What is your thorn in the flesh?

Luís Alberto Alves

“And so that I would not be exalted by the excellence of the revelations, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, namely a messenger of Satan to buffet me, so that I would not exalt myself”, 2 Corinthians12/7. This passage is famous and most Christians know it. When the apostle Paul complained to the Lord three times, and heard from Him that His Grace was sufficient for him.

No one has known to this day what this thorn in Paul's flesh was. Several theologians wrote studies, but no one explained exactly what this thorn was, which tormented the apostle day and night. When we are all in Glory, walking the streets of gold, contemplating all the beauty in the Heavens, we will be able to resolve this doubt with him.

But I warn brothers and sisters that all of us who were rescued from the clutches of the devil, who kept us trapped using the ropes of sins, have a thorn in our flesh. The memory of where we came from, what kept us tied to the world and far from Jesus Christ.

Darkness

Remove from your mind that you are a super Christian or a super Christian! We are dependent on Jesus Christ and his infinite Mercy. The devil and his demons watch the Lord's servants, because whoever is not converted to Jesus Christ is already trapped in his hands. The concern of darkness is to try to bring anyone who once left there under the influence of hell.

Imagine someone addicted to alcoholism. A person whose breakfast was a glass of drink and repeated this gesture throughout the rest of the day and part of the night. I started at home, on the way to work I would stop at a bar and drink again, at lunch time I would put more drink in my system, when I returned home the drink would be present and before going to sleep I would also drink.

The darkness will not attack this person rescued from the rotten world of alcoholism with drugs, because cocaine, marijuana, heroin, morphine or any other type of drug will not awaken desire in this person. She had no contact with this when she was a slave to the devil. Drink was the thorn in his flesh. It is at this point that the demons will work intensely.

Drunk

Tactics vary, but always with the same focus. Alcoholics will appear as false friends, parties filled with lots of alcohol, invitations to a company, school, college or event where alcohol is present. Some envoy will say that Jesus turned water into wine (and wine is an alcoholic drink), so it is not a sin to drink one or more glasses of this drink.

Satan will create situations for the former alcoholic to feel embarrassed. The director or manager of the company where he works decides to raise a toast for the month's excellent results and everyone must drink along with him. The lack of spiritual firmness will make this Christian fall into the devil's trap and take the first drink, then the second, the third until he gets drunk.

It is in this gap that the devil will use someone to say the famous phrase: “I didn’t know that believers drank to get drunk”. The dirty work is done. Unable to drive, he will not be able to return home and if he tries to take the car he could cause an accident and the problem will worsen. The next day, the reputation of a good servant of Jesus Christ will be destroyed. Few will give credibility to someone who was seen as an example, but gave a terrible testimony in front of many.

Alcohol

Even with many years in the presence of Jesus Christ, the thorn in the flesh of alcoholism will be in this person's life. It will serve as a reminder of where the Lord rescued you. If he has great intimacy with God, he will have the discernment to not fall into this trap of the enemy. He will look at the drink and for seconds he will feel attracted to it, but the Holy Spirit will soon catch him to prevent this fall. However, the devil, always repetitive, will never give up attacking this weak point.

At this time it is necessary to remember what is written in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from every appearance of evil”. Anyone who has been freed from alcoholism is not recommended to frequent environments where drinking predominates. If you have a birthday party at your home, do not allow alcohol to be present to please a guest. He should not have as friends alcoholics and especially people who refuse, of their own free will, not to follow Jesus Christ.

Even at the company's famous get-together parties, stay away from the crowds where beer, caipirinha, wine and whiskey are present. Make it clear to people that you don't drink. Do this in an orderly manner, without needing to argue or appear arrogant. Don't make the mistake of harming yourself to please others.

Ritual

The same rule applies to those rescued from drugs. The first piece of advice is to stay away from people who use this type of poison. If you accept Jesus Christ, you need to change your life. Leave bad habits behind. Keep away from places where drug dealers sell drugs. Don't make the mistake of going there, alone and without spiritual support, to evangelize. The devil may use someone to bring you back to the hell you came from.

All the tools Satan and his demons will use to try to remove the sheep that one day gave up drugs from the path of Christ. It will always put someone with a history of this poison in the path, especially false friendships. Even in the sentimental area, he will try to work for a person, a user, to enter the path and, with the excuse of finding Jesus, lead the convert astray.

Because the drug addict promises to take the last dose every day, and this ritual is repeated for a long time. Without spiritual strength and the desire to change his life, drugs are his refuge. In this person's mind, the drug is what brings happiness (even for a few seconds). And in this Russian roulette of hell he will sink deeper and deeper into this mud until he loses his own life. If you have a recent convert or even someone weak in faith on your side, they will enter this boat of darkness.

Good

Female or male prostitution is another area in which the darkness invests heavily. Most of the time, people far from Jesus Christ have no idea what this sin is. For her, having sex with someone is good and provides seconds of extreme pleasure, because sex has the ability to provide ecstasy. Whether a man or woman, still far from Christ, believes that sex is something for personal satisfaction, they never imagine that God reserved these good moments for marriage.

