Adventures in Brazil Part 3

God is working here in Brazil in a wonderful way. The other day I had an opportunity to meet with a "father in the faith" named Moyses along with a group of others to whom he ministers. He had just returned from a grueling journey with travel delays, lack of sleep, and much ministry yet at the age of eighty-eight he was still full of spiritual and physical vigor. What a blessing!
     Saturday morning was invited to meet with the elders and deacons here. Again am amazed at the harmony and interaction that they share without any apparent tension. There is mutual respect and cooperation among these men that is very rare in my experience.
     In the evening I was given the opportunity to share the Word of God with a group of mostly younger people. I spoke about the value of memorizing the Word of God. One fascinating thing that they do here is the manner in which offerings are received. People take envelopes of different colors according to what type of offering that they are given. Several elders/deacons stand at the front of the church. Lines form for the people to bring their offerings and they are greeted with a handshake or a hug as appropriate.
    This morning had yet another opportunity to share the Word, this time about the simple life. This represents a major work of God in my own life. Galatians 6:6 expresses a principle that those who receive the Word of God are to share with those who teach. These brethren practice this. After every message people come up to me; to greet me and to respond to what was preached. Some speak in Portuguese; in which i am not fluent, and others in whatever limited English that they may have. All have been touched by God and express this to me in the most encouraging way.
   Along the way I have many conversations with my friend, brother, and host Samir as we help to learn each other's language. He is a very godly man who ministers to many in many places.

Adventures in Brazil Part 2

Life here in Brazil is so full that already the memory of the past few days has blended together. In my time with God and Samir in the park we looked at Lamentations 3:22-23. He sang a song in Portuguese based on that verse and i sang the one in English. He asked me to sing it again, and recorded it on his phone. Then we met with a little group of people and he asked me to sing it again. Finally that night we met with another group of people, and lo and behold, he asked me to sing it a third time. The group at night was a house group of almost twenty adults hosted by a brother who is petro chemical engineer. His parents are missionaries in Asia, which i hadn´´t known. Shared a little bit about the love of God with this group.
    Yesterday God gave me time with Calebe, a young brother in his mid-twenties with amazing spiritual maturity and understanding. The way in which he has approached relationship with the woman whom he hopes to have as his future wife reflects this. He prayed alone for six months, approached several people close to him about it, and prayed for another six months. Then he spoke to a wider group of people and prayed for another six months. How many people would invest a year and a half of prayer before ever speaking to the woman about their feelings. Even at that point he was prepared for her to decline. Happily she didn´t yet they are still in a premarital state respecting one another.
    Last night Calebe translated for me so i could share with the young singles, about 150 people, about how to practically have Jesus on the throne of our lives rather than ourselves. The primary way is through learning and obeying the Word of God. One way in which we do this is through memorization, getting the Word in our hearts and minds. We looked at Psalm 119:11, the example of Jesus in Matthew 4, and of Peter in Acts 2 where he quotes from Joel, Psalm 16, and Psalm 110.
    Afterwards I had conversations with a number of people. This is one of the major blessings that God gives me in Brazil; that the generations have far more interaction and relationships than they do in the US. One was with a brother named Daniel, a fervent believer with whom God will do wonderful things.

