The Advent of Christ - The King

Is Jesus your personal King? Is he the supreme authority in your life? Do you serve him in all things?

The Advent of Christ - The Servant

Christmas is not about Christ! This is the sad state of the world that has people of all religions celebrating Christmas. Mark's gospel deals with what is really important. Forget the birth of Christ, it is his purpose and message that are important.

Baker Update - december 2011

"And they,whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them." - Ezekiel 2:5

This is the verse that comes to mind when I think about all the times we have shared the gospel with Spaniards. We long to see one heart bow in repentance to the King of Kings.

We recently held a traditional thanksgiving meal for our Spanish friends. We used this opportunity to present the gospel to them. I shared with them that God told us to come here and give them this great news. We also had a time of going around the table saying things that we were thankful for. To my surprise, Danny a born-again Spaniard told all of our guests how thankful he was that we are here in Spain sharing the gospel. He went on to explain how that for centuries the Catholic Church has persecuted non-Catholics and that many were burned in the town square. He even cited a street named after one of those burned! He really validated our presence here.

We have to keep reminding ourselves that we are planting seeds and watering, but it is God that gives the increase. Please take a moment and pray for our friends that have heard the gospel… Miguel, Mayte, Carlos,Rosa, Oscar, Alberto, Gemma and Flo.

Every Wednesday night for the past eight months we have been meeting in a local café/bar for a bible study. This is an opportunity to invite people to a public place to study with us. Maybe I have not said it before but anyone who is not Catholic are considered a cult. So if we are asked what we are doing here we say something to the effect of we are teachers of the Bible. We avoid like the plague, the terms missionary, evangelical, church planters etc. So having a study in a public place eases the suspicion of the locals.

So recently Miguel (same as above) came to our Wednesday night bible study. It was incredible how he danced around the issues concerning salvation and the authority of the bible. He is reading the Bible now because our teammate Luke challenged him to do so many months ago. But he believes that you cannot take any of it literally. This is what we are up against here in Spain. Satan has done a great job closing every possible door to a man's heart.We desire so much to find "good ground" to which the seed of the gospel will take root and bear fruit!

As Christmas approaches we are missing our family and the grand kids. Please pray for us (especially Ally) as the absence of our kids during the holiday season tugs a little bit harder on our hearts.

This will be the first Christmas with our whole team assembled. We are looking forward to Ally cooking a traditional Christmas dinner and enjoying time with our team. We are growing more and more in love with the people that God has given us to serve with. We are a quirky bunch!

As a team we are now raising funds for an office space. This will provide us with a place to meet, pray and invite others to for worship. We have discovered that an office space will give our team legitimacy among the locals. Avant have asked us to try and raise as much of the rent as we can for the first two years. If you would like to donate towards this project please send it to Avant Ministries in Kansas City and designate "Team Valladolid Office Project". We need to raise $30,000 and we have already been given over $7,000!

Ally and I are also falling short each month of our required support. Would you consider an increase in your giving to make up the difference? We still need approx $1200 a month in regular giving. Please pray about what God would have you do.

We have just moved into our new apartment and we love it! It is in the perfect central location. It is large enough for our whole team to assemble and it is affordable.

Continue to pray also for our language learning. It is a huge challenge for us.

Thank you again for your prayers and financial support.

It's all for Him,

Steve and Ally

James and Lori Clarke - News November 2011

Working with the Albanian Evangelical Mission (AEM) in southern Albania

Answers to prayer

Thanks for those of you who prayed for the trip to Fushbardhe. Both Petrit and I felt encouraged by this trip. We gave out gospel newspapers to nearly every house and had conversations with several people. By a remarkable providence I met the woman who I'd witnessed to before (whom I've mentioned) and had another good talk with her (She doesn't live in that village anymore but comes once in a while to collect herbs and tea from the mountain - she had come the day before and was leaving the next).

Thanks also for those of you who prayed for Alba. I'm glad to say that she has attended meetings of a Christian students union in Tirana (the capital of Albania). Pray that she continues to go to these and attends a church next! Thanks for praying for the other teenagers I mentioned in the last bulletin too. At this stage their situations remain the same as far as I know. It also seems that some of their parents have been discouraging them from coming to meetings.

Thanks for those who prayed for Albina (sorry that names are so similar here). Her parents still will not allow her to come to church or to have a Bible. One day she had printed some pages from the Bible off the internet and her when her mum found them she burnt them. But recently I asked her how things were and she said that she feels a great need for teaching but that she has faith in Jesus.

Thanks also for those who prayed for my preaching. I ended up preaching at the church in Gjirokaster, in a nearby church in Memeliaj and giving a talk at the students meeting. It all makes me feel out of my depth, but I'm sure it's good!

Weekend Camp

A church in Delvina (a town further south) organized a weekend camp for young people which included evangelistic talks. We sent some young people from Tepelena and Gjirokaster and they all seemed to enjoy the weekend. Perhaps more than ever, young Albanians are being exposed to Western culture - both the positive and the negative aspects of it. Sadly the negatives seem to be more appealing. In this climate this sort of evangelistic activity for young people really seems like a 'candle in the dark. Pray that many would see Christ's light and believe.

Teenage lads

We had to change strategy with regards to the teenage lads in Gjirokaster. At the beginning of the academic year we decided to begin a short Bible study on Saturday nights for them. Sadly attendance was very low - sometimes with only one boy turning up. So we decided simply to have a social evening on Saturday nights instead, which would simply be a way of meeting young men. Attendance at these have been good, sometimes with 15 boys turning up. We've then been able to invite these lads to church and to other activities like the weekend camp mentioned above and have had good opportunities to present Christ to them. I long to be able to move forward with these lads and to see them coming simply out of a desire to read God's word, but maybe this is not the time. On a positive note, one young man who used to come to the lads meeting a couple of years ago became a Christian whilst at university in Tirana. He has been professing faith for a while now and takes an active part in a church there.
Family News

Lori is well and enjoying being a Mum although it is tiring at times! She's enjoying doing a little bit of English teaching and is currently doing some translation work. Little John is finding his feet but is not quite able to walk yet. My mum will be coming over in December for a long visit. She always enjoys being here and is a great help. She'll be here for Christmas and New Year which will be a great blessing - especially as she will be able to help with the Christmas roast potatoes! At 27 years old I bought my first car this month - a 1989 VW Golf Mk 2 (nearly as old as me!). Although it won't be able to get to the most remote villages, it will certainly help to get to places that I couldn't get to before. I've already used it to makes some visits for witnessing.
What's coming up..

In December we'll be going around towns, villages and markets with the Gospel newspaper once again. As a church we'll also be putting on a big Christmas event on 24th to which many non-Christians will be invited. I'll hope to invite some people along to this who have never been to a church service or anything before. I'll also be doing some more preaching.

Prayer Points:

Thanks for answers to prayer
For continued progress of the Gospel amongst young people.
For outreach over Christmas.
Thank you again to all who support us.

Call to the City - A final Challenge

Looking back. Have we accomplished what we set out to do?

Call to the City - Watch your Language

In the cultural melting pot of London it is very difficult to maintain your identity. What does your language say about you.

Discipleship pays dividends

This week was an exiting time for us. We talk about discipleship, and we teach discipleship, but it doesn't become real until you see the results in the life of the disciple.

Over the past few years we have been blessed to see Afrim growing and putting into practice the things he has learned of God. Thursday saw it all come together.

2 Timothy 2:2

2. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Afrim has been taught, and now he is teaching. In fact, within this church he is now forming third generation disciples!

He taught from Psalm 1, and in short summary, the challenge was this:

You have a decision to make, walk in unrighteousness, listening to the counsel of the world, or walk in righteousness, trusting in God's word. What are you going to chose?

