Baptists are accepting the call to New Testament Christianity

January 20, 1999

Dear Beloved Family of God:

Our beloved heavenly Father is an awesome God, and His hand is upon us as we encourage the denominational churches to accept the call to New Testament Christianity.

This past Lord's day was another exciting day for the church of Christ in Crystal City, Texas. We had a total of 18 in our Sunday morning worship service and 20 in our Sunday evening bilingual Bible Study. There were a total of eight people missing that were ill with the flu on Sunday. There were a total of 10 new visitors to our Sunday services and bible study. Last Wednesday we had 18 attend our midweek bilingual Bible Study. These numbers may sound small, but this growth is significant for our first twenty-two days since the Lord called me here to re-establish His holy church. Already we have had four baptisms, and there are several others who are currently thinking about putting on Christ in baptism for the forgiveness of sins in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Immediately after our Sunday morning worship services I went to visit the Mount Olive Baptist Church here in Crystal City, Texas where I was invited to preach by one of their deacons. I arrived at 12:15 p.m. and they were eagerly awaiting my arrival. Their attendance was about 35, and I was accompanied by Brother Joe Brockman and his wife Mary of Sabinal, Texas. Brother Joe Brockman is the Preacher for the church of Christ in La Pryor, Texas. I had asked Brother Brockman to attend this event to witness how the Lord was using me in an effort to reach out to the denominational churches in Crystal City, Texas.

The following scriptures were used in the message that the Lord allowed me to deliver to this group of believers:

Romans 13:11-14, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Ephesians 4:1-6, Matthew 7:15-20, James 2:19, and Matthew 7:21-23.

It was with the Spirit of Christ that I was able to deliver this message with success. The entire message was about becoming like the New Testament church, and this group of Baptists shouted AMEN when I challenged them to drop the name Baptist and to call themselves Christians only. I charged them all to follow the Holy Scriptures alone, and to not follow the doctrines and opinions of man and the AMENS got even louder. I also called for One church in Crystal City and they shouted AMEN. This group of believers are like Apollos of the New Testament mentioned in Acts 18:24-26. They hunger and thirst for righteousness and the truth about the Lord and His holy church. They love the Lord Jesus Christ with all of their hearts, and they are searching for the pattern of New Testament Christianity.

Normally it is their custom to have the keyboard player playing some music in the background while their preacher speaks, but when I went forward and began to expound upon the Word of the Most High God everyone became silent, and the keyboard player did not even play one note of music for they were all captivated by the message. I was also stimulated by the Holy Spirit as this group of believers were moved by the Word of God. I am reminded by the example of the Apostle Paul when he would go and preach in the synagogues to the Jews. Brethren we must take the Word of God to the people where ever they may be even if it is in the Denominational churches.

After the message the Deacons of the Mount Olive Baptist Church came forward to let the entire church know that they were pleased with the message, and they publicly said that I was welcomed to come and preach again even without an invitation at any time. One of the deacons said that Crystal City has been in need of an Evangelist for a long time and they were grateful that the Lord sent me to their town. Another deacon asked that I visit them this Friday evening for a congregational Bible Study. I am looking forward to a great time with this group of believers as we share the Word of God together.

As I was leaving a number of these folks wanted to know the address of the local church of Christ, and others said that they knew of a number of Christians who once attended the church of Christ and that they would go to encourage them to return to church to worship with us. Several of their members also stated that they were willing to help me invite people to attend the church of Christ. God is wonderful for He is in control of everyone and everything. If anyone finds this hard to believe I invite you to call Brother Joe Brockman at 830-988-7113 for more details.

More good news. The Mayor of Crystal City and I met yesterday, and he is wanting to appoint me to the Board of the new Boys Club for Crystal City, and to a new Committee for Economic Development. Mayor Frank Moreno is a good man, and we have become friends. He is wanting to introduce me to the Mayor of Eagle Pass, Texas regarding the future of this area of the country. Our church building currently needs to have the parking lot re-paved since the ground and the grass have consumed most of it. Mayor Moreno told me that he would have our parking lot paved, and I in turn pledged to provide the City with an Internet presence for one year. God does provide for our needs even if the assistance comes from those outside of our church. This encourages me to keep standing on God's promises as I walk by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Teacher.

Brethren I am having a lot of fun re-establishing the Lord's church here in Crystal City, Texas. The Lord is good, and He is answering your prayers on my behalf. Please continue praying for the Lord's church in Crystal City and for me. I appreciate everyone of you.

May the grace of God, the love of Jesus, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you and your family forever.

Your brother in Christ Jesus,

E-mail questions or comments to: garcia@church-of-christ.org

The church of Christ at Crystal City

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Last updated on 1/30/1999