UM LUGAR PARA PERTENCER I RICARDO LANDIM

I would like to teach about a place to belong. You know, Psalm chapter 92, if you could put it on the screen, verses 12 through 14. You know, we are starting a fast tomorrow on multiplication. Multiplication is growth, it is advancement, it is expansion. And I would like to teach about this place of belonging. I think the worst feeling anyone can have is going to a place where they don't belong. You know, there are people who are married but do not belong to each other. You see children in a home who don't have a sense of belonging to their father. And if you want to multiply, if you want to grow, you need to understand that there is a place, a place where you will plant your life. There are people who have attended churches for years but don't belong to that place. Did you know that the highest divorce rate is for those 50 and older? I wonder how someone lives so many years with a person and suddenly decides to leave them? What is the problem? They were married, but there was no sense of belonging. I want to talk about a place to belong. If you want to have a life of success, of fruitfulness, of advancement, of legacy, there is a place of belonging. Did you know that for every 10 family businesses, nine go bankrupt because the children don't want what their parents built in life? And God has placed you in a place, a place of belonging. And here there are two promises. There is a promise for the righteous and a promise for the wicked as well. They will flourish, but they will be lost. And I would like to share with you this principle that is so important in our lives. We live in a generation of many connections, but little belonging. So, during the week you talk to one, talk to another, go to a meeting, work, you are in many places, and then you come home at night, sometimes, and stay on your phone. It seems like a group of people living in the house, but they are completely disconnected. I have a group of pastors that I mentor. So, some have a sense of belonging, and others are just there. So, pay attention. You have a small group, you have brothers where you notice that the place they belong is that group. Others only go to the meetings, and that is dangerous. Why? I would like to share with you your future. God created you to flourish in all seasons, but you need to understand that there is a principle, a place to belong. Tell your neighbor, do you belong somewhere? The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. Not the Palmeiras soccer team, brothers. Palmeiras will pass. Just as Corinthians passed too, only the Lord remains. They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will be full of sap and green. Look at the promise. When you are planted in the house of God, you flourish. And God's promise is not that you will flourish only when you have physical vigor, no. You will flourish even in your old age. You know, there are people who begin their Christian walk happy, motivated, but after 10, 15 years, they are already groaning like this—brothers who were precious. And I will tell you, I would like to be a co-worker with God in your life. Tomorrow a fast begins. There is a word from God over us, which is the year of multiplication. And you need to understand that you are here; there is a place where you plant your life, which is the house of God. There is a place of belonging that God has placed you in. And there is a mentality in the generation we live in of not belonging to any place. Today you see these evangelical show events, people from the Assemblies of God, Adventists, the Universal Church, they all go there, go here, then go there, then go there, but in the end, they don't belong anywhere. They go to many places, but they do not belong. It is very bad to live a life without putting down roots. And people follow many people, frequent many environments, consume many messages, but often have no roots. I will tell you, God's purpose is that you still bear much fruit in your old age. Why did someone at some point in their life stop bearing fruit in their marriage and with their children? Man, I had such a bond with my child, now it seems I have no bond with him anymore. Man, I had such a burden, today I don't have it anymore. Wow, my marriage was so good about 10 years ago, there was so much intimacy, so much affection, so much warmth. But today, there is no more fruit. There is no more fruit in marriage, no more fruit in purpose, no more fruit in ministry, because the sense of belonging was lost. I will say, belonging has a cost, belonging has challenges. Belonging requires a life of willingness. But the word here says: "If you are not planted, you will not flourish in your old age." I once went to a pastors' meeting and heard many pastors sharing their fears, and there was one pastor there saying that his greatest fear was growing old and losing this longing for God's presence, losing a burden for people, losing his heart for God. And I was a young man, 17 years old in that place. I said: "My God, look at the fear they have." Because there are many pastors who are sad today. There are believers who are apathetic. There are couples who no longer relate, who have no bonds. But why? Because they stopped being planted. And I would like to share with you today. It is possible to attend a church and not have your heart in that place. It is possible to attend a service and be absent from relationships. It is possible to enjoy a house without attending that house with your heart. It is possible to be married, to be two strangers living together. It is possible to have children and have no bond with them. There is a place, a decision that you have to make to belong. And in this journey of belonging, God works in your life. You know that culture teaches us to be only consumers. We choose what we like, we discard what confronts us, we quickly change what does not meet our expectations. But the promise is: you have to plant yourself, take root. No, this one I want, that one I don't want. But I will, there is a promise of fruitfulness, a promise that you will grow old bearing fruit, and in your old age, you will still bear the best fruit. The best time of your marriage is the coming years. But you need to understand that tests of belonging you will face in your marriage, in your ministry, in your home, and with people. Do you discard what you don't like? The world lives like this. The world lives like this. And sometimes without realizing it, you arrive at church with this mentality, a disposable mentality. You know that there are people who get married already with this mentality. If it doesn't work out, I'll discard this one. I already thought with this mentality. If I don't like this church, I'll discard this church. I'll go to this cell group. If I don't like it, I'll discard it. This cell group. It is a disposable mentality. That is how the world lives. And I will tell you, every time you change environments, you have restarted a story. And if you wish to have a long story, a happy story, a story of much fruit, you will have to learn to remain. Once I performed a wedding, and there was a gentleman who said, "I'd like to talk." He was a groomsman, and he said, "Wow, I... my marriage is very difficult and I am a 70-year-old man, but I know God is not pleased if I leave my wife." So I learned to live with her. But the marriage is so heavy, though it wasn't like that when we got married. Everything that involves your life requires maturing, requires growth, requires advancement. And so you need to keep maturing, you know? It's like a marriage; you can be friends or you can be married. It's like children. You have a temporary relationship with them. After they get married, they will still be friends, they will visit your house. Everything depends on the place of belonging. There is a place of belonging that God has chosen. You ne

