Samuel Lyra's Blog

He knocked down the greatest boxer in the world…  and lost.  But that knockdown changed the history of cinema forever. On March 24, 1975, Chuck Wepner stepped into the ring to face Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title. To the rest of the world, it wasn’t a fight—it was a formality. Ali was an icon. A genius. A hurricane. Wepner was just the “Bayonne Bleeder”: tough, limited, and unremarkable. A name chosen simply to take a fall. But he didn’t fall. Round after round, Wepner stayed on his feet. He took the hits. He bled. He stumbled. And he kept going. Not because of refined technique or brilliance—but because of pure stubbornness. Because of an absolute refusal to accept the fate everyone else had written for him. Then, in the ninth round, the impossible happened. Chuck Wepner connected with Muhammad Ali. And Ali went down. The world stopped for a second. Only three men had ever managed to do that before. From his corner, consumed by euphoria, Wepner shouted, “Start th...

The Word Became Flesh "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."  John 1:1–3 Before the dawn of time began,  Before the breath or form of man,  A voice rang out, distinct and heard:  In the beginning was the Word. He stood with God, the distinct Son,  Yet in His essence, they were One.  No created thing, but Deity,  The Second of the Trinity. [Chorus] Through Him the galaxies were spun,  The moon, the earth, the rising sun;  Without His hand, no thing was made,  The foundation of the world was laid. The Apostles wrote so we might see  The truth of His identity;  Though countless signs He surely wrought,  These seven miracles were taught. They stand as pillars, strong and sufficed,  To prove that Jesus is the Christ.  He came to bear the Father’s will,...

Did God Actually Say? The Ancient Lie And The Modern Church. by Sam Lyra Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman,  “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”  —  Genesis 3:1 From the very beginning of human history, one of  Satan’s most effective weapons  has been casting doubt upon God’s Word. This simple disbelief inevitably leads us to distrust the very God of the Word Himself. In the Garden of Eden, during the first temptation, notice the serpent’s shrewd tactic:  “Did God actually say?” Satan, the prince of this world, along with his worldly forces, has throughout history subtly planted seeds of doubt in human hearts about the  veracity of Scripture . THE SAME LIE IN THE WILDERNESS Even Jesus was not spared these attacks, though He overcame them all! The comparison between Jesus and Adam is striking: Jesus was tempted on a scale far greater than ...

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made" John 1:1-3        The gospel of John aims to present Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. It also focus on Jesus life so that we come to believe in Him through faith. John presents 7 miracles of Jesus. John, however states that Jesus did many other signs. However, those are written so that we can believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, and by doing so, we can be saved. "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:30-31     Verse 1 starts with the expression "In the beginning was the Word". This same expression is used in Genesis 1:1. It refer...

     Numa seção de perguntas e repostas a uma série de pregadores, dentre eles, o saudoso e valoroso RC Sproul foi interpelado com a seguinte pergunta: "Uma vez que Deus é longânimo e misericordioso, a pena que Ele deu a Adão e Eva não foi pesada demais?"     Nesta hora, o famoso teólogo, muito conhecido por sua fala mansa e pausada, pega o microfone e quase gritando pergunta: "O que há de errado com vocês?" Ainda demonstrando consternação, ele continua: "Este é o problema da igreja cristã dos nossos dias: Nós não sabemos quem Deus é, e nem sabemos quem somos". Após discorrer sobre a queda, ele finaliza: "A pergunta deveria ser, como a pena não foi mais pesada."     De fato, quando diminuímos a importância de Deus para de alguma forma valorizar o homem, quando não levamos em conta a Sua santidade amenizando o nosso pecado, quando desconsideramos a Sua justiça apelando apenas para a Sua misericórdia, seremos levado a pensar: por que uma pena t...

Chegamos ao final de mais um ano, 2019 já se foi... Como diz a música adeus ano velho, feliz ano novo... Neste período do ano muitos de nós reavalia as ações desenvolvidas e resultados obtidos no ano que se passou, muitos de nós enfretaram grandes desafios, alguns de nós se depararam com perdas, derrotas, e alguns outros conquistara grandes vitórias. Não importa se foi um ano bom, ou um ano ruim, o fato é que assim como o profeta Samuel podemos dizer: “Até aqui nos ajudou o Senhor.” 1 Samuel 7:12 Mas além das retrospectivas, costumamos fazer planos seja para perder peso, seja para terminar um determinado curso, arranjar um emprego, trocar de carro, casa, cidade, país... Muito embora saibamos que “O coração do homem pode fazer planos, mas a resposta certa dos lábios vem do Senhor.” Provérbios 16:1 , especialmente neste período do ano, começamos a estabelecer nossos alvos para o ano que vai se iniciar. E embora cremos que “O coração do homem traça o seu caminho, mas o Senhor lhe...