Ministering to Hispanics in the United States

Ministering to Hispanics is an equally difficult and rewarding experience. There will be times when you become frustrated because some people cannot understand that salvation is a free gift, but you will rejoice when the truth finally penetrates a hard heart and the Savior gloriously transforms a Spanish speaker. You will feel as if you have wasted your time when people place work above worship or grow in the faith for a time only to grow cold inexplicably, but you will feel refreshed when a believer finally “gets it” and places Christ above all else in his or her life. You will consider quitting when the ministry does not grow as quickly as you had hoped or anticipated, but you will praise God when without warning He moves in such a way that many unbelievers place their faith in Christ in a short period of time or a number of believers commit to serve God regardless of the way in which He leads them.

If you are not truly called to Hispanic ministry, you will not endure. My wife and I could recount to you the names of a dozen North Americans who expressed interest in serving the Spanish speakers at Nueva Vida, but departed just as quickly as they had arrived. Often, the hasty exit occurred either because they did not fully invest their hearts in the ministry or because the romantic idea that hundreds would come to Christ in a worship service conflicted with the reality of periods of hard work without much discernible fruit. Hispanic ministry is not for the fickle!

If, however, God has called you to minister to Hispanics, continue on even in the midst of difficulties and discouragement. Read often Paul’s encouraging words in Galatians 6:9: Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. This verse does not state that we may reap, but that we will reap in due time if we remain faithful to the Lord and the work of the ministry to which He has called us.

The Hispanic population comprises the largest minority in the United States, and regardless of future economic or immigration issues, this statistic surely will continue to remain true. Not only has God called us to go to all of the nations (Matt. 28:19-20), but He has brought the nations to us as well. Amongst Hispanic peoples in the United States, the fields are white for harvest (John 4:35).

In 1968, Jorge Lara-Braud lamented the fact that “perhaps the most glaring shortcoming in the domestic mission programs of U.S. Protestant churches is the inadequacy of their outreach to . . . Spanish Americans who live in this country.”[1] Unfortunately, the same statement is true of national efforts in the twenty-first century as well. Now, more than ever, Spanish speakers in the United States need individuals and churches to invest in the planting of Hispanic churches that will in turn plant other Hispanic churches that will repeat the process until the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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[1] Jorge Lara-Braud, “Our Spanish-American Neighbors,” The Christian Century 85:2 (1968): 43.

The Meaning of Revelation 3:15-16

3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.     
3:16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)

Often, this passage is misunderstood. Jesus does not tell believers that He wishes for them to be completely evil (cold) or completely good (hot). The key to understanding these verses is to know about the geography of Laodicea, the city to which Jesus addressed this portion of the Book of Revelation.

Waters of Hierapolis

Waters of Colossae

Nearby Hierapolis had hot, medicinal waters that worked wonders on achy, ill bodies. Another border city, Colossae, was known for cold, refreshing water that people loved to drink. Hot water is useful. Cold water is useful. But lukewarm water is useful - - just try to swallow a mouthful of lukewarm water and you’ll see what I mean!

The point of Revelation 3:15-16 is that Jesus does not desire for people to follow Him half-heartedly. He desires a believer’s entire heart. May we serve Him with all of our heart, mind, and passion!

22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 22:37 And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’                               
22:38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.” (Matthew 22:36-38)

God's Unexpected Paths

On August 18, 1977, I was born to Elmer and Kathy Akers, residents of Potosi, Missouri. Both sides of my family have deep roots in the Midwestern soil of Missouri because they have resided in the state (and indeed the same county) for over two hundred years. God placed me in a family that also possesses deep spiritual roots. My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents all are followers of Jesus Christ. One of the most influential people in my early life was my great-grandfather John Britton, who served as a missionary and pastor in the Ozark Mountains region of Missouri for over sixty years.

            Potosi serves as the county seat of Washington County, and boasts a population of almost 2,700. Although the town is roughly sixty miles southwest of the melting pot known as the Saint Louis metropolitan area, Potosi’s ethnic makeup is fairly uniform. In the 2000 census, 95.6 percent of the population was Caucasian, 2.14 percent was African American, 0.45% was Native American, and the remaining 1.81 percent originated from miscellaneous countries in Asia and Europe.

            Although only a handful of Potosi’s residents hail from an international background, two early experiences in my life left me with an appreciation for other cultures. At Breton Creek Baptist Church, my childhood congregation, I became acquainted with Doctor Rustico “Rusty” Simpelo, a physician from the Philippines. As a young child I was fascinated by the fact that Rusty’s home lay far across the ocean and that he spoke a language other than English.  As he slowly pronounced some basic Tagalog words so that I could get a feel for his native tongue, I considered how interesting it would be to possess the ability to communicate with non-English speakers.

            Sometime during my years in elementary school, a missionary who served in Honduras spoke in a church service at Breton Creek. David Dickson ministered to the Garifuna people, and he shared the difficulties of learning the language, as well as the blessing of sharing the Gospel with people who never had heard the message before. After all these years, I vividly remember him teaching us that the word ídabiñan is a typical Garifuna greeting. While Rusty had made me aware that there were distant lands peopled by individuals who spoke other languages, David caused me to realize that missionaries often learn other languages in order to tell those who do not speak English about Jesus Christ.

