You can’t help but feel angry, troubled, upset, and sad about the tragic massacre in Maguindanao. The brutal murder of 57 people has plunged our country into a state of sadness and utter disbelief: How could someone do such a thing? Is there anything that could have been done to prevent it? What is happening to our society? Why is there so much evil in this world? The inability of some to reconcile the existence of a loving God with that of an evil and depraved world is one of the primary reasons why many reject the message of the Bible. However while this tragedy will prompt some to question the existence of God, in truth, it is only by turning to God that any real answers can be found.

…When we trust God and choose to follow Him, our suffering is not in vain…

The Bible teaches that God created the whole universe. He created our world and everything in it, but the world He created was very different from the world we live in today. Genesis 1:31Genesis 1:31
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31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. And the evening…: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was etc.  

WP-Bible plugin says that “God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” However when Adam and Eve disobeyed God everything changed, sin and death entered into the world – and into the heart of man. God created man with a free will - the ability to make choices. He could have made us like robots, pre-programmed to love and obey Him. Instead He gave us a choice, because He wanted us to come to Him willingly. Mankind suffers because of its sin, and it is because of our sin that we are separated from God, who is perfect and holy. However there is hope.

The Bible says that everyone has sinned, that the punishment for sin is death (both physical and spiritual), and that our sin separates us from God. Furthermore, there is nothing we can do to obtain the holiness (or perfection) necessary to enter into God’s presence. Left to ourselves, without God’s intervention, we are hopeless. However because God loves us, He has graciously given us a way out of our predicament. He provided us with a substitute, Jesus Christ, who was perfect and blameless, to take our place and bear the punishment for our sins. Because He died for us, we can be forgiven.

When we trust God and choose to follow Him, our suffering is not in vain. The Bible says that God uses trials and obstacles to teach us and draw us closer to Him. Yes, closer and closer…until we finally see Him face to face and leave this world of sin. But in the meantime we’re here to represent the Lord – to love and to care, and to preach the gospel in an uncompromising boldness. When I see tragedy like this, more and more I’m reminded that man’s heart is indeed evil and the only solution isn’t a social program, isn’t a political reform, not even a higher education – but Jesus Christ. When the love of Jesus invades and permeates any one’s heart, that life will never be the same again! I know…for He did it to me!

Let the love of God in Christ fill your whole being today. Let Him touch you again…so that you can be His hand to touch others throughout this week until He returns!

Not as a façade, not a pretension, nor a “Sunday smile” mask I wear, it’s real. Let me tell you why. As I hear people begin their countdown to Christmas, and indeed it is near, I wonder if it still matter to many – if it still brings joy. Would carolers sing “Joy to the world” with real joy flooding their hearts? Is joy supposed to be once a year experience? With all the different things going on in the world today (mostly bad news), can people experience true joy? And the answer is Yes!

…Our joy increases in direct proportion to our intimacy with Christ…

Joy—it makes people wonder at your secret. Yet joy is no secret to the trusting Christian. When we choose to grow closer to God, resting in His character and provision, joy spills over into our lives so that others can’t help but notice. Do you want to be a person of joy? Silly question, isn’t it? We would love to live above our circumstances. Or have a great attitude. Or laugh a lot. But joy goes beyond all these things. Let’s learn from God’s Word the lovely facets of joy:

1. Joy is the fruit of God’s Spirit. More than a great attitude or an unconquerable spirit, joy comes from God (Galatians 5:22Galatians 5:22
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22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  

WP-Bible plugin). Our joy increases in direct proportion to our intimacy with Christ. And when sin keeps us from that relationship, it also robs us of our joy (Psalm 51:8, 12Psalm 51:8, 12
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8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. ¹² Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  

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2. Joy doesn’t depend on circumstances. Paul wrote Philippians—often called “the book of joy”—from a jail cell. He was criticized, tired, and misunderstood. But instead of allowing his horrible circumstances to choke out God’s Word and God’s Spirit (as Mark 4:19Mark 4:19
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. lusts: or, inordinate desires  

WP-Bible plugin describes they often can), Paul chose to concentrate on the joy of knowing Christ (Philippians 2:17Philippians 2:17
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17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. offered: Gr. poured forth  

WP-Bible plugin). Next time you read Philippians, picture Paul’s jail cell … and his face.

