Joseph of Egypt

Joseph of Egypt, should be a "hot" boy, tan by the sun of Egypt and attractive. Despite being a slave he was now an administrator. This gave him some privileges,  but even then the wife of the boss was off limits.

And right there, regarding to the boss's wife, there was a test for him, that would show his faithfulness to God, which whom he believed, and his boss, who trusted Joseph.

For some people, having an affair is something normal, but not when you have a serious relationship with God.

Gn 39:7-9 " and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”⁸ But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. ⁹ No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”"
With that, Joseph gave one more step to the top, this same choice would mark his life as the future administrator of Egypt.

Once Again Joseph is hated and now by the wife of Potiphar, q says slanders about him and because of this it will stop in prison.  Joseph preferred to endure the consequences and stay firm in your clean conscience with God.

 Joseph walked with God, had such harsh trials! Was it worth it? In his trials Joseph built a solid base for a long life. The proof is that he lived 110 years ago, was governor during 80 years and left an incredible  legacy .

FORGIVENESS

There are more than 240 passages only in the New Testament that talk about forgiveness. The prayer of the Our Father says that we should ask the Lord to forgive us only in the same way as we forgive our debtors (Mt 6.12). The Bible says that Jesus came for the forgiveness of sins (Mk 2.17; Heb 1.3; 9.27 ,28; 10,12; Mt 1.21; Lk 19.11; 24.46 ,47) and that He is the Lamb sacrificed for the forgiveness of many (Mt 26.28).  We must forgive each other, just as God forgave (Eph 4.30-32). Anyone who does not forgive will not be forgiven (Mt 18.35 ). This matter is very serious !!!

Who has never been hurt? But also, who never hurt someone? We are two sides of the same coin: we hurt and get hurt. Forgiveness is a practice that may not depend on feeling, forgiveness is a matter of obedience and decision. It is a commandment : Forgive! (Mt 6.12).

How many people are sick, with their physicaly debilitated by  a sorrow that is very alive in their heart. How many people are bitter, living a small life, when they could be living intensely every day of their lives. Many do not laugh anymore, only complain about everything and everyone. Nothing is good, nothing works.

Forgive is:

'Forgive is to have the emotions won. IS being able to love the enemy and forgive those who persecute us (Mt 5.44). 'Forgive is to disable the mechanism of violence that exists within and outside of us.

'Forgive is recognizing one's own imperfections flaws and sins (Jn 8.7).

'Forgive is letting go of grudges. In Gn 50.21 Joseph said to his brothers, "don't be afraid, I will provide for you and your children"

'Forgive is repeated to one another God's gesture towards us. 

'Forgive is offer love when there is no reason to love. (the prodigal son's father)

'Forgive is to keep open the channels through which flows the trust and unconditional love.

'Forgive is a positive reaction to the offense, rather than a negative reaction against the offender.

'Forgive is to make a decision of not to raise more offense before three people: 1) God, 2) the other (including the offender) 3) to yourself

'Forgive is sow mercy, grace and love. The Bible says: "Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful  ... " (Jm 2.13)

'Forgiveness is my mind "without memory" ... is to give chance for the other to be born again in my history as if he had not being part of it yet.

 The secret to a happy life is forgiveness. It is therapeutic. It frees us to a better life. For this reason do not get stuck to no one, release the one who cheated on you, whom doesn't accept you, whom offended you, whom hurted you loved ones, finally, who did you wrong. Let them go and be  free to live your life, to be happy.

                                                                                                                        Heliene Lobato and Nivea Cólon

PASTORAL LONELINESS!!

On April 09 we were deeply saddened by the news of the death, of the 27 years old, son of pastor Rick Warren who took his own life after a lifetime fight against a mental illness. Rick Warren is an internationally known Christian leader and founder of the church of Saddleback at  Lake Forest, California. It was he who made the announcement about his son on the morning of Saturday, in an e-mail sent to your team.
"There are no words to express the agonizing pain that I feel now. Our youngest son, Matthew, 27 years old, and a lifetime member of Saddleback, died today," wrote Warren. His son struggled since birth with the mental illness and the parents always sought the best doctors of America, prayers, counseling, they  did everything that was possible ,but as Warren said "in a wave of despair momentary in his house, he took his life."
Last year the bishop Robinson Cavalcanti and his wife were brutally murdered stabbed by their adoptive son. What a loss for a world lacking in men of character!! And so we could continue talking about tragedies in pastor's houses. This just shows us that pastors are also humans, need love, consideration and respect. Many times the pastor is preaching, is teaching, but in your life there is a pain, a problem, a problem that many times the Church does not know, do not know.
Pastors are mostly solitary. There are not many people to lean on, or open up to. The Bible says: "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.". Hebrews 13:17 
The Church often knows how to only pointing errors of the pastor, his wife and his children, but nobody comes to love and help and this will make the pastoral ministry, a weight in his life. So dear, take care of your pastors and their families. Love with true love because this is pleasing to God. I write here my love and admiration, to my pastors Newton Lobato and his wife Maura, who take care of my life and my family.And also to the pastors of  Peniel Ministry which are true brothers that bleed together. I love you all!!!

