I want to share the testimony of Gilberto. He was the older brother of one of the women in our church. He became very sick about a year and a half ago with pancreatic cancer and his health had been declining steadily since then. A few days ago I received a call from his sister asking me to go and visit him since he was bedridden, and had been unconscious. I decided to go see him and to the surprise of all who were present, when I arrived he woke up and was able to speak some words.

By the grace and mercy of God he was able to hear the good news of the Gospel and I prayed with him, asking the Lord to grant him salvation as a free gift by His grace. Minutes later, after sharing the Gospel with him, his wife arrived and Gilberto was taken to the hospital. His situation was so bad at that point that the doctors were unable to do anything to help him, and he died a few days later.

I believe that it would be presumptuous on my part to be sure that Gilberto was truly saved in that moment, but his sister told us that he died with the name of the Lord on his lips in his bed. Only God knows his heart, but our firm hope is that he is now enjoying the presence and the joy of Christ, and that in that day when the dead en Christ rise he will be one of those who sing and praise the Lord for his “Amazing Grace.” Oh, that each day we all might be aware of the immense work that we have to announce the good news of the Gospel to a world that is dying! That we might preach as dying men to dying men.