His Words

I was driving around the block earlier just to destress and take off from my mind a feeling of sadness ( I tried to contact someone but He was unavailable apparently ). Sometimes I just drive and drive just to ease a tension. Then I drove to this dark street and I realized that I am not familiar with the place. So I stopped and opened Waze to know my location and way home. I was around 'Sports City'. Fortunately, navigation became easy because of this application. That moment reminded me of verses that I read last Thursday during my morning devotion.

John 11:9-10 - " ⁹... Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

Well literally, it is easy to walk and drive during the daylight. But in this verse, the world's light represent the God's guidance and progress in our lives. The word stumble is a symbol of a moment falling out from the personal relationship with the Chief Shepherd. So if we don't have this intimate relationship with our Creator, we will fall apart and will be clueless to everything that is happening around us. Without His guidance and love, it will always be dark and night in our lives. We will never see the sun shine down upon us. So if you are in the middle of nowhere and seems light is unreachable, call on His name and meditate on His words. Don't let the enemy sway you and bring you to the world of total blindness. 

Just like what happened to me, even if I am not familiar with the place (well, it was my fault driving around there), I was confident because I know I have Waze haha. In real life, let's all be confident in facing challenges and dark matters that run after us. We have God in our life and we will never stumble.

When I heard that there was a plan of building Hope church in Dubai, at first, I thought it won't be easy since this is a Muslim country and besides, there are big Christian churches that have been established here. I told to myself, it is impossible. How can we invite members as it is not allowed to do it publicly (in Singapore, we can distribute some pamphlets about the church in a mall or street)? How can we start, we don't have any leaders here? Where do we get the money to spend in lifegroup and services? But those doubts suddenly diminished when inch by inch, we reached our goal. This November we will be celebrating our first anniversary and I couldn't believe it! It has been a whirlwind and exciting journey.

This experience thought me that indeed, nothing is impossible with His guidance. I am so blessed to meet these believers who helped hand in hand in building this Hope church in Dubai. As the saying of my forever favorite verse (Philippians 4:13) - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". We are all overcomers and if sometimes we experience problem that seems to have no solutions and we don't know what to do, we should learn to focus our eyes only to Him because He will teach us lessons that we can't learn in any other way. It is also an opportunity to understand and nurture His presence in the midst of a situation of walls of nothingness.

When we are asking the question 'What am I going to do?', just remember John 6:5-6 (⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do). These are all tests and there is nothing, as in nothing that He can't do even in our wildest imagination. It is a reminder that we need to implement things according to His process and procedures and that everything comes from God and not from human solutions and resources.

In every obstacle that we face, just remember that God has the solution and sometimes, He might require our involvement and participation to achieve. He may even ask us to do something unreasonable for us. But believe me; everything is within reasons and for our own good. Initially I had many doubts about planting church here in Dubai but now, it so fulfilling that we have accomplished something that can please Him. We didn't do it on our own, we believe He has always been guiding us and giving us wisdom when it comes to decision making.

This post is from my first (serious) spiritual leader, Theo Villa. The teaching seems to be very timely as we are building a lifegroup (and hopefully church soon) here in Dubai and serving God in this location is a big challenge but a great opportunity.

Servanthood (John 2:1-12)

Serving God is an invitation to all [ver 1-2]

Matthew 9:37-38 (TNIV) - (Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.")

Serving God requires  willingness to serve [ver 4]

God has given us gifts... gift of leadership, gift of music, administration... and so on... but these are nothing if we are not willing to use it for the glory of God.  Further more, God does not look at what we do best, but God looks at the willingness of our heart to do His will.  

1 Samuel 16:7 (TNIV) - (But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.")

God knows what's on our heart... He knows your motives, he knows if you are scared, He knows if you are willing to be used by Him. Serve God because you are willing not because you are able to do things... 

Serving God Requires Obedience ver [5-7]

Serving God requires you to serve God First and then others.

Serving God means Jesus first, serving others & lastly yourself. Serving God means to focus on God Himself.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (TNIV) - (Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.)

Serving God brings out the best in you [ver 9-10]

Serving God means:

Many people will be blessed because you have serve God... 

God will bless you and through you many people will be blessed... you will be a channel of blessing, an encourager, through you healing will come, through you many people will come to know Jesus.

