1 John 3:4 observations

This morning a brother and I continued our study of 1 John. We go very slowly hoping to glean as much as possible. The NKJV of 1 John 3:4 reads "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. The brother asked what law that the Bible is discussing in verse 4. The word "law" is used in several different ways in the Bible. Predominantly it is used of the law of Moses, the 613 old covenant commands including the 10 commandments. In rare instances it could refer to Roman or other secular law, and in the new covenant it can refer to the law of Christ. Other expressions for the law of Christ are the royal law or the law of liberty. So what is happening here. We went to Hebrews 8 and looked at verses 6,10, 11 and 12. Verse six indicates the change of covenants inaugurated by Jesus. Verse ten speaks of the new laws being written on the hearts of God's people. One way to understand this is a contrast between external law and internal law. Moses was instructed to write down the laws that God gave the people. In Hebrews 8:10 God says He will write the law in minds and hearts. Let's use a modern day example. Suppose I go into a convenience store. I go to pay for my purchase and discover that the cashier has accidentally left the cash drawer open and gone away to take care of some emergency. There is $1,000 in the drawer. The state law says that if I steal I could be arrested, tried, convicted and sent to jail. This is an external law. Perhaps i can get away with the theft and no one knows who did it. The internal law is something that God has done where even if there is $10,000 in the drawer I won't take it because i believe that this would displease Him rather than show my love for Him. ( The greatest commandment) Stealing would also violate the second most important commandment of loving my neighbor as myself. Would i want my neighbor to steal my money? If not then i should not steal his money. In effect then whenever i sin I am turning a blind eye towards the law of God written on my heart, taking an eraser and wiping it away. This is lawlessness.

Spiritual Barometer

Writing to the church of believers in Colosse Paul says, "Continue steadfastly in PRAYEr, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." ( 4:2 ESV) The first believers devoted themselves to the "apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the PRAYERS." ( Acts 2:42 ESV) "And when they had PRAYED, the place in which they (note the plural) were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." ( Acts 4:31) Many more verses could be cited. I have come to believe that the most accurate barometer of the spiritual healthiness of any local congregation or similar group is their prayer meeting. A church can have great preaching but you can also find this in abundance on the Internet. There can be multitudes of people attending but many may be there for social reasons or not even be regenerate. There may be a great worship team but one can also listen and respond torecorded worship music. Am i thinking of a generic prayer group? In my experience most groups that actually come together for prayer spend most of their time discussing their prayer requests, which God already knows, and very little time actually praying. The vast majority of the prayer requests that I have heard in the past 45 years have to do with physical healing, which is ironic since much of the Church in America really doesn't believe that God still does that today or they have never seen this happen. Certainly testimonies of people receiving physical healing are quite rare. Take some time to examine Biblical prayers like those of Paul the apostle for the churches. Examples include Romans 15:13, Ephesians 3:14-21, 2 Thessalonians 3:5, Philippians 1:9-11 and Colossians 1: 9-12. You will discover a very different focus in these prayers. The type of prayer group that I am writing about meets regularly, in absolute dependence on God, and prays far more than the people talk to one another, and more in the manner that Paul prayed. How unusual this is. I have a fervent friend who belonged to a church of 500 or more evangelical believers who could get hundreds to other events but only seven or eight to a once a month prayer meeting. I personally know of another large church with a similar reality and other churches that have no prayer groups at all. Now I agree that individual prayer is crucial both for ourselves and those we care about but we show our true priorities when we have time for anything but prayer. It is hard for me to conceive that even our supremely gracious God takes us seriously when we don't seek Him. As Hebrews 11;^ says, "Whoever comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

The Church in America

In the past I have indulged myself with continual criticism of the Church in America. I confess and repent of it. In recent times i have been led to begin my daily time of intercession by praying for the Church here. The verses that convicted me on this are the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-2. "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you." (ESV) How easy it is to read over His words. The reality is that the church in America is His church, and Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:18 that "I will build my church." On the individual level it is also so easy to criticize because only Jesus is perfect; the rest of us are deeply flawed. anything that we hear or read except for the Bible has some mixture of error, and we cannot claim to intepret and practice the Scripture perfectly. Another reality is that it is far easier to criticize someone else... until we try to do what they are doing. I had a lot of criticism of pastors until I tried to shepherd God's people and learned how difficult it is. I see that i have not posted for almost two months. In this period i have tried to concentrate on doing God's will rather than writing about it. Am very thankful that He is faithful in my life. Yesterday morning I had something that I will call a vision. This is unusual for me. I saw myself standing alone before Jesus at the great white throne judgment. ( Revelation 20:11) My eyes were on the ground and I felt like the man in Luke 18:13 who cried out "God be merciful to me, a sinner" although I said nothing. I saw Jesus come down from His throne, advance toward and hug me. I wept and thought, "God is hugging me." I don't know what will happen on that day but this gave me wonderful comfort.

Discipleship or Rebellion

In Matthew 28: 18-20 Jesus tells his apostles that He has all authority and that they are to make disciples. He has made disciples of them; they are to make disciples of others. He instructs them to baptize the disciples that they make, and to teach them to observe everything that Jesus has commanded them. This passage shows that some people make disciples of others. It is not a process solely between Jesus and an individual. For a genuine believer discipleship is not optional. Was this command given only to the original apostles? Paul instructs Timothy to instruct what Paul has told him to "faithful men who will teach others also." ( 2 Timothy 2:2 ESv) Peter tells his readers to "remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandments of the Lord and Savior through your apostles." ( 2 Peter 3:2) Does the mere act of attending a "Bible believing church" and listening to the Word of God being taught on a regular basis sufficient? James says "Be doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." ( James 1:22) When we examine how Jesus ministered to his disciples or Paul to men like Timothy or Titus, we see this discipleship is all encompassing. The disciplemaker is showing through his life how the disciple can become more like Jesus. The reality that we will not be perfected in this life ( 2 Cor. 3:18) shows that the necessity of discipleship is life long. If we truly want to be like Jesus, conformed to His image ( Romans 8:29, cf. Gen. 1:26) then we will desire someone to help us. Some will go this far and want a mentor who will give them advice if they ask. A crucial difference between mentoring and discipleship is accountability. The disciples of Jesus were accountable to Him as were Paul's to him. Jesus has all authority and Paul speaks of the authority that he has been given. ( 2 Cor. 10:8, 13:10) Paul commands his disciple Titus to "declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you." ( Titus 2:15 ESV). This accountability is where most believers, no matter how mature they may be or think that they are, get off the boat. They are simply unwilling to be accountable to anyone. Now I grant that God uses deeply flawed human beings to accomplish His purposes on the earth. This is because He has no other kind to use. I also recognize that authority can be and is abused. I have experienced this personally. The command of Jesus still stands. The choice is ours. Will we submit to discipleship or be "Christian" rebels?

