The Complete Gospel Nobody Told You About | Untuck Your Cross Ep. 11

What if you grew up hearing about Jesus your whole life, but nobody ever told you the full story?

In this episode of Untuck Your Cross, I sit down with evangelist and church planter Cesar Parra, whose testimony starts with street fights in Toronto's Jane and Finch, nearly bleeding out in an operating room, and a promise made to God before going under the knife. What followed was a complete life transformation — and a mission to make sure nobody else hears an incomplete gospel.

• What the complete gospel actually is and why most people only get half of it (complete gospel explained)
• The D4 framework: Design, Downfall, Delivery, Decision (Christian evangelism for beginners)
• The D5 method for sharing your faith naturally in everyday life (how to share the gospel with friends)
• Christian dating, being equally yoked, and what to do when you fall for a non-Christian (Christian dating advice for young adults)

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Buddha's dead, Muhammad

Intro & Trailer

SPEAKER_01 0:01

is dead, but Jesus is alive. How do you know he's real? Because he saved me. The gospel, man, for me, when I heard it, it was real.

SPEAKER_02 0:07

I was wondering if you would be able to explain what is the complete gospel. I can show you that's why I wear the shirt.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

You need to decide today to repent and believe or not. If you live every day of your life this way, you're gonna get opportunities to declare the gospel. So D5, devoted to prayer and the word, direct your life to lostness, develop relationships with people that don't know Jesus. So you wait for that open door, you declare the gospel, and the last D, disciple them.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

What is your opinion on what Christian dating culture is like right now?

SPEAKER_01 0:35

There's nice girls at church. Maybe you'll meet a good girl. Forget her! I thought you want me to meet a good girl at church. I know you Caesar when you put your eyes on someone. You better not. And I saw the lights. Does he mean I might die today? We think is never gonna happen to us. And for the first time in my life, I pray. I promise you two things. I won't fight again and I will seek

Welcome — Meet Cesar Perra

SPEAKER_01 0:54

you.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Untuck Your Cross. And today I have a guest, uh Cesar Perra. Thank you so much for being on the podcast. My first guest, Caleb, uh, who was on, he was vouching that I should have you on the on the podcast. I've had a chance to go with some of your events, um, specifically the Lockedon uh event that you had for the young adults and you've come uh preach uh before at our youth group as well. I think that was the last time that we saw each other. I was wondering if you would be able to share us your testimony. I think every person that I've met that knows you continually tells me that I should have a conversation and just hear your testimony just because of how powerful it is. So I was wondering if you could share that.

Growing Up in Jane and Finch

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Yeah. Um well my testimony is is is you know, it started off, I think it got pretty serious when in my teenage years, you know, between between 17 and and 20 was when most of the serious things began to happen. But um I grew up in Toronto in in an area called Jen and Finch. And Jen and Finch is known to be like the hood, you know, the bad place. And I was raised by a single mother, and um she tried hard to keep me out of trouble with the people I hung out with. It was just impossible. But you know, I just getting into my senior years, um just all my friends did was, you know, um the the Latino parties, the drinking, the fighting, and going to Latin clubs. And usually by the end of the night everybody was drunk, so you know, we just got violent. And it was most of the fights that happened downtown in clubs were the Jen and Finch boys against the Christie boys, and there was always fights. Those were kind of, you know, the the known groups or gangs or whatever you want to call it. And, you know, throughout the throughout all those weekends of Saturday, I mean Friday night, Saturday night partying and and getting into problems, um, things happen. And many times I would find myself, you know, just coming home, looking in the mirror and saying, There's got to be a better life than this. You know, there there has to be something better than just getting ready every Friday, every Saturday to go out and and just live the same life. And every Sunday morning, waking up with that headache, you know, saying, I'm sick of this. I I I guess I at least I was, you know, and um, you know, looking at my face and having stitches. I remember once I had stitched uh above my my my eyebrow that I almost ripped off in a fight that I would go, man, what what did I fight last night? Why why I keep running into these problems? I wasn't what you call a gangster or a bad boy. I just like partying, being with my friends, and I ended up getting into fights because of that, because you know, when they would get into altercations, I was the one who, the enforcer kind of, you know. I wasn't a big guy, I wasn't a good fight, I just didn't care and I wasn't afraid, you know. Um but one of those times it got serious. Um it was a pretty rough fight in a in a in a bakery in in the neighborhood where we used to go after hours, it was open 24 hours, and we would go there and uh really big fight broke out, and I almost lost my hand. I almost cut my whole hand right off. And I was in my first year of university and I was studying, you know, I was into fine arts, and my right hand was the one that I drew with, you know, and did art in. And for the first time in my life, I I was in, I had an encounter with, you know, life and death situations. Before it wasn't that serious, you know, I got, you know, cut or beat up bad, but this was serious because I caught my major art and there was just lost too much blood. And the and and the guys in the ambulance, they kept saying, you've lost too much blood. And I go, oh, that doesn't sound good, you know. And um so they they they flew me to the hospital that's near there in the neighborhood. And as soon as they opened up my hand, they took the bandage out and just like a sprinkler, you know, because my artery, the blood just went flying, and the doctor said, We gotta fly him downtown. So they took me in a helicopter downtown because they said that surgery was, you know. But the guy said something that scared me. He goes, in case we need to amputate. When I heard the word amputate, I went like, what? And for the first time in my life, I never thought about that. You know, we as young men, when we're when we're living this life, we think is never gonna happen to us, you know. So I get there, and they they were about to operate, but they thought I was out. But I can hear the conversations and they were trying to, they're having a debate whether to amputate my hand or try to save it. But one of the surgeons says if we try to save it, you know, um, we might lose him because he doesn't have enough blood. And he's my blood was just arriving. But, anyways, there was a famous surgeon there, I think he was from Japan, that he was giving lectures on how do you put limbs together with a different technology with laser and other stuff. And and they called him and he came to perform the surgery on my hand. And all the doctors came. So, you know, when I opened my eyes, there's all these doctors around me. And you know, this this Japanese doctor said to me, We're gonna put the mask on you now and you're gonna be out for real. Because for some reason you should have been out, but you're not. And he said, You have, he goes, Young man, you have about three three second, no, what'd he say? Like 10 seconds to think about whatever you want.

