Bible Course

PRESENTATION

2006-11-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hometown Church
by T.Kinkade

If you ask me why I began to write and post this course I have a simple answer: I owe too much to my Lord. At the age of 50, I din't loose yet my passion to follow the thoughts the Holy Spirit fills in my heart. I have been doing this to glorify Jesus Christ, the only son of our Father, the true andLive God. I believe in the promisse of Isaiah 53:10-13, that the word of God has power for itself. Even thoug I come to die some years ahead, the words I have typed here will remain for many decades speaking to hearts of hundreds, thousands and who knows: milions!

I will not write teologicals fundaments, but practicals things I learnt and felt during this 32 years of faith, that certainly you will not find at any book. They are my idiosyncrasy.

I leave teology to others teach you. I will just write things I heard fron the second generation of brazilian pentecostal protestant pastors, that by their time, listened to the first missionaries that came to Brazil from Sweden. The kind of leadership we have today, the third an fourth generation have not the same vision as the first ones. Unhappily.

Now my favorites verses: Fillipians 3:13-14 "... but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Pray for me. Mailto me: j.cruzue@yahoo.com

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WHAT IS THE BETTER RELIGION

2006-11-26T04:34:00.000-08:00

The Garden of Prayer
T. Kinkade

People are looking for God since the principle. There is a special space within every woman and man that was planned by the "Great Architect" to be the God's dwelling. Therefore man is so fixed for religions. There are thousands of religions in this world, the great ones are: Christian, Moslen, Budhism, Hinduism, Thaoism, Atheism, Jewism etc. Not necessarily in this order.

All of them assure that explain the truth. But may not be so. Religions are made by persons, men and women. How much efforts, money and advertising they use to spread them, more it will be their reaching and growth. But not one of them is perfect. Besides that, there are many teaching streams within each one. For example: christians are catholics and protestants; Muslins are xiits and sunits. All off them may have from two to a vaste range of understandings.

I will not be far from the truth, if I say people are killing each other since the beginning in the name of some religion. Therefore they are not perfects. They should bring us peace, but paradoxally, they can not avoid the war.

I was teaching within a protestant christian view. I know its mistakes, what it preached and what it is done. I am also aware that it is not different among other religions, because everyone of them are guided by men and women, persons able to mistake.

Now, at the age of 50, I have my idiosyncrasy about religions. That shall not be so different from the other conscious and sincere persons. For this reason I will leave some teachings I learnt, below.

1 . There is a God. A Supreme and Highest being that planned, created and care over all things. Some religions believe that there are dozen, hundreds, thousands of gods. Christians, Muslins and Jews believe that there is only one God. His name is "Jehova" for jewish and christians and "Allah" for muslins. If we think that heaven shall be a place full of peace, I might understand that it will only be possible to only one God.

2 . There is only one life Muslins, christians and jews believe that we have only one life to live. Then, comes the death of the body. I have seen that, almost all other religions teach that you can die and born so many times. Particularly I believe this is a dangerous thought. I believe that is safer to me, to consider the possibility of only one life to live, because if I die, thinking that I could be born again, and there, I be known that I had just one life, this kind of mistake would be mortal.

3 . God is Love I believe and I have felt that a true God creat us to a wonderful purposes: to worship Him and to love one another through the special gifts and abilities He gave to everyone of us. We are artists, musicians, scientists, singers, etc. Everyone of the 6,5 billion inhabitants of this Earth were created to express the God's Love by using those gifts and natural abilities. Then, why Earth is not a peace and lovely place? Answer: we are able to bring peace, but we will also can be a product of our choices.

4 . The existence of the sin According to Christian Holy Bible, the first couple was created pure. They could do everything, except one. Times ahead, someone else- the devil - deceived them. He said so: Well, God prohibited you to do not make that, because the day you do it, you will also be God. That couple followed the advise of the devil and broke that only one exception. Through that disobedience, the sin came to stay in the life of every human being. I am going to compare sin, like a software virus. Every copy done will carry the same trouble.

