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THE MAGAZINE THATS EDIFIES YOUR LIFE

March 2015 / Edition 734

evangelistic

TESTIMONY

Two lives joined by God DEVOTIONAL

Qualities for the service to God LITERATURE

The importance of the Historical Books

The web OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

WORLDWIDE MISSIONARY MOVEMENT

The plague of all times

CORRUPTION

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 2 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR

EDITORIAL

Rev. Gustavo Martínez International President of the WMM

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.” Mark 16: 9-11.

efore learning that Jesus had risen, the disciples were in a state of unimaginable prostration and sadness. To the point that when Mary Magdalene came to announce the resurrection, they were too busy mourning and groaning and did not believe (Mark 16:11). Although Christ announced several times that he would die and rise again on the third day, the disciples never embraced those words. To them, the crucifixion had meant the end of their discipleship, and everyone went home, back to their respective professions. However, Christ appeared to them to give them back their joy, and when he showed them his wounds and his side, irrefutable proof that it was Him, they rejoiced greatly. The Lord Jesus Christ said that we would not be exempt from tribulations on this earth, but He promised to give us His divine peace. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Christ, having risen, appeared to two disciples who were going to a village, but they did not recognize him, and they even called him “stranger.” At these words, our Savior reproached their ignorance, saying: “O fools,

and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken”. (Luke 24:25). Christ resorted to the Word to give back the joy that comes from faith. But when they told the other apostles about it, none believed them (Mark 16:12). Then, when Christ appeared to them, He reproached both the hardness of their hearts and their unbelief (Mark 16:14). When God wants to reveal himself to a person, He always does it through the Scripture. The Bible produces faith, and faith leads to Christ, disintegrating the unbelief of the heart (Romans 10:17). Genuine faith does not allow anyone or anything to separate us from the sublime love of God, not even death. This is because our life is founded on the Rock that is Christ. Dear reader, you may have never experienced the joy of salvation or, having experienced it, your lifestyle has taken you away from God. God is calling you now and you are being given an opportunity to accept Him. If you do so, He will receive you and make you heir to the kingdom of heaven. However, if you are already saved, enjoy your salvation at all times. Death has been swallowed up by the victory of Christ on the Calvary, we have nothing to fear. God bless you l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

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evangelistic Founder Director: Rev. Luis M. Ortiz March 2015 / Edition N° 734 (USPS 012-850) OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLDWIDE MISSIONARY MOVEMENT The World-Wide Missionary Movement, Inc. is a non-profit church with a vision to plant new churches in the United States of America and its territories, and also with a missionary vision to plant new churches wherever God opens new doors all over the World. PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY Movimiento Misionero Mundial, Inc World-Wide Missionary Movement, Inc San Juan, Puerto Rico Washington, D.C. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936

POSTMASTER: send address changes to Impacto Evangelístico P.O. BOX 363644 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-3644 Phone (787) 761-8806; 761-8805; 761-8903

INTERNATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS OF WMM INC. Rev. Gustavo Martínez President Rev. José Soto Vice President Rev. Rubén Concepción Secretary Rev. Rodolfo González Treasurer Rev. Álvaro Garavito Director Rev. Margaro Figueroa Director Rev. Rómulo Vergara Director Rev. Humberto Henao Director Rev. Luis Meza Director CHURCHES ESTABLISHED IN: Germany Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Belgium Belize Bolivia Bonaire Brasil Cameroon Canadá Chile Colombia Congo Ivory Coast Costa Rica Curacao Dinamarca Ecuador El Salvador Spain United States The Philippines Finland

France Gabón Ghana Guatemala Equatorial Guinea French Guiana Guyana Inglesa Haití Holland Honduras India England St. Andres Island (Col.) Saint Martin Island Island of Mauritius Rodrigues Island Canaries Islands (Spain) Hawaiian Islands (U.S.A.) Israel Italy Jamaica Japan

Kuwait Madagascar Malaysa México Myanmar Nicaragua Nigeria Oman Panamá Paraguay Peru Portugal Puerto Rico Dominican Republic Romania Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland South Africa Surinam Trinidad and Tobago Ukranian Uruguay Venezuela

Legal deposit made on the National Library of Peru Nº 2011-02530 Christian Pentecostal Church-Worldwide Missionary Movement: Av. 28 de Julio 1781 - Lima 13 - Peru Printout: Quad/Graphics Perú S.A. Av. Los Frutales 344 - Lima 03 - Peru MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 4 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

The Worldwide Missionary Movement is a religious nonprofit organization duly registered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and in the federal capital, Washington DC, with headquarters in both cities and in every state of the United States and other countries where we have established missionary Works. Important The offerings and donations in cash, equipment, real estate and bequests by will, in the benefit of the Worldwide Missionary Movement, Inc.’s Work, are deductible from the income tax, and receipts issued by the WMM are recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the Federal Government of the United States of America and of the Free Associated State of Puerto Rico. n

Visit our website Obtain uplifting information about God’s Work and keep up with the latest news. A customized access from anywhere in the world: www. impactoevangelistico.net n

If you wish Write to us at our postal address: Worldwide Missionary Movement, Inc. PO Box 363644 San Juan, P. R. 00936-3644 n

Copyright © 2009 Impacto Evangelistic Movimiento Misionero Mundial, Inc. (World-Wide Missionary Movement, Inc.) All content of this magazine and each subsequent edition are duly registered at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC USA. All rights reserved. Total or partial reproduction in any form and translation into other languages without prior permission of the Director are prohibited. Under international copyright agreements, they are crimes punishable by law. n

Doctrinal Statement The Worldwide Missionary Movement adheres to the fundamental doctrines of Scripture, such as: n

• The inspiration of the Holy Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:15-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21. • The Adorable Godhead in Three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Matthew 3:16-17, 17: 1-5; 28:19, John 17: 5, 24, 26, 16:32, 14:16, 23, 18:5, 6, 2 Peter 1:17,18; Revelation 5. • Salvation by Faith in Christ: Luke 24:47, John 3:16, Romans 10:13, Titus 2:11, 3:5-7. • The New Birth: John 3:3, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 3:9. • Justification by Faith: Romans 5:1, Titus 3:7. • Water Baptism by Inmersion, as commanded by Christ: Matthew 28:19, Acts 8:36-39. • The Baptism in the Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation, speaking in tongues according to: Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4, 8, 2:4. • Divine Healing: Isaiah 53:4, Matthew 8:16, 17, Mark 16:18, James 5:14, 15. • The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. • The Fruits of the Holy Spirit: Galatians 5:22-26. • Sanctification: 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23, Hebrews 12:14, 1 Peter 1:15, 16, 1 John 2:6. • Ministry and Evangelization: Mark 16:15-20, Romans 10:15. • Tithing and Maintenance of the Work: Genesis 14:20, 28:22, Leviticus 27:30, Numbers 18:21-26, Malachi 3:7-10, Matthew 10:10; 23:23. • The Rapture of the Church: Romans 8:23, 1 Corinthians 15:5152, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. • The Second Coming of Christ: Zechariah 14:1-9, Matthew 24:30, 31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, Titus 2:13, Jude 14, 15. • The Millennial Kingdom: Isaiah 2:1-4, 11:5-10, Zechariah 9:10, Revelation 19:20, 20:3-10. • New Heavens and New Earth: Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1.

SUMMARY

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6. Cover. The evil of all times.

24. Literature. The historical books.

46. Information. Gospel for humanity.

14. Infographics. Corruption.

28. Music. The love of God.

16. Health. Diabetes.

30. Hero of faith. The First Great Awakening.

48. Event. BOLIVIA. Young men, broaden your vision.

18. Reality. The Growing Plague of Child Pornography.

34. Biographies. The First Great Awakening.

20. International. Danger to Christians.

40. Devotional. The Resurrection of Christ, a unique case.

22. Reality. The Sacred Bible.

42. Devotional. Qualities for the service of God. 44. Devotional. The death.

52. Event. ARGENTINA. Faithfulness to God never fails. 56. Event. MEXICO. Obedience will reveal our faithfulness. 59. Event. PUERTO RICO. The Lord listened to the voice of a man. 60. Event. PANAMA. The Lord is the same forever . 63. Event. BELGICA. To the service of the Lord.

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

COVER

Corruption is not something exclusive of our times. It has existed since antiquity. Throughout the years, it has taken different forms and modalities getting to sophisticated extremes, which did not diminish its power to harm society. It can be said that it is present in all social classes and that it even affected leading institutions all over the world. It has attained such level that the fight against corruption has become a global matter.

THE EVIL OF ALL

TIMES

MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 6 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

Ancient Rome is no exception to corruption. The work of majorities served to enrich the superior minorities, as in any civilization. In addition to clientelism and favoritism, or which is the same, trading of influences and favors, Rome was ruled by extortion and bribery, from the simplest public servants to the emperor.

MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 8 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

Bribery was the first act qualified as a corruption act within a legal frame applied to public servants. Its most ancient precedent is located in Egypt, where there was a law stating that any judge accepting a bribe from a litigant and refusing to listen to his/her counterpart was guilty of crime against justice and subject to capital punishment. Ancient Rome is no exception to corruption. The work of majorities served to enrich the superior minorities, as in any civilization. In addition to clientelism and favoritism, or which is the same, trading of influences and favors, Rome was ruled by extortion and bribery, from the simplest public servants to the emperor. Therefore, it was worthwhile to study rhetoric, since it was one of the essential requirements to become public “servant”. Wealth was not enough, since the elite was characterized by its education (pepaideumenos), natural authority and good speech. A person was considered educated if he/she had some literary and mythological knowledge. But education was just a requirement moreover necessary to write polished reports and letters to the superiors. It was more important to be supported by a powerful patron or some dignitary, to be client of an influent person that may recommend them (suffragia) for some work post or for a specific public function (militia). Those favors from the patron were paid either with other favors or with gratuities (sportula). In the case of the main dignitaries chosen by the emperor, gratuities were paid to the imperial treasurer. The public “service” was then an effective way of becoming rich quickly. There were even people (proxenetae) specialized in such trading of recommendations. Every process was performed through bribery, even the less important one. Hence, if a servant of low category appeared before a servant of higher category, he/she must did it with a gift in his/her hands. The army was also related to this bribery regime. Soldiers were exempted from their duties by paying their officers a part of their revenues. Therefore, soldiers lost their time

COVER

in the most natural way while in the regiments, spending their energy in the pleasures available in their barracks during their time of service, under the favor of their bribed officers. Besides their payment to their officers from the money of the state, soldiers earned money from pillage during the conquests, theft or as slaves.

