{"id":554,"date":"2023-07-26T18:31:35","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T18:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/?p=554"},"modified":"2025-01-17T20:28:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T20:28:28","slug":"love-hope-and-grace-make-fertile-ground-in-the-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/2023\/07\/26\/love-hope-and-grace-make-fertile-ground-in-the-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"Love, Hope, and Grace Make Fertile Ground in the Amazon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Twenty years ago, love and hope docked at Terra Preta, Brazil. Literally, love and hope arrived in the form of a boat, the Amor e Esperanza<\/em>, deployed by Amazon Outreach. Figuratively, the Christian men and women aboard the boat embodied the love and hope of Christ, taking the message of the Gospel to Terra Preta with the help of Pastor Abimael, a missionary to the villages of the Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Short-term missionaries from America were aboard the boat and ministered to the village in many ways\u2014men\u2019s ministry, women\u2019s ministry, medical and dental ministry, and VBS ministry. The Americans even played the Brazilian village soccer team in a friendly game. The Americans lost by a lot. After the match, they shared the Gospel using evangelism soccer balls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leiko Paixao, a young boy from Terra Preta, heard the message that the Americans preached. He did not accept Christ on this visit, but he kept an important piece of paper he received during VBS. He looked back at this paper often throughout his life until one day when he heard this message about Jesus Christ again. This time, he followed Christ and dedicated his life to serving Him. Every week, he trekked the waters of the Amazon River just to hear the Word of God preached at a church in El Shaddai, a nearby village. His village rejected the message of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, Pastor Abimael invited Leiko to begin following him as his disciple. Now, Leiko is a missionary to over eighteen villages along the Amazon River. He describes his life like this: \u201cI woke up one day and realized I was a missionary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Long-awaited Visit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The people of Terra Preta\u2014Leiko\u2019s home village\u2014remain hesitant about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastor Abimael continued to visit the village after Amazon Outreach\u2019s first visit, but their village president adamantly rejected the message of Jesus. He asked all villagers to do the same, and for twenty years, Amazon Outreach was unwelcome in Terra Preta. That is, until July 19, 2023, when Terra Preta\u2019s hesitant president allowed the Amor e Esperanza<\/em> to return to his village. Leiko was thrilled to return home alongside a boatful of men and women who know and love Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Church For Terra Preta<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Upon arriving at the village, Leiko assembled a five-person evangelism team\u2014four Americans and one Brazilian translator\u2014to accompany him to Grace\u2019s house. Grace and her family are lifelong friends of Leiko. Grace met Leiko the day he was born. She has two homes, one in Terra Preta and one in El Shaddai, near the church that Leiko attended growing up. Grace is one of the only villagers Leiko can speak with about Jesus because she recently became a Christian. After Grace met Jesus, she told her husband and fourteen children about Him. Her household now knows Jesus too, and she described her new life like this: \u201cI will serve Jesus until I die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of Leiko\u2019s visit with Grace in her beautiful home on July 19th was twofold. First, Leiko introduced Grace to fellow believers who encouraged her and reminded her she is not alone. Second, Leiko talked strategically with Grace about how they could start a Bible study and, eventually, a church, in her home. Due to the president\u2019s continued adamant rejection of the Gospel, Grace and Leiko must be careful. Still, Leiko\u2019s lifelong relationship with Grace\u2019s household might just be how a church is established in Terra Preta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul, Timothy, and Lydia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t help but think of Lydia when I replay the details of July 19th in my mind. Acts 16:14-15 says, \u201cOne who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, \u2018If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.\u2019 And she prevailed upon us.\u201d Scripture also suggests a church was later established in Lydia\u2019s home (Acts 16:40).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The details of the \u201cchurch at Terra Preta\u201d remain in the balance, but of this we can be sure: The Amazon will know Jesus because of a pastor named Abimael, a missionary named Leiko, and a hospitable woman named Grace\u2014a Gospel-driven team the likes of Paul, Timothy, and Lydia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Twenty years ago, love and hope docked at Terra Preta, Brazil. Literally, love and hope arrived in the form of a boat, the Amor e Esperanza, deployed by Amazon Outreach. Figuratively, the Christian men and women aboard the boat embodied the love and hope of Christ, taking the message of the Gospel to Terra Preta with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember the first time I stood up to teach the Bible to a group of women in my local church. I was terrified. Yes, I studied the passage diligently and spent hours preparing pages of notes, but I wasn\u2019t sure if my preparation was effective. Is my teaching structured well? Will the women be interested or learn anything new? Have I interpreted this passage correctly?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many women who are asked to teach a Sunday School class, speak at a Bible study, or lead a small group experience similar fears. They often have little or no training specific to teaching Scripture and feel unequipped and insecure in their preparation. Even so, the abundance of resources available on the subject of teaching Scripture can be paralyzing for a new Bible teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why we need books like Empowered and Equipped: Bible Exposition for Women Who Teach the Scriptures<\/em><\/a>. Julia Higgins, assistant professor of ministry to women at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, seeks to provide women with the tools they need to faithfully and effectively teach the Word of God to other women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Empowered and Equipped: Biblical Exposition for Women Who Teach the Scriptures <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJesus commissioned disciples to teach the nations, and women of the church must take his call seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men and women alike are given the spiritual gift of teaching, yet few resources are designed specifically for women who exposit the Scriptures. In Empowered and Equipped<\/em>, Julia Higgins steers women through the steps needed to faithfully interpret, apply, and teach a passage of Scripture. By examining both the principles and practices of teaching of Bible exposition, Higgins seeks to prepare women in the local church to make and mold disciples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B&H Academic. 