God's riches, but God is entrusted to them by way of talents, by way of treasures, by way of time. Fooled by the world's empty pleasures, seeking the worthless, leaving the precious, deaf to the words of the Savior. And what words? His words go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Even as I think he more precious than gold, much better than silver, is the price of a soul God wants to deliver. I can't help but think of our recent mission trip to El Salvador and how worthwhile it is in light of eternity. about what really matters. Or even as I think of more precious than gold, I can't help but think of the tremendous oppression that the people of El Salvador live on, living daily, not knowing if today they will die. or they are the second most dangerous country in the world because of gang activity. In fact, while we were there, one of the believers that had come to our conference in the past, by the name of Gustavo, that his son was murdered on Monday night. He was a store owner and the gang had already extorted $100,000 from him. for rent and protection, just kind of like the mob used to do in New York City. Maybe they still do. And he refused to pay. They shot him, killed him right there. And the saddest thing about it is we're not sure he was safe, though his dad clearly is. And so I was reminded of that as they told me that if you want to take out a hit on a person, maybe to seek revenge, to take them out of the way for some reason, that the gang has a side business outside of drugs and other things that they do. They will murder people for you, and it only costs you $20 to $50 to do it. And so I couldn't help but think of more precious than gold, and then for $20 to $50, they're putting people away. And unfortunately, in many cases, they're not caught. In some cases, they are. They go to prison, and I was told that a lot of the key gang leaders actually operate right out of prison. And that's how they direct their gains. And so the Lord was very gracious to us as we, again, went to El Salvador, as this has been, you know, 30 times in the going over the years. And we're reminded of 2 Timothy 2.2, and the things that you have heard from me, among many witnesses, commit to entrust these, these truths, the gospel, the grace of God, truths of grace, to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Our trip this time to El Salvador basically centered in three locations. We first went to San Salvador, the capital, and this was only the third time in our mission trips over the years that we've been there, last year being the second. We then went to Chapultepec, a much smaller city, that are actually being dominated by the gangs, and the gang members who are dominating are 15 years old. Then in San Miguel was where we ended up as well, which is one of the largest cities in the country. The mission team, again, consisted of Dale Vogel, going from left to right here. As Dale was a support person, he videos things, he handles the money, he's very helpful along. Then Narley Solano came over from Nicaragua. as she is the director of a Christian school. We sent a team over there last May to minister at her school. And she really enjoys coming along with us. She learns a lot, as well as she's of great help. She's one of the major translators, as is Joan Wainer, who's been with us many times. And these gals do a really good job translating. Kevin McNulty comes along as a support role. He knows conversational Spanish and now that he's retired he wants to immerse himself in Spanish and be involved the next umpteen years. The Lord gives him in ministry to Hispanic people. Myself and then Sonny Myers who were both teachers throughout the conference And this is a very experienced mission team. We've been together many times, and we actually still like each other. And so, praise the Lord. We function together at a very high level. As far as everyone knows their role, and they, by the grace of God, know how to abide in Christ, and to faithfully fulfill that role. Now, we arrived on Friday, got there in the evening, and went to our hotel. And then Saturday, we spent basically catching up with Teo Tabar and talking about what's going on in El Salvador, what he's involved in, how his family's doing. We discussed various things. We planned about the future. We prepared for the upcoming conference, as we had a Spanish grammar component to this that we had never quite done before. We've had some Spanish grammar there. Lisa Crosby has taught that in the past. She put together some things based upon something Curtis done in Africa and so forth that was very, very helpful. And so we spent much of the day just spending time in the word and then praying and discussing and so forth and so forth. And then Saturday night, we met the pastor of the church where Teo Tabar and his family attend in San Salvador. His name is Pastor Carlos. He's in his 40s. He seems to be a very humble man. We had a great discussion with him about what we're involved in, what we're doing, what we emphasize, and why. He seemed very interested and engaged regarding it. We started out that day with morning devotions, and this is a typical breakfast. In fact, I love breakfasts over there. I usually have eggs. You have refried beans. A lot of times you'll have some bread. Those are fried bananas, and those are some cheese. And the mornings in El Salvador are always bright and sunny, at least since we go. It's just really, really nice in a lot of ways. The Tabar family is there in the upper left-hand corner. Teo and his wife Christina in the far right, his two daughters. The one in red