How many beautiful women prostitute themselves to have a good financial life? They believe that they combine the useful with the pleasant: money and pleasure! Is not true. Studies show that most prostitutes are depressed. They live and die alone. Since there are few people who marry a call girl, who has already had sex with more than a thousand or 3 thousand men or women. To support relationships, sometimes painfully, they take drugs.

Other women, in exchange for a good boss, agree to live temporarily with elderly people, receiving money for moments of sexual pleasure with those people. The famous sugar babies. Apparently it's something harmless. After all, the devil will never offer his trash in an ugly package. Pay attention to the packaging. The young woman enters this trap and when she tries to get out it will be too late.

Pleasure

Men, many without Christ in their hearts, consider nights in brothels to be natural. With money in hand, he satisfies the fantasies that he cannot fulfill with his wife at home, with those women who pretend love and pleasure, because of the money in his hands or checking account. How many executives or senior employees of large companies have not been left in poverty because of spending on prostitutes? Many marriages have ended in divorce because of this too.

This person accepts Jesus Christ and decides to change his life. Will the devil give up on her? Never! He knows that the thorn in the flesh of this convert is prostitution. He will continue hitting this button until the day he embarks for Heaven. He will create situations to try to justify falling into this sin. Sometimes he will use the wife or husband to throw that person into this search for pleasure. If he is a woman, he will try to attack her financial life and put someone with a lot of money in front of her to force her to do some program.

In the case of the man, if he is single or divorced, he will bring some woman disturbed with this evil spirit of prostitution to try to seduce him. If faith is weak, the person cannot resist and falls into the trap. The devil's plan is to rescue the convert from the presence of Jesus and bring him to the rotten world where this someone was trapped for many years and brought joy to the darkness.

In the case of the man, if he is single or divorced, he will bring some woman disturbed by this evil spirit of prostitution to try to seduce him. If faith is weak, the person cannot resist and falls into the trap. The devil's plan is to rescue the convert from the presence of Jesus and bring him to the rotten world where this someone was trapped for many years and brought joy to the darkness.

Temptation

In this text I could list different types of thorns in the flesh that exist in this world. Describe how you act and the reaction in the person’s life. But I would have to write countless lines. Because we all have this thorn. No one is tall enough. He was born and lives in the presence of Jesus Christ without ever having suffered any type of temptation. Jesus himself was tempted by the devil, imagine we are people who depend on the Master's mercy to stay alive!

I learned in a cult aimed only at men, that temptation is not faced, it is avoided! The servant of God cited the case of Joseph before Potiphar's wife. She attacked him several times trying to get him to bed. Last time, the escape valve was running away. Usually the temptation is very strong. The devil will hit hard to try to remove the convert from the Lord's paths. He will use sophisticated ammunition and mechanisms to swing a person's heart and mind.

Every person reading this text knows and knows their weak point. Don't fall into the illusion that you are immune. It's a lie. The name varies, but they all have the same objective: “to reach you and keep you away from Jesus Christ”. The advice I give you, my brother and sister, is to pray to God to keep you. Always send your angels to hold your hands firmly so that you do not stumble with your feet on stones thrown by the devil in your path. And always run away from anything that looks evil, even beautiful. Stay in the Peace of the Lord.

Luís Alberto Alves, is a pastor.

Do you stay tuned to the Wi-Fi of the Skies?

Luís Alberto Alves

Imagine yourself walking down a street of gold, in a city where there is no shine from the sun or the moon, because the Glory of God illuminates it and the Lamb is its lamp? All people in that place will walk in its light and the kings of the earth will bring their glory to it! Its doors will never be closed during the day, because there will be no night there, as described in Revelation chapter 21, verses 23/24.

This is the scenario that will contemplate the servant of the Lord who fights to the end, runs the race stipulated by God and keeps the faith. Whoever resists the lentil dishes offered by Satan and his demons, keeps his mouth shut when instigated by darkness, leaves his heart clean of sinful desires and his mind captivated by Jesus Christ.

But not all Christians stay tuned to Heaven's Wi-Fi. Out of carelessness, he prefers to enter the network maintained by the devil and his demons. They fall for the argument that happiness in this world is better than in Heaven. They exchange a stabilized marriage for the rotten fruit of adultery. That's when the little boy with a toned body at the gym seduces the housewife who got tired of the Word of Jesus, of being faithful to her husband.

Chain

There is also the case of the husband who cannot resist the charms of the young woman with a slender body and bright eyes, only interested in the contents of his checking account, and throws away the happiness of a marriage blessed by God. As the Word of the Lord says, “sin is sweet, but the end tastes bitter”, as described in Proverbs, chapter 5, verses 3/6. To justify these two examples, the devil created the phrase: “nothing to do”!

