Galatians 2:20
Dr. Roberto Miranda
SUMMARY: The speaker reflects on his recent visit to Medellín, Colombia, and observes the great need for spiritual healing and support in Latin American cities. He emphasizes the need for churches and individuals to commit to serving as resources and refuge for those in need. He also discusses the importance of dying to self and living only for Jesus Christ, giving everything to Him so that He can use us to bear much fruit. The speaker encourages the congregation to make this commitment and to understand the true meaning of baptism, which symbolizes dying to self and rising to a new life in Christ.
The speaker talks about the importance of dying to oneself and giving everything to the Lord. He refers to the biblical story of Baruk, who was more concerned about his personal glory than the impending destruction of his city. The speaker emphasizes that in these difficult times, we need to focus on becoming sanctified instruments of God to help those in need. He also mentions the need for a larger temple for the congregation and asks for support in its construction. The speaker encourages the congregation to consecrate themselves to the Lord and to be willing to die for Christ.
The speaker talks about the importance of dying to oneself and giving everything to the Lord. He refers to the biblical story of Baruk, who was more concerned about his personal glory than the impending destruction of his city. The speaker emphasizes that in these difficult times, we need to focus on becoming sanctified instruments of God to help those in need. He also mentions the need for a larger temple for the congregation and asks for support in its construction. The speaker encourages the congregation to consecrate themselves to the Lord and to be willing to die for Christ.
Galatians 2:20 and 21. Verse 20 says: “Say with Christ.... I have been crucified together.... and I no longer live...... but Christ lives in me.... and that now I live..... in the flesh..... I live it.... in the faith of the Son of God,..... who loved me..... and gave himself for me.....” Let's leave it there.
I chose this verse as a starting point for my meditation this morning. As you know, I just told you that I came to visit the city of Medellín, in Colombia, and it was a great experience, a very beautiful experience, and I am very grateful to brother Fabio Alsate, his family there, the Alsate family, who sponsored me. and they blessed us with their support and much help that they gave us there. But one of the things that I experienced... Medellín is an essentially Latin American fifth city, it's like it's a kind of microcosm of the Latin American continent. There you can see all the beauties of our continent and also all its broken aspects. Medellín is a city that is as if you imagine a great mountain and a finger comes and squeezes the top of the mountain and puts it like this, imagine like a rubber mountain, right?, and that finger comes, squeezes the mountain in the middle and makes a cavity in the middle, and there is the city of Medellín, in the center, and then all the way around that mountain, great mountains around it, the city has grown and spread out on all the sides of those mountains. mountains, and that is a beautiful view of the city of Medellin. On those slopes of the mountain there is everything, there are very expensive and very luxurious buildings, and houses with a lot of money, with villas and large extensions of land for very rich people, and there are condominiums like here in the US and there are also huge extensions of poverty. Families that are piled up with each other and there is also extreme poverty as there is in all Latin American countries. Just like in Latin America, because in Latin America we know that everywhere, in Brazil I understand that it is like that, in the Dominican Republic where I come from, it is definitely like that. Many times you are on a very luxurious street and cross two blocks and you are in the midst of the most extreme poverty. And so it is in all Latin American countries. It is the same everywhere. If you go to Thailand, Indonesia, Asia, Africa it's this incredible mix of great wealth and great poverty.
I chose this verse as a starting point for my meditation this morning. As you know, I just told you that I came to visit the city of Medellín, in Colombia, and it was a great experience, a very beautiful experience, and I am very grateful to brother Fabio Alsate, his family there, the Alsate family, who sponsored me. and they blessed us with their support and much help that they gave us there. But one of the things that I experienced... Medellín is an essentially Latin American fifth city, it's like it's a kind of microcosm of the Latin American continent. There you can see all the beauties of our continent and also all its broken aspects. Medellín is a city that is as if you imagine a great mountain and a finger comes and squeezes the top of the mountain and puts it like this, imagine like a rubber mountain, right?, and that finger comes, squeezes the mountain in the middle and makes a cavity in the middle, and there is the city of Medellín, in the center, and then all the way around that mountain, great mountains around it, the city has grown and spread out on all the sides of those mountains. mountains, and that is a beautiful view of the city of Medellin. On those slopes of the mountain there is everything, there are very expensive and very luxurious buildings, and houses with a lot of money, with villas and large extensions of land for very rich people, and there are condominiums like here in the US and there are also huge extensions of poverty. Families that are piled up with each other and there is also extreme poverty as there is in all Latin American countries. Just like in Latin America, because in Latin America we know that everywhere, in Brazil I understand that it is like that, in the Dominican Republic where I come from, it is definitely like that. Many times you are on a very luxurious street and cross two blocks and you are in the midst of the most extreme poverty. And so it is in all Latin American countries. It is the same everywhere. If you go to Thailand, Indonesia, Asia, Africa it's this incredible mix of great wealth and great poverty.
