Greetings in Jesus name!

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've sent out an update.  Thanks to all those who have stayed in touch with us through email.  Everything is going well with the Scott family.  We're still in Albuquerque and plan on staying here as the Lord has us here doing ministry and fellowshipping in a home fellowship.  This last year has been one busy with ministry; open air preaching, door to door evangelism, baptizing new believers, growing together as a fellowship, and we just recently returned from a short trip to Mexico.  Here's a short summary of some of these...

CONVERSION AND BAPTISM OF HANNAH

Probably my greatest joy over this past year is seeing my oldest daughter Hannah, and a boy C.J. in our fellowship, being born again and having the joy of seeing them both baptized into Christ.  Hannah is 12 yrs old and we've always made it a point with our children to tell them their need for Christ, that they too must be born again to see the kingdom of God, that they must have their sins forgiven through Christ like all who are saved.  Since the beginning of the year we noticed that Hannah seemed to become distant and never really seemed to be happy.  In fact, she seemed depressed quite often.  One Sunday, one of the kids in fellowship told us that Hannah had been doing things behind our back, getting on the computer when we ran errands, watching worldly music on youtube, etc.  She had been doing this for a many months, which during that time which we noticed that her demeanor and mood kept getting worse.  When we found out what she had been doing we of course where saddened and grieved.  I pulled Hannah aside and just asked her about everything she had been doing.  She confessed all of it and said she just felt really sad and depressed inside.  Lisa and I told her again of Jesus saving power and His readiness to forgive all her sins and give her a new heart.  All of our fellowship gathered around and prayed for her.  She just began to weep as we prayed.  When we finished praying she began crying out to the Lord to save her.  Hannah put her faith in the Lord that day and was gloriously saved.  The effects of her conversion were immediate.  She was completely lite up with joy in the Lord and had a peace about her that she had never had before.  Since that day she continues to manifest the peace and joy of the Lord.  She continually seeks the Lord on her own, prays for the other children and seeks to reach out to them in Christ.  All of her depression and sadness is gone.  God has given Hannah a new heart, and where at one time she reluctantly used to listen to others talk about Christ, now she willingly and eagerly seeks the Lord and the things related to the kingdom of God.   Not long afterwards both her and C.J. were baptized into Christ.

CONVERSION AND BAPTISM OF C.J.

During this same time period God saved another one of the children in our fellowship.  C.J. is Jeff Marshall's son, who is also 12 yrs old.  C.J. had been seeking the Lord for quite a while and had had a desire to be saved, and he actually thought he was.  However, when he saw the change in Hannah after her conversion he realized that what had happened to her had not happened to him.  One evening, myself, Jeff, and Braden were gathered together for prayer when Jeff's wife called and said that C.J. was at home crying.  He was crying because his lost state was weighing him down and he felt hopeless and wanted to be saved.  We all dropped what we were doing and went over to minister to him.  C.J. said he had been trying and trying to be saved, but he knew that he wasn't.  I explained to him that he was trying to do something when what he need to do was to believe and received what Christ had already done.  I showed him verses that explained that we are to "believe" to "receive" eternal life.  By the grace of God He understood that salvation was received by faith and that night he put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and found the salvation and peace that he had been seeking.  God gloriously saved C.J. and he too has been changed ever since.  

Here are some pics of them reading their testimony and then being baptized.
CONVERSION AND BAPTISM OF NOHEMI

Nohemi is a lady who works at the same company as Jeff (a brother in our fellowship, C.J.'s father).  Jeff had the opportunity to share with her about Christ many times at their work place.  Before long, both Nohemi and her boyfriend Corey began coming to our fellowship.  Since the first time that Nohemi began coming she had a real desire to understand what the bible taught about salvation.  She came from a Catholic and JW background and had a lot of questions.  So for a couple months we all sought to share with her and she would listen to the word each Sunday.  One Sunday after fellowship she began sharing how she didn't think God could, or even should, forgive her for a specific sin that she had committed in her past.  She couldn't see how she could let it go and turn it over to God.  We explained to her that if Christ had already died for the sin of the world, then why would she hold on to it?  God gave her the ability to understand and believe that Christ had already died and suffered for all her sins.  A few of us gathered around and prayed for her.  After we prayed, Nohemi, like Hannah and C.J., put her faith in the Lord and called on His name for salvation.  She went from weeping with sadness to being filled with joy.  Afterwards she said she didn't know how to explain it but that she felt better and lighter, and that she felt forgiven.  That's how one feels when the weight of ones sins have been removed.  She was full of joy that comes from knowing the Lord.  Nohemi too has continued on with the Lord, seeking Him from a heart that has been changed.  We had the joy of baptizing Nohemi shortly after.  

A couple pics from Nohemi's baptism:
MINISTRY IN NEW MEXICO - OPEN AIR PREACHING AND DOOR TO DOOR EVANGELISM

Over the past year I've spent time open air preaching and evangelizing door to door.   Sometimes the brothers come with me, when they are able, but much of the time is me going by myself.   In Albuquerque there really aren't too many place where you can open air preach to large groups of people.  Albuquerque is a "big small city", or a "small big city", however you want to look at it.  I believe that in Albuquerque and the surrounding cities there are about 750,000 people.  Thankfully there are a couple places where people regularly gather that provided an opportunity to preach and pass out tracts.  For a good portion of the year myself and a brother or two would go to the local government buildings in the mornings and preach the gospel.  The medicaid and social services offices in Albuquerque open at 8:00 am.  However, people are usually lined up outside starting at around 7:30.  So about three times a week we would show up and pass out tracts to those in line and then open air preach for about 20 minutes.  The Lord seemed to really bless these outreaches.  So many people seem to listen and then even ask questions when we were finished.  I think out of all the times that we preached at these places we only had one instance in which a non-christian got upset and verbally confronted us.  We did however have one instance in which we were told to stop preaching, but it was by professing Christians!  One of the brothers had gone to preach one morning.  As he was preaching a church van pulled up and people got out and started handing out coffee and donuts to the people in line.  The pastor came over and asked the brother if he would stop preaching because they were there to just pass out food.  So this pastor wanted this brother to stop preaching the gospel.  Sound's like something Satan would want.  Thankfully the brother didn't listen to the pastor and continued to preach salvation through Jesus Christ.  It's a sad day when the main opposition you get to preaching the gospel comes from professing believers.  All in all, these times of open air preaching have gone really well.  We've been able to plant a lot of seed regarding the truth and have been able to meet with some people one on one to share more about Christ.  

In addition to preaching I spent a lot of time over the summer going door to door sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In the past I haven't spent much time going door to door.  I've mainly done one on one evangelism on the street and have open air preached.  I'll had to admit, I was a little hesitant about going door to door here in the states but felt the Lord would have me do so.  So for several months I loaded up on tracts and went door to door in pretty much all the surrounding neighborhoods and apartment complexes around where we live.  To my surprise, for the most part, I actually had really good responses and some in depth and meaningful conversations.  I was also able to visit several households more than once where I was able to continue to preach Christ and leave resources with them.  Through all this, we've had people visit our fellowship ( most coming and going), but nevertheless giving us an opportunity to share more about Christ, salvation, and the age to come.  

Here's a Pic of Joel passing out tract where we open air preach:
A SHORT TRIP TO MEXICO

Myself, Lisa and Braden recently returned from a short trip to Mexico.  We spent about a week and a half visiting brother Noe and also visiting a brother who is in jail in San Diego.  I think over the course of the trip we drove about 5,000 miles!  We first drove to Texas and dropped the kids off with my mother so they could visit her and so she could watch them for us while we were gone.  Then we turned around the the next day after dropping the off and came back to ABQ and then left a couple days later to drive to Rosarito/Tijuana Mexico.  We were able to rent a small one bedroom apartment from the lady we rented our house from when we were there before.  We spent most of our time fellowshipping with Noe, exhorting him in Christ, and ministering together with him.   The Lord spoke to me before we went on the trip that Noe needed to understand the grace of God.   You would think that ever believer who has received the grace of God would understand the grace of God.  But that's not true.  I think many believers don't understand God's grace and live under false condemnation (I did myself for years).   Noe is a good, sincere brother who loves the Lord.  But Noe, like I used too, often finds himself feeling condemned as if he's never good enough for God.  Not that he questions his salvation or lacks the joy of the Lord, but sometimes when all we hear is preaching sin and God's hatred for it we can get a wrong view of God.  What I mean is, is that if we are always looking at ourselves, then we are not looking at Christ.  When we continually focus on our imperfections, our shortcomings, the flesh nature that resides in us, we can become hopeless.  There's no hope in looking at oneself!  We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and we will find ourselves continually growing in the grace of God and walking in victory.  I told Noe that if a believer often lives with condemnation that there is something about the grace of God (the Gospel of God's grace) that they don't really understand.  Too often believers focus on their sin nature.  How often I've heard believers almost boast about being  a "wretched man" etc.  It doesn't take much faith to declare your imperfections and shortcomings.  However, how many believers have you heard that declare with joy that they are the righteousness of God in Christ?  I don't think many believers understand the glorious truth of imputed righteousness and how it affects their relationship with God.  There is such a freedom in knowing that you are perfectly accepted by God, that God is for you and not against you, and that just as God saw Christ as sin, because he became sin for us (imputed), that God in like manner sees the believer as righteous in Christ.  If you've never really studied imputed righteousness, there are a couple books I will recommend that you can get, and they are free.  I'll post the info and the link towards the bottom.  So, we spent several days ministering to Noe, digging in the scripture etc.  We had such a good time and Noe kept texting me after we left sharing how much he was ministered too by understanding imputed righteousness.  