expansion. And I would like to teach about this place of belonging. I think the worst feeling anyone can have is going to a place where they don't belong. You know, there are people who are married but do not belong to each

other. You see children in a home who don't have a sense of belonging to their father. And if you want to multiply, if you want to grow, you need to understand that there is a place, a place where you will plant your life.

There are people who have attended churches for years but don't belong to that place. Did you know that the highest divorce rate is for those 50 and older? I wonder how someone lives so many years with a person and

suddenly decides to leave them? What is the problem? They were married, but there was no sense of belonging. I want to talk about a place to belong. If you want to have a life of success, of fruitfulness, of advancement, of legacy

, there is a place of belonging. Did you know that for every 10 family businesses, nine go bankrupt, because the children don't want what their parents built in life? And God has placed you in a place, a place of

belonging. And here there are two promises. There is a promise for the righteous and a promise for the wicked as well. They will flourish, but they will be lost. And I would like to share with you this principle that is so

important in our lives. We live in a generation of many connections, but little belonging. So, during the week you talk to one, talk to another, go to a meeting, work, you are in many places , and then you come home at night,

sometimes, and stay on your phone. It seems like a group of people living in the house, but they are completely disconnected. I have a group of pastors that I mentor. So, some have a sense of belonging, and others are just there.

So, pay attention. You have a small group, you have brothers where you notice that the place they belong is that group. Others only go to the meetings, and that is dangerous. Why? I would like to share with you your

future. God created you to flourish in all seasons, but you need to understand that there is a principle, a place to belong. Tell your neighbor, do you belong somewhere? The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. Not the

Palmeiras soccer team, brothers. Palmeiras will pass. Just as Corinthians passed too, only the Lord remains. They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit

in old age, they will be full of sap and green. Look at the promise. When you are planted in the house of God, you flourish. And God's promise is not that you will flourish only when you have physical vigor, no. You will

flourish even in your old age. You know , there are people who begin their Christian walk happy, motivated, but after 10, 15 years, they are already groaning like this—brothers who were precious. And I will tell you, I would

like to be a co-worker with God in your life. Tomorrow a fast begins. There is a word from God over us, which is the year of multiplication. And you need to understand that you are here; there is a place where you plant your life,

which is the house of God. There is a place of belonging that God has placed you in. And there is a mentality in the generation we live in of not belonging to any place. Today you see these evangelical show events, people from

the Assemblies of God, Adventists, the Universal Church, they all go there, go here, then go there, then go there, but in the end, they don't belong anywhere.

They go to many places, but they do not belong. It is very bad to live a life without putting down roots. And people follow many people, frequent many environments, consume many messages, but often have no roots. I will tell

you, God's purpose is that you still bear much fruit in your old age. Why did someone at some point in their life stop bearing fruit in their marriage and with their children? Man, I had such a bond with my child, now it seems

I have no bond with him anymore. Man, I had such a burden, today I don't have it anymore. Wow, my marriage was so good about 10 years ago, there was so much intimacy, so much affection, so much warmth. But today, there is no

more fruit. There is no more fruit in marriage, no more fruit in purpose, no more fruit in ministry, because the sense of belonging was lost. I will say , belonging has a cost, belonging has challenges. Belonging requires a life

of willingness. But the word here says: "If you are not planted, you will not flourish in your old age." I once went to a pastors 'meeting and heard many pastors sharing their fears, and there was one pastor there saying that his

greatest fear was growing old and losing this longing for God's presence, losing a burden for people, losing his heart for God. And I was a young man, 17 years old in that place. I said: "My God, look at the fear they have."

