David Yanez

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Reaching the Unreached is Reachable

Reaching the Unreached is Reachable

By David Yanez


I use to work with a ministry about 15 years ago whose theme was “Reaching the Unreached Millions.” My thought was at that time was “How many are actually unreached?” Back then the figures showed close to 2.5 billion people in China and India had not yet to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This ministry would hold mass crusades attracting millions each night to hear the salvation message of Jesus. Millions is a huge number. After 15 years you would figure it would be done already. Yet I still see the same numbers today as I seen back then floating across my television and computer screen. 2.5 billion lost is still massive to attempt to reach. Why hasn’t it been done yet? I am sure that the 2.5 billion lost number has moved a bit down by now. Maybe even 1.7 billion or something like that. Why not a massive dent? Especially after massive crusades have been held not only by my ministry friends but also the top evangelist of today. Many of these crusades by top ministries had millions in attendance each night.

My answer is simple mass crusades are not being held in the most remote locations. Yes they are being held in India and China among other needed areas. But they are not huge massive crusades in the jungles where most unreached live and work. In fact most crusades are in populous metropolitan areas where all the amenities for video, staging and sound system are readily available. Holding a crusade in the remote areas needed to reach costs more and brings fewer crowds. The cost to get lights, tents and a sound stage in a jungle is triple than in a city.

The contacts for a city crusade are easier to make and are more available then those in remote areas rarely visited by ministries. In fact for the right amount of funds and time a crusade drawing millions of people is feasible for almost any ministry. To hold a conference in the unreached areas requires personal contact with native pastors and native coordinators. These contacts are not easy to find nor are they easy to maintain over great distance.

My other answer to the reaching the unreached is that out of experience millions can be reached. But not by mass crusades alone effectively. Don’t get me wrong the mass crusades have its effect by reaching a massive audience and demonstrating Gods power. The relationships with the individual are missed by mass crusades. Personally putting together a team that will be focusing on developing relationships with native pastors and multiplying their efforts is the key. Holding pastors conferences regularly throughout remote areas will build strong, educated and faithful leaders.

Recently, I did some missions work in India that produced some extraordinary results. God’s power moved in a conference and crusade night designed for just the local pastors and families. Today these pastors are completely dedicated to working with my native leaders. My leaders are reporting a revival of sorts happening in all the villages they visit. Many of the pastors heard of the great movement of God in our Crusade and Conference that they are eager to work with us. I believe a movement is happening in remote areas that have been hurting and hungry from God not only in India but also around the world. My friend Pastor Malcom Burton just came back from China with similar reports of the movement of God and revival everywhere they visited. I quote a portion of his personal email he sent to me “Our advantages are mature insight, mobility and money.”

Now is the time to move in missions. God has built us to take His Word forward. I have worked both sides of the mission’s arena massive crusades and building the pastors. I believe the unreached can be reached by sending the trained native missionary with support and guidance into the remote areas.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Past Loves__Relationships

Past Love
By David Yanez

Many of you may fit into this scenario: you have someone tucked away in the back of your mind who means something special to you—someone who meant a lot to you years ago. Every now and then, you pause for a few minutes to wonder him or her. Where is he? What is he doing now? Is she happy? Did she ever get married? Does she wonder about me? These questions are just a few that may flit across your mind. You may be in a relationship with someone whom you’re madly in love with today. You’re happy with whom you chose to spend the rest of your life building a family. You may enjoy every part of your life to this point. So why do you think of that long-ago person? Why does he or she just pop up in your mind from time to time? Why are you still interested in his or her well-being?
Are these thoughts wrong? Is this fair to your current relationship? Should you feel a bit guilty? All these questions have different answers for different people and situations. So before I give you those answers, let me ask a question. Why does this person haunt you? Why is he or she imprinted into the back of your mind? Why, after all these years, do you still care? I believe because at one time your love was pure, uncontaminated, and untainted by life. You genuinely loved him or her with all your heart. You may have even planned a future together at one time. This person was to be the one with whom you expected to spend the rest of your life.
Always on my mind...
Do memories of that old flame flare up when you are doing something or about to do something you thought you would be doing with him or her? Maybe you’re about to have a baby. Maybe you’re reaching a certain age you expected to be with him or her. Maybe you just took a vacation to an exotic place. Or you could be buying your first house. Whatever it is, you always thought you would be with this other person at this point in your life. These are
101a few reasons he or she stays on your mind. To put it simply, you still daydream about having a life with your “first love.” That’s why this image seems stapled onto your forehead at certain times.
You should feel guilty only if you do something to evolve your daydream to reality. If you try to hunt down this person to set up a secret rendezvous, you have a problem. Any innocent meeting can result in an opportunity to have an affair. Any time you act out a fantasy or dream outside your marriage, it becomes a sin. Your loyalty belongs to your spouse, unconditionally. Simply put, God doesn’t share us with any other; why should our spouse have to? You are one with your spouse no matter who comes back from the past. No matter what you shared with your old flame, it’s in the past. No matter how familiar you were with that person, it’s still the past.
No matter what you do to not think about this person, it will be impossible to stop. He or she will always be in the back of your mind. That’s okay! As long as you keep your past loves there—in the past.
Don’t feel guilty
As long as you keep your past love in the back of your mind and don’t try to build a romance with him or her, you can be guilt free. At one time, this person meant the world to you, so it’s natural to have a general concern. Remember to keep the concern in its place at all times. Know where you’re at today. They enemy wants you to be tempted. Wondering is natural, but don’t try to insert this person into your spouse’s place. The fantasy always looks better than reality. And the reality is, that old relationship didn’t work out.
Yes. You may have been in love. Something about that person was extra special and touched your heart. Deep down, you have a spot for them that won’t easily go away. But eventually, my friend, you need to let it go.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