In addition to studying the scriptures together we all went to preach at one of the open markets and at a drug rehab in Rosarito.   Brother Noe and I took turns open air preaching and he translated for me while I preached.  While we were both preaching this young man stopped and listened to us the entire time.  In fact, his friend tried to pull him away but he wouldn't go and instead listened to the gospel.  When we were finished we went over and talked with the young man name Luis.  He said, "It seemed like everything you were saying was specifically for me".  We shared with him a little more and invited him to come over to our apartment the next evening for dinner.  Luis showed up the next evening and he had questions about Jesus and salvation pretty much from the moment he set foot through the door.  He had heard about Christ but knew that he was not saved.  We were able to have dinner together and share the gospel with him for several hours.  He then began praying asking the Lord to save him.  Afterwards he said he was filled with peace and wanted to continue to meet and know more about the Lord.  We told him that we would shortly be leaving and that he could continue to meet with Noe.  I don't know if Luis was born again that night, time will tell, but the Lord definitely let him "taste and see that the Lord is good".  

We also had the opportunity to go with Noe to one of the secular rehabs that he preaches at in Rosarito.  It was very similar to other rehabs that I've preached at in Mexico.  They are basically run down buildings that you wouldn't want to spend a night in.  They usually teach an AA and NA program and they sometimes let believers come in and preach.  Brother Braden (from our fellowship) had an opportunity to preach and teach these men about salvation in Christ.  So many of these men said they were trying to live the Christian life and that they just kept struggling and were telling us how hard it was.  And of course it was hard, after probing you realize that none of these men had ever been born again.  They were trying to walk the narrow road without going through the door!  In other words, they were trying to live the Christian life apart from having the life of Christ in them; they had not been born again.  They kept telling us all the things they were "trying" to do.  They had got the cart before the horse.  We tried to help them see that Christ has already done all the work and that we are to believe in and receive Him and what He has done.  We were able to share with these men for a long time.  We were thankful to Noe for letting us be part of the ministry the Lord has given him at the Rehab.  

In addition to visiting Noe, we were able to visit brother Fernando who is in jail in San Diego.  If you've read our newsletters in the past you may remember me mentioning Fernando.  He's a brother (a new believer) who was deported to Mexico that we met the last time we were there.  He was never really able to find a fellowship to be part of.  He ended up in jail because he gave into the temptation to cross the border because he wanted to be with his wife and two kids.  Of course it wasn't the right thing to do, but he went ahead and tried and was caught.  So he is in the San Diego detention center awaiting trial.  We were able to visit with him shortly and encourage him in Christ.  If you would please keep him in prayer.  There is a slim possibility that he could be released and even be allowed to stay in the U.S.  That would be best for him since his wife and two kids live here.  We tried to encourage him to be content with whatever happens and just trust in the goodness of God.  

All in all it was a good refreshing trip.  Noe is a brother who really has childlike faith in the Lord, who's always talking about the Lord, laboring in the gospel, etc.  He encouraged all of us greatly. The tough part about the trip was that as soon as we dropped off our kids in Texas they all got really sick.  In fact, they spent the whole week and a half in bed with fevers, sore throats etc.  So we got back to ABQ and went to pick them up and returned home the next day.  

Pic's:

Enjoying the word with Braden and Noe:
Noe preaching:
Noe translating for me:
Braden teaching at the rehab:
BROTHER ISMAIL

Brother Ismail is still doing very good.  I email with him regularly and we still support his ongoing ministry among the Hindu's and Muslim's in the surrounding villages where he lives.  I'm hoping and praying the Lord makes a way, in His will, to visit him next.  

RECOMMEND BOOKS

As I mentioned earlier there are two books that I highly recommend.  I have been extremely blessed by reading these two books by Horatius Bonar.  He seemed to have an wonderful understanding of grace and righteousness.  Both of these books have helped me greatly in better understanding these truths.  They are:

1.  God's Way of Peace 
2.  The Everlasting Righteousness

I believe that you can get a copy of both of these books for free from:
www.mountzion.org   You can also just Google the titles and find copies that you can read online if you want.  The first book is a wonderful explanation of the gospel, and the second is a wonderful explanation of imputed righteousness.  

There's so much more I could share and write, especially since it's been so long since I've sent out an update.  But I'll keep it short and Lord willing will send out more frequent updates.  If you would, please keep our family and fellowship in prayer.  

May the Lord bless you....

IN Christ,

Sean & Lisa Scott

preachingjesuschrist.com
preachingjesus.wordpress.com



 
I wanted to share the testimony of a young man who was recently born again. About a month and a half ago I received a call from my mother in Texas. She was sharing with me how her neighbors son, named Blake who is 19, was trying to get out of his life of drugs and had expressed an interest in Jesus Christ. As we talked about him we decided it would be good if he came out to spend a little time with my family and our fellowship. So a day or two later Blake hopped on a
Greyhound bus and came to stay with our family. I was looking forward to ministering to him, believing that God was drawing him and working in his heart. As I began to spend time with Blake it was apparent that he had a serious anger problem. Actually, to call it an anger problem would be an understatement. Blake had a spirit of murder. In fact, it had been a long time since I had seen someone with that much hate in their heart. We (myself, my wife, men from our fellowship), would share the word with him and he would accept a little of it, and then out of nowhere just start resisting everything we said and would start manifesting a spirit of anger. We talked to him about his anger problem and he said he didn't want to let it go, he didn't want to give it up. We all became convinced that Blake had a demon, or multiple demons, inside him. On Thursday night, the guys in our fellowship usually gather for prayer. Blake joined us and it started all over again. He began resisting the word and getting really angry. The things he would say didn't even make any sense! After praying with him, one of the brother finally asked if he was wanted to be delivered, if there was anything that he was holding on to that he was ready to give up. He finally said he was ready to be rid of his anger. As soon as he said that we began commanding the demon to come out of Blake. He fell to the floor and began screaming and dry heaving. Before too long the demon left him. As soon as the demon left Him, he began weeping and crying out to Jesus. Nobody told him what to say, he just began calling on the name of Jesus. Amazingly, the name of Jesus was a name he could barely say before the demon came out. Once the demon came out, he was able to freely call on the name of Jesus to be saved. And that's exactly what happened. Blake was gloriously born again that day by the power and grace of God. It's been wonderful to see the Lord's work in Him as he's been growing these last few weeks. He has a desire to read the scriptures, to fellowship with believers, and now gets convicted over sin. Of course he's has his ups and downs, but by the grace of God he continues to follow the Lord and takes joy in what God has done in His life.  

A few weeks after his conversion we had the joy of baptizing Blake in the name of Jesus Christ.  We were able to use a hot tub at a local camping facility in town.  Here's a couple photo's from his baptism:
Before Blake was converted, he had committed a felony in Colorado. After his conversion, the weight of this outstanding issue began to weigh on his conscience. He knew that instead of running from this problem, like he had been, that the right thing to do was to now get this taken care of. After praying about it, Blake decided that he would take a bus to CO and turn himself in, face the consequences, and get the issue taken care of. So I had the privilege of taking Blake to the bus stop and seeing him off to CO to take care of his warrant.  Here's a photo of Blake leaving:
Since this photo, Blake has bonded out of jail and is currently back at our place awaiting his court date.  It appears that everything is going to work out ok, and he most likely won't have to serve and jail time.  It's been wonderful to see the Lord's work in Blake.  I hope that you'll join with me and continue to pray for this new believer in Jesus Christ.