Many people forget what is written in Matthew, chapter 11, verse 12, when it says: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been taken by force, and those who use force take it by force.” In the analogy of this world, everything that is good is difficult to achieve. To get into the best free colleges you need to study hard, in addition to facing strong competition in the entrance exam.

To work in the best companies, earning a great salary and with various benefits, you need to have an excellent CV, in addition to being a qualified professional. No one is admitted anyway. To play for the world's top football teams, the athlete needs to prove on the field that they deserve to be hired. Managers will never invest millions of reais or dollars in someone devoid of any talent.

Blessing

However, in the current Gospel of Results, propagated by countless Brazilian and foreign evangelical denominations, God will place someone in places of excellence, even if they are completely lacking in capacity. Of course, if that person takes an envelope and puts some money bills inside. In other words, in the view of this type of church leader, it is possible to corrupt Jesus Christ to obtain some type of blessing.

In these people's view, the important thing is to achieve happiness here in this world, leaving what Jesus Christ promised us in the background. The focus is to look at everything the world offers us and focus on it. Taking money, sometimes dirty due to the sin of drug trafficking, robbery, theft, corruption, prostitution and investing it in the purchase of a top-of-the-line car; of a house or apartment in a gated community, very expensive and designer clothes and of course without leaving aside the pleasure of satisfying the flesh.

The thing is to wear two layers: that of a converted Christian inside the church and that of a demoniac outside, when he joins and is happy in the circle of scoffers, consumes drugs, alcoholic beverages, prostitutes himself, swears, lies, consults the stars, bangs heads on the altars of Afro cults on Fridays, eats sweets at Cosme and Damião's parties. After all, it is obeying two masters. On Sunday, he is on good terms with God, and for the rest of the week he pleases Satan.

Power

In this type of Gospel, what is written in Matthew, chapter 6, verse 24, when Christ said through his apostle, does not deserve credit: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will dedicate himself one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. For those who don't know, Mammon in Aramaic means money, riches. This is when a person lets money take the place of God in their life. Become his slave. Everything he does revolves around money.

Literally, if someone loves God and money, they will not be able to enter Eternity, because money will be their master. It is someone who refuses to contribute to God's work. It's very petty. His life revolves around money. On the other hand, it is a supporter of unbridled consumerism. If you have a limit of R$20,000 on your credit card, it will be maxed out every month. He is addicted to buying, even when he doesn't need to. The pleasure is buying, especially expensive objects, to show people that you have great purchasing power.

In “big door” evangelical churches, the leadership encourages this type of consumerism. Instructs the member to never feel like “wanting”. An example of a successful Christian is living in luxury condominiums, where the IPTU exceeds R$10,000 per year, and the value of the house or apartment is above R$4 million. A popular car is for poor people, Christians who pray a lot, like vigils, going to lots of places, preaching the Word in the supermarket, on the Metro, on the Bus, bank, service, etc...

Love

As for women, in this type of harmful Gospel, they can be perfect copies of those who do not know Jesus Christ. If you are single, there is no problem going out with several men or women, clearly encouraging lesbianism. The thing is to enjoy life, preferably in designer motels or flats. Consuming drinks or drugs is also permitted. Then just go to Sunday service, raise your hands and say hallelujah three times and all is forgiven. Obeying the commandments of Jesus Christ is something reserved for fundamentalists. After all, God is Love.

Loving God above all things is a task for fanatics of Jesus Christ. The thing is to invest heavily in the offerings of this world. Imitate and consume lentil dishes. Being a secret agent of the gospel. Never talk about the love of Christ at school, at work or anywhere you are present. Never having time for Jesus. A good prayer is one that lasts less than 5 seconds. Reading the Bible or watching films or miniseries with Christian content or even listening to praises tuned to Wi-Fi from Heaven is foolish.

The end of times, announced by Christ, is near. The signs are visible. An example of this is the strong heat wave in various regions of the planet, the speed of time, it seems that a month lasts a week, wars, earthquakes, famine, diseases that Medicine cannot identify, etc... It still exists time to tune in to the Wi-Fi of the Heavens. To love Jesus Christ with all our hearts, to renounce the delicacies of Satan and his demons. Of choosing to please God. To obey his commands. Our passage here on earth is similar to a drop of water, while our presence in eternity is similar to the size of sea water. Make the choice: world or Heavens.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

Is it easy to have faith in times of pain?

    Pixabay

Luis Alberto Alves

Is it easy to have faith in times of pain? When does it feel like the ground has opened up under our feet and the few friends disappear before us? Do you know when you look around you and realize that you are alone, you only have the support of your family and no one else? It is what people call in the evangelical jargon a “desert”.

As described in Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.” The bad day comes. Sooner or later, for men or women, young, old, rich, poor, famous or anonymous. He arrives suddenly without you being able to react.

The same sunny day, which shortly afterwards becomes full of dark clouds and the storm breaks quickly, offering no chance of taking shelter in a safe place. The problem is that many people imagine that the bad day comes just for others. She will be forever sailing in calm sea, without wave. Just enjoying the good and the best.