is Gabi, Gabriela. She's in med school. She's finishing the fourth year of nine years to be a doctor. Her younger sister, Kaki, is to her left there. And Kati is about to start her senior year of architectural school as they're both in college. Then Pablito is their adopted son who is with them there as well. This is the home where they live in San Salvador. And these homes are deceptive in some ways because they don't look like there's too much in there. You open the doors and you go in and sometimes They are, there's room after room after room with an open courtyard usually and so forth and so forth. But you really can't tell it from the outside. Sunday morning we drove to Thales Church where I was invited to teach the adult men's Sunday school Bible study. And I had the opportunity with Gnarly as my translator to teach Romans 3, 21 through 31. A little did I know that five of the elders were sitting in on the class. And the people were very receptive. In fact, one of the elders came up to me later in perfect English and said, that was very clear today. And I said, oh, you speak English. And he said, yeah, I've lived in San Francisco for years. And now I've been back to El Salvador for the last few, and so forth and so forth. So it went really well in that sense. Then at the main church service, and this is a church in which there is two main services on Sunday morning, both with about 250 people. So it's a fairly large church. And I was introduced because I was visiting and they like to do that kind of thing. The guy on the right is Pastor Carlos, who we had met with the night before. And then the guest speaker that day was a man named Carlos Lopez. who is the director of SETECA, that's an acronym, for a seminary in Guatemala City, which is the largest, most prestigious and influential seminary in all of Central and South America. It was originally founded and has largely been supplied by teachers from Dallas Seminary over the years. But as Dallas has slipped, so has it in some ways. And I just, as I shared in my email, thought it was incredible that in God's providence I would happen to be in El Salvador at the same church as he was, on the same Sunday as he was, and would go out to lunch with him after to an Argentinian restaurant. Now, he hardly looks Hispanic, and it's because he's from Argentina, and Argentinians have European roots from Spain, more than a combination of Spanish and indigenous. And as a result, he was very interested to talk to. I didn't try to burn any bridges. I tried to build some bridges. And we could see, again, as we talked about things, I spend our institutes as the poor man, For people who can't afford to go to Seteca, people who don't want to leave their local church and move to Guatemala City for four years, that we are bringing this ministry to them. And that our doctrine is actually very similar to what the founders of Central American Mission and Dallas Seminary believe. And so it was a good bridge building situation. It just so happens that Brett Nazareth has had an invitation in which both he and myself have considered going to Guatemala City to a church that happens to be pastored by an Argentinian who did some translation work for our ministry about 10 years ago that happens to be two blocks from Seteca. And he happens to be a good friend of Carlos Lopez. So the Lord is amazing how he puts all of these things together. where it ultimately will go, I do not know. But praise the Lord for His sovereign grace. We then made our way Sunday afternoon to a hotel and chapel ticket. It's kind of amazing because this hotel year. I mean, to have a hotel like this in Chapultepec is just kind of unbelievable. It's not like it's the Taj Mahal, but it was the nicest hotel I think we've ever been in El Salvador. And as a result, it met all of our needs. And then on Monday through Wednesday, we had a small group pastors conference. This was by invitation only. It was some key people that we wanted to meet with and I wanted to teach some certain subjects and talk with them about advancing the Gospel in the West. These are mostly students from our first class. These are men that have been proven faithful. These are men who, mostly are pastors, but not all of them. who have taught the Word of God and have taught our courses multiple times like Romans, Galatians, Distinctions, Colossians and so forth and are rooted in grace. We wanted to teach them some things about exegesis and grammar. We taught them also about about outer darkness and that whole false teaching that's going around, as well as some things on disciple-making that we thought would be helpful for them. It was an enjoyable time. We were in a little air-conditioned church, and you can see Milton there, right here, with his tassel cap on and a coat. He was just freezing. They're freezing, and we're unbuttoning our shirts almost. But it's what they're used to. And Milton's a great story as well for another day. And so you can see the group. In fact, here, they're making their way over from the church to Tao's house for lunch and supper, as they actually literally came and stayed for a couple of days. And as a result, it's bring your own chair, B-Y-O-C, for supper. And so here you are, you can see us at Tail's house. Now remember, he's not living there anymore, so they had to make do kind of with some things since he's moved to San Salvador. But this was a great time to reconnect with these guys, to find out how they're doing, to answer questions and so forth and so forth. And so we're glad for that. Here is a picture of the group. again, as we met together there, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then they went home in the late Wednesday afternoon, and like Ramiro, hasta mañana, we'll see you tomorrow, which indeed we did as we then, the next day, made our way to San Miguel. As you can see, San Miguel is a major city. I can't remember how big it is, but it's multiple thousands of people. And in doing so, there was a general conference on Hebrews chapters 1 through 4 during that time. The very things I've been teaching here, I taught there. I would guess there was about 100 people that attended this conference. And you know what is incredible about this is you usually start at 8 in the morning, teach till 5 in the afternoon, And they are at the edge of their seat most of the time, wanting to hear the next answer. It's just amazing their desire to learn the Word of God. We had Galileo, he would lead us in songs oftentimes at the beginning of the morning or afternoon, and they loved to sing, though they don't know how to harmonize. No one's ever taught them three-part harmony, like in Myanmar, which is, when Scott goes there, it's amazing, but they don't know it, but praise the Lord, we had a good time singing. This song is, right here, is Great Is Thy Faithfulness. So here you can see a little picture of the group from the front side, and as a result, we did give them manuals of Romans 1 through 8. There's about a thousand pages to this manual, as it's not only the teacher edition, but it's the handouts, it's discussion questions, it's any of the overhead transparencies or whatever, as along with the three-ring notebook, and the cost of it was about $34. here and through the gracious giving of the saints at Duluth Bible Church that all that cost was covered and then some. So we thank the Lord for that and by the way they thank you for that. They said to make sure to express their thanks to the saints here for all the various ways that they've been ministered to over the years. Friday night, when the conference was going on the day, it ended at 5. Friday night, we made our way to the Primera Iglesia Baptista, the First Baptist Church of San Miguel, where I preached at that evening as they were celebrating that week the 84th anniversary of the church. And it just so happens that the pastor, who is a medical doctor, also is the pastor of the church. And he invited me to come. I accepted the invitation. And I taught them on Hebrews 4, 14 through 16. Word to you to return in your time of need. Then the graduation service was, excuse me, the institute class or the class on Hebrews was done about 3.30 in the afternoon and at 4 o'clock was the late afternoon Grace Institute's graduation. And this was actually graduates from two different institutes, one in San Miguel and one in La Union. And you can see people filing in there as they kind of filled out the place. You can see here's a front view of it all. And many of them are the graduates sitting in the first three rows there, as there were 34 graduates. Now, remember, to graduate, they take 30-plus courses. They take a final exam that's extensive. And frankly, they all graduated there. Praise the Lord. And what's so encouraging to me is that they are sharing the Word of God with others, as I will share with you in a little bit. At the graduation service, I had an opportunity to not only share some truths out of 2 Timothy 2, 1 through 3, but also to present the gospel. I wasn't planning to do it as extensive as I did, because I did have 30 minutes to speak, but I did it largely because there was a family there right here, Jaime Santos' family. Jaime was a student in our He was in his mid-60s. He got saved later in life and had a desire to learn the Word of God. But before he could graduate, he found out he had liver cancer three months ago, died within a month. And so the Lord was gracious in allowing Nelson, and Nelson is right here. to actually preach at his funeral. His wife, by the way, Jaime's wife, is unsaved. She's Roman Catholic and maybe she has gotten saved since the funeral. We really don't know. But she came with his two sons to accept Jaime's degree posthumously, and as a result, one of the sons got up right here and just shared how the Word of God had changed his dad completely, how his dad loved to study the Word of God. He would wake up in the morning and see his dad studying the Word of God and praying and sharing the gospel. And this son, we think, is probably saved. Most of the family isn't, and I would guess there was probably at least 25 members of the family. there for the graduation and as a result I had a chance for them to not only hear the gospel but to talk to them after, share my condolences, share some testimony and one of the girls, one of the grandkids said in her best English like you're preaching, you know, and so let's pray that the Lord will use his word in their hearts. Again, here are some of the graduates, and here you can see, by the way, their diplomas, their degrees are nicer than anything I've ever seen in the United States. I don't know where Tao gets them, but he does, and they're happy to have received them. And as you can see, they're all age levels. as they have a hunger to learn the word of God. It was a very moving graduation service for a number of reasons. And then we went back to the hotel Saturday night. We didn't get to bed until fairly late. We had to be in the van at three in the morning. to the airport in order to fly out at 7.30 that morning, and as a result, Lord willing, we flew home, though we got stuck in Chicago again. Mechanical problems this time, and did arrive home later on