From the Ordinary to the Etraordinary….. P A R T 2

This morning we finished by saying that our lives are staged in some easier times and some more difficult ones. The easy parts are good, but they do not last forever. The tougher ones might make us stop. The walls cannot be stopped in the middle of the way.

In the beginning of a project things might tend to be lighter and easier. We see it in this scripture. Those men got together to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. They were very excited at first. The beginning was good. Then they started to get tired and discouraged. The more they built the more rubble there was. As they saw the rubble they got more discouraged.

When we edify something it consists not only of constructing things, but also of throwing things away. It is time to stop building and start cleaning up. Throw the rubble away. Let God clean your life.

Sometimes we say “I cannot go on. It is impossible to continue. So many problems, so many difficult circumstances.”
That is the time when we are confronted and either go on or stop and become mediocre.
Confrontations come so that we can identify the enemies and what is good or bad. What has to be thrown away or keep.

Jesus was confronted in the wilderness.
We remember the temptation Jesus went through and we understand it had little to do with bread or angels, but the aim was to prevent Jesus from accomplishing God’s purpose for his life. That was the devil’s aim: to steal God’s aim from Jesus.

Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees. They were always trying to catch Jesus in something which they would use to accuse Jesus.

Peter did it too.

When we decide to dedicate our lives to God, confrontation comes.
Something comes in order to steal God’s purpose from your life.
Evil forces fight against us so that we do not do God’s will.
We are tempted to stay where we are and sit stil comfortably.

When Sanballath heard of what the people of Israel was doing, that they were rebuilding the temple, there he comes to stop them.

When you decide to rebuild your family, your household, or you want to become a man of God and a woman of God, then attacks will come.

If you please God the devil will get angry.
When you want to accomplish God’s will, demons will be stirred up.
But remember:
The more you get under God’s presence and wings the more protected you are.

All the enemies got together to stop the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
“They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.”

There is a plot being held to stop God’s purposes to happen in our lives.

Why is Jesus excellent?
Because he healed the sick?
Because he preached will?
Because he was good?
No, he was excellent because he accomplished the will of God, the purpose God had for His life.

The spirit of Sanballath was always trying to make Jesus give up on his calling.

What does this spirit do?

* He tells you that you are weak and unable to do what God has told you to do.
“What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

We all know we have limitations and weaknesses. We are weak, but God strengthens us.
The devil does not have the right to say it to us. The Lord is our strength.
We are unable, but God enables us.
We sin, but the devil has no right to tell me my sins. I confess my sins to God and He forgives me. God can call me a sinner, not the devil.

* This spirit of Sanballath also puts doubt in your heart.
“Will you be able to finish the job?”
Do not let the devil place doubt in your heart.
What God started in our lives and in the lives of our families He shall finish.

* The spirit of Sanbalath also shakes our motivations.
We also remember when evil men go to the king to say that the Israelites were building “that evil and rebellious city” God did not like it.
“The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.” Ezra 4:12
Those people were trying to convince the king that Jerusalem was rebellious and bad. They might have been evil and rebellious, but God did not want anybody to accuse His people of anything. God would deal with them.
They also said that Jerusalem would stop paying taxes. A lie.
The kings of the world do not want you to be free.

* The spirit of Sanbalath also judges us and reminds us of our past sins.
We remember Ana, who was praying so that God would give her a child, and the priest thought she was drunk. What a bad thing. It was not true.

Do not be emotionally isolated.
God wants us to quit a mediocre life and have a life of excellence.
The devil attacks minds and places a spirit of mediocrity there.
People start questioning things. Not that they cannot do it. They can. However, questioning cannot hinder God’s spirit form working in our midst.

Lord,
Let us not stop in the middle of the way.
I want to finish things.
Come, Lord, in the most special way and speak unto us.
Rebuke all spirit of mediocrity and lead us into a life of excellence.
We want a new version of ourselves.
Teach us to throw away the rubble.
We rebuke the accusation of the enemy and all influence of evil.
We are weak, but we are strengthened in you.
We are nothing, but the devil has nothing to do in us.
We might live under pressure, but the walls will not stop in the middle of the way.
The gaps will be closed.
Lift families that are strengthened in you.
Families that know the reason why they were called by you and what they were called for.
Exalt God’s name.
God strengthens you now.
God, perform the impossible in us now.

