Is situated in a region severely affected by drought and hunger, the farm, which measures over 500 hectares, can be considered an oasis in a land devastated by the sun.

In 1999, Bishop Macedo watched the news and was moved, as was the rest of the country, when he saw images of the suffering of the people in Irecê, which had once been one of the biggest producers of beans but was suffering a merciless drought that had made the soil infertile. And so he came up with the idea of building a place that could bring hope to people who were facing certain death – a place marked by dry cracked soil and mugs without water, the source of life.

Food and education have been the project’s main objectives, which now helps more than 700 children a day. Besides attending primary school and having medical and dental treatments, the children and their families now have regular meals as well. Dairy cows, pigs, chicken and fish are raised on the farm in order to fortify the little ones’ diets.

By utilizing the same irrigation techniques as used in Israeli kibbutzim, the New Canaan Farm produces corn, beans, soya, onions, carrots, beetroots, and many other fruits and vegetables—besides, agriculture is part of the school’s curriculum. The project of the New Canaan Farm has created more than 180 jobs.

When visiting Irecê, Bishop Macedo saw for himself the work done on the farm.

By:Unipress International

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The importance of the baptism in the water is so great that when the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, He gave them explicit instructions: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).

When Peter delivered his first major speech in Jerusalem about the Kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus, those had a guilty heart asked him and the other apostles what they should do. “Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God has been announcing salvation to thousands of people who’ve decided to surrender to God through baptism every day throughout the world.

On Sunday, Aug 9th, a ceremony was held throughout the country of Mozambique where more than 10,000 people were baptised. At Miramar Beach alone, located in the capital of Maputo, Bishop João Leite, who’s responsible for the evangelical work of the country, led the ceremony for more than 5,000 people. “God has been sending many souls to our churches here in Mozambique which is why we decided to have this baptism throughout the country. These are newly converted people who are being baptised for the first time. Many of our local churches don’t have baptisteries, and so we decided to perform a baptism on the beach due to the large amount of people who wanted to surrender their lives to Jesus,” said the bishop.

Video editor Meque Alessio, 24, was among those who committed themselves to God that day. He said that he’s been attending services at the church for some time, but hadn’t felt ready to get baptised until now that he understood what the act actually represents. “After hearing a sermon, I began understanding that baptism symbolises a covenant, a complete surrender, the decision to do God’s will,” he says.

After coming out of the water, Meque noticed changes in his behaviour and no longer had worldly desires that disappoint God. “Now, I feel lighter and different. I accepted the Lord Jesus as my One and Only Saviour and I am now baptised. Since then, my life has a new meaning and I’m very happy,” he concluded.

By: Unipress International

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We can only have peace with God when our conscience is washed in the blood of the Son of God. But to live in the world by faith is to depend on the Holy Spirit. Why does God give His followers faith?

Faith is not given to comfort people in times of pain, to help them keep religious traditions, or to serve as a mere accessory to their lives. Faith is the power of God to confront the devil; it’s the light of God to dissipate the darkness. That’s why those who are in faith are by nature in a revolt against evil; they are at war because they cannot accept what the world imposes upon them.

The Spirit of faith refuses to accept bowing before adversity or making alliances with the servants of evil.

The faith of the early Christians has nothing to do with the spiritual and moral corruption of this world. That’s why the Lord Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” In other words, Christian faith separates those who belong to the Light from those who belong to the darkness; the goats from the sheep, those who are of God from those who are not.

Moses said, “The LORD is a man of war“ (Exodus 15:3). In other words, God is like a man of war. And in order to please Him, we have to live in faith and by faith.

It’s impossible to please Him without being in faith.

Bishop Edir Macedo

psalms reflect his suffering. “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.”

These first three verses of Psalm 69 clearly reflect one of his moments of agony and pain. But David never grew weak in his faith or lost his trust in God. His son Solomon, however, did not experience the same situations that David went through. He proclaims the wellbeing of his soul in saying, “But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence” (1 Kings 5.4).

Two kings, two different fates. The first one groaned because of his enemies, but he kept his communion with God; the second one enjoyed prosperity and peace, and he did not have enemies. But, he lost his faith.

The conclusion we draw from this paradox of faith is simple: the greater the feeling of social and spiritual wellbeing, the greater the risk of growing weak in the faith and losing everything. This is Solomon’s portrait.

The more intense the battles and trials, the more we depend on faith and on God. This is David’s portrait.

God allows enemies of faith to exist so that His servants do not become complacent. It’s the old story of the shark in the fish tank. As long as the shark is there, the fish remain vigilant, and stay alive!

Bishop Edir Macedo

enjoyed the privileges of the inheritance he received from his father, with the advantage of having peace in his kingdom during his reign. The image of David brings to mind the practice of pure faith—the living faith in the Living God. And it was exactly because of this kind of faith that he was considered a man of war.

Taking on the faith of the Bible—the faith of the patriarchs—demands that we take on attitudes that contradict this world. That’s when our war begins.

When we embrace the Christian faith, we simply cannot accept evil prevailing over good. How can we believe in a God so great and live a miserable life?

As with the power of God, a living faith refuses to accept or submit to the principalities, powers, rulers and spiritual forces of evil that cause diseases, misery, hunger, disgrace, social injustice, etc. Because we reject the empire of evil through faith, persecution comes upon true Christians.

