Xmas

About thinking about Christmas, a thought passed my mind of it being a “Roman” holiday. After all, it seems to me that the Catholics were the ones who pushed Jesus’ birth to the 25^th of December. So, yeah, I thought. Christmas is a Roman holiday.

Seems innocuous... seems legit.

Kinda interesting in a morbid way that a Roman holiday is when a person is butchered to give the crowd some sick pleasure. Thank you, dictionary!

But it’s not about Christ being butchered, is it? It’s about his birthday right?... or is it?

‘Cause, whenever I hear about people talking about the so-called “Spirit of Christmas”, I hear stuff like it’s about happiness, and love, and family, and giving, and harmony, and all kinds of stuff that are good... but I don’t hear Jesus nor Christ...

It’s supposed to be “Christ’s Mass”, right? Derived from Old English?

Frankly, I don’t believe that Jesus was born on December 25... That this Christmas thing is just a Catholic move to make the ancient people forget about some Roman pagan holiday...

But still, I don’t think we’re doing this right! I thought, even as an atheist back then, that this day ought to be for Christ, hence the name of the day... that a day allotted for him once a year should at least be celebrated for him.

The Catholic propaganda apparently didn’t work out... for both Christ and Sol Invictus were scrapped in favor of Santa Claus, who had a much better marketing scheme. I mean, why celebrate someone else’s birthday when you could be the one receiving the gifts?

I’m sorry, St. Nicholas, but your noble saintly life filled with sincere generosity has made the world forget about the birthday boy. Now, the Savior’s day is filled with plights of kids cursing their parents for disappointing them of their hopes of getting their hands on some iPad 2’s or some gaming consoles, or whatever luxury “needs” they are. Oh, Twitter and Facebook could testify for that!

The world is still about the ka-ching ka-ching and the ba-bling ba-bling.

Well, Jesus is corny anyway. He is uncool, and for the religious nutcases only... so let’s just cross out his name instead and call this day Xmas, shall we?

...sigh.

The Catholic church seriously has some explaining to do... and oh, sorry for the one-sided rants to push the blame on you. It’s unfair. I believe the whole Christendom owes the world some heartfelt explanation. Although I think our side of Christianity is doing a good job at this. (One-sided indeed?)

But hey, this post is not about sparking some debates... no... this is not about brainwashing non-adherents to fear and tremble before the dogmatic day....

I just want to express my gratitude to the One who was butchered for me to have a comfortable and assured life. To Him who gave no regard to His own life and could care less about His birthday, thank you so much. I have a not-perfect, yet very wonderful life. I am blessed with a great family. I am graced with lots of gifts and goodies. I am pampered so much more than half the population of this country. And I am so privileged to have come to know You personally in my life, though I profess my knowledge of You is still very much close to nil compared to all there is about You.

And for this day, I know that those who really appreciate Your day are those not strangled or reeled by the estrangements of dogma and religion. I hope that when You look at us, You find more people who appreciate You than what we could expect to count. Yeah, like those wise men from the east! Kudos to them for being faithful to their Algebra homework, ‘cause apparently they’ve found X!

I offer You my apologies, for being one of those people who don’t appreciate You as You should be... I’m a ranting hypocrite, and I am sorry. This Christmas, I don’t wish for anything this world could offer... nada! I ask that this true spirit of Christmas possess me all the days of my life, that I love the people of this world as You do and live my life as a happy sacrifice all the days of my life. That I embody Your legacy, and that You will always be my inspiration for all You want me to achieve!

Oh, and happy birthday, Sir Isaac Newton! You are not forgotten. But I think we are nearing a time when gravity is not true anymore. Ah, life.

Painful Twenty-Two

If I'm sad now, I'm sad because of that ever-elusive image of a man who I want to become; an image I always fall short of. I'm sad because of this leash. I'm sad because of this virtual box; it has no walls but I can't get out. It's an asymptote of a wall; I'm getting nearer but I can't get past, let alone even touch it. Excellence for me is a pursuit; a bare-footed pursuit of a 150 mph train.

I'm sad because I fail. I fail at my attempts on being a paragon of Christ. I fail at my efforts to change the world around me. My fire was burning, but now it's doused.