The Operating Room — A Promise to God

SPEAKER_01 6:51

You know, and I took it like, does it mean I might die today? You know, what's he talking about? So I looked up and I and I saw the lights. I remember it was four lights at the operating light, and and for the first time in my life, I prayed. You know, I I was what you call always when people used to ask me, what religion are you, you know, usually all Latinos we say we're Catholics. I went to church when someone died or someone got married, and that's it. Um, you learn those prayers, you know, that you you memorize, but uh I never spoke to God that way. You know, it's just my prayer, my my words to him. And I said, God, if you exist and you save my hand and you save my life, I'll promise you two things. I won't fight again and I will seek you. You know, they put the mask on me. I was out and I woke up with my hand tied to the to the roof that had it elevated because they had to put all of my veins together and everything. And I was like, yes, and I'm looking at my hand, you know, and and I'm trying to move my fingers. And the nurse comes, she goes, No, you can't move nothing. You have no idea what they did to your hand, just just don't move your fingers, just leave it alone. And I went through rehab like for about a year and I got everything back, you know, it was just a miracle of God that you know I was able to draw again and go back to school. But of course, you go back to the life. My friends, hey Caesar, let's go, man. We're gonna go out. And I used to fight a lot in soccer games. Whenever there were fights in the soccer field, I was the one that was fighting, you know. And but when that after after the accident, a fight will break out in the soccer game and I would grab my bag and leave. And everybody's like, what's wrong with Caesar, man? Caesar, where you going? And I would just take off because I wanted to keep my promise. I I I knew that that God did it, but I didn't know him personally. You know, I wasn't sure if I was gonna go to heaven. I I wasn't sure the relationship that I had with God, but I believed in him in that prayer that I did. And um so, you know, then I eventually I didn't go to clubs anymore because every time I was in clubs, there were fights. You know, I would meet crazy women there, you know, I would have one girlfriend, another girlfriend, another girlfriend. We end up breaking up. I would cheat on him, they would cheat on me. It was just that life that I was also sick of. And um, so you know, I would try to go to clubs sometimes with my friends. Like a fight would break out, I would look for the exit sign, and I would sneak out of the club and you know, I would go visit him in the hospital or in jail and they go, Where were you, man? I go, I took off. What's wrong with you, man? Like you chickened out, I go, What? I've been fighting with you guys like for four years. What do you mean I chickened out? No, no, Caesar, just listen, man, I just I'm not fighting no more, you know. So my mom started going to church. She was seeking God, and a friend of her invited her church to this Baptist church, this Hispanic church, Iglesia Bautista Betel in Toronto. And, you know, I told my sister, what's up with mom? Like, she stopped swearing, she quits smoking. And my sister would go, she says she she she found Jesus. And I'm like, Oh, what does that mean? She goes, I don't know. And I go, okay. And she says we have to go see her. And I'm like, What? What do you mean get baptized? She got baptized when she was a baby. What would this mean? So we, you know, we had to go and we went to get, you know, see her, get baptized. And I I listened to the service, but I wasn't really in it. It was after our party and I was tired. But you know, I heard her testimony and I'm like, wow, she left her life behind. She trusted Christ, but I didn't understand. So that that church closed down, but then the pastor that left said, find a Baptist church, and that's when she found Bethel, you know. And I go, Mom, what are we gonna do for Easter? You know, you know, Latinos usually for Easter, we're always with family, you know. And um my mom says, Well, we have this event at a church, and I want you to come. And I go, What? For what? Just come, Caesar. And on Thursday night, I went I went to this party and there was a fight again. So I show up, you know, at church on Friday, Easter Friday, and I'm tired, I'm hungover, I have a headache, and I'm trying to listen, so I look really serious. Oh, and she tells me, you know what else she tells me? She goes, There's nice girls at church. Maybe you'll meet a good girl. And I'm like, What? I go, a good girl. What do you mean a good girl? Oh, you know, a nice girl that, you know, these crazy Latinas you meet, Caesar, you know, these are nice girls, you know, they're home girls, they're sweet. And I'm like, oh, okay. So I go there and I and I remember I sat at the third row. I went

Meeting Mary — The Pastor's Daughter

SPEAKER_01 12:00

to sit at the front because my mom was there and I and I'm watching, I'm listening, and then a choir came up, and mostly girls, you know, around 18 to 25 years old. And I hope about my mom and I go, hey mom, who's the girl in the middle that's singing? Just the way she sang was just, I was like, wow, I never seen that before. I never seen a young, pretty Latina girl, you know, like singing to God that way. It was just shocking to me. And she goes, which one? The one in the middle, the one with long collier. And she goes, forget her. And I'm like, I thought you want me to meet a good girl at church, you know. She goes, No, forget her. She's not for you. And I go, what? She goes, she's the pastor's daughter. She wants to marry a missionary or a pastor. Are you gonna be a pastor? She goes, and I go, what? Forget her. She's okay, fine, relax. I know you Caesar when you put your eyes on someone, you better not. You know, and after the service, you know, she came down and, you know, all the youth and the choir, they a few, I was a visitor, they all came to say, you know, when I talked to her, I go, wow, this girl's amazing. She's so smart, she's so sweet. And I went home thinking about her, you know. So anyway, when I was leaving, two guys came to me and they said, Hey Caesar, can we visit you next week at your house? Because, you know, I have my own apartment and live by myself. I go, yeah, sure. Um, what for? Well, we want to share a story with you. A story, yeah, a story from the Bible. Go, really? And I remember, you know, my prayer, I said, I will seek you. So I couldn't say no. So I go, okay, fine. So on the way home, I tell my mom that they're gonna visit me. And she goes, Oh, I'm so excited. Wow, that's great. You said yes, I go, yeah. And I go, Mom, what story are they talking about? She goes, just shut up and just listen to the story. And I'm like, what do I gotta do, mom? Do I gotta cook for them? She goes, just make coffee, you know, buy some pastries. She goes, it won't be long. And I go, okay, fine. So, you know, these uh three youth come to my house and they share the gospel with me. And as they're sharing, the more they spoke, you know, they shared in very detail what Jesus did for my life and and how salvation is, and how I need to repent and believe in him. How is he a plan for my life, any, you know? And the more they spoke, the more it made sense. And as they were speaking, I was thinking, this is it. This is the many times that I looked in the mirror and I used to say, There's gotta be a better life than this, you know. And when his name was Francisco, he was from El Salvador. He says to me, Caesar, that's does this have any meaning to you? Would you like to repent today and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior? And I said, Okay, but before I answer that, I have two questions. And he says, Yeah, what's that? My first question is, are you sure that Christ died for all my sins? Because I have a lot of sins and big ones. And they said, Yeah, Caesar, he he died for all your sins. For the ones you did, for the ones today, and the ones you will have, because you will sin, right? And I go, I can't believe Christ died for me. I couldn't under I could you know, it was it was just it the gospel hit me really hard. I couldn't believe it, you know, that there was hope. And then he goes, What's your next question? I said, Why are you asking? You mean people say no? And they go, Yeah, many people have said no to us. I go, Well, that's stupid. How how can you say no to Christ? I mean, now you're explaining to me what he did for me. That if I repent and believe and open my heart to him, because he's at the door knocking, you said, and if I open that door of my life, he will be with me for eternity, he will give me eternal life, he will walk with me for the rest of my life. I was, I mean, the gospel, man, for me, when I heard it, it was real. And that's why I love sharing the gospel. Because I had some Christian friends in high school. They used to read the Bible to me, they used to tell me about God, they would invite me to church, I would never go. But when the gospel was preached completely to me, man, it hit me. It hit me like a truck. It was real to me. So when I prayed, man, and and and and I prayed with Francisco and I and he goes, Would you like to repeat this prayer with me? Or you like to do your own prayer? And I go, No, you help me, I'll repeat with you. But when I say in the name of Jesus, Amen, and I open my eyes, man, and they go to me, how do you feel? I said, it's like I just took a huge backpack off me. I'm free, man. I'm I can't believe Christ is gonna be with me for the rest of my life. And I'm like, yes, and they're like, I was more excited than they were, you know. And when they left, I I was like, I went upstairs, and the first thing I did, I grabbed my pack of cigarettes because I smoked since I was 12 years old. And I always wanted to quit smoking, but I couldn't, you know. And I I just had a brand new pack and I broke it and I threw it in the garbage. And no one told me that. You know, on Friday, my friends invited me to go watch the hockey game. And usually when we watch the hockey game, we you know, we drank and order a pizza, and I go, You guys gonna drink? And they go, Yeah. Oh, sorry, I can't go, man. I just quit quit smoking yesterday and I don't want to drink. I'm like, what's wrong with you, Caesar? What's going on? You know, when when the Holy Spirit comes in our life and we receive Christ for me, it was real. People always ask me, Why are you so sure this is true? I go, not only because the Bible says so, but because it it transformed me. You know, I felt spiritually and I felt it in my blood, in my veins, that this Christ that that is preached that the Bible talks about, he's real. And I need to proclaim it to everyone. You know. Um, no matter how much I tried to stay, I started going to church, you know. Um, they started discipling me right away, and I started going to Sunday school. But no matter how much I tried to stay away from the pastor's daughter, it was inevitable. You know?

