November 3rd

WHAT´S IN YOUR HAND?

Pr. Lobo

 

Exodus 4:1-5

"Moses, answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff", he replied. The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. The the Lord sair to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. "This," said the Lord, "is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has appeared to you."

MOSES STAFF!

That´s what Moses had in his hands.

And that represented three things:

The staff represented who he was!

A sheperd!

What are the responsibilities of a sheperd. (Psalm 23).

A. (Psalm 23:1) "The LORD is my sheperd"

1. A good sheperd gives the sheep a sense of belonging.

2. He should know his sheep.

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me" (John 10:14). Note the word "know" is the same word used of the intimate knowing of a man and his wife.

3. He should know them by name.

"The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." (John 10:3)

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord,", he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said. "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." (John 21:15)

What he had!

Usually that was all the shepherd got;

Was lonely;

Sometimes poor;

God wants to use you!

Who are you?

What´s in your hands?

Ecclesiastes 9:10

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are oing, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

Ephesians  1:22; 16:17,18

"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,"

Colossians 1:16-18

"For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all thingss, and in him  all things hold together. And he is the the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."

Ephesians 5:23

"For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

Mark 16:17,18

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

SO, BEFORE THESE THINGS, 

WHAT SHOULD WE BE AND 

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

HIS ARMS THAT REACH!

HIS HANDS THAT HEAL!

HIS FEET THAT WALK!

HIS MOUTH THAT SPEAKS!

IT´S IN YOUR HANDS!

October 27th

Living By Faith

Pr. Poliana

"...but the righteous shall live by his faith."

(Habakkuk 2:4b)

To live by faith is to believe in what God says about Himself.

• Philippians 4:12
• Daniel 3:12-18

To live by faith is to consider Him faithful who had made the promise.

To believe He keeps every promise He ever makes.

• Hebrews 11:1
• Habakkuk 2:2

To live by faith is not living according to what  we see.

• 2 Corinthians 5:7
• Hebrews 11:27

Living by faith is to:

• Hope against hope (Hebrews 11:11).
• Be strong in weakness (Hebrews 11:34).
• Be joyful in difficult times (Psalm 30:11-12).
• Live in peace (Philippians 4:7).

• Have you been disappointed by life?
• Have you been devastated by circumstances?

• Cry to the One Who will never let you go.
• He is able to do above and beyond anything we could ever ask or think (Jesus).

" For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nod depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

(Romans 8:38-39)

Now, listen to the song "The Promise" and let the Holy Spirit speak to you.

October 20

WHO IS JESUS FOR YOU?

Pr. Lobo

Matthew 16:13-18

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter anwered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." "

ROMANS

• Jesus was not a threat;
• Jesus was not important;
• Jesus was condemned;

GREEK

• Jesus was a poor lunatic.
• Much less important than any philosopher of their time.

PHARISEES

• Jesus was a threat;
• Jesus was a farse - simply the Nazarene (Despicable)!

PALESTINIANS, JEWS

• Jesus was the king who would save them from the oppression of Rome;
• The one who would give back the glorious days of King David.

BUT SOME SAW HIM DIFFERENTLY!!!

Luke 18:35-43

A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight

"As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”   He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted  all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and  ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus  asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to  see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your  faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God."

^{LUKE 8: 44-47}

^{The Sick Woman - Jehovah Rapha - The Healer}

^{“She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched   me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has  gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could  not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In  the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.”}

MATTHEW 8:5-13

The Faith of the Centurion

^“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.”

JESUS IS

IN THE BOOK OF ISAIAH:

• WONDERFUL COUNSELOR;
• MIGHTY GOD;
• EVERLASTING FATHER;
• PRINCE OF PEACE.

IN THE GOSPELS:

• THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIGHT;
• HE IS THE SON OF GOD;
• WISDOM OF GOD;
• THE LOGUS - WORD WHICH BECAME FLESH;
• THE KING OF KINGS;
• THE GREAT I AM.

IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION:

• ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE BEGINNING AND THE END, THE FIRST AND THE LAST;
• BRIGHT MORNING STAR;
• LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH;
• THE ROOT OF DAVID.

FISHING AND THE BIBLE

Mark 1:16-20

Why God chose to use fishes, fishing and fishermen to teach us?

Thinking about the oceans, forgetting for a while the lakes, rivers... And more, thinking just about the fishes... The diversity is almost unbelievable! This variety reminds us about human diversity! Meditate about the examples bellow:

• Different sizes

 

0,05 meters

   

15 meters

• Different appearances - colorful and discrete

• Different behaviours - peaceful and agressive; popular and lonely

 

All these different fishes live there together in the oceans...

So different but yet so the same!

As we humans...

And more: there are many fishes swimming around, quietly, not afraid about the darkness of the sea, ignoring the dangers of the ocean they are living in... 

How do you fish? Fishing methods

Hook and line

• A safe way. You don't need to go into the water, even wet your feet. To catch the fish you don't need to be exactly where it is.(Likewise, you can reach a soul far from you.
• The fish hooked in the mouth feels minimum pain. (If you reach someone the right way, suffering will be minimum.)

• What about the bait? There are lots of baits: artificial, natural... Each fish requires an specific bait. (Think about that "big fish" you want to fish for Jesus...Ask Him, and He will give the right strategy to succeed.)

• Be careful fishermen! Stay alert with Puffers! These fishes seem to be heavy but actually they are full of air like a balloon. (People like Puffers claim to be full of the Holy Spirit but they are empty inside.)

Nets

• You must go into the water, at least up to your waist. (You must go closer to the person you have to reach for Jesus.)
• You can fish alone, in pairs or with more people. (The way you are going to fish is up to God.)
• Tend to hold everything in its paths, making no distinction between fish and other things, like animals, plants, garbage... (Jesus used this to illustrate the end times: Matthew 13:47-50)

Harpoon

• Requires more training: you must learn how to dive first. So you will need to go down the waters. But you can't forget to rise to the surface and breath or you will die.(You need to go down, in other words, approach somebody where this person is. It can be very dangerous. You can't forget where do you belong, otherwise you will die spiritually.)
• It is more difficult. But the most tasty and big fishes live in the deepest parts of the oceans. (You will need greater spiritual maturity, because you will be closer to the enemy.)

So, are you ready to be a fishermen? Are you training? Are you ready to face the most difficult and odd situations?

""Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people"."

(Mark 1:17)

(Briefing of the message shared by Ana.)