Because there are many pastors who are sad today. There are believers who are apathetic. There are couples who no longer relate, who have no bonds. But why? Because they stopped being planted . And I would like to share with you

today. It is possible to attend a church and not have your heart in that place. It is possible to attend a service and be absent from relationships. It is possible to enjoy a house without attending that house with your heart. It is possible to be

married, to be two strangers living together. It is possible to have children and have no bond with them.

There is a place, a decision that you have to make to belong. And in this journey of belonging, God works in your life. You know that culture teaches us to be only consumers. We choose what we like, we discard what confronts us, we

quickly change what does not meet our expectations. But the promise is: you have to plant yourself, take root. No, this one I want, that one I don't want.

But I will, there is a promise of fruitfulness, a promise that you will grow old bearing fruit, and in your old age, you will still bear the best fruit . The best time of your marriage is the coming years. But you need to

understand that tests of belonging you will face in your marriage, in your ministry, in your home, and with people . Do you discard what you don't like?

The world lives like this. The world lives like this. And sometimes without realizing it, you arrive at church with this mentality, a disposable mentality.

You know that there are people who get married already with this mentality. If it doesn't work out, I'll discard this one. I already thought with this mentality. If I don't like this church, I'll discard this church. I'll go to

this cell group. If I don't like it, I'll discard it. This cell group. It is a disposable mentality. That is how the world lives. And I will tell you, every time you change environments, you have restarted a story. And if you wish to

have a long story, a happy story, a story of much fruit, you will have to learn to remain. Once I performed a wedding, and there was a gentleman who said, "I'd like to talk." He was a groomsman, and he said, "Wow, I...my

marriage is very difficult and I am a 70-year-old man, but I know God is not pleased if I leave my wife." So I learned to live with her. But the marriage is so heavy, though it wasn't like that when we got married.

Everything that involves your life requires maturing, requires growth, requires advancement. And so you need to keep maturing, you know? It's like a marriage; you can be friends or you can be married. It's like children. You have a temporary relationship with them

. After they get married, they will still be friends, they will visit your house. Everything depends on the place of belonging. There is a place of belonging that God has chosen. You need to understand the principle of belonging. People by your side will

often abandon you, but you need to learn to remain. And learning to remain is a journey. How do you raise children ? You know that the way you raise your children will define how your grandchildren will be. Psalm 92: 7 says

: "Though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever." The wicked, they flourish too, but with time they can't maintain their fruit. But why?

Because they aren't planted anywhere. Where is your life planted? Have you planted your life in God? Is your marriage planted in God? Your life is planted in God. Your children are planted in God. The raising of your children is planted in God. Because you

can raise them without being planted in God. You can sustain your marriage without being planted in God. And as the years of your life pass, what you built will wither away. Everything you plant that isn't planted in God will

wither, will become sad. Why? Because it has no belonging; it doesn't belong anywhere. My marriage, it belongs to God; it is planted in God. So, my fruit-bearing has a solid foundation.

From verse 12 to 14, the righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in the courts of our God, and in old age they will bear fruit;

they will be fresh and vigorous. Do you know what "fresh" means? Everyone will see fruit. Tell your brother: are you aging happily or aging sadly? But the challenge is to learn to age and be happy. Because as you get older, as you

get old, people start forgetting about you. Do you know what it’s like to be old? It’s being forgotten. Your grandchildren don’t want you anymore; they’ve grown up, they’re independent. You start becoming lonely.

And as you become lonely, you become sad, but you need to learn to be a happy senior, to grow old happily. I am loved. I won’t be a bitter person because life works on you and you need to be a happy

person. Pastor Luiz preached last week about an old believer. I said: " That’s true, you can be a young old person or you can be an old young adult ." It all depends on your heart. Where are you planted? Where have you placed

your life? How do you see life? How do you see what God has in store for your life? Paul says: "Forget what lies behind and press on, because to plant your life in God, you will be tested.

Storms come, tribulations come, questions come, and you need to learn to remain planted in God." You know, don't confuse fast growth with deep growth. So, for a tree to grow, it has to have roots. And God is putting down

roots, deepening your life. And when you understand that you were born to flourish, you plant yourself. And then God begins to create roots that are often in a time of discomfort, but you will flourish. Say: "Glory to God!

Glory to God. The focus of the palm tree in this message is not that the palm tree is better than other trees, no. It’s because the palm tree, its fruit is permanent. Everything I do in my life, I think:" Will what I’m doing remain

or will it end at some point? " Everything ends at some point, because it wasn't planted like the palm tree.

