Yesterday morning at our traditional church, I was meeting with 4 new Christians and telling them the stories of John the Baptist’s baptizing, The baptism of Jesus, the command of Jesus to tell the good news about repentance and the forgiveness of sin in his name, and the great commission passage. When we dismissed, an 11-year old boy I will call “W” came to me and told me that he wanted to be baptized too.
I asked him why. He said “It’s the only way. It’s the only way things will change.” I asked him what needed to change. He said. My family is always fighting, everyone. It is horrible. No one cares about anyone and no one is ever happy.
I’d been to his house several times last year, during evangelistic visits. His home is a shack with two rooms, a dirt floor, a tin roof, and 12 beds, stacked like bunk beds. There is no front door, so they put a board up at night. The floor is dirt.
Well, I asked W if he wanted to follow Jesus. He replied that he believes that Jesus is the son of God who was sent to save us, but that he wasn’t sure if he could believe because his family didn’t.
God put Gideon’s story on my heart and so I told it to W, from Judges chapter 6. In the story, Gideon knocks down his father’s Baal alter and cuts down the post-idol and cuts it up for firewood to give a burnt offering to the Lord. The next day the people of the region want to kill him, but Joas, his father had a change of heart and sided with Gideon and sent the people away.
I told W that his faith and obedience to Jesus even when his family is not following Jesus could be just what God uses to call his whole family to repentance. He said I will be baptized and be like Gideon, I will follow Jesus no matter what they say. I hope I can help them follow Jesus too.
We get the baptistery again on April 11th, and plan to baptize 6 more, including W. We’ve baptized 10 in February and 3 in March. Fun to watch God at work.
Showing posts with label high city. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high city. Show all posts
March 22, 2010
March 17, 2009
The family from São Paulo
This morning we had our first home meeting with the couple from São Paulo. There were ten people present, including me and all are Christians. After 8 weeks, probably only four of this ten will remain and the others will begin a similar work in their neighborhoods. (During these 8 weeks the families will learn together how a home worship service works and each couple will have an opportunity to lead once or twice. After each family feels comfortable with the way meeting in homes works and feels they will begin to reach out primarily to lost people on their street.)
One thing that happened is that as we began, I introduced this family to the others who had come from our church. As we began the prayer time, three families soon realized that they were all involved in taking care of an invalid family member over a period of years. It was the first time they'd been able to talk about the burden and difficulty freely. The Holy Spirit enabled these three families to minister to one another and encourage each other in a way that none of them had experienced before. Our prayer and sharing time lasted 50 minutes!
Each person, at the end of our time together made a specific commitment to obey Jesus this week. These were the statements, as I remember them.
One thing that happened is that as we began, I introduced this family to the others who had come from our church. As we began the prayer time, three families soon realized that they were all involved in taking care of an invalid family member over a period of years. It was the first time they'd been able to talk about the burden and difficulty freely. The Holy Spirit enabled these three families to minister to one another and encourage each other in a way that none of them had experienced before. Our prayer and sharing time lasted 50 minutes!
Each person, at the end of our time together made a specific commitment to obey Jesus this week. These were the statements, as I remember them.
- I watch too much TV and don't pray enough. I will make a commitment to pray for a time before I turn on the TV each day. I will not turn on the TV without spending time in prayer first.
- There is a man that works across from my house. I am going to learn his name and tell him about Jesus before Thursday.
- I am going to pray daily at 4:30 in the afternoon.
- I will begin my day by reading something from God's word. You can ask next week how many mornings I was able to do it. I hope to say seven.
- I will pray for your mother and for you as you take care of her.
- I will tell my neighbor about Jesus tomorrow morning.
- I will pray every night at 10:00pm.
- I am going to tell my friends at school what I learned from the Bible each week.
January 11, 2009
It never happens the way you expect.
Thursday I returned to the small town and Saturday we did home visits in the high city.
We went to the home of the woman who takes care of so many children. We'd planned on beginning a short evangelistic story set, but when we arrived we saw that she was not well. She'd been sick and wasn't able to receive us in her home. She came out to the street and asked us to pray for she and her mother and the children. We prayed and then left, a little disappointed that we weren't able to start evangelizing.