Adventures in Brazil: Part 1

     Monday morning I arose at 6 in the morning to begin my third trip to Brazil. At 7 my faithful brother in Christ Sandy, loaded me into my truck, and we set off for the bus station. Arrived about forty minutes later and then waited for about the same length of time before the bus to Boston departed. Busses are certainly much better than they were thirty-five years ago, about the last time i used them.
     Had a one hour layover in Boston before boarding another bus and completing the first leg of my journey to the airport. receiving my boarding pass and going through security did not take long, and i waited several more hours before i could board the plane. This first leg was a short one to NYC. Actual flying time was about 45 minutes but we waited in the plane on the tarmac at least that long before we could depart.
    Arrived at JFK airport and found my way to the Brazilian airline which would take me on my way. Waited some more and then boarded this much larger plane for an approximate flying time of ten hours. Unfortunately at my height i cannot sleep on planes.
   Arrived in Rio de Janeiro, went through customs easily, and received my next boarding pass for the third leg to Porto Alegre, the largest city in the south of Brazil. Waited a few more hours, boarded the plane, and arrived in mid-afternoon. My good friend Samir greeted me, and took me to lunch. This was at a very common, popular type of buffet restaurant where the amount of food on your plate is weighed and you pay accordingly. Then we went to his house and greeted his wife and two young daughters. I was exhausted.
    That evening we went to the home of a brother named Paulo Cesar, and his wife Rosa, a middle-aged couple with three young adults children, all of whom i had met on my previous visit. We had Brazilian barbecue, and i was asked to share with about a dozen young adult believers. I spoke on the need to believe in and receive the love of God.
   The following day Samir and I made a brief visit to his fellow deacons, although in actuality they do the work of elders/pastors. Had a heartfelt reunion with these brothers. Then i returned to PC´, home. More food; Rosa loves to cook and serve. Then he and i took a walk around the neighborhood. He is blind, but has amazing ability to get around not only his home but also his entire neighborhood. He knew we would come to the next street, and told me about a pond before i could see it. Sure enougfh we saw it, and a turtle sunning itself on a rock. We also visited the home of a man named Mario, and PC knew exactly where it was.

   Samir arrived and took me to his house. Then Jimmy arrived and took me to his apartment. He is a very cheerful brother who gave me a ride in his vintage VW bug the last visit. Jimmy is the facilitator for a group of young adult believers. After they arrived he asked me to share the Word with them. My Portuguese is better but still insufficient for teaching but they had arranged for a brother who had lived in Australia to translate for me. Spoke about inspiration of the Word of God but took this out of the realm of theory by looking at real life examples. Am always amazed at the receptivity of the believers here. All paid rapt attention even though they had either worked or gone to school during the day.
   Today Samir and i took a walk to a park where we sang, prayed and read the Word together. Afterwards we went to a little meeting at the home of Moyses, an eighty-eight year old brother who acts about 20 years younger. Samir shared the Word from Matthew 24.
   Porto Alegre has a number of horse drawn carts which i have not seen in any other Brazilian city.

There Are Only Two Kingdoms

     When one reviews the course of human history from the time that people first begin to congregate in cities, rule by one leader, usually titled king, is the norm. Genesis 10 speaks of Nimrod, son of Cush, that "he began to be a mighty one on the earth. (v.8)  "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh (cities) in the land of Shinar." (v. 10 NKJV) To those versed in the Bible this should not be surprising because the Scripture spreaks of two major kingdoms- the kingdom of this world, and the kingdom of God. Each has a ruler. The devil rules the kingdoms of this world. ( 1 John 5:19) and Jesus is the King of the kingdom of God. ( Revelation 19:16)
   With this perspective the idea of democracy, that somehow humanity can govern themselves, rests on a false premise. I believe it was John Adams, the second US president, who said that democracy can only work with a moral people. The difficulty is that we are not moral. ( Romans 3:10-18).
    Several days ago the current president of the US put himself above the law by unilaterally creating law, a power which the Constitution of the US does not grant to anyone in his office. The Constitution offers a theme that the US is to be a nation of laws not men; i.e. that no one is above the law like a king would be. This has decisively shattered with considerable support among many in the country. And there is no apparent way to prevent him. Again this should not surprise those who study and reflect upon the Word of God.
    The Presidents at least from the time of Theodore Roosevelt over a century ago, with the notable exception of Calvin Coolidge, have steadily increased their power. The current Chief Executive has simply accelerated an ongoing process. This is possible and inevitable because someone must be on the throne of our lives. We naively imagine that we are but in reality there are only two Kingdoms.

The Simple Life

THE SIMPLE LIFE

One of the best liked promises for Christians in the Bible is the one found in Hebrews 13:5, where Jesus says that “He will never leave us or forsake us.” This assurance is especially important in those times when we do have to face situations on our own. Yet it is instructive to look at the remainder of the verse. “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.” (ESV)

What is Jesus saying here? He will supply our needs, and He is far more important than money or the things that money can buy. But we need to trust Him. This is very difficult for most people because money is a very emotional subject and tied in with our sense of personal identity, worth and value. We are judged by the world, and often in the Church, by our possessions.

