Made in Venezuela

Hello!

These past couple months in Venezuela have been awesome, and Alejandra and I feel that people are receptive to the gospel.  This last week we took a short visit back to Duitama along with our Cucuta leader friends Vivi and Hammer (with their baby son Elias), and now we're in Bogota visiting our families as well as Parkway Church, which is also our family.

While we were in Duitama we received a special visit from Christian Missions in Many Lands representatives Jim and Sharon Fleming, and it was nice to catch up with them and have them speak at a missions meeting we put on in Refuge Church.

Certainly, fulfilling the great commission is something that we're completely in favor of, and it's awesome to hear of many more believers around the world who are giving up their lives in taking the good news of Jesus to every tribe, tongue, and nation.

...One of the main things that Jim personally emphasized to me on his visit is that it isn't my job to make sure that women are exercising any and every one of their gifts of the Holy Spirit in church, or to try and convince others that they should... I get what he's saying, and in general I agree with him - Alejandra's and my job is to preach Christ and him crucified, as well as make disciples of all nations... We're doing the best we can at that, and it was only when a friend publicly called me out for the way in which I was doing so (by including solid Christian women in all aspects of church ministry), that I felt I had a need to defend myself and my wife, and any other exemplary Christian woman in the process... If that will be the death of me, then so be it.

But this example is precisely why I find it so hard to believe that what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:12 was something he intended to be applied to all women in every church context in every nation in the whole world and for every generation for all of time... When we look at the world today, can we honestly say that a real problem we're facing is that Christian women who are humble, who have really good testimonies, who have been endowed with the Holy Spirit's gifts of teaching and leading, and who have really good doctrine... These women (like some of the women whom you could probably name that are currently serving behind the scenes in your very own church)... These women who were created in the image of God and saved by the all sufficient work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and who are experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of them and loving others with the love of Christ... Do you really think that these women with great testimonies who are starting to find the freedom to teach really good Biblical doctrine humbly, while leading others (both men and women) with servant hearts in the name of our Lord Jesus along with other qualified male and female leaders within the whole church context are the real problem that we're facing in 2024? ...Is that really the issue? ...To be completely honest, and even to my own detriment - I would suggest that that idea is a gross misunderstanding of the real threat to Christianity. No one in Gaza right now is concerned that solid Christian women with good doctrine may or may not humbly and lovingly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the whole church context, and that's not Alejandra's and my concern either, as we try to be light and salt in Venezuela. Furthermore, I really don't think that that was the concern of Paul either, as he was teaching Timothy how to pastor the church in Ephesus. ...Let me explain, because I know that that may catch a few of my friendly readers off guard.  Within the past couple months, as Alejandra and I have been wandering around San Cristobal, we haven't been burdened by anyone (whether male or female) who is correctly teaching the Word of God. Rather, what we definitely have been burdened by, is the sick idolatry that has permeated every aspect of society... Even the terrible syncretistic religion of Santería creeps us out and fills us with sadness and indignation, as we think of anyone that is being led astray by it.

The idolatry in San Cristobal is so noticeable in fact, that when we went to a soccer match of Deportivo Tachira, I was shocked to see a huge sign in the front of the stadium that said, "no somos 11 somos 13" (we are not 11 we are 13) with huge pictures of Jesus and Mary on either side of the sign... According to Wikipedia, the name of this stadium is popularly known as, "El Templo Sagrado del Fútbol Venezolano" (The Sacred Temple of Venezuelan Soccer).

I honestly can't think of a more sacrilegious or idolatrous thing to say than that Mary and Jesus both play for Deportivo Tachira... Unsurprisingly, Tachira lost the game that night, and so everyone who was rooting for San Cristobal's team must affirm that Mary and Jesus aren't very good soccer players (if they really believe that Jesus and Mary play for Deportivo Tachira).

...But this reminds me of Alejandra's and my trip to Ephesus a while back, which gave us a small glimpse into the huge threat of idolatry that was permeating the Christian church that Paul had started, and was later pastored by Timothy and Priscilla and Aquila in this very important port city in the Greco Roman World in the first century.

The false goddess Artemis was no small deity in Ephesus. She was worshipped in her own temple which was considered one of the 7 wonders of the world. According to my good friend Michael Huffman's book Untie the Cords of Silence, he explains that in Greek mythology Artemis was a celibate goddess that was the daughter of Zeus and Leto.