Monday morning. And so I want to thank you for all your prayers and all your support. And that's kind of an overview of the mission trip. But I want to take the remaining part of tonight and review with you some biblical principles and applications regarding missions and the local church. And I'm going to weave a few stories from El Salvador into this as well. But I'd like you to open your Bibles with me to the book of Acts, chapter 13. Acts chapter 13. Now you might remember that the year 2000 I was invited by New Tribes Mission to be part of their first pastors forum down in Sanford, Florida. to discuss the relationship of local churches to missions. And as a result of that, earlier that year, I had been really burdened in light of going to Poland about the need to get out the gospel. That year, I was invited to this pastor's forum. And later that year, we ended up going to El Salvador for the first time. But since they wanted to interact with the Word of God, the local church, and the missionary agency as it were, I didn't really know where to turn. But I should have known all along, go back to the Word of God. And so I began to examine Paul's missionary journeys and seek to draw out from them some principles. For we know Acts is not prescriptive, it's descriptive in nature. And yet, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine. And so therefore, I began to study passages like Acts 13. We begin in verse 1. Now, in the church that was at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who is also called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manian, who had been brought up with Herod, the Tetrarch, and Saul, also called Paul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus, and when they had arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they also had John John Mark as their assistant. Now the map up here gives you some idea of where they went on this first of several missionary journeys. They made their way to Cyprus, then over to Attilia, then Perga. They made their way up to Antioch. This is different than the Antioch they had left from. And they made their way into the area of Galatia. And then they kind of retraced their steps, did some follow-up, and made their way back. And we know as we would look at chapter 14 now, beginning in verse 21, And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Elystra, Iconium, Antioch, making their way back now. What were they doing? Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, we must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. So when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. When they had preached the Word at Perga, they went down to Attila. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been recommended, to the grace of God, for the work which they had completed. Now when they had come and gathered the church together, what did they do? They reported all that God had done with them, that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed there a long time with the disciples. Now, as we begin looking at some principles from this passage, and you should have a handout to assist you as we go through this, the first thing I really want to note is the message as they preach the Word of God is of primary importance when it comes to missions. Otherwise, you have nothing more than the Peace Corps. A missionary endeavor is not an end in itself, but a means to a greater end, reaching the lost with the gospel, discipling believers, and planting churches via psalm doctrine, all in keeping with the Great Commission. The message is of primary importance. Secondly, regarding the selection of these missionaries, we note that God chose believers who were already serving the Lord in their home church. He chose two out of five key leaders in that church at Antioch. He didn't look for someone who was sitting on the couch doing nothing. He looked for someone who was walking with the Lord, growing in the Lord, willing to be faithful right where they were at. And he says, those are two that I want to use for the furtherance of my work. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit ultimately directed the selection by making it obvious to local church leadership. Again, we see in Acts 13 and verse 2. These very words, as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. How did He do that? We don't know. Maybe a word of prophecy, as that was going on in those days. But we do know, as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, this happened. Verse 3, then having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them. Who laid hands on them? The leadership of the church. They sent them away. And so the Holy Spirit directed the leadership, as it were, confirmed this as they prayed about this and confirmed this as being from the Lord. So that all played into the selection of these missionaries. The third thing we see regarding the qualification and training of these missionaries is that the leaders of the missionary team were at least deacon qualified and probably elders in their local church. that those chosen to go were doctrinally accurate, had relative personal maturity, spiritually gifted, and practically equipped right within their home church. The exception of that was John Mark in a support role, and unfortunately, as you know, something happened along the way and he went home to Mama. Thirdly, their qualifications, giftedness, and faithfulness were well tested and proven within their own local church before being involved in missions. You see, you don't become a missionary by getting a plane ticket. You become