"Christians in danger of God"

This sermon is from a co-worker (by this I don't mean from the same church rather as part of a nameless and faceless cause to uplift the true meaning of being a Christian) in the Lord back in Silliman University in Dumaguete City. =)


I pray that as you read this, you would hold yourself accountable. You can disagree if you like. =) IF you believe in God, may this sermon cause you to question the status of your spirituality and seek the truth with sincerity.


Also sharing the original link to Micah's blog --> http://micahdagaerag.multiply.com/journal/item/14/Christians_in_Danger_of_God



Christians in Danger of God

Matthew 7:13-27
It is a great privilege to be here before all of you this morning. I am deeply humbled and honored for this sacred opportunity to preach the Word of God to this church. But this morning I’m going to share with you a warning from Scripture.

Now let me say this before I begin. There are issues lying deep under our church’s spirituality that must be addressed and brought to the light. There is so much at stake this morning that many of you don’t understand. So let me tell you where I’m coming from as I preach to you. I will preach as a dying man, to a dying people. I will preach as though I will never preach again. I will tell you things that have been misunderstood. I will tell you things that have caused so much anger against me. I will tell you things that have been denied. And I will tell you things that you say I don’t have a right to tell you about.

You see, preaching is a very dangerous thing. It’s dangerous for me, because Scripture says that false teachers will undergo a much greater condemnation. And so if what I’m teaching you is not true, I am in a great deal of trouble and have every right to do this with fear and trembling. But if what I tell you is true, then you’re the one with cause for fear and trembling. Because if I interpret this Scripture correctly, it will be as though God was truly speaking through a man, and your problem will not be with me. It will be with God and His Word.

Now, it may be true that you can accuse me of arrogance, or that you will not like my delivery. I have many times been arrogant, and I have many times delivered God’s Word in a wrong way. But don’t use that as an excuse for you. The question is: what I am saying, is it true? And if you don’t like what I am saying, is it because I am offending God’s thoughts, or your personal thoughts? Because if I do this right, my friends, I will not be preaching my own thoughts, but God’s. So that if you find yourself offended by my preaching, I will be the least of your problems. Because it will show that you are in rebellion to God’s Word, and are answerable, not to me, but to Him.

But there are some of you who will listen to this, and you will say Amen, and think “Yeah, these people need this kind of bashing from the pulpit.” I advise you to be careful about your heart, my friend. Though you may have certain grievances against this church, you have to realize that all of us bear a measure of blame and guilt for the current spiritual condition of our church. And it is not good at all. So if you have attained to some spiritual maturity, what do you have that you didn’t receive from God, and if you have received it, why do you boast? That’s what the apostle Paul advises us.

Post-Intro

This past year God has carried me through the hardest struggles I have ever had to go through, in my heart and in my mind. And now I realize that all of them have been in preparation for the great burden that He has given me to preach today, which is this: in the Philippines, the great majority of the so-called Christian population is in danger of God. Many, if not all of us who are members of a church, believe ourselves to be in a right relationship with God, and we actually believe we will go to Heaven with the Lord when we die.

But herein lies the burden and the heaviness of what I am about to preach: the alarming reality that we need to face as Christians is that when we study the Scriptures, it will show that there is an overwhelmingly great number of us whom the Lord will say to in the Day of Judgment, “'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Do you see what Jesus is saying? We owe it to ourselves to check whether or not we are part of those the Lord will dismiss on the last day. Our eternal security depends on this.

Now, at this point, some of you will think, “What right does this guy have to question salvation and bring doubt into the faith of his church mates?” “You shouldn’t judge anyone’s salvation. It’s between them and the Lord.” My friend, I would like to submit to you that the Bible actually demands this very act of checking personal salvation. In 2 Corinthians 13: 5 the Apostle Paul commands the church in Corinth, saying, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” Why does Paul write this? Because of Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7!

Verses 13-14

Let’s start in verses 13 and 14. Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

First observation: Jesus says that for each and every person alive in the world today, that person can walk in only one of two gates: one narrow, and one wide. He says that the majority of people go through the wide gate, and it has an easy way, or path. If you take a good look around you, this means that most people in this church, most people in your office, most people in your school, are all on the wide gate leading to destruction, probably including yourself. It would seem that our general direction in life is through that wide gate. Every single person is born by default heading into that wide gate of destruction.

Now, you need to understand, and see that the wide gate, is what is easy. The wide gate is what is natural. The wide gate is what is worldly popular. The wide gate doesn’t want you to suffer, if in your suffering you end up drawing closer to God. The wide gate wants to give you your best life now, if that’s what it takes to get your mind off of God and on your material success and prosperity. The wide gate is what is theologically liberal, meaning it accepts that you can believe in any god or gods, but as long you are sincere and religious enough you can still make it to Heaven. I just recently discovered that Oprah herself believes in a unified idea of religion, the belief that Jesus is just a way, but not the way, and that Christ didn’t come to bring salvation, but a higher state of Christ-consciousness, which is based more on Indian mysticism than the Bible. And millions of people subscribe to her brand of religion all over the world, which doesn’t believe that Jesus is God and that salvation in the next life is possible only in Him.

The wide gate doesn’t want to offend anyone, but seeks to equate all religions as the same, and it means denying Christ as He claimed to be. It is often politically correct. The wide gate dismisses true spirituality as burdensome and unnecessary. It doesn’t like the idea of being serious enough in our spiritual life, because it thinks it’s too corny. The wide gate can also be false religiosity, trying to earn points for Heaven, and hypocritical and dishonest ways of being a Christian. And because it is wide and many enter through it, it is seductive. The wide gate doesn’t want you to leave it. It knows that it leads into destruction and it wants to trap and ensnare and devour as many souls as it can. If anyone tries to leave the wide gate, that wide gate will try to ensnare him back. It will fight to keep you. And it uses many ways of deception, just to keep you in what is popular, keep you in what is easy, and you don’t have to worry about how God thinks about your life and the true status of your eternal destiny.

