THE PARABLE OF THE TWO-WINGED CHURCH

By Bill Beckham 

"There once was created a church with two wings. One wing was for large group celebration and the other wing was for small group community. Using both wings the church was able to fly high and nigh into the presence of God and to soar gracefully all over the earth fulfilling the purpose of the Creator  One day the jealous wicked serpent, who had no wings, challenged the church to fly with only its large-group-wing. The serpent applauded loudly when the church became airborne (though it was a clumsy effort) and convinced the church that with practice it could fly just as well using only that one wing. Deceived from that day, the two-winged-church began to see itself as having only one wing. (This happened during the earthly reign of Constantine, which was only three hundred years after the Creator had used the two-winged-church to thwart the plans of the wicked serpent who had no wings.)  The small-group-wing became weaker and weaker from lack of exercise until it atrophied into a lifeless and useless appendage beside the oversized large-group-wing. The two-winged-church that had glided high in the heavens was now one-winged, little better than the wicked serpent who had no wings.  The Creator of the church was very sad. He knew that the two-winged design had allowed the church to soar in the heavens into His presence and do his bidding on earth. With only one wing the church was forced to try even harder to just lift off of the ground. Even if it managed to become airborne it was prone to fly aimlessly in circles, unable to travel any distance from its original point of departure. Spending more and more time in the safety and comfort of its bird house, it grew fat, lazy and contented with an earth bound existence.  From time to time the church remembered that it had once flown with two wings and dreamed that it could do so again. But now the strong large-group-wing was so dominate that it would not accept help from the weaker side. It was too late  The Creator finally created a new two-winged-church. Once again the Creator had a church that could fly into His presence and soar high over all the earth fulfilling his purposes." Bill Beckham

WHY SHOULD WE HAVE LIFE groups?

 A. Historical Reasons for LIFEgroups

1. First 300 Years of the Church


 The New Testament Church functioned as the church in the 1st century within a dual context:
- The "Gathered Church" Context
- Met as the "whole church"
- Assembled as the congregation went "to the temple"
- The "Scattered Church" Context
- Met as "home churches"
- Joined together as a cell
- Went "house to house"


 2. Last 1700 Years


 In 312 A.D. Constantine, the first "Christian" emperor, imposed an institutional CATHEDRAL form upon the church. Since that time theology has changed from church to church, the type of worship has been different, approaches to leadership may have varied, but a constant in church history over the past seventeen centuries has been the cathedral structure.


 3. Characteristics of Cathedral Style Church
-  "People go to a building (cathedral)
- on a special day of the week (Sunday)
- and someone (a priest or minister)
- does something to them (absolution or healing)
- or for them (a ritual or entertainment)
- for a price (offerings)."


 This cathedral way of being the church has dominated Christianity for the past 1700 years.


 4. Results of the One-Wing Approach


 a. "What changed about the church when it moved from small group to large?"


- Administration Changed: from integrated to compartmental
- The Lord's Supper Changed: from symbolic meal to ritual
- Leadership Style Changed: from gifted to professional
- Discipleship Changed: from apprenticeship to training
- Worship Changed: from participation to observation
- Stewardship Changed: from gift of the heart to dues
- Power Changed: from God's power to man's ability
- Witness Changed: from relationship to salesmanship
- Body Life Changed: from life style to membership
- Use of Gifts Changed: from edifying to impressing
- Membership Changed: from producer to consumer
- Growth Changed: from multiplication to addition
- Fellowship Changed: from in-depth to surface
- Buildings Changed: from functional to sacred
- Confession Changed: from public to private
- Ministry Changed: from personal to social
- Missions Changed: from being to sending


b. Eddie didn't leave no vacancy!"


 "Henry G. Bosch tells the interesting story of what happened when customer in a small store discovered that the slow-moving clerk was not around one morning: 

"Where's Eddie? Is he sick?"
"Nope," came the reply. "He ain't workin' here no more."
"Do you have anyone in mind for the vacancy?" inquired the customer.
"Nope! Eddied didn't leave no vacancy!"  


There are quite a few "Eddies" in most churches today. They leave, no one even notices. Why? First, because there is no real sense of the Body of Christ in which members are involved in a functioning manner. Second, many, by their own decision, have chosen to sit on the church bench on the sidelines of the action.


 "Eddies" are not effectively involved in what it means to be the Body of Christ. They don't leave any vacancy because they are not doing anything to effectively add to the life and ministry of the church.


 They are parasites rather than producers.


 Their contract with the church is to be pampered, ministered to and entertained for the exchange of which they will be counted in the numbers and will give from time to time to support the system.