a missionary by being willing to be a faithful ambassador right where you're at, and then the Lord leading you. For missions, you don't have to go to another country. It's out your back door as it is. Regarding the support of these missionaries, we note several things. First of all, it appears to have come primarily via their home church, namely Antioch. That was the sending church, the home church. But oftentimes in missionary endeavors, other churches get involved as well. Secondly, it involved them having to act as tent makers at times. We know Paul at times made tents to help support the team. At times people pay out of their own pocket, as it were, to go on mission trips. Thirdly, it also included support from other local churches. And we know from the book of Philippians that Philippi was involved in helping support Paul and the missionary team as well. And part of the reason he writes Philippians is to thank them for that. And ultimately it came from the Lord. Philippians 4.19, My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Fifthly, regarding the accountability of these missionaries, they were sent out again by their local church. By their local church. Don't ever forget that. It's a crucial thing in all of this. And they were allowed freedom though to make decisions as the Holy Spirit led them. You know, as far as the team goes, obviously they didn't have cell phones in those days and they didn't have means to communicate. And so the leaders of the team, Barnabas and Saul, were free as they were led of the Lord to make decisions as the Holy Spirit led them to do so. And they did. And that's why even with Kurt, for example, over in Africa, right now we've only heard, you know, you've read the same emails that I have, and obviously he's walking with the Lord, we pray, and he's making decisions practically as he's going day by day along with Bert, there as the Holy Spirit leads them. Thirdly, they gave an account back to their own local church. They're rehearsing all that God had done with them. And that's why we give missionary reports. You've prayed, you've given, and now we want you to hear what the Lord has done. Regarding furlough. And you know, missionaries do take furloughs. They come home. They come home. The last verse of Acts 14 says they stayed in Antioch at their home churches. They stayed there a long time. with the disciples. And I'm not saying every missionary must take a furlough. I understand that Amy Carmichael, I don't know if she ever took a furlough. when she was there in India. But indeed, there is a time for respite, to recoup. And you know what's really nice is when the primary support comes from a local church. Missionaries don't have to spend their furloughs running all over the country like a chicken with their head cut off. It's fine to see every supporting church and giving them a little report. So the conclusions, these missionaries were selected from their local church, serving in their local church, sent out by their local church, supported primarily by their local church, specifically accountable to their local church, spiritually refreshed back in their local church. Thus it is clear from scripture that God has chosen local churches as the focal point of His ministry today, including missions. Any missionary agency following this biblical blueprint must view itself as a servant and not a sovereign to those churches. The mission's existence must serve to enhance and facilitate this divine model and mandate given to the local church, not vice versa. And by the way, this is the very thing I shared with the leadership of New Tribes when I went down there. These very things. Number three, the local church must, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, send those whom He separates for the task of world evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. This isn't on your handout. This is extra. These people who are sent by the Church must be faithful men and women in keeping with the principle found in Luke 19 and Matthew 25. They must have been discipled before they can disciple others. They should first be found faithful in small things before being given larger responsibilities. Those who serve the Lord as missionaries should be witnesses for Christ in their local area. They must have shown a servant's heart through faithfulness in a local church ministry. as well as a dependent holy life and their daily walk with the Lord. Now as we think of Duluth Bible Church in El Salvador, you know there are some operating principles that have impacted us. as we have pursued this ministry as led by the Lord for the last 14 years. The first principle that I want to underscore for you is that we have sought to remember that Jesus Christ said, I will build my church. so as to cooperate and not compete with him. He's the owner of the church. He's the builder of the church. He never asked us to build the church. What has he told us to go and make disciples of all nations, whether that's across the street or across the ocean? Take the word to the world. That's what the Great Commission is really all about. Secondly, our strategy was to walk by faith in the Lord one step at a time. with a team concept and allowed him to divinely direct us as we targeted the spiritual leaders in Eastern El Salvador. Now let me highlight three things then. We did not have this great strategy going into El Salvador. In fact, we had never done it before. We didn't really know what we were doing. But we knew the Lord did. And we took a step of faith and had a conference. First conference, 32 guys came. Seven that we