Chiapas

Posted on by October 28, 2008

While you are home electing our next President (I’ve already voted), I’ll be in the southernmost part of Mexico. This is my first trip to the state of Chiapas. It’s been on my heart to go there for a long, long time. There are 11 states in Mexico where Christians are still persecuted. Chiapas is the worst. For those who can figure out youtube, search for Persecution of the Church in Chiapas.

I”ve had a heart-interest in our suffering brothers and sisters around the globe for many years. As some of you probably do, I receive The Voice of the Martyrs magazine and email updates. The blood of the martyrs is still the seed of the Church in much of the world today. Praying for these family members should be a regular part of our day. “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also…if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.” (Hebrews 13, 1 Corinthians 12)

Pray that I will be able through the Spirit of Jesus to communicate genuine compassion for the believers in Chiapas. I’ll be there October 25-November 8. The first week, I’ll be by myself. I’ll fly in through Mexico City to Tuxclapa (I think). From there, I’ll take a 3 1/2 hour cab drive up into the mountains to Simojovel de Allende (I think.) A pastor named Eufemio will meet me (I hope.) He speaks no English. He and I will be exploring some new territory (I believe) to share the Gospel and plant churches. If all this sounds a little tentative or vague, you’re right. For those who have ever been on a mission trip, you understand. Even the best organized plans go out the window. Flexibility is the key, that and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for supporting Terri and me and enabling us to do what God has called us to do. We depend on you more than you’ll ever know.

Pray for Revival and the Persecuted Church,
Dan Grindstaff
21160 S. FM 4
Lipan TX 76462

Out of Touch

Posted on by September 22, 2008

Dear friends and family:

I’ve been out of the country and out of touch off and on for most of July and part of August. Contrary to popular belief, I wasn’t eaten by cannibals! (Although I have eaten some unidentifiable meat lately.) I have been up in the mountains of Jalisco taking the Gospel to Indians villages. Some of them, we know it was the first time they had heard the Gospel. In one village we were told the last Christians who came in there had been run out of town with rocks. The state where I minister most often has less Christians per capita than either Iraq or India.

Then I was in Matamoras, a border town. I normally go into the interior because a lot of mission teams go to border towns. But we have an ongoing project there, trying to knock on about 250,000 homes. 79,000 covered so far. This trip, we went to 4000 homes, which is about normal for a week. What was above normal was that over 400 homes invited the local churches back to conduct evangelistic Bible studies. That’s the purpose of these kind of projects. I believe that was a record.

Then I spent a week in Port Arthur, Texas during an almost hurricane. I worked daily with the associate pastor, Jose. He’s from El Salvador. We had people saved in their homes who were from Nicaragua, Mexico and the Cayman Islands. What a joy! I preached seven times in Trinity Baptist Church for my buddy and Operation Go Mexico partner, Pastor Mike Due. Mike was in Tabasco, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico and also in Guatemala, scouting out new territory to send me to. Chiapas is the state where there is severe persecution of Evangelicals. I’ve had that area on my heart for a long time.

Being at Trinity for a week reminded me how much I miss preaching. I still am not fluent enough to preach in Spanish. Anybody out there want me to come preach for you?

Sorry to be so brief. I’m on a borrowed computer. We have moved but don’t have air-conditioning or internet yet. I love my wife! She is so patient.

Praying for personal and corporate revival,

Dan

Revive Me!

Posted on by June 13, 2008

There are nine verses in Psalm 119 that have the phrase, “Revive me.” I’m working on memorizing them just for the nourishment of my own soul. Do you do that? Sometimes I get away from Scripture memory, but I always regret it. It is one of the most fruitful and spiritually rewarding disciplines we can practice. May I suggest you search out those nine verses and start there?

We talk a lot about revival; at least I do. It has been a consistent theme of my ministry, study and praying for 30 years. And it is happening, in other parts of the world, China, for example. Inspite of, or because of intense persecution, 80,000 Chinese are coming to faith in Christ every day! So, even though it’s not happening in North America, let’s not think for a moment that the Father has stopped pouring out His Spirit on mankind in times of refreshing and harvest.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s wonderful that God is reviving and multiplying His church in other lands. And it’s tragic what is happening in the USA, and what is not happening. But what about me? Can I not be revived? NOW? Can I not experience the fullness of God’s Spirit? Can I not bloom like a rose in the desert?”