SPEAKER_00 18:29

And um the more I got to know her, the more I fell in love. I don't know if she fell in love right away, like me, but I never met a girl like that, you know. She's just amazing.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

And then they did a little soccer league, and I was a soccer player. I played soccer in university, and um the they made teams, and we were playing this little soccer tournament after church on Saturdays in the summer. And when I look at the, it was co-ed, so when I look at the team, you know, Mary Howlard, she was in my team.

SPEAKER_00 18:59

And I go, yes, you know, now I get to show off, show my talent, you know.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

But you know what did it, man? I I'm I'm you know, we're we're we're getting ready to play soccer, and I see her get off the van, and she has Shingar in her uniform and her ponytail, and I go, look at her, she's so cute with her uniform, and I'm freaking out. So then the game starts, and I'm running the wing, you know, I'm running down the wing, and I look to the middle, and she's going like this that she wants to head it. You know, she's going, cross it, and I'm like, what? This sweet girl that plays, you know, that sings on Sunday is gonna hit the ball. Like for me, it was I was an awe, man, you know. So I cross it, boom, balls in the air. She jumps in the air, pam, and scores, man, with her head. So I go running and we hug each other, and the whole church is just staring at us. And the first thing I look is my mom, and my mom is looking, and she's like, she's just so worried, you know. But no matter how much she tried to stop me, and others warn her and her dad who I was from the hood, you know. It happened, and I ended up Mary, marrying Mary, you know, and we have three kids, and God called me to plant a church in the hood. Imagine, you know, our our church was in Scarborough, like 45 minutes from where I grew up. And when they they they decided to plant their first daughter church, they sent me as the planter with Mary. We're just married, and to plant a church in the hood where I grew up. You know, it was it was something else.

What Is the Complete Gospel? The D4 Framework

SPEAKER_02 20:35

Yeah. That's awesome. That is one thing that you you were saying was that the importance of finally being preached the complete gospel, and that throughout your life you weren't you were only getting pieces of it. Yeah. I was wondering if you would be able to explain what is the complete gospel, because I think there's a lot of confusion, especially with people my age across ages, that they're not getting a complete picture or they're getting a twisted version of the gospel. Would you be able to explain what that is, the complete gospel?

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Yeah. You know, like I said, I had many, I had some friends that were Christian in high school. I I always admired them that they didn't swear, they didn't smoke. I I admired their their holiness, man. It was just, you know, when they would talk to me, I had a a friend, you know, he was this probably in a high school, there must have been like 10 white people, you know. Everybody was black, Filipino, or or or Latino, because it, you know, in the hood, all the immigrants got sent to the projects. But Neil Baker was a Christian, and and I would hang out with him because he was really smart. And I I would take advanced classes because I wanted to go to university. So we would study together. And I and I love Neil, but I used to, I go, it's crazy, man. How you don't say not one bad word. Then he would laugh, no, Caesar. I would tell him what I did on the weekend, he'll be like, Well, Caesar, you live around. Rough life. And you to tell me things like, you need to trust in Jesus. And I would go, trust in Jesus. You believe in Jesus, Caesar? Yeah, I think so. I think you know, he came to this world and he's God's son. I knew because of Catholicism, right? I knew the story. But it didn't change. Oh, he would say, I'm always praying for you. Now I believe that God used that, that Neil always prayed for me. And I came to know Christ because of his prayers, right? And of course, God's will, right? But those prayers were heard, you know. But you know, people used to tell me about I need to trust in Jesus. Uh oh, you know, the big one, you need to go to church so you can find Christ. And I'm like, find Christ? What do they mean? And a complete presentation of the gospel, I can show you. That's why I wear the shirt.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Yeah, if you would be able to explain what that is.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Yeah, so this shirt is this thing that I I develop. How can I teach young people to share a complete presentation of the gospel? Right. So I I did it through an element that people always, and the reason why I do this because people are always staring at my shirt and they go, What element is that?

SPEAKER_02 23:10

Yeah, that's a good right.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

That's that's why I give people shirt, and I brought you one today. And when I do evangelism training, I I train youth with them, and and basically it's the four D's of the gospel. So when people ask, what element is that, I go, This is God's design for your life. Because an element in chemistry is a design of chemicals, right? Yeah. So I said, This is God's design for your life. Would you like to hear it? And when they say yes, I share. So I go, okay, it's based on four D's. And the first D is design. God designed you, created you to live an eternal life. That was the original design that God had for all of humanity. So create, He created, He created humanity, Adam and Eve, to live an eternal life. Did you know that in in the Bible, the whole story that when God created Adam and Eve, he was with them daily. They lived in Eden and in the Garden of Eden, you know, they lived in a perfect world to live an eternal life. Did you know that? Some say yes, some say they don't. But you know, I start from the beginning. God's design, his purpose was for humanity to have an eternal life. That was his original design. That was his plan for us to fill the earth, right? To take care, to multiply, and to be with him for eternity and to live for eternity. But we downfall. We broke that design when we sin. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So the minute we sin, and sin means anything that's that that's bad, that's against God, you know, he's holy, right? And we're sinners, so we we you can't mix holiness with sin, right? So we were separated, we downfall from that original design that God created us. But you know, man, I have good news for you. We were delivered thirdly, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not fall but have eternal life, right?

