by Eric Johnson
The first BMA church in the country of Mexico was organized in 1956. In those humble beginnings, no one could have imagined the plan God had in store for the BMA in Mexico. Since then, God has used the churches of the BMA to grow His work in Mexico. For 66 years, new churches have been started, an association formed and organized and missionaries called and sent to new fields. The seed that was planted in the 1950s continues to bear fruit. Today there are more than 100 congregations working together in the BMA of Mexico.
The hero in this story is the Lord. He works to reach the nations through local churches. The local church is the means God has established and empowered to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The BMAA is made up of churches working together to accomplish that task. I have traveled to almost 50 countries around the world, and every one of them needs the gospel and needs more doctrinally sound Missionary Baptist churches to be started there. If we are to send missionaries to start churches, men need to be discipled to follow Jesus and they need to be established in the sound doctrine of God’s Word.
In the last few years, there has been a growing burden in the BMA of Mexico to train more young men to start new churches that make disciples. God’s work is continuing to grow His work. A very exciting recent development in this area is that the churches of Mexico are working to reinstate the national BMA Bible Institute, and the churches there have elected Josue Osorio to coordinate this effort.
In the 1980s God called Bro. Josue to preach. At the time, he was a veterinary student and expected to live his life working in that profession, but God called him to the ministry. He graduated from a prestigious university, hung up his veterinary diploma and went to work for the Lord Jesus Christ in missions.
Discipled in the Lord’s work by BMA Missionary Buddy Johnson, Bro. Josue worked to plant churches in central Mexico and later became pastor of First Baptist Church (FBC) of Huejutla, Hidalgo, where he has served as pastor for more than 30 years. God has blessed, and FBC Huejutla has started dozens of churches over the past several years. Thousands of people have been reached with the gospel. Bro. Josue has always worked side-by-side with young men the Lord was calling to ministry, and God has mightily blessed those efforts.
It is amazing to see how, over the years, God’s plans have come together in our associated work:
• God has called missionaries from our churches,
• They have been sent by our churches to the nations,
• God led those missionaries to men who would be discipled,
• Working with those men, churches were started in Mexico and
• Those associated churches and are now taking the gospel farther than ever before.
What an amazing God we serve. Unto Him be glory in the church! Please pray for the following:
• Bro. Josue and other Mexican pastors who will be involved in teaching and training young men for ministry,
• That many more would come to know Christ as a result of the associated efforts of the churches of the BMAA and BMA of Mexico,
• That the Lord of the Harvest would send laborers for the harvest,
• That God would use the churches and the BMA Bible Institute in Mexico to train many for the gospel ministry and
• How God might use your church to support and be a part of this great work.
Thank you for your faithful example. God bless you.