Image taken from http://hudumacrc.org

Nope, this isn't about that famous movie about Popoy & Basha. This is about ourselves and the people around us. Everytime we meet new friends I am very sure that there will always be an inclusion about the past, yesterday or last month or last year. Behind those closed doors were absolutely some mistakes and misfortunes, no exceptions. Each one of us has that past sins and adversities that somehow taught us in order to live a better life.

Given that fact, we can still encounter some people who choose to isolate theirselves and feel so sorry about those things they did "once upon a time". Also in our end, we sometimes feel ashamed of the wrong actions that we did long time ago and we are letting this dark shadow to haunt us. This kind of emotion can be a result of how are we looking into past and focus on those mistakes that will lead us to fear about judgment and the feeling of guilt.

But the best question is how our Father sees us? This my friend I can tell you that his lenses are always clean, no spots. He always sees us in the image of crystal clear water, no dirt and no bacteria. All of the past mistakes have been vanished upon seeking forgiveness and that should make us guilt free on how we look inside into our hearts. A better way to understand the deeper meaning of forgiveness is can be seen in John 8:1-11. It is about a woman who was caught committing adultery but Jesus did not judge her, instead total forgiveness and new chance was given.

Aside from that, there is grace that is always available and "free" for everybody. We know that if we commit mistakes, we hurt Him but since He has this unending love for us then we can be assured that there is no condemnation. Once we accept that forgiveness that He offers then we are certain that new chance and new beginning is in the making. Second chances are always best as we have the tendency to be better and these chances help us to strengthen our faith and cultivate a deeper relationship with Him. Everybody deserves a second chance.

Image taken from 1loveforchrist.com

When I first experienced the true relationship with Christ, I was so delighted and filled with joy. It was like I am living in a world of nothing but happiness. I have learned a lot and was full of excitement for every devotion, life group and services. But one time, I was invited to this street activity where we should invite other people to join our church and our journey to perfectness. They called it EVAX or short for evangelism. In dictionary, evangelism means the spreading of Christian gospel thru zealous activity for a cause. Indeed, the bible says that we should let others know His works and love for us through discipleship. During the evax activity, I was so hesitant to approach people walking in Orchard Street and ask them to join us in our church and let them know how important it is to be saved and how joyful to be in His arms. I was very shy and I can't even do it on my own, I have to be accompanied by others. Honestly, I was saying to myself the words yuck, cheap, ewww and other degrading words. 

I know I know that was wrong but eventually, I realized that what we were doing was so pleasing to His eyes and that it is our responsibility, as Christians, to help others and let them be aware about salvation and grace. If we will read John 1:35-42 ("³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter)), we will see how Andrew first heard the good news poured out by John and he followed and spent time with Him as he longed to know Jesus. After finding inner peace and learning how good it was to be in the presence of Jesus, Andrew invited his brother with delight and full of eagerness.

We might have been in a negative path before but we were saved and glad that those days are over. We are now filled with joy and love through His presence. But this feeling doesn't stop in devotion, prayer and attending life groups and services, we should and we must let others know the happiness that we have found. We should motivate others patiently and cast away all the hindrances in our evangelism. Before I leave Singapore, we still had this activity and though I was still shy on doing it at first, once the conversation started, I was so comfortable in talking to others and inviting them to attend our activities was priceless. Here in Dubai, I don't think that public evangelism is allowed. It will be very hard for others to do evax but we must remind ourselves that there is no absolute reason to by shy about it; instead we should be proud that we have Him in our lives. Let's continue to invite others and share them the life changing events that we experienced and the journey to true Christianity.

image from ercevangelism.wordpress.com

Last Thursday during the service in Victory Church, I was reminded of how our God is so patient, understanding and forgiving. These past few weeks, I wasn't myself, I was full of negative emotions and wrong thinkings. But despite those things, He continue to protect and bless me for which I felt that I don't deserve any of it. I was then realized that He is still guiding me, directing me to the right path, indeed the best shepherd.

The service discussed God as the true shepherd. The pastor first mentioned the characteristics of a sheep on which some of them, I believe relates to us or defines our very own traits. The list included strong, stubborn, dependent, demanding, restless, slow to learn, straying, same everywhere, unpredictable, unattractive, copycat and fools. Despite these adjectives, isn't it great that God doesn't give up on us? Isn't it a great feeling that no matter what we do, we always have the second chance? Isn't it wonderful that there is someone that provides unending love, concern, protection and guidance?

