As E. T. (in a previous post some weeks ago I explained how a young Brazilian friend of mine had compared me to the movie character ET because i am so foreign in Brazil- i thought this was very funny) prepares to return home, I find myself reflecting on what God has done in my life these past three months. Several days of rather intense travel await me so i may not post again until the end of the week.
Probably the most important thing that I have experienced is the pages of the New Testament actually being lived out in the lives of both individuals and groups, small and large, in a way that I have rarely, if ever, seen in the US. Again and again and again i have witnessed and received people doing what the Bible says. during my almost three months I have visited dozens of churches (groups) in five separate states and the Federal District ( like washington, DC), and interacted with hundreds of different people. I have stayed at fourteen different houses (some more than once) and spoken both one on one and in groups repeatedly. I have experienced hospitality, generosity and kindness on a scale unprecedented in my forty-two years of Christian life.
The common denominator to all of this is something that all of these different people and groups refer to as the kingdom of God. The foundations of this are as follows:
Jesus Christ as Lord, not just Savior (Romans 10:9)
Obeying His command to make disciples: ( Matthew 28:18-20)
The understanding that everyone needs someone to personally disciple them.
Submission to the Lordship of Christ is theoretical unless this also involves submission to human authority.
The supreme purpose of God is to make every believer into the image of Jesus Christ as sons of God to the glory of God the Father, and that we must die to ourselves in order for this to occur.
The biggest obstacle to this in the US is our cultural (beliefs and behaviors) which is founded on rebellion, anarchy, and personal independence. May God grant us repentance.
Those who read Portuguese may wish to access the blog of my friend and co-laborer in Christ, Samir at samirmachado.blogspot.com
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Sometimes, it's very difficult to understand that our lives here on Earth is fleeting. Sometimes we fail to understand and keep in mind that we're citizens of an eternal kingdom and that we should live our lives looking to Jesus and thinkging about eternity and not focusing on what is transitory. Your posts always have something that always bring back this idea of eternity.
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