Since not everyone can join our weekly mission prayer sessions, I would like to use this forum to share a few thoughts on the Bible portion that we reflect on during this conference call. In the DYF Mexico Mission Team, we have a prayer team that meets every Thursday night for about an hour and a half to study various Bible portions (using different study guides) and relate them to our mission in Mexico. We also use this time to uplift the many aspects of the Mexico Mission in prayer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you would like to join our prayer team, please send me an e-mail at secretary@mtcyouth.org.
In addition, every Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. ET, we meet as a DYF for a mission prayer conference call where we read the portion that the prayer team studied on Thursday night, briefly reflect, and spend time in prayer. If you do not have the conference call number, please send me an e-mail and I will provide the number and pass code accordingly.
Last week we meditated on the theme "The Good News" using Acts 10: 23-48 as our reference (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2010:%2023-48&version=31). From this portion we saw how the Lord spoke to Peter about going to the house of Cornelius (a centurion in the Italian Regiment). In those times, the Jews did not mix with the Gentiles, and for Peter to go the house of Cornelius would be against all of society's rules. However, Peter followed the Lord's call in faith and after arriving at the house of Cornelius, he shared the good news of Jesus Christ. Because Peter put aside the differences that existed between him and Cornelius, those people who heard about Jesus Christ, by Peter's testimony, received the Holy Spirit and were blessed!
If we look at this message in the context of our mission in Mexico, we can see that the Lord is calling us to put aside the differences that we have with the Mexican people (whether it is the ethnically, culturally, economically, morally, language differences, etc...) and go and spread His good news. We are called to reach out not only to those who are different outside of our community, but also those within our own communities. How many of us actually stop to talk to the people in our own Church who may have a different background, viewpoint, etc... and share some kind words? How many of us reach out to the people in our own neighborhoods, despite being a different race, and share the good news and how God is working in our lives?
Just as God blessed those who heard Peter's message in the house of Cornelius, it is our hope and prayer that God will bless those who hear our message of love in the Mexico Mission and all the places where we go to spread the good news! Will you respond to His call and help us in spreading the good news?
In His Service,
Ashley George
DYFC Secretary