India Feb 2010 Crusade and Pastors Conference

My friends I have seen some great things over the years. I knew Gods hand was in this work he sent me to do overseas here in India. We are in Hyrakud, Orissa a small town surrounded by a huge man made lake and mountains. The roads are very narrow and treacherous at times. Everybody that is on the street jockeying for position includes cows, pedestrians, motorcycles, buses, cars, bikes, vans and your every day mutt. In fact when I was in New Delhi on Friday I seen packs of dogs just roaming the street bothering anyone who was on the streets at the time. Crazy!
Tonight was a wonderful welcome from my host and their ministry. We left Houston on Thursday afternoon around 4pm. Since then we have taken 2 planes for 15 hours, a train for 26 hours and a van for an hour. Including wait time it was about 50hours of travel in two days. We arrived at the Church campus around 4:30pm. We were very tired and hungry. Really we were exhausted! But once we pulled up there were 150 people waiting at the main gate. They started singing for me as I walked up from the car. They played drums, cymbals, tambourines and bells as I walked up. Put a lay on my neck then several people just started hugging me like crazy. Amazing how you’re humbled by such a loving gesture. The mother of my friend who brought me out here stood in the middle of the courtyard with her hands in the air yelling “Thank you Jesus!” The pastor/bishop of the several hundred pastors represented was so happy that I came to visit and minister. In fact they have been praying for 6 years that God would send them a preacher with a heart for their pastors they disciple.
I was so tired going up there to preach this evening. My feet were heavy and I couldn’t lift my hands very high. But to see their love and excitement moved me to pray “Lord give me the strength and oh yeah let me do a great job.” It’s hard to preach a sermon after 50 hours of travel with an hour’s notice. I basically prayed for a few minutes as I unpacked then took shower got ready and went downstairs to preach. I actually put my sermon together in 5 minutes.
A strong spirit of heaviness was upon the service. People just looked tired! A huge Hindu festival called “The Festival of Colors” is kicking off throughout the Country this weekend. In fact one of the factious parties is celebrating directly across from us in an open field with a huge bonfire. We had several spiritual resistances to overcome before getting here to minister. Our luggage carrying the sound system we donated was raising a red flag on getting on the plane. We had to reorganize the packing of all our bags at the check in counter before we left. Then my friend our crusade organizer who is from India was almost deported when he checked in at customs cause of his travel visa. But on both occasions God gave us favor. This a special time for me and my friends to see us work together to reach and empower these pastors and believers here in Sambulpur, India.
Its 10:15 at night I am sitting down to my first meal in 2 days. Up till now I had been eating two or three samosa treats a day. Samosa treats are fried shell with spicy potato inside. Not that food wasn’t around but there was no time to stop in between transportation. Rice and curry chicken never tasted so good.
Before I preached God did tell me that he was going to give me something back while I was on this trip. I had a feeling I knew what it was. On this first night I could see I was right. He gave me back the evangelistic rope a dope preaching. You know what I mean that crusade swagger and fired up preaching for miracles to happen. I could feel it! He also told me when I asked Him how to preach to these Indian pastors. He said preach to them like when you were younger speaking to the Spanish churches. So I geared myself mentally to go for that atmosphere. It worked I even slipped in a few hallelujahs and Gloria Dios by accident. No one seemed to mind. I laid hands on half the crowd. No apparent spiritual manifestations but I know the week is young. Plus God brought them the Word of God in all its wonder!
I see where the money went to do this entire conference. We had 250 pastors, 150 people of exile from families because of serving Christ, plus families, college students and pastors of campuses. Total crowd was 500 or more. Not bad for first meeting night. Those exiled people just showed up at campus gate. No one gave them directions and they just showed up this morning. God sent them here. I believe it. We only prepared food for 250 people! All 500 ate plus ministry workers including leaving left overs for the cows!!
Lots of love, Lots of honor, Lot of respect is what the Indian people have shown and sown in my life.
