Brazilian Sending

Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

John 20:21

I last spoke about the sending of God and what that means for the believer. Over the next couple of entries, I will share God's sending of His people in many different parts of the world. A few months back, I spoke of God's movement in Africa in African Sending. Today, I would like to highlight Brazil. 

"That the evangelical and pentecostal churches in Brazil are strong is immediately evident to any visitor. Compared to other Latin American countries where non-Catholic congregations are often small, hidden away on back streets and decidedly not influential, the church in Brazil is almost brazen in its visibility and self-promotion. 

From one or more churches on every block in some sectors of Rio de Janeiro to billboards for a Christian bookstore overlooking downtown Sao Paulo’s popular central square; from numerous radio and television stations broadcasting fiery sermons around the clock to two teenaged sisters unashamedly singing Christian hymns and choruses on an extended bus trip; from glaring neon signs proclaiming “Assemblies of God” atop the largest buildings in some rural towns to evangelicals in the president’s cabinet and a strong evangelical bloc in the nation’s congress, Brazilians are filling churches as fast as they can open and sharing their faith in a way that would put fellow believers in other countries to shame. 

“There are 40 churches opening in Rio every week,” says Roberto Inacio, the Director of an Assemblies of God Bible institute in Rio de Janeiro and writer of Sunday school material used throughout the country. “In particular, there has been an explosion of pentecostalism in the country in the past decade,” he says. 

While the pentecostal expression of faith is most obvious, other evangelical churches are experiencing rapid growth as well. “The Presbyterian church in the central area of the country is growing,” says missionary Alan Mullins who has served in the country for 30 years. “The churches are very alive, the churches are full and the people are excited about what is going on in the church.” 

While Alan says that Presbyterian growth has slowed in large cities such as Sao Paulo, with its metropolitan population pushing 20 million, Baptists are encouraged by their 900 congregations in Sao Paulo state. And, while this denomination has traditionally worked with lower and middle class groups, it is now reaching out to more affluent, harder-to reach residents of the big cities. But, such a ministry takes time says Danny Rollins, a Southern Baptist missionary in Sao Paulo. “You don’t just set up the Jesus film on the street corner like you do in a poor community and think that they’ll come, because they won’t,” he explains. 

Even youth in Brazil are openly active in witnessing to their faith. In Campinas, a city of one million people located an hour and a half west of Sao Paulo, the teenage youth group from a 3,000 member-strong charismatic Nazarene church spends every Saturday giving concerts, plays and puppet shows in city parks. “Our goal is to lead one-thousand people to make professions of faith for Christ this year,” says Beth Kinas, the group’s adult leader."  (Kenneth D. MacHarg, Former LAM Missionary)

It is encouraging to see the explosive growth of the church in Brazil! With that growth has been an accompanying growth in missions. "The number of evangelical missionaries from Brazil has increased significantly since the 1970s. There were 595 missionaries in 1972; 791 missionaries in 1980; 2,040 missionaries in 1988; 2,755 missionaries in 1992; and 4,754 missionaries in 2,000. Today, Brazilian missionaries are working on every continent," (Bertil Ekstrom, Exec. Dir. of the Mission Commission of World Evangelical Alliance). 

God is doing great things in South America (from 1900 to 2000, evagelicals grew from about 700,000 to over 55 million) and in particular, Brazil!

Global Hot Spots

When we look at the world around us with all of its problems, we may often ask ourselves...what can we do?

We can Pray!

Every day, as Christians, we can spend some time praying. Prayer is:
- an act of faith
- an act of obedience
- an act of worship
- an act of warfare
- an act of sacrifice
- an act of labor
- an act of love

So, even though we may be many miles away from an area that needs prayer, we can learn about what is going on and pray daily.

One outstanding resource to use in praying for the world is Operation World. The publishers just came out with the 7th edition of this book. You can use it as a daily prayer resource and you can also go to their website Operation World for daily prayer guidance.

I want to share their list of Global Hot Spots and ask that you would pray regularly over these areas of the world. "Listed here are some of the critical international hot spots most likely to cause turmoil, conflict, suffering or even war in the coming years. These need to be covered in prayer.

