On January 23, 2008, at the residence of our dear Pastor Edward of Word International Ministries – Al Ain (WIN-Al Ain) session one of the W.I.C.L. (Word Institute of Christian Leadership) Program of WIN-UAE was conducted. It was a blast.
I estimate the number of attendees to reach 40 souls. I hope that the number of participants would not dwindle in the coming sessions. There was a sumptuous dinner offered by Pastor Edward and his family in celebration of Sister Marlene’s (pastor’s wife) birthday and their wedding anniversary. I believe that the dinner offered was not the reason why the room was filled to overflow with hungry souls. It was more of the spiritual nourishment that attendees were filled to the brim than the delicious buffet.
God has just spoken thru Pastor Aaron (UAE National Head) who conducts the session. This was what my soul had been seeking for the past couple of months now. I have been contemplating the last couple of months on how could I be of used to that so called “great commission.’’ I have found the answer to my dilemma on that same night of the first session of the W.I.C.L., in which I coined my own meaning to it as: Wise Instructions for a Christly Lifestyle.
I came up with my own version of the acronym W.I.C.L. while driving down to Dubai for work early in the next morning after that session one. I felt my mind was still left at the session one as all the thoughts that lingered on my mind during that one-hour drive was the lessons learned.
The following are some of the items that kept on lingering my mind on that early morning drive:
1. That the great commission, as commanded by Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:18-20, is more than the going out and making disciples. Most of the modern churches missed a very important instruction of the aforesaid verse as they are concentrating on the going out and making disciples. Most failed to acknowledge that this command is a form of a delegation of the authority by Jesus Christ.
2. That many modern churches are embracing a culture of membership rather than a culture of discipleship. These churches focused more of the numbers than the well-being and quality of members. Tendency is they seemed good on the outside but rotten on the inside. Attendees are classified as converts instead of disciples.
3. That modern churches should veer away from focusing their efforts on training leaders. Instead a heart of a true follower should be emphasized to each soul composing the church. A good leader should be foremost a good follower, a timeless principle uttered by Jesus himself.
4. That Christian discipleship is an unending process or cycle of making a disciple premised on the delegated authority coming from Jesus, and helping this disciple grow and learn to become a discipler himself. This cycle may only end when Jesus Christ comes back on the second judgment.
5. That the making of a disciple is more than giving information about salvation and the bible. It is an act of transforming life in order to embrace a lifestyle of wholeness and fulfillment to a follower of Christ, a lifestyle as designed by God and is pleasing to Him.
6. That in making disciples, it is a pre-requisite for a discipler to have embraced a Christly lifestyle himself for which he will impart to the discipled soul. How can he duplicate himself when in the first place he is not worthy of duplication. How can he be effective in advertising Christ when there are no traces that he possesses the qualities and character of Christ?
7. That the heart of every activity that the church will be conducting should in one way or the other be aimed at impacting the lives of the participants. The God should always be at the center of all the activities, otherwise, the things being done are merely mechanical in nature.
Praise the Lord for this timely training. More than anything else, I feel that what I am attending is not an ordinary training. It is more of a paradigm shift on my part. I have been viewing a different and clear definition of my Christian walk, especially on the matters of the great commission and the true meaning of Christian discipleship
I am looking forward to receiving more instructions for a Christly lifestyle in sessions to come.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Building the Tower of Faith
It does not take one to be an engineer or an architect to know the importance of a foundation in building construction. From a single-story house to a skyscraper, foundation has to be laid first as it holds the whole weight of the structure.
The depth and technology to be applied to the foundation is dependent upon the height of the building to be erected. The taller the structure the deeper and more complicated the preparation of the foundation will be.
Another aspect to consider is the type of ground where the building is to be erected on. Is it sandy? Rocky? Or whatever the engineering properties of soil the ground contains as determined by a geotechnical engineers. The modern engineering classification of soil helps in the determination of the material and technology to be applied for the foundational support of a building.
By analogy, let us consider our walk in our Lord Jesus Christ similar to constructing a building. Our Christian walk is comparable to building the tower of our Faith, which is in the first place the most beautiful gift we received from God. Faith comes from God.
If an individual received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior wholeheartedly and confessing with his mouth (Romans 10:9), he has just performed the groundbreaking ceremony. He has just celebrated the first day of the construction works of his tower of faith.
No matter what type of ground your heart was, placing in Jesus Christ into it during your groundbreaking ceremony is more than enough for you to start building your tower of faith. The blood of Jesus has purified any and all impurities dwelling in our hearts. This cleansing made our hearts the most suitable ground for building the highest tower of faith that one could ever imagine.
