“You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!” - 2 Timothy 1:15-18 (ESV)

People like to support what is successful, and history reveals that momentum covers a multitude of sin. Adolf Hitler banked on this belief when he stated, “The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.” A modern translation? As long as someone is successful, their method and motive will never be challenged. This is why I want to bring you to 2 Timothy 1:15 and introduce to you a man named Onesiphorus.

In the time of Nero’s reign the Christians in Asia deserted the Apostle Paul and persecuted him by withholding their support. At the end of Paul’s imprisoned life he was counted as a failure, but regardless of how things appeared, Onesiphorus showed himself to be a good friend. Paul prayed that the Lord would grant mercy on Onesiphorus’ household because he often cared for Paul and the Apostle was touched because Onesiphorus was not ashamed of his friend in chains.

Paul explains to us in 2 Corinthians 6 that true believers will be treated like impostors, but yet remain true; as unknown, and yet well known, as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

So sometimes in life you will hit seasons where everyone you know will desert you. Your life or ministry might look like a complete failure right now. These droughts that the Lord wills are difficult to endure, but I pray the Lord sends you an Onesiphorus. Someone to refresh you and that is not ashamed of your chains of earthly failure. Someone that sees your eternal success.

When people offend you, do you distance yourself from them? …liar. All of us have withdrawn from a relationship or to because the other person had a different way about them. You know the analogy? iron sharpens iron as one man takes offense to another. I see this on a daily basis in our homeless mission. When a young adults enroll themselves in In Triumph for help, they eventually get challenged by our biblical world view and principles, so to protect their “reality”, they take up an offense against our direction and become the victim. If we accommodate their feelings and shrink back, they gain control and ruin any chance of healing.

We camouflage our “control issues” so well that I truly believe most people do not recognize this deep sin within them. A nice thick coat of “offense” is painted over this ugly beast of control and instantly we are transformed into a sweet little harmless victim. And everybody feels sorry for the victim. It’s brilliant. If we do not like someone’s opinion, or our feelings get hurt in the mix, we will take advantage of the other person’s empathy to manipulate the outcome, or if that does not work, we will make them out to be the bad guy so we can build a team of supporters in our favor. You have done it, I have done it and it is just plain wicked.

What we need to understand is that offense is not the issue, the issue is always control. When we get offended, it is not because of what someone said or did, it is because they are unlike us and we can not manipulate them. If we strike at the heart of this monster, we would see that we are happiest when the people around us are made in our own likeness, after our own image. Have you become a demigod that has created a universe where everyone thinks and acts just like you? …liar. Not everyone is Baptist, Republican and politically correct in their actions.

We all know that when Christ was on the cross he asked the Father to forgive his enemies. But I want us to stop and realize something bigger. Christ did not just forgive his enemies, Christ carried absolutely no offense in his heart whatsoever. So in this blog I am not just addressing forgiveness, I am addressing total forgiveness. To love your brother enough to never allow his actions to offend you. Unconditional grace.

Remembering Proverbs 27:5-6

“Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

In Christ & In Triumph,

Pete Orta

teaching pastor at in triumph

If you never see people in desperate need, it is because you are always in the front of the line. If you find it hard to empathize with those who are losing around you, it is because you are a winner. And winners have no place in their lives for losers.

We need to synchronize our thoughts to the mind of the Nazarene who gave up his lead position to run another race where the loser takes all.

When the spectators assumed that Christ threw up his hands on the cross in defeat, the heavenly hosts knew that he was throwing his arms back in victory as the finish line ribbon hit his chest. His victory outcry, “It is finished.” reveals to all that have ears to hear, that he ran and won a different race.

We are not called to win all, we are called to lose all. So when you pick up your cross today, let these beautiful words crown your thoughts,“those last shall be first, and the first last.” Loser take all.

In Christ & In Triumph,
Dr. Pete Orta

Ph.D, in failure

bible reference: Matthew 20:16, John 19:30

King David almost made a great mistake in the second book of Samuel when his son, Absalom, died during the battle against him. David had ordered his three commanders to not harm Absalom, but Joab, his esteemed general, usurped his authority and with no remorse plunged three spears into the heart of his son who was hanging from a tree. Even though David’s men protected him, the bible shows that his loss consumed him.