1. Pursues Us. In verses Ezekiel 34:11 (For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them) and Luke 19:9-10 (⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”) mention that there is no place for us to hide, He will continue to look for us, search for us and will never give up on us.

2. Protects Us. These verses state that God will be our ultimate protection against any harm and willing to give up His life for us. Ezekiel 34:12 (As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.); John 10:11 (“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.)

3. Provides For Us. As we all know, He is the Great Provider, He gives us everything that we need. No matter what we ask He will give but let's always put in our mind that God has three answers in everything we ask, (a) Yes (b) Not this time and (c) I have better plans for you. Ezekiel 34:13-14 (¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.)

The pastor then asked us to read Psalm 23, read not only by eyes but should come from the heart. That very moment, I felt His touch, the warmth of His embrace and it was like He was sitting besides me and saying "welcome back my son, its good to have you back. I've been waiting for you". I know I'm not perfect but I am blessed that I have a perfect shepherd. We just need to listen to His voice and obey Him. It will also be a good thing for us if we are surrounded by people with the same belief and encourage us towards the correct path.

Blaming others and defend ourselves were the first steps that we do when we are facing false accusations that might lead us to uncontrollable anger and madness. I was once accused of something that I did not do, maybe it was easy for them to do such thing since I was making a lot of fun unto them and to others. As a human, my initial reaction was falsifying those words and insisted that I didn't do it. I was angry and the emotions were covering my entire physical body and mind. Then in the end, I realized that it was totally wrong, I didn't control myself, instead I caused pain and ache to the accuser by saying words beyond my control. In that situation, I was reminded that I should always represent Jesus in my every action and I failed that day. It opened my mind that as Christian, I should be calmed in facing storms and probable false words that will destroy my credibility. Yes, I have learned my lesson.

In Luke 12:11-12 (11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”), it says there prayer is the most powerful tool in such situation that if we do, God will provide us supernatural wisdom and words will utter into our mouth. That's why we should have first inner peace and experience His presence and give full attention only unto Him as He is always available for us if we seek guidance (John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid). Then we should ask for wisdom and ask for the right words that should come out from ourselves as He will seal our lips until He shows us the perfect words to pour out. You will then be surprised on how calm you are and you might not even identify how those powerful words came out of your mouth (Psalm 141:3 - set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips). We must always remember that the Holy Spirit will lead us to the path of understanding and will show us beyond those hurful words and actions the right approach to do. He will give us insight and better picture of the entire situation.

When I was in college, my concept of being a leader is the one who strive the best in academics, always getting the highest score in every exam, achieving perfect score in laboratory activities and famous. I had the chance to study in two colleges at the same time and I was juggling my schedule. I was the class president for three years, leader in student council, editor in chief of school publication, president of writer's club and summa cum laude. At that time, I felt so powerful and I can get whatever I want. But these concepts change as I started to know Him more.

Being a leader comes with a lot of sacrifices and should start from our very own ways, we should be a good FOLLOWER first. But first, we should be aware of whom we follow as a Christian, none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. As stated in John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep". I believe that in this verse, we can see the perfect description of a leader, the one who acts as a shepherd to those who "sheep" in his care. We, as His sheep should be a good follower, learn His ways, experience His presence, fulfill His plans, spread His goodness, make a disciple and abide His commandments.

So after being more matured if we feel that following Him is natural and that we are filled with love and care then that's the start to do the same to others in our very own ways, we can start to lead and of course, commit everything to Him and ask for guidance, strength and wisdom and always make Him as your example and perfect role model. As in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ". The Christian leader is one who follows Christ and inspires others to follow Him as well. As a Christian leader, it also serves as the feeder and nourisher of the sheep, and the ultimate "sheep food" is the word of God.

I remember before, I had a hard time following orders from my leaders as I used to give directions and commands before. But eventually, I overcame it and I realize that everything we do is for Him. The unwilling mind became a heart of a servant and every little things that I do for my lifegroup excites me. It started with bringing drinks, disposables, prepare games, organize events and be shepherd. Inch by inch, I was able to grasp the true meaning of leadership. It is not just about giving orders but caring and loving your people and make sacrifices, if needed in order to achieve the common goal. I have also observed that most of the Christian leaders also encounters difficulties such as problem in relationships with their people, misunderstanding, lack of motivation, poor communication, complaining and interpersonal conflict are common. But they were able to resolve it with His help and the factors that made them stronger leader. I have learned from them that Christian leadership must patient, motivational, inspirational, be loyal to and love their people, care for their needs, be fair and consistent in their treatments to their people and provide avenues for opportunity, advancement, rewards, and personal development.