3. Joy is a choice. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2James 1:2
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2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; temptation: or, trials  

WP-Bible plugin). Here’s the reality—read it carefully. Life’s painful trials are not joyous in themselves, but when we walk through them, we should be filled with joy. Why? Because of the good God is developing in us and in the situation. We can know real joy while in the scariest storm when we fill our minds and hearts with truth about God.

Joy becomes a transaction between you and God that others can’t help but notice. It’s God’s life spilling over the brim of your life and into others’ lives. When you trust Christ with the details of your life, you experience His life in wonderful excess, and it can’t help but give you reason to smile.

The streets will be quiet, some stores may even be close, and the crime rate go way down and the Filipino people will be united again. Is that possible? Yes. Every time Manny Pacquaio steps on the ring! I’m very sure most Filipinos will be glued again to their television or radio today - just to watch and hear the fight of Pacman against Cotto. He’s fight is always a must-see because of the excitement, the skill and the pride that he brings into the boxing ring for the Filipino people. Both said in an interview that they had never trained like how they trained for this fight. And all the months of training, the hours of preparation, and the amount of discipline and determination to win will be decided today.

…to be strong in the Lord is to surrender and fully submit our heart, mind and will to Him…

But do we ever spend the same energy, having the same enthusiasm, the same discipline and determination to our spiritual life? As you know, we are also in a “ring.” It’s a different kind of a “ring” – it’s the “ring of life” wherein we do battle, we do struggle – not with flesh and blood, but with the spiritual forces in heavenly realms. And this ring we are in isn’t once or twice a year fight– but it is everyday! Here is the real picture of life. Many believers seem to live as if there were no spiritual battles at all. They see Christianity not as an entrance into warfare but as an exit from it. But we are called, in the Christian life, to a battle, not to a life of ease; to a battle, to a warfare, to a wrestle, to a struggle.

Beloved, life is not a playground, but a battleground. When one becomes a Christian it doesn’t mean that the battle is over, no, we just change sides! Oh we wish we would have vacation from that, that we would have a very long break from life’s battles, that we could declare a ceasefire – but no, not in this life. Every time I go out of town for a short break, yes, it’s a break from my duties and responsibilities here, but it’s no break from the temptations and seductions of the world, the flesh and the Devil. I cannot put my guard down. I need to be in constant look out in prayer of the fiery darts that the enemy throws at me and to my family.

So what is the Bible’s command? “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Eph.6:1).” The good news is it is not our strength that equips us to stand, it is God’s strength invested in us when we submit to God. To be strong in the Lord is to surrender and fully submit our heart, mind and will to Him. We stand in the power of His might! Our strength is not in ourselves. Our strength is in Him. Paul said, when I am weak, then I am strong. For His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

So be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!” This phrase could be very loosely translated, “In the grip of His hand.” We don’t have a hold on God. He has a hold on us. In John 10:29John 10:29
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29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.  

WP-Bible plugin, Jesus said, “ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Beloved, as we fight the battles of life, yield to Him by faith, and as we surrender our will to Him and submit our heart to Him, this is the assurance, whatever happens, HE WILL NEVER LET YOU GO! We have a love that never lets us go…and a love that fights for you!

There were some American soldiers stationed on a small island in the South Pacific during WWII. Monkey meat was a real delicacy on this island, and the islanders showed the Americans how they captured monkeys — 1. Put an apple in a wide-mouth jar. 2. Tie a rope around the jar. 3. Tie the other end of the rope around a tree. 4. Wait patiently.

Eventually a monkey will come along, look curiously in the jar, see the apple, reach in and grab it. The monkey’s hand easily compressed to fit into the jar but his fist, holding the apple, was too large to pull out. The monkey, however, would predictably refuse to let go of the apple. The monkey was in effect, tied to the tree by the rope, the jar and the apple. Very soon…monkey adobo! Now think about this for a moment… Was the monkey too stubborn or too stupid to let go of the apple? You know what? It really doesn’t matter. It is the same result: one dead monkey.

