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Mãos consagradas

por Philip Martin

O caminho para ajudar alguém de nossa igreja com um trabalho pesado, deparei-me com um acidente que acontecera fazia instantes. Uma mulher mais velha estava deitada na rua, a uns cinco metros da faixa de pedestres, com a cabeça sangrando. Perto dela, um jovem falava freneticamente ao celular andando; falava alto para alguém que do outro lado da linha que, imagino, fosse o serviço de Emergência. Outra mulher, em pânico, chorava e gritava com uma voz estridente e aguda: "Não morra! Não morra!"

Imediatamente saltei do carro e corri para o lado da que estava no chão. Ela havia perdido muito sangue e eu não sabia se estava consciente. Tirei o lenço do bolso e com ele fiz pressão sobre o ferimento. Então encostei o rosto na testa da coitada e comecei a orar por ela baixinho e a falar calmamente, tentando tranquilizá-la. Fiquei espantado com a paz e a tranquilidade de espírito que o Senhor me deu. Em um ou dois minutos, começou a reagir.

Soube depois que o jovem era seu filho e que fora atingida na faixa de pedestre. A que chorava compulsivamente era a motorista do veículo que a havia atropelado. Acredito que ver-me reconfortar, encorajar e ministrar sua mãe ajudou o rapaz a ter clareza para relatar os detalhes da emergência à polícia. Fiquei ali até os paramédicos chegarem. O rapaz passou a cuidar a mãe e, quando me virei para sair, estendeu-me a mão para agradecer.

Não é possível "apenas seguir em frente" depois de uma experiência como esta. Ficou gravada no fundo da minha mente. Tentei colocar o que aconteceu em uma perspectiva espiritual, para ver o que Senhor teria para mim e se haveria algo além de uma manhã atribulada e uma oportunidade de ajudar alguém em necessidade.

Diante da situação, não pensara duas vezes: Deixei meu carro em marcha lenta na rua e corri para a cena do acidente. "As pessoas fazem isso por impulso" —costuma-se dizer. Mas um pensamento me ocorreu e surpreendeu: "Não! Como cristãos, essa deveria ser nossa predisposição." A natureza de Jesus, sua natureza celestial, deve nos motivar em tudo o que fazemos e dizemos. A natureza de Jesus é responder a situações de necessidades instantaneamente, sem pensar duas vezes, sem considerara autopreservação ou as possíveis consequências. Se dermos ao Senhor e ao Espírito Santo o controle de nossas vidas, para deixar Jesus viver, pensar e agir em nós, podemos ser os instrumentos pelos quais pode mostrar ao mundo como Ele e o Pai são.

Hoje, em minhas devoções matinais, li Mananciais no Deserto, Volume 2 e o versículo para o dia é: "Certamente, a mão do Senhor não está encolhida, para que não possa salvar”,[1] e o texto dizia: "Deus usa as mãos que Lhe são consagradas para tocar vidas.”[2]

Imediatamente essas palavras brilharam para mim — "mãos que Lhe são consagradas" — e pensei: As minhas mãos estão consagrados a Deus? Será que as entreguei a Ele?

Faz alguns meses, li um livro de Frances Ridley Havergal intitulado Reservada para o Uso do Mestre. A leitura não me impressionou muito na época. Não aprendi muito com ela.

Hoje, no entanto, por "coincidência" calhou de eu ler isso nas minha devoções. No livro, a Sra. Havergal trata de várias coisas mencionadas no poema de abertura e dedica um capítulo de como devemos dedicar um dom ou qualidade ao Senhor para que Ele o reserve para si. Tudo isso voltou para mim inundando minha mente com um significado novo e maior. "Devo consagrar minhas mãos ao Senhor? A propósito, isso na verdade significa que devo dedicar e conscientemente consagrar meu corpo e todo meu ser para o Senhor?"

Ansioso, abri o livro, procurando no índice para ver se havia um capítulo dedicado às mãos. E lá estava. Uau! Desta vez, meu espírito devorou cada palavra. Vou citar algumas partes aqui:

Toma minha vida; que seja
Consagrada, Senhor, a Ti.
Toma meus momentos e meus dias,
Que fluam sempre em louvores incessantes

Toma minhas mãos; que movam
Pelo impulso do Teu amor.
Toma meus pés; que sejam
Velozes e “formosos” para Ti.

Toma minha voz; que eu cante
Sempre, somente, para meu Rei.
Toma meus lábios; que se encham
De mensagens vindas de Ti.

Toma meu ouro e minha prata;
Nem um centavo quero reter para mim.
Toma meu intelecto e usa
Todas minhas faculdades conforme Tu quiseres.

Toma minha vontade e torna-a Tua;
Nunca mais será propriedade minha.
Toma meu coração; é Teu somente;
Será Teu trono real.