Call to the City - Priorities

It is impossible to Worship god if your life is full of other stuff. Time to clean house.

The Church of Smyrna - Withstand Trials

Firstly, who was the first and the last? Who was dead and now is alive? this is the message to the church of Smyrna.

Letter From

Revelation 2:8

8. And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

From the Old Testament, for example Isaiah 44:6, we see that this is The God of Israel, the creator of all things. Moving on to Revelation, we find that he is also the last, the ending, the Alpha and Omega.

Revelation 1:8

8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

So in dealing with the problem later on it is key to understand that the one writing is the Lord of Israel, the creator of all, and the one who will judge the world at the end. It also says that the letter is from the one who was dead and is now alive. This is of course none other than Christ himself. The risen Lord, in who we have salvation, and the assurance of resurection on the last day.

The Problem

Revelation 2:8-9

9. I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

This was the church he was writing to, and for us, a challenge to be sure of who is around us. There is always a problem. Some say that this church had no problem, except persecution which is not a problem but a blessing! However it is a problem. How do you persevere in the face of persecution? Only by being secure in the knowledge that there is a God, he created all we see, and will judge it at the end. More importantly, we will rise again on that last day. For all who believe that Christ is risen from the dead there is no fear in death.

1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 20

12. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13. But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

If Christ is risen, we also will rise and therefore we can stand against any persecution.

Call to the City - Repentance

A few short years after Nehemiah rebuilt the walls the people were back in a mess. What went wrong?

The message to the church of Ephesus - "Loss of first love"

Revelation 2:1-8

Letter From

While clearly the messages to the churches all came from God, what is this about? Seven stars and seven candlesticks?

Revelation 1:12-13

12. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

From this we realise that the message is from the Son of man, that is Jesus Christ. He uses this phase of himself in the gospels, and it is used some 85 times in the New Testament to refer to Christ.

The Problem

Revelation 2:4

4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

The problem was, and is a loss of first love. All Christians face this. Somewhat like how couples start out in a blaze of love, that after a year or two becomes a relationship that needs work. In both cases we need to return to that first love. The enthusiasm and dedication of that time. Do you love God with all your heart, mind and strength? This is not about what you practically do as "works". The Ephesians were great at "works". This is about your heart. Out of your heart actions will follow, but without the heart actions become "works".

As with all the letters, the problem is met by the realisation of who the letter is from. In this case, the problem was a loss of the first love following salvation. The solution, to look once more to Jesus, the Son of man, the author and finisher of our salvation.

The Seven Churches of Revelation - Introduction

The book of Revelation is confusing. It is confusing because it describes many things that have quite clearly not yet taken place and therefore describes events that we cannot properly comprehend until they do. We can fit these prophesies to certain historical events, but we can also fit them to other historical events. The result is that through the ages there have risen many potential anti-christs and many possible fulfilments of prophesy, but it was not yet God’s time. Therefore, while theologians have for centuries believed that the letters to the seven churches lay out seven consecutive phases in history they have almost universally placed themselves in the Laodacean church age.

Peter himself placed himself in the last days, just forty days after Christ was crucified as he preached in Acts 2:14-20

And Paul seems to have expected to be still alive when Christ returned:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Many believed at that time that John would still be alive to see the return of Christ. None of this has happened, yet it demonstrates again the fact that while we can apply historical analysis to these letters and place them as phases of history, they were most definitely letters written to specific existing churches at the time of writing, and they most definitely have a message for us today. We cannot ignore the letters to earlier churches believing ourselves to be in the Laodacean age, or God would not have passed them on to us today.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

With this in mind over the coming weeks we will note the classical interpretation of historical placement of these letters, but primarily we are interested in applying these lessons to ourselves.

All the letters end with the enjoinment:

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;”

Faith unto Salvation

The paralytic man of Matthew 9 was looking for salvation, not healing, but it was a good bonus!

Missions - Andrew Ong

Remember what you have learned of Christ and pas sit on to the next generation.

James Clarke - Oct 2011 News

James and Lori Clarke’s
News Bulletin. October 2011

Working with the Albanian Evangelical Mission (AEM) in southern Albania

What’s been happening?
We've now got into the rhythm of the new academic year, and the heavy rain shows that autumn is definitely here. It's great to see how the Lord has used the summer camps; several teenagers have been coming along to meetings for the first time and showing interest. I’ve begun to preach once a month at church in Albanian which I find very challenging and feel a deep need for the Lord’s help in this. Lori helps me a lot with Albanian during preparation.

Gospel Newspaper
Shaun finished another edition of the gospel newspaper which we are currently giving out in Gjirokaster, in villages and at markets. Once again I’ve been struck by its worth. People seem to be much more willing to take and read a newspaper than a tract. Perhaps it seems less threatening to them. This edition included an article commenting on the 20 years since the ‘good news’ was brought into Albania after communism. (Albania opened up in 1991 after almost half a century of communism.) It seems strange to think that while I was being taught the bible in Sunday school and infants school as a child, Albania was still shrouded in spiritual darkness with virtually no access to the light of God’s Word! It’s sobering to think that Albania has had a mere 20 years of this light. Surely bringing the Gospel to Albania should continue to be one our greatest concerns and subjects for prayer!
This weekend Petrit and I are planning to go to the village of Fushbardhe again (the village I mentioned in my last newslatter). Pray that the weather will enable us to go and that the Gospel will find good soil there!
Teenagers
Youth clubs have kicked off again in Tepelena and Gjirokaster with mixed attendance partly do to the rain. With the group of teenagers in Tepelena we’ve begun a new series looking at selected passages from the Bible. Last week we looked at John chapter 1 which stimulated some interesting discussion and gave the opportunity to show that the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was divine and not just a prophet or a ‘wise teacher’. Kristi who has recently shown much more interest continues to come regularly. Sindi and Tea who came every week last year and were also at the summer camp have not been coming so regularly recently. Please continue to pray for God to open their eyes. Sindi, who I mentioned was reading the DaVinci (in my last news) recently said that she would like to read all of the Bible before she makes a decision regarding what she believes. I don’t know if she has started this or not. These teenagers are in their last year of high school (the equivalent of year 13 in the UK) and so have much more homework to do than previously. Also many of them attend private courses to improve their school grades. Pray that they would make coming to the youth club a priority as well as studying hard at school. Alba (18) who came to meetings last year has just gone to University in Tirana to study medicine. We put her in touch with a Christian students union there and encouraged her to go to their meetings. Please pray that she does! Albina came to summer camp for the first time this year and immediately after camp she came to church. However her family stopped her from coming to church again. She then asked for a Bible so that at least she could read it at home. But now her family have forbidden her from having one. I’m sure she has a sincere desire to know God, but faces strong opposition from her parents and relatives who are atheists. Denis (15) moved to Gjirokaster from another part of Albania a while ago. In his home town he attended a ‘hyper-charismatic’ church where he professed faith but sadly didn’t get much biblical teaching. He also has a lot of emotional problems.

Family News
Lori has started teaching English at a foreign language centre here for a few hours a week which she is enjoying. Little John is well and is beginning to stand up while holding on to something for support. He looks very tall when he does this!

Prayer Points:
• For the trip to Fushbardhe village.
• For the teenagers mentioned above.

Thank you again to all who support us.

New Missionaries supported by MRBC

Last Sunday we hosted Paul Davies, from the Albanian Evangelical Mission. It was great to be able to tell him that MRBC are going to support James and Lori Clarke in the mission in Gjirokaster.