                                                                                                                                           Heliene Lobato and Nivea Cólon

THE TIME OF GOD!!

At age 17, Joseph of Egypt was a young man full of life, but faced trials and tribulations that reached him all around, it seemed that even the devil was in control, everything seemed to conspire against him. But Joseph loved the Lord and God was with him. Joseph knew the character of God and, therefore, even under the circumstances, did not fail to love God. He was sold by his own brothers to slave traders from Egypt. When Joseph came to Egypt he was again sold as a slave to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, and in this man's house, did not accpeted the proposal of lust of Potiphar's wife. However, did not left his love for God and did not stop of profess his faith on Him. Sometimes, before difficult situations, we do not know to wait the time of GOD. Only He knows the right moment and the right time. He doesn´t get late and never mistakes the day and time to fulfill every promise in our lives. Joseph was faithful to God in his heart He was waiting every moment for the fulfillment of the purpose of the Lord. He became the governor of all the land of Egypt, the greatest power of that time (Genesis 37 and 47). I know a very dear boy, drummer and father of six children. The kids are very kind to me. One day I received a hug of the youngest one, who called my attention by hby having his face cutted, stained with mercurochrome. I asked him what happened. Immediately, his sister said, "Oh, pastor, he shaved his beard." The boy took his father's razor and cut himself on the trial to shave the beard , because it was not the right time for this thing to be done.
We have to learn early in life that " To every {thing there is} a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) When we really surrender to the Lord, He begins to act. When the Bible says that all things cooperate for our good, it not only refers to big dreams, but also to the little things. If you get at your job and your boss tells you that your salary will increase tenfold, you say: "Glory to God, hallelujah!" But if you are fired, what will be your attitude? God is still the same God. We need to see with the eyes of the Lord and to know how to really rest in Him and believe in the Word. Just as He was with Joseph, He is with you. At the moment we assume the truth of the Word of God in our lives, nothing, any circumstance can overshadow what we have with the Lord. And above any situation, continue in faith like Job stating: “For I know {that} my redeemer liveth, and {that} he shall stand at the latter {day} upon the earth. I know that thou canst do every {thing}, and {that} no thought can be withholden from thee. {no thought can be...: or, no thought of thine can be hindered} Job 19:25, 42:2

                                                                                                                Heliene Lobato and Andre Fujimori

The cell as a channel of consolidation!!!

INTRODUCTION
When we are talking about consolidation we are talking about a lifestyle. We can not separate the consolidation of the vision and even of the cells. When we talk about consolidation teams in the church, we talk about organization. However, it is the cell that the consolidation will work. It is there that we will work in privacy (outside the church service) with people and get them to know Christ.
In celebration service we can be very blessed, but it´s iin the cell that we are really known and where the new believer has the opportunity to express itself and get an education directed upon the Word of God.
Some care that the cell leader must to have about the cell:
I - DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CELL TO BE FRUITLESS
The multiplication of a cell does not depend primarily on the amount of people we have,but yes, for the number of leaders who have formed.
To form leaders we need to win them. The souls are our field of work, so the leader must be a Constant person on fruitification.
Every cell has a life cycle, as well as a tree. When a fruit is born it has a period of growth and need to be harvested at the right time, otherwise it rots.So is in the cell, it has a pregnancy period and harvest period. When the fruits are ripe we have to take the seeds out and plant to generate other trees. That isthe multiplication of the cells. They need to multiply at least once a year, otherwise they will rot.
At this point, we see that most people fail due to the difficulty of fruiting. The devil constantly tries to prevent our numerical growth, and therefore, we need to invest everything we have to win souls.

