Learning That We Are Poor In Spirit

            Ten members of the church in João Pessoa and I studied the Sermon on the Mount this past Saturday.  We spent the afternoon and most of the night going over what Jesus told His disciples.  We weren't there to hear the words from His lips, but those same words still amaze and cause us to ponder.  What a deep and powerful sermon!  What makes it so powerful is that we know that the person who spoke the sermon was already living what He taught and never has faltered. 

            The first Be-attitude (Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven) seems to be what ties the sermon together.  If we could just see how much we need God, all we have to learn from Him, how far our actions and attitudes are from His, seek Him, being changed by Him, we would be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, we would seek His glory and not glory from other men, we would not worry or be anxious, we would not even judge others' intentions, our focus would be our relationship with the One who allows access into His Kingdom.  If we could only see how poor we are without God, our lives would be built on the Rock.  The thought of losing a job for doing God's will would not affect us.  Rejection of our family for following God would not dissuade us.  Being put in jail for obeying God's will and not the law of men would be a joy.  If we could only see how poor we are and see that God is giving us what we need and a lot more.

Please pray:

• that the World may see how blind and poor they are
• that we, as Christians, may not be complacent but continue to seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness.

Teach Or Be Taught

It is my last year in Brazil.  What should I do?  I am teaching and taking Roberto along with me to learn to teach.

            We traveled first to Alagoinha where we split up the book of Colossians.  Roberto taught the first two chapters and I taught the last two.  It was a small class of three.  We also visited a family that I taught many years ago.  I answered some of their questions, and we studied on gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

            Two weeks later I traveled with Roberto again to teach half of the book of Romans.  This time I took the first quarter of the book and Roberto the second, and it was a large group.  He said that was the first time he had taught that many people at once.  He is a good teacher.  He stays in the context of the book.  We talked about ways he could improve on his teaching and he has listened and accepted the suggestions I have given him. 

            It is fun seeing someone eager to grow and mature in Christ.

 

Please pray:

·         That Roberto will continue in his study of God's Word and growth in knowledge;

·         That Roberto can be an example to the church in Paraíba;

·         That the church will grow in maturity and practice of God's Word

Financial Peace To Brazil

It is good to talk to you again.  I have been travelling for the last four weekends. In two cities I taught Financial Peace.  The great news about that is they asked me to teach it.  There have been a few congregations that make that request.  The first congregation I taught the course, Monica was able to go with me, which is a rarity.  I am excited about these congregations because they want to continue teaching the course without me.  I think, since the church knows this is my last year in Brazil, more people are interested in not only participating in the class but actually learning how to practice the steps and to teach others too.

Make no mistake, this is a spiritual class.  I teach contentment as the foundation principle.  Without contentment, you could lose your soul.  There is an absence of knowledge on how to administer what God has entrusted to each one.  Most were just never taught.  The focus of the class is to administer what God has entrusted and to invest in His Kingdom, living out the words of our Lord Jesus, as the apostle Paul quoted Him saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35.  I challenge those who take the class to think about the way they are living now, then I ask them, "Do you believe that what Jesus said is true?"

Whether we believe it to be true or not, it is the truth. 

Please pray:

·         That the body of Christ all over the world will live God's Word and make friends with what God has entrusted us, so that they may meet us in heaven when our Master returns to take us home.