The "Eddies" of the church are part of the 85% of the members who are supported by and ministered to by the other 15%.


The "Eddies" of the church must be cared for by the committed Christians around them. If you listen carefully when "Eddie" sits down in a pew on Sunday morning, you can hear a sucking sound as he absorbs all of the ministry that sincere church leaders can give.


If they leave, they leave "no vacancy" in the ministry or work of the church. They just leave an empty pew on Sunday morning and a little less change in the offering plate.


Who is at fault? Not Eddie! He is the victim of a system that forces him to be a consumer rather than a producer. There is no context in the traditional church through which Eddie can be effectively trained to produce instead of to consume. The small group context was designed by Christ to train Eddie to be productive. That context no longer exists in most churches. Ordinary Christians find little productive activity that they can do on a Sunday in the large group setting. Therefore, Eddie becomes what the church system says he should be: a statistic, a member of the audience, a pew packer, a contributor to a system, a minor spectator in a game played by the professionals.


We see few Eddies in the New Testament. Jesus' system was designed to turn out producers and not consumers or parasites. In the New Testament small groups, Eddie couldn't hide. The group might be meeting in his home. He had to contribute and be productive. It is the absence of a small group setting that has made the Eddies who fill our church pews. And it is church leaders who are comfortable with that system that dooms Eddie to a non productive and parasitic spiritual existence."


We cannot produce New Testament fruit unless we have a New Testament structure. The large group structure by itself produces consumers. That is why in most churches 80% of the people are consumers, while the other 20% are the producers. The problem is the large group system - it is an information system. And transformation is difficult in a large group system. Small groups, however, offer a transformation system. In small groups people can become contributors, and not just consumers.


Someone has said that, "Every problem in the church can be traced to the 4th century when the church became audience."




©The LIFEhouse Church, 4800 Sierra College Blvd, Rocklin, CA 95677, Phone 916.652.7216 Email
Inserted from

DOING THE LORD'S BATTLE

Text:

Joshua 5:13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
14"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence.

Meditation:

What on earth you are here for? Such question puzzled many minds and despite successes in various endeavors, many people sought for real answer. Are you on the verge of your dream only to realize that this is not what you came for here on earth?

In our text for today, Joshua was on his way to Jericho to fulfill God’s command to conquer this land. He was filled with enthusiasm. He knew God is with them and everything was already set to realize the promise of God. Then suddenly from nowhere, a man with a drawn sword appeared to him. Confused as to who this man is, Joshua asked if whose side he’s on and the man answered “NEITHER, but as commander of the Lord’s army.” That statement made Joshua recognized two things, the man and himself. Firstly, he recognized that the man was a heavenly being and secondly, Joshua recognized that he (Joshua) was not a soldier to put down an enemy but an instrument of the Lord to do the Lord’s battle. The angel made him realized too that it’s not his war and Jericho is not a prize for God’s favorite. The conquest of Jericho which they will execute is God’s judgment to the people of Canaan who have long been given chance by God since Abraham to amend their ways. Joshua and Israel must know their place--it is not that God is on their side; rather, they must fight God's battles.

Do you know your place in this life? Have you come to the point you realized you were made for God? I believe every Christian is a soldier of God. We are not here to pursue personal ambitions which would lead to nothing but frustration rather as instruments of God we are here to execute God’s orders. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 that we have to go and make disciples of all men. God’s battle is to conquer this earth and to win souls for his kingdom. Wherever we are, we are being send to execute judgment of God on people; salvation to those who will believe and damnation to those who will reject God’s offer. Are you doing the Lord’s battle?

1 Corinthian 1:18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

TITLE: GOD LOST TWICE IN THE ELECTION TOO

Text: 1 Samuel 8:7And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

Meditation:

As the counting of votes in the Philippines progresses to this moment one thing is obvious, Christians bet is on the losing side. I tell you it’s like a bitter pill that’s hard to swallow. After being convinced that what we are doing is God’s will for the country, whom we are endorsing is God’s will for the post then it makes me wonder why. As I turned my back from viewing the latest poll outcome from the internet I grabbed my Bible groping for insights when suddenly the Lord seemed to whisper these words to me, “I lost twice in the election too”. Immediately the picture of Christ, Pilate and the Israel electorate came to my mind. The candidates were Christ and Barabbas. Armed with the greatest motivation to reconcile Israel back to God He consecrated His life for this cause. God in various ways and various times attempted to show the people who Jesus is; that He is the begotten son of the true King and was sent to Lord over Israel and the world. When people sought for capability Jesus manifested supernatural powers, when they sought for knowledge He gave them Godly wisdom and truth nobody can prevail and when they sought for integrity He challenged anyone who can convicts Him of sin. But alas! When Pilate called for election, Israel casted their votes to the person who was popular in their hearts, Barabbas. Jesus lost that election not because He’s not capable but simply because God’s will is not welcome in Israel and so He was nailed to the cross being watch only by a handful disciples at that time.