DURING THE TIMES OF JESUS During the times of Jesus, there were corrupt behaviors among the religious leaders, as well as in other social classes. For instance, the purification of the temple performed by Christ evidences a dramatic case of corruption by the religious authorities, merchants and money changers. Hebrew people performed offerings and Continue readingâ€“â€“ March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

This scandalous media macrocorruption of which everybody talks about nowadays is based on another microcorruption that is silent and settled in society, but that it is not less unfair or reprehensible.

Continue reading––

sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem to worship God. As per the Law, the animals suited for sacrifice must have had no physical defects, so the priests inspected meticulously the animals carried by the offerers. Too often, they found little imperfections that they used MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 10 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

as an excuse to refuse the lambs, calves, oxen and pigeons transported by the offerers from their distant homelands. To “solve” this problem, the priests gave them the possibility of acquiring in the temple itself other animals said “perfect”, but of course, paying a higher price. The revenues

COVER his disciples, who was one of those publicans despised by the Israelites. The corrupt person may change once Christ enters his/her life, provoking his rebirth. Salvation comes to those who acknowledge that they are lost and need God’s forgiveness. And, what to say about Judas’ betrayal, the most corrupt of the twelve disciples who sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver! Even though Jesus knew him well and what he would do, he still washed his feet as he did with the others and loved him until the end. Jesus-Christ is the paradigm of anticorruption that may free human heart from these ethic and social scourge through that personal regeneration mentioned in the Bible as “new birth”. Society may change only if their members change. Of course, mandatory honesty of institutions and exigencies of mutual responsibilities may help to fight corruption, but individual honesty will always be the priority and main foundation.

obtained by this business of perfect animals were distributed among the merchants and the priests. This was a shameless way of taking advantage of the poor believers of good faith. On the other hand, money changers were in charge of exchanging foreign currency (Greek drachmae, Roman denarii, etc.) to the Jews from the diaspora, so that they may have the exact Hebrew half-shekel to pay the mandatory tribute (Exodus 30: 12-15). Furthermore, the money of the gentiles was considered impure, so it could not be used for the offerings. The problem was that to exchange the currency, the money changers added a surcharge of 2 % to 4 %. This also shows a lucrative abuse made in the name of the purity of the temple. For these reasons, Jesus did not hesitate, and making a scourge of ropes, He expulsed all the people who transformed the house of prayer a den of thieves. Jesus was absolutely intransigent towards this kind of corruption. But it is important to recognize something important from the attitude of Christ. Rejecting such an unfair behavior does not imply to reject the repentant. Certainly, Jesus chose Matthew or Levi, son of Alphaeus, among

CORRUPTION AND POLICY The Bible states that love for the money is the cause of all evils. Many times, having lots of possessions lead to selfishness and desire of having more no matter how, forgetting then our fellow men. As everybody knows, the West is mainly formed by democratic societies that trusted with their vote part of their liberty to the political class. Nonetheless, a big part of citizens does not trust their politicians nowadays. This is one of the greatest paradoxes of our times. During the modern times, representative democracy took a lot of effort to be developed, but during this contemporary hypermodernity, people do not feel really represented by their social leaders. Democracy is still trusted, but not those in charge of managing it. Such contradiction is a menace since it separates people from the representatives chosen by themselves. These are named “political class” with contempt and there is a tendency to generalize that every person that gets to power only cares about him/herself, are corrupt and forgot completely their former election promises. But there is a problem: When people say that all politicians are potential thieves, nobody surprises when actually finding those who actually are. Corruption becomes, then, part

Similarly, millions of citizens practice this other type of socially accepted corruption by refusing to pay their taxes, stealing from companies, raising the prices or offering but the minimum wages to any possible employee. Those who cheat with these small things, would not they do it with the most important ones at the least opportunity?

Continue reading–– March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

Continue reading––

MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 12 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

of people’s expectancies and it is seen as an irremediable defect deeply embedded in the genetic composition of many politicians. There appear new members of political parties with the only selfish purpose of perpetuate themselves in the power and keep stealing the goods of the community. The once triumphal heroes who represented the ideals of the majorities have become criminals repudiated by almost everybody. Nonetheless, we must escape from these generalizations because the reality is that there are politicians who are not corrupt. It is unfair to criminalize the whole group. Deep inside, the crisis of all these men and women who work in policy is an ethical crisis. This scandalous media macrocorruption of which everybody talks about nowadays is based on another microcorruption that is si-

lent and settled in society, but that it is not less unfair or reprehensible. Some famous politicians are corrupted with envelopes full of money that someone puts on their desks with discretion and periodically. Secret bribes waiting for favors and promising confidentiality. This is something completely reprehensible that we must not minimize and that justice must punish with the full weight of the law. Similarly, millions of citizens practice this other type of socially accepted corruption by refusing to pay their taxes, stealing from companies, raising the prices or offering but the minimum wages to any possible employee. Those who cheat with these small things, would not they do it with the most important ones at the least opportunity? Being sincere, we must recognize that

COVER

the ghost of corruption lives in all of us when we waste our money in unnecessary things, knowing that there are people right next to us who live in deplorable conditions.

WHY DOES CORRUPTION EXIST? Corruption exists because human being does not have fear of God. For instance, in the Hispanic culture, there is the conviction that “everything is right as long as you are not discovered” related with corruption, adultery and other infidelities. This idea assumes that God is blind, dead or that He simply does not exist. Therefore, nobody could see what we do in private. Since we will not be judged as long as nobody discovers our crimes, we should act with an evil mind. The “wisest guy” would be the one that is able to evade human justice, managing to conceal his/her

misdeeds from the others. Hence, corruption could be understood as a direct consequence of the materialist malice and incredulity within men’s heart. Such lack of faith leads towards the relativism and discredit of ethical values. This makes so difficult to regenerate such a society, which has become skeptic of its politicians and seems to finally submit to the evils of corruption. It is clear that the believer, as a human being, can also commit acts of corruption. Nobody is free of sins. Nonetheless, a person totally convinced that he/she is always before the presence of the Lord may unlikely act as if He would not see him/her at every time and would not have report his/her acts to Him. Therefore, there is an important difference between the countries with evangelical or protestant foundations, that curiously are considered within the less corrupts worldwide. Despite the decrease in the amount of believers in such countries, a as result of the secularization process of the West, it is certain that the protestant doctrine that became part of the idiosyncrasy of the people related to some biblical lessons still influences the ethics of their citizens nowadays. The facts that every Christian is a disciple of Christ implies that he/she should know personally the Scriptures, read and investigate them on a daily basis for his/her own particular life experience. That means that he/she may be his/her own priest, responsible of him/herself before God without depending on the orders or silences of a professionalized clergy. The evangelical Christian does not only report his/her acts in private to the Lord, creator of the universe, but he/she is also willing to do it publically, since it is part of the Pauline commandment of “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” Such civic conscience is the direct cause of the lowest rates of corruption worldwide by the countries with protestant foundations. Nevertheless, as everybody knows, this evangelical conviction did not prevail in Spain and other catholic-based countries. On the contrary, the malice idea of pretending to be something that it is not real prevailed. This is an ethics of appearance and cheating that looks forward to hide our own corruption practices or injustices and taking advantage of them thanks to the ignorance of the other citizens l

Being sincere, we must recognize that the ghost of corruption lives in all of us when we waste our money in unnecessary things, knowing that there are people right next to us who live in deplorable conditions.

(*) Source: www.protestantedigital.com

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

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MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 14 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

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Countries and territories in the Corruption Perceptions Index are scored and ranked. The color indicates the level of perceived corruption and the size of the circle shows the percentage of countries that fall within the score range. Countries are listed in order of rank going clockwise.

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Scoring less than 50 out of 100, almost 70 per cent of countries are perceived to have a serious corruption problem. No country achieves a perfect score.

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We all know corruption is a problem, but how bad is it? For the Corruption Perceptions Index 2014, we ranked 177 countries and territories around the world on their perceived levels of public sector corruption. Here are the results.

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16% of countries score below 50 Best Score: Botswana Worst Score: Somalia

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84% of countries score below 50 Best Score: United Arab Emirates Worst Score: Sudan

Middle East and North Africa

16% of countries score below 50 Best Score: Denmark Worst Score: Romania

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95% of countries score below 50 Best Score: Georgia Worst Score: Turkmenistan

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64% of countries score below 50 Best Score: New Zealand Worst Score: North Korea

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68% of countries score below 50 Best Score: Canada Worst Score: Venezuela

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CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX Based on expert opinion from around the world, the Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide, and it paints an alarming picture. Not one single country gets a perfect score and more than two-thirds score below 50, on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). SCORE

Very clean 90 - 100 80 - 89 SLOVAKIA

70 - 79 60 - 69 CUBA

50 - 59 COLOMBIA

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In some countries, business owners can go their way in the happy knowledge that government officials won't be hitting them up for bribes or tossing them in jail on trumped-up charges. But in other parts of the world, public sector corruption is a fact of life. Hoping to shine a light on this widespread problem, Transparency International, a watchdog NGO, has published its Corruption Perceptions Index.

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Corruption 2014. The index ranks countries around the world by perceived level of government corruption, with a score of 100 signaling an absence of official corruption and a score of 0 indicating a country that is hopelessly corrupt.

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Highly corrupt March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

DIABETES

The new international estimates show an increasing trend of diabetes in ever younger people. If current demographic patterns and lifestyles continue, over 592 million people worldwide will be affected by this disastrous and cruel disease next generation.

(*) Wálter Menchola Vásquez, medical Internist.

MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 16 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

It is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by increased blood glucose (hyperglycemia) resulting from a deficiency in insulin secretion and/or action. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates the amount of blood glucose and has the same properties as this hormone. It is obtained by artificial chemical synthesis and used in the treatment of diabetes. Chronic hyperglycemia is associated with long-term damage to the microcirculation and failure of different organs: eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels,

causing severe complications that lead to disability in people, important economic and social impact and death. There are different types of Diabetes Mellitus. We will here discuss the most frequent of them (80%), Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (NIDDM), characterized by showing resistance to its own production and (not absolute) insulin deficiency. Patients are usually obese and/or with a predominantly abdominal fat distribution and strong genetic predisposition. Their blood insulin levels are normal or elevated and respond to

WELFARE physical inactivity, and ethnicity. African Americans, Latins, Asians, Indians, Native Americans and some Asian groups are at greater risk of developing DBMII than Caucasians. Symptoms appear around age 40. According to the World Health Organization, there are over 347 million people with diabetes in the world (2014) and it is estimated that in 2012, 1.5 million people died as a consequence of glucose excess in blood. Recent IDF estimates indicate that 8.3% of adults (382 million people) have diabetes, of which almost 50% do not know they have it.

diet and oral hypoglycemic drugs. Although many of them eventually require insulin injections for control, it is not essential to keep them alive, unlike type 1 diabetics who do require insulin injections to stay alive (insulin-dependent). NIDDM is associated with hypertension in 75% of cases and increased blood lipids in more than half of adult patients. Likewise, it is considered a cardiac risk factor, due to the high probability of cardiovascular disease and death. NIDDM is associated with obesity, family history, history of gestational diabetes,

TREATMENT It has been shown that simple lifestyle measures, such as healthy diet, regular physical activity, normal body weight, nonsmoking and no alcohol consumption may prevent or delay NIDDM onset. To help prevent NIDDM complications, you should: • Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, which is a vital measure. • Keep physically active: at least 30 minutes of regular activity of moderate intensity most days of the week. It is recommended to walk 10 blocks a day at a fast pace, to use the stairs and to use cars less. • Change your eating habits: eliminate or substantially reduce the consumption of sodas, cookies, flour, fats, and eat more fruits and vegetables and a small amount of sugar and saturated fats. • Avoid tobacco consumption, since it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Diabetes prevention, diagnosis and treatment require public policies, comprising education, mass and mandatory testing, universal coverage of patients and guidance for the population to a new way of eating. Also regulations that restrict and discourage excessive consumption of foods with high content of calories and saturated fats, which are actually harmful to health. The restrictions on tobacco consumption, achieved by the regulatory framework given by public policies in the world, have dramatically reduced those diseases caused by their consumption. It is time that the authorities and the community addressed this disease, which is already a new pandemic that threatens families in the world. I wish you all good health, unity and harmony l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

THE GROWING

PLAGUE OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY Recent decades have seen an explosion in pornography. It is a highly profitable business worldwide. Pornography harms everyone involved and it is increasingly harming our children.

If companies are willing to spend millions on advertising to promote their products because advertisements influence people to buy, then pornography must also influence people’s minds. If looking at an image of a commercial product makes people want to buy it, then pornographic images must influence people’s behavior. Porn is big industry. Trade in the “bodies and souls” of human beings has become one of the biggest growth industries in our modern prophesied economic system. Consider: “Porno is far bigger than rock music and far bigger than Hollywood. “Americans spend more on strip clubs than they spend on theater, opera, ballet, jazz and classical-music concerts—combined. “In 1972 the total retail value of all the hardcore porno sold in America was estimated at $5 million to $10 million. By the late ‘90s Americans spent $10 billion per year on mediated sex” (Martin Amis, “Sex in America,” Talk magazine, February 2001). Southern California’s San Fernando Valley is home of the booming U.S. pornographic-film industry, producing more than 10,000 titles a year that are shown all over the world. America produces 80 percent of the world’s porn. CHILD PORNOGRAPHY “Child pornography was pretty much eradicated in the 1980s,” says Kevin DelliMISSIONARY MOVEMENT 18 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

Colli, head of the Cyber Smuggling Center. But, “with the advent of the Internet, it exploded.” “A survey of 1,501 U.S. kids aged 10 to 17 conducted in 2000 showed that approximately one in four had had an unwanted exposure to some kind of image of naked people or people having sex in the last year. Roughly one in five kids had received a sexual solicitation or approach. One in 33 kids had received an aggressive solicitation.” The above quotes from Newsweek magazine (March 19) should make parents sit up and take notice. Sadly, some parents have themselves been involved in offering pornography to children. According to the same article, a Web site contained a bulletin board that “included ads from parents offering to swap their children for sex to like-minded parents,” and some men were involved in an Internet chat room called “Dad & Daughter Sex.” Although Internet firms profess willingness to cooperate with police and the FBI in finding and prosecuting adults seeking sex with children, the same firms often express indignation about their “constitutional right” to provide Internet porn to adults. Meanwhile, the content of pornographic materials continually grows more debased as people seek new sexual thrills. It is easy to see why child porn is a growing problem and why increased numbers of middle-aged men are serving prison terms for molesting children.

REALITY Child porn itself is progressively worsening. Newsweek’s article quotes one individual working to save children: “In the beginning it was photos of nude children . . . But progressively, I began to discover tortures.” One Internet site “was peddling a tape to American suspects in which a molester was depicted . . . beating up a child.” Sadly, most of the purchasers of such material are themselves parents. What can be done about pornography? It is unlikely, though, that anything will be done about it until there is a change in public opinion. People need to realize how harmful pornography is. Many who may never look at it themselves often think of it as harmless. This is a mistake. Pornography does harm to anyone who gets involved with it—and it is increasingly harming our young children. The Newsweek article states that “a significant risk factor for becoming a child

molester is having been sexually abused as a child. ‘Some victims of abuse may want to recreate their own experience, to give them mastery over it,’ says psychologist Christine Courtois of the Psychiatric Institute of Washington.’” Porn contributes to illicit sex and child porn to sex with children. Those children in turn will molest others one generation later, each one molesting dozens more. The effect on society will only worsen with each generation—unless people work together and as individuals to stop it now l

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

DANGER TO

CHRISTIANS

Military troops of the Islamic State in the Middle East are imposing their rules with violence and have increased danger to Christians in Iraq, Syria and southeastern Turkey. (*)

The beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians by the Islamic State that took place in the first half of February has once again drawn the attention to the situation Christians face due to the persecution by ISIL, a group that aims to carry out an ethnic and religious cleansing in the territories they are conquering. The bloodshed continues at the hands of the Islamic State, whose expansion has become more tangible in the area of Iraqi Kurdistan, where the largest Yazidi community is located as well as many Christians. It is said that in the border area between Syria and Turkey, the Islamic State is executing Christians and rewarding those who turn in those missionaries working in the area.

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The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child has reported that Islamic State militants are selling, crucifying and burying children alive in Iraq, among other abuses of minors. The U.N. body, which reviewed Iraq’s record for the first time since 1998, denounced “the systematic killing of children belonging to religious and ethnic minorities by the so-called ISIL, including several cases of mass executions of boys, as well as reports of beheadings, crucifixions of children and burying children alive”. ISIL has committed “systematic sexual violence”, including “the abduction and sexual enslavement of children.” Militants of the terrorist group led by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi are increasingly using children aged under 18 as suicide bombers (often disabled, who are not even aware of what they are doing), bomb makers, informants or human shields to protect facilities against US attacks and the military coalition members who support it. “We are really deeply concerned at torture and murder of those children, especially those belonging to minorities, but not only from minorities,” committee expert Renate Winter assured. In August 2014, ISIL took control of the town of Qaraqosh, 32 kilometers southeast of Mosul. Qaraqosh was the largest Christian population in Iraq, with about 50,000 inhabitants. Christians fled in terror of religious fundamentalism. On the other hand, medical sources have concluded that ISIL finances part of its activities through traffic in human organs mostly belonging to those kidnapped from minority communities or deceased combatants.

INTERNATIONAL

The information comes from Dr. Siruwan al Mosuli, otolaryngologist from Mosul (Iraq) who has revealed the existence of a clandestine network of organ trafficking which began with the hiring of foreign doctors by the jihadist group and is generating significant benefits for the insurgents. Al Mosuli claims that ISIL has a group

â€œspecialized only in organ trafficking.â€? ISIS mercenary doctors work separately from local doctors, but their efforts have not gone unnoticed among the medical community of Mosul. These doctors work quickly on the bodies they receive and organs are immediately sent to their buyers, both local and foreign l

(*) Information from the Internet.

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

THE HOLY

BIBLE

It has been called “the book nobody knows.” However, no other book is more important to us and our future. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, and it is fascinating in many ways. More importantly, it claims to have been inspired by God. Did you know that the Bible is the most popular and best-selling book of all time? More than 6,000 million copies of the BiMISSIONARY MOVEMENT 22 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

ble have been printed. Yet, the Bible remains what the writer Bruce Barton said: “The book nobody knows.” We have Bibles, we give them away, we keep them in the library of our home. But how much do we know about this amazing book? Many presidents, kings and judges have sworn on this book when taking over. In the courts of some countries, witnesses in court proceedings swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth by putting a hand on this book. Many brides take this book to their wedding. It is discreetly placed in the drawers of bureaus, desks or nigh tables in many hotels. There is one in almost every house, and sometimes it has a special place, giving the impression that it is read daily. If it was included in the lists of best-selling books, it would always be in the first pla-

REALITY ce, as millions of copies are sold and given away every year. The book has been translated into more than two thousand languages and dialects. Of course, we are talking about the Bible. However, despite its wide distribution, how many people actually read it? Of the seven billion inhabitants in the world, about one-third claim to be Christians. But, how many follow the advice of Jesus Christ of reading the Scriptures? (Matthew 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31; Mark 2:25; 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3). Let us see what God thinks about who seems to believe in His words but does not live by them: “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah 29:13). God is not impressed by religious appearances, but likes those who honor and respect His word: “I will look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). What does God think about our decision to live or not live according to His Word? When God freed the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt and revealed His instructions to them, he wanted the Israelites to be a model nation for the people around them. Moses, the servant of God, said: “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?” (Deuteronomy 4:5-8). God wants their way of life to be a shining example. When we apply the laws of God in our daily lives, they become a model of wisdom and understanding to those around us. Jesus himself said clearly that

we should not live only for physical food “but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). However, we have to decide if we want study His Word and live by it. When God revealed His instructions to the Israelites, He encouraged them to decide correctly: “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). In other words, God promises great blessings to those who voluntarily study His Word and implement it. Failing to live by it will bring about its own punishment. More reasons to read the Book: In addition to the reasons given by our Creator, there are many other reasons why we should read the Book: • It is the foundation of Western civilization and Judeo-Christian culture and society. • It is a unique document that covers about 4,000 years of history. • It is an outstanding literary work that is studied at many universities only because of its literary value. • It provides honest, straightforward advice in all aspects of life. • It is the best-selling book every year l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

THE HISTORICAL

BOOKS

Work of the missionary Paul Hoff Becker. The book is a useful tool of faith for the Spanish-speaking believing people. It covers a period of approximately eight hundred to a thousand years.

WORLDWIDE MISSIONARY MISIONEROMOVEMENT MUNDIAL 24 MOVIMIENTO America • Europa América Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

LITERATURE The history of Israel holds an important message for the Church today: God’s plan succeeds despite the vicissitudes suffered by his people, the opposition of his enemies and human failure. In the book of Joshua, we see Israel “terrible as an army with banners,” taking possession of its inheritance without anything opposing it. The book of Judges shows us how God raises liberators, some very unworthy like Samson, to free his people in times of crisis. Despite the spiritual ignorance, immorality and social chaos of the time of the judges, there were goodness and mercy, as seen in the book of Ruth. Work of the missionary Paul Hoff Becker, “The Historical Books” is a useful tool of faith for the Spanish-speaking believing people. Hoff’s book comprises the second division of the Old Testament, which begins with Joshua and ends

with Ester, and throughout his more than two hundred eighty pages, he narrates the conquest of Canaan, the establishment of Israel in that country, and its later flowering, decline and fall. Furthermore, he reviews the Babylonian captivity and restoration of the Israelite people to Palestine. The judges came from different strata of society and there was even a woman among them. However, they had two features in common: they were specially chosen by God to free His people and they were endowed by the Spirit to carry out their mission. They had many moral flaws, but also courage. Some, like Jephthah and Samson, are among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. Their actions were brutal and ruthless, but it was a fight for their life and for the defense of the existence of their people. Hoff, servant of the Almighty with over forty years of service in Latin America, exhorts us in the prologue to study the biblical text that corresponds to each part of his work before actually reading the book. Thus, the American author, in the preamble of “The Historical Books” states that “we must remember that the Bible is the best interpreter of itself and that the believer has the unction that teaches him everything. God speaks today through His Word, but we must read it and have a heart ready to hear the divine voice.”

