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Written by Johanna Zabala, volunteer with Ministerio Hermana Rosa de Hierro in Ecuador
When I decided to be born again by the baptism of water and the Spirit, I recognized it as a biblical privilege and mandate (according to John 3:1-15 and as the Lord says through the apostle Peter in Acts 2:38). I received, in that moment of faith, the gift of the Holy Spirit that beautifully fills us with marvelous and divine capacities to continue fulfilling His holy commandments.
Later, I was converted and chosen as a believer, pupil, daughter, and apprentice of the Master. Jesus is also known as our Guide or Mentor. Through Him, I found so many reasons to learn that gave meaning and a precise spiritual turn in my life.
Finding within His beautiful instructions the greatest command read and reflected specifically in Matthew 22:37-39, where Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” I started from there to build a firm starting point in Him.
Love your neighbor as yourself implies care. The continuous teaching toward mentoring, education or discipleship (personal and community) in the Holy Spirit, and everyone growing in the word of God, towards the discovery of the Father's will. Jesus, the Lord, commands and encourages us at all times to search and study the Scriptures (Jn. 5:39 and 2 Tim. 3:16-17) to be wise, teachers, prudent, and useful in His kingdom.
Therefore, in this act of unity, relationship and obedience in the Lord, I can manage to love my neighbor. This analogy proposes the essential objective of allowing us, in the love of God, to guard, guide and fulfill the divine instructions in Jesus Christ. It is achieved through the missionary guidance of the Holy Spirit, becoming ambassador daughters of the light of Christ in the world (2 Cor. 5:20 and Jn. 1:9).
And why love us? Because we were commissioned to extend the authority of the Lord everywhere, bringing the good news of salvation of the soul to eternal life, but it does not end there. We obey the need to be born again through baptism, since this step is the model of the gospel, in educating and keeping all the things He taught, strengthening the conviction that He will be with all His beloved obedient sons and daughters until the end of the world, contemplated in Matthew 28:18-20.
In the same way, during the development of the Christian life, one gains access to know how to thank the footprints of Christ. Likewise, these footprints are the best race of eternal life that we have had to live from the love of God in each heart among sisters. First John 4:7 and 8 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” And these verses guide us to the attention and value that He has for each one of us.
Therefore, today as a princess and daughter of King Jesus Christ and as a woman of faith, I was able to understand at the same time the importance and value of Love and the Holy Spirit within me and within you, beloved sister.
Recognizing with all your heart and according to the Spirit of God, one learns, as a sacred purpose, to live what is expressed in Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Are we prepared? I think we are, now that we are aware of God’s Holy Spirit and we constantly remember that it is our Christian duty as mentors to teach and disciple one another in the Way. Knowing how to instruct, guide and advise in the Holy Spirit is important; educating in holiness, to renew the strength of God, motivating support among brothers, supporting, helping each other, and bringing the blessing of the Lord in all circumstances.
For that reason, my loved ones, let's go forward together as mentors, guides, educators and advisers of good; since within the call of the gospel is the power of salvation (Rom. 1:16). Through mentoring, we spiritually guide as servants approved and prepared for every good work, as 2 Timothy 3:17 says.
In short, let us remain on the same page moving forward, encouraged, joyful, and very consistent in the Holy Spirit of God that guides and instructs us, in such a way that we can guide others. Let's bloom always!
Are you willing?
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Written by Carolina Pérez, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in New York
I was born and grew up in a Christian home watching my parents serve in different places in Ecuador. I remember when I was little that my family and I always arrived early to the congregation and my dad liked to sit in the very front. When we started the singing, he always told me and my sister, “Sing loud so they can hear you!” So, I had the idea that the louder I sang, the more God would hear me. Even today, I sing loudly, but my perspective about how He hears me has certainly changed.
