Getting a Parachute

by David McKinney

Ricardo began visiting the church meetings, and I decided I would invite him to study the Bible. The same day I called his house (he was not at home) I was told he wanted to talk to me. He wanted to ask me to teach him the Word. It was one of those "holy coincidences".

His mom has been a Christian for many years, and she has spent this time praying for her son's conversion. Prayer is and always will be a vital part of evangelism. He had lost a good job, and even worse, he had lost his marriage. Ricardo said that if only he had got to know Christ before, he would have saved his relationship with his wife. Ironically, it was the hurt from a broken marriage and the separation from his daughter that lead him to the arms of the only One who can heal and save.

At one of our all night prayer meetings, Ricardo saw a video that talked about a person wearing a parachute in an airplane. The person complained about the discomfort and felt ridiculous because no other passengers were wearing one. All this would be different, however, if the passenger knew for a fact that the plane was going to go down during the flight. There would be no complaining, or feeling stupid, in fact, the passenger with the parachute would think that he is the smartest one on the plane. The video compared this illustration to the Christian life. The disciple of Jesus has the foreknowledge that this world is coming to an end, and God offers the way of salvation. It is not always comfortable and easy to live life Jesus-style, but knowing where this world is headed, the Christian gladly follows his Master. This video had a great impact on his life as he referred to it on many occasions.

Diego and I studied the Bible with him for eight months, during which, by the grace of God we were able to establish a deep friendship with him, making it possible for him to go beyond a mere knowledge of the Word to real contact with our Lord. It was easy to see Jesus coming alive in his life from week to week. He decided to give his life to Christ in baptism. May God be praised.

Comments

For the Kids, Part III

In the USA, there are two special days during the year that children love: birthday and Christmas. Brazil adds one more: Children's Day. On this day, children receive a present and since it coincides with Our Lady of Appeared Conception, Brazil's patron saint, it is also a national holiday. Each week we get kids from the Castelo Branco neighborhood together at the square in front of Dona Terezinha's house to talk about Jesus. For Children's Day, we invited the parents to watch the kids perform a play of the "Prodigal Son," then each kid receives his or her fill of cotton candy, cake, and a sack full of goodies. The parents who came received a Today's Portuguese New Testament and an invitation to the weekly Bible study at Terezinha's. Lori Hagewood has organized this activity for three year with the help from Terezinha, Joseph, and Michel (from the China Taiwan restaurant). Michael, Ashton, and Tif...

Pedro's New Family

Good Christian parents are invaluable in bringing about children’s faith, but in the absence of such, the younger generation must take up Christ’s banner and follow for themselves. Pedro and João have been coming to our church meetings for a long time. Their parents, though, haven’t even visited, showing no interest whatsoever, except for an internet search to make sure their kids weren’t getting into anything crazy. This past Sunday Pedro gave his life to Christ and was baptized into a new family. I admire young people who break with family tradition for the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let our Lord be praised through the dedication and sacrifices that young people make.

The Planting, the Watering, and the Increase

Emesson started coming to Bible Club over a year ago, when Neil Schultz and Cait Beckloff, our AIM team, were teaching it. For several months, they planted the seed in his and his sister's hearts. Unfortunately Neil and Cait's time in João Pessoa ended. In 2014 Bible Club received a boon when Erick and Jenny Paddy, former AIMers, returned to the field and picked up teaching the Bible Study for English speakers. They watered the sprouting seed in Emesson's life until God's Word became more important for him than just practicing his English. Last Wednesday night, God gave the increase, adding Emesson to the Family of Christ. Sometimes things don't happen when we think they should, but God is in control; His time is best, and we must thank Him for playing a small part in His plan.

McKinney Report

Search This Blog