Now for the real question…Did the monkey have the apple or did the apple have the monkey?

It is only by letting go that we become free…

There are things that bind us. As long as we hold on to them, their power over us continues. It is only by letting go that we become free. It’s only by surrendering everything to Christ that we experience true freedom.

Now, true freedom is NOT having the freedom to do whatever you want, however you want to do it. We are free in Christ indeed. That means we have the freedom to obey God and live fruitful lives or we have the freedom not to obey Him and choose sin. If we are sincere in our faith we must not willingly abuse our freedom. Paul writes, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:13Galatians 5:13
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13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  

WP-Bible plugin). Jesus didn’t set us free to give us an excuse for sinning. He set us free from sin so we could enjoy a relationship with the Father. He set us free so we might choose to obey and serve Him with sincerity of heart.

We are free to choose the best…

You see freedom has boundaries in order to keep us safe. In Christ we have freedom – within the boundaries of God’s Word. We are free from the punishment of sin, from eternal death, from the past, from fear of the future, but we are not autonomous. We are not free to do our own thing. We are not free from responsibility. We are not free to sin. In fact the Bible says that we are not our own we were bought with a price. That means we belong to Jesus! So it’s not me who is in-charge anymore – it’s Him!

So when Jesus sets us free… We are free to rise above our sin. We are free to live a holy life. We are free to finally CHOOSE what is right. We are free to choose the best. We are free to keep growing. We are free to reach the potential for which God has designed us! Live free!

Today the whole nation commemorates the dead. Cemeteries are filled with people remembering their loved ones who passed away. Death. A very unpopular, not-part-of-daily-conversation kind of a word. We avoid going to funerals if possible and we never just drop by a funeral home to have a cup of coffee. We work out and lose weight and lower our cholesterol and we try to be careful so that death won’t come too close to us. But sometimes death comes and knocks at our door. Other times death breaks the door down and comes barging into the living room whether we like it or not.

Sometimes death stares us in the face and we don’t know what to do or how to respond…

Death is never easy to deal with. Most of the time we can avoid it or try to postpone it or keep it far away from us. But sometimes death stares us in the face and we don’t know what to do or how to respond. In fact, the longest walk you’ll ever take is the walk away from the grave of someone you love. If you have never done that, you can’t imagine how difficult it is. To walk away and feel as if the world has come to an end. It is the longest walk and the saddest day. Every step takes you away from the tombstone of a broken dream. And what is worst is: hell awaits those who do not have Jesus! But there’s good news. Imagine this conversation between a Christian and Death –

CHRISTIAN: Hello, Death, my old enemy. My old slave-master. Have you come to talk to me again? To frighten me? I am not the person you think I am. I am not the one you used to talk to. Something has happened. Let me ask you a question, Death. Where is your sting?

DEATH, sneeringly: My sting is your sin.

CHRISTIAN: I know that, Death. But that’s not what I asked you. I asked, where is your sting? I know what it is. But tell me where it is. Why are you fidgeting, Death? Why are you looking away? Why are you turning to go? Wait, Death, you have not answered my question. Where is your sting? Where is, my sin? What? You have no answer? But, Death, why do you have no answer? How will you terrify me, if you have no answer? O Death, I will tell you the answer. Where is your sting? Where is my sin? It is hanging on that cross. God made Christ to be sin—my sin. When He died, the penalty of my sin was paid. The power of it was broken. I bear it no more. Farewell, Death. You need not show up here again to frighten me. God will tell you when to come next time. And when you come, you will be His servant. For me, you will have no sting.

Where is my sin? It is hanging on that cross.

If you are a believer of Christ, Death need hold no more terror in your life. For Christ “Tasted Death” for us, and triumphed over it on that First Easter Morning. That first Easter morning will ever be known as THE DAY DEATH DIED! So rejoice this morning that through Christ we have eternal life!

