Citizen of the Kingdom

Breno & Adriana vieram nos visitar!!! Que Surpresa!!

2006-11-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

Olha que Gracinha!

2006-08-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

Nathanael 7 months

2006-08-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

17th of May, 2006

2006-05-24T03:20:00.000-07:00

EITA QUANTA COMÀ NÉVIA!!!!

2006-05-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Three Musketeers!

2006-05-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Nathanael

2006-05-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

Abigail and Davizinho

2006-05-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

2006-05-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

Benjamin's Teacher - 17th of May - Norwegian National Day

2006-05-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

2006-05-13T02:46:00.000-07:00

Nathanael 4 months

2006-05-13T01:57:00.000-07:00

Nathanael 4 months

2006-04-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

Me & the kids

2006-04-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Vacation in Brazil!

2006-02-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

Nathanael - 1 month

2006-02-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

Nathanael's blessing

2006-01-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

Local Newspaper Picture

2006-01-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

Nathanael's first "cat bath" at home

2006-01-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

Da Silva Family - Picture from the local newspaper

Chapter 7

2006-01-14T03:57:00.000-08:00

Chapter 7

     “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
     The greatest example of a peacemaker is found in our Lord Jesus, the prince peace. He brought reconciliation between man and God, restoring the peace that once was in the beginning of the world. It says in Eph 2:14: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, (NKJ). The fact that Jesus came with a message of peace shocked the Jews, since they were expecting the rise of a powerful and mighty Messiah, the one that would crush the Roman oppression, restoring the kingdom of Israel to its former glory. But for their disappointment, that was not how our Lord intended to bring peace to the world. It was with a message of peace, of love and mercy that He would build the fundaments in the establishment of His Kingdom. Being a peacemaker is to reflect our affiliation with God, expressing through our words and actions the character of the Prince of Peace. It’s important to allow the peace of God to permeate our hearts, infusing us and saturating us with the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7).
     A peacemaker is the one who is, first, in peace with God. In Romans 5:1 we read: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (NKJ). Our justification by faith has granted us the peace from God and peace with Him. By believing in His Son’s death for the forgiveness of our sins we reestablished the relationship that was broken, restoring the peace that God had always planned for us. When we were separated from God because of our transgressions, we couldn’t receive His peace or be at peace with Him for in our state of sin we were already doomed to eternal separation from Him. But it was Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who restored the peace between us and the Father.
     Second, a peacemaker is in peace with himself through Jesus. In Philippians  4:6-7, the apostle Paul says: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJ) The peace in our hearts comes from surrendering totally to God, knowing that we can only do so much, that without Him we can not receive the real peace we need.
Material possessions and physical things only bring temporary stability. Paul exhort us to no t be anxious for anything, by doing so we are able to enjoy God’s peace, the peace that the world can not fathom or understand, it surpasses our natural understanding and natural thinking, we receive the ability to have peace in the middle of the storm. As the famous hymn says: “It is well with my soul”, yes it is well with my soul; we can also sing the same no matter how bad the situation may be.
Third, a peacemaker is one who pursues peace with everyone, working towards peace, making peace part of his or her own life. In Hebrews 12:14 we read: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:” (NKJ).
The pursuit of peace must be a priority in the life of a citizen of God’s kingdom. As we read above, we must run after it, seek it with all people. It’s not an easy task, even the apostle Paul understood that when he wrote in his letter to the Romans chapter 12 and verse 18: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”, also in Romans 14:19 he says that we should pursue the things which make for peace.
Sometimes the possibility to live in peace with men is quite small, but if we want to be real peacemakers, we must do everything in our power, as much as depends on us, to have peace with everyone.
Blessed are the peacemakers…our fortune and happiness does not rely on having things our way, at the cost of bitterness and resentment, division and unforgiveness, but we as citizens of the kingdom are called to be upholders of Peace, ambassadors of the Prince of Peace, Jesus our Lord.

2006-01-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

Nathanael after 5 days!