I grew up with the idea that worshipping God was just on Sundays at church, singing, praying, and attending Sunday school classes, or when I got a little bigger, listening to a sermon. And maybe this is how you have understood it too (especially if you are a new convert or you are still learning). “We are going to worship the Lord!” It is a common expression in Sunday contexts and it’s true that when we gather and we are together as brothers and sisters, this is what we do, but worship goes much beyond there and implies so much more than two hours a week.
As the years have gone by, I understood that worship shouldn’t be part of my life, but rather that it must be my way of life. In other words, it should influence every area of my existence. Worship implies having a genuine fear of the Lord and obedience of His statutes. Not doing this leads me many times to not worship God with my decisions and my attitudes when faced with life situations. For example, in 2014, my husband, my son, and I moved to New York City. For me, it was a difficult decision because I was leaving behind my family, my friendships, the congregation where I had grown up, etc. More than once, I asked the Lord, why? It was far from my heart and mind to worship God for what was happening in that moment. To be honest, it was the last thing I was thinking about. But in 2017, after some painful but necessary events, the Heavenly Father allowed me to see, in an amazing way, that the best thing that could’ve happened to us as a family was to remove us from our comfort zone and our original plans. It was then that I began to truly worship God. I understood that what Romans 8:28 says is real and I experienced it in my life and in my family’s. That is why I worship and, even though I am far from perfect, and I have still not completely adapted to my new place of residence, today at least I see the circumstances from another point of view, and I thank the Father every day for the love and mercy He has shown us.
All of this makes me think of Mary’s story. This humble young woman was engaged to be married to Joseph. Just before the wedding, the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she had been chosen by God to be the mother of His Son, Jesus. Mary didn’t understand what was happening, nor did she understand how she would become pregnant if she was a virgin. The angel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and that she would conceive. He also told her that this baby would have a special purpose for all humanity. Of course, she was stunned and didn’t understand it all, yet she said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), thus showing her heart as willing and trusting in God’s promises.
This declaration, made by this servant, was very important, not just because of the faith it demonstrated, but also seeing it in the light of the context in which it happened. What occurred was not easy and the circumstances made it even less so. Mary, engaged to be married, was to remain pure for her husband. Evidently, being pregnant before consummating the marriage implied a tremendous offense to the marriage, not to mention that it was a sin in the eyes of the community. In the Old Testament, we are told that a man or a woman who committed this offense was to be put to death, stoned (Deut. 22:23-24). In other words, the ending that Mary expected after the angel’s visit was not the beautiful celebration as she had originally planned, but rather her death. With this in mind, it is understandable that Mary would have been troubled, confused, and even a little scared. Yet, her worship of God did not cease. She accepted the Almighty’s will for her life in spite of the dire consequences of what was awaiting her. The original plans changed radically for her, but without doubting, she remained loyal to her Father. In fact, we can see in Luke 1:46-55 a beautiful song praise that she expressed when her cousin Elizabeth helped her process everything that was happening. She recognized the grace of the Lord poured out in her life and she worshipped.
I want us to understand that our body, soul, and spirit were designed to worship God. When we are conscious of this, we will seek to do His will in every scope of life and not just for two hours each Sunday. Everything that you are and that you do glorifies the Lord. When we understand this concept, our view of worship will surely change.
Below, I will give you a few examples which you could certainly add to as you continue reading the Bible. For example, we can worship when:
- We wait patiently and prayerfully for the man with whom you want to share your life.
- We fulfill our duties, lovingly taking care of our children and our home.
- You submit to your husband with love (Col. 3:18).
- We are integral in our workplace (Col. 3:23-24).
- We help our neighbor or our brother/sister who is in need (Matt. 25:31-46).
- We listen to and lovingly support people who are going through a difficult time.
- You use your talents to serve in the congregation.
- In middle of trials, you decide to trust that God is in control of everything.
As you can see, worship is broader and deeper than what we believed, right? Our worship should be 24/7 because this is how we reveal that we understand who God is and who we are. Are you ready to truly worship?
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