just take the word Pastor off of that. Just so it's not identify beer, but soon, the name change but it has been a neat opportunity for us to enjoy what God has given to us the interest that we have. But using it for his honor and for his glory. For those of you that are motorcycle, enthusiasts. We have a KLR650 that we use for ministry as well as a WR 450, which hurts my body, but we still enjoy, but I do pray for Eduardo on the left right next to him was Louis Louis lost two family members during covid-19. Las is father. He's lost his brother and he's really hurting, he's really discouraged and disillusion. How could a good god do this? And so we are praying specifically for those two gentlemen, every opportunity that I have, we get out to ride with them because they need the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the day I bought the motorcycle back in 2011. I was stopped by the police three times within a half an hour. Not for any infractions. Just for paper. Check again. That's my story. And I'm sticking to it, but it is the truth. Drove 2 blocks, the police, stop this checked, all our papers. We always ride equipped, open up the vast. Make sure there's no drugs or guns, inside Contraband and went on our way. Five more blocks. Same thing, 10 blocks, down the road. I'll be real honest. I was a bit irritated. This is within a half an hour on the same road. My wife, probably thought, why didn't you just change road? So it would have been easier but the third time the Holy Spirit was working on my heart and I remembered 1st Timothy Chapter 2, the first couple of verses they are then it says that we pray for all of those that are an authority that we live at peace with all men that all may not men, they come to the knowledge of the truth. And I remember that verse and I just said and I read it for them out of our Bible and I just said, what can we pray for you? For the one police officer opened up with a story about 45 minutes? His daughter had cancer. She was 9 years old. They had lost all of their finances and medical situations. Their marriage was a mess and he was bawling in tears. Completely in a turtle shell with his bulletproof vest, his helmet, his boots up to his knee. All of his equipment around his waist but he was broken and that just touched my heart to realize that these men and women that are serving the public dedicated to protect and serve. They are just like us that they have at times. If it were Broken. Hallelujah is but they don't have the Hallelujah connected to it and you and I have that message that we can carry with us. That gospel message of the love of the Lord, Jesus Christ. I'm come that you might have life and what kind of life more abundantly. John 10:10, doesn't mean life going to be a piece of cake, but it does mean that there is an answer and there is a solution when those difficulties are there so that we can have a Hallelujah, even if it is a broken for a Time. And so we began just sharing with police officers and giving them a bottle of water and, and loving on them just a little bit and that allowed us to get into higher levels of brass. I'm not a police officer. I am not a military. I have no training. I know how to dial 911. If I don't panic and forget the number in a situation literally, but you had God allows us to bring SWAT agents number for United States, other highly trained police officers that are men and women of God to do a week of training with our SWAT police in Ecuador, on the first day. We give them a Bible and we begin having Charles with our meetings with them, the group that I'm going to show you up here now, is our anti-narcotics group that invited us to come in and give Bibles. There's three groups, three different terms or three different morning, afternoon and evening. And so, we were able to give each of those 48 Bibles and we share with them, Romans chapter 13, that their Servants of God for good and if they're Servants of God, They need to know his code book. They need to know his Roebuck and they're responsible for every word of the word of God, and that opens up doors. Not much happens in these kind of times together, but then it does give us opportunity later on to go and they'll call us and say, hey, chaplain. Hey Pastor, I haven't eaten. Then the rest of the year. We have opportunity of ministering to them. We see more than 150 police officers. Come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. That's exciting to be able to but we have fifty thousand of my goal is we give them a Bible and my goal is that we will get a Bible in the hands of all fifty thousand of those police officers worried about 3500 right now, A Bibles that we have been able to distribute to give to them. So we've got a lot of work to do, but the word of God changes lives. Let's go on to more pictures down the road. Now that's a picture of the Bible that we do give out to them. That is led into an opportunity of serving with the firefighters, the First Responders and doing very much the same. This is a child that we give to them. Clock that. We give to them a lesson of how giving a Five Knuckle Death Punch to any desafio. Any difficulty that you're having number one is through your faith. No matter what it is, to make sure that it's right. And to make sure that its filing that gives us an Open Door of sharing the gospel message, not only your faith but your family needs to be in order and that's a big deal and then your friends who's there to help you. Are they lifting you up or are they knocking you down and then the food that you eat often times after timatic events and things that they do, the things that they've seen, they go to alcohol in or that alcohol does. Is it permanently impressive in their short-term memory, all the pictures and all the things that they have seen? Whereas if they don't, it can pass naturally into their long-term. And so we help them with that. But then ultimately is the fun that they have, how do they get out and debrief and unpack a little bit. And so that's been I need opportunity for us with that. Then we invite them to the house Hamburger Day is on Monday for us or any Time someone calls and wants to come over. We always have hamburgers ready to go that we make up and we invite them over for Gringo hamburgers. They think that Americans eat hamburgers every day. And I said, please leave two egg sandwiches on Sunday night instead, but we invite them over for green, do hamburgers, relate with them and then they have an opportunity of sharing the gospel message with them either. Then or later time, the last picture here, that I want to show this morning is, this is the, on the left side, the captain's wife, and she didn't want to be there. Deanne, touches their lives there. She said, when they get together, they just talk shop and I don't want to hear any more about it, but she came, she relaxed, she enjoyed cuz we didn't talk anything about the fire department at all. We just loved on him a little bit and that has led to many other opportunities where they call us and say, hey Pastor we need you opportunities are bringing others in for training. And so do continue to pray for that time. That is our fire inspector in the middle there and they both Had a wonderful time. There is a part of the group last picture I have for you, before we get into the word of God and Acts chapter one, this morning. This is kind of just a combination of three different fun things. We do in Ministry. I'm at a motorcycle race with the firefighters, and I've got my police had on just in case. And so, we want to tell you, there's nothing greater than serving the lord Jesus Christ, right? Where you are not full time, but full-time as a Believer, the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to think with me. If you would please to a time. I'm going to give you the outline for the message all at once so that you have it. And what is our motivation for changing the world in which you live. What is your motivation for changing the world that you live in a world that has changed with bring up the the slide for the message. If we were this morning. What is your motivation? To be able to do that. We live in a world that has changed how we not. We heard testimony of just before the special music of of world that we live in, it is now that has changed. I want you to think with me. If you would this morning of a time when there was a lot of uncertainty in the world in which we live. I want you to think with me at a time when there was a lot of misinformation and different information that was going out to the point where we didn't really know who was speaking the truth, or who was not. I want you to think of a time that we may have been hidden behind closed doors, or may have even held something over our faces to hide. Because very possibly the very next person that we meet with could lead to our death into mice. They'll probably because of what we have just passed through in the last two years, you're thinking of now, but I want you to think with me sometime ago some two thousand years ago. You see, Jesus Christ that just been crucified. The ladies went to the Tomb in the morning and some said they stole his body. The lady said he had been resurrected. In fact, the Matthew chapter 28, before we see the Great Commission. We see two other commissions where Jesus says, go and tell my disciples go and tell my followers go and sell the entire world. Who can we trust? I'm a follower of Jesus and even Peter 3 times than I. Jesus Christ saying, I don't know the man. So it was not an easy time and a good time to be a Christian. Whoever I meet could have been that next one. That would sentence me to death. The same cruel punishment that my savior had just taken place.