5 . Bible says in the book of Romans, chapter 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And: Romans 5;12: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned"

6 . A Savior was sent Jesus Christ is the son of God. Like a computer that cannot delete a virus for itself without a specific software, mankind can not reconcile with God without a savior. In some simple words,This savior, Jesus Christ, was sent by the Creator to take away the sin of every man and woman. You can be free from sin, since you believe and invite Him to dwell in your heart. It is going to depend of your choice.

Now I am going back to the first paragraf. Not one religion ( even christian) can save noone from his sin, because it is necessary to be perfect, pure, to restore someone. That is why exists the "term" Godspel - that means the good news of God, throught Jesus Christ, when He came to birth in Earth as man. This Jesus Christ was presented to mankind as "The son of God", Really, He was the same "Jehova God" in a human body.

The solution for all troubles of the world comes from this person: Jesus Christ. Not from any religion. He paid a blood price to ramson, to rescue everyone of us. Here, is the great secret: every person that believes in his inner, that Jesus Christ is the son of the Eternal and Living ( Jehova ) God, who send Him to Earth to ramson mankind from its sins - it will be saved!

Saved from what? Saved from the power of the sin. Saved to have a inner peace. Saved to smile. Saved to love everyone. Saved to help one another. Saved to be in peace with God. Saved to forgive every kind of wonds, abuses, ofenses.

Why do you have such sure? Because I was a unhappy person. Then, when I was 18, someone spoke to me about the great love of Jesus Christ. I believeed in Him. I was a epileptic guy. I had no joy. When I really decided to accept Christ, I was healed and the Spirit of Joy came to my heart. Now, I am almost 51; during these 32 years of faith I faced many and big troubles. But for each one I learnt how to face them through the cares of my Lord and Savior: Jesus Christ.

If you felt a smell of hope on reading this text, be sure, your hope is just beginning. Jesus Christ saves, heals, brings you peace and can take away all your sadness. Write to me. I can help you to know Jesus Christ better anywhere you be. I know there is still a opened door waiting for you.

Author: Joao Cruzue - j.cruzue@yahoo.com

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TO NEW CONVERTS

2006-11-12T10:26:00.001-08:00

Jesus Christ helps Simon Peter

In so modern times, with many things happening in our daily life, a new convert can have difficulty of direction. How can we discern the saint from the profane among so many voices and teachings? Each one of them seeming to be truer than the other?

In our spiritual life, any care is little and our sincerity on God counts very much to find the right way and to remain within it.

What we see and hear always must be judged and weighed with great care, because there are ways that seem to be right to our eyes, but a great deal of them is dangerous and can lead us to a spiritual death.

Do not let deceive yourself: faith is a seed of God dropped in our heart. The plan of devil, our adversary, is to do the possible and the impossible things to rob it, to pull it out and destroyed it. When we hear the preaching of the Gospel ( God spell ), the good news of the God's Word, that seed can fall in four types of grounds, depending on the fondness and zeal we receive it. Then let us see a study at the Gospel of Christ, second Lucas on chapter 8.

1. In the wayside.
The seed on the wayside means to give a superficial and despicable attention to the Gospel of Christ. The devil comes, in the person of friends or relatives or teachers or colleagues or boyfriends, and makes fun of our interest by Gospel. He points us to all the disadvantages and dangers what we are going to face if we insist to be believers in Christ. Then, without analysing the other side, i.e. the blessings of prosperity what the salvation brings to all our life, we are taken to understand falsely that to be a sincere Christian is a hindrance to our life. Then in wayside the seed of the Gospel is trodden or devoured by the birds and it does not even get to be born.

Which is the certain attitude to hear the preaching of Gospel? God has not interest what we are pulled or punched at the strean of any wind of teachings, religions and philosophies. His wish is that we shall investigate and analyse everything. A sincere and investigating heart is everything we need to be found by God. When somebody come and say that the Gospel are words to humble and poorest people, preached by unscrupulous preachers, he is not saying the truth.

The first president of the biggest private Brazilian Bank - The Bradesco Bank - was a believer of Presbyterian Church. Owners of many oversea Companies in many countries al over the world are believers in Christ. If it be investigated well closer it is going to discover that the acceptance of the Gospel was never a hindrance. On the contrary, it already took away, take away and it will take away many people out of the misery. To have Jesus as the Lord of our lives is our biggest wealth.

