José Medina
Pastor/ Evangelist/ Music Minister
The beginning
1983
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Where God took me from…
After having been in the church from the age of 10 until I was 16, I broke away, left home, falsified my birth certificate, went to work, and while cutting cheese and meats at a restaurant I worked at, a co-worker confronted me. He heard me singing a hymn and told me that I could make a living singing. I didn't believe him much, but I didn't know that he was a professional musician at night, while he worked in the restaurant during the day. He took me to an audition and I was chosen as a singer for a musical group, then I made my own orchestra and I started appearing on television and being heard on the radio and traveling, earning a lot of money, the devil, like he did with Jesus, took me up. the highest and showed me the riches of this world, with the difference that I did not rebuke him... But Jesus did not forget me, with strings of love, he called me once, I rejected him, he called me a second time, I rejected him again, but the third time, I fell surrendered at his feet. And on December 31, 1992, at dawn, that is, January 1, 1993, in the public square of Guayama PR, in front of the radio, television, entertainment, family, I retired from entertainment, leaving everything to follow Christ. and I composed a song, which I firmly believe, was given to me by the Holy Spirit for that night. |
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My Story
CHANGE / 2014
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In my country, Puerto Rico, I worked in the Supreme Court and was one of the six Marshals in charge of caring for the life of the Chief Justice of the judicial branch and his family. One night I heard a voice that told me; Give up and go to the US. I put some tests for God to confirm if it was his will and it was. I resigned on March 9, to go to the US, on March 26. I didn't know what I would have to work on, so God showed me His mercy again, because from the day I resigned, until the day before I left for the US, pastors from the US, whom I had never met, began to call me to ask me to go the preacher of their respective campaigns, when I set foot in the US, I already had from April 1, until October of that year, full of campaigns, God making me an Evangelist for the next three and a half years. Covering all my needs, glory is for Christ. |
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who love me and gave himself for me Galatians 2:20 |
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CHALLENGE 2017
It never crossed my mind to be a Pastor. As an Evangelist, I was very active, and I had to go to preach a campaign in Battle Creek, Michigan, with Pastor Jonnathan Flores, during the week, the Pastor asked me if I wanted to go to Andrews University, which was very close, to register for study for a master's degree in pastoral ministry. I told; "That? No, I don't think I'm suitable for that, besides, I've never wanted to” Pastor Flores insisted, alleging that he could perceive my call, to which I replied that I could accompany him to Andrews, but that he did not dream that I would enroll. We arrived at an office and I was introduced to a very nice gentleman, it turned out to be Pr Ricardo Norton, who presided over the Hispanic Masters and PhD faculty at Andrews. Pr Flores told Norton that he was coming to talk to me about how to enroll in Andrews, I was speechless, but Professor Norton began to explain how to do it, then he asked me where I pastored, I told him; I am not a pastor, I am a lay Evangelist. He said; “Sorry, this is for Pastors only. I immediately told him that I wasn't interested, that it was just Pr Flores' curiosity. Dr Norton told me, since you are here, tell me your story, when he finished he told me; "You know, I'm just a vote on the board that decides who gets in and who doesn't, but if I were you, I'd go to the second floor today and fill out the application by faith, that even though he was a single vote, I already had your vote. ”. I did so, but I admit that it was more because of the positivism of Pr Flores. A year passed, I forgot, because not even they called me and I never called. My good friend, Pr Ronald Costa, invited me to a campaign at his Hispanic church in Berrien Springs, in the middle of the week he asked me why I didn't go to Andrews to study, at that moment I remembered the meeting with Dr Norton one year and A few months ago, I told Ronald and I connected with Dr Norton, who upon seeing me asked what had happened with my application, he was surprised to tell him that they never called me and that I never called, he told Ronald to take me to his office at 2:00 p.m. that day. We did so and when I arrived, he stood up from his desk, gave me an envelope, and told me; "Welcome to Andrews University's Master of Pastoral Ministries." I couldn't believe it, but the human mind always mistrusts and I told him that I couldn't afford that master's degree, to which he replied; “You will have to pay for the ticket, stay and lodging, but the studies are fully paid for by the Unions that sponsor the pastors. I thanked God for the miracle, since I was not a pastor. |
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Call
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BORN FOR JESUS/ 2019-Present
I have no idea if it's a record, but by the merits of Christ, I completed my master's degree in one year and four months. Since I did not feel fit and much less wanted to be a Pastor, I decided not to post any photos of my graduation at Andrews, because I did not want anyone to know that I had studied pastoral ministry, I did it intentionally to establish a pact with God. I proposed to him that I would never send a resume to any conference requesting to be a Pastor, and I told God that he knew that this was not my dream, but that I would be willing to change my dream for God's dream. I asked God in prayer that if His will was for me to be a Pastor, then that He would perform the miracle of putting my name in the heart of a true servant of His, president or coordinator of a Hispanic conference, without me requesting a job and without send resume, this being God's sign, for me to take a step of Faith. Three months later, I received a call from Pr Miguel Tirado, coordinator of the Latin ministries of the Georgia Cumberland Conference. He told me that there were about many pastors who sent resumes for a single position in a district, and he asked if I knew English, I said no, he told me that I would be interviewed directly by then President Ed Wright, if I couldn't hold a conversation in English with him, I wouldn't have a chance, I told him, if this is God's answer, God is in control. Two weeks later the President called me, and halfway through the conversation (I thought he did not understand anything I said), he told me; "I'll tell Pr Tirado to send him to do a Background check, if he passes, welcome to the Georgia Cumberland Conference." A week later I passed the Background check and they assigned me the district of Augusta Hispanic SDA and Metter Hispanic SDA, churches that I have the honor of serving as Senior Pastor, up to the present. God is immensely good, I praise him from the depths of my being.
Keep the flame...
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