In 1981 I pastored – along with my beloved wife Jocabeth and my first two children, Samuel and David – a thriving congregation in the city of San Nicolas de Los Garza, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. We felt very grateful to God, because He supported our ministry with beautiful healings and miracles. The name of the temple was San Juan (or Saint John), but in the community it was known as “the Miracle Church”. Naturally, miracles began to happen because every three months, we prayed and fasted for 72 hours without any bread or water seeking God’s face.
At that time, God began to speak to my heart telling me that I was going to leave the pastorate and start a new ministry. The church that we ministered treated us very well, loved us and covered our needs with an excellent salary, we were at peace and pleased. But, when I shared with my wife the new calling God was making to us to start something new, she made me the following questions:
What ministry are we going to do now?
I don’t know
Where are we going to fulfill it?
I don’t know
For how long?
I don’t know
Where are we going to live?
I don’t know
How are we going to support our family?
I don’t know
For all the questions she asked me, I answered with an “I don’t know”, for which she said to me: “your answers do not give me peace”. I knew she was right, but truthfully, I had no answers because God had not provided any additional guidance. There was a real emotional and faith struggle inside me.
In 1983, the Lord ministered my wife and me in the same night. I was slept and the Lord Jesus Christ visited me in my dreams as the Apostol John in Acts 23:11; He ministered me with the historic passage of Abraham’s calling, specifically on Hebrews 11:8 were it says: “By faith Abraham… obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went”. I woke up very impressed, I wanted to tell my wife, but she was not on our bed, I got up and looked for her and I found her on the living room praying and crying. I said:
The Lord visited me.
Me too
He spoke to me about Abraham’s calling
Me too
He told me we should leave by faith our ministry even though we do not know where we are going
Me too
There was no doubt that God had visited us to show us his will on our lives strongly and explicitly. We ended up hugging and weeping with gratitude to the Lord and determined to obey Him. We left the ministry and for 11 years God allowed us to travel and win thousands of souls for the glory of His name.
We were peacefully continuing this ministry, when one dawn of June 1993, I had a dream where I found myself driving through the parking lot of a large auditorium unknown to me.
In the parking lot, there were beautiful, flourishing gardens that decorated the place. I got out of the car, entered the auditorium and I had a great surprise: there were a large number of people gathered in that place which constituted a Christian congregation.
When I saw the stage, I saw myself preaching there. (At that time, I already had ten years since I left the pastoral ministry, to dedicate myself to itinerant inter-denomination evangelism, for which I traveled throughout Mexico and some countries of Central and South America, winning souls for the kingdom of God). Seeing me preaching in that auditorium, I began a dialogue with the Lord: “Father, are you going to take me to preach to that place?, because I’ve never been there before”; And immediately heard his voice reply: “No, it is not another evangelistic campaign, but it is the congregation that you are going to pastor, because you are going to return to the pastorate.”
I resisted arguing: “Father, I am very happy winning souls, I do not want to return to the pastorate”.
He listened patiently and replied: “I am preparing the second coming of my Son and I am establishing ministries that are going to be strategic in this country of Mexico. I am going to visit this nation with a mighty revival, and there will be a great harvest of souls. I need leaders and congregations that are prepared for this great time of visitation”. I argued again with him and said, “Lord, you need a leader like Moses, I’m a Joshua and I do not fill the profile you need”; I began giving him names which – according to my opinion – were the right people, and he replied to me: “I already called them, but they rejected my call”. I stubbornly speculated again, saying: “If I do not have the profile of Moses, why are you calling me?” and he answered: “You certainly do not fill the profile, but the reason I’m calling you, is because you’re going to obey me”. When the Lord gave me these words, I broke down and disarmed I just replied: “Here I am, send me”.
The dialogue continued, I asked the Lord if He wanted me to offer myself as pastor on an established denomination and He answered: “No, because this would be a newly independent ministry”. I asked him about the name of the ministry and he told me: “it would be called by his natural name”; Very intrigued I asked him: “and what is his natural name?” He replied to me, “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer” (Mark 11:17)
Surprised by the answer, I asked him: “What do you want to do through House of Prayer?” and He replied: “Teach them to pray and pray devotedly. Instruct them in my word to grow in faith, holiness, faithfulness, obedience, prayer, fasting and spiritual warfare.
Being honest, clear and truthful, I want to clarify that raising and pastoring this congregation has not been an easy task. We painfully have our congregations filled of satisfied Christians.
In 1944, God raised a prophetic voice through his servant John R. Rice, saying, “Everything the world will know about Jesus Christ, is what they see in His believers, and what they see, it will not please them. Why? For they do not see in us truthful testimonies, they do not see our triumph over sin, they do not see the signs of a converted and changed heart by Jesus. The gospel we live today, repudiates what we preach. A nonbeliever causes less damage than a cold and lukewarm believer, because a carnal believer can send many to hell with his ruthless testimony. Let us not forget that the main excuse an unbeliever refers to not accept Jesus the wretched testimony of carnal Christians. The greatest problem the world has today, is not sin, but the great number of lukewarm Christians, full of love for the world and the things that are in it. (1 John 2:15-17). Today’s Christians we do not hunger for God, because we are satisfied Christians, and since we do not feel the need for anything, that is why we do not seek or find anything. The church is not aware of its lack of power and anointing, and that is why we do not seek it. Since we feel satisfied, we do not feel the need to pray, so we do not pray, we do not cry, we do not fast, nor do we confess. Most believers are really apathetic and indifferent regarding personal holiness. It is very rare that it is preached from the pulpit against sin and in favor of holiness, and the reason is that the preachers have not been touched by it. The condition of the world, its apostasy, its immorality, its disintegration, its decline and its total bankruptcy; must be carried on the church and its preachers because we have done very little to avoid it. Oh! May God lift believers to this day with broken hearts, to seek God until the revival reaches us and the great mercy and power of God are poured out. “
I wanted to illustrate how difficult it is to minister a congregation full of satisfied Christians because as a pastor of “House of Prayer,” I have experienced it. Therefore, one day I prayed to the God of the heavens saying: “Lord, I cannot minister a congregation that does not want to be committed with you; I quit, put another pastor in my place”; and the Lord answered me, “You cannot quit, but they can do it. Therefore, bless them all, close the ministry for seventy days and send them home to seek my face and pray and fast during that time. When the ministry is reopened, only those who really want to pay the price will return.” And so I did.
The ministry has been closed three times by the direction of God; first for seventy days, then for forty days and the last time for seven weeks. Hundreds of people have left, but the ministry is still standing, because it was not raised by man, God raised it. We are a congregation, with a calling and unique preparation from God.
The ministry of “House of Prayer” began on November 13, 1994. We are close to turn 23 years old, although they have not been easy, God’s hand has backed us and we have witnessed his beautiful manifestation.
“House of Prayer” is currently being ministered by Pastor Eleazar Cepeda and his two sons: Israel Cepeda who serves as co-pastor and David Cepeda who is the youth pastor. All supported by a group of elders, called officers, who lead four prayer squadrons: Garrison Squadron, Squire Squadron, Warrior Squadron and the Paladin Squadron.
“House of Prayer” members should commit to pray, fast, read their bible, memorize the word of God, tithe and travel in local, national and international prayer projects.