I’m sure that none of us would like to be none as quarrelsome. Not only is this a negative description of a person, but the Bible has a lot to say about it.

Merriam-Webster defines it this way.

In the New Testament I found 7 different words which are translated quarrel, or something similar. The first four all come from the same root. Each word informs us and each text certainly warns us.

1.  

3163. μάχη mache, makh´-ay; from 3164; a battle, i.e. (figuratively) controversy: — fighting, strive, striving.

2Cor. 7:5   For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within.

2Tim. 2:23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

James 4:1   What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

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2.  

3164. μάχομαι machomai, makh´-om-ahee; middle voice of an apparently primary verb; to war, i.e. (figuratively) to quarrel, dispute: — fight, strive.

John 6:52   The Jews then ^hdisputed among themselves, saying, ⁱ“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

Acts 7:26 ^eAnd on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’

2Tim. 2:24 And ^rthe Lord’s servant⁵ must not be quarrelsome but ^skind to everyone, ^table to teach, patiently enduring evil,

James 4:2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

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3.  

3054. λογομαχέω logomacheo, log-om-akh-eh´-o; from a compound of 3056 and 3164; to be disputatious (on trifles): — strive about words.

3055. λογομαχία logomachia, log-om-akh-ee´-ah; from the same as 3054; disputation about trifles (“logomachy”): — strife of words.

1Tim. 6:4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

2Tim. 2:14   Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.

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4.  

269. ἄμαχος amachos, am´-akh-os; from 1 (as a negative particle) and 3163; peaceable: — not a brawler.

Titus 3:2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

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5. 

1253. διάκρισις diakrisis, dee-ak´-ree-sis; from 1252; judicial estimation: — discern(-ing), disputation.

Rom. 14:1   As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

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6.  

2054. ἔρις eris, er´-is; of uncertain affinity; a quarrel, i.e. (by implication) wrangling: — contention, debate, strife, variance.

Rom. 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

Rom. 13:13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

1Cor. 1:11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.

1Cor. 3:3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

2Cor. 12:20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

Gal. 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

Phil. 1:15   Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

1Tim. 6:4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

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7. 

4170. πολεμέω polemeo, pol-em-eh´-o; from 4171; to be (engaged) in warfare, i.e. to battle (literally or figuratively): — fight, (make) war.

James 4:1   What causesquarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ² You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

James 4:2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

Rev. 2:16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

Rev. 12:7   Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,

Rev. 13:4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

Rev. 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

Rev. 19:11   Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

In Conclusion:

Do these texts indicate that we should be mute, in order to avoid any difficulty? No, Pablo calls out Hymenaeus and Philetus by name in 2 Timothy 2:17 for their errors. 

2 Timothy 2:23-25 re-orient us: Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness.

We must be 

1. Kind to all (even the unkind).

2 teach the same quarrelsome folks. 

3. Patiently enduring evil (even towards us)

4. Gently correcting opponents.

Once again, I’d like to take time to give glory to God for what He is doing, and update you on our activities here. Life has been busy, as usual, but thankfully not so much as the month of July.

I have once again taken over the teen ministry. One of our interns was charged with that group, but he left suddenly last month. I rejoice in the opportunity to have an impact on these young folks!

At the beginning of the month we were able to travel to a mountain town, which required a short plane ride and 8 hours of nausea inducing curves. However, it was a great blessing to minister to the folks there! We got to teach, counsel, and fellowship!

They also celebrated Loren’s birthday!

I had the privilege of baptizing!

We look forward to going back soon.

On the home-front: Loren is taking a specialized course to help teach those with dyslexia. She often does her work while I am teaching an online Bible study to our friends in the mountains.

Joseph is really enjoying his new pair of goats!

Abigail and Isaiah joined a mixed soccer team together.

Joseph has started Tae-Kwon-Do, which I also did at about the same age.

A family who has been visiting the church lost their baby girl at 17 days of age. I rejoice in the opportunity to give the gospel, despite the difficult time.

Our children are on a modified US school year, so they also began school this month.

As part of the boys’ curriculum, we are doing shop class this year. They are learning a lot, and thrilled to be working on this 3hp Briggs motor which appears to be from the 60’s!