2. The stony ground.
The seed in the stony land is born with the first rain. It flows cheerfully and radiant. If it could speak it would say this: " Oh! How marvellous to have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord of my life. I am very, very happy! The Church where I am is a blessing, they all love me. I was never so a beloved in my life. God, you Lord is cool!

However, the time of pleasant climate goes by and the drought reaches with strength tha little tree. Under a strong sun, without having roots, because the stone is very hard, she withers, for lack of moisture, then it dries and dies.

The meaning of the seed born on the stone is: The biggest blessings on the life of a loyal believer in Christ reachs later, from a certain time. In the beginning of the run, the blessings are marvellous, but they are not to compare with those that will be received after proving his loyalty to the Lord.

The stone may be the ignorance of the God's will, and about the examples of biblical personages whose lifes are there registered like traffic signals for our orientation. Like a plant born in the stony land, a new convert without deep roots in the God's word, before the first struggle, he is going to forget all that initial joy and to turn away. Jesus is not like the genious of the lamp who atends all our wishes and gives everything that we beg.

For some new converts, the difficulties can get even worse momentarily. The devil now is trying from all forms to make it lose heart to steal his salvation. While standing firm with Jesus, more days, less days, the victory always arrives.

Like cultivator of tomatoes that we were, we know that the seedlings of the tomato plant, up to going to the definite land, must be pulled out and replanted in a bigger spacing, just to develop his roots. Likewise on going deeper into the reading of the God's Word the new convert is breaking the rock and deepening his roots. This is the biblical knowledge that brings understanding to face the daily trials, no matter bigger they are.

3 - the ground of thornbushes.
Analysing this land, we can say for sure that a great part of Christians today are fruitless because they are satisfied feel comfortables amid bushes of thorns. A weed full of thorns grew together with it and killed his fruits. Sterility.

A sad reality the is hapening with the new Christians today. They pass their whole life without purposes, without wish of be wrapping by the labor of the Lord. They come Sunday by Sunday to assist a service. On the other side, many leaders of Churches, today, have not patience to support the ecstasies and the confusions of new converts in action, preferring that they only assist to the sevices of worship and contribute financially. Then Church, at the principle keeps in peace, but then this peace (absence of action) could be turned into the peace of the cemeteries... What is wrong? Omission in the incentive and in the development of leadership. Our Lord has a project of life for evbery convert. The leadership of the Church cannot boycott for complacency that the converts find his place in the God's labor.

We shall not only attend the services, but we have to give cult to God all the time with our life. Our service is not only those two hours that we sing, pray, contribute and we hear the sermon. We shall give cult to God 24 hours per day, seven days per week. This is the standard. Praying, where we can pray, watching where we must watch and giving good testimony of Christian for the most part of the time.

The meaning of the thorns is well clearly in the Gospel: he is a Christian who attributed new priorities to his life and left the work of the Lord aside . His current dreams are the search of wealth, the ingression (of pastors) in the politic life, the omissive ones that prefer a way plain instead to face the competition within Churches, the "clubers" and believers dancers that go to the nightclubs til dawn. People rolled til the neck by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It is the loss of the first love. In the beginning, it was everything for Jesus. Now, it depends…

4 - In good ground.
The seed born in good ground is the only one that beared fruit. For you a New converted comes to be a blessing at the hands of the Lord, that is, to be fruitful in Christ - we go to list some practical orientations.

* Abandon that old and bad companies. It has no future with God aside old and corrupted friendships. They are who the devil goes to use to make you give up and to ashame of Christ. Breach with them and pass to walk with sincere Christians . There shall be not half term.

*All you hear and learn about Bible do not go accepting as te absolute truth. You have to examine, to confer and to search carefuly where there is the context in the Bible. Register in the Sunday School of your Church. It was in a Sunday School that I learnt how to see the difference between the certain and the wrong spirituals things.

