Do Not Teach Any Other Doctrine

I prayed and prayed and prayed, I asked others to pray for the lesson that I was to give this past Saturday on "Instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines", 1 Timothy 1:3 (NASB). There have been a lot of discussion about doctrine in Brazil these past years.

I was speaking at Elicamp, a conference for workers from all over the Northeast of Brazil. After each lesson, the floor was open for questions on the lesson taught. I wrestled with this subject for weeks. I studied 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Ephesians, a part of Revelation and some of Philemon, Romans, Acts, Matthew & Luke. Where to begin? How to present God's Word and His Will to bring about unity? Many other questions and fears went through my mind.

The afternoon before my lesson, I prayed once more but this time as I talked with God, I was reminded that after study and prayer, now it was time to God to work, and His will is best.

I explained in my lesson what sound doctrine is as it is described in 1 Timothy and in other passages of scripture. We looked at many passages but the summary of them all is that God, in His Word, is telling us the story of how and why He saved us from a life without meaning and His desire for us to live out His Will in our everyday lives being light to all who see us. That is a very short and incomplete summary.

Some passages that might help explain better what I taught: Acts 2:42-47; Acts 7; Acts 13:14-49; Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:4-6; Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Romans 1:3-4,16-18; 1 Timothy 1:3-5; 2:1-4; 1 Peter 2:9-10. There are others, but hopefully these will give you an idea that God has a mission to reconcile the world to Himself and that He chose Christ's body to accomplish this mission. Living a life of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7) saves us from a life of ungodliness (Romans 1:18-32). This is sound doctrine and what we should all be teaching through our everyday lives.

Comments

Consecration

We know that God can do anything. The question is what will He do? What will the Lord do in the lives of His people when they consecrate themselves to Him? We hope to find out. Friday, May 22 nd , the Luna congregation had an all night vigil of consecration. We went from 9 pm to 5:30 am, and over 50 people participated, from the ages of 10 to 75 years. In the prayer corner, brothers and sisters signed up for time slots so that we would have prayer without ceasing. The vigil focused on Consecrating our Lives, in Gratitude, in Unity, in Service, and in Sharing . Each part consisted of prayer, singing, Bible Reading and Reflection, and practical activities, like in Service, we washed everyone’s feet, and then everybody joined in making breakfast for the group: homemade bread, fruit, tapioca and eggs, juice, and coffee. In Sharing, we ended with a wonderful meal together in family, talking about people with whom we want to share the gospel. Spend

Luna Men

The men of the Luna church of Christ have a weekly meeting for the purpose of edification and planning God's work in the congregation. Some are going strong, others have family problems, and we all want to grew in God's purpose for our lives. Last night's meeting included a discussion of what really happened on the cross, on resting in Lord in the Psalms. We made plans about the upcoming Carnaval (Mardi Gras) retreat, and talked about the need to do some manual labor on our building. Though the group was smaller this week, there is a hunger to serve. Five out of the six committed spending Wednesday ripping up a big wall that needs to be redone. Whether leading, studying, admonishing, evangelizing, or tearing up a wall, let God use us to His glory!

Pentecost in Paraíba

"This is Pentecost in Cajazeiras," Rivaldo Café said, "Almost three thousand were baptized in Jerusalem, almost ten in Cajazeiras." A wild comparison, of course, but the excitement that produced it was legitimate. Six young men gave their lives to Jesus and were baptized on Saturday. I was blessed to be there: the sixteen hours on a bus, going and coming, was worth it. I went to teach a weekend couples' seminar on the theme "God Gave Me You". The couples (around 12) were mostly parents of kids in the Right Step Program. The changes in these boys' lives have made an impression on the families, many of which have started Bible studies too. Saturday morning, after the soccer practice, three of the boys asked to be baptized. We headed to the building. Café began filling the portable swimming pool while I talked to the boys about what it means to come into the Family of God. Franze (15 yrs), Luam (14 yrs), Jorcelam (17 yrs)

McKinney Report

Search This Blog