We are grateful to God for the privilege of serving him together in Peru! Thank you for your prayers and support.

This month has been memorable in many ways. We have had four separate teams here, and three of them were actually overlapping somewhat! The month started with a teen vision trip from our home church: Faith Baptist Church, in Taylors, SC. The team was comprised of youth pastor, Jordan Alexander, Eric & DeeDee Groves, and 13 teens. They all crashed at our place, and we kept each other quite busy.

We had a full van every time. 

The teens did mimes in the open-air market. 

Taught English at several schools. 

Offered special music to the Lord. 

Played sports. 

Interacted with lots of local teens & kids. 

Did a short river trip, 

including some high-wire canopy walks. 

Tried to pass out flyers (haha!) in anticipation of our medical clinic and prayerfully a church plant in a nearby town.

Held a family fair.

Participated in our anniversary service. 

While the FBC teens were here, the Cusco Bible college (where I go to teach every year) sent a mission team. 

They focused on evangelism all week long, under the leadership of our intern, Hetler Ramos. 

They were a tremendous blessing as they shared the gospel with many adults and children!

Our youth enjoyed getting to know young believers from another part of the country. 

Shortly after they arrived, Mike & Jeanine Kennon, from ORH, as well as our friend Leslie Haynes arrived to spend time with us and prepare for the medical team. 

We visited several villages by river, in preparation for the mobile clinics. 

#wildscamp in the jungle. 

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting an Operation Renewed Hope team for the fifth time (I believe). 

God gave us two days of clinic in a nearby town where we are praying about and working towards a church plant. Our whole family was involved! 

The Lord also allowed the main team to have two days of clinic at church. 

Many commented that our new building was ideal for this large clinic. 

Our last day, with all the team working together, we were able to serve 429 people, assuring that each one heard the Gospel, and had a chance to respond. 

The remote team was privileged to travel to three different villages, including two different ethnic groups. 

This is the chief’s grand-daughter. 

What a joy to see our own church folks serve as the evangelistic team!

In total, we were able to minister to the body and soul of over 1500 people last week. Dozens of people made a profession of faith. We praise the Lord for the extra-ordinary efforts and amazing labor by the entire group.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

 

 

Do you eat potatoes? Do you peel potatoes before eating them? Most French fries are peeled. Chicken and fries is one of the most common meals in Peru. Many towns and smaller cities do not have any North American fast restaurants. Chicken with fries is sometimes as close as it gets. The fries in these restaurants are always from peeled potatoes.

Additionally, Peru is known as the home of the potato, with over 4000 varieties! It is obviously a staple food. I have almost never (maybe never?) met a Peruvian who eats the potato with the skin still on. Once I was invited to stay over for lunch at a small mountain church high in the Andes that was accessible only by a very strenuous hike down and back up a steep canyon at around 13000 ft. The village had no road access, even if I did have a vehicle at the time. The lunch consisted of all the church members opening up their beautiful colored blankets on the ground and showcasing a variety of boiled spuds in all sorts of flavors, textures, sizes, and colors. (Something like the picture below)

We ate potatoes and more potatoes for lunch. EVERYONE peeled their potatoes with the fingernails before eating them.

A potato skin contains (according to one site): 

• Vitamin C: 8 grams, or 9 percent DV
• Calcium: 20 milligrams, or 2 percent DV
• Potassium: 332 milligrams, or 7 percent DV
• Magnesium: 25 milligrams, or 6 percent DV
• Phosphorus: 59 milligrams, or 5 percent DV
• Manganese: 0.4 milligrams, or 16 percent DV
• Iron: 4 grams, or 23 percent DV
• Zinc: 0.3 milligrams, or 3 percent DV
• Copper: 0.5 milligrams, or 53 percent DV
• Thiamine: 6 percent DV
• Riboflavin: 5 percent DV
• Niacin: 11 percent DV
• Vitamin B-5: 10 percent DV
• Vitamin B-6: 21 percent DV
• Folate: 3 percent DV

So, why do we keep peeling our potatoes? Simply put: we like them better that way. 