Sunday morning she brought the children to our church and sent them up stairs, where Loaise was leading the children's service. She came up to me after the service and said. "I know that you are right, I want to be baptized. Come again to my house on Saturday and you can tell the Bible stories to my family."
In the other home we visited on Saturday, I pleaded with a young man to give up his drunkeness and drug use so that he could follow God. He smiled and was polite, listening to the stories from scripture we told, but as we finished, he made it to the crack-house before we got back to the church. The next day, two women from the home came to our service and said. "You are telling the truth, we want to hear more."
May God give the harvest.
We went to the home of the woman who takes care of so many children. We'd planned on beginning a short evangelistic story set, but when we arrived we saw that she was not well. She'd been sick and wasn't able to receive us in her home. She came out to the street and asked us to pray for she and her mother and the children. We prayed and then left, a little disappointed that we weren't able to start evangelizing.
Sunday morning she brought the children to our church and sent them up stairs, where Loaise was leading the children's service. She came up to me after the service and said. "I know that you are right, I want to be baptized. Come again to my house on Saturday and you can tell the Bible stories to my family."
In the other home we visited on Saturday, I pleaded with a young man to give up his drunkeness and drug use so that he could follow God. He smiled and was polite, listening to the stories from scripture we told, but as we finished, he made it to the crack-house before we got back to the church. The next day, two women from the home came to our service and said. "You are telling the truth, we want to hear more."
May God give the harvest.
January 5, 2009
A neighborhood that needs Jesus
Saturday we returned to the same area of the high city. We made a number of visits, and I was able to tell stories in two of them.
One interesting visit. A father was having trouble controlling his six-year old son so he picked him up and held him. It looked like they were playing for a minute, until the father screamed and dropped his son on the ground and swatted him in the face twice making his nose bleed. He then lifted up his own shirt to reveal a pretty serious looking bite mark.
Wow. We stood there for a minute, not sure exactly what to say.
In another home there was a woman who takes care of her children, her sister's children, and her neighbor's children. All together there are 9 or 10 of them. They live in extremely humble conditions.
In another visit, I was able to tell the story of Christ's death and resurrection. I'd been telling through a number of stories at this house. As always, more first time visitors came. The most interesting was a man in his 50's, drunk on cachaça (a brazilian moon-shine). He interrupted the story 3 times asking us to pray for Jesus, so he wouldn't get too hurt in the crucifixion.
In all of these families (broken families and blended families) there is poverty, there is illiteracy, there are relatives in jail, there are addictions to drugs and alcohol, there is violence, and there is sexual sin. There is also a yearning to escape and an attraction to Jesus.
Pray for us as we continue to bring the message of Jesus into the homes of these families.
One interesting visit. A father was having trouble controlling his six-year old son so he picked him up and held him. It looked like they were playing for a minute, until the father screamed and dropped his son on the ground and swatted him in the face twice making his nose bleed. He then lifted up his own shirt to reveal a pretty serious looking bite mark.
Wow. We stood there for a minute, not sure exactly what to say.
In another home there was a woman who takes care of her children, her sister's children, and her neighbor's children. All together there are 9 or 10 of them. They live in extremely humble conditions.
In another visit, I was able to tell the story of Christ's death and resurrection. I'd been telling through a number of stories at this house. As always, more first time visitors came. The most interesting was a man in his 50's, drunk on cachaça (a brazilian moon-shine). He interrupted the story 3 times asking us to pray for Jesus, so he wouldn't get too hurt in the crucifixion.
In all of these families (broken families and blended families) there is poverty, there is illiteracy, there are relatives in jail, there are addictions to drugs and alcohol, there is violence, and there is sexual sin. There is also a yearning to escape and an attraction to Jesus.
Pray for us as we continue to bring the message of Jesus into the homes of these families.
November 10, 2008
Rain ... and showers of blessing
Usually is does not rain much here in November. It has been raining every day. I was even kept from going to the small town this week due to a storm.
Saturday, however, even in between the rain storms, we were able to go to the high city and visit the man who received Christ last week. This time his girlfriend was there. As we entered the house she began to cry and say, "We need God in this house." I asked her if she knew Jesus and she said, "No, I don't think I do." She cried again and said that she needed God's help, because she can't beat the drugs on her own.