Can I tell you though that it was not a time of retreat? It was an advance time or a time to advance for the people of God? The local church was not born until Acts chapter 2 and I want to take a look here at what motivated, what I believe motivated from the word of God. From the beginning and Acts Chapter 1. What motivated, the Believers to going to do all that. God had called him to do. For his honor and for his glory. This morning were going to take a look at the word of God and I want to share with you that very first. The motivation is inverse to that. We have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Do we not Secondly, that we have a resurrected Savior and thirdly, we have all of the resources that were ever going to need in order to accomplish the mission that he has called us to of loving, God, and loving, man, and preaching Christ, to those who have never heard or where his name is not hurt. We take a look here in Acts chapter 1 and verse 1. It says this in the first book of the awfulest. Let me stop here for just a minute. The first walk is a reference back to the Book of Luke because Luke is writing this as well. The scriptures does not teach us much about Theophilus. In fact, we see him here and that's it. Who is Theophilus? We do not know but he's writing here. He says I'm writing this book in the first one. I have dealt with all the Jesus began to do began to do and to teach. She still working in the world today until the day, when he was taken up after he had given commandment to the Holy Spirit to the apostles, whom he had won their relationship or does it not? He had chosen my motivation to go in to do what God has called me to do to preach his name. Or his name is not heard, is the relationship that I have with the king of kings and Lord of lords. Not because I'm special, but because he has called me.

31 years ago, my wife and I said I do. I think under my breath. I was saying I want instead of I do. You see, I chose her. My father-in-law who married us. He was my pastor. He says you didn't shows. Are you stole her? Am I either way, I still got her. We're driving out of here together in your car. That was one of the greatest things of that day was driving away in his car with his daughter. A man. It was fantastic. You see I chose or that's a word of relationship. Is it Matt? The scriptures here is not talking about election. It is talking about the doc doctrine of salvation. I'll let your pastor deal with that with you and enters playing it as he believes from the word of God, but it's talking about service.