Reign in Spain

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” Ephesians 3:20

We arrived in Kansas City in mid August to see our granddaughter’s birth and to raise support. We were asking God to allow us to arrive in time for her arrival and to draw people into His mission in Spain. Both were a success. Tinnley Marie Baker came into the world August 24th beautiful and healthy, and we have gained support and prayer partners! God has done exceeding abundantly above all we asked. Praise His name and to Him be glory forever and ever!!!
The first full day back in KC we met with Jay, our missions pastor, to discuss our goals for what we thought was to be a one-month stay. After looking at our Avant account he said it looks like you need to raise $15,000 and another $1,200 in monthly support. Our Avant account was $14,400 in the red. This was due to a monthly support shortage over the past 12 months and plane tickets back to the states. We want to thank Avant Ministries for carrying that burden for us.
That same week we met with the executive committee at Avant and they confirmed the task and added that we needed to be prepared to stay as long as it took to get the required support. This was not easy for us to hear. We have a team and a work to do in Spain, how could we stay longer than one month? This drove us to our knees to plead with our Father to provide as soon as possible.
Over the next few weeks it became clear that this was not so much about “our” support, but rather “His” mission. God made it clear that we needed to rally the troops to join us in prayer to see God work in Spain. Together with our church planting team in Spain we have already come to the conclusion that if anything happens in Spain it will only happen through “much prayer and fasting”. We are in a cosmic battle for souls and Spain is firmly in the grip of our enemy! So we set out to boldly ask God’s people for support both financial and intercessory prayer.
That’s when God started showing up. So may things happened over the next few weeks that made it clear we would need to extend our stay by a few weeks just to participate in what He was doing. Between our sending church, Graceway (formerly KCBT) and our sister church Midtown Baptist Temple it was non-stop crazy times!
Ally and I arrived back in Spain October 11th. Our Avant account is now back in the black. God has abundantly blessed above all that we asked!
There are so many people that we would love to mention right now and thank you for all your hard work. But we would not want you to have your reward here…it will be much better when our Lord and King blesses you in secretJ. But we would like to mention the events that have impacted us…Our churches love for mission and Kingdom work, our sister churches Tuesday night prayer ministry, all the fundraisers, the BBQ at the lake, the potluck, the Raytown Bible study, the garage sale, the many, many brothers and sisters that took part in these events and the many that have committed to pray for us and the work in Spain…THANK YOU!
And finally pray this week for us as we move to a new apartment. There are so many things to do. Our lease is up on October 30th and God has blessed and given us a new apartment a little bigger and much nicer for the same rent. It is sparsely furnished so we will be roughing it for a while but praying for funds to come in so we can purchase the necessary furnishings.
Pray also for Mayte (30), she is a Spanish friend of ours that has heard the gospel many times, is a schoolteacher and last week she lost the feeling in half of her face. Pray with us for healing.
Pray also for fruit! These are the names of our teams’ closest contacts…Miguel, Mayte (Miguels sister), Alberto, Gemma, Rosa, Carlos, Omar. A few weeks ago our team got together to see how many contacts we have made as a team, that number is 100 souls!
Ally and I want thank you for investing in souls here in Spain.

It’s all for Him,

Steve & Ally

Paul Davies - Missions requires Service

The key to outreach is the relationships we have in the church. Do you have the mind of Christ?

Tarl Reeves - The importance of supporting missions

We have a spiritual obligation to be practical partners and share the blessing of missions.

Brian Clark - Missions, if you can catch me, you can have me

Brian Clark - Sharing the gospel takes focus, dedication and motivation. Count the cots.

Church Day Out

All members are invited to a day out 29th October. Destination to be confirmed.

Missions - How to support missions

Following the teaching of Matthew 28, and as we cannot personally go to all the nations of the World we will support the work of others in other parts of the world.

Call to Worship - The Price of Worship

The command for the descendants of Asaph was to be worshiping 24/7 and to be supported in that by the people.

Call to Worship - Celebration Time

We will only worship together if we are worshiping God with our lives.

Gain for Spain Issue 32

SPANISH FRIENDS

Last week we were invited by Rosa (our fruit lady) and her
boyfriend Oscar to hang out with them and some of their
friends. We spent several hours with them…Oscar & Rosa,
Oscar’s brother & his girlfriend (Natxo & Amaya), Oscar’s sister
and her husband (Bea & Alex), Oscar’s other brother (Raul),
and Rosa’s friend Carmen. Our teammate Brian joined us as
well. A few of them speak a good amount of English, so we
were able to communicate easily with the group. We were able
to share why we are here (a very common question) as well as
some truths from the Bible. They are all truly lovely people,
and we enjoyed our time with them immensely. If you know us,
you know how much we love meeting new people and getting to
know the story behind each person. This time was so
encouraging to us, and we are thankful for the relationships
that have begun because all of them are lost. We truly care for
their souls, so much that we’ve even lost sleep over it. We
praise God, and thank you for praying for boldness & wisdom.
Keep the prayers coming! God is listening. (see pic below)
WHAT FIESTA BRINGS
Last week in Valladolid, the city celebrated its yearly fiesta
(party). Food-stands lined the streets, Dora & SpongeBob
balloons flew toward the sky, and people filled the plazas
eagerly awaiting concerts & other activities. Although we
enjoyed the fiesta, our hearts were deeply moved once again
for the youth of Valladolid. As we walked toward Plaza Mayor
the first night of the fiesta, youth lined the streets. We saw
kids pour out water from 5 liter water jugs and fill it with
wine, vodka & soda, or other alcoholic drinks. Some of the kids
were no older than 12 or 13. On our way home we passed two
girls (probably 15 years old), one was passed out and her friend
was trying to keep her awake. If you were to walk along the
river or through certain areas of the city the next morning, the
paths would be covered with used contraceptives. Drunkenness
is blatant & evidence of the cheapening of sex is unconcealed.
Abortions are easily obtained here as well, so you can imagine
another aspect of all the partying. The enemy is on the move
here in Valladolid, and our hearts are broken, yet drawn closer
to our Leader because of it. He is greatly needed in this city.

FAMILY LIFE
We’ve begun to regularly
bump into Spaniards we know
on the streets...a wonderful
feeling!
We spent the weekend in
London. It was Amy’s
birthday, and Justin preached
at Monnow Road Baptist
Church while there.
Evy LOVES school! Even
though she doesn’t
understand everything in
Spanish, she’s making friends
and enjoying her time. She
sang "Mary Had A Little Lamb"
for her class during English class,

Pray With Us
For God to change the lives of the people we and
our team have met here in Spain.

"To revive worshippers to start a viral
church planting movement through the
Holy Spirit and prayer"

Justin Raby - Love the Word

Hell is real as the bible says. If you truly believe it then warn people.

AEM Prayer Update - September 2011

Looking back I notice that a number of our recent prayer requests have been for
those suffering serious illness. You will be keen to know that Niko Treska was just
beginning to regain some strength when we visited him in early August. Thanks again
to all who have sent financial support – he and the family are truly amazed at the way
in which God has provided for them and lifted them out of serious worries at this
time. David Young has now had follow-on surgery and will receive important test
results on September 15th. Sadly we have to report that Eri, the young believer in Fier
who is suffering from cancer, is deteriorating again having had a very brief respite.
Please pray that she will know peace and assurance in her physical frailty.

We’ve been reminded recently of the importance of having and using good Christian
literature. Believers who live in isolated circumstances and those who don’t enjoy the
freedom to share regular fellowship with others because of family attitudes can be
supported through books and magazines. Wives and children who become Christians
will often find that their husbands and parents impair (deliberately or in ignorance)
opportunities to be built up in a local church. Pastors and leaders too feel a real need
to be fed themselves so that they can feed others.

