BROKE – BROKEN – BREAKING
During my regular visit to the health clinic where I am getting treatment for my high cholesterol, the nurses commented on how “tired” I look, in spite of the progress made in other areas. I must admit that these past 6 to 7 years have been interesting to say the least. I cannot even begin to recount the many ways in which God has brought us through all the trials and pain. These eyes of mine have seen so much during my life span. This has been an intense period of personal growth like never before, as the Lord continues to work in and through us for the glory and honor of his Son Jesus Christ. It has also been overwhelming to the point of brokenness
Those of you who have been in life-long full-time ministry possibly know a little of what I am talking about. Now take that situation and compound it with the myriad of additional variables of working on a foreign field and you may begin to get the idea. Now the time has come for yet another huge step of faith that dwarfs anything that has been done before. In spite of being virtually broke, broken, and breaking, we must continue pressing forward to finish the divine commission that the Lord has given us. It wont get any easier for sure, as the evil and the hardness of the human heart continues to grow in this crazy world that we live in. Yet we must do what the Lord has commanded us to do, no matter what obstacles happen to come our way, and believe me there are many. Just surviving from one day to the next occupies most of my time these days.
These last 2 years have been spent on several attempts to restore the New Testament plea among the sister churches in the region. A couple of colleagues and I worked long and hard on producing a proposal for a minimum of doctrinal consensus among the preachers, a proposal that was rejected by a majority vote a year ago. This lack of a common bond of faith and practice has made it difficult to build a stronger united front that might allow for expansion and growth. In the words of Ruben Rendon, the present chairman of the the ministers’ meeting: “we need to have some form of doctrinal identity” From this statement, you can deduce that such and identity is likely missing at this time. This present leadership has strayed far away from the original vision and plea of the pioneers of the Lord’s work in northwestern Mexico. Will we ever be able to restore and rescue it before it is too late for existing congregations? Only the Lord knows the future, but I doubt very much that such a restoration can occur under the present leadership, unless some real heart-searching takes place first.
This last thought brings me to my next point. What needs to happen in order to turn the tide of growing deviation in our brotherhood in Mexico? First of all, our churches must find an identity of their own which is not founded on their association with their American counterparts, but rather on their own spiritual journey based on the discovery of central Biblical teachings and truths. This also suggests that an intense period of teaching and training needs to be set in motion in order to prepare the next generation for the task at hand. This will need to become our major focus in the months and years to come, if the Lord tarries much longer. Who will devote themselves to this task?
I pray to God for a miracle that will allow us to at least contribute to that phase of the work. At the same time we must not neglect the work of evangelism that continues every day of our lives. Maybe you have been called of God to be a part of this miracle and to bring healing to our lives so that we might continue moving forward in the Lords will for our lives. If so, please give your comments here.
Love,
Philip Watkinson
