Back to Guadalajara -March 2009 Update

We are now back in Guadalajara, Mexico and are getting situated and praying for more open doors to preach the Gospel. If you are reading this and you pray for us, please pray for this, that God would open more doors for us to preach through and grant that we would be faithful to this stewardship. Paul said (Amplified):

“And at the same time pray for us also, that God may open a door to us for the Word (the Gospel), to proclaim the mystery concerning Christ (the Messiah) on account of which I am in prison; That I may proclaim it fully and make it clear [speak boldly and unfold that mystery], as is my duty” (Colossians 4:3-4).

Though I’m not in prison like Paul was, my heart’s desire is the same, for an open door, and for faithfulness to proclaim the Gospel clearly and fully in this place. I know by experience that the Lord always answers this prayer, so please agree with me in prayer for this, that these people might hear to the glory of Christ! May God save His elect and impart faith to His lost sheep through the proclamation of the Word in this final hour!

Our 3-week stay in the US was a refreshing time of fellowship with the brethren there, and we were able to spend some time with Sean and Lisa Scott and some others. Mike Gendron and his wife (from www.pro-gospel.org) were extremely hospitable to us in the name of Christ and allowed us to stay in their guest home and took good care of us, may the Lord reward them abundantly. Mike ministers around the world preaching the Gospel and targets Catholics with the truth of Jesus Christ. You may have seen him preaching in a conference alongside Ray Comfort or John Macarthur. If you have any Catholic friends or relatives that need to hear the Gospel, I would highly recommend the resources his ministry puts out, as he has seen lot of Catholics abandon their apostate religion to embrace the finished work and person of Christ in saving faith.

We are now looking in Guadalajara for various avenues through which to preach and minister and are looking for at least one good drug rehabilitation center to minister in on a regular basis. We are working on getting permission to minister in a state prison about 30 min. from our home. Other possibilities are in consideration and prayer. The booklet on salvation is in the works on getting printed. We still have our meeting place for Bible studies every week, and are eager to see if the Lord will bring more to it as we continue to evangelize. We are trusting that the Lord is going to open the perfect doors and accomplish His perfect will here with us as we reach out. The street ministry will continue as long as the Lord wills, and we’re praying for souls.

In two weeks, we are having a team of a couple brethren come down to visit and to do some ministry here in Mexico. They will be here for 7 days, and then the day after they leave another brother is arriving and will be here for about 10 days. We’re really looking forward to this time of ministry and fellowship and request prayers for these brethren as they make the journey, and that they would be ministered to by the Holy Spirit during their stay. May Christ be glorified in our midst!

A good little testimony: A few days ago as we ventured out to find a drug rehab center to minister in, we ended up finding one that was close to where we are staying. We went in and asked if they would let us in to preach on a weekly basis, only to find out that it is a Catholic institution. The leadership set us aside, and talked about it. Finally, the man came out and told us that we could preach a meeting to the men “right now”. Though I didn’t have any messages prepared, the Scripture does tell us to “be instant in season and out of season”. I took the opportunity and was able to preach to the men for a good hour, sharing first my testimony and then preaching from Romans 5 about the depravity of sinful man and the only remedy God has provided: Christ’s perfect finished work, expounding on the transforming nature of grace to deliver from sin. It was probably the only time many of them have heard the Gospel. To the glory of God, a considerable degree of conviction went forth, and a few evidenced some positive effects of the Word upon their hearts. We found out that the day we preached is the day that the Catholic priest comes in to do Mass, but for some unannounced reason didn’t show up that day, and so at the last minute the leadership of the institution let us preach to fill in the gap! Glory be to God that His true testimony went forth in that dark, false gospel permeated institution!

Brethren, God rewards us when we step out in faith and obey His call to go when He sends us. He’s faithful! Pray for us! We’re grateful for all your support.

In Christ –Josef Urban
www.puregospeltruth.com