Chapter Six

2006-01-13T04:50:00.000-08:00

Chapter Six

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

As we get closer to God we realize the need to become cleaner; the more we expose ourselves to the light of God, the more we will see the need for cleansing in our hearts. Throughout the bible we are encouraged to acquire pure hearts, to have a pure style of life. David in Psalms 24:3-4 says: “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.(NKJ) The requirement to be at the presence of God is to have a pure heart, a truthful heart, empty of deceit and self-righteousness. David asks: Who may stand in His Holy Place? Those with clean hands and pure of heart, meaning not having a lying tongue and trading God’s place for in our lives for something else.
Therefore, purity of heart is connected to our commitment to the truth and to giving the rightful place of God in our lives. Out of a heart that is clean come an uncompromised worship and a life that is ready to serve God with no attachments to the world. The psalmist in Psalms 51 gives us a beautiful example of someone who seeks purity and holiness, he says on verse 10: “Create in me a clean heart, o God!” It was his desire to be pure before God, to have the right attitude, his heart in the right place. We must seek purity, the cleansing of our hearts; wash me o Lord, and I shall be whiter than snow!
The blessing comes in seeing God, getting to know Him, becoming holy as He is holy. In Hebrews 12:14 says: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which, no one will see the Lord…”
To see God is not limited to the physical sense of seeing Him with our eyes but to see Him for whom He really is, to see Him as He reveals Himself to us, we will see a new side of God! In Proverbs 22:11 says he who loves purity of heart will be the king’s friend! What a privilege for those who have God in the right place in their hearts. Jesus said to his disciples: I no longer call you servants but friends! The disciples had come to the position where the Lord had become priority in their lives. When we pursue purity of heart we are giving the first step in walking beside a Holy God. It is also God’s desire to see us clean and pure, to wash away filth and corruption of our hearts, taking away a heart of stone and putting a heart that is sensitive to His voice, pure and clean ( Ezekiel 36: 25-27). God is not interested only in the outward appearance. Some fall in to the trap of thinking that the purity of our hearts starts from outside. They become shallow and superficial, motivated by what others say, pumping up their ego and pride.
Jesus was really strict with the Pharisees, in Matthew 23:25-28 he says: “"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” How dangerous can be the path of self righteousness and hypocrisy! Their mistake was to become pure according to their own standard, not to God’s standard. In Exodus, the Lord speaks to Moses regarding the preparation of an altar for sacrifice. He says in verse 25 of chapter 20: “And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.” (NKJ) The preparation of an altar should not be devoted to the appearance of the altar; the altar itself was just an instrument to present the sacrifice to the Lord. God would not allow Moses to build an altar that had been altered in the effort to make it look nice or proper to the Lord. God Himself would sanctify them.
It’s not our job to make us holy according to our eyes, to our human perspective; instead, we must allow the Lord do the cleansing and purification of our hearts by His word. The apostle Paul in Romans 12:1 says: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. We are a LIVING SACRIFICE, holy before the Lord; we can not do it in our own strength but understanding that God will do it in us. If we touch it we make it profane. The blessing of the purity of heart is getting to see the Holiness of God, His essence and character. The purer our hearts becomes the closer we get to God! Blessed are the pure in heart; they shall see GOD!

What a blessing a child is!

2006-01-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

What a blessing a child is! I have been thinking a lot about that lately especially after Nathanael was born. I guess the question that always pops up in my mind is: Am I going to have enough love for these kids? Can I love this one as much as I love the other three? The answer is always YES! They are so unique yet they all have that commonality that binds them as one family.
So, briefly I would like to say: WELCOME NATHANAEL! Daddy loves you very much as your other siblings, YOU ARE A GIFT FROM GOD!

Nathanael is born!

2006-01-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

Nathanael is born! Yepp! Here are some pictures!

