It is always a great joy and privilege to inform you all of what God is doing in our midst. We are always giving thanks to God because we see the faith and love of the believers growing each day, and we are seeing that they themselves are being taught and instructed by God as to how they are to love and care for one another. I rejoice to see those I am ministering to growing in love, and their lives are an encouragement and cause for praise.
One of the evidences that we are growing in the Lord is that we are increasing in love for Christ and for our neighbor (John 13:34-35). If we say that we love God but do not love or brothers and sisters, it is evidence that we still abide in death (I John 4:20-21). The tangible evidence that someone is increasing in the knowledge of the Lord and growing in conformity to Christ is the manifest love of Jesus in his life. Recently, at a Bible study we held with some of the members of our church in Los Olivos, one of the ladies visiting the study was greatly impacted by the love that each person showed toward one another. Our Lord Jesus Christ told us that the clearest evidence that we are His disciples is that we love one another.
A few Sundays ago an older sister who was recently saved by our Lord began coming to our church. It was only a few months ago that she came to know the Lord, but we are witnesses of her hunger and thirst for God and His righteousness. It is an encouragement to all of us to see the enormous work of God in her life and we are continuing to disciple and instruct her that she might become a mature sister in the faith.
Every Wednesday we meet as a church to pray together and we have seen a growing group of brothers and sisters in attendance. Without a doubt, the church is growing in unity as we all strive together in prayer, and we are experiencing the truth “that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:19-20).
During this month we have gone through difficult times. My wife has been very sick with stomach pains, but the Lord has been abundantly merciful and good toward both of us, not only in taking away her pain, but also in allowing us to see the care, concern and love of our brothers and sisters that have cried out to the Lord in prayer on her behalf. How great and wonderful it is to know that even in trials and tribulations we can thank our good God and praise Him for His love for us!
We ask your prayers that the Lord would continue to guide us and give us wisdom to be able to minister and present every man complete in Christ, laboring not according to our own strength but according to His power, being strengthened with all power in our inner man (Colossians 1:28-29; Ephesians 3:16). Also, I thank the Lord deeply for all the brothers and sisters that contribute through this ministry to enable us to devote ourselves full time to the ministry of the Word and prayer.