Acts 4:31-35After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Pastor Freitas ended the worship service last Sunday with the challenge "What are you willing to sacrifice so that God's mission in the world gets done?Are you willing to face that neighbor who is always drunk and violent, face him with the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit?Are you willing to travel to the other side of the world just to tell one person about the good news of Jesus?Are you willing to give generously so that others can go?"

Igreja Batista Betuel (Bethel Baptist Church) here in Belo Horizonte is committed to mission.This young church (about 5 years old now) has over 2,500 members, and is growing rapidly, especially attracting young people and families.Mission for this church begins right in their own neighborhood and extends literally around the world. We were invited to preach at the worship services that would conclude an entire month focused on cross-cultural mission. As you can see from the photo, this is a church in motion –it was really something to preach there in front of 1,000+ people.

When the offering was given, we were reminded of the early Christian community in Jerusalem.While most brought up offering envelopes, one woman came up to the pastor and took a diamond ring off her finger.This was her mission offering!We saw two men take the watches off their wrists and put them on the altar.But the greatest offering that evening was the offering of lives.

At the end of our message based on Jesus' healing of a demon-possessed man, we called on those who had made decisions that night to come forward.Soon the front of the church was filled with folks committing to be witnesses in their neighborhood, and even outside Brazil.One young man, Alexandre, told the pastor that in spite of his friends' ridicule and a huge rain storm he felt compelled to come to Bethuel that night.He heard our message about the man Jesus set free after many years of suffering, and how the man's response was to tell his whole town about what Jesus did for him (from Luke 8:26-39).Alexandre gave his life to Jesus and received grace and healing, too.

The early Christian community was empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak God's words boldly.Like Igreja Batista Betuel, it was committed to mission, and the believers didn't consider their "stuff" theirs to hang on to, but shared it as needed.That's a challenge for all of us! Like our Brazilian sisters and brothers, September and October are the months when many mission supporters in the US focus on how to get involved with what God is doing in the world. Giving to support ministry through the World Mission Offering is one way you can do this.You can mail your gift to International Ministries directly (see below) or send it through your church.

Que Deus os abençoe (May God bless you),

Ann, Bruce, Elena, and Asa Borquist

borquist4all@mindspring.com

If you would like to give a financial gift to support the World Mission Offering, please make your check payable to "International Ministries, ABCUSA" and send it with a note that your gift is for the World Mission Offering to the address below. Also, please include your church's name so that proper acknowledgement is given. IM will send you back a tax-deductible receipt, and the bottom of the receipt will have a tear-off portion you can use to send along with any future support gifts.

Lisa Schnovel, Finance Team
International Ministries, ABCUSA
P.O. Box 851
Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851

[you can also contact Lisa at 1-800-222-3872 ext. 2324, or Lisa.Schnovel@abc-usa.org]