However, these thoughts on my sadness are rather enlightening ones. Because I don't give my life to the bandwagon called the status quo. Because I lay my life for a purpose higher than me. Because I'd rather die than do the world a disservice... than do my Lord a disservice.

Although I'd rather die now. I've fulfilled the conditions of my latter point.

Nevertheless, as long as I still breathe, as long as I am graced with life, I don't care if my continued existence is a gift or a curse, I won't stop trying, even if it means failing all the time.

If I'm sad now, it's true. And my years too. All of them, twenty-two, are fickle. Not worth a spectacle. Not worth an epitaph. Compared to the glorious riches in Christ, compared to the passion and heartbeat of God, compared to that realm not bound by the mind and the dreams and prayers of the saints not bound by time, my life is as dirty as the word "shit" is going to be, in imagery, in reality and in profanity.

I am sad. I'm disappointed. I'm tired. But I'm not unloved.

If the whole world despises me, except a single person, I'd feel happiness. I'd feel strength! I'd feel courage to go on! I'd feel warmth and inspiration! For that one person, I'd continue to exist. I'd continue to walk. Heck, I might even run, or drag my body as I crawl forward!

And the people who love me... they're plural! And they're doing their best to cheer me up!

And I know God always loves me! How beautiful is the word "unfailing"! The Godhead has never rejected me, nor does He have future plans of doing so!

So for this twenty-third year, I'm still here. I might not be a few days from now. Perhaps God won't use me anymore. Perhaps I won't be needed anymore. I might even get discarded.

But as long as I'm here, I'll still dedicate my life for this higher cause. With a broken heart right now, yes, but not with a broken pair of legs!

Pursue love, desire spiritual gifts

1 Corinthians 13
In the last verse of chapter 12, Paul tells us that he will show us "a more excellent way". He wrote this after discussing the spiritual gifts. Then, in this chapter he wrote that everything is meaningless without love. Love is the greatest gift!
Desire it! Desire to have the greatest love of all!
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NKJV) "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

(1 Corinthians 14:1 NKJV) "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."

Desire to preach the Gospel!

(1 Corinthians 9:16, 17 NKJV) "For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship."
Woe to people who do not preach the Gospel. It doesn't matter if you want to or not, but I pray that you'll desire it! It's one of the greatest and most fulfilling vocations out there, and you are missing out on a great deal if you don't enjoy and give your best in evangelism!

Endure... all things!?

(1 Corinthians 9:12 NKJV) "If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?
Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ."
What struck me here is the last part. "...endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. Christianity is not about Christ. The moment your rights end is the the moment Christ rises up in your life. Christianity is about spreading the Gospel. Yes we still have our rights. But we lay them down of our own accord if they will hinder the Gospel. If not, then exercise your rights! Nothing's wrong with it!

The world is passing away

(1 Corinthians 7:31 NKJV) "and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away."
This world will pass away! Let us not misuse the world! Let us not get entangled with the world! Let us not fix our eyes on the world!

I'm sorry, gadgets. I'm sorry, fancy cars. I'm sorry, computer games. I'm sorry, luxurious living. All of you are beautiful... but you will pass away. I'll fix my eyes on those that won't.

He called me while I'm here... why is that?

(1 Corinthians 7:24 NKJV) "Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called."
There must be something God wants me to do. There must be something God wants me to do with what I have in my hands now. There must be something God wants me to do with the situation I'm in. And whatever it is, IT MUST BE DONE!

Ever thought of being forever single?

Paul said that he would rather have all people become single like him to serve the Lord. He did not forbid people to marry, he just heavily encouraged the Christians to live a life of singleness...
I have to see what he sees while writing these words. The Holy Spirit was upon him when he wrote these down, so the Holy Spirit is actually the one telling us about this. Before I prepare myself for marriage, I should really catch the vision he has. I should really understand the gravity of those words. Then will I understand the value of marriage in God's eyes.

Unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

(1 Corinthians 6:2 NKJV) "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?"
Be wise! Be spiritfilled! Be just! You are a son of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
If you can't make up your mind as to where you should treat your friends, whether in KFC or McDonalds, will God entrust to you the salvation of your community? Of your city? Of your country?
If you have to ask your mentor or your pastor how to wash the dishes in the church, or how to mop the floor, you really have some serious issues...