*Do not make yourself a “missionary” before the time. The word of God says that we must grow in the grace and the knowledge of God - with balance. Wait first to understand the Christian truths for teaching them later. You must have something first to give it after. Do not be follower of fanatic groups. They adore to enlist new converts without the approval of the Pastor of the Church. When some group invites you to go to somewhere to pray or to preach, be cautious: ask your Pastor first to inform about it. The fanaticism is not the way for Christians. The only fanaticism accepted for God is the radical abandonment of the sin. About the other things we shall be moderated.

*One Life of prayer. We compare a prayer like a rain you can get when you separate a special time to talk with God. To pray is not to repeat "Our fathers", hail maries, creeds and save the queens. To pray is like to court. A intimate talks between two people that love thenselves. Between you and God, our Father.

*Do not scandalize yourself when you find out bad testimony among Christian of your Church. As well as there was a Judas amid rhw 12 disciples chosen by Jesus Christ, there are all kind of believers within a Church. On accepting Jesus, converted do not become saints from night to the Day. The sanctification happens for two processes. In the first one, we were lost and when accepting Jesus, we were carried from the kingdom of the darknesses to the Kingdom of the Light or the Kingdom of God. A new position in a saint place . The owner of the Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus.

On the second process, in the Kingdom of Christ, we are gradualy perfected by the action of the Word of God. When somebody converts, depending on where he is, his distance til the perfection that is Christ can take more or less time.

Then, considering that all of us are in a process of sanctification when hearing constantly the word of God, we can understand that can there be competitions, fights, preconceptions, among christians in all Church. More than this, there is also the scandals - small and great - that unhappyly are also foreseen in the Holy Bible.

*Do not be moving from the Church to Church to search where is the perfect one. Here in this Earth It does not exist yet. The true church exists in the spiritual plain and it is composed by faithful christians that congregate at different places and Churches. Stay where you find Christ, and only move in the safe direction of the Lord.

*Finally we will conclude approaching how to guide and to hear the voice of God. To hear His voice being already a christian, first we must ask Him for the guidance through prayers. I would like to advise you to do not run behind prophets to the searching of orientation from God. This is dangerous. There was a time that I made these experiences that never decided my problems. Even though they were increased with my anxiety. Prayers and Psalm 40 is the best medicine.

The best form of guidance for believers is to hear the voice of the Lord personally in our hearts. To God speak with us, we must abandon all the practical of sin. Without repentance and sincere abandonment of sins, we cannot discern the voice from God among dozen of voices we can hear. If our problem will be very serious, together with our prayers we must learn how to fast

God speaks with us by many ways: by the advice of our christian parents, for a firm peace and calm at the moment of a decision. If our heart is in doubts, certainly we are in a wrong way or in the wrong time. About spirituals things, even we deslike, to wait with patience to act at the certain moment is basic.

*Sentimental life. An entire life can be ruined by a wrong choice. What I learned I can teach you. While my Lord did not show to me my "rebeca", I do not run behind girls. And when he showed her an told in my heart that she will be my future wife, I did not still believe immediately. It was one voice in my heart, I could be been deceptive. Then, I made a proof with Him. If that happened exactly what I asked Him for, then I would know that the voice was from my Lord. He confirmed that proof. In one year begin to court, we engage and we get married.

to be continued and it is lacking the final review

COUNT THE STARS IN THE SKY

2006-11-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

.count the stars

I was in vacation with my family, on the second fortnight of last July, and we made a very blessed trip to "Minas Gerais" the brazilian Estate, where I was born. We crossed the South of Minas, where we bought lots of strawberries. Who said that "mineiros" only like cheeses? Besides strawberries, cheeses, pure air, the Mantiqueira Mountains, the Backbone Mountains, the best coffee in the world, we spent some days in my mother's farm.

When I was 13 , my father bought a small farm, in the Caratinga River Valley, tributary of Sweet River. I was 18, when I went to Sao Paulo City, in another State, searching for a job and to course accountancy in a College. I was more blessed than I could imagine. I became a believer in Christ, as soon as, I saw myself far from my family. My parents, at that time very catholics, became extremely disppleased. Times then, I mean 14 years, they also accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. First, mom, then my father, two years after. Today, he is already with Lord.

