This report is the background to the book Straight Talk to Pastors.
THE FIRST TRIP
Reports written by R. Lopez
In January 2001, Frank Viola was invited to hold a conference in Santiago Chile. Since Frank does not know Spanish, he asked me to be his interface with the saints in Santiago. As time went on, I somehow got called to join Frank on this trip. At first it was to help him communicate with the saints. And then I ended up translating for him at all the meetings.
This trip was the most amazing spiritual journey I had ever been on. I saw Christ in many new ways and watched Him set His sheep free.
The following is a brief account of my experience on this trip. Pictures of the Andes Mountains cannot touch the awe produced at seeing them personally from 20,000 feet as the Sun slowly hits them in the morning. In the same way, words cannot do justice to the incredible things that happened on this trip.
Friday: July 20, 2001
Frank and I arrived in Chile without issue and were greeted at the airport in Santiago by the brother who invited Frank. We went directly to this man’s home from the airport where his wife had a delicious lunch waiting for us. Another brother also joined us for lunch.
The mood was light as Frank asked questions regarding the week and the spiritual context of the saints in Santiago. The saints were very hospitable and friendly. Yet being Chileans, their demeanor was somewhat reserved.
That evening, we had our first meeting. About 15 saints arrived. A number of them hugged us for a long time as if they had been longing for our visit. There was great anticipation in the air. And great desperation.
For the past year, they had all been reading Frank’s books. As a result, their eyes were beginning to open to see more of Christ and His way for the church. In particular, the saints were learning that there is no human headship in the church and that authoritarian leadership was not instituted by God.
The saints in Santiago have been under oppressive leadership, controlled and lorded over by their pastors. The women, especially, have been the most suppressed. We were told this by many.
As more and more people began to hand Frank’s books out, the leaders of the churches in Santiago began to feel threatened by his message about leadership. These leaders forbade the saints from meeting with Frank when he arrived. But it turned out that there was a hearty band of about 18 who would not obey them. Frank and I would meet 15 of these saints Friday night.
Frank shared with them the first message of the week. It was very casual and friendly. He talked to them about his history, why he left the institutional church, how he got involved in church planting, and a little about the experience of church life. He then shared with them about some essentials of church life: Christ as our all and our acceptance before Him apart from our good works.
The saints received the word with great joy. One sister testified with eyes full of tears, about how she has been looked down upon by her church leaders because she is not evangelistic enough. That night she was set free from this guilt trip. Frank had demolished the idea that God demands us to win souls. Many others felt lighter in the room after this liberating word.
The rest of the evening was made up of questions and answers. The meeting ended around midnight.
Saturday: July 21, 2001
During our breakfast, Frank fielded responses to the message given the night before. We left the house around noon to eat lunch at another brothers home. A Pentecostal pastor who invited Frank to speak that night attended as well.
The brothers asked Frank many questions about Christ and the church. The pastor also had questions of his own. He wanted to know how to get his congregation to love and obey the Lord more.
He also wanted to know Frank’s views on fasting, evangelism, and the Holy Spirit (not untypical for a Pentecostal pastor). However, the crux of his questions centered on how to deal with the spiritual poverty within his congregation.
Frank answered in a very relaxed and casual manner. So there was no tension in the room. In all his answers Frank pointed the pastor to Jesus Christ and the simplicity of the early Church. But he did it by telling stories about his own experiences in ekklesia life. I also added to the stories.
There was an underlying but piercing message in all of Frank’s answers. The message was this: that this man’s position as a pastor was a root cause of the spiritual poverty of his congregation. The pastor was challenged greatly, yet his attitude remained amiable.
On Saturday night, Frank ministered to this pastors congregation. Also present were a few church leaders. Most of the 15 saints who had met with us the night before were also there. (As a matter of fact many of the 15 saints came to all of our meetings during the entire week.)
The building we met in was cold and drafty as the meeting began. The saints appeared somewhat disinterested. Nevertheless, it did not take long for Frank to captivate this group with his message on the believer’s completeness in Christ.
Frank guided the saints through the story of the Colossian church as he established a context for his message. He reconstructed the story and then he read the entire 2nd chapter of Colossians, which had now made perfect sense to the saints.
What was amazing is that he was telling them their own story. The problems that the church in Colosse was having were the same problems this congregation in Santiago, Chile was having.
Frank then preached Christ from Colossians 2. The message was breathtaking! Frank was animated in his delivery and stood while he shared. The saints were literally on the edge of their seats as Christ was magnified and proclaimed to them.
Some of their eyes welled with tears as they were told that the Father was satisfied with Christ and did not require the keeping of the Law to love his people. His main point, which was brought to climax at the end was from this passage: all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily, and you are complete in Him! As Frank brought the message to an end, the saints were cheering.
After the message, we all took a tea break. We were then told that the saints wanted Frank to continue sharing. They are hungry and thirsty! we were told. They want more.
Some of the brothers were stirred so greatly that they requested that Frank share fully regarding Christ and the Church and all its implications. But since this was an established church, another man’s work, Frank decided not to in order to avoid confusion or division among the saints.
Frank did share a second message on holy violence, which was also received very well. In this message Frank encouraged the saints to pursue Christ with vigor, humility and perseverance. He exhorted them, the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force. And he gave many illustrations of this in the Gospels.
