Christianity was first brought in the Philippines by the Spaniards. It was not a very good experience yet we still have to thank them for uniting the Philippines in one belief. There were a lot of positive side that our natives have seen as our country was being Christianize which is mainly the reason why they did not despised the religion even though they don't like the Spaniards.
In our class, there was this one quote that really reminded me a lot of things as I walk my life with God. "God should not be used as a shield and protector of abuses." This idea caused me to reflect a lot of things. Am I using God as a shield for abuses? This statement was said because some of the friars during the time of the spaniards was using the name of God for abusing people. they were taking advantage of other people while threatening them and using the name of God for it.
As a Christian I was reminded of really walking a life that is full of Christ rather than full of hypocrisy. We know that God is gracious and loving, yet we also know that he is judge and will never tolerate sin. He will expose sin no matter how much we try to hide it. And to use his name for disadvantages and abusing other people whom He also dearly loved is really using His name in vain. We must learn and practice walking with God purely and with right intentions. Let us remember that God always looks at the heart. He will always be with us to guide us and protect us, but to expose our sins and to suffer from the consequences of our own doings is his own loving way of disciplining us as His daughters and sons.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
flashback is a good thing
most of the times we tend to forget the things that had happened for the past especially if these thing brought us pain, fear, and more pain. yet sometimes it is good to remember the past. not because we want to experience the pain again but because we want to remind ourselves again and again how God providently worked in every situation.
Last week we had this question and answer with one of the expert when it comes to church history. i was inspired by him because i can see that h really enjoyed answering the question. i mean not juts enjoyed but that he really loves telling about the history of the church. i admire his passion in learning and teaching those kind of stuffs.
seeing the joy in him as he talk to us about the things that he knows about history, i realized trat sometimes, flashbakcs are a good thing too. it give us the truth that all things really work together in the hands of our Lord. i have learned so much in this class that it made me praise God for the pain and hardships that they've been through. because without them getting killed, persecuted, crsuhed, we will never have the chance to experience the joy of knowing Christ. in the same way knowing how God worked in their lives, gives me more confidence of what God is doing to me right now. today, it might be hard, painful, and truly challenging, yet i am confident that in the end I will experience eternal comfort and joy in Christ's kingdom.
and so, it is very important to know the history of the church not because we are required to know about it but because it is one way to gain more confidence in God. To testify throughout the world, that indeed, God will never let us walk alone.
Last week we had this question and answer with one of the expert when it comes to church history. i was inspired by him because i can see that h really enjoyed answering the question. i mean not juts enjoyed but that he really loves telling about the history of the church. i admire his passion in learning and teaching those kind of stuffs.
seeing the joy in him as he talk to us about the things that he knows about history, i realized trat sometimes, flashbakcs are a good thing too. it give us the truth that all things really work together in the hands of our Lord. i have learned so much in this class that it made me praise God for the pain and hardships that they've been through. because without them getting killed, persecuted, crsuhed, we will never have the chance to experience the joy of knowing Christ. in the same way knowing how God worked in their lives, gives me more confidence of what God is doing to me right now. today, it might be hard, painful, and truly challenging, yet i am confident that in the end I will experience eternal comfort and joy in Christ's kingdom.
and so, it is very important to know the history of the church not because we are required to know about it but because it is one way to gain more confidence in God. To testify throughout the world, that indeed, God will never let us walk alone.
the true heart of a servant
I know some of us has been a beneficiaries of a ministry from the Church in which they help the people around the church, the community in where they belong, and to all other people who they man to minister. We've been hearing a series of outside of the 4 corners of the church ministries these past few weeks. Our minds was opened to the need of urgent people to the people outside our church. Some here, maybe already imagining themselves going to other places for any medical missions or any programs that extend help to other people.
it is indeed a good works which our salvation bore. it is indeed our mission to reach out everyone to the ends of the earth. and so, for the purpose of reaching them our, we do anything, i mean is that we do our best to capture our heart through serving them. yet, we must be very careful in using social action for our ministries. We must be careful, especially to our motives. we all know that God sees the heart, and everything that we do is rubbish to Him if he sees that our heart is hypocrite in doing so. We must always examine ourselves, if we still do the things that we do four the glory of God and not for the applause that we can get from the people around us.