SPEAKER_02 25:11

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

And whoever for me that spoke to me hard, because I thought some people could go to heaven, but not me. You know, because I was terrible. But when I heard John 3:16, for whoever, that includes me, man. That was incredible. So, you know, God, what he did, he sent his son to die for us for all our sins, because there's no way we can save ourselves, because we're sinners. So, God, for God so loved the world that he sent his son to die for us. But you know the story, he rose on the third day, so he conquered death, so we can have an eternal life with him. Without the resurrection, there's no eternal life. Yeah, right? Buddha's dead, Muhammad is dead, but Jesus is alive. Yeah, amen. That's the difference, right? So he rose again to give us eternal life. So the last thing, we need to decide. And how do we decide? Jesus said, repent and believe. What does repentance mean? It means you turn in Hebrew. We must return to that original design that God created us for. So when we repent and we say, Jesus, forgive me for all my sins, I want to return to that design you have for me to live an eternal life and your presence for eternity. Now, here's the question: you need to decide today to repent and believe or not. What's your decision? Yes or no?

SPEAKER_02 26:47

It was the greatest decision I ever made.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

There you go. So that's that's what I mean by a complete presentation, right? We explain the beginning, how it happened, because a lot of people say, then why does God allow all these bad things? Did they ever tell you that? Yeah. Why does God allow all these things to happen and kids to die in war? Was it his plan? No. His original design was a perfect world. Who brought this? He did? No. We did.

unknown 27:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:14

When we sinned, right? In our fall. That's when it happened. So that's what I mean by a complete presentation of the gospel. It has to have the beginning, how it happened. It has to have who Jesus is, what he did for us, right? And it has to have, you know, that we were, we we downfall. How come we're not with him anymore? And how we were delivered by his blood, by his presence. And how everyone explained it, this is just to help you. Yeah. You know, I don't always share the gospel with D4. This is just to help you how to get it done. And it's there in your face. So you follow the words.

SPEAKER_02 27:52

Yeah, that's useful.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

And you notice that with every word, I said a verse. You don't have to say the verse. Tell the story. Design, Genesis 1:1. What create God created the heavens and the earth? He created all of us. Right? We downfall, I'll have sin and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3.23. Right? John 3.16, we were delivered for God so loved the world. And decision, Mark 1.15. Repent and believe.

Why People Reject the Good News

SPEAKER_02 28:17

Right? In regards to that last D, you mentioned that when you were preached the full gospel, you were shocked that some people don't accept that, they don't want that. Why what has your experience been with like why is it that people don't want to accept this good news and don't want to accept the gospel and don't accept the gift that God's given us?

SPEAKER_01 28:37

Yes. I think it is the Holy Spirit who does it, right? We're messengers of this message. We don't convert people, right? We are messengers. We we share the gospel, we persuade people to make a decision, right? A lot of people say, no, we don't persuade. Really? Paul persuade King Agrippa in his face, right? When he when he had to come to court, you know, when they brought out the whole case, King Agrippa asked him, Paul, are you persuading me to be a Christian? Remember what Paul said? Not only you, everyone here. You know, as he was getting charged with all these things that were false, what did Paul say? He he was persuading him. He goes, Do you believe in the prophets? It is the prophets that preach the Messiah, the one I had an encounter with. Why don't you believe? We we are called to persuade for people to believe. You know, we use words like apologetics, but not really. You can persuade people with your own testimony. He's real, man. How do you know he's real? Because he saved me, he's in my heart, he gives me the power to follow him. You know, so our job when we preach the gospel, we got to remember that we preach the gospel because that is what called us to do. God called us to proclaim. He, the Holy Spirit, convicts. The Holy Spirit is the one that convicts people to receive Christ, not we. Now you're gonna get the other theologies, right? We were chosen right before the beginning of time, right? And that's biblical, yeah. But we don't know who God chose, do we? I don't know. My job is to proclaim, and when I proclaim and somebody says yes, and they decide to follow Christ, I celebrate because I go, wow, God brought him to Christ, not me. So our job is to discover who God allowed for them to believe. Who God, you know, who the Holy Spirit working in their lives like he was working in my life. When I looked in the mirror and I had the stitches, there's gotta be a better life than this. When I almost lost my hand, I truly believe God was working in my life. Everything that happened in my life was happening for a reason. My mom coming to Christ, you know, her telling me there's nice girls at the church, everything. Everything is the Holy Spirit, and then God sends the messenger. These guys that came to my house, right? Yeah, but if we don't proclaim the gospel, if we're not living it every day, if we're not seizing every opportunity, you know what, man? You know what, man? We we miss out. And to participate in the expansion of God's kingdom. And we can go to church every Sunday, we can develop these things, right? We can develop new materials and new videos, we can do all these things as Christians. But what if we all decided to make to be committed to declare the gospel? Because the scariest thing, son, is that, sorry, I call you son, you know, that's the next question.

SPEAKER_02 31:57

No, of course.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

The scariest thing is that we as leaders, like me, you know, I'm an older leader, you're a young man doing this, and I and I congratulate you for doing this. We can do all these methods, we can bring great vision that look pretty, right? When new words, we can write books, but sometimes we we get stuck in this for years, developing these visions and and and mission statements and and and podcasts and and all these things that are great. And then you ask these people that are doing all this, when was the last time you shared the gospel? They can remember.

SPEAKER_02 32:32

That's a good point.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

When was the last time I shared the gospel? When was the last time you share the gospel? You know, we preach every Sunday on the pulpit. When was the last time we we we left our comfort zone and just went to talk to someone, as Paul did, as Jesus did? Isn't that what Jesus did all the time? Right?

The D5 Method — How to Share Your Faith Every Day

SPEAKER_01 32:50

So, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:52

So, what would your advice be to in regards to helping somebody get out of that comfort zone and and start evangelizing and proclaiming the message? Because I think there's a lot of things that scares people away from doing that. So, what would your advice be for that person?