Whenever I can, in vacation, I leave Sao Paulo City to go there, where I have my special moments of prayer with God. In the evening or at night, at the times of new moon, while I am praying, I can look up to a sky full of stars. It makes 30 years, that I still have the opportunity todo that.

Inclusively, the penultimate week of July, when, as I said above, we got there, again. It was waning moom, nights without brightness, the sky showed for us all its stars, including his clouds of light, that we know as The Milky Way. Then, I could invite my daughters, my wife, and other relatives, to go up til the terrace to contemplate the beauty of that sky, which is not known in the cities for the excess of brightness.

This message, I am writing, I want to share something else: what my spirit felt from the Spirit of God, at that place. And, the subject is about one of the process, which God used to ripen the faith of Abraham.

If you examine, by near, the life of Abrahan, you are going to see that the Lord, the highiest God, talked to him for eitht times. I identify myself with Abraham, because we both had to leave our land, our parent's house and our relatives to be safe and prosperous in the Lord. When I have the opportunity to look at a starry sky, in all its plenitude, I always remember myself about the opportunity in which " Jehova " told Abraham to look up, to the starry sky, to count the stars.

Apparently, The first time God spoke to Abraham, was in Genesis 12:1. " Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you". The verb is in the imperative form, "get out", so it was an order. The destiny would be a land, which he only would know in the future if he moved. The advantages would be: power, fame and prosperity for him and for all families in the world. Abraham left with some interest in these things. Together with him, a nephew, named Lot. At the time he had decided to leave, his father had already died.

The second time the Lord appeared to him, was to tell him that the Land of Canaan was his Promised Land. Abraham was a man that had a deep frustration in his life, and God knew well that. God said: " To your seed, Abraham, I will give this Land. Provoking his feelings. After that day, a serious hunger came to Canaan. Therefore, Abraham went down to the land of Egypt. Lot, his nephew, went together. Like "good" businessman of the Orient, now and then Abraham lied .One lie here, other one there... and due to a serious lie, they were expelled from Egypt by Pharaoh. They went out to Canaan very rich in cattle, gold, silver, servants and slaves.

There was cattle of more and land of less. This was the reason of disputes among the shepherds of the uncle and the nephew. So, finally, Abrão reached the last point of the God's demand: to be separeted from his relatives.
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Separation of Lot and Abraham

For the third time, the Lord appeared when Abrão was lonely, without relatives. Abraham had almost everything: gold, silver, cattle, more than 300 men of war, around 1,000 persons were serving him. His family, actually, were composed by to old persons: He an his wife, Sara. A little glance at the families of his serfs, he could notice that they had children. Include his cattle. All his gold, silver, cattle, slaves were not the enough do make a couple of elders to have one son . Knowing his frustration - and God knows anything within our hearts - HE appeared this time and said: Abraham! lift up, now, your eyes and see all this Land, for the North, for the South, for the Orient and for the West - all this land what you are seeing , it will be given by me to you and to your seed, forever.

And, God did not remain only in these words, it kept on provoking: " Your seed will be like the powder of this land. Get up and goes through this land, in its length and in its width, because I will give it to you ". From this point, the heart of Abraham was not anymore on his possessions. God had begun to wake in him a new dream. Yes! The wish of a heir began to trouble his thoughts. Impossible!

Then, God appeared him by the fourth time. It was after his return of the war. He participate to rescue family of his nephew. He armed 318 men from his servants to recover everything. In the turn, it gave the tithe of everything that was recovered. Now, he was sure that the strong arm of God was behind his prosperity . The war made Abrão shudder. And, God said to him:" Do not fear Abraham , I am your shield (security in the war) and your exceedingly great reward.

Now Abrão tore his heart: " Lord one thing is lacking in my life. I have not one child. And my heir is going to be the butler, the foreigner Eliezer. And the word of the Lord came to the spirit of Abrão: " This butler shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."