There is a short, encouraging answer, and then, there is a longer, more challenging one. My first response is, “Of course you may.” The promises of God for a deeper, purer, more satisfying walk with Him are sure and true. The command to be filled with the Spirit is proof that it is God’s will for you. I’ve read and heard lots of formulas on how to experience your own personal revival, but they can all be boiled down to confess your sins, ask to be filled with the Spirit and appropriate His fullness by faith. Pretty simple, 1, 2, 3.

The hitch is in our shallow view of confession. We tend to have a drive-thru, fast food, sound byte version of confession of sins. Agree with God. “Yep, Lord, I did it again. Sorry ‘bout that.” In our not too subconscience, we’re almost thinking, “And I’ll probably do it again. Don’t want to; don’t really plan on it. But I know me and it’s just my particular weakness.” We’re kind of like the soldier going into battle planning on not getting shot “very much.”

Genuine confession is a little deeper than that. A lot deeper and more profound. Confession cannot be isolated from repentance. True repentance involves a change of attitude about sin. There is a genuine sorrow and brokenness, a contrition (grinding into powder) over our sin; not only individual sins, but the corruption of our hearts that gives birth to sinful acts, deeds and thoughts. We must despise the sin in us that spit in the face of Jesus. Hate it! Forsake it! Abandon it! Crave holiness and purity of heart. Hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Actually, our shallow view of confession is a reflection of our shallow view of the Holiness of God. Holy! Holy! Holy!

Yes, you may be revived. Do you want it bad enough? Do you want Him enough?

For personal and corporate revival,
Dan

Theology of Hope Pt 2

Posted on by March 15, 2008

Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning! Joy to the lands that in darkness have lain! Hushed be the accents of sorrow and mourning, Zion in triumph begins her mild reign.

How fast would you sign up for an army that was destined to fail? Yet that seems to be the spirit of the Christian army today, at least in America. If you believe what is being touted today, we are just to hang on ‘til the bitter end while things get worse and worse.

But that is not Biblical Christianity. David said, “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.” About this verse Spurgeon commented, “David was not a believer in the theory that the world will grow worse and worse, and that the dispensation will wind up with general darkness and idolatry. Earth’s sun is to go down amid tenfold night if some of our prophetic brethren are to be believed. Not so do we expect but look for a day when the dwellers in all lands shall learn righteousness, shall trust in the Saviour, shall worship Thee alone, O God and shall glorify Thy name. The modern notion has greatly damped the zeal of the church for missions and the sooner it is shown to be unscriptural the better for the cause of God. It neither consorts with prophecy, honours God, nor inspires the church with ardour. Far hence be it driven.”
Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning! Long by the prophets of Israel foretold! Hail to the millions from bondage returning! Gentiles and Jews the blest vision behold.

Lo, in the desert rich flowers are springing, streams ever copious are gliding along; Loud from the mountaintops echoes are ringing, wastes rise in verdure and mingle in song.

Ministry update: Last month in Mexico City was the roughest trip I’ve ever had physically. The first week was great. The second week I was sick. It’s not what you’re thinking. I don’t drink the water. It was strange. My partner was sick also, totally different symptoms. Our Mexican friend suffered from horrendous nightmares. May have something to do with the fact that we were working around a cultic area, called Holy Death. It was strange!
I’m getting ready to go to a different area in Mexico in a few days. In fact, if you receive this by regular mail, I’ll probably already be there as you’re reading this. I’m going up into the mountains to scout out some Indian tribes that, as far as I know, have never heard the Gospel. Pray for my truck.

See, from all lands, from the isles of the ocean, praise to Jehovah ascending on high; Fallen are engines of war and commotion, shouts of salvation are rending the sky.

Dan

A Theology of Hope from Old Hymns

Posted on by February 15, 2008

I’m almost positive I didn’t steal it. I’m sure I asked permission. When I was pastor of Indian Hills Baptist Church back in the 90’s, I found an old box of Broadman Hymnals (1949) underneath the baptistery. We sang from the old hymnal every Sunday night there that summer. Every church I’ve ever been in has a box of old hymnals stashed somewhere, usually right next to the old study course books. If you remember those, you’re probably old like me and a long time Southern Baptist, like me. When I was growing up, we sang out of the 1956 Baptist Hymnal. But even back then, I remember being fascinated by the Broadman Hymnal. I bet we could recycle some of those grand old songs and people would think we were singing contemporary Christian music. (Some might even complain!)

Okay, so I kept one out of the dusty box. It says on the inside cover, “Silver Heights Baptist Church,” the original name of Indian Hills Baptist. But I know I told someone at the time. I’m positive. Almost.

