Leadership Lesson Podcast: Season 2 Episode 17 - Preaching In A Different Culture
Pastor Daniel talks with Alex Fuentes, missionary and church planter in Colombia, South America. Pastor Alex talks about how God called him and his wife, Inez, to come alongside an existing ministry in Colombia and what is happening in their life now as they have moved to another—and very different—mountain community there. As they are going specifically to sow the gospel in this community, how important is it to understand the local culture? God used both his Colombian background and his wife’s Cuban heritage to prepare them for their current ministry. The process of becoming familiar with a people and their culture can be challenging, but it is all about investing time in getting to know people personally. Because they know these people and what the particular issues are for them, they can address those from the word of God. From there it becomes about discipleship, which is rooted in love.
QUOTES:
“It doesn’t matter who we are or what our context is. Ultimately just understanding them helped me to be able to come alongside them and do life wherever it is that the Lord has us.” -Alex Fuentes
“I don’t need to know all, see all, or have all. I just need the Lord to show me where, how long, and who.” -Alex Fuentes
“God really does equip the called.” -Alex Fuentes
“Don’t get discouraged—just be faithful to continue to build that relationship.” -Alex Fuentes
One Piece of Advice - Expectations
Pastor Esteban Valenzuela, church planter in Madrid, Spain, shares his advice about expectations. We all have expectations in ministry, we have a picture of how God’s going to do things, how it’s going to go. Not all expectations are bad, but we need to prepare ourselves for the reality of unmet expectations. Don’t be surprised when things don’t turn out like you planned. “Allow God to work in His time. Have a confidence in your calling, that Jesus has called you, that He is going to do things that you cannot do.” In watching his own son plant seeds and patiently wait for them to grow, even when there was no visible evidence of it, Pastor Esteban was encouraged by God. “No matter what he saw, he was going to keep watering, and he expected fruit to come.” So hang in there. Opposition may come. The Lord allows difficult times to shape you and mold you for His kingdom. Because it’s all about Jesus. We bring our own expectations to the table, but it is God who chooses whether to remove them. He wants to glorify Himself in you and through you. That, you can expect.
LINKS:
Contact Daniel: daniel@eeleaders.com
Leadership Lessons/One Piece of Advice/Blog/Recommended Books: eeleaders.com
