Love and Respect

            Monica and I traveled to Patos with another couple from João Pessoa to teach a couples meeting.  I taught a lesson based on the book "Love and Respect" by Emerson Eggerichs.  I recommend the book.  Although I will say that, I did not enjoy reading the book but the principles taught based on Ephesians 5:33 are very true.  The more I think and meditate on the author's comments on Ephesians 5:33 the more they make sense. 

            There were around 20 couples present; besides the lesson from God's Word, we played games.  Directly after the couples meeting we traveled back to João Pessoa, arriving around 2:10 in the morning.  I taught Sunday school and preached on John chapter 7; Monica also taught her Sunday school class and talked to various people about VBS.  She has coordinated VBS for the last two years since Lori Hagewood moved back to the U.S. 

            AME (Adventures in Evangelistic Missions) classes started back this past week so back to the classroom for me and other teachers.  I am teaching on a method of maturing Christians by teaching them how to study the Bible with others, "Discipleship with Evangelism", Joseph is teaching the Gospel of Luke, Ricardo Sobral is teaching 2 Corinthians and Raniere Vieira is teaching Systematic Theology.

            We had a men's meeting this past week, we have seen that there is a growing interest in the church to study more of God's Word.  I will be teaming up with Ricardo Ramalho to organize intensive classes for the church. 

Please pray:

·         That the families of the church in Paraíba will live the principle of Ephesians 5:33;

·         That the AME classes and the lives of the students may help the Church to mature;

·         That the church in Paraíba may see the need to study and study and study God's Word and live what they learn from God.

Unity Through The Word

Thank you all for your prayers for the PORMISSOES meeting last month.  It was a great blessing.  We sat and studied God's Word together for the entire day.  There were some differences of understanding on some passages, but we worked our way through them.  In the end, everyone was saying how the meeting was edifying. 

          It started around 9:30 am.  We broke for lunch at 1 pm.  We started back around 2:30 and went until 6 pm.  They wanted to keep going, but the SEARA class started at 7 pm.  If every meeting could be as encouraging as this one, we would be in heaven.

          My goal with these meetings is to teach the church workers throughout the state how to listen to someone who has a different belief about God's Word, try to understand their logic, their thought processes and share their own understanding from the Bible.  My hope is that God's Word is heard above their personal wants, desires, or traditions. 

          This is not an easy thing to discuss.  Some subjects that we will discuss in the future will be more difficult than in this last meeting but I believe the door is now open for greater and clearer communication among the brethren.  

          We will continue to meet and strengthen our unity.  Please continue to pray that God's Word will be what is guiding us.