What about Lordship Salvation?


I want to take this opportunity to briefly speak again about the subject of Lordship Salvation.  If you are familiar with my blog, your aware that I wrote a post a while back dealing with this very subject.  It was a blog that some outright rejected and one that even caused a brother I have done ministry with to break fellowship with me because of what I wrote.  However what I wrote was simply the plain teaching of the word of God regarding that nature of salvation.  Let me use Blake's salvation as an example.  A Lordship Salvation advocate would say that for someone to be born again, they must fully surrender to the Lordship of Christ, forsake all their sins, be willing to die for Jesus, and commit to carry their cross daily, commit to daily deny themselves, AND believe that Jesus died for theirs sins and rose from the dead, in order to be saved.  That of course is a false teaching that is clearly refuted by looking at the scriptures.  The Lordship Salvation advocates error by requiring the fruits of salvation AS a pre-requisite for salvation. 

In our dealing with Blake, we explained to him what Christ had done for him in order for him to be saved and reconciled to God.  Yet Blake was unable to do this, to truly call on the name of Jesus, until he was delivered from the spirit of murder that was inside him.  Once the evil spirit came out of him, by the grace of God, he was able to freely call on the name of Jesus to be saved.  Blake did not understand all the implications of Lordship, but he is coming to understand what it means as he stays in God's word and by the work of the Spirit of Christ that now resides in him.  And what is the fruit of his salvation?  The commands that Christ gave, and the lifestyle and heart attitude that Christ calls us to is the very thing that Blake wants.  By reading the word of God, Blake is coming to know his Savior, and is submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  No, he doesn't do it perfectly, as none of us have....but He is growing the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and in His daily submission to Christ Lordship. 

The damaging thing about Lordship salvation is that is teaches that someone like Blake, must understand all kinds of truths, and make all kinds of commitments, before he could actually be saved....something he, nor any man, is able to do apart from indwelling Spirit of God.  Thankfully God's word does not require what Lordship Salvation advocates say it does.  If it did, we'd all be without hope, still in our sins, and unable to receive the salvation that Christ gives to us as a free gift. 

If you haven't read the article I'm talking about, you can read it here: 

http://preachingjesus.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/why-lordship-salvation-is-not-biblical/

May the Lord Bless you....

IN Christ,

Sean Scott
preachingjesus.wordpress.com


 
Greetings Brethren, Family & Friends,


I pray this email finds you growing in the grace and knowledge of God.  


It’s been a while since I’ve sent out an update.  We are all doing well and continuing to minister and preach here in Albuquerque.  For those who don’t know, I had a little setback in December due to having my appendix removed.  Early in December, I started feeling pain in my side but didn’t think too much about it.  However, as a couple days went by, it kept getting worse.  I thought I had only pulled a muscle, so I was still going out evangelizing everyday.  Then one day I woke up and the pain was really intense.  I did a little research online and from that was pretty convinced that my appendix had burst.  I drove to the hospital and they did a CT scan and found that my appendix had ruptured.  They said my abdomen was a total mess.  Apparently my appendix had been ruptured for a few days.  They took me into surgery right away and everything went fine.  In fact, the surgery was relatively quick, and I had pretty much recovered after about a week.  Even though I knew that having my appendix removed was pretty minor as far as surgeries go, it still made me think about the shortness of our life and the frailty of our mortal bodies.  It doesn’t take much for these bodies of ours to shut down and bring an end to our life here on earth.  When you think about it, in light of eternity, it’s only a matter of moments that we’re here on earth before we pass on and, for the believer, go and meet the Lord.  How short this life is, and unfortunately, how often we can find ourselves preoccupied with things that mean nothing in light of eternity and Christ’s everlasting Kingdom.  These verses in Ecclesiastes have always help me have the right perspective (or bring me to a place of sobriety when I don‘t):

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.  (Ecc 7:2)

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.  (Ecc 7:4)

How much better it is to think about our own mortality, the shortness of our life, our accountability to God, and the coming judgment than to fill our lives with pleasures that put us into a state of spiritual slumber.  A wise man will “lay these things to his heart” and live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world.  Solomon ends the book of Ecclesiastes with words that we should all meditate on frequently:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.  (Ecc 12:13-14)

God will judge all of our works.  Not just the works themselves, but also the motives of our heart in the things we do.  Even for the believer, what a somber day it will be to stand before God and have our life and works judged by the One who is perfect, who sees us as we really are, the One who is not deceived or fooled by the pretense and show that we so often put on before others.  

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.   (Heb 4:13)

God sees us as we really are.  Brethren, I pray that you will take these things to heart and be reminded of the shortness of your life, your accountability to God, and His seriousness about His Gospel and His Kingdom.  As pilgrims and strangers, may you pass your time here with godly fear and live soberly, watching your souls, knowing that you will give an account for the “much” that has been given to you through and in the gospel.  I pray you take this short exhortation to heart and examine your life.  May you be found living in such a way that when Jesus returns, you will not be ashamed at His coming.   

To my friends and family who remain unconverted, or who take the name of Jesus without having experienced the new birth (John 3), I want to exhort you as well.  I pray you will read the above scriptures as well and let them cause you to think on your own mortality.  Let them remind and teach you of the reality that you too will die and will stand before God in judgment and give an account of your life.  The All-Powerful, Ever-Present, All-Knowing God; the one who formed you in your mother’s womb, the one who knows all your thoughts and every deed you’ve ever done; He will bring all your secret things to light on the day that you must account for your life.  Apart from real repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, there will be no hope for you on that DAY.  If you die in your sins, you will not find the goodness and mercy of God on the day you are judged.  You will find God sentencing you to eternal damnation for your sins and for your unwillingness to receive the pardon for your sins that God has provided at Christ expense.  

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  (Dan 12:2)

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Mat 25:46)

Are you willing to continue on in sin and rebellion when God, through His great mercy and grace, has provided a way for all your sins to be forgiven?  God has made a way for you to be reconciled to Him through the death of His Son Jesus Christ.  Not only has God made a way for your sins to be forgiven and for you to be reconciled, but God has broken the power of sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  If you have not put your faith in Christ and have not received the New Birth spoken of by Jesus in John 3, you stand on no safe ground; and if you die in this state, your future will be forever sealed by the wisdom and word of God.  The only place fit for willful rebels who reject the goodness and grace of God is Hell and the Lake of Fire.  It is the portion and destination of all who chose to rule their own life and reject the goodness and grace of God in Jesus Christ.  However, that doesn’t have to be your future.  Your sins, like the sins of all people, deserve to be punished. God however, sent Jesus Christ, His Son, into the world to be a substitute for us by becoming a sacrifice for our sins.  Jesus Christ lived a perfect sin-free life with the intention of laying His life down, so that we could be saved from our sins and be brought to God.  It was the good pleasure of God to have His Son make payment for our sins.  2000 years ago, Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of the world.  He bore the wrath of God for our sins and became a substitute for all who put their faith in Him.  In Isaiah it says:

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isa 53:4-8)

And then….

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.  (Isa 53:10-11)

It pleased God to offer up His Son to justify and save those who believe in Jesus; those who repent and put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done.  Jesus Christ has already died as a sacrifice for sins.  God verified that the sacrifice of Jesus was accepted and perfect because three days after Jesus was crucified and buried, God raised Him from the dead, never to die again.  This same Jesus who created the worlds, who created you, who became a man, who was crucified for our sins, who was buried and raised from the dead, who ascended to heaven, who is seated at the right hand of God, and who is returning to earth, He is the same Jesus before whom you will stand on judgment day.  He is the one to whom you will give an account of your life.  Will you stand before Him in your sins and be ultimately condemned for all eternity?  Or will you accept the love and grace of God and put your faith in Jesus Christ and be saved?  God freely offers eternal life to all who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  (Joh 3:16-17)

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.  (Joh 3:35-36)

You must cease from trusting in anything you do and put all your trust in Jesus Christ and what He has done for you on the cross.  If you will do that, you will find that God will forgive all your sins, He will give you eternal life, AND He will deliver you from the power and bondage of sin.  By putting your faith in Christ, God will shed His love abroad in your heart, and you will be reconciled to God the Father.  You will be adopted into God’s family and have an eternal inheritance with all those who have the same precious faith.  

