God bless you, my beloved brethren.

It’s a pleasure to share with each one of you about what God is doing among His people.

1. Church Ministry:

We continue teaching the Word of God to the church every Monday and Tuesday night at our church. I am teaching about the doctrine of salvation. As we study the Bible we are convinced of the sovereignty, the decrees, and the supremacy of God. I’m happy that it is the Word of God that convinces His people. When the Bible starts to talk for itself some of the brethren smile and lower their heads, recognizing the doctrine of the Word of God.

We started out with 19 brothers and sisters in Christ, there are now 15 faithful ones. Three others can’t be with us because of work but they come when they can. One sister that was saved last month thanks to the mercy of God has really wanted to attend our classes because she has a desire for the Word of God.

That sister in Christ and her husband came to Jesus Christ in the worst time of their life. He had tried to kill her with his hands and then she had decided to take her own life by overdosing on pills and ended up having to be rushed to the hospital. When all seemed to be lost they were invited by a brother in Christ to visit our church and it was in that way that they first tasted the mercy of God. As the text says, “you who in time past were not a people… but you now have obtained mercy.” They now attend church together and often weep for the life they used to have apart from God.

On Monday the 21st of March 4 couples who had been living together from our church decided to get married legally and to consecrate their marriage in the church. These brothers and sisters had been living in fornication and after they were taught that it is wrong to live in that way they were motivated by the Word of God to get married. Among those who were legally married and who consecrated their marriages before the people of God was that couple that had saved by the grace of God. Amen. My wife and I were their legal witnesses for the marriage ceremony. Now all four couples are married before the law and the church. They maintain a good conscience before God and man and they will be baptized soon.

Additionally, the brethren that are studying with us at the Biblical Ministry School (Escuela Bíblica Ministerial or EBM) are preaching in homes on Wednesdays. This is part of their educational formation because we desire for them to not only have truth in their heads but also that they might have beautiful feet through the preaching of the gospel.

My father, Pastor Luis S., is teaching every Sunday in Sunday school from the book of Acts. I have had to teach it these last two Sundays because my father’s voice was gone due to a throat infection. But he is doing much better and now I’m the one struggling with my voice but thanks be to God for putting us in a church where we support one another.

Every Thursday we have our worship service which is a time when we cry out to God for the pastors, missionaries, sickly, etc. I am happy with the great number of brothers and sisters in Christ who come to this prayer meeting.

I also continue shepherding the young people from church. There are now 25 of them and the deacons and a few married men help out as well. There are seven new young people who have been coming as a result of the young people’s school that we had in February. They attend but there is no evidence of a change in their lives. We continue preaching to them Saturday after Saturday. It gives me joy to know that it is God who saves, and yet this does not take away any passion from the preaching of the gospel.

2. Seminary:

Classes started on the 14th of March and there are ten students of which two are new. I’m teaching contemporary theology and practical principles. The courses are very interesting. As far as contemporary theology it is very indispensable to examine modern theological thinking and compare it to exegetical and historical theology. In this way we can get rid of that which is new, as Spurgeon said, “…there is nothing new in theology except which is false.” The practical principles class is a class that deals with solving conflicts in life by making use of biblical principles. It is far from “Christian psychology,” which uses humanistic principles. I ask God that He would continue equipping me to teach the Bible correctly. I always remember 1 Peter 4:11, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.”

The seminary classes are held in the evenings from 4 to 7pm.

On the 25th of March we had a fellowship event for the churches that was organized by the seminary. Thanks be to God that more than seven churches from this area came. Each of the seminary students was introduced so that the churches could meet them and pray for them.

Beloved HeartCry brethren, I thank you so much for your prayers, for reading this report, and for your economic support that helps my family and ministry so much. May God keep you and continue to bless you.

Jose Luis S.