Message preached in the New Life Church
Sunday evening – June 14, 2015
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
May God richly bless you
Marcos Paiva, Pastor and MD

From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary – Part 1

Sunday – June 14, 2015
From mediocrity to a life of excellence –
From the ordinary to the extraordinary… P A R T 1

“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”

4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.

6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Rememberthe Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.

16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.”

Nehemiah 4

From mediocrity to a life of excellence

We are talking about changing.
We cannot take for granted that all we do is excellent.
God has called us to be excellent.
What is mediocrity?
Philosophers say that man is mediocre. There is nothing special.
Another definition is that mediocrity is lack of creativity.
There is also the definition that says that mediocrity is the absence of originality or the lack of ability to perform a task that is set.
It also means to be below the medium.
Mediocrity is also irrelevant things.
However, I prefer the following definition:
Mediocrity is being in the medium place.
The problem is that we are so often satisfied to be in the medium.
When you take a test to get a job position or a university place, if you are in the medium position, you may not get the place.
Being mediocre is standing right in the middle: between the big and the small, between the good and the bad.
So it is not very meaningful.
So we also remember the scripture from Revelation. God says it is best to be cold or hot, but not lukewarm. The lukewarm ones will be vomited.

So the challenge we have is to abandon the place where most people are – the place in the middle.
Most people use half of their strength to do a job.

Are we willing to be and do 100% of what God wants?
Jesus was 100% in everything.
He was not part of the group who would get satisfied with just anything.
Content is important, but do not get satisfied with what you got now.
Do not get used to having just a little.

Prosperity is not only about having things.
Prosperity is the result of our work, it does not mean money.
Excellence has to be our goal.
God wants us to be both great at my job and great at my spiritual life.
My goal is to live God’s excellence.

Where does mediocrity come from?
It does not come from a cultural background.
It does not mean having post graduation diplomas.
There are people who do not have a master’s degree, people who can hardly write their names, but they are excellent.
Excellence is an objective.

We live bad days.
There are people who spend 6 hours commuting each day. 3 hours to go to work and 3 to come back home. That is a mediocre life.
Society and everyday life make us live a mediocre life.

There are people who focus on excellence.
Mediocrity comes form the evil one.
So many people could be having a great life, but they prefer mediocrity.
We live under pressure so that we live a mediocre life.
It enslaves people. How?
It makes it hard for the person to know God’s will.
It makes people deny the truth.

This spirit of mediocrity crawls into a person’s life and leads man into a life according to evil’s plans, not according to God’s goals.

Culture can be filled with spiritual aspects: we have Afro culture, but how much of evil spirits do we have there? Carnival – how spiritual is it? Very much. People watch the parades, they see the great costumes, the lyrics of the samba songs. They are spiritual.
We need to have spiritual discernment.
The condition under which people live today comes from a spiritual background.

Mediocre is not the one who is it willing to do things.
Some people do things, but they are ruled by a spirit of mediocrity.

This spirit of mediocrity is the one who stops the growth of the the kingdom of
God.
Mediocre people listen and follow mediocre people.
Since most people in the world are mediocre then even the church has been using a mediocre stand to win people.
This kind of mediocre Christians stop the growth of the church.
They are people who live according to they own will.
They have a distorted vision of the kingdom of God.
They make church, their church, not the kingdom of God.

When the blind man goes to Jesus and he heals him with salivates pit and mud. We understand that what healed the man was the touch of Jesus, not the spit.

When a person does not have the knowledge of God, it is not possible to be excellent.
We should all be excellent in all we do.
We have to overcome mediocrity and reach excellence.
The mediocre does not know why they are here, they just carry on.

Our conclusion is that the mediocre person is the one who stops in the middle of the way.
We remember the scripture we read. Where did they stop building the wall? In the middle.
How can we overcome the middle of the way? Tonight we will see it.

Message preached in the New Life Church
Sunday morning – June 14, 2015
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
May God richly bless you
Marcos Paiva, Pastor and MD

Broken Hearts (3)

In a modern concept for business management, Peter F. Drucker (*) understands that maximization of profit is something insignificant and claims that it is a great danger that distorts the idea of profitability, making business abusive in its search for profit.

Profit is certainly expected from business deals, but profits cannot be the reason for the existence of the institution. Profit cannot guide the behavior of people in decision-making positions. One cannot forget the purpose of an institution is not the production of a product, but the formation of customers.

As we understand those concepts within the evangelical context we begin to realize that the dangers Peter F. Drucker states are increasingly present and are distorting the reality of the gospel and the church.