            My next exposure to other cultures came as a teenager. Potosi High School required students to learn either Spanish or French, so I arbitrarily signed up for Spanish because I hoped to visit Hawaii someday. For some reason, I believed that Spanish was the official language of the fiftieth state! I failed to see an everyday application for Spanish, however, so I barely passed the mandatory four semesters. I reasoned that because only one Hispanic lived in Potosi, and I assumed that I would live and die in the town as had many generations of my ancestors, I would never need Spanish. God has a way of directing the courses of our lives in ways that we would never expect! As you probably know, I have served as the pastor to Hispanics at Nueva Vida for the past 6 years.

            The point of the above autobiographical account is that we never know how God will lead us in the future, but we can be sure that He is preparing us in the present. For this reason, we should treat every occasion as a God-given opportunity in which we should  serve Him to the best of our ability, through His power, and for His glory!

He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. (Luke 16:10)

A Note on the Richness of the Hebrew Text of Genesis 1:1

The Book of Genesis begins with a simple, profound statement: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The name for God in this passage is Elohim, which means "power, strength, glory."[1] The idea is that He is the transcendent Creator. Interestingly, the name Elohim is plural, but the verb which accompanies it, "create," is singular. Genesis 1:1, therefore, is the earliest echo of both the Trinity and Unity of God. What God creates is the heavens and the earth, a way to refer to "all of creation."[2]

The word translated "created" is bārā'. There are two primary terms for "create" in the Hebrew language:

'āśāh: This verb in its base sense is translated "do, make."[3] In the context of creation, it carries the idea of the fashioning of an object[4] from materials that already exist. Cf. Gen. 8:6; 33:17; Ex. 25:10-11, 13, 17; Ps. 86:9; 95:5; 96:5 Within Genesis 1:1-3:1, the word appears in: 1:7, 11, 12, 16, 25, 26, 31; 2:2 (2x), 2:4, 18; 3:1, but not in 1:1.

bārā': This verb is employed in the Old Testament exclusively "for God's activity."[5] The word refers to ex nihilo, God's creation of all created matter from nothing. Within Genesis 1:1-2:25, the word appears in: 1:1, 21, 27 (3x); 2:3, 4, 22. Interestingly, bārā' is used in reference to the creation of: the universe (1:1; 2:3, 4), the great sea monsters (1:21), and mankind.

Thus, several points may be made from the Hebrew text of Genesis 1:1:


1) The Omnipotence of God
2) The Trinity/Unity of God
3) God's Creation of the Universe Out of Nothing

What an amazing verse, and what an amazing language!

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[1] John J. Davis, Paradise to Prison: Studies in Genesis (Salem, WI: Sheffield, 1998), 42.

[2] David W. Cotter, Genesis, in Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry, ed. David W. Cotter, Jerome T. Walsh, and Chris Franke (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2003), 15.

[3] F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2005), 793.

[4] R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke, eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, vol. 2 (Chicago: Moody, 1980), s.v. " עָשָׂה," by Thomas E. McComiskey.

[5] Davis, Paradise to Prison: Studies in Genesis, 40.

Joshua's Long Day

10:12 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
         "O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
         And O moon in the valley of Aijalon."
 10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.        
10:14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel. (Joshua 10:12-14)

This passage is one of the most famous and intriguing texts in the Old Testament. Some scholars treat the passage as a literal event, while others insist that it must be figurative. Three observations must be made:

1) Verse 14 explains that there was no day like that before it or after it. This statement demonstrates that the occurrence was            unique, and this is strengthened by the fact that the account also is written in the now lost Book of Jashar (v. 13).

2) The text itself indicates that the sun stood still: So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies (v. 13b).

3) Intriguingly, "research has brought to light reports from Egyptian, Chinese, and Hindu sources of a long day."[1] Conversely, there are Native American legends of a very long night. If light continued to shine over Canaan for an extended period of time, it stands to reason that darkness would persist on the other side of the world.

Joshua 10, therefore, unequivocally declares that God miraculously lengthened the day so that Joshua’s armies could defeat the Amorites. Nothing in the chapter would suggest that we should read the events recorded in verses 12-14 in a figurative way. Since God is the Creator of every atom in the entire universe, He is able to do whatever He desires. Miracles are no problem for Him. If God orders the sun and moon that He created to stand still, they stand still!

Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You (Jeremiah 32:17)

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)

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[1] Gleason L. Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, rev. ed. (Chicago: Moody, 1985), 278.

A Chronology of the Old Testament Prophets

 As you may know, the prophetical books in the English Old Testament are not arranged in chronological order. If you would like to read these books in the order that they were written, you may find the following outline useful:

Saul's Reign (1050-1010 B.C.)

David's Reign (1010-970 B.C.)

Solomon's Reign (970-930 B.C.)

The Division of Israel under King Rehoboam (ca. 922 B.C.)

            Jonah: 785-770 B.C.

            Amos: 760-755 B.C.

The Conquest of Israel by Assyria (722 B.C.)

            Hosea: 755-715 B.C.

            Micah: 740-700 B.C.

            Isaiah: 740-680 B.C.

            Nahum: 630-620 B.C.

            Jeremiah: 626-580 B.C.

            Zephaniah: Before 621 B.C.

            Habakkuk: 607-606 B.C.

The Conquest of Judah by Babylon (586 B.C.)

            Daniel: 605-530 B.C.

            Ezekiel: July 31, 593 B.C.-April 28, 573 B.C.

            Haggai: August-December 520 B.C.

            Zechariah: 520-518 B.C.

            Malachi: 435 B.C.

            Joel: Unknown

            Obadiah: Unknown