Chapter Five - “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

2005-09-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Chapter Five

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

As Jesus continues to bring his teaching, His character becomes evident and His desire for us to become like Him is clear.      God has always presented Himself as a merciful God. Even in the times of the law, God’s intention was that by exposing mankind to the judgment that had befallen upon them by the disobedience of the law, He would have the opportunity to show us His kindness and mercy. God did not create us for destruction; it was never God’s intention to be cruel and unmerciful but to express the true essence of Him as a merciful God, a loving God. Let’s read Romans 9:14-16: “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." So then it is not of him, who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. (NKJ)
It is God’s choice to show us His mercy, not because of us, not because we deserve, the fact that we may be a good person, never harming anyone in anyway does not entitle us to be receivers of His mercy; we were born out of sin, inherited by Adam’s fall, Romans 3:23 says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..” We fell short of God’s glory, BUT by HIS mercy we have been given the opportunity to see His glory again. Why is so important to understand the Merciful side of God? Because by understanding HIS mercy towards us we get to see how important it is to not withhold mercy towards others like ourselves. We are no better than anyone else; God’s mercy is not available only to some who have “earned” HIS mercy but to all who are ready to recognize that it is not about us but about Him, becoming like Him and walking in His footsteps.
When we understand His mercy we see that we have no right not to forgive, for He has done something much greater than we could ever deserve. Paul says in Ephesians 2:4-5: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,      even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…”, He loved us before we loved Him! His mercy goes beyond the type of mercy the world preaches, His mercy is more than just simply sparing us from punishment but His mercy brings a restoration from our fallen nature; it’s God’s effort to bring us back to His original plan: Fellowship with Him!
The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is a great example of showing mercy, demonstrating a compassionate heart even if the norm discouraged us to it.
The passage mentions about three men: A priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. The first two men were very religious, passing by the wounded man, unwilling to involve themselves because they would get impure. The ritual for purification after touching such man would cost them time and effort and they apparently were not willing to go through all the “trouble of helping” someone in need.
The third man comes to the picture. A Samaritan man, who by so many Jews was regarded as an inferior race, not considered as honorable people as the Jews. But, the interesting turn of this little parable was the fact the Jesus turning the “table” around and presents an attitude different then the people would normally expect.
     Jesus wanted to show that the act of mercy would not necessarily come out of those who give the outward appearance, but from those who genuinely felt compassion regardless of the status and background of the one in need.
     He wanted us to learn that an act of mercy should be an impartial act, not to be avoided by malice and prejudice but must be done out of a servant’s heart!
Mercy is one of the facets of God’s love, just as grace is a part of love that moves His heart towards us forgiving us from our guilt, so is mercy, God’s effort to help us in our state of misery. The act of showing mercy is a demonstration of God’s character in our lives, by that, we show His love. The apostle John in his first letter chapter 4 and verse 8 describes the importance of love in the life of a Christian: “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love”. (NKJ) Do we want to obtain love and mercy from God? Do we want to value His forgiveness, His love? Let us exercise Mercy, the more we show it the closer we get to the Heart of God. The world can not feel and be blessed through an act of mercy for they do not understand the concept of Grace. They need to know that only through Grace, the undeserved gift; we can feel the blessing of mercy, helping other in distress for we have also been helped without deserving to be helped!

Chapter Four - “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

2005-09-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

According to Francis J. McConnell, in his commentary in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, there are two aspects of righteousness. One is permanent, like the bearings of a compass, to keep us in the right direction and the other in constant change. How do we define righteousness? How do we know that, in the decisions we take we are doing what’s right? As society evolves and is in constant change, so are the values in which society itself is governed by. We can define then, that righteousness is not merely the obedience of a set of rules but the very reason why we act the way we do, based on the permanent principles that guide us throughout life.
The set of commandments that God gave the people of Israel was in its core; to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as your self. These were the guidelines by which the nation would be known as a righteous among other nations.
Moses expresses very clear in Deuteronomy 6:25: “Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us”' (NKJ). The observance of the law was to become righteousness for the nation. God’s standard was to bring them into a higher level, a nation that had no guidelines in which to function as a society or even to become what God had intended for them: a Theocracy.
The permanent status of God’s righteousness was to be followed by the devotion to the principles that were implicit in the commandments given by Him.
In the other hand the changing status of righteousness was clearly understood by the apostle Paul as he writes in 2 Corinthians 1:12: “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you (NKJ).
Paul’s conduct was not only dictated by a set of rules, but by his very own consciousness, evolving in the application of God’s principles according to the time he lived in.
But how is that connected to the Kingdom of God? And where do we get the direction to guide us in the path that will bring us fulfillment as Jesus presented to us?
In order to understand righteousness, we need to understand its very essence, God!
Righteousness plays a strong role in God’s position as creator of the universe. Righteousness is one of the attributes of God’s character; it defines who He is and how He operates. Deuteronomy 32:4 says: “He is the Rock; His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”(NKJ). No one could ever accuse God of being unrighteous or unfair. As the sun is to warmth so is God to righteousness, you can’t separate them, they are part of one thing, God’s righteousness is His essence.
Applying the physical reality to express a spiritual truth was one of the most effective ways of Jesus’ teaching. The idea of hunger and thirst brings to our minds the fact that these are very obvious signals from our bodies that something is missing and needs to be replenished. God designed us this way so the moment our bodies lack something to keep us processing and functioning correctly, we receive such signals.
In the same way in the kingdom of God the idea of being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is that just as we need food and water to sustain ourselves, also, in our spiritual lives we can not live without His righteousness, the very essence of God!
Jesus in Matthew 6:33 says: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.(NKJ).
Blessed are those who thirst and hunger for righteousness, they shall be filled… all these things shall be added to you. Prioritizing God in our lives will bring us where David says in his Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want! When God comes first in our lives, everything becomes fulfilled; our desires and needs are made complete. The more we want of Him, His righteousness, the less we will feel the need in the worldly realm. The superficial and perishable becomes unattractive; the more we want of Him, less we become of ourselves, getting closer and closer to His own image.
When we seek first God’s righteousness, we are giving Him the opportunity to make the decisions for us; we give Him control, the final answer. When we have a legal dispute, in the world we live in, we seek legal advice even to the point of seeking a final decision from a judge. Once that decision is made, the case is closed. Seeking God’s righteousness means seeking His final decision, we are saying that what ever God decides, we will abide by it.
Allowing God to take such control will show trust and faith in Him, that in no matter what the outcome may be, we will trust that He has the best way out. Proverbs 19:21 says: “There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel-- that will stand.”
Though we may have many plans and ideas, when we are thirsty and hungry of God’s righteousness, we will allow HIS counsel stand; His word will prevail, His will is fulfilled in us. The Psalmist gives us a good example of ones desiring God with thirst and hunger. There are several Psalms expressing such idea. Psalms expresses the longing of man’s heart to grow in fellowship with His creator and Lord.
Psalms 63:1 says: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water”. Also Psalms 42:1-2 says: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” The intensity of our desire for God will determine the amount of time that we will prioritize to be with Him, as the psalmist says: “My soul thirsts for you! Are we longing for God? Are we hungry for more of Him? Are we satisfied with the little glimpses of God’s glory or do we want more of Him? The prophet Amos in chapter 8 and verse 11 says: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” Let our famine for Him grow! We are blessed for He will satisfy us. He will not leave us in want but He will bring satisfaction to our souls. The more we want of Him, the more He will fill us and the more we are filled of Him the more we will want of Him!

Chapter Three - “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

2005-09-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

In the new thinking of the kingdom, the idea of meekness is a non-imposing and non-demanding attitude. The mentality of Jesus’ time was a mentality of force, demand, military power, either by the Romans who had already taken Judea by force, settling in with military force or by the political branch who constantly preached the idea that the Messiah would come with as a “conquering” military ruler, restoring the kingdom of Israel to the former glory of David. When Jesus came with a message of peace and meekness, it confronted that common thinking. How can we possess something if not by force? The Bible says that is not by power nor by might but by my Spirit, says the Lord! (Zechariah 4:6).
We read in Isaiah 61, a scripture that is fulfilled in the life of Jesus as the messiah, that Jesus came to bring a message of peace, hope and spiritual restoration for Israel. Jesus could not come to establish His physical kingdom if the very fabric of the kingdom had not yet been established. The bible says in Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth (NKJ).
In the same way, Jesus wanted to show us that, as we learn the concept of meekness, the battle is not ours but God’s. The idea of meekness in the kingdom is emptying us of our own independence and desire to take matters into our own hands and allow the Lord to take control. The Bible says in Psalms Ps 24:1”The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” Why should we then believe that we need to take control in order to receive something? The earth is the Lord’s! Our Blessing is already secured by the Father who has created all things! Jesus was actually quoting Psalms 37 verse 11: “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (NKJ)
What a joyous promise! So many times we get so eager and anxious to see things done, questions answered, requests fulfilled, we strive and fight, scream and demand, and eventually we lose our peace! Jesus says that blessed are the meek, already assuring us of that we are fortunate, happy in the moment we decide to take the path of the kingdom, going against the easy road of the flesh, the road of power in our own ability and strength.
The Bible gives us several examples of how blessed we are as we take the path of meekness. In Psalms 22:26 says that the meek shall eat and be satisfied. Greed and dissatisfaction will no longer be the way our lives are driven; rather we have the assurance from God that He will fulfill every need, without us having to impose ourselves, demanding from Him anything that we need.
In Psalms 25:9 we read that the meek shall be guided in justice. Unfairness and frustration are not part of who we are anymore and our attitude towards God changes. We won’t question God’s action, demanding an answer from Him. We will wait on Him, with patience and meekness, knowing that He will do everything according to His justice and will.
Also in Psalms 147 verse 6 says that God upholds the meek! We don’t need to “climb” the ladder of life, stepping on someone else’s shoulder in order to achieve our goals; there’s nothing to be ashamed when we are meek, pride is replaced by the promise of God that He will lift us up, not for our own glory but for His glory and honor, as He works in us and through us.
We as humans were born with a genetic signature, a coding that defines how we are going to look like. In the spiritual sense we have also received in our “spiritual genetic signature” the ability to do what the flesh wants. It doesn’t come naturally to us to be meek, we want to be powerful.
According to Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, there is a difference between meekness and weakness. Even though they might give the same impression but there is a fundamental difference between the two of them. Weakness is the result of lack of strength or courage, but meekness comes from one’s own choice of allowing God to take control and trust Him completely without doubt or hesitation. Meekness is due to a person's conscious choice. It is strength and courage under control, coupled with kindness (From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary).
The world acts on its own fleshly instincts, totally controlled by whatever they feel in the moment. In the kingdom we allow the Spirit of God to control us, guide us and instruct us in what we should do. Paul in his letter to the Galatians describes as a part of the fruit of the Spirit, self control, temperance, the ability to restrain ones impulses and allow the Holy Spirit to act on our stead. The world will see that we don’t need to act hastily but we show them that we depend on the Spirit of God. Our strength comes from Him, not from ourselves.

A new week, a new challenge!

2005-08-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

Every morning, when I wake up, I have a worship song in my mind. I have had this for years now. I believe that it's extremely important to start and finish a day by giving honor and praise to God, regardless of your daily circumstances. The bible says in Hebrews that Jesus is the same, today, yesterday and forever. He never changes, he's perspective and thoughts, his love and righteousness are the same, regardless of the circumstances. Today we are experiencing the pouring of his love and kindness but a time will come that his righteousness will take place and He will come back to judge the the world, to judge mankind based in their response to God and to Him as savior of the world. today, we have the opportunity to hear his voice and walk with Him. Heb 4:1616 So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.(TLB). Amen!

A little about me...

2005-08-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am again on the net! Of course, I am always connected to the net but I haven't had something like this for a long time, I guess the last time I had a postage like this it was when Geocities had just come out with its free webhosting service and I, of course, needed to be on the edge of my pursuit to better ways of communicating. But it takes a lot of energy and time to keep something like this running. I'll try to keep it updated as much as I can...
Anyway, we live in Norway and both my wife and I are ministers working at a local pentecostal church in the city of Porsgrunn. You can check it out if you want to:
www.porsgrunn.no/ITFPRG/knginter.nsf/web/bdEngelskInformasjon.
I am excited to start posting my book on the net and I hope that it will bless and challenge you as we learn to be citizens of the kingdom of God. Have a great day!

The Basics of the Kingdom - Introduction

2005-08-21T23:17:00.000-07:00

The decision to study the chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel according to Matthew came out of desire to see, in a more clear way, the role of those who have received the adoption of God through Christ thus having the privilege of entering the kingdom as a new child of God.
As we teach our children to become good citizens, passing on values so they can be productive in society, we should also bring the same efforts in a concrete and tangible way into the reality of those who entered the kingdom of God. It is of utmost importance to impress into their hearts that even though we live in this world we are not of this world; we belong to a different realm, with different values and standards.
In these chapters we will find all the resources we need for the basics, the fundamental rules for our living on this world as children of God, fully functioning as citizens of God’s kingdom. The difficulty that many have encountered as they become new children of God is that there is very little emphasis on how to reeducate our minds in the new values that we are suppose to live from that point on.
Proverbs teaches us that for lack of counseling, teaching, or vision the people will be lead astray (Prov.11:14). Unfortunately, this has been the reality of many congregations, who in a way have received brand new spiritual “babies” but have not taught them a new way of thinking, new standards and values.
Since the new ones have no new base of values being passed on to them, whenever there is a situation where their character is put to test they will rely on their previous experiences and worldly standards and values, this is what Paul calls relying on the flesh, a lack of resource or a new thinking of what to do as citizens of the kingdom when are tempted and challenged by the daily struggles of our lives. Jesus knew that before He could reveal deep truth about Him and the Father, in order to establish a NEW KINGDOM, it was necessary to bring a whole new thinking, a full contradiction to the normal “logic” practiced in the “Kosmos”, the world system.
The apostle Paul teaches us that the message of the gospel is craziness for those who perish. It’s impossible to understand the logic of the kingdom without full reliance on the Holy Spirit; only through Him we are able to start grasping the reality of the kingdom in our own lives. The evidence of a new born child in the Kingdom, born of the Spirit as Jesus told Nicodemus, is consisted of three things: Recognition, confession and proclamation.
First we recognize our imperfections, our original state, our fallen nature, calling upon God as we humble ourselves throwing away the pride that so much has corrupted us and taken us so far from our creator. Second we confess Him as the only one who is able to restore us from our fallen nature, restore us to the fullness of what He intended for us from the beginning. Confess with our mouths His sovereignty and Lordship over our lives and embracing the Salvation He has offered us from Calvary. Third we proclaim His works in our lives; we proclaim to the world the great things that the Lord has done to us. As we proclaim we also worship, entering in an attitude of praise and gratitude. These three things must be part of our lives, every day, it is the essence of who we are, who we become as we embrace our new citizenship in Christ.It is my desire that through this course the people of God, no matter how long they have been in the Kingdom may understand in a deeper way our role as Citizens of the Kingdom of God in this world.

Chapter Two - “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

2005-08-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

As we can see, Jesus continues puzzling our minds with some contradictions, compared to the patterns and standards of this world system. The genuine question may rise: How can we be blessed when we mourn? How can we see blessing in a time of loss?
The world sees mourning as a loss, as a state of sorrow for something that can never be recovered or seen again. The world only knows one kind of mourning, the mourning that Jeremiah portraits in his book when he writes about Rachel’s cry refusing to be comforted for loosing her children for they are no more (Jeremiah 31:15), a feeling of helplessness and lack of hope, not having the ability of seeing what’s beyond. In the Kingdom, the mourning occurs when we, in an attitude of repentance and sorrow for acknowledge our fallen nature; recognize how far we have been away from Him. It’s when we, as citizens of the Kingdom, by the Holy Spirit, become convinced of sin, righteousness and judgment and respond to His calling for repentance, a turn of direction, without looking back. In the kingdom we receive hope again, the assurance that as a consequence of our act of repentance, we can see beyond the sorrows of this world and hope for a greater and better future prepared by Jesus for us (Romans 8:22-24).
The world mourns with remorse, cries for its loss but continues in the same destructive path that led them to very same loss they now mourn and suffer. They look at the situation, they feel sorry but they do nothing to change, they continue, relying on them selves. Take a look at Judas Iscariots, for example, the bible says in Mathew 27:3 to 5 that he was REMORSEFUL, he was sorry for what he had done to Jesus, he even tried to fix it, but in the end his remorse led him to a destructive path, to death. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7 and verse 10 says: “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (NKJ). The sorrow of the world led Judas to his death for he was not truly repented of his sin. On the contrary with Peter, though he had lied, denied the Lord Jesus publicly, when confronted in his actions he repented and never walked in that path again. The godly sorrow led him repentance and salvation in Christ Jesus.
Now, the mourning of the world is also based in condemnation, God’s judgment upon mankind, the salary for sin, death sentenced to every man who has fallen short of God’s glory. The condemnation that is upon the world comes from the act of one man, Adam, by his act all of mankind was condemned and if we continue under the Adamic filiation we will remain condemned. But we in the kingdom we mourn with the confidence that as we cry out to God, as we pour out our hearts to Him, as we confess knowing that God will restore us, as we repent, we turn away from the destructive path without looking back, we are comforted by His Spirit, we are lifted up and the “glory of the latter house becomes greater than the first”. The difference lies in where you stand. If you are in Christ, there’s no condemnation, but the conviction of the Spirit, as He convinces us from sin, righteousness and judgment. Allowing ourselves to be under the Lordship of Jesus will then makes us realize that our mourning will not lead us to sadness or hopelessness but the assurance that we will be comforted by Him (Isaiah 12:1). Though we might find ourselves in a position that has brought sadness into the heart of God, we know that He will bring the comfort we need through forgiveness and restoration. Condemnation will always put us down and will try to keep us there, where conviction will bring edification and restoration.
Do we mourn like Rachel, in a desperate cry, in hopelessness, or do we mourn like citizens of the Kingdom, that no matter the circumstance may be, He will bring comfort to our hearts, restoration and joy. In the well known commentary from Adam Clarke, we can read the following: “…true joy must be the fruit of sorrow”. We can only experience God’s comfort and joy once we have been through the process of sorrow, the process of recognition of our natural fallen nature.Blessed are those who mourn, they shall be comforted. The assurance of Jesus comes to tear down the strongholds of desperation and helplessness, with the certainty of His presence, comfort and love.

Chapter One - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

2005-08-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Jesus starts his sermon on the mountain with a very strong statement: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”, Matthew 5:2. The first question that comes to mind is: What is to be poor in spirit? And why our inheritance in the Kingdom is directly connected to that? To be poor in spirit means to recognize your own spiritual poverty; that we were deprived of God from the day we were born (Rom 3:23), recognize that the essence of the Kingdom means to put aside our self dependence, self reliance and lay ourselves at His mercy and grace. It’s not by works, self righteousness, but by dependence in Him.
Dependence is not a word we like to use, as proud humans we like to think that our achievements are solely done by our own “competence” and efforts. In the Kingdom is the total opposite. The less you depend on your self the more space will be for the Holy Spirit to work on you. The Lord Jesus is the ultimate example of that. He came to earth, as man and God, but the Bible says that He unclothed Himself of His glory, becoming man like you and me. The path that would lead Him to the cross was the path of humility. Like a lamb going to the slaughter so was our Lord to the cross.
Satan tried to tempt Jesus with pride. If you take a look on the chapter 4 of Matthew you will see that Satan continually tried to bring doubt into Jesus’ heart about His divinity, His power and glory. He was constantly saying if you are the Son of God…tempting Him to use His own power and stop relying in the plan that had already been laid out before Him. Jesus had the power to do whatever He wanted but He didn’t dare to take the short cuts that Satan had presented Him. He chose the way of Humility, put aside His own will and let the will of the Father be done.
In order for us to understand or start grasping the thinking process of the Kingdom we must do as our Savior. The bible says: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God! Do we want to understand the heart of God? We start by humility, putting aside our pride and allowing ourselves to depend on Him. That’s why the world can’t understand the kingdom of God because their values are based on the spirit that rules their system. Satan started out his rebellion against God allowing pride to be born in his heart, he wanted to place his throne above God’s but the Bible tells us that God does not trade His glory with no one.
I believe that sin itself comes out of a prideful heart, an attitude of self reliance and independence. When we decide that we are the rulers of our own life, we say that we do not need anyone else, we then enter the path of self righteousness, loosing the ability to see the grace offered to us through the humbling sacrifice of the Creator of the universe. To understand the Kingdom, we must enter the door of humility, following the same path and example as our Lord and savior. Only then we will be ready to see grace as it was intended to be seen, feel His mercy in the way it is supposed to be felt, like the prophet Ezekiel as He was exposed to God’s glory, knelt down, humbled himself, recognized his inadequacy. Only through that we will be able to learn the code of the Kingdom. The journey to the heart of God starts with humility, as He humbled himself so we, as His new children, citizens of His Kingdom, ought to do the same. Humility is not a sign of weakness but a sign of God’s character in our lives. As we apply humility in our daily lives we become blessed because we start absorbing in our hearts the character of God, we start the process of becoming like Him. Humility is not a curse but a blessing.
“Theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”, Jesus said. When we apply humility as part of ourselves we create a sense of belonging and identity, a sense of possession. In order to belong to the Kingdom, to be heirs of His riches, to have access to the privileges, we must know that it is our responsibility to make the decision of choosing humbleness as the first step in this journey into the heart of God.

2005-08-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dennis Da Silva