SPEAKER_01 33:09

Yeah, when I do a training, um it lasts about an hour and a half. I try to be as practical as I could. And D4 is the gospel, and then I have another element, it's D5. Right. And D5 is the five D's to get you to share the gospel. So they're very simple, right? And it's five D's, and I and I truly believe if you do these five D's in your life, and the reason why I do them so simple, and I try to do, you know, same words so you remember. Yeah, you do these five D's, I'm telling you, if you live every day of your life this way, you're gonna get opportunities to declare the gospel. So, what's the first day? Is be devoted. Devoted to what? Devoted to his word. Every day, read the Bible, guys. There's a lot of books we can read. There's a lot of material, right? We we just google it, uh material on the time. I mean, we're material, you know, how to go, how do I talk to my friend? Oh, there's millions of books that we have as as Baptists or other denominations. We're really good at this. But can we read the Bible more? Be devoted to reading God's word and learn it, understand it, meditate it, right? Take notes. Your Bible should be highlighted every day, should be with notes. Read the Bible, be devoted to reading the Bible because the more you you take in God's word, it's like working out, right? The more you you pump weights, the bigger your muscles get. So be devoted to God's word. So when you talk to people, it's there. The word is in you, right? Be devoted and being obedient to God's word so you can be holy and you can be a testimony, and you can be like Jesus says, light in darkness, and also be devoted to prayer, right? Pray, pray for your friends, like Colossians 4:3, 4. Pray for an open door, an open door, so that I may proclaim the gospel clearly as I should, says Paul. Pray that Paul says that I may be uh salt, seasoned with grace, right? So that I can answer all the questions. And if you're in God's word and you're praying for your friend Jose, for example, right? When Joseph says, Hey, so what do you guys believe in? You've been praying for Jose, you've been in the word, and guess what? You're gonna proclaim, right? So the first thing to do is to be every day, the first the devoted to prayer in his word. Secondly, direct your life to lostness.

SPEAKER_02 35:49

What is lostness?

SPEAKER_01 35:51

Lostness is direct to your life to lost people. I'm gonna ask you a question, like, or all of us, how many lost friends do we have? Non-Christians?

SPEAKER_02 36:01

I have many of those.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

That's good. So you're doing that, but a lot of Christians they just hang out with Christians. We do events for Christians. You know, Saturday, we I look at my calendar, on Saturday, I have an event, you know, locked in for Christians. Everything is for Christians. On Sunday, I'm a church, everything I plan, everything I do every day. But as an evangelism director of the convention in my life, I can't just be doing materials and and just hanging out with Christians. I have to direct my life to lostness. Non-Christians. Because if I don't, who am I gonna share the gospel with?

unknown 36:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 36:41

So I tried, bro, I tried every opportunity to direct my life. I see people that don't know Jesus, that's where I go. I'm at an event and I see you know people downstairs talking by the hot dog stand, that's what I love doing. I love being in the streets talking to people, having every opportunity with lostness, with non-Christians, or whatever you want to call it, right? So, first D, devote it to God in the Bible by praying in the Bible. Second D, direct your life to lostness. Third D, develop relationships with non-Christians. We're always developing relationships with Christians. Our friends are Christians, everybody's Christian. Do you know lost people? Like, do you invite people that don't know Christ to eat at your house, have a coffee with them? That has to be, that's the way to be missional. Developing your relationship with people you just met. Forget the Christians. You're gonna you're gonna be with all your Christian friends in eternity, for eternity. But you're not gonna be with your friends that don't know Jesus. Those are the ones you gotta give time to. And it's hard, right? When they swear, when they vape, when they get high, they want to drink. But you know what? You gotta be strong and you gotta be there for them. I know it's hard, but that's the hardest thing to do, right? So after you develop relationships with them and you get into conversations and they ask you questions like, hey bro, how do you know you're going to heaven? What do you do next? Fourth day, you declare the gospel. Right? So that's when you declare the gospel. After you build that relationship, either you you're walking with the person, you declare the greatest story ever told. That's the only thing that's gonna change their lives. Not inviting them to church, not you just reading verses to them, you gotta declare the gospel from beginning to end, with a D, you know, decide. So, man, are you gonna decide today? You wanna know how many friends I I share the gospel? I go, You're gonna decide today? And they say no to me. And I go, it's okay, bro. Uh and you know what they say? Usually they say, sorry, Caesar, man. No, no, no. I go, what are you saying sorry to me for? I didn't die for you. And you know what they freak out when I go, today, bro, you decided to reject Christ. Oh, when you put it like that, it sounds bad. I go, because it is. Bro, I was there when you had your first beer, we were 12. Remember, we hid under a table and we drank a beer together? We knew we weren't supposed to, but we drank it. I was there when you you you had your first joint. We knew that that could destroy your life, but you took it and you smoked it. I was there when you when you did so many things in your life. But yet when you hear the gospel, immediately you say no. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that crazy? How we say yes to so many things as young people. And when it comes to Christ, we gotta think about it. That's another one. I don't know about your friends, but my friends, I don't know, bro. I gotta think about it, you know.

SPEAKER_00 39:43

I I love I love to to drink and I love girls, bro. Come on, you know, I'm gonna be a Christian. Why I can't I can't have sex, I can't, I can't fight, I can't come on, man. So they say, no, there's too many things I gotta change in my life.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

That is the biggest reason, is that exactly it feels like it's infringing on your freedom and it's too much work to get rid of those things I So then I ask them, but do you wanna change, bro?

SPEAKER_01 40:06

Don't you think you need to change? They go, Yeah. Let me tell you something. You receive Christ in order to change. You don't change to receive Christ. He takes you as you are, and he takes you on a journey. But let me tell you something. You know why I know? Because I've been through that journey. It is the best journey, bro. I have a good wife, I have good children, they're not perfect. My wife is not perfect, and I'm not perfect, but I'm I'm happy, man. I have a good life, and I love what I do. And you can have it too and eternal life, you know. So, and the last D, number five, disciple. When your friend receives Christ, don't just leave him in the air. Disciple him, take him on a journey, get him to know the Bible. If you want to use a method, you know, a material, bro. You just go to our convention, you know, discipleship plan. There's so many things you can give a new believer and take him on a journey with the Lord. Lots, but you gotta disciple him, get him baptized, and send him to reach his friends. Because people that don't know Jesus and come to Christ, they're gonna have way more friends that don't know the Lord than you do. Multiply them so we can have a movement of young people coming to Christ. So D5, devoted to prayer and the word, direct your life to lostness, develop relationships with people that don't know Jesus. So you wait for that open door, you declare the gospel, and the last D, disciple them. And that's how you get

What to Say to Friends Who Don't Think They Need God

SPEAKER_01 41:43

to the gospel.

SPEAKER_02 41:44

That's an amazing way to appreciate it. Yeah. One of the things you said was um how when you ask your friends, do you not want to change? Do you not think you need to change? I have a lot of friends who don't think that they need a change. I have a lot of friends who they're good how they are. Yeah, they're good. They they they like sleeping around, they they like the addictions that they're yeah uh that they're addicted to. Or I have a lot of friends who think that everywhere everywhere that they've gone to in life has been by their own accord. The the jobs that they have, the success that they have is all because of what they've done. And so why would they need God? Or God has only done bad things or only let bad things happen to them. So, what would you say to that person who feels like they don't need a change and they don't need God?

