Automobile drivers know that the rear view mirror is an important part of a vehicle…but they don’t fix their eyes on it, always looking at what’s behind. It’s going to be disaster if they do! And do you notice that it’s so small compared to the windshield in front of you? What is it saying? That we’re to look ahead more than we look back! As we enter into the new year, I have a Word from the Lord for all of us: THE LORD SAYS, `Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I’m doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18Isaiah 43:18 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
God is saying, …”don’t think about the past. It’s over. If you can learn from it, learn well, but the book’s closed on it.”
Listen to what God is saying in this verse. Forget about what’s happened before. He says don’t think about the past. It’s over. If you can learn from it, learn well, but the book’s closed on it. We need to understand that God is far more interested in our future than He is in our past. Some people think that God is stuck on their past. That all He wants to do is remind them of the things that they have done wrong. God is more interested in your future than He is with your past. That’s where you’re going to spend the rest of your life. He says, “Forget about your past. Forget about the former things. Don’t think about it. Look at the new thing I’m going to do.”
Israel was being punished for their sins and rebellion against God. God wanted to give hope and encouragement to His people. He wanted them to know that even though they were being punished they were not being forsaken. God wanted His people to understand that the punishment that they were experiencing would not be the end of them. The fact is that God want to give them a fresh start in life, a new Beginning in life. Israel no doubt was discouraged because they thought this was the end of them. They had gone too far, they had sinned and rebelled against God to the point that He would no longer be their God. Maybe they thought ‘God would not deliver us again, it’s over’. They could remember the former things, but they couldn’t see their future. That is why God said; “ I am going to do something new.
Every new day His mercies are fresh and every day is an invitation to receive afresh His mercy, His forgiveness.
Maybe that is where you are this morning! You feel that you have made so many mistakes, you have failed God so many times and you have sinned it all away. That God doesn’t want anything to do with you. You feel and believe that you have no future with God. The good news is, God is saying, “ It’s not over, I have plans for your life. I am about to do something new for you. ” And you don’t have to wait for a new year to do that. Every new day His mercies are fresh and every day is an invitation to receive afresh His mercy, His forgiveness. God wants to do a new thing in your life. Come to Him with humility and repentance today, with heart wide open to receive His healing grace and with your mouth ready to declare His goodness and faithfulness!
A SPIRIT-FILLED, CHRIST GLORIFYING NEW YEAR TO ALL!
This day the whole world focuses on one event — Christmas. Everything will become secondary for one 24-hour period while we celebrate Christmas. But what is so special about Christmas? It is the centerpiece of our history. Even our calendar is dated from
God split history with the event of Christmas. Everything is either A.D. or B.C.
the reference point of Jesus Christ. God split history with the event of Christmas. Everything is either A.D. or B.C. What is so special about Christmas? Read Philippians 2 and you’ll know. There is the greatest explanation in the Bible of who Jesus Christ is and what He came to do. This is the bedrock, the foundation of all that we believe. I want to give you the 4 R’s of Christmas –
1.THE RELEVANCE OF CHRISTMAS: GOD CAME TO EARTH - When Gen. Douglas MacArthur landed at the Island of Leyte on Oct.20, 1944, fulfilling his promise to return, that was big news. That is nothing compared to the news when God invaded earth. It was big news when man landed on the moon and walked there. It’s bigger news when God landed on the earth. Jesus Christ is God Himself. It was God that came to earth!
God invaded earth. That is the relevance of Christmas. Over and over the Bible repeats and Jesus proclaims that He is God. We must remind ourselves that Jesus did not begin His existence in the manger at Bethlehem. He was without beginning. Jesus even declared in John 8:58John 8:58 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
WP-Bible plugin – “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!”
II. THE REALITY OF CHRISTMAS: GOD BECAME A MAN – This is even more difficult to understand. If you were God and were going to come to earth, of all the ways you could choose to reveal yourself, would you come as a baby? As a human being? The reality of Christmas was that Jesus Christ was a real man, flesh and blood, bones, hair. He was a real person, not a myth, fable, a nice story. Our God has not remained remote and unapproachable. He has come to us in person. He did not just write us a letter. He did not just send us a representative. He did not just speak His laws from a mountain. He came to us as one of us. The Infinite became an infant. The Eternal One became a little one.
Jesus didn’t stay in a crib in a manger. He grew up went to a cross and… laid down His life for us.
III. THE REASON FOR CHRISTMAS: JESUS CAME TO DIE- Jesus didn’t stay in a crib in a manger. He grew up went to a cross and voluntarily laid down His life for us. The Bible says He did it for two reasons: 1) To demonstrate God’s love (Romans 5:8Romans 5:8 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
WP-Bible plugin). Somehow what He did 2000 years ago can make a difference in my life right now. I can be completely forgiven for everything I’ve ever done wrong or will ever do. That’s the reason for Christmas. The angels said, “For unto you this day is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
IV. THE RESULT OF CHRISTMAS: JESUS IS LORD – He did not remain dead. He rose again! And the Father has given Him the place of top honor in the universe. He’s honored above all else – the highest place. Is He your Lord today? Celebrate Christmas worshiping, adoring, loving the Lord of all!
A CHRIST-CENTERED AND SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
Many people have asked me this question. For some suggest that there are several reasons why a Christian should have nothing to do with the modern celebration of Christmas.