The Parable of the Talents

Met with a brother this morning and we looked at the parable of the talents starting in Matthew 25:14. ( In ancient usage a talent was a weight of silver or gold of approximately 75 pounds or 34 kilos) A property owner gives various sums of money ( five talents, two talents, one talent) to his servants according to their ability. The first two engage in business ( put the talents to use) and make equivalent amounts with it. The last hides his in the ground. When one examines this through the lense of 1 John 2:3, "And by this we know that we have come to know him ( Jesus) if we obey his commandments." (ESV), it appears that the first two servants truly know their master and what he wants and do it. The third thinks that he knows the master buty as the parable unfolds it becomes clear that he has a distorted image. The first two servants are commended for putting their talents to use ( Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.) The third is excoriated and punished. Even though he received the least amount of wealth to work with, he was still supposed to put it to use. I doubt that most believers are wealthy financially but we all have been given some talent or knowledge or ability. We need to use that to bless our brothers and sisters, and to minister to those who are perishing. "For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." ( 1 Corinthians 1:18) Am I, are you using the gifts and talents that God has given you for His purposes? If we look at your life as a car, who is driving? Do we want to drive ( do what we want to do) and tell God to sit in the passenger seat? Or are we willing to give Him the keys and let Him take us where He wants to go? Or are we trying to get into the driver's seat with Him and grab the wheel?

Going to Church?

Today a friend asked my counsel about a young unsaved man that he is ministering to. The question revolved around should he have lunch one on one with his friend after the church service or go with groups. Cautioning him that my response would be radical ( he knows me quite well), I questioned whether it was beneficial for him to take his friend to "church" at all. Heresy! Let's think about this. Many people nowadays have never been in a "church service." We are asking them to do something they have probably never done before, be with people they don't know, sing songs they don't know, and listen to someone talk about a Book that they have never read. Many of us are perfectly comfortable with this because we have been doing it for decades. But newcomers may not be. We then hope that the person will respond to something and that overworked and probably underpaid pastors will take it from there. While I'm sure that any genuinely converted pastor would delight in ministering the gospel to someone, the reality is that they have a thousand other expectations to meet, whether their own or that of their congregation. The pastor is the principal player in a weekly or perhaps more often major production. Where does our new "seeker" fit into that? Is there a different model? The spiritually healthiest churches that I know meet for a general gathering once a month. Unlike us however, they are in one another's lives constantly.This can be small group, one on one discipleship or more casual encounters in their homes. A close examination of Hebrews 10:24-25, the passage always used to encourage "church" attendance says to "stir one another up to love and good works," and to "encourage one another." (ESV) Would it not be more fruitful if there were many people who had been discipled to the point where they could minister to an unsaved person, lead them to Christ, and nurture them spiritually for a season, thus preparing them for the strange rituals and traditions that they would experience in a church setting? The other reality of bringing someone to church is that we are teaching them on the practical level that the act of going, which for most people is a rather passive experience, is the core or heart of Christianity. Think about it. Isn't this what many "Christians" believe, based on their actions? What about personal relationship with Christ? Both in my own life for far too long and in that of many others that i have known, their personal relationship with Christ was shaky to minimal. Here is the question that God used to change my heart. If I don't want to spend meaningful time with Him one on one in this life, why would I want to live with Him for all eternity?

Jonah

A disciple and I have been working our way through study of the so-called Minor Prophets. This week we looked at Jonah, the most well known of them all. Several themes emerged. One was the compassion of God on those who did not believe in Him nor follow His commands. Although Jonah is one of three of the Minor prophets who were in the Northern Kingdom of Israel ( Hosea and Amos are the others), he was not sent to the people of Israel but rather to the people of Nineveh, a major city of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians were infamous for their savage cruelty towards those whom they conquered, the ancient world's equivalent to Isis today. Along the way God responds to the reverential fear of the pagan sailors of the ship that was carrying Jonah away from Nineveh. The second major theme is God's extraordinary patience with Jonah. He clearly knows God's will but does the exact opposite. After being involved in a storm and then swallowed by a great fish, Jonah goes to Nineveh to preach repentance in probably the shortest sermon ever preached. "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown." ( Jonah 3:4 ESV) When they respond Jonah complains angrily to God, first for God's mercy and then that the plant which God used to shelter him has withered. ( Chapter 4) Yet after all this disobedience and ungodly anger God reasons with Jonah, asking him several questions. ( 4:4,9,11) These interchanges lead to a third theme. Jonah does have a personal relationship with God and feels the freedom to be very candid and expressive with Him. This is a good example even if the sentiments expressed by Jonah are not in accordance with His nature and goodness. The story of Jonah is also convicting. Jonah did not want to get out of his personal comfort zone. He did not have compassion on the perishing but was content with his own relationship with God. Are we not often like this? Are we not unwilling to make sacrifices of our time, energy and comfort so that God might use us to usher people into His family? Last year a pastor from Nigeria mentioned to me that the greatest sin of the Church in America was that we rarely minister the gospel other than to those already saved in our comfy church buildings on Sunday.

Wish I Had A Video

Monday morning I normally meet with two brothers to grow in Christ. This past Monday I witnessed such a rare event that I wish I had a video. Brother # 1 was expressing a viewpoint on a Biblical topic and supported his perspective by saying that there were a lot of Bible verses that supported this. Brother # 2 asked #1 to provide some, which #1 did from memory. Brother #2 then offered some verses of his own to support his perspective. Let's think about this for a moment. I have witnessed and, unfortunately, participated in a number of differences of opinion about theological matters. Far too many times this led to an unedifying argument in which each brother ( it's always men who do this) maintained his view, typically by saying things like, "The Bible says," or "God says," or "everyone knows," etc. Rarely has there been an even tempered presentation of specific Bible verses to support one's "opinion." I halted the proceedings to congratulate the two brothers on presenting specific Bible verses to support their views. It was a good example of how we should interact with one another, especially over differences in doctrine or theology. This week also had several fruitful times with individual brothers, finished the Mango language learning program and started from the beginning again. On Thursday I met with brother #1 separately and we continued in 1 Thessalonians 5. If we as believers would rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in all things both our lives and those around us would be transformed. A final thought concerning discipleship. i believe that a "bottom up" approach- making individual disciples- will yield better fruit than a "top down" approach- trying to move a whole congregation in this direction at the same time.

April 17, 2016 thoughts

Currently I am studying Portuguese with the aid of a computer program called "Mango." Mango is the source of the following item. The famous Ipanema beach which inspired the song, "Girl from Ipanema," comes from a combination of two words in Tupi, an indigenous language of Brazil, which mean stinky lake. Received quite a chuckle from that one. Of the remaining five major party candidates for President of the US, I believe that only Ted Cruz would safeguard the religious liberty of Christians. ( People of other religions receive preferential treatment in the US) When one reads the comment threads on any subject from any source on the Internet the evidence that ours is a pagan society is evidenced by the absolute viciousness of 90% of them. Of course, the anonymous nature of these comments presents the opportunity for one's true colors to shine. Regarding my last post I seem to be completely healed. The real test is when I resume walking. Reading and praying written prayers is providing a rich blessing. God has blessed me with two different books, one a kind of liturgy, and the other a collection taken from the Puritans. Continue to be amazed at how many readers of this blog are from countries that I have never visited and where I know no one. Thanks for reading. "Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin committed, as in the greatness of the Person sinned against." From "The Valley of Vision," prayers compiled by Arthur Bennett, pg. 79 pub. Banner of Truth, reprinted 2009