The failure to understand God’s business produces a leadership that does not value foundation and principles, therefore, it makes the gospel a product where people can do it their own way, forgetting that the final result of this business of God is the transformation of people, so that they have a real life.

This is why many leaders do not care about people’s lives. Their main focus is on “profit”, what the church or the gospel can produce for their well-being and fulfillment. The ethics and principles are set aside. It does not matter what kind of life you lead, or what kind of Christ you follow. For them the important thing is selling the “product”. The person is not important.

In the life business there are non-negotiable things. For example, a person with a good character does not negotiate his wife, his children, his family, his reputation and dignity. The gospel is the same: the principles and values of God are not for sale.

May God bless us richly and abundantly.

Marcos de Paiva, Pastor of the ‘Nova Vida Church’ in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

M.D. and Hospital Administrator

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A Life Under the God’s Heart

Sunday – May 24, 2015

We have been talking about being a church after God’s own heart.

There are some conditions for us to be after God’s own heart.

It is not only about being a model but to live according to the purpose God has for us.

In order to fulfill God’s purposes in our lives we need to:

1. Remain in Christ – John 15

Domain, fructification, multiplication

When we are attached to the fig tree we get the sap that it produces.

If we are not connected to the Lord we can do many things, but still be away from His purpose.

Remaining in Christ means to fulfill his purpose.

2. Total surrender

If I want the church to be totally in his hands, I have to give him all I have, my time, my life, my days.

So does it mean I have to quit my job? No! It is just about belonging to Jesus all the time.

God wants you to be his property all the time.

You can have your job, your routine, but still do the work of God wherever you are.

God wants us to be totally in his hands.

God also wants us to separate some time to be with him.

3. A change in the language

We are a holy people and nation.

One of the characteristics a nation has is its language.

We are a holy nation so we must have a holy language. It is not ‘believer talk’.

It is s language of praise and worship, not of complaint.

If I want to live for God, living his purpose on the face of the Earth, we have to quit the old language.

We should quit the foul language.

4. Be filled with the Holy Spirit

God is not after a church that has a lot of activities.

He wants a church that is anointed by His Holy Spirit and under the ability of the Holy Spirit.

We cannot listen to the voices around us. There are many voices in the world and also in the church.

Only the people who are filled with the Holy Spirit have their ears tuned with the Holy Spirit.

So we have to hear from Him what to do and what to say.

So we need ears to hear.

– people who are not tuned with the Holy Spirit run away form the will of God.

They live according to their own will and according to circumstances.

So they end up disobeying.

– people who are not tuned with the Holy Spirit are not able to discern what God is saying.

When Jesus walked here some people would hear about Jesus and his miracles, but did not actually know him.

We are living the end of times.

I have to keep my ears tuned with the Holy Spirit.

There is no time to waste.

I remember one of our marathon runners who was about to cross the end line and was held by a man. He did not get there first. We cannot allow anything to hold us back.

– people who are not tuned with the Holy Spirit lend their lips and mouths to God so that He can speak to others through us.

I ask God some questions.
I look at my family and I wonder:
Will my family be victorious?
Will my family prevail in this bad world?
We are not immune to the problems of the world.
Will my generation persevere in God’s way?
Will our grandchildren be faithful to God?
It is ok to ask these questions, because that is what we wish for.

We live in a world of crisis.
Will we be affected?
Will we prosper?
We are in the middle of an economic crisis.
Will we prevail in the midst of so much evil? So much promiscuity.

Our answers to these questions will determine the kind of spirit we have and the kind of future we will have.
When I understand it, I can live a faithful life even if I am here in a world with an evil system.
Daniel does not complain about Babylon. He lives in it but out of it at the same time. He is not under the system of Babylon. He is under the government of the kingdom of God.
God is taking care of us.
He is with us.
Instead of asking: Where is God? Why are these things happening?
I should have an answer to our generation.
If is am filled with the Holy Spirit I have answers for people.

Let us read out of the book of the prophet Ezekiel:

1The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

God asks the prophet a question: “Son of man, can these bones live?”
God asks us questions.
In fact what God did not want to know if the bones could be brought back to life.
In fact the Lord wanted to know what his expectations were.
It is like God was asking him: do you believe things could change.

Can this situation change?

When you look at this valley of dry bones, do you think thongs could change?

“Son of man, can these bones live?” Do you think this city can be changed?

Do you see it?

