Reformed Baptists Progress in Colombia by Gordon Taylor “It’S Your Fault!” Said Manuel Cendales
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Winter 2014 Reformed Baptists progress in Colombia By Gordon Taylor “It’s your fault!” said Manuel Cendales. He was referring to the influence and teaching of Stan Line. Manuel, now committed to our 1689 Confession, used to be, by his own testimony, an extreme Pentecostal minister. Stan, who has labored for 50 years in Colombia, faithfully distributed Reformed literature to evangelical pastors over the years. In the case of Manuel it resulted in turning his ministry around. Now Manuel leads his church into the great truths of the The La Alborada congregation meets in Bogotá, Colombia. Christian faith. Manuel is but one example of these cities have thriving, growing of the way the Lord has worked in pastors’ and confessionally committed Reformed lives through Stan Line. Baptist churches. What I want to do in I had the privilege of interviewing this article is to introduce you briefly to the 13 pastors in two of0 the major cities of men of Bogotá, then describe the work in Colombia, Bogotá and Medellín. Bogotá, Medellín and finally describe a publishing Pastors from left, Christian Achuri, Stan the capital, has a population of almost effort for good literature in Spanish. Line and Manuel Cendales, with Gordon 8.5 million. Medellín, the second largest But before I do all of that let’s consider Taylor. city in Colombia, has 3.6 million. Both See Colombia, page 14 Inside: Lessons in sending IRBS influence in Great Britain. School of Missions report. a foreign missionary. PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 13 ARBCA Update n ARBCA Update Vol. 31, No. 1 Winter 2014 Phone: (717) 249-7473 Fax: (717) 258-0614 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.arbca.com Editor: Scott Swanson E-mail: [email protected] Circulation: Circulation requests may be sent by e-mail to [email protected] or to the address below. Contributions to defray the costs may be sent to ARBCA Update, P.O. Box 289, Carlisle, PA 17013. The Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America is Grace Baptist Church, Hartsville, TN a nonprofit organization registered in the Commonwealth of Grace Baptist Church, Jackson, MS Pennsylvania. The purpose of this association is to advance Grace Baptist Church, Taylors, SC Grace Bible Church, Catawissa, PA Christ’s kingdom by providing a fellowship in which churches of Grace Community Church, Topsham, ME common confession may find mutual encouragement, assis- Grace Covenant Baptist Church, Willis, TX tance, edification, and counsel, and may participate in coopera- Grace Covenant Church, Gilbert, AZ tive efforts such as home missions, foreign missions, ministerial Grace Covenant Church, Olmstead Township, OH training and publications — all of which are often beyond the Grace Fellowship Church, Bremen, IN scope of one local church. Grace Fellowship Church, Dover, DE Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Camp Hill, PA Administrative Council Officers Grace Reformed Baptist Church, East Haven, CT Pastor John Giarrizzo, Chairman Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Elkader, IA Pastor Ron Baines, Vice Chairman Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Merrick, NY Pastor Matt Foreman, Secretary Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Palmdale, CA Pastor Jeff Oliver, Treasurer ARBCA Coordinator: Gordon Taylor Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Pine Bush, NY Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Placerville, CA Member Churches Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Rockford, IL Austin Square Baptist Church, Lynn, MA Heritage Baptist Church, Worcester, MA Berean Baptist Church, Austell, GA Heritage Baptist Church, Owensboro, KY Berean Baptist Church, Ceres, CA Heritage Baptist Church, Mansfield, TX Bible Baptist Church of Galway, NY Heritage Baptist Church, Shreveport, LA Bible Fellowship Church of Greentown, PA Heritage Church, Fayetteville, GA Centinela Baptist Church, Lawndale, CA Hope Reformed Baptist Church, Farmingville, NY Christ Reformation Church, Tillamook, OR Hope Reformed Baptist Church, Tinley Park, IL Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Vista, CA Kemp Road Baptist Church, Dayton, OH Community Baptist Church, Fargo, N.D. Miller Valley Baptist Church, Prescott, AZ Cornerstone Church, Mesa, AZ Pioneer Valley Baptist Church, Chicopee, MA Cornerstone Chapel, Bristol, TN Port Cities Reformed Baptist Church, Lewiston, ID Cornerstone Fellowship, Newburgh, IN Portico Church, Orange, CA Crosspoint Church, Asheville, NC Providence Reformed Baptist Church, University Place, WA Elm Street Baptist Church, Sweet Home, OR Redeemer Baptist Church, Macon, GA Emmanuel Baptist Church, Jesup, GA Redeeming Grace Baptist Church, Matthews, VA Ephesus Church, Rincon, GA Reformed Baptist Church, Lafayette, NJ Free Grace Baptist Church, Bremerton, WA Reformed Baptist Church of Kansas City, KS Faith Community Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TX Reformed Baptist Church of Northern