After the message Frank asked the saints to respond to the message, while he left the room for a short time. Being an institutional church, the saints had never done anything like this before. So no one shared until the pastor told them it was okay to say something. As the saints shared, it was evident how touched they were by what they heard. Several brothers and sisters were in tears as they spoke.
For the first time in their lives these Christians were seeing their freedom and acceptance in Christ, as well as the greatness of Christ. Some were stirred to know Christ in a living way. One brother cried saying, I want to forget everything else, I only want to know Him now. We went to bed past 2:00 am as we fellowshipped and answered questions at the home where we were staying.
Sunday: July 22, 2001
We rested Sunday morning while Frank decided what he would speak on that evening. Frank ministered to an Assembly of God congregation. Over 70 were in attendance as he delivered a message he called The Forgotten Beatitude. Many of the remnant of 15 from Friday and Saturday night were again present.
Frank shared with the saints that God frequently does not meet our expectations. Because of this Christians sometimes get offended with Him. He talked about 3 major reasons why believers get offended with the Lord and gave examples from the Gospels. However, blessed is he who is not offended by the Lord.
The reason we don’t have to be offended is because in everything, God is for us. Many who were listening had eyes filled with tears. Frank finished his message by encouraging the saints out of Romans 8, the last part.
He incited crowd participation as he thundered through Romans 8 and proclaimed to them that we can never measure God’s love for us by our circumstances and that nothing could separate the saints in Santiago from the love of God. By the end of the message, the saints were again cheering.
By this time, the remnant of saints who had followed us to every meeting were getting further liberated by hearing more of the glories of Christ.
Monday: July 23, 2001
On Monday, we left the house early on a two hour trek to Valparaiso. It was there that Frank would share a fascinating word with 15 Baptist pastors. A number of them had read his books and wanted him to speak frankly regarding his views on leadership and church life.
We arrived at lunchtime and shared a meal with the leaders. After lunch Frank shared a strong word with these leaders. He gave them a 30,000 foot view of the first-century story with an emphasis on the role of leadership. Frank shared sitting down very calmly and relaxed. He rarely ever raised his voice above conversation level. Nevertheless, the men were arrested and were visibly moved by what Frank shared.
One of the heaviest things Frank left these men with was, Gentlemen what you have is not the Church. It is a human organization. After sharing Frank opened the meeting up to question and answer, which revolved around question topics as diverse as how to implement what Frank shared to defending the hierarchical structure due to the falleness of man.
Although there were some who were cold, a great many were deeply touched; so much so that an American missionary implored the men after the meeting, Gentlemen, let us not act hastily. We have families and congregations to look after. Let us take what we have heard today and pray. Then we will meet and discuss these matters at another time.
After about two and a half hours of speaking, Frank ended the meeting inviting those who desired to change to contact him. Before we left, we talked with the superintendent of the Baptist pastors who told us he wished to step down from his position of pastor and superintendent and be a brother in a church, following the first-century example!
As we marveled at this man’s courage and rarity, Frank offered to help him and exchanged contact information. It was later told us that a number of the men were awed by Frank’s boldness in speaking to them so candidly.
For me this meeting was tremendous. It was my first time being in a room with so many leaders and witnessing firsthand the power the New Testament story has in diffusing cut and paste biblical exegesis.
I was impressed with Frank’s ability to share with clarity while very tired (he had been sharing non-stop since the day we arrived in Chile) and to answer all of their questions. I saw the Lord’s hand on this trip yet again.
After the meeting we went home to prepare and rest for possibly the most important showdown in Santiago’s religious history. The leadership in Santiago would finally be held accountable to the truth found in the Scriptures. I could not wait.
Tuesday: June 24, 2001
After several months of waiting for some of the saints in Chile, years even the day had finally arrived. Our Lord would deliver an arresting word to the pastor-elders of the Christian Communities in Santiago, showing that their leadership positions were tyrannical, oppressive, and unbiblical.
We arose early, fully prepared for the long day ahead. We arrived at the pastors “office complex” at around 10:00 a.m. We set up the tape equipment and waited for the green light. The atmosphere was extremely tense. I was so nervous I got the chills. These 30 men looked “all business.” Frank, on the other hand, was very relaxed. He strolled in as if almost on air and slouched in his chair as he awaited his cue.
The men’s ages seemed to range from the late-30s to mid-60s. Frank was allowed to bring three Chilean brothers to this meeting and a back-up translator.
One of the men, an apparent leader of the group of pastor-elders, introduced the 30 men in the room. He was a tall and slender man wearing a suit and trench coat. His stature and presence were commanding.
His countenance was extremely serious at best and sinister at worst. He gave a brief history of the group and how they heard of Frank and his writings. He then handed the meeting over to Frank.
Frank began by immediately cutting through the tension in the room. He loosened the men up with his humor and wit. Then, after a brief introduction of who we were and why we were there, he embarked on the most comprehensive survey of the New Testament I have ever heard in one sitting. It was incredible!
He took these men on a detailed tour of every letter written to a New Testament church, providing the historical and Biblical context for each. On this journey, he took these men’s experience as pastor-elders and held them up to the piercing light of the first-century story.
What was the role of pastors-elders, how did Paul instruct them, were they glamorized, how did they lead, how much authority did they have, etc.?
Frank began with Jesus in the Gospels and ended with John on the Island of Patmos. All the while showing God’s attitude toward authority and leadership.
Surely the men would have been silent and in terror had we not kept them laughing by way of Frank’s humor and my comical translation blunders. Frank’s tone was light yet firm throughout the message. As he continued, he became stronger to the point where he was thundering. He dropped two bombs on these men at the end of his message.