There is prosperity where you are prosperous today, but it may be that tomorrow you are not, because of how you built your prosperity, how you built your family, how you built your ministry, how you built your financial life...Hard times happen, but you have

to be like the palm tree. Remain. Remain in hard times, remaining in good times. Focus on what God has set apart for your life, because you need to be planted. Tell your brother, you are planted. It’s not that the palm tree

is better than other trees, no. The promise of the palm tree is the guarantee of bearing fruit even in old age. I am an old believer. I converted at 16, I'm 43 now. I was ordained at 28 years old. Pastor Brinca Ricardo, he's

the most experienced pastor in São Paulo. Since I was 16, I was set apart, I started answering God. But I'm here firm, flourishing. The certainty of the fruit, pastor, I stopped bearing fruit.

I lost the burden, lost the joy, lost the pleasure in my marriage, lost the burden for my children. What is this?

You stopped being planted, stopped being the palm tree. Are you like the palm tree? Because if you're like the palm tree, even in old age you will flourish. Pastor, what is old age? 10 years of marriage, 5 years of marriage,

5 years. You just have to notice. Wow, things aren't right here, there's no fruit. Psalms doesn't end there. In growth, it ends in legacy, you will continue bearing fruit. I say, you will continue bearing fruit. This speaks of

a life rooted in God, a life with God, a walk with God, a transformation with God, contemplating God's presence. Root , you don't you don't see the root. You can't see the root, but it's there. And what we need to understand is that

before fruits appear in our lives, God is creating roots inside you. And the fruit doesn't appear immediately, but the roots are being built inside you.

Tell yourself, brother, let the Lord build you from the inside out first. God doesn't want you to just show up.

He creates roots first so that you can flourish later. You know, there are some principles of belonging. Belonging is recognizing the house. Ephesians 2:19 says:" Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and

also members of his household. "The gospel of God, which reached your heart , led you to no longer be a pilgrim, a foreigner. God placed you in a family and you need to learn to live the Christian life in family. Marriage in

family, children in family, Christian life in family. You need to understand that belonging is family. What is family? It's mutual help, mutual service, forgiveness, love, the second mile, it's like that, you know? Few couples manage to work together because

it is a challenge. It's a challenge for a couple to work together, develop together, grow together, help each other, because it is a challenge. But you need to understand that there is no planting your life without learning to

live life in family. Say:" Glory to God ! "Hallelujah! To belong is to decide to stay. There in John chapter 6, the disciples got distracted, they lost focus on the Christian life. Do you know what it means for you to remain?

And in difficult days, you understand, I will remain. I have no other life but this life. You know when someone gets married thinking, if it doesn't work out, I'll leave this woman? I go to this church thinking. If it doesn't

work out, I'll change churches. I go to this job thinking, if it doesn't work out, I'll change jobs. That's how people fail to put down roots. There's a guy who works at Portuguesa, at the Portuguesa club, he sells hot dogs. And

he worked there for many years selling hot dogs. I used to play soccer there at Portuguesa and he was already an older man. I said:" Wow, so many years working here. "He said:" No, I've received many offers to work in many

places, but this was the place where I found myself, where they helped me, where they opened doors for me and I'm here. "And I could be earning much more in other places, but I understood that this was the place where life put me.

And then I said:" Wow, what a sad life. "And then about three or four months passed, at the time Portuguesa was a very well-regarded team. Long story short, they gave that man a fortune.

The club gave him a fortune out of respect for the history he could have left behind. In the Bible, this is called spoils of war, a reward.

Deciding to remain has a reward, but we live with a disposable mentality. Sometimes you don't even leave the place or the context, but your heart is no longer planted in that place. And there, when Jesus confronts the disciples and Peter says the following:

" Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. "In others he said:" Lord, You are going to eternity and my life has also been planted in eternity. "So there is no way for me to go to another place,

because where You are going is the same place I am going. What is that? Purpose , permanence. And you know that the way you raise your children will define your grandchildren. Once a man made a proposal to Pastor Wilson here in São

Paulo. It's just like me, I'm a pastor, I've already received about 100 proposals to open a construction company, to open a market, to open all of that, to partner up, to sell mattresses, to advertise. I never got involved in anything. Then a man

approached the pastor's son and said," Felipe, Pastor Felipe, your father isn't open to many things, don't you want to talk to him? "Look at what the son told the businessman. There's no way my father can change his course

because he has already defined his life . His life is 100%the church." And then his son didn't tell his father about this. Someone else went to tell the father. The father was very moved that Felipe is raising his children full of

God, full of the movement, they all want to be pastors, missionaries, they are filled with the Spirit, and are already baptized with the Holy Spirit.

All this because the father decided to plant his life. And the father's planted life affected the children who are affecting the grandchildren. The son is looking at the father. What does my father value? What does my father believe? Where is my father going? It

is always two generations. You take the book of Timothy, Paul says: "What will I teach you? Look for faithful men who will teach others. Everything you do in your life impacts the second generation . So I will say, people observe us."