Keeping Jesus in your heart, cementing it with your daily devotional of the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Father in Heaven sees you and is not shorthanded to help you in every step of the way. Regular reading of the Word of God is the best foundation you are laying on. Unlike the construction of building, erecting our tower of faith level after level until it gets sky-high needs constant strengthening of the foundation, which is your relationship with Him who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Strengthen your relationship with God by spending time to meditate His Word day and night. Like the Lord’s command and a promise to Joshua in the book of Joshua 1:7-8 which reads in the NKJV:
7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
The depth and technology to be applied to the foundation is dependent upon the height of the building to be erected. The taller the structure the deeper and more complicated the preparation of the foundation will be.
Another aspect to consider is the type of ground where the building is to be erected on. Is it sandy? Rocky? Or whatever the engineering properties of soil the ground contains as determined by a geotechnical engineers. The modern engineering classification of soil helps in the determination of the material and technology to be applied for the foundational support of a building.
By analogy, let us consider our walk in our Lord Jesus Christ similar to constructing a building. Our Christian walk is comparable to building the tower of our Faith, which is in the first place the most beautiful gift we received from God. Faith comes from God.
If an individual received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior wholeheartedly and confessing with his mouth (Romans 10:9), he has just performed the groundbreaking ceremony. He has just celebrated the first day of the construction works of his tower of faith.
No matter what type of ground your heart was, placing in Jesus Christ into it during your groundbreaking ceremony is more than enough for you to start building your tower of faith. The blood of Jesus has purified any and all impurities dwelling in our hearts. This cleansing made our hearts the most suitable ground for building the highest tower of faith that one could ever imagine.
Keeping Jesus in your heart, cementing it with your daily devotional of the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Father in Heaven sees you and is not shorthanded to help you in every step of the way. Regular reading of the Word of God is the best foundation you are laying on. Unlike the construction of building, erecting our tower of faith level after level until it gets sky-high needs constant strengthening of the foundation, which is your relationship with Him who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Strengthen your relationship with God by spending time to meditate His Word day and night. Like the Lord’s command and a promise to Joshua in the book of Joshua 1:7-8 which reads in the NKJV:
7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Friday, January 18, 2008
ssshhh!
Image here was taken about a year and a half ago at our previous flat. That is how my wife looks like when fast asleep. Still lovely and beautiful. Most of all quiet. Well, she talks a lot. She can talk whole day non-stop.
Did I just say she is talkative? And she being so quiet in her sleep? I had to admit that once in a while I am awaken in the middle of the night when I hear somebody is talking at my side. You guessed it correctly. Sometimes my wife is even talking while asleep.
Next to myself and talking, sleeping is the next best thing she loved so much.
In one of our usual family time at the living room of our villa, I asked everyone their hobbies and the things they most love doing. My eldest and second daughters took turns in reciting their hobbies while all of a sudden the youngest in the family, my little Annia seriously shouted that their mama's most favorite hobby is sleeping. With the comment from a six-year old and youngest in the family, laughter enveloped the whole living room.
If my wife is sleeping, me and my kids are making sure that any sound we create from our conversations are maintained at a very low level. When one speaks louder and/or creates an unnecessary noise, everyone chorused to say ssshhh!!! Everyone is afraid that the queen of our jungle would rage a deafening roar at us.
SSSHHH!!! Anyone reading this one and who happens to know my wife, I beg for you not to tell her this blog.
I love my wife so much for who and what she is. Till death do we part. I vowed before God this promise.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
am ready to take that seed
A quote from Isaiah 55:10-11 reads in the New King James version:
"As the rain come down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
But shall accomplish what I please,
And shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Last Friday, January 12, 2008 during the regular Friday service of Word International Ministries (WIN) Al Ain, I was struck by the aforesaid verses from Isaiah, as if it was a two-edged sword that pierced through my heart. Our dear Pastor Edward Barcial shared his message for that service based on Isaiah 55, but the two verses above kept me pondering over the last couple of days.
Our pastor's message is centered on the month of January's theme, which is the "Word". He explained in his exhortation that the Word of God revealed to each one can be likened to a "seed" and a "bread."
When one is yet new as a believer or those that were coined as a baby in their spiritual walk with Christ, it is but normal that we need nourishment more than anything else. Like a baby who are so dependent on their parents for their food, a new believer is also dependent for their spiritual parents in the form of their pastor, bible study group leader or the other leaders of the church. New believers merely received revelations of the "Word" as a bread, ready to eat for their nourishment.