know of were responsive. Second time we went, 18 people came, seven were repeats, and we're not sure if more than seven were responsive. The third time we went, 50 to 55 people came, and the cows came out of the barn in the spring. I mean, they really grasped the message. And by the way, we taught Romans 1 through 8, the first conference, Romans 1 through 8, the second conference, Romans 1 through 8, the third conference. Very same stuff, and they were getting it. Notice the team concept, and I really want to underscore this. It's always been a team concept. It's not a one-man deal. It's a team that goes, it's a team in a sense that prays and supports. And where we were led of the Lord, unlike some missionaries who go to foreign fields and go and plant a church, is in light of the fact that there were many, quote, Christians, evangelical Christians in El Salvador, who already knew the language, already had the contacts, already had ministries and churches and so forth, but were not sound in their doctrine. We offered them, in essence, a opportunity to study and learn the scriptures and get unconfused in their thinking. In fact, we hardly have ever met anyone in El Salvador, apart from our impact, that was even clear on the Gospel. Very few that believed in eternal security. Some that were dispensational, but not real clear, and so forth. So we targeted the spiritual leaders, believing that if we could impact the leader, we could impact the whole church. And I will show you the results in a little bit. The team concept is critical as God is equipped, gifted, and wants to use various believers with speaking and support giftedness to service teachers, translators, and other support personnel. One of the things that we've had the privilege of doing almost, not every, but almost every trip is to have all our translators from this trip. who knew Spanish, they know the doctrine, they've heard me preach, they know where I'm going, they understand what I'm trying to say. It's really nice to have a translator that knows what you're trying to say. Because I don't care how well you say it, you're at the mercy of your translator. at the end of the day. And so the Lord has been very gracious in providing some very good translators for us. They've grown in that role. I've grown as a teacher as far as how to let them translate. Because, you know, you speak too long, they don't remember everything you say. You speak too short, and they don't have enough to translate. And so there's some rhythm to it. I can't say I'm an expert at it, but it certainly has gotten better over the years. So we started Bible conferences in 2000, then we started the Grace Institutes in 2005. And again, we had no idea, we did not go into this planning to start an institute at any time. But as a result of ministering in this area right here, in this area of El Salvador, about the size of San Luis Calvo. The Lord eventually led us to start an institute in 2005. We had our first graduation in 2010. And what had happened is not only did we have the first class graduate, but by the time we were two or three years into it, the first class, some of the men, started teaching a second class. So we had 37 graduates in 2010. And in 2010, we basically turned the institutes over to the El Salvadorian local churches. To further the work, we would provide the materials yet, but they would basically have to take and teach and run with it as it were. A third operating principle has been our confidence was in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the clear, accurate, systematic, verse-by-verse teaching of sound doctrine from a grace perspective. You see, you have to believe in the power of the Word of God. We didn't try any gimmicks. We made it clear up front, we are not going to build your church buildings. In fact, we're not even going to give you any money. What we will give you, though, is sound doctrine. We will give you materials and books to further your understanding of the Word of God. And don't hit us up for money. And you know, the first few trips, we were always hit up for money. Even though I told them. They didn't believe me. Because they look at Americans as money growing on trees, and in some ways, we are rich compared to many of them. And yet, once you start giving them money, you blur their motivations. And you're not sure if they're there for the money or for the Word of God. And we don't want to make them dependent upon us, but dependent upon the Lord and ultimately independent. of us. And so this has been the approach we've taken because we're convinced that I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. And not only has grace been taught regarding justification, but also sanctification and glorification. And I'll tell you, these El Salvadorans understand this very, very well. The three-tenths of salvation is something they have never heard, and it's cleared up all kinds of things with them. A fourth operating principle is we have sought to bring the teaching training to anyone interested in studying the scriptures by providing for them various scriptural studies with handouts that were transferable for use in their local churches as well as doctrinally sound materials, and please note, all free of charge. It's never cost them anything except their transportation to get to the conferences and or the institutes. as we have provided for them. We've sought to provide scriptural studies with handouts. just like you get here. And then what we did is we would give the pastors or teachers a blank set of handouts that they could turn around and go back and duplicate and