Don't be dumb, man! Dumb people belong to heaven! Be like Jesus!

Judgment starts from the inside out

(1 Corinthians 5:11, 12 NKJV) "But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?"
Purging starts from within the Church. Cleansing starts from within. It starts with me, because I am inside. I abide by the greatest standards of all. I must be blameless.
If you want to see the whole world become holy, that holiness will be demanded from you. That works great, 'cause we don't want a world run by hypocrites, right?
So be blameless! You can do it! With Christ!

Discipleship is also parenting

(1 Corinthians 4:15 NKJV) "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel."
There are many leaders in the world, but less are the rightful fathers. Discipleship is about leadership... but it's also about parenting.
Therefore I urge you, imitate me. (1 Corinthians 4:16 NKJV)

Be Faithful! Someone's watching!

(1 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV) "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."
Faithfulness is examined of you in ALL ASPECTS of your life! Take a moment and ponder... what are all the aspects of your life? God is observing you!
(1 Corinthians 4:9 NKJV) "For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men."
We are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. God is watching us. The angels and the demons watch us. People watch us. We are on display. Be wise therefore! And be strong! And be fully dependent to God!

Hard work has rewards!

(1 Corinthians 3:8 NKJV) "Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor."
There really is a reward. Hard work, therefore, is not useless. There are eternal rewards waiting for us, depending on the work that we have done! Yes, grace is more than enough! But that grace will give us much more grace because it will cause us to work harder, and with work comes reward! Let's all strive to work harder for the Lord!

Wisdom and Maturity IS Spirituality

(1 Corinthians 2:6, 7 NKJV) "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,"
And (1 Corinthians 2:10 NKJV) "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God."
The preceding verses tell us that the mature talk about wisdom, but that is wisdom that is not of this world. The verses also tell us that that wisdom is revealed only by the Holy Spirit. By this logic, we find out that the mature are those deep in the Holy Spirit! Maturity therefore is measured by one's intimacy and unity with the Holy Spirit!
(1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV) "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Di kasi deep!

God will crush Satan at your feet!

(Romans 16:20 NKJV) "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
AMEN!!! I receive!
Need I say more!? Amen has already been said! AMEN!

Love is a debt

(Romans 13:8 NKJV) Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Love is a debt. Love is a debt to everyone; it must be repaid. They have done nothing for us to owe them love... that's why it is called love. That's what God's love means... unconditional... and unfailing... and ACTIVE.
To owe someone means you really have to do something about it. Debt is not a state of comfort; but of restlessness.
Only then will you have really fulfilled God's law. Are you a Christian or not?

Leadership comes with diligence

(Romans 12:8 NKJV) "he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
Leadership should be exercised WITH DILIGENCE!!! It really takes diligence for leadership to be acceptable and pleasing to God! Leadership is shepherding. It takes love, skill and diligence... you really need diligence!
If you love someone, you have to be strong for that someone. You have to be able for that someone. It takes diligence.

Grace and... sacrifice!?

(Romans 12:1, 2 NKJV) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Can grace and sacrifice come hand in hand? Yes! The passage here mentioned "therefore", meaning this is a conclusion of the previous statements. The previous statements talk about grace and being grafted into the family of God. I can say that sacrifice is not only not redundant, but also the perfect response to God's grace! The sacrifice being discussed here is about offering our bodies and minds as living sacrifices! And by this, God means that we should offer our everything for Him! My perspective about the "therefore" of Paul not including the spirit is that the spirit is already righteous and sold out to God upon salvation. But the body and the mind are to be subject to God as well! This is our struggle. Paul "beseeches" us to do this! It means it should really take effort!

On true repentance

I was praying to the Lord that He would lead me to true repentance. I know His grace and His love, they are unfailing and unconditional. But I want to be deeper with Him. And for that, I desire true repentance.

And while praying, He made me say these words: true repentance is consistency.

I then stopped. I was taken aback. I pondered on the thought, and criticized it in every way. I concluded that yes, it is not the definitive equation of true repentance, but an angle of it, and a byproduct of it. But those words were rhema to me.

So i leave you with the thought:
true repentance is consistency.

I found it deep. Please stop for a while and meditate on it.

And the amusing thing is, it also roughly equates to "get your ass off of your feelings and move in the realm of faith, which never fails and never misses a step"!