II - MEET AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK
The life of a cell is not just a meeting, but this meeting must happen frequently.
A cell is a living context, and every vision is a lifestyle. We have to live the cell every day of the week, but we have to separate a date, time and specific location for the meeting.
The leader must do of the meeting the Best activity for the week to people's lives.
All work of the week must culminate in the cell; people have to enjoy the meetings.
For cells´ meeting to be excellent, the leader should follow some principles:
- Arrive early to greet your sheeps;
- Welcome everybody with joy;
- Give due attention to each one problems´;
- Demonstrate joy for the participation of every member of the cell;
- Never begin a meeting by saying that you are tired;
- Never gegin a meeting by saying that your day was troubled or fearful;
- Never begin a meeting by talking about depressive subjects (death, illness, debt, etc.);
- Never begin a meeting by saying that the environment is "heavy";
- Never speak about your personal problems with the newbies in the meeting.

III - MAKE YOUR CELL A PLACE OF RESTORATION
The cell does exist because of the people. People come to the meetings bringing all kinds of trouble (illness, financial and family problems, sins, etc.) and the cell has to be an answer from God to each one. We can not come in to a meeting and go home the same way (or worse). We must receive the blessing of God in the meetings of the cell.
The role of the leader of success is to know how to detect the problem and give the due care to each one of them. It is very important that he always has a Word of God burning in the heart and is always tuned to the throne of God.
The cell has to be the place where people meet with God. The leader must provide this environment during the meeting. God wants to use the cells to restore families, save the lost, release the captive and oppressed, healing diseases, show signs and wonders, etc.. It's hard when we go to a meeting and received death. The leader must pray and ask God for fire from heaven upon each meeting. The leader must to have as target to make every meeting better than the last, because people know where life of God isflowing. If a person goes into a cell and can not find adequate food, she will certainly look elsewhere.

RUN AWAY FROM THE SEXUAL IMORALITY

The sexual immorality has become a common thing nowadays. The problem is that this fight has knocked down many people and live them with a huge burden of accusation avoiding them of bearing fruits. I want to encourage you to fight and NEVER give up!!! Receive the grace and mercy of God!!! Stand up and be fruitful!
For this, I bring some videos that will help you in this fight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-v9g359CvU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui-nnd8gbV0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObUmNee4ROw 


                                                                                                                  Translation:André Fugimori

Ladies, the man who will marry to is a very important thing!!

 After salvation, there is no other long-term event that will deeply change so many other areas of your life. Here are just some of the ways in which the marriage will impact every aspect of life.

1. It will impact you spiritually. If the boy is not a believer, you can stop right there. You have no right to unite in the same yoke a soul redeemed with someone not regenerated, even if it seem open to change. Christ paid a high price for you, and is not an option deliver this heart bought by blood to someone who does not know and love your Lord. This will damage your spiritual development, open space for many temptations, stifle a life of prayer, to make regular attendance in the Church becomes difficult, and cause huge family conflicts, if you have children.
If the boy is a believer, is he firm on his beliefs? Will he lead in prayer, reading the Bible, family devotions and public adoration? Or will you live on your own? Will he make the spiritual growth a priority or other things come first? Will he ask you how you how is your soul going  so he can help you to grow in holiness and love for Christ, or leave it with your pastor? Will he lead his sons , or you'll have to take charge? In the church, will he help the children to sit properly, pray, find the hymns, or you will be the only one to show what will happen next and help the family to pay attention? Many women married to men immature spiritually, thinking that this would not be a big problem, or that the man would change, they were wrong and carry the scars.
The health of his eternity is at stake. Think carefully.
2. It will impact you emotionally. will the boy in whom you are thinking will encourage you, love you, be gentle, and try to understand you, or he'll want to go out with friends when you're having a difficult night? Will he listen to you when you are struggling with something or will be concerned with the videogame? Will he be upset when you cry or will take tissues to wipe your tears and give you a hug? Will he seek to understand that you are, probably, more sensitive than he is, more sensitive to the problems and reviews, or he will, regularly, keep stepping on your feelings?

A woman was struggling to breastfeed her baby, which is believed to be the best thing for the baby, but it was very difficult. Instead of providing support and encouragement, the husband started to complain about all the times that his wife  was struggling to breastfeed.

Any guy who is indifferent to your feelings and self-esteem is selfish and should be left aside.