Crippled

Except for poor eyesight and bad teeth God has blessed me with very good health my entire life. For many years I have done a level of exercise. More recently this has become a 5.5 mile ( 9 kilometer) walk which includes a steep hill about five times weekly. Due to overseas travel and a lack of control of my schedule I have not been able to maintain this beginning in February. For about a year i have had minor, intermittent discomfort in an area just below my left knee but this has never impeded me from normal activity. On Thursday walked three miles on mostly level ground, my third opportunity in six days as i try to work back to my usual routine. Although there was some discomfort going down our long, steep driveway I completed this walk without difficulty. this was in the morning. Within two hours there was so much pain in that area that i could no longer walk but only hobble very slowly. It was very difficult to find any position where the area did not produce pain. Even during the night there was pain. The next morning I was crippled. Made an appointment to see a doctor and got in about noon. He prescribed anti-inflammatory and pain meds. Went to the pharmacy, returned home and began the regimen. Pain persisted throughout the day. Finally during the night as i was sleeping it subsided, and today I have only 10% of the pain I experienced yesterday. Had it been semi-permanent or permanent I would have had to use crutches and a wheelchair. While I understand that these bodies are not meant to last, it is striking how quickly I went from a relatively vigorous individual to a cripple who could not even walk around my bedroom. This does give me a better understanding and, hopefully, compassion for those who live in pain or are not ambulatory. New memory verses for today are Psalm 91:1-2. "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall dwell under the shadow of the Almighty. The Lord is my fortress and my refuge, my God in whom I will trust." May I trust You fully, Lord, no matter what happens.

Brazil Visit # 5 Final Post

Ah, Brazil. Unfortunately not very close to the Northeastern US. Visited five churches in five cities in five weeks ranging from the small interior town of Carangola ( MG) to the large city of Porto Alegre. Was asked to share the Word of God nine times, three in Portuguese without a translator to house groups, married couples, pastors, and three general church gatherings. Topics included women, kingdom of God, prayer, personal relationship with God, the Word of God, and depending on the Spirit. Enjoyed the usual, extraordinary hospitality, saw old friends. Ate as sparingly as my culturally driven host (esses) would allow, and except for the excess quantity would cheerfully eat only Brazilian food for the rest of my life. Had some nice walks, although not enough, and attended a conference on meeting in homes. Read some good books, in English and Portuguese. Was bitten numerous times by hungry insects eager for a "gringo" dessert and, by the grace of God, do not seem to have contracted any diseases. Finally saw a video of the ( famous in Brazil) Paul Washer and was favorably impressed. My many Brazilian "chauffeurs" graciously declined to kill me on the roads. The return journey was the usual endurance contest beginning at 11:30 Thursday morning in the south of Brazil and ending about 2:30 Friday afternoon at my home, sleepless and cranky. About half of this is actual travel, by car, bus and plane, and the rest is waiting in airports and bus stations. My Portuguese improved a little and, as usual, people said that they understood me. Unfortunately I did not understand them as well.

Brazil Visit, Post 14

Yesterday spent much of the day with a family. The dad is a chemical engineer, the mother a former dentist but now stay at home mom with three daughters. He showed me the guest quarters he is building; we talked about many things including the US elections, and i enjoyed the usual wonderful Brazilian hospitality. We also went to a supermarket, allegedly the best in all Brazil, where i bought a few items difficult to find in the US. In the evening, in stifling heat and humidity, had been asked and taught on the theme of prayer with sixteen younger adults ( 20's and 30's) in attendance. Began with Genesis 1:26 and the idea that God created humans uniquely in His image for the purpose of relationship. We traveled to Mark 12:30 where the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our being. This SHOUTS relationship. We examined the beginning of Luke 11 where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Some points we covered were "Father," ( a term of relationship) santification ( holiness) of God and His Name, "your kingdom come," ( the Lordship of Jesus in our lives), "daily bread," trusting God to meet all of our genuine needs including but not limited to the material, forgiving others as God has forgiven us ( unforgiveness is the spiritual equivalent of cancer in the physical, and protection from harm and evil, which ultimately only God can do. Other points mentioned were perseverance in prayer ( 1 Thess 3:10), the intercession of both the Holy Spirit ( Romans 8:26) and the Lord Jesus (v. 34)for us, being expressive in prayer ( Hebrews 5:7), praying Biblical prayers e.g. 2 Thess 3:5, Romans 15:13, praying memorized verses, and the idea that discipline leads to desire. ( Daniel 6:10, 9:3)

Brazil Visit 5, Post 13

Not many highlights in the last week. Am staying in the home of a very hospitable family. Weather today was mild, perhaps 70F as opposed to below freezing and snowing in my home city. We went on a "passeio," an outing which took us through the center of the city at the onset of rush hour to sit on a bench by a beach in a lake adjacent to the city, to a meal at a little cafe, and finally our return through the conclusion of rush hour traffic. Supposedly only 30% of Brazilians own cars but there is no shortage of traffic. Yesterday was the general meeting of the church, held at night. Calebe, a friend from former visits, and two of the young guys that he is discipling came to visit. We had good fellowship before he took me to his home. He is newly married and house sitting in the home of another friend. Last night after the meeting we visited the home of a man and his wife who take in abandoned youth through a government program. Currently they have six young boys. While spartan by US standards the house is spacious and has everything necessary for the boys. A different night we visited the 93 year old dad of my hostess. He has a speech impediment which him even more difficult to understand. I still lose at least half of normal conversational speech. Had several days of unidentified illness and finally was able to get the cysts on my scalp removed Saturday morning, a 2 hour process with general anethesia. They seem to be healing well thus far. Unfortunately this resulted in the cancellation of several opportunities to share with different home groups. Coming to the close of my time here. Am scheduled to talk about prayer to a group tomorrow night.

Brazil Visit 5, Post 12

As in the US there are two Brazils. One is characterized by little hole in the wall businesses, street beggars, broken buildings, a horse trying to find grass in a yard with no grass, and substantial drug use. The other has nice cars, good education, tightly secured homes, modern technology and shopping centers that would not be out of place in the US. Last night was asked if i wanted to see a movie. Normally I don't as the vast majority openly advocating things contrary and hostile to God but my friend assured me that there were three Christian movies playing. We saw one, "Risen," in the US, and titled "Resurrection" in Brazil. This is the first movie i have seen in this country. The cost was a little less than the US equivalent to about $7 and the seats quite comfortable. There was English language music playing as we entered the theatre. About half of all music one hears in Brazil, in any context, is in English. I find it fascinating that the word for advertisement in Portuguese is "propaganda." There were 2 Coca-Cola commercials, very popular in Brazil. Eventually the film began. The story involves a Roman tribune ( high ranking, socially elite officer) who is given the duty by Pontius Pilate of finding out what happened to the body of Jesus after the tomb is found empty. Although this is fictitious the plot line is woven into the Biblical account reasonably well. Unfortunately the film depicted Jesus as a mystic and His followers as befuddled, happy dudes. Today is a rest day. Went to the typical buffet restaurant for the mid day meal. Had a good time of prayer in the afternoon.

