September 20

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This is one of the 1st histories of the Bible we learn. It reminds us about mercy, charity, hospitality... Love among foreigners... It leads us to think about mankind...

We are so many, around 7 billion! God loves each one of us. We are very important on the same way to God!

You must balance the certainty that you are important to God and that others are importante too!

Why sometimes are we so cruel?

To show mercy and kindness goes beyond giving food, taking care of wounds...

Why do we ask God to be like Him and don´t react as He would do?

In the parable, Jesus used three different men to teach us.

Those three men were able to help the wounded man...

The priest

He was the mediator between people and God.  Almost a "saint"! But he did nothing. When Jesus came, He the perfect mediator, set us free to access God! And nowadays, all of us are priests. (See Revelation 1:5-6, 1 Peter 2:5)

The levite

Levites were the singers, the musicians, the guards, the bakers... All who werved in the temple or tabernacle. So, all of us are levites, because we are called to serve!

And the samaritan?

Samaritans and Jews were enemies. The first ones were considered unworthy. But Jesus used a Samaritan to teach us that "status" is not important!

The priest and the levite did nothing. And God expects from us faith, but faith together with acts.

Decide today to be kind, nice, to gift someone, to call someone instead of waiting for a call...

Decide to greet people wishing for real the grace and Peace of Jesus!

Decide to look like Jesus and act like Him!

Decide to love!

 

By Ana

 

September 13

Luke 7: 37-50

Matthew 26:13

 

Why what that woman had done is going to be told?

 

Jesus wants us to listen to the gospel.

Jesus wants us to show our love for Him!

Jesus wants us!

He wants our love, our lives...

Why people are so concerned about public demonstration of love for Jesus?

People care about what other people will think...

How is your heart when you come to church?

Do you come with a broken heart?

Do you come willing to surrender, to praise Him, to pour on Him your love, your best perfume?

How much does public opinion weights on your worship?

Take courage and say: - I don´t care!

 

 

 



 

 

By Pr Poliana

September 6

"Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.

But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it." Matthew 7:13-14

 

There are two groups: a group of many and a group of a few.

In which group are you?

The first group is going to destruction. They are going towards destruction.

They are living their lives.

They chose this way because the gate is larger... It´s easier! They can go whatever they want, say the words they wish, walk with people that take them away from Jesus...

 

The second group is composed by those who are walking to life.

Only a few!

Because the gate is narrow! To go through this gate people must search for God and be free from their sins and bad habits. People must put some things behind...

The Holy Spirit is the one able to transform us in order to go through the small gate.

 

Nowadays, we see lots of people saying that they want Jesus and His salvation but living a life completely different from what Jesus requires.

We must fear God! We must take God seriously! Jesus is coming back!

Deuteronomy 12:1-7.

God was instructing people. There are some attitudes we must take. Christianism is for the strong! Not for the weak or timid!

If you don´t destroy some things in your life, you are going to be destroyed!

Matthew 19:16-26

It´s impossible from ourselves to leave behind what we need to leave! But with God is possible!

There´s something for you to do!

You must choose!

 

What God had to do He has already done!

What do you have to do to enter heaven?

We have our excuses...

Sometimes we think we are good enough, holy enough...

Ask: "- God! What do I still lack?"

At first, you may feel sad for leaving behind some habits... But believe in this promise:

 

"Jesus said, Truly I tell you, there is no one who has given up and left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for My sake and for the Gospel’s Who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life."

 Mark 10:29-30

 

By Pastor Poliana

 



August 30

Seven years of Gethsemane English Ministry!

For another year we were together ...
So much happened!
Not only was the time who passed ...
We rejoiced and weept, prayed, suffered, celebrated, made war and testified, TOGETHER! 
Together we were victorious!
Yes, in everything we were victorious because our victory is

 the victory of God's will!
Therefore, our anniversary celebration could not be different!
It was a celebration marked by the presence of the Lord!
In moments of prayer,

 

when praising and worshiping,

 

  

when listening the calling to take our place,

 

being exhorted to commit ourselves with the Kingdom of God,

 

in moments of gratitude for life,

 

 

thanking God for  the miracles He has performed in our midst!

Glory to God!
Let us be thankful!
Let us be grateful to God for the privilege of knowing Him

and the opportunity to serve Him!
Let´s recognize that over this past year, as in previous, we were together every Saturday and in other activities of the ministry, not by our individual skills and talents, but because the Lord so wished.
He has been pleased with us!
May Jesus continue helping us to stay in the center of His will!
May God keep on revealing His plans to us!

May the Holy Spirit help us to obey Him fully!

Let´s keep our hearts and never fail in understanding that everything, absolutely everything, is Him and for Him!
May God bless us!

 

August 23

"On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.
  Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
  After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."

Acts 4:23-31
Don´t be dismayed in your Faith!

Stretch out your hands!

Stretch out your hand and see power!

See miraculous signs!

 

"Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is rightly called the Great Power of God."
They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.
But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money
and said, "Give me also this ability
 so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Acts 8:9-19

He was using magic, not the power of God. He was a sorcerer . 

Nothing is for free!

Someone paid the price for something you received for free.

 

"Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me." After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages." Acts 8:20-25

 

Repent!

God is interested in your heart!

If you want to see signs of heaven, think: how is your heart?

Ask for forgiveness, because you want many things but sometimes your life with God is miserable!

Pr. Poliana

 

Bible Reading

August 16

Hebrews 3 and 4

 

Do you need to rest?

God was explaining to you that you need to rest.

The Jews used to rest on the seventh day.

But God was instructing people to rest today!

Everyday is today!

Everyday is time to rest in the Lord!

Your salvation comes not from you, from your effort.

It´s done!

Jesus said that it was done!

No work for you!

You don´t need to do anything spiritually speaking.

It´s not because of you, but because of His grace.

 

"For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed." Hebrews 4:2

 

You sing: "- I believe!"

But if you don´t combine it with Faith it won´t do nothing.

 

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1

 

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

 

You must believe!

 

"So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." Hebrews 3:19

 

You need to be built up in Faith!

 

Faith is the key to enter the rest of God!

 

 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

 

We can rest because the Lord worked hard!

 

Nobody works and gives up on his vacation for other to rest in his place!

But Jesus did!

He worked hard till the point of dying for us to rest in His place!

 

 

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." Hebrews 3:13-15

 

Surrender to His voice!

Everything you do is not for salvation!

Salvation is real because of God´s grace.

Everything you do, you do because we understood His work.

Because you love Him!

 

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed —not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence —continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

Phillippians 2:12-13

It´s God who works.

It´s not by your own work!

You must let Him work.

You want to do things. But God is saying: "-Rest!"

 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

You don´t need to sacrifice!

 

Pr. Poliana

Hebreus 3:13-15