I am the same God!

“Now the LORD said unto Abram: Get out of your country, From your family And from your fathers’ house, To a land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)


   I love reading stories in the Bible where God has called men and women to do things for the kingdom of God and I also love to read books about missionaries or other godly men and women who have stepped out in faith to reach others for Christ in one way or another. For the first time in my life I was allowed to meet one of these awesome men of faith in person, Pastor José Dos Santos.

    My wife, my son Adam, and I were privileged, in May 2019, to meet with pastor José Dos Santos in his church office in Cucuta, Columbia, prior to a midweek service. (Cúcuta is located on the eastern border of Columbia with Venezuela.) His church has about 5000 members who worship in the principle building and another 10,000 meeting in other locations in the city. Additionally, his church has started 140 house churches in neighboring Venezuela! This year, the church is celebrating its 44th anniversary. Someone asked him how he came to start this church 44 years ago and this is his amazing story:

   Pastor José was a pastor in a small church near San Paulo, Brazil. He was in his house praying one day and he felt as if he was transported to an unknown country. There were 6 men standing in a semicircle in a field, and as he approached them one man came to him and took him to a house and brought him into the dining room. Then Pastor Jose sat down at a table and they served him some bread, cheese and coffee. He looked on the wall in the dining room and saw a sign written in red: “Welcome to Columbia.” The man then took him outside on a hill and showed him a city down below and told him: “This is the city where you are to go.”

     The next thing that he knew was that he was on his knees back in his home in Brazil. He wondered if he had fallen asleep and had just been dreaming. Then he was aware that he could taste the remnants of bread, cheese, and coffee in his mouth and he had not eaten anything prior to starting his prayer time! He was puzzled about what had happened, and was afraid to tell anyone what he had seen and heard.

    He struggled with what he had seen for six months. While he is pondering what he had witnessed he searched the Scriptures daily and God kept leading him to miracle after miracle that had been performed by God for His people. One day as he studied, he asks God this question: “ Are You the same God who performed these miracles? And God answered him: “I am the same God!”  Finally, he had the courage to tell his wife:  “I have something to tell you,” He said. She responded, “I know what you want to tell me.” He was astounded! “How can you possibly know what I am going to say?” She answered,  “God already told me.”

     Not really believing her, he told her to go ahead and tell him what she thought he was going to tell her. She said, “You are going to resign from the church and we are going to move to another country and start a new church.” Then she added, “I have only one request; that we leave quickly.”

    So he resigned from his pastorate the next day and prepared to leave. Because Brazil was under a military dictatorship at the time, he was not allowed to withdraw the money he had in the bank to purchase the airplane tickets to fly to Columbia. So the local churches took up a love offering in cash and he and his family set out to drive/walk from Sao Paulo through the Amazon River basin to Columbia. It took him and his family 43 days. That trip, in itself, has to be another great story!

   Upon reaching the border of Columbia they arrived near a military airbase. Someone approached him and told him that a colonel at the airbase would fly him and his family the rest of the way if he could get to the airfield by a certain time. He was able to do so and even though the colonel was not there, one of his subordinates put them on a plane and flew them to Cucuta, Columbia.  When they got off the plane in Cúcuta, the colonel was waiting there with 2 jeeps to take them to their new house. Pastor José asked the colonel why he had arranged the flight and he explained: “This morning in my prayer time God told me I was to fly you to this city, so that is what I did!”

   When the colonel took them to their new house, it was the same house that Pastor Jose had seen in his vision! He and his family lived in that house for the first 5 years in Cucuta and that is where the new church was born! (What He didn’t explain was how long it too Him to learn Spanish instead of his native tongue, Portuguese.)

   Today his church is on the front lines of evangelism in two countries and they are working hard to meet the needs, both spiritual and physical of the people of Venezuela and Columbia. May God grant them continued success in increasing the knowledge of Christ in both nations!

PRAY

1. Lord, thank you for leading Pastor Jose to Cúcuta, Columbia and continue to bless him and his church as they lift high the name of Jesus in this part of the world.
2. Lord help me to be the same kind of obedient servant Pastor Jose and his wife have been and to always be listening for Your still small voice to guide me on the path You have chosen for me.
3. Lord thank You that You are such a personal God that You know just what I am capable of doing and I can rejoice in every opportunity You chose for me to serve You and Your kingdom on this earth.