Skip to main content

Translate

Care for Creation as Evangelization and Worship// Cuidado com a Criação como Evangelização e Adoração

 



This is not my message, this is a message that I read and I will keep sharing with you because I believe this is the kind of message that we should become aware of this day. Every day from now on. Yes, we might be living the end of times, however, the end of times started when Jesus ascended to heaven. So, we may be living on this earth for quite some time now, are we going to let it burn because we have been careless for the last 200 years? God will hold us accountable for what we did, said and done, and not done too. The omission is also a sin.

 Day One: Why don’t Christians care enough about creation?  

Do Christians care about creation? 

A lot of people would give a short answer: no. 

We are told that we are living in a time of environmental crisis, but we can be slow to comment or take action. Worse, Christians often deny that the destruction of the environment is happening at all. 

Messages about environmental issues are often seen as political. This makes sense in some ways. Environmental organizations can have principles and ideals that go against Christian values, most significantly with regards to pro-life values. However, creation care and environmental stewardship do not have their roots in politics, they have their roots in the Bible. 

Let’s go back to the very beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth. After the six days of creation:

“…God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Genesis 1:31)

If God sees that creation is very good, shouldn’t we too? If we look at creation, do we not see aspects of the goodness of the Creator? 

The environment and its destruction relate to many of the world’s human problems. To name just a few: failing crops affects our food supply; poor air quality affects our health; rising water levels affect where we can live. 

Ultimately as Christians, we care about the salvation of souls and seeing God face-to-face in His kingdom. But God has created us on this earth for a reason. While some theologies tell us things along the lines of “we are in the end times; it’s all going to burn anyway,” does this mean that we don’t have a responsibility to care about the environment, to care for God’s creation? 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

When we clean up the environment of our hearts, it transforms the mind. If we are participating with God in a righteous way, we see others, ourselves, the world, and God differently. 

Yes, God told us to “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.” (Genesis 1:28). We have dominion, but with rules. With dominion comes responsibility. In governing the world well – rather than exploiting or misusing it – we show respect to the One who has given it to us. 

We are not doing this alone, but with God. It does require a little effort on our part though. Can we learn? Will we learn? Or will we all learn too late? 

Questions for Discussion

1. What does creation tell us about the Creator? Does it help us get to know God? 

2. Why do you think Christians are not more passionate about taking care of the environment? 

3. What does Genesis 1 tell us about God’s plan for mankind and care for creation? 

 

Esta não é a minha mensagem, é uma mensagem que li e continuarei compartilhando com vocês porque acredito que este é o tipo de mensagem que devemos tomar conhecimento neste dia. Todos os dias a partir de agora. Sim, podemos estar vivendo o fim dos tempos, entretanto, o fim dos tempos começou quando Jesus subiu ao céu. Então, podemos estar vivendo nesta terra há algum tempo agora, vamos deixá-la queimar porque temos sido descuidados nos últimos 200 anos? Deus nos responsabilizará pelo que fizemos, dissemos e fizemos, e também não fizemos. A omissão também é um pecado.

Dia um: Por que os cristãos não se importam o suficiente com a criação?

Os cristãos se preocupam com a criação?

 Muitas pessoas dariam uma resposta curta: não.

 Dizem que vivemos em uma época de crise ambiental, mas podemos demorar para comentar ou agir. Pior, os cristãos frequentemente negam que a destruição do meio ambiente esteja acontecendo.

 Mensagens sobre questões ambientais são frequentemente vistas como políticas. Isso faz sentido em alguns aspectos. As organizações ambientais podem ter princípios e ideais que vão contra os valores cristãos, principalmente no que diz respeito aos valores pró-vida. No entanto, o cuidado com a criação e a gestão ambiental não têm suas raízes na política, mas sim na Bíblia.

 Vamos voltar ao início, quando Deus criou os céus e a terra. Após os seis dias de criação:

 “... Deus olhou tudo o que ele tinha feito e viu que era muito bom!” (Gênesis 1:31)

 Se Deus vê que a criação é muito boa, não é? Se olharmos para a criação, não vemos aspectos da bondade do Criador?

 O meio ambiente e sua destruição estão relacionados a muitos dos problemas humanos do mundo. Para citar apenas alguns: safras ruins afetam nosso suprimento de alimentos; a má qualidade do ar afeta nossa saúde; o aumento do nível da água afeta onde podemos viver.

 Em última análise, como cristãos, nos preocupamos com a salvação das almas e em ver Deus face a face em Seu reino. Mas Deus nos criou nesta terra por uma razão. Embora algumas teologias nos digam coisas do tipo “estamos no fim dos tempos; tudo vai queimar de qualquer maneira ", isso significa que não temos a responsabilidade de cuidar do meio ambiente, de cuidar da criação de Deus?

 “Bem-aventurados os limpos de coração, porque eles verão a Deus.” (Mateus 5: 8)

 Quando limpamos o ambiente de nossos corações, isso transforma a mente. Se estivermos participando com Deus de maneira justa, veremos os outros, a nós mesmos, o mundo e a Deus de maneira diferente.

 Sim, Deus nos disse: “Seja fecundo e multiplique. Encha a terra e governe-a. ” (Gênesis 1:28). Temos domínio, mas com regras. Com o domínio vem a responsabilidade. Ao governar bem o mundo - em vez de explorá-lo ou usá-lo mal - mostramos respeito por Aquele que o deu para nós.

 Não estamos fazendo isso sozinhos, mas com Deus. No entanto, isso requer um pouco de esforço de nossa parte. Podemos aprender? Vamos aprender? Ou todos nós aprenderemos tarde demais?

 Perguntas para discussão

 1. O que a criação nos diz sobre o Criador? Isso nos ajuda a conhecer a Deus?

 2. Por que você acha que os cristãos não são mais apaixonados por cuidar do meio ambiente?

 3. O que Gênesis 1 nos diz sobre o plano de Deus para a humanidade e o cuidado com a criação?


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Come and See + Judge correctly // Venha e Veja + Julgue corretamente

Venha e Veja   Two verses stood out for me this morning. John 7:17-18 and 7:24.   “ Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.   18  Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” John 7:24 “ Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”   That was Jesus talking.  I lately heard that some people with vast knowledge of the Bible (we all want to believe) are being led astray through the vain doctrines of this world. Meaning, that some church leaders or people have earned the people's trust by telling them lies about the teachings of the Bible. People seek their own popularity by agreeing with the lies the world has offered them.  I have seen churches with flags and teaching doctrines that the Bible condemns. They have twisted the Word of God to be more acceptable and palatab

Pointing finger // Apontar o dedo

Recently I was studying the Sermon on the mount in a bible study at the church. It was wonderful to meditate and go deep in these Jesus’ words. So many details we sometimes don’t realize. We are very quick to see the flaws and failures of others. But interestingly the things we see faster in others are probably the things we don’t see or won’t see in ourselves. It is easy to point a finger when someone is, for example, throwing trash on the streets, when one doesn’t even bother to do the same at home. In Brazil, we have this saying “blacksmith’s house, woodpecker.” Who are you to point a finger to anyone when you yourself cannot do better? Your sin is no smaller than his. Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ( Matthew 7 :3). Look, sawdust is something small, and plank or log is something much bigger than sawdust. Sometimes we are able to see something very insignificant in othe

Are you lost? // Você está perdido?

Você está perdido? There is always this time in life when we are certain about what to do with our lives. We have a goal, and an objective to reach. However, it is often that life turns the other way around and our plans are made nothing. Frequently I hear people say, “I am lost, I don’t know what to do!” That happens when we put our goals into something that changes. Everything in this world change. You and I are changing by the minute. My thoughts right now are running like crazy, and if I don’t set a goal in something that doesn’t change, I can’t do anything. What is it?   Jesus. The word of God. You might think I am crazy, and lunatic or even a fanatic. But who really knows me, know that I am none of those things. I am a very sensible person who has lived and experienced many things. And I don’t lie. So, if you are experiencing a sense of loss and despair, how about putting your hope in the One who cannot change whatsoever. If you lost you