When in Darkness and Storm...

Jesus appeared to his disciples at the fourth watch of the night, walking in the sea. His disciples were in a ship that is being tossed about by the waves... When they saw Jesus, they cried out in fear, but Jesus calmed them.
When you are faced with darkness and storms in your life, wonderful things will happen.
1.) The Lord will appear
2.) Your faith will be put to use
If there are no trials, faith will not be put to use! What's the use of faith? Faith connects us to God, and enables us to please Him!
What is faith? Faith is seeing the solution despite the problem... Or rather, faith is seeing the solution AND NOT the problem! When you have faith, there are things that you will see and things that YOU WILL NOT see!
If you look at the waves, you will sink
3.) You will be raised up
4.) You will know more about God and worship Him like never before!

Jesus and the Crowd

Whenever Jesus sees the crowd, he is moved with compassion, and the compassion leads to action. As a follower of Christ, I have to:
1.) See the crowd
You cannot see unless you go to them.
You cannot see unless you think about them.
Your life on earth should be filled by thoughts of them.
2.) Be moved with compassion
The crowd is afflicted. They are being devastated by the enemy!
You can do something! Only you can do something! They have no leader... no one to guide them. They are like sheep without a shepherd. You are to be God's shepherd for them!
YOU CAN DO SOMETHING!!!
3.) Heal their misery
Jesus is the only solution to their sins... to their problems... to their miseries.
4.) Fill their every need
Jesus still went on to feed them. It just shows how Jesus loves them. It shows how he really cares. He makes sure that they lack nothing.
This is the reason why He fed the multitudes. The multitudes were still following Him because they want more of Him. Jesus fed them because He knew that they still want more, and that they still need more.
This is the reason why Jesus trained his 12 disciples. Because He knows that when He departs the world, the people will no longer have shepherds that will take care of them.
That is the reason why you are here! He wants to make sure that all of His people are properly taken cared of! He wants to minister to their every need!!!

Forerunner

On Matthew 11, speaking of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ describes the characteristics of a forerunner:
1. He is not weak
He is not a reed swaying with the wind. His will and determination is stronger than the circumstances around him. He is stronger even than the dictates of his self.
2. He disregards comforts and wants
His focus is obedience, not convenience. His entire being is dedicated to God! No area of his life is untamed by God.
He does not give regards to social status as well. He does not care what other people think about him.
3. He just prepares the way of the Lord
He makes sure that everything in his presence and influnce is prepared for the coming of the Lord. He prepares the hearts of the people he comes by for the Lord.
We are not the ones who change people; Jesus is. But we should prepare them for Jesus! And we should make sure that every people we know and we come by are prepared for the coming of the Lord. Because of your presence, people will try to do everything that it takes to be in the Kingdom of Heaven!
Those who will not depart because of Him will be truly blessed!
4. He is backed up with prophesies
Forerunners are prophesied by the Bible. It means they are the will of God! If they are backed up by biblical prophecies, it means that they are backed up by the Author of the prophecies. It means God will do everything for the forerunners so that they will fulfill their purposes!
Many forces that they can't handle will try to stop them but nothing too great will succeed. God is greater than anything and even everything put together!


People didn't accept John the Baptist because he never came eating and drinking. They thought the has a demon. But Jesus came eating and drinking together with the people, and they branded him as a glutton and a drunkard... But Jesus said that true wisdom is proved by its actions and fruits.
Our attitudes and personalities don't really matter much. What matters is if we fulfill our purpose. What matters is our obedience to God! What matters is God's opinion of us!


*sigh*

Being a Disciple of Jesus

Matthew 10


When Jesus called his disciples, he blessed them with supernatural gifts and he sent them out. As for their preparation, Jesus said that they are not to take any money, possession or comfort they have. It means they will only rely on God and be fed by others and by Him...
I realized that being a disciple of Jesus is:
I. A full-time commitment and dependence on Him.
He shall supply all your needs.
He is the only key to be effective in our calling.
He is the only one who will give us the ability to be useful.
II. Losing one's life
III. Being wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.
IV. Bearing the cross and following Jesus


Do not fear trials and persecutions. Just press on with all the convictions. Someday, everything will be as clear as day.
Do not fear those that kill the body. Kill those that are able to kill the spirit!
A. Always be spiritually minded
B. Remove all worthless things in your life
C. Love God above EVERYTHING ELSE!