But Jesus says it is a gate and it is a way that leads to destruction. People who live lives like these are going to Hell, whether they believe it or not. And this is not my word, this is Jesus’. We would do well to believe Jesus because He alone is called Faithful and True in Revelation. He is the perfect witness of the Father, and if He says so, then it is so. What keeps true preachers on their knees in prayer is the fact that in a hundred years, the great majority of the people in their church will most probably end up in Hell, unless he challenges them to make their calling and election sure, as the apostle Peter warned us.

Now, about the narrow way. Jesus says we ought to enter by the narrow gate. Now, by experience we know that a narrow gate is harder to spot, than a wide gate. A wide gate can just sit idly at the side and still be noticed by anyone passing by. But a narrow gate necessitates a search. A careful search. Anyone who is not looking for the narrow gate will never find it, nor even see it. So the question is, when was the last time you seriously, earnestly sought Christ? Because if you have no memory of ever wanting to seek Christ to believe in Him, you have never strived to get out of the wide gate looking for the narrow one, and therefore still are on the wide gate and are in danger of Hell. If there is no desire within you to seek and thirst after God, my friend, you better start mourning over yourself and seek God’s mercy. That He give it to you.

Let me ask you another question. We are all here as church members, and we identify ourselves as Christian in almost everywhere we go: birth certificates, application letters, résumés, clubs, and so on. You confess Christ, most likely because you were born into a Christian background, and born into a church background, and you confess Christ as of now. The question is, if you had been born a muslim, or a hindu, or a Buddhist, would you have made any effort at all to see and check for yourself whether the god you believe in is the real true living God, so that you will end up where you are right now, a Christian? And if you are here as a “Christian” and yet have made no real and serious inquiry as to whether or not the God you believe in is the one true God, you are in danger of being in the wide gate yourself.

Are you seeking Him? Before coming here to church, were you seeking Him? Yesterday, were you seeking Him? The day before that, were you seeking Him? Today, did you already have it set that you will be seeking after Him? Tomorrow, do you know that you are going to be seeking Him? Seek Him, find the narrow gate, for the narrow gate is Christ Himself. In John 10:7-9 it says, “Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’” When we truly seek to know and obey and live for Christ, by faith in Him and repentance of our sins, we escape the wide gate, and enter through the narrow gate, which is Christ. And few, Jesus said, will find it. Few will want to seek Him in truth. Few will want to truly obey Him. Only a few will leave the wide gate of destruction, to seek after the narrow one. And few will be saved.

And Jesus doesn’t just say that the gate is narrow, He also says that the way is hard. Acts 14:22 says, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Let me ask you something, do you have difficulties and hardships as a direct result of your faith in Christ? Do people ridicule and mock you behind your back because you are someone who sincerely wants to obey the Lord and live your life for Him? Have people slandered and maligned you because you couldn’t compromise the truth? Have you ever been made fun of, or lost opportunities or wealth or respect because you wanted to be a faithful witness to God? Or do people speak ill of you rather because you actually blatantly sin and do wrong?

Suffering and hardship are validations of a legitimate and true relationship with God through Christ. Obedience to God will always be hard because we live in a world that hates the God we want to obey. Just look at all those TV programs, those popular music bands, liberal teachers in your schools that make a mockery out of God. Jesus said if the world persecuted and killed Him, how much more will the world hate and persecute us, who are His servants? So that if you are not suffering or persecuted in some way by the world, something is wrong, and you need to check whether you are still a true believer or already a compromising one. If there is nothing wrong with your life because of your faith, something is wrong with your faith.

Hebrews 12: 3-8 says, “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” If you’re suffering as a Christian, rejoice. Don’t be surprised by it. But if your Christianity right now doesn’t achieve the slightest opposition from people who don’t know God, you’re probably still in the wide gate, and you need to repent, turn back and seek Christ and His mercy. Get to the right gate. Before it’s too late.

Verses 15-23

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

In this next set of verses, Jesus addresses two kinds of people, both of them false, and it is implied that these people will find the biggest shock of all eternity: that of being found to being not a true Christian, and told by Jesus Himself to depart from Him. The two groups of people Christ rejects are these: false prophets, and false professors.

Let’s discuss these false prophets first, and I would like to use this as an opportunity to bring into light all the various ways our denomination as the UCCP should be afraid of this warning. Jesus says they come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. And the apostle Peter in his second letter clearly lays down what these false teachers, preachers and prophets do, and how they will be destroyed. I don’t have time to do another study of the whole chapter but here’s what I want you to see: wolves can come in many different forms, but all of them have this one thing in common: they care nothing for the sheep. And because they care nothing for the sheep, the sheep are never fed, or if ever they are it is so that those wolves can have a bigger feast on them. A pastor who doesn’t exercise church discipline, and doesn’t obey Scripture when it says in 1 Timothy 4:6 to point out the sins of the people, that pastor is going against the work of the Holy Spirit, and is among the wolves, whether they know it or not. Some pastors brag about not mentioning sin in their sermons, not realizing that Jesus said in John 16:8 that the Holy Spirit’s work is to convict the world of sin. So that a pastor who neglects church discipline actually goes against the work of the Holy Spirit, when he forfeits his flock from being convicted by the Holy Spirit so that they could mourn over their sinfulness and come before the cross weeping in humility and brokenness.

We in the UCCP have become too thin-skinned to be able to rebuke anyone of anything. Sometimes it’s because we leaders fear men more than we fear God. Sometimes it’s because pastors themselves are in sin, and their sins remain unconfessed and unrepented of, that they cannot possibly pray for the Holy Spirit’s conviction to fall on the congregation. And so you have this culture of “don’t ask, don’t tell” going on in the congregation with regard to what the Scriptures say about sin, and people get used to their sin. Sin becomes acceptable, immorality becomes acceptable, lying becomes acceptable, gossip in the church becomes acceptable, prayerlessness becomes acceptable, pride becomes tolerable in the church, because no one has the moral highground and the spiritual anointing to speak against all of the sins that the people are entangled in, when you see in the New Testament that this was the first ministry of the apostles and elders in the church: to point people and themselves to Scripture and bring each other to continued repentance and growing holiness. Look at Paul’s letters. Peter’s epistles. We need to know how God thinks of us. Hebrews 4:12-13 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

There are also pastors in the UCCP who use God for their own popular and material gain. They are relatively worse than those are just afraid of pointing out sin. These are those pastors (not real pastors, by the way) who twist Scripture to play a guilt trip on the sheep and manipulate the people so that the offering will increase. They mangle God’s Word so that it fits their own ideas, distorting the real meaning of Scripture, for more money. You see many of these kinds of pastors (though may of them aren’t from the UCCP) on television. They make promises of prosperity and healing, if you give this much to their ministry. And yet these are people who have lawsuits filed against them because of unaccountable assets and questionable sources of wealth. They have the biggest mansions, and they never fly below first class. You see them on TV, but just because they appear on Christian TV, my friends, doesn’t mean they are from God. They take advantage of the sick, the elderly, the young, the newly saved, to intimidate them into sending money or whatever, making empty, boastful promises, that never do anything except lead people astray into hell. Many are turned atheists this way.

