The Ortiz family lives in the town of Mallaritos, where our church is located. They have two small children. My visit with them in their home had the purpose of preaching the gospel to them. Their economic situation is very difficult. In the past, our church has helped provide clothing for their children. This time I wanted to visit them once again to talk about the work of Christ on behalf of sinners.
When I arrived, everyone stopped what they were doing in order to sit down and listen to the gospel. It reminded me of Mary, the sister of Martha, who sat down to listen to Jesus. It is evident that this family understands there is a certain benefit to listening to the Word of God, but it is necessary for them to repent of their sin and believe in Christ to be saved.
I gave them two Bibles for the husband and wife. I encouraged them to read it and we agreed that I would begin visiting them in order to study the Bible together. They assured me that they would read the Bible and said that they were very happy to have a Bible because they had never had one before. May God work by His Spirit in this family.
I also visited the Gomez family in the town of Marcavelica. They have two young daughters. The oldest daughter, who is 7 years old, has been asking her dad to allow her to attend our church. While I was visiting with them and presenting the gospel, I called them to repentance and faith in the saving work of Christ.
In contrast with the Ortiz family, the Gomez family puts a lot of confidence in the fact that they are poor and that they live “a good life” of love to their neighbors. They believe these to be sufficient to be in good standing with God. With much love, I had to break down this false assurance of salvation. God allowed me to show them through the Scriptures how they must be saved.
Their questions and their attention showed that they were interested in what they were hearing from God’s Word. I gave them a Bible and encouraged them to read it. It is my prayer that as they read the Word, God would work in their lives and that He would use Samira’s desire to attend our church as a means of allowing this family to continue hearing the gospel.
Another family that I visited was in the city of Piura. This family is different than the others with regard to their financial situation, but their spiritual condition is the same. When I visited them, I explained to them the law of God as a means of guiding them to Christ. They told me that they were already Christians because of a decision they had made many years prior. However, their lives did not show fruits of true conversion.
In light of their wrong view of conversion, I asked them why they were confident that they would be allowed into God’s presence. Their answer showed that they were hoping merely in a point in the past when they made a decision and also that they were putting confidence in being good people.
However, one of them—one of the sons who is a lawyer—was able to recognize that he was lost as he saw himself in light of the standard of God’s law. In the middle of the meal to which they had invited me, this young man acknowledged his condition before God and asked me if I could transmit my sermons online so that he could continue listening to God’s Word. He told me that he had listened to many pastors but that none of them had confronted his life the way the Scriptures did on this occasion. Oh, brothers and sisters, please ask God for the salvation of this family.