224 pp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should Women Teach the Bible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First we must ask, Is a book that encourages and equips women to teach Scripture necessary or even appropriate? There\u2019s much discussion today about whether the Bible permits women to teach at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an effort to submit to Scripture\u2019s teaching, many have unfortunately moved beyond what God\u2019s Word prescribes to impose unbiblical restrictions on women. To argue that women shouldn\u2019t teach Scripture in any formal setting misunderstands God\u2019s design for discipleship. Higgins argues that all followers of Christ, including women, are included in the Great Commission and its call to teach other disciples everything Christ commanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, as Higgins explains, \u201cSome may conflate the spiritual gift of teaching with the office of pastor\/elder and draw a false conclusion that only men are to exercise the gift of teaching. While qualified men are responsible to teach and oversee the local church, that does not negate the fact that both men and women are given the spiritual gift of teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

All followers of Christ, including women, are included in the Great Commission and its call to teach other disciples everything Christ commanded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Spiritual gifts, including the gift of teaching, are given for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7<\/a>) and for building up the church (1 Cor. 14:12<\/a>). It follows that women are not only permitted to teach in appropriate settings but are needed for the growth and maturity of the body of Christ. This pattern is exemplified in the women in Scripture who are called to teach and commended for their teaching ministries, many of which Higgins references.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of the biblical call for women to teach, Higgins writes,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end of the matter is this: women should be given a context where they can teach the Word in the local church. Why? Because Christ\u2019s church will grow and others will be discipled in the faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her book, therefore, provides \u201ca pathway for women to exercise teaching gifts in the local church,\u201d and specifically focuses on training women to teach women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helpful Foundation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Higgins provides an accessible yet substantial foundation for teaching Scripture. She incorporates principles and strategies from some of the most highly respected Bible teachers of our day, giving readers a well-rounded introduction to teaching Scripture without information overload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Higgins has a high view of God\u2019s Word and a Christ-centered approach that highlights the overarching storyline of the Bible. Readers will gain essential tools for expository teaching, learning to base the central teaching focus, supporting points, and application on the main point and structure of the text itself. Higgins even encourages this kind of verse-by-verse teaching for topical messages, so that the teacher is always communicating the text\u2019s intended purpose rather than taking passages out of context as proof texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empowered and Equipped<\/em> walks teachers through the process of creating a Bible exposition, from understanding the nature of Scripture all the way to writing an expositional outline. Higgins covers a wide range of content from theoretical to practical, including information on biblical genres, basic doctrinal issues, and hermeneutics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She spends a large portion of the book giving instruction on studying the Bible inductively, including specific strategies for observation, interpretation, generalization, and application and for how that study translates into instruction. The scope of the book makes it suitable for beginners\u2014although they may want to work through it more slowly\u2014as well as for those who have been studying and teaching Scripture for some time but are looking for a process to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Empowered and Equipped<\/em> covers an impressive amount of ground in a surprisingly manageable page count, readers may leave with unanswered questions. For example, the book includes almost no discussion of incorporating meaningful illustrations or transitions. On other topics, such as the discussion of genre or the overview of theological doctrines, Higgins gives only brief introductions. Anything more, however, would make the book overwhelmingly dense, and readers can continue to explore these topics in more depth as they see fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empowered and Equipped to Teach God\u2019s Word<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The church needs gifted women who not only speak on a short list of \u201cfemale-friendly\u201d topics stereotypical of women\u2019s conferences or retreats but who teach the whole counsel of God for the good of the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The church needs gifted women who not only speak on a short list of \u2018female-friendly\u2019 topics but who teach the whole counsel of God for the good of the body.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Higgins appeals, \u201cThis call for women to be teachers of the Word arises from a place of care and concern for over half of the body, so that the church might grow in love for God and his Word, passing it along to others, so that they too might go and make disciples of all nations to the end that Christ\u2019s commands are observed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As this book makes its way into the hands of more and more women who treasure the Bible and long to see it elevated and proclaimed, I pray the church will be edified and God\u2019s glory made known. I pray the teachers it equips will grow in their love for Christ even as the women they teach develop new excitement for God\u2019s Word. I pray that instead of feeling insecure and unprepared, women will be empowered and equipped to teach the Scriptures.<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-missions","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nLove, Hope, and Grace Make Fertile Ground in the Amazon - Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.championforest.org\/articles\/2023\/07\/26\/love-hope-and-grace-make-fertile-ground-in-the-amazon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Love, Hope, and Grace Make Fertile Ground in the Amazon - Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Twenty years ago, love and hope docked at Terra Preta, Brazil. 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