After Frank dropped one of these “bombs,” one of the Chilean brothers who had suffered under the regime of pastors happened to be sitting next to the leading elder. He whispered to him emphatically, “Toma!” . . . which being translated means “Take that!”
As Frank brought his message to a close, I looked on the face of one of the saints who had been following Frank to all the previous meetings. This brother had been under these men’s rule for over ten years. His eyes were filled with tears as the deafening truth of what Frank shared touched him.
Silence filled the room as Frank ended his message. We then had a lunch break, which was followed by a lengthy question-answer session. During the break, Frank was surrounded and bombarded with questions from the men. He continued his humor and deferred all relevant questions to the question-answer session following lunch.
The lunch tables were arranged in a T-formation with Frank, one of Frank’s coworkers at the time (who had just arrived), and myself sitting at the top of the T. It was an impressive sight for me. It looked as if we were in a monastery. Frank briefed his coworker on the first half of the meeting as we finished our lunch. He then invited his coworker to help him field questions.
The literally earthshaking question-and-answer session was an exhausting three-and-a-half hours of tug of war as Frank and his coworker successfully answered the men’s rebuttals. The acuteness of mind that Frank and his coworker displayed with their answers was truly impressive. Every question the elders raised was dismantled. There was no question that the elders threw at Frank that he didn’t have a solid answer for. There was no objection they raised that he did not demolish.
Although the elders were firmly opposed to Frank’s message, there were some that acknowledged the Lord in what he shared. The leading elder several times admonished the men to consider their hearts and hear the word that the Lord had for them in what Frank shared. This was truly impressive.
Frank offered himself for the rest of the week to help any of the men who desired to change and lay down their current position. Yet none did. This was not a surprise because Frank repeatedly told us before the day began that the men would not change.
After the day was finished, the five folks who observed the meeting made these incisive remarks: “These men have never been spoken to like this before in their lives.” “For twelve years we and many others in the churches they oversee have been controlled and oppressed. Today we felt we were being set free.”
One man who heard the message live likened it to two bombshells dropped on the elders playground: Nagasaki and Hiroshima!
The next day, we were told that one of the women we knew had been praying for us while we were meeting with the elders. As she prayed, there was an earthquake — a 4.0 on the Richter scale!
It made the papers the next day. We did not feel it because we were on the other side of Santiago. When she was told what happened in our meeting, she realized that the real earthquake had taken place in our meeting with the elders!
(Earthquakes are the result of brittle and unbending faults. The spiritual earthquake that broke loose that Tuesday was the result of the brittle foundation of authoritarianism that had been laid many years beforehand. And that foundation was riddled with faults.)
What a day! In many ways, what took place was very similar to a historical church council. This day will not be soon forgotten. It will be remembered as the day God sent a messenger to shake up the establishment in Santiago, Chile.
Note: The message and question-answer session have been transcribed and printed as an E-book entitled Straight Talk to Pastors.
Wednesday: June 25, 2001
After a long and grueling Tuesday we finally got to sleep in to rest. Frank and I had been rising early and turning in to bed late every night. It was non-stop since we got off the plane.
We enjoyed the morning with an ecstatic brother who raved to his wife about how glorious the meeting was the day before. Frank then treated the saints with whom we were staying out to lunch at a beautiful restaurant. We reflected upon Tuesday and then headed home in preparation for Wednesday night.
On Wednesday night, we met with the 15 saints of whom many had been following us from the start. Only there were 18 of them now!
One of the things that Frank said to them in his opening was memorable and significant. He said, Yesterday, I spoke to 30 church leaders, and I was honored by doing so. But tonight, I am far more honored to be speaking to you in this room. These words touched the hearts of all the saints present.
Frank went on to give a summary of the Tuesday meeting. The saints were very impressed and touched by what happened. One person said: These men have never been spoken to like that in their lives. The report of what happened brought joy and new freedom to the faces of these saints.
Thursday: June 26, 2001
Thursday morning we were visited by workers who were at Tuesday’s meeting. They were visiting from a city approximately 10 hours from Santiago. The men were loosely affiliated with the Christian Communities’ elders. One of the local Christian Community’s elders also accompanied them.
The men shared with Frank the experience they had in their city and insisted that the fellowship in the churches they plant is virtually identical to those described by Frank.
After prodding by Frank, however, it became apparent that although they were experiencing a higher form of church life than the institutional church, they were definitely not as free and open as the first-century churches. Nor was their experience like ours.
Frank was cordial and humorous throughout the meeting. But he continued to challenge the men strongly in everything he said.
As the men left, they were told that Frank would be releasing the tapes of the Tuesday meeting with 30 elders. Upon hearing this, their eyes got very big. It seemed to terrify them.
On Thursday evening Frank shared with the 18 saints who gathered. He spoke on brotherhood and sisterhood. He began with Jesus Christ and then moved through the NT story with this theme. His message was brief, but it registered deeply to those listening.
Frank then asked me to talk as long as I wished about my experience in church life. It was somewhat intimidating to share with the saints on my own for the first time. Especially in the light of the high quality messages they had already heard.
Nevertheless, I shared my heart and experience with an attentive group of saints. I covered the entire spectrum of church life with them from brothers and sisters meetings, church meetings, the community life of the church, to the geography of the group and the special things we do for one another.