Toma meu amor; meu Senhor, derramo-o
Aos Teus pés, com todos seus tesouros.
Toma meu ser e serei
Sempre, somente, totalmente para Ti

Se procurarmos no Antigo Testamento, veremos que o significado literal da palavra traduzida para consagração é "encher a mão". Se nossas mãos estiverem cheias de outras coisas, não poderão ser preenchidos com as coisas de Jesus Cristo. É preciso que sejam esvaziadas antes, para que possam ser verdadeiramente preenchidas. Então, se com tristeza virmos que nossas mãos não foram reservadas para Jesus, comecemos humildemente por Lhe pedir para esvaziá-las completamente, para que Ele as encha inteiramente.

Já alguma vez Lhe pedimos com simplicidade e sinceridade, para reservar nossas mãos para o Seu uso?

Isso significa que devemos sempre fazer algum trabalho claramente "religioso", como dizem? Não. Significa que tudo que fizermos deve, com toda a certeza, ser feito sempre por Ele. Há uma grande diferença. Se as mãos estiverem de fato se movendo no impulso do Seu amor, os mais simples deveres e atos serão transfigurados em serviço sagrado para o Senhor.

Então, hoje foi um começo. No silêncio do meu quarto, orei: “Toma minhas mãos; que movam pelo impulso do teu amor.”


[1] Isaias 59:1.

[2] Mrs. Charles Cowman, Mananciais no Deserto, Volume 2, 5 de setembro (Zondervan, 1997).

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Witnessing in the Tough Times

By M. Fontaine

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.—2 Timothy 2:24–251

Relations with people, even with those who are opposing you or challenging your beliefs in some way, are all about love. God’s way is love—love for the lost, love for one another, love for those the Lord places in our path, and even love for those who oppose us, whether knowingly or unknowingly. We can look at each encounter with another person, whether that person is receptive or not, or even adversarial in some way, as an opportunity to show the Lord’s love to someone who desperately needs Him, even if they seem to be turning away from Him and His love.

There are countless testimonies throughout the Bible and from great missionaries of the past of people witnessed to in the midst of very difficult circumstances. Souls have been led to Jesus and people’s lives have been changed forever by the testimony of love given in the midst of adversity or rejection. The Lord specializes in using those moments when you are compelled to stand up for your faith to reach and convict others.

Only Jesus can see deep into the heart of man; only He knows the internal struggle and turmoil that person you’ve come into contact with is facing, the difficulties they are having, the fears that overwhelm them, the sense of loneliness and loss they experience. If you ask Him, He can reveal to you the thoughts and innermost feelings and concerns of that person, and He can tell you how to best reach them, or how to do your part to be a faithful messenger of His truth and love, even if they don’t appear to receive it immediately.

Let’s seize the opportunity, even if it comes in the form of rejection or a challenge, to show the Lord’s love to someone who may never have another chance in this life to experience the Lord’s love. Instead of looking at the difficult situation as a potential negative, why not try to see it as a special setup orchestrated by the Lord to be a witness and to reach people that you would never have reached otherwise?

We will never fully know until heaven how great our impact has been on the lives of those we touch with our witness. It will be so wonderful in that day to see the fruit that was borne through our willingness to “contend for the faith” and to be a witness during times of opposition.2

One of the most important things to do in such cases is to make prayer your first line of defense. Acknowledging the Lord and interceding desperately in prayer makes it possible for Him to work in the situation and bring about His perfect plan, no matter how challenging the circumstances. Even if you’re in the middle of a difficult situation and you can’t stop everything for a prayer meeting, you can always be praying on your feet and committing every detail to the Lord.

Of course, the best way to be prepared for opposition and challenges to our faith is through studying the Word and doing your best to live it. If your faith is firmly grounded in His Word, and you are prepared to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you with gentleness and respect,”3 you will have the answers you need for any situation. The Lord will speak to your heart and give you the answers, even when you feel unprepared or unsure of what to say. “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.”4

Let’s be willing to reason and present our beliefs to people with patience and love, while respecting the fact that it may take them time to understand these beliefs, assimilate them, and accept them. Often, people are just waiting to be convinced of the truth, or to reach a point of understanding. We also need to accept that there may be certain aspects of our beliefs that some people may never reach a point of understanding or adopting in this life.

An opportunity to contend for our faith can result in an opportunity to win souls with the truth. If someone challenges your faith, you can ask the Lord to help you to rise to the occasion—to help the person to understand and receive the truth, or to at least take on a more balanced view or favorable impression of what you stand for. There are no impossibilities for the Lord, and He’s willing to perform the miracle of turning people’s hearts around and bringing them to Him. So don’t miss that golden opportunity to be an instrument of His love in the life of someone who has not had the chance to hear or believe.


But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? … That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.—Romans 10:14–175

*

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for managing opposition and challenges to your faith. If you study the Gospels and the times when I received opposition, you will see that I didn’t handle all situations in the same way.

Sometimes I spoke a parable in addressing those who were opposing My mission. At other times, I would give them a question to ponder, in the hope that they would come to an understanding and the right conclusion on the matter. At yet other times, I would contend for the faith directly and state My position in a straightforward manner. Sometimes I even answered with My actions and without words.

