I sincerely hope that this report finds you all growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a church, we are seeing our need to grow together in respect to our understanding of the nature of the church’s responsibility, its purpose, it’s mission, etc., according to what the New Testament teaches. We are also seeing our need to grow in unity, knowing that the will of God is that we be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:4). It is pleasing in God’s sight to see unity manifest in the life of the Church, and our greatest desire is to grow daily in this unity, and thereby obey and glorify our God and Father.

On Sunday mornings we are preaching expository sermons from the Sermon on the Mount. The study of this portion of Scripture has been a tremendous blessing in my life and also in the life of the congregation. Through this portion of Matthew, we are seeing what is the true character of those who belong to the Kingdom of God, and it has allowed us to examine our lives as in a mirror and consider whether or not we are truly reflecting this type of life. These three chapters cover almost every aspect of life and reveal to us the will of our Father for our lives as believers.

Every Monday we are ministering in a very poor district of the city, called San Juan de Lurigancho. Several people are meeting to study the Scriptures together as we work through the attributes of God. There are two sisters specifically who are showing fruits of the Lord’s work in them. They faithfully attend every Monday meeting and we have seen their diligence in seeking the Lord, even in the midst of opposition. It is evident that the greatest desire of each of these sisters is to know and draw near to Christ. It is a tremendous joy to be able to observe lives being transformed by the power of God in that community.

We are also meeting in a different district of the city called Los Olivos every Thursday. Several believers from the church come together at one of the couples’ homes in order study the Scriptures and pray. These small meetings have been an instrument in the Lord’s hands to work in the lives of the brothers and sisters that meet each week. When we began the studies, many of the believers were discouraged and disheartened because of various difficult circumstances in their lives, but with time as we continued to examine the Scriptures together, the Lord has healed many wounds and restored lives. In His immense grace, God has touched lives and produced fruit. The truth creates freedom from sin in the life of the believer and it causes us to live an abundant and fruitful life for Christ. I desire that this type of growth and fruit extend to the entire congregation so that as a church we may continue advancing in maturity and Christ-likeness.