When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, you will experience what Jesus calls “the New Birth.”  You will be born-again.  I know there are many of you who receive my updates, both family and friends, who say you believe in Jesus, but who have never experienced the new birth that the Bible speaks of (nor do you live a life of “doing the will of God“). You have never had God’s love shed abroad in your heart and have never been delivered from the power of sin.  You hold to the name of Jesus (when asked) but do not have a life that shows that you have been born again and are actively following the Lord because of a genuine love for Him and His Kingdom.  It is possible to have a “false faith” that is no faith at all.  Don’t deceive yourself into believing you have something when in reality you don’t.  When you truly repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ, God will put His Holy Spirit inside of you.  You will become a new person.  Your conscience will be cleansed from the guilt of your sins, and you will experience peace with God.  God will go from becoming “something you know about” to Someone you know.  Your faith will produce an experience, and the experience is that the living God will dwell within you and His Spirit will testify to you that you are His.  Jesus Christ is the “door” that all must come to and through to be saved.  

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  (Joh 10:9)

The fruit, or result, of having true, saving faith is that you will find that you now have a desire to “do the will of God” that you didn’t have before.  It will be the joy and focus of your life.  Jesus said:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.   (Mat 7:21)

The result of being born-again, being born of God, is that you will begin to “do His will.”  Your passion, desire, and practice will be to do the will of God and to continue to do the will of God as you grow in His grace and in the knowledge of Him.  

So let me ask you, won’t you come to Jesus and be saved?  Isn’t it time to think about what really matters, what’s really important?  Isn’t it time to stop being unbelieving and to stop trusting in a false faith?  God will freely receive you today as His own, if you will but repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ and what He has already done to provide you with salvation.  

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.  (Rom 10:9-10)

Though we deserve nothing but judgment and damnation, God has shown us His love and mercy:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  (Rom 5:8-9)

Eternal life is a free gift from God.  If you will but believe what God has done for us through Christ and receive Him, God will give you eternal life.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)

If you reject Jesus Christ and His word and do not believe that He is who He says He is, you will die in your sins.  You will never know the peace and love of God, and you will have to pay for your own sins in the Lake of Fire throughout all eternity.  Please don’t remain unbelieving or trust in a false faith that is actually no faith at all.  I pray you will take these truths to heart, humble yourself under the love and grace of God, and begin a new life today with God and His Son Jesus Christ.

EVANGELISM 

I’ve been consistently evangelizing every week.  For the most part, I’ve been evangelizing at the bus stops and at the University of New Mexico.  While I’ve had some decent conversations, which I believe the Lord has used to plant gospel seeds in people’s hearts, for the most part, it’s been a tough winter.  We had one man who was coming to Bible study for a while, and it seemed as if the Lord was working in his heart, but as of now, any interest in the Lord that he seemed to have has faded away.  When I evangelize, I pass out tracts that have our contact information on them.  There are some people that periodically stay in touch with me and ask questions regarding the scriptures.  Hopefully we’ll see the Lord bring some of them to faith and repentance.  Also, because I’ve been continuing to evangelize at the same places, I often have the opportunity to speak to the same person on multiple occasions.  In these instances, our conversations have been fruitful, and I’m able to build upon what we’ve talked about before.  In fact, some people have seen me on the street and have come up to me to continue talking about the Lord.  For that I’ve been thankful.   

If you are unfamiliar with New Mexico, there is a huge Native American population here.  As much as you hate to validate some stereotypes, it’s quite true that many Natives are alcoholics.  A good portion of the Natives that I meet on the street are consistently drunk and pretty aggressive.  I usually don’t try to engage people when they are drunk, but sometimes they come to you and you can’t avoid it.  Almost all of these interactions are fruitless.  Many times, Natives have seen me passing out tracts and evangelizing, and they will come right up into my face and start cussing me out and being belligerent.  I usually try to calm them down and move on and talk to people who want to listen.  The other day, I was passing out tracts at one of the bus stops where I usually go.  I passed out tracts to everyone at the stop and then proceeded to talk to someone who was sitting on the wall behind the bus stop.  We were having a good conversation when three of the Indians who were at the bus stop came over to us.  Two of them got in my face; they were cussing me out and standing as if they were about to throw punches.  I really thought that in any minute, they were going to jump me.  I’ve been in situations like this before but never to where I was actually just waiting to get hit.  One guy was calling me a snitch, and the other one kept saying that I wanted to start stuff with Indians (even though they came to me!).  However, as it was escalating, for some reason, the third guy all of the sudden wanted to leave, and he pulled the other guys and got them to leave with him.  I was definitely relieved and believe it was the Lord who just pulled them away.  The great thing was that the guy who I was originally talking to before these three guys walked up had heard everything, and now he was really open to listen to what I had to say!  Having witnessed what had just happened, it led him to ask some good questions, and I was able to speak to this man about His and everyone’s need for Christ. (Please pray that God would give us grace with Natives Americans that we preach to on the street; that God would break through their bondage and strongholds and that His love would be manifested to them through the revelation of Jesus Christ.)

Through all this though, the Lord did encourage me by letting me meet another brother in the Lord when I was about preaching one day.  When I was out one day, I saw a man and his wife who were preaching to a couple guys, and then he started to pray with them.  I was kind of surprised because you just don’t see this everyday.  So I decided to wait until he was done praying and say hi and introduce myself to him.  Turns out he’s a real brother in the Lord.  He had also just left his fellowship, due to the same reason many today find themselves without fellowship.  So he’s been able to fellowship with us many times and has gone with me to do street ministry as well.  I’m thankful that I can go out and preach the word of God, but I do rejoice when I can go with someone else as well!  

DOOR TO DOOR

In addition to preaching on the streets, Braden and I have been evangelizing by going door to door in the neighborhoods around where we live.  Unfortunately, the first thing people think about you when you come to the door is that you are either a Mormon or a Jehovah’s Witness.  While these cults almost exclusively propagate their faith by going door to door, it’s seldom that you see Christians doing the same thing.  Not having done much door to door myself here in the US (mostly street evangelism and open air preaching), I was actually surprised at how open people were to hearing the gospel.  In fact, so far there are several people that I’ve been able to follow up with and continue to sow the word of God into.  With God’s grace, we’re going to continue preaching Jesus door to door.  

FELLOWSHIP

Our small fellowship is growing.  We recently had a brother name Jeff, his wife Abby, and their five kids move to Albuquerque to join us for fellowship and ministry.  They moved from Texas, and we’re glad to have them here with us!  The brother I met on the street who evangelizes has also been fellowshipping with us when his work has him in town.  We continue to have a few people come and go here and there and are praying the Lord will add new converts to our fellowship.  

BROTHER ISMAIL AND BROTHER NOE

Thanks to all of you who sent funds to help brother Ismail’s wife Ester with her surgery.  Everything went well and she has recovered.  

Brother Noe in Mexico is doing well too.  I talk with him fairly frequently.  He continues to faithfully preach on the streets every week and also spends him time encouraging new believers.  Both of these brothers greatly appreciate the pray and support that some of you send to them. 

 If you would, please keep our family, fellowship, and ministry in prayer.  I am so aware that without Christ, we can do nothing.  It is only by His grace and His working in and through us that we can see His kingdom expand and His name glorified through our lives.  Thank you to all of you who do keep us in prayer, encourage us with your fellowship and correspondences, and for those who support us financially.  We’re truly thankful for all that you do for us in the Lord.  

May the Lord bless you….

IN Christ,Sean & Lisa Scott
www.preachingjesus.wordpress.com 
 
I pray you're doing well and growing the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

For those interested, I just wrote an article titled, "Maybe it was bad pizza?"  It specifically deals with the subject of Dreams and Visions from God.  It a very misunderstood subject and one in which believers seem to go into extremes on.  On one end of the spectrum you have believers, mainly from the Charismatic/Pentecostal side, who believe all kinds of craziness associated with dreams and visions.  Then, on the other end of the spectrum you have believers who out right reject that God communicates in these ways, or they are so skeptical that they might was well reject that God speaks through visions and dreams today.  In the article, I've tried to accurately show what the bible teaches on this subject.  

I cover:

1. Dreams in the Old & New Testament. 
2. How they are often symbolic and spoken in riddles.
3. That God does in fact frequently speak to His people today through these means.
4. Common Objections.
5. Lastly, I share many person experiences of God speaking to me and my wife through dreams.

My intent is not to in any way diminish with written word of God, but to show that in additions to God's written word, and in agreement with God's word, He has other ways in which He speaks to His people.  