She was also the twin sister of Apollos that was born right before he was, and as soon as she was born, she turned around and helped as a midwife in providing support to her mother as she gave birth to Apollos...  While other cities in the Greco Roman world worshipped Apollos or other gods - Ephesus boasted in their worship of Artemis because she was born before her brother, and because she could help women in getting pregnant and in safely delivering their children at birth...

The fact that she was a celibate deity is also important, because in 1 Timothy 4 Paul mentions that in later times, "some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry..." All of this malarkey was very likely being spread by gossiping younger widows going from house to house saying things they ought not to... In fact, their negative teaching was so powerful that some women had literally turned away to follow Satan (1 Timothy 5:13-15)...  For this reason, in 1 Timothy 4:7 Paul tells his beloved disciple to, "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly."  Then, finally, when we go back to 1 Timothy 2, we start to understand a little more of what Paul was saying when he gives the argument that "Adam was formed first, then Eve" (v. 13)... Why is this important? It is important because it counteracts the false teaching that may have been going around the church in Ephesus which was like: "women are more important than men because Artemis was female and she was born before Apollos." ...Paul then explains that Adam was not deceived when he sinned, rather Eve was (v.14), just like the unnamed woman (or women) in Ephesus were also deceived who Paul did "not permit to teach or have authority over a man." That woman (or those women) should learn in quietness and full submission first (v. 11), and the truth of what the Bible really says is that actually, "there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people (v.5-6A). That's it. One God and one mediator - Jesus Christ - nothing else. No Artemis or Apollos or even the Virgin Mary. So then we come to the final verse of the chapter that is the real clincher: This then is how "women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety." Why is childbearing mentioned like that right out of the blue? It's because what Paul was dealing with was a specific false teaching that had to be confronted which had to do with Artimas and her ability, supposedly, to help women in labor... See, instead of thinking that Artamis can help women get pregnant, or save women from death when they are giving birth to their children, or even save the life of the child who is about to be born - women are saved in a far greater sense than anyone believing in Artimas can ever imagine, just like men are, if they believe in the only mediator between God and man - the man Christ Jesus (v.5-6A), and continue in faith in Him, with love, and holiness with propriety.  I know that all of this is quite different from what us Christians usually teach - where the emphasis is primarily on "I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man", but when we look at the verses around that specific command, and when we learn a little about the religious history of Ephesus, it all starts to make sense a little more in relation to what the women, or more specifically, a woman was teaching that needed to be stopped.  All of this teaching that Paul gave Timothy was part of the intention that Timothy "may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith (1 Timothy 1:3-4)." Do you see what I mean when I say that it doesn't make any sense to be concerned about godly women teaching good doctrine with good testimonies and the relevant giftings of the Holy Spirit when what is really at stake in this world is that people are all too quick to believe in false gods and teach false doctrine that literally causes people to follow Satan? We should be concerned about God's work which is by faith, all of that other stuff we need to avoid. ...If a woman in church is teaching heresy you should not let her keep teaching or having authority, just like you should not let a man teach or have authority if he is doing the same (such as Hymenaeus and Alexander were, as is stated in Ch. 1 v. 20 who literally had to be excommunicated from the church).  ...But yeah, all of that I think is definitely worth taking into consideration in our interpretation of 1 Timothy 2 when we consider what was happening in the church in Ephesus, and how that applies to us today. For Alejandra and I in San Cristobal for instance - if we start a church in this city - one thing we have to emphasize (as crazy as it might sound) is that we shouldn't let people in the congregation teach or have authority who believe that Jesus and Mary play on Deportivo Tachira's soccer team. It's as simple as that. San Cristobal's soccer team isn't going to be saved from defeat by praying to Jesus and Mary - but any soccer player who believes exclusively in Jesus will be saved spiritually and eternally, which is what really matters, and that's what we need to be about.     As for an example of someone outside of the church that all us Christians should be concerned about are guys like Demetrious (Acts 19:24-34)... He was making bank by sculpting silver shrines of the false goddess Artemis, and when he perceived that Paul's preaching totally nullified his business and his supposed "goddess" he incited a huge uproar in the whole city to get Paul and his companions to stop preaching the truth.  When I was in Ephesus like 8 months ago, I saw a modern day "Demetrious" that was selling not only shrines of Artemis, but also of the Virgin Mary.

Similarly in Venezuela just a few weeks ago, I saw a man that was making and selling idols of any variety you like.

If you want to try to get anyone to stop doing something that is problematic, try getting false teachers to stop teaching (especially if it's in your own church), or try getting avarice idol makers to stop making idols (even though that's not really your job either) ... But whatever you do, please don't stop solid Christian men or women teachers from proclaiming the only gospel of Jesus that can save. The one and true gospel that comes by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else, or nothing more. 

