Our Story
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OUR STORY
Nelson Guerra trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior in 1973. God used a letter from a friend to make him think about eternal life. From that moment, Nelson became a courageous Christian, who testified about Christ to others in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
As a result, a small group started to meet weekly to study the Bible and worship God. Nelson realized the importance of taking time to study the Scriptures more deeply. With the help of a missionary, Daniel Sierra, he moved to the United States to study at Florida Bible College. During this time he met the leaders of Great Commission Ministries. God used many circumstances, teachings, and examples to show him clearly that He wanted to use him to send teams throughout Latin America to reach it for Christ.
Nelson went back to Honduras, married to Lucy Davila, whom he met at Bible College. They joined the team in Tegucigalpa. The challenging thoughts of reaching the world with the gospel revolutionized the small church. Soon the vision expanded to plant churches throughout Honduras. Later on, the vision was expanded to include Central America. Teams were sent to plant churches in Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica. It was time for larger dreams; the vision was expanded to all of Latin America. Today 23 churches are being planted in 9 countries.
Great Commission Latin America is without a doubt a great testimony of God’s power. Its beginnings with two small Bible study groups developed into more than 8,000 people attending weekend services, 3,000 committed members, 645 small group leaders and 34 ordained pastors. We are believing that God is working among us to “have a growing church in every important city of Latin America.”
MISSION
We are an international Christian organization that serves its affiliated churches through leadership and consultation; promoting and coordinating, the planting of new churches.
VISION
To have a growing church in every important city of Latin America, to reach the nations with the Gospel.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
THE SCRIPTURE
The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. It was uniquely, verbally, and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and was written without error in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in faith and life in every age.
GOD
There is but one God, infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness and love, the Creator of the universe, eternally existing in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-each of whom possesses all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.
MAN
God created man in His own image, and man, as he was originally created, was innocent before God. But man chose to sin by disobeying God, and therefore was alienated from his Creator and came under divine condemnation. Thus all human beings are born with a corrupted nature and without spiritual life, and are totally incapable of pleasing God in and of themselves.
JESUS CHRIST
God the Father, by His own choice and out of love for sinful men and women, sent Jesus Christ into the world to reconcile sinners to Himself. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He was God in the flesh, both true God and true man. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and voluntarily suffered and died as our substitute to pay the penalty for our sins, thus satisfying God’s justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He bodily ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, makes intercession for His own. He will return to earth personally, visibly and bodily to judge all men and establish His kingdom.
SALVATION
Men and women are freed from the penalty for their sins not as a result, in whole or in part of their own works, goodness or religious ceremony, but by the undeserved favor of God alone. God declares righteous all who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ, to convict men and women of their sins, and to impart new life to all who place their faith in Christ. He indwells believers from the moment of spiritual birth, seals them until the day of redemption, allots spiritual gifts to them for ministry, and empowers them to live a life pleasing to God.
ASSURANCE
All who are born again of the Spirit can, through the sure promises of God, be fully assured of eternal life from the very moment they put their faith in Christ. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit, but upon the finished work of Christ, who completely paid for their sins and upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is the deposit guaranteeing their inheritance.
THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
At physical death, the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his or her body to everlasting glory and blessing. At physical death, the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his or her body to everlasting suffering, judgment and condemnation.
BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
Jesus Christ has instructed those who believe in Him to be baptized in water as a symbol of their new birth in Christ. Baptism is only for those who have personally believed in Christ. Our practice is to baptize by immersion. The Lord also instituted the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of His suffering, death and resurrection. Neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper have any merit in helping a person obtain eternal life.
THE CHURCH
All true believers make up the church worldwide and should assemble together in local churches for worship, prayer, fellowship and teaching to become conformed to the image of Christ and to become equipped to carry out the Great Commission that Christ gave His followers in Matthew 28:19-20.