Colorado Faith Reformed Baptist Church, Media, PA Reibers Reformed Baptist Church, Shermansdale, PA First Baptist Church, Clinton, LA Santa Teresa Baptist Church, Santa Teresa, NM First Church of Hixville, North Dartmouth, MA Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Lenox, GA Free Baptist Church of Limerick, ME Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Ontario, CA Free Grace Baptist Church, Chilliwack, B.C., Canada Sycamore Baptist Church, East Moline, IL Free Grace Church, Lancaster, CA Trinity Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, LA Grace Baptist Church, Bartlesville, OK Trinity Reformed Baptist Church, Jackson, GA Grace Baptist Church, Van, TX Trinity Reformed Baptist Church, La Mirada, CA Grace Baptist Church, Carlisle, PA Trinity Reformed Baptist Church, Mercer Island, WA Grace Baptist Church, Chambersburg, PA West Suffolk Baptist Church, Suffolk, VA Grace Baptist Church, Commerce, GA ARBCA Update 3 Commentary: Learning to be the senders in foreign missions Editor’s note: The author’s name and city of residence have We need the humility to learn from believers who are not been withheld by his request. Reformed Baptist while confidently holding on to the truths that “In the fall of 2005, I visited a church in which I was we believe are Scriptural. preparing to become a vocational elder. There I met a young “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you single man I’ll call “Matthew.” concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write Matthew was an educator serving as a deacon at the church, to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was and it was not long before I learned he had a burden: to bring once for all delivered to the saints.” Jude 3 the Gospel to unreached Muslims. Now, in the winter of 2014, Sending Matthew and his family to the Middle East has Matthew and his wife are studying a new language in the Middle required knowledge and resources that we were not able to East with their children and with Katherine, a nanny from our find within Reformed Baptist churches. Matthew’s seminary church. education came from a reformed seminary. His counseling This eight-year journey has been filled with lessons that God training was provided by a New Covenant church not too far from is teaching us, and it has been a joy to see Him work. I want to us, along with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. share some of the things that we are learning. Matthew and his wife profited from the Perspectives on the Building the church is God’s work, even though He has World Christian Movement course, and Matthew used the DVD ordained to use us to do it. “You are worthy to take the scroll, study Bridges: Christians Connecting with Muslims from the and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us Crescent Project to help teach us more about sharing our faith to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people with Muslims. and nation…” Rev. 5:9 Crucial to the process was an extensive, month-long, In the process of sending out a missionary to a closed cross-cultural training course on international missions. We are country, we have often found ourselves in great need of God’s currently partnering with a missions organization that is broadly wisdom. Not only is this the first time that we, as a church, have evangelical because they have the people and the experience sent out a family with the goal of having an elder-qualified man to help us take care of families like this one. And our entire plant churches in a foreign country, this particular situation had congregation profited from a missions conference that we held very little precedent for us to follow. last year to hear from two men who have experience ministering Very few people in our circles had experience or knowledge in Islamic settings. that could help us move forward. We found that, often, we had It has also been a blessing to see God provide financially to begin moving forward without knowing what the next step for Matthew and his family. The money has come from our was going to be, and we had to be willing to make mistakes and own church, ARBCA Reformed Baptist churches, non-ARBCA then change our plans, if need be. Constant reminders of our Reformed Baptist churches, and a number of individuals and weaknesses, limitations, and sins found expression in our hearts churches who would not claim to be Reformed Baptist at all. in a variety of ways. “We have no idea what we are really doing Being able to take advantage of all of these resources has here.” “It would be easier for us to do nothing than to try to do made us thankful for all manifestations of God’s true kingdom, this.” “Humanly speaking, what we are trying to accomplish even when we have theological or philosophical differences. here makes no sense at all.” This is also a prayer request moving forward—we are not sure Our faith was strengthened as we finished our study in the how long some of our alliances will last, but we are thankful to Gospel of Matthew on Sunday mornings and were reminded that have been able to work together with those that we have.