Milky Way

And, The Lord ordered him (imperative) look up, now, to the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them; and the Lord ended: " So, it will be your seed ". To count stars, here, means to relight your dreams. To blow again the ashes.There is still a small hot coal lighted, there. I learnt that, because I was unemployment for 11 years. My opportunity came when I was already "old" of 48 years. How much frustration. But God never do not leave any son of Him ashamed. Abraham got his precious heir; I had been working for three years at a big Hospital; you, like us, will also be blessed.

My neighbor, Andrea, and his Husband prayed during 17 years for a child. Certain day, she was humiliated by another heighbor woman, who said so: " Where is is your God? I have two children and you none! " Can you imagine what happened? When she completed 18 years of married, her first son came. One year later, a daughter too. A couple, inheritance of our God. God trod in the language of the devil. Now, we will back to the history of Abraão.

At that time, Abrão already had more intimacy with the Lord. Meantime, the haste put almost everything losing. Hearing the councils of his wife, Abraham had a relapse in his faith. It accepted to have a son with a slave of his wife. Agar conceived and gave the first son of Abrão, Ismael. He would have no right to inheritance. It was the result that always happens, when we exchange the God's voice for human advices.

When God speaks, if we are loyal, our spirit feels a peace uncommonly. When the voice is not from Him, our heart keeps in doubts. If we decide with doubts we can throw away our true blessings. Abraham lost 14 years of his time due to a wrong decision. He heard the voice of the reason. The God's voice can seem a madness for the ears of anyone but if He speaks to you, you will feel a sweet calm to decide correctly. A old pastor of mine always said: The God's peace shall be the arbiter of your heart.

In Genesis 17, God appeared by the fifth time to Abraham. His age, it was 99 years. Sara, his wife had to be 89 years old. A couple of senile like it said, today. In this opportunity, God require sanctity: " I am the Almighty God; walk, Abraham, in my presence and be blameless ". Next, HE changed their names. Now, he was Abraham and Sarah! insteade Abram and Sarai. The promise of a son, at that age, was cause of laughters from the part of the couple. Laughters of simple incredulity. They were still not believing completely. It was here which God gave name to the dream of Abraão: ISAAC!

Dear reader, we are going to have a pause. Before knowing completely the God's power, we use to carry within a "trunk" several frustrações. Mountains of impossibilities. One question: in Genesis 18:14 " Is There anything difficult to our Lord ? And the answer in Lucas 1:37 " For to our God nothing is impossible! " These two verses, by itselves, are enough to clean any doubt.

In the sixth time, The Lord appeared him personally, with two angels in the visitors' form. Genesis 18. Sarah still had doubts. God came to confirm that after nine months, from that visit on, ISAAC would come in. God Also warned the about the destruction of Sodoma and Gomorra. In the chapter 21, Isaac was born. Isaac means laughter. Laughter, because if someone knew of his history, he certainly would laugh. And the boy grew up and Abraão did a great banquet in the day Isaque was weaned. Laughters of the true joy invaded that home. The sadness was changed, in the tent of that old couple, to a radiant and noisy joy.

This kind of madness only God can do. Child to a old couple

Isaac became the prince of that home. Abraham, now, had no a more frustration. He was well satisfied. Isaac was all he wanted . But his faith would be put in a trial. God wondered till the point Abraham was sincere

And for the seventh time, the Lord appeared to Abraham, to a trial.

Stop! Abraham. From Rembrandt

- Abraham, said God, take, now, your only son, Isaac, to whom you love so much, and go to land of Moriah, and sacrifice it, and it offers it in holocaust to Me. Then, Abraham got up and went to execute the God's order. He only did not it, for God, Hinself, sent an angel to impede.

In those three days, which they walked to the Hill of Moriá, Abraham had the oportunity to think deeply in the gravity of his compromise. He would obey to God's order. A hard and cruel order. Within his heart he had one thing: peace with God. That calm to decide. The same God who gave a child to a senile couple, would provide a solution for that case. So, Abraham reached to a conclusion that God was more important as Isaac. He would give Him the first place and Isaac was now in the second plan. Such an attitude heat JEHOVAH'S heart. The faith of Abraham had reached the complete maturity. No more blameless. He would exchange everything to please and to do the will of God.

Abraham already loved The Lord wholeheartedly.