Once again God impressed to my mind the time the true King lost the favor of Israel. They asked for another king, a king that will fit their view, patterned according to the popular profile of kings from neighboring nations. God lost that election too not because He’s incapable but because the heart of Israel shifted once again away from God.

7And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do." 1King 8:7-9

As I pondered more on this election outcome, a universal truth expressed once by John Maxwell surfaced to my mind; “before you can touch someone’s hand you have to touch his heart”. You just can’t pull a person to your side if his heart does not belong to you. You have to invest something into his heart and whether it is good or bad is not the question; a sort of connection must be there.

Noynoy’s victory was a result of his parent’s long haul investments to the heart of public. Erap’s surprising occupation of 2nd place despite his former record attests to the fact that he is still close to the hearts of Filipinos because of his being a movie actor for quite long. Villar, landed at the 3rd place despite the enormous amount of money he spent during the campaign period. Gibo obviously alien to the hearts of many Filipino and Eddie V…..still alien to many Filipinos, rejected by those who outwardly oppose God and doubted by some brethren landed in the 5th place.

The 2010 election improved a little bit. Technology trimmed down the possibility of fraud and manipulation and made to surface the contents of the heart of the Filipino people. Whether someone says that the people’s choice is not right, winning election is a matter of investing something into the hearts of people; it will take time, it will asks for sacrifice and at worst investment can be sown on the wrong hearts, that’s why God long ago was lost twice.

BUT REMEMBER THIS; GOD IS NOT A LOSER LIKE OTHERS USED TO THINK. CHOICES OF MAN ARE ALLOWED BY GOD THAT MAKE US REALIZE WHETHER WE CHOSE WISELY OR POORLY. SOMEDAY JESUS WILL RETURN NOT AS A SAVIOR BUT A TRUE KING AND JUDGE, NOT ELECTED BY MAN BUT APPOINTED BY THE TRUE KING AND HE WILL JUDGE THE HEARTS OF ALL MEN. WHICH SIDE YOU ARE IN NOW? I WISH YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE.

Smile :)

Ptr Roger.

ALAM MO NA BA?

 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - John 10:10

Meditation:

It was not a typical Sunday. I had to wake up 3:30 in the morning because it was Easter Sunday and must go to church early for the celebration. Afternoon was spent teaching pre-encounter seminar; later part of the day was spent supporting the youth service and troubleshooting personal problems of some brethren. Arriving home I shouted, “pahinga naman!” then retired to my bed that evening so exhausted only to be awaken by insistent ringing of my cellphone at 12 midnight. Thinking it’s a call from Dubai from my son Ryan, I went outside groping for network signal only to hear a familiar voice asking for an answer to the dumbest trivia question of the night. Rochelle, my daughters classmate, laughing and asked, “Daddy, anu ba sagot sa tanong na, What is greater than God, worse than devil and if you eat “it” you will die?” Honestly I nearly lost my attitude but managed to answer her politely; “the answer is NOTHING, NOTHING is greater than God, NOTHING is worse than devil and if you eat NOTHING, you will die.”

Although such statement was just an answer to a trivia question, it speaks volume of truth specially the first two phrases. Nothing is really greater than God and nothing is worse than the devil. In our text for today, Jesus talks about the true nature and purpose of the devil in man’s life, it is to steal, kill, and destroy. Satan is bent to steal man’s soul and being a thief he will come to you in way you do not know. Satan uses “attacks” but his most effective weapon is “attract”. Even Jesus Himself did not escape the craftiness and deceitfulness of Satan. During Jesus most difficult time while fasting in the wilderness, Satan gave Jesus “attractive” offers in the area of flesh and pride of life. But Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit did not give an inch to the devil.

Someone said that if you will sup with the devil you have to use a long spoon but honestly there is no spoon long enough to be safe from him. If you will give the tip of your finger to the devil, he will swallow your whole hand. Satan is bent to destroy man, the object of God’s love. He is so cunning and uses million ways to trap man to sin and destroy his life. The countless suffering of millions ever since is but a grim testimony of Satan’s worst. Is there a hope for mankind? Yes, because there is God who is greater than all. Jesus at the cross is a slap to the evil nature of Satan. In every way Jesus was tempted yet committed no sin. Was it easy for Jesus to live as a man? No, it wasn’t easy but He was bent to obey His Father and save mankind and the only tool that Jesus used to defeat Satan was His love for us. At the cross, the greatness of God was displayed and the foolishness of Satan was demolished.

