Saturday, April 27, 2013

GOD THINGS


P had been itching to start a Bible study in his neighborhood.  There have been several attempts but all have left him feeling discouraged.  At one point it looked as if he had given up the fight, but with renewed strength he began begging God again for a group to lead.  This time the doors opened and they opened wide.  He now meets every Friday evening at his son and daughter-in-law’s house.  The very family members who had been so opposed to the gospel on previous accounts.  We met P on the road one weekend.  With a smile and a heart overflowing with joy he announced, “They prayed out loud for the first time last night.  It was a very sincere prayer to God.  They are hearing God’s word and it is changing them.”  P’s wife later told me, “Their prayers are straight from their heart.”  Jeff recently saw the daughter-in-law as a patient and he asked about the study.  She said, “My eyes are open.  I was confused about a lot of things.  It is like I use to walk in darkness and now I am in the light.”

What Bible study curriculum is changing lives as dramatically as this?  What does this lowly farmer with a 5th grade education have to offer the next generation of rural Paraguay?  Drum roll, please.  Bible stories.  Plain and simple.  That’s it.  Bible stories.  Every Friday night Pedro tells a memorized Bible story and leads a discussion on Spiritual matters.  I think so often we forget how powerful those stories really are.  Instead we rush first to find a curriculum written by a best-selling author or the newest book on the latest Spiritual buzz word.  Teaching Bible stories straight from God’s word has been a blessing to many out here.  And to be honest, it has been a blessing to me too.

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