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.May the Lord bless you.
http://preachingjesus.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/maybe-it-was-bad-pizza/ 


IN Christ,


Sean Scott
preachingjesus.wordpress.com
 
I'm posting a link to an article I just wrote titled, "Why Lordship
Salvation is not Biblical".  It addresses some of the common errors that
are taught in the "Lordship Salvation" doctrine.  In a nutshell, the
doctrine teaches that in addition to faith in Christ, one must make upfront
commitments or promises to God, in order to received His free gift of eternal
life.  It also takes what should be the results of salvation and makes them
a prerequisite for salvation.  If you'd like to read the article, you can
do so at my blog.
 
http://preachingjesus.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/why-lordship-salvation-is-not-biblical/
 
If you have any questions or comments, please be sure to post them or send me
an email.

IN Christ,

Sean Scott


 
I wanted to send out a short update and ask you to keep our evangelistic efforts here in prayer.  The Lord is blessing our efforts, and we’re starting to see the fruits of our labors.  We’ve been in Albuquerque for about a month and a half now.  Braden and I have been evangelizing every week in the apartment complexes around where we live, as well as preaching along the local bus routes that are quite busy.  Albuquerque is a city where public transportation is used pretty heavily, so the bus stops are a great place to continually preach to new people.


OCCUPY WALL STREET  

I mentioned in my last email about evangelizing at the Occupy Wall Street event that was being held at the University of New Mexico.  Well, the protest was eventually shut down by local police, ending the large gathering of people there.  We were able to continue to minister to the young Arab man that I met there.  He continued to come over to our apartment for a couple weeks, and we were able to share the gospel with him for hours on end and exhort him to put his trust in Christ.  He’s yet to become a born again believer in Jesus Christ, but he does stay in contact with me every now and then.  We’re praying that the word of God we shared with him will take root in his heart and that God will send other believers into his life as well.

BUS STOP PREACHING – NEW BELIEVER

Preaching at the bus stops has been a huge blessing.  It’s a great place because you constantly have people to share with.  You get to see new faces every day, and you get to see people that you’ve preached to before, giving you an opportunity to build upon what you’ve already shared.  Recently we’ve seen a man come to Christ through our ministry at the bus stops.  A few weeks ago, Braden and I were out preaching at the different stops.  We had just finished and were just starting to walk back to our car.  A man called out to us from behind and was wanting to talk to us.  Apparently, he had heard us talking to others at the stop.  He asked us if we were Christians, to which we said yes.  He then began to tell us about his life and how messed up it was.  He’s married and is a student at the local community college.  He told us that he was an alcoholic and that his marriage was a mess.  Having some church background, he knew the gospel and knew that what he needed was God.  We explained the gospel to him, explained how Christ could and would deliver him from the power of sin, and then prayed for him.  We invited him to come to our weekly bible study, which he said he would do.

Well, Thursday rolls around and he shows up at the bible study, with his bible in hand, ready to study the word of God.  In fact, he’s come every week, and is coming to our fellowship meetings on Sunday as well.  At one of the bible studies, we were talking about being born again, and I asked him if he believed that had happened to him.  He said yes, and I asked him when it happened.  He said that the day after we met him at the bus stop and prayed for him, he was alone at his house and was thinking about his life and the Lord.  He said he just broke down weeping and asked the Lord to save him.  Since then, he’s had a desire to follow Christ and said he hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol.  In fact, you can see the Lord working in him as he’s removing things out of his life that are not pleasing to the Lord.  He definitely seems to be bearing good fruit, and we’ll be baptizing him soon!  His name is Ronneal, if you would like to keep him in prayer. 

I think sometimes when we’ve been a believer for a long time and we’ve read the word of God numerous times and we’ve spent a lot of time with other believers in Christ, we can forget just how little people know of biblical truth.  I was out at the bus stops evangelizing another day.  I walked up to a young man, who was probably between 18-24 years old.  He had headphones on and was just waiting on the bus.  I gave him a gospel tract and started talking with him.  I was explaining to him God’s righteousness and what sin is.  We were talking about the specific sins of lying and lust, which he admitted he had done numerous times, and he said that he had no idea that those were sins.  I think he knew lying was wrong, but I don’t think he had ever equated it with sinning against God.  He really looked completely shocked and concerned.  He listened really intently and asked some good questions.  He asked me, “Are you a priest or something?”  I smiled and said, “No, I’m a follower of Jesus Christ.”  I invited him to our bible study before he got on the bus.  The interesting thing was that he said that he had just recently gone out and purchased a bible so he could read it.  I was overjoyed to hear that and thankful the Lord allowed me to be part of what he seems to be doing in this man’s life. 

I share this though to point out the reality that many people, though they know that some things are wrong, they don’t understand that their sins are against God.  I obviously believe the scriptures when they state that God’s attributes are clearly seen (meaning men cannot deny God’s existence) (Romans 1:19, 20), that God has put eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 3:11), and that God has given every man a conscience (Romans 2:15) that to some degree or another testifies to what is right and wrong.  Yet simply because people have a conscience doesn’t mean they always make the connection between their sin and God.  It’s up to us to help men see their true condition before God so that the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ will make sense to them.  As it says in Romans:


How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"  (Rom 10:14-15)

People mistakenly think that everyone in America has heard the gospel.  This is completely false.  I would say that almost everyone in America has heard about Jesus and that he died on the cross and maybe even that he died for our sins.  But that is still a far cry from understanding what the gospel really is (what it says about God and what it says about man) and what it means to them personally.  Regarding much of this truth, a great majority of people in this country are still in the dark.  Christ has commissioned all of us, no matter where we are, to make this truth known to men (Matt. 28:19, 20).  I pray that wherever you live, or whatever sphere of influence you have, you allow the Lord to use you to help men see the truth of the gospel.  


EVANGELIZING  AT APARTMENTS

Along with preaching at the bus stops and on the campus, we’ve gone door to door in some of the apartment complexes around where I live.  For the most part, people have been receptive, and we’ve been able to share with quite a few people.  If someone’s not home, we usually leave a gospel tract and an invitation to a bible study.   About a week and a half ago, a lady called me because of one of the tracts we left on her door.  She’s been coming to the bible study we have on Sunday evenings and is also meeting with us during the week to study the word of God. 

So what can I say, other than the Lord has been good!  He’s bearing fruit from our labor, and we’re praying that it will increase. 

GOSPEL TRACTS

Currently, I’m using gospel tracts that I’ve ordered from an online company.  They’re good, but I always find them lacking, to some degree, in the truth that I want people to hear.  I’m writing a couple myself and hope to have them printed soon.  We wrote our own tracts when we were in Mexico, and it was good to have literature to pass out that clearly presented the gospel to people.  We’re also putting together a website specific to our ministry here in Albuquerque.  If you’d like to help us with ministry resources for tracts, pamphlets, etc., email me and I’ll let you know how you can help. 

NEW SUPPORT ADDRESS

In my last update, I had made a change to the address where we receive support.  I had to change it again since I just opened a P.O. box here in Albuquerque.  For those of you who mail support, please notice the new address on the website.  Here’s the link that will take you to the address on our website. 

http://www.preachingjesuschrist.com/donate.html

Thank you to all of you who keep us in prayer and support us through giving.  If you would, please keep Ronneal in prayer, and please pray for our outreaches.  Pray that God would testify to the preaching with His power and that we would see more people converted to Jesus Christ. 

May the Lord Bless you….

IN Christ,

Sean & Lisa Scott
Preachingjesuschrist.com
Preachingjesus.wordpress.com

 
Greetings Brethren,

Just wanted to send out a quick update regarding the Scott family.  We've recently moved from our land in the mountains to a place in Albuquerque.  We rented a small apartment in the Hispanic part of town (which is great because I can continue leaning and speaking Spanish).  As of now, we've been here for about three weeks.  It's been a blessing to be back in an area where I can daily preach the gospel to others.  Right now, we fellowship with a brother who moved here with us, and Lord-willing, another family will be moving here soon as well.  It's my desire to labor here every day and see the Lord add to our number those who are in Christ.

OCCUPY WALL STREET

If you have been keeping up with the news, you're probably aware of the Occupy Wall Street protests that have been going on all over the country.  These are protests where individuals are protesting corporate greed, the rich, social injustice, economic injustice, and a host of other things.  Over the last few weeks, the protest has spread from Wall Street to there now being protests in many states across the country.  Shortly after we moved here to Albuquerque, I noticed there was an Occupy Wall Street protest taking place at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.  Every time I would pass by the University, I would see people in the middle of the street and on the median holding up their protest signs.  Right behind the protesters is a campus park where many of them spend the nights and stay on the campus grounds in their protest.  If you actually get out and talk to the protesters, one thing that you quickly realize is that most of the people are not on the same page.  Everyone has a complaint, no one really has any solutions, and there are multitudes of people protesting unrelated issues.  The movement itself is supposed to be focused on corporate greed and things related to it, but you'll also see people hold up signs that say "Free Palestine" and the like, which are totally unrelated issues.  So after seeing the large number of people involved in the protest, I prayed about it and then started to go there daily to preach the gospel to those involved.  I'll share a couple stories from my time there.