Perusing the missionary hymns, I was struck by the positive, hopeful outlook on world evangelization. This is a holdover from the attitude of the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. And it is a stunning contrast of the pessimistic spirit of the last half of the 20th and first decade of the 21st centuries. From the 1730s to the 1850s, America experienced wave after wave of Revival and Spiritual Awakening. That affected their attitude toward the success of the Gospel. They actually expected the fulfillment of the Great Commission, as if Jesus were serious about it and the Church capable of it!

That hopeful anticipation began to disintegrate after two world wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the moral and spiritual degeneration of the United States and Western Europe. Our theology changed to suit the times. We no longer anticipate even the possibility of better days, much less the “latter day glory of the Church” as the old folks used to call it. Our beliefs became as negative as the reality around us.

But since when has the Word of God and the glorious promises therein been regulated by the world’s conditions? In actuality, in the Scriptures, it is in the worst of times that the fulfillment of the promises breaks forth. When Christians have said, “It’s never been this bad before,” (although that’s simply not true), that’s often the time when the Spirit of God is poured out afresh. Now I have no desire to mess up your eschatology (doctrine of the last days.) But the current thought today is pretty negative. It has not always been that way. For instance:

Jesus shall reign wher-e’er the sun does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom spread from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.
From north to south the princes meet to pay their homage at His feet;
While western empires own their Lord and savage tribes attend His Word.
To Him shall endless prayer be made, and endless praises crown His head;
His name like sweet perfume shall rise with every morning sacrifice.
People and realms of every tongue dwell on His love with sweetest song,
And infant voices shall proclaim their earthly blessings on His name.
–Isaac Watts

I choose to be hopeful about God’s mission on Planet Earth. ALL the families of the Earth shall be blessed. We do not believe in Universalism, that everyone will be saved; but we preach a universal Gospel that will successfully be propagated until the knowledge and the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
(to be continued)

In the love of Christ,
Dan

Revival Yearnings

Posted on by November 15, 2007

Revival: an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing extraordinary results.

Yearnings: protracted, insistent and strong desires or cravings, especially in wishing for something lost: longings for the attainment of something unfulfilled.

The Harvest is past,
The Summer is ended,
And we are not saved.
Jeremiah 8:20

I am painfully aware of the fact that I am sounding more and more like a broken record, in prayer, conversation and preaching. Not trying to be overly mysterious, but it is almost an irresistible compulsion. The driving force of my life and ministry, my dreams and my daydreams, the yearning of my innermost being is the urgent and desperate need for Revival, in my life, my family, my church, our churches, our nation and the world. Actually, the need is Revival in our churches and Spiritual Awakening in America and the world. Absolutely nothing else will suffice.

Most Christians will agree with that. Casually. But God does NOT hear our casual prayers for Revival! He hears and responds to, in His sovereign timing, our DESPERATE prayers for Revival. Apparently America is not decadent enough for us to be desperate enough. Can you imagine it getting any worse? How bad is bad enough for us to get fed up and do something? I don’t mean do something political. Yes, of course, we should vote and vote intelligently. But we are not going to elect a messiah to save America! God has already elected the Messiah. They say there are 60 million born again Christians (as if there were any other kind!) in the US. If that were true, and it’s not, we evangelicals would “own” this country politically. If that is what it was all about. But it’s not. I’m not trying to rally folks around a particular candidate. I’m trying to rally folks around the Throne of Grace and Mercy, crying out, “How long, O Lord? How long will you be angry against the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in great measure. You have made us a strife to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; look down from Heaven and see and visit this vine and the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, and the branch that You made strong for Yourself. Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will you be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation.”

Keep in mind, this is not a prayer that lost America needs to pray. This is a prayer for the Church. Conviction. Brokenness. Confession. Restoration. Restitution. Prayer. Fasting. Crying out to God. Getting rid of bitterness, strife, pettiness in the Church. Growing up! Then the promise, “I will heal their land.” Revival, then Awakening, in that order.

In the love of Christ,
Dan Grindstaff
(Just an evangelist)

500 YEARS BEHIND

Posted on by February 10, 2007

Mexico is a study in contrasts. A vaquero on his horse at the KFC drive thru window. A beggar on the steps of a cathedral built in the 1500’s; the church so stunningly ornate and the beggar so filthy, both take your breath away. A family of five, including a couple of toddlers and a newborn on the family vehicle, a motorscooter. A grizzled, old, six-toothed Mexican gentleman with typical sombrero and sandals, riding his burro down the side of the pot-holed highway herding goats…talking on his cell phone!

