Our Mission Path
Serving God in Ecuador
Disciple! Who
Matthew’s account of the Great Commission leaves little room for interpretation. The words are not unclear. In them, we find exactly what Jesus expects from His followers. He gave a specific pedagogy that is timeless and changeless. The words of Christ bind every Christian to fulfill His Commission. As we carefully investigate Matthew 28:18-20 the extent of this commission may astound you.
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:18-20
The first and second century’s result of Christ’s “all of you” approach was a world turned upside down by His authority and through the witness of His disciples. Imagine what our century could look like if the entire church took seriously their individual responsibility to Christ’s Great Commission. What if we honored the principle of universal participation in the Great Commission?
Here is the audio only version of Disciple! Who.
Here is the video version of Disciple! Who.
If you would like the book behind the lesson you can get it here!
With much love,
The Downing Family
Please help us by sharing this content!
Disciple! Assurance Q&A
Friends, here is the belated Q&A post over the lesson Disciple! Assurance. Sorry for the delay. We had some bandwidth problems in Ecuador. (Perhaps our internet caught Covid-19)
Disciple! Assurance
Jesus wraps His Missionary enterprise, His disciple-making Commission in the power of His authority. Time and geography have not abated the authority with which Christ sends us into the world. We are to undertake His Commission in the extraordinary power of His authority. Today’s podcast explores the great assurance that is given to us with the beginning words of Christ’s great commission.
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:18-20
The Greek word we translate as “power” or “authority” literally means “out of being.” The great assurance of Matthew 28:18 is that out of the very being of God flows all of the necessary power and authority to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission. This authority was given to Christ and vicariously, as we follow Him, this authority is given to us who are “joint heirs with Jesus.”
The New Testament scholar A.T. Robertson wrote: “It is the most sublime spectacle in world history to see the Risen Christ, without money or army or state, charging this band of five hundred men and women with world conquest and bringing them to believe it was possible and to undertake it with serious passion and power.”
When the church has a clear vision of Christ’s authority we can rest assured that we have the power to fulfill the mission of our Savior.
Here is the Audio only version of Disciple! Assurance.
Here is the video version of Disciple! Assurance.
If you would like the book from which these lessons flow here is a link.
With much love,
The Downing Family
Please help us by sharing this content!
Disciple! Vision Q&A
Friends, here is a Q&A from last week’s class from the Disciple! series. Thank you for all who watched it and for all who submitted questions.
The Downing Family
Disciple! Vision
Everything is online these days, and our Seminary program is no exception. This is the English version of a class we will be offering our students in South America. Vision is the first in the series Disciple! We will post a new class available each Wednesday. If you have need of the Spanish version of this teaching please contact us and you can join us for online seminary this year.
Here is an audio only podcast of Disciple! Vision.
Here is the video of this class.
If you would like a copy of the Book Disciple! Please click here.
With love,
The Downing Family
Hunger
Friends we want you to hear a perspective from Ecuador. We translated this from the writings of Marcelo Valle Guevara. Please allow these words to penetrate your heart. Our hope is that you understand the “Stay home, stay safe” orders from the perspective of those most hurt by them.
“Stay home,” says the artists, hugging his wife as their children run through the 400 square meter, (1312.34 square feet), mansion where they live.
“Stay home,” says the politician, as he chooses in which of his properties he will spend the quarantine, he knows that his salary will arrive intact and his bank accounts are full of money resulting from corruption.
“People do not understand,” says the woman with a privileged position, while they unload fruit and vegetable and the bags of food she bought online and paid with her credit card at her door.
On the sidelines, in the invisible neighborhoods, the 4×4 “houses”, wooden huts, plastics, and cardboard, where the cold is COLD and the HEAT embraces and burns and does not let you sleep.
Online classes, seriously! What world do they live in? There is no light, no computer, much less internet.
Are they blind? They do not see the reality of the world where there are millions of families and homes in which what is earned yesterday is today’s food. Where, if you didn’t work yesterday, there is no food today. Where sanitary measures are known, but are impossible to comply with because there is not one mask to cover mouths or antibacterial gel.
Fearful, trembling, and hungry, a father goes out into the street to seek to earn a penny to buy food, even though he knows that he might die.
People are just trying to live, resist, survive day by day.
The virus does not make us the same.
The virus highlights, even more, the intolerance, the apathy with which the privileged sector of this society looks at those who have the least.
“Stay at home“, to take care of each other.
Outside the danger is the virus, but inside the danger is hunger, your children’s faces, disappointment, uncertainty, hopelessness … thousands of people without work, without money, without food … there is nothing worse than seeing your family hungry…
It is easy to say “stay home” but at home death is slow, it comes from within and it is hunger!
If each one who has food to eat would give at least one meal to someone who doesn’t have food it would make a big difference!
–Marcelo Valle Guevara
Our hearts are heavy because we see the suffering here in Ecuador first hand. We see people who were once healthy now standing before us skin and bones. We see the hunger in children’s eyes and hopelessness in the eyes of their parents. We have extended our hands, shed tears, prayed and fasted and now we need your help. Please click here to be taken to our food campaign page. Every donation helps us feed hungry people here in Ecuador.
Blessings,
The Downing Family
Plagues, History, and Christians
Friends, in today’s podcast we explore the question: “How should Christians respond to our current pandemic?”
Love, The Downing family
Poverty
Friends, today’s cultural insight is about poverty. After we recorded this podcast we were reminded of the following Scripture during a Holy Spirit inspired lesson given by William Vorrasi.
Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.
-1 Timothy 6:17-19
To donate to our Food Campaign click here! Thank you in advance.
Love, The Downing Family
Níspero Chicken
Níspero Chicken
Servings: 2
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
6 large ripe Nísperos, peeled with seeds removed
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon grape-seed oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast
Instructions:
- Place Nísperos into a saucepan and stir in water, orange juice, and brown sugar until sugar has dissolved.
- Bring the mixture to a boil
- Stir in ground ginger, cinnamon, lemon pepper, and smoked paprika
- Reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes
- Stir occasionally to break up the Nísperos.
- When the sauce is thick, stir in vinegar and simmer 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Heat grape-seed oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan-fry chicken breasts until golden brown and cooked through (about 5 to 8 minutes per side)
- Remove chicken breasts and cut into bite-size pieces
- Return chicken to skillet,
- Stir in 1/4 the Níspero sauce
Serve with remaining Níspero sauce on the side.
Click here to find out more about our food campaign!
Click here to purchase our book La Quinta Níspero!
Click here for more great Ecuadorian recipes!
With love, The Downing Family