God’s actions can be according to our expectations.

When Jesus went down the hill a father brought a boy who was in need of deliverance.

So our role is to believe things can change.

God is in search of someone who has good expectations of what God wants to do and a person who lends his lips to be the mouth of God.

God is seeking people who utter what He is telling us to say, not what people want to hear.

My lips, my mouth has to belong to God.

My lips have to have words of kindness and holiness.

Be careful with the words you choose.

God is searching for people who are filled with the Holy Spirit and who say what God says.

In the scripture we read God says all the time: ‘say it’, ‘prophesy’,

How can the church be powerful?

If the church says what God wants them to say, the valley of dry bones will become a powerful army.

Beautiful words cannot produce life.

Beautiful sermons do not produce life.

What made the bones receive life? Saying the words of God.

It is not about styles of life.

It is not about saying he verses of the Bible by heart.

People and churches who are after God’s heart can transform people and change lives.

Transformation means quitting sin.

In Ephesians 4 Paul says: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

You and I, we are nothing, if we are something it is because of God’s grace.

God is looking for someone who is ordinary to do something extraordinary.

Do not be ashamed of being nothing. Jesus chose ordinary men to do extraordinary things.

The Pharisees were extraordinary, important men, but Jesus did not choose them.

Peacocks do not fly! They are so charming, but they do not fly.

What can I do to be someone used by God in an extraordinary way?

1. Do not get moulded by the situations of life.

2. Get involved with what God is saying now.

Do not trust anything you hear.

Check the source.

3. Have a true experience with God.

Experiment what

God is offering you.

4. People who after God’s own heart are attached to God’s will.

Lord, we want to do your will.

May you grow and may we diminish.

We do not want to be extraordinary, but we want to say extraordinary words that come from you.

We want to be filled with your Holy Spirit.

Message preached in the New Life Church
Sunday evening – May 24, 2015
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
May God richly bless you
Marcos Paiva, Pastor and MD

Broken Hearts (2)

Sunday – May 3, 2015 evening

Let us remember the points we saw in the morning:
1. Crisis and pressure come to all men. But God strengthens us so that we overcome it.
2. Evil spirits oppress people when they reject the principles of God and live in sin. In this case God’s desire is to deliver you.
3. The purpose of God in delivering you does not only involve an answer to a prayer, but He wants to change the person completely. The main purpose of God is that our lives are transformed. When we are in the process of deliverance we do not surrender to demons.
4. There is no solution for men if they do not walk the path of repentance.
5. Confess, repent and decide to live according to the will and principles of God.

“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle or donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help
“When the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” (Judges 6:1-10

That is the first part of our message: hardened hearts reject
God and His principles.
We need to have our hearts treated.
God wants people to repent and live a different life.
God’s purpose is for you to live according to His will.

“The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” (12-16)

This second part is the one in which people’s hearts are treated.
The people of Israel cried out to God and He did not send the solution, but He sent a prophet, they needed more than s solution, but they needed to understand they had to change.
God certainly wants you to have a solution, but He wants you to be treated.
We see in that Scripture that the Angel of the Lord came and sat under a tree.
This is a great comfort to us because God is watching over us.
The Angel observes the situation the people of Israel was going through. In fact, he started observing what one specific person was doing.
Try this: imagine God is sitting under a tree and He is watching what is going around us.
So this Angel noticed that there was someone who was willing to make a change and to get changed himself.
Remember the people of Israel were hiding in the caves and clefts. But Gideon was working. Some people are always willing to find something to do to earn a living.
God sees people who are hard working. God saw it in Gideon. He made a way to support his family. He was a creative man. It is possible. He did nothing wrong. God uses those who work. Jesus called his disciples as they were working.
So we find Gideon threshing wheat in a winepress. That was not the right place. But what do we learn here? I cannot stop before limitations. God is looking for proactive people. Be proactive and creative. God is looking for proactive and creative people who do not stop when they see an obstacle.
Threshing wheat in a winepress teaches us:
1. Do not get limited before circumstances.
2. Situation are endless. Things will change. So do not get used to the adaptations. Trust God will make changes.
3. That was a human solution. God takes our human situation into consideration. When Peter started walking on the water and got scared, Jesus took this human mind into consideration. Jesus knows us.
God saw Gideon’s courage.
God saw his strategies. He wanted to thresh wheat in a place the enemies would not discover.
God sees you. He is sitting and watching. But what if He sees your laziness?
What if He sees you are laid back?
Gideon was out of the cave. He did not hide. He came out and provided for his family.
When the Angel finally speaks to Gideon he calls him mighty warrior.
God might take a little longer than we expect, but He will come.
Get ready.
At that time it took a little long. But when God came He found a man who was ready.
There are times God is silent. We do not like it and we make excuses for God. God is watching us. God answers us with silence. We may want quick solutions, but we might have to wait.
Be like Gideon, be ready for the time when God will bring a solution.
God is at the throne watching us. Trust God’s sovereignty.
Then the Angel of the Lord finally speaks.
Gideon argues with him, but the Angel says that with the strength that he had he would deliver the people.
Remember we are talking about treated hearts. The church of God is formed by imperfect people. But how can these people be enabled to do His will?