Brazil Visit 5, Post 11

During this last weekend I attended a conference. The speaker was a man who with another brother planted what is now a very large church in the city of Salvador, Bahia. They now have many other churches in their association. Despite having thousands ofcommitted people they meet almost exclusively in homes. This was the thrust of his messages, three each on Friday and Saturday, and one on Sunday. The church that i am visiting of about two thousand people has always had home groups but also regular Sunday meetings for the whole church. Recently they decided to give up their building and rent another one Sunday a month for whole church gatherings. This is possible because of the strong, healthy bonds of discipleship that most people have. Although Mario shared on many things several points stuck out to me. One was a repeated statement about depending on the Holy Spirit rather than personal abilities, and the second, somewhat surprisingly given the reputation of the church in Bahia, was an acknowledgement that disciplers must not exercise undue control over the lives of those whom they disciple. He also tackled such difficult subjects as head coverings ( individual conviction), women silent ( cannot teach the Word in mixed groups) and the role of men as heads of families. The principal passages covered were Acts 2\42-47 and 1 Corinthians chapters 11 thru 14. I was told that approximately 1300 attended. Children from 3 to 9 were ministered to separately with those younger or older remaining with their parents. On Sunday we shared communion together. Everything was well organized.

Brazil Visit 5, Post 10

Although the google blogger feature is easy enough for a technological caveman like myself to use, there is one aggravating feature. I carefully paragraph my posts but Google condenses them into one long paragraph, which must be disconcerting for readers. Last Wednesday I flew to Porto Alegre in the south of Brazil. My friend Samir picked me up, we had a quick bite to eat, and then went to the weekly prison outreach at a center for juvenile boys. There were about thirty brothers assembled, some with guitars or hand drums, and after the usual bureaucratic snafu we were allowed in. We were divided into four teams which went to different rooms. I don't know the difference but our room had about a dozen guys who looked about 15. It was ridiculously easy to enter the prison. We wrote our names and document numbers on a piece of paper but were not searched. Perhaps the reality that the brothers have been going for four years makes a difference. We gave short testimonies and then a offer of salvation was made. Many responded and were given a little book and some candy. Afterwards i asked a friend who told me that 98% of the guys had no effective father in their lives. The prison itself was bare concrete everything exceptfor a picture of Jesus on one wall, something that i am certain would not be permitted in a US government building. They did have a TV and a simulation soccer game that they could play. Sad. Then I was taken to my host's home. This is a family that I have come to know through previous visits, a blind husband, his wife, and three adult children. The oldest is a surgeon, the second an accountant, and the third is an English teacher at an exclusive English school. The second son married in the interim between my visits but the others, 25 and 30 years old live at home, which seems common for unmarried adult children.

Brazil Visit 5, Post 9

One of the most common questions that I receive in Brazil is, "Do you know (of) Paul Washer. Actually I don't but the other night my current host family played a video of his based on Revelation 20:11-15 on the judgement. This type of message is rarely preached in the US so I understand the controversy. However after listening to the video, and not going in with any particular opinion, I will say that he presented the Scripture with clarity, accuracy, and compassion. This teaching should not be neglected. The next topic is directed primarily at foreign readers who receive their understanding of the US and its people primarily through the media including music and movies. These present a very biased and distorted view of things American. Most of the Internet, newspapers, television and magazines present a leftist political viewpoint and are controlled by the elite. The few conservative outlets are rarely Christian. Many Americians do not agree with or support the values presented. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 say "And even if our gospel is veiled it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." This agrees with 2Thessalonians 2:9ff which reads, " The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." In the USA tapioca is usually thought of as pudding. In Brazil it takes a different form. It is white, very chewy, and is folded like a taco shell around various ingredients, either salty or sweet. I do not know what the auto insurance policies are like in Brazil but I observe an extraordinary willingness for the brethren here to share and offer their vehicles to others in the church, especially for longer journeys. '

Brazil Visit 5, Post 8

Am amazed at the personal sacrifices that my hosts are willing to make. After feeding me, washing my clothes, indulging my penchant for walking for exercise and many other things they are also willing to drive me long distances rather than have me take a bus. One brother did this twice traveling many hours out of his way. Another took a whole day off work to drive me to my next destination. As I have mentioned in the past driving in Brazil is no picnic. We are not cruising down the Interstate. Once again flexability and preparation are the key. Arrived in Vitoria not knowing if I would be asked to preach. About 3 hours before the meeting began I received the invitation. Thankfully God had been speaking to me about several things,and I had prayed and made notes in the morning. I spoke about the return of the Lord and about depending on the Holy Spirit in our weakness as Paul writes of in 2 Corinthians 12. Was blessed with a skilled translator although I am thankful for everyone who translates for me. Afterwards was blessed with a number of greetings and conversations with friends from my previous four visits to this city. Yesterday my host family took me to the beach. We walked along a trail through the woods in extreme heat, and then parallel to the ocean until we reached a sandy area about 100 yards wide with the ocean on one side and a lagoon on the other. The freshwater lagoon was literally like bathwater. Not very many people were there so it was very tranquil. Despite a sun umbrella, liberal applications ( i.e. plural) of sunscreen, and very little time in the sun I burned. Now my normally pinkish skin has turned red. I feel like an albino in Brazil. Today I meet other friends for the midday meal and fellowship in the afternoon. I plan to stay indoors as much as possible.

Brazil visit 5, Post 7

Last night while walking along the river in the dark my host showed me two animals that i think are called capybaras. They are nocturnal, a size of a hog and able to swim on or underwater. They were difficult to see in the trees and underbrush and I only got a glimpse before they went into the river. They must be strong swimmers because the current is fierce with recent rain. Last night I was also given an opportunity to speak to the four pastors of the church here and their wives about prayer. After giving a brief summary of my personal testimony we looked at 2 verses in 1 Samuel, ( 3:19 and 12:23) before going to the New Testament. The theme was the importance of praying for those whom they are shepherding. Today I visited the business in which my host and other relatives are involved. They take a type of vinyl that is similar to what i have seen on shower curtains and produce various items for distribution. About eighty people work there, nine hours daily and eight on Friday with a 90 minute break for the midday meal. They are paid a monthly salary. My Portuguese must be improving a little as I told 2 jokes during the midday meal today. Also resolved to have a daily time of prayer exclusively in Portuguese in addition to the others in English. Finished memorizing Psalm 23 in Portuguese. Will meet with a house group tonight with 35 or 40 people and share on the Word of God itself.

Brazil Visit #5, Post 6

Yesterday had a nice walk along the river in the center of the city. The recent rain has caused the river to flow higher but i don't know if the muddy yellow-brown color is normal. Last night I was given the opportunity to share with five home group leaders and my host pastor on the theme of depending on God. Read another chapter of Andrew Murray's book "Absolute Surrender," which focussed on the difference between independence from as opposed to dependence on God. Without total surrender we will not fully depend on God. I believe that our independence from God, rooted in sin, is the heart of pride. Prayer reflects dependence on God. We are saying that we cannot live the life that He requires on our own strength or abilities. Murray used the example of Peter prior to the Day of Pentecost as his example. Peter left all, followed Jesus, walked on water (for a little while) and was prominent among the apostles. Yet in the time of testing he denied Jesus three times. He was not yet fully surrendered to God. Denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily and following Jesus ( Luke 9:23) requires a constant reception of God's grace, power, anointing etc. Perhaps this is why we are to pray without ceasing. The men were receptive and we had a blessed time of prayer afterwards, both intense and fervent. It was a privilege for me to speak to them, and their patience was considerable as there was no translator. Afterwards my hostess had a made a very rich chocolate cake. She is a Proverbs 31 woman, always serving joyfully. One of the brothers showed me a picture on his phone of a white horse that he owns. The name of the horse. James Bond.