First, some say that a Christian should have nothing to do with the modern celebration of Christmas, because of the name of the holiday, Christmas. The very name Christmas is offensive to some because the name is derived from the combination of two words, “Christ” and “mass”. The word means “the mass of Christ.¨ Some, therefore, are offended by what they think is an association with the Catholic Church. But the root meaning does not in reality have anything to do with Catholicism it means “Christ is sent.” It would seem that name accurately presents what the holiday is all about. In fact Galatians 4:4Galatians 4:4 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
WP-Bible plugin says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.”
Second, some say that a Christian should have nothing to do with the modern celebration of Christmas, because of the use of Christmas trees. Some quote Jeremiah 10:2-4Jeremiah 10:2-4 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. customs...: Heb. statutes, or, ordinances are vanity
4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
WP-Bible plugin as forbidding the use of Christmas trees (Go and read it). If indeed this passage referred to decorated Christmas trees it would most certainly be wrong to have them. But when we read this verse in the context of the whole chapter we find that what is being described is the practice of felling trees and carving idols from them.
I, personally, do not put up Christmas tree in our house not because it’s idolatry, no, simply because it’s something that you can live without. In our family we like to always keep things simple. Now it is true that some Christians are offended or stumbled by Christmas trees so for them it’s wrong. I respect that. But I don’t find it a sin to put up one. Why? Because just as we are redeemed people, we’re called to redeem our society and point them back to the cross. What do I mean? I can use a Christmas tree to tell people that God also has a tree, it’s called the Cross and explain to them how Jesus was hanged on a tree(1 Peter 2:241 Peter 2:24 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. on: or, to
“I can use a Christmas tree to tell people that God also has a tree…”
And Thirdly, some say that a Christian should have nothing to do with the modern celebration of Christmas, because December 25th is the wrong date. Jesus was probably not born on December 25th. This date was chosen because it was a pagan holiday already being celebrated. It seems Christian leaders endeavored to keep Christians from being a part of this pagan celebration by giving them a Christian festival on the same day, celebrating the birth of Christ.
Would the Lord be opposed to the celebration of a non-biblical holiday? We might find some guidance in what transpired in John 10. Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem at the beginning of an observance of a non- biblical holiday (non-biblical in the sense that it was not commanded in the word of God) called the Feast of Dedication or Feast of Lights (Channuka). How did Jesus respond? Did He stay at home and refuse to participate? Did He condemn those that did participate? NO!! He was right there in the temple in the middle of the celebrants using it as a teaching opportunity.
That’s what we’re to do. What is not an obvious sin we can use as a teaching tool about Jesus Christ. We should be right there among them looking for every opportunity to tell them about the reason for the season, the child who was born to save them from their sins. Let us approach this Christmas echoing the glory expressed by the angel in Luke 2:10-11Luke 2:10-11 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
WP-Bible plugin, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord!”
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 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 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 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 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 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
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!
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!
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!
CCD celebrated its first Church Family Day, combining all three services as one, at the Macias Sports Complex. Watch and enjoy the slideshow presentation.
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!
It’s been raining hard, floods in some parts of Manila, classes and offices suspended at the time of this writing. And there I was missing my kids terribly, can’t wait to go home. It was a good time with my family though. Nice to minister and spend time with my Dad and Mom who are not getting any younger. Well your life may be in a storm right now and the flood waters are engulfing you. If you are, let me remind you that God has the whole world in His hands.” Remember the old gospel song? He’s got the wind, the rain, the tiny little baby, yes, even you and me in His hands.
He’s got the Middle East in His hands (that’s a relief, isn’t it?), not to mention North Korea and Iran…
His Sovereign Hands
How easy it is to forget that! And it isn’t limited to our geography or our culture, you know. He’s got the Middle East in His hands (that’s a relief, isn’t it?), not to mention North Korea and Iran, Cuba and India, Indonesia and Russia—all right there in the palms of His sovereign hands. And while we’re at it, He’s got our future, our children, our circumstances, our friends, and our foes in His hands . . . within His grasp . . . under His control. He’s there—in charge.
God Knows Your Ways . . .
But there are times when we find it really hard to believe that our circumstance is truly in His hands. Not only are the wind and the rain and the tiny little baby in His hands, but so are life’s minor interruptions as well as major calamities. In fact, would you believe they never leave His attention? There will be times we will need the reminder of the wise prophet named Isaiah, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” (Isaiah 49:16Isaiah 49:16 English: King James Version (1611) - KJV 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
WP-Bible plugin) In other words, God sees us exactly as we are . . . warts and all, needs and all. He sees everything. And how close does He view it? It’s in the palms of His hands. God knows your ways . . . and He knows them continually. That includes your responses, your experiences, your reactions, what you call your calamities, your dead ends, your so-called impossible situations.
He has inscribed you and me on His palms. Things aren’t out of control…
Unshockable
Not only does He have you and me, the wind and the rain, and the tiny little baby in His hands, He has yesterday’s failures. He has today’s challenges, He has tomorrow’s surprises right there in His hands. And not one of them causes God to gasp. Not one causes Him to react with surprise, “Ah! I never knew that.” Not one. He is unshockable, He is immutable.
He’s got the whole world in His hands. What’s more, He has inscribed you and me on His palms. Things aren’t out of control.
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 –