In our part of Mexico, what the missionaries call The Heart Of Darkness, there are great contrasts spiritually. How can it be spiritual darkness, people sometimes wonder, when it’s almost 100% Roman Catholic? “Isn’t that Christian?,” they reason. Certainly there are Catholics who are truly Christian. But around here, at least, they are the exception, not the rule. For the most part, they are in the dark, just like 500 years ago in Europe.

Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Melanchthon, Wolmar, Calvin, Olivetan, Farel, Knox, Cop, plus an army of preachers rediscovered the pure Gospel in Europe and Great Britain half a millennium ago. A revolution occurred. It was a Spiritual Awakening, known as the Protestant Reformation. Spiritually, Mexico is not much different than Europe was then. Everyone is Catholic. Most are in the dark. Many will admit that. A cab driver told me just that today. His name is Christian. (Not “Cristiano”, as you might expect.) He is Catholic. No, he says, he is not a real Christian. No, he does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. No, he does not even know the Commandments of Mary (John 2.) No, he doesn’t expect to get to Heaven or doesn’t have a clue as to how to go about it. Oh yes, he knows how to get his sins forgiven..confess to the priest. No, he doesn’t confess to the priest. Believe me, Christian is typical. I witness to Mexicans every day.

Mexico is in darkness. But remember the old saying, “Don’t curse the darkness, light a candle.” As I write this at 9:08 on a Thursday night, I’m thinking about Enrique, the jefe (boss) at a construction site where IMB missionary David Cone and I are going to start a Bible study for the crew tomorrow. I’m thinking about the two women who gave their lives to the Lord as I preached and David interpreted last Sunday at a house church during a very impressive thunder storm! I’m thinking about the Nahuat and Misteco Indian migrant worker camps in Autlan de Navarro where we are just now beginning a work. I’m thinking about my upcoming trip (3rd) to the largest city in the world, Mexico City. I’m thinking about the four little villages within 2 to 5 miles of my house which are my ongoing personal, evangelistic project: Santa Cruz de la Soledad, San Nicolas de Ibarra, San Juan Tecomatlan, and Tlachichilco.

And I was thinking about you, thanking the Lord for those He has enabled to hold the rope in intercession and/or in giving. And I was wondering if the Lord of the Harvest was going to call someone from my mailing list to come to Heart of Darkness with that little light of yours! What are you thinking?

Compelled by the love of Christ,

Dan Grindstaff

Que bonita mensaje!

Posted on by January 30, 2007

I can’t believe I get to live in Mexico! As I write this (11:00 PM), I can hear mariachis in the distance. Not too distant. I wonder how Terri can sleep through it. We had tacos tonight at one of those little stands the mission trip coordinators warn you to avoid. It’s operated by our friends Jose Luis Ortega and his wife Socorro. They are Roman Catholic. They do not know the Lord. A couple of months ago, they invited us to their son’s wedding at their church and to the reception (fiesta) following. It is a big deal for a gringo to be invited to such an occasion.

Last night a friend took us down to the plaza where there was a big festival celebrating Revolution Day. We were eating pozole and tamales at an open air place when a lady and her little boy sat down at the community style table next to us. I asked her permission and gave her son a tract and then gave her a real nice copy of the Gospel of John. These are provided by my good buddy, Mike Due, Coordinator for Operation Go Mexico for Southern Baptists of Texas. You would have thought I had just bought their supper, they were so appreciative. After awhile, we noticed people gathering around waiting for a place to sit, so we finished up and gave them our seats. I gave the first man a copy of the Gospel as I was getting up. I looked backed and the entire table, which had filled up now, was looking at the booklet and oohing and aahing over it like it was a newborn baby. So I walked backed over to the table and handed everyone there the most precious gift they had ever received; at least that’s the way they treated it. One man looked up at me and through a toothy grin said, “Que bonita mensaje!”

Translated, that would be, “What a pretty message!” Never thought about it quite like that before. The Story of Jesus. A beautiful message. Si, Senor, it certainly is.

People may wonder why I would want to be an evangelist in Mexico. Genuinely concerned friends have asked, “How’s your schedule looking?” I guess meaning do you have any “revival” meetings booked? After all, that’s what evangelists do. And that’s how evangelists make a living. And you can’t schedule many meetings in the states while living in Mexico. I truly do appreciate their concern. I love to preach. I’m called to preach. I can’t preach yet in Spanish. But if you understand what it means to have the heart of an evangelist and if you could see the gratitude in the eyes of folks when they are handed a simple gift, you would understand why I thank God every day that I get to live in Mexico. And why I thank God for folks like you who help me do what I’ve been called to do.

