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Cornerstone Communications
Nicaragua
February 13, 2009

Newsletter Contents

1. Greetings
2. VIDEO
3. Teaching for February.....The Heart of God
4. Text from the Video (for those who’d rather read)
5. Closing

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Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Managua, Nicaragua! I arrived yesterday, and we began auditions last night. It is nice and warm here, too. I have got quiet a suntan after spending so much time in the sun last week in Peru. The Lord did some amazing things in Lima, and He was glorified, even in the midst of some tough spiritual battles. Watch the 5 minute Video Report.

VIDEO MESSAGE

FEBRUARY TEACHING

The Heart of God

I have asked myself in the past, I wonder what God is thinking about? What’s on Gods heart? When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, did He mean to say, Oh yeah, I almost forgot... GO INTO ALL THE WORLD? After all, it was the very last thing He said while He was here on earth. No, in fact, it is just the opposite. Often, the parting words shared by a great teacher or leader are the most profound. The Great Commission has been at the epicenter of creation. Gods heart is to know His people. He wants a personal relationship with us.

Yet, from the beginning of time, man has hidden from God, due to rebellion or disobedience. God Himself started evangelism and missions when He went after Adam and Eve, and helped them to confront their sin. Think of it! From the first sin, God has been right there reaching out to us to bring us back!

God then put that same missionary zeal into a man named Abram, as he was called by God to leave his land and go to another land. God blessed Abrams obedience to simply trust Him. But why is Abrams blessing important to us? The answer is found in Genesis 12:2, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.

He wants us to be blessed so that we can be a blessing! Many of us pray, Bless me, bless me, bless me We want the RIGHTS that accompany our relationship with God, but not the RESPONSIBILITY.

Plan A From Abraham came a nation that would believe and trust and have relationship with God. The nation of Israel was to make known this King of the Universe! Yet, instead of Israel changing the nations around them, THEY themselves forsook God and changed to be like their heathen neighbors!

Plan B When Jesus came to earth, He established a new plan, a new covenant between God and the people here on earth. He was simply doing what He saw the Father doing. Following after Gods heart, He left HIS land, and went to another land. He gave His life, so that as we confront our sin, we have a choice to turn away from it and to accept His plan of salvation for us.

Christians around the world are so distraught with life. They have no hope, no joy, no zeal, no motivation, and life is just awash with problems. How can this be, when we have a glorious God who loves us? The answer is two-fold: First of all, I think that there is a very real spiritual war going on right now, as we are in the last days. Satan is fighting Christians like never before to keep them discouraged and disheartened. By doing so, they lack any motivation to do anything important for the Kingdom.

The second part of the answer is that Christians have been looking IN so long, that all they see is: well, themselves. Yes, they go to church, and they even serve on some committees and ministries. But for some, it is all about THEM! I will give to be blessed, I will serve to be blessed, I will attend service to be blessed, and then I will work to bless myself. And then they wonder why life is so meaningless. My friend, I pray that this is not you.

We have a responsibility in our relationship with the Lord. We MUST go outside of ourselves. Leave that land called Self, and go into the World! Not the nations necessarily, but how about next door! Your boss, your co-worker, your fellow student, your friend. Our world is tragically lost. Even more tragic, Christians are forsaking God, and becoming like those heathen! May this not be! May we wake up, and forget about ourselves, with great abandon, and realize that if we do not roll up our sleeves and get to work, then these lost souls will be our fault, and their blood will be on our hands.

Joy can only be found in living outside of ourselves. Giving to the point of sacrifice, serving to the point of inconvenience to our personal schedule, praying to the point of losing sleep and going without eating. Great Christian statesman David Shibley asked wisely, If not now, then when? If not us, then whom? Are you feeling down or depressed? Many are. The answer is to pour yourself out to the Lord, and to give yourself to the world. In dying to your self, you will find life in Gods Kingdom, and you will find there, the heart of God.

VIDEO TEXT

I arrived in Peru the middle of January, and fell in love with the beauty of Peru. However, I was surprised to learn that there are two Perus: a very modern and beautiful city in the south made up of 20% of the population, and a very poor city in the north made up of 80% of the rest of the people.

I would be working with Sonja Samuel, my friend and brilliant choreographer from my home church in Dallas, Texas. She would be heading the dancing parts of the festival. Angel Sanchez from Madrid, Spain, who was coordinating the event, and Rey Laudencia, also from Madrid, Spain, who would head the mime teams for the festival. We went right into auditions, and I began selecting the team that would act.

When I arrived into Lima, I learned that the coordinator hadn't coordinated anything! So, I began some serious meetings with the pastors to begin to plan out the event. Somebody had to! We went right to work, and the pastors from the north were eager to be involved. The coordinator wanted to be in charge, although he would leave the city on business for days on end, and therefore left the pastors, the leaders and me frustrated. Sonja and I led rehearsals, but felt so helpless. It was definitely a spiritual battle.

However, the leaders and the churches went to prayer. And, the prayers worked! The Lord sent an amazing man, Jose Luis, who is a professional actor of stage, film and television, to join me in the production. He set up some television interviews for us, and headed the publicity. Soon, I was appearing on radio and television interviews by myself, and also with the rest of the leadership team.

Rehearsals continued, and the actors were hard at work, and the pastors did their share, as they build all the sets. Ken and Marjorie Bell arrived and went right to work, Marjorie with the costumes, and Ken helping with the sets and set up. It was the week of the show, and the pastors were hard at work mounting the scaffolding for the event. The coordinator fought the set up, but with the support of the pastors, we were able to move forward. The pastors continued to mount the sets, and when sound and lights arrived, I was able to direct them where I wanted everything. We were on our way! The Lord had blessed us by helping us create a theatre out of nothing, thanks to some hardworking pastors! God bless them.

The show was finally upon us, and in just 2 weeks time, we went from nothing to an entire beautiful stage. Thank You, Lord. The audience arrived, and we had approximately 4000 people attend the even each night. The dances were colorful, and the drama was powerful. We presented “The Judgment Seat”, and the people in the poor area of the north had never seen anything like this, so they were so touched. Best of all, they responded to the altar call. Hundreds came forward each night, for a total of over 800 salvations! Praise the Lord! I'm so grateful to the Lord for giving these poor people of the north a chance to use their gifts of drama and dance.

The next day, I flew to Cuzco, then took a train to Aguas Calientes to see the world famous Machu Pichiu. I had always heard about it, seen pictures and read about it, but to now be here was a dream come true! It's impossible to describe Machu Pichiu, but I can definitely say that it is something everyone must see in their lifetime. I met some wonderful new friends there, and then I came back to Lima to work with Jose Luis about some future projects.

I said goodbye to everyone, and flew on to Nicaragua. I arrived and was met by friends Pablo Lopez and Pastor Milton Aguilar, who'll serve as coordinators for the show. We went by Milton's church to see the remodeling. The place was dark and locked, but when he opened the door, the church was filled with people who yelled “surprise!” Everyone greeted me, and then we had cake. What a nice welcome to Nicaragua!

Dios Te Bendiga!

That is Spanish for God bless you! We had a wonderful time in Lima, Peru, and we saw the Lord bring over 800 new souls into His Kingdom! What an honor to be used by Him in such a way! I thank you for your prayers and your support. It is what allows me to continue to bring people to Jesus Christ. And now, keep us in prayer as we begin our work here in Nicaragua. God bless you!

For the Kingdom,
Richard Montez