Advent of Jesus: The Wise Men

Passage: Matthew 2...


In the KJV, Jesus is referred to as the Governor who will rule the people. Now it is interesting to note that a governor is acting on behalf of a foreign king to rule a country on the king's absence. The Governor then is to bring the culture of the foreign kingdom into the country he rules, and to change the culture of the subject country by their own. In this point of view, we can see that Jesus doesn't only rule us, he changes our culture with that of heaven's! So we ought not only to submit to Him, we also ought to take on Heaven's culture!


V. 9 "When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was."


Those who seek the Lord will see the signs leading them to God. They will not only see it from afar, they will see it up close and personal in their lives. They will see the signs near them and going before them, eventually leading to the Lord Himself!!! WOAHH!!! So let us not neglect the small things! Let us not neglect the cell meetings, the church meetings, our prayer and devotional lives, our leaders' words, etc.!


And mind not the hardships that you come across while following the star! For after you have arrived at the destination of the star, you will rejoice with "EXCEEDING GREAT JOY"!!! (v. 10) and when you have found Him, bring Him gifts! Expensive gifts! (v. 11)


Those who have communication with God and obey Him may avoid trouble, but not all the time as in the case of Joseph, Ezekiel and Job. But more importantly, they fulfill the will of God, as was written by Matthew of Joseph fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies through his obedience to God! Straying away from your purpose and design is much more of a danger than sufferings and physical harm.

Proverbs 3

Wisdom nets us a lot of things. There is long life, riches, satisfaction and safety, and so much more! The chapter is full of nuggets of wisdom!


*v. 3-4 “Never let loyalty and kindness leave you... Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.


 - Loyalty and kindness... these mean wisdom in all of my dealings. Loyalty and kindness... the loyalty here sounds like always aiming for win-win scenarios... Ok, got it!


*v. 5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”


*v. 7 “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.


- v. 8 continues “Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” Real strength comes from holiness. A sinful life is full of heaviness. I’ve been there! Hahahaha...


*v. 9 “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.”


*v. 11-12 “My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”


- Yes... and this also extends to my leaders. This also extends to my mom. This also extends to everyone else above me! If they discipline me, I know the Lord loves me! And they might love me too! More love won’t hurt at all!


*v. 13-26. Seek wisdom! Hold on to it tightly! It has a lot of benefits with it! Good things will happen if you prioritize wisdom! In wisdom there is joy, long life, riches, honor, satisfaction, life, refreshment, safety, and absence of fear! Lord, if I cling tightly to wisdom, I will claim ALL of its benefits from You! FREEBIES!!!


*v. 27-28 “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, ‘Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.’”


- Roger that Lord. Always help ASAP!


*v. 29 “Don’t plot harm against your neighbor for those who live nearby trust you.”


- This is like inferred teamwork. Whenever you are with people, let them feel safe with you. Their naiveté makes them trust that you will not do harm to them, and please do comply. It doesn’t matter if people harm you; the rampant sin has made them do that. What matters is that you don’t harm them!


*v. 31 “Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.”


*v. 34 “The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble.”

When will the Kingdom of God come?

The Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God will come. Jesus answered him that the Kingdom of God cannot be detected by visible signs; it is within us. Jesus went on to explain that we should not just believe in people claiming where the Lord should come and things like that. He is still reinforcing his answer: the Kingdom of God cannot be detected by visible signs, it is within us.

Jesus will come in a moment we least expect. He may come when we are eating or having fun or getting married. The issue here is not about when or where or how He will come back; it is about being prepared for it anytime! It is about following Him and not turning back.

“In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.”

If you are Jesus’ follower, you will be consistent in all areas of your life, in all the days of your life!

The Ten Lepers Healed of Leprosy

Passage from Luke 17:11-17


Ten lepers begged Jesus to heal them, and he did. After the miraculous healing, only one returned to Jesus... that person was a Samaritan... a foreigner. Because of this Jesus said, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”


Ten were healed, but only one was made whole. I made a research on the meaning of whole in this passage, and I found out in its Greek form it was sozo which is commonly translated as “to save”. To save means to keep from harm, to persevere or to rescue. But I believe it really means more than that... to simplify, the ex-leper was made COMPLETE! He must have received genuine, heaven-bound salvation, not just skin-deep salvation!