Pray for Geoff Townsend as he seeks to distribute the 80 or so titles we now
have available. Pray that he will be able to encourage people to read who
have not been used to study or even casual reading.
Pray for Femi Cakolli and Tenda Publishing as they seek to do the same work
in Kosova.
Pray for Shaun Thompson as he prepares the evangelistic newspaper ‘Jehona’
and for Shirley Townsend as she contributes to ‘Illiria’; a Christian
magazine for women.
Pray for wisdom in choosing the right material for translation – especially as
we seek to meet the preparation needs of preachers and teachers.

Finally, join us in thanking God for safe and successful camps in August. We realised
how much we depend on the Lord’s help and keeping when we heard that a children’s
outreach in the north of Albania had been attacked by gunmen after a rumour was
spread that they were a cult who were encouraging children to kill themselves. No-
one was hurt (only frightened) but pray that no further harm will be done to the
reputation of those who seek to share the gospel in what remains a volatile country.

Spain Report - Chapinería - August 2011

Greetings from Spain:

Although posted in August, this is actually the delayed report from May. Preparing for the summer camps has taken priority over the translation of this report.

We are at the start of the summer here in Spain, and the hot weather is very much felt in Madrid. It is a rather
dry heat that reminds you of the semi-dessert type of weather that is common during these months in this area of
Spain. In spite of this, there are a lot of outreach activities we are planning for this time that cannot be carried out in
the Winter: Summer camps, retreats, Street evangelism, men´s and women´s meetings. We covet your prayers in
this regard.
Missions Conference in Rota:
During the last two days of April (29th. And 30th.) and the first Sunday in may (1st.) I had the opportunity to
preach at a very successful missions conference held by the Iglesia Bautista Fe de Rota. This church is pastored by
Mexican missionary Leobardo Rodríguez. The church is located in the province of Cadiz, in southern Spain. The
Rodriguez family are missionaries sent out by the Iglesia Bautista Bíblica from San Luis Potosí, in Mexico, where
brother Luis Ramos is the senior pastor. The Iglesia Bautista Fe de Rota used to support only two missionaries
before the conference, but now they are supporting six with 50,00 € each, Praise God! We are having fellowship
with them and trying to work together in some projects even though they are at the southern most province of Spain.
8th. Church Anniversary:
On Sunday, May 8th. We held our 8th. Anniversary as a church here in Sierra Oeste. Our special speaker was
brother José Luis Briones. He heads up an evangelistic ministry called DECISIÓN. This ministry supports local
churches in evangelistic efforts both in Spain and abroad. Brother José Luis and his brother in-law , José Pablo
Sánchez also work in producing and broadcasting a TV program called “Tiempo de Creer” which is aired every
Sunday on RTVE1, a national TV Channel. We had a record assistance with 7 new visitors. Some of them were
Valentín Panadero Robles y his cousin José Luis Rodríguez Robles, the former mayor of Chapinería. The Lord has
given us opportunities to share the gospel with very influential people in our city. After the service we shared a
meal together with all of the attendants and we had the chance to share the gospel on a more personal way. Since
local elections were about to be held in a few days, we took the opportunity to pray for José Luis Rodríguez, who
was one of the candidates to mayor of Chapinería. We prayed following the instruction in the Bible so “...that we
may lead a quiet and peaceable life...” Our prayer is that they too can come to the saving knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ!
Evangelism Summit:
As part of our commitment to continuous personal growth, my son Eliseo and I attended The first Evangelism
Summit held in Peñiscola, near Barcelona. The purpose of the Summit was to serve as a forum where we could of
the work that is currently being in different parts of Spain with different levels of success. The Lord blessed us
greatly with encouragement and new strategies for the ministry where God has placed us. During these days, my son
Eliseo and I had a time for resting, praying and seeking God´s direction for our ministries. We have a few new
projects with the home groups and the discipleship ministry in our church. We are already training some of the men
in our church to learn how to preach and share the word of God.
Salvation prayer needs:
Please pray for Antonio González y Diana Barroso and their kids Jonatán and María. Also, for Silvia
Rodriguez, Valentín Panadero, Luis García, Michel, and Pedro. For Inocencio and Patria Diez. For the different
evangelistic outreach activities during July and August. You will find enclosed a few pictures of some of the
activities of this past month. For more pics, please go to Facebook (spainconnection), to Tribuna Internacional, a
CBBM web portal and to our church website: http://ieb-sierra-oeste.community.officelive.com/default.aspx
Also Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tommy_spain/

Worship - True Worship

Why do we worship? If you do not know then you will probably not worship.

Worship - Worship as one

True worship occurs when we worship as one. The first worship band in history was led by the drummer, Asaph.

Worship - How do we worship?

Sing a new song, and give from a pure heart.

The Prison Gate

The final gate was also known as the gate of the guard. At the end of the celebrations following the completion of the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah and the people finished their tour of the walls coming together at this gate, so it is fitting that we finish our study at this same gate.

Nehemiah 12:39-40

39. And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.
40. So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me:

For us the question is, how do you judge what should enter into your life? Are you going to let the world rule, or will God rule? It is vital for us to guard the gates of our lives, but it is pointless if the wrong judges are on the door.
In Psalm 26 we have an excellent example of how God can be the judge of the gates of our lives.

Psalms 26:1-2

1. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
2. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

Before you come to know the Lord you are trapped as a prisoner to sin with no choice but to run by the judgement of the World. As a believer you should now be a prisoner of Christ. Sadly many of us still live lives as believers, but still prisoners to sin. God paid the price and he owns us. Why then do we continue to do the bidding of someone who is no-longer our master!

This is where we need to come to with regard to Jesus, indeed it what we have done in coming to him. I often feel that people take salvation to lightly. It is easy to say, I will accept the free gift of eternal life from God. It is quite another thing to say, I will be your servant Lord, from this day until the day I die and on into eternity!
All the gates come back to one key thing. Are you ready to let God rule every part of your life.

Psalms 37:5-7

5. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

AEM Prayer Update - August 2011

This is a slightly early and slightly different edition of the monthly bulletin for various reasons. I’m sure it won’t curtail your prayers for the matters raised in July if I direct your attention towards two urgent matters and one general but vital issue.

Firstly can I thank all who responded so promptly and warmly to the news of Niko Treska’s illness and subsequent operation? Our thanks to all who felt able to contribute to an, as yet, incomplete hospital bill. Please accept our apology for being unable to respond to and acknowledge each individual gift. The response has been so overwhelming that this would be impossible in the immediate future. If you are unsure as to whether your gift reached us or need a receipt, please email the mission office and we will provide the necessary confirmation. Latest news of Niko is encouraging; he is still in hospital in Thessaloniki, has begun eating and drinking and could be released to go home this weekend. The prognosis is for a complete recovery. We can thank God for the remarkable way in which Niko’s condition was discovered by the Greek doctors as it was reaching a life threatening point. Please keep on praying for Niko and Monda as well as for their work which must now suffer a temporary interruption.

We have to report a second medical crisis and need for prayer amongst our ranks. This week David Young received the diagnosis that he is suffering from an aggressive skin cancer. The doctors could not be precise but were unnervingly direct in their assessment of what the prognosis could be. Most readers of our ‘updates’ will know that David is due to retire as AEM director in December. He now faces further tests and a lot of anxious waiting. Please pray for our brother and his family in their inevitable turmoil.

Finally, can I ask you to focus your prayers on camps and youth activities throughout the month of August? Our immediate concern is for the many things planned and currently happening in Albania and Kosova, but the growth and positive effect of Christian camps in recent years is certainly not confined to the Balkans – indeed we need look no further than our own shoreline on this subject. Without being specific then, pray that God will bless every effort to touch young lives with the gospel and keep participants safe in the process.

Call to the City - Relocation

God has a job for each of us. He is the reason, and his worship in the purpose.

The Gate of Ephraim

The second to last gate was probably part of the walls of the temple courts as it is not mentioned in Nehemiah 3 during the rebuilding work. It is spoken of later in chapter 8.