1) The future of Jerusalem. The world's holiest city is probably also its most volatile flashpoint. Conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has resisted major international efforts to resolve it. The fundamental and seemingly irreconcilable differences between most Israelis and Arabs means that any outbreak of serious conflict can easily embroil neighboring countries - especially Lebanon and Syria, Many feel that such a war is almost inevitable. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

2) The Korean Peninsula is shared between an untenable, failing dictatorship and an affluent but nervous democracy. If or when reunification comes, the main questions are whether it will happen peacefully and at what cost rebuilding the North will occur. War would be disastrous for both sides.
Pray for peaceful reunification and freedom for North Koreans.

3) Somalia is a textbook example of a failed state; it is a broken land populated by warlords, pirates, an uprooted and exiled shambles of a government and a number of aggressive Islamist groups. The upheaval has spilled into the Horn of Africa and significantly affected marine traffic in the busy shipping lanes along its coast. Pray for peace to come to Somalia and for protection for its innocent citizens, especially the secret Christians.

4) Central Africa, while not the cauldron of anarchy it was in the 1990s, retains much of the upheaval and unrest of those dark times. Eastern DRC and northwest Uganda, in particular, still suffer from the predations of lawless militias. Pray for increased peace and an end to child abduction by the militias.

5) Afghanistan and Pakistan remain vulnerable to religious extremism. While the former has been stabilized significantly by heavy foreign presence, religious terrorism and violence have gripped Pakistan (Asia Bibi is one example) in the past decade. The porous mountain borders between the two countries offer the ideal location for the Taliban to persist with their radical Islamist agenda. Both remain among the world's most unstable and dangerous nations. Pray for peace and for religious freedom.

6) China's growing self-confidence and assertiveness seem less of a threat externally as it seeks to engage the world as a financial, rather than a military, power. However, its increasing global strength is not without its opponents - and victims. There are also increasing tensions with the Uyghur and Tibetan minorities, the looming demographic and economic fallout of a rapidly aging population resulting from the One Child Policy and the massive gender gap with a shortfall of millions of females. China also continues to be one of, if not the biggest, persecutor of Christians. Pray for Christianity to continue to sweep across China, transforming the country for Christ's glory.

7) Sudan's deep divide between north and south is currently spanned by an awkward truce after decades of conflict and civil war. The results of the 2011 referendum, just voted on last week (read more here), in the south regarding independence will bring profound consequences. Additionally, Darfur remains an unresolved tragedy. Literally millions are uprooted from these two regions, victims of Arabist, Islamist agendas on the part of the government of Khartoum. Pray for peace and protection for Sudan's citizens.

8) Iran is a regional power unto itself and the Shi'ite half of the West Asia/Middle East region. Its unbending stance on developing nuclear power and its notable influence in Iraq may put it on a collision course with other nations, particularly in the West. It also has its own internal stability issues and has stepped up persecution of the growing Christian church. Pray for freedom in Christ for the people of Iran.

9) The Himalayan region simmers with tension and division. The competing claims over Kashmir, the volatile nature of Nepal, the oppression of Tibet, the upheaval in Bangladesh and Northeast India and the opposition of India and Pakistan on many issues make this a potentially dangerous area - especially since the three main players are all nuclear powers. Pray for peace and the continued penetration of the Gospel within this region.

10) The Mexico-U.S. drug corridor is an area where the hedonistic excesses of American appetites effectively fund brutal wars between various drug cartels and government forces. Tensions from immigration issues further fuel the fire. Pray for peace and an end to the drug trade.

11) The West African fault line between Islam and Christianity has seen clashes, mob violence and civil war, especially in Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire. Religious differences are exacerbated and fueled by ethnic divisions. Pray for peace and the spread of Christianity.

12) A Southeast Asian corridor, from Myanmar through Thailand down to Malaysia and Indonesia, offers a range of potential flashpoints - the Burmese military junta's brutality, the widening socio-political chasm and possible military coup in Thailand, the Muslim unrest in Thailand's south and the continual threat of Islamism in Malaysia, Indonesia and Mindanao. Pray for peace in this region.

