‘What Would We Be Without the Bible?’

How a young man discovered the truth
about Jesus, the world, and life itself

Wilson de Jesus dos Santos, who found true joy through reading the Bible

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — “My name is Wilson de Jesus dos Santos. I am 23 years old, and have a brother and two younger sisters. Our parents have always been good, hard-working people, and although we never lacked for anything, something was missing in our family – the Lord Jesus.

Then things started to go wrong. My father became an alcoholic, and began arguing all the time with my mother. One day, in a drunken rage, he wounded a neighbour with a knife. I was 11 at the time, and greatly distressed by the effects of alcohol and a home with no peace. I wanted to leave home, and stopped going to school, taking nothing seriously. My brother and I met some friends who played in amateur rock bands. At that time, my greatest desire was to play in a successful band.

Meaning

Although I did not know Jesus, I was interested in spiritual matters. I wanted to learn about the meaning of life, and Christianity caught my attention. I was very depressed after watching a documentary about Nostradamus, as I did not yet know the true prophecies of the Bible.

By this time I was constantly depressed, and had very few friends. My attempts to start a rock band failed, and I was frustrated, not realising that God had other plans for me, as he has for everyone.

Trapped

Then in 1994 I was at a friend’s house, rehearsing with a band, when two people from his mother’s church talked to us about the Gospel. They quoted a verse that I shall never forget – 2 Corinthians 4:4: “They do not believe because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them…” But in spite of this, I was still trapped in the pleasures and illusions of the world.

I became involved in drugs, and even began stealing. My friends and I were so fascinated by rock music that we would use forged tickets to get into concerts, or climb over the walls of stadiums. We did not understand that all the joy we were looking for was to be found in the Gospel.

One day I was talking with a friend about a song I was writing, and he suggested that I read the Book of Revelation for inspiration. I ended up reading all of it, and what had been just a pastime became something more serious. In Chapter 22 v 15 I found myself described – I was an idolater and there was no denying it.

Discovered

Then I began to read the other books of the Bible, and so I gradually discovered the whole truth about Jesus Christ, the world and life itself. The Word of God freed me from my disillusionment with the world. I became a regular churchgoer, and through listening to cassette tapes of preaching and witnessing at home, I acquired faith. I gave my life to Jesus at a church service in November 1996, and I am now a deacon.

I intend to go on growing in grace and knowledge, always living and preaching this precious Word. Today I can say through my own experience: “Happy is he who fears the Lord and walks in His paths” (Psalm 128 v 1). What would we be without the Word of God?”(WR 347/16 - 01.00) [PHOTOS]

The above and following testimony are reprinted from the December edition of A Biblia No Brasil,
the magazine of the Bible Society of Brazil.

Buried Treasure

Bible from the past still has impact today

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — “Twenty years ago a friend of mine who could not read gave me a book that had been kept at the bottom of an old chest. It was in very old Portuguese, and had been printed in Britain in 1932. It was Luke’s Gospel, and I still have this book today.

When it was first given to me, however, I had no idea what it was all about. I had never heard of Jesus Christ, but as I began to read, one story in particular struck me – the resurrection of the son of the widow Nain. I enjoyed reading, because it brought peace to my heart.

Neighbour

One day, a neighbour came to visit and asked me if I knew what I was reading. I told him that I did not, and he told me that it was part of the Bible. I had never heard of the Bible before, so he explained that it was a book that spoke of God and salvation through Jesus Christ. He lent me his Bible, and I read it in four months.

Today I am an evangelist. Over the past three years, I set myself the goal of distributing 300 Bibles. I have distributed 270 in prisons, convalescent homes, Indian villages and orphanages, some of them in far-away regions. I thank God for letting me discover His Word.”(WR 347/17 - 01.00)

Bolivia Celebrates 25 Years of Bible Work

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bible month was significant this year for the Bolivian Bible Society as they celebrated 25 years of serving the nation with the Scriptures. The events organised during the month of September reflected this historic occasion.

Church leaders from all denominations, including the UBS Regional Secretary, Dr Antonio Lara with his wife, attended a special service of celebration. Guests were asked to sign a commemorative book. Some spoke words of congratulations and thanks to the Bible Society for the service to the Christian community.

This gave everyone a new motivation and vision. Many of them felt a real calling from God to fulfil the Great Commission.

From September 2 to 4, 31 people representing nine denominations gathered for a distribution workshop. They came from all four corners of the country – from Potosí, Tarija, Beni, Sucre, Santa Cruz, La Paz, and Cochabamba. The principal speaker was Salomón Cloque, Senior Evangelist of the Seventh-day Adventist church.

Vision

From the comments of participants, this workshop gave everyone a new motivation and vision to develop Scripture distribution in their locality. Many of them felt a real calling from God to fulfil the Great Commission.

Three days in September were given to a consultation for indigenous people and languages. Missions dedicated to helping indigenous groups co-operated with the Bible Society, and 25 of these groups were represented.

The consultation gave people the opportunity to look at the obstacles facing the translation of the Bible into local languages. Some of the themes considered were: what constitutes an indigenous group, the importance of achieving a correct translation of the Bible, and steps to achieving a translation of the Bible of sufficiently high standard that will meet the needs of both newly-literate and scholarly readers.

Each representative was given the opportunity to talk about the needs and interests of his or her own community, and as a parting gift, each representative presented the Bible Society with a small token gift typical of their own culture. These gifts are to be exhibited in a museum being set up by the Bible Society.

On Saturday September 18, the Children’s Bible Action Club organised a day of Bible games for 216 children aged between 6 and 12. Among the youngsters was a group of street children from a shelter in Quillacollo City. The leaders were pleased to be able to give these children in particular a taste of the life-changing Word.

Towards the end of the month 20 or so organisations concerned with Christian publishing gathered for an exhibition and conference organised by the Bible Society. The participants included publishers, bookshops, one television channel and a radio station. The number of visitors to this exhibition – 5,000 over the three days – surpassed the Society’s best estimate.

The Bible Society presented its work covering the five areas of its ministry: Scripture production, audio-Scriptures, translation, distribution, and fundraising.

During this exhibition, a series of lectures and discussions featured speakers from the USA, Argentina and Colombia. They covered a number of topics including ‘The ministry of the bookseller’, ‘The secret of success in your bookshop’, and ‘Service to the client: the key to survival’. Some 55 people, including Bible Society promotion and exhibition staff, attended.

Presentation

Another event was a Bible presentation and distribution activity. Some 20 young people from different parts of the country travelled to Guayaramerín to spread the Word of God in public using dramatic sketches, mime, a clown act, and Bible games. The event focused on the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians.

The young people chose an area of the city where people were sympathetic to the Bible cause, and they received support from the local churches. They also witnessed in villages they passed through on the return journey.

“We thank God for His help and guidance in the work of our Bible Society,” said the Rev Roger Aguirre, General Secretary of the Bolivian Bible Society. He thanked God also for protecting the young people who had travelled so far to promote His Word. And he rejoiced for the benefit all these events will have in raising support for Bible work throughout the Christian community. (WR 347/18 - 01.00)

Back to top of page