Nehemiah 8:16

16. So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.

Ephraim was the second son of Joseph, though blessed as the firstborn. Generations later Jeroboam led Ephraim, and the other Northern tribes of Israel in revolt against Rehoboam, Solomon’s son. Judah in the south became separate from the rest of Israel.
The problem of backsliding

Time and again Israel fell into sin, as we often do.
The book of Hosea speaks of many of the issues between Ephraim and God. Here are just a few that faced Ephraim, and likewise any who fall into sin and backslide.

1. They had looked to the world for help (Hosea 7:11)
2. They had stopped praying (Hosea 7:7)
3. They had become one with the world (Hosea 7:8)
4. They kept only the form of religion (Hosea 7:14)

God is a God of love, however he is also a God of righteous judgement, and he will pour out his judgement on those that spurn him, just as he did to Ephraim.

1. They will be forsaken by God (Hosea 4:17)
2. They won’t be able to find God when they need help (Hosea 5:6)
3. They will become a figure of ridicule (Hosea 5:9)
4. They will be torn down (Hosea 5:14)

Thankfully Ephraim was restored, giving us this picture of restoration in the Gate of Ephraim.
You may be challenged by some great preaching, or persuaded by a well presented documentary, but until you really read it in the bible I guarantee you will not make any significant long term changes in your life.

James 1:22-25

22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

True repentance and reconciliation with God is marked by several key indicators in your life.

1. A change to follow God’s ways (Nehemiah 10:9)
2. A return to praying (1 John 1:9)
3. A renewed separation from the World (1 Peter 2:9)
4. A heart of true worship (Nehemiah 9:3)

There are many in need of the restoration of the Gate of Ephraim, and each of us has a need for restoration in some area of our lives. Returning to reading God’s word daily is the first step. God is faithful to fulfil his part in this. What about you?

Call to the City - Commitment

No endeavor will succeed without commitment. Are you prepared to commit?

Gain for Spain - Issue 28

WOULD YOU RUN?

Acts 8:29-30 says, “Then the Spirit said to Philip, go near, and join
yourself to this chariot. Then Philip ran to him.” When was the last
time you literally ran to someone because you felt impressed by the
Spirit to tell that person about Jesus? We run almost daily to catch
the bus, to chase Evy, or maybe to tell someone they dropped
something. Why is it we feel this urgency to run hard after things,
but not after souls? Philip literally ran to the eunuch. What would
the world be like if all believers possessed the faith and obedience
Philip portrayed this day? Today at a bus stop we spoke with Patricia,
an English-speaking Spaniard, who said she did not believe in God or
need God. As the conversation progressed, she had to get on her
bus…before we shared the gospel with her. As the bus drove away,
Justin said, “we’re no Philips”. We could have easily taken her bus,
even though it would have been an inconvenience to us, to continue
telling her about the love of Jesus. Pray God would burden our hearts
and yours so heavily for the lost that we would be willing to run
after someone or take the wrong bus in this case, just for the
opportunity to share the gospel. So what if the person thinks we’re
crazy or if it is out of our own comfort zone, these people need
Jesus!! If hell is a real place, and Jesus is the real Savior, we
shouldn’t hesitate to run.

IMMERSION

People always say the best way to learn a language is to be immersed
in it. We are immersed. Whether we are walking down the streets,
speaking to no one, or sitting in our living room with the balcony door
open, we are taking in Spanish. There is no escaping it…we even
dream about Spanish! We love trying to use the Spanish we know, but
our brains are basically running triathlons every day! This can be very
tiring and can definitely play into culture stress…which we’ve both
begun to experience a bit. We sincerely love the city and the people
we meet, but it is inevitable to go through emotional and mental
challenges when changing cultures. Today we spoke with about 5
people who spoke English in various places, God must have known we
needed that little bit of encouragement. We’ve learned a lot of new
things from our Spanish classes, and we’ve been able to challenge our
teacher a couple times with truths from the Bible. We also mentioned
our realtor, Carlos, in a previous newsletter. Justin has gone out with
him twice, both times discussing the gospel and spiritual things at
some point, and their friendship is continuing to progress. Justin picks
up a lot of Spanish from his time with Carlos as well. Keep Carlos &
Alberto, our teacher, in your prayers for their salvation.

The Miphkad Gate

Here we arrive at the gate of gathering. The appointed meeting place. Again this gate was not in the walls of Jerusalem, but in the walls of the courtyards of the temple.

Nehemiah 3:31

31. After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.

Looking at the Hebrew word, Miphkad means an appointment, mandate, designated spot, commandment or numbering.
What was the temple the appointed place for? Meeting God, and meeting together as a people. In the same way today, the local church is the place appointed by God for meeting together to worship him, and fellowship together. In that I mean the place and the people. While the local church, is the people, the people cannot meet without a physical location to meet. In this instance the to go together.
For us, as we consider the Miphkad Gate, it reminds us of the fellowship we should have together as a local church, and the role the local church plays in the life of the believer.

Here are three keys to understanding biblical fellowship.

Philippians 2:1-6

1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2. Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

1. Fellowship involves sharing everything.
2. Fellowship is maintained by practicing biblical characteristics.
3. Fellowship must be based on a relationship with Christ.

It is only when we are seeking after Christ, and growing in our relationship with him that we gain the mind of Christ, and in doing so automatically drawn closer in fellowship with each other.

In today's world our social life is increasingly more virtual using phones and Internet. Although this is a valid way of staying in touch, it is not possible to have true biblical fellowship in a virtual manner.
Much has been taught in recent years, by pastors encouraging churches to work together as people. Based on Paul’s teaching in Corinthians, and other similar passages the battle is waged against those who see the church as a pile of bricks.
This is true, however as society fragments it is important to remember that that pile of bricks is important also. The church is both the people but also the appointed place (Miphkad) where they meet, otherwise they could not meet at all. We must be careful not to forsake true fellowship in an increasingly virtual world.

Pete & Elisha - I'm Special

Pete and Elisha singing "I'm special", for Malachi's dedication. Play now

Malachi - Messenger of God

Malachi means 'Messenger of God'. What are you going to do with his message

The East Gate

This gate is possible the most spoken of gate in Jerusalem, and it has been walled shut for the last 400 years. Different maps place this gate in different places, however I have placed it in the outer temple walls for good reason, based on scripture as we shall see.

Nehemiah 3:29

29. After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.

The keeper of the East Gate repaired this next section of the walls, and we assume that this part was therefore close enough to the East Gate for him to do his job as well. What is clear from this passage is that the gate itself was not in the wall repaired in Nehemiah’s time.
This Gate, as we shall see is a picture of the second coming of Christ, and is the first of a series of gates that focus on God rather than on us. No surprise therefore that these gates are part of the temple walls rather than the walls of Jerusalem.

There are many pointers to the East Gate in references to the second coming of Christ, beginning with the fact that in Acts 1 the disciples were on the Mount of Olives, to the East of Jerusalem when they were told Jesus would return in the same manner, and one assumes, in the same place. The clearest reference is in Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 43:1-2, 4

Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
1. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
2. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

This was the gate that Jesus rode in through on a donkey, two thousand years ago, and at the end of this age he will re-open the gate, which was closed by a Muslim specifically to stop Christ coming back that way, and he shall ride in in victory to begin his reign.
Why does this make a difference to our lives?
Firstly our attitude toward life and death is turned upside down by the knowledge that Christ is coming back.
Secondly, knowledge of the return of Christ revolutionises the way we live our lives.
Finally, knowledge of the imminent return of Christ galvanises us into action reaching the lost.

On that day it will be too late to change your mind. Every knee will bow, but not all willingly. Are there people you do not want to leave behind? Tell them of Christ now before it is to late.

