The story of my life 10: When I was baptized in the waters

At that time, baptizing people in the waters was not so common in our churches like it is now. Since the church didn’t have a baptistery, that made it a little difficult because it was necessary to rent a club that had a swimming pool in it, and so baptize the people. I was baptized in the waters in April of 1992, in the pool of the Fluvial Portuense Club. It was an indoor swimming pool. It took me a while to make the decision, but it was a conscious step. Baptism brings responsibilities! It means repentance of sins, death of the old life, and birth for a new life with Jesus!

Then one should not get baptize in the waters because s/he sees others doing it, to be healed, or because s/he wishes to be part of a certain denomination. But because s/he is determined to abandon sin and live according to the Word of God. The wrong attitudes and feelings stay in those waters; then s/he rises from the waters determined not to live in sin anymore. This is also part of our conversion. Whoever converts us to God it’s ourselves. It means that we convert to God but God doesn’t converts us. It's a personal decision!

Too bad I don’t have pictures of that day, but it was very special! A lot of people got baptized. I saw that everyone was happy and they smiled when they left the waters. That day I showed God that I truly wanted to follow Him, that it was not a joke.

In 2011 when I went to Israel with the Godllywood group from Miami-USA, I had the opportunity to get baptized in the Jordan River. The waters were freezing because it was winter, but I could not miss this chance. It was more than special!

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16

Have you already made the decision to start a new life with Jesus?

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Here are some pictures of my baptism in Israel:

The story of my life 9: "A mistake I made"

I was a very emotional young woman and it really messed up my spiritual life. I cried for nothing. I was indeed very sentimental! If I were to idealize something and it did not happen exactly as I had imagined, that was already a source of sadness. I think I made high expectations about certain people and situations and when it did not come out as I expected it was like a bucket of cold water on me. And the only way I knew how to deal with it was by being emotional. I always cried because of my dilemmas. Sometimes I got angry at myself.

I did not like being this way. I wanted to be stronger, more secure and determined but I did not know how. Going to church was always very helpful. The teachings, the strong prayers and being able to talk to God expressing everything that was happening inside of me was something liberating. However I did not know how to speak to God as I should. I did not know how to use my faith! In my prayers I tried to make God sensitive; I wanted Him to feel sorry for me and then answer me. Since I was very emotional, I wanted to use emotions before God.

I thought that if I cried during my prayers, God as a loving father, would be sensitive to my suffering. How wrong I was! God needed to see my faith and not my tears, but I did not know that. As long as I used emotion I could not be sure of the answer. I made this mistake until I learned that God is faith and we approach Him through faith. Even though He is a loving and merciful Father, we need to manifest our belief through our faith. When I started doing that, things worked out so much better.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Have you ever made this mistake? Share your experience with us. In the next post I will write about a very important decision I made at the time. I’ll be waiting for all of you!

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The story of my life 8: "When I told about Jesus to my boyfriend"

 

We had been going to the church for about three months when I invited Joaquim to join us. I felt so good there and I wanted him to experience the same thing that I was experiencing. At the time the pastor had explained about fasting; something new for me. He said that fasting was like a cry out, a stronger prayer, that we should do for specific cases, more difficult situations or just to consecrate ourselves more. So I decided to fast for fifteen days, from midnight to noon, in Joaquim's favor. I wanted him to go to church and to stay. This was the first fasting I did since I started going to the Universal Church. The great day that I invited him, to my surprise he accepted the invitation. We all went together to church: my mother, sister, Joaquim and I. I was so happy that God answered me! From that day on he never stopped going!

At first he did not understand much. I remember that every time I wrote him a letter (remember that in 1991 we did not have e-mail or WhatsApp. We communicated through letters, written by our own hand lol); and I always wrote a Bible verse and tried to explain it. My intention was to help him so that he could understand that everything that was done in the church was in accordance with the Word of God. I know that the Holy Spirit did the work in him. I never forced him to go to church or put him in this condition, even though at the time I was new in the faith too and didn’t know many things. I only had the sincere desire that he tried the same as I was living. I sought God and He honored my faith. But of course, Joaquim also had to accept, because God does not force anyone to seek Him; each person makes his own choice.

