Part 2 -- A Little Town Called Esteli
By James Gunter

The main emphasis of the seminar was on the fact that we are “disqualified” to teach in man's sight, but that Jesus' blood “qualifies” us.......if we are truly called. I warned against the dangers of simply deciding one was going to teach without being called by God first. I am an example of someone who desired to teach for seven years simply because I thought it would be fun and exciting. God broke my heart by making me wait seven years before He gave me a class. He knew my heart and he realized that I wasn't reading the lesson in Sunday school, or even paying attention. This disqualified me as a teacher in God's sight.

I shared about how God protected Moses by allowing him to be spared even though He wasn't going to use him for another 80 years or so. God will protect His servants – both present and future! If He protects you, this is often a confirmation of His call on your life.

I weaved the salvation, grace, love of God and reconciliation messages in as I spoke about my own qualification process. I explained how I had to be reconciled to God in order to receive salvation. His amazing grace made my salvation possible and His tremendous love for me is what enabled Him to surrender His one and only Son for me. It was simply amazing as the theme just flowed!

There was the apostle Paul and how he encountered Aquila and Priscilla (a married couple in the church), who took him in and worked under his leadership before being left in Ephesus to start a new church. I also talked about how Paul took young Timothy and Titus under his wing so to speak and mentored them. That is the same thing Micah did for me, and this is the same thing I found myself promising to my interpreter as he asked me to continue working with him in order to help him learn more about God.

Even if I had the desire to teach, I explained to the group, that “ability” was also necessary. Only God can give one the ability to teach. In addition to having the desire and the ability, one has to make a commitment. Christ made a commitment to us by dying on the cross for our sins. He calls us to make a strong commitment as learners and leaders as well. He wants our study time to be serious and worshipful so we can enjoy the fullness of what His Word has to offer.

I encouraged the leaders within the church to learn how to recognize when the teens have problems in their lives and for them to be sure to be open enough to talk with the youth about it so it can be settled with the Lord in the proper manner.

The conclusion was a challenge to them to use some principles Micah and I are writing our present book. This book lays out the framework for effective ministry.

A guy from our home church who had spent his youth and several of his adult years in drugs and alcohol was with me that day. He explained the effects of these things and encouraged the students to stay away from drugs, alcohol and premarital sex. One of the young girls even came forward at the end of the session to ask us to pray for her because she had given her purity away to a young boy. Cindy and I took time to pray with her, and I had my interpreter to tell her she was beautiful and if she had the one true Jesus living in her heart, she was forgiven. I explained that she would be very fortunate to have a Godly man as a husband one day if she would begin today by honoring God with this decision she had made. I encouraged her to tell the other youth within her community and the church to refrain from sexual activity because of the heartbreak she had endured. I can still feel her thick, black curly hair against the skin of my arm as I hugged her and prayed with her. I felt as if I were holding my own daughter at the time.