Jesus is very clear in His teaching on this subject. Matthew 6:33, part of the Sermon on the Mount, says “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” We need to get our priorities right. In Luke 12:15 we read of a man who wants Jesus to tell his brother to divide an inheritance with him. Jesus responds “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” But we believe that it does by what we think we need to have.

For many years I thought that I did not have a problem in this area because I was not rich...by American standards. Then one day the thought hit me. What if God is not judging things by American standards? Then I asked Him what did He consider rich to be. I was led to 1 Timothy 6.

“But godliness with content is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing , with these we shall be content. But those who desire to get rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” ( 1 Timothy 6:6-10 ESV)

This passage begins with a common sense saying for we do not come into the world with anything and we do not take anything with us. The next sentence is challenging. How many would be satisfied with just food and clothing and nothing else? No Computer or smart phone? No exercise equipment? Nothing with which to listen to music? All the pleasures and conveniences of life?

The contrast between this and the next sentence is striking. “But those who desire to get rich...” Is God saying that in his economy having more than food and clothing makes us rich? I believe this is what He told me. What does the Bible say to the rich?

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Jesus did not come to suffer and die for our sakes so that we can do whatever we want. As Romans 14:9 makes clear “For to this end Christ both died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living.” He did not come to be a part of our life but to be our life. He did not come to help us to live our own life but to be Lord of our lives. He will not share the throne with us.

In Matthew 28:18 Jesus declares “that all authority in heaven and earth is given to Him.” On that basis He commands his followers to make disciples. This is not optional for genuine believers in Christ. We find a number of characteristics of those who are His disciples in the gospels. John says they will abide in the Word (8:31-32), will love one another (John 13:34-35), and will bear much fruit. (15:8)

One key characteristic is often neglected. Found in Luke 14:33, the Scripture reads, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” How then can we justify living anything other than a simple life?

In my own personal journey in this area I find progress yet more needs to be done. After moving out of an apartment upon retiring, I got ride of 90% of my possessions, retaining only what would fit in a small car. By the grace of God I give to His work on the earth and I live very frugally. The externals are good but my heart needs further purifying. Recently I heard an Indian preacher assert that everyone has a love of money. He may be right. God knows. I am encouraged by what I have seen in the many Brazilian homes that I have had the blessing of staying in. Although these are all middle or upper middle class people they do not have all the knickknacks and clutter that one associates with American dwellings. As Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34) ESV

Zac Poonen

I have deleted the previous post about this brother due to concerns raised by a close friend and brother in Christ. I apologize to previous readers for aspersions cast.

Voting & Other Matters

     As with virtually everything else in the Christian life the involvement of believers in politics is controversial. Some believe it is mandatory; others believe it is sinful, with variations in between. I'll let others debate this. Yesterday i had the opportunity to vote. The individual whom i voted for in the governor's race received about 19,000 total votes, or about 1% of those cast. He was also the only candidate for that position who opposed the slaughter of unborn children and the homosexual agenda. His funding totaled $28,000 in contrast to the many millions raised by the other four candidates. In the races for state representative and US representative the Democratic party candidates ran opposed. The man whom i voted for state senator lost by a few hundred votes.
     Did my votes make any difference? Probably not. Our trust as disciples of Christ cannot be in the political or economic systems of this world. It must be in Him alone.
   Why do "Christians" celebrate Halloween? Whatever its origins clearly it is now a satanic holiday. Why do we try to mirror the world and have "harvest" parties to appease our culture and confuse our children. Do we not know or believe or obey passages like 1 John 2:15-17?
     "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." ( NKJV)
     "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." ( Romans 12:2 NKJV)

Why I Sold Apple Stock

     One of the ways that the Lord Jesus has provided for my life and ministry is through investing in various corporations. Sometime ago I purchased Apple Corp. stock, which has proved to be one of the best investments that I have made. I had no intention to sell. However, last week, the news was trumpeted throughout the media that the CEO of this company was "gay and proud of it." As a disciple of Jesus Christ this presented me with a dilemma. Could I continue to invest in and thus support a company led by an individual who so blatantly opposes God's will? I sold the holding. Below is a brief essay detailing the teaching of the Bible on this subject.
       