There are also those pastors whose thirst for more of the praises of men outweighs their thirst for more of God. They strive so much to look and sound good before people that they get in the way of God. The people see the preacher, but not Christ. The people hear the preacher and are in awe of the preacher, but not Christ. These wolves use psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy and the latest Wall Street self-help church gurus more than God’s Word. These pastors don’t believe that the Word of God is sufficient to know how to run a church. They use surveys and the latest tools and trends to make the Gospel more “relevant” to this generation. They want to be more “seeker-sensitive”. But my friends, we have to realize that Scripture says in John 4 and 1 Chronicles 16 that there’s only one Seeker, His name is God, and if you want to be sensitive and friendly to anyone, be sensitive and friendly to Him. It takes God to run His church. Nothing more, nothing less.

There are many pastors in the UCCP who fail this way. And I can say that because I am in the UCCP and have no intention of leaving it unless the General Secretary himself kicks me out. But I love this church, and would love to see it experience a revival and a reformation from within, according to God’s Word.

Now let me say just one more thing. Many, if not the great majority of UCCP pastors don’t like to be rebuked. And I say that with no ounce of pleasure at all. I say that with much bitterness and sorrow of heart. While many UCCP pastors squabble and quarrel over who gets the bigger church, who gets to preach to the bigger crowd, who gets to have the bigger position, who gets to be paid more, the sheep are neglected and left without a shepherd and they are dying. And pastors will be judged for this. They are hurting sheep whose owner is God and God will by no means leave that sin unpunished. These sheep are God’s beloved, this is His bride, and I’d be really careful how I treat His bride and His beloved if I were you.

But we have a lot of wolves hiding under the pastor’s cloak. Wolves who turn a blind eye to sin, wolves who steal from the sheep, wolves that want to popularize themselves and make a whole ministry empire with their names on it. But my dear brothers and sisters, we are not called to build empires. We are called to obey God, and be faithful to Him. We are called to glorify God. We must decrease, that He may increase. As spiritual leaders, we are called to be nameless and faceless before Him, so that if the people at the end the service remember you more than they remember God, you have stood in the way of God, and need to repent before Him.

Next set of verses. After talking the false prophets, Jesus then turns His discussion into something about false professors. Jesus Himself, knowing the events of the future, says that not everyone who names Him Lord will actually make it on the last day. It is not that these people were Satanists or atheists, these people were “Christians”, church people, and yet Jesus never knew them at all.

At this point, some of you will object and demand what right have I to judge anyone? You will even tell me that Jesus Himself said not to judge anyone. But my friend, when Jesus said that, He didn’t say don’t judge at all. Read that entire chapter where He says that and you will find that in context He said in Matthew 7:1-5, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” He was actually talking more about hypocrisy, because He says later, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” We are commanded to call each other accountable in God’s Word.

Again, Paul even commands us in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

My friend, when was the last time you actually went and sought to check whether or not you are a real Christian, according to how the Bible says. Scripture says one of the signs of a true believer is that he will actually seek to make his calling and election sure. If you are not caring about the real status of your salvation, you are one among those on the wide gate!

Let’s go ahead and try and do some checking right now. If I were to ask you how you can know that you are truly saved, what would you tell me? Some people say, “Oh, I’m saved because I believe in Jesus Christ.” That’s good, and that’s what Scripture says, but it doesn’t end there. The question is, my friend, how do you know that you believe? How do you know that you truly believe, and are a true believer? Because if all you have is mere intellectual or verbal confession of Christ, you will be rejected by Him on the last day. Jonathan Edwards wrote about the culture in his day that the people were all baptized, they were all churchgoers, they were confirmed, but they lived like devils.

Now, the verses we just read provide this clue: by their fruit you will know them.

By their fruit! Let me ask you something, and here I would like to focus a little bit on the youth. Young man, young woman, you may be part of a youth group in church. But what kind of fruit are you producing? What makes you so different from unbelieving youth? I’ll say this with much love, that the great majority of youth in our Christian Youth Fellowship are not real believers. You know why? Let’s take a look at the kinds of fruit they are producing: Many of them are there “just to have some fun.” And we can’t totally blame them for that because that’s what their leaders tell them, that they’re there “just for fun.” Many people question me on this asking what’s so bad about fun, and I say nothing is wrong with that. But if fun is all you’re after, you can go get fun anywhere else. In fact, you can honestly find so much more fun outside of the church youth activity. Youths come into our youth camps, they go through all of the creative and fun stuff we prepare for them but they are no closer to God at the end of it than they were before going there.

In fact, they usually end up getting closer to someone else. They develop relationships with someone they meet at camp, and their relationship with God is completely forgotten and sidetracked. Their reward is not a more intimate relationship with God, and they have used God as an excuse. And what fruit do they produce? Nothing. Except worldliness and deceit. And yet they would describe themselves as Christians. Why? Not because they bear the fruits of being a Christian, but because they simply believe themselves to be Christian.