RUTH, A CHARACTER The tiny book of Ruth is a true idyll (work about a simple, pleasant, bucolic and pastoral life). It is one of the most enchanting stories of Hebrew literature. It was written in a literary style full of human interest, tragedy, humor and love. Every detail perfectly matches the region and the time described. In addition, Ruth appears in the genealogy of one of the most important figures in the history of Israel, David. It is unlikely that an author of novels had traced the ancestry origin of the famous King to a Moabite. Finally, the New Testament speaks of Ruth as a historical character (Matthew 1: 5). According to Paul Hoff, “The Historical Books” – covering a period of approximately eight hundred to a thousand years – should be studied because much of the rest

According to Paul Hoff, “The Historical Books” – covering a period of approximately eight hundred to a thousand years – should be studied because much of the rest of the Scriptures are incomprehensible for those who do not know the reliable history of Israel. Besides, the book complements the story contained in the Pentateuch and makes some Psalms and prophetic books understandable.

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of the Scriptures are incomprehensible for those who do not know the reliable history of Israel. Besides, the book complements the story contained in the Pentateuch and makes some Psalms and prophetic books understandable. Likewise, according to Hoff, it enlightens about New Testament truths. Finally, this work teaches great moral and spiritual lessons. Samuel knew his twilight had come. Therefore, he resigned his government position to let another man be the ruler of the nation. However, he would not abandon his prophetic mission or cease to intercede for the good of the nation. In his farewell speech, he appealed to the history of Israel to indicate that the Lord had always proved himself to be the true king of Israel and had dealt with the people according to their attitude towards the Law. The history of Israel was a repeating story of sin, slavery, pain and salvation. He said that the monarchy itself would not save them from the difficulties of the past. In the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, the author states that not only the establishment of the monarchy in Israel and its flowering are reported, but also its decline, to the point that the lamp of knowledge of the true God seemed to be fading. Guided by the Lord, Hoff also relates that the thoughts expressed in his work were built with the intention of helping understand and appreciate better the history of Israel and the people who prepared the

way for Him who would have redeemed mankind.

MIND AND HEART Israel reached the peak of its material glory during the reign of Solomon. The features of his reign were justice, peace, prosperity and international prestige. Thus, his government resembles the picture of the millennial kingdom depicted by the prophets. David had established the Hebrew kingdom on solid foundations, had defeated the enemies of Israel and had extended the boundaries of the nation to the greatest reach of its history. He had also formed a strong army to keep the peace. Therefore, Solomon reaped the benefits of the work of his father with a bright chance of success. Theologian and author of several Christian books of wide usage in churches, Bible schools and seminaries in Latin America, Hoff placed at strategic points in “The Historical Books” a series of questionnaires that help to reinforce the learning content of his publication. Similarly, the missionary has conducted a timely sequence of reflections intended to dispel doubts that may arise when reading the text. In addition, the primary objective of the American author is to help Christian workers in their training. The Israelites listened intently as Ezra read the Word from a wooden platform built for the occasion. Then he gave the Levites the opportunity to explain the meaning of

LITERATURE the Law to the people, so they could understand. When Ezra began to praise the Lord, cheers of “Amen!” were soon heard among the people. This proved that the Word had reached both the mind and the heart of the listeners. The explanation of the Word was so effective that the people realized that they had sinned and needed God. The repentance of the people brought tears, but Nehemiah and Ezra spoke words of comfort. Have you ever imagined a Bible that does not include the stories of Joshua, Samson, David and Elijah? The believer and writer Paul Hoff thinks that this would be an immensely impoverished and much less interesting Scripture, a Bible that would lack historical books. Historical books that, from the perspective of Hoff, indicate how the prophetic message was fulfilled

to the letter and reveal how the repeated failures of Israel clearly demonstrate how important it was that the Law itself implemented true salvation. The book of Esther, along with the Song of Solomon, is different from the other books of the Bible in that it avoids naming God and does not teach Jewish law or religion. However, the story of Esther reveals everywhere the hand of God upon His people. The book tells how God used a beautiful Jewish maid to free his people, dispersed in the Persian Empire, from the threat of death looming over them. It beautifully illustrates God’s providence. The word providence comes from the Latin “pro” and “videre”, which mean “look forward” or “foresee.” The allforeseeing God plans ahead to carry out His good intentions towards his children l

Israel reached the peak of its material glory during the reign of Solomon. The features of his reign were justice, peace, prosperity and international prestige. Thus, his government resembles the picture of the millennial kingdom depicted by the prophets. David had established the Hebrew kingdom on solid foundations, had defeated the enemies of Israel and had extended the boundaries of the nation to the greatest reach of its history.

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

THE LOVE

OF GOD Evangelical poet Frederick Martin Lehman was impressed by a sermon about the love of God and, while getting ready for work, he began composing the hymn among baskets, oranges and lemons.

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Written in 1917 in Pasadena among baskets, oranges and lemons, “The Love of God” by Christian poet Frederick Martin Lehman is a powerful and intense milestone in the history of gospel music. A century-old milestone still standing as an ancient oak that radiates the love of the

MUSIC

Creator. Lehman, born on August 7, 1868 in Germany, was a faithful believer who consolidated his love and devotion to the Almighty through music. Regarding the origin of this hundredyear-old ode, Christian historians claim that, one Sunday night, the author follower

of the Almighty felt really moved by a sermon about the love of God. According to his biographers, such was the excitement of Frederick Martin, who immigrated to the US when he was four, that he could not sleep that night. Next morning, while getting ready for work, Lehman began composing a hymn focused on the Savior’s love. As a worker in a fruit packing company, Frederick Lehman used his workday to write little by little a series of two verses on a piece of paper. Then when he got home, he sat down at his piano and set those verses created to music. However, back then, congregational songs should have at least three verses, so he began looking for an old poem about the love of God that had touched him. When he found it, Lehman miraculously completed his creation. Converted to Christianity at age 11, Frederick studied to be a minister of the Most High in the Northwestern Illinois College. Once ordained, he became pastor in the US states of Iowa, Connecticut, New York and Missouri. He dedicated most of his life was to writing songs to exalt faith in the Lord. In this regard, it is estimated that he published about a hundred hymns and compiled five hymnals. In 1911, he moved to Kansas City where he contributed decisively to the founding of the Nazarene Publishing House. In recent years, it has been revealed that the third verse of “The Love of God,” lately included by Frederick Lehman, was written around the middle of the 11th century by the Jewish poet Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, who was able to put into words the Redeemer’s affection towards mankind. Under the cloak of faith, the text of the Israeli poet was preserved for nearly nine hundred years and, after being found in a cell wall, reached the hands of Lehman. A miraculous event. Recognized as a great reference of sacred music of the 20th century, Frederick Martin Lehman died on February 20, 1953 in Pasadena, California. After leaving to the kingdom of the Almighty, this man of faith left a trail of love that even today is used by the faithful of Christ to strengthen their spiritual alliance with the King of kings. A trail that turned into song among baskets, oranges and lemons entitled “The Love of God.” l

THE LOVE OF GOD 1 The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin. Refrain Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure— The saints’ and angels’ song. 2 When hoary time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call, God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong; Redeeming grace to Adam’s race— The saints’ and angels’ song.

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

THE FIRST

GREAT AWAKENING

Revitalization movement that swept through the thirteen American colonies of the British Empire between 1720 and 1770. It was a huge Christianizing wave bringing the Word of God through massive preaching performed, in many cases, outdoors. Mario Escobar

Between 1720 and 1770, a Christian revitalization movement called the First Great Awakening swept through the American colonies with the Word of God. Far from traditional rituals and ceremonies, it was a great evangelizing wave bringing the good news through mass preaching, performed outdoors in many cases. This was a revolutionary way of faith that fostered a deep spiritual meaning through introspection and offered the light of the Gospel to Native Americans and African slaves. The First Great Awakening, which placed the Scriptures above human reason, was also part of a much broader restoring movement, an evangelical upsurge taking place simultaneously on the other side of the Atlantic, most notably in England, Scotland and Germany. In all these Protestant cultures during the middle decades of the eighteenth century, a new Age of Faith rose to counter the currents of the Age of Enlightenment, to reaffirm the view that being truly religious meant trusting the heart rather than the head. Opposed to the dogmas of classical church, the First Great Awakening also MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 30 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

emphasized the importance of the individual and personal experience. Under the protective mantle of the Lord, it played a big role in uniting the colonies and set a precedent in the ideas that led to the American Revolution. Similarly, it established the right to question the religious authority imposed and seek freedom in the way of faith. Christian preachers of this time were the best defenders of autonomy.

GEORGE THE GREAT Owner of a powerful voice able to be heard at a great distance despite his weak constitution and persistent respiratory problems, George Whitefield was one of the most solid foundations of the First Great Awakening. Thanks to his messages pointed as sharp spears, he influenced thousands of people, as only few preachers have, and became a servant of the Creator passionate about sound doctrine. His biographers estimate that he preached the word of the Lord to about ten million people in thirty-four years of ministry. Born in England on 16 November 1914, George went to America in 1737 to preach the Word of the Savior in the US city of Savannah, located in the English colony of Georgia, at invitation and suggestion of brothers John and Charles Wesley. Far from his hometown, along the Atlantic, vast crowds listened to him while he finished to shape a project in force until today. On 25 March 1740, when slavery was in full swing, he laid the first brick of an orphanage he named “Bethesda.” In a time where there was no fast means of transport, George visited America seven times and completed thirteen transatlantic crossings with the sole mission of spreading the teachings of the Lord. In

HERO OF FAITH George Whitefield was one of the most solid foundations of the First Great Awakening. Thanks to his messages pointed as sharp spears, he influenced thousands of people, as only few preachers have, and became a servant of the Creator passionate about sound doctrine. His biographers estimate that he preached the word of the Lord to about ten million people in thirty-four years of ministry.

