Article | - 4:32 pm
Bishop Macedo, Along With Other Bishops From Different Parts of the World, Cried Out to God for His People Worldwide in a Prayer of Agreement at the Jordan River in Israel
The Jordan River can be considered a symbol of repentance and change. Mentioned about 190 times throughout the 66 books of the Holy Scriptures, it has always been the scene of moments of transformation.
To cite a few examples, it was in this place that Lot made his choice to separate from Abraham (Genesis 13:10-11) and, on another occasion, its waters parted, as happened in the Red Sea, which contributed to the conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 3:15-17). By the Jabbok River, a tributary of the Jordan, Jacob wrestled with God, experiencing a life transformation that led to his being called Israel (Genesis 32 and Hosea 12).
Naaman, a man highly respected for his position as commander of the Syrian Army, had to go down into the waters of the Jordan River seven times to be cured of leprosy (2 Kings 5:14). The Jordan River is also mentioned in the baptism of the Lord Jesus when He was immersed in the waters by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13).
However, more than just being part of stories from the past, the Jordan River continues to mark the history of many people who decided to build a new life. That is why in December 2024, the Campaign of Israel for a New Life took place in the Jordan River, which offered a chance for those who, repenting from their past actions, wished to build a new story by symbolically descending into the waters of the Jordan River.
On January 12th, as the Campaign of Israel concluded, the Prayer of Agreement was broadcast to every temple of The Universal Church. Held in the Jordan River in Israel, the prayer was led by Bishop Edir Macedo, joined by bishops from various countries, representing the global reach of the Church’s evangelistic mission.
During this gathering of faith, Bishop Macedo commented that, for new life to exist, “The old man must die” and that the guidance on baptism left by the Lord Jesus is related to the new birth. “When someone dies, the deceased needs to be buried, and baptism in water represents this burial. When the repentant person ‘dies to the world,’ they become a ‘dead person’ and, in an act of faith, needs to be ‘buried by the waters of baptism,’” he said.
He noted that when the Lord Jesus was baptized, He witnessed the Heavens opening. God’s voice resounded, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). According to Bishop Macedo, the same happens to those who decide to abandon their old life and surrender themselves to the Almighty—“Those who go down into the waters also hear this voice within themselves. And only the person who has repented and died to the world is a new creation and can hear the Voice of God.”
On that occasion, in prayer, Bishop Macedo cried out, “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Father, Thy Name can only be sanctified by those who have been sanctified by Thee. We were separated from the world to sanctify Thy Name. Once Thy Name is sanctified, Thy Word and Thy Kingdom extend throughout the Earth.”
Thus, he determined that the Will of the Almighty would be done in the lives of all the people represented by requests and names taken to the Jordan River by the bishops who joined there in prayer to cry out to God in faith. “May the Holy Spirit descend upon your life, and may you hear the same God said to Jesus wherever you are. To all who believe, may you receive the seal of God,” he concluded.
In an act of faith, the requests of all those on the five continents who participated in the Campaign of Israel for a New Life at the Jordan River were dipped in the river’s water and then ‘buried’ by Bishops Bira Joshua, Júlio Freitas, Domingos Siqueira, Clodomir Santos, Marcelo Pires, Honorilton Gonçalves, Randal Brito and Franklin Sanches. They determined that all those who believed and repented would have their old life buried and would begin to live a new story.
