Facing challenges with our gaze fixed on God

There is a passage that I, in other times, have commented on, but I want to leave it here, at this time, when we undertake a difficult work that challenges us, that forces us to be visionaries and trust that this has to be from God. , due to the magnitude of what lies ahead. I have always said that in God's people there are only two types of mentality. What I would call a scarcity mentality and what I would call an abundance mentality.

I know that I have spoken about this before but I want to engrave it in your heart in light of what we are doing, and I have also said that in any great undertaking that challenges the intellect and that challenges the sense of sufficiency that one has, the God's people are divided into two camps. Those who look at the obstacles and who look at the difficulty of the work and the threats and obstacles that lie ahead, in potential. And those who see the vision through the eyes of God and become part of that effort for God to be glorified and set their sights, put their trust in divine provision.

And, I believe, the Book of Numbers, the passage of Joshua and Caleb and the spies manifests this in a special way. I want to put this on your heart briefly before you leave. In chapter 13, Numbers, verse 25 it says that after Moses sent the spies to spy out the land, they returned and returned to see the land at the end of forty days. And ten of the spies gave the following report, it says, "we came to the land to which you sent us," they said to Moses, "which certainly does flow with milk and honey and this is the fruit of it." They brought huge clusters, very abundant samples of the fruit that was in that land and the promise that the land to which God had sent them contained.

What's going on? They opposed this confirmation of what God had told them, that milk and honey flowed from that land, the difficult and difficult and threatening of the company. It says, “but the people who inhabit that land are strong and the cities are very large and fortified. And we also saw the sons of Anac there.” And then they mention a list of all the terrible tribes that were there.

Then Caleb silenced the people of Moses before him and said, “let us go up soon and take possession of it because we will be able to do more than they. But the men who went up with him said we cannot go up against that town because it is stronger than us. And they spoke badly among the children of Israel about the land they had reconnoitered saying, 'the land we passed through to reconnoiter it is a land that swallows up its inhabitants and all the people we saw in the midst of it are men of great stature, we also saw giants there , sons of Anac, race of giants and we were like locusts in our opinion and so we appeared to them'”.

You see, when one looks at the great tasks that God places before one, it is very easy to see only with material eyes, rational eyes, the eyes of the intellect. And see, only, the obstacles that are in front of us; the giants so to speak, the obstacles. I recognize that this is a very big task that we propose to carry out. We have to build a temple of 8 million dollars and peak for four million dollars. And God has put it in my heart that we can do it. Amen.

God has allowed us to build two buildings and completely renovate them and He has been our provider. We have never been ashamed, God has been our support, our foundation. And you have given generously and have committed. We have spent fifteen years, practically, under construction and working to build a place where so many people come from different parts. Not only Hispanics but North Americans, Afro-Americans, Asians, charismatics, evangelicals, fundamentalists, all groups of the Church of Christ come to this place.

And not only, but social agencies, politicians from the city come here and they are blessed, they are challenged. They see a community of faith that serves the Lord, they see honest and hard-working immigrants making progress, carrying out the work to raise their children and take them to a new level, people who are contributing to the well-being of this country and this congregation has been an example for the glory of God, for many. And instead of simply being recipients of favors and mercy from those who have, we have given, we have always been generous people, we have shared.

God has given us not only to receive but also to share with others and we have been, I believe, generous in giving our spaces, our money, our energies, our talents to bless the city. And that has been because we have had the vision to believe God, to believe that God is powerful. Of believing that God uses the weak of the earth to humiliate the rich and to humiliate the powerful. And God has been with us at all times.

This first group of spies only saw, as I say, the challenge, they only saw how difficult the undertaking was, I want to encourage you brothers, in this time, put rationality aside. Put aside your fear that I do not have enough to contribute to this temple. Put aside your doubt that the church can pull this off. Put aside even if at some point in this process... listen to this carefully, that the Lord puts it in my heart right now, if you see any delay, any complication in every company, in every work effort, there are always complexities that They arise, that is natural.

That is part of the glory of God. God always likes complex processes for Him to glorify himself more. Even if you saw some complication that could arise, do not fear your heart, amen. Amen.

May your heart have its gaze fixed on the God who has called us. Do not allow doubt, discouragement, questioning to enter your heart. Don't be like the people of Israel who every time a complication arose in their pilgrimage in the desert, what did they do? They murmured. They complained – they complained about God, they complained about Moisés as their leader and they lost their spirits, as Sister Olga Martínez said, this morning, right? They let their spirits drop.

