EAB's report magazine - edition 92 - for November 2019 is on the way to you by regular mail if you are on the mailing list. If you would like a copy and are not on the list please do let us know.
You can read it now online at:
http://eabrazil.org/2019/10/30/intouch-92/
Thursday 31 October 2019
Wednesday 30 October 2019
Thursday 24 October 2019
Census & Nazarite Vow
I will shortly be off to the Bible study, moving into Numbers tonight, with the 2nd year in the desert census of Israel to start with, and then the Nazarite vow. If you are interested in following our journey through the Bible Key Stories then the schedule we are following is https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/chronological
Sunday night's service was quite hard going with numbers down owing to public holidays and people away, but with the sermon came the breakthrough for which we praise God.
On Monday I received a series of phone calls from the state-wide TV Paraíba station wanting to do a report on Green Pastures. This I agreed to so the following day I spent the entire morning on this with filming, interviews etc. It should be broadcast in the following days and I will post a link to it here if possible.
The church youth are having a fellowship and fun day at Green Pastures today as it is yet another public holiday here!
This Saturday we will be preaching at the Princesa Isabel church's 79th anniversary service and for Sunday we will be back in Patos.
Sunday night's service was quite hard going with numbers down owing to public holidays and people away, but with the sermon came the breakthrough for which we praise God.
On Monday I received a series of phone calls from the state-wide TV Paraíba station wanting to do a report on Green Pastures. This I agreed to so the following day I spent the entire morning on this with filming, interviews etc. It should be broadcast in the following days and I will post a link to it here if possible.
The church youth are having a fellowship and fun day at Green Pastures today as it is yet another public holiday here!
This Saturday we will be preaching at the Princesa Isabel church's 79th anniversary service and for Sunday we will be back in Patos.
Sunday 20 October 2019
Up in the Mountains
Yesterday I preached the Gospel up in the mountains at the 54th anniversary service of the EAB/ACEV church there, which was founded by Albert Mundy and Frank Dyer in 1965. What a privilege to carry on this work for God!
The service was good with the local pastor a bit in awe of the occasion at first but he then relaxed and the band from our nearby church at Matureia was a real blessing, with much praise with regional rythms which I love. The church seems to be going well there under their new pastor Maesio.
Tonight I will be preaching in Patos at our main weekly service on Psalm 91:1-2. The Lord gave me this word under a tree at Green Pastures a few days ago. If you read the text you might see the connection.
During this week we ministered to various people on a personal basis. This work in unending. One brother had had a hernia fixed so we visited him and his family. We visited many others too. Deaconess Josinete is well recovered from her motorbike accident.
The Bible study went well as we concluded Leviticus with the Year of Jubilee. What a statement that is of God's concern for social justice, care for the poor and opposition to the accumulation of wealth. In the "Key stories of the Bible" series we have now covered Genesis, Exodus, Job, and Leviticus. Numbers here we come and counting!
The service was good with the local pastor a bit in awe of the occasion at first but he then relaxed and the band from our nearby church at Matureia was a real blessing, with much praise with regional rythms which I love. The church seems to be going well there under their new pastor Maesio.
Tonight I will be preaching in Patos at our main weekly service on Psalm 91:1-2. The Lord gave me this word under a tree at Green Pastures a few days ago. If you read the text you might see the connection.
During this week we ministered to various people on a personal basis. This work in unending. One brother had had a hernia fixed so we visited him and his family. We visited many others too. Deaconess Josinete is well recovered from her motorbike accident.
The Bible study went well as we concluded Leviticus with the Year of Jubilee. What a statement that is of God's concern for social justice, care for the poor and opposition to the accumulation of wealth. In the "Key stories of the Bible" series we have now covered Genesis, Exodus, Job, and Leviticus. Numbers here we come and counting!
Monday 14 October 2019
Children's Day Special Service
This Sunday we turned our entire main Sunday service into a Children's special service and packed the church out in the bargain! It was wonderful. The thing is that October 12th is Children's Day in Brazil (it is the national patron saint day too but we don't believe in that) so as we have 51 Sundays for adults why not at least one for adults? All our church kids came of course, plus kids from a very poor borough we work in and a coach load of kids from the part of Patos south of the river where we have our school. The kids had the front seats (rows galore) and the adults had to fend for themselves at the back. What was extra good was the fact that many mums came to church for the first time and loved it!
There were lots of children's songs, puppets, Liz spoke and at the end there were snacks for all the kids. Praise God for much good seed sewn in many lives.
There were lots of children's songs, puppets, Liz spoke and at the end there were snacks for all the kids. Praise God for much good seed sewn in many lives.
