Tuesday, August 21, 2012

"Israelitas" in Peru

Just another day on the mission field...

I let me tell you about a little on-the-fly ministry situation that happened just today. 

I was riding home in a taxi and noticed a religious-looking pamphlet on the dashboard (which is not really uncommon). As usual in these situations, I pick it up and begin to ask the drive about it. This particular tract was from a strange cult found here in Peru know as the “Israelitas.” It’s a group of Jews that claims to be followers of Christ and believe the New Testament (NT), but they also require that proselytes become fully practicing Jews according to all the Old Testament rituals and ceremonies---Yikes! And, yes, they DO perform animal sacrifices---Double Yikes! And their founder claims that in 1968 “he was taken up to the third heaven to write the Ten Commandments of the Universal Decalogue in order to unite all peoples”---TRIPLE YIKES!!! 


As we bumped along the road, dodging traffic and pedestrians, I began challenging what this group taught and pulled out my Spanish Bible to read certain verses. When we got to my door, Antonio (the taxi driver) turned off the car saying he had “time for the Lord” (!), and we began looking at various Scripture passages that addressed the Jew/Gentile question and show that under Christ the church is open to all the nations. We sat in his car for at least 30 minutes, as he read sometimes lengthy passages from Galatians 2 & 3 and Acts 10 & 11. 

Praise be to God, I was able to give him lots to think about, as well as my card with my contact information and details about where our church meets on Sundays. I invited him to call if he wanted to talk further and, of course, invited him to church on Sunday.

It'd be great if you would pray with us for the Holy Spirit (the same One who fell on the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house in Acts 10) to open Antonio’s eyes to the truth of salvation by FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST, AND APART FROM THE LAW.

3 comments:

  1. Fascinating! Praise God for sending you to him with the good news of our freedom in Christ!

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  2. This is exciting! Antonio will be in my prayers. God is so good.

    ~Londa

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  3. We encountered this strange group on a boat ride on the Amazon River. They have a huge colony just off the Amazon south of the town of Pevas. They came from the mountains originally. I'm an MK, traveling with my Dad to where my parents used to work with a native tribe. A friend recently encountered this group while visiting near Tournavista, Peru also. Strangers can't get into their compound.

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