This is the theme of our just concluded Calvary Chapel Regional Conference. It was indeed a time of refreshing, encouragement, and instruction. We were reminded to live, work and serve in the light of Jesus’ return. In the parable, the king gave one mina to ten of his servants and told them to ‘Put this money to work until I come back.’ Or, as the KJV puts it, “occupy until I come.” That they were to be engaged in business with this money, to use for the benefit of the kingdom.

Have you been reluctant to use God’s gifts for God because you think you don’t have enough time?

How true also with us. God expects us to put into practice, to use the gifts He has given us for the benefit of God’s kingdom. He has given each one of His servants valuable gifts. He has commanded us to “do business”, to occupy until He returns – for whose benefit? Ourselves? No, His kingdom! Now we all have different amounts of money, and spiritual abilities, but what are some of the things all of us have been given equally by God? I can think of at least three gifts we’ve all been given in equal amounts — 

(1) Time - I’m not talking about the length of your life, because that varies. But each of us has the same amount of time each day–24 hours. Even though we have the same amount, wouldn’t you agree some servants do a better job managing those 24 hours in terms of doing business for God? Have you been reluctant to use God’s gifts for God because you think you don’t have enough time? Do you need more time? Here’s what you do. Start using the time you have to do business for God. Soon you’ll find you have more time. You won’t get 25 hours a day, or eight days a week, it will just seem like you have more time! If you don’t believe it, try this. Starting tomorrow, get up 30 minutes earlier and give that time to God in prayer and personal Bible Study. If you do that regularly, you’ll find you seem to have more time instead of less time.

(2) Truth - As servants of God, we all have the same instruction manual, the truth found in God’s Word, the Bible. God hasn’t given me any more truth than what is available to you. What do you do with the truth you know?

All of us have opportunities to serve our Master…

(3) Opportunities to serve God - All of us have opportunities to serve our Master. Some servants just do a better job of taking advantage of those opportunities. The faithful servants in the parable didn’t play it safe. They risked their lives in doing business for the Master. God honors that kind of bold faith. When you risk it all on serving God, even though you may be afraid, you’ll find that God gives you more and more opportunities!

The undeniable truth is we will be judged by how we manage His gifts. God is looking for a few good spiritual entrepreneurs who are willing to risk their lives doing His business because they love Him. Will you be one? I pray so.

Weathermen reported that there will be 4 to 5 more typhoons that will hit our country before the year ends. Just as we’re still in the rehabilitation stage from Ondoy’s aftermath it seems the nation is yet to brace for another calamity. God forbid. I pray not. And as much as prayer can make a difference, there are things in this life that only God knows why they are allowed to happen. But as I was contemplating on this, with a burdened heart, I can’t help but think of the worst storm that will befall upon the earth…soon!



“Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near.” Zephaniah 1:7Zephaniah 1:7
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7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. bid: Heb. sanctified, or, prepared  

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I’m reminded of Rev.8:1, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” It is right before the final series of judgment that is to come upon the earth. It is a strange, eerie, but awesome silence as if all of Heaven is holding its breath. It’s the lull before the storm. I believe that what they see at the opening of the 7th seal is so terrible, so horrendous, so incredibly frightening, that no one in heaven dares to breathe a word— like the silence in the courtroom, just before the verdict is read — it’s like the silence in the executioner’s chamber, just before he pulls the switch, or administers the lethal injection!

Zephaniah 1:7Zephaniah 1:7
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. bid: Heb. sanctified, or, prepared  

WP-Bible plugin “Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near.” Zechariah 2:13Zechariah 2:13
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13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. his…: Heb. the habitation of his holiness  

WP-Bible plugin - Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.” And also, Habakkuk 2:20Habakkuk 2:20
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20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. let…: Heb. be silent all the earth before him  

WP-Bible plugin – “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” At that point in the book of Revelation, judgment is about to come to the earth like never before. The storm is about to break in all of its fury, and the enormity of what is about to happen causes even God to pause!

