In August we preached the gospel in the town of Santa Cruz, about 20 minutes from Mallaritos. Specifically, in this instance, we held a conference for families. It is incredible to see how couples attend who do not know the Lord, and yet they come to hear about God. The reason for their attendance is the seriousness of the sin in the marital lives of so many. Many of them are no longer able to bear living each day with yelling, fights, separation, violence, etc.
They come mostly to fix the problems that they see in their spouse’s life, but they are very surprised when they hear the preaching about the injustice, pride, sin, and faults not of their spouse, but of them. This is where many couples simply can’t understand, because they have lived so long thinking that the problem is the other person, and not them. This is where the gospel begins to make them see the reality that their problem is sin and resides in the individual. But at the same time, we preach the glorious exchange that Christ carried out for us on the cross. We preach repentance and faith in His name. Not everyone in attendance appreciates this, and we recognize that we must pray. We cannot fix them, but we believe that God can through the preaching of the gospel and prayer.
I also continue visiting brothers and sisters from our congregation in Mallaritos. As a pastor, I am responsible to lead and guide the church toward maturity by strengthening our beloved brothers and sisters in the faith. When I visit them, I always discover new things, and I pray continually that God would grant me wisdom to lead the body of Christ.
