(I decided to tidy things up and transfer this from my Portuguese language blog so as to keep the English blog and Portuguese blog separate. This below I preached in October 2013 at the EAB AGM via Skype)
It’s a joy to join you in this EAB’s 75th annual celebration! God is good! His love and mercy endures forever.
We think back today over the many mission names of years gone by: Mundy,
Dyer, Snelgrove, Peasley, Emmens, Zacarias, José Paulino, Antônio
Pirambeba etc.
We think back over the names of so many EAB Board members and supporters
like Shearing, Parsons, Dibden, Dyer, Simms, Hurst, Bergersen,
Medcraft, Irish, White, Dalton, Scard, Cox, Rashleigh and so the list
could go on and on!
We think back over the thousands upon thousands of people who have heard
the Gospel over the years through the ministry of EAB and the thousands
upon thousands who have come to know the Lord as their savior and also
been benefitted by the multitude of EAB projects.
Indeed on this 75th anniversary we have much to thank God about and
rejoice about! As the Psalmist said in Psalm 126 – “The Lord has done
great things for us – and we are filled with joy”!
But we do not just think back over 75 years tonight! We also think and praise about what God is doing today!
Take for example the Green Pastures church 12 miles east of Patos which
is on fire for God and planting new churches. One such church plant
happening right now is in a new settlement of 30 families who were part
of the Brazilian “landless movement” but who have now been given land
which once belonged to a corrupt land owner who didn’t pay his debts.
EAB has launched into this new community and many have already come to
Christ! People are standing up in the middle of services and saying they
want to commit their lives to Jesus without any appeal being made but
with tears rolling down their cheeks! PTL!
I am talking about not just what God has done over the past 75 years but
what He is doing today, and just yesterday we inaugurated a new
plantation project in Capim Grosso (Thick Grass) Community in Itaporanga
County about 75 miles west of Patos. Since drilling the well there a
couple of years ago we have seen the community greatly helped and
blessed by the practical demonstration of God’s love and many have come
to understand the Gospel because they have seen it (if you see what I
mean)! 17 have already become Christians there! The transformation is
terrific!
However yesterday EAB projects there took a step forward with the
inauguration of the Plantation Project which includes irrigated organic
horticulture and fruit trees together with Moringa and Neem trees – plus
a brand new element – fish farming! The community is jubilant and
praising God because they have been helped to help themselves! They have
self-esteem and income generating produce. It’s the Garden of Eden
restored amidst the worst drought in half a century!
EAB believes in and practices integral mission! What is integral mission
– some ask? Integral mission is preaching and practicing the Gospel.
Integral mission is living like Jesus who preached, taught and prayed
nonstop – but who also cared for the sick, fed the hungry and ministered
to needy children.
People often say to us in Britain that this is great for a very poor
area like north-eastern Brazil – but you can’t drill wells for the poor
in the UK where rain is abundant – so it’s not possible to do this in
England!
Whilst it is true that well drilling is not necessary in the UK –
integral mission is! Oh yes it is! It’s just that the church in the UK
has got to discern what their communities needs are and then get its
hands dirty to help and minister to those needs with the love of God! If
we cry to God to see our communities transformed by the Gospel we must
be willing to get involved and be transformers! Other than that it will
never happen!
May God deliver the UK church from sterile secularism or spiritual cozy
holy huddles where everyone joins together for lovely times of praise,
fellowship and Biblical reflection – and then goes away till the next
Sunday to get on with “everyday life” whatever that is!
May God wake us up! May God rattle our dry bones! May God shake our
cages! May God rock our boats! We are supposed to be going into the
community – building bridges – relating to people – and making disciples
for Jesus! But nobody will have a clue who to be a disciple of if they
do not see tangible evidence of the living God amongst us!
People can’t see faith! James said: “I will show you my faith by what I do”!
Jesus said: “Let your light shine before men, that they might see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”!
This is what EAB is all about at 75 years old and going for a ton!
I am saying that God has been good over all the years – God is still
being good – and God will continue to be good because He never changes!
Caroá is 30 years old this year! Perhaps you remember the name Caroá
where EAB pioneered the Gospel in 1983? We founded a church and dug our
first well there – but today Caroá has given birth to 10 new churches
and is in the process of spreading over the State border and into
Pernambuco!
Pinheira is one such daughter church of Caroá with a plantation project
and its own little church built by the people this year! Another
offspring of Caroá is the ex-slave community of Fonseca where EAB is now
evangelizing descendents of African slaves who are now being set free
by the Gospel and have water to drink from an EAB well!
The Gospel in action works! It is where the Spirit of God flows like a
river! Dogmatic fundamentalist bigotry forms stagnant pools which stink –
but moving in the Spirit in the unity of the body of Christ is like the
sweet smelling oil or perfume which ran down Aaron’s beard!
God has blessed EAB in the past – God is blessing EAB in the present – but what happens to EAB from now on?
Well – there is much yet to be done before Christ’s return and EAB
(already in 5 north-eastern States) has the God given vision to reach
all 9 States of Brazil’s north-east – with the whole Gospel for the
whole man – preaching and practicing God’s love!
That is where you come in continuing to pray and support this work and
endeavouring to spread the word about EAB to more people. We thank you
all for all you have done to date – but the work goes on and so we must
all be workers together for Christ.
Please ask your friends to “like” EAB’s English only page on facebook
which is an excellent means of communication. Please keep in touch with
Mary and the prayer updates she sends to those in the loop. Please keep
supporting EAB via Beryl. Please carry on with the fundraising efforts
such as Garden Party, Trumpets and Trifles, Oak Lodge School etc. All is
really helpful and very much appreciated. – These are a few ideas and
initiatives I mention so as to be practical this evening. May God richly
bless you.
Pray too for our planned trip to the UK next year. Our 3-year cycle will
be up in 2014 as we were last there in 2011. We look forward to
visiting churches, family and friends, God willing. Hopefully we will be
physically present at next year’s AGM and not just virtually.
May God bless you all – UK Board – supporters and prayer warriors! The
Mission marches on in obedience to Jesus command to “go and make
disciples of all nations”! May the drought stricken barren north-east of
Brazil receive abundant rain in the first quarter of 2014 and abundant
spiritual rain too till EAB reaches its century for the glory of God! –
Amen.