...In about 7 months Lord willing, my wife Alejandra is going to be giving birth to our first child. One thing that I can guarantee you, is that we won't be praying to Artemis so that our baby or Alejandra will be saved in the process. We will be praying to God in Jesus' name, and Alejandra and I will do our best to continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety in the process.

Likewise, we will probably be putting this issue to rest for the time being... Just like Israel's defense of their nation was important when Hamas attacked on October 7th - 8 months and 50,000 Palestinian deaths later, in my humble opinion, it is also time to put the war in Gaza to rest as well.  Stay out of trouble everyone! Or at least for the most part.  -Sam, Alejandra, and ?

P.S. Alejandra and I found out that Ale is pregnant on resurrection Sunday... A few days later, I bought her some flowers, as well as some flowers for our potential daughter, and also some broccoli for our potential son (because I haven't met the first Killins boy that doesn't like his broccoli).

Stiff Necked or Set Faces

Hi - After a year of sleeping on sofa beds, Alejandra and I finally have a nice bed we're sleeping on in San Cristobal, Venezuela... We started renting a fancy smancy apartment that came half furnished in this beautiful city about an hour and a half from the Colombian border (which is comfortingly not as hot and humid as Cucuta), and finally we feel like we made it to where we were aiming at for all these years.

Because of our weird sleeping arrangements, I feel like I've had a stiff neck for like 400 days, and just when my spine started feeling better - I went and played basketball the other day and got my muscles contracted all over again, just to not break free from my neck rigidity quite yet.

(the above pic was taken a little more than a year ago, but you get the idea).

Anyway, the Bible speaks pretty strongly against people with stiff necks, who are rebelious and stubborn and who always resist the Holy Spirit (Deut. 9:13, Neh. 9:16, Acts 7:51).

In contrast, in fulfilling the prophesy of Isaiah 50:7 - Jesus set his face like a flint in his determination to go to Jerusalem and fulfill the mission the Father had given him (Luke 9:51); even in the midst of rejection (v. 53), opposition (Matt. 16:23) and agony (Luke 22:42-44).

A respected missionary once asked, "why would anyone want to go to Venezuela?" and the answer is simply out of love for Christ (2 Cor. 5:14-15), and love for my neighbor (Mark 12:31); as well as out of obedience to Jesus, of course (Matt. 28:19-20)... The real question is rather: "Why wouldn't you?" Discomfort? Awkwardness? Fear? Racism? Knowing God a little too well and understanding that He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love? (Jonah 4:2)... For a couple like Alejandra and I - we feel like not going into Venezuela would be like running away from God, and sinning against Him.

Okay, whatever - it's actually not that big of a deal in our minds. We're just doing what God put on our hearts, and what we've been shooting for... We took a detour and got to be a part of starting two churches in Duitama, but now we're back to the border - helping the Cucta Refuge church on the weekends, while exploring the Venezuelan waters throughout the week.

There's something wildly refreshing about interacting with anyone we meet in San Cristobal, and thinking that maybe some day they could become a part of a new church.

But maybe the bigger story here is that a family that Alejandra and I have been close friends with for like 5 years and whom we discipled, recently decided to leave Cucuta and return to their home town in the Eastern region of Venezuela.

When my friend Gabriel told me about it - I felt so sad that I wouldn't have him close by to work with, but confident that he would take the kingdom of God even where it's needed most.

The kingdom of God is like finding a treasure and selling everythinig you have to obtain it (Matt. 13:44-46).

And maybe Alejandra and I want to take a bit of that kingdom into Venezuela.

Even though my father-in-law wasn't super thrilled about our decision when we told him - what he did say was that he was glad that Alejandra and I made the decision together.

Barelly having even inaugurated our flat - Carolina and Guti (Alejandra's twin sister and brother-in-law) came to visit for Alejandra and Carolina's birthday (March 7)... Our good friend Harry got in on the juice action one of those days - and please pray that he can become a key partner in everything that we do for the glory of God here at the border, because Harry is awesome.

Please also pray for more close friends in Cucuta and San Cristobal that Alejandra can disciple, just like she did in Duitama.

Definitely Vivi and Hammer (with their new-born son Elias) are the other go-to leaders in Refuge Church Cucuta.

One of the bummers about Venezuela is that the light goes out literally every single day, but at the end of that prophetic chapter in Isaiah 50 where it talks about Jesus setting his face like a flint - it says in verse 10, "Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God."

Amen.

Sam and Alejandra Missionary Profile: