Mês: Maio 2025

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control. Against such there is no law.’ Galatians 5:22-23

The fruits of the Spirit described in this passage are the qualities that manifest themselves naturally and that over time grow in our lives as Christians, they are the result of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in us. They don’t represent human achievements or demonstrate our ability as human beings, but are the fruit of God’s transformation in our lives. Contrary to what many people think, this passage does not represent a list of ‘duties’ as Christians; the fruits of the Spirit are the manifestation of Jesus’ character in us. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, these virtues begin to appear in our behaviour and attitudes.

A Christian is recognised by the fruit he bears (“By their fruit you will recognise them. Do you gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?’ Matthew 7:16), that’s what makes us different from the rest of society as representatives of Jesus.

Love (agape)
The love referred to here is unconditional love, which reflects Jesus’ love for us. It’s not based on circumstances or feelings, but on decision and action. We use this love in practice when we love those who don’t benefit us, we love without expecting anything in return.

Joy

Our joy comes from knowing who we are in Christ and from knowing the True Word (Jesus). It is not based on external circumstances. It is a joy that endures, even in difficult times, because it is rooted in our hope in God and in His faithfulness as our Father.

Peace

It goes beyond the absence of conflict. It is the true peace of those who are in constant communion with Jesus. It brings tranquillity and confidence that God does not fail us, giving us the ability to deal with adversity calmly.

Patience (long-suffering)

It refers to the ability to withstand difficulties, frustrations and others too, with the calm and perseverance that Jesus had and also demonstrated.

Kindness

Kindness refers to the care and kindness we show towards others. Having gentle attitudes, tenderness and respect for others following the example of Jesus, who showed this care for everyone who came to him.

Goodness

Explores a characteristic of moral integrity, justice and altruism in thinking, speaking and acting.

Faithfulness

To be faithful and loyal to our responsibilities, to fulfil promises and commitments. And above all to be faithful to God, to his word and to the great commitment we made to him on the day we gave ourselves to Jesus.

Meekness

It doesn’t show weakness, but rather strength under control. It shows a humble and patient spirit in the face of injustice or provocation. Replaces aggression and impulsiveness with calmness and gentleness.

Self-Control

It is the control of impulses, desires and reactions. It implies wisdom and self-control so that emotions don’t dominate us.

A constant relationship with God and, consequently, overcoming sin, will manifest these characteristics in us. The great enemy of these 9 points is our flesh, which tries at all times to take centre stage in our lives and block the action of the Holy Spirit in us. It is up to us to constantly nourish our Spirit, diminishing the power of the works of the flesh. 

The fruits of the Spirit are clear signs that we are growing in Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us

We are Christians and it’s a mistake to think that our lives will be without adversity. God is a God of love, but there are times when He allows certain situations to come to us, because after all, it is in tense moments and adversity that we grow and learn.

God’s desire is always to raise our level, both in faith, in intimacy with Him, in service, in blessings, in everything. And for this to happen, our faith, in particular, must be tested. And it’s very easy to have faith when everything is fine, but it’s when the bad day comes that’s when our faith is tested.

* Tip: Fill yourself with faith while you’re on a good day!

Because it’s inevitable, we’re going to face the bad day (John 16:33 – “In this world you will have afflictions but be of good cheer! I have overcome the world!”), the day will come when doubt, uncertainty and difficulty come, but what makes us different from the rest of the world is that we have someone to hold on to. We may be in a boat with violent waves and strong storms, but Jesus is in the boat with us. We can have the full conviction that the boat will not sink.

Moses was chosen by God to free the people of Israel from the hands of the Egyptians. When they left Egypt, the soldiers came after them to take them back as slaves. Then Moses came across the soldiers behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. He was doing God’s will and yet God allowed them to be in that situation. There were two options, actually three, either they went back to being slaves in the hands of the Egyptians, or they drowned in the Red Sea, or they trusted in God. And with trust in God, the supernatural happened, the sea opened in the middle, they passed through, and the soldiers drowned (Exodus 14:15 – “Tell the children of Israel to march. And you, lift your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, that the children of Israel may pass through the midst of the sea on dry ground”).

God could also have ordered the people to take another route, where they wouldn’t come across the Red Sea. However, a story that was supposed to end in death turned into a miracle that is read and told to this day.

So, however difficult and complicated it may be, rejoice that you’re going through a bad day. On a bad day you have the opportunity to experience the supernatural with God. Supernatural that will test your faith, increase your faith and give you a testimony of the greatness of our God.

We are Christians and it’s a mistake to think that our lives will be without adversity. God is a God of love, but there are times when He allows certain situations to come to us, because after all, it is in tense moments and adversity that we grow and learn.

God’s desire is always to raise our level, both in faith, in intimacy with Him, in service, in blessings, in everything. And for this to happen, our faith, in particular, must be tested. And it’s very easy to have faith when everything is fine, but it’s when the bad day comes that’s when our faith is tested.

* Tip: Fill yourself with faith while you’re on a good day!

Because it’s inevitable, we’re going to face the bad day (John 16:33 – “In this world you will have afflictions but be of good cheer! I have overcome the world!”), the day will come when doubt, uncertainty and difficulty come, but what makes us different from the rest of the world is that we have someone to hold on to. We may be in a boat with violent waves and strong storms, but Jesus is in the boat with us. We can have the full conviction that the boat will not sink.

Moses was chosen by God to free the people of Israel from the hands of the Egyptians. When they left Egypt, the soldiers came after them to take them back as slaves. Then Moses came across the soldiers behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. He was doing God’s will and yet God allowed them to be in that situation. There were two options, actually three, either they went back to being slaves in the hands of the Egyptians, or they drowned in the Red Sea, or they trusted in God. And with trust in God, the supernatural happened, the sea opened in the middle, they passed through, and the soldiers drowned (Exodus 14:15 – “Tell the children of Israel to march. And you, lift your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, that the children of Israel may pass through the midst of the sea on dry ground”).

God could also have ordered the people to take another route, where they wouldn’t come across the Red Sea. However, a story that was supposed to end in death turned into a miracle that is read and told to this day.

So, however difficult and complicated it may be, rejoice that you’re going through a bad day. On a bad day you have the opportunity to experience the supernatural with God. Supernatural that will test your faith, increase your faith and give you a testimony of the greatness of our God.

How many times in your day-to-day life have you asked yourself what decisions to make when faced with a situation? Which choice to make when faced with two paths?

These days, it doesn’t seem to matter anymore, making the right choice, following the right path, is no fun now, “It’s best to follow what does me good, what makes me happy, what satisfies me and brings advantages, even if they are temporary”. And it is in this thinking that many forget the one who makes life meaningful and purposeful, JESUS.

Days go by, ideologies are created, idols are raised up, and young people who at one point always stood firm in the TRUTH, over time drift away from God, from the church, seeking another focus, opportunities, think and say: ‘God will understand if I miss a day or two, if I don’t follow him anymore’, ‘my choice seems the right one’, ‘it’s my future, and I have to think about it’.

And the question arises: Who is on the throne of your heart? Youth, know this: “YOU WILL ONLY KNOW YOU HAVE IDOLS IN YOUR LIFE/HEART when JESUS asks you to give up something or someone you love so much.

1 JOHN 5:20-21

20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true: and in him that is true we are, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols!

From the moment we become Christians, followers of Christ, we decide to live no longer for ourselves, we make him the driver on the road of our lives, our compass, our guide. 

Realise that your choices will condition the course of your life, whatever the criteria, but that the instructions God gives you, the purpose he has placed in you, does not condition your future at all. 

When you put Jesus on the throne of your life, the way he directs your life at any given moment will be in line with the call, the will of God and the purpose he has given you.

So, Kuriakos youth, ask yourself every day: Do I have something in my heart that is more important than my relationship with God? And if so, ask God for help so that with him you can tear down this idol, and you can follow him and fulfil what he has entrusted to you. 

ISAIAH 2:17-18 

17 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the loftiness of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 

18 And all the idols will completely disappear.

Make GOD THE ONE SITTING ON THE THRONE OF YOUR HEART”

1. DAVID LET GOD SHINE
   David knew who he was in CHRIST. Even without anyone by his side, David knew that with GOD he could do ALL things. The soldier wanted to ‘infect’ David’s faith, BUT he was FOCUSED.

And he WON!

He didn’t win because he was GOOD, but:
• He trusted in GOD.
• He didn’t bend.
• He had no FEAR.

Do you think it was easy for DAVID to reach that LEVEL? The Bible says that David was NEW. Was it ‘experience’ that made him that way? No, he was young. Was it his parents’ faith that made David overcome? No, even his parents didn’t support him in facing Goliath. David let GOD shine in his heart. He heard the voice from WITHIN.

2. NOWADAYS
   Do you let GOD shine in your heart?

• Have you been able to influence people at your school??
• Have you been able to evangelise your friends?
• Have you been able to shine at your university?
• Have you been able to show God’s light in your family?

God is counting on us!

WE NEED to tell people about Jesus, but not just with WORDS. Let people see JESUS in us – in our words, in our actions, in our lives.

1. YOUTHS VS EVANGELISING
   1º – A Christian who is ashamed to tell his friends about Jesus.
   2º – A Christian who, with his testimony, doesn’t bring people closer to Jesus.
   3º – He’s a Christian and evangelizes all his friends, bringing them to church.

2. MORE THAN WE CAN IMAGINE
   Many youths feel compelled to talk about Jesus to their friends at school/college. As much as we know what we should do, in practice it’s more CHALLENGING.

EVANGELISE WITH BOLDNESS
…books;

…series;

…videos;

…banners;

…clothing;

…tickets with verses;

BE AN INFLUENCER
…in your family;

…at school;

…at college;

Let the light of CHRIST shine in YOUR HEART.

‘Above all things that are to be guarded, guard your heart, for out of it come the springs of life.’
Proverbs 4:23

What does it mean to have a relationship with God?

• To have a relationship with God is different from simply working for God
• Invest in your personal relationship with God, because He is also your Father

·       When you invest in this relationship, your service becomes an act of gratitude and honour and not just a simple fulfilment of a Schedule

·       Take care of your life by taking care of your relationship with God

 Reading the Bible – a Christian who doesn’t read the Bible is a misguided follower

• Look for the evidence, in what God has left us: the Bible
• You can’t read the Bible like a storybook
• Don’t be fooled, know the truth – Nehemiah’s central point, following Ezra, is about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. During various attempts to put fear into Nehemiah and prevent the building of the walls, there was one time when they came with a speech:

Nehemiah 6:10 – ‘Later, I went to visit Shemaiah, son of Delaiah and grandson of Metabel, who was being held at home. He said, ‘Let’s meet in the temple and lock ourselves in.

inside. Your enemies are coming tonight to kill you!’ I replied, ‘Would I, the governor, run away? And not being a priest, how could I enter the temple without losing my life? No, I would never do such a thing!’ I soon realised that it wasn’t God who had spoken to him; Sanballat and Tobias had bribed him. They’d done it to frighten me into sinning by

me to sin, fleeing to the temple so that they would have something to accuse me of.

If Nehemiah didn’t know what the Truth was, if he didn’t know what sin was, if

he didn’t know and was just going to follow the apparently correct political speech, he was going to sin and do something that wasn’t right in God’s eyes

• It’s not because you have thousands of followers on social media, and because you have lots of material things and money that you’re telling the truth 1 John 4:1

Speeches that exalt the ego more than

make you aware of your mission, is not the Word

It’s living by faith

• Faith leads you to accept God’s mission, even if it’s not favouring you as you thought, but because God says so, you go. If you accept God’s calling, thinking about how much you can be favoured, if you live, pray and sow for your own benefit, think about: Do you want the honour of carrying Jesus or the credit for carrying Jesus? Don’t use Him for your own things, you are a vehicle for the progress of the Gospel and not for yourself to be exalted
• Mary and Joseph accepted God’s calling. And where is the honour of Mary, who accepted the calling? And Joseph who helped?

It’s guarding your heart

• Regardless of what people in the Church and your references say
• Don’t take God’s Holy Spirit to places where he is not honoured and can be made sad.

It’s going to church

• There’s no such thing as ‘following Christ’ without going to church

Hebrews 10:25 – not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.