Once I assisted a young man here from the church, during a very difficult time in his life, and I said: "Why didn't this young man disappear, or take his own life? And as he was talking he said:" Pastor, can I say

something? I said: "You can." Do you know what made me stay through the worst days of my life? My father and my mother, what they are and what they produced in my life brings me security.

So, a tree provides shade. Pastor, I am in a desert, it's very hot. Where do you go? You go behind a tree that has shade, but the tree only sustains itself if it has deep roots. So it is

very important for you to understand, if you want to bear permanent fruit in your life, you have to have roots. And for you to have roots, you will have to choose a place to set your roots. I wrote a book about the love that thinks

, because when a young person starts to think, the choices are wise choices. And my purpose with you here is to lead you to understand that the Christian life, Romans 12, do not conform to this world, do not live as this world lives,

but transform your mind, start to think . One day, a young couple with two very small children said, "I'm in crisis with the church, I think I have to do this, do that." I said: "Stop thinking about yourselves, think about your

children." Pride leads a man not to think about his home, not to think about his children, because the proud person is full of himself. He only thinks about himself. And when you only think about yourself, your home will

not have, will not flourish in the next generation. At home, my wife and I, we don't talk about church problems, because if we talk about church problems, about people, what will my children think about the church? One day I told a couple, stop talking about

other people's problems in your home. They were disciplers many years ago. One day their daughter said: "Pastor, with all due respect, I don't know why my father is a discipler in this church , there are only troubled people in his

group." He only speaks ill of people, that the brother is carnal, that the brother has no commitment. That's why I don't want this life. "I used to tell the father, your children won't want God. So you need to understand. Root is

life with God, it is deep, because those who have no root complain their whole life. A leader who has no root, his cell is all carnal. He only acts spiritual. A marriage that has no roots is two people full of themselves

fighting with each other all day long. Why? There is no shade. The consequence of roots is to produce shade. The tree does not look for new soil with every change of season. It deepens its roots.

You know, many come to church with many traumas. Many get married again because of problems they had. So they are married for the second time, full of trauma. One day a woman asked my wife, what guarantee do I have that my

husband won't leave me like he did in his first marriage? I'm saving some money on the side because I'm suspicious. I said:" My God in heaven.

"And others come from other churches here, they come from other vines, from the Assemblies, from the Universal, from the congregation. They arrive and they are like:" They are here, but they can't plant their lives here. "Full of trauma, of the past. But what is the

consequence? The one who loses is not the church. The one who loses is you.

So that you can bear fruit, you have to decide to plant your life in one place.

Every church has its limitations, its imperfections. Every true relationship will face conflicts. Every relationship will go through conflict. They say that . When I got married, a study came out saying a normal woman spoke 5,000 words a day, a man 1,000. That study was

redone last year. 15,000 words a woman speaks a day, and the man dropped to 500. So, how, how do you make a marriage work then? How do you make a marriage exist? The woman wants to ask everything, how was your day? The guy

says:" It was good, "but just good. Is something going on? The guy is just tired, he doesn't want to talk. So, how do you plant, to have unity, belonging?

I learned something. Do you know what unity means? You can have unity just because you are submissive. I don't want to do this anymore, what now? You have to come to service, go to cell group, be married, talk to this woman.

500 words a day. So, unity is a decision you make based on a principle, but belonging is not. Belonging involves pleasure. I want to relate, I want to love. I want to plant my life.

I want to bless. I want to welcome people into my home. I want to love my wife, not because I have to, it's because I want to. I desire to. This is for people who have had a revelation of

God's love. There are many people who didn't close cycles, they simply disappeared. I wasn't in that church, out of nowhere I stopped coming. I started coming here, pastor. No. Why did you leave there? Did you close a cycle, did you start another cycle, did

things end the right way, or did you leave pending issues in your life? Out of nowhere you change cell groups, change churches, change houses, and no.

God is a God of cycles. God is a God of roots. I'm not talking about abusive people, because there are crazy, abusive, ignorant pastors out there.

It's strong to have Satan. It's a place where you realize, this is my home. I understood that this is my place. Then you go there, conclude your past, and say:" This is my place. "But don't be someone who changed but doesn't want to

plant your life here, because you will lose yours. It's as if you lived, with all due respect, like a heathen, because everything you plant, the flourishing will not remain. Do you know someone who lived a life of fruitfulness their whole life and in

old age is still bearing fruit? Look at Pastor Luísio, look at Pastor Wilson, great men of God, men 60, 70 years old.

Pastor Silvio Gal, if I recall, is 70 or 73 years old, full of the spirit.

How is that possible? You see these little old ladies full of vigor, full of life, enthusiastic. What is this?

They planted belonging. No, I'm here at church, there’s only unity. Unity doesn't sustain belonging, but belonging sustains unity.