Problem: We do many things that we are like to do, even though they are neither right nor helpful

Point: We must reorient our thinking with truth in order to do right. 

I. Is sin good or bad?

A. the Bible says it is bad

B. Experience shows it is bad

Which ways do you like for people to sin against you?

II. Is the law good or bad?

A. the Bible says it is good (even though it speaks against my beloved personal sins)

B. the Bible comes from God

III. Is God good or bad?

A. the Bible says God is good (implicitly and explicitly)

B. Nature shows God is good

He shows us His character by his creation. 

If sin is bad, because it is contrary to the good law of a good God, how must my thinking change? I must realize and hold firmly to:

IV. Life is all about God

A. I was made for his glory (but I often do not fulfill this)

B. I must change to give him glory (because I am fundamentally flawed. This change begins with salvation, and must continue for the rest of life)

V. Change is good

A. My tendency is to sin (therefore any change away from that tendency is good)

B. Help in changing is necessary (I have tried and failed many times to change on my own)

VI. Conviction is good

A. It comes from the Holy Spirit (I must have his help and power to change)

B. It comes from my conscience (God gave me this to help show me my sin

VII. Correction is good

A. I sin regularly against myself and others (I need correction)

B. My sin is neither good nor helpful for myself or others (correction is necessary to stop sinning)

VIII. Church is good

A. Preaching about God and against sin is good (it brings conviction)

B. Helping one another is good (We bring mutual conviction)

Don’t just do what you like. Think about what you do, and why you do it.

God gave us a beautiful time together and lovely weather for the jr/sr high outing. There were about 25 with us, and everyone had a great time. Sofía took care of the food organization, Brenny did the schedule and gave the morning devotional, Hetler planned the games, Buddy gave the afternoon devotional, and Loren helped in myriad ways. The Lord truly blessed our ALFA group, and several first-time visitors, with some great memories! May our great Father raise up these young people to love and serve Him.

ALFA stands for: Adolescentes (adolescents) Lidiando a ser (fighting to be) Fiel (faithful) A Dios (to God).

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Any medical campaign starts, by necessity, long before the team arrives. We were busy for months with getting permissions, purchasing supplies, coordinating lodging and travel, buying lots of medicine, planning meals, and of course: praying.

The team began to arrive on February 26th. This was a big help because we needed to organize medicine and take inventory. Most of the team came in on the 27th, and we left the 28th.

We loaded this giant metal canoe on Monday morning.

Even though it is over 60 feet long, we filled it up fairly well.

Being on a boat with a big group for an entire week is definitely a bonding experience.

We arrived at our first village on Monday afternoon.

There we held the medical clinic,

passed out eye glasses,

and picked up some pets.

Most importantly however, we gave the Gospel.

Each day we visited a village or two showing the love of Jesus.

In several villages we were able to hold services.

It was always hot.

But God blessed with good locations…

and good weather.

This was a direct answer to prayer.

Since most of the riverbanks were steep and slippery even when it wasn’t raining.

What a joy to be able to serve…

…in such tangible ways…

…to help people physically…

and more importantly…

Spiritually.

We saw many amazing sights…

colorful animals…

and beautiful people.

The children were not always cooperative…

but definitely cute!

We are so thankful that we got to share the Gospel with the 275 patients that we saw.

Please pray for the 11 professions of faith that we know of.

and the 7 additional souls who indicated their need to be saved in one village.

May God bless the follow-up in these places…

and the people who made this possible.

 

Thank you for your prayers and support.

 

 

 

 

Exodus 32:1-7 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ² So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” ⁶ And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. 7   And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

Exodus 32:1-7 a (sarcastic) meditation

1. They don’t arrive late v1a
2. You can carry them anywhere v1b
3. They will not run off on you v1c
4. You can make them whenever you like v1d
5. gods are visible v1e
6. Total surrender is not required, just your earrings v2
7. They come in any shape you want v4
8. They won’t ruin your party v6a
9. You can sin all you want. v6b

The question for you and I is: “What are the idols that we have been forming in our lives because they are more convenient or a better fit for us?”