Matthew 24:37-41

37. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

The time is coming fast.

True repentance leads to Worship

Repentance is only real when it results in change.

The horse gate

Following on the heels of the Fountain Gate and the Water Gate we get a sudden jolt of reality, the Horse Gate. It is very easy to fall into the trap of super-spirituality. That is, people full of the Holy Spirit, reading the Word of God, the first to share what God has revealed to them and so on, but strangely absent when the chairs need stacking, or the washing up needs doing. Here at the horse gate the priests got practical.

Nehemiah 3:28

28. From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.

Let us take first the builders working on this section of the wall, around the Horse Gate. It was the priests, and it was all of them doing a bit by their own house.

Peter 2:9-10

9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

So when it comes to us, none are excluded from the work of the priests. Not only must we all do the work of the priest, but the priest’s work is to get practical. Note that they built the bit by their houses. Spiritually, our first responsibility is to our families. If we cannot lead them in following the Lord, then how can we lead anyone else to him? Practically we are shown the principal of keeping our eyes open and doing whatever needs doing. They fixed the part next to their houses as coming out of the front door they saw it needed fixing.

What of the gates themselves? What was their purpose? It was these gates that led to, or from the palace. It was this road that Athaliah tried to use to escape when Joash became king of Israel in 2 Kings 11:13-16
There are only two kinds of people who would use this gate, soldiers and messengers. This gives us two specific tasks that we are all called to do, as priests of God.

Paul famously called us soldiers in Ephesians 6, and in order for the soldiers to know the commands of the King, the messengers get running. This is the New Testament evangelist; the front line runner taking the gospel to the nations. Again, this is not the work of a few, but the work of us all. As Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:5

5. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

The Horse Gate represents that place in our lives where we must take up the banner and fight. All of us are called to the task, and that task begins with the practical, and ends with the spiritual. Be on guard then go out with the sword of the Spirit, which is the gospel and fight.

Father's Day Special

It is easy to be a son, but hard to be a father. Who are you teaching?

Team Valladolid - Baker News - June

Our team is complete! Justin, Amy and Evy have finally arrived on Spanish soil and have physically joined with the family! It’s been a long wait but it has been worth it. Even though we have team skyped every week for the past two years it does not compare to being in the same room. Justin and Amy bring a new excitement and energy to the team dynamic.

Every team will go through four stages of development. Forming, storming, norming and performing. We are still in the forming stage. Each stage brings us a little closer to a high performance team of church planters! As the team leaders, we are getting more and more excited about each member as we see them grow in their walk and work here in Spain. While we learn to trust each other we are also developing a high trust in what the Holy Spirit is doing through us to reach Spaniards.

As a team we have already been very active in sharing the gospel, building relationships, discovering social networks, language learning and just living life, but now the reality has hit. Everyone is anxious to see fruit and the process of discipleship begin. Most of us on the team have developed relationships with Spaniards. We love the fact that we are not looking for contacts, but rather real lasting friendships. And God has put us in the right places at the right time to see these relationships flourish.

Continue to pray with us for Alberto, Miguel, Ana, Anabel, Valle, Isabel, Carlos and John. These are all real people with their souls hanging in the balance. Our days are flooded with prayers and brokenness to see God work in their lives.

We would ask that you pray for us as we seek God’s wisdom to lead this team and continue to learn Spanish. Language learning is by far the most challenging thing we have ever attempted.

Thank you for your faithfulness.
“Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” Php 4:17

The future is bright for the Kingdom of God in Spain!

Steve & Ally

No way back

It is impossible to rebuild when you keep returning to old sin. The feast of tents reminded Israel of this.

The Water Gate

We have seen how the water that springs up at the fountain gate entered the city up by the water gate, and it is a true picture of how the Holy Spirit wells up in our lives when we let Christ enter in.

Nehemiah 3:26-27

26. Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.
27. After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel.

Water and the Word of God are interlinked throughout scripture. for example, Jesus declared us already clean by the washing of the Word.

John 15:3

3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Two other pointers are seen in Nehemiah.
Firstly this gate did not need repairing. The Nethinims, that is the temple workers, repaired the walls around that area, but the gates needed no work. The Word of God never needs repair. It is pure and endures forever.
Secondly, this is where Nehemiah got together with Ezra to teach the people the Words of God in Nehemiah 8, sparking a revival.

The revival at the water gate is where we need to be, but sadly our experience is more akin to that of the churches addressed in Hebrews.

Hebrews 5:10-13

10. Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
11. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

God wants us to be those eating strong meat, not milk!
When God commissioned Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the promised land he gave him the formula for a successful life. We can follow the same formula by going through the Water Gate daily.

Joshua 1:8

8. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Justin & Amy join team Valldolid

We are in Valladolid Spain!!! We arrived June 2nd with a warm welcome from our team. It is great to finally have our feet on Spanish soil, even though there is a reason to celebrate we have to focus on what we are here to do. Even after walking around the city for 2 days you can see the desperate need for the gospel to be preached here. We have now begun the war, the war for people's souls. Keep praying for us.

In His Labor,

Justin, Amy, Evy and soon to be Silas

Rebuilding the Temple

The foundations of our lives should be to share shape and send, while focused on Worship.

The Fountain Gate

As the first of the east facing gates the Fountain Gate displays a key turning point in our lives, and in any rebuilding work. This was where Nehemiah got stuck on his expedition to check the damage to the walls. Before the trials of the dung gate and the valley gate are faced we cannot go beyond this point.

Nehemiah 2:14

14. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

Coming down the west side there was a focus on dealing with the problems in our lives, now with our faces towards the house of God the gates have more of a focus on what God is doing. This mirrors how our lives are either in a downward spiral focused on our own problems, or in an upward flight looking to Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.

Philippians 3:13-14

13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The king’s pool mentioned in Nehemiah is also known as the pool of Siloam where Jesus healed a blind man.

John 9:6-7

6. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

The pool of Siloam is of great significance to our lives. It is fed by the fountain of the fountain gate, and is where God would have us wash. How many times do we have spiritual mud in our eyes? How many times do we have need of washing that away in or to see the amazing things God has done for us?

Moving on to the fountain itself we see that this fountain also is representative of the Holy Spirit. Jesus used this analogy himself:

John 7:37-39

37. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

For us today we don’t have to wait for the Spirit to be sent to us. He will be sent the moment we come to salvation. We have no need therefore to be refilled, or anointed anew by the Holy Spirit as he is already in us and will never leave us. However if we grieve the Spirit, which we do by sinning then we block his ability to control our lives.

Ephesians 5:18-19

18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

The Fountain Gate of Jerusalem was sourced by water flowing in to the city via the Water Gate, which we shall come to next. If the water stopped flowing from the Water Gate then the Fountain Gate would also dry up. For us also, if we stop going to the source of the water of life, that is Jesus, the Word of God, then that fountain of living water in us will dry up. It will still be there, but we will have turned off the tap! This is truly quenching the spirit.

Galatians 5:16

16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

This should be our prayer for ourselves, and each other. Come to the Fountain Gate and leave the tap running.

Time of revival

Having heard the Word of God what is your response? If the response is worship and repentance then you are seeing true revival.

The Dung Gate

The problem of the dung gate is the same as with my loft. Nehemiah needed to sift through all the stuff in Jerusalem, sort the rubbish and get rid of it. The dung gate then gave an exit for disposing any more rubbish that piled up.

Nehemiah 3:14

14. But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

The problem of getting rid of the rubbish in your life is two-fold. Firstly you need to get rid of the sin in your life now. As David said:

Psalms 139:23-24

23. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Having recognized that we have a problem we can then deal with it and throw it out through the dung gate.
The second stage is keeping it clean. The best way to do this is to put only good things into your life so it can't fill up with junk.