SPEAKER_01 42:30

Yeah, yeah. Um, you know, I I I of I often focus on on the things to come with a young person, right? I go, but you want to get married one day? Do you have you want to have kids? How are you gonna raise those kids? How's your marriage gonna be successful when almost 75% of people get divorced, you know, and kids end up like me, you know, with a single mother. Don't you want to have a good family, man? Don't you wanna be happy, enjoy life, be joyful without getting wasted, without getting high? Because you could. That's a lie of Satan. People ask me all the time, man. When I was on the mission field in Spain, we used to go play soccer because they were played late at night. And then after playing soccer, I'll go to the bar with my friends and I'll have a Coke. And they all used to tell me, Caesar, you're the only Latino that I know that has fun. You joke around with us, but you don't get drunk. I go, I don't need that. I don't need to get drunk. Is alcohol good for your body, for your muscles? You know, because most of our friends, they want to be jacked, right? Right. I go, alcohol destroys growth, man, and your muscles. It tears it apart because it dehydrates your muscles, right? It causes so many complications. Smoking, getting high. You're killing all your cells, man. Read about it, Google it, what weed does to your brain, especially before 25. Because after 25, we don't develop new cells. We're developing up to 25. So you're killing all your I had friends like that that started smoking so much weed. They were smart guys by 23, 24, they were like, hey, what's up? They were so wow. Used to scare me. You know? So don't you want to change? And they're all gonna think about it. You persuade them, right? But the one that never fails, yeah, bro, you can say whatever you want. But one day you're gonna be in a bed in a hospital. You're gonna be in a car crash, and and you're gonna see your life is just going away. Let me tell you, bro, you're gonna think about God and you're gonna remember me.

SPEAKER_00 44:37

You're gonna think about God.

SPEAKER_01 44:39

Because let me tell you, there's nothing else you're gonna think about. So hear the gospel. Because when you're at the end of your life, at least you know what to do. At least you can repent and believe. But if you never heard the gospel, you're never gonna hear anything.

SPEAKER_02 44:55

Hopefully it doesn't come to that point, but sadly, it it takes a lot of traumatic events for people to find God. That's what happened to me.

SPEAKER_01 45:03

When I was close to death, I thought about God.

unknown 45:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:07

And whoever, whoever says they don't, they're lying, because you will. You will think about God. But you won't, you know, eternal life is real. Evil is real. Look at look at this world, man. It's evil.

SPEAKER_02 45:20

I think I the sad thing that I find when I'm having conversations with my friends or or or new people is that it seems like this generation doesn't want to think about anything that's like in the future or anything that's not physical. It's it's hard to have for me to have conversations of, you know, why are you doing the things in your life? What is the meaning behind your life for people who aren't Christian? And I'll find that a lot of these people just never ask themselves those questions that they're just so focused on being stimulated on addictions or or whatnot, um, that it's just not a question that they ask. And so it for me, it's sometimes it's hard for them to even get in that mind space of them caring about deeper questions. It's it's it's just hard for to get there. I I kind of wanted to switch the topic to because you were talking a lot about um the importance of a kind of meeting your wife and how that had an impact on your testimony. And that was a question that one uh one of my friends asked as I was getting ready for

Christian Dating Culture in 2026

SPEAKER_02 46:24

this uh for this episode. And also just for my own personal question was I'm wondering what is your opinion on what Christ the Christian Christian dating culture is like right now? What are your opinions on that?

SPEAKER_01 46:36

Yeah, I feel for you guys, um, because it is difficult, right? Yeah, it's easy to say, yeah, let's, you know, have a Christian boyfriend, a Christian girlfriend. Yeah, easy to say, right? But then you go to your church and there's maybe one that might be available. Then you don't meet a lot of Christians, right? Yeah, but you meet a lot of non-Christians.

SPEAKER_02 46:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:59

Because the non-Christian girls are even making passes at you. And now with this device, you guys have this phone. I mean, wow. Thank God I didn't have that when I was young because it would have been bad. You know, we have to like go up to somebody, can I have your number? You know, now it's like, wow, it's crazy. You know, I feel for you guys. But you know, you need to pray lots. Prayer works, man. You know? Um, for me, yeah, it was for me, the hard thing was who I met, the pastor's daughter. You know, I'm a 25-year-old lost man who has lived an ugly life and has done so many things. I had my own apartment, I had a good job, you know what I mean? So I don't need to get into details, but the things that I did, I did whatever I wanted, right? And then I meet Mary, who's, you know, seven years younger than me. I didn't know she was that young. When she told me her each, I'm like, oh, but she was so mature. But I pray lots, you know. If you young people, if you stop, you know, if you stop praying for the woman God has for you, it's not gonna happen. It's not going to happen. You gotta be determined and be willing to say, Lord, I'm gonna save myself for the woman that you have for my life. How am I gonna do that? That's gonna be hard. So get busy on other things. Get busy on the word, worry about your body, your career, workouts, stay busy. Because, especially for guys, right? It's hard for us. You know, we're visual, we get attracted. I mean, wherever you go, I don't know how you guys do it. You know, you go to the gym, the things women wear now, there's so much temptation, so much things on your on your phone, and you know, sending you pictures and conversations. Wow, it's it's I I I'm telling you because I go through it with my son. I have two boys and I have a girl too, you know, who's 20, 23 now, and David's 19. I mean, I feel for you guys, but pray intentionally, you know. Um, make a list. You know, when I asked my wife to marry me, she went, hold on, she went upstairs and she and she brought this list that was all like this paper that you know she had it for a long time, you know, it's kind of yellow. She had it under a mattress, a mattress, because when she was 12, she heard the sermon, went to speak to the preacher. And he goes, put 10 10 things that you want in your husband and pray for him. You know, and sometimes I remember once my wife was telling me, you know, because you know, I'm seven years older. He goes, When you cut your hand or when you weren't here, when you were in that fight, I was like 14 years old and I was praying for you. It's crazy, right? But she she took out that list and she said, He has to at least have my top three. Okay, you know? And sometimes we don't think about this as young people. You know, so many times I counsel marriages, you know, or or you know, women say, Oh, uh, he's not social, he doesn't like to talk, he's such an introvert. I go, is that the most important thing for you? Yeah, but he's not that way. And then I go, then why did you get married? If the most thing for important to you is a funny guy, and you get married with a guy that's not funny at all. I mean, okay, it could happen, but if it's your top thing, then how did you know he was the one or she was the one? So with Mary, you know, her top three was a man of God, and she started seeing that I started becoming this man of God. You know, God transformed me. I started sharing the gospel, following him. It was my conversion was real. I can say it wasn't perfect, but it was real. Secondly, she wanted a family man, and she saw how I was with my sister, with my mother, how I respected her parents. That no matter how much their parents were insecure about me and her presence, I never judged them. I go, I understand how they are. I would be scared too if I had a daughter like you and some guy like me came in her life. I would be scared. I'll be worried. So I loved her family. And third one, man, I didn't expect that, but she said she wanted a funny guy. So I made her laugh all the time. So, you know, make a list of what you want in your wife. Five or ten things. I didn't have number 10. You know, I got nine out of ten with my wife. I was I did pretty good, bro. Uh uh, number nine, I didn't have it because I I she wanted someone that played an instrument, but then I started learning how to play the congas, and I got really good at it. So, hey, nine out of ten, you know what number ten was? She wanted a tall guy. I'm sorry I can't help you, man. That's the way I was bored. That's fair. I'm tall enough, but not, you know, she loved height, right? But at least, you know, you know, bro. Like you've been praying about it. You know, I think that's important. And say it does happen. And I'm gonna speak real. I know a lot of people are gonna be against this. They might get mad at me. Caesar, don't say that. No, don't say that. Say you do meet a non-Christian. You know what are you gonna do? Hey, man, she has everything on my list. You know, she's respectable, she's smart, you know. I love how she dresses, she's not this girl flaunting everything, you know. But she just needs Jesus, right? So you pray, man, and you ask God, God, can she come to Christ? Start praying for her. Even if it's me, the one who shares the gospel, or put her around in the contest where she's gonna hear the broad the gospel. I'm gonna go have a coffee with Caesar, she'll probably hear the gospel, you know, stuff like that. And and do all your efforts and everything you can for her to come to Christ. You know, she will become like your number one priority that she'll come to know the Lord. But if it doesn't happen, if she's not interested in God, you need to make a decision. You know, who's your Lord? Right? Your girlfriend or Christ. And if if you if you get so caught up that you can't end it, you have to try. You know, you you you have to try the best. Because a lot of the uh I speak real, man. A lot of you guys, you get in a relationship and and you you're just in the relationship. You think about everything else after. You're so excited that you met this pretty, nice, smart girl that has everything you love in a woman, but she she's not a believer. Oh, she'll come to Christ. No, you gotta think about it from the beginning. And if there's no interest, you ask the questions. You invite her to church. Oh, I can never see myself in a church, then you gotta make a decision. But if she comes to church with you, hey, you know, there's a youth, youth event. You want to come with me? Yeah, sure. She hears the gospel, she starts asking questions, then there's hope. But but if there's no hope at all, and you see that there's