HOW’S LIFE MY FRIEND? I WISH YOU ARE DOING GREAT. IS YOUR LIFE IN A MESS? PERHAPS YOU SUPPED WITH THE DEVIL IN THE PAST. IF THAT IS THE CASE JUST SHOUT THE PASSWORD; “LORD JESUS HELP ME!” GOD IS NOT ONLY LORD, HE IS OUR FRIEND AND DELIVERER AND NO MATTER WHAT TRAP YOU ARE IN HE CAN RESCUE YOU. HE IS GREATER THAN ANY SUPERHEROES YOU KNOW AND NO ONE CAN STOP HIM ONCE HE RESCUES YOU. REMEMBER THIS TRUTH; NOTHING IS GREATER THAN GOD.

Psalms 91:2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." 3Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare.

Smile :)

Ptr. Roger

PEACE MAN!

MEDITATION:

In this beatitude, the blessedness of the peacemakers is that they will be identified as sons of God. One unnoticed culture of the Filipino people is their fondness to be identified with someone in higher status. “Kumpare ako ni mayor, pinsan ako ni Judge, apo ko yung manager dun” are phrases that you will hear from a Filipino after you asked for his/her name because we treat such association with honor and dignity. How much more if we are identified as sons of

God although in Filipino to be called “anak ng diyos” is sometimes sarcastic because it conveys the idea that the person called always gains favors though undeserving. But here, Jesus word is not sarcasm, rather a true honor that will result in a life of blessedness and favor from men and God.

What then is a “peacemaker”? A peacemaker is a person who delights in peace and will do all the possible good to create or maintain such atmosphere. The peacemaker keeps the peace that it be not broken, and recovers it when it is broken. But we must be cautious not to become a “peacekeeper”. A “peacekeeper” is a person whom in his desire to keep the peace avoids confrontation with those who create disorder. He also loves to “sweep an issue under the carpet” rather than dealing with it. The perfect example of a peacemaker is Jesus Christ. Jesus fully understands what will bring peace to mankind; it is by dealing the root of all problems, the sin of man. He knows that in the process of bringing peace to mankind the trade-off is His life yet He didn’t hesitate to give it. In His earthly ministry, He courageously confronted the hypocrisy of religious leaders who love to sweep under the rug their misdeeds. Jesus is a peacemaker and not a peacekeeper and in so doing He was often treated with contempt, stoned, hurled to a cliff and later on was arrested and hanged on a cross. Jesus gladly gave His life because His eyes were focused on that great day where true peace will reign forever to mankind.

The third kind of person I will associate with the word “peace” is the “peace-breaker”. Peace-breakers are self-centered persons.

Proverbs 4:1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

If the peace-makers are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers!

PEACE IS RELATIONAL IN NATURE WHICH MEANS YOU CANNOT HAVE IT IF YOU SIMPLY FOCUS ON YOUR LIFE. EVEN IF YOU HAVE EVERYTHING IN LIFE YOU CAN’T BE AT PEACE IF PEOPLE AROUND YOU HAVE MESSED LIFE. WOULD YOU MIND HELPING THEM? THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT A PERSON CAN HAVE IN THE EYES OF GOD IS WHEN HE HELPS OTHERS TO LIVE RIGHT. GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR A PROFOUND SPEAKER; HE SIMPLY LOOKS FOR A PERSON WHO WANTS OTHERS TO LIVE PEACEFULLY. BRING THEM TO GOD. SHARE TO THEM WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE THEIR LIVES WORTH LIVING. CONFRONT THEM OF SIN IF NECESSARY BUT DOES IT LOVINGLY. PERHAPS YOU WERE ONCE A PEACE-BREAKER, ARE YOU NOW A PEACE-KEEPER? BLESSED ARE YOU IF YOU ARE NOW A PEACEMAKER FOR PEOPLE WILL RECOGNIZE, YOU ARE ONE OF GOD’S SON.

Peace!

THE POWER OF MERCY

MEDITATION:

Mercy is compassion on someone based on their need in spite of their deserving it.