Philippians 4:7-9

7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Hereditary or inheritance

If you live your life to worship God with every breath you will be building a solid foundation to pass on to the next generation.

The Valley Gate

Often when we start something new we have to un-learn the lessons of the past before we can learn the new ways of the present. The valley gate is a bit like this.

Nehemiah 3:13

13. The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.

This gate led to the valley of Hinnom, which in the Old Testament was known for child sacrifice and in the New Testament as the city rubbish tip with ever burning fires.
The Greek name for this valley is the valley of Gehenna, a word also used for hell, with similar descriptions of hell and this place.

Psalms 23:4

4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Joshua 7:24

24. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

Are any of these things that we can face alone? Not at all, we need God’s hand upon us in both situations.

The builders give us the answer as to how this gate, these trials should be handled in our lives.
The main workers were the inhabitants of Zanoah. This is from the Hebrew word for rejected or broken. The lesson of valley experiences is either one of rejection or of brokenness. Which it is depends on our reaction to the valley experience.
What is the difference between despair and brokenness? The difference is humility before God. Despair sees the mess and gives up. Brokenness sees the same mess and realises we cannot do the work on our own, but with God, all things are possible.

John 3:30

30. He must increase, but I must decrease.

Descending into the valley comes with a realisation of how unworthy and incapable we are.
Thankfully there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is not an oncoming train. God calls us to humility, and submission one to another with the promise that he will exalt you in due time.

What happens next - A life of Worship

As you seek to re-build your relationship with God can you see the bigger picture, the end goal for the re-built result?

The Old Gate

As the third gate in our walk through the Christian life, and in the act of rebuilding this is a key gate. All the gates speak of what we need to put into our lives and this is no exception. You may well ask, why do we need something old when we are looking to build something new?

Nehemiah 3:6

6. Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

Whenever we lose sight of the old ways, trouble raises its head.

Judges 2:8-10

8. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
9. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.
10. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

Joshua followed Moses as leader of Israel. When he died there was a power vacuum. The entire generation failed to pass on their old ways to the next generation and the results were catastrophic for Israel. The same happened time and again with Israel. For some reason we think that a new generation needs new ideas, but the truth is that the old ways are the best when it comes to God’s ways.

Proverbs 22:28

28. Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

Jesus himself confirmed that the Old Testament is as important as any other part of scripture.

Matthew 5:17-18

17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

But this gate was also set at the corner of the wall, and known as the corner gate.

2 Chronicles 26:9

9. Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.

Looking at the secondary name of this gate, the corner gate, we see another parallel that backs up laying the firm foundation of the Old Testament.

Acts 4:10-12

10. Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The corner gate, and the corner stone are key in any building work, and Jesus himself is the corner stone of our lives. That corner stone is all about foundations.

Ephesians 2:19-20

19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

If we stand on the foundations that have been laid of old, we will stand strong, and Jesus gave us that link between the Old Testament law, as brought by the prophets, and the New Testament promise as witnessed by the disciples.

Team Valladolid - Baker News

Easter is past and life gets back to normal.

We have just finished an incredible week in Valladolid. It was Semana Santa (Holy week). Our city is very conservative and it was on display last week. We have many Catholic churches and inside of them they have images of Jesus, Mary and various saints. During holy week these are brought out and paraded through the city. Thousands of people fill the streets to get glimpses of these statues. They are focused and sober, paying homage to these depictions of the life of Christ.

The people carrying these life-sized idols many times are covered with robes and barefooted. They wear KKK style hoods to hide their identity. This is a sign of penance and humility. We heard some say that they prepare all year for these parades.

From our point of view our hearts are heavy. The Catholic Church has blinded the minds of our people and they follow ignorantly. Satan smiles as a depiction of our Lord and Savior is paraded through the streets beaten, bruised and nailed to a cross. The images of him are always depicted in agony and defeat while Mary is beautifully adorned.

We are encouraged! I know the above sounds dark and difficult, but we serve a RISEN Savior. The power of the resurrection is flowing through us into the streets of Valladolid. God has given us many opportunities to share His light and glory! We believe that it is only a matter of time before people begin to see that their church does not provide the hope that is in us! We love our people! We have even befriended and are praying for priests within the C.C. We have been asking God to give us an Apollos! In Acts 18:24 this guy shows up and is described as eloquent and mighty in the scriptures. He was a Jew that only had part of the story. Pauls disciples take him aside and give him the rest of the story. He reminds me of a priest in the C.C. Pray with us that God would lead us into the path of an Apollos!

We would like to plan an event for next Easter to take advantage this week. We were thinking that possibly a street drama team could come and help us. If you know of a church or group that might be interested pass on their details to me and we can start planning.

Each of our team members has begun meaningful relationships with Spaniards. These are exciting times! We have started the process of inviting people to read Gods word. I told you before about our language teacher Alberto and my challenge to him to read the bible. A few weeks ago he told me he started reading it! Please pray that God would speak to him.

Marvin and Heidi are making friends and sharing the gospel with families in their apartment building. Pray for Ana and Luis. She is now reading the gospel of John.

Luke has joined a choir and has had numerous opportunities to share his faith. Pray for Miguel who has taken to Luke and is curious about his faith.

Ally and I are still learning Spanish and enjoying the challenge. We meet each Friday afternoon with several ladies all who want to learn English. We meet for coffee and exchange language. We can’t wait until our language ability is sufficient to share our faith. Pray for Anabel, Isabel and Valle.

We also meet every Wednesday night at local café/bar for a Bible study. We ask that you pray with us as we invite people to join us. Sarah, one of the ladies in Luke’s choir has said she would join us.

Brian Villarias has arrived in Valladolid to join our team. Brian comes from Washington State. He was previously involved with the Traveling Team and World Vision. Pray for his quick cultural adjustment and language learning. We are seven now and still await the arrival of Justin and Amy. Pray for their support to come in soon.
Thank you again for all your prayers and support. We are blessed to have you all on our team!

It’s all for Him,

Steve & Ally

Completing the task

Are there things in your life that you know God has given you to do that have not been completed?

AEM Prayer Update

Please pray for:

Albania

For Vali, a member of the Gjirokastër church. Her husband Pellumb died very
recently of liver cancer. Praise God that he expressed faith in Christ shortly
before he died.
For the follow-up meetings to the Easter ‘shoe-box’ distribution. While there
were restrictions on what could be said in the schools to those who received
the gifts, it was possible to invite everyone to an evangelistic meeting in each
area. These were well attended even necessitating two meetings in Gjirokastër.
Now, further meetings are planned.
For the memorial service to be held in Shkodra on May 25th for Pastor Dritan
Prroj. Pray that his ongoing testimony will continue to bear fruit in that
community.
For Pastor Klodi in Berat. I have limited information to share at the moment
but believe this faithful brother to be in need of support and prayer.

Kosova

For Christian women who are afraid to attend fellowship meetings or who
go to some lengths to conceal their whereabouts (when they do attend) from
unbelieving husbands.
For the possibility that a missionary couple will be moving to the town of
Kamenicë to continue the outreach there and hopefully plant a church.

Macedonia

For Halil and family who are responding warmly to the gospel and to the
friendship of Niko and Monda.
For Herbert and Patricia, missionaries from El Salvador who are seeking
accommodation and plan to settle in Tetova. This is a largely Albanian and
Muslim town that has been notoriously resistant to the gospel in the past.

UK

For the "Liria e Vërtetë" outreach to Albanian people living in London.
This will be on Saturday May 14th at Monnow Road Baptist Church in
Bermondsey and the speaker is Sali Rahmani. Pray that people will come in
to hear the gospel.

