The excitement and anticipation surrounding Esperanza CDMX Festival with Franklin Graham in Mexico City has been building among local churches.
After Billy Graham held a Crusade there more than 40 years ago, pastors say the return of his ministry to this city could not have come at a better time.
Individual stories of how the church has come together for this Festival—and how the events leading up to it have touched lives and transformed ministries—are encouraging believers to expect a great harvest.
Such is the case with Pastor Moises Reznick.
Moises Reznick was Jewish by birth and a well-known member of the Jewish community in Mexico. Growing up, he was told, like most Jewish children, that Christianity was dangerous and to stay away from it as much as possible. But one day in 2007, he decided to start following Jesus after fully understanding Jesus is the Messiah.
Reznick discovered in the New Testament how Jesus is really the long-awaited Savior of the world and the Son of God. Years after that, the Lord led Reznick to open a Messianic Jewish church in Mexico City in 2013.
But by 2019, Reznick was on the verge of leaving the ministry. Nearly seven years after he and his wife had planted the church, it hadn’t grown much.
“I felt burned out. I felt like I was carrying all the weight of ministry and leadership by myself,” said Reznick. “I felt that very few people were putting effort into the ministry and that only my wife and I cared.”
After being invited to be part of Esperanza CDMX, Reznick received an invitation to an event aimed at encouraging pastors in Mexico City, led by Spanish pastor José Luis Navajo.
“Pastor Navajo gave a message aimed precisely at weary pastors. It was truly a message from God to me,” said Reznick. “He spoke to us about everything I was feeling, and reminded us that we are not alone in ministry, but that it was God Himself who put us there.
“I remember he also said that we pastors often focus on doing the ministry, and forget to be the ministry. … He encouraged us to see that God loves us so much that He commissioned us to do His ministry here [on Earth], and that if we look at it from God’s perspective, we should feel honored that He called us to be part of His work.”
When he heard that message, Reznick knew that God had sent him to that event for a reason, and he said that listening to that message changed his heart and his perspective about his calling as a pastor.
“I felt that after that sermon there was a release of pressure inside of me, a release of burden,” Reznick shared. “It helped me to see that God is by our side carrying the load of ministry. It helped me to see ministry not as a burden, but as an honor.”
The effects of this transformation impacted his own attitude towards ministry as well as his entire congregation.
“The Lord provided a new place for our congregation after the first months of the pandemic, and when we started [gathering] there, I saw clearly how my view of the congregation had changed,” Reznick said.
“I felt encouraged to tell my congregation that we all needed to get involved and that we needed to organize the ministries within the congregation,” he said. “Now, we no longer feel this ministry is a burden. The congregation solidified and we have finally learned to share the burden with each other.”
After this radical transformation and growth, Reznick’s church has been very active in the preparations for Esperanza CDMX Festival. Each member is planning on bringing a nonbeliever to the event, hoping that the Good News of Jesus Christ will touch their hearts.
“Because of this transformation, we are now an active congregation and not a passive congregation,” said Reznick. “We’ve been very involved with the preparations for Esperanza CDMX, and are excited to see how God will move through this Festival.
“But it all started with that message that helped me not to throw in the towel.”
>> If you have friends in Mexico City, be sure to invite them to join Franklin Graham at the Arena CDMX on Sunday at 6 p.m.
