Ex-Gang Member Calls for Godly ‘Heart Revolution’

The Christian Post ^ | Jan. 24 2011 | Natalie Chu

[wmfights]

A former gang member turned pastor is seeking to start a nationwide “heart revolution.”

Sergio De La Mora, founding pastor of Cornerstone Church of San Diego – named one of the fastest growing churches for two straight years by Outreach Magazine – recently released the book The Heart Revolution. The book invites readers to “experience the power of a turned heart” in a one- chapter-a-day, 40-day challenge.

“This is what America needs right now. America doesn’t need another economic plan. America doesn’t need to promote more education,” said De La Mora to The Christian Post.

De La Mora insists that society today has underestimated the value of the heart, choosing to instead spend millions of dollars educating people’s minds.

Your heart is your most valuable asset, he writes. The course of your life is determined by the condition of your heart.

The Heart Revolution, released earlier this month, begins the heart challenge by finding purpose in pain.

“Hurt is a precious commodity to God, which He transfers to your account so that you can learn invaluable lessons,” the young Hispanic pastor explains. “Choose to grow through situations rather than simply go through them.”

De La Mora, who went through his own religious heart revolution at the age of 17, offers personal insight into his own trials and triumphs to inspire readers to “live, love and lead from the heart.”

Throughout the book, he illustrates the life changing power of God in testimonies and transformations witnessed in his church.

De La Mora was brought up in the Catholic Church, but spent his early teenage years in a violent gang. His experience with gang life included being stabbed in the back as an eighth grader and being addicted to cocaine.

But his life took a turn at age 15, when he became an extremely wealthy disc jockey after starting the largest DJ company in Santa Barbara’s history.

“I had the success that everybody in the world said a person should have, but it didn’t come with corresponding significance,” he recalls. “I was empty.”

After attending a church plant and hearing someone preach the gospel, De La Mora accepted Christ in his life and hasn’t looked back since.

“When I received Christ in my life, that same day I went into the radio station that I was on and I couldn’t turn on the microphone and be the same person.”

De La Mora quit the radio station, sold his disc jockey company, and began to serve God in the church and in outreaches, where he would use his disc jockey skills to attract hundreds of youths and preach to them.

“To be a true heart revolutionary you have to embrace the risk to open up your heart to God and trust Him with your destiny, and to live out His plan and purpose for your life,” said the gang-member-turned-pastor.

“Without risk there is no reward, without risk there is no revival, without risk there is no revolution.”

The Heart Revolution Conference 2011 kicked off in Brooklyn, New York on Jan. 24. De La Mora and other keynote speakers will address leaders and pastors with the goal to revolutionize the hearts of the next generation.

Founded in 2009, Cornerstone Church of San Diego is the largest Latino-led church in the city. Recently, it also established Cornerstone Church of Mexico City.

[Salvation]

**What exactly are you hearing in your church that you believe is The Gospel?**

Everything. The Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Being a born-again Christian doeos not qualify you to preach the Gospel. Catholics are born again at their Baptism (as are all Christians). The Sacrament of Holy Orders or the training that a Protestant Minister might — notice I say might — qualify him to preach the Gospel. Depends upon the quality and number years of theology that he took.

Also you did not answer my question about how many times you have been in a Catholic Church to make such statements.

[Quix]

Neither did HE!

‘Cause HE wasn’t.

[wmfights]

Hey Brother, maybe they don't want people to realize the power of The Gospel has nothing to do with them. It's all from God.

Throughout the book, he illustrates the life changing power of God in testimonies and transformations witnessed in his church.

[Quix]

It seems that a significant number of [Roman] Catholics fail to understand that the terms *Christian* and *[Roman] Catholic* are not synonymous.

Being Christian does not, by default, make you [Roman] Catholic.

Being [Roman] Catholic does not, by default, make you Christian.

INDEED!

[Quix]

Your church doesn’t even preach The Gospel. Why do RC’s pretend to be something they aren’t?
Your church has gone out of it’s way to denigrate Bible believing Christians.

---

INDEED.

[Gamecock]

***This happens every DAY in the Catholic Church.***

And then it deteriorates into Mariology and various forms of related paganism.

[Quix]

Hey Brother, maybe they don't want people to realize the power of The Gospel has nothing to do with them. It's all from God.

Throughout the book, he illustrates the life changing power of God in testimonies and transformations witnessed in his church.

ABSOLUTELY INDEED! I think it's a chronic whining defensive attitude, stance, response. They know their congregation doesn't measure up to that level and want to undermine the standard so they feel less vulnerable if not less guilty.

[wmfights]

WM: **What exactly are you hearing in your church that you believe is The Gospel?**

S: Everything. The Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Eucharist.

This is not The Gospel and this is why your church stands condemned. If you believe The Gospel the claims of power over you and your salvation that your church makes fall away.

Read ICor. 15:1-4 if you would like to learn The Gospel.

Also you did not answer my question about how many times you have been in a Catholic Church to make such statements.

I'm guessing I've had to sit through your services 20-25 times, maybe more. The number really is irrelevant as you've shown with you earlier statement your church does not preach The Gospel.

Being a born-again Christian doeos not qualify you to preach the Gospel.

I guess we all know now why Born Again Christians are so much better evangelizing.