One of the first guys I talked to happened to be a young Arab man who had been dancing in the middle of the street and holding a sign that said "Free Palestine."  As I was talking to him about his cause, a campus reporter came up to interview us.  He interviewed this man first and then wanted to interview me.  I told him I wasn't with the protesters and didn't really agree with their cause.  He talked with me for a few minutes and then left.  As I continued to talk to the Arab man, I pointed out some of the hypocrisy in what he was saying.  After not being able to respond, he admitted that he didn't really care about the protest and that he was really just there for the free pizza!  As I talked with him more, I learned that he had been kicked out of the army, kicked out of a college in AZ, and he was just kicked out of another school in NM.  He had then come to Albuquerque and happened to stumble upon the protest and decided to camp out with them.  I then shifted our conversation to talk about morality; and in fact, these protests can be boiled down to one issue: it's about a group of people deciding what is morally right for others to do or not do.  I personally think this is great because when the issue is about morality, it's an easy way to talk about where morals come from and then to talk about Jesus Christ.  So in a short amount of time, I was able to talk to this man about absolute truth that comes from God alone and then talk to this man about the truth of Jesus Christ.  Though he was defensive at times, overall he was receptive and listened.  In fact, for the next three days, we picked up this young man, brought him over to our place for dinner, and spent hours talking about the word of God and his need for Christ.  There was definitely a battle going on inside him, as you could see that one minute he seemed humbled by God's word and able to see his need for Christ, and then the next minute he would be defensive and become almost a different person.  After three days of reasoning with this man about Christ, I was driving to the store to buy some groceries.  I was listening to the local news, and they were talking about how a protester had been arrested for battery, trespassing, and disorderly conduct.  I just knew it was this man because of the anger I had seen in him.  (He had told me before that he was against the peaceful protest and wanted to start burning cars and looting stores.)  Sure enough, it was him.  We had given him a Bible, and my prayer and hope was that he would read it while he was in jail.  I saw him after he was released, but his heart seemed to have gotten harder. He had to leave town for a few days but said he would come by our place when he returned.  Just yesterday, he came by our house while we were out and left a note on our door.  Lord-willing, we'll be able to spend more time with him and continue to point him to Jesus Christ.  

Aside from him, I've talked to all kinds of people at the protest.  People that outright reject God, people that don't care, a college professor, and some that some that seem as if God has specifically prepared them to be open and hear the gospel.  In fact, one of the guys I talked to yesterday was a man who was totally open to everything about Christ.  There was a group of Mexicans and Native Americans that were arguing with someone about something.  I walked over to them and passed out some gospel tracts, and this one young man just stopped, sat down, and read the whole tract (while everyone else continued arguing).  When he was done, he looked at me and said, "That was really good."  I was able to spend the next two hours talking to this one man about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This man saw his need for Christ and saw that he was unconverted, even though he did believe in Jesus Christ.  The Lord helped this man see his true condition, and this man did see that God was appealing to him through me.  It was wonderful to talk to him.

I talked to another man who professed to be a believer but confessed that he was a backslider.  I asked him to share his testimony, but like many who profess Christ, he didn't have one.  He was a false convert.  I shared the gospel with him and his need to believe and follow Christ.  He said he wanted to finish traveling and seeing other cities, and then he would seek Christ.  So he basically wanted to satisfy all his fleshly desires before seeking the Lord.  I began to open up the scripture and show him what he was really saying, how he was treating God -- that because he said he had understanding of the gospel and claimed to be a follower of Christ, he was in fact trampling the blood of Christ under his feet and subjecting him to an open shame.  I really sensed the Spirit of the Lord, and God's jealousy, as I shared with this man.  After a couple minutes of sharing, he was slowly backing up, and then he said he didn't want to talk anymore.  He was looking to leave our conversation in a hurry.  I warned and exhorted him as he left.  The word of God was definitely having an effect on this man.  To some we're the smell of death, and to others we're the fragrance of life. (2 Cor. 2:16)

NEIGHBORHOOD

While I definitely enjoy preaching and evangelizing at the Occupy Wall Street event, our main ministry focus is going to be in the Hispanic neighborhoods that I live by.  I'll be ministering daily in this area, and Braden will be joining me on weekends.  Right now, we have a fellowship meeting on Sundays and are planning to have a Bible study during the week and another on Sunday evenings.  God has already given us a lot of favor here, and we are praying and believing the Lord IS going to save people and bring them into his kingdom.  

ROB BELL

As many of you know, I created a site to respond to Rob Bell's book, "Love Wins."  The site has given me many opportunities to share with people who support Rob Bell and believe what he teaches.  The greatest opportunity it has given me is to share and help other see how to read biblical passages in context.  So many people just accept what a supposed minister of God teaches without examining the context of the verses being used.  Being able to help people see the truth in the Bible for themselves has been a great blessing, one that I hope will produce lasting fruit in people's lives.  While I certainly don't claim to be one that has the biblical gift of teaching, it should go without saying that one who does have that gift (or those who teach) should want to achieve more than just imparting biblical truth to people.  Of course biblical teachers are going to want to teach biblical truth, but if that's all they do, then I don't think they've really accomplished all that God would have them accomplish with the gift he has given them.  Hopefully, teachers will see that in addition to teaching biblical truth, they should desire to teach others to teach themselves.  This is how believers can really see lasting fruit in others' lives -- teaching them how to rightly divide God's word.  Thankfully, this is what the www.HellsBell.net site has allowed me to do.  In spite of the fact that the vast majority of responses to the site have been negative and against it, it has allowed me to engage people in conversations that deal with understanding the scriptures by reading them in context.  If believers can help others do this very thing, it will keep many people from being deceived and from believing things that God does not teach.  I am hoping that God will continue to draw visitors to the site and allow me to speak with them about His word.  

180 THE MOVIE

On a side note, I want to encourage you to watch Ray Comfort's new movie called "180."  It's a thirty minute movie on youtube that shows the "spirit" and reasoning behind so many people that support abortion.  Ray Comfort will take you to another time in history when people began to accept subtle lies.  He shows how the results of believing these lies led to the destruction of masses of people, just as abortion does today.  And of course, as Ray always does, he ties everything back to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I hope you'll watch it and share it with others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI&feature=player_embedded


SUPPORT CHANGE

This primarily concerns and affects those who send financial support to us, or to the missionaries we support, through Mission Projects.  As of now, Mission Projects is no longer a non-profit organization.  They are still a Missions organization, but they currently do not have status as a non-profit.  Any funds sent to them for support are no longer tax deductible. This doesn't mean that funds cannot be sent to them; it just means that the donation won't be tax deductible.  As of now, I don't have another option for those who wish to send financial support and receive a tax deduction for their gift.  If this isn't a concern for you, and you wish to continue supporting the work we do, you can still send your support to Mission Projects, and they will still send the full amount to us.  (Though Mission Projects is not a non-profit, they do not profit off of any support they receive.)  Or if you prefer, you can send your support directly to our PO BOX and simply make your check out to myself. 

http://www.preachingjesuschrist.com/donate.html

I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and want to thank each of you that do support us in the work we do.  If you have any questions about this, please feel free to email me.  Also, if you'd like to help or want to know of any of our specific needs as they relate to evangelism and preaching here, you can email me directly, and I'll be glad to share how you can help.  

Again, I want to thank each of you that support us through your giving and prayers.  Through your giving and prayers, the Lord has always supplied us with what we need to do what He's called us to do.  If you will, please keep our ministry here in prayer.  Please pray for me as I preach in this community and seek for the Lord to grow his church.  Please pray that God would continue to give us favor and direct our steps as we reach out with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  May the Lord bless you all.

IN Christ,

Sean & Lisa Scott
PreachingJesus.Wordpress.com
 
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 Lately I've been working on writing a response to Rob Bell's new book title Love Win's.  For those who haven't read the book, it's a book that questions the existence of Hell and make a mockery of the Word of God.  I finished my response and have posted it onto a stand alone website.  Here's the website address:


                                             www.HellsBell.net

It is my hope that God will use what I have written to save people from the deception that is being promoted in his book.  As I've looked at other blogs that are discussing Rob Bell's book, I have been amazed at how many people agree with what Bell has written.  It is clearly a sign that many today, who call themselves Christians, do not read the bible.  I have tried in my response to keep it as simple as possible in hopes of showing even the newest believer that they can read the Word of God in context and not be deceived.