I was woken by the Lord at 4 am to pray. I tried to go to bed but I couldn’t sleep. So I started to pray about tonight’s message for the crusade. Because there was such a strong heaviness of the spirit I prayed for guidance on how to break through. I recalled a paragraph from Burnie Davis’ book that said sometimes you can preach about miracles and testimonies to cause God’s miracle working power to manifest. I decided in my heart that exactly what I was going to do.
While praying God told me to preach on the name of Jesus and what it did for me! He reminded me that they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. So I wrote a sermon on the 8 things you get from Jesus. Bullet pointed out I put eight things with scriptures and beside them my testimonies. The crowd went silent when I took them through the names of God. Then I took them through how the only name in the bible that makes demons tremble and devils run is JESUS. I took them through eight things Jesus does for you that the word shares. Also I testified of each point I made. I wanted the name of Jesus shouted, spoke and cried for the next hour. I believe that when you’re in an area with predominantly fanatic religions that the only thing that can assist and if you allow me to say “works” is the name of Jesus.
Nothing else you can preach or say will do the work the name of Jesus can. This experience has proved my belief on this matter. My other thought is that I wanted miracle working power to hit this meeting. Stirring up the gift through experience and faith is what we did. About midway through our prayer service I felt God’s presence begin to fall on this place. Amazingly!
I sit today humbled at the amazing hand of God. He moved so strongly in our meeting. Several people were healed and blessed by His Holy presence. My body is drained from preaching and ministering prayer to the many hundreds that came forward. Equipped with an awesome translator I tried to hear to as many needs as we could to make sure we prayed specifically for the needs of the people.
India sent a message to my spirit about me personally. When I got here I thought I did pretty good getting alone with the Lord. After being in India for just a week I learned that getting alone meant getting away from everything. That includes any access to the kids or immediate family internet, TV, cellular phone and personal errands. This was a bit odd for me not to have access to any of those things on a daily basis. Being away from my kids and wife were the hardest things probably although I did miss the constant ability to text. Sometimes we get use to having so much activity because we are keeping informed or being available to be reached. That when we think we are getting away to spend time with God we really are not giving Him all the attention.
This week in India I felt a welcoming presence and gentle visit by the Holy Ghost. It wasn’t overpowering or abrupt. It was more a gentle breeze or even a slow entrance into the room. It was loving and warm. I felt alone with Him but also full of His presence. I conversed, meditated and prayed the normal way that I usually do. The difference was the hearing and confirmation of things. Every morning I would be awake about 4am. I think the time zone thing was affecting me more than I knew. I also am use to get up at that time to get to work in the morning so I thought that may be the reason for the early wake ups. God’s presence slowly ushered its way in the room. I almost felt like He came in through the open window. So I left a window open for Him every night. I didn’t want to miss his presence or my time with Him. I just wished it didn’t start at 4am. I guess that’s better than 3am like when I was in the Navy. Each morning I believe He gave me the word He wanted me to share with His 400 pastors in the evening crusade and pastor’s conference.
During these times I would lift up the services, pastors, crusade workers, volunteers and everyone attending. I would lie in my be relaxing with the Lord on my mind. Something about dwelling on Him that open our hearts and minds to His will. I will always remember my time spent here as well as the joy it brought me to my walk with the Lord.
An update when I got back from the trip...
I preached at a local church in Sambulpur on the way back from India. A great move happened that night almost like an overflow from the crusade night. The pastor left me an email that reported something amazing. “..everyone in our services was healed and testified on the following Sunday service after you left.” In fact people from all over the place inside the church and outside the church were healed and testified..” He then closed his email with this quote..” He healed them all..” God did some wonderful things in India with the very little we had financially. God can use what you bring you just have to bring it.
Amen