Tonight’s service at 5:30 p.m. will be completely dedicated to the trip that our church took to Durango, Mexico last week. I gave a quick update on Wednesday, but I did not want to give away too many details! The food was great, the people were kind… but the souls, oh, the souls of Mexico!
We flew over Mexico City, and the souls were packed as far as the eye could see. We flew into Durango, drove to a mountain top, and there were souls as far as the eye could see. These precious souls are nearly one million, with only five Gospel-preaching churches in the region.
Oh, sure, the Roman Catholic cathedral stood tall as a magnificent building, but inside were statues of Jesus, statues of the saints, and statues of Mary, but none of these statues can save man’s soul from sin! “Well,” they say, “the statues represent Jesus. Everyone knows that we’re praying to the statues.”
Exodus 20:3-5 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God…”
Oh, the souls of the men and women who came into the great cathedral when the church bells tolled. They were searching for Jesus, but trusted a wafer. They were searching for forgiveness, but had to return again and again and again to the confessional. They were searching for peace, but only trusted their efforts, their prayers, their candles, their rituals, their traditions.
Oh, my friend… trust Jesus. Trust Jesus alone. Come to him in faith, forsaking all; trust Him.
The baptismal waters cannot save. The works of man or the words of a priest cannot save. Only Jesus can save.
Like the thief on the cross said unto Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” And Jesus said unto him, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43
The thief had nothing but faith in Christ. Trust HIM. –Pastor Ryan