Taking the Gospel of Jesus to the people

February 1, 1999

Dear Beloved Family of God:

It is with great joy that I write this letter to each of you. Almighty God has called us to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ His son to all who call upon the name of Jesus, and to those who have not heard His name. There are countless numbers of believers today that have spent many years reading the Holy Scriptures and they are growing in the knowledge of Christ our Lord and Teacher. They are also beginning to measure up the teachings of their Denominations with the Holy Scriptures being the ultimate authority. These believers are finding out the truth about the Lord and His church, but when they compare the churches of Christ mentioned in the New Testament they realize that they fall short of the New Testament pattern. I must say that our churches today have plenty of room for growth in that same New Testament pattern.

Believe what I tell you to be true as Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Most High God. The Denominational world does indeed hunger and thirst for righteousness and the truth about our Lord and His holy church. The Denominational churches do love the Lord Jesus Christ, but we need to expound to them the way of God more accurately as was the case of Apollos (Acts 18:24-26).

Yesterday was another great Lord's day for the church in Crystal City and our evangelistic efforts. A number of exciting things are beginning to take place this month. We have decided on the dates for our first Gospel Meeting in Crystal City, Texas. The meeting begins on Sunday February 21 through Wednesday 24, 1999. We are all excited about this event and trust that many will obey the Word of God and put on Jesus Christ in baptism. Today we began having our annex repaired. A local contractor is doing the work for a total cost of $5,800.00. The local bank loaned us the money to have this work done with low monthly payments at 10% interest. It is my prayer that we will be able to raise these monies from our brethren worldwide, but if not then we should be able to pay for the loan over a period of four years. The children are excited to know that soon they will be having their very own Bible classes and other activities that can be accommodated in the remodeled annex.

Next Monday February 8, 1999 we begin our daily radio broadcast from Monday through Friday. The program will be done in two parts each day with 30 minutes in Spanish and 30 minutes in English. If you have any CD's or cassettes of Gospel music in Spanish or English that you would like to donate to us for our radio program please mail it to me a.s.a.p. The Spanish program will be entitled "Que dice la Biblia?" (Spanish for What does the Bible Say?) Our English program will be entitled "Let the Bible Speak".

After we adjourned from our Sunday morning worship services, I went to visit the Mount Olive Baptist Church where I preached two Sundays ago. I continue to visit them for Bible study on Friday nights, and they are receptive of the Lord's will. When I walked into their worship service at about 12:20 p.m., I was asked by their minister to sit behind him on their stage while he was preaching. I went and sat before his congregation of believers. This preacher was doing a good job in expounding upon God's Holy Scriptures, and before he ended his sermon he said, "There will be no Baptists in heaven". The congregation listened with serious attention as their "pastor" spoke these words. He then said, "Not only will there be no Baptists in heaven, but that there will also be no Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, and the like in heaven since they are not named in the God of Word. Only Christians will be in heaven." This congregation of believers all said AMEN. The "pastor" then said, "if you have not been baptized you will not make it to heaven." A Deacon of the church shouted out loud "That's It. That's what it's all about." The Deacon looked at me with a smile and his heart filled with joy as others shouted AMEN. Their "pastor" then asked me to address the congregation. I was not expecting to preach to them, but the Lord gave me to words to speak. With the Holy Scriptures in mind I again called them to keep moving forward in their call toward the pattern of New Testament Christianity. God is wonderful and His Word is great. After their worship service was over I was asked to preach a "Unity Revival" for them. I accepted, and I also invited them to attend our Gospel Meeting later this month, and they responded by saying that they would encourage their entire congregation to attend. Their preacher told me that he likes the idea of having only one church, and that the preachers should unite and work together to form a replica of the New Testament church in Crystal City, Texas. His words brought joy to my heart. This is what evangelism is all about.

After our Sunday evening Bible study I went to visit the Apostolic Church of Hispanic believers here in Crystal City. A member of their church heard me speak at the Mount Olive Baptist Church, and he invited me to visit his church. I asked him if they would let me preach for them, but he said that they do not allow just anyone to preach for them. He said that their preachers must undergo a series of classes and even serve as Deacons before ever preaching before the Apostolic Church. Upon my arrival to this Spanish speaking church I was greeted by their "pastor". He asked me if we believe that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins, and I said yes. I quoted Acts 2:38 and he said that they believe the same as we do in this area of salvation. We talked for a few minutes and then I asked him if he would allow me to preach to his church. His eyes were a glow when I made this request, and I responded by saying "You have no need to fear me for I will only preach the Word of Almighty God." He then said YES you may preach tonight. I was filled with joy to hear his positive response. To God be the glory. I preached about the Christian life and the call to New Testament Christianity. After my sermon I called the church to repentance and for the baptism of the forgiveness of sins. There were 60 people there that night and only four people remained in the pews. The rest of the church came to the front and they filled the space between the pulpit and the front row of pews. They all requested the prayers of the church, and asked that I personally pray for them. Their preacher was greatly moved by this call, and he said that he would have me come and preach for them again. They then took the Lord's Supper and asked that I serve the cup. Afterwards the church took up a love offering at the request of their minister, and this gift was then presented to me. I did not expect this, but I accepted their gift with gratitude. They also said that they would have their entire church attend our Gospel Meeting on February 21 through 24, 1999.

Today as we began the construction of a new wooden roof to our Annex I was called and invited to breakfast by the Apostolic preacher. We talked about many things, and the talk was productive. He joined me at our church building to talk more about the Holy Scriptures, and he knew the construction contractor who is a Pentecostal preacher. The three of us talked for about one hour while the carpenters began their work on our building. The Pentecostal preacher said that he would like for me to preach at their church, and that he would have his entire congregation of 60 members attend our Gospel Meeting later this month. God is great. This is the life. Preaching the Word of God in these later days is exciting. Believe me when I say that the Denominational world is searching for the truth which means CHANGE. We have in part what they desire, but what will you do? We cannot continue to keep the truth to ourselves.

Our church auditorium will seat 250 people, and we are already expecting to have at least 180 people attend our Gospel Meeting from the Baptist, Apostolic, and Pentecostal Churches. Our own number is about 30 people, and I plan to use the radio to invite the entire community of Crystal City and area churches of Christ to attend this Gospel Meeting. We are excited to see our church building filled over capacity. We have just begun, and it will get even better with the help of our heavenly Father. Who would have ever thought that this would be the type of response that we would get by re-establishing the Lord's church in Crystal City, Texas? One thing is for sure God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit knew that this would take place. All I did was just knock on the door and it opened. I asked, and it is was given to me. I searched and found those who seek the more accurate way of Jesus Christ.

My fellow Evangelists and Preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I beg of you In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit that you will be encouraged to step out on God's promises and with faith take the Word of God to the Denominational churches as the Lord has done with me. Pray about this with all of your heart, and allow the Holy Spirit of Almighty God fill you with His Holy Word in order to win them to the more accurate way of Jesus Christ our Lord and Master. You can do this. You need to do this. You must do this. The question to you is when?

Take heart in knowing that I am not nor have I ever compromised the Holy Scriptures in the area of evangelism. It is God that opens these tremendous doors of opportunity, and he prepares the road for us to follow as we continue to win countless numbers of lost souls to Christ via the Internet and the real world. To learn more about our soul winning efforts in Crystal City, Texas visit our web site at http://church-of-christ.org/home/CrystalCity/newsletter. Please remember me in your prayers. God is not finished with us yet.

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

Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Internet Ministries
All rights reserved.

Last updated on 2/1/1999