The apostles whom he had, what chosen to go and to do his work. Can I ask you a question? What is your motivation to fulfill your part of God's? Great Commission. And how are you going to go do it. My motivation begins here and Acts chapter once with the relationship that I have with Jesus Christ.

When we lived in the keto area until 2014, it was 9550 and you have to physically, get up to go out to play soccer. My kids would get done with their work throughout the day, and they would go play soccer in the afternoon and after supper. I come enjoy them. Now. I don't know if you can tell where you're sitting, but I don't have the most athletic build. Unless it's wrestling that I can do pretty well or a tug-of-war. I mean, I'm Your Man. I get to the field. My son wants a 6, ft 3, 300 lb. He raised his hand. He's at Dad's on my team. Donkey, show me back in the goal where you put the chubby guys that couldn't run fast and that's where I stayed. But you better believe. I played my heart out for him. And you know why? It's because he chose me to be a part of that team. I wanted to represent the absolute best that I could, and if a ball went flying past me, it wasn't that I had missed it is. I had let my captain down. I want to serve Jesus. Because he chose me to go in to do that. He chose you, if you know Jesus Christ as your lord and savior this morning, it is not an option. It's not if you feel I could go and make disciples. It is all of us have been chosen by him to go in to do the work of the ministry, in the world where you are. I shared with you that my heartbeat is loving, God and loving man, by preaching Christ. His name is not heard that comes up on my to-do list every single morning. So I do not forget what I am about. As I plan the rest of my day. I need that helps you remember from it. Why am I here? What am I doing? Every single day that it comes up to let me know. Why? Because we have a world that is lost, that is dying. And it's not because I'm a missionaries because I'm a Christian that he chose us to go and to bring forth fruit in that fruit. That would remain.

I was adopted. Has a baby of 5 months old.

I love the verse in Galatians 4:4 that says, when the fullness of time is come is my favorite version at Christmas time. Without a doubt seen Doula is, it's my favorite. But when the fullness of time with, God, sent his fourth made of a woman made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the, what the adoption of sun. There's a word of choosing in there isn't not to adopt us to make us joint heirs with Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, The Great, I Am come back to the States, my wife, and I go through our little $20, fireproof box, and we look at all of our important papers. Make sure everything is up to date. We don't need to change anything and and make sure we're all good. And I took a look at my adoption papers. When I was here the last time and I took a picture of this. It's the letter that my parents received from the adoption agency. Back in 1990 or business. Says Dear, mr. And mrs. Duvall. That's my parents. We have good news for you. That we have selected a baby boy. There's a word of choosing us and not we have selected a baby boy. Whoops. I just closed out my phone. I just got on a doctor just like that.

We have selected a baby boy. He weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces at Birth. I like this part. Really? I underlined it. He is a real attractive, baby. Well, developed with light Sandy brown hair while it's gone by the wayside. His features are nice. And now here's the part that I don't really like his features are nice and his body and face are beginning to show plumpness. It's written right here. I don't think that's politically correct in this day and age. I have a heart for evangelism in our Commandos. This summer. We are having our course, said they're going to make me a t-shirt that has this next phrase on it three things. He smiles. Is now drooling and goes to anyone. I'm like, you know what? That's me. I want everyone to know the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will smile and do anything that I need to have that chance to love God and love man, by preaching Christ, where his name is not heard. You know what I found out.

Says In Here Also that I had a problem to keep milk down. The letter from my birth mother that I receive said that my dad was a high school principal that wasn't true. Send that. My mom was a nurse. That wasn't true. And then I just received a puppy and that was the part that I was most devastated about cuz I didn't get a puppy.

You know what? I found out when we dug a little bit deeper. That I was chosen to go to a different family because of the milk allergy. I was placed specifically in the family that God wanted to me to be in with Roy and Barb Duvall. You better believe I love adoption. You better believe. I love being chosen twice once physically and once spiritually by our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. You see when you are adopted, when you are, chosen you get a new name. My name was Robin Lorraine. I praise God. I got a new name. Jeffrey. John, if your name is Robin great. I don't think I look like a robin turkey Buzzard. Maybe that might be a little bit more like it. You know what? I also received. I also received another responsibility.

