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Cornerstone Communications
South Africa
June 13, 2006

Dear Friends & Family,

Greetings from Port Elizabeth, South Africa! While many of you are burning up from the heat of the summer sky, we're cold down here! Yes, believe it or not, it's winter here in South Africa. The good news is, it's not a Polish or Russian winter! It's more like a "tropical winter", if those two words can even be put together. Very mild, and actually nice!

Production Update-USA

Last week we closed our two productions of "The Judgment Seat" in Raleigh, North Carolina. My English cast was made up of local church members from Raleigh. But my Spanish cast was mainly from Dallas, Texas. They had flown to Raleigh to participate in the Spanish production. The remaining few Spanish actors from Raleigh were great to learn their parts, even though they could not work with the other actors. I commend each actor for the excellent job they did.

Both the English and Spanish shows were just beautiful. A very special congratulations to Celebration Family Church for reaching out to their city so successfully! We had big crowds every night, and the Lord blessed us with many, many souls who came into the Kingdom as a result of the production! I never tire to see how the Lord can use such a simple production, and draw men unto Himself. May each soul grow deep in their relationship with Jesus.

After our final production, the English cast of "The Judgment Seat" in Raleigh, North Carolina poses for the camera.

Production Update-Africa

Last Sunday, after the final performance in Raleigh, I took my luggage, waiting for me in a friend's car, and gave everyone a quick hug, and we sped off to the airport. I flew from Raleigh to JFK-New York, then on to Paris, France overnight. I spent the afternoon in Paris, then caught my next flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I waited until evening, then at 10 p.m. flew on to Johannesburg, South Africa. I took a shower, because it had been 2 days since my last, and then flew to Port Elizabeth on Tuesday evening.

Once in PE, I was dashed off to the church where we would be having auditions. I had sent the paperwork ahead, so all of the audition information was copied and ready for the auditionees. We held auditions from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., then stayed up casting the show. I went home at 1 a.m. and crashed from 1:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.! I was exhausted!

We have since begun rehearsals, and have almost learned all of Act I. The PE cast is doing just great. Please pray that the artists will learn the rest of the production, and that the Lord will use this show to draw many people to hear the Gospel, that will ultimately bring many into the Kingdom.

After the final performance of the Spanish production, the cast of "El Trono del Juicio" poses for the camera

Fear of God

For the past few days, I have been so upset. I've been so distraught in my spirit. While I have been all smiles to my hosts while I was in the U.S. and now here in South Africa, I have secretly been near tears the entire time. What happened?

The truth is I want more of God. I have been asking for more of God in my quiet time and prayer time. That isn't any kind of revelation, I know; but what transpired, blew me away. While I prayed, the Lord was quick to answer me. It wasn't, however, what I expected to hear. I expected a word of exhortation, or how pleased he was with my request. No. It wasn't anything like that.

The Lord said, "You say you want Me, and yet there is no fear of Me. In your daily time with Me, you have grown so familiar with My Spirit, that now you have also grown complacent, and casual in your requests of Me. Son, I love you, but I'm disappointed that you have taken My holiness and treated it with contempt with your casual attitude."

I was in shock. I immediately tear-ed up. I do so now. How can this be happening? Can this really be ME He's talking to? My first reaction (which confirmed what He was saying) was, "Are you kidding? Lord, I'm a missionary. I have a daily quiet time. I pray daily for others and for nations. I preach and teach in many nations. I see on average over 5,000 people come to You each year. I see You do so many miracles in my life. I've given You my life. You can't mean me." He didn't answer. He didn't have to. I had just answered my own question. I was arguing with God, as if though I had the right to. (more tears)

"By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy, and before all the people I must be glorified." Leviticus 10:3

Having a few hours layover in Paris, I went over to the Tour d'Eiffel for some pictures, and a cup of coffee at a sidewalk cafe in the shadow of Notre Dame.

I'm still in shock over what He said to me. However, I'm more in shock over my attitude. You know, I don't curse, or do anything that would be considered inappropriate, like tell bad jokes, or smoke, or drink, or look at pornography. I'm a good guy. I'm not trying to impress you with how good I am. I'm trying to make a point. We have a personal standard that WE consider to be holy. However, have we stopped and asked God how He wants us to be?

Our God is so holy, that all our righteousness is as filthy rags before Him. My wonderful Lord and Savior, I'm ashamed to say, has been treated with my everyday, ho-hum attitude. In church, I'm not passionate for Him. I politely take my STANCE as a minister and look all pious and holy, and graciously greet people, but the fact is, my heart is far away. Yes, I praise and worship. Yes, I pray. I even get "moved" from time to time. I take notes when studying the Word. I give to the poor. But its all "filthy rags" if we haven't learned to reverence Him.

"Friendship with God is reserved for those who fear Him. With them alone He shares the secrets of His promises." Psalm 25:14

I HAVE TREATED WHAT GOD REGARDS HOLY AS COMMON. It's no wonder I've been feeling as though there's not much of His presence. You don't know how hard it is for me to "confess" my sin to you. And yet, I must. The first step to getting right with God, we know, is to repent of our sin.

You know, we're quick to make our Him Lord, Savior, Healer, and all that, but the truth is we don't regard Him as Holy, and treat Him casually, as though He's one of us. He's the Lord of the Universe! Isaiah 40:12 says, "He measures the universe by the span of His hand." Meditate on that. The entire universe fits in His hand! How truly incredibly big, and awesome He is! God, forgive us!

"Those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent." Acts 13:26

Here at Word of Faith Christian Centre in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, we have already begun rehearsals. Here I take the actors through a dance. (Notice our "winter" clothes.)

Imagine that you're standing before a great leader, perhaps, the president of the U.S. or someone you consider truly great. He asked you to personally help him lead a project. You'd tell the world! You'd listen, and write note upon note, tripping over yourself to get it done, and to make sure you did it to the very best of your ability. You'd drop everything else to concentrate on that project. You wanted to impress him, right? Right. And your attitude would be right!

Imagine now that you treat that same leader casually. He walks in the room, and you're bored or distracted. He speaks; but you don't even listen, or care. You're quick to find any reason to leave his presence, and find something "better" to do. Do you really think that great world leader would continue to befriend you because of your attitude? I doubt it.

Yet, when God speaks to us, we casually listen, and are even bored in our prayer time. We glibly agree to do as He says, and half-heartedly accomplish what He wants…. And that's on a good day! So often, we either don't listen, or don't care. And more often, we don't even do what He's asking of us. Do you think that our GREAT GOD is going to be where He's not revered or respected? God, forgive us!

"The Lord will be your sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the KEY to this treasure." Isaiah 33: 6

Finding a holy fear of God will compose our very foundation for life. Do you want to see more success in every area of your life? Fear God! We cannot say we love God if we don't fear Him. The opposite is true, too. The time has come, my friend, for us to stop playing games with God, and to get serious about who He is and how He is to be treated.

Got Het Jou Lief!

That's Afrikaans for "God loves you!" What a privilege! God loves ME! Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you today. I'm just so grateful for having the honor of serving Him. Please keep the South African cast in prayer as we prepare for a production just 2 weeks from now! God bless you.

For the Kingdom,
Richard Montez