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HERO OF FAITH Continue reading––

this regard, some historians estimate that through his pastoral life, Whitefield preached over eighteen thousand formal sermons and, considering informal messages, the number could rise to more than thirty thousand. During his evangelical missionary trips, George visited Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Netherlands and made fifteen trips to Scotland and two to Ireland. Whitefield was not just another preacher. Unlike most pastors of his time, he used spontaneity and discarded prefabricated messages when ministering the Word. People as diverse as the scientist Benjamin Franklin, the philosopher David Hume and the English author John Newton, bore witness of the beauty and efficiency of his oratory. In an atmosphere of skepticism, middle and lower class people got excited, wept, prayed and turned their eyes to heaven, all under the influence of his messages.

LORD’S INSTRUMENT Raised in a Christian home, Jonathan Edwards was another of the key figures of the First Great Awakening. Considered one of the greatest theologian of the United States, he was raised as a zealous defender of the Scriptures. Christian and secular scholars agree on his importance in the history of the United States. His scientific, philosophical and theological writings are known to this day as priceless gems of the Christian religion. There is unanimous positive acceptance of his intellectual work regarding the power of the Almighty. The communication techniques of Edwards, who would always read his sermons in a calm voice, were not impressive. Nevertheless, his breathtaking demonstrations of conviction stood out. Jonathan refused to scream and never appealed to drama. The American preacher, born on 5 October 5, 1703, impressed his listeners by the power of truth and his desperate need to convey the message of the Savior. The Great Awakening would have meant only a religious rarity if it was not for his work. In 1722, Edwards began his pastoral ministry in a church in New York. Shortly after, he was appointed tutor at Yale Uni-

versity. Two years later, he settled in a congregation in Northhampton, located in the state of Massachusetts, where his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, had been the minister since 1669. Between 1731 and 1747, God used him to develop, through a series of powerful messages, a great revival conversion that transformed many who, despite being part of the church, had not yet surrendered to Christ. In contrast to the doctrine of the Puritans, Jonathan advocated for religious tolerance among all the denominations united by one God and one target. On more than one occasion, he declared that salvation came directly from the Lord and that no man could serve as an intermediary. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” his most famous sermon, was a vivid representation of hell with observations of the world and quotes from the Bible. It was preached on July 8, 1747 in the state of Connecticut and was a clear example of the theology of the “First Great Awakening.”

POWERFUL REVIVAL Following in the steps of Whitefield and Edwards, hundreds of itinerant preachers traveled around the thirteen colonies preaching repentance and encouraging a new birth in Jesus Christ. At first, the most impacted cities were small towns in the state of Massachusetts, but gradually they spread throughout English America. In addition, since its inception, the First Great Awakening sparked an unprecedented desire to read the Bible, which in a short time became a fundamental part of every American home. Besides being an indelible landmark, the First Great Awakening was a decisive event in the American cultural and spiritual life. This helped the members of the Christian church in the English colonies change their rituals and become aware of mercy and their own faith. Furthermore, this contributed to make God’s followers gain a great deal of certainty about the power of the Holy Spirit and renew their love for the Lord. In sum, it was a movement that revitalized Christianity and marked the beginning of the spread of evangelical faith in the five continents l

Raised in a Christian home, Jonathan Edwards was another of the key figures of the First Great Awakening. Considered one of the greatest theologian of the United States, he was raised as a zealous defender of the Scriptures. Christian and secular scholars agree on his importance in the history of the United States. His scientific, philosophical and theological writings are known to this day as priceless gems of the Christian religion.

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

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BIOGRAPHIES

TWO LIFES

UNITED BY GOD

Onix Martínez Figueroa and Jannette Maldonado Díaz are living testimonies of pain and torment. Death and crime marked their poor existences until they met each other and managed to obtain God’s salvation. Marlo Pérez

On February 1982, a murder shoke deeply the whole population of Puerto Rico. A mother of 32 years old was riddled with three bullets by a mad man who ended up committing suicide. The following day, the media gave the details of the cruel murder that marked Jannette and Onix. Two completely strangers who grew up in the middle of delinquency and terror were able to unite their lives after many years thanks to the favor of the Lord. This tragedy began on 1972, in Villalba city, when the parents of Jannette Maldonado Díaz, who only had 5 years old, decided to divorce and remake their lives. After a few weeks, her mother began to be courted by the principal of a school where she worked as a cook. They formalized their relationship in less than a year and they got married. Therefore, Jannette and his two older brothers moved to Ponce city, lo-

cated in the south part of the island, where they lived together with the member of the family. After a few months of living together, the stepfather of Jannette showed his true self and strict and authoritarian character, which along with his alcohol addiction and depraved jealous, marked deeply her wife and the whole family. “He was so strong and robust that he could lift my mother with his hands on her neck. He hit her and threw her towards the wall… We were too small and did not have enough force to help her. We felt a great impotence since we could not defend her,” she remembers. After many years, on October 1981, Jannette’s mother, noticeably tired of all the mistreatments, decided to put an end to the home violence. She took a wooden stick and hit her persecutor. When she hit him for the

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March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

BIOGRAPHIES

On August 1991, Onix was captured again by the police after committing a holdup. With 17 years old, he was condemned to two years and a half of prison in “Las Cucharas”, located in Ponce. Three months after his imprisonment, the divine glory showed up to him thanks to the preaching of an old man who announced Christ in the blocks of the populated jail. Onix heard the message and offered himself to the Lord. Continue reading––

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eleventh time, he escaped bleeding but promising to return. From that day until the first months of 1982, the abused woman was harassed in his job and with constant phone calls threatening her life. Desperate before her possible death in hands of that heartless man, she warned her three children to take care of each other and to stick together if something happened. “If you are not for me, then you will not be for anybody!,” repeated the man to his former wife. The intimidations ended the night of the 27th February of that same year, when the assassin, evidently alcoholized, faced her victim and killed her with three bullets in front of Jannette and all their neighbors. The scene could have not been more perturbing

for her, when she saw the face of that man completely mad and confused, who finally shot himself in the temple. “Watching my mother dye was so terrible that I would never want anybody to experience such a thing… It is not the same to have your mother sick and watching her dying than seeing how someone snatches her from your side in just a second,” she tells

THE LITTLE THIEF After the bloody episode that touched the life of the three orphans, the media spread the news to the whole population under the title: “Principal kills her lover,” which was read by thousands of people, including a little boy named Onix Martínez Figueroa, with eight years old, who started to thieve and get involved in drugs sale.

“My parents could not give me what I wanted, so I focused on the world of drugs, thinking that I would get clothes and money, and so it was…,” remembers Onix. Onix, who was born on November 1974 in Ponce, remembers how he started his life in this underworld, selling heroin, cocaine and marijuana to all kinds of addicts from the lower and higher society of Puerto Rico. Due to this illegal selling, Onix was arrested and imprisoned in Guayama, in the south part of Puerto Rico. But since he was 13 years old, he was released in just a few hours. This “opportunity” motivated Onix to abandon his studies and get involved deeper in this hostile environment, until he became an addict himself. “My parents always told me that if I got Continue reading–– March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

BIOGRAPHIES Continue reading––

imprisoned, they would never visit me,” he remembers. Onix, with 15 years old, and a group of vendors that used to go with him, defended their territory and defied other criminals that also wanted to control some selling points of drugs in the neighborhoods and residences of the maritime city. Onix almost died in one of these struggles. He once went to buy some beers in a well-known bar of Aguadilla, when a thug aimed at his head with a revolver and threatened to kill him if he did not leave his area of selling. Another time, he escaped in the middle of a gunfire. He was very close, but any bullet touched him. He also was once blocked and pursued along the highway until his car crashed against a lamp post. The post broke in two parts due to the strong impact and the car ended up destroyed, but Onix remained uninjured despite not wearing the seatbelt. “I got by even eleven bullets, but all of them hit the wall or the floor, but any of them touched me… God saved my life since He knew that I would preach his Word,” says Onix.

THE ORPHANS While this happened in the life of the little thief, Jannette and her two siblings left the house where the tragedy happened and remained under the custody of the authorities and their maternal uncles. Some months later, they located their father, but he refused to raise them, so they gave the custody to their maternal grandmother, who raised them in the same city of Ponce, in the same zone where the tragedy happened. The years passed and the little helpless children grown up. They became adolescents and each of them chose a different way of life. The older sister studied at university and the second brother became somehow rebel and sheltered himself in the metal music and atheism. Meanwhile, Jannette, with 19 years old, began to study nursing, but she met a guy during her classes. Some time later, she gave birth to her first child. Unfortunately, the relationship with her father did not lasted long. During a discussion, he slapped her in the face, so she decided to throw him out of her house forever. “The death of my mother generated such a traumitic impression in me that I never allowed anybody to mistreat me or my baby… I did not MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 38 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

want to live like that,â€? she states. From that moment, Jannette did not engage with anybody until meeting Onix and his life of crime and drug addiction and his later recovery in the path of the Lord. Some years later, both of them got married.

IMPRISONED On August 1991, Onix was captured again by the police after committing a holdup. With 17 years old, he was condemned to two years and a half of prison in â€œLas Cucharasâ€?, located in Ponce. Three months after his imprisonment, the divine glory showed up to him thanks to the preaching of an old man who announced Christ in the blocks of the populated jail. Onix heard the message and offered himself to the Lord despite his jail partners who did not understand his decision. Few weeks after his conversion, Onix replicated the same work of that man of God and Christianized many condemned people like him. His meeting place were the blocks and little squares of the penitentiary center, where he preached, prayed and advised his jail partners with the Word of God. When he was released in 1994, Onix became a member of the evangelical church of his city, where he learnt more about the Lord and his Word. Similarly, he finished his studies and

started a relationship with Jannette, who had 26 years old. In 1997, both of them got married and Jannette started to suffer a complication during her pregnancy named pre-eclampsia. This made her abort three times. The fourth time, she had to undergo an extreme treatment that isolated her from the outside world, without any electric device or natural or artificial light that would threaten her health. Only the doctors and Onix were her only help. During her isolation, Jannette started to be receive the prayers of her husband and a group of believers who visited her. After seven months, she gave birth to her second daughter and experienced a divine revelation of the Lord, who showed Himself to her and comforted her from her pain. When she was discharged from the hospital, she offered herself to the Lord in a church of the Worldwide Missionary Movement, where she started to go since May 1999. Nowadays, Onix, Jannette and their three childre: Yanirna, Naomi and Thamar, live in the same city were they grew up and lived more than an adverse moment. Onix keeps evangelizing in the prisons, as he did in the beginning, and Jannette lives no longer in the past but focused on the present and her future, trusting in the care of the Creator, who protects them from any disgrace l

The intimidations ended the night of the 27th February of that same year, when the assassin, evidently alcoholized, faced her victim and killed her with three bullets in front of Jannette and all their neighbors. The scene could have not been more perturbing for her, when she saw the face of that man completely mad and confused, who finally shot himself in the temple.