Throughout the whole talk, I emphasized the honor the brothers give to the sisters and I shared the love the saints have for one another. The saints seemed to be encouraged and blessed by the meeting.
Throughout the week, from the time we got there to the time we left, these 18 saints began to open up much more. More and more laughter filled the meetings, playful teasing, and even interruptions for questions.
These saints were beginning to function freely. They were getting free from guilt, oppression, and the fear of speaking in a meeting. It was amazing to watch. This was especially true of the sisters.
This was manifested Thursday night in what I was told was a very rare act of spontaneity. The brothers organized a farewell dinner for Frank and me at a restaurant.
They arranged it so that everyone could be there regardless of whether or not they could afford it. We were told by one brother that they typically have to plan these types of outings months in advance. But this one took one evening!
Friday: June 27, 2001
Friday was a special day as it would be our last time with the saints. Frank and I cherished every last second we would have with our brethren.
Friday evening Frank answered many questions that they had. He had asked them to write down some questions on a piece of paper the night before. Everyone came with a question or two. This was one of the most lively meetings we had. Sharing, interruptions, laughing, crying, were all happening in this meeting. Those 18 brothers and sisters had been freed up a great deal in the short time we were there.
Frank finally answered the question, what they should do. He gave them all some specific assignments to do in order to get to know one another better and to prepare for his coming. He told them he would plan to return in January.
After the meeting, we all went to eat together at a wonderful restaurant. We sat in a big square and fellowshipped joyfully for several hours. It was a great time of great joy, yet of anticipation. We all knew that for at least five months, we would not see each other.
The work of God continued even as we ate. There was much fellowship, sharing, and joy. One of the brothers testified that this was the first time in 15 years he had taken his wife out to eat with the saints!
After dinner we all hugged and said farewell. The saints were glowing with joy, yet their eyes revealed the sadness of our departure. We crashed in bed that evening and awoke Saturday morning with one final engagement.
Saturday: June 28, 2001
Saturday we broke bread with some saints that had left the institutional church. They had been reading Frank’s books and wanted him to see him in person. They were a precious and hospitable group. We enjoyed a pleasant meal with them as we fellowshipped.
Saturday night we flew home.
What a trip! Frank’s work in Chile had merely begun, yet so much had already been accomplished. Sisters were freed from condemnation and guilt. They tasted their function and importance in Christ. The brothers were exposed to a brotherhood through Frank and me, and they learned new ways to practically love their wives.
Christ in us, the hope of glory was made more tangible to these saints. Yes, the One who came to set the captives free was present in Santiago, Chile even in the midst of this small group of precious saints.
THE SECOND TRIP
It is with great humility that I attempt to report on Frank Viola’s church-planting trip to Santiago, Chile. It is impossible to describe this trip using words. One really had to be there. The atmosphere of love, joy, and expectancy are hard to put into language.
Details like a liberated sister’s glowing face, a tear-struck speaker, the face of a broken man who has for the first time seen the high place of his wife in the church. These details which cannot be captured with words shall be absent from this report.
Myself and three others from the church accompanied Frank on this trip. My main task was to translate for Frank in Spanish and to bear testimony of my experience in first-century styled church life.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2001
We arrived in Santiago with great eagerness to a group of jubilant saints who greeted us at the airport. After resting from a grueling 13-hour journey across the Western Hemisphere, we arrived at the home where we would spend the majority of the next eight days.
For an entire week, we all lived together in a large home on the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The saints from our church graciously rented the home to provide a place where the Chilean saints could hopefully experience church life.
No one could have imagined how crucial this one detail would be. The 5-bedroom home was approximately 3,500 square feet. It rested on 8-acres of sloped, lush foliage. The land was well manicured with a stream and a garden-arrangement that reminded me of the Garden of Eden.
This group which had invited Frank to plant the church in Santiago consisted of about 15 saints. The average age is mid-to-late 30s. All are married except one lovely brother who is 25. There were a total of about 14 children.
With few exceptions, the brothers and sisters had all taken their vacations this week so they could attend every meeting. We met in the mornings, all throughout the day, until late in the evening.
Then we went back to our homes where we fellowshipped till 1, 2, sometimes 3:00am. It was a very intense, but beautiful experience. The week began to build day after day.
The saints in Chile are by nature very reserved. Throughout their entire Christian life they have only known the steel fist of legalism, condemnation, and authoritarian leadership. This would all change as the week unfolded. Jesus Christ would make Himself known as the Liberator of all forms of bondage.
Saturday evening, Frank shared his first message with the saints: “Despise not the day of small things and the triumph of failure.” These words were not only timely, but foundational. Since the group was somewhat small, it was imperative that they knew the Lord’s heart towards small beginnings.
Frank shared how only a remnant of Israel returned from captivity and how the elders wept when they saw the smallness of the rebuilt temple. He also walked us through the Lord’s dealing with Noah, Elijah, Anna, and Simeon, and brought out the point that God often uses the small, the obscure, and the hidden to carry on His most precious work. The word was “do not despise the day of small things” because God does not.
After, comforting the saints in their “day of small things,” Frank taught us all to embrace failure. We will fail each other, the Lord, and the church. But the Lord, Frank stressed, completely accepts us despite our failures. He then beseeched the group to lower their expectations in all facets of their lives and to trust, that despite their failures, the Lord Jesus would succeed in raising up a testimony for Himself.
