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260 Baptist Preaching Conclusion We already know that Jesus is master in everything; his message is easy to grasp, and his orders do not leave any room for misunderstanding. Are we obeying his will? It is wonderful when we participate in a church that teaches the truth of the Bible and works for God on his terms. It is good that part of our service is to support mission efforts that take the gospel around the world, but the Great Commission must be taken as a personal word from the resurrected Lord to me, his disciple. Are you taking this command personally ? Are you doing the will of your Lord? Praise God for your obedience, even for your desire to do his will. It is possible that some of you just opened your mind and heart to make Jesus your Savior and Lord, accepting the challenges of living abundantly, serving people. Praise God for your determination in this decision, but as a new disciple, be sure to begin your life for Jesus as every disciple should start. Prove with your attitudes and actions that Jesus is sovereign Lord, that he has full authority over your life, recognize his plan for you to proclaim his good news always supported by his promise to be with you always. The Lord will keep his promise. Will you keep yours? May the Lord bless us as we grow in the knowledge and practice of his will. Amen! 32 Common People who Set Standards: Jabez, the man who made a Covenant with god (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) Gilberto Gutiérrez Lucero Horeb Baptist Church Mexico City, Mexico BIOGRAPHY Lucero serves as the pastor of Horeb Baptist Church, Mexico City. Converted in high school, Lucero soon became heavily involved in evangelism and missions through the state of Chihuahua. He studied philosophy and Spanish literature at the University of Chihuahua and later received a bachelor of theology at Lomas Verdes Seminario Teologico Bautista Mexicano. Lucero has pastored numerous other Baptist churches and missions in Mexico City and Chihuahua, including First Baptist Church of Chihuahua. He has served as the president of the regional Baptist Association. He has been Part VI—Latin America 261 pastor of Horeb for seven years, and the church has since started several radio programs, increased to several weekly services, and begun numerous publications to support ministerial work. Lucero is married to Yanina Briseño Falconi , and they have two children: Isaac, twenty-one, who is training for the pastorate at the Baptist University of Américas in San Antonio, Texas, and Eli, sixteen, who currently serves on the worship team at Horeb. SERMON COMMENTARY Sermons may focus on marquee players or on supporting characters. In this message from the obscure man Jabez during the period of the Judges, Lucero offers a message of encouragement for the common person, a challenge to rise above painful circumstances, and assurance of the presence and protection of God. He sidesteps what might be an issue with this text. A noted American evangelical published a best-selling booklet that some considered a magical approach to this prayer rather than a scriptural approach. At the very beginning of this message Lucero disassociates himself from any use of this prayer as an incantation, a spell, or a manipulative ritual. He places this prayer in the context of a covenant relationship with God. This prayer does not obligate the Deity to act on some magical/manic spell but grows out of a relationship of trust that is larger than the prayer. Lucero expresses his concern with postmodern life as a life of impersonal numbers. He mirrors his concern with such dehumanizing identity as a mere number over against the sheer numbers of names in Chronicles. In the face of this, Jabez stands out as one person among many who has an identity anchored in God. The preacher recognizes that Jabez is not a New Testament saint. His knowledge of God was far from that of a Christian. Yet in the limitation of his knowledge he still knows the God who is. Jabez is not limited by the nature of his name, “Pain.” In a very felicitous anachronistic allusion Lucero asks the hearer to consider what it would mean today to be named “Migraine.” Jabez in faith rose above the identity given him at birth. Lucero employs an adroit pathos in the personal story of his grandparents, his father, and his own legacy. Out of hopelessness came hope and a new...

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