Of course, nobody stays to become a baby. One should grow older, first learn how to walk, talk, and to do some chores such as cleaning the house or cooking. From being a baby, one should be promoted to becoming a child and then teen. But at this stage, he or she is still considered a minor and civil society classified him or her as dependent to a parent or guardian.
Sad to say, many people in the society, even if their age is already past the minority age, still acts like a minor. Carefree. Happy-go-lucky. Irresponsible. Immature. These people are infected with the "Peter Pan" syndrome; they refuse to grow.
I then started to ask myself if I am having this "Peter Pan" syndrome in the area of my spirituality? At first I refuse to accept, but after a deep and thorough examination of myself, I am about to be infected with the syndrome.
I have been a born again believer for three years and nine months. I am yet to be using the Word of God as a seed where I could produce more bread to the great number of people who are yet to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I do not have a Bible study group to lead or facilitate. I only have a handful of people whom I have led to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In short, I am still lingering at the borderline of this "Peter Pan" syndrome.
God's ways are perfect. He made a way for me as the National head of World International Ministries, Pastor Aaron is coming to Al Ain City (my local church in the UAE) to conduct training for church leaders and potential leaders. It would be a series and conducted every Wednesday starting January 23, 2008.
I do not have any idea how many persons registered for very important important event. What is important for me now is that I have already engraved my name on the registration sheet.
I am no longer content of the bread alone, but I am now ready to take that seed, make the bread for the hungry, and put God's business of saving souls to the forefront of my agenda. As God promised, every effort I will exert on this endeavor will not go void. Prosperity He has promised in His Word.
"As the rain come down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
But shall accomplish what I please,
And shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Last Friday, January 12, 2008 during the regular Friday service of Word International Ministries (WIN) Al Ain, I was struck by the aforesaid verses from Isaiah, as if it was a two-edged sword that pierced through my heart. Our dear Pastor Edward Barcial shared his message for that service based on Isaiah 55, but the two verses above kept me pondering over the last couple of days.
Our pastor's message is centered on the month of January's theme, which is the "Word". He explained in his exhortation that the Word of God revealed to each one can be likened to a "seed" and a "bread."
When one is yet new as a believer or those that were coined as a baby in their spiritual walk with Christ, it is but normal that we need nourishment more than anything else. Like a baby who are so dependent on their parents for their food, a new believer is also dependent for their spiritual parents in the form of their pastor, bible study group leader or the other leaders of the church. New believers merely received revelations of the "Word" as a bread, ready to eat for their nourishment.
Of course, nobody stays to become a baby. One should grow older, first learn how to walk, talk, and to do some chores such as cleaning the house or cooking. From being a baby, one should be promoted to becoming a child and then teen. But at this stage, he or she is still considered a minor and civil society classified him or her as dependent to a parent or guardian.
Sad to say, many people in the society, even if their age is already past the minority age, still acts like a minor. Carefree. Happy-go-lucky. Irresponsible. Immature. These people are infected with the "Peter Pan" syndrome; they refuse to grow.
I then started to ask myself if I am having this "Peter Pan" syndrome in the area of my spirituality? At first I refuse to accept, but after a deep and thorough examination of myself, I am about to be infected with the syndrome.
I have been a born again believer for three years and nine months. I am yet to be using the Word of God as a seed where I could produce more bread to the great number of people who are yet to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I do not have a Bible study group to lead or facilitate. I only have a handful of people whom I have led to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In short, I am still lingering at the borderline of this "Peter Pan" syndrome.
God's ways are perfect. He made a way for me as the National head of World International Ministries, Pastor Aaron is coming to Al Ain City (my local church in the UAE) to conduct training for church leaders and potential leaders. It would be a series and conducted every Wednesday starting January 23, 2008.
I do not have any idea how many persons registered for very important important event. What is important for me now is that I have already engraved my name on the registration sheet.
I am no longer content of the bread alone, but I am now ready to take that seed, make the bread for the hungry, and put God's business of saving souls to the forefront of my agenda. As God promised, every effort I will exert on this endeavor will not go void. Prosperity He has promised in His Word.
Friday, January 4, 2008
my treasure
Katryna, Myself, Adrianna, Rose Marie, SophiaThis is the second family portrait we have taken first day of the year. We started this last year, and the whole family unanimously agreed to do this every year, making it a family tradition.
Of course a print will be framed and hanged on the wall.
It has already been made wallpaper on my laptop and surely will be made wallpaper on my office desktop.
Proud? Yes, I am so proud to have been blessed by such a wonderful family. God blessed me with beautiful, lovely and smart wife and daughters.
I treasure my family and my girls so much. They are my treasure.
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