In the love of Christ,

Dan and Terri Grindstaff

Church Planting Movements

Posted on by October 2, 2006

Recently, I spent a week in Mexico City, one of largest cities in the world. The population is anywhere from 8 million to 19 million, depending on what you read. I even heard while I was there that the entire metropolitan area is around 55 million. Any way you look at it, it’s bigger than Carbon, Texas. The population there went back down to 224 when we moved to Mexico. We had a great week, had good response from the people, had several want return visits and Bible studies in their homes and we saw maybe 20-25 come to faith in Christ. But what is that among so many? Our missionaries there are laboring faithfully. But what can so few do to make a dent? And that’s just one city in one country. Where Terri and I live is in the very heart of what our missionaries call The Heart of Darkness. The need is overwhelming.

But God is on mission in His world. Winning the world is not a task He has left us to accomplish with our own ingenuity. He is doing a new old thing. It’s the same thing that was happening in the Book of Acts. Years ago we called it The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church. In recent years, a fresh wave of evangelism, missions and church growth has been termed Church Planting Movements. It’s not really new (Acts), it just obvious that the Lord of the Harvest is stepping up the pace. It’s a rapid multiplication of new churches that are reproducing themselves at exponential rates. We used to hear about multiplying disciples, and obviously that’s the foundation of CPM’s. But it’s happening at a breathtaking pace now in many parts of the world…India, China, Mongolia, Cambodia, Africa, the Muslim world, Latin America and even, to a lesser extent, parts of Europe and North America. It’s not a matter of “waiting” on God, rather of hurry up and join Him in what He is already doing.

Where we live ranges from 0-2% Evangelical. We are simply trying to do our little part in being a human catalyst for a CPM here. It’s the only way we’ll be able to impact a nation for Christ.

Correction: It is the way God is going to impact our nations for Christ. I urge you to find and read Church Planting Movements (How God is Redeeming a Lost World) by David Garrison.

Thank you for those who continue faithfully in supporting us financially.

Dan and Terri Grindstaff
Chapala, Mexico

What You’ve Been Looking For

Posted on by November 22, 2005
“There’s got to be more to it than this! I know I’m saved, but where is the joy? Where is the power to resist temptation, to witness and to pray effectively? Where is the holiness of life that I really desire? Where is the intimacy and sweet communion with Jesus that I know should be there? Is it really going to be like this, business as usual, boring, routine and defeated until I go to Heaven? Is this all there is to the Christian life?”

Could you have written that?

The angel of the Lord told Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people FROM their sins.” Not left to wallow in their sins in defeat. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

“Oh, but the devil!” Jesus shared in our humanity, our flesh and blood, that through His death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

“Yeah, but you know my old sin nature. I can’t help myself. It’s just the way I am.”
If anyone is in Christ; he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should be no longer slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Therefore, DO NOT LET sin reign in your mortal body.

“OK, I’m dead to sin, but I still don’t seem to have the ability to live consistently in joy and victory.”

HEAVEN’S THRONE GIFT

When Jesus purchased for Himself a Bride, peopled from every nation, tribe and tongue on the earth, He did not leave Her as an orphan to fend for Herself the best She could until He returned. His blood cleansed us (and continually does so) to make us a fit vessel for His gift to us, to make us a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit (please, He not “it”) indwells us to empower in prayer, in spiritual warfare, in witnessing, to give us the joy of the Lord and to make us holy.

The simplest definition of a Christian is a person in whose body the Holy Spirit lives. If you’ve been born again, you’ve been born of the Spirit. If you do not have the Spirit of Christ; you are not saved.

“So, what am I missing? What is it I’m looking for and can’t seem to put my finger on it?”

YOU NEED TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.

Tozer said, “Make your heart a vacuum and the Spirit will rush in to fill it.”I’ve read, and even preached in by-gone days, several formulas on how to be filled with the Spirit. The truth is, there are no Steps 1, 2, 3 spelled out in the Scriptures. Certainly there must be a total dissatisfaction with the way you are now, a craving hunger for the fullness of God, a death to self, a desire to glorify God in all you do and a shamelessly persistent faith that will not be denied. But if I could reduce it down to ground level, I would say, simply, empty your heart, your life, and even your house of the filth you’ve become immune to and give the Holy Spirit a clean place to take over. He is a Person, an infinitely Holy Person. And He is to be trusted.

The mercy of God is an ocean divine
A boundless and fathomless flood
Launch out in the deep
Cut away the shoreline
And be lost in the fullness of God.
–(A.B. Simpson)

Please pray for us and support our ministry financially if the Lord directs. Thank you.

Dan Grindstaff Ministries