My eyes were upon My Father, and I knew that He would not fail to give Me the answers when I called upon Him. So it will be for you. Having a calm and trusting spirit—which comes from your faith—will help you to maintain your perspective and help you to see the situation for what it is. Keep your eyes on Me and don’t allow the waves of the situation to rock your boat. I’m in charge of the winds and the waves in every situation that you face, and keeping that knowledge ever before you will maintain your perspective and equilibrium, to see the situation for what it is.

Your faith in Me and My ability to not only bring you through adversity and opposition, but to cause it to work together for your good, is vital to walking by faith, and not by sight. Any time challenges and difficulty come your way, you can plant your feet upon the Rock and your faith will not fail you, nor will your feet be moved, because you will be trusting in Me and My perfect power to work every situation to your good.
—Jesus, speaking in prophecy


Be ready to spread the word whether or not the time is right. Point out errors, warn people, and encourage them. Be very patient when you teach.—2 Timothy 4:26



Originally published June 2009. Adapted and republished January 2014.
Read by Debra Lee.


1 NLT.

2 Jude 3.

3 1 Peter 3:15 ESV.

4 Matthew 10:20.

5 NLT.

6 GW.

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Germany Adds Lessons in Islam to Better Blend Its Melting Pot

By Alison Smale, NY Times, January 6, 2014

FRANKFURT—For the first time, German public schools are offering classes in Islam to primary school students using state-trained teachers and specially written textbooks, as officials try to better integrate the nation’s large Muslim minority and counter the growing influence of radical religious thinking.

The classes offered in Hesse State are part of a growing consensus that Germany, after decades of neglect, should do more to acknowledge and serve its Muslim population if it is to foster social harmony, overcome its aging demographics and head off a potential domestic security threat.

The need, many here say, is ever more urgent. According to German security officials and widespread reports in the German news media, this past semester at least two young Germans in Hesse—one thought to be just 16—were killed in Syria after heeding the call for jihad and apparently being recruited by hard-line Salafist preachers in Frankfurt.

Such cases have stirred alarm not only that some young Germans are increasingly feeling alienated and vulnerable to recruitment, but also that they will eventually bring their fight home, along with new skills in the use of weapons and explosives gained on distant battlefields. Other parts of Europe with expanding Muslim minorities—including France, Britain, Spain and Scandinavian countries—are facing similar challenges of integration and radicalization.

The Hesse curriculum effectively places Islamic instruction on equal footing with similarly state-approved ethics training in the Protestant and Catholic faiths. By offering young Muslims a basic introduction to Islam as early as first grade, emphasizing its teachings on tolerance and acceptance, the authorities hope to inoculate young people against more extreme religious views while also signaling state acceptance of their faith.

Parents have the option to enroll their children in the religious education classes offered in the district. Nurguel Altuntas, who helped develop the Hesse program at the state’s Ministry of Education, said the sign-up for 29 classes in immigrant-heavy districts was enthusiastic.

For German authorities, countering the expansion of more radical religious thinking has presented a vexing problem. For now, the domestic intelligence service keeps close watch on a growing number, with 4,500 Salafists under observation in 2011 and 5,500 in 2012, according to an annual government report. The figures for 2013 are not yet available, but “we are reckoning with another increase, whether sharp or gradual I cannot say,” said a security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

For many teachers, German officials and, not least, Germany’s Muslims, wider instruction in Islam is a belated effort to redress decades of exclusion from the mainstream. Those years of marginalization, they say, meant many of Germany’s Muslims learned their faith by rote teaching at Quran schools, or from the hard-line musings over the Internet or in the courtyard mosques of immigrant neighborhoods in major cities like Hamburg or Berlin.

"I think it’s clear now that for years we made the mistake of alienating people," said Nicola Beer, who as education minister in Hesse was one of several politicians, professors and teachers who pushed for the Islamic instruction. Now, she said, Germans recognize that "we are here together, we work together, and we educate our children together."

Fazil Altin, 34, a lawyer who is president of the Islamic Federation, said Muslims and the city authorities in Berlin had wasted 20 years while they battled in court about whether Islam could be taught. Then, Mr. Altin said, the federation had to overcome suspicions about indoctrination—and all for 40 minutes’ instruction per week, which he called “pretty paltry.”

In his view, it will take more than formal state instruction in Islam to bridge the cultural gap between observant Muslims and a highly secular German society. “It is difficult to be a Muslim in Germany,” said Mr. Altin, who said he had been denied access to clients in jails because of his faith. “The fact is, we are seen as a danger.”

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The Boy who was Turned into a Girl

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/boyturnedgirl.shtml
First shown: BBC2 9.00pm Thursday 7th December 2000

In 1965 in the Canadian town of Winnipeg, Janet Reimer gave birth to twin boys - Bruce and Brian. Six months later a bungled circumcision left Bruce without a penis. Based on a radical new theory of gender development the decision was taken to raise Bruce as a girl. In 1967 Bruce became Brenda and for the next three decades this case would be at the heart of one of the most controversial theories in the history of science.