1. If I want to be someone according to God’s will you have to overcome your complex of inferiority. In other words, you have to get rid of the spirit of slavery.
The complex of inferiority is a state that causes the person to feel unable to face life and problems.
When God called Gideon, what was his answer?
He said he was the smallest one in the family and from the tiniest tribe of Israel. He also mentioned that his family was not important. His father was indeed an idolater and a bad influence in town.
We also remember David who was the youngest and not important. And God used him powerfully.
Many things can cause this complex of inferiority. There are so many social differences. You may live in a bad area of the city. God does not judge you by that. You may have had a difficult upbringing. Your parents were not exactly what you expected. There are differences in educational levels. God does not take those things into consideration.
Gideon considered himself smaller than the situations he was facing.
David, on the contrary, saw himself bigger than Goliath.
We are bigger than the problems we have.
Gideon saw his problems cowardly, negatively, with prejudice.
We can do anything in the One who strengthens us.
A complex of inferiority makes the person think he or she is inferior to everyone else. However, you are precious to God.
How did God see Gideon? He saw a person. He saw someone.
God is not looking for the strong ones.
God is looking for hearts who are open to be used by Him.
We are free. We do not have a mind of a slave.

2. You have to overcome your family heritage.
“That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”” (25,26)
It is interesting to notice that Gideon’s family was one of the families that turned their backs on the Lord. They had exchanged the Lord for a lord, Baal.
So when God tells him to destroy the bull of Baal and also tells him to put God’s altar at the high place, God is telling him that God is higher.
Do you want to be a deliverer? Break out of any idolatry in your family.
God makes it clear that His place is higher.

3. A person who wants to live God’s will has to break any links with society.
“So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar! They asked each other, “Who did this?” ¶ When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” (27-30)
Society is against us. We may have friends, but when it comes to spiritual things they will come against us.
When Gideon stands against the god that people worshiped he was coming against their values, when he destroyed the altar of this world, people came against him.

Look at the name Gideon received:
“So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.””

Just because he did not want to worship Baal anymore.
Your background does not matter.
God sees you and wants to make you a deliverer.
Overcome your family heritage.
Do not be afraid of society.
We belong to Jesus.

Tonight you need to be free.
God wants to set you free.

Message preached in the New Life Church
Sunday evening – May 3, 2015
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
May God richly bless you
Marcos Paiva, Pastor and MD

BROKEN HEARTS (1)

Sunday – May 3, 2015

“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.”

