Walking In The Light Through The Middle Of The World-Ecuador
Walking In The Light Through The Middle Of The World-Ecuador
By Jorge Parrott
Cherish is one word that comes to mind when friends gather together! Our recent trip to Ecuador, our fourth, is also one we will always remember. We went for the graduation of CMM Facultad de Teologia, led by our dear friends Drs. Gustavo and Andrea Cadena. We love them and their family and friends. Rocio, the Momma, and Gustavo, the Poppa, are wise and loving and their extended family are all great friends and it is a delight to enjoy fellowship with them whether in ministry or refreshing relaxation, on each trip. We were able to minister in several churches, speak on radio and TV with a new church that started after the pandemic began. Choose To Cherish The Gems The Lord Gives You!
We were so blessed to see miracles and deliverance as we spent time growing in intimacy with the Lord together with new and old friends. We invite you to join us on our next trip or take your own trip with a team to see these precious Jesus lovers and experience the glory of the Lord in this beautiful land at the ‘middle of the world.’
Gustavo and Andrea are such a blessing to many as their school grows
in Ecuador and S. America. Their warm,
wise, engaging focus on the Lord’s Word, Holy Spirit, and vast experience
studying the Word and working with many diverse, impactful ministries ignites
student’s hearts and hunger to higher in the Word and Spirit, even if students
had attended Bible School or Seminary previously. Our school is known for lots of one on one
attention and time invested in each student and that degree of personal ‘touch’
brings many students back year after year and word of mouth peer reviews are
the most effective form of advertising.
(Above: Drs. Gustavo and Andrea Cadena receiving special recognition awards)
(Above: CMM Facultad de Teologia 2021 graduates)
The well-earned recognition as a school of excellence attracts students from several nations of all
ages and even many experienced pastors including folks working in the
marketplace find they need to go higher and deeper in the Word and Holy Spirit.
Just like in the English side of our school-based in America, many Doctoral
students in all of our schools benefit from working on their long term dream of
writing and publishing a book by completing their degree. Our school is known
around the world for implementing revelatory learning with experiential
encounters during weekly classes online with students from many different
streams, cultures and denominations.
This year several nationally known denominational leaders in Ecuador,
Argentina and Colombia had heard of the high quality of engagement and
transformation in our school in Ecuador and finished their degree and graduated
with great joy and a real sense of accomplishing their goal. Many overcame
obstacles of covid, market fluctuations, and finances to finish strong. Please
share with Spanish-speaking friends and families, even in the US, where there
many Spanish-speaking brethren live across our nation. https://www.cmmteologia.org/
On Facebook like and follow them at:
https://www.facebook.com/cmmteologia
As we experience the intensity of the times the Lord shines His glory
even brighter on precious friendships and gatherings of His people and these
times with friends gets even sweeter and richer as His glory shines through us,
in His presence together proving His Word true in our ‘here and now’ as we read
in Isaiah 60:1-5. Allow me to highlight
v. 5 “Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with
joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,”
Especially during these turbulent times, our prayer is you have
several, if not many, treasured and cherished friendships. It may be with
family members or authentic friends who stand by you whether you are pro or
anti-vaccine, left or right side in politics or whatever.
Here is a Livestream link from Epicentro Church in Quito with Jorge
bringing an important message for our time with Gustavo translating: https://youtu.be/D-Muw2ynsME
Speaking ‘Hush’
To The Storm
Ask the Lord how you can be a beacon of hope, rest and reconciliation without compromising sound doctrine or get caught in any circular thinking, carnal, futile debates. We can discern the times and the spirits as we stay in communion with the seven spirits of God. Ask the Holy Spirit for His words of wisdom and knowledge to ‘speak ‘hush’ to the storm.’ (see Mark 4:39 NASB) There is way too much division during these chaotic times as darkness and evil and persecution increase globally impacting all our lives. The enemy of our soul is even working to divide families and friends. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9)
We read in 1 Cor. 5:18-19 that ‘ through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.’
Here’s a teaching by our Dean of CMM COT Dr. Nancy Daniel at Epicentro
Church in Quito in both English and Spanish on the subject of Our Identity in
Christ with Andrea translating. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC1ROGsp9c8
Walking In The
Light As He Is In The Light
How do we assimilate our friendship with the Lord and others He connects us to in these days of global unrest and chaos? His Light is an anchor, a strong tower, a place of refuge, safety and rest. As we hunger for more of His presence and peace, He gives us His Holy Spirit and His friends to stay in His light.