The man behind this work was world-renowned psychologist Dr John Money. In the 1950s Dr Money developed a theory that revolutionised our understanding of gender. Money believed that what he called our 'gender identity' - what makes us think, feel and behave as boys or girls - is not fully formed by the time of birth. While we may have some innate sense of being a boy or a girl, for up to two years after birth, our brains are, in effect, malleable and we can be taught to grow up as either a boy or girl by how we are raised - by the toys we are given, the guidance we receive from adults and the clothes we are given to wear. This became known as the 'theory of gender neutrality'.

Dr Money had reached this conclusion by working with a rare group of individuals born with ambiguous genitals - people known as intersexuals or hermaphrodites. Dr Money studied groups of intersex children, and concluded that these children could be brought up as either boys or girls regardless of their genetic or physical sex. The legacy of Dr Money's work was a revolution in the treatment of 'intersex'. From the 1950s to the present day many intersex children born with a tiny penis are reassigned as female even if they are actually genetically male.

But not everyone agreed with Dr Money's theories. Since the 1950s a small group of scientists including Dr Milton Diamond have questioned John Money's work. Diamond believed that our sex is already defined in our brains before we are born. He was convinced that the power of our genes and hormones was so strong that no amount of nurturing could override them.

But John Money's theory had already become firmly accepted around the world and the most dramatic confirmation of the theory came from one particular case - the case of Bruce Reimer.

Bruce was a normal boy, not an intersex child, and yet the decision was made to turn this boy who had lost his penis, into a girl. Under the guidance of Dr Money and his team at Johns Hopkins University this baby boy was surgically changed into a girl. After surgeons at Hopkins had castrated baby Bruce, he became baby Brenda. The family were instructed how to bring up Brenda as a normal little girl. According to Dr Money's theory she would grow up believing herself to be female and would go on to live a normal happy life as a woman. It seemed the ultimate test that nurture could override nature.

Thirty years after Bruce became Brenda, the impact of this extraordinary story continues. After almost 14 years living as a female, Brenda Reimer reverted to her true biological sex - the case of the boy who was turned into a girl had failed. Brenda took the name David and for the last twenty years he has lived anonymously in his hometown of Winnipeg. For almost all this time no one knew the outcome of John Money's celebrated case. But now that David has gone public, the case is being widely discussed once again and its impact on John Money's theory of gender development and the treatment of intersex children is being hotly debated.

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Vanished: The Plane That Disappeared

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/vanished.shtml
BBC2 9:00pm Thursday 2nd November 2000


On August 2nd 1947, a British civilian version of the wartime Lancaster bomber took off from Buenos Aires airport on a scheduled flight to Santiago. There were 5 crew and 6 passengers on board the plane - named "Stardust". But Stardust never made it to Santiago. Instead it vanished when it was apparently just a few minutes from touchdown. One final strange morse code radio message - "STENDEC" - was sent, but after that nothing more was heard from the plane.

Despite a massive search of the Andes mountains no trace of the plane was ever found. For 53 years the families of those who disappeared have not known what happened to their loved ones.

But earlier this year the plane suddenly reappeared on a glacier high up in the Andes, more than 50 km’s from the area where the plane was last reported. In February this year the Argentine army arranged a major expedition to visit the crash site beneath the massive Tupangato peak (6800m). Their aim was to bring back the human remains which had been found at the site, so that an attempt could be made at identifying them. The expedition also offered a unique opportunity for crash investigators to see if they could finally explain what happened to the ill-fated plane.

'Horizon' gained exclusive access to this expedition, and now for the first time the full story of what happened to "Stardust" can be told. Why did the plane crash without warning? Why was it so far from its planned route across the mountains? What was the meaning of the last mysterious message - "STENDEC" - sent by the plane’s radio operator? Would it be possible more than 50 years after the crash to identify the remaining fragments of human remains that so graphically testified to the horrific destructive forces involved in the crash? And perhaps most mysteriously, why did the wreckage elude discovery for so long, despite regular mountaineering trips to Tupangato over the years?

The expedition was joined at an army base in the Andes foothills. The threat of altitude sickness and the approach of winter meant that the trip required meticulous planning. More than 100 mules were used on the four day journey to the crash site, ferrying people and supplies to base camp, and then on up to an advance camp on the glacier. Several mules fell on the perilous journey over a 4500m pass; others bolted.

After four gruelling days the expedition finally reached the Tupangato glacier. They had enough supplies for 36 hours to investigate the crash site and finally explain what had happened to Stardust, and why it had disappeared for so long. At the crash site 'Horizon' followed the crash investigator as his ideas on the crash changed with each new discovery. The plane’s main wheels were discovered, one still fully blown up. One of Stardust’s Rolls Royce engines was lying on the ice, and nearby it’s propeller. Damage to the propeller indicated that the engine was working normally at the time of the crash. The wreckage offered no smoking gun to explain why the crash happened.

Human remains were discovered - a hand, parts of a torso half buried in ice, fragments of hair - poignant reminders that this was above all a human tragedy. At a lab in Buenos Aires scientists are still trying to extract sufficient DNA from the remains to allow the remains to be identified. Few of those who went down with the aircraft were old enough to have children, so DNA matches are being made with more distant relatives, further complicating the work. The difficult task of identifying the remains brought down from Tupangato is still underway.