We cannot confuse confrontation with rejection, correction with lack of love , and process with abandonment. Oh my God, they confronted me, I’m feeling rejected. No, you’re not; you’re the one feeling it, no one rejected you , you were just confronted. There are

people you can't tell the truth to, they’ll get hurt, because they have no belonging, they didn't plant it.

Because for those who planted, you can make mistakes with them, you can tell the truth. My wife and I have been married for some years now. We make mistakes with each other, sometimes we speak in a way we shouldn't, we talk,

we err, but it's okay, because we chose to plant our marriage in God. Oh, I'm hurt by the way she talked to me. No, that time of unity has already passed.

One hour I want to, the next I don’t. That’s unity. I want to. No, not right now. 10 years in church together.

No, I don't want to anymore. Now, belonging is a pleasure. The prodigal son, he had unity in his house. He had it, but it became unsustainable to have unity because there was no belonging.

Because belonging is a place you need. I need the church, I need my wife, I need my children, dear. I need my children so I can mature as a father. I need them to make mistakes. He will make mistakes, he will fail, I need my

son to go through crises so I can emotionally connect with him, so I can pass on a legacy to him. I need the pastors I care for to make mistakes so I can develop my ministry. So, belonging, I won't get upset with

people because I need people. This is called belonging. You know that thing? If anything changes, I’m leaving the house. That’s because there is no belonging. But when the prodigal son said:" My God, look where I am. "Do you

belong to a place? Have you planted your life somewhere? John 15: 4 says:" Abide in me. "To abide means to belong.

belong to me and I will remain in you. If you belong to me, I will belong to you. The measure in which you give yourself to me is the measure I will give myself to you. Tell your brother,

do not confuse confrontation with rejection, correction with lack of love , and process with abandonment. My brother is acting weird with me. Hmm. I don't know. He didn't look at me, didn't talk to me, didn't go eat pizza

with me. He's acting weird. Something is going on here. Nothing is going on. Fruit is the result of remaining. If you remain in me and I remain in you, you will bear fruit. But why has someone stopped bearing fruit? Because

they stopped belonging to that place." Oh, I don't agree with this, I don't agree with that. "" I don't agree with my husband. "What can you do? You have to submit, right? You won't have fruit as a wife." Oh, my wife, I don't agree

with... "It's a life without belonging. " I don't agree with a 21-day fast. "" Why such exaggeration? "" Why meet in homes for 21 days? "" Why a live stream ? "And when the pastor starts talking about offerings, you say," Why such

exaggeration? "And then you realize you are there, but by not agreeing in your heart, you have no belonging.

And because you lack belonging, you will not flourish. Someone once told me ," Pastor, I know how the inner workings of the vine function. "" The brother scheduled discipleship with me, it's going to be like this. "Poor guy.

He stopped belonging and started just observing what the house is like." Oh, my wife came to give me a little kiss when I arrived. "" I already know. "" She's going to want the credit card. "" For God's sake, what do you want? ""

You're acting strange today, huh? "" You're quiet. "There is no connection. You already judge. You lost the innocence. Conferences awaken your life , inspire your life, leave a mark— it's full of believers like that," Wow, what a powerful conference, such glory,

"but that ends in three days. It is needed. But fellowship, discipleship, and constant relationships sustain a whole lifetime. Some people want to be cared for, but they don't allow anyone to know their life." I want to be cared

for, "but you don't allow anyone to know you. You arrive silent and leave quiet. You keep running away because" I don't want to, I don't want anyone to know me, I don't want anyone to know my weaknesses. "You won't be able to plant

, because to plant, you have to expose your life. Want to have a marriage?

Open your heart, talk about traumas. There are women who were sexually abused in childhood, they still carry it today and cannot tell their husbands . You know that brother who is so full of pride? He is a wonderful brother.

Yes, he really is wonderful. Peace of the Lord. Imagine that wonderful brother coming forward to an appeal because he's having financial trouble.

What will people think of him? Oh, my goodness. There was this conference, and I knelt behind the stage. I said," Lord, I don't know what to say at this conference. There’s such a revival going on. Pastor Luís already preached

, Pastor Márcia too, Pastor, what am I going to do now? "I lay down there, way in the back. They were calling me. I said," Hold on, wait there, I don't know what I'm going to say. "But when I

took the microphone, I said," God, there is fruit here. "Some said," Wow, Pastor, I never imagined you, so bold, kneeling back there in fear. "That’s it, belonging is about exposing your vulnerability. But Pastor, what if I get rejected? What if something happens

and they find out what I did last summer, so you keep living like that, all guarded. Tell me," Are you guarded?