Old age

This is not how the wheel turns in the heavenly realms, where fierce battles between angels and demons take place. From the high heavens, God accompanies every movement. He knows deeply what is inside our heart. Of the lies, in the form of a prayer, that we present to the Lord, in the vain intention of calling his attention to our cause.

People are used to manipulating others since childhood. See that babies cry to get their parents' attention or to get something. Unconsciously, they discover that if they cry a lot, their father or mother will come to their rescue. This type of behavior continues into childhood, adolescence, youth and even old age.

We Christians do the same with God. We pray in a threatening tone, so that Jesus Christ blesses us in something that is good for us, but for God it is an abyss, it is defeat, it is tragedy, it will cause us unhappiness in the future. However, like a child full of tantrums, we do not accept God's refusal. He has to attend to us.

Match

With the arrival of a distorted gospel, where it is Jesus Christ who needs to adapt to our tastes and not the other way around, millions of Christians stopped believing that the bad day exists. They imagine it's just for others. In our home and family, everything will work out fine. We won't have any fights. That is, like a beautiful woman, who will never have PMS. Pure lie, because PMS affects every woman.

The problem is that few Christians don't understand why Jesus Christ allowed us to go through the evil day. Soon we think that the Lord is an executioner, that he loves to see his children suffering under terrible fights, of wars in the family, at work, at school, in the neighborhood. We only look at the bad side of history, never the good.

Analyze life as a championship, where every day we play a game for 24 hours, even on holidays. Every game we need to get on the field and play well. All without rest. No right to time off or any perks. You have to play and that's it. It's not worth pouting. Living is not easy. Jesus Christ said that in the world we would have tribulation.

Chemical

Problems annoy, leave us in a bad mood, with our heads down. We just want happiness. As if life were just sunny days and a breeze blowing in our faces. It's not like this. Struggles enable us to face and overcome the challenges that will appear along the way. Imagine if the student only learned in school that 2+2= 4. And when they were faced with trigonometry, algebra, with chemistry classes?

Spiritually, Jesus Christ places lessons on the path of his servants so that they evolve, know how to react in the face of wars they will face, whether in the family, at work, at school, within the ministry itself and in the neighborhood. The Lord told us that this world lies in the evil one. That is, it is contaminated by the actions of evil. They aim at the destruction of the Christian's faith through various strategies calculated by darkness.

The soldier spends some time inside the military academy learning theories that he will put into practice when he goes to the streets. Inside, everything is easy. But when the time comes to put what he has learned to use, he will need agility and judgment. Inside the academy it is allowed to make mistakes, not out here. For he may lose his own life in a botched approach.

Appearance

While the pilot is studying flight techniques in the equipment that simulates an airplane, he can make a mistake in a certain action. Because the flight simulator is here on earth. But when he is in command of an aircraft in the sky, his life and that of the passengers could be lost if the plane crashes. There is no room for murmuring there. Saying that that device is outdated is meaningless.

There is a time for the Christian to sit alone in learning. As the Lord said through James, chapter 1, verses 22/25: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. He who hears the word but does not put it into practice is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes out and immediately forgets what he looks like.

There are people within evangelical churches who have been sitting down for several years, just listening without putting into practice what they have assimilated. They imagine that they serve God. Is not true. Jesus Christ did not call anyone to stand still like a statue in his gospel. A freed Christian has light and it needs to shine where darkness prevails. Together with troubled people, in need of help.

snakes

As no one can deceive God, He notices the soft body and soon sends proof, which many people imagine is the work of the devil. It is not. The Lord allows difficulty for the servant to grow. Be the difference. So that its light shines brightly on those who are trapped in the clutches of darkness. Some people refuse to accept Christ's orders. They prefer to just stay in stewardship. Without doing anything for the gospel.

It's easy to just ask others for help at the time of difficulty. Some call servants and servants of God during the night, because they are afraid of someone who has manifested himself with evil spirits. They don't remember that Jesus Christ gave us spiritual authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and even if someone puts something poisonous for us to drink, nothing will happen to us.

And the learning time for years in the gospel was forgotten? What about the talent Jesus put in your hands? Where did you stay? The bad day comes for the person to leave the comfort zone. Of depending on others in the spiritual area. Therefore, if you haven't known the bitter taste of a bad day, be prepared that it will come for your own good. All with the permission of Jesus Christ, so that you may be approved and proven as a warrior of the Lord.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

Be happy to be chased

Pixabay

Luis Alberto Alves

The time has come when persecutions against Christians have increased. Before, in the first 200 years of our era, we had death in the coliseum, in Rome, when our first brothers in the faith served as food for lions, in addition to the various tortures they suffered so that they would deny faith in Jesus Christ.

Today, suffering is psychological, to hurt the mind and of course the soul. Subtly, politicians from different countries create laws to hinder the preaching of the Gospel, in addition to preventing Christians from publicly manifesting their faith.