Homosexuality- a Biblical perspective

In the first chapter of the book of Genesis, in the very first words said by God to humanity, He gives us the incredible privilege and responsibility of bearing His image. "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." (Gen. 1:26 ESV) No other part of His creation, not animals nor even angels, is accorded this honor. After giving mankind dominion over the earthly creation the text continues, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:27) God could have chosen to create only one gender or multiple genders. His sovereign will was that two genders, male and female, best expressed His image. Men and women share equally in being image bearers.

The more detailed creation account of people in chapter 2 tells us that God brought a woman to the man. (Gen 2:22) No animal was found as a helpmeet for Adam. God could have created another man to be Adam's helpmeet or could have created two women. But they would not have expressed God's image in the glorious way in which a man and a woman are created to do. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Gen. 2:24)

This same verse appears again in Ephesians 5:31 when Paul the apostle is writing about God's primary purpose for the institution of marriage. Immediately following we read "this mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." (Eph 5:32) The entire passage from verse twenty-two to the end of the chapter gives us a fascinating parallel between the husband/wife relationship on the one hand, and the relationship between Christ and the church on the other. Careful reading reveals that God's intent is for a godly man and a godly woman to be a divinely ordained illustration of the marriage relationship between Christ the bridegroom and his bride, the church. The marriage of two men or two women distorts this picture.

One of the blessings of the Bible is that it does not bend and shift with every cultural change. "The grass withers, the flowers fall, but the Word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8 cf. 1 Peter 1: 24b-25a) Jesus says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (Mk 13:31) The real issue is whether we as Christians will abide in His word (John 8:31-32) and truly be His disciples or whether we will also bend and shift with every cultural change. One of the realities of aging is that one can potentially gain perspective. The phenomenon of "gay rights", tolerance, advocacy, gay marriage etc. has only gained force in the last generation but God has not changed His mind.

In the old covenant He said, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman, it is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22) Homosexual relations was one of many sexual sins for which the penalty was stoning. "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them." (Lev. 20:13) This is the primary sin for which Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. "But before they laid down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they said to Lot. "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them. (sexually)" Lot responded (v.7) I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly."

A similar incident by the Benjaminites of the city of Gibeah precipitated a war in which almost the entire tribe was exterminated. (Judges 19:22ff) Both 1^st and 2^nd Kings tell of male cult prostitutes in the land. The authors' comment in 1 Kings 14:24 is "they did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel." In the 1 Kings 15 example King Asa "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his (fore) father had done" by putting away these people. Josiah, the last righteous king before the Babylonian conquest of Judah, "broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes. (2 Kings 23:7)

Turning to the New Covenant we find "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." (Romans 1:18) As the passage continues we find that those who commit homosexual acts are among this number. "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." (Romans 1:24-27)

Those who practice homosexuality, in company with a number of other unrighteous people, will not inherit the kingdom of God. "Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality…will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:9-10) Even the "law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane…the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality… and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted." (1 Timothy 1:9-11)

The Lord has not given us the luxury of picking and choosing what parts of His Word we will believe and obey. Either we take the whole package or none of it. The same God who sent His only Son to die for our sins as the supreme expression of His love for us (1 John 4:9-10) and who has promised eternal life to those who follow Christ has also commanded that sexual relations be limited to one man and one woman within the bounds of holy matrimony.(1 Thess 4:3-7) "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." (Hebrews 13:4)

Let us not be conformed to this world (Rom 12:2) but make it our aim to please Him. (2 Cor. 5:9) May we draw courage from the example of Micaiah, son of Imlah, who stood against 400 false prophets. (1 Kings 22) "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Rom 15:4)

Disobedient to Parents

DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS

Today I hope to explore one aspect of the larger question of child-rearing. The Scripture has very clear direction for those who have surrendered to the God of the Bible and desire to follow His wisdom rather than the “wisdom” of the world.

