We want to share about the experience of Pablo López, a brother in Bogotá, Colombia, who has been a disciple for 20 years and recently published a book called Sin, Guilt and Grace. He is an agricultural engineer from the NationalUniversity of Colombia, and this is the first time that a Colombian brother in our church haswritten a book. We hope that it will be the first of many books that encouragethe brothers and sisters in their walk with God.
What is the book about?
Sin, Guilt and Grace is a concise book whose focus is to help us reflectand question ourselves about how to face sin and guilt; the book provides uswith arguments based on biblical scriptures to fight against sin and guilt, andto grow in the understanding of God’s grace in our lives.
Why this topic?
Because throughout these 20 years as a disciple of our Lord Jesus, Ihave seen many brothers and sisters turn away from God because of the guiltthat sin brings to their lives; also, because in my own walk with God I have hadto fight against this. My expectation is to be able to encourage us topersevere in our friendship with God and not turn away from him because of sinor the guilt that it brings.
How did you get there?
I think it’s something that God has been working in my life over time,but more specifically I did a personal Bible study on the subject of guilt,because I saw around me friends for whom this aspect was hard, and I sought todeepen it more in my life. Then I had the opportunity to teach the singles inthe church in Bogotá, and I prepared a little more extensive talk on this topicto share with my brothers and sisters. With this material the idea ofmaking the book was born.
What obstacles did you face to publishingit?
I must say that many [obstacles] are born of my ownfears and insecurities: the constancy that is required to sit down to write,since one of my major weaknesses is the tendency to lack discipline; the economicpart is an important aspect that on occasion made the situation difficult; the lackof technical knowledge about the management of writing and publishing a book, soI needed to investigate, read, ask, ask for help; well, these are some aspects,among others.
What encouraged you to overcomethe obstacles?
God encouraged me to overcome these obstacles, and one of the aspects that motivated me was to evangelize through the book. My main purpose is that this book serves for people to approach God and helps them grow in their relationship with him. Another motivation is because I want to dedicate as much of my time as possible to evangelism, and I have made the decision not to continue my job in engineering. I graduated as an agricultural engineer from the National University of Colombia, and together with other brothers and sisters, we are seeking to evangelize there. I wanted to have more time to dedicate to this activity and, Lord willing, be able to self-finance with book sales. Additionally, the act of writing helps me in my relationship with God. Obviously, it is he who gives me the wisdom and spiritual sensitivity to write anything; without him I could do nothing, so writing brings me close to God and helps me meditate more on his Word and seek him more in prayer, and it makes me more dependent on him.
Have you thought of another book?
My expectation, Lord willing, is to be able to dedicate myself to writing. I have much to learn, but I also see that there is much spiritual need. My prayer is that God may use me to contribute to drawing people to him, and I believe writing is a good way to do it.