Brazil Visit 5, Post 5

Saturday evening the church in Carangola met in the garage of the pastor's home. He and two others played guitar to facilitate worship, and then I was asked to preach the Word, which I did about God's ardent desire to have personal relationship with us. Afterwards my host family and i went to a different part of the city and had Brazilian hamburgers which were quite good. Their sixteen month son played on a regular size trampoline with netted sides to prevent anyone falling out. Apparently a family bought this trampoline and sets it up in a cul de sac. I don't know when they started but they did not disassemble it until 11PM. The price is two reais ( 55 cents) for ten minutes. The wife of my friend said that she could make more money with a trampoline business than as an English teacher with a bachelor's degree. Sunday we went to a lake with a little restaurant and had fish and other food for the midday meal. Then we began the interminable journey to my new location of Ponta Nova. We got lost or turned around, asked for directions multiple times, had continual cloudbursts with as heavy a rain as i have ever experienced on the usual winding 2 lane country roads which, due to hordes of slow trucks (15 to 20 MPH), and constant speed bumps, make travel an endurance contest. The next time i go on a long trip by car i am going to count the speed bumps. I think there must have been a thousand.I did have the opportunity to share my testimony in Portugese, i think for the first time. Received by my new host family along with two other couples. Actually understood most of what was said. Was asked about the elections, and what Americans think of Brazil. Responded that the candidates reflect the judgment of God on the US, and that most Americans know very little about Brazil. Tonight have been asked to share the Word again and will focus on surrendering to God in the process of sanctification.

Brazil visit 5, post 4

One of my favorite Brazilian foods is called "doce de leite, or sweet milk." In its commercial form it is like a very dense pudding. Yesterday I bought the organic, natural variety which is far different, not nearly as sweet, although it tastes good with cinnamon sprinkled on top, and more of a liquid than a solid. Last night was invited to a Brazilian BBQ at a home of a Christian family. They had steak and sausage with garlic bread. One of the secrets seems to be a coarse, granular salt which the meat is rubbed in before cooking. After grilling it is sliced into little strips which people eat as they come off the grill. We had about eight adults and five children. One phenomenon which i have witnessed a number of times is that it was the pastor who slaved over the hot grill and not the owner of the house. This is a good example of servant leadership. Afterwards i shared some on the importance of prayer, particularly for married couples as this group were all married. Many years ago i read that only 1% of Christian couples in the US who pray together regularly ever get divorced whereas in the general population as many Christians as nonChristians divorce. As I have mentioned in previous visits 90% of the translators that help me are doing this in public for the first time. They have some level of English but have never actually translated for someone. Last night God blessed me with a far more skilled translator who eventually told me that I did not need to pause so often. Today we return to Espera Feliz for the midday meal, and later return for the general meeting of the church where i have been asked to preach the Word again.

Brazil Visit 5, Post 3

Tuesday was a long miserable day of travel beginning at 6/30 in the morning and ending after midnight. Now I had prayed for suffering the day before along the lines of 1 Peter 4:1. "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking because whoever who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." Unfortunately the stress of travel was probably not what Peter had in mind when he wrote the verse. Madrugada is the word in Portuguese for the time period between midnight and sunrise. This happens to be Brazilians favorite time of the day. I am staying in a small city ( Carangola) in the interior of the state of Minas Gerais. ( General Mines). Carangola lies in a little valley surrounded by hills and steep cliffs. This is my second visit. I think that Carangola has more dogs than people. I counted eighteen on my walk this morning. The streets in this neighborhood are quite steep providing very good exercise as I chug along behind my 29 year old friend Thiago. It is summer here so quite hot. I am not adjusted as it is winter in the US. The roosters crow early, and they with chickens, cats and dogs roam the streets looking for food. The family with whom i am staying has a sixteen month old boy who can already do things on a cell phone, plug a cord into the wall, not to mention continual movement. Two nights ago i went to a "grupo caseiro," ( house group meeting. A brother named Gilberto shared on the theme of tribulation. Last night we went to a neighboring city called Espera Feliz, where i was asked to teach on the kingdom of God. Apparently this made considerable impact, obviously the work of the Holy Spirit. This morning we walked to an open air market, held every Friday, and Thiago purchased vegetables and other fresh items. A little river winds thru the town and we walk over many old bridges. My Portuguese slowly improves but often I don't get the details. Tonight I am asked to speak to a group of married couples.

Brazil Visit 5, Post 2

Takes a little longer with each trip to adjust. Slept a lot on Saturday. Weather turned warmer, probably close to 90F today. was blessed with the opportunity to visit the little church plant in Salto Pirapora this morning and share the Word of God. The name of this city refers to a type of fish found in its streams which is then salted, or was. The group is small with about five men, ten women or teenage girls, and about fifteen younger children. I had been asked to speak on the theme of women as Brazil celebrated International Women,s Day today, which we do not have in the US. After a few introductory verses showing equal worth and value for women, we looked at the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel chapters 1&2 noting her perseverance in prayer, humility, that she kept her promise to give her first born to the Lord should He give her one, which meant that she would see her son only once a year, and the nature of her prayer recorded in chapter 2, verses 1 to 10. That this prayer, one of very few from a woman in the Bible, was recorded for all future readers, is a great honor for Hannah. What is further remarkable is that nowhere in this prayer does she ask God for anything. The entire prayer is proclaiming who God is and what He has done. Saturday had lunch with two of the young guys who are renting the little studio apartments in the back. One was born of Brazilian parents but lived most of his life in Greece, returning to Brazil three years ago. The other seemed to know quite a lot about animal husbandry, of which topic the conversation revolved. I got the gist although not the details with 4 guys speaking quickly at once. Tonight i watched a video of a different church in the same city that my host was the pator of. I am a little confused with the chronology. Am reading a book edited by Ravi Zacharis consisting of essays by his staff, titled "Beyond Opinion." Heady but valuable stuff. Can't help contrasting it with the people today about whom James wrote in chapter 2, verse 5. "Listen, my beloved brothers, how is it that God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of this world to be rich in faith, and to inherit the kingdom that God has promised to those who love Him."

