Word ministered by brother Pedro Dong, transmitted by Instituto Vida para Todos, directly from Cuiabá-MT, on 29/09/2024. Text not reviewed by the author.

We encourage you to watch the full message on the IVPT YouTube channel.

 

 

1. Before starting the message, I would like to talk about the “Kingdom Investors” program. We need to have the vision that the church is the one who needs to carry out God’s work on earth meaning ourselves. Therefore, the financial supply needs to keep up with the pace of the work. We cannot delay it due to lack of resources. The Lord’s work advances rapidly and is financially supported by those who serve Him. This is the first necessary change of mentality: the church collectively is responsible for the work of the Lord, not an individual. God wants to count on each member of His body! It is grace to participate in the advancement of the work. The Lord wants us to have the mentality of the women mentioned in Luke 3.
2. The Kingdom Investors program proposes quotas of $500.00 reals (in Brazil). Even though some believe they are unable to participate in the program, we believe that if they go before the Lord, pray and ask Him to meet their quota, it will be possible. God will surprise you with what he can do in your financial life. When we raised this issue a few months ago, expectations for the emergence of quotas were still low, but, by faith, they overflowed! The sisters especially have surprised us a lot with their generosity for the Lord’s work. We believe that we will witness many miracles with the multiplication of these quotas. Let us believe that the Lord will use us to bring resources for His work to expand throughout the earth. In a few weeks we will go to South Africa thanks to the resources that the Lord has raised in our midst. And let’s continue! Become an investor in the kingdom, do not underestimate what the Lord can do through your life.
3. We know that many cannot take on a quota of $500.00 reals (in Brazil), which is why we open the opportunity for everyone to donate through the “Gospel Partners” program. In this program, it is possible to participate with any amount. Even children can participate! Where our treasure is, there our heart is also.
4. Our teen and young adult conferences will now be unified. Today our teenagers love the word so much that they have the same capacity as adults, if not greater, to absorb its burden. Therefore, we consider that it is no longer necessary to separate young adults and teens. From January 2025, the conference will last only 4 days, starting on Thursday and lasting until Sunday. For this to be possible, the senior stewards who care for the teenagers will need to participate and help by serving. We believe that the reduction in conference days will also allow for greater participation among brothers, who will be able to make better use of the holidays and will not need to take off time from work to enjoy the event. International conferences will also have a reduced duration. Since we are all in this celestial sphere the entire semester, we no longer see the need for a 9-day conference. We will arrive at the conference on fire to enjoy! Until then, we need to prepare ourselves so that there will be many people who are registered. Our goal is to fill the retreat center!
   

   1 Pet 2:11-12; Isa 66:2; Heb 11:8-10, 13-16

5. In his first epistle, Peter exhorted pilgrims and strangers about the need for the transformation and salvation of the soul. We have been regenerated to a living hope and are being refined like gold. The suffering we go through because of the decision to follow the word closely is the fire that purifies our faith. The Lord allows it so that we can achieve the full salvation of the soul. When the church reaches this condition, the Lord will return, and we will reign with Him!
6. To do this, we need to nourish the new life within us, stripping ourselves of all guile, hypocrisy and slander, and ardently desire the true spiritual milk of the word. The condition for growing and reaching complete salvation is to have an afflicted and downcast heart. Anyone who wants to participate in the reality of the kingdom of heaven needs to have a contrite and humble spirit. God finds no resistance in those who do not trust themselves, and He feels free to make His home in them.
7. Peter’s first epistle was addressed to Jewish believers spread throughout the Gentile world and guided their behavior. We are all pilgrims on earth. Abraham’s hope was in a city with foundations of which God is the Architect and Builder. We belong to this city, to the heavenly homeland, and we are not from the earth! There’s no point investing a lot here. The Lord supplies us according to our needs, but we need to have a heart willing to invest in the kingdom, as our homeland is heavenly. The last festival of the Jews is the Feast of Tabernacles. There were many rich Jews in Israel and other places, but at this festival, for seven days they all lived in tents in a simple way. At a campsite, accommodations are simple. We are backpackers on earth! Let’s live a simple life. In no way do we condemn those who have a comfortable life with material goods, as we believe that the Lord is the one who provides us with all things but let us still seek to have a simple life. We are pilgrims on earth. Let’s invest all the money we can in the kingdom.
   

