Do Not Teach Any Other Doctrine

            I prayed and prayed and prayed, I asked others to pray for the lesson that I was to give this past Saturday on "Instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines", 1 Timothy 1:3 (NASB).  There have been a lot of discussion about doctrine in Brazil these past years. 

            I was speaking at Elicamp, a conference for workers from all over the Northeast of Brazil.  After each lesson, the floor was open for questions on the lesson taught.  I wrestled with this subject for weeks.  I studied 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Ephesians, a part of Revelation and some of Philemon, Romans, Acts, Matthew & Luke.  Where to begin?  How to present God's Word and His Will to bring about unity?  Many other questions and fears went through my mind.

            The afternoon before my lesson, I prayed once more but this time as I talked with God, I was reminded that after study and prayer, now it was time to God to work, and His will is best. 

            I explained in my lesson what sound doctrine is as it is described in 1 Timothy and in other passages of scripture.  We looked at many passages but the summary of them all is that God, in His Word, is telling us the story of how and why He saved us from a life without meaning and His desire for us to live out His Will in our everyday lives being light to all who see us.  That is a very short and incomplete summary. 

            Some passages that might help explain better what I taught: Acts 2:42-47; Acts 7; Acts 13:14-49; Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:4-6; Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Romans 1:3-4,16-18; 1 Timothy 1:3-5; 2:1-4; 1 Peter 2:9-10.  There are others, but hopefully these will give you an idea that God has a mission to reconcile the world to Himself and that He chose Christ's body to accomplish this mission.  Living a life of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7) saves us from a life of ungodliness (Romans 1:18-32).  This is sound doctrine and what we should all be teaching through our everyday lives.

Learning To Study

            I went to a long but good Bible study in Patos on Saturday.  I met with church workers from most of the congregations in our state.  We sat and studied the Bible from 9:30 to 6 p.m., yes, we did break for lunch, but that was our only break. 

           

          The purpose for these meetings is to teach in a practical way how to study God's Word with someone who does not share your same view on a subject.  I will be moving back to the U.S. at the end of 2016, so this is important. 

            

            I heard several positive comments about our meeting together and some negative ones as well. 

           

          Thank you for your prayers.  They mean a lot, and God is answering them.  Please pray that the church in Paraíba will grow in love for one another and in knowledge of God's Word and will.

Unity in Faith

             The "Great Supper" (Grande Ceia) is a weekend of catching up with people, hearing God's Word, learning and growing in faith, and hearing about needs from other brothers and sisters throughout the state in which we live, Paraíba.

          There were people from almost every congregation in the state.  Around 200 present at the Sunday meeting, 150 slept in the public school on the floor or in hammocks.  I chose the hammock.

             The theme was "Unity", taken from Ephesians 4:1-6.  I spoke on the unity among congregations in the state, the challenges, and the rewards, one of which is that we become stronger by overcoming difficulties together.

            Two men from João Pessoa talked to a brother there. When they heard of his difficulties, they decided to help.  They have already talked to other members of the church in João Pessoa and plan to travel to Pombal, about 5 ½ hours away, to help this brother share the Gospel. 

          I have been praying that God would raise up men who would be able to travel and take care of the churches throughout the state as I have been doing.  I am seeing God at work once again. This mission is His.  We are the vehicle through which He has chosen to carry out His mission.

Prayers for Victory for Victor and Friend

            I have been studying the Bible with a 19 year old for a couple of months now.  Some days he seems curious to learn, while others he just seems to show up.  Granted, he is very timid and somewhat confused.  Last study, though, he brought a friend called Victor.  Victor surprised me with his desire to learn.  We studied Matthew chapter 10.  I asked questions as usual to help their comprehension. 

          When our study ended, Victor kept on reading into Matthew, chapter 11, then chapter 12, and then on through chapter 13, all the while asking questions about what he was reading.  What a breath of fresh air.  Please pray for both of these young men, that they will continue to learn and desire to know God.

Please pray:

• that both of these young men will go from curiosity to faith and obedience in and to Jesus.

Financial Peace in Brazil

            In September, I taught Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace course to the church in one of the neighborhoods of Recife.  Twenty-five participated in this eleven hour intensive class Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

            One couple, who participated in last year's class, shared that the husband could not sleep the night after the first night of class.  He ended up cutting up his credit cards in the form of a cross and now uses them as keychains. 

            The church in Brazil is beginning to learn to support its own evangelists.  Money is tight and this course has helped many Christians restructure their finances and their hearts in a Biblical way.  May God be praised.

Thank you for your prayers.