The message lifted a great burden off of the saints. The word brought freedom. One sister was even weeping through the message. Frank closed the evening by giving the saints their first assignment. He asked them to go before the Lord, not to repent for failing nor beg for mercy, but to thank the Lord for His acceptance despite their failures. This turned out to be a very wonderful experience for many of them.
As we had done throughout the rest of the week, we all stayed up into the early morning hours fellowshipping, sharing the Lord, and enjoying one another.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2001
As was his custom in all the meetings, Frank asked the saints to share with the group their experience with the assignment given the night before. Many of them testified of a renewed sense of freedom from guilt. They were able to embrace their failures, lower their expectations, and trust the Lord to build His house. Some were so used to asking for forgiveness every time they prayed that to pray without such a confession was a new and liberating experience.
After the testimonies, Frank embarked on a journey that would occupy us throughout the entire week. It was the world of partaking of Jesus Christ. We began in eternity past with “the first relationship.” Frank gave us a vivid glimpse into the first relationship which was between the Father and the Son.
It was one of filled with passion, love, oneness, and partaking. It was a relationship based on mutual sharing and not of doing good deeds. It was a powerful message that left us all breathless. Christ was unveiled in a way that the Chilean saints had never seen or heard before.
After the message Frank was burdened to pray for one of the sisters. His prayer for her, however, was not the typical Christian form of prayer. He took a passage out of the Bible and read it. Then we all heard the Lord Jesus speak to the sister straight from the passage.
The fragrance of Christ entered into the room as this was going on. The sister was deeply touched and was moved to tears along with virtually everyone else in the room! Even Frank was weeping. Some of the saints would later testify that the Lord spoke to them directly through this powerful encounter.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2001
New Years Eve had arrived. In the morning meeting, Frank had the brothers and sisters testify about the message given the night before. It was very rich, and it became evident that they were receiving a revelation of the Lord.
Frank again spoke on partaking of the Lord. Afterwards, we all shared lunch together. The brothers began to help prepare all the lunches; this is something that was quite unique about our time together. In Chile, the men don’t normally come near the kitchen except to eat. But this all changed that week. On our last visit, Frank’s example and instruction in this area seemed to have taken root.
All of our lunch breaks were filled with fun and laughter. We joked, teased, sang, and fellowshipped. The joy of church life was taking root as we shared our lives together all day in that home.
After lunch Frank brought a most glorious message: God’s View of a Woman. In it, he conveyed God’s high view of the sisters in the church. He began with the view that prevailed among the Jews and Gentiles during the time that Jesus was born. It was a view that held women to be inferior and lacking of honor.
Then he traced Jesus treatment of women, and then Paul’s treatment women. He closed with a very clear explanation of those passages in the NT that men have used to dominate and silence women, exposing and demolishing every bogus interpretation.
Every sister in the room was brought to tears, as well as some of the brothers. It was one of the most moving messages most of us had ever heard. Through it God began to free the sisters. Frank’s key phrase that he repeated throughout the message was “Sisters, this is God’s View of a Woman take your high place.” (A transcript of the message is online.)
After the message, testimonies of joy and liberation abounded. Evidently, nothing like this had ever been shared in the male-dominated culture of Chile.
One brother even publicly repented for his treatment of his wife and declared with great joy and passion that he would restore her to her high place of honor. As wonderful as the message was and the testimonies that followed, what came afterward was even better.
That same evening, the Chilean brothers put flesh to the message. It was New Years Eve. The brothers and sisters went back to their homes to rest, only to return with great amounts of food. We prepared a late evening feast to bring in the new year.
While the food was being cooked, the brothers and sisters were having the time of their lives. It is hard to describe it. The best I can do is to say it was an intensely festive atmosphere. The brothers played songs on the guitar one after another. Romantic songs, festive songs, silly songs. We all sang, teased, and laughed for several hours. Spiritual bonding was taking place as the joy of the Lords freedom was spilling over into our time together.
When the food was ready, the brothers asked the sisters to sit in a row outdoors at the table where we would eat. A large table under a white canopy had been prepared for our meal. The table was surrounded by lighted torches. It was a clear evening. The temperature was perfect, and we sat under a full moon.
Earlier that day, the brothers had bought an entire bouquet of flowers for each of the sisters. As the sisters were outside waiting for the brothers, the brothers were inside the house preparing for what was to come. Each brother put a bouquet of flowers behind his back.
One of the brothers played the guitar and we all stood behind him. We then marched from the house to the tent (which was down the sloped hill) single-file. We were all singing to the sisters two songs we had written the day before.
With the flowers still disclosed behind our backs, we approached the sisters. Each brother handed each sister a bouquet of flowers. The brothers then stood directly across from the sisters and sang them two beautifully written songs that depicted the Bridegroom’s love and passion for His Bride.
The sisters were stunned! They had never witnessed nor heard of anything like this before. We brought in the new year with much joy and praise. In fact, our eating was not just another meal. We celebrated the Lord’s supper!
It was a full meal, taken together under the white tent. As we broke the bread and poured the wine, we declared before principalities, powers, angels, men, women, and God Himself that there was a church born in Santiago, Chile on January 1, 2002! The birthday of the ekklesia had been marked.
As we ate the meal, one of the brothers played a song that he had written that day on the Lords supper. We were all moved by it. Then, as we ate, the brothers and sisters began to declare what Jesus Christ is to us. I have not done justice in describing this, but it was an evening that none of us will ever forget! We continued to sing and take pictures. We did not leave the home until 3:00am.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2002
As always, the day opened up with the saints sharing. Everyone was enamored with the message, “God’s View of a Woman” and the events of New Years Eve. The sisters testified of being liberated.