13) The Caucasus has long been a hotbed of ethnic violence, with the overlay of renewed Russian imperialism and deep religious divides. More radical and violent forms of Islam are beginning to assert themselves, and secessionist regions in the Russian Caucasus are displaying increasing boldness in pushing for autonomy. Pray for peace and wisdom for the governments in these regions and for the spread of Christianity.

14) Immigration into Europe is an unstoppable tide of humanity from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe. The plunging birthrates in EU countries and the affluence, stability and generous social services in Europe are factors that pull in immigrants, many of who are coming from countries where conflict rages. While immigration is utterly necessary for the demographic and economic survival of Europe, the potential for resentment and violent backlash on the part of the native peoples of the EU is also strong. Postmodern secularism, Islam and Christianity must learn to co-exist or face a very turbulent future. Pray for peace and wisdom for EU governments as well as the salvation of immigrants.

Brazilian Sending

Brazilians marching to show their support of Israel

Jesus said, "Peace be with you! 

As the Father has sent me, 

I am sending you."

John 20:21

Yesterday, I spoke about the sending of God and what that means for the believer. Over the next couple of days, I will share God's sending of His people in many different parts of the world. A few months back, I spoke of God's movement in Africa in African Sending. Today, I would like to highlight Brazil. 

"That the evangelical and pentecostal churches in Brazil are strong is immediately evident to any visitor. Compared to other Latin American countries where non-Catholic congregations are often small, hidden away on back streets and decidedly not influential, the church in Brazil is almost brazen in its visibility and self-promotion. 

From one or more churches on every block in some sectors of Rio de Janeiro to billboards for a Christian bookstore overlooking downtown Sao Paulo’s popular central square; from numerous radio and television stations broadcasting fiery sermons around the clock to two teenaged sisters unashamedly singing Christian hymns and choruses on an extended bus trip; from glaring neon signs proclaiming “Assemblies of God” atop the largest buildings in some rural towns to evangelicals in the president’s cabinet and a strong evangelical bloc in the nation’s congress, Brazilians are filling churches as fast as they can open and sharing their faith in a way that would put fellow believers in other countries to shame. 

“There are 40 churches opening in Rio every week,” says Roberto Inacio, the Director of an Assemblies of God Bible institute in Rio de Janeiro and writer of Sunday school material used throughout the country. “In particular, there has been an explosion of pentecostalism in the country in the past decade,” he says. 

While the pentecostal expression of faith is most obvious, other evangelical churches are experiencing rapid growth as well. “The Presbyterian church in the central area of the country is growing,” says missionary Alan Mullins who has served in the country for 30 years. “The churches are very alive, the churches are full and the people are excited about what is going on in the church.” 

While Alan says that Presbyterian growth has slowed in large cities such as Sao Paulo, with its metropolitan population pushing 20 million, Baptists are encouraged by their 900 congregations in Sao Paulo state. And, while this denomination has traditionally worked with lower and middle class groups, it is now reaching out to more affluent, harder-to reach residents of the big cities. But, such a ministry takes time says Danny Rollins, a Southern Baptist missionary in Sao Paulo. “You don’t just set up the Jesus film on the street corner like you do in a poor community and think that they’ll come, because they won’t,” he explains. 

Even youth in Brazil are openly active in witnessing to their faith. In Campinas, a city of one million people located an hour and a half west of Sao Paulo, the teenage youth group from a 3,000 member-strong charismatic Nazarene church spends every Saturday giving concerts, plays and puppet shows in city parks. “Our goal is to lead one-thousand people to make professions of faith for Christ this year,” says Beth Kinas, the group’s adult leader."  (Kenneth D. MacHarg, Former LAM Missionary)

It is encouraging to see the explosive growth of the church in Brazil! With that growth has been an accompanying growth in missions. "The number of evangelical missionaries from Brazil has increased significantly since the 1970s. There were 595 missionaries in 1972; 791 missionaries in 1980; 2,040 missionaries in 1988; 2,755 missionaries in 1992; and 4,754 missionaries in 2,000. Today, Brazilian missionaries are working on every continent," (Bertil Ekstrom, Exec. Dir. of the Mission Commission of World Evangelical Alliance). 

God is doing great things in South America (from 1900 to 2000, evagelicals grew from about 700,000 to over 55 million) and in particular, Brazil!