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST,

A UNIQUE CASE

“Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you… whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.” Acts 2:22-24.

Rev. Luis M. Ortiz

The prophecy for after his death, which was humanly impossible to fulfill, is precisely His resurrection. More than 2000 years before Christ was born and died, the patriarch Job said: “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25). “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power… which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20). MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 40 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

My friends, Christian faith is not based on philosophical or speculative ideas or ancient legends, but on strong, objective and effective historical realities. l What makes the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ different and unique is that He, his founder, died but rose from the dead. Buddha, founder of Buddhism, died but did not rise. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of Hare Krishna, died but did not rise. Swami Maitreyananda, founder of Yoga, died but did not rise. Majavira, founder of Jainism, died but did not rise. Nanak, founder of Sikhism, died but did not rise. Confucius, founder of Confucianism, died but did not rise. Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, died but did not rise. Zoroaster, founder of Zoroastrianism, died but did not rise. Muhammand, founder of Muhammadanism or Islam, died but did not rise. As their founders, these and many other religions lack the life, power, validity and efficiency to successfully deal with the enormous problem of man’s sin. Beloved brothers, “Christ died for our sins… was buried, and… rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). l By the graveside, there were witnesses of this great event, as “An angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it” (Matthew 28:2). Furthermore, “for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men” (v. 4). There were also women, as “the

angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (v. 5, 6). Peter and John were there too. They came to the sepulcher, saw only the linen clothes and went home wondering in themselves at what had happened (John 20: 1-10; Luke 24:12). l My friends, but that is not all. After the Lord resurrected, He appeared to His beloved ones. First to Mary Magdalene. “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene…” (Mark 16:9; John. 20:15-16). To two women. “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail” (Matthew 28:8-9). To two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus. “And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them” (Luke 24:15). To Peter. “Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34). To the eleven apostles. “And found the eleven gathered together… And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” (Luke 24:33, 36). To ten apostles. “Came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you… But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came” (John 20:19, 24). To the eleven apostles once again. “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you” (John 20:26). To seven apostles. “After these things Jesus

DEVOTIONAL

shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.” (John 21:1, 2). To the eleven apostles in the mount of Galilee once again. “But the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him” (Matthew 28:16-17). To more than five hundred brothers. “After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once” (1 Corinthians 15:6). To James, the Lord’s brother. “After that, he was seen of James” (1 Cor. 15:7). To Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. “And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” (1 Cor. 15:8). l Throughout the life of Christ, hundreds of prophecies given up to 4000 years before were fulfilled. We will just take as example two prophecies concerning the Lord, both humanly impossible to come true. The first before His birth and the second after His death. More than 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah said that He would be born of

a virgin. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). This single prophecy made the birth of the Messiah humanly impossible to be fulfilled. God had to intervene. “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS… The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:30-31, 35). The prophecy for after his death, which was humanly impossible to fulfill, is precisely His resurrection. More than 2000 years before Christ was born and died, the patriarch Job said: “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25). “the exceeding greatness of his power… which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20). Beloved brothers, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the top miracle of the Gospel, the miracle that support the entire Christian faith l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

QUALITIES FOR

THE SERVICE OF GOD Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites” Judges 6:11-14. Rev. Gustavo Martínez Garavito

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DEVOTIONAL The judges of Israel, leaders of transition between theocracy and monarchy, were visionaries who understood what God wanted to do with his people. They believed in God and were willing for Him to work in their lives. Judges 6:12 tells that the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said: “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” Gideon was surprised and said: “If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of…?” (Judges 6:13). He wonders why, if God was with them, they had been humiliated and subjugated by evil. God also calls Gideon “mighty man.” In other words, God thought that Gideon was a strong, solid, stable, firm and whole believer, not a man of double standards. He then calls him “man of valour.” We know that the world is full of cowards. There is nothing positive written about cowards. All we know about them is that they hid, they fled, they were defeated, they were vanquished. If we look, we will notice that just a few live a life of integrity, testimony, service and surrender. Gideon had endeavored to sow wheat and barley. He knew that the Midianites waited for the Hebrews to sow so they could harvest the crop. But he said to himself: “I have sown wheat and barley, I have done it at the expense of many things, of deprivation and fear, but I have endeavored. I will harvest the crop at all costs.” We note that he did not hide, he acted with courage. Gideon harvested the crop and showed his people that it is possible to reap the fruit and succeed amid opposition, attacks, uncertainty, poverty and so many things. Yes, we can! In Judges 7:3, the Lord tells Gideon: “Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.” We believe that when Gideon watched his well uniformed and well-armed thirty-two thousand soldiers, as impressive as strong, he must have thought that these men would kill the enemy. Gideon believed that they were wi-

lling to fight against the enemy; however, they were there just to keep up appearances, as they were not truly identified with the Work or the vision. The angle spoke to Gideon and said: “The Lord is with thee” (Judges 6:12). We observe that Gideon replied the Lord humbly: “Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?” (Judges 6:13). He did not feel superior to anyone by the fact that God had honored him. He did not boast, feel proud or praise himself, but remained under the same conditions as the others. We must not work to feel great or superior, to attract people’s attention or to be deified or exalted. On the contrary, we must work to attribute all the glory to God. When Gideon ended the battle, the people wanted to choose him as ruler, but he said that not he nor his sons would reign, because the Lord was the king of the people. Gideon wanted God’s guidance and government. God is pleased when we have a simple and humble heart, willing to pay tribute to Him. The Lord said, “Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” (Judges 6:14). Gideon replied: “Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15). God was not interested in the physical strength of Gideon, but in his willingness and strength of his will to face the problem, to not be defeated by evil and to not give in to attacks and threats. God wants that kind of strength that resists temptation, that does not give up and is not driven by sin. God wants us to surrender all our will, total dedication to Him and His Work. He wants us to say: “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalm 138:8). Amen l

We must not work to feel great or superior, to attract people’s attention or to be deified or exalted. On the contrary, we must work to attribute all the glory to God. When Gideon ended the battle, the people wanted to choose him as ruler, but he said that not he nor his sons would reign, because the Lord was the king of the people. Gideon wanted God’s guidance and government.

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

DEATH

“I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” Job 19:25-26. Rev. Ramón Luis Aponte

All humans are subject to death (Genesis 3:19). Physical death was the result of original sin. Adam did not die the day he ate the forbidden fruit, but he lived 930 years (Genesis 5: 5.), but he aged from that moment on and death became inevitable. Physical death is still inevitable for every human being. However, there have been and there will be exceptions. Enoch and Elijah were taken to heaven without suffering physical death (Hebrew 11: 5; 2 Kings 2:11), and when the Rapture takes place, the Lord will take His Church directly to Heaven (1 Thessalonians 4: 1318). I. DEATH AS A RESULT OF SIN Genesis 2 and 3 says that death entered the world because of sin (Romans 5:12). 1. Adam and Eve came to be subject to physical death. God put the tree of life in the Garden of Eden so that they could constantly eat from it and never die (Genesis 2: 9). God said as recorded in Genesis 3:19 after Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of good and evil. The day they ate the forbidden fruit they came to be subject to the law of death. 2. Adam and Eve also suffered a moral death. God warned Adam that the day he ate the forbidden fruit he would surely die (Genesis 2:17). Although they did not die physically that day, they did die morally, that is, his nature became sinful. Since Adam and Eve, everyone is born with a sinful nature (Romans 8: 5-8). When Adam and Eve sinned, moral and spiritual death occurred immediately, although physical death occurred later on (Genesis 5: 5). Moral death involved the death of the life of God inside them and their nature becoming sinful (John MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 44 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

17: 3). Spiritual death meant that their previous relationship with God was ruined (Genesis 3: 8-10). 3. Adam and Eve also suffered spiritual death. When they disobeyed in the garden, their previous intimate relationship with God was ruined (Genesis 3: 8-10; 22-24). 4. Death as a result of sin implies eternal death. Adam and Eve would have had eternal life if they had obeyed (Genesis 3:22); however, the principle of eternal death prevailed. Eternal death is eternal damnation and separation from God due to disobedience (2 Thessalonians 1: 7-9; Revelation 20: 5-6). In the Scriptures, this second death is synonymous with eternal death. Revelation states twice that the lake of fire is the second or eternal death (Revelation 20:14; 21: 8). 5. The human race is tied to God through the faith in His word as the absolute truth (Genenesis 2:16-17; 3:4). a) Satan sought to destroy the woman’s faith by raising doubts about what God had said. b) One of the fundamental sins of mankind is the unbelief in God’s Word. The lie that Satan repeats the most is that the sin against the Lord will not necessarily bring separation from God and eternal damnation. The only way to escape death in all its multifaceted aspects is through Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 1:10). Through His death, He reconciled the believer with God, reversing the spiritual separation and alienation that occurred because of sin (2 Corinthians 5:18). Through His resurrection, He overcame and broke the power of Satan, sin and physical death (Romans 6:10; 1 John 3: 8; 1 Corinthians 15: 53-57).

DEVOTIONAL

II. THE MEANING OF PHYSICAL DEATH FOR BELIEVERS Even when believers in Christ have the assurance of the resurrection, they still go through the experience of physical death (Philippians 1:21). 1. For Christians, death is not the end of life, but a new beginning (1 Corinthians 15: 55-57). Death is the release from the afflictions of this world (2 Corinthians 4:17) and the earthly body in order to be covered by life and heavenly glory (2 Corinthians 5: 1-5). It is a door to the presence of the Living God (Philippians 1:23). 2. The Scriptures also talk about the death of believers in comforting terms. The death of the saints is “precious in the sight of the Lord” (Psalm 116:15). It is an entry “into peace” (Isaiah 57: 1,2) and “into glory” (Psalm 73:24), a trip to “paradise” (Luke 23:43) and to the home of “many mansions” of the Father (John 14: 2), a blessed departure (2 Timothy 4: 6) to “live with Christ” (Phil. 1:23.), a “gain” which “is far better” (Philippians 1: 21,23). 3. As regards the period between the

believer’s death and his bodily resurrection, the Scriptures teach that: a) When believers die, they are brought into the presence of Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 8; Philippians 1:23) b) Believers are fully aware (Luke 16: 19-31) and feel joy for the kindness and love shown by God (Ephesians 2: 7). c) Heaven is a refuge of rest and safety (Revelation 6:11) and a place of communion and fellowship with other believers (John 14: 2; Ephesians 2:19; Acts 13:14). d) The activities in Heaven include worship and singing (Psalm. 87:5-7; Revelation 14:2-3; 15:2-3). e) In Heaven, believers keep their personal identity (Matthew 8:11; Luke 9:30-32). 4. Even if great hope and joy awaits the believer when he dies, believers still grieve when a loved one passes. Joseph deeply grieved when Jacob, his father, died. He cried and spent a long period of mourning (Genesis 50: 1-4, 14), he honored the memory of his father in an appropriate and respectable manner (Genesis 50: 2), he kept the promises he made to his father (Genesis 50: 5, 12-13) and he showed his faith in the promises of God by bringing his father back to the promised land of Canaan (Genesis 15: 13-16; 49:28-33) l

The only way to escape death in all its multifaceted aspects is through Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 1:10). Through His death, He reconciled the believer with God, reversing the spiritual separation and alienation that occurred because of sin (2 Corinthians 5:18). Through His resurrection, He overcame and broke the power of Satan, sin and physical death (Romans 6:10; 1 John 3: 8; 1 Corinthians 15: 53-57).