Beloved, a great storm is coming…but in Christ you are safe in His hands, washed by His blood and surrounded by His mercy! When things are not going well, when you are down and discouraged, when you are overwhelmed with the pressures and pain of this life — take heart! In a flash…in the twinkling of an eye…in a moment…everything can change. So, the next time someone says “in a moment” – be reminded. That’s all it takes for everything to change.



To be ready is to simply trust Him each moment of your day, to seek to please Him and live godly lives… 2Pet.3:11-13

But in the meantime, what are we to do? We’re to be always ready! And to be ready is to simply trust Him each moment of your day; to seek to please Him and live godly lives (2Pet.3:11-13). 1Jn.3:3 – “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” And we’re to help others get ready for Jesus’ return. How? By sharing the gospel. What about family members and friends who would be left behind? Are we doing the best we can to influence them to accept Christ as their personal Savior? Time is getting shorter. Look up, for your redemption draws near!





Sounds familiar? Facebookers see this all the time in their Facebook account. And there they write whatever is on their mind. Glad that there is still some control of what is only allowed to be written there. Can you imagine if everything that goes on in our mind is written there? If you’re honest, it’s not all pleasant. And so, speaking of the mind, don’t you know that the greatest conflict taking place in the world today is the battle for control of our minds? So much of the walk of the Christian comes down to our minds.

The greatest conflict taking place in the world today is the battle for control of our minds…

You see, what feeds our fears and anxieties are an unhealthy thinking. What intensifies our worries is having negative and bad thoughts. It’s in the mind where worries and fears find their nest. The battle is in the mind. Wrong thinking leads to wrong feelings and before long the heart and mind are pulled apart and we are strangled by worry and paralyzed by fear. Somebody wrote, “Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.”

The battle for any temptation in your life begins in your mind; regardless of what the temptation is, the battle begins in our mind. What we think about, we will eventually feel, and what we feel we will eventually act on. Beloved, pay attention to what you are thinking about. Don’t allow your mind to wander in all kinds of directions. Instead we are to think of whatever is “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Phil.4:8)!

Here are 8 filters. Everything we hear & everything we see need to pass through them. And if it doesn’t make it through these 8 filters then it shouldn’t be in our mind & in our heart. These are guidelines for us to have good discernment in a world that is full of lies and impurities! There is so much garbage in this world. And the old saying “garbage in, garbage out” is true. So think about it.

We are commanded to have pure thoughts, to have minds focused on what pleases God…

Church, we are commanded to have pure thoughts, to have minds focused on what pleases God. The Christian life is to be marked by a holy mind-set – that leads to holy living. We of course do this through the Word of God, giving regular, focused attention to the Bible, opening our minds to its truths, wanting God to mold our thinking by His Word. We do this through fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, building each other up. And through the working of His Holy Spirit in us!

So, WHAT’S ON YOR MIND?

The more I watched on TV the aftermath of typhoon Ondoy, the more heartbroken I become for the victims. Such tragedy. Such pain. Such lost. And then the tsunami in Samoan Island (169 reported dead) and the earthquake in Indonesia (1,100 perished at the time of this writing), are painful reminders that life on earth is very fragile, that in this life there is no guarantee that we’ll be free from any calamity. If not typhoons, earthquakes or tsunamis there may be something else. Everything, just like that, can be swept away! That’s why we’re not to put our hope in this world and the things of the world.

In this life there is no guarantee that we’ll be free from any calamity…

Isaiah 24:18Isaiah 24:18
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18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.  

WP-Bible pluginb-20, “The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of rebellion that it falls – never to rise again.” That’s a decisive prophecy that this world is going to totter on its foundations someday and collapse as we know it; and it will be over.

Before the end comes, God has appointed that this great final shaking be preceded by smaller earthquakes and other calamities to give notice of something awesome, the way contractions and labor pains precede the birth of a child and tell us that it’s coming (Matt. 24:7-8Matt. 24:7-8
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7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.  

WP-Bible plugin). Why birth-pangs? What does it mean? It means that there will be an increasing frequency of these things as the end comes near and that the intensity of them will increase — because that’s the way it happens with labor pains before a birth.