Meanwhile the air crash investigators focused on the mystery of why the plane had not been found for so many years. Their analysis led them to suspect that the reason the plane had remained hidden for so long could lie with the glacier the wreckage was lying on. As soon as they returned from the mountains the investigators visited a glacial specialist in Mendoza. He told them that if the plane had crashed on the upper part of the glacier it would have been gradually buried by year on year snowfall, until it became a part of the glacier itself. It would then have travelled downhill with the glacier under the influence of gravity. Eventually it reached a warmer zone, and here the ice started to melt. Gradually, out of the melting ice, came the remains of Stardust. The wreckage hadn’t been found because for more than 50 years it had been buried inside the glacier.

Stardust isn’t the only plane to be buried inside a glacier. In Greenland an entire squadron of second world war aircraft which crash landed on top of the Greenland ice cap in 1942 were recently discovered a hundred metres under the ice. They too had been buried by years of snowfall which gradually hardened into ice, until planes and glacier became one.

But having solved the mystery of why Stardust had disappeared for so long, much hard work remained - particularly trying to explain why the plane was more than 50 miles off course when it crashed. The Argentine investigation needed to explain why a highly experienced crew could make such a massive error. They focused on a meteorological phenomenon that was virtually unknown in 1947 - the 'jetstream'. This high altitude wind can blow at more than one hundred miles an hour. But in 1947 very few planes flew high enough to encounter the jetstream. Stardust was one of the exceptions.

On the day of the flight bad weather over the Andes persuaded the crew to fly close to the plane’s maximum altitude, so they could fly over the top of the weather… and the mountains. Stardust’s superior performance should have guaranteed it’s safety. But in fact it was the decision to fly high that was at the root of the disaster. Unknown to the crew, they were flying straight into the jetstream. And because of the bad weather, they couldn’t see the ground, so they had no way of knowing that the jetstream was dramatically slowing them down. It meant that although the crew’s calculations showed they had crossed the Andes, in fact the jetstream’s powerful wind meant they were still on the wrong side of the mountains. So when Stardust began it’s descent, rather than being above Santiago airport, it was on a collision course with Mount Tupangato.

The jetstream finally explained the reason for the massive navigation error, and therefore the crash. But the investigators were unable to explain one final mystery, the last radio message - Stendec - sent by Stardust just before the crash. Many explanations have been advanced, but to this day none has convincingly explained what the message meant.

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Nosso Campo de Missão: O Mundo

Peter Amsterdam

Nos últimos meses, tenho pensado nos primeiros discípulos e algumas das mudanças que vivenciaram no início de sua caminhada de fé. Passaram uns três anos e meio com Jesus, compartilhando das coisas grandiosas que Ele fez, ouvindo-O pregar, ensinar e contar parábolas, e vendo-O fazer milagres.

Viviam uma vida incrivelmente emocionante, muito diferente das pessoas comuns. Tinham um relacionamento especial com Jesus. Ele os ensinava pessoalmente. Participavam de Seu ministério. Conviviam com Ele. Sabiam que havia apenas cinco pães e dois pequenos peixes, mas distribuíram o suficiente para alimentar 5 mil pessoas; e em outra ocasião sete pães e uns poucos pequenos peixe alimentaram 4 mil pessoas. Dá para imaginar como isso deve ter sido incrível?

Viajar com Ele, aprender com Ele, ouvir revelações diretamente de Sua boca, vê-lO curar os enfermos, sendo desafiado e desafiando os escribas e fariseus, expulsar os cambistas e ressuscitar os mortos deve ter sido eletrizante. Isso sim é um estilo de vida impressionante!

A expectativa era que a vida continuasse assim até que Jesus se tornasse rei, quando então estariam ao Seu lado revestidos de poder e honra. É por isso que discutiam, provavelmente até brigavam, sobre quem dentre eles seria o maior no reino e quem sentaria à Sua direita. Afinal, como Ele Se tornaria rei, eles teriam prestígio e influência. As pessoas buscariam sua proteção e favores. Seriam ricos, famosos e importantes. Eles seriam poderosos.

Quando finalmente chegaram a Jerusalém, as multidões espalharam seus mantos e ramos no chão e Jesus, montado em um jumento, entrou na cidade. O povo gritava: “Hosana! Bendito é o que vem em nome do Senhor!"[1] Que emocionante! Imaginem a expectativa dos discípulos. Parecia que o futuro estava garantido, que tudo ia bem e que ficaria cada vez melhor.

Então... Surpresa! Jesus foi preso!

Menos de 24 horas mais tarde Ele estava morto! Que choque! Tudo muda de um dia para o outro. Todas as esperanças dos discípulos ficam destroçadas, o estilo de vida com o qual se acostumaram e suas expectativas para futuro foram destruídos. Acabou! Tudo mudou. Todo o ambiente, toda a cultura, tudo que tinham foi embora! Deve ter sido terrivelmente difícil. Não dá nem para imaginar o que eles passaram. Eles não entendiam o que estava acontecendo, ficaram com medo e se esconderam.