You keep your gaze, reinforce your prayer. Pray for those of us who are ahead of this work. Encourage, declare God's blessing, put a prophetic smile on your face. Amen. Say words of encouragement and say words of blessing over the work. That is going to be part of giving glory to the Lord.

When we finished this first building in the year 1997 and looking now at where we are and where it has taken us spiritually, it is hard for me to remember the small congregation and much less mature in the things of the Spirit, which began this work compared to what it is today. we are. It is not that we still have a long way to go, because we still have a long way to go, but I thank the Lord that through these tasks, these efforts, this church has been strengthened.

By being tested in war, by being seasoned on the battlefield, our vision as a congregation has widened. Many of us have grown, we have learned to give to the Lord, we have learned that God is faithful. We have learned that when one is generous towards God, God does not shorten his hand but blesses and gives more and more. Our faith has grown, our ministry vision has gotten bigger. The name of the Lion of Judah Congregation, to the glory of the Lord, has grown bigger.

I think that fits, there is a place for one to feel, Thank you Lord! Thank you because this tribe has been blessed and has given you glory and honor, it has given glory to your name. God has used our efforts to bless this congregation and to bless this community. And when we worked on the other building next door, too, the work was hard. It was longer than we thought, the challenges were great. Money was spent, hard work was spent, uncertain times were passed, but Glory to God that we have a wonderful building that serves to fuel the efforts of this church and to provide space for the groups and ministries that this congregation supports.

And we finished our building, and with great blessing we invited members of the secular community, members of the city, city and state government and members of different social and public agencies came and we were able to celebrate the end of that place. And I believe that the main jewel in that crown is in that place. I have told people that I build with my people looking at what God is going to bring in the future.

And let me tell you something, and I've said it before, I don't believe that building is the end of the Lion of Judah career. Amen.

Someone said here a while ago that he saw a stadium, and I don't see a stadium, I see stadiums. Listen… I see, for me, that building is simply to fulfill the scripture, listen to me. For the scripture to be fulfilled, that is all. God wants that empty space filled with a place, but for me that is simply a prophetic act.

That sanctuary is merely a prophetic statement that God's people are not in retreat or retreat, but are aggressively building to the glory of God. Amen. That in the midst of all the announcements of disaster and decline of the church in the United States and in the West, God is building sanctuaries. God is raising up places for his glory. That place for me is just, listen, a prophetic act. That's all.

I believe that the glory of God will come after that place is built in faith and then I know that what God has for this Congregation, not because we are nothing, but because we are the smallest body – the smallest tribe – not because we are nothing. we deserve, but because God gives it to whom God wants, the harvest will be great. It will be big, so big that we will forget about that sanctuary because that sanctuary is simply, as I say, it is for the glory of God.

We can't just look at what God's people do in utilitarian terms, you know? There are things that God does simply for Him to be glorified, a holocaust that is raised before Him. It is an altar that He is simply pleased to look at. What function does a rose have except to bring pleasure and delight to the one who looks at it and to the one who smells it? That is all that justifies the existence of a rose.

I believe that what justifies the construction of that place is that when God looks upon Him, God will be pleased with the faith of His people. And God will be pleased that his people had the confidence to believe that he could carry it through with victory. So I want to encourage you. Joshua and Caleb had the vision that God wanted, and Joshua said, “The land we passed through to spy out is very good land. If Jehovah is pleased with us, He will take us to this land and give it to us. A land flowing with milk and honey, therefore let us not be rebellious against Jehovah or fear the people of this land because we will eat them like bread. Their shelter has departed from them and the Lord is with us.” Amen.

Let us not fear, brothers, the joy of the Lord is our strength. We are going to stand up and I am going to ask us to get ready to leave. And we are going to divide into two parts, a group is going to come out on this side, we are going to do it well in order, as we did this morning. This morning we had not even planned it because it was going to be only at the end of this service, but the Lord put it in my heart to also invite the people of the first service to be part of that ceremony.

Today, now at this moment we are going to do it with even more order and firmness so I invite you to get ready and David, if you want something? Yes Yes. Let's say more or less half is going to come out this way, in line, in order and with a good, well-trained, well-disciplined army and the other half is going to come out this way and we're going to meet at the back of the parking lot. so that we celebrate a brief but eloquent ceremony for the glory of the Lord. Amen.

Okay, so we're going to meet with a word of prayer, just, and then you're going to file very neatly and precisely and quickly as well to meet us there.

So Father, in the name of Jesus we prepare this time for you and we ask that your Holy Spirit bless us, Lord, what we are going to do. And may you receive, Father, this adoration and this declaration of faith that we offer to you. Thank you, Lord, in the name of Jesus. Amen and amen