Evangelism

Please pray for all our constant evangelistic endeavours. We have a team evangelizing the Patos market every Saturday morning and another team evangelizing the men's prison every other Wednesday. Then we have a team evangelizing at our school every Wednesday and another team evangelizing the rural area of neighbouring São Mamede on Mondays. We also have 2 ministries of radio evangelism with one at Imaculada up in the mountains and the other at Flores in the state of Pernambuco. And all this evangelism goes together with Gospel tract distribution and Bible distribution. May many yet this year come into the Kingdom! 🙏🙌

The Brazilian presidential election finished without incident and surprisingly incumbent President Lula was re-elected with 51.79% of the second round vote and his opponent Flávio Bolsonaro received with 48.21%. 

Bible Bytes (5): Be examples to the Flock

"Be shepherds (pastors) of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers - not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock". (1 Peter 5:2-3)

May God help all of us pastors to be servants! May God help us to be humble and not lord it over anyone! May God help us to be examples!

Bible Bytes (4): Serve others administering God's Grace

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms". (1 Peter 4:10)

Serve others! Serve God!

Bible Bytes (3): Calling your husband Master

 "They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master". (1 Peter 3: 5-6)

When I pointed this scripture out to Liz I won't tell you her comment! 😉 Culture bound concepts need to be carefully handled. Take for example Deuteronomy 21:18-21 where the killing of a rebellious son is advocated! May God give us humility and wisdom in Biblical interpretation and application. 

Bible Bytes (2): The Precious Cornerstone

"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious stone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame". (1 Peter 2:6) 

Peter says that we in Christ are like living stones being built into a spiritual house, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, with Jesus as the capstone... the precious cornerstone. Praise God for being part of Christ's living stones spiritual house where the Holy Spirit is constantly present. 

Board Meeting

Yesterday Liz and I took part in an excellent EAB Trustees Board Meeting online. 

In Patos we cancelled the planned Saturday service owing to constant power cuts and owing to the political tensions with 2 opposing candidates' parades on the eve of the election at the time of the service.

Today is the deciding round of the presidential election so I'll be going to vote shortly. We should have the result tonight. The final opinion poll gives Senator Flávio Bolsonaro 51% and President Lula 49% which is maintaining the same percentages as in the first round. Never has a candidate in second place in the first round won the second round, so everything points to a Bolsonaro victory.

QPR beat Swansea 5 x 0 yesterday at home! 🙌😂 

The EAB AGM Celebration went very well yesterday despite the bad stormy weather, and a surprisingly good crowd turned up despite the climate. I am told that Amy and Philip spoke well and that David Fiddy's participation was a blessing too. Thank you to everyone who supported the annual event, especially Dave Flowers who led the worship despite having just been in hospital for a week with severe asthma. 

Bible Bytes (1): The Word of the Lord stands forever!

"Men are like grass and their glory is like wild flowers... the grass withers and the flowers fall... but the Word of the Lord stands forever". (1 Peter 1:24) 

We're not eternal brothers and sisters, and our energy is fragile... but the Word of the Lord stands firm and resolute come what may... for all eternity... so trust in the Lord always!