For the eighth time, God send to him a angel. the Angel of the Lord, apeared to say "Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here am I. And the Lord said, Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do you any thing to him: for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.

For the sake of the faith of Abraham, all the families of the world are blessed. Isaac symbolize Jesus Christ, the only son of the Lively God, the Eternal God, of the Almighty God. Jesus descends from Abraham. His blood in the sacrifice of the cross at the Mount Calvary was, is and will be sufficiently necessary to guarantee the reconciliation with God.

And, once reconciled by Christ, we can trust his love. If you present to Him, in prayer, your frustrations, your wounds, your limitations, your falls, be sure that Christ can exchange all of them for dreams and new visions. Then, what are you still awaiting? Lift up your eyes, at night, far from the city, in those days without moon, to count the stars of the sky.

I write to the glory of the Lord!

Author: Joao Cruzue
Translation from portuguese of " Conte as Estrelas do Céu "
copies, only with my credits

HOW TO RECONCILE WITH GOD

2006-11-12T09:53:00.001-08:00

Ten steps

The first step to be closer to God is Faith. We live in a World that rationalizes things. “Everything you see or feel is real” Faith is not so. Faith is an exception. Faith comes by hearing. To hear God’s word. For example: a person with an advanced cancer. Your reason may say: she is going to die. Then, someome comes, prays and he become healled. There is no a rational explanation. That is: we could not explain, see, touch, feel, but faith exists and works.

The Christ Gospel is accepted by faith. Impossible things can be possible. Closed doors can be opened. Pain can be changed in days of joy, by mean of faith. The Bible, also says: faith is not for all.’ Faith is like a seed in your heart, while you expect what you need for , it may grow up. But If you have all things under control, maybe you guess faith an idiot thing. In the other side, if you are empty, sad, worthless, please continue to read this message and go ahead.

If you are thirsty, this message was written to you. Remember: by faith in Christ you can win many battles and the war, at the end. Faith, is the first step to become a son of God.

The second step is to reconcile with God. It seems to be quite simple but it is not so. There are some details you need to understand. To reconcile with God means: to accept Christ in your heart. How could it be? Find a place to be alone, and speak to Christ as if He be aside you. Speak to Him, say something like that: "Jesus Christ, if you do exist, please come and dwell in my heart, from today on". Talk to him, invite Him. He is very polite, He will only come if you ask Him for.

Jesus Christ is a spirit, but be sure he is a real person like you. The way He will speak to you is a little bit differente that you are accostumed to comprehend. He speak to our own spirit. It seems one voice that talk to your mind or to your heart. Can you imagine a voice that you feel istead to hear? Your heart compress and your eyes wet and a wonderful peace fills suddenly feels you.

The third step is repentance. Look for a quiet place and talk to Him again. This time, you shall to confess to Jesus Christ your sins, all bad things you have done during all you life. See this case: certain woman go down to the river to wash some dirty clothes wrapped in a sheet. For her clothes were very dirty, she became ashamed and did not unwraped that sheet. She, simply, went to the middle of the river, sank the sheet of clothes and went away home. She only wet her clothes. Therefore they were still dirty.

To wash your sins and clean your heart you have to wash every one like a piece of clothe. One by one. To do it correctly, make a list of all and confess them to Jesus. All of them at once. Confess and stop to do them. When you get out of that place be sure: all things you spoke to Jesus, He , in fact, already forgave you. The Forgiving brings peace in your soul and joy to your heart.

The fourth step: abandon your "old" friends, because they should make all things for you give up. I mean: change your friends for new friends. Cut old and bad friendship.

The fifth step. - Ask Jesus( The Lord ) what you need for, and by faith, believe and await. All basic things you will receive. Healing, emploiement, peace, safeness. “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him” Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

The sixth step - forgive bad things people did against you. You must forgive to be forgiven. Forgive yourself, pray to Lord Jesus to help you to forget the past. In Bible there are these words: "...But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus". Let all your failures for behind. Dream about the future.

The seventh step is : read the bible everyday and join to a good protestant church, where people live what they preach, without hypocrisy. It is very important also that this church teaches the need of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Learn as much as you can about the God's Word.