What are the keys to his being whole?


1.) Faith. “Your faith has made you whole.”


2.) Gratitude. He was thankful from the bottom of his heart. He returned to thank the one who saved him from a life of leprosy, shame and other inconveniences we don’t understand. He was a Samaritan, so he must have felt more gratitude than others.


Am I like one of the ten who were healed? But more importantly, am I like the one who was made whole?


Lord, FAITH and GRATITUDE! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!1

Thoughts on Forgiving Others and Leading Others to Sin

Thoughts on Luke 17:1-10

In the first two verses, Jesus was teaching that becoming an instrument of temptation is a very very forbidden thing to do. It would be better if one commit suicide than if lead others into sin. It is a very despised thing in the sight of the Lord.

The second two verses teach about forgiving others perpetually. It doesn’t matter how many times others offend us... what matters is that we forgive them every time they do offend us.

On these teachings, the apostles asked of the Lord increase in their faith. I guess they knew that those two teachings are hard to obey. Then the Lord replied in the following verses. He gave two replies that boggled me for quite a while...

His first reply was this (v. 6):

"And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

His second reply was (v. 7-10)

"But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

“And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

“Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”

...Okay, so Lord, what are You getting at? By themselves, the replies stand alone. But when pieced together, they don’t make sense. Especially if we consider that those are replies to the apostles’ request of having their faiths increased...

Jesus’ answers always seem to come off in a tangent, but I know that those seemingly far-fetched answers point to the more important issues... the issues that we need to focus on instead of our queries...

I asked the Lord for wisdom in these verses... I told Him that I cannot afford to not understand them. And after careful deliberation, these are my conclusions.

I. Everyone with faith can do them (v.6)

Jesus told us that everyone with a faith even as small as a mustard seed can call on miracles like throwing mountains to seas. Jesus’ hyperbole pointed out two things:

a. Everyone has got to have faith much larger than a mustard seed. I mean, you must be spiritually retarded to the extreme if you have faith somewhere near the size of the mustard seed. If no miracles happen in your life, you simply have no faith.

b. Forgiving others and avoiding being a source of temptations are nowhere near the maximum potential of faith. Those are incomparable to throwing mountains to seas. They are just nothing.

Jesus was really pointing out that everyone with faith can really do them! If you can’t, you simply have no faith at all.



II. You are commanded to do them (v. 7-10)


This is where it struck me... We are servants. The Lord is not asking us if we can do those or not. He is commanding us!
A servant is not privileged to dine with his master. He is not even privileged to be invited to a dinner. When his master wants to eat, the servant is to stop everything he is doing just to service the master. And when the master is done, the servant is not entitled to receiving gratitude. In fact, the servant is to say, “We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.” And to magnify that fact, let me quote verse 10 in its fullness: “In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.” Take note that he said this as Jesus, not as a character in his parable. He said, “...when you obey ME, you SHOULD SAY...”
But are we servants? ...well, a Yes and a No. We are called his friends now. But we should not forget how we came to be! Our relationship with the Lord kind of stacks together (it doesn’t, I believe, but it kinda does...) We were once His enemies, then we became his friends, then we became co-heirs with him because God the Father has adopted us as His children. Then later, we will become his bride... this is the most intimate of all relationships... it means we are one with him! Nothing else can be more intimate than that!
But we were servants, yes? Not anymore, but we once were. We are still called to serve Him. He is still Lord. We are now privileged before him, but let’s not forget our roots. It’s a way of kinda repaying Him for all that He has done for us...
We are commanded to refrain from being a source of temptation and to always forgive others. I will not obey them just because they are commanded to me. I will obey them because I share the same heart with God; those two things are very very important! Being a source of temptation is a terrible thing to do. Forgiving others no matter what is just priceless!




Lord, I’ll obey you! Everyone with faith can obey those! I’d have to be spiritually retarded to the extremes if I am unable to!!! Hahahaha!

Thoughts on Leadership

Thoughts on Leadership...

I'm no expert on leadership. I'm yet to read books about it. Some choose to define it as a solitary responsibility (Ferdinand Marcos), others as ability to delegate (Dwight Eisenhower)... those people were successful in their own rights when it comes to leadership, I think...