My fellow youth, when people look at you, can they honestly see Christ? I’ll make this simple for you: if your life bears more of the fruits of an unbeliever’s, rather than the life of a believer’s, you are a so-called Christian in danger of God. Look around you. Do you do the same things as the world does? Do you dress like someone who doesn’t know the Lord? Do you talk and use words like someone who doesn’t know the Lord? Do you entertain yourself and live your life like someone who doesn’t know the Lord? Galatians gives a clearer list of clues as to how to know a bad tree that will be thrown into the fire. Paul says that the fruit of an unbeliever are these. Galatians 5:19, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”

Now, 1 John says that real Christians still sin. 1 John 1: 8 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” But does it say that Christians still habitually practice sin? No. Chapter 3: 6-10 says, “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

If there are any sins in your life that you are deliberately allowing or just letting happen, not confronting it and not getting spiritually mature people to help you against it, John says you’re not a child of God. You’re a child of the devil. Christians make mistakes, and sometimes some really big ones. But they by no means let it remain unconfronted, unconfessed, unrepented of. The child of the devil either just doesn’t care about sin, or knows the sin and yet does nothing because he or she is just having too much fun in it. Are you one of them, brother and sister in the Lord? What sin are you cherishing in your heart? Forsake it, repent from it and turn to God for mercy, and He will give it. There is no hope except to turn to Him in repentance and faith.

Some people say the Cross is proof of how much we are worth. No, my friend, the Cross is proof how wretched we are, that it took the violent butchering death of the Son of God Himself to remove it. There is Grace offered now unto anyone who truly repents from his sin, and surrender himself to Christ. Surrender his total self, no holding back. He brings relief to the guilty, and is close to the brokenhearted. His conviction is bitter and painful, and yet His comfort is sweet and beautiful. There is precious hope, amazing grace. There is forgiveness available to those whose hearts and souls are troubled by their sin. 1 John also says in chapter 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confess before Him, repent, and seek His forgiveness. And He WILL forgive you. God is not greedy about forgiveness. 1 Timothy 2: 4-6 says that He is a God “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

The fruits we ought to produce are in Luke 3:8-9, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Your life should reflect Christ, bearing fruits of righteousness, purity, holiness, obedience and discipleship. When people look at you, they shouldn’t see you anymore, but Christ’s power changing who you are, more and more into who He is. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” How often do you end up talking about God with people around you? What abounds in your heart? Is it Christ, or something or someone else? But we are called to bear fruit in repentance, reflecting Him, pointing people to Him. How is your life in regard to that? How much of your life is dedicated to reflecting Him? Your answer will determine the kind of fruit you produce, and what kind of tree you are, and whether you will be thrown into the fire or not.

Conclusion

If you find yourself to be a false believer, it ought to be a most bitter revelation. But here is His promise: Final set of verses, Matthew 7:24-27, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

Sadly, after preaching all of the things I’ve preached there will still be those whose hearts are hardened and will turn even further away from Christ. On these people is the Scripture fulfilled in 2 Corinthians 2:15-17 that “we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.”

Preaching, for me, is the most important vocation in the world. For upon the words of a faithful preacher, the eternal destinies of men are determined. That Scripture says that to those who are repenting from their sin after this message, they will be given life. But those who hear the message and the call to repent, and yet reject the Gospel and keep rejecting it all their lives, they are already dead. I pray, don’t be among those who are dead. Examine yourselves, if it be well with your soul. Which gate are you in? Are you a bad tree? What kind of fruit are you producing? Examine yourselves.

Don’t be like the foolish who hears His Word and completely disregards it, ignores it, does not nothing about it, forgets all about it. But if you obey His Word, that is when you truly make a foundation for yourself, so that at the end of your life, you will have had set yourself on the Rock, and are therefore saved from the great crash on Judgment Day.

@ BOLT

BOLT is awesome! I did not expect that I would like the movie so much! BOLT is super cute! As in. Kahit manood kalang to see how cute BOLT is, sulit na!=D

The movie shoots off showing Bolt as a very cute puppy - for sale. A little girl noticed the white puppy and she bought it and named it BOLT right away. The next scene was the girl’s (I forgot her name!) father (Scientist) being kidnapped by the bad guys. The girl was so troubled and worried when she found out but her Father reminded her not to be troubled because Bolt will be there to protect her. Then the transition scenes showed how the ‘Dad’ scientist turned the average dog into this super dog with powers like super strength, speed, laser beam, and the famous super bark! Now the bad guys are after the little girl, good thing for her that she has BOLT for without him, she would have been dead.

Why I am blog-ing about the movie is because it served such a good analogy to our study in W.I.L.D. Praise God! It was another “W.I.L.D.” day at IBM yesterday. For those of you who don’t know W.I.L.D. stands for Wednesday IBMers Lunch Devotion. It’s a fellowship circle wherein the people behind it just can’t help but let other IBMers know what it means to have a RIGHT relationship with God.

Yesterday, we continued our study on the book of John. We went through chapter 14 verses 15-31 – Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to His disciples. We started Chapter 13 with the last supper and what transpired in that meal was the washing of the disciples’ feet, then Jesus predicts Judas’ betrayal and also Peter’s denial as well, then Jesus comforts His disciples by telling them not to be troubled because He was going to leave them. The is beauty is that although Jesus was going to leave them He left his disciples with a promise, that He will give them someone (HOLY SPIRIT) to be with them until He returns again.

Sharing what we had in WILD yesterday…=)

15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command”.

*For a person to love God he/she must first believe that there is God and if a person believes God that means that that person has faith in God.

*will (aux verb) by definition means personal choice Synonyms: be inclined, crave, desire, have a mind to, like, opt, pleasure, prefer, see fit, want, wish…

*James 2:14-24, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith (love or belief) but has no deeds? Can such faith (love or belief) save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith (love or belief) by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith (love or belief); I have deeds.” Show me your faith (love or belief) without deeds, and I will show you my faith (love or belief) by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith (love or belief) without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith (love or belief) was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith (love or belief) alone.

