Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God

* Luís Alberto Alves

Nor are politicians as corrupt as the heart! It has the power to create feelings in something that could turn into ruin in the future. It also blinds our eyes. No matter how much they tell us, especially the parents, we mistakenly seek to ignore the advice, especially in the youth time.

Such is the heart. Responsible for the emotions that most of the time push us to true dead ends. This happened to Lot when he decided to leave Uncle Abram. He glimpsed the green meadows of Sodom and Gomorrah and did not hesitate to rush to a place, which later God would pour out his anger in the form of fire and consume it.

At other times, the heart is fuel for depression, as was the case with Elijah. After a short time in which he took to the death 850 prophets of the evil one (Baal and Azera), when it knew the threats of the woman of the king Ahab, Jezebel, fled to hide inside the cave and there requested the death.

What to speak of Peter, when questioned by Jesus without thinking, said that he would never deny it. Pure emotion, a quick testimony of how the heart works. How many accidents do not happen in traffic because of heart-determined attitudes? Many drivers on a slope forget that the bus on the right, which it tries to overcome at any cost to enter the next street, can not brake fast.

* Luís Alberto Alves

Be patient when your parents grow old

* Luís Alberto Alves

"Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged to the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee", Exodus, chapter 20, verse 12

Perhaps the richest, strongest and deepest experience of the human journey is to have a child. Full of emotions, sometimes harrowing, being a parent is to prove the limits that make up the salt and honey of loving someone.

 When they are born, children are moved by their fragility, their immense eyes, their innocence and grace. Just look at them so the heart widens in laughter and color. A smile can open the doors of a paradise. They come into our lives with promises of unconditional love. They depend on our love, on the care we have. And they return with tender gestures.

But the years go by and the children grow up. They choose their own paths, partners and professions. They walk new paths, move away from the matrix. Time is in charge of the formation of new families. The grandchildren are born. We grow old. And then something begins to change.

The children no longer have that attitude of their parents. It seems that now they only hear them to make criticisms, to complain, to point out failures. The admiration of childhood no longer shines in their eyes, and this is an immense pain for parents.

As much as they disguise, every father and mother notices the slightest sparks in the eye of a child. It is when elderly parents say to themselves: What have I done? Why the charm is over? Why does my son no longer have me as his private hero?

Only a few years passed and it seems that the cares and wisdom that had previously been a reference to everything in life seemed forgotten. Gradually, the attitude of the children becomes increasingly impertinent. They hardly hear the advice any more.

Each day they show more impatience. They think parents have outdated opinions, old ones. It is worse when they imply with the manias, the old habits, the old songs. And they try to make old parents adapt to new times, to new customs.

The older the parents, the more their children take over. When they are very old, they no longer decide what they want to do or what they want to eat and drink. They are seldom heard when they try to do something different.
Rides, food, clothes, doctors - everything is decided by the children. And yet, the parents are just old. But they remain in full possession of the mind. Why then disrespect them? Why treat them as if they were useless or children without discernment?

Yes, that's what most kids do. It gives orders to parents, treats them as if they have no opinion or decision-making ability. And yet, deep in those wrinkled eyes, there is so much love. In those trembling hands, there is always a gesture that blesses, caresses.

Each day you are born, remember, the day of separation is nearer. One day, the old father will not be here. The mother's family smell will be absent. The favorite clothes forever folded on the bed, the slippers in any corner of the house.

So, cherish the time now with the aging parents. Patience with them when they refuse to take the pills, when they talk endlessly about diseases, when they complain about everything.

Just embrace them, wipe their tears, listen to the stories (even if they are repeated) and give them attention, affection ... Believe: inside that old heart will sprout all the flowers of hope and joy.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

The famous history of the clandestine church

* Luís Alberto Alves

In the then Soviet Union, in 1978, several evangelicals sang a song for Jesus when the soldiers entered with rifles in their hands. The cult was immediately interrupted by Red Army soldiers, who invaded the meeting place with all the savagery.

 No one knew how they had located that clandestine church that had been in the same place for a long time. "What are you doing here?" they screamed. "Are you worshiping your imaginary God?" Church members were frightened that there would probably be more armed soldiers waiting outside to take them to prison.

But what was about to happen was far worse than simply being arrested. Suddenly the soldier in command shouted, "All those who are faithful to God stand on the right side of the church, for you will be shot for your faith. It is you who decide whether to live or die.

Those who are faithful to this so-called "God" will die. But those who deny it will be set free. "Five minutes earlier, everyone also sang praises to God, but now it was a matter of life and death.Many stood up and went to the left, a few courageously placed themselves to the right, while making their last prayers.

 Separate families wanted to be united, but some were on one side and others on the other. One of the soldiers said, "You people on the left can leave." They left the place without being able to look into the faces of their brothers and relatives who would soon die. They were filled with shame.

When only those on the right stayed, the soldiers placed their weapons in the seats and said to them, "We are Christians too, but we wanted to worship God without the hypocrites.

Today everyone is very similar. It is increasingly difficult to differentiate true Christians from simple replicas. Converted and convinced they mingle in the crowd. But the hour of truth is coming, and whoever is not really will not stand the truth. Pass this faithful and true testimony ahead do not be ashamed as those who have passed to the left!

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

The value of a group

* Luís Alberto Alves

A man appeared assiduously to the meetings of a group of Friends, and without communicating to anyone, stopped participating in its activities.
After a few weeks, a Friend, a member of this group, decided to visit him.
It was a very cold night. The Friend found him in his house, alone, sitting in front of the fireplace, where the fire was bright and welcoming.

