August 23, 2018
by Fernando Bochio
I'll never forget the first time I held my first granddaughter. Born
prematurely, she was tiny—her little feet only half the length of my thumb!
She was malnourished because her umbilical cord hadn't worked properly. My
daughter-in-law had eaten a healthy diet and produced all the nutrients the
baby needed, but the umbilical cord hadn't passed them on. The baby had
been starved.
When I look at my country, I see a similar story. Most people in Brazil
call themselves Christians and have access to the Word of God. Nonetheless,
Brazil is like an undernourished baby—spiritually starving. The church
should be feeding God's Word to Brazil's hungry souls, but the "umbilical
cord" is compromised.
A vast country, Brazil's coast stretches 4,600 miles. Its inland sprawls
nearly 2,700 miles north to south and east to west, making it larger than
the 48 contiguous United States with a population of more than 200 million.1 In big cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, you'll find some gospel-preaching churches. But outside the metropolitan
areas, whole communities haven't been reached. Entire groups of people have
been excluded or forgotten, and we lack churches and trained leaders to
teach them.
Even in the cities, churches often only serve spiritual "fast food." What
would happen if you fed your toddler a diet of hot dogs, chips, and soda
pop? The toddler might appear well-fed, but his or her weight would
disguise a dangerous lack of nutrition inside. In Brazil, many churches are
like overweight but undernourished toddlers.
Many pastors offer easily accessible, appealing content. But it hides a
weak gospel. The teaching may look tasty and easy to swallow, but it's
shallow—a meal with no nutrients. Worse, many preach a false
gospel of prosperity, selling "miracles" and "blessings" to fill their own
pockets. All the while, the souls of people remain impoverished, starving,
and lost. Desperate for nourishment, people try to fill their empty
"stomachs" with all sorts of other dangerous religions and spirituality.
Truly, Paul's warning could've been written about today's Christians in
Brazil:
A time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and
wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look
for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to
hear.
They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
(2 Timothy 4:3–4)
Razão para Viver
(RPV), the Portuguese-language version of Insight for Living, offers a banquet of healthy spiritual food
harvested directly from God's Word. From São Paulo to the remote Amazon
Jungle, we are serving God's hardy, lifegiving Truth to everyone,
regardless of social, spiritual, or cultural background. In a world where
false messages flood the religious markets in an array of appealing
packages, we don't change the Word or make its truth easier to swallow or
digest. RPV offers God's true bread for the spiritually
hungry—Jesus, the "bread of life" (John 6:35)! Insight for Living
Ministries is the healthy "umbilical cord" God is using to feed that
starving nation.
But there is so much more to do! And right now, the table is set better
than it ever has been. Through social media, the people of Brazil have
exposed systemic corruption throughout the country on every
level—government, public, and religious. As scandal after scandal has come
to light, hopelessness has spread rampantly. Men, women, and children line
the streets, banging saucepans and crying out, "No more!" They are starving
and desperate for change.
RPV
is committed to being the voice that rises above the clamor, shouting,
"There IS hope!" Beyond the broadcast, we are traveling throughout Brazil,
teaching pastors and lay leaders how to prepare for themselves and others
spiritually nourishing meals using Chuck Swindoll's personal Bible-study
methods. These methods, which Chuck explains in his book Searching the Scriptures: Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs,
are designed to help people become spiritually self-sustaining.
Through partners like you who have joined us with gifts and prayers, we are
equipping Christians in Brazil to feed themselves and others, speak up for
truth, and be the change they long to see in their country. We are giving
them the tools to rebuild Brazil from the inside out. Most important, we
are pointing them to the only Hope that never fails and always satisfies.