Because I have been chosen, the part of the ball family had responsibilities, that went along with it. I received a new inheritance, not monetarily, but spiritually, because from a child, my parents taught me the holy scriptures and the child of a young age and trusted Christ as my savior. And it's 7 years old, that Ikeda my life to be in a missionary. You see when God shows us. He has a plan. Does he not? It's by relationship that he chooses us and that relationship that we have with him, is the motivation that we have to go in to do. I want to share with you a picture this morning that we have of our church of what it means to have relationship. It's a connecting with others that need to know the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that people come to church mostly because of the relationship that they have and the connections that they have with you, as you live as Jesus, with skin on throughout the rest of the week, 1 family, that's not in the picture had to go to Columbia. So they weren't able to be a part of this picture at that time. And now I'm for real, but we had the privilege of inviting inviting Jarvis. And Alaska, to come to church and join us and Alaska. Invited another Venezuelan family next to us albanis Impala. Albanian some Paula where in the bus station one day and they saw a lady with need and they invited on Berto and Genesis and their seven children to come in to be a part of our fellowship. And then Alberto and Genesis have been continually invited people. But invited their neighbor that standing next to them five generations of people because of relationship Premier League with Jesus Christ. The community in which they lived brought people to come, and hear the gospel message on a weekly basis. That's what relationship does because I have a relationship with him. I want to find those we can introduce to him with relationship as well. I want to continue with the outline this morning. I want to take a look at verse to not on a relationship. But in first three you and I have a resurrected savior. Do we not the couple of weeks? We're going to celebrate Easter but we need to celebrate every single day of Our Lives. He is not. Here. He is. Risen. Come. See the place where the Lord lay. The motivation that the early Believers had in that I haven't and that you and I have together in motivated and change in a world that has changed. It says, in verse 3, of Jesus Christ that he presented himself in what manner? In what Manner alive? He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs appearing to them, 40 days. And speaking of the kingdom of God. I don't know about you, but I want to shout that for the Mountaintop. God's not dead. He's in the world working today. He's alive. You and I have a resurrected savior. We have hope it may be a Broken. Hallelujah from now for now. But in the end, it's going to be hallelujah. Hallelujah. Is it not that it may be temporary? But it is only temporary. Why? Because we have a resurrected savior that says he's going to bring us along as well. The next picture we have here is a baptism that we had in our church. We had five people that said that they wanted to be baptized. And so I met with them individually and heard their testimonies and then one Sunday of their baptism. Oh, yeah, by the way, this was February of last year. Yeah, yeah, we don't have to cut a hole in the ice. Our church is eight blocks from the ocean. And so we gather together in the morning. We walked down the eight blocks we baptized and then we have a picnic together and celebrate what God is doing. Remember Romans chapter 6. It says we are buried in the likeness of his death raised in the likeness of his resurrection, and it says the going to walk in newness of life. That morning five people, share their testimony of how they came to relationship with the Lord. Jesus Christ, the resurrected savior that they believed in because 1st Corinthians tells us that the gospel message is the death of Beryl. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the good news. The hope that we have in Jesus Christ. They all gave their testimony in the service, was all done. We're all in tears, were all excited because we've been working with them for a couple of years and now they want to follow the lord. Jesus Christ, Believers baptism. I said, let's pray. And all the sudden the lady in the back, raised her hand and said pastor. And, by the way, that's common. No interrupt you in your sermon. It's a very communicative community and in so they won't have any money. Sophie wants to get saved. I told you five wanted to be baptized, but there's six with me in this picture. Sophie is a little one on the right hand side of the picture and white dress there. Sophie lived with Carlos and the Nelda Carlos came to know. Jesus Christ, as his savior, his son Jeremy, the two of them were baptized and she had just heard the testimony, is the five people and she leaned over and she says, I want to be saved and baptized. They're right there in the service. It wasn't in my notes. It wasn't so great. Now. What do we do Sophie? Is that your true desire? Absolutely pastor. You know, that you're a sinner. Yes. Do you know that you cannot get to heaven without the shed blood of the Lord, Jesus Christ that Paid a Debt that you could not pay. Yes. Pastor. Do you want to trust him and Faith to forgive you of your sins and to lead and be the savior of your life? Yes, and she prayed and trusted Christ as our savior. We walk down the eight blocks. I mean, we were both probably float and so excited about one more that day that had repented, there was a party going on in having the scriptures teach us. Sophie is so little that she was baptized three times by the waves before I even laid a hand on her. Let me see, get out there in a big way, but, just completely cover over. But I still laid a hand on her, swipe your feet and put her down just to make sure it was done and done, right? And she got all the way under. And then we walked away rejoicing with a responsibility to go and walk in newness of Life. Why? Because we have a resurrected savior. The Hallelujah may be broken but one day at changes, when we meet him together in the air, but you and I because the relationship that we have ought to be motivated to go in to change the world in which we live. Lastly this morning. I want to let us know from Bruce 8, verse 5 says something similar, but I want us to look at verse 8 specifically that you and I have all of the resources that we need in order to accomplish God's Great Commission. My vision for accomplishing. God's Great Commission. On my part is loving, God and loving man, by preaching Christ, or his name is not heard. What's yours? The mission is the same division of how accomplished it may be different in your own personal life.