By His Grace Alone…

This Christmas let us remember that it is NOT by our deeds that we are saved.

It is by the Lord’s LOVE and GRACE that we are redeemed… by sending His only begotten son to be born on Christmas day and dying for the sins of mankind.

We don’t merit such immense love and mercy… and yet our Lord chooses to do so.

What a wonderful God we have.

All glory and honor to You who has been eternally faithful to an undeserving people.

Praise to You forever!

In Jesus name…

My Prayer…

…Even if life brings me pain
I remain forever true
I’ll accept it just the same
If it brings glory to You…

An excerpt from a song I wrote for our community’s music ministry entitled, “My Prayer (A Love Song)”.

Revival!

Whoa!  What better place to celebrate Pentecost Revival than in Baguio City, an area known for its wonderful ambience and refreshing atmosphere… !  The overwhelming success of bringing revival to the Summer Capital of the Philippines last May 10, 2008, and how it was embraced by the crowd there is something that we can only credit to the Holy Spirit and the power He has poured forth to the droves and droves who came to the venue to open-heartedly receive.

Praise God…!  Revival has arrived to Baguio City!

We could already feel the Spirit during rehearsals in the venue… it was unmistakable!  Praise and worship run-throughs were already powerful and the entire production crew could already feel the intense atmosphere during setup and preparations.

Though we only had the chance to stay for about 3 days… the climb up was well worth it.  May revival spread all over northern Luzon because of this empowerment by the Lord.

But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  -Acts 1:8

Greed

It’s such a pity to see people enslaved by their own insatiable love for money… the end all and be all of a good number of people I know.

I, myself, was brought up in an environment that believed that “money is king”… my old life was an endless pursuit of worldly wealth.  It was all that mattered.  It was everything to anyone I ever met within my own sphere.  My lifestyle revolved around this vicious cycle of work-pay-splurge-work.  It seemed great… or so I thought.

Looking back now, I realize that even though a huge part of my youth believed that money could fill the void inside me, the emptiness was just too much to satisfy.  It was merely temporary comfort for the vast vacuum in my life.

It’s true… what you gain materially pales in comparison with what can be obtained through spiritual sustenance.  An individual who truly knows God, loves God.  And a person that loves God, needs nothing else but God.

And needing nothing else but the Lord leads to less no disappointments, and loosens one’s grip on worldly expectations.  Letting go of worldly expectations detaches you from the material…

Greed is “lust”… lust for money… and lust is never satisfied.  That being the case, how can a person filled with greed, which is never content with anything, ever be happy?

You can acquire all the riches in the world and still feel empty.  Your life will never be truly filled until you have surrendered everything to the Lord…

Ironic isn’t it?  To be filled, you have to surrender everything… to empty yourself.  The same way the Lord teaches that in order to be forgiven, you yourself have to forgive… that you should love your enemies, not just your friends.  But it’s true.  These are God’s divine ways… and His ways never fail nor do they ever disappoint.

All you have to do is to trust, believe and have faith that the Lord is ALL you need.  Receive Him and let Him do wonders in your life… wonders that money and wealth can never be able to buy or measure up to.

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?  -Mark 8:36

Salt

My wife recently had old friends over to the house to celebrate the birthday of an old classmate of theirs.  Back in the day, they were a close knit band of rowdy friends hanging out not just in campus but around town as well… They’d go to bars, restaurants, regular hang-outs just to chit-chat the night away while drinking alcohol coupled with a handful (to put it mildly) of cigarettes on the side.

This was their old life.  Mine didn’t differ too much from theirs… sans the smoking and drinking of course.  I never was the drinking type… nor was I hooked on nicotine and tobacco.  But that doesn’t mean my old life was more righteous in any sense… it was just as regretful.

Though I didn’t participate in booze sessions within the confines of smoke filled bars and restaurants with friends, I did engage in conversations with them which promoted distasteful humor and gossip and reveled in others misfortunes just to name a few.  Who hasn’t at one time or another?

But now that my wife and I have entered community and renewed our personal relationship with the Lord, it has totally transformed us and completely overhauled our way of life.  It has changed the way we act, the way we speak, even the way we think.

But just as we get more and more comfortable being around folks who share the same zeal and faith in God, more and more also do we get uncomfortable with individuals who engage in immoral and ungodly activities which we once considered to be “okay”.

I remember when, a few months back, I was invited to go to an event out of community wherein it would expose me to the old crowd that I used to hang out with… I was, at first, eager to touch base with them and catch up on old times… but as soon as I was in the same room with them, everything seemed so different… it felt really weird… in front of me were people whom I used to be very very close with and yet it was as if the way we were conversing was that of one stranger talking to another… shooting the breeze, so to speak, took so much effort on my part… in fact, the usual gossiping  and worldly humor that could be seen (and heard) in every corner of the room made me want to bolt out and go home.