If you ask, “Why should God ordain that there be an increasing frequency and intensity of calamities toward the end of the age, as the Lord draws near?” Well again consider a woman having labor pains. The labor pains warn a mother and father to get ready and go to a safe place to have the baby. God means to give birth-pangs to the world so that the world wakes up and knows something is about to happen. This is mercy with all the tragedy that there is in all the calamities of the world. It’s the loud, clear voice of a holy God saying ‘Get ready there is a shaking coming that will leave no house standing, no building standing, no place to stand but the throne.

Shakable things will be removed and replaced by the unshakable… (Read also 1 John 2:171 John 2:17
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17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.  

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Divine shaking separates the shakable from the unshakable (read Heb. 12:25-29Heb. 12:25-29
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25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: ²⁶ Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. ²⁷ And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. are shaken: or, may be shaken ²⁸ Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: let…: or, let us hold fast ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire.  

WP-Bible plugin). When God shakes the world, people will know what things will last, what will not. Shakable things will be removed and replaced by the unshakable (Read also 1 John 2:171 John 2:17
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.  

WP-Bible plugin). Divine shaking intends to bring to an end the worldly system to bring about the kingdom rule of Christ. Again and again He is shaking people to awake to the reality of the instability of this world — to turn their eyes on that which is eternal and find hope – Jesus Christ and His Word!

Beloved, no guarantees here on earth, but in Christ we are guaranteed eternal life. There are only three things that are eternal: God, His Word and man’s soul. The soul that sins shall die but the soul redeemed by His blood is safe and secure forever!

We live in the generation of Information Overload. Have any question, a topic to research, a subject to study…just google it and boom…not one, not two, but hundreds of links for answers right before your eyes! And sometimes hours are spent just to get into all that! Now I wonder…how many followers of Christ spend time in their Bible reading it, meditating on it, studying it with the desire to apply it in their lives? I know one thing based on observation – there are many who are ignorant of the Scriptures. Just to give you an example of the Bible ignorance, here’s an excerpt from an article — in it contains real answers given on a Bible knowledge test — 





People who said they knew their Bible gave the following answers: 1) Noah’s wife was Joan of Ark; 2) Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by the day and a ball of fire by night; 3) Moses went to the top of Mount Cyanide to get the Ten Commandments; 4) The seventh commandment is, “Thou shalt not admit adultery;” 5) Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption; 6) The people who followed Jesus were called decibels; 7) The epistles were the wives of the apostles; 8 ) Paul preached acrimony, which is another name for marriage; 9) David fought the Finklesteins, which is a race of people who lived in Bible times; 10) A Christian should have only one wife. This is called monotony!

I know it’s funny…but it’s serious at the same time! How can we expect to make a difference in this fallen, self-centered world when the very thing that can bring a change, God’s Word, is not known by those who claim to be followers of it? The members of a certain Chinese church used to have a saying, “No Bible - No Breakfast.” If we follow that motto, I wonder how many of us would go hungry!

For the unbelievers you cannot really expect them to have the right answers. But it is tragic when a person who calls himself a Christian is ignorant of the Word. Ignorance of the Word is ignorance of the Lord. Not knowing the God of the Word is an invitation for deception. And of course, it’s even more tragic when we claim we’re Christian, attend Bible studies and even occupy positions in church yet completely live lives that are opposite biblical teachings. We can know our doctrines, the Bible characters, know the Greek and the Hebrew, but if it’s not translated into daily living and becoming more like Jesus, it’s indeed a tragedy. In this situation, the opposite of biblical knowledge is not ignorance but simply disobedience!





So beloved, log off from Facebook, Myspace, Multiply, Twitter, etc…and be logged on to His Word! It’s a shame to have all the knowledge and infos the internet provides but so lacking and “niwang” about His life-giving and life-changing personal encounter with His UNCHANGING WORD!




Intimacy

Jesus desires to have a very meaningful loving relationship with you. He loves you more than you will ever know. As Paul was praying for the Ephesian church, he prayed that they might know the length, the breadth, depth, the height of the love of Christ which he said, “passes knowledge”. The love of Christ is so great, so intense, so deep and so rich you’ll never know the full depth of His love. Jesus said to his disciples, “Greater love has no man than this that a man will lay down his life for his friends.”