Claro que, três dias mais tarde, Ele estava com eles novamente. Imaginem a alegria! Jesus passou então quarenta dias explicando as Escrituras aos discípulos, e eles começam a entender os desafios que estavam enfrentando, bem como a tarefa que tinham pela frente.

Então, Jesus ascende ao céu e, dias mais tarde, o Espírito Santo desce sobre eles, e dá início a uma explosão de testificação. Passaram a pregar com grande poder. Cinco mil convertidos em um dia e três mil no próximo. Estão em Jerusalém, com muitos novos discípulos os quais ensinam e treinam. Recebem as pessoas novas, estão juntos, compartilham todas as coisas, vivem Atos 2:44–45: “E todos os que criam estavam juntos.” Com o tempo alguns problemas começam a surgir. As pessoas começam a resmungar e reclamar. É preciso algum tipo de estrutura: elegem diáconos para ajudar a cuidar dos problemas pessoais, estabelecem regras, etc.

Jesus os havia incumbido de ir por todo mundo, fazer discípulos de todas as nações. Disse que depois que o Espírito Santo viesse, seriam testemunhas em Jerusalém, Judeia, Samaria e até os confins da terra.

Começaram em Jerusalém, e pelo que parece estavam bastante ocupados com tantos novos convertidos. Demorou para começarem a ir por todo o mundo. Ao ler o livro de Atos é fácil ficar com a impressão de que essas coisas aconteceram rapidamente. Que eles estavam em Jerusalém se enchendo do Espírito Santo e algumas semanas mais tarde na Antioquia, e pouco tempo depois o Apóstolo Paulo já estava levando o Evangelho para a Turquia e Grécia. Mas, na verdade, demoraram anos. É muito provável que havia coisas que eles tiveram de aprender enquanto trabalhavam juntos para ensinar, treinar e cuidar de todos aqueles convertidos, as quais os ajudariam a realizar o trabalho que teriam quando não estivessem todos juntos.

Chegou o momento em que eles tiveram de se dispersar, quando os discípulos tiveram de ir a outras terras e povos. Viveram e trabalharam juntos por anos, tinham uma história em comum, eram amigos, camaradas de lutas, e agora havia chegado a hora de se separarem, de se mudarem e levar o Evangelho a novos horizontes.

As coisas mudaram. Chegara a hora de partir, de ir embora, alguns sozinhos; outros, em pequenos grupos, para lugares onde o cristianismo não existia, onde as pessoas não haviam ouvido falar de Jesus. De certa forma, precisavam começar tudo de novo. Mudar para longe de seus amigos e sem o apoio de uma grande comunidade. Tiveram de começar do nada, conhecer pessoas, testificar para elas, edificar um trabalho do zero. Deve ter sido terrivelmente solitário. Deve ter sido um grande desafio. Deve ter sido muito diferente do que eles estavam acostumados. Mas foram esses homens e mulheres que levaram o Evangelho aos lugares que Deus lhes mostrou, e que fizeram que os ensinamentos e a mensagem de Jesus se espalhassem por todo o mundo.

Eles testificaram, pregaram, ensinaram, venceram, construíram comunidades, e a fé continuou em frente. Tinham de fazer o que podiam todos os dias para levarem a fé para outras pessoas. E foi o que fizeram. Era diferente de antes. Provavelmente mais difícil e, sem dúvida, levou algum tempo para começarem de novo, para se ajustarem às mudanças; mas estavam determinados a fazer sua parte, a realizar a missão onde Deus os guiasse.

Ele ainda chama Seus seguidores a pregarem o Evangelho e fazer discípulos. Ele quer usá-lo para ganhar o seu mundo. Onde quer que você esteja, em seja o que for que Ele tenha lhe chamado para fazer, você pode alcançar o seu mundo, as pessoas ao seu redor e aquelas que encontrar no seu caminho.

O Senhor quer que você use seus dons de forma que você possa brilhar para valer. Você possui dons, talentos e habilidades que lhe são únicos, que formam quem você é. Deus quer que você os use para a Sua glória, para o bem dos outros, para mudar o mundo deles e o seu.

Algumas pessoas têm dons musicais, outras têm jeito para negócios, ou sabem cuidar fisicamente dos demais; algumas são boas em ouvir, outras desfrutam de hobbys que proporcionam oportunidades para conhecer pessoas. Seja qual for o seu dom, talento ou desejo, o Senhor pode usar isso como um meio para ajudá-lo a alcançar os outros com o Seu amor e Sua mensagem. A liberdade de permitir que Ele o guie para onde e para o que Ele quer, deixa você em uma posição muito melhor para Ele usar os talentos que Ele lhe deu. Para muitos, as mudanças na Família geraram oportunidades melhores e mais personalizadas de evangelizar.