Judges 6

We have been talking about the church according to God’s own heart. According to what God had planned.
We are committed about making church according to the pattern God has established.
So first of all, what kind of people form the church that is in God’s heart?
First of all the people are not perfect. We know the church has no stain, but the people who are part of it are imperfect.
All we want to have is a church according to God’s heart. We suffer in the flesh because people do not see their own flaws, but only the imperfections others have.
If you wrote s list of your imperfections and other people’s flaws, which one would be longer? Which part would be bigger? Your list of imperfections or other people’s? What if you had to list the qualities? Which part would be bigger? Probably yours.
We clearly see a relationship crisis. Nobody wants to see their own imperfections.
It is so difficult to manage relationships. Imagine how hard it is for a pastor to deal with relational problems people have all the time.
So, the first thing we have to establish is that the church is formed by imperfect people.
Look at the people around you now. They are all imperfect. I am imperfect too.
But, how do we deal with our imperfections?
There are three kinds of hearts: Hardened hearts, hearts being treated and broken hearts. Which one was Israel’s at that time?
Back to the books of Judges. We see a new generation: people who had not come out of Egypt, but they forgot about God too.
Then I see the problem: this new and fresh generation, was it flawless? No. But their problem was not that! It is not the question as everybody has flaws. The problem is that they forgot about God.
So when an imperfect person forgets about God, then the imperfections grow bigger and bigger.
This new generation did not see the Red Sea opening, but they saw great things too. In spite of that they left God behind.
That is why they were under oppression.
There is a difference between pressure and oppression.
There are times in our lives when pressure is ongoing. Life has so many ongoing moments of pressure.
There are times when we have to cry. And there are times we should cry with others.
There are people who are suffering because they are pressed to smile, laugh, have fun. And they are not in the mood. All they need is to be given time to cry. There are times when things are not alright.
The style of life the world imposes is that we should be having fun all the time.
David was a man who did great deeds. However, he lived under great pressure. Many times in Psalm 34 he said that the just man lives times of pressure.
In Psalm 32 he asks God to remember him because of the pressures he was living under and the difficulties he was going through.
Jesus lived under pressure too.
Jesus was born under impossibilities. He was persecuted from the moment he was born. He was betrayed. He was threatened. When he was about to die, he sweated blood. He knew what was coming.
The apostle Paul lived all kinds of pressure. He wrote that he learned to live in all kinds of circumstances. He wrote that because he understood that “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
Now, there is pressure and there is oppression.
Oppression is different. It occurs when someone is not doing what is right before the Lord. When we read the Scripture in Judges we see it.
We know that Israel should not be suffering oppression.
Man’s problems are basically not because of some single sins. Of course we know that sin brings destruction and we remember David and the adultery. However, he repented and was forgiven.
But we remember Samson who got used to sin and had a relationship with it. He allowed sin to be part of his life.
The same happened with Israel. They got used to sin. It was not like: One day I was waking in the woods and I saw a statue of Baal and I worshipped it. But I will do it no longer. Forgive me, Lord.
And the Lord forgives. If we confess our sins, He will forgive us, the apostle John says. We ask for forgiveness and we do not want to commit the same sin.
We all sin, but we cannot allow sin to be part of our lives.
The problem is the ‘again’. Again Israel sinned. The same thing.
The sin is a trap, do not let it happen again. Abandon sin.
Israel forsake the Lord and God allowed them to be in the hands of the Midianites for 7 years. Things were not ok.
We cannot allow sin to come again and again, the same sin. Otherwise oppression will destroy us.
Pressure can change and improve us.
When carbon is pressed it becomes lead. If more pressed, it becomes a diamond.
Paul, Jesus, Joseph were pressed. They became better people.
On the other hand, the oppressed people hide themselves. They build caves and strongholds.
Their land is invaded. Land represents our hearts. The mind becomes divided. You lose your identity. We are stolen. The oppressors impoverish the person.
However, one day Israel cries out to God and God listens to them.
Once again, God shows them He does not want to solve the problem, he wants to promote change in the person’s life. God wants to change Israel.
The Gospel preaches change and transformation, not only the solution of a problem.
The power of the Gospel promotes a whole transformation in man’s heart.
When Israel cried out to God, the Lord did not put an end to the Midianites’ oppression. He wanted to heal the people. He wanted to change them.
A church according to God’s heart promotes transformation, not just the solution of a problem.
The prophet manifests God’s authority.
But people in general prefer the solution to their problems, not a change in their character and vision.
Hardened hearts do not want to listen to God. They do not want to listen to a prophet who will show their imperfections.
If people say: We prefer solutions! Then they will have oppression.
Crisis come.
Evil spirits oppress them.
The deliverance that God brings does not come through the answer to a prayer.
Their is no solution without repentance.
Lord, we want to be the church according to your heart, even in our imperfect state. Soften our hearts. Break them.

Message preached in the New Life Church
Sunday morning – May 3, 2015
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
May God richly bless you
Marcos de Paiva, Pastor and MD

WHAT DOES BUSINESS MEAN? Part 3

In the life business there are non-negotiable things

In a modern concept for business management, Peter F. Drucker (*) understands that maximization of profit is something insignificant and claims that it is a great danger that distorts the idea of profitability, making business abusive in its search for profit.

Profit is certainly expected from business deals, but profits cannot be the reason for the existence of the institution. Profit cannot guide the behavior of people in decision-making positions. One cannot forget the purpose of an institution is not the production of a product, but the formation of customers.

As we understand those concepts within the evangelical context we begin to realize that the dangers Peter F. Drucker states are increasingly present and are distorting the reality of the gospel and the church.

