Pastor, Baptist Church of Peniel, Peru

Ernesto is the father of Martin Zacarias and is the pastor of the Baptist Church of Peniel.  Ernesto assists with several church plants that have been established from his church, as well as assists Martin as he leads training in Lima.

Testimony and Calling

My name is Ernesto and my wife’s name is Concepción.  All our children are Christians and three of them are in the ministry.  Two of my sons are pastors and my daughter works in the Baptist Seminary in the city of Truijillo.

Before I was converted to Christianity, I was a truck driver. Since I did not know Christ I lived a very wicked life of drunkenness and friendship with the world.  I believe that I was one of the greatest sinners that has ever lived on earth.  But now I give thanks to God that Christ came in His time to save me, forgive all my sins and buy me with His precious blood that He shed on Calvary.  I have come to understand that the greatest thing that can happen to a man is for him to have Christ dwelling in his heart and to live for Christ.  There is nothing more beautiful for me than to work for the Glory of God and the Honor of Jesus Christ our Savior.  I can tell you with all confidence and security that there is nothing  more wonderful than to live for Christ and to have His peace, love and joy in my heart.  Before knowing Christ my life was boring and full of anger and wrath, but when Christ entered my heart everything changed.  My life changed, my family changed and my children changed.  Now we live in the light of the glorious Gospel of grace and there is only one thing for us to do - serve Jesus with all our heart, strength and mind.

After my conversion to Christianity, the Lord called me to serve. My calling came at a time when I was in the jungle of Iquitos.  There I met a man who did not know how to read or write, but he had planted eight churches on the banks of the Amazon River.  That night when I heard him speak, my heart broke and I could only cry tears of shame, because I had money, an education and many things that this man did not have, but he was serving God and I was doing nothing.  There God touched my heart so that I might serve Him.

I was 42 years old when my calling came, and so I was the oldest student in the Bible Institute where I studied. I was even older than my professors.  It was a humbling experience, many people made fun of me, but I wanted more than anything to be prepared in the Word of God so that I might serve Him.  I studied for four years at the institute and graduated.

I was in my first church for nine years, learning how to love people and to trust in God even though the problems surrounded me. I learned how to pray, witness and how to disciple new believers.  During that time, I also began to see the need to start new works in the places where there are no churches.  The first church I planted was 1000 kilometers from Lima.  Many brothers told me that I should not begin a church so far away.  Many laughed and said that I started the church so far away so that I could travel and take a vacation.  God knows that that was not my reason.  In spite of the opposition, we began the work in the north of Peru and today it is still going strong as a Church of Jesus Christ.  It has its own pastor and building, and is growing with many members.  This confirms that our desire to start the church was the will of God.

Even though I have always been a pastor, I have always had the heart of a missionary. I am always looking at the fields far away that are ripe unto harvest, but have few workers who are willing to gather.  There are millions of souls that wander through this world without Christ and without hope.  They are like sheep without a shepherd.  That is the way Jesus saw the people.  This is what He carried in His heart for them.  This was His passion and love.  In John 4:35-36, Jesus said:
“Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest?’  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.  Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” (NIV)

Because of this love that Jesus has for His sheep, I opened up another church in a very poor area of Lima called Villa el Salvador. HeartCry helped us to build our building. Now the church uses the building to win souls.  They witness to everyone in the neighborhood, door to door and house to house.  In their church building they have services, prayer meeting and special discipleship groups to train leaders.  They also minister to all the poor children in the area.  There are so many.  The church is called the “Baptist Tabernacle.  It has 85 adult members and it supports its own pastor. I have since moved on to pastor another church.

I want to be a missionary until the day I die. I want to start churches and preach the Gospel where it has never been preached.  I have a missionary spirit that burns with the fire of the Holy Spirit.  The world must know that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one can be saved unless Jesus intervenes, saves and pardons men of all their sin.  Please pray for us that we always have an open door to preach the Gospel and that we preach it as we ought.

I am grateful to God who lets me serve Him in spite of my weaknesses.  I am growing old, but I am not finished.  I still have strength from the Lord to serve Him.  I still have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  I want to finish the race having fought the good fight.  I know that a crown awaits me that the just Judge and Lord Jesus Christ will give me on that day, and not only to me but to all those who love His coming.  On that day our vacation will begin, but until then we must work.