So what is leadership? Leadership is about influence! No influence, no leadership! You cannot be a leader without a follower! Hahahaha!

But these days, I get to thinking that leadership is also about rallying people... right!?

Here in school, there are a lot of Christians here... they are capable people... they are willing to change and to be changed... they are willing to be used... and they would want our school to be won for the Lord! Right?

But nothing is rallying them... no one is rallying them!

So I decide to rally them... we decide to rally them.

I suck at many things... I sucked before... SO WHAT!?

We are starting right now... some people are interested. This is the start of a more exciting college life!

I'll be posting here on the progress of our Christian conquest here... keep in touch!

Asking of God...

God always wants us to ask of Him... He will always answer! He is not a killjoy God... He is a father! He is OUR father! Don't hesitate! He is more eager for our desires than we ourselves are for those desires!


To convince you of this, let me quote Luke 11:5-8:


Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.


And also, verses 11-13:


“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”


See?


Don't hesitate to ask God! Don't just worry or daydream... Talk to Him about it!


I hope your relationship with Him will be much much more intimate than before!

Scribble Scribble

Scribble scribble with the mighty pen
Or with keyboard strokes
With male hens
And strange folks


Hatch a prototype
Or maybe an egg
Or a prototype egg, perhaps?
One that is born?
But did I not just say hatch?


What’s the catch?
Scribble scribble
Maybe find yourself
Lost in your own quibble.


...Or watch your words rebound
And form a ripple...


See, there’s much wonder in words
If you’ve the skills to dribble
That one man’s ponder
Might make another less feeble


It would do the world
A grand favor
If all who aspire
Do scribble scribble

Lift Up Rap Battles!

There's this thing called rap battles, which I came to love. I have been a fan of Spoken Word myself, and have made and perform spoken word poetry pieces myself, and when this Flip Top rap battle became famous, I loved it!


One thing I don't like about it though... they use their words and wits to bring down others... Such a waste of poetic talent! Sayang! The makata Filipinos have been reduced to whining losers intent on making their opponents worse losers than they are...


Those talented poets could have just removed themselves from the world, instead of doing nothing but defacing each other...


OR... They could use their flair to lift people up! To lift our consciousness to a higher, better and more sensible level!


That's when it hit me! Why not use rap battles the opposite way!? Philippines, with all its political corruption, poverty, junk-food entertainment media, and all other things Filipino whiners whine about their motherland, is in dire need of positive energy!!!


So we decided that we make our own version... "Lift Up"!


And this Lift Up thing has been going on for a while! Check it out! We're still on the process of moving it to a higher level... thinking of other "modes" for it... tournaments, etc...


Catch Lift Up on YouTube... subscribe to www.youtube.com/user/ernikaiein


And once a video of it hits 20,000 views on YouTube, we will feed a community!

Back to Blogging...!

Woah...

It's been a while... I have intended this blog to be a source of encouragement, motivation, critical thinking, and God knows what more I can contribute to the society through mere words...

I have a lot more messages stockpiled in my Iphone (which serves as my notebook), which haven't made its way to this blog... wanna know why?

I don't like writing much! Hahahaha... I love to think, but writing is another issue....

Could I just plug my brain using USB cables? Hahaha...

But seriously though, I want to write! I hate to write, but I want to want to write! Right? Write! Because words are very powerful! Words are ideas expressed, and ideas are, according to Dr. Myles Munroe, the most powerful things in this world! Through ideas we think of making skyrocketing buildings, we send people to the moon (though I doubt it truly happened... still, what a splendid idea)... we even think of bombing the World Trade Center and spreading panic throughout the world! Ideas ARE powerful! And these powerful bombs are expressed through words! So words are THAT powerful! Even Jesus Christ is an expressed idea! John calls him the WORD (Gk. Logos)! He is God's best idea, His best expression of love!

And with the power of Web 2.0, ideas now have a wider audience! The world is now interconnected! People are ACTUALLY IN THE INTERNET! (which sounds like horror in some typical sci-fis, but it's true!)

And I got a lot more up my sleeve! I got more juice in this nutshell of mine! Sometimes I can't sleep because I have too much ideas! It makes me want to do drugs just to be calm! (just kidding!)