*Now let’s ask ourselves, do we personally choose to do the things of God or godly things in our life? Because when you become a child of God (John 1:1-13, John 3:1-8, 1 Peter 1:23-25), naturally you will personally choose the things of God and that already is the HOLY SPIRIT living in you. Today, we will learn through scripture a little bit of who the Holy Spirit is and what His role is in every Christian’s life. FYI! I’m not saying and this does not mean that if you’re a Christian eh perfect kana. The Holy Spirit’s job is not to control us and make us perfect people. Later, we will find out what His role is. But example, I love to play basketball, every Sunday we have a game at Camp Crame. I love basketball but that doesn’t mean every chance I get to play, I would play. I wish, but it’s impossible. Sometimes I feel tired, sometimes my friends would invite me to hangout with them Sunday night and I’d skip a game, etc, but my love for the game is still there. Likewise if you are a Christian, you are not invulnerable to the temptations of Satan, but the desire to love God should be active and every time you fail and fall that desire to love God should lead you to genuine repentance.

16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (Comforter, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby, ABV) to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him (who? the Holy Spirit), because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

*The Holy Spirit would mean a lot to the disciples and so was Bolt. Bolt meant a lot to the little girl. =)

*Here’s a very familiar quote, “To see is to believe.” A non-believer cannot recognize the Holy Spirit in his/her life because in the first place the Spirit is not in them. Yet to everyone belonging to Christ, they have been given the Holy Spirit. True Christians live by faith and not by sight.
à So who is the Holy Spirit? The third person of the Trinity through whom God acts, reveals His will, empowers individuals, and discloses His personal presence both in the OT and NT. Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 2, 2 Corinthians 3, Galatians 5 (Paul talking about the Holy Spirit. READ AFTER STUDY).

18 I will not leave you as orphans (comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless, ABV); I will come to you.

19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

*A true child of God will see and be with Jesus forever in heaven.

20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show (reveal and manifest, ABV) myself to him."

*Only by loving God will he reveal and manifest himself to us. Again, loving God is obeying God. How can God reveal and manifest himself in you if you do not know His word and obey it?

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

*Home is a very personal and intimate word. “There is no place like home.” God’s home is in every Christian’s heart for our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So another evidence of true child of God is when you sin, you feel your heart pumping REALLY…REALLY hard. =)

*Before I became a Christian I can sin without any guilt knowing that I am offending God. As a Christian today, every time I look at lustful images just about anywhere, if I look at it too long my heart starts pumping! I mean, literally my eyes are pleased but my heart isn’t. It’s a very conflicting feeling. But that’s the time I know that I’m messing up God’s humble abode (my heart).

24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

*In other words, whoever does not love God will not crave, desire, have a mind to, like, opt, pleasure, prefer, see fit, want, wish…to obey God’s word (Bible).

25-26 "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name (in my place, to represent Me and act on My behalf), will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

*Again, the premise to this statement is when you are a child of God, you will be given the spirit and when you have the spirit you will have a desire to love God and his precepts, thus you hunger and thirst for God’s word and obey them. Once you have God’s words in your heart the Holy Spirit will teach you and will remind you of everything that God has taught you through His word.

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

30-31 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world (Satan) is coming. He has no hold on me (He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me), but the world must learn (know or be convinced) that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

"Come now; let us leave" - END

I guess the important question now is, do you REALLY love God? If you say YES, then let the whole world see you become a walking bible. If you say NO or I guess NOT, all you need to do is understand what it means to repent and put your trust in Jesus alone and not on any other religious system man made doctrine. JESUS ALONE SAVES. If you want to understand, WILD will be available to make time and make you understand through scripture of what it really means to be a true Christian. =)

Remember, it’s all about not just a relationship with Him, but a RIGHT (Bible based) relationship! =)

Chief White Wolf

Just want to share a praise report. =)

When I was in Baguio for the recently concluded 3rd Regional Calvary Chapel Pastor & Worker's Conference (a 3 day event), I was given the beautiful opportunity to share to Angelo (18 yr old boy) the gospel and praise God he prayed to repent and to have a personal relationship with JESUS! That night heaven was rejoicing and my heart was rocking! Btw, Angelo or Gelo is the little brother of Aleign, a Christian. =)

During the Harvest mid-week bible study (Wednesday), he attented with her sister and he told me that he tried sharing with his 'DOTA' friends and that he was happy about it -- another praise report! -- and just last Friday, he texted me this --> "Hi kuya, kagabi nanaman nagshare nanaman ako sa isa kong kabarkada.hehehe haaaayyy.hehehe thanks pala ulit kuya!"

I replied to him with this message -- "=D Thanks for sharing! Keep falling in love with Jesus! =) Keep feeding the white dog." Praise God! =D Actually, what I really meant to tell him was 'white wolf' but I chose to use 'dog' instead because he probably sees the animal everyday! =P

I was so blessed and inspired so I was able to make this simple piece of art -- my best work of art so far!haha

For those of you who don't know, people (family and friends) from Bacolod call me Agustin. I only found out that I have an Edgardo when I was in the 1st year H.S. Do you believe that?!=) No one in my family, not even my parents told me. Ok so how did I become Ed?=) Simple, it's derived from my real name Edgardo. Actually, my roommate back in college baptized me with that nickname because Edgardo is just too long for him.hehe It sounded alright to me so I started introducing my self to people as Ed since then. What's cool about it is that I became a Christian in the 4th year H.S. So when I got my new nick name, I was already a Christian, so Ed is like a new born again name for me.haha =D

Before I became a Christian my spiritual life was dead and was made alive when I received Christ. In every Christian's heart lies a battle between good and evil. Now if you ask me which of the two is winning? Well, obviously, the one you feed most. =)

God bless and keep feeding the White Wolf! =)

Philippians 4:8-9

@ "Dukot"

http://www4.calvarychapel.com/

Just got back last night from a refreshing 3 day conference in Baguio (2008 Regional Calvary Chapel () Pastor & Worker's Conference). It was so much fun and spiritually encouraging! The theme of the conference is PREPARING THE BRIDE and we went through the book of 1 Thessalonians. =) It was sweet!