They talked about how shocked they were to be sung to by the brothers. They had never been honored like that before. (Most of them confessed that they had never been given flowers by their husbands; and in Chile, a man never gives a woman flowers in public.)
From that point, they began to say, “I’m taking my high place.” Some of them said, “I will never forget this day.” Some of the brothers also confessed how moved they were by what happened the night before. Their testimony was that through this event they had seen Christ’s love for His Bride like never before.
Frank then shared. He spoke further on partaking of the Lord. The messages began to build one upon the other, creating greater excitement and anticipation. The Chilean saints were now functioning during the message, shouting out Amens and Praise the Lords. The freedom and the joy were increasing.
Frank began putting the brothers and sisters in pairs during the afternoons with some specific assignment related to the messages. We had a wonderful lunch together, rested, and then had the evening meeting.
That evening Frank would share very practically with the newly born church about singing to the Lord. He taught them how to experiment with songs, how to write songs, the different types of singing, how to pray songs, and a variety of ways to use a song in a meeting.
The saints had a blast during this message and thoroughly enjoyed implementing some of the things they learned. As with all the messages Frank shared, he put the brothers and sisters into the very experience of it.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2002
We began the morning with the Chilean saints leading their own songs. They began to implement the practical things Frank had shared with them the night before. They then began to testify about the messages from the previous day. The sisters shared wonderfully and showed great insight into what the Lord was revealing. The brothers followed suit.
Frank then brought another message on partaking the Lord. It was a moving message and the saints were again filled and blessed. As always, during the break, he had them do a practical exercise individually and in pairs that helped them digest the messages.
The brothers and the sisters who came with us were a great help in adding to the messages also. They shared from their experiences in the church. There was a deep connection that was ever growing between us and them.
After lunch and a time of resting, Frank talked more about partaking of the Lord. But this time, the brothers and sisters in Santiago were cheering. This was rather remarkable because by nature the Chileans are a very reserved and quiet people.
But joy was spilling out all over the place as Christ was being unveiled. And it was being expressed by their mouths. We were living in an ever-growing burst of spontaneous church life. Even though we had been there for just a few days, it literally felt like we were there for several months.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2002
This was the day when Frank began getting extremely practical in his time with the saints. He began showing the brothers and sisters how to partake of the Lord. He began putting spiritual tools in their hands. He not only taught about it, but he modeled it as well. The saints from the church also helped tremendously in the modeling.
The Chilean saints were ecstatic about this. Their joy was evident. Immediately after the message, the saints went to work on the practical things Frank showed them. And they began to encounter the Lord on their own! One of the things the brothers kept saying was that this was a “new experience.” Though they had been Christians for so many years, they were experiencing the Lord in a brand new way.
As always, lunch was filled with fun and laughter. One of the high points was when the Santiago brothers threw one of the brothers who we brought in the pool with his clothes on! We literally laughed ourselves sick. After lunch was over, we met again.
That evening the saints shared from their experience of partaking of the Lord. Their testimonies were marvelous! Christ was declared and proclaimed! These precious brother and sisters were functioning! Especially the sisters. They had been liberated a great deal.
After the sharing, Frank brought a practical message on how to have church life. He was preparing them to continue to meet when he was gone. He finished the message with practical instructions for the next six months. Again, we stayed up very late fellowshipping, laughing, and enjoying one another.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2002
In the morning Frank asked the brothers and sisters to have a short meeting without him there. This was their chance to put everything they had learned into practice on their own. While Frank was gone, the church functioned. In just a few days, they did what most Christians only begin to do after many months of training.
The meeting was very good. The brothers and sisters led their own songs, offered spontaneous prayers that reflected what the Lord was showing them during the week, declared songs and words to the Lord, and shared their experiences of Christ. It was wonderful to watch.
Frank then came into the meeting and continued to show the church how to partake of the Lord. Like all the messages that went before it, there were even more riches for them to explore. We then had a wonderful time eating together.
After lunch, we showed them a video of the church back home in the USA that they had made specifically for the Santiago saints. The Santiago saints loved it. They laughed and cheered as they watched it. Some even had moist eyes. After it was over, they all broke out into a spontaneous song about how horrible it was that the video had ended!
After we rested, we had the evening meeting. The brothers and sisters shared again. It was so moving. The sisters were starting songs, proclaiming the Lord, and offering rich prayers. It made some of us weep it was so powerful. The brothers followed doing the same.
Frank then showed them how to sing some of the songs we had practiced in a way that depicted the passion between the Lord and His Bride. We took some of the songs they had written and used them in this way. It was very powerful as sisters sang to brothers and brothers sang to sisters.
We were impressed to see how fast they caught on to everything we had showed them. But more impressive than that was the distinctly Chilean flavor that was added to everything they did. Their songs were Chilean in expression and tune, and we sang them in that way.
Frank had repeatedly told them in the beginning that their church life would be Chilean in its expression, not American. We were beginning to see that unfold before our eyes.
I also directed a small skit that included a Santiago brother and a sister from the USA. I cannot describe it to you, but it showed forth the love-relationship between Jesus and His church. We had a hilariously fun time doing it. And we all joined in at the end.
Frank then spoke. He talked further on what they would face over the next six months. He fielded many questions and gave the saints a great number of practical tools to aid them in their journey. As was typical, we didn’t get to bed until around 2:00am.
