There's Alot of People Calling Themselves Apostles but Maybe This One Is the Real Thing
It was the year 1988, that I first heard about the exceptional
work of God in the north of Peru, and immediately, I
was drawn to the work and the men that God was using. We
live in a time when those who call themselves “Evangelicals”
have gone wild with exaggerated stories of revival and moves
of God that most often prove to be nothing more than works
of flesh motivated by men. As my father used to say, “Ten
inches of thunder and lightning and not a drop of rain.” But
the work in the north of Peru had all the markings of the
Spirit’s work...
Years ago, a poor man found a New Testament in the
garbage and gave the worn out book to his son Angel
Colmenares who read it from cover to cover so many times
that it soon had to be rebound. Shortly after, Angel met missionary
William Chambers who, like the Evangelist of Pilgrim’s
Progress, showed him the clear path to Christ and lit in him a
passion to “win souls.” He poured his life into Angel and
taught him a no frills, no nonsense, count the cost, hand to
the plow, Christianity that can make a man a dangerous
weapon in the hands of God (Their Paul-Timothy relationship
continues until this day). In time, Angel went to the
jungles of Iquitos to prepare himself for ministry in a Baptist
Bible Institute. It was on the Amazon and in the jungles, that
he learned something of what it would mean to suffer hardship
for the sake of Christ and the Great Commission. It was
there that he also met his wife Efigenia and a life long partnership
in ministry was cemented.
After a few years, Angel and Efi returned to the province
of Piura in the northern coastal region of Peru and began
their life’s work. Although they were ministering in a church
in the costal town of Sullana, they began to make journeys
into the Andes and preach the Gospel were it had never been
preached before. The missionary journeys into the mountains
were full of difficulty and dangers. There were few roads
accessible. Days were spent walking from village to village,
They suffered from the near equatorial heat during the day,
and at night they suffered the paralyzing cold in the high
altitudes of the Andes. In my near twenty years in the ministry,
I have never met or even read of another person like
Angel whose life so closely reflects that of the apostle Paul:
“I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from
rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my
countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers
in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on
the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been
in labor and hardship, through many sleepless
nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in
cold and exposure. Apart from such external
things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern
for all the churches”
- II Corithians 11:26-28 (NASB)
Through such tireless traveling, endless preaching and
constant intercession, God was doing a sovereign work that
could only be attributed to Him. People began to be converted,
churches began to be planted, and God began to
raise up men of the roughest sort. There is no way to exaggerate
this point. This work, which has grown to over 600
churches, cannot be attributed to marketing techniques or
contemporary church growth methods, but to the power of
God manifested through courageous preachers and bold,
unapologetic preaching. I have never seen such courage as I
have found in these men, I have never heard such straightforward
preaching as I have heard from them...
Brother Reyes stood in the plaza of the town of Pacaipama
and preached to them the Gospel of repentance from sin and
faith in Christ. He told them to flee the wrath that was to come
upon the wicked and run to Christ! As he preached a crowd
gathered to mock and jeer. Soon their insults turned to violence.
They hit him, but he kept preaching. They tore his
Bible away from him and threw it on the ground, but he kept
preaching. They ripped his clothes and beat him with a cane,
but he kept preaching. They poured goat urine on his head
until he was saturated from head to foot, but he kept preaching...
And today here is a strong church of over 100 people in
Pacaypama and brother Reyes is its pastor
work of God in the north of Peru, and immediately, I
was drawn to the work and the men that God was using. We
live in a time when those who call themselves “Evangelicals”
have gone wild with exaggerated stories of revival and moves
of God that most often prove to be nothing more than works
of flesh motivated by men. As my father used to say, “Ten
inches of thunder and lightning and not a drop of rain.” But
the work in the north of Peru had all the markings of the
Spirit’s work...
Years ago, a poor man found a New Testament in the
garbage and gave the worn out book to his son Angel
Colmenares who read it from cover to cover so many times
that it soon had to be rebound. Shortly after, Angel met missionary
William Chambers who, like the Evangelist of Pilgrim’s
Progress, showed him the clear path to Christ and lit in him a
passion to “win souls.” He poured his life into Angel and
taught him a no frills, no nonsense, count the cost, hand to
the plow, Christianity that can make a man a dangerous
weapon in the hands of God (Their Paul-Timothy relationship
continues until this day). In time, Angel went to the
jungles of Iquitos to prepare himself for ministry in a Baptist
Bible Institute. It was on the Amazon and in the jungles, that
he learned something of what it would mean to suffer hardship
for the sake of Christ and the Great Commission. It was
there that he also met his wife Efigenia and a life long partnership
in ministry was cemented.
After a few years, Angel and Efi returned to the province
of Piura in the northern coastal region of Peru and began
their life’s work. Although they were ministering in a church
in the costal town of Sullana, they began to make journeys
into the Andes and preach the Gospel were it had never been
preached before. The missionary journeys into the mountains
were full of difficulty and dangers. There were few roads
accessible. Days were spent walking from village to village,
They suffered from the near equatorial heat during the day,
and at night they suffered the paralyzing cold in the high
altitudes of the Andes. In my near twenty years in the ministry,
I have never met or even read of another person like
Angel whose life so closely reflects that of the apostle Paul:
“I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from
rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my
countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers
in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on
the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been
in labor and hardship, through many sleepless
nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in
cold and exposure. Apart from such external
things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern
for all the churches”
- II Corithians 11:26-28 (NASB)
Through such tireless traveling, endless preaching and
constant intercession, God was doing a sovereign work that
could only be attributed to Him. People began to be converted,
churches began to be planted, and God began to
raise up men of the roughest sort. There is no way to exaggerate
this point. This work, which has grown to over 600
churches, cannot be attributed to marketing techniques or
contemporary church growth methods, but to the power of
God manifested through courageous preachers and bold,
unapologetic preaching. I have never seen such courage as I
have found in these men, I have never heard such straightforward
preaching as I have heard from them...
Brother Reyes stood in the plaza of the town of Pacaipama
and preached to them the Gospel of repentance from sin and
faith in Christ. He told them to flee the wrath that was to come
upon the wicked and run to Christ! As he preached a crowd
gathered to mock and jeer. Soon their insults turned to violence.
They hit him, but he kept preaching. They tore his
Bible away from him and threw it on the ground, but he kept
preaching. They ripped his clothes and beat him with a cane,
but he kept preaching. They poured goat urine on his head
until he was saturated from head to foot, but he kept preaching...
And today here is a strong church of over 100 people in
Pacaypama and brother Reyes is its pastor
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by James Pierce on
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Newview,
I believe that a real Apostle walks in the steps of the original ones who kept the Torah.
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I read the article. No Torah in sight.
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Permalink Reply by newview on
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"...It's OK, James is wearing the Apostle's tzitzit."
James, do you really wear 'tzitzit'?
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Permalink Reply by Chaplain Pat Harris on
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Awesome testimony Sis. Newview.
Thanks for sharing.
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You know what Sis Pat, I bet these people live their lives so close to God - they dont have time to debate about alot of the things we (who live in peace, freedom and the lap of luxury) debate about.
I love their strength and the simplicity of their belief.
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Me too!
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