Letters From Grandpa #2

• LETTERS FROM GRANDPA
• 2

Dearest Grandchild,

In our first letter we mentioned this Scripture: “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. “ (2 Peter 3:3-7)

In this letter I want to remind you of the same Scripture and focus your attention on “scoffers who follow their own evil desires”. Even though you are young I’m sure you know that things considered “evil” in a previous generation are now socially acceptable. Sexual permissiveness is everywhere and especially on campus. Of course, this promiscuity often leads to unwanted pregnancies. Unfortunately, one “easy” way out is to kill the baby before it is born. While this was once considered “evil”, it is actually celebrated by many in these “last days”. Planned Parenthood, for example, has presented an award to their facility in Aurora, Colorado for exceeding the number of abortion visits in the previous year. This award was given on May 9, 2013. Vicki Cowart, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, wrote a blog post verifying this story. Since abortion became legal in 1973 there have been over 56,000,000 unborn babies killed in the United States. This is a sad commentary on those scoffers who follow their own evil desires.

The people of Brooks, Oregon were stunned to learn in April 2014 that they had been burning unborn babies to generate electricity. The Marion County Commissioners ordered the practice stopped, but why? Hitler celebrated this kind of efficiency. Hospitals in the U.K. are also striving for the same kind of “efficiency”. 2011 government statistics show 189,931 abortions were carried out in England and Wales, and the Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk, was said to have incinerated more than 1,100 fetal remains between 2011 and 2013.

It has been said that the postponement of pleasure is the foundation of civilization. I think this is true. One common thread among uncivilized people is that they “cannot wait”. Their willingness to impulsively satiate their appetites with drugs, and sex, often traps them into a life time of poverty. Such people can never be “civilized” until they learn to wait.

Several years ago I was privileged to travel to the jungles of Ecuador to visit a stone age tribe. They were once among the most violent and primitive people on earth. At that time they were known as Aucas, which means “naked” or “savage”. Now that they have been introduced to Christ they are known as “Huaorani” which means “the people”. The tribe became internationally famous on Jan. 8, 1956 by murdering five American missionaries.

Historically speaking, every encounter with the Huaorani had ended in death. This was true from the sixteenth century conquistadors, to the seventeenth century Jesuits, to the nineteenth century gold and rubber hunters, and finally to oil company workers in more modern times. Not only were the Aucas intolerant of outsiders, they were also intolerant of one another. In fact, 60 % of the deaths within the tribe came because the were killing one another. Until their conversion to Christ they were never known to have any form of government. Because every man did that which was right in his own eyes the tribe was on the verge of extinction.. At the time they murdered the missionaries their total population was only about 500.

The reason for this trip to the jungle was to seek permission from the now Christian tribe to make a movie about their tragic murder of the missionaries. They did give their permission and the movie “End of the Spear” was released in 2,005. I hope some day will we be able to see it.

Remember! The postponement of pleasure is foundational to civilization. The savage consistently chooses immediate gratification. The idea of planting seeds and waiting for a harvest is a foreign concept. The civilized man chooses to postpone the pleasure, plant the seeds, and wait for a harvest.

You came from a civilized family. Your parents postponed their sexual gratification until they got married. Many babies are born addicted to drugs or plagued by an STD, but you were not. Your parents gave you a heritage of love and security that many of your classmates have never known. Please be civilized and resist the “evil desires” around you.

One of the most memorable weddings I performed in over 50 years of ministry involved a young man in a wheel chair. His groomsmen lifted him to the platform to repeat his vows and accept his bride. He had once been a great athlete and the star basketball player on his school team. On graduation night, however, he got drunk, wrecked his car, broke his neck, and now will spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair. Sadly, his marriage only lasted about two years.

Remember! Rivers are crooked because they take the easy way around obstacles, and people become crooked in the same way.

Here are links to a couple of interviews I did several years ago. Each interview is a little over 40 minutes long, which you may not have time to watch right now. I hope, however, that at some point in time God will prompt you to hear what He has done, and is doing with perhaps the most violent tribe on earth.

The interview I did with Steve Saint :

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5oP2FTAqOs&feature=youtu.be

The interview I did with Steve Saint, Mincaye, and Tementa :

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70STTWk3L6c&feature=youtu.be

I am praying for every one of you every day.

Love,

Grandpa Boyce