Evangelism in Mexico
By the grace of God, He has raised up a team that goes into the heart of the city every week to proclaim Christ and Him crucified in the open air and to engage people in personal conversation about the Gospel. Week and after, normally numerous times per week, the brethren are going out and proclaiming Christ in the highways and biways of the city of Guadalajara.
Open Air Proclamation of the Gospel
God has chosen to use the foolish things of this world to stand up publicly and proclaim a message that is foolishness to this world and has ordained to use the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe (1 Cor. 1:21, 27). Yet the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men, and the very message that the world deems foolish is the very power of God unto salvation to every one who believes (Rom. 1:16).
Inner city evangelism and open air preaching has been our primary means of sowing the precious Gospel seed. We have and are continuing to proclaim the Gospel, and slowly but surely by the grace of God are making inroads into the heart of this city with the truth of God’s Word. The majority of those who visit our Sunday meetings in the church plant are those who heard the proclamation of God’s Word downtown. Also, the majority of those who congregate consistently with us are with us because they initially heard one of us preaching in the open air downtown. So, while such a method may seem foolish to the world, it is bearing fruit. A church’s foundation must be the preaching of the GOSPEL, for the church is the pillar and bulwark of the truth, and the Gospel is the heart and essence of all truth. We refuse to resort to using carnal and man-made methods which compromise biblical principles in order to draw people into the church. If God will build His church, He will do it through the public proclamation of the glory of His Son!
There is nothing fancy or impressive about open air preaching. One of the brethren just stands up in the midst of a public place where many people are around, and usually with a portable speaker strapped around his neck, preaches the Gospel and expounds on the Word of God. After preaching, an invitation will be give to those listening to come forward and receive free literature (Gospel tracts, Gospels of John, evangelistic booklets, New Testaments, etc.).
Pray for us, that God would raise up more laborers, and send out preachers into other cities and areas of Mexico to publicly proclaim the Gospel!
Inner city evangelism and open air preaching has been our primary means of sowing the precious Gospel seed. We have and are continuing to proclaim the Gospel, and slowly but surely by the grace of God are making inroads into the heart of this city with the truth of God’s Word. The majority of those who visit our Sunday meetings in the church plant are those who heard the proclamation of God’s Word downtown. Also, the majority of those who congregate consistently with us are with us because they initially heard one of us preaching in the open air downtown. So, while such a method may seem foolish to the world, it is bearing fruit. A church’s foundation must be the preaching of the GOSPEL, for the church is the pillar and bulwark of the truth, and the Gospel is the heart and essence of all truth. We refuse to resort to using carnal and man-made methods which compromise biblical principles in order to draw people into the church. If God will build His church, He will do it through the public proclamation of the glory of His Son!
There is nothing fancy or impressive about open air preaching. One of the brethren just stands up in the midst of a public place where many people are around, and usually with a portable speaker strapped around his neck, preaches the Gospel and expounds on the Word of God. After preaching, an invitation will be give to those listening to come forward and receive free literature (Gospel tracts, Gospels of John, evangelistic booklets, New Testaments, etc.).
Pray for us, that God would raise up more laborers, and send out preachers into other cities and areas of Mexico to publicly proclaim the Gospel!
God is raising up brethren to proclaim the glories of His grace in Mexico. The pictures above and below are of brethren from Guadalajara who have been trained and are now preaching and evangelizing on a regular basis.
Below is brother Artemio, another brother from Guadalajara who is preaching and evangelizing on a regular basis:
Below is a picture of brother Aaron, who co-labors with us, preaching the Gospel to onlookers. He is a missionary from the USA:
Personal Witnessing
In addition to open air preaching, we also engage people on a personal basis to share the Gospel. Usually while someone is open air preaching, the other brethren will be dispersing throughout the people and distributing Gospel tracts and sparking conversations to share the Gospel with people on a personal level, answer their questions, plead with them to forsake their sin and follow Christ, and minister to them.
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Of course, personal evangelism is not limited to the specific times in which we go out to preach, but also takes place during the context of everyday life.
Evangelistic Bible Studies
From time to time, we get an open door to enter someone's home and to teach the Gospel to a family. In that case, we will hold an evangelistic Bible study in their home and teach the Gospel straight from the pages of Scripture. Below on the left is a picture of one family who opened the door to us as we were doing door to door evangelism in Tijuana. On the right is a Bible study we had in Guadalajara:
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Evangelistic Film Showings
We have also showed evangelistic films in small villages using a large outdoor movie screen. This method works well in the small villages that dot the whole landscape of the country of Mexico. In fact, the smaller the village, the better this method works to draw people out of their homes in order to gather around and watch it. When we show the film, we use a portable generator to power it, and set up a projector and speakers. Before and after each showing, we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and then give out evangelistic literature (tracts, Gospels of John, New Testaments, etc.).
In one particular village in Guerrero where we showed a film, about half the village came out to watch it! This village has a population of around 600+, and there were around 300+ who came to watch the film and hear the Gospel.
Outreaches to Children
Jesus commanded us to let the children come to Him! From time to time, the Lord has allowed us to do outreaches to children. It has been a good way to share the Gospel with children. But not only that, but typically it will draw some of the parents of the children to come around, and they too will hear the Gospel. We have done children's outreaches and Bible programs in Tijuana, Guerrero, and Guadalajara.
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Drug Rehabilitation Center Preaching
From time to time, we have preached and ministered in drug rehabilitation centers in Mexico. Normally, when we are engaged in this, we enter on a weekly basis to share the Word of God with an evangelistic emphases. We have preached in centers in Tijuana and in Guadalajara.