   John 17:14-16; Eph 6:12

8. We strive for the heavenly kingdom; we still live on earth and are subject to earthly influences. In John 17, in Jesus’ prayer to the Father, we see that He will never lose any of those entrusted to Him. Yet the world hates those who belong to the Lord. We need to continue living in the world to process the salvation of the soul and to rescue many people through the gospel of the kingdom: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15).
9. However, living in the world implies that it can still affect our hearts, generating inner struggle. The authorities of evil in the heavenly region have dominion over the world in which we live and to which we are subject. Therefore, the Lord Jesus asked the Father to deliver us from the wicked one, even though we continue to live in the world.
   

   Matt 13:3-9,19

10. Peter mentions that carnal passions wage war against the soul and do not allow it to be saved by the supply of the word. The heart is the center of dispute between the Lord and the evil one, as it is the land where God sows the seed of the kingdom. When this seed grows, the kingdom of heaven grows on earth and drives out the kingdom of Satan. The devil’s strategy is to occupy the human heart with love for the world, corrupting it and making it useless for the fruitfulness of the seed of the kingdom. Therefore, we will not allow this occupation to occur
11. God needs man’s heart to establish His kingdom. When we go to the streets to preach the gospel, we are used by God to win hearts and there sow the incorruptible seed of His kingdom. The evil one will use all weapons to stop you. Satan wants to destroy our hearts, but God wants to win our hearts over to establish His kingdom on earth.
    

    Matt 13:20-23

12. My previous way of interpreting the parable of the Sower cited in Matthew 13 was that the Sower encountered four kinds of hearts when he sowed. However, today I understand that the seed was sown in each of us, and all four types relate to each person’s story. One day we were saved, and we received the incorruptible seed in our hearts. However, it is still confined to our spirit and needs to find space to grow throughout our being, represented by the heart.
13. The seed cannot grow if our hearts are in the condition of the soil by the wayside. Many already have the seed of the word within themselves, but they cannot nor want to understand the prophetic word spoken week after week, they do not value it. They will not lose their salvation, but because they do not have time to hear the word and engrave it, the seed remains stuck in them. A slightly better situation is that of stony places. In this case, the seed is received with joy, but when persecution for the word arrives, it is soon scorched and does not allow it to deepen its roots. The word sown among thorns manages to sprout but is soon suffocated and becomes fruitless. For the word to grow and bear fruit in us, we need to no longer be suffocated by the cares of the world and the fascination of riches. We need to work so that our heart is the fourth type of soil, which receives the word and understands it, generating many fruits!
    

    1 John 2:15; 4:19

14. There is no room in our hearts for two things. Either we love the world or we love God. The world has several departments that seduce and trap us — lust, culture, fashion and sports, etc.; these departments take our heart. The weapons of the world are the lust (passions) of the flesh; the lust of the eyes (the desires of the soul), such as vainglory, prestige, power, from which envy, rivalry, hatred, malice, defamation originate; and the pride of life (the ostentation of riches) as arrogance, contempt, arrogance, and pride.
15. Satan uses these powerful weapons to keep the systematized world under his control. Man runs after money, power and vainglory, and all of this is under the power of the evil one. With the heart occupied by these things, there is no room for God. The whole world lies with the wicked one, it is a puppet in his hands. He controls man through the love of money and all that it provides, and the love of power and all that power can give to man. Politicians, for example, run after either money or power, and that is why they are under the control of the evil one.
    

    1 John 2:14

16. To overcome the wicked one, we need the word of God that remains in us. That’s why we need to transcribe the word, immerse it, and thus make it dwell richly within us, filling our hearts with it.
    