Brazil Visit 5 Post 1

Yesterday at 7 in the morning began my marathon journey to Brazil and arrived at my destination about mid day today. I prefer not to describe all the waiting and traveling. I do not "travel well." Was welcomed by my first host family in the state of Sao Paulo. As always Brazilian Christians give extraordinary hospitality. Discovered that considerable progress has been made on the two little apartments begun during my last trip. One more month should find them finished. My host said he thought my Portuguese had improved some. Glory to God. By grace this family provides almost total immersion. Even when i spoke in Portuguese to my seat mate on the plane to Brazil, she, a Brazilian, responded in English. The weather is mild, perhaps 70 today, much better than the 19 degrees when i awoke Thursday morning. On the drive from the airport in Sao Paulo to the interior we followed a winding canal for many kilometers which had a little muddy light brown water. The canal divided multi lanes roads going in opposite directions. God is convicting me about ministering the gospel to those who are perishing.I have no excuse. I need to pray for His compassion for them every single day. 1 John 5:16 speaks about a sin that leads to death. As I recall the commentators think that this is either the unforgiveable sin against the Holy Spirit or murder. Today another possibility struck me. If we do not minister the gospel to those whom God has put in our path, and they perish, have we not committed sin that leads to their eternal death. I recognize that this raises all sorts of theological debate re predestination etc. and in no way do i insist on this interpretation but it does raise the question for me. In any event i need to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.

Are We Just Kidding?

Recently i have learned of the following: A church in Kenya which regularly has entire nights devoted to prayer, and whole weeks of prayer and fasting. Read a biography of Leonard Ravenhill, the former British preacher and evangelist and his multiple hours of daily prayer for revival. Discovered the secret of the spiritually healthiest Christian church that I know of personally, located in Porto Alegre, Brazil. One of the two co-founders and pastors has risen at 4AM every morning for the past (50) fifty years for hours of prayer. In forty-five years of life in Christ I have participated in exactly 2 whole nights of prayer, and only 4 times have fasted for a week or more, and i suspect that i am unusual in even that much. The church in the US has well educated leaders who construct carefully nuanced sermons to people who in many cases consider going to a building (including homes)on Sunday, singing a few songs, listening to someone preach, and going home the central core of their faith. We are willing to debate doctrine but relatively unwilling to discipline ourselves for sustained prayer, either individually or in groups. I can find people to go to restaurants but not many to intercede. In retrospect the failure of the house church movement with which i was associated in New England ( 20 groups over 15 years) was that we talked too much and prayed too little. Even when churches have prayer vigils or meetings they are normally poorly attended, and people spend far more time describing their needs than praying about them. Jesus prayed all night. ( Luke 6:12) Paul prayed night and day. (1 Thess 3:10) Epaphras struggled in prayer for the Colossians. ( Colossians 4:12) We are told to "continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." ( Colossians 4:2)Although God has caused me to ramp up my prayers in the last several years, I am convicted that there is far more that I could do.

Comfort Zone Test in Ireland

In the US, and also in Brazil, there is a concept known as the "comfort zone," ( zona da conforto). The comfort zone is the things that we feel comfortable in doing, which means that we have a considerable amount of control over the environment (including the people) around us. We do what we want and don't do what we don't want to do. However this idea conflicts with the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the lives of true believers. Consciously or unconsciously we want to share the throne of our own lives with Him. But Jesus will not share the throne with us, nor should He. A simple test of who is on the throne, and how significant His place is in our lives is when we are taken out of our comfort zone. This can easily happen while traveling. For example, under normal circumstances I control my diet and exercise regimen. While traveling, as i stay in other people's homes, I eat what they give me. ( This often results in constipation) I exercise on their schedule, which often means that I don't. While traveling home from Portugal my itinerary involved a long layover in Ireland. The reasonably priced hotel proved to be a considerable trial. The lights only worked in a manner completely foreign to me, involving putting my room key card into a slot on the wall which resulted in approx. 3 minutes of light before they abruptly shut off again. Try doing this at night after having made a trip to the desk to learn how they functioned. Even diagonally the bed was too short and felt like a slab of rock. The one blanket was too short and the heat in the room could not be adjusted. A sleepless night resulted. Went to the airport 2 hours early, and went through innumerable checks and verifications. Got lost searching for the gate. Thankfully people speak English in Ireland. Went through US Customs in Ireland, which i had not previously experienced having always gone through Customs here in the States. Boarded the plane, waited half an hour on the tarmac, went aloft in my little prison for 7 and a half hours. ( I am too big for the seats) Typical crying babies, and people in various stages of communicable sickness all around me. The in flight entertainment system was virtually unworkable as usual. Luggage was slow, caught the bus to the big bus station, tried to get my phone to turn on, took the wrong exit at the subway, reoriented, dragged my suitcase ( I am no longer young), purchased a ticket to Springfield, the departure gate changed 3 times in 15 minutes, boarded the bus, more sick people and crying babies- singing works sometimes- finally reached my penultimate destination, thankfully my friend was waiting, and snow began to fall on our 45 minute car ride to the house. This morning I had to confess my frustration, anger, failure to minister the gospel etc. amid seeing just how shallow my Christianity can be.

Portugal # 7

The following are observations of various things pertaining to Portugal. The stature of Jesus with arms out wide, mentioned in a previous post, stands on a huge edifice. The total height is approximately that of a 40 story building. On the highways there is a safety measure i have seen no where else. There are a series of V shaped arrows on the pavement at approx. 50 yard intervals. The sign on the side of the road says that to maintain only one interval is dangerous and two is safe. These are repeated every 20 kilometers or so. ( 5 miles = 8 kilometers) With few exceptions houses in Portugal do not have central heating. The only heat is supplied by portable electric room heaters, or on one occasion a small fireplace. While there have not been any temperatures below freezing there have been many days in the 40,s or 50,s F so I find myself wearing five layers of clothes. What they did before electricity i have no idea. Today I was with 2 brothers. We went into a very small antique shop, with 3 small tables and elderly chairs. They had coffee, a type of expresso in a tiny cup, and I had seltzer water. An unusual combination of cafe and store. The windows in the house in which i am staying are protected by a metal sheet with a few perforations. An apparatus with a type of strap is used to raise or lower this device. Every bathroom contains a bidet in addition to the toilet. I still have no idea of their purpose; perhaps i would not want to know.

Portugal #6

In recent days have traveled to other parts of the country. Monday went to the interior about one hour and fifteen minutes from the coast. Visited a city whose spelling i am unsure of that had been the residence of the royal family when Portugal still had one. A republic was proclaimed there in 1910. The town is small but dates at least from the times of the Romans. About a dozen pillars are left from an ancient temple to Diana, mentioned in the book of Acts with regard to the Ephesians. We had a meal with a family that had recently moved there. They live in a little hobbit type dwelling right off a square dominated by an old Catholic church. The following day went north along the coast. This time my host was a native of Portugal who lives in the same town in which he was born. He took me on a tour after we had eaten in a Brazilian buffet type restaurant. The beaches were striking but the wind was cold. Afterwards we went to his home where his wife served us dinner and we watched their soccer team play one from Russia. The major difficulty with this type of ministry is the unending, culturally based imperative that every host and hostess has to shovel as much food as possible into me. I have tried every possible approach to try to persuade them that I simply cannot eat enough for three or four people but nothing works. Of course i do not wish to offend or hurt their feelings but this does get tiresome.