I would like to speak about this subject. Sometimes young people who wanted to date young unbelievers justified themselves through my example. They said, “If you can, I can do it, too.” However one thing is for you to arrive in church having a boyfriend already, like it was my case. When I arrived at the Universal Church in 1991, I was already dating Joaquim for one year. And another thing is for you to be in the presence of God, to have knowledge of the Word and to decide to have a boyfriend of the world; to become involved with a person who does not have your faith and put at risk your own salvation. I am not saying that it’s impossible for that person to convert, but until you see it you have to wait. It’s not okay to accept to date someone first, and then see if s/he wants to accept the Lord Jesus or not. It shows that you are putting your love life above your life with God.

That's the big difference! At that time I did not even have this knowledge that I should date a person of the same faith. I was new in church. We did not have blogs or books to teach us. We were learning everything slowly as the pastor was teaching us. Even though I did not have this knowledge, I wanted Joaquim to be with God. Even without the interest of dating someone of the same faith, I repeat, I did not know, I wanted us to be together with God and to know the Truth. Like me, he also lived spiritually blind, a slave of a religion.

So my beautiful girls, be careful not to confuse that! We do not have the ability to change anyone. It’s the Holy Spirit that does it!  Maybe at first, Joaquim accepted my invitation to please me, but he stayed, he converted and I can prove it. I will tell you more about this in the following posts. I've seen many church girls get involved with boys of the world and suffer. They acted out of passion. They did not know how to wait in God. They did not have the vision to see them converted first. So they still suffer to have married a person who does not accept their faith, mistreats them, deceives them, and so on! I ask myself, why create a problem if you can choose someone of the same faith, right? In the next post I will say a big mistake I did, but I was not aware of it. Maybe you have done it too!

Have you ever had a bad experience by getting involved with someone who does not practice your faith? Even within the church it can happen, because not all who are in the church are converted and given to God. See that God makes us aware of everything:

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” 1 John 4:1

This means that we must always see if the testimony given is true and whether the person acts by the flesh or by the Spirit. Unfortunately, not everyone who claims to be of God is really of God. But for this you have to be spiritual, because if you are of the flesh how can you detect who is spirit or flesh? Now you know it!!

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The story of my life 7: "The persecutions"

When our family members knew that we were going to the Universal Church a great persecution rose against us. I remember well that my uncles, my mother's brothers, went to our home and said a lot of things so that she would not go to church. Being part of a very religious family and full of traditions, it was a lack of respect for someone to reject the teachings received from parents and grandparents, and to start practicing something completely different. It was a real betrayal!

In fact, what they could not see was the spiritual ignorance in which they lived. But how could us make them understand it? Religion does this to people, they become slaves of manners, imprisoned to their ancestral’s teachings that have no biblical basis, but for them is everything. The teachings create roots in them, so they won’t let themselves evaluate the origin or the foundation of what they have learned. That's it and period! There is no room for questioning. As a teenager I was just listening; I did not interfere but my mother stood firm in her choice. She had the patience to answer them according to the Word of God, in what was being confronted, although without success. They did not even try to understand, they always repeated the same things!

They all stood against my mom! How could she deny everything her parents taught her? Deny the religion of the family and abandon all traditions? This was an absurd! So they thought.

That’s why whoever accepts the Lord Jesus in this life will certainly be persecuted and even slandered because the world does not accept the Truth. The world is concerned with appearances, not with knowing the truth of the Gospel. If only they read the Bible, I thought!!!

To further strengthen their position, my uncles made the news reach a third brother; an uncle of mine who lives in Brazil. My uncle called my mother to “open her eyes”. He said that the church in Brazil was not liked (at the time) and that she would have to leave the Universal Church urgently. They did everything to “keep” the customs of the family and according to them they did not have a heretic sister. I believe they thought that “together they can do more.”  Like if they get united against it, then you will give up that idea. Of course this never happened and they were the ones who gave up persecuting her. My father did not like the church much either, but he never prohibited us to attend it.

