“Don’t blame the Flame!”
| Many Christians and Critics use this passage of scripture to suggest that God isn’t fair and this is a violation of free will. I believe there’s more to this story and the mysteries of God. (Read “Why do you hate God?!!”) |
| Sometime ago in the brig, there were two prisoners with two different heart-responses to the Word of God. We just read John 18:37 where Jesus stated, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world — to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” One inmate (S) argued that truth is relative to each individual, religion, or belief. I said that that violates the law of noncontradiction. If one belief says Jesus was just a man, and another belief says Jesus was God, they both cannot be right. In an instant, S clenched his teeth, closed his heart, stood up, and stormed out, refusing and rejecting the only thing that could save him from his sins. As we closed, the second man (R) hugged me and said, “Thank you so much for your sacrifice of time and bringing this message into the prison. I’ve heard the statement ‘Jesus paid for your sins’ countless times before, but tonight, from the start I began to understand for the first time what that really means. I sat there the whole time literally on the verge of tears.” This is what the Word of God does. Hebrews 4:12 reads, “For we have the living Word of God, which is full of energy, and it pierces more sharply than a two-edged sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts.” (TPT) The Word of God exposes our hearts. Although it bothered me to see S get angry and leave, R’s heart-response was wonderful to witness. The contrasting responses between these two men serve as a striking, frightening reminder of an inevitable ‘sifting’ that will ultimately occur. Increasingly today, events – national, political, social, religious – are causing hearts of people to be exposed. Things previously hidden – thoughts, words, deeds, works, efforts, philosophies, sin – are being pushed into the public eye. Regardless of the scale — the home, the neighborhood, the city, the state, the nation, or the globe — a somewhat forced unveiling of your beliefs, words, and actions is on the rise. It’s as if walls which we previously hid behind are falling down and we’re left standing naked and unmasked. In short, this is akin to judgment. (Read Ecc 12:14; Lu 21:1-3; Rom 2:12-16; 1Cor 3:13; 1Cor 4:5; 2Cor 5:10; Rev 20:12) In Luke 6:45, Jesus said, “Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.” I heard the late Pastor Adrian Rogers of Bellevue Baptist Church once say, “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket.” Today, as I share Christ-stuff with people, it’s quickly and glaringly apparent what’s in their hearts. As I engage, hostilities rapidly escalate and accusations fly. “Why would a so-called loving God send someone to hell?!! What kind of God would allow pain and suffering in the world?!! You’re close-minded! You’re intolerant! You’re a bigot! You’re the problem with the world today!” To which I humbly ask, “Which happened first? Did that person just end up in hell arbitrarily or randomly? Or did that person in some form or fashion reject God?” I continue, “God does not frivolously put someone in hell. Nor has anyone ever randomly or accidentally ended up in hell. If anyone ends up in hell, it’s literally because at some point in their life they rejected God. By the way, you’re doing it now.” (“Shock-face” as their heart is on display.) Without realizing it, people reveal what type of heart they have, just like Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus. God sent Moses to the Egyptian Pharaoh to deliver His message, “Let my people go,” but in the very next breath God tells Moses, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.” (Exo 7:3) Wait, wuh??? I had to ask, “Lord, if the goal is to deliver Your people from slavery, why are You making it more difficult than it has to be? For Your glory? For a teachable moment? For Your amusement? I understand ‘You’re the Potter’ and all, but what about free will?” (I honestly wrestled with this passage for quite some time.) Sometime later, I feel the Lord gave me a simple, yet profound, illustration. Let’s say you have a source of heat — a flame. How does mud respond to the presence of that flame? Mud hardens. How does wax respond to that same flame? Wax melts. Two completely different responses to the same flame. Are either of these responses — hardening or melting — the flame’s fault? No, because the responses of these two elements — mud and wax — is reflective of their makeup. Likewise, a person’s response to Truth is reflective of their heart (mud or wax). It’s not the flame’s fault. The flame is simply being itself. “I AM THAT I AM,” anyone? God is the Flame — consuming fire, omnipotent, loving, eternal, and unchanging. (Heb 13:8; Rev 1:8) I submit that God may not have directly hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but more appropriately, Pharaoh’s heart-response to God was that of hardening (See Exo 8:15), thus revealing a heart of mud. God is just being God (Exo 3:14). Hearts of mud, closed and calloused, will harden at the heat of God’s presence. Hearts of wax, open and sensitive, will melt in that same presence. Whatever one’s response is to the god-stuff is a direct reflection, an exposing if you will, of what’s going on in that person’s heart. (See Mt 12:35-37) God is Who He is! He is holiness, judgment, power, truth, salvation, mercy, grace, and love! And, it’s up to us how we respond to the Flame. So, I remind these skeptics, “Don’t