Portugal # 5

This weekend has finally slowed down enough to post. Friday evening was invited to the home of a couple with a almost 4 year old boy. ( His birthday is today) Enjoyed the time with them and another couple from the church here. It seems that it rains every day here, whether a mist or a downpour. I am probably getting the wrong impression of Portugal as a dreary, wet place when in fact it receives over 300 days of sunshine per year. At some point went to a mall whose stores hves primarily English names like "The Athletes Foot," "Wink," "Blueberry," and "Jumbo," the last named similar to a Walmart. Saturday evening was asked to share again, which i did on the importance of prayer. I spoke to one living room of people with a second Skyped in. I met a young man named Victor who speaks English fluently although he has never visited an English speaking country or, to my knowledge, taken a class. The secret as with several other young men of my acquaintance in Brazil, is a very early and heavy dose of English language cartoons, video games etc. Today was more formal preaching with a suit and tie, introduction, sitting in the front row etc. Even though I don't see the reason for this, I respect those who do. I am finding that the Portuguese spoken in Portugal is more similar to Spanish ( the two countries share a long common border) than it is to Brazilian Portuguese which uses many different words for the same thing and pronounces them differently. Thankfully i had a good and some what experienced translator. I have already broken in at least 3 new ones on this trip. Spoke again about the importance of a growing personal relationship with God through Christ. Although I could potentially teach about many other topics, this is the one that I believe that God keeps impressing on me. Prayed longer and more often in preparation than I usually have in the past, and judging from the response by some of the people, the Holy Spirit moved in people's hearts. Today's memory verse is Hebrews 1:3 "He (Jesus)is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high." (ESV)

Portugal #4

Over the last several days traveled to the Algarve, an area along Portugal's southern coast, and back. One major difference between Portugal and most of Brazil is that the former has good multi lane highways, which are not busy. Anderson, the pastor of the church here and I, along with two young adults, traveled down Thursday morning. We were met by a Portuguese brother named Joao, who led us to a little cafe hidden away in Lagos that only locals would know about, which had superb hamburgers for a reasonable price. Afterwards we went to an area ofcliffs hollowed out by the wind and surf. Anderson\s son Paulo and I descended a series of steps to the beach. On our return I counted 194 steps. Eventually we went to the home of Miguel where a portion of the church had gathered. They played one worship song from the Internet on the TV screen. Then I was asked to preach. In recent days I have been powerfully affected by the Holy Spirit to seek the Lord in a more determined and sustained manner so I spoke about knowing God. The greatest commandment ( Mark 12\30 reflects this as do many other verses. ( Phil 3\8, John 17\3) If preaching is proclaiming and teaching is explaining, then God has me doing a lot more preaching these days. This morning we had breakfast with Joao and his family, and then a second repast with a brother Christiano and his wife. I was asked to pray for a number of individuals. Thankfully I have some facility to do this in Portuguese. On your way back we traveled through a lot of farm and grazing land. Unfortunately I am ignorant of this and although i can identify a cow or a sheep, I don't know what is being grown or planted. Today\s new memory verse reallychecked my approach to prayer. Hebrews 5\7 says that Jesus prayed with loud cries and tears, and was heard because of His reverence. (ESV)

Portugal # 3

God is good| He is drawing me into His presence by giving me an intense hunger for personal time with Him in prayer. Confession, intercession, praise, and intimacy are such a blessing. Yesterday went to another city and met with a pastor named Samuel, a former missionary to Mozambique, whom I had met in Brazil. He and a group of his elders and leaders gathered together. I shared with them onthe prayers of Paul for the churches. His son Andre translated for me although I kept gettingexcited and bursting into Portuguese. Was very difficult to understand the European Portuguese accent which is very different from Brazilian Portuguese. Later that night saw a recent movie about the life of Jesus. The actor portraying Him seemed too casual to me, almost like a hippie, instead of a Man coming to preach and suffer for the Kingdom of God. Am continuing to read, much more slowly now, a biography about Leonard Ravenhill, a British evangelist and preacher of revival. One of the many quotes of his from the book resonates strongly with me. We don't pray for revival because we are content without it." How stunningly true. Portugal does not seem very different than Brazil to me so far. Perhaps slightly more affluent. The other night visited a brother in the hospital who had suffered a heart attack. I had met him in a business people's conference in Brazil. Had an opportunity to both pray for and read part of Psalm 1 to him. He was released later that night. The previous night shared about the love of God from the perspective of God decisively proving His love for us through sending Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins.

Portugal # 2

I am adjusting to Brazilian culture again through the Brazilians that i am with in Portugal. Five or six meals a day instead of three, always taking photos, talking with animation and staying up late are some common characteristics. I need the excitement to get out of my normal staid life. This morning we went to Belem ( Bethlehem) a neighborhood of Lisbon. We crossed the 25th of April bridge, which resembles the golden Gate in San francisco although not as wide because it crosses a river instead of a bay of the ocean. We parked opposite a huge monastery, apparently still in use, after passing by the Presidential palace guarded by two men with antique uniforms and swords. We also walked by the river and saw a monument dedicated to early Portuguese explorers, and an ancient tower, which used to guard the city. We saw the outside of a museum dedicated to those who fought in the tragic effort to preserve Portugal's overseas colonies, principally Angola, during the same period in which the US was fighting its equally tragic war in Vietnam. We walked along a wall with thousands of names of soldiers who had died in the war. Have had a joyous day reading the Bible in English ( 2 Thessalonians), Portuguese ( in 2 Chronicles), reviewing Bible memory verses, preparing a teaching on the love of God, and most of all praying. The biography of Leonard Ravenhill, which i am reading now, speaks eloquently and powerfully of the importance of seeking God and entering His presence. The Word of God is anointed; we need to be anointed to use it.

Portugal : 1

. Thursday morning at 11 in the morning began my travel to Portugal. One car ride, one bus ride, one subway ride and one flight later i arrived at the Dublin, Ireland airport at about 5 in the morning. Ten hours would elapse before my next flight. Although this was the least expensive ticket that I could find, somehow i have to plan better the next time. Part of the problem is putting a 6'3"frame in an economy plane seat for an extended period. I have never been able to sleep on planes. To my surprise all the signs in the airport were in both Gaelic and English. Although i understand that the original language of the country was Gaelic, I did not think it was being used much anymore. But at least they speak English. As is probably the case in all airports, having a captive audience means high prices for everything but i did have a box of high protein energy bars. Finally at 3 boarded the flight to Portugal and arrived in Lisbon a little before six. My friend Anderson and his young adult son Paulo met me at the airport. Originally from Brazil, Anderson was sent out as a missionary eight years ago. Now God has blessed him with a church of both Brazilians and Portuguese. I will meet them and preach on Sunday. We had a good conversation in Portuguese as he took me to the home of two Brazilians who lived in the US for many years who have now emigrated here. Danilo and Dayane speak good english although I prefer to practice Portuguese. I was exhausted and went to bed early. Today Anderson came and we went for a little sightseeing. They live across the broad Tagus river from Lisbon in a suburb. There is a huge edifice surmounted by a statue of Jesus resembling the famous one in Rio de Janeiro. I don't know how to guess heights but i think maybe 300 feet in all. We also had beverages in a little cafe hewn out of the side of a cliff overlooking the river. The temperature was 55 or so, clear until evening when rain began to fall. Am reading a biography of Leonard Ravenhill, the British preacher and evangelist. It is already impacting me. He wanted to be known as a man of prayer before anything else.