It is a fierce dictatorship disguised as democracy, where enemies can say anything about us and we cannot reply, because we are accused of being fundamentalists. That is, you can speak badly and mock me, but I am prevented from making any manifestation.

legions

In Rio de Janeiro, considered a beautiful postcard of Brazil, because of its worldly party, Carnival, rocked by legions of prostitution spirits, a bill has already been presented to the state government prohibiting evangelization in the streets.

In this case, the Christian is prevented from talking about the love of Jesus in public, that is, on the subway, buses, trains, in the streets, squares, bars, restaurants or bakeries. If you're going to visit hospitals, you should just stick to talking about the gospel to the patient you're visiting. You cannot direct the Word to anyone else.

The proposal is to lock the Christian inside the temples. Only there will it be possible, for the time being, to speak about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Outside that location, any evangelistic attitude will be considered an invasion of privacy.

Medicine

Even in the face of a case with someone possessed by demons and who is fallen and attacked by an evil spirit, the Christian needs to keep quiet. Without showing any kind of reaction, waiting for medicine to resolve the situation, applying injections of tranquilizers to make him fall asleep.

A few days ago I witnessed a similar situation, with a hotel employee manifested by several legions of evil spirits. Her state was so violent that more than 5 men could not hold her.

The demonic spirits made her scream terrible names, scaring anyone who passed close to the place where she was squirming on the ground. After almost 2 hours, two military police officers arrived at the scene. When faced with the scene, they did not show any kind of reaction.

Strength

After much struggle, they managed to tie the woman's arms with several strips of cloth, in an attempt to keep her immobilized. I remember that one of the policemen looked scared in the face of that situation, where physical force has no positive effect.

This is the typical case where the mighty Word of Jesus Christ needs to prevail. For Medicine, someone possessed by demons is in a psychotic break. Needs to receive strong injections of tranquilizers to calm down. However, evil spirit rejects any kind of remedy. They are expelled only through the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately there are excesses, with denominations that decided to give the devil more ratings, leaving the Word of God in the background. When he preached the Gospel, during his three years of ministry, Jesus Christ, in addition to healing, delivered many demon-possessed people.

Process

But today everything has changed. What is wrong has become right, and what is right has become wrong. It is only possible for a Christian to open his mouth to speak amen. Even in the face of absurd situations, he cannot say anything, otherwise he runs a serious risk of legal action.

In my adolescence and early youth, in the 1970s and 1980s, I felt firsthand the absurdities of a dictatorial regime. I noticed how the police reacted against critics of the military regime that was in power from 1964 to 1985 in Brazil.

At that time it was forbidden to listen to certain songs, especially those that spoke of freedom and justice. Meetings with several people, mainly to discuss politics, were prohibited. Certain books could not be sold, let alone read in public.

Nightmares

When someone disrespected the rules imposed by the dictatorial regime, he died under physical and psychological torture. After 38 years, we live in a democratic Brazil, where people no longer suffer the nightmares of the military dictatorship. On the other hand, Christians became the persecuted of the time.

In theory, evangelicals are free to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. However, in theory this is not what happens. They are ridiculed by the media, through soap operas, films, miniseries, debauchery songs, plays attacking the life of Jesus. All in the name of democracy.

The Christian, on the other hand, needs to remain silent. If you open your mouth to respond to offenses, you are soon classified as fundamentalists and intolerant. That is, someone can invade your home, but you cannot use physical force to expel him from there. This attitude will be interpreted as undemocratic.

Images

You've already heard cases in Brazil of demonstrations where people made fun of the Christian faith. In one of them, a group of women took crucifixes and rubbed them in the genital areas, in addition to destroying images of Catholic saints. All in public. When questioned, they said that artistic expression was free.

There have already been cases of burning the Bible in public, on the grounds that it was a fundamentalist book, not in line with the existing ideals of this 21st century. The authorities were silent. They treated the subject as freedom of expression. That is, wrong becoming right.

In some large companies, mainly in the area of communication, professionals who declare themselves to be evangelicals suffer all kinds of persecution and discrimination. They are treated as if they were someone with a contagious disease. Both men and women became the butt of malicious jokes.

Error

The other employees who profess another type of faith are seen as special people without experiencing any type of discrimination or offenses. It is up to the evangelical to always get it right. If he makes any kind of mistake, he runs the risk of losing his job or being harassed.

As Sadrach, Meshach and Abdenego did when refusing to eat the king's delicacies in Babylon to avoid the spiritual contamination of that nation, today if evangelical officials do not accept consuming alcoholic beverages at the traditional end of year festivities, this attitude will be seen as fundamentalist.

Even with the Brazilian Constitution ensuring the free manifestation of religious freedom, in practice this type of situation does not happen. Subtly, the evangelical is hunted, as in ancient Rome, not to be thrown into the arena to be devoured by lions.

Home

But to suffer all kinds of humiliation. If you become ill and cannot attend work. Soon someone will say that Jesus Christ stopped healing the sick. He didn't come to work because he decided to stay at home. Even without physical and psychological conditions, it is necessary to go to work.

