In Brazil, Brenda Matos’s project is thriving during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Published on: 05-18-2020
In a dynamic but relaxed way, 21-year-old Brenda Matos from Brazil is sharing biblical messages with thousands of internet users with her videos published daily on the TikTok social media network.
The TikTok app, which features short videos, has become increasingly popular during the quarantine caused by COVID-19.
In Matos’s homemade productions, she shares Christian reflections, tips on how to study the Bible, suggestions for reading the books of Adventist Church cofounder Ellen White, and a series of stories about Protestant reformers.
Her TikTok account has 45,000 followers, and people have “liked” her posts more than 400,000 times. She launched the initiative after the pandemic began, and every day, she says, she is reaching more and more people interested in sound biblical content.
Matos records her short videos at home in Joinville, Santa Catarina, with her smartphone. According to Matos, she first had the idea of producing resources after she watched a video in which Victor Bejota, a pastor and host on Adventist TV network Novo Tempo, who produces videos for the internet, spoke of the influence of Christian youth in social media.
After connecting with some friends a few days after watching that video, Matos remembered Bejota’s comment and decided to launch her internet evangelism project as quickly as possible. She said she prayed and told God that she was giving her social networks and talents to Him.
“I asked God to wake me up for worship on Saturday morning,” Matos recalled. “During the night, I woke up and couldn’t sleep again. Then I understood that God wanted to show me something, so I got up and prayed.”
Matos shared how, when she chose a song to kickstart her day, her Bible app sent her a notification about her daily reading.
“I read John 10:11, where it says that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep. After reading this verse, I was very moved and decided to record my first video talking about the Bible,” Matos said.
God’s Answer to Prayer
In her first video, recorded in April, Matos reached 40,000 views. In it, she reflected on the biblical text she had read in the book of John. After that first video, thousands began to follow her publications.
“It is unbelievable. I got so excited! It was the answer to a prayer I had prayed two months earlier. God answered right away,” Matos said. “He made His will clear, so I make my best effort, because it is all for Him.”
In addition to her content “likes” and views, people have interacted with her posts through comments. In some cases, followers come to Matos to report their experiences after watching her messages.
“One young woman messaged me on my Instagram profile and said that she had had suicidal thoughts, but after watching my tips, she realized that she could feel relief once she studied the Bible,” Matos shared.
Evangelism on Instagram
The success of Matos’ videos on the TikTok app also trickled down to her followers on her Instagram profile, which have more than doubled. As a result, she also launched a Bible study project on that social network.
“I recently studied the Bible book of Mark with 15 people, including Adventist church members and people from other faiths,” Matos said.
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.
Paulo Ribeiro
To bind together the Adventist people as we wait for Jesus to come back, by sharing news and information about the church plus articles on doctrine, spiritual growth and mission.