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

GOSPEL FOR

HUMANITY The WMM settles in the world and spreads the Word of God in countries of Asia and Africa, two continents where the population is thirsty of redemption and salvation. MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 46 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

REPORT

True to its biblical doctrine, the Worldwide Missionary Movement preaches the Gospel around the world every day through its different churches settled in the five continents. A work in favor of evangelization on earth, which has allowed for an important advance of Christianity in different territories, such as the Asian and African continents. In Asia, the larger continent on Earth, the WMM has developed since 2012 the “Ephesus Project”, aimed to make an impact on this part of the planet with the Word of the Lord. In that regard, a great evangelist net extends from the Work settled in India, which seeks to preach and introduce the good news in the forty-seven nations that make up Asia. Rev. Samuel David Mejía, Missionary Supervisor in Asia, leads this work that last year brought the message of Jesus Christ to Oman, Kuwait and Sri Lanka. Along with the church in India, the Worldwide Missionary Movement in the

Philippines is one of the visible foundations of the spread of the Gospel by the Work of God. In the nation located in Southeast Asia, along the Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest Spanish-speaking congregation continues to open doors for the glory of the Creator. In May 2014, thanks to the missionary work done by Pastor Mejía, the WMM reached the province of Bulacan and continued consolidating its presence in this territory. Africa, the world’s third largest continent that has currently over one billion inhabitants, is also experiencing a revolution of faith fostered by the WMM. With over twenty years of history, the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Equatorial Guinea is the beachhead of the missionary work of the WMM in Africa. From there, in the most Hispanicized African country, the message of God has been injected in the last four years in Gabon and Madagascar with great success l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

A quick report of the work that Worldwide Missionary Movement is making in America and throughout the world. The Holy Bible states: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple... And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”. (Acts 2:46,47).

Young man, broaden your vision With emphasis on getting more media to spread the Gospel of God, the people of Bolivia held its 11th National Youth Convention, attended by the new faithful that will renew the Work. The 11th National Youth Convention of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Bolivia took place from January 15 to 18 in Potosi, a historic and colonial city famous for its majestic Cerro Rico. Rev. Juan EsMISSIONARY MOVEMENT 48 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

piritu Santo, National Officer of Peru, was the special guest of this event, where he played an outstanding role and shared the teachings of Jesus Christ with a powerful series of messages.

EVENT

At the opening ceremony – where a colorful parade of flags belonging to the participating delegations was held in the San Roque stadium in Potosí –, Rev. Ciro Soto, National Supervisor of the Work of God in Bolivia, explained that the event was a spiritual celebration to praise the King of Kings and glorify his name. Similarly, Pastor Soto said that the 11th National Youth Convention served to transform sinners into new creatures. The Youth Convention in Bolivia called “Young man, broaden your vision with the power of God” began with the participation of Pastor Juan Espiritu, from Peru. In his speech, entitled “Youth that control their

Continue reading–– March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

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vision,” God’s servant urged participants to devote their lives to prayer, to serve God and to holiness. At this request, the response of the followers of the Creator was immediate and positive During the following three days, Pastor Espiritu continued sharing the Word of God even in the meeting of pastors and workers of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Bolivia. Among the sermons given by the servant of the Almighty were “Youth that control their vision,” “Ask me for whatever you wish and I will grant it,” “Jesus rose from the death,” “The missionary heart of a man,” “Defending our identity” and “It is important not to forget our roots.” As part of the various activities of the 11th National Youth Convention of the WMM in Bolivia, a special evening was devoted to media. On this day, the need to

gain more media coverage in Bolivia was emphasized. In addition, it was reported that in 2014 the Work of Bolivia acquired 18 radio stations and 4 television channels to broadcast the Word of God. Thus, the WMM in Bolivia has now 54 media dedicated to spread Christianity. On the closing day of the 11th National Youth Convention of the WMM in Bolivia, Rev. Juan Espiritu, who is also the Vice President of the Elim International Association, a Christian schools network of the Work in Peru, preached about the importance of evangelical education in the training of future generations. In this regard, Pastor Espiritu assured that it is vital to establish schools in the Andean country in order to promote quality Christian education for the benefit of Bolivian children and teenagers l

EVENT

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

Faithfulness to

God never fails The Worldwide Missionary Movement in Argentina held its 15th National Convention at the “Las Malvinas” Sports Center with the attendance of international officers and about 1500 faithful.

With the participation of about 1500 brothers from different parts of Argentina, the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Argentina held the 15th National Convention from February 12 to 15 at the “Las Malvinas” Sports Center, owned by the Argentinos Juniors Club. It was an emotional meeting attended by the main leaders of the Work of God who paralyzed for four days the heart of Buenos Aires. On the opening day, Rev. Rodolfo González Cruz, Treasurer of the WMM, preached the Word of God through a speech entitled “Christ comes for a faithful people.” In his message, Pastor González added that “we must be faithful to Christ. If we are all MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 52 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

loyal to God, His Word will be fulfilled: Yet have I not seen righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. God will open the windows of Heaven to those who are loyal and faithful to Him and keep his commandments. Faithfulness to God never fails.” Rev. Gerardo Martínez Garavito, National Supervisor of Chile, was the preacher of the message of the Creator on the second day of the 15th National Convention. Pastor Martinez, before a crowd of faithful who came from 13 Argentinean provinces where the movement has active presence, gave a speech entitled “Let’s have a clear vision of what we want to Continue reading––

EVENT

March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

BAPTISMS IN CLAYPOLES THE CHURCH OF CLAYPOLES of the Work of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Argentina held a significant ceremony in which 14 new brothers descended into the baptismal waters last January 11. Moments before the sacramental act, Pastor Ismael Parrado, National Supervisor of the WMM in Argentina, said that “faith is not based on emotional experiences, but on the wise sayings of the Word of God” l

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EVENT

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achieve.” He said: “It is necessary not to be one of those who give poor testimony, of those who make people stumble in the ways of the Lord. We must reprimand any of these situations.” On the second-to-last day, the Minister of the Almighty José Arturo Soto, Vice President of the International Officers Board, used the good news of the Almighty to have an impact on the audience composed of delegations from Chile, Peru and Paraguay. Pastor Soto, who gave a speech called “Prayer, effective remedy at all times,” stressed that “among the arms of God’s people is prayer, which, if properly used, makes devils tremble. It’s up to us to use this resource. We should pray when we are in crisis, but also at all times.” The promotion of workers took place on the final day of the 15th National Convention of the WMM in Argentina. That very day, Rev. Gustavo Martínez Garavito, Pre-

sident of the International Officers Board, addressed the people of God and conveyed Christ’s message through a speech entitled “You can be faithful never mind the risks.” Pastor Martinez Garavito, who was in charge of the closing of activities, said: “We all should yearn to serve the Lord. The prerequisite is to be blameless. We also need to look at and imitate Christ.” Likewise, the President of the Board of Officers of the WMM, said: “What the Lord wants is faithfulness to Him and loyalty in all aspects, secular and spiritual. These principles are in the heart and life of righteous people. One-piece people without double standards, but with one spirit and integrity; people consistent in what they think, say, teach and live. The opposite is hypocrisy. Paul invites us to imitate the good. Loyalty and faithfulness reveal in time and perseverance. Amid trials, we actually see who is faithful” l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 56 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

EVENT

Obedience will

reveal our faithfulness

Hundreds of ministers of the Lord from all parts of Mexico were strengthened with the Word of God at the National Pastors Retreat of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Mexico. The Worldwide Missionary Movement in Mexico held from February 5 to February 6 its National Pastors Retreat in Nezahualcóyotl, one of the 125 towns in the State of Mexico. The event, which gathered over a hundred ministers of the Almighty, was attended by Rev. Álvaro Garavito, Missionary Supervisor of Central America and Mexico. Delegations from the main Mexican cities, including León, Ciudad Juarez, Puebla, Guadalajara, Tijuana and Monterrey,

among others, were also part of the meeting that took place in the Aztec capital. At the beginning of the annual event, the National Board of the WMM in Mexico highlighted that this kind of activities aimed at strengthening the intimacy with God. Rev. Garavito, International Officer and Missionary Supervisor of Central America and Mexico, shared the teaching of Scripture and the Word of the Almighty. In his first message, called “Obedience will reveal our faithfulness,” the minister

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highlighted the importance of obedience and subjection to the Gospel and the pastoral work. The following day, Rev. Garavito gave a message entitled “The kind of leader you want to be,” and put the attendees to the test by making questions about their ministry and service to the Creator and the church. The National Pastors Retreat of the WMM in Mexico was also used to appoint Rev. Carlos García, officer of the national board, as the new priest of Zone 4 in Mexico. Likewise, Rev. Francisco Mejía was designated as priest of Zone 1, replacing Pastor Alejandro Roblero, National Supervisor of Mexico l MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 58 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

EVENT

The Lord listened to

the voice of a man Hundreds of men and women from Puerto Rico attended the National Retreat of Leaders 2015. All of them were edified with the Word of God and were motivated to perform their work with full responsibility. The National Retreat of Leaders 2015 was held last January 31 at the temple located in the district of La Changa, in the city of Caguas. The event was attended by a large number of pastors and the whole organization of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Puerto Rico, including teachers, men, women, young men and children. After the devotional, Rev. Luis Ayala, National Supervisor of Puerto Rico, preached the Word of God and advised and urged all those responsible for the church to continue the work entrusted. The ministers of God Juan Méndez, in charge of the temple in San Germán, and Edwin Torres, pastor of the Work in Corozal, talked about the work that will start soon in the town of Hormigueros. In the central part of the worship, Rev. Al-

bert Rivera, a member of the National Board of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Puerto Rico, conveyed the message of the Almighty through a speech entitled “The Lord listened to the voice of a man.” Based on the book of Joshua 10:12-14, Pastor Rivera made a brief review of the life of this man, from his service to Moses until he became the leader who brought the people of Israel into the Promised Land. In addition, Rev. Ayala focused his speech on the important connotation of a leader like Joshua. God listened to him and made the earth, moon and sun stop their course for the Israelites to win the battle against their enemy. “Never before or after that day has the Lord listened to the voice of a man, but He did it because the Lord was fighting for Israel,” he said l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