Thursday 10 October 2019
Thursday night is Bible Study night
I spent all morning preparing for the Bible study tonight in Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement, but before going into this I picked up from last week's Leviticus 11 (with all the rules and regulations about what you can and cannot eat) and prepared a few rounding off thoughts about this as related to all the polemics this generated in the early church. I have Gordon Wenham's commentary on this which is excellent and very helpful.
This afternoon I have spent more time in God's Word - mainly in 1 Corinthians - aided by Gordon Fee's brilliant and long commentary which I also have. I am totally convinced, together with Fee, that the key word "head" in 1 Corinthians 11 means "source" and does not have an hierarchical sense. Thus, verse 3, for example, means "The source of every (Christian) man is Christ, and the source of the woman is man (remember Genesis 2), and the source of Christ is God (the incarnate Jesus)". I also understand the "head covering" references to be culturally relevant matters two millenniums ago which are not relevant today. This is an extremely complex text so I refer you to Fee if you have difficulties with it.
I must just say that it is so refreshing to spend a whole day in God's Word and recommend to all young people going into Christian ministry and work that they build up a personal library of at least one good scholarly evangelical commentary for each book of the Bible, as well as having the single volume New Bible Commentary for briefer, but good, quick checks and reference for the entire Bible. If you're going to end up, like us, in the middle of nowhere working for God you will need such reference books.
Now it's time for prayer, a shower, something to eat, and then off to the Bible study.
This afternoon I have spent more time in God's Word - mainly in 1 Corinthians - aided by Gordon Fee's brilliant and long commentary which I also have. I am totally convinced, together with Fee, that the key word "head" in 1 Corinthians 11 means "source" and does not have an hierarchical sense. Thus, verse 3, for example, means "The source of every (Christian) man is Christ, and the source of the woman is man (remember Genesis 2), and the source of Christ is God (the incarnate Jesus)". I also understand the "head covering" references to be culturally relevant matters two millenniums ago which are not relevant today. This is an extremely complex text so I refer you to Fee if you have difficulties with it.
I must just say that it is so refreshing to spend a whole day in God's Word and recommend to all young people going into Christian ministry and work that they build up a personal library of at least one good scholarly evangelical commentary for each book of the Bible, as well as having the single volume New Bible Commentary for briefer, but good, quick checks and reference for the entire Bible. If you're going to end up, like us, in the middle of nowhere working for God you will need such reference books.
Now it's time for prayer, a shower, something to eat, and then off to the Bible study.
Monday 7 October 2019
EAB 81st Celebration went well
Thanks to the 59 people that went to EAB's 81st Annual Celebration despite the "British weather"! I have been told by different people how moving Marian Rashleigh's message was. It was especially appropriate that she was the speaker as a Board member and having just got back to the UK 2 days before the service having spent 2 weeks with us in the work here. So thanks to all who went and who support the work of God here in the interior of north-east Brazil.
Liz and I sent a video message with Marian to the service as we were preaching at a village called São Vicente do Seridó that night. The service was a terrific blessing.
We ask your prayers for a serious problem we are facing again but which I can't mention here. Those of you that have known us for some time might be able to imagine what it is as we often asked prayer for this dangerous issue in churches in the UK before. Please pray for us.
We have been busy counselling different ones and preaching the Gospel. Last night's sermon entitled: "Love is a matter of life or death" (based on 1 John 3) was clearly a blessing to many. In the midweek Bible studies we are plowing on through Leviticus which is not the easiest of books and certainly not everyone's cup of tea!
Last week I felt led of God to go and minister to some people in jail so this I did. It was moving to be hugged by one guy after I had shared from God's Word and prayed for him. I ministered to another person as well but I can't give details, but it would make your hair stand on end if I could! Thank you for your prayers and support.
This Saturday is Children's Day in Brazil so on the Sunday the main service will be entirely for children. Watch it online if you can. I reckon the church will be at bursting point!
Liz and I sent a video message with Marian to the service as we were preaching at a village called São Vicente do Seridó that night. The service was a terrific blessing.
We ask your prayers for a serious problem we are facing again but which I can't mention here. Those of you that have known us for some time might be able to imagine what it is as we often asked prayer for this dangerous issue in churches in the UK before. Please pray for us.
We have been busy counselling different ones and preaching the Gospel. Last night's sermon entitled: "Love is a matter of life or death" (based on 1 John 3) was clearly a blessing to many. In the midweek Bible studies we are plowing on through Leviticus which is not the easiest of books and certainly not everyone's cup of tea!
Last week I felt led of God to go and minister to some people in jail so this I did. It was moving to be hugged by one guy after I had shared from God's Word and prayed for him. I ministered to another person as well but I can't give details, but it would make your hair stand on end if I could! Thank you for your prayers and support.
This Saturday is Children's Day in Brazil so on the Sunday the main service will be entirely for children. Watch it online if you can. I reckon the church will be at bursting point!
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