When we consider what God wants from us we find that obedience is of major importance. The Holy Spirit, writing through Paul the apostle, says “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith...” ( Romans 1:5 ESV) He concludes this long letter with the same phrase “according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith...” ( Romans 16:26)

Jesus speaks very clearly on the same theme of obedience. Three times in John 14 alone (vv. 15,21,23) He equates love with obedience. “If you love me you will keep my commands.” ( John 14:15 ESV) Luke 6:46 asks “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I say?” 1 John 2:5 says “whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God...” ( Mark 12:30) 1 John 5:3 states “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” ( ESV)

If this is what God desires for those who believe in Him, would He not want the same for children? We find that He does. Ephesians 6:1ff says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise) that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land,” echoing the fifth of the ten commandments.(ESV) Colossians 3:20 says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” (ESV)

In studying a different subject I had occasion recently to look over the various lists of grievous sins found in the New Testament. In several of these it is striking to find that along with sins such as murder and hatred of God we find the phrase “disobedient to parents. ( Cf. Romans 1:29-32) The following verse applies just as much to disobedient children as to murderers or slanderers or inventors of evil. “Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32 ESV).

2 Timothy 3:1-8 offers a chilling prediction of the last days before the return of the Lord Jesus. Among the evil of people who are “proud, arrogant, abusive, ungrateful, unholy, brutal, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,” is the phrase “disobedient to parents.” (v. 2)

So if disobedience to parents is disobedience to God, and we have the desire and opportunity to teach our children to obey us so they can obey and please God, what methods should we employ? Should we bribe or cajole? Should we reason or attempt to persuade? Perhaps some of the latter as the children get older. But the Word of God prescribes a very clear form of discipline and particularly in the case of defiance or disobedience.

“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” (Proverbs 13:24 ESV)

“Discipline your son. For there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.” (Prov. 19:18)

“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” (Prov. 29:15)

“Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.” (Prov. 29:17)

“Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.” ( Prov. 23:13-14 NKJV)

Perhaps the refusal of “Christian” parents to follow God's wisdom is part of the reason why so many children that grow up in “Christian” homes do not follow the faith of their parents. If we truly believe that we express our love to God through obedience to Him, then we shall make every effort to teach our children to do the same.

*Note: It is beyond the scope of this post to look at the balance between affection and discipline or the scenarios in which corporal discipline could be used or other principles relating to that theme.

Hit The Road

     Actually I do not know why one would "hit" the road, a rather painful prospect but that is an American slang expression for going to travel. Friday morning arose early with the help of an alarm clock, "hit the road," and ninety minutes later picked up my friend and brother Chris who had asked to join me on my rounds. We have known each other fourteen years and he has been a faithful friend and brother.
     We drove to northern New Hampshire from his home in Connecticut, enjoying the last of the autumn foliage, and good fellowship. There we met up with Ray, the brother who is discipling me. As it was almost noon we spoke a little before going out to lunch at a little, casual sandwich shop. Ray has been developing relationship with the owners to present Christ. We enjoyed several hours of true fellowship before driving on almost another two hours to see Dan.
    I wanted to show Chris some of the written materials that either Ray had given me, or I had produced. Dan was ready for a little review so we looked at the "What is a Disciple Worksheet?, "Basic Maturity Questions," and several others. We enjoyed a good pasta meal, returned and prayed and counseled together.
   Chris and I camped out in the basement. Thankfully he didn't snore. In the morning Dan treated us to breakfast, including his famous bacon before we drove another hour to Steve's house. God has been working in Steve's heart in a wonderful way, and he made an important commitment to Him. We had taken a walk with Dan the previous night, and were blessed with an hour's jaunt along the ocean with Steve. He also reminded me of a video called "Revival Fire," that he and I had listened to many years earlier. I hope to find it on the Internet. I believe that true revival begins with ongoing, intense prayer, bursts into flame with repentance of the Church, and then affects those who do not yet believe.
    Steve's wife Cis made us a hearty lunch and then we went onto Tom's home. God is doing exploratory surgery in Tom's spiritual heart. May He continue the work that only He can do. May I be faithful to pray.
From Tom's to our next stop, a meeting with a small Brazilian church, was about two hours. Chris wanted roast beef, which i had not had for some years so we stopped to get a sandwich for dinner. To our surprise Steve appeared with some friends. Was a wonderful Godincidence.
    Finally we arrived at the home for the gathering. Chris was greeted, enjoyed the people and especially the message about rejoicing in the Lord through a very good translator named Mariana. Unfortunately we had a two hour drive back to his home in the dark and rain so we could not stay too long.
   Slept well and in the morning enjoyed breakfast and fellowship with Chris and his wife Carolyn. Another hour and a half brought me back to my own dwelling. This was a wonderful experience for both Chris and I. He said he would like to do this again in the future.