All week we were experiencing church life at high tide. One of the brothers had to work in the morning. When he came to the evening meeting, he stood up and said, “Holy ones, I really missed you all. More than I could have imagined.” (Early in the week, the brothers and sisters began calling one another holy ones, the favorite name the early Christians used for one another.)
Sisters and brothers would break out into spontaneous songs as they prepared the meals together. Brothers were writing songs that went along with the messages during the breaks. Even the children put on a skit for us after one of the evening meetings. It was totally unprovoked. They initiated the idea.
We were watching a corporate expression of Jesus Christ on Chilean soil given birth right before our eyes! It was marvelous.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 2002
Today was our last day. Frank met with the sisters in the morning. He then met with the brothers. After our brothers meeting ended, the sisters came into the room and stood in a line before all the brothers. Each sister read a portion of the Song of Solomon that had to do with the Lords love for His Bride.
The passages mentioned fruit (“His fruit was sweet to my taste”, etc.). The sisters then brought out fruit pies and fruit cakes that they had prepared that morning. Each sister served a brother. The brothers were all touched by this surprise gesture of love. And the food was wonderful!
We all then enjoyed a large meal together. It would be the last shared meal that we would have before we left. Following the meal, we sang 4 Chilean songs that we had practiced all week. Two of them were love ballads written by the Santiago brothers after Frank’s first trip during the summer.
They made some of us weep the melodies were so anointed. The sisters stood on one side of the room and sang one line to the brothers. The brothers stood on the other side and sang the next line to the sisters. And so on. Then we all embraced one another and sang the chorus together. Here are the words to one of those songs (the music is even better):
I sat down under the shadow of my Beloved
His fruit was sweet to my palate, more than the honey
Sweet is His soft voice and beautiful His features
He seduced my soul with a perfect touch
Sweet is His soft voice and beautiful His features
He seduced my soul with a perfect touch
Chorus
I’m my Beloveds and He is mine, He feeds me near the lilies
I’m my Beloveds and He is mine, He feeds me near the lilies
I’m my Beloveds and He is mine, He feeds me near the lilies
You put forth Your hand and my heart You did touch
You opened wide Your mouth and my soul went crazy
A fragrant smell of life suddenly wrapped my spirit
You conquered me with Your charm, and I fell in love
A fragrant smell of life suddenly wrapped my spirit
You conquered me with Your charm, and I fell in love
We then got in a circle and sang some feet-stomping and hand-clapping Chilean tunes that were on the theme of fomenting a revolution in the Body of Christ!
Frank had taught us how to sing these songs where two brothers and two sisters took turns singing one stanza at a time. It is hard to describe it, but we were all cheering and magnifying the Lord as each pair sung their stanza one after another. It was very powerful.
After we sang, Frank brought his 16th and final message on this trip. It was very dynamic. He talked about why the saints in Chile are meeting. He not only gave this message for the new church, but also for anyone who would wish to join them in the future. When he came to his edge-of-your-chair last point, we were all cheering to the Lord.
After the message, one of the brothers video taped all the brothers and sisters as they sent greetings to our church in the USA. The saints then drove all of us to the airport and sent us on our way. We had tears in our eyes as we departed.
The trip back home was horrendous. I will spare you the details. But thankfully after being mistreated by the airlines and missing our connecting flight, we actually did make it home.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2002
LETTER FROM THE FIRST CHURCH MEETING IN SANTIAGO
What follows is a letter written to Frank reporting on the first meeting that the church in Santiago had since we left. We hope you are as encouraged by it as we were.
God has given to Chile a girl!
Frank,
It is my pleasure to give a report of our very first meeting. I am writing this report with the meeting just having finished and am very surprised at what the Lord has done today. It was a wonderful meeting, all those that were present participated entirely. It was our meeting! Christ was and is the Center.
First we had lunch together. Later we went to the living. Patricio P. began with a prayer and was soon followed by Isaac with another prayer. Later I lifted up a song (We put the Lord in the highest place). Immediately after the song finished Teresa directed a declaration to the Lord of which we had sung. Juanita then lifted a prayer giving thanks for what the Father was doing in our midst. Then we sang the song You are flesh of my flesh.
We [the brothers] placed ourselves facing the sisters. During the chorus we embraced one another and followed up the song with declarations, prayers, gratefulness, and truths of the Lord, all speaking of the wonders of the Lord. We clumped for at least 20 minutes. That was very edifying. I felt fed by the Lord. Without a doubt He was the one that was leading. Later we seated. I asked Teresa to read the mail that you had sent to us. The brothers remembered your words.
After the reading, we arranged ourselves to read the points we wrote down that impacted us the most about our week with you. We only read 4 papers. The most recurrent theme was the place of the woman. Everyone contributed. The sisters felt liberated. Zack shared something very wise, “We should not confuse this with a feminist movement (as those in the world might think), but that this is a healing of a male chauvinist system.”
I followed that up with a word (clarifying that I do not have experience in this subject) that in the beginning we may fail in this work as we try to give back the woman her position. But we need to have faith that while we are in Him. He will be filling us with his nature and who else is a better example of Love and giving oneself to his bride?
Later we agreed upon the next meeting as well as the sisters and brothers meetings. The sisters will meet on Wednesday and the brothers on Friday. We encouraged the sisters in their time together in the month of February.