blame the Flame,” because “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!” (Rom 5:8) As godlessness, hostilities, and hate increases today, take courage! There are many hearts of wax out there willing to receive the truth, salvation, and love of Jesus Christ. In a nutshell, our job is to love people, present the gospel, and discern their heart-responses. (Heb 5:14) If a heart hardens and gets angry, that’s a pretty good sign that more conversation is probably not going to be productive. Politely move on. On the other hand, if a heart melts as you present the gospel, truth, and love of Christ, give more. Get out there and sift through the hearts of mankind! And, when the opportunity arises, remind people, “Don’t blame the Flame!” ▪I recently uploaded over 50 YouTube videos (Here) ▪Make a Donation ▪Remember to Share this Newsletter |
| “Fix bayonets” are role-playing drills that we do – Christians vs. Critics. Far too many Christians are opinion-based, not Word-based. (Read “He need some milk!”) |
| We do this role-playing to become better equipped with our Swords (the Word of God). The Word of God is our fixed point of reference. It doesn’t move. It’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. It’s our Code that we should stand by. (Read “The Code is the Law!”) |
| Celebrating our 35th Anniversary with a date night! Watch: “Dating & It’s Just a Kiss!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRPGe-r_DQI&t=1s) |
| So glad we were able to “turn it off” and just enjoy each other. Watch “The Power of Your Words in Marriage” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2lti8smVn4) |
| Zebulun is one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name carries prophetic meaning and significant history. a) Sixth son of Jacob and Leah. b) Meaning of Name: dwelling place or habitation of God (Gen 30:20). c) Safe haven/port for travelers; a northern port (Gen 49:13). d) Risked and disregarded their lives on the battlefield; willing to be exposed to utmost danger and fearless of death (Judges 5:18). e) Experienced and skilled in war, in weapons, and battle tactics (1Chron 12:33). Make a Donation (https://cinami.org/missionary/guerra-nick-sandy/) |
| Agree with us in prayer: a. For the direction where Base ministries (Schwab Chapel and Brig) are concerned. I honestly can put them both behind me. More than anything, I’m asking the Lord for direction. In the meantime, our days are still full with ministry — making disciples, counseling, sharing Christ, praying, ministry videos, and writing. b. Pray for mature, Qualified Families and Permanent Personnel to co-labor with us in this northern-most, remote area of Okinawa. Henoko/Schwab outreach carries a constant rebuilding nature due its high turnover rate and operational tempo. We literally rebuild a congregation every six months and gather new members. The difficulty of gathering souls has been compounded with this unwarranted Chapel restriction. Pray for our strength, wisdom, and resources as weekly we gather sheep and convert goats. c. Pray for our current schedule, i.e. finances, resources, wisdom, strategies, and strength: – Sun: Share/Report Christians In Action ministries – Mon: Radical & Relevant (R&R) @7pm – Wed: Brig Christian Fellowship (BCF) @7pm (PRAY for Reinstatement) – Thu: Publish Think On These Things newsletters – Thu: Publish YouTube Videos (Channel: YahwehHasASon) – Fri: Sexual Integrity & Restoration (SIR) @9am (PRAY for Reinstatement) – Sat: Zebulun Christian Discipleship Center (ZCDC) @6pm ▪Make a Donation ▪Check out my recently uploaded (50+) YouTube videos! ▪Facebook Live Videos |
https://cinami.org/missionary/guerra-nick-sandy/
| This woman makes my heart glow, daily. I recently went through thousands of photos going back to 1984 when we met. In all those photos, I noticed a reoccurring trait in Sandy’s eyes. Her eyes reveal her hope and she remains hopeful, even to this day. I confessed to her, “After all these years, even with me unintentionally trying to kill it, you still carry hope.” I’m absolutely certain that Sandy will hold a higher place in heaven than me. She loves greatly. Read “You’re not planting ‘happily-ever-after’ seeds!”) |
| In closing: Saints, thank you for your prayers. They mean the world to us. I feel we’re at a crossroads with outreach — not that we’re finished in Okinawa — but maybe heading in a different direction??? I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be fighting for reinstatement on the bases, as the military personnel are now coming to the church. (I do miss and pray for those prisoners, though.) Bottom line is, I still have strength in my body and a burden from the Lord to share Christ and make disciples. Your thoughts??? Financial support has been significantly down, yet ministry/living costs remain. Being full-time missionaries in Japan is extremely expensive. Please consider partnering with us in these works of the Lord. Financial gifts and contributions can be made online through Christians In Action. Or, you can mail contributions to the address listed below. I declare that to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake! (Php 1:29) <*{{{{>< In His will, Pastor Nick & Sandy Guerra Contributions can be sent to: Dominic Guerra (Acct# 426) c/o Christians In Action, Missions International 1322 E. Shaw Ave., Ste. 150 Fresno, CA 93710-7904 ▪ Please ensure Acct #426 is annotated on your contribution so the funds can be allocated correctly. ▪ Please share/forward these newsletters at your discretion. Make a Donation |
| — OUR MISSION — Gather Sheep & Convert Goats! Catch, Clean, & Release! |