Already other colleagues who serve other gods, none of this happens. Even when they suffered stomach problems from excessive drinking. This attitude is seen as something of someone who enjoys life. Nothing is wrong. Just a fatality.

If an evangelical woman claims that she intends to date, get engaged and get married in a religious ceremony conducted by a pastor in a Christian denomination, she will soon become the target of malicious jokes in the workplace; it will be classified as old-fashioned.

Registry

According to the rules of the world, the correct thing is to move in together, without any matrimonial bond before the Law of God and men, with a marriage certificate issued at the registry office. In the view of most people who are ignorant of the Lord's commandments, this attitude is the right one.

A modern employee or student, in tune with the 21st century, is the one who consumes all kinds of drugs, licit and illicit. Who corrupts himself, does not respect the law, attacks his neighbor with words and commits all kinds of absurdities. This does not suffer any kind of punishment.

As the prophet Isaiah said, when he stated that “woe to him who makes right wrong and wrong right”. This Word is fulfilled in this 21st century. With the darkness investing strongly against the servants of God, using all kinds of weapons, aiming to destroy the communion with Jesus Christ.

Mateus

On the other hand, all these attacks must be well regarded by evangelicals, because the Word of the Lord is being fulfilled, as written in Matthew 24/9: “And because of my name, you will be hated by all. But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

These persecutions will increase. Even to serve as a mechanism to prove who really serves Jesus Christ, even paddling against the strong tide of evil. The day is not far off when the Bible will be considered a subversive book, with words that should never be quoted, even in churches.

The secret is to remain firm in faith in the Lord, aware that we are not from this world, where the evil one lies. The refreshment that when we die we will go to Glory and there we will be beside Jesus Christ. In eternity we will enjoy true peace, which never existed on this planet. Stand firm through the trials.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor

The current gospel is running out of salt

    Freepik

Luis Alberto Alves/Hourpress

The current Gospel is running out of salt. It's not impacting people like it used to. More and more copies the customs of the world, instead of doing the opposite. In some denominations it is difficult to recognize if there is a place that preaches the Word of God or if it is a concert hall, with the Gospel brand.

It is difficult to find someone who preaches as they did in the past. It's all superficial, self-help talk-like stuff, filled with buzzwords, and worded to keep the audience on their toes. As they say in the world of Communication, it's something full of crutches. The current preacher is similar to an auditorium entertainer.

Because of "political correctness", today care is needed to bring a message, depending on the content, the pastor will walk on eggshells. In other words, nowadays someone like John the Baptist would not be able to preach anywhere. Imagine, a man who was a cousin of Jesus Christ!!

Elias

If he opened his mouth and said that the world is full of a race of vipers, he would soon be embittered in court, in addition to suffering all kinds of insults on the internet, as an irresponsible and hateful person. How can someone who eats locusts occupy the pulpit of an evangelical church???

Elias would also be hounded by the media because of his position against idolatry and people who play at being Christians. Where have you ever seen someone who prays and fire comes down and the prophets of Baal and Azerah end up dead after God answers his prayer?

He and John the Baptist are examples of salt in Christianity. But today, both would have no place in a gospel that is afraid to salt the earth, largely polluted with sin. Denominations with thousands of members are those that tolerate everything, including the presence of the world inside their temples.

Justice

In the name of supposed love for others, any kind of error is allowed in various denominations, even what Jesus Christ does not agree with, as described in I Corinthians 6/9, in Romans chapter 1, Revelation 21/8, Genesis 2/24. In fact, there are already people who accuse the Lord of being a dictator, a tyrant, insensitive.....

Since God is love, the current rule is to accept everything, of course without question. Just like the child who decides to destroy all the furniture in the house, open the fridge and throw food on the floor, scatter garbage over the upholstery and bed. Parents can't do anything, after all, it's someone classified by Justice as incapable.

It's a kind of love that leaves out the word correction. It would be as if the Police could not arrest any type of criminal. Since they are people with imbalance and because of this they commit crimes, such as kidnapping, robberies, rapes and even homicides. There must be agreement with all kinds of nonsense.

Modernism

The evangelical church that is salt is currently considered fundamentalist, outdated, straight-faced, with no connection to the advances of the world. Today it is silly to ask the brothers to gather before the preaching and pray for that service. Any reverence during the period that a servant of God brings the Word is something wrong, without purpose.

The thing is to turn on the cell phone to watch the football team's game or any artist's concert while the pastor is there bringing God's message. After all, there's nothing wrong with paying attention to the Word of the Lord. The worship group can play the songs with a beat in tune with the world, to give a hint of modernism.

On top of all that I wrote, I believe that if Jesus Christ came to walk in the evangelical churches of many countries, he would end up expelled. He would be prosecuted for driving merchants out of the temple. If there was a refusal to assist a woman and compare her to a dog, as described in Matthew 15 21-28, the police would go after her. The current gospel is getting difficult for the real Christian.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

How would you react if God didn't make your dream come true?