If you know anyone who has either read LOVE WINS, or who has heard of Rob Bell, or who has been affected by Emergent teaching, then I encourage you to forward them what I have written.  May the Lord use what I have written to help keep other from the deception being promoted in the book Love Win's.

Thank you to all of you who keep our family in prayer.  May the Lord Bless you all!

IN Christ,
Sean Scott 

 
Greetings IN Jesus Name!

FROM MEXICO TO NEW MEXICO

This will be our last update from Mexico. We have a had a wonderful time ministering in Mexico but the Lord is brining it to a close. On Friday we’ll be heading back to New Mexico and will be staying there for a more long term ministry…Praise the Lord! While I’ve usually preferred to live and minister outside the US, I am truly excited to be going back to the US because the Lord has shown us He is going to establish a long term ministry for us there. One, that by the grace of God, we’ll be able to plant and see lasting fruit. The Lord has given us so much confirmation that I am very expectant about what God is going to do and establish for His kingdom. I can’t think of another time where the Lord has given me such hope and faith that He is going to bring about what I’ve been longing to see, the salvation of many souls and a healthy local fellowship established. Again, I rejoice that the Lord has sent us to different places to exhort brethren and work alongside them. I’ve learned and grown a lot through it. But I’m excited that the Lord is planting us somewhere that we can plant roots and see lasting fruit. I’m also excited that the Lord is sending a few brethren to New Mexico for us to fellowship with and for us to labor together with. Braden, the brother who has been ministering and fellowshipping with us here in Mexico, will be moving to New Mexico at the end of May. Also, another brother and his family will be relocating from Texas sometime at the end of May or in June. When we leave on Friday, we’ll head back to our land in the mountains but will be finding a place in the city (most likely Albuquerque or Gallup) where we’ll live and do ministry. We know that in time the Lord will make all those details clear…He always does. I’ve learned that in following the Lord, He does not always give you all the details of what He is doing at once. In my own life, I’ve seen the Lord give us just enough revelation of His will to require us to believe and walk by faith. As we follow Him with the revelation He’s given us, we then see the Lord provide for our needs and give us clearer direction. For instance, when we came to Mexico this last time, we arrived in CA with a few hundred dollars. We knew the Lord said it was time to leave so we left and came this way. We arrived at Braden’s place in CA with a few hundred dollars not knowing where we would live. We still needed to find a house and furnish the necessary things needed to live in it. But it wasn’t until we got to CA that the Lord supplied the money we needed to rent a home and furnish the appliances, dishes, etc. Then when we drove down to Mexico, the Lord provided a place for us to live the first day we where here. God always gives us enough leading and confirmation to step out in faith and trust Him. And so many times He’s taken us to the very end of our ability and supply and then supplied everything we needed, and then some! I know the Lord will do the same as we head back to the US. He’ll be faithful to direct our steps…He always does.

FRANCISCO

I want to ask that if you feel led to, please pray for Francisco. Francisco is a man I’ve know now for a couple months. He used to live on the streets by the border fence and would spend his days shooting up heroin. One day, brother Noe was preaching down there, and Francisco left with Noe to go to a drug rehab. Since that time, I’ve been spending time with him almost every week, talking to him about Christ. He has been free from heroin all this time and you can tell that his mind is starting to come back. He’s been using heroin for probably 30 plus years. He’s been reading the Bible everyday and is coming to know the scriptures quite well. Yet as of today, he still remains outside of Christ, not having been born again. He definitely seems close, and I’m believing the Lord will complete the good work I see him doing in this man. Brother Noe will continue to minister to him when we leave.


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BROTHER NOE

Probably the most difficult part about leaving will be saying goodbye to Noe and not seeing him anymore. He is a dear brother whose zeal for the Lord puts most Christians to shame. I have seen few brothers who have more zeal for God and who live as open and transparent a life as Noe does. In this regard, he is an example that believers could benefit by following. Even if he has nothing, he doesn’t let that stop him from rejoicing in God or hinder him from going to the streets to share the gospel with people. He’s one brother I know that faithfully preaches to the lost just about every single day. Together we have had a blessed time preaching at the different jails that the Lord gave us access too. In fact, he plans on continuing to preach in the Tijuana jail when we leave. The Lord has also helped us establish the Word as a foundation in his life. Like many Mexicans, he comes from a Pentecostal background. In Mexico, Pentecostalism is on the extreme end of the Christian spectrum. What I mean is that it’s very based upon feelings, emotions, and signs and wonders. Many times, there’s very little testing of these things with the Word of God. Because of that, there are all kinds of false teachings and practices in the Church. As we’ve continued to point our brother to the Word to test all things, we’ve seen him grow in his understanding of truth on many matters. It has been a joy to see. In fact, the Lord has even recently given him some prophetic dreams that he will be having conflict with his local church as he stands for the Word of God and not the practices and traditions of men. Unfortunately, this is the process that many believers find themselves in when they begin to test all things by the Word of God. But it’s also a process that God uses to grow a believer and have them trust in Him and love the truth above all things. I’m praying the Lord’s perfect work will be done in his life. Here is a picture of Noe. He's also in the picture above in white on the left.

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I will also be putting Noe up on our site for support. If you would like to help support a genuine brother who truly does labor in the gospel, then he would be a good brother to support. I have seen him live on practically nothing and yet still remain faithful to preach the gospel. I have also seen where we have given him support, and he generously shared his resources with others. He’s a brother I know where money truly does not have a hold on his heart. Right now, he lives with his unconverted brother’s family. It’s not the best living situation. They are drug addicts and indulge in some pretty wicked things. We are praying the Lord will provide him a place of his own. When we left recently to visit the states for a week, Noe stayed at our place while we were gone. Aside from ministry, he basically spent the whole week in private prayer. While we were here in Mexico, we offered for him to live with us, but I think he didn’t want to impose. But we’re praying that the Lord, through brethren, will provide enough for him to get his own place. He can get a small place for about $100 a month. If you would like to help support him, just send me an email and we can talk further.

Thank you to all of you who keep us prayer. It is greatly appreciated. May God Bless you...

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IN Christ,

Sean & Lisa Scott

 
 
Brethren and Friends,

Greetings in Jesus Name!  Here’s an update on our stay and work here in Mexico.  First a short note on our family.  We are all doing well and for the most part have been in good health.   We’ve had a little sickness but nothing compared to what we’ve experienced in the past.  So we’re thankful for the good health the Lord has kept us in.  The kids stay busy with home school and have started taking swimming lessons at the local indoor pool.  It’s been good for them to have some activities to do here because there really aren’t that many things for kids to do in Rosarito.  The nice thing is we’re close enough to California so we can sometimes cross the border and find other activities for them to do.  That’s been a real blessing for us because it can be difficult for children in a place where they don’t know many kids and there’s not much for them to do. 

MINISTRY

Since our last update we’ve had the opportunity to preach in many places.  We preached at the border for a while but then noticed that there were actually several different ministries down there to preach and feed the people.  We felt it was best to labor in other places where there weren‘t as many ministries “competing.”  For a while, Braden and I were able to preach in a Drug Rehabilitation Center in which I preached the last time I was here.  We had an open door and were able to share the gospel there for about two months.  Braden was able to teach several times himself and also translate for me when I preached.  We were definitely able to see the Lord use our time there to give men a concern for the state of their soul.  One man named Adan has been a professing believer for many years (I remembered him from the last time we were here).  He reads the scriptures regularly and knows much about the word of God.  Most of the time you see him, he seems happy and joyful.  Yet after hearing us preach for a while, he confessed to Braden that he was not sure that he was saved.  He doesn’t remember a conversion or a changed life that followed.  He just remembers being baptized and showed us his baptismal certificate.  But after talking with him, he realized that he couldn’t put his hope in his baptism and needed assurance from God for his salvation.  I was just glad he was willing to be honest about his condition and willing to question his salvation in light of scripture.  