My friend if you are suffering a persecution because of your faith, whether it is at home, at school, or at work, stand firm with the Lord Jesus. Do not argue with people. Just give a good testimony and pray for them. Be strong and do not let persecution separate you from the presence of God.

Have any of you ever been or are being persecuted?

In the next post I will tell you what happened to Joaquim. We were still dating, but he still wasn’t going to church.

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The story of my life 6: "The Book of discoveries"

After a while in the church, and listening the pastor teaching that we should have a Bible, we bought one. It was my first Bible and I was excited to know what was written in there. What I did not imagine was what I would discover in the pages of that Book that would change everything I had learned so far. I remember reading every night before I went to bed. I would not go to sleep without reading the Word of God. I started with the New Testament, reading the Gospels. The more I read, the more I could see the lie in which I lived; all of that was false.

With every verse my heart rejoiced. I saw that everything the pastor preached on the Altar was in agreement with that Word. Everything that was done in church had a biblical basis. So it was confirmed that it was the right place. Sometimes I would read and show my mother like, “Look, that’s exactly like in church.” I was happy. Sometimes I even cried when I was reading the Bible because that Word was very strong. I remember being disgusted because I never read it before, for accepting so many teachings and religious rituals with no biblical foundation and never questioned anything. I even felt angry at those who taught people pure lies! I remember very well a passage I read and it was a great discovery for me:

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13

I should pray and ask God in the name of Jesus! I had never prayed using the name of the Lord Jesus before, but from that day on, I learned, and I started to practice it. Another word that the pastor read in church and shaked the foundation of everything they had taught me since I was a child was:   

“But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” Psalm 115:4-8

I found out that I was an idolater! I believed in so many gods that were simply images made by men, rather than putting my belief and trust in the one true God. But on that same day when I went home I made a decision: from that day on I would only believe in the God of the Bible. I knew the Ten Commandments by heart since I was six years old, but not as it is written in Exodus 20.

The first commandment was summarized in “Loving God above all things” and the rest? And the important part of “Thou shalt have no other gods before me?” I've never heard of it.

Once the pastor taught about baptism in the waters. He said that “baptism is the remission of sins. It can only be done when someone can discern good and evil. The baptism of babies is not biblical. What sin does a baby have? The Lord Jesus was presented in the Temple when he was born and was baptized at the age of thirty.”

Another great thing I found out was that everything was wrong with me. I was just a religious person who had nothing of God; ignorant spiritually speaking. Through the Bible I was also learning about the Lord Jesus. How He behaved, what He did when He was here, His love and mercy with us, etc. I was in love with Jesus! Every verse I read about Him I admired Him more. How wonderful He was! Everything that was taught in church was shown in the Bible, so I never questioned the Word of God.

When it was explained of idolatry I accepted. When it was spoken of the baptism in the waters I understood it right away. When it was taught of tithe immediately I agreed. It was written, there was no room for doubt or questions. It was the Word of God and it should be respected and obeyed. It is a matter of intelligence. If I believe in the Word I obey it and not question it.

So I was slowly reading, learning and putting into practice. Some things took me some time to learn, but it was wonderful to have contact with the Word of God for the first time.

I loved to read the Bible, even though I could not understand everything. I tried hard to make the most of it and I was getting closer to God. Remember that at that time there wasn’t much information available like we’ve today. There were no church programs on TV, blogs, etc. we just had church meetings to go and learn the things of God.

And you, how was your first contact with the Word of God? Do you remember?

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The story of my life 5: “The first day I arrived at The Universal Church”

One day during a conversation with my mother, a neighbor who worked in the street where they had opened a Universal church, told my mother: “There is a new church located in the street of Cedofeita. They say that many miracles happen there, and I see that it’s always full.” This neighbor never set foot in the church, but because she walked nearby every day, she saw the movement and listened to the comments. When my mother listened to those words, she immediately thought, “A miracle is what we need.”

