Graffiti Evangelism, Disciple-Making, & Sin

When Ramon Velez came from his native Puerto Rico to Texas, it was to seek medical care for his daughter who suffers from a neurological condition. He didn’t expect that God’s path for him would include pastoring a church.

Now that church, Una Nueva Familia, is experiencing tremendous growth with Velez serving as its lead pastor. Fifty people have received Christ as their Savior in the last two months. To keep up with the growth, Velez said the church has gradually rented four additional locations near the church. One of those additional spaces is for children and includes two classrooms to minister to eight children with special needs.

After pastoring the congregation for six years, the church now has more than 200 faithful members and regular visitors.

Though his focus now is more on pastoral ministry, he has also used his God-given artistic ability over the years to creatively share the gospel while simultaneously painting with graffiti. He has finished more than 1,000 paintings and, in turn, thousands of people have heard the gospel through that ministry.

Disciple-making is the primary call of every pastor, and most recognize this as a skill they should continue to develop as church leaders.

According to the latest release in Lifeway Research’s 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study, U.S. Protestant pastors say disciple-making and technology are the two areas of skill development they most need to invest in to help them be better pastors.

Among the eight needs identified as areas of skill development, disciple-making stands out above the rest, followed by technology. Nearly 2 in 3 pastors (63 percent) say disciple-making is an area they need to invest in developing to help them be better pastors, and half (50 percent) point to technology.

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A recent Bible study from Lifeway asks Christians important questions concerning their view of sin.

They ask:

• Why do we try to hide our sin from God?
• How do we believe our sin affects our lives?

God wants His people to pursue holiness, to be committed to living as His set-apart people in this world. And He loves us too much to allow us to settle for anything less.

While we should not view every negative experience in our lives as the direct result of sins committed, we would be wise to see them as an opportunity to examine our hearts and lives. They just might be a
Father’s loving rebuke to His wayward child.

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