teach in their churches so that this could be perpetuated. And I will tell you, one of the things I was so encouraged about on this trip is to hear of person after person after person who told me, oh, we've taught this, this, that, or we're teaching it for the second time, and one person told me, we've taught everything you've taught us. Well, there's a lot more of the Bible. And some of them are teaching stuff for a second time. It's all designed to be transferable and utilized by them in their local church concept. What have been the results? And again, to the glory of God and by the grace of God, using the word of God to point people to the Son of God. Right now, Tao tells me there's at least 150 or more churches Primarily in eastern El Salvador, now preaching the gospel clearly, teaching such truths as eternal security, identification truth, walking by faith in Christ as your life, dispensational truths and distinctions that weren't ten years ago. You know, the blueprint works. God knows what he's talking about. What a novel idea. Just trust him. Trust him. We have now 83 graduates of Grace Institutes. And again, they have over 30 courses, with between 200 to 300 having attended part of them as well. Thirdly, in my estimation, if you consider 150 churches, let's say the average church is 75 people, some larger, some smaller. 10,000 or more people have been directly impacted in their local churches along with thousands of others presenting the gospel. You know when I'm talking to them, for example, on Friday when we were there, there was a teacher of the public schools in Chapel Tiki who was in a car accident and died. And so I'm talking to Luis Esperanza from Chapulteca, and I said, did you know the man? Oh, yeah, I've known him for years. I held his kids in my arms. He said, really? He said, yeah. I said, was he safe? He says, I don't think so, but I gave him the gospel many times. And he says, in fact, at the school I'm part of, I've given all the staff the gospel. And you just heard this from person after person, who has shared the gospel with people. Only the Lord knows, and only eternity will show what the Lord has really done. There's some amazing testimonies and trophies of God's grace. I mentioned Jaime Santos a little bit ago who got saved later in life. I heard an amazing testimony, maybe I'll share it with you Sunday, about a gang member who got saved. And he got saved because he was sent by the gang leader to kill a pastor who eventually led him to Christ. Furthermore, there are El Salvadorian pastors planting and establishing local churches, now get this, in the United States. In fact, one of them tells me he's been to Houston multiple times. He says there's a very well-established, grace-oriented Hispanic church in Houston. He just came back from California. He preached at five, I think, probably Pentecostal churches out there. And they loved what he taught, and they want more. He is going to be here in April to help plant a church in Columbus, Ohio. And we know of another church that's the byproduct of this in Arlington, Virginia. I just love to hear missionaries sent to the United States. Furthermore, I'll start with our pastors. Two in particular, two churches, have preached over 200 messages over the internet, or you the world. One of them I talked to said, yeah, we've had people from 18 countries that have watched this. So they're getting the word of God out that way. Furthermore, the gospel and sound doctrine is being preached and taught in pulpits, lady studies, Sunday school, personal evangelism, on and on. A fifth operating principle is we have sought important intercessory prayer support from DBC and our sister churches. That's why we send you usually a prayer letter, or try to keep you updated with what is going on, because we want you to pray. And by the way, thank you again so much for your prayers this last trip. Some of you wondered again about, did we get chicken guinea? We don't know. It has a two to seven day incubation period, and we're not out of that yet. So we don't think so, but we'll let you know on Sunday. But the Lord is gracious. Safety, strength, spiritual impact, protection, pretty amazing. Number six, we have financed these many missionary endeavors by the grace-giving of believers in wise financial transactions as God directed and provided, believing that the three things that eternally matter are Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and people. It's been through grace-giving and also through the income that we receive through having the Edison Charter School here, that we were able to do this. We know that our bank account is declining, and that's why we're trusting the Lord to direct. But grace giving is where we're at. We're not going to preach tithing. We're not going to have gimmicks. We're going to just encourage you to pray, trust the Lord, and give. And we thank you for your giving, your prayers, and your support of us and our families as we go on these trips. Number seven, we've been mindful of the Great Commission in 2 Timothy 1 and 2 and the intent of ultimately turning over the ministry in any given area over to local churches to continue the work independent of Duluth Bible Church. And again, as we think of the Great Commission, we take this seriously. We believe ultimately it's the result in the establishment of local churches who are in turn then to go and spread the Word of God in their area and become independent, as it were, of whoever the sending church was. 2 Timothy 2, 1 and 2, Therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit. Commit. Entrust. Entrust