it is indeed a reminder to us that we must do the work truly and sincerely for the glory of God, not for our church, or our religion, nor to ourselves.
it is indeed a good works which our salvation bore. it is indeed our mission to reach out everyone to the ends of the earth. and so, for the purpose of reaching them our, we do anything, i mean is that we do our best to capture our heart through serving them. yet, we must be very careful in using social action for our ministries. We must be careful, especially to our motives. we all know that God sees the heart, and everything that we do is rubbish to Him if he sees that our heart is hypocrite in doing so. We must always examine ourselves, if we still do the things that we do four the glory of God and not for the applause that we can get from the people around us.
it is indeed a reminder to us that we must do the work truly and sincerely for the glory of God, not for our church, or our religion, nor to ourselves.
Discipline of purity
One of the essential qualities that must be present in every live of the believer is having moral purity. as we submit ourselves under the lordship of Christ at the same time we also committed ourselves to an obligation of maintaining to walk with integrity and holy life. Paul in the same way, on some of his letter, for example in his letter for the Corinth church, he ought them to live in a way of purity and holiness (2 Cor.7:1). one of the reason that we must be holy and pure, is that because the God that we believe in is Himself holy and pure as well. And so everyone who bears the name of Christ is expected to seek and preserve purity. and purity in the church will start in ourselves, for we our the church.
As I learn more in reading God's word and in our class, it is indeed that discipline is the key to maintaining purity. We are to apply discipline in ourselves and even in the whole church as general. we must be careful, as ambassador of Christ that we will not display a false character of God through our actions.
The purity that was displayed by the puritan movements is really admirable and worthy to be imitated. For they maintained a holy life through devoting themselves into prayer and abstaining from the worldly things. Yet, in the way we practice our beliefs, we must not misinterpret the word of God.
Truth is that our God is forgiving, kind, loving, and merciful. He is not the kind of God that others thinks who is KJ or a God who will suck out all our happiness. in reality, God must be our Joy himself. He always wants what is good for us. He knows what will harm us and what will benefit us. He works everything in our lives all together for our own good. So, in conclusion, if God does not allow us to do something, it means that He is keeping us from any harm, and or if He allows us to sin or do something, It is because for his own plan, for the glory of his name. He knows what he is doing and so we must chill, listen, and just obey him.
As I learn more in reading God's word and in our class, it is indeed that discipline is the key to maintaining purity. We are to apply discipline in ourselves and even in the whole church as general. we must be careful, as ambassador of Christ that we will not display a false character of God through our actions.
The purity that was displayed by the puritan movements is really admirable and worthy to be imitated. For they maintained a holy life through devoting themselves into prayer and abstaining from the worldly things. Yet, in the way we practice our beliefs, we must not misinterpret the word of God.
Truth is that our God is forgiving, kind, loving, and merciful. He is not the kind of God that others thinks who is KJ or a God who will suck out all our happiness. in reality, God must be our Joy himself. He always wants what is good for us. He knows what will harm us and what will benefit us. He works everything in our lives all together for our own good. So, in conclusion, if God does not allow us to do something, it means that He is keeping us from any harm, and or if He allows us to sin or do something, It is because for his own plan, for the glory of his name. He knows what he is doing and so we must chill, listen, and just obey him.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
let your voice be heard
I have never been very good at expressing myself. I have never been very good at standing on my ground, of speaking of what I believe is true. I am loud, yes,it is true, but I wonder when it comes to saying what is right I tend to get mute. And I realize, it's the fear, it's the uncertainties, the what if's, and all bad things I could think of when I go and speak, speak against what others thought is true. Speaking for the truth and standing on my ground is difficult but a life of one of the well known as the Father of Reformation was used by God to spur me. Martin Luther, a courageous servant of God who refuse to recant the things that he believed in to be the truth. He stand on what is true, he defended his faith.