Jesus loves you more than you will ever know and He desires that His love for you will spark a responsive love in your own heart as it did with His disciples. John wrote, “we love him because he first loved us”. As we come to understand His love for us, it strikes within our hearts a responsive cord. I find my heart responding to His tremendous love for me. As my heart responds to His love, I’m drawn unto Him in this deep loving relationship. As the Lord said to the Nation of Israel through the Old Testament prophet, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn you with loving-kindness”.

You remember His message to the church of Ephesus? It was a church that had all kinds of commendation. They were a working church, they were a discerning church. Yes, they even have their theology right. And yet the Lord said, “I have this against you in that you have left your first love. Repent and go back and do the things you did at first”. The Lord is calling the church to come back to that first love, to come back to that deep, intimate loving relationship.

There are many people who have not yet experienced this loving relationship with God. They go to church as sort of a performance kind of an activity or sometimes out of obligation. They have a sense of obligation to be moral and to be community pillars and to live a proper life and it’s proper to go to church, it’s accepted culturally. Church to them is an obligation, a duty. They don’t really know the intimacy of a relationship with Jesus - that glorious loving relationship where you are just caught up in rapture with His glory, with His beauty, with the wonder of His love for you. Where you just sit at times just letting your cup overflow with the consciousness of His love and of His presence and of His goodness, where you pour out your heart and soul to Him and your expressions of love. So when you come into this loving relationship with the Lord, you know the joy. You know the glory, you know the excitement of His presence, the excitement of your heart being so filled with love and the one that you love is there, He’s with you.

This is the theme of our Night of Psalms tonight. Come out and let’s express our love and devotion to the Lord together. But don’t wait for tonight. Let’s do it this morning as we come to worship Him!

What a blessing to see God’s people worship in unison…

The H4U Dipolog trip is indeed a success! We have seen how His Word instruct, correct, rebuke, encourage and build up His people in the worship seminar. How hungry indeed are His people for the teaching of His Word. Can you imagine: it’s supposed to be “snack-time” (break time) and yet they didn’t want the snacks, they want “real food” from His Word! So we continued until lunch break! What a joy to serve God’s people in that way.

In the morning of Sunday, we were also given the privilege to lead worship and teach the Word in a church where we held our Night of Psalms. It was sweet and beautiful! And the Night of Psalms? It’s just amazing! It was full packed (overflowed outside the church building), it was hot (there’s no air conditioning, just electric fans), and you can feel the sticky air! But the beautiful thing is…the worshippers didn’t mind all these! The place was just saturated with praises for Jesus, our King!

And that’s what true worship is - “Worship is that adorning attitude of reverence that is lost in the glory and wonder of all that God is and does!” What a blessing to see God’s people worship in unison, with one voice and sound, with one heart and mind, not minding the comforts, setting aside denominational barriers and forgetting about themselves and focusing on who really is the object of worship – Jesus Christ our Lord!

Now do you know what happens when we worship God in spirit and in truth? It results in — 
First, It will revitalize our walk with Him - Zech.14:17! Are you here this morning worshiping God in spirit and in truth? Or are you just going through the motions? If you are a Christian, have you lost that wonder and the sense of awe of God? That passionate love for Him? That desire to bless Him, not only to be blessed? That heart that is lost in Him (that you are not always looking at your watch, but you are so lost in Him that you are looking to Him, loving every minute of it?) If not, then God wants to revitalize your relationship with Him? How? You need to begin to worship Him. Go back to your “first love.”

The second thing that happens is that one finds that his conscience is quickened by God’s holiness – thus he lives a sanctified life (or separated life). That’s what happened to Isaiah in the 6th chapter. And thirdly, true worship results in witness and Christian service. Don’t say you are a worshiper of God when you don’t want to share it to anyone! A true worshiper worships God with his/her life. He’s a witness to the One true God who is Jesus Christ!