The eight step is: be saint. Leave sin away from your life. God has a compromisse with holiness. If you do so, the Lord will be your close friend.

The nineth step - whenever you go to a service at your Church, dond't forget to offer part of your income.

The tenth step - Find the will of God for your life and work to please Him. Don't be a useless and a lazy person. Work to Lord Jesus.

Conclusion: there will be many other steps, but these words are able to make your reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. Now you can know to speak your needs to God for yourself.

Greetings in the name of Jesus,

Author: Joao Cruzue
For copies, mention my credit.
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BIBLICAL DOCTRINE OF TRINITY

2006-11-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

There are two major currents of teachings about "Trinity". The first, and the major one, believes that God is unique and the same time He is tri-in-unity. The second current says that it is a invention of Catholic priests that turned the real meaning of the scriptures. I am going to teach you the same way I have learnt since my youth.

Before to expose this doctrine, it is important to do some considerations: " For we walk by faith, not by what we see", according to the Book of 2Corinthians 5;7. Faith is a gift that God share with us to believe. It is a mystery. Its meaning is at Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Then, faith shall come first and the reason may follow it, As you can see, we are dealing with abstract concepts.

Math has many abstracts ideas. Why three means 3 things? Because it is a convention, it is accepted by a association of three things to the figure 3. Decades ago, it was considered that the atom was the least portion in which it might divide the matter. Today, we know that it is a composed unity. Its major particles are protons, neutrons and electrons. The visible light we see, according to the books of physics is an eletro-magnetic wave situated between the infrared radiation and ultraviolet rays. Light also has three basic characteristics: brightness ( amplitude), colour ( frequency) and polarization ( angle of vibration).

Water, is the simplest example of a composed thing. It can be found in nature by three forms: solid ( ice), vapour ( steam) and in the liquid form. We are acostumed to the simplicity of it. Its molecule is composed by three aton=ms: two atoms of Hydrogen and one of Oxygen.

The idea of composed unity is also can be found in commerce. A company is known by its denomination, for example: Fiat, Toyota, Ford, Coke. Everyone of them has many shareholders.

Now, let us to the essence of the question: Why the Christian God is unique and the same time trinity ( three-in-unity), once there is no this term in the whole Bible?

Just one more paragraph. Jacob married around the age of 77. But it is not written in the Bible too. If you investigate you will see Joseph was 39 ( Gen. 41:46 and 45:6) at the same time his father was 130 years ( Gen 47:9). Then we can infer that Jacob was around 90 years when Joseph came to birth. According to Genesis 30:25, and 31:41, Joseph was born in the last year Jacob was serveing for Rachel, and begining to work per a salary. Jacob was around 97 when he left Laban's House. As you can see, there are many hidden things in the Bible, I mean the age ofJacob, 77 years, was realy too old to get married...

The same way the concept of a Trinity God is implicit in many biblical versicles. Be careful! You first have to believe, by faith, to see after. Once the books from Torah are the same of the protestant Bible, there is no any falsification made by catholic priests. This is an absolute truth. Then, let us go to see many versicles.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. In the original scriptures God comes from " 'elohiym " a plural intesive of single meaning.

Genesis 1:26
Then God said "Let Us make man in Our image , according to Our likeness ; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea over the birds of the air , and over the cattle , over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth ."

Genesis 3:22
Then the LORD (J@hovah) God said "Behold , the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil . And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life , and eat , and live forever "

Genesis 11:7
"Come , let Us go down and there confuse their language , that they may not understand one another’s speech ."

Deuteronomy 6:4
"Hear , O Israel : The LORD our God , the LORD is one !"
" 'echad " = one, a collective plural.

To finish,

Hebrew 1:1-2
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

John 17:23
"I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

John 14:26
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 15:26
"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

John 17:5
"And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Acts 1:8
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Acts 2:
33 Therefore, being exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

I hope you could see we must have faith in God. There are many texts about this subject; our correct position when we listen to, or we read some bible teaching is to pray asking for the grace of the LORD to be in the right way. To a sincere soul, God allways has a sincere answer.

author: Joao Cruzue.
for copy, mention my credit.

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