Pixabay

Luis Alberto Alves

We have a very ugly habit: that of criticizing God when He doesn't make the dream we cherish so much come true. Imagine something you chased, prayed, cheered, fasted, climbed mountains and stayed there for nights and even dawns. But what I expected did not happen! I'm not talking about something futile, but about a project that would revolutionize your life.

Even for 18 years as a pastor, to this day I meditate on Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 29: “The secret things (or hidden depending on the translation) belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, to that we do all the words of this law.”

Every human being has a dream. Project that he intends to carry out in several areas of life, before he dies. Some dream of completing a university course to gain financial independence and even the happiness of working with what they love so much. For this he dedicates himself entirely to making it a reality.

Periphery

Others have the goal of buying their own house to fill their lungs and say out loud: "it's our dreamed home"! Even if this home is in a distant neighborhood on the outskirts, which needs to take a bus or train and take a few hours to get to work or even to college. In this scale of tasks, the dream of marrying someone who is your soul mate also enters, because of complete harmony.

Liking is different from loving. Those who love dedicate themselves deeply to the other or another. It is one flesh, as Jesus Christ said. It may seem like utopia or talk in the head, as some young people say, but when single people have this dream. After all, how can we find someone who will make us happy among the millions we meet every day in the streets and avenues of this great city?

The real evangelicals (currently there are very generic ones, with the face of a servant of Jesus Christ, but the heart is still united with darkness) pray and present their petitions to the Lord. The wish is that they come true as soon as possible. But as written in Isaiah 55, verses 8/10, “The Lord's thoughts are higher than ours, because He is in Heaven and we are here on Earth. His ways are higher than ours, for we are on Earth and He is in Heaven.”

You

As much as you are intelligent, have a deep knowledge of the Bible, have a great theological background, you will never know what God thinks about you. How the Lord values you. We have an image about our life. We usually never imagine that we have defects. After all, they only exist in the lives of others. We are perfect.

On top of this we begin to bargain with Jesus Christ. We present projects to Him, which in our human perspective are excellent, but for God it is ruin. It could lead us to bad paths and even increase the distance with the Gospel. Upon this we pray. We ask that the Lord grant this request. We cry out, we go on fasts of up to 12 hours, to sensitize God.

As much as you are spiritual, my sister or brother, we don't have ears prepared to hear God's no. The first reaction is to be sad, upset, discouraged, without strength even to carry out any task. We get up to go to work, but without any disposition. The Lord's denial messed with our self-esteem.

Yes

It's natural, because human beings are spoiled. Unconsciously, we grow accustomed to hearing yes to any question we ask someone. It is like this at home, with parents, wife, husband, children, relatives, etc. Even when our heart's team loses the championship, we let sadness dominate us. Who wasn't upset when the Brazilian team returned early from the World Cup in Qatar?

In this fight, we ignore signs that that dream come true could cause serious problems later on. Even so, we insist that God satisfy our will, which is in conflict with the Lord's. Which person didn't have a great love in adolescence and dreamed of being by his or her side forever? But none of this happened and sadness arose about Jesus Christ?

Do we usually open our mouths to say the word “why”? We are looking for reasons. What attitude contributed to the separation? And for a while this situation will punish our heart, it will hammer in our soul and even shake the spirit. We clash with God. In our view, the Lord was wrong to make us sad.

God

I remember a true story of a mother who lost a daughter in her late teens; she was alone. She remained several years muttering, questioning Jesus Christ for taking someone she loved so much. Every day her prayer consisted only of asking God why He allowed (in her view) such evil. She went on to fast and pray insistently for God to answer her.

A long time has passed. On a certain night she dreamed of her daughter prostituting herself in a nightclub, consuming drugs and showing the suffering coexistence of the two at home. She praying in tears, in this dream, for God to remove her daughter from that dark world. At a given moment in this dream, the Holy Spirit begins to say that this was the future that darkness reserved for that young woman. That's why the Lord took her before.

In my 62 years of the race that Jesus stipulated for me to run and I don't know when it will end, I had many dreams that God did not fulfill. I confess that for some time I was upset, without spirit. I even thought about sleeping soundly all day and night, trying childishly to forget everything. I went to church and prayed that the Lord would bring joy back to me, such melancholy.

Head

Fortunately, I am married to a great servant of Jesus Christ, small in stature, but gigantic spiritually. To look at me and ask, in the name of Jesus Christ, to lift my head and continue walking. Keep running towards victory. I was able again to stand and hope in the Lord's best. It's not easy. However, Jesus Christ will always have the best for all of us. He knows our future.

I don't know my brother or sister what is the dream you've been chasing for so long and so far it hasn't come true or maybe it won't even come true. But regardless of the outcome, keep trusting Jesus Christ. He will put into your life what is excellent. It doesn't matter how it happens. God's projects will be much better than ours. Do not lose faith.

