Lisbon is a beautiful city located near the point where the Tejo river, having run across nearly the entire Iberian Peninsula, finally reaches the Atlantic. The people of Lisbon are open and engaging about life and often about spiritual and faith concerns as well. For the younger generations especially, there is frequently an ambivalence about organized religion though their conception of God is closely tied to the institutional church. For people to be open to God in their lives they need to see that God’s ways make a real and meaningful difference for them. Relationship is where people here see that the Gospel is good news for them.
We have one couple, the Fishers, in Lisbon who host a group each Saturday night using the Discovery Bible Study approach to exploring the Bible and faith and spirituality. This is a look at the Scriptures that asks “so what?”. We believe what God says in the Bible is a serious message to us. It is about how God wants to have relationship with us in order to satisfy our deep spiritual needs and engage us every day in the redemptive and reconciling work He is doing in Lisbon, Portugal and the world. We listen to each other and to God through the Bible and prayer and care for each other in all kinds of practical ways.
We would love to see a team develop in Lisbon. There is so much opportunity for serving these people in ways that reveal God’s heart for them. The Fishers have organizational responsibilities that keep them from engaging in local ministry full time. But they have a heart for the beautiful Portuguese people and want to see them experience the freedom and life-giving love Jesus brings so abundantly and fully.