    1 Pet 2:12-17; Rom 13:1-7

17. We need to keep our behavior exemplary even if people say bad things about us. It is necessary that our good works glorify God on the day of visitation, when He will inspect the pilgrims as the shepherd oversees the flock. In a foreign nation, pilgrims await the day when God will visit them to remember that they have a nation and are part of a kingdom. Peter wanted to make it clear that these pilgrims, who are us, live on earth and must submit to every human institution for the sake of the Lord.
18. Paul also makes it clear that while we live on earth, we must be subject to the higher authorities, as they were instituted by God. Whoever opposes authority resists the ordinance of God. It is out of conscience that we obey human laws and pay taxes. As long as we live on earth, we need to play our part as citizens of the country.
19. Today we live in a democracy, which values freedom of expression. Everyone has the right to speak their mind and give opinions. However, we have a Lord who rules over us and controls our tongue and our actions. We must not use freedom for malice and wickedness; rather, we must live as servants of God, for we have a Lord to whom we are accountable.
20. We must treat everyone with honor! Let slander and defamation stay away from us, as they are instruments of the devil to attack the children of God. We must love our brothers and sisters, fear God, as it is Him we must obey, and honor the king, that is, the established authority. It is very important to learn the lesson of obedience to authorities, as God has never blessed those who dishonor them. We may have opinions that are contrary to authorities, but we must honor them. The spirit of rebellion comes from Satan.
    

    1 Sam 15:1-11,22,26; 16:1,7,10-13

21. Those who have been established as authorities need to pay attention and submit to the word of God, as it is He who governs His people. After anointing Saul, God gave him his main assignment: to hurt Amalek and destroy him without sparing anything. Amalek represents our flesh, from which nothing is used, not even what we consider good. God wants nothing of our flesh. However, Saul disobeyed God’s command and spared what he considered the best part of Amalek. In his opinion and impetus to do things for himself, he did not faithfully execute the word of God. The church needs to execute the word of the Lord! We cannot act on our personal opinions and impulses.
22. Saul preserved the best of Amalek to use as a sacrifice to the Lord. However, in God’s eyes, it is better to obey than to sacrifice. Saul was removed as king, and God needed to raise another in his place. If we want to cooperate in establishing the kingdom of God, we must fully obey the word! When searching for the Lord’s chosen one to reign in Saul’s place, Samuel was first introduced to Jesse’s oldest sons, who his father considered more presentable. David was busy tending sheep, and his father only thought of bringing him to Samuel when the other sons were rejected. By the Lord’s determination, Samuel anointed David, and the Spirit took possession of him. This anointing and possession are only possible by the will of God; no man can imitate.
    

    1 Sam 21:10; 24:3-6; 26:7-11

23. After David’s anointing, Saul began to do everything to kill him. David, on the other hand, despite having several opportunities to take the life of the former king, did not do so. Even though God had rejected him, Saul had been anointed by the Lord, and David recognized and respected this. Someone anointed by the Lord will have their errors dealt with directly by Him. Let us not be the ones who raise our hands against God’s anointed! Even if they go against divine authority, let us not raise our hands against them. Let us let the Lord deal with the situation.
    

    1 Pet 2:18; Phil 2:5-8

24. Servants must be submissive to their master, to their boss, even if they are mistreated and wronged. The position of submission must be maintained, as it is the Lord who will grant deliverance. This concerns the Lord Jesus Himself, who came to earth and voluntarily assumed the posture of a servant. This attitude shames Satan, who in his creation was equipped with all intelligence and beauty, started to aspire to climb positions of authority. Jesus, in turn, gave up the position of God and assumed that of a servant, losing any right to claim. He emptied Himself and humbled Himself, becoming man, and obeyed the Father in everything, even to the point of death on the cross. This is the stance we should have. We are servants of one another, servants of the people on the streets, who need to receive the gospel and become servants of the Lord. A servant does not work for recognition or salary; all he knows is to serve his master.
    

    Isa 53:2-7; Mark 14:65; 1 Cor 9:9,14; 1 Tim 5:18

25. As a Servant, in total obedience to God, Jesus came to earth as the most rejected of men. He was despised, without appearance or beauty, without beauty that pleased those who looked at Him. He took upon Himself our infirmities and pains, He was killed for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. He was oppressed, humiliated, slapped, and spat on. He came to earth willing to go through all this because of His position as a servant.
26. The four living beings of Ezekiel one had four faces: man, lion, ox, and eagle. Jesus came to earth to fulfill God’s will as a man. As a lion, He was the King of the kingdom of heaven, the lion of the tribe of Judah to reign over the nations. As an eagle, which represents His deity, He carried out God’s work by divine power. Finally, as an ox, He was the Servant of God. The ox, an animal used for services and loads, never demands wages, vacations or overtime, as it serves its owner. However, he cannot lack food, as he depends on it to have the strength to work. In the law of Moses, it is written: You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads the wheat.
27. Thank God, we have colporteurs among us preaching the gospel. The apostle Paul said, “Those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” Previously, what we did was pay those who serve the Lord as colporteurs, but that is not a very good principle. Those who are salaried always end up owing satisfaction to their payers, and we are servants of God. It is He who feeds us. Colporteurs do not colport for money. If they did, it wouldn’t work. When practicing colporting by obedience to the word, it flows and makes it possible for them to live by the gospel. The Lord supplies them through colporting! God will never leave us in need, because He is our Lord.
    

    Matt 6:32-34; Ps 127:2

28. Young people in David’s mighty men age group have been very successful in their professional careers, but at the same time they have a great demand in their careers and in caring for their family. We cannot let these precious young people stop having time for the Lord! This does not mean that they will stop working, but that the Lord will bless them when they have time to seek Him. Many have had the experience of dedicating time, even if little, to practicing the word, and the Lord has blessed them in such a way that the time invested in the kingdom does not compromise their professional performance. On the contrary, they have been blessed and even served in organizing larger events, such as the conference in South Africa. It all starts with the heart! If we decide to dedicate time to the Lord, He will take care of us, because He gives His loved ones while they sleep!
    

    1 Pet 2:11-24; Rom 12:17; 1 Tess 5:15; Acts 19:10; 20:31; 2 Tim 1:15; 4:6-8

29. We can follow in the same footsteps of Christ, because we have the same life that made Him endure such suffering for us. As we read in Isaiah 53, He was oppressed and humiliated, but He did not open His mouth; like a Lamb was taken to the slaughterhouse and remained silent the entire time. He was cut off from the land of the living because of our transgression. When insulted, He did not respond with insult; when mistreated, He did not make threats but surrendered Himself to the One who judges righteously.
    
30. Just like Jesus, we must learn not to fight back against our attackers, as we already have a God who judges everything correctly. This does not mean that we should not take measures so that God’s work is not harmed. Close to being martyred, Paul was abandoned by everyone in Asia who he had cared for 3 years, night and day. Even so, he knew that he had fulfilled his ministry and trusted in the Lord, the righteous judge who will give us the crown of righteousness at His coming. This must be our attitude: let us be faithful to the Lord in service, no matter the treatment we receive from our brothers and sisters.
    

    Deut 21:23; Gla 3:13-14; 1 Pet 2:25; Is 53:5; Gen 2:9,17; 1 John 2:15-16; Ecc 1:2-3; Eph 2:12; Clo 1:13; Matt 4:4

31. Christ became a curse so that we could obtain the blessing of Abraham, the promised Spirit. God created man to receive His life to care for him through His governance by life. To do this, He placed the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and warned him not to eat from it, for if he did he would die. However, man chose to eat from the tree of good and evil, and death began to rule humanity. All the world can offer man is the lust of the flesh, nothing but vanity and weariness.
32. God’s plan was to give eternal life to man through the human spirit and thus feed his soul, satisfying all the needs of his tripartite being. The body is easily nourished, but it is difficult to satisfy the soul. When man fell into the world, he began to live without hope, he became entangled in a circle of earthly illusions that did not satisfy him. Therefore, God sent Jesus to preach the gospel of the kingdom and truly satisfy man. Only the word of God can satisfy us!
33. When Jesus came to earth, He found multitudes distressed like sheep without a shepherd. Without God’s care, man’s soul suffers most. The struggle for survival, the psychological pressures to obtain sustenance and prosperity, social and family responsibilities make man succumb and live in uncertainty, insecurity, anguish, anxieties and depression, like sheep without a shepherd.
    

    1 Pet 1:23-25

34. Thank God, we have now converted to the Shepherd and Overseer of our soul. We were regenerated through incorruptible seed, the Word of God, which is living and permanent. Human life is like grass, fragile and ephemeral. We need to live for what is eternal, supplying ourselves with the word! The satisfaction we receive from your supply is eternal! The prophetic word that reaches us every day will supply us. If we don’t invest in this, we will continue to live in a world of anxiety, anguish, uncertainty, insecurity and, ultimately, depression. Let’s immerse ourselves in the word, go to the streets, circulate the word among us, and our souls will be satisfied. God will not let us lack anything. He takes care of us!