One thing I forgot is that blogs are Web Logs... they are meant to be journals! Hahaha! And I don't write my day-to-day experiences!

So why not write more? Even my experiences will do, right? WRITE! Write ideas! Express yourself Erni! Maybe impress others as well! Maybe others are depressed, and through words they'll be relieved of stress!

So now you'll get to have a load of more action-packed, "typical" Christian life from me! Hahahaha! Feel free to treat me as a specimen! A Christian for study!

Though, catch me at Facebook! I'm really active there! That's www.facebook.com/idecidetoburn. And Twitter's just for my location notifs and stuffs... twitter.com/kaiein

People Look For A Savior

When John received news of the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples to him. They asked Jesus if he is the expected Messiah, or someone else. Jesus told them to report what they are witnessing: "The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." (Matthew 11:5)

For me, the Messiah is evident, at work and present when the events of verse 5 is happening. If such things are happening, should you go look for another Messiah? And if those things are not happening, is the Messiah present?

Only Jesus is capable of doing all of those things! As His disciples, we should continue to allow Him to do those things by being His representatives. We should always have Him in our hearts. We should always let Him work through us!

It means we should always be with the poor, the blind, the deaf, the oppressed, the needy, the darkened... We should always be at the battlegrounds! Lying at rest hinders the work of Jesus Christ!

Greater Righteousness (How much is okay to God?)

This is my devotion from Matthew 5, v.17-20.

          Jesus came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it, as said in verse 17. It means that was the reason for his first coming, and it should have been accomplished by that coming. In verse 18, he said that nothing shall be removed or edited from law UNTIL the law is fulfilled. "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (v. 19)

          But the next verse (v. 20) is important. "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." If you have THE SAME or LESS righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you WILL NOT enter the Kingdom of God! You SHALL IN NO CASE enter the kingdom of heaven.

          As of the moment, the entire truth of v. 19 is unknown to me. What I understand about it is that we should not live as hypocrites. We should walk the talk. I do not understand why both of the examples are still called least or great in the kingdom of heaven.

          But I think what Jesus is saying is this: I am the true and only feasible righteousness in the eyes of God. The righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees depend on their compliance to the law of God. And we know that no one could ever fully accomplish all that is written in the law. The Pharisees in Jesus' time are even worse, for they are hypocrites. Still, hypocrite or not, their righteousness will not grant them entry into the kigdom of God.

          We need a greater righteousness. That righteousness is the one from Jesus Christ. He is the only one who has truly fulfilled the law. That is actually the reason why he came. And that righteousness is His gifts for us; we only need to receive it. That righteousness supersedes man's best attempt at righteousness. That is the righteousness that can grant us entry into the kingdom of heaven.

          Jesus Christ then went on to discuss the futility of man to attempt to be truly righteous on his own. Verses 19 and the following offer brutal options in order for man to have more chances of pursuing righteousness. Righteousness is extremely hard. In fact Jesus said that it is "humanly impossible" (on the incident with the rich man)

          And the chapter ended with him saying "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Beatitudes!

I read Matthew 5, and I tried to understand what the Beatitudes is all about...


On the beautitudes, Jesus is saying, in essence, that those who follow and imitate Him are blessed. No matter what their situation is, they are blessed. You may not realize it but you really are blessed. And the rewards in the afterlife heavily outweigh our earthly throes! And those rewards are sure! You will receive them! In the terminology of the world, you are very lucky!

Even when you are poor, you are blessed! Even if you are persecuted, you are blessed, and you will be more! Even if you feel inadequate or unskilled, you are actually still blessed you just don't see what God sees in you!

But Jesus continued on to explain that you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. You have a purpose! You are not blessed for no reason! You have a design! You are supposed to bless others! You are supposed to put flavor in the world! You are supposed to be the light!

How will that be possible? Well, didn't Jesus change the course of history, impacting it eternally? Didn't Jesus just become the best idea for man about God and love? Didn't Jesus become the light and hope for all the people? AND AREN'T YOU THE ONE FOLLOWING AND IMITATING HIM!? If so, then being the salt and light of the world is VERY POSSIBLE!

Being a Christian without impact is questionable... Having the blessings of the Beautitudes is useless if they are not shared. V. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."