Comfort Zone

Recently I was praying and God showed me the primary reason that He wanted me to go to Europe and South America was to get me out of my personal "comfort zone." In the US I understand the language and the culture. If i need to go somewhere He has given me a car. If I need to communicate there is a phone. I eat the food that i want and set my own schedule. I am not dependent. When i travel i often don't understand what is being said in Portuguese, don't pick up on the cultural cues, am dependent for transportation, food, lodging etc. Often I am the tail wagged by the dog. I need to be flexible with people who don't think or do things the way that I do. However God uses this reality to work in me in a different way than He does here. Similarly a short term missions team often does not know the language or the culture or have skills relevant to the place and people that they visit. The real work of God is in those who go especially if they travel to a poor country and see the difference between our hedonism, affluence and entertainment driven culture and that of people focused on survival. Our human tendency is to crave comfort and ease. One of our common sayings in leaving someone is, "Take it easy." Or we say, "Don't work too hard." Yet we see Biblically that God does not promise things will always be "good." In fact the Scripture says, " Through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God." ( Acts 14:22) Crisis can bring us much closer to God than smooth sailing.

Dust

As far as I know there is no practical use for dust, unless, for some reason, a person wants to sneeze. We sweep up dust, put it in the garbage and throw it out. Yet God sees value in dust because He chose to make humans from dust. Genesis 2:7 "Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground..." (ESV) How humbling, even humiliating that we should be made of garbage. How astonishing and incredible that we are the only part of God's creation made in His image. ( Genesis 1:26,27) Abraham says that he is dust and ashes. ( Gen. 18:27) Job says the same. ( Jb 30:19) Yet God loves supremely the creatures He has made of dust. Psalm 103:13-14 indicates that He has compassion on us because He knows that we are made of dust. Ecc. 3:20 is one of a number of Scriptural references saying that we are dust and to dust we shall return. But God demonstrates His love for us in the most decisive way possible- by sending Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ( Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:10) ! Corinthians 15:49 says, "Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven." Does this not express the love of God to us? We who were of no value whatsoever were valued by God with the highest price ever paid for anything- the blood and life of His Son. As I reflect on this i am both humbled and awed, and very, very grateful.

Holy Desperation

As a teenager i read the complete works of Henry David Thoreau. One of his more famous sayings was that men lives lives of quiet desperation. This morning two brothers and i read a passage in Mark 9 about a man whose son was being tormented by a demon. The man had approached the disciples of Jesus while He was on the mount of transfiguration but they could not help the father. After Jesus descended the father approached Him. "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." (v. 22b. ESV) Jesus replied, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes." (v.23)The father cried out, "I believe. Help my unbelief!" This man was desperate. He could not alleviate the condition of his boy nor could the disciples. Jesus was his last hope. In times of crisis we will try anything that might possibly help us. Often it is these times of crisis, when God can get our attention, that He can work most powerfully in us. But what about when times are good? If we learn and follow Biblical principles we can avoid many issues and problems in life. We are tempted to say, as King Hezekiah did, "There will be peace and security in my days." ( Isaiah 39:8b ESV) We need a holy desperation to go beyond the comfortable life that many Christians live in North America to cry out to God for deeper, more profound relationship with Him. we cannot be satisfied with the crumbs beneath His table when He has a feast waiting for us. "O taste and see that the Lord is good!" ( Psalm 34:8a)

Another Species of Idolatry

The following post is something that i have contemplated writing for several years. A recent story about a turkey finally sent me over the edge. First, a reflection on idolatry. Ephesians 5:5 reads. "For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater)has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." (ESV) Colossians 3:5 reads in a similar fashion. Now in the Old Testament idolatry typically meant worshipping some inanimate object. ( e.g. Isaiah 44:9ff)In the New Testament the definition is expanded to include anything that we might covet. Coveting is a heart condition indicating something that we desire more than God. Thus anything or anyone can be an idol. In Genesis 1:26 and again in 1:27 God says that humanity is made in His image. The Bible does not say this about any other part of God's creation. In fact it says, in the same passage, that mankind is to have dominion over the rest of the creation, including the animals. Having read the Bible numerous times I see no place where it indicates that animals have souls or are redeemable in the same way as humans can through the obedience, righteousness, death and resurrection of Christ paying the penalty for our sin and rebellion. Now about the turkey. The other day i read a story, complete with photos, of a full grown turkey traveling with a person on an airplane as an official "comfort animal." Apparently way back in 1986 the US Congress passed a law saying that humans were permitted to bring animals with them in the seating area of planes if some mental health professional certified that this was beneficial to the well being of the individual. Many years ago animals were sedated, put into protective containers and traveled ( I believe) in the baggage area of jetliners. I have seen small dogs travel with passengers more recently. Now we have turkeys. They are given free seats of their own next to their human companion. I suspect that a majority of Americans don't have a problem with us even though animals could bite, urinate or defecate on other passengers, or even pass on illness. This is idolatry. I appreciate that dogs and maybe even cats have some ability to respond to and give affection to humans but they have nowhere the same capacity as other humans. I walk a five and a half mile route most days. Most of the people on my route have at least one dog. I am routinely challenged and sometimes menaced by these beasts every day as i walk peacefully down the street. And yet I am sure that hardly any owner thinks that their dog is a problem. In Matthew 6 Jesus says, "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (V.26 ESV) In Matthew 12:12 Jesus asks, "Of how much more value is a man than a sheep?" (ESV) I suspect most North Americans, including many who identify as Christians, would disagree.

Hunger for the Word of God

In my first twenty years of Christian experience, I did not have a hunger for the Word of God. I went to church and heard sermons regularly and attended weekly Bible studies. I heard what other people had to say about the Scriptures but had little interest in discovering for myself. Some years I would read a chapter of Proverbs a day, but after two decades had not read the entire Bible through even once. Through devastation in my personal life, God changed my heart. ( Proverbs 5:14) He gave me a ravenous hunger for His Word that had not left me almost twenty-five years later. A mentor encouraged me to read the entire Bible over and over. This counsel I have followed in several languages and over several decades. I hope to keep doing this until I pass to the next life. I testify that there is inexhaustible treasure in His Word no matter how often or how long that we have read or studied. Currently I am reading the gospel of John in the New Testament (and 1 Kings in the Old.) Two verses stood out to me. In John 7:7 Jesus is talking with his (half) brothers and says, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil." Despite all the times that Jesus fed or healed or delivered people from demons, He was still hated because He did not compromise the truth. He did not "tolerate" evil. This is not Jesus meek and mild. This is the Creator of the universe rebuking His creation. In John 9 Jesus heals a blind man. The man is called to testify before the religious leaders who despise and throw him out. Afterwards Jesus finds the man and asks if he "believes in the Son of Man?" ( v.35) Upon understanding who Jesus truly is the man says, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him." It would be the height of idolatry for a Jew to worship a mere human so this statement shows that the formerly blind man received a true revelation of who Jesus is. His belief immediately produced the response of worship. It is so easy to read over these things. Does our belief in Jesus produce spontaneous worship? This morning studied 1 Peter 4:12-19, a section about the reality and rewards of suffering persecution for the sake of God, with a disciple. Many Christians around the world have experienced genuine persecution and suffering for their faith. How many North American Christians are prepared to do the same?