I love the film “Les Miserables”(pronounced “ley mis erab”). It is about a criminal named “Jean Valjean” whom although paroled, was rejected by society and one day found his way into a church. He introduced himself as convict yet the bishop welcomed him, gave him food and was asked to rest in a room. Seeing all the silver utensils he’s using during dinner, he bagged all of them but was caught by the bishop which Jean punched in the eye and then left the place that midnight. The next day a group of policemen came to the church and with them was Jean Valjean. They dragged Jean back to the bishop upon seeing the silver utensils which he claimed were given to him by the bishop. To their surprise, the bishop with his left eye still swelling, told them that he really gave those silvers to Jean and exclaimed why Jean forgot the silver candlesticks too! Calling his maid, the bishop asked her to bring the two large silver candlesticks and in the sight of all, he put them in the sack along with the silver utensils Jean had stolen. After the police left, Jean still astonished, asked the bishop why he did it to him. The bishop, handling Jean the sack of fortune looked into his eyes and said, “Jean my brother, you no longer belongs to evil. With these silvers I have bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred, now; I give you back to God.” That incident transformed Jean’s life and later became a force for good showing mercy to countless people.

Honestly speaking, “mercy” is a word used to be alien to my heart, not that I am a-grossly-indifferent-person but because the word mercy is a virtue which you can truly share only when you experienced it. When I became a Christian, the first thing I fully understand was that, God is a holy and righteous God. In my desire to please God I decided to obey all the rules I know. As an employee in Nestle before, I understand that you are to work 8 hours and allowed with 10 minutes coffee break and 20 minutes meal break. While at work where I was a mechanic I will try to fill those 8 hours by sweeping the floor, painting anything I see ugly and watching the line in standing position even though I feel so sleepy. During our 10 or 20 minutes break, I will try not to exceed so I would run my way from our department to the canteen only to be caught up in a long line of hundred hungry workers and before I starts sipping my coffee 8 minutes had already passed by. I did all those attempts for 1 week and then surrendered. I realised I cannot rigidly obey all the rules to feel “righteous” and so a dark cloud seemed to hang over my life because deep inside I believed I failed God. How can I please God? What followed was a thorough study of the law and grace and as I progress, I felt truly redeemed because I begun to understand the grace and mercy of God. I fully realised that by nature man is truly wicked, has no capability to change for good and truly deserves hell yet God so love mankind. I realised that when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour I was given the “RIGHT” to become his son. I realised that “righteousness” is a “STATUS”, a state that a wicked man cannot attain on his own but it is a “STATUS” freely given to anyone who will come to Him and surrender his life. And when a man is in that STATE, God will give him His Holy Spirit to empower him for life. Now I understand that this blessing stems only from God’s mercy and as I mature, I begin to treat everyone the way God treated me. I am not perfect, yet, the mercy of God that I received made me realised that we must see others the way God sees us; “a lost soul that needs mercy.”

GOD DESIRES THAT EACH OF US NEEDS TO BE MERCIFUL TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. MERCY IS A GREAT VIRTUE THAT BREAKS THE CYCLE OF RETRIBUTION FOR OFFENCES RECEIVED AT THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO HATE US. IS SOMEONE WAITING FOR YOUR MERCY BUT YOU FEEL INCAPABLE TO GIVE? JUST REMEMBER THE LOVING-KINDNESS OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE, IT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

Smile 

Ptr Roger

DO YOU LONG TO SEE GOD?

MEDITATION:

Our beatitude for today is something that many Christians seem to take for granted. As I see it, the desire to see God thrills many but the condition to meet that makes them hesitate. Looking inside, they see their imperfections that make them dismiss the pursuit to see God.

As a new born Christian, I learned about the Holy Spirit Baptism. Most of those who experienced it told their encounter in a very dramatic and emotional way. I also read stories of some great Christian leaders and as they detailed their experience, a common experience surfaces, they felt the power of God like a lightning bolt or electric current that made some physically convulsed and spoke in other tongues. That thrilled me and made me wonder how I could have it so I went to Philippine Christian Bookstore in Manila and look for a book. After awhile, I saw a booklet authored by Jimmy Swaggart entitled “How to be baptized in the Holy Spirit” so I bought it and went home. With a bottle of coke and grains of peanut, I begun to read it to unlock the key in receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and to my surprise, the conditions asked were simply, “you must be a Christian and desires to be baptized”! I thought before that you need to be fully mature and blameless to receive it but here it doesn’t say so. So I get up and went to our room and told my wife, “if you hear something inside, don’t open the door because I am going to pray”, to which she simply ignored me. As I sat on the side of the bed I remembered what my sister Mayie told me that “you need to sing to the Lord and asks Him to come” which I did and after almost an hour I was truly crying not because I sensed God presence but because my hands were shaking and tiring and nothing’s happening. I then said, “Lord ngawit na ngawit na ako, gusto kong mabaptize”, and I continued to sing and pray then suddenly the power of the Lord came, starting at the tip of my left hand fingers down to my body. Oh it was so glorious I couldn’t help but to cry and convulsed and to my surprise, without any effort, I saw my tongue began to speak something I couldn’t understand. What followed was a vision of Christ hanging on the cross and the thought that this very experience was received by the early disciples two thousand years ago. I guess I was there crying, praising God and speaking in tongues for another hour and as I went out of the room my wife told me that I was truly making a very loud noise that sent the dogs in the neighborhood howled furiously! That whole night I was not able to sleep, my heart’s desire was to pray, pray, pray and yes praying became a delight not a toil.