Além de tornar seus talentos bênçãos para os outros, Ele quer que sejam bênçãos para você também. Dizem que o trabalho ideal é aquele no qual você pode usar os seus dons, fazer aquilo que faz bem e que desfruta fazer. Existe melhor forma de realizar a missão do que combinando seus talentos para levar as pessoas para o Reino dos Céus?

Ele lhe deu os talentos e o chamou para, enquanto discípulo e cristão, alcançar outras pessoas. Fomos chamados para compartilhar as boas novas com outros. Sua missão pode ser em sua cidade natal. Pode ser em um campo de missão distante. Você foi chamado ao “mundo” para o qual Ele o guiou, para as pessoas com as quais você interage, seja no trabalho, no parque com seus filhos, ou até mesmo os seus filhos, ou em ministério em tempo integral. Seu chamado é para alcançar as pessoas no seu mundo, aquelas com as quais entra em contato, que talvez tenham os mesmo interesses ou pertençam ao mesmo “clube” que você.

Não importa o lugar para o qual Deus o guiou em sua vida, o mundo a sua volta é seu campo de missão. Isso não quer dizer que você vá se envolver em um ministério em tempo integral, mas, conforme interage com elas, surgirão oportunidades para conhecer pessoas para as quais ministrar, pelas quais orar, influenciar para o bem, levar a salvação, ensinar e treinar.

Imagino que quando os discípulos saíram, mais sozinhos do que antes, se sentiam solitários e se perguntavam como conseguiriam fazer uma diferença. Foi difícil, provavelmente desanimador, mas eles testificaram, pregaram, ensinaram e ganharam outras pessoas para o Senhor, e com o tempo, construíram comunidades de crentes. Formaram novas redes de relacionamento, novas amizades, influenciaram as pessoas ao seu redor e, por terem feito o que podiam dia após dia, ano após anos, o cristianismo cresceu e passou de geração em geração.

Talvez se sentiram sozinhos, mas não estavam. Talvez você se sinta sozinho, mas não está. O Senhor está com você, e se você O estiver seguindo, indo aonde Ele quer que você vá, fazendo o que Ele lhe diz, então pode estar confiante de que Ele estará com você em qualquer situação. Ele quer e vai usá-lo para fazer uma diferença em seu mundo.

Deus quer que você faça uma diferença em seu mundo. Você tem essa oportunidade ao fazer o que Ele lhe chamou para fazer, vivendo como Ele lhe chamou para viver, deixando sua luz brilhar, influenciado as pessoas ao seu redor, plantando sementes de fé nas vidas das pessoas, e fazendo discípulos daqueles que se sentem chamados. Talvez demore um pouco, mas fazer sua parte todo o dia é o que vai ajudá-lo a mudar o mundo à sua volta, a mudar os corações das pessoas que o Senhor trouxe para sua vida. Esse é o nosso chamado. Essa é a missão.

Publicado originalmente em outubro de 2011. Adaptado e republicado em janeiro de 2014. Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão Hebe Rondon Flandoli.


[1] Marcos 11:9–10.

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Our Mission Field: The World

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 12:04
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Over the last months, I have been thinking about the first disciples and some of the changes they went through early on in their walk of faith. They were with Jesus for about three and a half years, witnessing the great things He did, listening to Him preach, teach, tell parables, and seeing Him perform miracles.

They lived an incredibly exciting life, a very different life from that of the average person. They had a special relationship with Jesus. They were personally taught by Him. They took part in His ministry. They saw Him up close and personal. They knew there were only five loaves and two fishes, but they passed out enough to feed 5,000; and another time seven loaves and a few small fish fed 4,000. Can you imagine how incredible that must have been?

Traveling with Him, being taught by Him, hearing revelations direct from His mouth to their ears, seeing Him heal the sick, being challenged by, and challenging the scribes and Pharisees, overturning the moneychangers’ tables, raising the dead, all must have been electrifying. Talk about an amazing lifestyle!

They were expecting it to continue on until Jesus became king, and when He did, they were going to be right there with Him, with power and glory. That’s why they would have discussions, probably arguments, as to which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom, who would sit at His right hand. Because if He was going to be king, then they were going to be prestigious and influential. People would come to them for patronage, for favors. They would be rich and famous and important. They would be powerful.

They finally come to Jerusalem, and the crowds spread their cloaks and branches on the ground as Jesus, riding on a colt, comes into town. The people are shouting: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!1 What excitement! What expectations the disciples must have had. Their future was set, everything was going great, and it was only going to get better and better.

And then … wham! Jesus is arrested!

Less than 24 hours later, He’s dead. What a shock. From one day to the next, everything changes. All of their hopes are dashed, the lifestyle they were used to and their expectations for the future are destroyed. It’s over, it’s all changed. The whole atmosphere, the whole culture, everything that they had, is now gone! It must have been incredibly difficult. I can’t even imagine what they were going through. They didn’t understand, they were fearful, they hid.

Of course, three days later He was with them again. What a joy that must have been! For the next forty days He explains more from Scripture, and they begin to understand the changes they are facing, as well as the task before them.