I like what our Pastor said (Kuya Juni), "How bad is it when we see the Bride, 3 hours before the wedding, calling her ex-boyfriends and telling them how much she misses them" In reality, we always find ourselves in this ironic picture and that's what we're doing if when we ignore God and give into worldy things. I just want to encourage everyone to ponder on this and may we desire to be prepared and be set apart only for our one and only husband to be, JESUS! Another Pastor said, the moment we forget that Jesus is coming soon, we will not move forward and seek Jesus intimately, we will find ourselves doing the things our fleshy desires want to do. NEVER FORGET JESUS is coming SOON! =)

Also, where there is much encouragement, Satan is always there to discourage! On our last day, we had an evangelizm activity at People's Park. On my way to Burnham Park along with Daniel and DJ (2 boys from our youth group) to share, my phone got stolen in just a split second! I was consciously guarding my phone but with just a twinkling of an eye that I didn't think about my phone, it got stolen! GRABE!

Please delete my number in your phone directory. =) I just want to encourage all of us, to NEVER take our eyes off of JESUS! Because the moment we put our guard down, Satan will do everything he can to put us down and discourage us! =) Thoughts On Jesus Always! =)

The LORD gives and takes away but let His name be praised FOREVER!!! =)

God bless ya'll! <><

CORE MANILA OUTREACH 2008

PASSION...PURPOSE...PRAYER...

Starting Friday last week until Sunday was the best SPIRIT FILLED days of my new life chapter in Manila! I was given the opportunity to fellowship and serve along with the college CORE outreach team from my home church (Calvary Chapel Dumaguete)!

I just want to share what the team did the whole week starting with DAY 1 first. I was hoping to join them for the whole week but God thought best for me to join them on their 4th DAY instead. =D

Just a quick back ground, the college CORE fellowship is led by our Youth Pastor, Jerry Camacho along with other college servants under his leadership. I was part of the CORE during my college days and it blesses me very much to see some of the guys whom I was serving before serve with Kuya Jerry today! Every year, come October, during the college semestral break, Kuya Jerry invites his CORE members and other college students who are interested to go on an outreach. I have been part of 2 CORE outreaches, one in Cebu (2006) and one in Manila (2007). Kuya Jerry prepares the TEAM 2 months in advance, mainly teaching the team how to share their faith to strangers, how to make personal devotions, and more importantly to be able to share ones testimony whether for 3mins, 5mins, or 10 mins! Our testimonies are our primary weapon. =D

On top of those, we prepare for children ministry and youth ministry as well. We were always taught that the best way to minister is to just love them like Jesus, to reach out in love even if it means to get down in the mud and play with the kids. The most important thing we need to learn is FLEXIBILITY. That’s why Kuya Jerry never tells anyone what itinerary is! We just need to be ready with our testimonies, devotions, and more importantly to serve in love in any kind of situation anytime. The key to accomplishing this is simple to empty ourselves with us and be filled with JESUS. It’s mandated from us to sleep early and wake up early for morning team devotions and worship. It's bittersweet because we want to stay up late and goof around and we want to wake up late to get the extra sleep!haha Kuya Jerry & Ate Marisa are very strict when it comes to this rule! They admit they are kill joy but the reason being is that they don't want to see us tired and sleepy when it's time for ministry. =) Yet more often than not, we sleep late and look tired in the morning...then we already know what to expect from KJ and Ate Marisa. =D Discipline!haha Like I said, it's bittersweet but I personally learn a lot from it! Thank you KJ and Ate Marisa! For always setting the standard! =)

Alright! I’ll stop here and let you enjoy the CORE OUTREACH team’s multiply account. I’m also uploading my account with outreach stuff. Expect videos, music, blogs, and more pictures from me. For now, please check them out here -->http://coreoutreach08.multiply.com/.

God bless! <><

Mother's Second Wedding

This is my mom. She's old but very young at heart. She's like my sister lang -- especially when we fight and argue which we often do. =) The main reason is because our spiritual views don't meet and thus we tend to clash all the time. My mom's a devoted catholic but slowly backsliding to becoming an agnostic, meaning "a" without -- "gnostic" knowledge. Basically, an Agnostic is someone who plays it safe. Believing that everything leads to God. Sounds good but very dangerous.

Anyhow, I've been praying for my mom for 5 years and counting. I've been PUSHing (Praying Until Something Happens) that she would have a personal relationship with God. Iv'e been dying to my self many times just to plant little seeds in her heart and many times I felt kneeling without hope.

I don't live with her today. She lives with her brother at Antonio's in Tagaytay. Yes, the restaurant Antonio's is owned by her brother (Tito Ton) and their house is literally below the resto. Great food! Kain kayo doon if you get the chance. =) My mom's an artist and she helps out decorating and designing some of the interiors in the restaurant. On the other hand, I live with my dad together with his 3rd family and my brother from his first family in Quezon City.=) Many actually perceive my situation to be difficult but really we are all very close -- like real siblings. =)

I try my best to visit my mom once or twice a month. I figured that she is happy the most when I'm around but ironically speaking she bites off of me a lot. =) I've already mastered the art of being patient towards her and I praise God that every time we see each other our "quality time" together has been improving. =) I have to tell you though, just recently, I have been feeling hopeless again; hopeless about my mom every realizing what it means to have a relationship with God -- and not just religion. BUT NOW, Praise God, my pessimistic feeling have shifted to pure optimistic faith and trust that all my prayers for her has not fallen on deaf ears! Of course not!=) YES! God has given me so much hope for my mom! That until the day comes she would stop breathing God will continue to be loving and gracious toward her, not wanting her to perish but to have everlasting life. =)

Here's to share a couple of HOPE scenes from her that really jerked the tears off of my eyes. Thanks to God! =)

First, was when she attended a Christian church again, and that time her reason for stepping in was to better understand me and relate to me. =)...

Second, she text ed me that she will attend more bible studies so that I'll be happy. =)...

The third one was yesterday. I got a text from her in the morning and she said, "Read Peter now chapter 1&2. I so blessed and I feel like locking my self inside the room. I don't feel like working but I have to.."

All I can say is Praise God!!! I just can't wait to see her fall in love again... =)

"I came for YOU"

http://ccf.org.ph/
Note: Not actual. These were taken from the internet.

First of all, I like to share some things that I know about CCF:

1. I thought this was where Gary V goes to fellowship. =)

2. This is where my Tita Marides and cousin Nikki fellowship. The only few people from my clan who are saved plus our dear cousin Isabel who attends VCF in Robs Gale.
3. This is where my home-churchmates, Josh Cafe, Rey Sarraga, Velia San Pedro, and Saree Gonzales are currently attending.