Are you afraid of being rejected? "Pay attention to what I am going to tell you. When you are 100%rejected by people, you will understand that you are 100%accepted by God. And because of this revelation that you were 100%

accepted by God, you can relate to people without fear of being rejected. The fear of rejection is a lack of revelation of God's love. Because when you know you are loved, no one can reject you, because the One you needed

to accept you already has, and that is the Lord. It is impossible to be cared for without allowing yourself to be known. I asked ChatGPT yesterday," GPT, I'm having a crisis as a pastor, help me out here. "Why doesn't someone want

to be known? Look at what it answered. Because of pride, fear of vulnerability appearing. Dear one, you are not as wonderful as you think you are. It’s only Christ. Belonging is having people who know you in your struggles and

celebrate your victories. Do you have people who know who you are on the inside, or do you not have those people ? Is there a place of shame there, or are you unable to? You are just too wonderful. When I was 12 years old,

they tried to sexually abuse me, and the worst part was it happened inside a church, a very famous church in São Paulo. And I started, I said," Man, what do I do? What do I do? What do I

do? What do I do? It created a trauma inside of me. I couldn't have deep relationships with people, with men older than me. I would run away, run away, run away. Only women could disciple me. Women my mother's age. And

the pastor said: "I can't take care of you. You are very superficial, man. You keep running away." I could only talk about cell groups or some entrepreneurship topic. But not my personal life. And the pastor said: " Ricardo, I won't take care of you

anymore. Look for another network pastor here. I can't take care of someone who doesn't want to be here." Even the difficulty people have with belonging, sometimes it's due to things in the past and they need an experience with God. No, you won't be able to

plant. I said: "Man, you're going to fast for three weeks, then we'll talk again." When I entered his office, I screamed, I bawled, I screamed, screamed, screamed, screamed, screamed, because I loved that pastor, I liked that pastor, he was my spiritual father

, but I couldn't be his son. And I screamed, I screamed for 3 hours, I cried, cried, cried, cried. After all that came out, I stood up and was healed. But I had to be willing to open up my vulnerabilities. How many people

have marriage problems and say, "We'll handle it at home, no one is responsible." Keep going like that, and see where your marriage ends up.

Planted in the house of the Lord. Your marriage needs to be planted in the house of the Lord. Your children in the house of the Lord. Your whole life in the house of the Lord. Belonging is transforming presence into

participation, into support, into help. One helps the other. You help your children, your children help you. You help your discipler, your discipler helps you, and one helps the other. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4, he compares a church to a body. He

says that in this body, everyone needs to function. And when everyone functions in the body, there is growth that is given by God. What do you mean?

Growth that is given by God is growth that you don't have to force to happen.

It's just like a cell group. When everyone functions, the cell group grows naturally. The church of Acts grew naturally because the body functioned. We are entering a fast, the ladder of multiplication. Enter with the heart of someone who is going to

participate, of someone who has invested their life there. 1 Peter 4:10 says: "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." This word steward in the original means

administrator of grace. I thought it was wonderful. A steward is an administrator of God’s grace. So, Pastor Rodrigo, he works, he supports his wife, supports his children, supports those around him. He has to be a steward of grace. He realizes he has

to pay attention to Artur. I'll take him to a soccer game, I'll buy him a video game. And suddenly now I have to shut the tap for this boy here. My other daughter is, she's acting out too much. That is a steward of grace. He

perceives the needs of the house and acts with God's grace. This boy is too spoiled. There won't be any allowance this month. But this one here needs grace. I notice it. That's it. What is it? The Bible says God gave a gift to

everyone. And this gift must be administered in God's grace. Say: " Glory to God". Hallelujah. Amen.

Brothers, when someone arrives at church, that person is welcomed, cared for, and strengthened, but in time God wants you not only to be cared for, but to care for others. You know that feeling? Pastor, I was so loved when I

came to church, I was so welcomed when I arrived at church. It’s not that, time passed and your spiritual pacifier phase is over. Enough is enough. Go take care of other people. Oh, the feeling I have is that the church has

changed. I was so loved when I arrived. No, because God Himself realized, it's done. And the steward is releasing grace now to the new ones, to the new children in the faith. That's how family is. Have you ever felt rejected

in your discipleship by your pastor? Ah , the pastor is so distant from me. He was so close, but now it seems like he's, I don't know, he's isolated, he's disappeared. I will tell you, there's a day, oh a child, you treat like a child

. Oh, oh, oh, but you're not a child anymore. But you still want to be a child. A sister said: "Pastor, why don't you invite me for coffee at your house, to have some cheese bread?" I say: "How old is this sister?" Oh, be

careful so you don't, I'm preaching to you about a place of belonging. There are things that keep us from belonging, because you are no longer a child, but you think you are, when you're not. I was shaken in Goiânia on the first

night, I was shaken. I left and said: " My God in heaven, I've never seen Pastor Luís do what you do with a visitor at home, you buy the best food.

" Isn't it like that? Wow, visitors come over, you make wonderful food. Does that mean you love visitors more?