Then He ascends into heaven and days later the Holy Spirit descends upon them, and the witnessing explosion begins. They powerfully preach. Five thousand converts one day. Three thousand another. They’re bunched up there in Jerusalem, with lots of new disciples whom they are teaching and training. They’re gathering people in, they’re staying together, they’re sharing all things, they’re living Acts 2:44–45, All that believed were together. Eventually there are problems; people begin to murmur and complain. They have to build some kind of structure; they elect deacons to help take care of the personal problems, they develop rules, etc.

Jesus had commissioned them to go into all the world, to make disciples of all nations. He said that after the Holy Spirit had come, they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the world.

They started off in Jerusalem, and from the sounds of it, they had their hands full for a while with so many immediate converts. It took time before they started heading out into the rest of the world. When reading the book of Acts, one can get the impression that these events happened quickly. That they were in Jerusalem getting filled with the Holy Spirit and then a few weeks later they were in Antioch, and not long after that the apostle Paul was taking the Gospel to Turkey and Greece. But actually all of this took years. Most likely there were things they needed to learn while working together to teach, train, and manage all of those first converts—things that would help them do the job when they were going to be more on their own.

The time came when they had to disperse, when the disciples had to go to other lands and other people. They had lived and worked together for years, they had a common history, they were friends, comrades in arms, and now it was time to leave one another, to move on and take the Gospel to new horizons.

Things changed. It was time to head out and to go, perhaps alone or perhaps with a handful of others, to where Christianity didn’t exist, where people hadn’t heard about Jesus. In a sense they had to start all over. They moved away from their friends and didn’t have the backing of large communities. They had to start from scratch, meet new people, witness to them, build a work from the ground up. They needed to survive in a new situation. They had to start witnessing and winning all over again. It must have been terribly lonely. It must have been a huge challenge. It must have been so different from what they were used to. But it was those men and women who brought the Gospel to the places where God had led them to, and who caused the teachings and message of Jesus to be spread throughout the world.

They witnessed, they preached, they taught, they won, they built communities, and the faith carried on. They had to do what they could day by day to bring the faith to others. And they did. It was different from their past. It was probably more difficult, and it no doubt took time for them to start over, to adjust to the changes; but they were committed to doing their part, to doing the mission where God had led them.

He’s still calling His followers to preach the Gospel, to make disciples. He wants to use you to reach your world. Wherever you are, whatever He’s called you to do, you can reach your world, those who are around you, those that He brings across your path.

The Lord wants you to use your gifts in a way that you can brightly shine. You have gifts, talents, and abilities that are unique to you, which make up who you are. God wants you to use them for His glory, for the good of others, to change your world and theirs.

Some people are gifted in music, others in business, some in physically caring for others; some are good at communicating with people, others are experts at caring for children, some are great at listening to others; others have hobbies which make for opportunities to meet others. Whatever your gift, whatever your talent, whatever your passion, the Lord can use it as a means to assist you in reaching others with His love and message.

Besides your talents being used in a way that is a blessing to others, He wants them to be a blessing to you as well. It’s often been said that the ideal job is the job where you can use your gifts, where you can do the things that you are good at and that you enjoy doing. What better way to do the mission throughout your life than combining your talents with bringing people into the kingdom of heaven?

He’s given you those talents, and as disciples, as Christians, He’s called you to reach people. We’re called to share the good news with others. Your mission may be your hometown. Your mission may be a faraway mission field. You are called to “the world” He has led you to, those you interact with, whether it’s at a job, or at a park with your children, or even to your children, or in full-time ministry work. You are called to reach those in your world, those you come into contact with, who may have the same interests or who may belong to the same club you do.

No matter where God has led you in your life, the world around you is your mission field for as long as He has you there. It doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to be engaged in full-time ministry, but as you interact with others, there will be opportunities to meet those you can witness to, pray for, influence for good, bring salvation to, and teach and train.

I imagine that when the disciples went out, when they were more on their own than they had been in the past, they felt alone and wondered how in the world they would make a difference. It was hard, probably discouraging at times, but they witnessed, they preached, they taught, they won others to the Lord, and in time, over the years, they built up communities of believers. They made new networks, new friends, they influenced those around them, and because they did what they could day by day, year after year, Christianity grew and was passed on from generation to generation.

They may have felt alone, but they weren’t. You may feel alone at times in your life, but you’re not. The Lord is with you, and if you’re following Him, going where He’s shown you to go, doing what He’s shown you to do, then you can have the confidence that no matter what the situation is right now, He’s there. He wants to, and will, use you to make a difference in your world.

God wants you to make a difference in your world. You have the opportunity to do so by doing what He’s called you to do, living the life He’s called you to live, letting your light shine, influencing those around you, sowing the seeds of faith in people’s lives, giving them Jesus, walking with them on their spiritual path, and making disciples of those who feel the call. It may take time, but it’s doing your part day by day that’s going to help you change the world around you, by changing the hearts of those the Lord has brought into your life. That’s our calling. That’s the mission.

Originally published October 2011. Adapted and republished January 2014.
Read by Jerry Paladino.


1 Mark 11:9–10 ESV.

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