OCTOBER 2012

Building Churches or Making Disciples?

Jesus told His followers that He would build His church (Matt. 16:18). What He told them to do was make disciples (Matt. 28:19). Its that simple! Our job is to make disciples, and He will build those disciples into His church. This mentality is being cultivated in me as I spend more time here at ministry school in North Carolina. Value is determined by the price one is willing to pay. God paid the ultimate price to redeem the lost. Since God places such a high value on lost people, we must learn to see them the way He sees them! For me, that means to reach out to everyone on campus no matter their gender, cultural background, or beliefs. And to do so I will engage the college community and culture by sharing the Gospel, establish biblical foundations by studying the Bible with them, equip believers to minister to others by training them in basic ministry skills, and empower disciples to make other disciples by reinforcing confidence and competence.

How YOU can pray for us:

Divine Appointments
During our time here at ministry school we have had several opportunities to go out on different college campuses and evangelize. On one occasion, when we went to Duke University, I began talking to a Graduate student about God. There was a great dialogue between us consisting of our point of views on whom is God and what He expects of us. After speaking, I was given the chance to share the Gospel. This was the beginning of a friendship. Over the past three months we have spent time together not only talking about Jesus but hanging out at the movies and eating together. I invited him to large gatherings where he began to get connected with other believers and felt part of a community. Within the last month another campus minister began to befriend him, encourage him, and tell him that Jesus loves him and wanted to have a personal relationship with him; and it isnt about his good behavior but what Jesus already did on the cross. Within the last two weeks he got water baptized and is now walking with the Lord. Hallelujah! This story reminds me of 1 Corinthians 3:6, where one plants a seed, another waters it, and ultimately God makes it grow!

For our transitions! We will be traveling to Virginia, DC, New York, and Maine soon. Pray for safety while traveling. For our pregnancy! Kelsey is now 6 months pregnant. Pray for her health and comfort and the babys development. For our partnership team! We will begin to create our partnership team for our ministry in midNov. Pray that God begins to work in the hearts of the people that will join us financially in reaching college students and that they will generously give monthly!

Luis, Kelsey, & Evanna Castro