There is no amount of money that can pay the price of serving God. I have been ridiculed. I have been harassed by demons.  I have been laughed at in public. I have been lonely and have suffered much. I have left my family to go on hundreds of mission trips. I have missed soccer games. I have missed birthdays. I have missed anniversaries. I have given my life to God 24/7 for 50 years.

When I arrived in the USA in July  of 1960, my small apartment had no bed. I slept on the floor with blankets. I knew that if I was going to serve God, I had to get over the idea of getting rich. Today, I am still poor but  it is a funny thing: all of my bills are paid on time. We are never late on bills and we never will be. I have a great credit rate.  How can this be? Because I am not in love with money. I love God over money and I always will. At the present time, I only have enough money in the bank for two funerals.

I wanted to be an evangelist and my church ordained me after seven years. Today, I am a full-time evangelist without remuneration from the church. It is a blessing to serve the Lord without expecting something in return. It is rare and it is not for everyone. But it is right for me. The cost of serving has been very high. Maybe I lost the respect of my peers but many good things have happened to me too:

1-I have loved the physically ill and mentally ill.

2- I have made friends with prostitutes and homosexuals.

3-I have hired both of the above to work for me.

4- I have hundreds of friends, most of them back in the hills of Rio de Janeiro who would kill for me on request  (Don’t worry – I don’t take them up on their offers!)

5-I have gained the freedom to walk the most dangerous ” favelas” ( slums) in Rio de Janeiro and not be afraid of death, because I am protected by gangs all around me.

6- I have ministered to the  poor, the rejected, and the unwanted.

All of this began to happen when I gave my whole life to Jesus. If this kind of commitment brings troubles, I have had them. But I received a touch from God and it made me not want to do the “usual thing.”   It disturbed my whole life for the better.

The cost of serving God is very high. You will probably never be famous, and will never have the respect of man. You will never be able to please people.  You will have to choose pleasing God over man every time.

ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO BE AN EVANGELIST CALLED OF GOD?

Rick Bonfim

Jesus tells us about a king whose son was going to be married. The king invited all dignitaries from far away and in the day of the wedding, no one came. So, the king told his servants to go into the city and invite anyone to come. Hundreds came to the wedding night. As the king walks around his quests, he finds one who was not dressed in wedding clothing, and the king calls his guards and tell them to take the man out in the street and kill him. Then, Jesus says this: ” Many are going to be called, but few elected.

This is a very hard parable to understand. Why would the king kill one of his guests?  What Jesus was saying was that anyone who is is serving God without a call is not welcome.  You should never be in a leadership role if you have never been called to be in it.

Leaders who are not called are against spiritual growth. They will not accept a personal experience with God in the life of others unless they  approve of it. They become egocentric and lead based on their own experiences. In them, there is no spirit of Christ. They are selfish and are more preoccupied with their own image then anything else.  They live for themselves and care nothing about others.  Here is what the Apostle Peter says about such a leader:

” Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings: yet even angels…but these blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.”

How to change a life whose direction went wrong? First, most of these leaders are not coming down. They do not care if you die or live. Here is my advice to you if you are in a situation under oppressive leadership.

1- You are the salt of the earth. Do not back down. Do not be intimated. Do not run from the battle. Everyone who I have known who have run from the battle, have become ineffective in their call.

2-The Bible tells us to submit to authority. Submission does not mean playing dead. Submission here is a spiritual posture. However, submission does not mean agreement. You can submit and not agree.

3-Pray the Lord move you from under this type of leadership. If He does not move you, DO NOT MOVE YOURSELF.

4-PRAY, PRAY AND PRAY. GOD WILL FIND A WAY.

Rick Bonfim

In socialism, it does not matter if you pay, the state takes care of you. They pay your hospital insurance, they run your life, they pay your rent and also they will tell what you should believe. Cuba, a socialist republic, has persecuted the churches throughout the years.

When I left Brazil I left to find a country where I could work and make something of my life. Now, I am finding out that I will have to pay for someone else’s hospital insurance. What has happened to the America that I dreamed of? I am a Christian, believing that I must love my enemy, that I must be righteous in all that I do and put my fellow man first ahead of me. I have lived a life in which I have done all I could to give to the poor. Google me and you will find out that our ministry gives away to others ahead of ourselves. 80% of all our income as  a ministry goes to the poor and the needy.

But now I have to buy their health insurance also! Giving to the poor is one thing, but blessing their wrong decisions, their drug-addict lifestyle,  their choosing death over life is another. What is happening to America? We took prayer out of our schools and we have approved abortion and now we are being given socialism! Listen to me, you young Americans: BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU VOTE!

Is the Kingdom of God socialistic?  The whole message of the Bible is summarized in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, for whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

IF SOMEONE DOES NOT WORK, THEY CANNOT EAT. IF SOMEONE BECOMES ADDICTED TO DRUGS, THEY HAVE CHOSEN DRUGS AND THEY NEED HELP. IF SOMEONE KILLS, THEY WILL HAVE TO GO TO JAIL.  Salvation is available to all through the grace of God, but people do choose consequences by their choices in life.

Our country is filled with people rejected and looking for a better life, and we should help them all we can. However, we also have millions who are lazy, choosing death instead of life,  murderers, stealing daily and causing death everywhere they go. THEY SHOULD BUY THEIR OWN HOSPITAL INSURANCE, NOT ME.

The Bible says love your enemies. The Bible says honor your father and mother, the Bible says love your neighbor as yourself. It does not say to pay for the sins of laziness. It does not say steal for a living and get money from the government.

PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE LOSING OUR DREAMS AND OUR FUTURE.  300 billion dollars to pay for someone’s hospital insurance is a sin against my grandchildren!

Rick Bonfim