Greetings from Mexico!
Oh, that God would rend the Heavens and come down in a mighty outpouring of His blessed Spirit from on high! Biblical missions don't just consist of methods, strategies, plans, and human effort at spreading the Gospel, but of Christ as Lord of all extending His scepter and establishing His Kingdom through the sovereign working of His Holy Spirit by means of the proclamation of the Gospel through human instrumentality. Yet this human element in missions is powerless and ineffective unless it is owned of God and enabled by His grace and power. God's work must be done God's way. His Gospel must advance not merely through plans and programs, but through prayer and preaching in the Holy Spirit. God is pleased to grant success to the cause of missions and grant this power from on high when His people humble themselves, utterly stripped of all confidence in the flesh, and as empty, destitute, poor beggars confess their desperate need for Him so that when He responds and grants success to His work, they recognize that God alone is the sole cause of their success and therefore attribute to Him the glory He rightfully deserves. A few Brethren have wondered and inquired as to the cause of the small amount of success we have seen in Mexico, as to the conversion of souls and the planting of churches. All I can say is it that is has pleased the Lord to work in this way. We have no secrets. My only real and ultimate method is preaching the foolishness of the cross --and this in a somewhat cumbersome and awkward Spanish that makes me feel insecure as I speak it. We just unleash the Word and it does all the rest. We teach systematically through the Scriptures, explaining words and phrases, analyzing its grammar, explicating its context, expounding on its grand theological concepts, and seeking to apply it with impetu to each individual soul. But God is the One who saves souls. Christ is the One who builds His church. The Spirit is the One who breaths on dead sinner's hearts with the breath of God and infuses life and power into His saints to sanctify them and mold them into the Imago Dei. And since this is all not because of us, but rather in spite of us, it is obvious to me that this is the Lord's work, and therefore it is to His glory alone. Therefore, dear Brethren, I earnestly plead with you to please pray for us. I believe we may yet see a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our day, here in Mexico. We have seen small signs and little tokens of soul-stirring happening among us, but have yet to see the fullness. We must press on and not grieve the Spirit but rather pray with importunity that the Sovereign Giver from Whom the Spirit proceeds would be pleased to pour forth much mercy upon us and prosper His work in Mexico, that we may yet see the glory of the Lord in the land of the living! May God have mercy on our unbelief for limiting the strong arm of the Almighty in our puny thoughts of what we think is possible and stir up in us with a lively faith and a spirit of prayer to press on and seek for "greater works" (Jn. 14:12) until our eyes behold the Majesty of the Lord manifested in multitudes being saved from eternal woe and His missionary cause accelerated so as to fill Mexico with the knowledge of the Lord! Here is a summarized update of what has been happening lately:
We send our hearty greetings and heartfelt thanks for all our dear Brethren who pray for us and support us! Soli Deo Gloria! If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to talk with us, please reply to this email. We value your input. In Christ -Josef Urban http://www.puregospeltruth.com/ http://www.cristianismobiblico.com/
1 Comment
samuel
1/13/2014 04:18:45 pm
God Bless Your Hard work for Him, my prayers is on your ministry
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AuthorJosef has served as a missionary to Mexico for 10 years in the planting and pastoring of several Reformed and Baptistic churches. Read more...
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