The failure to understand God’s business produces a leadership that does not value foundation and principles, therefore, it makes the gospel a product where people can do it their own way, forgetting that the final result of this business of God is the transformation of people, so that they have a real life.

This is why many leaders do not care about people’s lives. Their main focus is on “profit”, what the church or the gospel can produce for their well-being and fulfillment. The ethics and principles are set aside. It does not matter what kind of life you lead, or what kind of Christ you follow. For them the important thing is selling the “product”. The person is not important.

In the life business there are non-negotiable things. For example, a person with a good character does not negotiate his wife, his children, his family, his reputation and dignity. The gospel is the same: the principles and values of God are not for sale.

May God bless us richly and abundantly.

Marcos de Paiva, Pastor of the ‘Nova Vida Church’ in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. M.D. and Hospital Administrator

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WHAT DOES BUSINESS MEAN? PART 2

The Purpose of a Business

Whatever the business area it will always have a purpose. We have seen that no matter the type of company or institution its purpose can never be different from the vision or mission and especially the ethical and moral values.

Because the Bible is the manual of life which also includes relationships, we can consider its principles as the foundation on which we can make good business.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, in chapter 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. Briefly it is as follows: A man called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gives five bags of gold, to another two, and to another one talent. The bags of gold were given according to the abilities each one had. Then he went away. During this period, the man who had received five bags put the money to work and gained five more bags.  ‘So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.’ Each one of them came to the master and presented what they had done. The one who had 5 got 5 more, the one who had received 2 got 2 more and the one who had received 1 had only 1.

Those who had done a ‘good business’ were praised and rewarded whereas the one who produced nothing lost everything and was severely punished.

There are some precious lessons we need to learn in relation to business and especially to the Gospel.

Notice that the master did not give the same amount of bags to all the men. It is given according to each one’s ability and purpose of life. The same happens with us, God gives us skills and responsibilities according to His purposes for each one of us.

The master did not only take the profit into consideration. The question was the attitude towards what had been entrusted to them. The idea behind it is not the amount of production, but the struggle and effort to make business and multiply the master’s resources.

Today there are so many people who measure success according to the results they get.  Jesus sees us according to the way we manage to get things, the attitudes we have and the character we manifest.

That is why the Gospel business is far beyond results. Quite on the contrary, its focus is on lifestyle.

To be continued. May God bless you richly and abundantly?

Marcos de Paiva, Pastor of the ‘Nova Vida Church’ in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. M.D. and Hospital Administrator

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http://facebook.com/marcos.depaiva.7

The value of the unity of a team (2)

Would you be able to lift and save 

 an elephant on 

 your own?

 Now let’s talk

about some

principles that

besides

maintaining the unity of a team, 

make them more effective in what they propose to do.

1 – Learn to set apart problems and people.

When a team realizes there is something wrong it is very common to focus on the person who caused the problem or failed to do something. This is natural, but it has to be avoided. A simple and well-known phrase is “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Get it? One thing is the dirty water, the other is the baby. As people who have influence and lead in the family, professional or ministry life in a church or community, one does not have to be concerned and interested in finding problems. They appear by themselves and, moreover, will always exist. 

The vision of leadership must be on solutions and not on problems. The greater attention and concern should be focused on the causes and how you can transform this situation. That is why it is extremely important that we as leaders know how to separate the person and the problem.

To achieve a true and excellent leadership one has to learn that people are never the problem but people have their problems and unresolved issues which will be reflected in productivity, relationships and interest in the project. Thus greater problems arise.

God’s purpose is that in all areas, I repeat to you, IN ALL AREAS, He has called us to solve problems, to solve difficult things, to decipher riddles so that people are edified, whether in personal, family, social, business and even in church life. If the leader does not have this vision before a difficult situation it will be much easier to dismiss the person. 

It is not people who hinder our success but unsolved problems.

 Therefore, always try to make conduct x person walk side by side if you want to keep the unity of a team. Faced with problems your decisions toward conduct should differ from your attitude towards people. When a personal problem is solved people have correct behavior. There are simple things that help us to find solutions instead of blaming people: What we learned from the processes and situations that come about, the opportunities they bring to us and what changes I need to make so that my results are better.

Remember that you will always be seen as someone who cares about solving problems, finding solutions and dealing with people.

To be continued …

My very best wishes and may God bless us abundantly.

 Marcos de Paiva

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