    Did I say I saw God that night? No, I simply felt His wonderful presence in my whole being but no glorious physical appearance whatsoever happened that night. Being a new Christian, that experience made me long for God’s physical manifestation, but I failed. As I grow in my Christian life I begin to understand the nature of God. God is a spirit and no way could flesh like us see Him in His true state. Jesus said the pure in heart will see God. God reveals himself to us thru His word. God is true and ever present whether you physically see Him or not. God cannot be seen by our naked eye because He is bigger than anything our naked eye could see. During Jesus earthly ministry, He was so astonished that Israel who supposed to know God rejected Him and the word He was saying to them. They couldn’t recognize who Jesus truly is. Is He from God or He is just a man or is He a lunatic? They seek for physical signs that will connect Jesus to God. What was the real problem with these Israelites who doubts Jesus? THEY WERE NOT PURE IN HEART. What they have is religion and not true relationship with God. They did not really have the intention to obey and love God from their heart that is why they cannot understand and recognized God and Jesus. Jesus claimed that He speaks what He only hears from the Father and yet these people who claimed to be of God could not understand Jesus. That is why Jesus said,

John 5:37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41"I do not accept praise from men, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe if you … make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

GOD TAKES ALL THE INITIATIVE TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU BECAUSE AS YOU BEGIN TO SEE GOD, YOUR LIFE WILL BE BLESSED. YOU WILL BEGIN TO SEE WHY YOU ARE HERE ON EARTH. YOU WILL BEGIN TO SEE THE TRUE WAY TO CONDUCT YOUR LIFE THAT WILL BRING YOU PEACE AND JOY. IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT THAT YOU READ THIS BEATITUDE FOR TODAY; GOD INTENDED IT. ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO START THIS WONDERFUL JOURNEY OF SEEING GOD IS TO “BE PURE IN HEART”. IT IS NOT PERFECTION, IT IS SIMPLY A “PURE DESIRE AND INTENTION” TO KNOW HIM, OBEY HIM AND LOVE HIM.

GETZ MO BA?

Smile :)

Ptr. Roger.

PAGTAMA ANG PANANAW TAMA ANG GALAW

Meditation:

Isang gabi, nagising ang isang lalaki at nagpalipas ng saglit na oras sa terrace ng kanyang bahay. Habang siya ay nakaupo, napagtuonan niya ng pansin ang dalawang nanlilisik na liwanag sa itaas ng puno, sa pagitan ng mga sanga, na tila titig na titig sa kanya. Biglang nabuo sa isip niya na ito ay ang malaking ibon na laging sumisira ng kanyang pananim. Sumilakbo galit niya at patakbong kinuha ang kanyang shotgun at pinag babaril ang “ibon”. Ngunit naubos ang bala niya at napansin niyang hindi man lang natigatig ang “ibon” at ng kanyang suriing mabuti, ito pala ay dalawang bituin sa kalangitan dumudungaw lang sa likod ng mga sanga.

Sabi ni Christ sa verse 34, Our eye is what makes our life brighter or darker; gloomier or happier. It is how we see things that dictate our mood. If you look at things or life situation positively, then, no matter how bad it is, you will find reason to be happy. Tayo ay pinapayuhan ni Christ na SIGURADUHING ang nasa atin ay liwanag dahil ito ang magdidikta ng uri ng ating buhay.

Naputol ang isang daliri ko sa isang aksidente sa Nestle at habang ako ay nagpapagaling sa loob ng tatlong buwan lagi akong malungkot. Pakiramdam ko ay iba na ako; hindi na normal gaya ng dati. Isang araw habang pauwi ako, muntik ng mabundol ng minamaneho kong owner jeep ang isang PASIPOL-SIPOL na lumpong tumatawid ng daan. Biglang nangusap ang Panginoon sa akin sa pagkakataong iyon dahil narito, isang taong putol ang dalawang paa hanngang hita, unano, pangit ang mukha, nakasakay sa kudradong table na may bearing na gulong at nangungubra ng huweteng. Napuna ko na sa lahat ng aspeto ng buhay lamang ako sa taong ito. Mas pogi ako sa kanya, kapiraso lang ang putol ng daliri, at least jeep ang sasakyan at taga Nestle! Pero eto kitang kita siyang mas masayang nabubuhay kaysa sa akin.

