Two Days, One Post

SATURDAY 4.7.12

As with previous days, there was again a breakfast appointment on Saturday – this time in the home of Carlos and family. They live directly across the street from Elver. Carlos is 35, and an elementary school teacher. Also present were another family. I don’t recall their names, but they have been Christians only for a couple of years. After eating, we talked some about their questions about marriage and divorce. It has been an issue of concern lately among the brethren here.

Lunch was a little farther away, and required a car. I have mentioned Darinel on several occasions, and the previous evening we had supper with Leo and his wife. Darinel and Leo are brothers, and their mother had invited Elver and me for lunch on Saturday, so Leo and his wife picked us up and took us there. There were 6 of us, as Dari and Leo’s sister lives with their mother, and so was there also.



Saturday evening, I presented the third of these lessons on elders. My focus in this lesson is the authority of elders – what authority they don’t have, and what authority they do have. And again, I took the final 10-15 minutes to discuss a few more of the characteristics of elders as found in 1 Timothy 3, this time adding a few from Titus 1 as well.

I’ve been very happy that these lessons on elders have been well received here. So very few churches south of the Rio Grande have elders, or ever have had them – perhaps those that do could be counted on one hand. This church in San Cristobal, with about 100 in attendance, has potential, as there are a number of young men who can aim for this work.

After the evening assembly, we were invited for supper at the home of Gilberto and his family. I enjoyed eating with them, and with another couple they had invited. After supper, Gilberto, Elver, and I, with about 7 of the young people, walked to the city center to watch Judas be exploded, as this was Easter Eve. There are a lot of celebrations and processions as part of the Easter celebrations here in Mexico, but the most dramatic is the building of a lifesize Judas figure (imagine it as a scarecrow), packing fireworks inside him as he’s built, and then on the appropriate evening, burning him, with the fireworks consequently firing as he burns. Well, in the city center, there was a contest for the best Judas figure and resulting fireworks – not that they all looked like Judas. One was in the shape of a dinosaur, another had the face of a recent and disliked President of Mexico. But they were all "Judases." As there was prize money involved for the best 3, they were elaborate and very explosive. Such powerful fireworks, firing in unexpected directions, in such close proximity to the crowd (I managed to get within 20 feet of the final one), would never be allowed in the US. And for once, I think maybe there is some sense in a few of our safety conscious precautions. It was amazing and fun though, and I’m glad I was there!

SUNDAY 4.8.12

Sunday morning breakfast was in the home of Isai and his wife – Isai is the 22 year old therapist highlighted earlier, and the son of Delfino. Afterward, we were quickly off to the morning assembly.

For Sunday morning, I presented a lesson from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I basically cover nearly the whole letter, arriving at his admonition to Euodia and Synteche to live in harmony in the Lord. We have no indication what specific issue kept them at odds, but surely self-interest played a part. Having covered the earlier parts of the letter, I then go back and demonstrate how nearly the whole letter is a rebuke to self-centered thinking, and discuss the problems of brethren getting along when they first think about self.

Again, I was very encouraged by the warm and grateful response of the brethren in San Cristobal to the lessons I presented.

A Sunday afternoon picnic in the park included me playing futbol (soccer) with the brethren, and for only the third time in my life, and the first time in 27 years. Since I lowered expectations before play started, I was actually kinda pleased with myself. :)

Then Sunday evening I addressed a problem I believe exists widely among brethren both south and north of the border. Although brethren are quick to correctly say the church that belongs to Christ is not a denomination, I believe many brethren nevertheless carry a denominational view of what that church is. Most of the lesson was received well, but when I started making one of the applications, there was some serious disagreement which came to the surface after the assembly was over. One brother even called me a sectarian, even though I was being exactly the opposite, and he was the one leaning in that direction. I was disappointed in the nature of his arguments; reasonable arguments for a position can be entertained and discussed. These were not that. While he and others still disagree with some of my application, things smoothed over, and he later spoke of having me return to Mexico to again visit and preach among the brethren here at some other time. And a few of the brethren saw the validity of my arguments and agreed with my understanding.

Considering how strongly they spoke at first opposing a part of what I had taught Sunday evening, and opposing me, I was very glad for those later developments, as I feared that my teaching on elders might be discarded as well, and they might have no further interest in my work among them. But things are better now, and whether they choose to invite me to come here again in the future is up to them in any case.