4. And last but not the least, this is where my co-W.I.L.D. core members in IBM fellowship as well.

I attended CCF's sunday service for the first time yesterday (Sept 28). It was quite a BIG experience. CCF is a big church with over 3,000 people attending per service. They have 4 english services and one tagalog service during Sundays. Despite the hugeness of the church everything seemed to fall and flow in an orderly way. The church is very organized which I liked a lot. I try to be as organized as much as I can in all the things I do. So I like it when things are in order, but don't worry because I was trained to be flexible.hehe

The people in CCF are very accommodating and kind. Especially for the first timers. They really make sure to receive everyone who are new. They have a 'Receiving Area' for first timers where they encourage them to talk/befriend a pastor or an elder. They have a specific room where they conduct this. Very evangelistic and strategic! I LOVE IT!=)

So it was my first time to hear Pastor Tanchi teach and I'm happy because he taught like a Berean! =) Coming from an in-depth bible teaching church, I can say that Pastor Tanchi fed me meat. =)

Now, going back to the real deal, so I attended CCF today because my mom asked me to go with her. I had to cancel youth fellowship and felt that my preparation was wasted but I know that nothing was lost because family ministry always comes first over church ministry. As usual my mom was a toughy! She kept on talking to me once in a while during the bible study which was very distracting and frustrating! =) After the study, my newly found Tita Aida immediately sent my mom to the receiving area to talk to a Pastor. I was also given to Kuya Aaron (counselor or an elder, but he was very young though.) It was funny at first, because he didn't assume that I was saved so I saw in him trying to start off looking for common ground. =) So when I finally mentioned that I'm a Christian, we were both glad. I had a ball talking with Kuya Aaron. He shared his testimony and a few things about his family situation. I could relate to him because his parents are neither saved. I told him my situation as well. He shared how blessed and thankful he was for how God little by little saved his cousins and relatives. We prayed for my mom together and I'm really hoping I see Kuya Aaron again. "If not in this life time, I'll definitlely see you in heaven." =)

Finally, even though nothing miraculous happened to my mother I'm thankful that God had planned for her to step in to a Christian church again and for being received and ministered to the utmost opportunity. She said, everyone was kind and very accommodaitng, I agree. She liked the people because they were very understanding with her current state of religion. FYI. My mom easily gets irritated when her religion is being attacked or when "Christians" judge her religion. As Pastor Tanchi said, rebuke and correct BUT in love, amen! So I'm happy because mom said she would love to go back. Thanks a lot to Tita Aida's earnesty and sincerity to reach out to my mom! But above all, I was so blessed when my mom said, "the only reason why I came today is so that I could understand and relate to YOU (her son) better." WoW WoW Wow! Praise God! I wanted to cry! We also met our relatives, Tita Marides and Nikki. They told us to come back and have lunch together next week! =D

Indeed, some things were wasted on my part but at the end of the day I realized that much more was gained. Thank you Jesus! To ALL praying for my mom, GRACI & Dios el Bendigo! Have a fruitful week everyone! Let Jesus' kindness and love reflect through you this week even in the simplest ways. Keep shining for Christ!<><

@ God's GRACE and PASSION!

Last Friday night was by far the greatest party I have ever been to in my entire life!!! Not only did Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, and Kristian Stanfill wow-ed me, but also the sound crew, the computer graphics crew, and the ushers as well! It wasn't an easy night for all of them but what wow-ed me the most is that God's name was the only one in the center of attraction! By everyone's effort His name was MAGNIFIED not only in my heart but in the heart's of 8,000 plus sinners!!!haha They incredibly and powerfully represented Christ that night.

For 150 pesos, I never expected the event to be that WOW. More than my thrill to hear Louie Giglio talk and Chris Tomlin lead worship, I was totally blown away by the whole program itself! I honestly thought that the event could and should have cost thousands even for the 'cheap seats' but for 150 php? It was all God! THANK YOU!!! =)

The message was as clear as the music. People who attended didn't just get the experience of Chris Tomlin's worship but the spirit of God revealing it's grace and passion to everyone that night! It wasn't just jumping, shouting, and praising for me, but I love how God brougt me to my knees, crying and in worship. God reminded me how much he loves me and that truth just swept me off my feet! I've realized, I can never reach the point of being satisfied with His love for me. I'm always going to ask for more, seek it, pursue it, die to my flesh for it, and when the moment comes that I can't do it on my own anymore, when the feeling of dryness and repetition creeps in HE comes and refreshes my heart again! WOW! He is faithful!

Now the reason why the tickets were so cheap was because the passion participants of London (Passion's prior stop before the Manila tour) were praying for the Filipinos until PASSION hit Manila and also they generously gave funds for US! That's why the tickets were so cheap! And just the same the PASSION team invited us (not forced) to do the same thing for Kuala Lumpur (PASSION's next stop). It was beautiful! We all prayed for KL and committed to pray until the event in KL happens. That night the British Christians praying for us got to hear the gratitude noise of the Filipinos through PASSION's podcast! I was just loving the fact that PASSION have started an unbreakable chain of strangers praying for other strangers all over the world! It's beautiful! Not because we have to but because we LOVE!

I praise God for His grace and passion. The message that night centered around PASSION's mission and vision verse in Isaiah 26:8, "Yes Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." If all of us only get it; that because of our sins we were all destined to go to hell, but because God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to die on the cross for the sins of world. If everyone could only understand and believe that then saying "NO" to God, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Emmanuel, our great Provider, the good Shepherd, our sin Bearer, Star-breather, the Lamb of God, the great I AM, and God's names just go on and on...then saying "NO / Maybe / Only if / Later / When everything is going right LORD" would be the hardest thing that we can ever do because we we're created by Him and for Him and we know that not because we're going to church and do our obligations but because we have a personal relationship with God.