I remembered the story from Luke 7:36-50 of Jesus in Simon the Pharisee's house. I told that story of how the sinful woman went in and bowed down behind Jesus and cried at his feet. Her tears wet his feet and she kept drying them with her hair and pouring out expensive perfume on them. I told her that her tears reminded me of the tears of that woman who cried, because she discovered that Jesus was the one who could free her and forgive her.
She wanted to know about this Jesus. I told her other stories of Jesus and his teachings. I told stories of Jesus for about 45 minutes. I asked her if she wanted to believe in him and receive his forgiveness. She said she wanted to, but needed God's help to believe. We prayed for the family. and went to another visit. The youngest boy didn't want us to go. He threw a rock and hit one of our team members in the neck.
Here is a picture of the man and woman.
The next day, unexpectedly, they came to our church and sat in my Sunday school class. I told the stories of creation and the fall. The woman looked at me when a sign up sheet was passed around and said, "I can't read or write, would you put my name on the list?" She'd never heard these stories before. She asked us to pray for her to have the strength to believe in Jesus.
I can't be sure, but I think that between the sunday school hour and the worship service, when she went out, she got high. During the worship, she didn't seem "there." Pray that this whole family can come to Christ.
Saturday, however, even in between the rain storms, we were able to go to the high city and visit the man who received Christ last week. This time his girlfriend was there. As we entered the house she began to cry and say, "We need God in this house." I asked her if she knew Jesus and she said, "No, I don't think I do." She cried again and said that she needed God's help, because she can't beat the drugs on her own.
I remembered the story from Luke 7:36-50 of Jesus in Simon the Pharisee's house. I told that story of how the sinful woman went in and bowed down behind Jesus and cried at his feet. Her tears wet his feet and she kept drying them with her hair and pouring out expensive perfume on them. I told her that her tears reminded me of the tears of that woman who cried, because she discovered that Jesus was the one who could free her and forgive her.
She wanted to know about this Jesus. I told her other stories of Jesus and his teachings. I told stories of Jesus for about 45 minutes. I asked her if she wanted to believe in him and receive his forgiveness. She said she wanted to, but needed God's help to believe. We prayed for the family. and went to another visit. The youngest boy didn't want us to go. He threw a rock and hit one of our team members in the neck.
Here is a picture of the man and woman.
The next day, unexpectedly, they came to our church and sat in my Sunday school class. I told the stories of creation and the fall. The woman looked at me when a sign up sheet was passed around and said, "I can't read or write, would you put my name on the list?" She'd never heard these stories before. She asked us to pray for her to have the strength to believe in Jesus.I can't be sure, but I think that between the sunday school hour and the worship service, when she went out, she got high. During the worship, she didn't seem "there." Pray that this whole family can come to Christ.
September 17, 2008
Practice
Last night Loaise and I went to the high city again, to a home we have not been to before. We ended up telling a cluster of Bible stories to 8 Christians. This group was planed to be an evangelistic group with more non-Christians than Christians. The weather was bad, and I think that was a factor.
I told 3 stories from Luke.
Jesus tells the story of the pharisee and the tax collector Luke 18:9-14
Jesus and the rich religious leader Luke 18:18-27
Jesus and the rich tax collector Luke 19:1-10
These stories work well together because the two men that Jesus meets in the second two stories represent almost perfectly the two men in the parable he told. Luke probably planned it that way as he wrote the gospel.
Since the evening ended up being just a meeting of church members, I modeled once again how to tell a story from scripture and ask questions to help people think through the story. Hopefully these two families in the high city can evangelize a dozen or so people in their homes.
I told 3 stories from Luke.
Jesus tells the story of the pharisee and the tax collector Luke 18:9-14
Jesus and the rich religious leader Luke 18:18-27
Jesus and the rich tax collector Luke 19:1-10
These stories work well together because the two men that Jesus meets in the second two stories represent almost perfectly the two men in the parable he told. Luke probably planned it that way as he wrote the gospel.
Since the evening ended up being just a meeting of church members, I modeled once again how to tell a story from scripture and ask questions to help people think through the story. Hopefully these two families in the high city can evangelize a dozen or so people in their homes.
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