Guessing the reason for his friend's visit welcomed him, and approaching the fireplace offered him a large chair in front of the chimney and was quiet, waiting.
In the next few minutes there was a great silence, for the two men only admired the dance of the flames around the logs that burned.

After a few minutes, the Friend examined the embers that had formed and carefully chose one of them, the most incandescent of them, pushing it out of the fire.
Sitting down again, he remained silent and motionless. The host paid attention to everything, fascinated and also quiet.

Within a short time, the flame of the solitary ember diminished, until after a discreet and momentary glow, its fire was extinguished in a minimal instant.
Before long, what was once a party of heat and light was now a cold, dead, black piece of charcoal, covered with a thick layer of ash.

No word had been pronounced since the initial greeting protocol between the two friends!
Before he was about to leave, his friend moved the once-cold, useless piece of charcoal back into the fire.
Almost immediately a new flame came back, fueled by the light and heat of the flames of the other coals and the surrounding coals.

When the Friend approached the door to leave, his host said to him:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT AND FOR THE BEAUTIFUL SERMON ......
I will return to the group of FRIENDS that very well always makes me ...
For reflection!!!

To the "Friends" members of a group, it is always worth remembering, that they are part of the "FLAME" of the group and that separated from it lose all their brilliance.
To the Friends of a group, it is always worth remembering that they are also responsible for keeping the flame of the "MEETING" between each of its members and to promote unity among them, so that the fire is always really strong and lasting.

A family keeps the flame burning when members do not forget that everyone is important on the boat of life. Each wood that makes up the beam is not the same or burn in the same way, but the whole emits intense light and warms up much more to all and the environment that they live.

Together, we will always be stronger!
Make your dream bigger than your difficulties !!!

None of us are more important than the other, we will all be happier together !!!

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

..Because we left everything for later?

* Luís Alberto Alves

I'll call you later.
I'll do it later.
I'll talk later.
Then I change.
We left everything for later, as if afterwards the best.

What we do not understand is that ...
Then the coffee cools,
Then the priority changes,
Then the charm is lost,
Then the early is late,
Then the longing passes,
After so much change,
Then the children grow up,
Then we grow old,
After the day falls,
Then life is over.

Do not leave anything to later, because in waiting for the after, you can miss the best moments, the best experiences, the best friends, the biggest loves, and all the blessings that God has for you. Remember The day is today. Tomorrow you do not even know if you will be alive.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

Are you going to do what in the future? 1

* Luís Alberto Alves

To reaffirm this lie, it puts in the mouths of some people that nobody came back to say what it is like to live in eternity. Better not to doubt. It is in this trap that the Christians of the late twentieth century and this century are falling. They have stopped seeking the Heavens to spend their energies here on this planet. They began to live for the world, leaving God in the background.

The watchword is to enjoy life in every way, by going over the commandments of the Lord. The pleasure of the flesh is better than being in tune with Jesus Christ. The gospel got the stamp of "grimace and outdated." It is as if God were wrong and sure was the fad created and encouraged by satan. Disorder in every way is correct, ignoring what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14/33: "For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace ..."

When a preaching approaches this subject, soon the speaker is accused of lack or as it is said today: it is homophobic! That is, Jesus Christ, in the vision of a large portion of people who have not yet had a great encounter with God, stopped in time; did not adopt the customs of the new world order. The important thing is now. The future does not matter.

But yes or no, the human being is directed to the future. Today's gift will be spent tomorrow. There is no way to stop this process. Who is young today, if he is not caught by the wave of violence, and Jesus does not return soon, will be the old man of tomorrow. The end of every Christian is to enter into eternity, especially after the great final judgment. Some will stand by Jesus Christ, others plunge into hell thickening the satan-led team of demons in that place.

Therefore, the Christian can never lose sight of his place in Heaven. You need to fight fiercely to keep the dark shadows from covering you, leaving you out of sight. The focus is eternity. Before we have to study, work, raise a family, we contribute through our profession to the progress of society, but without forgetting that we are passengers in this world. When we do this, we easily overcome the traps of satan.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

Are you going to do what in the future?

* Luís Alberto Alves

Most people care about the future. This is good. After all, we can not stand as close as we can without leaving the place. We need to study, train, practice, and depending on the lifestyle, marry, have children and if possible, contemplate the arrival of the grandchildren and finish life worthily. So far everything normal.

The problem begins when we leave aside the future of our soul, our spirit. Where we want to spend eternity. Jesus warned us that life in this world is equal to dewdrop: it appears and quickly disappears. Daily concerns draw our focus from this important question: where will we live after death!

Each year, the human being is hooked by new technologies in various sectors and shifts the focus from eternity. Advertising provokes the desire to consume more and more, whether in the housing, professional, student, or sentimental area. The product that was top of the line in 2016, is no longer in 2017. Entered the gallery of old age, with only one year of activity.

Until marriage, in this century, has entered the renewal phase. Many people assume this commitment already thinking about the separation within a short span of time. The new car, with less than a year of use, needs to be discarded, because the fashion is to ride in cars with bright colors. Professional life, once so longed for, needs to be recycled. That is, what was taught in college is now old.

The apartment or house of dreams, also entered the gallery of old age. The business is to stay in the new. In this way the forces of darkness work subtly, encouraging unbridled consumption, so as not to allow the Christian to think of eternity. Try to inject in your mind that the best place to stay is in this world, not in the dwellings promised by Jesus Christ in the Heavens.

* Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor