Posted on 06/20/2006 8:09:37 PM PDT by SirLinksalot
Today's Brazil: Where Jesus trumps decadence
JIM RUTZ
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
I have a friend named Cindy Jacobs, who is a truly stellar lady and also the most noted prophetess in America, if not the world.
Let me give you just one example of her exceptional gifting:
A few years ago, she spoke at an evangelistic rally in a stadium in Costa Rica, and as she was walking away from the platform, she happened to glance at a sickly-looking man in the audience who had plainly had a stroke.
A fleeting thought flashed through her head that she should turn back and tell him that he was going to be the next president of Costa Rica. But she immediately shrugged that off as a wild idea, a product of her own imagination.
A short moment later, however, the thought returned – even stronger – as from the Lord. Her response was an unspoken prayer: "God, there is no way I am going to prophesy that man is going to be president! He looks so sick that he could die at any moment." And she kept walking.
But just a few steps later, the thought became a clear voice in her spirit: "Cindy Jacobs, you turn around and go tell that man that it is My will for him to be the next president of this country!"
By that time, she was more afraid of dissing God than being ridiculed for a false prophecy, so she spun around and called out to him, "The Lord says that if you remain humble, you will be the next president of Costa Rica, and God will use you to expose corruption in this land."
The astonishing encounter was over. She was heartened to note a kindly look in the man's eyes, and her hosts told her the man's name, Abel Pacheco. Cindy filed the incident away in her mind as one of her thousands of dangling prophecies and returned home.
Two years later, her ceaseless travels brought her back to Costa Rica to speak at a conference. As the busy days were ending in the usual blur, her phone rang. It was a local friend saying, "The president of Costa Rica would like to meet with you."
Cindy replied, "Who is the president?"
The friend answered, "Abel Pacheco, the man you prophesied would be the next president!"
OK, now flash back to about 1991, and to Brazil. It is Carnival time, a season when most churches there go into damage-control mode because of the overwhelming onslaught of immorality and decadence. Cindy and her husband, Mike, are visiting in the capital, Brasilia, and Cindy is quite vexed at the rampant evil. Preaching to a crowd, she angrily bursts out with a prophecy that within three years, the March for Jesus – a minor annual event at the time – will grow to dwarf the Carnival and break its power! (I'm sure that Mike, a no-nonsense businessman, winced when he heard that one!)
Three years later, 850,000 Christians turn out to march in a pouring rain in Sao Paulo. Five mayors completely shut down the celebrations in their cities because of the immorality. The Carnival begins a sharp decline.
It was no flash in the pan. Last Thursday, 3 million marchers converged on the Agenda Palest (Brazil's Wall Street) to noisily celebrate Jesus. Do you detect a trend here?
Authorities complained about the racket, but frankly, I can't see where the marchers are doing much damage to the markets, which are up about 300 percent since September 2002. Brazil's leadership in South America continues, despite Venezuela President Hugo Chavez's efforts to become the godfather of the continent and President Evo Morales's decision to play Castro by nationalizing all the oil and gas in Bolivia.
As in China, the Brazilian economy has boomed pari passu along with the church. (China's church and economy are growing at 8 percent a year.) Since 1994, the Brazilian evangelical community has more than trebled – to 20 percent of the population. At current rates, it will reach 50 percent by 2020!
They have a new saying in Brazil: "There are three things you can easily find in any town in Brazil: a bradesco (bank), a guarana (soda) and an evangelical church."
And you ain't seen nothin' yet. All across Latin America (still nominally Catholic), you will find more Protestants than Catholics in church on Sunday morning!
By 2010, at current growth rates, Brazil would have 435,000 churches, surpassing the 350,000 in America, where we shut down 3,000 to 4,000 more each year.
The world is changing. U.S. Christians need to make a fast shift from the spectator church to the house church, where individuals get empowered for growth.
Like the Buddha said...all life is sorrowful...
Wire stripping?.. Excellent metaphor.. i.e some are strippers some are not.. I've known "christians" that were Buddists.. because Buddism takes "being good" as a human to another plateau.. Some eventually found they were wearing a mask others did not..
I don't see "my job" to be as a wire stripper for others, but as a wire stripper for myself.. I don't see much difference between being a Baptist and Roman Catholic.. I've found that even so called non-denominational churchs are denominational but think they are devoid of denominational structure when they are Not..
Every christian is a denomination.. a denomination of Christ.. Their earthly organizations (that they belong to) mean little.. There is indeed only one church.. that is the Body of Christ.. Controlled Not by men.. or women.. God is not confused as men seem to be.. Stripping works for me.. Not to disallow anybody but to include everybody that is in the "family".. I loved you're metaphor.. it was inspired I think.. and I have stolen it! d;-)~',',
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Nor do I. As some would say, "Not my job, Man!" '-)
I would probably capitalize the term, "Wire Stripper" -- because, I believe it is the Holy Spirit who is the One who is capable of stripping us down to our "Christ-like" (the original definition of "Christian") core.
And it is He, who on occasions when we get our "insulating" selves out of the way and let Him lead, "strips us down to basics", and brings us into connection with others in similar condition. It is then that we truly make the contact that is Divine fellowship with other believers -- and that the sparks of joy fly, and that the current of his power flows between us.
IOW, it is when we meet at our most basic level as believers -- stripped down and exposed -- that we experience a glimpse of the joyous fellowship that awaits in eternity.
It is then, IMO, that we are truly His Church!
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And, I am ready to testify, I have had some such moments of joyous fellowship here -- on FR -- with each of you!!! <BIG OL' SMILE!!!!>
Thank you, Brother and Sisters -- and thank You, Lord!!
Thank you, Brother and Sisters -- and thank You, Lord!!
Hmmmmm... Did I just quote Bart Simpson? '-}
Church(New Testament gk.) means merely those gathered "out of the world" together.. The Body of Christ is "the" metaphor.. The word church has been morphed to mean other things.. organizational things.. The vision is of the Body of Christ.. not the one that walked in Galilee but of the body Jesus came to create.. and did create.. Funny how you can "sense" the grace of another member(of the body) usually.. not always but usually..
One spirit/Spirit.. in at one ment.. The Father, Christ and "us".. The word church will go away the Body of Christ is ageless and transcendent as the Spirit/spirit is NOW.. The penultimate metaphor.. decribing something far greater than many can understand now.. The Vision of Jesus the Christ(Revelation ch1;1) is the history of the Body of Christ.. quite wonderful.. and the Vision ends in a wonderful metaphorical prose of shining precious stones.. gold and silver (all metaphorical operators).. To miss this spiritual prose is to miss something quite wonderful..
Like hosepipe said, "Stripping works for me!" LOL!!!
As the Lord would have it, I received a devotion on the very same subject in my email today: "...whatever happens, we are never without his power."
"Agenda Palest (Brazil's Wall Street) "
There is not such thing in Brazil. There is Avenida Paulista, but not Agenda Palest. ; )
And nor all evangelicals in Brazil are the best model of morality in the world. There are promiscuous evangelicals, evangelical churches that makes money perfoming "exorcism" acts. By the way, one of the biggest evangelical churches in the country(Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus) has the worst reputation possible.
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