Curral Velho 36

Last night we got home very tired but rejoicing having preached at the 36th anniversary service of our church at Curral Velho (Old Cow Pen) which is led by Missionary Tica and her husband Ramos. Curral Velho is a small town with a population of 2,292 which is 149 km west of Patos taking a drive of 2 and a half to 3 hours to reach. It was a lovely service.

Just before we arrived at the church a local lad was drowned in their lake and a man burst into the church with the news! A minute's silence was held at the beginning of the service.

On the previous day the Curral Velho church baptized 4! 3 were young teenagers plus 1 young Mum! Praise the Lord!

Pastoral Meeting

Last night Liz and I had an excellent pastoral meeting with Pastor Rafael, Pastor Murilo and Missionary Sacha to discuss different aspects of the work in the Patos church. 

This morning I took another school on a nature trail at Green Pastures, and later I am going to preach at Curral Velho.

QPR won away to Blackburn 2 x 1 today and are in 4th place in the Championship. 😃

Acts 9 (résumé): Saul's Conversion

 Acts 9 tells us that "Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples" as he planned the further imprisonment of Christians. As he neared Damascus a light from heaven flashed, he fell to the ground, and Jesus asked why he was persecuting him? He then told him to go into the city where he would be told what to do, but Saul had to be led because the bright light left him blind for 3 days. God then organized it for Ananias, who had serious misgivings about helping Saul, to go and heal Saul and be God's instrument through which Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized. Saul then spent several days with the disciples in Damascus and he preached in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God, and people were astonished! Hence the Jews planned to kill Saul but they they lowered him to freedom through a basket in an opening in the city wall. When he got to Jerusalem many believers were afraid of him, but Barnabas took him to the apostles and told them what had happened, and Saul stayed with them and spoke boldly in the name of the Lord, and the church enjoyed a time of peace and grew in numbers. Peter travelled around and was used by the Lord to heal a paralytic named Aeneas in Lydda. In Joppa a dedicated woman always helping the poor died, but Peter went there and God used him to raise her from the dead. 

Acts 8 (résumé): The Church persecuted and scattered

Acts 8 starts by telling us that Saul was present at Stephen's death and approved it. Then a great persecution of the church broke out and Saul went from house to house putting the believers in prison. Those that were scattered by the persecution preached the word, and Philip was greatly used of God in Samaria proclaiming Christ with signs following. One man who was converted in Samaria was Simon the Sorcerer who had had a large following thanks to his magic. When the apostles realized the move of God in Samaria they sent Peter and John who prayed on those baptized so that they received the Holy Spirit. Simon then tried to buy the gift of imparting the Holy Spirit which Peter rebuked telling him to repent! Then an angel told Philip to go south to the desert road where he met an Ethiopian eunuch who had been worshipping in Jerusalem. Philip ran alongside his chariot and asked him if he understood what he was reading from the prophet Isaiah chapter 53 and he said no and welcomed Philip in the chariot so that he was able to share with him about Jesus. Soon they came to water so Philip baptized the eunuch who went on his way rejoicing after Philip had gone. 

Bible Study

Last night I led the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible Study and Pastor Rafael gave the final study on the Book of Zephaniah. The praise was led by Louisa and her husband Tiago helped by Espedita and Vasti. It was a nice service. 

I finished yesterday my summary of the first quarter of the Book of Acts covering the first 7 of 28 chapters. Stephen has just "fallen asleep" having been stoned by a violent crowd "approved by Saul/Paul".

This morning I took a group of 60 students aged 15, from the Cristo Rei Catholic School where our granddaughter Beatriz goes, on a nature trail at Green Pastures teaching them to care for creation. It was a lovely morning full of opportunity. Whilst there I both saw and heard Red-Cowled Cardinals, Caatinga Cacholotes, White-naped Jays, Campo Troupials and Chalk-browed Mockingbirds. 

Acts 7 (résumé): Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin

Stephen was asked by the Sanhedrin whether the charges against him of blasphemy were true? So Stephen commenced a long theological and Biblical reply: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me!... God appeared to our father Abraham... so he left the land of the Chaldeans... and God sent him to this land... and promised that his descendants would possess the land... and he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision... and he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him... Isaac became the father of Jacob who became the father of 12 patriarchs... because they were jealous of Joseph they sold him as a slave to Egypt... and much later in a famine our fathers sought food from Joseph... and there in Egypt our people grew a lot... and Moses was preserved by God and God revealed himself to Moses through a burning bush... and was chosen to lead Israel out of Egypt... through the Red Sea... but they ended up worshipping a golden calf... but our forefathers had the tabernacle made as God directed Moses and it remained in the land till the time of David... but it was Solomon who built the temple... but God doesn't live in houses made by men... Heaven is his throne... you stiff-necked people... you are just like your fathers... you always resist the Holy Spirit... you received the law but failed to obey it!" So the leaders "gnashed their teeth at Stephen... but he was full of the Holy Spirit and saw the glory of God... and he said I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God... and the Jews rushed at him and dragged his out of the city to stone him... and while they were stoning him Stephen prayed Lord Jesus receive my spirit... Lord don't hold this against them... and he fell asleep".

Acts 6 (résumé): The choosing of the Seven

With the growing number of believers inter-cultural tensions arose concerning the social work of the church as one group of widows felt they were being neglected in the daily food distribution. Therefore the 12 apostles organized a meeting with the believers in order to improve the administration of social action as they didn't want to neglect the preaching of the Gospel because of this. Hence they decided to chose 7 men full of the Spirit and wisdom, and they chose Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas. Thus the number of disciples grew rapidly, including a large number of priests. Then Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin where he was accused of blasphemy, but "his face was like that of an angel".