A few days ago, as I walked in the early morning with our
sheep-a-doodle, Fern, around the lake I heard the Lord’s gentle whisper ‘You
and I are walking in the Light as I am in the Light!’ Don’t you love when you
sense His strong presence throughout every cell in your being?
This is a much-needed spiritual reset in His strong tower and peace. It is so soothing like an oasis in the parched desert of this world. I am so in love with every moment I realize I am seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus! Every moment is a gateway to eternal bliss. When we wake up to the awareness of our Christ-ordained identity everything changes in an instant and from that moment onward. He accepts us fully as we are. His presence changes us, bringing us into His reshaping and molding us into His image. How refreshing to know we do not have to clean ourselves up, knowing we are weak anyway, and time spent in His presence allows the Holy Spirit to deliver us from tainted mindsets and unhealthy fears and unbelief as we ‘unlearn’ much of what we have been taught and walk in his marvelous light, delivered out of the miry clay. Breathe in His refreshing hope daily and stay in His peace and sanctuary even more so during chaotic, uncertain times.
Fullness in Christ Is Just Beginning And Cannot Be Stopped
Many of our global CMM family leaders continually blow me away with their joy and peace in the midst of intense trials and at times, severe death threats and persecution. Even lately as the horrid news comes in too often when I speak with them I hear and feel their devotion to our Lord as commitment and sold-out surrender to our King. No matter what goes on in the world we have a choice of how and what we see and allow into our hearts and minds. William James said ‘The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.’
Jesus is full and
He shows us how to get there! A few are farther along than most, but none have
arrived yet. In Ephesians 4:13, “until
we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the
fullness of Christ.” Ask the Holy
Spirit to show you your own next steps towards this desired fullness. Ask Him
how you can help each one in your sphere develop and mature in their
fullness. See if there is any connection
between your helping others to your own increase in fullness. Love will pave
the way as we truly and finally learn how to love.
In 1 John
1:4 we read ‘And these
things we write to you that your joy may be full.’ How often have we read these
words without really ‘seeing’ what is being said? The Word of God is alive and I pray the words
will burn with holy fire as they fly off the page to give us all we need to
overcome in this life.
We can also learn what keeps us from all the fullness
the Lord created us for in the Word as He warns us in 2 Tim. 3-1-7 “But know
this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving,
slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers
of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5
having a form of godliness but
denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make
captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth.”
(Above: Leaders, worship team and staff with Gustavo
and Jorge at Epicentro Church, Quito)
(Above: a wonderful luncheon at Alex Hurtado’s house with Natalie Svoboda and friends)
Now Is The Time
To Stop The Thieves
His Love is a fortress in the storm. As we take ground in the eternal realm we have to guard against the wiles of the enemy who ‘comes to steal, kill and destroy.’ We each need intercessors, asking for wisdom each day, and a trusted, close circle of friends to serve as watchmen/women to be on high alert, praying for one another to persevere, stand strong and overcome every trial.
As we stay in His Word and keep
our eyes on the Lord we know that He always has His eyes on us, even when we
look away or get caught up in worldly news and the ‘buzz’ of the day. Sure, we need to stay informed “but be
anxious for nothing and in all our ways acknowledge Him.” (Phil. 4:6) We must
not let the thieves of our peace and our calling to be shipwrecked by the
world. If we spend quality quiet time in devotions and study of the only truly
Good News with our intentional focus and saying no to what is not of Him or
allow ourselves to see without His holy lens of faith in all our perceptions,
we too will overcome.
Meditate on these verses in John 10:6-13 in the
Message version: 6-10 “Jesus told this
simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried
again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others
are up to no good—sheep rustlers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t
listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared
for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal
and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and
better life than they ever dreamed of. 11-13
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself,
sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep
mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to
be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep
don’t matter to him.”
Fellowship
with Him and One Another
1 John 1:5 This is the the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and
in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If
we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk-in darkness, we lie and do
not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His
word is not in us.
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just now beginning. Email info@cmmtheology.org and visit our website at www.cmmtheology.org
Please
continue to pray for our persecuted brethren. Remember Heb. 13:3 As the Holy
Spirit leads, send in a special gift today to help CMM go behind enemy lines
with the hope and joy we have in Christ by giving at www.cmm.world . Let us know
how we may pray for you and yours by emailing office@cmm.world or call our
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