Be careful - a husband could slice or nourish your emotional health.

3. It will impact you physically. Will the man with whom you are,  provide for your basic needs? Will he be able to shelter, clothing and food? At a certain moment in my marriage, I was worried that there would be no chance of employment. My husband assured me that it would work at McDonalds, dig ditches, clean highways - whatever is needed to sustain the family, regardless of their gifts and training. This is the kind of thing that you want. A man who does not provide for his home is the only thing worse than a cheater (I Tm. 5:8). You may have to help to alleviate the financial burden, but, unless your husband is invalid or in some other unusual circumstance, you shouldn't have to carry it  alone.

The man with whom you are with take care of you or abuses you? If he gives you small slaps, kicks, etc, when you are dating, get out of this relationship. IT IS almost guaranteed that he will abuse you after marriage, and the statistics show that this is especially true when you're pregnant. He is going to care for and protect  or will he beat you? There are women in churches throughout America who thought that it was not a big thing receive small punches or slaps ( friendly type) of  boyfriends, but that, subsequently, passed to conceal the aggressions of their husbands.

The man with whom you are will take care of you sexually? Will he honor the marriage bed in fidelity physical and mental or he will flirt with other, feed the addiction to pornography, or even leave you for another woman? You can't always predict these issues, but if the seed or practices are already present, be careful. Recently, I saw a newly-married couple and the husband was flirting openly with another woman. Unless something drastic happens, that marriage is headed for disaster.

Will he be loving and gentle with you in bed? A co-worker who is not a believer once told to my sister, after her first sexual relationship, she had difficulties to walk for a few days because her boyfriend had been very rude. In other words, he was not selfless enough to care for the body of a woman who he said that he loved him. Be careful. Your body needs care and protection.

4. It will impact you mentally. Will the man  whom you are thinking be a source of concern or he will help you to cope with your concerns?  Will he  encourage your intellectual development, or will neglect it? Will he appreciate your opinions and listen to what you're thinking, or will ignore your thoughts? Will he help you to cope with stress so that your mind does not become so overloaded, or will leave you struggling with problems alone? Will he take care of you and be helpful if you are experiencing mental stress, or he will ignore it? I know a woman who can deal with the pregnancy and childbirth very well physically, but the postpartum depression exerted an enormous impact on her mind. The husband has ignored this, and continue to have more children, until his wife ended up in an institution for mentally disabled. You may think that the intellectual or mental side of a marriage is of little importance. It is more important than you think. Consider it seriously.

5. It will impact your relationships. How is your relationship with your mother? your father? Do  You love them? Does Your boyfriend love them? Imagine in ten years: you say to your husband that your mother is coming over the weekend. Will he be excited? Disappointed? Angry? Making hateful jokes with your friends? Of course, the husband should come first in your priority of relationships,  both of you should leave father and mother and be one, but parents are still a big part of the table. Whatever the negative feelings he has towards  your parents, probably will be extended after the marriage. Your marriage will strengthen or harm - even destroy - your relationship with your parents. The people you know and love , can be cut out of your life for a husband who hates them. The same happens with sisters and friends. Will they be welcome, at reasonable hours, in your home? The man who you are with  will encourage your healthy relationships with other women, or he'll be jealous of friendships? will he help you to advise younger women and be grateful when older women advising you, or will he denigrate this practice?

Don't sacrifice many good relationships because of a boy who cannot appreciate the people who love you.

How will you boyfriend act after marriage vows? This is just a sample of the forms that a husband may bless or curse his wife. The effects are far-reaching, long-lasting, and can be wonderful or difficult. It is true, there is no perfect men. But there are great men. And it is better to be maiden over the life of that marry with someone who will make your life a burden. The single life can be great. The marriage with the wrong person and a nightmare.

I have witnessed a pastor who had called the police to protect the wife of a husband who was, in the parking lot of the Church, trying to stop her from being at church. This is ugly.

Don't be so desperate to get married and then have an unhappy marriage life. If you are in an unhappy marriage, there are ways to get help. But if you are not married, don't put yourself in this situation. Don't be with someone who wont follow God's leadership . Don't look for  someone who is not looking to love you as Christ loved the church. Marry someone who knows and demonstrates the love of Christ.

Rebecca VanDoodewaard. Website: www.thechristianpundit.org.

                                                                           translation:Nivea Cólon

 

                                                           photo:devaneiodasnoites.blogspot.com