Mother’s Day here in Argentina happens to be in October (which is also spring time) This past week we had our annual Mother Daughter Banquet. It was a big blessing with 90 ladies attending and many first time visitors.
The 10 Commandments of Purity
Proverbs 4:23. It reads, “Keep thy heart with all diligence…”
John Edwards. Mark Sanford. Eliot Spitzer. Bill Clinton. Other than politics what do this men have in common? I know it was too easy. But after the hype of the news channels and tabloids, newspapers and magazines, the reality is that a marriage, and a family, hangs in the balance. Stopping short of throwing stones at them, here is some practical advice about the basic rules of purity to live by. The list is far from perfect, but if you aim at nothing- you hit it every time. We know this issue of immorality is not isolated to the political arena, it has been taking prisoners and leaving wounded within the walls of our churches as well.
Over the years, countless questions by thousands of people have been asked about marriage. But one of the most important questions asked is how to keep our marriage pure.:
The 10 Commandments of Purity
1. I shall have no other human relationship before my spouse, including our children.
2. I shall remember our date night and keep it holy.
3. I shall honor my spouse on anniversaries and special days so that I may live long in the land the Lord has given me.
4. I shall not take the covenant of marriage in vain.
5. I shall not ride in a car or eat in a restaurant alone with a member of the opposite sex.
6. I shall call my spouse every day when we are apart.
7. I shall not counsel a woman with the doors closed.
8. I shall not share the details of our marriage with others.
9. I shall not watch, read or expose myself to sexually explicit shows, books, websites, etc.
10. I shall remember the implications of committing adultery.
No matter who you are or how strong you think your marriage to be, make these your own. Follow them in your marriage every day. They may seem extreme. But something that has extreme consequences calls for extreme action.
Remember, everyone deals with temptation. It’s what you do before facing temptation to stay pure that determines what happens in the face of it. You have to protect your marriage. Because failing to do so can result in heartache – for ourselves, our families, and most importantly, our God.
This issue is bigger than only calling for purity for politicians. We need to call for purity as politicians, pastors and as all people.
What are your 10 Personal Commandments for Purity?
Bitterness that Kills
Last night was the first service of Pastor’s School in Arequipa, Peru. The music and organization was excellent and the Lord moved in the service. The main preaching message was brought by Austin Gardner and the Lord used it in a great way. I wanted to share a few of the thoughts that he shared in his message.
Bitterness is something easy to obtain and comes from about every angle. It begins as something small and we can live in life and the ministry just fine for quite a while without others knowing. But sooner or later the “root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled will” (Hebrews 12:15). Because of the bitterness one can not have the right relationship with his church, family and most important, with his Lord.
May God help all of us to control our reactions to the problems. It is said that one can not control what happens to him in life, but he can control the way he reacts to what happens to him in life. May God help us to react like Christ and not let the root of bitterness ruin our lives and ministries.
Here to Serve,
Jeff Bush
Youth Conference
The Lord blessed this past week’s Youth Conference. We had over 160 people attend and 8 teenagers accepted the Lord as their Saviour. The Youth Leaders were totally in charge of this event and they did a wonderful job. Below you will see a few pictures from this event.
October Prayer Letter
October 2009
The Lord has been very good to us as He always is. These past couple months have been very busy in the ministry, but very fruitful. We would like to mention just a few highlights since the last time we wrote.
The Seminary is going well. Pray for the young men studying in the seminary. At the end of the year we will be graduating 5 of these students who have now completed 3 years of studies. One of them is already pastoring a church (the a Baptist Church in Quilmes) and the other is my assistant Pastor. Another one is the Outreach Ministry Director and another is the Youth Leader. All of the students are serving to some capacity and it is exciting to see them being used of the Lord.
In August we also started a new work in the southern end of the city. To reach a greater amount of people we decided to start a new work in this area on Wednesday nights for now. A young man who is studying in the seminary and feels called to preach is in charge and preaches every week and I go once a month to preach. Pray for Hernan and his wife, Rosa, as they work in this area. They are a great couple and have a heart to win others to the Lord.
We recently had “Children’s Day” here in Argentina so we had a fun day for the children in the neighborhood. We had over 200 people come and were able to give a Gospel presentation. Several children and adults received the Lord as their Saviour this day. Praise the Lord!
The first week of September we had our first Couples Retreat. We had 17 couples go and one lady’s unsaved husband who we had been praying for accepted the Lord as His Saviour on the way back from the Retreat. The Lord used the time to strengthen the marriages and draw our church closer together. The following Sunday we had a Vow Renewal service where all the couples who desired to participate could renew their wedding vows.
The end of September we had a Youth Conference and the Lord allowed over 160 young people to attend with 8 teenagers who made a profession of faith. Praise the Lord for the men and women who are working with the teens in the church.
We have some exciting family news as well. My wife is now expecting our fourth child, to be due in April. Please pray that everything will go well and for her health in this pregancy.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support! We could not be here without your help and prayers. We encourage you to read our blog (http://reachingall.wordpress.com) that we update often about the ministry and family.
To Reach the World in our Generation,
Jeff and Mindy Bush
Lydia, Adriana and Johanna