No. That's called common sense. Now, if your child needs the best food every day to feel like a child, there is a serious problem in their life. That's called being spiritually addicted. It is time to mature. Pastor, why are you

sharing this? Because many people have stopped bearing fruit, have lost their joy, all because they stopped being planted. For these reasons that I am sharing here, I feel like just another person today in Pastor Rodrigo's cell group. Back then I would go, they would

call me during the week, now I don't even worry about it. A church that preaches love but doesn't live out love . One day a sister said: "Pastor, there used to be a gift of love here, now I

have the impression that this gift is gone." I said: "No, sister, when you arrived, you were a child, you needed to be loved.""Now you have to love others." My father doesn't keep calling me, "Ricardo, how are you?" Are you

finished? I don't even want that, I don't even feel right about it. Now, if you want to move forward, you will have difficulties in your life. There are many women who treat their husbands like that, and he likes it. And that is

why it is like this, life is heavy. Perhaps you weren't forgotten. Perhaps you have grown. You weren't forgotten, you grew up. And you don't need to be coddled anymore, because you already understand, you have a history, you've grown. You need to understand this. I

remember many years ago, Pastor Wilson, I'm going to trade in my car, what do you think? I had a need for him to give me his opinion. Today I don't have that anymore, because I don't even want to

keep bothering him, Pastor. He has so many problems on his mind. Now if I buy the wrong one, the problem is mine.

I'll pay for the mistake. That's it. Are you brothers understanding? Mature and don't think you are loved because of things. You are loved, and that is the bottom line.

Hallelujah. I wanted to tell a story to finish. The tree that wanted to find its place. Di, brother, have you found your place yet? This story here is serious. The feeling I have that I haven't found my place, there are tons

of people living like this. The feeling I have that my place is not here. I have—for heaven's sake, grow up. Have you found your place or not yet? The feeling I have that I'm here, but my place is not here. The feeling that I

work here, but this job isn't the place God has for me? Oh man, for heaven's sake, look at the prodigal son. I'm here, but the feeling I have is that my place is not here. What are the signs

of someone who hasn't understood this? They don't plant. A man had a small tree in a pot. His desire was to see it grow and produce many fruits. You know that's everyone's desire, to grow and have many fruits. He planted it in a

corner of the garden, but after a few days he thought: "Maybe it gets too much sun here." So he removed the tree and took it to another place. A short time later, he noticed there was too much shade there. He moved it again. In

another corner, he thought the wind was too strong. Somewhere else. He didn't like the trees that were around it.

Whenever he encountered any difficulty, he decided: "This is still not the right place." Time passed and the tree remained small. One day, the gardener visited his house and the man asked: " Why won't my tree grow? I have been

looking for the best place for it." Common sense. The gardener observed the plant and replied: You have given it many places, but you haven't given it time to take root anywhere. The man was silent. Then the gardener explained: "

It needs suitable soil and care, but it also needs time. As long as you move it at every difficulty, it has to restart the work of grounding itself. That day, the man chose an appropriate place, planted the tree, and decided to care

for it. When the soil dried out, he watered it. When a difficulty arose, he tried to treat it. Instead of just moving the tree, he started to cultivate the place where it was. In time, new branches appeared. Then the

fruits came. The tree hadn't found a garden without difficulties. It had found a place where it could take root and be well cared for. Sometimes we do the same, the same thing with our lives . We look for a place where we will

never be challenged. where everyone will understand us and there will be no disappointment. But belonging isn't born from finding perfect people, it's born from building true bonds. This does not mean staying in environments that are harmful to you. It means

understanding that even in a healthy house there will be difficulties that need to be addressed, not just avoided.

Psalms says:" Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish. "I would like to call the worship brothers.

Where are you cultivating roots, or just looking for a suitable place to put your tree? Belonging goes beyond unity, it is pleasure, it is revelation , it is the understanding of the place God put you and you will need to

cultivate it amidst the difficulties. I have planted my life in the Videira church since I was 16 years old. I had cell leaders who abandoned the church, I had people who failed me. I opened a company when I was 19 years old. My

partner was my cousin and he gave up on God's purpose and argued with me that I had to give up the cell group because he gave it up too and had to dedicate himself to the company. I said:" I will

not give up the cell group. "And then the company went bankrupt, I was left with R $ 40,000 in debt, he left debt-free and bitter towards me. But I will remain. It stopped bearing fruit.

You need to learn that every environment you put your tree in will have too much sun, too much rain, it will have wind, it will have difficulty , it will have...You need to learn to preserve the place, the land that God

put you in. My wife is acting up, Lord. The Lord is good. The Lord gave me this wife. Sandarabaca, start praying in tongues. Go read a book about romance and God's way. Go buy a chocolate she likes. Suddenly, oh thank you, love.

That's all it is.