It was apparent that I have significantly detached myself from these worldly and unnecessary practices.

But I realized soon after that it wasn’t enough for me to just be satisfied with being in  and around community and to simply keep off the “outside” world and its false promises which I have so quickly grown out of.  In as much as I’d like to avoid being away from the company of people in community, so too must I be immersed in situations wherein I am put in the midst of individuals who are caught up in worldly matters.

It is our mission to bring the word of God to people who have not fully realized the impact it has in their lives.  The Word is not something to be kept only within yourself… The Word was meant to be shared in order to save everyone from eternal damnation.  We have the Word within us… and by being in the presence of those who have yet to encounter Christ in a more personal manner, it is through us and our witnessing that they may be able to gain knowledge and ultimately salvation.

The salt has to be in the soup, in a manner of speaking.

“You are the salt of the Earth…”, says Matthew 5:13… “salt”, the ingredient which effects preservation and prevents corruption…

Salt are we who have heard the Good News and incorporate it in our daily life.  Salt are those who have learned of Christ and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

Not the apostles, not ministers only; but all of us who are thus holy, are the salt of the earth – are to season others.

Now, whenever I find myself in situations wherein I am in the company of those who aren’t part of community, I rejoice and give thanks.  I do so knowing for a fact that the Lord has given me another opportunity to spread the Good News… a new opportunity to testify and to witness to others…

…to truly live the life of one who is called a disciple of Christ…

…one who is a “fisher of men”.

The Kids Are Back… :)

Last Wednesday… we headed back to Rosario, Cavite to resume our regular weekly Team Revival Nights.  We didn’t hold one the previous Wednesday since it was Holy Week.

Well, I’m glad (and relieved) to see that a good amount of kids have started coming back to attend service.  Seems like the “body organ snatching syndicate” (for lack of a better name) have died down a bit.  But that doesn’t mean they aren’t around… they just probably wanted to lay low for the moment.

The syndicate have not been caught yet… but how could they if the authorities themselves are the ones who are first to ignore the cries of the helpless victims?  The police and government agencies have quickly dismissed the issue as rumors and make believe.

I have already delved on that issue “in depth” on one of my previous posts so I won’t go another round at it for now… my story is about the kids who have come back.

It was like a breath of fresh air… seeing the little children playing all around the Marian Hall before the start of service.  The noise that we were used to… the laughter and tiny happy shrieks of boys and girls all around the venue gave renewed hope to the dwellers of our community that love ever abounds and that the Lord always triumphs over evil.

We pray that the horrible incidents of the past weeks are now over and behind us.  And though some people may say that since our authorities have discounted these reports as nonsense… there is nothing we can do, I would be quick to disagree.

There is something we can do.  Pray.  True and effective prayer.  In fact, it is the only effective means of battling and overcoming every form of affliction and adversity.  It is something most people have taken for granted… a way of life that has now been degraded to some sort of ritual… a personal relationship with our Almighty God that has been traded for a life of uncertainty.

This is our wake up call.  God is our first resort… not our last.  If he isn’t first in your lives… then a reevaluation is in order.

Be like the kids in Rosario… learn from them… See their faith.  Feel their faith.

It is what brings them back to service… back to the Lord… again and again.  No matter what the cost…

…even their lives.

“The best place any Christian can ever be in is to be totally destitute and totally dependent upon God, and know it.”  – Alan Redpath

The Tomb Is Empty!

Hallelujah!  The Lord is Risen!!!

The tomb is empty… go and spread the news!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

How Much?

I came from a recollection earlier today held at our Catholic community’s headquarters… and coming out of it was just refreshing!  What better way to spend Good Friday than to spend it on a short retreat.

So, likewise I share this to you… something to think about for the rest of the Holy Week…

We can only fully comprehend how much God loved us when we learn of His passion.

May we all reflect on Christ’s sufferings… as he was mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, beaten and bloodied and ultimately crucified.  May we realize that Jesus not only took on our sins and infirmities but also all our sufferings.

Glory to the Lord… Creator of the Universe… the Alpha and Omega… Ruler of everything seen and unseen.

Pesach!

Yesterday was truly an experience worth treasuring.  Our community, Elim, has a string of events scheduled for the entire Holy Week and last night was the celebration of “Pesach”…

A ceremonial dinner was held at the auditorium and family members were provided their own respective tables.  My family was requested to be on stage where a table was set for us as well.  We were assigned to be the “model family” so that those in the other tables can watch how the ritual was to be done.

I am so thankful to the Lord that my wife and two kids were given the opportunity to serve as well.

Now, just what is “Pesach”, you ask?

Pesach is the Biblical holiday that commemorates the Hebrews’ rapid departure from ancient Egypt. The Jews had just endured over 200 years of exile, including several decades of torturous slave labor, and now God was going to fulfill His promise to Abraham—the promise to redeem the Jews and do justice to their slave-masters. Right before the Exodus, God commands the Jews to sacrifice one lamb per family and mark the Jewish doorposts with its blood. This would be a sign for God to “pass over” the Jewish homes as He slew the Egyptian firstborn—the last of ten supernatural attacks on the Egyptians. This is the origin of the name “Passover.”

