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 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 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.
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.
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".
Acts 5, continuing on the theme of the selling of property for the common good, tells of a man called Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, who sold a property. However with his wife's knowledge Ananias kept part of the money and put the rest at the apostles' feet. Peter however perceived what had happened and said to Ananias he had not lied to men but to God! Immediately Ananias dropped dead! 3 hours later Sapphira came in not knowing what had happened and Peter confronted her with her deceit and lies when he perceived that she was traying to sustain the lie, and she also dropped dead bringing great fear upon the whole church. Then the apostles' ministry continued with signs and wonders and many were added to the church. People lined up the sick in the streets so that at least Peter's shadow could touch them and the sick and demon possessed were brought in from neighbouring places and all were healed. This generated jealousy amongst the Jewish religious leaders and they arrested the apostles and jailed them, but during the night the angel of the Lord released them! They then went and taught the Gospel in the temple courts and the Sanhedrin was called to discuss the matter as they were shocked by the apostles' prison escape. Then the Sanhedrin complained that the apostles continued to preach Jesus so they replied, "We must obey God rather than men... Jesus, who you killed, God rose from the dead and exalted him to his right hand... and the leaders were furious and wanted to kill the apostles. However a Pharisee called Gamaliel asked for calm and advocated the apostles' release... and his speech persuaded them to release the apostles with a flogging and they left rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer for the Name.... and they never stopped preaching the Gospel!"