Being Equally Yoked — How Long Do You Wait?

SPEAKER_01 54:15

no matter how much you try, then don't wait. Ended, you know?

SPEAKER_02 54:20

I think that's been the hardest thing for me is that um I've been uh single for the last two years, and that's been since essentially since I started going back to church and actually pursuing a relationship with Christ. And for the few girls that I've gone out with that aren't Christian, and I've I've made it a habit of always asking on the first date, like, would you be interested, if you're not Christian, would you be interested in going to church? And when their answers right away is saying no, it's I've I've had to develop kind of a discipline of having to make that decision right there and then. But I'm wondering if you think that what is the appropriate timeline if someone seems like they're closed off to going to church in the gospel right away, because I feel like it can be dangerous when you start going on multiple dates and then the emotions kick in and then it's hard for you to leave. When what is that appropriate timeline to make that decision?

SPEAKER_01 55:17

How how is it? Now, the reason why I ask you these questions, because you know, generations change, right?

SPEAKER_02 55:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:23

Um, is it bad? Do you guys have friendships with a girl? You know, okay, and you you know you like each other, but you're still friends.

SPEAKER_02 55:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:30

You know, there's nothing wrong with saying, hey, let's get to know each other, you know. I know we like each other, but for me, a friendship is important and getting to know one another. Now, you can say, you know, for me, Christ is first, and I love to read the Bible. Can do you mind if we read the Bible sometimes? Forget church. Don't worry. I think inviting someone to church is the last thing.

SPEAKER_02 55:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 55:56

You know, pray for them, read the Bible together. Hey, can I pray for you? Hey, you know, she tells you, I'm gonna go for this job. Can I pray for you? She'll be shocked. She'll be like, Oh, sure. But if she goes, No, no, no, forget. I don't want nobody to pray with me, okay. Then you're gonna, okay, she hates prayer. She can't she hates everything to do with God. Yeah, right. That's that's when you have to make a decision right away. So, you know, take it slow, right? Take it when somebody doesn't know Christ, take it slow. Be friends, pray for her, you know, put her him or her, like if it's a girl, put him or her on the context of inviting him to events. You know, this movie that came out, David. Hey, this let's go watch David, you know. It's what is that? It's that animation movie about the Bible, the story. But when you when you see people that they don't mind, they don't mind reading the Bible, they're actually like intrigued and oh, really? Let me tell you the story, let me read. You know, everything that I am is because of God has guided me in my life as a man. Some girls will respect you for it and they'll be like, oh, that's different. And some girls will totally reject it. Now, if she keeps rejecting God and she has nothing to do with God, you need to quickly make that decision. But I suggest, you know, like like D5, right? Develop that friendship, right? Before you take a step into a relationship, there's nothing wrong. You're still with her, you know, hanging out, right? And bring God into the contest to see what happens. You know, it's like sharing the gospel. Basically, that's what you're doing with a non-Christian. And if God uses you to be that messenger, great. There's something I left out of the story when I accepted Christ. My wife was present.

SPEAKER_02 57:39

But do you think that there's any danger in having that kind of mindset of flirting to convert? I think one of the one of the verses that especially kind of gets thrown a lot around in Christian dating is uh to be equally yoked. Yes. And so I think that throws people away from trying to pursue something with someone who's non-Christian, and you can get so far into a relationship where you end up, I don't know, marrying them or falling in love, and it's hard for you to leave that situation. Yeah. Um, I have someone close to me where they're in a relationship with someone who's non-Christian, and they feel like God has put them in that relationship so that one day, maybe on their deathbed, they end up converting. Yeah. And for me, I feel like that's a whole life of pain that God wouldn't want you to. So I'm wondering what your thoughts are on that.

SPEAKER_01 58:34

Yeah, um, biblically, God wants you to be yoked in the same faith, right? Um, especially when somebody's from another religion. I mean, that's that's another war, man. Like, do you want to go through that? You know, she's trying to convert you and you're trying to convert her. Oh, that's rough, you know. But like I said, people are gonna be mad because but I know reality. I know young people, they they get into these relationships. They're they're in there so quickly, they don't even have time to think about it. You know?

