In February this year, fourteen people from Iglesia Bautista Betania in Honduras (including Yovanna, pictured above) were baptized as a testimony of their having accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
In a culture where Catholicism is a pervasive influence, many people imagine that being baptized is something you do in order to become right with God. In a culture where Catholicism is a pervasive influence, many people imagine that being baptized is something you do in order to become right with God. So when the topic of baptism comes up at Iglesia Bautista Betania, it’s a chance to clarify the role of baptism in the life of the believer—and a strategic opportunity to share the true gospel of salvation by grace through faith. Through a biblical discussion of the gospel and the role of baptism, several people who had professed a desire to follow Christ became aware of their previously errant understanding, and they prayed to accept the gift of salvation that only comes from the grace of God through complete dependence on Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death.
There are so many in the Spanish-speaking world who have similar stories, and they need trained pastors to shepherd and teach them. Baptism is only part of our Lord’s great commission; Jesus’ disciples must also be taught to observe all that He commanded (Matthew 28:19–20). That’s why the Evangelical Ministry of the Americas (MEDA) exists—to equip men to accurately, faithfully proclaim the Word of God and the true gospel of Jesus Christ, strengthening and building up the church throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
To those of you who support TMAI training centers like MEDA, thank you for being part of what the Lord is accomplishing through these ministries. Your impact doesn’t end with the students and pastors you’re helping equip. In God’s kindness, your investment plays a vital role in lives changed for eternity by the true gospel of salvation, by grace through faith.
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You may have heard reports of the destruction Hurricanes Eta and Iota recently unleashed on Honduras. Praise God, all MEDA’s facilities are still intact. However, much of the country has been devastated by the flooding. Many families have lost everything, and relief efforts are being complicated by residual flooding, massive mudslides, and the COVID-19 situation. Please pray for the church in Honduras as they seek to minister to people during this time.
A few of MEDA’s graduates are pastoring churches in areas of Honduras that were severely impacted. If you’d like to provide timely support to these pastors as they minister to their communities, you can do that via Exalting Christ Ministries.
