SPANISH ALUMNI TESTIMONY

ALUMNI TESTIMONY

Featuring José Martínez

In His goodness, God saved me in my adolescence by showing me the futility of a complacent life. He then put in me a desire to know Him better, and He allowed me to study at the Word of Grace Bible Seminary, a training center through The Master’s Academy International in Mexico City. I studied there for six years under the instruction of Luis Contreras, a Grace Community Church missionary. Under his instruction, as I benefited from his teaching as well as the opportunity to see his life consecrated to God, my desire to study at TMS became unwavering. God allowed me to graduate from Grace Bible Seminary in 2006. I left desiring to pursue a master’s degree at TMS and then return as a missionary to my country. However, God’s plans were different. In my plans, God was going to open opportunities for me to travel right away to California to study under great men of the faith—Trevor Craigen, Keith Essex, Robert Thomas, William Barrick, and Michael Grisanti. But due to economic circumstances and a language barrier, my desire to receive TMS training had to be postponed for more than a decade. But in this waiting time, God taught me the most important thing is not to possess gifts or to have a public ministry. The most important thing is to be faithful. Regardless of whether I received theological training at TMS or not, God showed me to be faithful to Him wherever He calls me to serve. Because of this, once I did arrive at TMS, I came with a proper perspective.

By God’s grace, I was granted the most loving wife

in the world; a woman with a heart given to God. When I had the opportunity to study at TMS in the Spanish program, I asked her what she thought about moving to California for me to study at TMS. She said, “I am with you, wherever you go.”

My teachers at TMS heavily influenced my training. They taught me that the seminary is only a parenthesis in the life of a pastor; once he concludes his training, it is necessary to return to his church and use his gifts and training for the good of God’s people. Undoubtedly, this is what I can appreciate in our church today.

TMS taught me to have a high view of Scripture. It seems to me that all churches are limping on the same leg: a lack of knowledge and disbelief in the claims of Scripture. We are confessional and memorize many Bible verses, but we still doubt the veracity, sufficiency, and authority of Scripture. In this aspect, I believe the training I received was foundational in that it taught me to always go to the Bible. I longed to ultimately know what God says, not other authors or scholars, because as God instructed Moses, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” (Deut. 8:3)

After almost seven years in California, we have returned to our beloved Mexico. We returned to the same church we came from. Two of our elders, Gabriel Martinez and Luis Martinez, are also TMS graduates.

Teamwork is challenging but has tremendous dividends. By God’s grace, we have worked in unity as a church for many years. After serving in the Hispanic ministry at Grace Community Church and seeing firsthand how the pastors are committed to God and His Word, we returned trained with a desire to serve. Although our church is still developing, we are confident that the teaching we received, both in the seminary and in the church, will contribute to the edification of the local church in Nezahualcóyotl.

What the world needs is not business strategies, motivational talks, music that stimulates the senses, or meetings that satisfy its selfish desires. What the world needs is the Word of God. The Word is what transforms, sustains, comforts, encourages, protects, sanctifies, and prepares us for eternity. I am so thankful for my time at TMS because it immersed me in the Word of God.

Finally,

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SALVATION OF OUR BELOVED CHILDREN: JOCHEBED, ELIJAH, RUTH, KEREN AND AVIGAIL.

PRAY ALSO THAT GOD WILL USE US AS A FAMILY TO DEMONSTRATE GOD’S MERCY AND GOODNESS, BOTH IN THE CHURCH AND IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

PRAY THAT GOD WILL USE US AS INSTRUMENTS FOR THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF OUR REDEEMER JESUS CHRIST.

PRAY THAT WE WILL BE FAITHFUL TO THE CALL GOD HAS GIVEN US.

PLEASE PRAY THAT THE WORD OF GOD WILL BRING THE ELECT TO REPENTANCE.