these things, these truths to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Jesus Christ gave the Word of God to Paul. Paul gave the Word of God to Timothy. Timothy was now to teach faithful men who were able to teach others also. That's what God wants in each generation. He wants His truth to move vocationally, generationally, across racial barriers, across cultural barriers, and such as God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Some prayer requests regarding this, you might want to jot these down. The further development of Grace Institutes in Nicaragua, with Nelson Hernandez from El Salvador moving his family there in January 2015, Lord willing, to be their director. Next week, Nelson and his wife Sandra are planning to go to Nicaragua. They're going to be looking for a home here in the area of Managua, just south of Managua, right in here, perhaps in a little town called Diriamba. And we have institutes, as you know, in Ometepe, we have one in Managua, we have one in Nueva Guinea. We have around 85 students at this present time in those three locations, and the Word of God is going. Though we have had requests now from a group of 30 pastors in Matagalpa. We have requests from a series of pastors over here in Messiah and other places as the Lord just opens doors. And I trust we'll continue to do so. Having Nelson there will make a very great difference, we trust, in coordinating all of this. You say, well, who's going to replace Nelson and his local church? It appears as though the Lord has already been working this out, as we have a graduate of our institute named Herman. And he has taught at the church where Nelson pastors several times when Nelson's been gone. He's been involved in a church plant in a little barrio outside of San Miguel called Pacifica. And in doing so, it appears as though Germán will probably be the man who replaces Nelson, which allows Nelson to go to Nicaragua and be involved in that Timothy kind of ministry there. But we need your prayers, and pray for him even regarding finding a home next week, and even there's quite a significant financial commitment that we will need to make on his behalf as well, and so be praying about that. Second prayer request is the ongoing teaching and equipping of the Saints at seven Grace Institutes in El Salvador. It's fairly incredible when you realize that in the city of La Union, There's a man named Antonio Estrada who is teaching institute classes there along with some other pastors. And he's also been asked, not only is he starting another class of students, he's been asked to come and start an institute in the local prison as well. And then we've got Johnny Zelaya here in the city of Chinameka. And he has an institute going with several students. And then we have a man named Miguel Angel. who is in the city of Wukop. Wukop? Wukop. Wukop. How do you say it again? Wukop. Wukop. Thank you, Sunny. Say that ten times fast, okay? And he's heading up an institute there. Then in the city of Usulitan, we have Carlos Parada. Now he is the fella. By the way, he's 70-some years old. And he is the guy who's coming over to the United States, teaching at all these locations. But he also has an institute going on in Usulitan. And then there's Nelson here, as you can see, and Tao. And then the guy who's going to replace Nelson as the director of the institute in San Miguel is Luis Esperanza right here with his wife Maritza. And so the Lord has put all these people in place. They've been well grounded, they've taught, they've been using the Lord, and they're more than willing to be used. Third thing I'd like you to pray about is the teaching of Romans conferences and the development of Grace Institutes in western El Salvador with Teo Tabar coordinating all of this. Did you know he moved there a year ago for that purpose? But he hasn't been involved in Nicaragua yet, so he's been hindered somewhat to do that, but in doing so, again, We have 35 pastors who want to gather in February for a conference in Santa Ana. There's already an institute going on in San Salvador, and we trust that the Lord will direct, utilizing again some of those key men you saw earlier, to come help Cale teach conferences on weekends for a year or so, engage interest, and then perhaps, as the Lord leads, start grace institutes there. Another prayer request is the establishing of doctrinally sound Hispanic churches in the United States. As I mentioned already, Carlos Parada is involved in doing that. He will be coming back in April to help establish a church in Columbus, and we want to send him some materials. Another one is for willing laborers and literally millions of dinero to further God's work. And I've shared with you before about this. He prayed to this end, to the Lord of the harvest, to send out laborers into the harvest. And when God sends out laborers, obviously, laborers need to be provided for as well. And so let's pray to that end as well. And lastly, Principle number eight, we have desired that the name of Jesus Christ be glorified and not our church or any person. In fact, it's kind of funny, over there they call me, they call me Armando Diniz. That's how they say Dennis. And it's kind of funny, but I love them and they love me in many ways. And they love the other believers that have gone time and time again. But it's not been our desire to have our name on the marquee, but to have the name of Jesus Christ be glorified. And not our church or any person, though they thank you deeply for how the Lord has used you. Because the bottom line is to God be the glory. Great things he has done.