Until Jesus comes back, I pray to see my generation always say, "YES LORD!" What ever He calls us to do and wher ever He wants us to do it, how much inconvenient it may seem, how much opposition we receive; that we would all have great joy and peace in following HIM. =)

Louie Giglio's blog (http://268generation.com/blog/2008/08/massive-wave-of-filipino-response/)

@ "Kotong"

Moral choices. Last Friday, as I was driving skippy (my motor) along P.Tuazon and an mmda (not so sure, basta naka yellow uniform) pulled me over for driving on the sidewalks. I honestly didn't know that it was illegal. It was traffic, I was in a hurry; and I have done it already several times anyway. The mmda was charging me for reckless driving (although I later found out after sharing this to my cop friend, that reckless driving was not the case) he took my license and told me to go get it at the city hall and pay 2,000php. I panicked because it was my first time. I called up my dad and I asked him what to do, he told me negotiate with the mmda and just pay him 200php. I knew it was wrong, my dad spoke to the mmda and somehow got him to 'help' me. The mmda told me to pay him 500 and he'll do the reporting job for me. By this moment, I began to have chills; as I took out the money he told me to lend it to him discreetly. I asked why? He said, "because people might think I'm trying to bribe you." After he said that I felt worst!!! I felt a rushing surge inside by body and it seemed that all eyes were on me. I had a choice to do the right thing or not. Shamefully, I chose to do the latter for convenience.

As I drove off to the office, I felt very guilty. I know for a fact that God was hurt. =( I know, that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, but I also realized this...yea, I was able to save 1500 and the inconvenience of having to go to the city hall; was able to save up some time and treasure for my self, but I know in my heart that I lost some of my treasure in heaven...=(

That's not cool! I realized that I'd rather lose my treasures here on earth than not adding up to my treasures in heaven!!! When a police pulls me over again; gets my licence and tells me to go to city hall and pay 2000php...I want to have the strength to suffer the inconvenience and pay the mouth-full, then walk away having the peace in my heart that God is smiling down at me and hearing Him whisper to my heart, "WELL DONE SON".

"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." - 1 Timothy 6:18-19

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." - James 4:17

A Deeper Glance @ My love for the game

This coming Friday will be our 1st basketball game against the TR Toreros. This game is in line with our IBM Sportsfest celebration. We named our team, the FUN TEAM. =D

See my intimidating look below? =) In case you didn't know, I love basketball! Given another chance and choice, I would most exhaust my time and efforts in improving my self in basketball so I can play in the professional league. =)

I was struggling earlier tonight whether to go running or not. As you all should know, I'm quite...ok, very competitive when it comes to playing basketball. =) I simply want to win. I remember back in college when I was living in the dorm. My dormmates know that I'm a Christian, but when it's time to play, how ironic to hear them laugh and tease me na murag demonyo nako mudula. hehe For witness purposes, know that I always apologize if I'm not acting Christ-like.hehe So eager as I am to make sure that I'm conditioned and prepared for Friday, guess what?=) I went running 11:00pm in the night!haha

After running I was thinking about how passionate and competitive I am still for basketball. I literally battled with my self to run even when I didn't feel running at all! Just for the love of the game!=)

After running, I sat on the gutter thanking God for the time, the sweat, and discipline to complete my goal tonight. Then once again, God spoke to me. =) He was making my realize how passionate I was for the things I love to do. "Well guess what Ed!" "You love God!" Yet, so many times I was not competitive enough in my spiritual battles...=( I should be! I want to be! Because I'm crazy in love with God! =) Thank you Jesus!

O yeah! It's crunch time! Bring it on satan! =) I realized tonight, that I need to be as competitive in my spiritual walk. And the key to be ready for the game is to pray and pick your bibles and allow God's word to mold you and shape you to become the kind of "players" that He wants you to be. God bless ya'll!<><

A Deeper Glance @ The Dark Knight

Just want to share my thoughts on the movie. Awesome movie by the way. It's legendary! =)

I'm amazed by how Batman's story and character was portrayed in this movie. Funny because I think The Joker was the real star in the movie. He was the center of attention all throught out; not Batman. The worst part is, Batman was never glorified in the movie because he chose to. For that, I'm blessed to share this entry.

I felt sorry for Batman in the movie. All the good that he tried to do for Gotham city just back fired at him. All he had in mind was Gotham city's best interest. He was there to save, rescue, and protect yet the people rejected him and even blamed him for the escalation of the crimes and chaos. Also, he sacrificed a lot in the movie. He sacrificed his trust worthy associate, Morgan Freeman (forgot his name in the movie!), for the common good. He also sacrificed his best friend Rachel for the common good. On top of sacrificing himself everytime when he's fighting crime. Even with some of his negative behaviors in the movie, at the end of his struggle, he knew/realized what his purpose was and he willfully went through fire for his cause. He couldn't break the rules as Joker mocked him.

Batman kind of reminded me of Jesus. Jesus came into this world to save that which was his own but his own did not receive him. The people rejected Jesus. He had his faithful few and one betrayer. Batman had his faithful few also and a Judas (Ms. Ramirez). The good guys always asked the question, "Who can we trust?" Jesus kept dying to his flesh and glorified his father in heaven until the day he was crucified on the cross, he still glorified God. Likewise, Batman never took credit; he even gave it to Harvey Dent at the end of the movie who had been already consumed by the 2Face to become. He was not considered a hero yet he was not worried about it. All he cared for, all he ever thought of was the safety and protection of Gotham city. Batman, exemplified selflessness and letting go of pride and recognition, just like Jesus.

I'm just thankful for the movie and how it has reminded me of spiritual things. Not only did the movie satisfied me, it also satisfied my spirit. There's alot of points I can't recall from the movie! I really need to watch it again and maybe I can further give you a beautiful picture of dying to ones self so that others can have life. That's what Jesus did and the sweetest part of the movie is that Batman also made his choice of dying to him self so that the people of Gotham can be at peace.

I find this lesson of dying to ones self very true in my life almost everyday. As a Christian, I pray for a lot of people to know God and fall in love with Him; and more often that not, it comes with a lot of sacrifices; sacrifice of my time, money, pride, selfishness, and my happiness. Long long time ago, animals had to die for man's sins to be forgiven. Jesus died so that whoever believes in him might have life for eternity. It's the way of true love I guess in any kind of human interaction and relationship. If you want other people, your friends, and your loved ones to live, you have to die to your self. =)