SPEAKER_02 59:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:06

So take it slow, right? Take it slow. Not that you're there to as a savior, but if she's your friend and you and you bring her with the youth that are Christians, you're you're in a Bible study, then you keep praying and go, okay, I hope it happens. You know, like Mary was watching me, she was always watching me. I wonder if he truly converted. I wonder if everything they say about him, that Caesar's not that guy anymore. And she started seeing the change. Because we can say we receive Christ, but by the fruit you will know, right? But she started seeing change, right? We didn't start going out immediately. You know, my testimony that I told you it was a lapse of two years. Yeah, that's fair. We dated for four years, and I was allowed to go see her. Get this, man, on Thursdays from 6 to 9 at her house. That was the only time I could see Mary, and I was 25 years old. But I did it because I was in love with her, man. I didn't care. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:10

That's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:11

So take your time, you know, because sometimes you meet awesome people that are not Christian, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:17

Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:18

They're they're good people. Um, but take your time, you know, let let God do his work because you don't know if they're gonna be saved or not. Only God knows, right? But let God do his work. You can put her in the context or get an opportunity to declare the gospel to her. So take your time. What's the rush? You know, but preferably, of course, I I suggest you look for a Christian because then it's gonna be smooth. But then have you heard this? Oh, yeah, man. Yeah, I'm I I did that. I even married a Christian, it was a disaster. Have you heard that?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:56

Not often, no. Yeah, I I've heard. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:59

Necessarily, it doesn't necessarily mean that's gonna work, yeah. Of course, because we're not perfect, right? Or I mean I met guys or girls that Christians that are worse than the ones that are not. Have you heard that?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:11

Yes, like hypocrites, especially, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:14

Yeah. So then you kind of get turned off. So what I have to pick a a Christian when these girls that I know are they're not living for God. But hey, focus on the ones that are living for God. You know, that's the one that's gonna work. But statistics, like, you know, the odds that you're gonna it's gonna work out with God in your life, of course, with the Lord, it's gonna work out. We're not perfect. And if it doesn't work out, it's because we haven't been seeking God together in marriage, you know? And that goes wrong with with Christians and non-Christians, right? But yeah, I agree, I

Omar's Story — Praying for the Right Partner

SPEAKER_01 1:01:53

totally agree with you, you know. We need to be yoked together. We need to be, you know, there's a friend of mine, Omar Segovia, he was a football player. He's he's one of the biggest Chileans I ever met in my life. And he had a weird mix with Spaniards. So this guy's like six foot tall, like or more muscular, blue eyes, and with a Latino complexion. All the women, bro. When I would walk with this guy, everyone was staring at us. All the women love this guy. But guess what, man? He used to pray that he meets a woman that's willing to go to the Middle East to go on camels and go preach the gospel in little towns where they can be beheaded. This was his calling. And I remember once he came with this girl, he, you know, Christian girl, he, you know, she made a move, of course. He brought her to church. And when this girl came into church, everyone was staring at her. She was like another really good-looking human being. So, you know, they've been going out, she seems sweet. And I go, So, Omar, are you gonna go out with this girl? Like, are you gonna make a move? You think you'll marry her? And he goes, Nah, I broke up with her. I go, we're all shocked. What? She was such a nice girl, man. She loved church, worship. Like, what happened? Uh, when I asked her to go to the Middle East on the mission field, you know, she said, she can never do that. That's not her calling. So he ended it, bro. Can you believe it?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:24

That takes discipline to do that.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:26

Yeah, because he was he was determined on what he wanted, and his mission defined the woman that he was gonna have. So, you know what happened with Omar? He goes on a journeyman like uh Caleb for two years. Guess where he goes? Middle East. You know, so he used to send me emails time to time how he's doing, I was his pastor. So he sends me an email that they're in the desert in tents, and they go, the missionary says, We're gonna go into this little town with camels. Listen to this true story. And we gotta be really careful because if they find out we're Christians or we're preaching the gospel, we can die there. So he said there was like 30 missionaries, you know, some new journeymen, young people, and all kinds, and then he goes, Who wants to go? And three put up their hand. And when Omar looks, Jana's putting out up her hand, an American blonde girl. And he's like, Oh, he was in shock because the other two were guys. So she goes with a team. She was the only girl that wanted to go. So her parents were missionaries in Nigeria, so they came to visit her and he goes, Caesar, I really like this girl. Like, she's willing to go wherever God she wants to reach lostness. And he goes, So her parents are gonna come visit us. And he goes to me, should I talk to them? So this is his email, and you know how I studied the email? Because you know, I have a good relationship with young people, and I talk how they talk, so I go, Stupid. I go, you've been praying for this like for five years, man. You prayed to meet a woman that will go with you on a camel across the desert to preach the gospel where she can be beheaded, and that's exactly what God gave you. And now you're asking me if you should come on, man. Are you serious? That's not gonna happen again, bro. Never. But bro, it happened. Exactly what he asked happened. You know how many kids they have now? Seven.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:32

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:33

They got married, they went on the mission field, and then they returned to he's Canadian, but they returned there in Missouri. And he's a catalyst there for NAM. And he works with it with Muslims and international churches, and they have seven kids, man. But you know, he's one story that I know that when I used to talk to him, it just amazed me his purity, his homeliness, you know. You know, he used to talk to me, Caesar. You know, people make fun of me because this is a big guy, good looking guy. People make fun of me, you know, because I'm a virgin, but I don't care. You know, I'm waiting for the woman of my life. I'm waiting for that girl that will go to the Middle East on a camel. Bro, that's exactly what God gave him. Now you tell me. If you pray, man, and there's one thing I can tell you about Omar. If he ever comes, I can set up an interview with you, gotta hear his story.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:30

That would be great.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:31

Oh, he's amazing. And he's an evangelist. But, anyways, um, I know from Omar's life, when a man is dedicated, God was first in his life. And he just says, God, this is the woman I need to do what I love doing. And God gave it to him.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:48

I've got a couple questions just to wrap

Closing Questions — Is Your Faith Where It Needs to Be?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:50

up. Um, so the first two, I'd like you just to say just yes or no, and then the last one to kind of go into depth with it would be um, is your relationship with Christ where you want it to be?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:02

Okay. Um at times it is, and at times it's not. And and by mean not is I want to direct my life to lostness more, you know. Um I'm I'm a busy person and sometimes I'm doing so many things. I wish I could spend more time reaching people that don't know Jesus. But I gotta make time for that. That's why I love the mission field, because I could do it. I just go out of the door, and everyone needed Christ. So no. And I wanna be in his word more. I want to read more books, I want to learn more. That's something too that sometimes it doesn't give me enough time.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:42

Is your relationship with Christ where Christ wants it to be?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:46

I don't think so. I think God wants me to be more dedicated to him more and to live more of a holy life, and a holy life in the sense of my thoughts and my actions or how I make mistakes sometimes, you know. Um, I need to be more holy, you know? And I think he wants me to be more holy, and I want to be more holy, you know, purity, like like I was what I was saying about Omar, knowing his word more and quote it more, and be in relationship every day in a minute with it. Because I'll be honest with you, as men, we have bad thoughts. Sometimes we make mistakes, sometimes we say things to our children that why did I say that? You know? Oh, we don't look at people, we judge people. All those things that I want to be more of a holy man, you know. That's what I'm aiming for.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:36

Thank you, Caesar. Thank you so much for for being a guest on the podcast. Thank you for your testimony and just your advice with dating as a Christian. I think that's gonna be really useful for a lot of the viewers. Um, I'll be praying for you, I'll be praying for your family 100%. Um, yeah. And thank you guys for so much for joining this episode. I hope that's something that you guys have been able to take away from it. Um, and if anything, I hope that it's a chance for you guys to decide to accept the gift that Christ has given you guys. Thank you so much. Until next time, stay bold and stay blessed.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:08

Bye, everybody, and declare the gospel.