MALUNGKOT KA BA SA BUHAY MO AT HINDI NAKOKONTENTO? MARAMI KA BANG PROBLEMA KAYA KA MALUNGKOT?

Isang bagay ang natutunan ko, hindi ang aking situwasyon o ang mga taong nasa paligid ang dapat magdikta ng saya ng aking buhay; ITO AY ANG AKING PANANAW. PAGTAMA ANG PANANAW, MAGIGING TAMA ANG GALAW; LALAYAS ANG PANGLAW.

Ngiti naman jan at Meri Christmas sa iyo.

Smile :)

Ptr Roger

FEELING EMPTY?

TEXT: Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

MEDITATION:

What drives your life? What is your ultimate concern in life?

The lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous really amaze me. I hope you know Elvis Presley; the rock n roll superstar of the 60’s.

It is noted that he followed after, not only materials, but sensuality of all kind. And in his hey-day it is said that $5 million was his yearly income. Five million dollars, now that was a wee while ago. And in his first two years of stardom he had an overturn of $100 million. It is said of him that he had three jets, he had two Cadillacs, he had a Rolls-Royce, he had a Lincoln Continental, a Buick and a Chrysler station wagon, a Jeep, a dune buggy, a converted bus and three motorbikes. His most favourite car was the famous 1960 Cadillac Limousine model. The top of it was veneered and covered in pearl, literal pearl, white veneer. The body all around it was sprayed with forty coats of specially prepared paint that included within it crushed diamonds and fish-scales. Nearly all the metal trimmings around that car were plated in 18-carat gold. Inside the car there were two gold covered telephones; a gold vanity case containing a gold electric razor, gold hair-clippers, electric shoe-buffer; a gold-plated television; a record player; an amplifier; air-conditioning and a refrigerator that was capable of making ice in two minutes solid.

Whew! But what amazes me most is that in spite of the fortune these rich and famous have, it is quite obvious that all of them crave for” something” to fill their life. Like Elvis, all of them first tried to fill the longings of their flesh hoping that one day that satisfaction will come; that vacuum in their life will be filled. Then one day, after many years of indulging in all sensuality, he was found dead in his bathroom soaked in his own vomit. The real cause of death, a cocktail of ten prescribed drugs, taken in doses no doctor would prescribe.

In our beatitude for today, Jesus message is simple; your life will be filled if you hunger and thirst for righteousness. That empty space in our life is in the realm of our spirit that only God can fill. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”, Jesus is telling us that above anything else we must not forget to take the Word of God to nourish our life that is why He also said in John 6:63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.”

AGAIN MAY I ASK, WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE CONCERN IN LIFE? I PRAY THAT TODAY YOU MAY REALIZE, LIKE WHAT JESUS SAID, THE LONGINGS OF OUR FLESH “COUNTS FOR NOTHING.” BY “FLESH” I MEAN ALL THE LONGINGS OF OUR PHYSICAL SENSES. IT WILL LEAD YOU TO NOTHING; IT WON’T FILL YOUR LIFE. WHILE ON EARTH THE LORD WILL FILL ALL OUR NEEDS IF WE WILL TRUST HIM BUT ABOVE ALL, GOD WILL FILL OUR LIFE WITH TRUE JOY AND HAPPINESS IF WE HUNGER FOR HIM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

DO YOU FEEL EMPTY TODAY? WELL, COME TO JESUS RIGHT NOW, HURRY!

Smile :)

Ptr Roger

DO YOU WANT POWER?

TEXT: Mark 12:22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen; it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

MEDITATION:

As a kid I frequented the house of my aunt in our barangay since she was the only one who has TV at that time and why, because of “Batman and Superman”. Those superheroes captivated me so much and many used to see me wearing a cloth tied around my neck to mimic Batman or Superman running, shouting and jumping from trees, windows and fences, chasing imaginary enemies and crushing them down. Oh the rush of having incredible power!!!

I guess you can relate to what I am saying because if there is one thing that man longs for, it is “power”. How we wish we have that awesome power acquiring anything at the flip of our fingers. Christians are no exemption and many, when they came to know the Lord and read the text above, desire to have that power in the form of “faith that can move mountains”.

