This Man Thinks He's Jesus H. Christ!

De Jesús envisions a global Government of God, with himself at the head, that will bring all nations to the obedience of faith.

"We're not looking to go and get the local governments out," he says. "We're just in the beginning of something bigger."

And that Government just might be based out of Houston.

De Jesús moved to Missouri City a few months ago. Miami was too crowded and he preferred somewhere quieter, he says, neglecting to mention that two of his administrators recently divorced their wives for other women, a breakdown that could help explain what is generally accepted to be a slow decline in Miami membership.

Nestled in a soulless Missouri City neighborhood, his two-story abode bears all the trappings of suburban paradise: tan walls, tan carpet, plush couches, pool table, flat-screen TV; sparsely decorated, not a thing out of place. It's cookie-cutter, even if its occupant isn't.

"Christianity today, that's the nonsense," says De Jesús. "I would love to eradicate from the Earth those teachings."

On a recent Wednesday night, Creciendo en Gracia's Houston fellowship met near Sharpstown High School, in a suite in an industrial strip center where you'd expect to see tire-repair and car-audio shops. Inside were about 100 folding chairs, lined up facing an unoccupied podium adorned with the seal of the Government of God. Forty or so Hispanics -- some in suits, others in jeans; some old, others in baby carriages -- sat in rapt attention, watching the pull-down projection screen where De Jesús was expected to make his appearance.

Creciendo en Gracia's pastors rarely address their local flocks -- this keeps the message pure, the logic goes -- and all sermons are simulcast live from Miami. But you'd guess De Jesús was standing right there in the flesh, judging from the way Houston's believers stood and cheered when he appeared on the screen and began preaching his message of salvation.

After the service, the people gathered together, gossiping and talking gospel like they would at any other church. There were wide-eyed zealots who parroted back De Jesús's teachings verbatim, but there were also folks like Miguel Corrigeux, a 37-year-old truck driver who has a more muted respect for his savior.

Corrigeux says he experimented with different faiths -- evangelical, Pentecostal, Baptist and Catholic -- before discovering the gospel of De Jesús two years ago.

"One day I was just flipping the channels and I saw him talking about the devil being destroyed forever," he says. "It's really changing my life."

No longer does Corrigeux believe he's a sinner. Nor does he believe in hell.

"The Book of Revelations is about hell, inferno, and all these souls are thrown into hell, being burned," he says. "And I said, Wait a minute, let's put this on the table. What is fire? Hell is supposed to be fire, you know. Fire burns the carpet, the wood, but the soul is not a material thing. A soul cannot be burned. That doesn't really make sense."

What makes sense to Corrigeux is that he is saved, even if not everyone is: "The Bible says that Christ died for many, not for all."

And there's where the gospel gets tricky. Jesus of Nazareth died for your sins, but unless you recognize that in the proper way, unless you realize De Jesús is the Man, your body won't be transformed into spirit at the moment of Rapture. You'll be stuck in your sack of flesh for a little while longer, and only after you've learned the truth will you be transformed.

Creciendo en Gracia accepts everyone, but it's still an exclusive club.

When asked if he believes De Jesús is the Second Coming of Christ, Corrigeux says, "At first, in the beginning, it kind of bothered me, to be honest with you. How can God be talking through a man like that?"

But the more Corrigeux listened, the more he came to understand:

"It's not the flesh; it's what he speaks about."

It's easy to see why people have embraced the gospel of De Jesús.

His followers are constantly told how good they are, how other religions have falsely categorized them as sinners. The ministry has a very open attitude toward homosexuality, for example.

"That's personal, between you and yourself," says De Jesús. "I don't reject people like that."