The church had just opened in Portugal, in a city called Porto; which by the way is where I’m from. There was only the church on the street of Cedofeita, but later many more opened. Today it has a beautiful Cathedral in Porto in addition to several other temples scattered throughout the country. The first time we went with my mother, in July 1991, it was a Thursday, and I was 16 at the time. The pastor of the church was the now bishop Marcelo Brayner. From that day on we never stopped going.

It was amazing how God used that neighbor to invite us, after all she had never even stepped foot inside of the church. But she was used to tell us about it’s existence. At that time it was very rare to hear of evangelical churches in Portugal. They existed but were not expressive or known. What really prevailed were the traditional religion of the country. It was as if people were not aware of other options. They all followed the same thing without even asking why. However the Universal church has come to change that picture! We arrived in church like most people: with problems in the family, my sister was scared, I was sick, full of internal conflicts, and had the great emptiness that invaded my soul. My mother went to speak with the pastor, and the pastor told her what to do and the days we should go to church.

I remember that I was very frightened when I saw a person manifesting for the first time with an unclean spirit. I had never seen such a thing. What was it that stirred the body of the person strongly and with only the prayer of the pastor in the Name of Jesus that evil came out and the person, and she became free. I could see the difference in her face after her deliverance. Her face became serene and relieved.

The pastor explained that it was the act of evil in people's lives, the cause of all the problems. These people were possessed by evil spirits, and only God had the power to deliver them. Now I had an explanation for everything that was going on in our lives. I knew where it came from and how to fight them. For me this was already a revelation; no one had ever told me such a thing. The pastors preached with authority, without fear. Although everything they said was very different from what people were used to, they were not frightened, and this gave us assurance. Now I know it's the power of God's Word, but at the time I had no idea!

Do you remember that in the previous post I told you that I had been diagnosed with diabetes? Well, I was healed! There was nothing left! It was wonderful, I was so new in church that I did not understand many things. But I believed in God. I knew He existed and God healed me to reveal Himself to me, and to show me His power. Every time I went to church I felt better. Everything changed. It seemed that in that simple and crowded room I had found what I had been looking for my whole life.

However I had a long way to go. Many things inside of me needed to change, this was just the beginning of a long walk.

Let’s continue in the next post!

How about you, how did you arrive in the Universal Church?

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The story of my life 4: The bad news

In a routine exam, I was diagnosed with diabetes! My world fell to the ground! How in the world, at the age of 16, did I get an incurable disease? It was horrible! I felt so bad! I saw the worry on my mother's face. That day I totally lost my joy. I got home and lay down, I did not want to do anything. Everyone was astonished, my parents, my boyfriend, my whole family, and I was distressed. I just could not assimilate that news.

When we don’t have anyone to turn to, we get desperate in the face of the problems that come our way. So we feel alone and without ground. Lack of hope and despair take over, it seems like everything is over. I grew up in a traditional religious family. Since I was in a church, we performed the rituals demanded there; but at this time we felt alone. How could it be? We had so many “gods” and in the moment we needed them they could not help us. They could not do anything for me!

I had a small size image that I got from my grandmother. I slept with it everyday under my pillow. When I would forgot it, I’d feel bad and guilty as if I had despised it. But where was it in this difficult moment of my life? What was it going to do for me? Didn’t he remember all the prayers I had already done? All the visits to his temple? What a faith I had that did not work in the moments I needed the most! The questions were numerous!

I was not using my faith in the right person, but I did not know it, I did not have any knowledge of the Bible. I did not even have a Bible! But to our delight, this problem was about to be solved! I will tell you in the next post how it happened.

PS: I would like to clarify that I am not here offending or attacking any religion or denomination. I am telling my story, what happened, how I felt and what was going on in my mind. That is why I cannot omit certain important facts.

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