The reality is that so many people have the same testimony as Adan.  They’ve been awakened to the truth about Jesus; they read the scriptures and may even have a decent knowledge of biblical things; they know the right words to say when they are around believers and can even be joyful; but they can never point to a time in their life when they “first” believed on the Lord and were made a “new creation”.  They can’t recall a time when Christ was their “first love”, when they knew their sins were forgiven and they were cleansed before God.  People often say that you can’t base faith on feelings.  To a degree that’s true.  Faith is based on an assurance of biblical truth.  However, when someone believes unto salvation, feelings most certainly are part of their new birth experience.  You cannot meet the Lord, have your sins forgiven, have your conscience cleansed, be made a new creation, and become indwelt by the Spirit of God WITHOUT having some sort of experience (feelings) from the Lord, and not just feelings for the sake of feelings.  But when one is converted, there is a testimony of having a “first love”.  A real first love for God elicits feelings and actions.  In fact, leaving this condition is what the Lord rebuked the church in Ephesus for (Rev 2.4).  You certainly can’t leave what has never been a reality in your life! 

There are multitudes of professing believers who are in this place today.  If people would only follow the exhortation in the scriptures to “test themselves” to see if they are in the faith, and to “make their calling and election sure”, they would find themselves able to move from a false faith into a true saving faith in Christ.  Some people though are unwilling to think that they might not be saved.  Every professing believer should be open and willing to examine their initial salvation, their subsequent lifestyle, and their current lifestyle in light of scripture.  It’s better to see our current state before God than to continue on in a state of religious deception. 


JAIL MINISTRY - ROSARITO

As I mentioned in our last update, we’ve been preaching in the local jail here in Rosarito.  It has been beyond a blessing to preach to the men we see there, almost on a daily basis.  There are some times when you preach that you can just feel the grace and presence of God.  I truly feel that way almost every time that we go and preach at this local jail.  On the weekends, Braden and I go there to share the gospel.  Lately, when Braden comes down, he has been preaching and is getting very comfortable using his Spanish.  During the week, I go almost daily to the jail with a new convert here who speaks English.  Every day there are new men and women to preach to.  Some people are innocent, and the police just put them in there; but there are also many people there who are addicted to alcohol and drugs.  Many times we’ve shown up and seen heroin addicts shivering in sickness because of their withdrawals.  Having once used a lot of heroin myself (even overdosing from it), I’m able to share with them the freedom there is in Christ and point out their greater need, which is forgiveness of sins.

A few weeks ago, I was preaching and explaining what the cross means to man, what it says about man and what is says about God.  I was speaking on the love of God to forgive any man who believes because of what Christ has done, no matter what their sins were.  When I finished preaching, one man wanted to talk more.  He spoke English, so it was easy to talk.  He began confessing his sins to me and wanted to know how God could forgive him.  He was a heroin addict, and he confessed to having killed people while in that lifestyle.  I wasn’t asking him to tell me these things; he was just openly confessing his sins because he wanted to be forgiven, if God would actually do so.  I spent some more time with him helping him to understand what Christ did for us at the cross and letting him know that God could and would forgive his sin (and make him new) if he repented and believed.  I prayed with him before we had to leave, and he seemed to have a little hope in his eyes.

There have been several occasions like this though.  Sometimes we’ve had people, when were finished preaching, straightly ask us what they must do to be saved.  Other times, men will ask questions and want to clear up doubts they have.  And of course, there are always those who have no interest in what you are saying or those who are too drunk or high to care.  Before we leave though, we also give the guys food, a gospel of John, and a tract and encourage them to spend the rest of their time in jail reading the word.  But again and again, the Lord seems to give us such grace when we preach there.  I always leave there full of joy and thanking God that we have free reign to go there as much as we like.



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GOVERNMENT LETTERS

As I mentioned in our last update, Braden and I have been working on getting papers that would give us a little covering from the authorities for preaching.  We haven’t really pursued it much on the national level but had a great door open up to us in Tijuana.  Through one of Braden’s contacts at the US courthouse, we were put in contact with a man down here who is heavily involved with Mexican social work.  In fact, when we went to visit this man, he was being interview by the BBC while we where there.  Needless to say, we got bumped so he could do his interview, so we waited around until it was finished and then were able to meet with this man.  It turns out that he is well connected with the TJ (Tijuana) government and was able to direct us to someone who could help us out.  We walked across the street to a government building and met a man and explained what we were doing and what type of letter we wanted.  He ended up typing us a letter that encouraged us in our work and gave us some level of legitimacy with the local law.  So that was a blessing to have, even though at the time we weren’t doing any ministry in TJ. 

DIRECTION FROM GOD - TIJUANA JAIL

Every now and then, the Lord will speak to me through a prophetic dream.  In fact, it seems like the Lord has been doing this a little more lately.  About a week ago, I had a dream from the Lord.  In the dream, I was driving to a new jail to preach.  It was raining outside, and I was taking this really long road to get there, but I knew there was a shorter way to get to the jail.  I was going to the jail expecting to talk to just a few people, but when I got there, there were about 200 people.  In the dream, I also wasn’t preaching to men in cells.  They had taken some of the men out of cells and put them in a room with chairs, and I was able to preach the gospel to them.  I woke up and knew it had meaning, but I didn’t realize it was about to play out right before my eyes.  Since this was during the week, Braden was in California, so I was going to preach at a new jail with a local brother here.  We had been referred to a jail in Tijuana by a man that I had met.  A few days earlier, we had gone to this jail to get permission to preach there, which they granted.  So I woke up in the morning and picked up this brother to head to this jail to preach.  And just like in my dream, it was raining outside.  We arrived at this new jail, and there was only one guy there.  So we preached to him and had a great time of ministry.  But after we were finished, the judge came out and wanted to talk to us.  He told us that he knew another place that we should go to that has a lot more inmates on a regular basis.  So he made a phone call and told this other jail that he was sending us over.  He gave us directions and we headed to this other jail.  It’s a larger facility right in the heart of Tijuana.  We went inside and talked to one of the directors, and they said that we needed to come back on a Monday and talk to another man and submit what we’d like to do in writing.  As we were leaving, I asked the brother with me to ask them how many guys they usually have there.  They said about 200.  It was about the same number of men the Lord told me in the dream.  So we left and came back the following Monday.  We met with the director, I showed him our paperwork from the TJ government, and they gave us the go ahead to preach there every week. Then they took us to a room filled with chairs, and they said that we wouldn’t be going to the cells (like we do in Rosarito) but that they would bring the men into this room and we would be able to preach and teach in there.  Again, it was exactly what the Lord had shown me in the dream a few days before. 

So this past Wednesday, I was to go and preach to about 40 men and will have the opportunity to preach to new inmates each week.  It’s encouraging to know the Lord is directing your steps!


(Here's an outside photo of the jail)
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NEW CONVERT

Aside from preaching at the local jail, we’ve been spending time discipling and ministering to a new convert named Fernando.  He was deported from the US and used to work in LA in the entertainment industry doing audio and video work.  He’s been in Mexico a little under a year.  I was put in contact with him through our landlord here.  We’ve been able to spend a lot time together, and it’s been refreshing to be around a new believer who has sincere questions about the word of God.  He goes to a local church here but spends a lot of time with our family, and he helps translate when I go to the jail during the week.  It’s been neat to see him count the cost in following Jesus with decisions he’s having to make in his new life.  I’m glad for the time that the Lord has put us together.  He made a comment the other day that I want to share that I thought was very telling.  Fernando comes from the entertainment industry.  He’s been around a lot of money and a lot of different celebrities in Hollywood.  He asked me one day if I was going to build God a temple (he meant a church building).  I got to explain to him how a church building is not a temple but that believers in Christ are the temple of the Lord.  I explained to him how the body is to interact with each other and how God is focused on the people.  I also told him that the building isn’t per-se the problem, but what matters is what happens when the believers get together.  Then he said “Sean, I’ve worked the production and entertainment industry, and the Sunday services look a lot like a production”.  The truth is, in many cases, he’s exactly right.  Many services have little in common with the scriptures and much in common with movie or entertainment production.  I just found it interesting that a new believer with his background was able to see what so many cannot see.


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BROTHER ISMAIL   

Just wanted to post a recent photo of Brother Ismail.  This is a new convert that they recently baptized who is a part of their home fellowship.


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TRIP TO NEW MEXICO

In April, we plan to take a trip and visit the land in New Mexico.  It will be a nice break and we’re looking forward to fellowshipping with some friends who will be coming to visit us.  There’s a possibility we may take another week and visit some brethren in  a couple other states as well before we would head back to Mexico.

Thank you to all of you who keep us in prayer.  If you will please continue to keep our ministry in Mexico and our upcoming trip in prayer.  May the Lord bless you….

IN Christ,

Sean & Lisa Scott