Category Amazing Grace

The apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 6:9-10 mentions the people you’d find in a cross section of Corinthian society. His list of ten doesn’t make nice reading. God’s Kingdom has not yet dawned on these lives. The first five describe sexual immorality, that is if we take idolatry to include the temple prostitution that was rife. Of these five, two are forms of homosexuality. There were a lot of Jews in Corinth, and on the whole they  would have nothing to do with the Gentile abominations. But the rest of Corinth would hardly bat an  eyelid. Indulging in these things was no more than anyone’s private choice of “life-styles”. Of course, if you were caught in a robbery, your head might be off, but for the rest…, society was very permissive.

     But what about that new sect that had arise...

What a day that was for me and my family, When on that Sunday, we surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ! It was also the day that Alcohol ceased to rule my life.

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Living with my father in Goiânia, Goiás State, Brazil, since childhood, I had heard about God and I was familiar with the catechism, but I got my first chance to read the Bible when I was 18, as I was spending some time with my mother in the Rondonópolis area of Mato Grosso State. It seemed just another book, and not all that interesting. Yet I kept on reading.

At times the “Assemblies of God” had special meetings in this rural community, and I attended several of them, attracted mainly by the singing. The Gospel message, however, did not get through to my soul.

By then I was already a smoker...

History, including Bible history, may mention the sexual “adventures” of certain people, yet not say a word about the children thus conceived. Did you ever wonder about the children of the Samaritan woman (John 4)? She was at that point living with partner number six … However, God’s eye is on each one, and all of them are precious in his sight. As Jesus puts his arms around the children in Mark 10:16, does it matter to him whether one or two are “illegitimate”? His love is unconditional!

Sometimes we get a glimpse into his purposes with such a one who was “accidentally” (and inconveniently) conceived. Take Jephtah in Judges. One even found his way into the Lord’s genealogy in Matthew 1, not to mention three of the five mothers who are also there.

Lorival is one of millio...

By  José María (Yuyi) Iturriaga.

The bridegroom’s family was poor, the bride’s family was poor, and the 1968 wedding was … well, poor. But that is man’s estimation.

Ricardo and Ema loved the Lord with all their hearts. They had come into great riches a few years back, when the King of the Universe had come knocking on their hearts’ doors through the faithful testimony of NTMU missionaries. They gladly let HIM in, surrendering all.

It was some time after this when they got to know each other. Again something stirred those hearts. It was human love this time. But both realized their hearts might easily deceive them and so, consciously, with lots of prayer, all was put into their Lord’s hands. They asked HIM to take charge and guide perfectly. He did!

And then there was this great poor/rich wedding! They lived h...