The Lord is the

same forever The XXVI National Convention of the WMM in Panama was held with a great attendance that filled up the facilities of the Roberto Duran Arena. A meeting full of the Lord’s presence. The Republic of Panama lived from February 14 to February 17 four days of deep spirituality thanks to the XXVI National Convention held by the Work of God in this part of Central America. The event took place at the facilities of the Roberto Duran Arena, a sport center located at the heart of the city of Panama. Many members of the Worldwide Missionary attended this spiritual meeting called “Declare His Glory Among the Nations,” which was broadcasted for the world by Bethel Television. At the inaugural service, Rev. Margaro Figueroa, International Officer of the Movement, gave a speech MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 60 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

entitled “Seeds of Faithfulness.” He urged the people of the Creator to stand firm in the Gospel and stressed that “the Work of God requires seeds of faithfulness, serious people with high morals and values that are not contaminated with the world but seek every day the presence of Jesus Christ. Our testimony must reach many more people for the growth of the kingdom of heaven.” On the second day of the XXVI National Convention of the WMM in Panama, Rev. Rubén Concepción, Secretary of the Officers Board of the Lord’s Work, preached the message of the Savior. The minister, in his speech based on Ezekiel 10: 4, said Continue reading––

EVENT

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MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 62 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

that “Our faithfulness to God is expressed through our commitment to continue to proclaim his glory.” In addition, Pastor Concepción, who titled his speech “The Impact of the Glory of God,” said that “the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever”. The morning of the third day, a special service was held for the Panamanian youth of the WMM. Rev. Julio Klinger, President of the Work’s Youth, was in charge of leading the worship. Meanwhile, the messenger of the good news was Rev. Marvin Cooper, National Officer of Costa Rica, who shared a message based on Joshua 6: 1-5 and entitled “Bringing down the fence of the enemy.” Then, at night, Rev. Ernesto Moreno, National Supervisor of Nicaragua, preached

the Word through a speech entitled “Fire of Glory.” On the last day of the XXVI National Convention of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Panama, the missionary worship and the traditional promotion of workers and pastors took place. Those in charge of sharing the message of the Almighty were Rev. José Arturo Soto, Vice president of the WMM, and Gustavo Martínez Garavito, world leader of the Work of God. In the morning, Pastor Soto gave a speech inspired by Revelation 1:4-8 and called “Fundamental Revelations of the people of God.” Finally, at night, Pastor Martinez preached a message entitled “How are we for the day of the battle?” l

EVENT

To the service of the Work The church of Antwerp of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Belgium held its First National Youth Retreat with the participation of delegations from the cities of Brussels, Tilburg, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and The Hague.

With the participation of delegations from the churches in the cities of Brussels, Tilburg, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and The Hague, the Church of Antwerp of the Worldwide Missionary Movement in Belgium held on February 11 its First National Youth Retreat. The activity, called â€œPassionate youth,â€? gathered a crowd of followers of Jesus Christ who praised and worshiped the Almighty on a day full of faith. Organized with the support of the church of Brussels, the First National Youth Retreat of the temple of Antwerp included several activities in which the Lord played the main role. For instance, in the morning after a time of praise and worship, educational activities were developed, in which the attendees were divided into groups to strengthen the knowledge of the Christian faith. In the afternoon, Pastor Sergio Veizaga Antezana, from the church of Amsterdam, shared the Word of the Almighty. Inspired by 2 Timothy 3:15, the minister of God re-

minded that, from an early age, Timothy served the Lord and, although he had to go through certain processes, God was always with him. He also urged the attendees to not be led astray by the currents of this world that bring no benefit. Likewise, he asked pastors and parents to provide support to all young members of the WMM l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

Other Events

COLOMBIA

CHILE

SPIRITUAL CHILDREN RETREAT

GLORIOUS BAPTISMS

Beautiful Children Retreat in Zone 8 of the WMM held from December 2 to December 7, 2014 at Finca Canaán, owned by the WMM and located in the town of Rionegro in Antioquia, Colombia. The priest of Zone 8 is Pastor Joaquín Enrique Parra, who is also a member of the National Board. The theme of this activity was “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (Psalms 37:4). They were days of glory and personal encounter with the Lord. More than 400 children, aged 4 to 13, enjoyed the presence of God. The children got up at 6:00 am and entered the temple at 8:00 am for their first service until after noon. After having lunch and taking a break, they took part in the second service at 4:00 pm until past 8:00 pm l

MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 64 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

Last December 13, a great victory for the Lord’s Work took place in Santiago de Chile. At this activity, a beautiful group of 18 brothers candidates for members descended into the baptismal waters, thus joyfully fulfilling the mandate of our Lord Jesus: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16). The minister in charge was Rev. Gerardo Martínez Garavito, National Supervisor in Chile and Missionary Supervisor in South American of the WMM l

PARAGUAY GLORIOUS UNITED FELLOWSHIP

Glorious Fellowship held on November 9 in the city of Mariano Roque Alonso, where Pastor José Gómez is responsible for the church. The event was attended by Rev. Luis Rivera, National Supervisor, along with his wife, sister Deisy, the National Board, and a great group of pastors and brothers. The preacher of this fellowship was Pastor José Rojas, from Argentina, who brought a beautiful word that stroke deep in the hearts of the audience. To God be the glory! l

ECUADOR United Children Worship Beautiful United Children Worship of the temples in Pascuales and Vergeles, Zone 5 of the Work of the WMM, held last December 20 in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Pastor Luis Quispe is responsible for both places and worked for this activity along with brother Marcelo Morocho, Director of the “Infancia Misionera” Bible School . This glorious worship of children took place at night at the Temple of Vergeles on the occasion of the year closure of the “Infancia Misionera” Bible School. Children and adults were edified with the message of the Word of God given by the preaching child Ariel Mina, based on Genesis 4. Glory to God! l

REALITY

THE GREAT YELLOW SPHERE The energy that vitalizes all living beings on our planet comes from the heat and light of the sun. If the sun moved a little closer or farther away from the Earth, we would all be in serious trouble. If it went out, we would all die.

Astronomers tell us that, if compared with other stars, the sun is not very impressive. However, the energy that vitalizes all living matter on our planet—every flower, every tree and every living being—comes from the heat and light of the sun. If the sun moved a little closer or farther away from the Earth, we would all be in serious trouble. If it went out, we would all die. We survive on Earth just because we absorb a fraction of the heat of the sun. Our Solar Star is 150 million kilometers from Earth, which is a comfortable distance to separate us from this immense energy and heat oven. The Soho spacecraft is a source of many scientific data about the sun; however, some basic knowledge about this celestial body can only be obtained from one source. It would be very strange that the Bible did not say anything about the sun, but the fact is that it is mentioned over 150 times. Perhaps, the most important reference to the sun is that God

created it. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth… And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:1, 14-18). Therefore, man has no excuse to worship the sun, as some of the Israelites and other ancient peoples did (2 Kings 23:11; Ezekiel 8:16-17; see also Deuteronomy 5:6-9; Romans 1:25). Sometimes the sun is mentioned in the Scriptures in reference of the 24-hour day; other times, it is used metaphorically. For example, in the story of the transfiguration of Christ, his face was shining like the sun (Matthew 17:2). In Revelation, Jesus’s face resembles the “the sun shineth in his strength” (Revelation 1:16). The glory of God the Father and Jesus Christ is described as greater and more lasting than the sun (Revelation 21:23). The apostle Paul compared the resurrection of the righteous with the celestial stars in his glory, and especially mentions the sun (1 Corinthians 15:40-44). The Hebrew Scriptures reveal that these same righteous men and women “shine as the brightness of the firmament” (Daniel 12:3). Jesus himself said: “The righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43) l March 2015 / Impacto evangelistic

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to move forward until the King of kings comes. From Santa Paula, California, USA.

Dear brothers in Christ, God's peace be with you all. The Impacto Evangelistic magazine gives me much joy and inspiration, as I reconciled with the Lord six year ago and I always use the magazine to evangelize my fellow prisoners. God bless you for such a beautiful ministry. The Church here always prays for the Worldwide Missionary Movement. From Racine Correctional Institution, Sturtevant, Wisconsin, USA.

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CLAUDIA MARTÍNEZ SOSA

GLOBAL AGENDA 2015 JANUARY 1-4 National Convention in Puerto Rico 6-13 National Convention in Colombia

FEBRUARY 5-8 Convention in Paraguay (Asuncion) 12-15 Convention in Argentina (Buenos Aires) 14-17 Convention in Panama 19-22 Convention in Belize MARCH 5-8 Convention in Honduras 7-12 National Family Fellowship (Lima-Peru) APRIL 1-5 Convention in Guatemala 2-5 National Fellowship in Australia (Sydney) MAY 2-4 Convention in Japan 27-31 Convention in India JUNE 11-14 Convention in Brazil (Manaus) JULY 2-5 7-10 7-11 8-11

Convention in Bolivia (Sucre) Convention in the USA (Marietta, GA) Convention in Costa Rica (Central Zone) Convention in the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba)

AUGUST 4-8 Convention in Venezuela 6-9 Convention in Mexico 6-9 Convention in Spain 12-15 Convention in Africa 12-16 Convention in Haiti 13-16 Convention in Italy 26-30 South American Congress in Guayaquil, Ecuador SEPTEMBER Saturday 26 - Mission World Day OCTOBER 9-11 National Fellowship in Canada 13-18 Convention in Peru (Lima) 21-25 Convention in Mauritius 22-24 Convention in the Dominican Republic 22-25 Convention in Uruguay (Montevideo) 26-28 Campaign in Madagascar 29-1 (Nov.) Convention in Chile (Santiago) NOVEMBER 5-8 Convention in El Salvador 26-29 Convention in Nicaragua

Blessings. Every time I read the magazine it is a great blessing to my life. From Santiago, Chile.

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MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 66 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia

Founder Director: Rev. Luis M. Ortiz Editorial board: Rev. Luis Meza Bocanegra, Jacqueline Rovira, Samuel Martínez, Rev. Andrés Espejo Editorial coordinator: Rev. Julián Morón General editor: Víctor Tipe Sánchez Editor: Jaime Tipe Sánchez Graphic editor: Roberto Guerrero Graphic design: Adolfo Zubietta Writers: Johan Pérez Landeo, Marlo Pérez. Designers: Lesly Sánchez, Jorge Cisneros. Web master and Infographics: Julio de la Cruz. Illustration: Pablo Vilca. Transcription: Fanny Vidal. Community manager: Juan Becerra, Denisse Barrientos. Distribution: Javier Arotinco.

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MISSIONARY MOVEMENT 68 WORLDWIDE America • Europe • Oceanía • África • Asia