While David’s people celebrated, the king was too self-absorbed to see that his response was casting shame on the people who loved and fought for him. Joab was angered how David could display love to those who hated him and hatred to those who loved him. And although Joab was justifying his actions in killing Absalom, if it was not for this rebuke, David’s sulking would have lost him the love and loyalty of his people.

David’s grief was understandable, but it caused him to neglect the ones that were still with him. So, let’s take this day to enjoy the people who enjoy us. To love on the people that love us. Do not get caught casting your pearls to swine. If you are currently making this mistake, have the heart of a gracious king and repent to those you have ignored.

In Christ & In Triumph,
Pete Orta
teaching pastor at in triumph

Bible reference: 2 Samuel 19:1-8

You are not alone, we all hit seasons when we feel like our lives aren’t going anywhere. All dressed up and nowhere to go. I have these same struggles currently in ministry. Discouragement sometimes overwhelms me when people ask how many young adults we have at In Triumph. People somehow associate a number, or the lack thereof, with God’s favor and blessing on our lives and mission.

While in this season of despair my sweet heavenly Father encouraged me with a bit of imagery. He put a visual in my head of Jonah and the whale. While stuck in the belly of this whale, Jonah never considered that this giant fish was still swimming forward according to the purpose of God’s will. This increased my faith in the sovereignty of our Lord!

So if you feel stagnant in your life or ministry at times, be encouraged, these things will work together for good, for those called according to his whale…. I mean will.

In Christ & In Triumph,

Pastor Pete Orta

bible references

• Romans 8:28
• The Old Testament book of Jonah

In Christ & In Triumph,

Pete Orta

Teaching pastor @ In Triumph

Jesus was rebuking his men from their self-righteous humanitarian mindset. Even after all that they had seen, no one understood what the purpose of Christ was. Today we need to embrace the same rebuke. What separates the Christians from the humanitarians of the world? Nothing, if we are not evangelizing the cross of Christ! Bill Gates can bankroll a rock star’s effort, but without the message of Jesus The Joshua Tree has no roots. Believers, we must not confuse the bread of man with the bread of life. We have to make sure the world knows that when we give, we are serving Jesus. It’s our love for Him that gives a man a drink that will never cause him to thirst again.  Simply put, we can’t just feed the hungry while allowing them to go to hell with a full stomach.

In Christ & In Triumph,

Pete Orta

pastor @ In Triumph
If you are in need of a home, please visit our website.

Bible reference: Mark 14:3-9 (ESV)

The scriptures say, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” This means we can not mess up what God has already prepared if we are in Christ! With no fear you should walk across the waters of poverty to give someone a drink or feed the multitudes with the little food you have in your cupboards.

So when people ask if you have plans, just smile and say, “I’ve made no plans, my life has already been prepared.”

In Christ & In Triumph,

Pete Orta

pastor @ In Triumph
If you are in need of a home, please visit our website.

Bible reference: Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

Osama Bin Laden stood before the judgement seat of Christ as Americans rejoiced in the thought of his soul burning in hell. I am not against war or having to stop dangerous leaders, but it should not bring us joy. And if we were really concerned for the protection of our country, we would be more concerned for the souls of Americans. The battle is not against flesh and blood. Christ told us to not fear those who kill the body, like a terrorist group. Rather fear God who can destroy both soul and body in hell. If we really feared for the safety of our country, we would fear for their lost souls. So preach the gospel to fight against those who kill the body.

In Christ & In Triumph,

Pete Orta

pastor @ In Triumph
If you are in need of a home, please visit our website.

Bible reference: Proverbs 24:17 + Matthew 10:28 (ESV)

Like Zacchaeus, I had an encounter with Jesus one night that would change my life forever. In one moment everything I knew lost it’s value. And the next moment I had homeless teenagers sleeping on my living room floor. This experience has made me retract all the other days I said I knew Christ.

This transformation is evident every time Jesus enters into someone’s life. I use to call on God to save me from feeling pain. I needed a spiritual morphine that would comfort me while I recovered from a self inflicted injury. But something was different about the night Jesus came to my house. Before He arrived, I came to a place where I hated what I had gained from the world. And for the first time in my life I felt Jesus love me before I loved him. This revelation was the difference that saved my soul.

In Christ & In Triumph,

Pete Orta

pastor @ In Triumph
If you are in need of a home, please visit our website.

Bible reference: Luke 19:1-10 + 1 John 4:19