May/June 2015 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love

May/June 2015  

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.  Hebrews 6:10

Loving, caring for, supporting, and encouraging each other is a way of expressing love toward the name of God Who will remember and reward that service based on His flawless justice that does not allow Him to forget.  Historically, Christians have been mostly ineffective in altering sinful government rulings, cultural shifts and moral decline, and current trends are no exception. Still, we can be paradoxically at peace in the eye of turmoil as we go about fulfilling God’s plan for spreading the Gospel: loving and serving one another and fulfilling our purpose of honoring and bringing glory to His righteous name from within the church, the place He has designed for motivating that. That’s what the Church, the Body of Christ, is to be all about. That kind of activity has earmarked the past two months at IBBM-Tepic.

Mother’s Day is a big deal in Mexico, one of the most celebrated of all holidays. IBBM-Tepic has always taken advantage of that impetus to honor all of the church moms and their invited guests, as well. No mom left for home without hearing a relevant challenge from God’s Word, without a personal gift, without enjoying a fresh-tropical fruit cocktail lovingly prepared and served by the church teenagers, without the opportunity to participate in a bunch of crazy organized games and without knowing that God and the church family loves and appreciates them.  There were more mothers than space on the platform!  

The following week, in obedience to God’s mandate, and for the first time ever in our new baptistery commemorating His faithfulness in the culmination of the IBBM property-purchase, six new believers followed Jesus’ example in baptism. The whole church celebrated these milestones together. Don’t miss out on seeing this quick video.

At IBBM-Tepic, children are a major focus in ministering to the saints and laboring in love. We celebrated OANSA (AWANA) Awards Day on the last Saturday of May.  Club members loved being remembered and rewarded by their OANSA leaders, and that was a great reminder to the clubbers and their leaders that our service will also be remembered and rewarded by God Who can and will never forget anything at all that we do in His name! In addition, each of us leaders was rewarded with a new, bright-red uniform to start the year off again in September!

The rewards continued the following Saturday at the annual OANSA fair where the clubbers got to spend the OANSA pesos they worked hard to win and had deposited in the OANSA bank all during the year.  Every leader designed and operated a booth; the delight was just a glimpse of the joy that we’ll experience with rewards-to-come because He will not forget your work and labour of love.

Meanwhile representatives from six Huichol villages organized a team-effort and arduous trek through the Sierra Madre to the village of Codorniz. The plan was to encourage and disciple the little band of believers of the church just beyond the Nayarit state border. The trip included a UIM airlift to Tierra Blanca followed by a shuttle to El Gavilán, the rental of a rattle-trap pick-up to the end of the “road,” then a six-hour hike on to the village. The order of service was non-stop Bible teaching, singing, and fellowship for three days and nights before each missionary made the return-trip to his/her respective village. An unplanned “layover” in the village of El Gavilán allowed the travelers to touch base with a few believers there who have been begging God for fellowship and more teaching. Several Huichols understood and believed the Gospel presentation, many others who had already believed were edified, the church at Codorniz was encouraged, and God promises that those who ministered will not be forgotten for their hard work and labour of love.

Father’s Day is not such a big deal in Mexico, not like Mother’s Day, but it is a big deal at IBBM-Tepic. Some of the high school and college young men prepared a dramatic presentation, the preschoolers sang and thanked their fathers for instructing them in the Way, the single adults prepared organized games and refreshments, every father received a personal gift, and every father committed himself to continue to seek guidance for leading his family, from his Heavenly Father Who promises He will not forget.

God promises that those who minister will not be forgotten for their hard work and labour of love.