For example, true faith never accepts alliances with this world because it comes from the Spirit of God. He is the Giver of this heavenly power.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Jesus Christ

David was a man of war because he was a man of faith. And those who live by faith, live from war to war. It’s impossible to live by faith and at the same time be at peace with the world. It’s like trying to mix light and darkness.

David’s life was marked by both internal and external battles followed by a long line of victories. From the time he was a teenage shepherd, until the day he died, David was indignant because of his enemies. Yet he never bowed, submitted to or endured defeated by them—on the contrary. God honoured him in the same way that he honoured God, through his faith.

Bishop Edir Macedo

Even after all these years and now as an adult, whenever I hear someone talk too much or too loud, trying to impress or intimidate, mistreating others, bullying, interrupting everyone’s conversation, being a know-it-all, trying to prove they’re better than everyone else or being stubborn and proud, I can still hear my father say:
“The emptier the wagon, the louder the noise!”

Unknown author

São Paulo – On the morning of Sunday, 8th August 2010, thousands gathered in the area of Bras, east of Sao Paulo, to attend special services to mark the laying of the foundation stone of a replica of the original Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.

Bishop Edir Macedo, founder of Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) addressed the huge crowd saying the temple would not only serve members of the UCKG but that its doors would always be open “for all people, all believers and all who wish to enter, without distinction.” He prayed that all who entered would have their faith strengthened and find the answers they sought.

“Just as God was with Solomon when he descended and enveloped that holy place in a cloud, this would happen to all that are here … In a few weeks excavation of this land will begin,” Bishop Macedo said. Surrounded by bishops, pastors and thousands of churchgoers, he prayed for blessings on this major undertaking.

News of the building of the temple has attracted worldwide attention. The Temple of Solomon will be the largest project ever undertaken by the Universal Church. It will be made of stones cut exactly like those of the original temple, which first went up in 960 BC, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC, rebuilt and destroyed again by the Romans in the year 70 AD. Of the original structure in Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall is all that remains.

The replica temple, situated in Bras, will be surrounded by popular stores, factories and other trades. Victor Angelo Stefanel, civil engineer and works co-ordinator for the building said the temple would attract people from around the world.  He had never imagined being responsible for a project of such magnitude.

“Any professional in the world would be honoured to be in my place, to be chosen to work, to develop and realise this dream . It is not our dream or Bishop Macedo’s dream, but it’s God’s,” he said.

The architect, Rogé-river Araujo who has been criticised for the architectural style to be used in the construction, said he was extremely flattered to be part of the project. “I think it is divine. As for criticism, it is unfounded. The project is as we’ve said, a replica of Solomon’s Temple. It is, therefore, is no longer a project or a building. The creator is God, who chose Bishop Edir Macedo to give it direction. To me it is a privilege to work on this project that the whole world is waiting for,” he said.

By: Unipress International

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“I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name.“ (Isaiah 45:2,3)

“Break the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron” means: if I should have any closed doors in my life, they have to open. Even if the doors are made of bronze with bars of iron, they have to open.

“Hidden riches of secret places.” Our God knows where they are because “HE” is God. They are treasures and riches are yet to be found.

The question is: What should we do to make sure that these treasures and riches are seen by our eyes and touched by our hands? These words weren’t simply written for show.

He wouldn’t promise these treasures and riches if they didn’t exist. They exist and He’s the only one that knows where they are.

What should you do? There’s only one thing to do: CHALLENGE HIM BY USING YOUR FAITH. It’s what forces the Holy Spirit to take action and show where these riches are hidden.

That’s for those who believe!

Bishop Romualdo Panceiro

Convoys from all over Argentina began arriving at the event, which began at 11am, causing overcrowding at the stadium and congestion in the surrounding streets.

Bishop Romualdo Panceiro, who heads the church’s evangelical work in the country, led a strong prayer together with other pastors and bishops for the thousands that were present. “Some people here, my God, are being tormented by family problems, insomnia or depression; some cry just thinking about how cruel life has been to them. And that’s why we’re gathered here. Oh God, we pray in Your name that everyone here receives the healing and restoration of their families,” was his prayer.

Bishop Romualdo also explained what it is to be born again. “Those who’ve gone through this spiritual experience can overcome any type of problem and are able to stand firm in their faith. Receiving a healing is an important miracle, but you must understand that the most important miracle in your life—which is something neither I nor any religion can do, only the Holy Spirit can—is being born again.” He ended by saying, “A person’s conversion to the Lord Jesus begins with the transformation inside his heart. Only then, would we be able to see His presence in their actions.”

By: Unipress International

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This concept was passed down through time, by priests and prophets, until the coming of the Messiah. That was when the image of a harsh, punishing God of Abraham was replaced with the image of a loving God. Jesus, the image of the invisible God, the First-born over all creation (Colossians 1:15), manifested the character of God the Father, with compassion for the afflicted and the needy.

Having a true fear of God is all about faith, respect and the practice of His Word. As a result, fear makes the faithful wise to remain firm as a living offering on the altar. He understands the will of his Lord and stays in constant, unbroken communion with Him.

“Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them; let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.” (Psalm 76:11)

Bp Edir Macedo