As written in Deuteronomy chapter 29, verse 29, what is hidden belongs to God. The Lord will not reveal it to us. Even for our own good. Continue believing in Jesus Christ that the Lord's wonderful projects will come to you in the form of a blessing. Don't let sadness get you down. Get up, take a deep breath and return to the fight. In Jesus Christ we are more than conquerors. Sorrow is of Lucifer, "the joy of the Lord is our strength."

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.

Less formalism, more Christianity

    EBC

Luis Alberto Alves

Today, evangelical churches are rare that are not tied to formalism, that is, tied to rules, precepts, methods and rigor. In some, the pastor-president is treated like a king, with the right to sit in a higher chair, making it clear that he is someone important in that place. When it should be Jesus Christ who deserves such reverence.

In some cases, this pastor-president enters through a separate door, the access of which is forbidden to other “mortals”. To talk to him, in certain denominations, it is necessary to make an appointment, even when the situation requires urgency. If you are a member who tithes less than R$1,000.00; interest is reduced.

The first row of chairs or benches, depending on the location, is reserved for people of relevance to that location. The faithful with less money in their checking account have to settle for other places, perhaps close to the exit door. That place is intended for those who, in the eyes of this type of pastor-president, deserve perks, when in the Kingdom of God, the smallest is considered the greatest.

Holy Spirit

The pulpit, in many denominations, is reserved for PHDs in Christianity, preferably with theological degrees from the best colleges or universities in this segment. No giving way to the Holy Spirit. What counts is the theoretical knowledge obtained on university benches. Not that it is a sin to study, on the contrary it is good. However, study should never leave Jesus Christ in the background.

To preach the Word of the Lord, in this type of denomination, the pastor needs to go to the good clothing stores and buy nice suits, nice ties and shoes, preferably German chrome. Luxury must prevail over the Word of God. Big hair ever. No beard. I imagine that John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus Christ, would never be called to preach in this type of denomination.

The doors of this type of denomination are always open to good citizens. To those without any suffering at the hands of the devil and his demons. If a prostitute, a street dweller (preferably with dirty clothes and smelling bad due to lack of bath), adept at works of sorcery, criminal, or pervert, even speaking disconnected words; they will hardly be able to attend the service.

expelled

The workers' shock troops will remove that person from the room so as not to disturb the preaching and leave a bad impression on the rest of the brothers and sisters. If by chance a spiritual manifestation occurs, the demons will not be expelled, but that person possessed by darkness will soon have many workers around him to remove him from that place and take him to some small room.

In this type of church full of formalism, demons will not be cast out, as Jesus Christ did when he preached his Word in Israel. What counts is to bring sermons with a self-help hue. It is not worth confronting the kingdom of darkness, but just talking that the devil can destroy lives, but without touching the heart of the matter, resisting in prayer against him.

In the great ministries, whose founders or their children, it is impossible to get close to them. If you're a millionaire or a football player, an artist or a famous singer, it's a different story. When it comes to simple members, who earn up to 2 minimum wages, it is the worker who will assist you. After all, the founder or heir of that ministry has more important missions than listening to a desperate mother with her son on drugs.

Faces

They are very spiritual people, in their view of course, to waste time on a question considered banal. What counts is the liturgy. With cults or meetings, as some of these enlightened, similar to shows prefer to speak. The ancient and beautiful praises of the Christian harp are stamped with faces. What matters is the distorted guitar solo, the loud bass and the drums playing at a frantic pace.

The lyrics, full of sweet choruses, are repeated several times like a mantra. Praise groups in some of these denominations do not differ from secular bands, even in dress. What counts is showing up, leaving Jesus Christ aside. Even the most spiritual praises are ignored. What counts is lyrics with several biblical errors.

How to say that "whoever has a promise does not die". Moses had the promise of taking the people to the Promised Land and God took him to the top of Mount Nebo, in Jordan, and from there God showed the long-awaited Promised Land from afar and there he died. But this detail does not matter in this type of evangelical church. Vale is the full house.

battles

No matter the location, whether luxurious or not, that has a plastic chair, wooden benches, cement or marble floors, with a fan or air conditioning; the pastor speaking with several mistakes in Portuguese, wearing the old jacket worn from so many spiritual battles. It is necessary, my brothers and sisters, to let Jesus Christ speak, through the Holy Spirit, with his sheep.

The Good News message needs to be conveyed. No one can be treated differently because of the value of offerings and tithes. What counts is a sincere heart and faith in Christ. Follow what determines your Gospel. Cults where the Holy Spirit has freedom to work freeing captives, cheering hearts, restoring families, curing infirmities.

More Christianity means commitment to the Gospel. No stardom. Everyone, from the homeless person to the businessman, from someone living in a simple house to the brother who owns a penthouse apartment, are equal before God. You need to put vanity aside. Ask forgiveness for mistakes and depend on Jesus Christ in making any decision. Bury the ego and live in the Lord.

Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.