More than two thousand people gathered in Portugal to listen to a word of faith ministered by Bishop Macedo. The meeting took place on December 20th and addressed one of the most important subjects in the Christian life: the prayer.
A great difference exists between speaking to God and listening to what God has to say. However, not everyone is ready to put into practice these two components of prayer.
“Many people stay in the church just asking and they never know what is it that God wants from them,” affirmed the bishop. “They want answers, but they remain only asking. If you want answers, you must meditate upon the Word of God. Do you want listen to the Voice of God? Then meditate upon His Word. To meditate means to seek, to search, to analyze, to weigh what God is saying.”
The prayer is the way God offered to humankind to have a two-way communication with Him. Therefore, one must use the intellect to listen to Him, to study His Word, and be willing to listen to His Voice.
The 3 Pillars of the Christian Faith
Bishop Macedo also explained about the 3 points that every Christian should be attentive to, because these are the most important points of the faith in the Lord. He said:
“The faith that pleases God involves:
1º Justice – Having a just character, living an honest and truthful life, the husband being faithful to your wife, and the wife being faithful to her husband;
2º Mercy – I must see others as if I were looking at myself. I must help and want the best for others in the same way I want for myself;
3º Faith – The certainty, the conviction that God is with me.”
“Maybe you profess the Evangelical, Catholic, Spiritualist, Muslim, Buddhist, or Jewish faith, but you do not please God,” added the bishop. For your faith to be pleasant in the sight of God, it is necessary to act upon these 3 pillars of faith, because they reflect God Himself.
“Justice represents God. God is Justice; He is a just Judge. Mercy represents the God-Son. Jesus manifested His mercy by coming into the world and giving His life to save us. Finally, faith represents the Spirit of faith, the Spirit that comes from God, the living faith. The faith that pleases God has to do with the attitudes of Jesus. To have the character of Jesus has to do with justice, with what is right, correct, wholesome, truthful, and honest; it has to do with compassion, mercy and the faith that is accompanied by works, by sacrifice, and forgiveness.”