Honduras, Central America

We began the climb up the mountain in a four wheel drive vehicle. The incline seemed to be straight up. It had to be at least 30 to 35 degrees up the rough landscape. I wondered how the vehicle could keep traction on the thin concrete trails for each tire.

I am thinking that people must traverse this mountain each day for a myriad of reasons. Simple activity as going to the store would be a monumental feat. Then we arrived on top. The warmth of hearts and the humble smiles greeted us at the front door. Pastor Pedro gave me a strong and warm hug. The building hid the cliff upon which the church sat. The pastor took us back on the property and I realized the sheer cliff next to the building was hundreds of feet high.

Before the service we climbed on the church roof to view the landscape of Tegucigalpa. The beautiful flickering of lights laid out like a carpet of jewels between the mountain tops. It would take your breath away. But it masked the poverty, the deadly streets, the contentious gangs and general chaos of a third world country.

Everywhere I went in the city was a mental accent up a cultural mountain that would take my breath away with each experience. I sat in a McDonald's restaurant doing some study for my time with high school students in a very poor inner city Christian school. Outside my window was a crippled young man begging on the sidewalk. Sitting in his wheel chair he greeted and sought help from everyone that would make eye contact with him as they passed by. People would give the obviously needy man a couple of Limperas that is equal to an American nickel.

Meeting with the high school students stretched my mind and heart. Their questions littered the Bible, Christianity and their daily lives. There was a strong message of concern about the corruption and violence in their neighborhoods.

I must say that words seem completely inadequate to explain all that I saw, felt and heard. Missionaries who swim in such a convulsing society must pay a special price in their own hearts. But it was also good to be with those who give so much of themselves to shine the light of Christ in such a dark place.

Danny Sartin
 www.deeperstillmissions.com

Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved. Photograph was taken by Cathy and Danny Sartin in Central America.
This on the field report is written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and our goal of missionary retention.
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Many see the Word of God. . .few observe!Rachel, Peter talks about what people do to the Word of God. He is speaking specifically about Paul and some of his writings that are difficult to understand.
 
2 Peter 3:16b
His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstablem people distort,n as they do the other Scriptures,o to their own destruction. [1]
 
The sense of this word (translated distort) is to twist or create deception. It can change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive.
 
στρεβλόω strebloō to torture; twist

•   στρεβλόω (στρέφω, cp. prec. entry) impv. 2 sg. στρέβλου (Hdt., Aristoph. et al.; pap, LXX) orig. ‘twist, make taut’ of cables, then in various senses of wrenching dislocated limbs for the purpose of setting them, and of the use of tortuous devices in the course of inquiries (s. e.g. BGU 195, 13 [II a.d.]; 4 Macc; Jos., Bell. 7, 373); in our lit. only fig. (cp. 2 Km 22:27 of perverse pers.) ① to cause inward pain, torture, torment (Diod S 16, 61, 3 tortured by anxiety) μὴ στρέβλου σεαυτόν do not trouble yourself (with the solving of a riddle, as Vi. Aesopi W 78 P.) Hs 9, 2, 7. ② to distort a statement so that a false mng. results, twist, distort (2 Km 22:27) τὶ someth. (Numenius of Apamea, περὶ τῆς τῶν Ἀκαδημαϊκῶν πρὸς Πλάτωνα διαστάσεως 1, 1 ed. KGuthrie [1917] p. 63) 2 Pt 3:16.—DELG s.v. στρεβλό. M-M.
• BDAG
   
• στρεβλόω    strictly twist or wrench limbs on an instrument for torturing people called a rack; hence torture, torment; figuratively distort, twist, misinterpret words to a false meaning (2P 3.16)[2]

 
Peter was probably seeing this torture rack in Roman prisons during his time of detention. He probably saw people forced to give false confessions after having their arms pulled out of socket.
 
That is the picture of people who twist the Word of God to make it say what they want it to say. Do you unknowingly twist His Word? Do you allow the Word of God to speak for itself?
 
Cathy and Danny Sartin
Deeper Still Missions

 m Jas 1:8; 2 Pe 2:14
n Ps 56:5; Jer 23:36
o ver 2
[1] The New International Version. (2011). (2 Pe 3:16). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. (2000). Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Copyright © Danny Sartin. All Rights Reserved.
Bible Nuggets are written for pastors, youth leaders and missionaries who desire to go deeper still in God’s Word. 
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.