The Fish Gate

This gate is a clear picture of evangelism. While the sheep gate represented salvation, and to an extent therefore also evangelism, the fish gate far more so. The first thing that new believers will do is tell people what has happened in their lives.

Nehemiah 3:3-5

3. But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
4. And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.
5. And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

The classic connection between fish and evangelism is of course the call of Jesus to make his disciples fishers of men.

Matthew 4:18-20

18. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

There are, however other pointers in these verses that also speak of evangelism. Firstly, the pricks, of the gospel
The builders of this gate were the sons of Hassenaah. Hassenaah means to prick, or to goad. When the spirit of God begins to prod at someone’s heart it is only a matter of time before they give in to the touch of the Lord. All too often we see evangelism as a task for us to perform, but whilst we do have to speak the words, it is Christ himself who is the only one who can change hearts. Especially hardened hearts.
In Acts we read of these same "pricks" in the conversion of Paul.

Acts 9:4-5

4. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

It is the word of God that pricks the heart. Yes the spirit of God does the work, but the Spirit is like acid on the blade of the Word. First the Word is spoken into the situation, then it has effect.

A hidden Redeemer

How many people do you know who are as lost as the King in the tale of Esther? And what will you do about it?

The Sheep Gate

This gate was the first gate to be re-built, and the description of Nehemiah 3 starts and ends here. Lying to the North of Jerusalem, and close to the temple this was the gate most used by the priests. Its name comes from its purpose. It was here that the sheep destined for sacrifice in the temple were brought in to the city. It is therefore a natural step for the priests to begin their re-building in their work-place, so to speak.

Nehemiah 3:1

1. Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.

Three key spiritual decisions are formed at this gate in our lives.

• Salvation
• Worship
• Leadership

Depending on where you are with Christ right now, the focus of those decisions differs, but these three questions remain, and must be dealt with up front. It is no coincidence that this is the first gate of Nehemiah.

Salvation

- because this was the sheep gate. Jesus described himself as the Shepherd, and we are the sheep.

John 10:7-9

7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

In this light the first and most important decision we make is to follow Christ in the first place. This is the start of our Christian walk, even as this gate was the start of the re-building work.

Leadership

- because this first gate was taken on by the spiritual leaders of the city.

The priests lead from the front. Even the meaning of the high priest’s name is significant. Eliashib means, God will restore. Nehemiah came with the hand of God upon him, and passed on the vision to Eliashib, restoring by the power of God.
The question for us is either, how will we lead, or who will we let lead our lives? Really the question is one and
the same for you cannot lead until you are willing to follow.

Worship

- as that was the purpose of bringing in the sheep.

This is the sheep gate. The first step in re-building has to be here. We must be following the leadership of God, worshiping God, and leading others to him. This stronghold must be built up in order to encourage us in the work of re-building the other gates of the walls.

Living with Purpose

We know that Christ died for us. We know he has put us where we are today for his purpose, but often our understanding is really bad.

The Twelve Gates of Nehemiah

The exact location of the gates is not known, as no extensive excavation has been done, nor is it possible. Further, the position of the current walls does not match the position of the walls in Nehemiah’s time. Indeed it is not surprising to find that in the intervening two and a half centuries the walls have moved many times. A handful of the gates have been positively identified, for the rest, even the archaeologists turn to Nehemiah to work out the positions. Even then there are arguments over the extent of the walls, and whether or not to on include the western hill of Jerusalem.

As I set to studying in preparation for a series on the gates of Nehemiah I hit the first problem. Where are they? I eventually came up with this map. I have edited it, but the original was published in Jerusalem, the saga of the Holy City By Dr. H.M.Z. Meyer (1945)


The order and reality of the gates is important to us, but not the definitive geography of Jerusalem. It is far more important to understand why God gave us the words of Nehemiah chapter 3, and what application these words have in our lives.

What kind of grapes do you produce?

All of us who are in the vine are either bearing fruit, being pruned or re-growing. Where are you?

Faith, life and fire

God has the power to save us from all attackes and most of all, from hell itself, but our task is to speak and live according to his word.

Finance and the believer

The problems Israel of Nehemiah's time faced (Family growth, economic downturn, bills and loans) are the same problems we face today.

The 24/7 Worshiper

How much of your week is spent worshiping God? How much of work is spent at work, school and so on? Worship while you work.

The Gomez Family March Report

Greetings from Spain:

We continue with the process of requesting membership to the FEREDE (Federación de Entidades Religiosas
Evangélicas de España) y and to CEM (Consejo Evangélico de Madrid). These are two government recognized
Christian organizations which represent evangelical churches and organizations before the ministry of Justice
nationwide (FEREDE) and in Madrid (CEM). Becoming a member of these two organizations will allow us, among
other things, to directly process all the visa requirements for the coming of any new missionaries, and to issue
marriage licenses. It will also facilitate any public evangelistic outreach and community service activities we may do
as a church. Having this will be necessary when requesting the visa and permits for the coming of the Alvizo and
Choreño missionary families who will be joining us within the next couple of years. Lord willing, and if everything
goes well, we will have all of this ready by the end of this month of April 2011. Please help us in praying for this.

Gospel of John and book of Romans booklets:
During the months of February and March we have helped to distribute more than 200 boxes, containing 300
booklets each, of the Gospel of John and the book of Romans. We have done this among eight different sister
churches in Madrid, Alcalá, Guadalajara, Toledo, Rota, Chapinería, Valladolid and La Carlota. In order to do this,
we had to make four trips from Madrid to Gijón and Oviedo in Asturias, northern Spain. The booklets have been
provided by the Iglesia Bautista Bíblica in San Luis Potosí, México where brother Luis Ramos is the senior pastor.
This church is the sending church of a missionary family who is currently working in the city of Rota, in southern
Spain. This missionary has been the key contact in acquiring and distributing the booklets. In our church, we are
preparing around 10,000 of this booklets to distribute them in the 19 towns that comprise the Comarca Sierra Oeste.
We covet your prayers for this project which we are hoping to complete during the months of April and May.

EJC Youth Gathering:
Saturday, February 12th, we held our annual Youth Gathering in Chapinería. We had an attendance of 135
from six different churches. Our speaker this year was pastor Marcelo Gajardo, from the Iglesia Bautista Calvario
de Madrid. The Lord gave us a precious fruit of four souls that trusted our Lord JesusCrist as their Lord and Savior.
At this gatherings we have 3 specific objectives: evangelism, fellowship, and mutual challenging in the Word. The
format of this gatherings include social and sporting events along with Bible study, evangelistic outreach and
community Service as a way of testimony. Please pray for these activities. Other sister churches are now also
participating in hosting them throughout the year. The next one will from the 8th thru the 10th. of this month of
March.

Regional Men´s Prayer meeting:
On Saturday, March 5th. We attended the first Regional Men´s Prayer meeting in Salamanca hosted by
pastor/missionary Kent Albright and the church there. There were 39 men from 7 different churches and 11 different
nationalities that came together to pray for the lost in Spain and for each one of our churches. The next of these
meetings will take place at our church in Chapinería on May 28th. Please pray that the Lord may use this initiative
to more effectively collaborate in reaching the lost, developing leaders and establishing new churches.

Salvation prayer needs:
Please pray for Antonio, Diana and their three kids: Rolando, Jonatán y María. Also, for Silvia, Valentín
Panadero, Luis García, Michel, Pedro and Josefa Lara, Inocencio, Patria Diez and Rosalva Castaño. Also, please
pray for the evangelistic outreach activities planned for the months of April, May and June. You will find enclosed
some pictures of some of the activities of this past month. For more pics, please go to Facebook (spainconnection)
at the Tribuna Internacional, a CBBM web portal and to our church website: http://ieb-sierra-
oeste.community.officelive.com/default.aspx