Our team arrived safely to Costa Rica and made it to our home for the month! This month our team is staying with the Folk family and they are missionaries with Global Outreach International (http://www.globaloutreach.org/)
Ministry this month is reaching people on the Irazu Volcano. The volcano is home to a handful of villages all displaced across the mountainous terrain. The spiritual condition of most of the people in Costa Rica (and surrounding countries) is Roman Catholic. Although, the Catholic Church here is a lot different than American Catholicism or anything else I’ve ever encountered.
This here is called the Basilica, it is a 7 minute drive from our house. People come here every day to obtain healing and blessing from the ‘holy’ water pouring out of these random pipes outside. Every August, people pilgrimage from all over CR and other countries to the Basilica to pay worship to Mary the mother of Jesus. They place emphasis on her in all things. Praying to Mary for healing from Jesus, praying to Mary for good fortune and riches, praying to Mary for salvation, most people even consider Mary as an equivalent to the Trinity.
One problem with this belief is that Mary was a sinner too.
Another problem is there are actual idol statues of Mary, being worshipped, everywhere.
Another problem is that everything in the Catholic church is works-based (“you have to be baptized to be saved, you have to tithe to be saved, you have to get married in the church to be official..etc.” –Priest)
Another problem is that people are pay their way for blessings, pay their way to be apart of the church, pay their way for salvation.
Bottom line, the Catholicism here is not the gospel.
Gospel:
All people sin and are separated from God
Sin is the failure to imitate God in thought, heart, or action
But God, who is rich in mercy, sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins
Jesus claims, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one gets to the Father except through me.”
In order to have right standing with God we must accept Jesus’ all sufficient sacrifice for our sins
Upon accepting Christ we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and found blameless in the sight of God For eternity Jesus.makes.us.blameless.
Jesus.
The gospel is about Jesus.
There is nothing a person can do to earn salvation, doesn’t matter how 'good' you are
[ref. Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:4, John 14:6, 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 , Romans 8:9]
Prayer request: Now that you know our ministry here, please be praying for eyes to be opened to the idolatry (spiritual warfare) consuming this country. Please be praying for the Christians we have encountered and are working with in discipleship, that they would be protected from the enemy and that God would continue to use them to build up His church!