One thing for sure, Jesus is not enticing us to desire incredible power. His desire is that we may come to that “state” of having a 100% assurance of God’s will. You see, I am sure many Christians believe that with God nothing is impossible; it is not the problem . The problem is, thoughts like, “will He do it, will He do it to me, will He do it to me NOW”. When someone is sick, he believes that God can heal and that is too easy for Him but the question to the sick person is, “is He willing to heal me” or “maybe God send this as punishment or a form of trial to my faith”. You see, as always, the enemy of faith is doubt or confusion. The word faith simply means 100% assurance. If faith is present in your heart then you are 100% assured that the things in the future are yours already. As Morris Cerullo defined it, he said, “faith is like saying, I know that I know that I know that I know that it will happen”. Our heart is like a garage that can only park one car. If faith is parked then doubt is outside and rest assured that if doubt is parked, faith is not there.

HOW CAN YOU HAVE THAT 100% ASSURANCE WHICH WE CALLED FAITH?

1. FAITH COMES AS A GIFT

Smith Wigglesworth was an evangelist gifted by God with incredible ministry of signs and wonder. One day his friend died and after he prayed he went to the church where his friend was laid in a coffin. He entered the church in an unusual way, singing loudly and greeting peoples around like a politician in a campaign. As he reached the coffin where his friend was lying he grabbed his dead friends’ coffin and slammed it into a wall and shouted, “In Jesus name you come to life!” Nothing happened and so he shouted again and did it seven times and after a while his dead friend moved and was brought back to life! How did he do that? Well God said so! Smith was so assured that he heard the voice of God telling him to bring back his friend to life. And I am very sure that if God will tell me or you to do the same thing then WE CAN DO IT TOO! Why? That is a manifestation of “faith imparted as a gift!” You will be assured by God that it is His will to bring back to life that dead person, otherwise, you cannot just go to the burial of someone and grab the dead’s neck and tell him to come to life because you are doomed for embarrassment. (Well I am sure you just can’t do that “mission impossible thing” through your guts alone, hmmm...can you?).

2. FAITH COMES AS A FRUIT.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Faith also comes to a Christian as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. What does it mean? Like a tree, a Christian will soon bear in his life these nine Godly characters which are called fruits. One of these is faith. The Holy Spirit is like a gardener to a Christian. As a Christian feed his life with word of God then the Holy Spirit put the desire and the capability to do the will of God. As the Christian hear and obey God through His word then it will result IN a deep knowledge of who God is and what are His wills. You will also be sensitive to the voice of God and yes there can be manifestations of miracles too.

One night after our church prayer meeting, a mother with her adult daughter came to my house. The mother said, “pastor masakit ang tiyan ng anak ko eh ikaw lang ang bumili ng kendi sa tindahan kanina. “Palalawayan” ko sana sa iyo kasi sigurado akong nausog mo siya”. As a pastor, I know such practice is evil and a deception, but here, an old woman with a daughter holding out her stomach screaming from pain is asking you for a small amount of your saliva!!! I did a shotgun prayer and said, “Lord anu gagawin ko dito?” Then the Lord instantly reminded me to stand on the truth and just pray for deliverance. Then I said to the old woman who kept on insisting for “my saliva”, “nanay, kung laway ang talagang kelangan ng anak mo eh kahit isang tabong laway ko bibigyan kita, pero hindi po ako naniniwala diyan. Ipapanalangin ko po siya sa Diyos at siya ay gagaling”. Disappointed, the old woman looked at me sadly and said, “bahala ka,…laway lang eh…”. So I instantly prayed a very short prayer of deliverance and that the Lord fulfills His word and then the daughter suddenly exclaimed, “nanay, biglang nawala sakit!” Yes, she was instantly healed and they went home that night happily I was so happy too because after I stand in faith on the truth of God’s word miracles happened.

Faith as a fruit also manifests in a life of righteousness, peace and joy. Only a person who knows well that  everything is possible to God can truly live a life of peace and joy.

FAITH ASSURES YOU, DOUBT CONFUSES YOU. WHICH OF THESE TWO DOMINATES YOUR HEART? IF DOUBT DOMINATES YOUR HEART, IT’S JUST A SIGN THAT MANY WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT GOD ARE STILL HIDDEN FROM YOUR HEART. READ YOUR BIBLE MORE; SEEK HIS FACE MORE! AND IF YOU HUMBLY ADMIT THAT YOU STILL DON’T HAVE FAITH, WELL THERE IS GOOD NEWS; FAITH COMES!

Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”.

Smile :)

Ptr Roger