Catholics are born again at their Baptism (as are all Christians).

If you don't know The Gospel how can you be Born Again? Those that believe the delusion that Baptism saves you are lost.

[wmfights]

WM: **What exactly are you hearing in your church that you believe is The Gospel?**

S: Everything. The Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Eucharist.

This is not The Gospel and this is why your church stands condemned. If you believe The Gospel the claims of power over you and your salvation that your church makes fall away.

Read ICor. 15:1-4 if you would like to learn The Gospel.

Also you did not answer my question about how many times you have been in a Catholic Church to make such statements.

I'm guessing I've had to sit through your services 20-25 times, maybe more. The number really is irrelevant as you've shown with you earlier statement your church does not preach The Gospel.

Being a born-again Christian doeos not qualify you to preach the Gospel.

I guess we all know now why Born Again Christians are so much better evangelizing.

Catholics are born again at their Baptism (as are all Christians).

If you don't know The Gospel how can you be Born Again? Those that believe the delusion that Baptism saves you are lost.

[metmom]

The Bible is largely the OT, which predates the church.

The Catholic church can hardly claim to be the source of the Bible based on that alone.

[terycarl]

The Catholic church can hardly claim to be the source of the Bible based on that

Wow, where should I start....the Catholic church WROTE the bible.....didn't invent it, but certainly wrote it. In the first, second, third, fourth, fifth etc century, all Christians were Catholic. nNo, Jesus did not found the Catholic church as such, but He founded the Christian church, which, for about 1,500 years, consisted of Catholics....close enough for me!!. Catholicism composed, protected, copied, interpreted, your bible for you (say thanks).....along came the protestants who said...well, we don't like that passage....we don't think that this should be there...why would the bi9ble say this about that which I don't agree with.......I have an idea, why don't we just take all that stuff out of the bible, which was over 1500 years old,and start from scratch with our own version.....Let's eliminate the idea that Jesus is actually present in the Eucharist... In spite of Christ's admonition that whomever sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, let's deny the sacrament of reconciliation.Divorce and remarriage should be O.K., just because God Himself stated stated that marriage is for life what did He know. The sanctity of life, don't even get me started there.....one heavily "Christian" group in this country aborts up to 50% of their children.......real Christ followers I'd say. If you want to be a Christian, listen to what He taught, follow His ordained religion, don't divorce and remarry, don't kill your kids, ....wow, what a start that would be!!!!

[terycarl]

It seems that a significant number of Catholics fail to understand that the terms *Christian* and *Catholic* are not synonymous. Being Christian does not, by default, make you Catholic. Being Catholic does not, by default, make you Christian.

sure it does....if you are a Christian, you are automatically a Catholic. There can only be one Baptism, and if it is valid, then you are a Catholic. You may be baptized in a lutheran church, a methodist church a whatever church.....but if the baptism is valid, and most are, you are a CATHOLIC. you may not practice the Catholic religion, you may not agree with Catholicism, you may be an agnostic or have no religious beliefs at all, but you are stuck with being a Catholic. If you don't believe that, ask your pastor when Baptism made you a member of the only true Christian church on earth, changed to becoming a member of the church of what's happening now.......didn't happen, you are a Catholic, WELCOME HOME !!!!!!!!!!

[terycarl]

it doesn’t matter, you know it doesn’t matter, and you are still stuck with it....if you are validly baptised, you are CATHOLIC....think about it, how can you be anything else......Lutheran...nope, methodist..nope, baptist, nope, LDS, nope, witness, nope,church of whats happening now, nope...get used to it, you are a Catholic....learn the religion (Christ founded it ) follow His footsteps and you too can reach Heaven......No one comes to the Father except through Me.....follow His instructions very carefully.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Thank you for keeping those quotes front and center. They reveal the idolatrous depths to which the RCC has sunk.

p43 1 - "Hail Mary, beloved daughter of the Father, Mother of the Divine Son, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, complement of the most august Trinity!"

p45 6 - To her was granted grace greater than that conferred upon all others, 'that she might vanquish sin in every respect.'

Breath-taking in its God-grieving error. .

[Quix]

Well done.

[Quix]

ABSOLUTELY INDEED.

Thanks for your kind response.

[metmom]

Wow, where should I start....the Catholic church WROTE the bible.....didn't invent it, but certainly wrote it.

Certainly nothing.

The OT existed LONG before the RCC came into existence, and claiming that the church existed since the time of Jesus and that all the authors of Scripture are Catholics retroactively, does NOT make it so.

It's just trying to lay claim to ownership of the Bible and put that beyond all dispute. Then they can say they have authority over what to do with it.

The best the RCC can make claims for is compiling it. A worthy endeavor, in spite of the RCC, not because of it.

The Roman Catholic church is never mentioned by name in Scripture. To claim that it is what Jesus meant when He established His church is intellectually dishonest.

The only reason the RCC wants to claim pre-eminence over Scripture is so that they can determine just how much authority it and they can have in relation to each other, and claim the right to be able to *correctly* interpret it.

Jesus is the rock on which the church is built (Peter's own words) and Scripture is the final, unchanging authority in spiritual matters.

Making Scripture subservient to man is what has lead the Catholic church into the mess it's in and kept it there for all these hundreds and thousands of years.