We observe Passover much the same way the Jews did on the original Passover during the exodus from Egypt.  Ever since its inception the Passover mandate was to purge the home of any grain-based leavened item before Passover, to eat Matzah and bitter herbs on Passover, and (when we have a Holy Temple in Jerusalem) to bring a lamb as a Passover offering. The lamb is not done today due to the Temple’s absence – may it be rebuilt speedily in our days, but everything else is: the mad, meticulous scrubbing and cleaning of every nook and cranny, the Seders with the Matzah and bitter herbs, as well as four cups of wine, and the Shabbat-like services on the first and last days.

The lesson of Pesach is that you have unlimited potential. In Hebrew, Egypt is Mitzrayim—etymologically related to meitzarim, or borders. The moral of the Exodus story is that we all can escape our personal Egypts. And the “seek-and-destroy-any-leavened-particle” part of Passover teaches us to eradicate our puffed-up, inflated, doughy egos and be simple, flat, unleavened Matzot. The holiday of Pesach contains innumerable lessons, laws and customs.

What Has The World Come To?!

I recently came from my regular Elim missions work over at Rosario, Cavite…

For those who don’t know… I am part of a team that goes to that particular province every week to serve and participate in praise and worship service for Elim dwellers in that area.  I have met a lot of good friends over there… young and old… people who are simply just happy to serve the Lord and serve others as well.

I have posted a good number of pictures here in my blog of my recent visits to Rosario and for those who have probably seen those images, you’d notice that there is a significant amount of kids which come over during our services… mostly from “Dreamland” (a neighborhood built entirely on top of mountains and piles of garbage).  These folks exist in the worst and dire of circumstances.  Flimsy shanties erected on stench-filled waste and plastic and no electricity.

Last Wednesday’s service was particularly different from all the other Wednesday services we’ve held.  There were no kids to be found anywhere near the hall (and church) where our events are staged.  At first, we thought it was just coincidence… little did we know that as soon as we inquired as to why there were no children present, we would learn of tragic and very disturbing news that have been circulating in the entire city.

There is a syndicate that has been making the rounds within the Southern Tagalog region since the past week abducting kids between the ages of 5 to 20.  It wasn’t so much the abduction part that surprised us but what these people have been doing to those helpless kids once they’ve been nabbed…

These kids are then found a few days later in the same location where they were last seen… their bodies inserted in a sack… lifeless… their eyes and internal organs missing.  Sometimes, these bodies are discovered with money ranging between Php 7,000.00 – Php 10,000.00 plugged into their slashed tummies… the syndicate’s wicked and twisted way of justifying their heinous acts and compensating the grieving parents of these children.

These stolen organs are sold to the black market.  Sometimes, the child is found with a note on him that says things like, “Pagpasensyahan niyo na po… napagutusan lang” (in English, “Our apologies, we are just following orders.”).

What kind of person can do such a thing…?!  To a child no less!  How can they look into the innocent eyes of these helpless kids and commit the crimes that they do?!

Have we reached an all-time low?  Has poverty pushed society over the edge?

Just because these young ones aren’t cared for and are regarded to have no bright future ahead of them, doesn’t give these individuals the right to take their lives… nor does it rationalize their evil deeds.

As we started our worship service yesterday… a regular dweller of ours was in tears learning that her classmate met the same fate.  Her classmate was about 14 years old.

Some of the kids who were abducted were not alone walking the streets… some were nabbed right under their mother’s noses… and should the parent/guardian fight back or hold on to their children, they were either killed on the spot or their hands were immediately cut-off to release the kids.  Some of the abductors were even reported to wear nun outfits (yes, some of the perpetrators are female).

It’s equally painful to read something like this and realize that some people who actually CAN help simply brush away the issue and regard it as urban legend, nonsense and hearsay.

As we did our opening song entitled, “Purihin Ang Ngalan Ni Yahweh” (in English, “Praise the Name of Yahweh”), a song we’ve performed countless times in Rosario, the lyrics of the refrain had more meaning, strength and resolve as people who attended the gathering sang in unity with the words as follows:

“Sa kabila ng paghihirap,  (in spite of hardships)
Sa kabila ng kadiliman,  (in spite of darkness)
Di magsisisi kahit minsan,  (never shall I regret)
Papuri pa rin sa Iyong ngalan…”  (Your name I shall always praise)

May the Lord comfort the grieving families and friends of those whose lives have been so mercilessly taken… may He bring swift justice to those who have been behind these wicked acts… and may we all find the shelter and protection we so desperately need that only God can provide.

I urge everyone to please say a prayer for these children.  May God bless us all.