the same way as Luther, I want to be brave, to be courageous, to be firm, to be bold when it comes to defending the Gospel. i want to show to the bunch of people who keeps on trying to eliminate the truth from this world, that the truth is not something to be ashamed of. the truth is not something to be keep as secret, to hide inside the box let other people die of blindness from the word of God. If we are not going to say it, who then will be? Let us give one another the courage to speak the best story. Let us break the silence, let us not be ashamed, run and tell that story.
the same way as Luther, I want to be brave, to be courageous, to be firm, to be bold when it comes to defending the Gospel. i want to show to the bunch of people who keeps on trying to eliminate the truth from this world, that the truth is not something to be ashamed of. the truth is not something to be keep as secret, to hide inside the box let other people die of blindness from the word of God. If we are not going to say it, who then will be? Let us give one another the courage to speak the best story. Let us break the silence, let us not be ashamed, run and tell that story.
an artistry from a broken glass
The crimes, death, wars, hunger and many more problems constantly appearing everywhere is inevitably can make people think or ask "is there really a God?" "if there is, then why are we suffering right now"
Sounds familiar right? I think so, because even I have asked that question many times in my past. There are lot of things which made me think that I am alone. It made me think that no ones with with, no one cares about me, and that God that I once believed had abandoned me. But as I look back from where I am right now, I can clearly see the work of God's providence throughout my 19 years of existence.
Truly God can turn the mourning into dancing. He can create a wonderful artistry out of broken abandoned glass pieces. I realized that all this things that I went through, I was not alone. Instead, God is with me, that even though the world keeps on breaking me, He was always there to pick me up and mend me. My brokenness brought me closer to God. I was in seemingly hopeless situation when the light of hope and love of God shone on my face.
And so I was about to graduate from the Bible School and be send out to the field, out of my comfort zone, I realized that everything that God made me go through is part of his preparation for the ministry that he had set for me before anything else. I am a work in progress. I am not fully grown but slowly being shown by the one who loves me. as what i have said before, we cannot put a period to where God puts a comma. All the circumstances, the pain, and the problems that we are right now, it is not the end. instead, it is just the start to a better and most awaited work of God in you, in all the believers, to all his people for His glory and honor alone.
being who we are called to be
Images like this is rampant when you look at it on google. And so what does it mean then? it just means that, hypocrite Christians are already on trend nowadays. Sometimes, I wonder why people keep on posting their faces on social medias, captioning it with beautiful verses from the Bible. We keep on talking about Jesus but refuses to act like Jesus.
We Christians, must always remember that if be keep on saying that we are Christians and doesn't act like one, we are not putting our self to shame but we are putting Christ on it. We must learn how to balance our beliefs with our thoughts, words, and actions.
you know what, this reality is the most painful one for Christians. For we are bearing the name of Christ, the most loving, kind, gracious, and understanding. but what do we do? we stereotypes, instead of letting the feel the grace of God, we keep on being hypocrites, we judge them like we are the only one who knows what is right and do it. this is foolishness, this is not what it is supposed to be.
So, we Christians must be extra careful, maybe we keep on talking about believing God and that is only by words and not by heart. Maybe we just say we are reading the Bible, but we are not doing our best to act the things that we read. It is good to be godly, but remember that it is better to be Christlike. to imitate Him, to act like Him, to radiate his grace, his love, his mercy, and unfailing greatness. We are ambassadors of Christ, let us strive and thrive to be a good representative.
We Christians, must always remember that if be keep on saying that we are Christians and doesn't act like one, we are not putting our self to shame but we are putting Christ on it. We must learn how to balance our beliefs with our thoughts, words, and actions.
you know what, this reality is the most painful one for Christians. For we are bearing the name of Christ, the most loving, kind, gracious, and understanding. but what do we do? we stereotypes, instead of letting the feel the grace of God, we keep on being hypocrites, we judge them like we are the only one who knows what is right and do it. this is foolishness, this is not what it is supposed to be.
So, we Christians must be extra careful, maybe we keep on talking about believing God and that is only by words and not by heart. Maybe we just say we are reading the Bible, but we are not doing our best to act the things that we read. It is good to be godly, but remember that it is better to be Christlike. to imitate Him, to act like Him, to radiate his grace, his love, his mercy, and unfailing greatness. We are ambassadors of Christ, let us strive and thrive to be a good representative.
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