We shared in the presence of Juanita’s sister in the meeting [a first-time visitor]. She was very surprised and overjoyed with what was happening. Well Frank, I hope that this fills you with joy and encouragement. The Lord is building His work.
Greetings to the Saints in Florida,
In Christ,
[a brother in the church]
THE THIRD TRIP
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2004
The trip to Chile was totally in control by the Lord from the time we were picked up at the airport to the time we left. God had His hand in it. As we approached one of the homes where the saints in Santiago met, we were struck by the beauty of the Andes mountains.
As I beheld the mountain peeks covered with snow and sparkling with sun light, my spirit gave thanks to God for this awesome majestic view. The beautiful brothers and sisters in the church in Santiago prepared lunch for us. We shared and we ate. Afterwards we had our first meeting.
I had never met these people, but it seemed that I knew them for a long time. God can only do this. Frank spoke and gave the saints an update on his life for the past 2.5 years. It had been that long since he last saw them. He began to share on the cave of Adullam where David stayed before he was made King of Israel.
He compared the church in Santiago to David and his men in the cave. All who were distressed, in debt, and discontented joined David and made Him captain over them. At this time, God gave Frank a prophetic word: There will be a spiritual resurrection of the church this weekend. This word came to pass by the time we left. (The church had been in a spiritual coma when we arrived.)
As we drove for 1.5 hours to the place we were going to sleep (one of the homes of the saints), we talked with the brothers and sisters in the van one on one. The hunger for the things of God and the deep scars they wore from years of hurt was evident at this time. Praise God, by the time we left many of those scars were healed and much of their hunger was fulfilled.
FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2004
Frank and I had a great breakfast at the home where we were staying. We met another sister that morning who had visited the church a few times. And we shared the Lord with them all. This sister had a great testimony about the tapes she heard from Frank’s last visit to Chile.
As we waited to be picked up, the brother whose home we stayed in played his guitar and sang songs that the Lord had given him. The songs wore anointed by God and it brought tears of joy to me and Frank. We piled up in the van and ended up picking up many people to go to the meeting. We had 18 people in that van by the time we arrived at the meeting place!
We began the meeting with singing. But the singing was not very strong. Frank spoke in the morning on meeting around Jesus Christ. It was a very practical and straightforward word. We broke for lunch and had a great time fellowshipping.
As the evening approached, we settled down and Frank began to minister on Psalm 23. At this time our awesome God began to break through and we began to see the first sign of spiritual life in the group … praise God.
Frank gave an analogy to describe the state of the church. She was like a beautiful girl who was in a coma. This day her eyes opened. We drove back with a full van home. When we arrived, Frank spent the evening ministering to one of the brothers about personal matters. It went very well.
SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2004
When we arrived at the place where we were meeting that morning, I sensed that something was wrong in the spirit and the enemy wasn’t too happy about what God was doing at this time. So he tried to make trouble. Frank shared with some of us that he perceived a lot of spiritual opposition the past few days when he was ministering to the group.
That morning he and another brother had broken the spiritual opposition through prayer. The meeting began with the believers singing and offering some prayers. Another brother began to share on God’s choosing us before creation. We had the pleasure to see more signs of life at this time. The beautiful girl had raised her body up from the bed.
We broke for a fantastic lunch and ministered to one another and fellowshipped. Later in the evening we settled down, and Frank began to share on Christ the Healer. (Many in the church were sick and could not get medical help.) I was astonished at how receptive the saints were about this revelation.
It seemed like a light bulb went off. Frank began to pray with many and anointed many with oil. The prophetic word came many times and many tears of joy were shed.
Frank modeled how to pray for one another to the saints. After witnessing this, they began to pray for one another. After the meeting, Frank ministered one on one to some of the folks. One was a man with muscular dystrophy whose heart God was dealing with in a profound way.
SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2004
This day we met in the home where Frank and I were staying. It was nice not having to endure the 1.5 hour car ride. Paul Ewing, a brother from a house church in Minnesota, shared on the Bride of Christ. Frank followed that by sharing on the cross in the church, and the way Christ expresses Himself in the community and also in the church meeting. He ended with a short but strong word on the two enemies of the church.
We broke for lunch and spent time talking with the saints. Frank and another brother did some personal ministry during the break. We met for a short time, and Frank gave the church a lot of practical help. He answered many questions. I was blessed by the powerful singing that took place at this time.
We learned a few new songs. The prayers were powerful. We had witnessed a spiritual resurrection. The beautiful girl had gotten out of bed. The realization that our time was coming toward an end brought some tears. The church in Chile was resurrected and prophecy fulfilled.
The Lord gave us the opportunity to bless the saints and we all went to a Chinese restaurant to share a large meal at a long table. My thought was that it was the banquet table of the Lord in the heavenlies. After this festive diner, we went home refreshed and Frank spent the evening talking to one of the brothers about the Lord. The brother was encouraged.
MONDAY, JULY 19, 2004
This was a very relaxed day. We had a BBQ at one of the homes of the believers. We had lots of fellowship. I was blessed as I observed three of the brothers in the church working as a team at responding to a man who was new to the church, but who had done damage to it before we arrived.
The three brothers had taken hold of what was delivered to them about the Lord over the weekend, and they stood their ground in their stance for the Lord. Frank ministered to a few other believers personally before we left. One of the women he talked with gave her heart back to the Lord and was added to the church.
To conclude, I praise our awesome God on how quickly the saints understood what was shared, and how they began to function as a result.