So that's it, you don't have to be a summa cum laude to be a leader. You don't have to earn big salary or get 5 digits salary to be a leader. You don't have to be famous, you don't have to wear and own branded things. Just be yourself, be a good follower first and the rest will come naturally and spiritually. All praises to Him!

Yesterday was a roller coaster of emotions for me. I received news about the death of my churchmate's father and the death of a former colleague. First news was very heart breaking as I know how this sister in Christ of mine truly trust and praise God. The acceptance wasn't easy but it was comforting to know that his father accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and saviour. Still, the thought of losing someone isn't easy and needs more time for the healing of the heart. The second news was a shocking one, this cool, hippie Indian friend and was a teammate from BarCap was so young and has a lot of potentials. But these things happen for a reason. Death isn't the end at all for them as I believe that an everlasting peace will be with them, same to my sister who left the Malbas clan eight years ago. They are now in a world where no pain will be felt, no problems need to rectify and will embrace the freedom from suffering and sins.

Jesus has prepared a place for us in that kingdom as stated in John 14:1-4 (Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.). There is place that awaits for us after our purpose here on earth so we shouldn't worry at all about our relatives and friends who have passed away. If you will notice, description about the heave is very brief. Infact, if you will read the bible, only few details were given about the real atmosphere of heaven and what happens in the afterlife. Maybe God's reason is to keep us excited and for us to wonder about the mysteries of heaven, it's for us to imagine and it's for us to believe.

In Christianity, the assurance that you will reach that world is that you have received Jesus Christ as personal Lord and saviour and by declaration of faith. We should acknowledge Him will full trust, faith and love (Matthew 10:32-33 "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heave"). Should we be afraid about death? I don't think so. We are assured that He will always be with us thru that journey which reflected in Psalm 23:4 (Eventhough I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me). So, should I say, death isn't bad at all? We have our own opinions and beliefs but whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord in heaven. (Romans 14:8 - If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord).

It's always a question to myself... is it okay if you know that your motives are pure and clean? This issue tackled me again as I recently made an exit to Johor Bahru to assist friends and all the lies in front of the immigration officer is magnificent. Such as, "just here to go shopping", "I'm going back to Philippines afterwards", "nah, I just need 4 more days"... The result of those movie-like lines were good, the exit was a success and a new hope and beginning started to motivate these people... but why lie?

I believe that we are living in this fast pacing world that conditions us to lie because sometimes, it is not easy to say the truth. Admit it, we sometimes fall in committing a lie such as reasons on why we can't come to the office, why we are late in our appointment, selling yourself in an interview, etc. It is always wrong to lie because the bible says so. But the argument on "what if it results to a better situation?", "what if my purpose is just to protect a person?", "what if it will benefit to all?". If you will read John 7:2-10, Jesus initially stated that He won't coming to the festival but in the end still left for the occasion not publicly but secretly. Can we categorize it as a lie? If you read Exodus 20:16 (You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor), it is directly commanded not to give a wrong information or basically to lie.

In Webster's definition, lie is making an untrue statement, briefly just like that. But in my opinion on the Christian definition, lie is something that you said falsely that results into hurt and negative to other people. I believe that God looks to us thru our heart, if the movites are clear, will hurt nobody and can provide us a better future and long time peace. Being honest is not always easy but the most important thing is that we keep our faith strong and unshakable. Honesty is also not just how you speak to others, but also how you speak to yourself. While it is apparent that God requires His people to be honest and truthful in their heart toward God and his people, it is also clear that there can be situations where faithfulness and loyalty to God and His people is more important in the eyes of God than satisfying our own law of self-righteous honesty.

On the 6th of February, Pastor Christie gave a moving and very inspirational teaching. It was about moving on, forgetting the past and embrace the future that waits us by starting "today" and do the necessary. Every year, we are doing this new year's resolution but sometimes we were able to do it for the first few months then will get back to old doings. We can always start a new beginning and ensure to be strong and hold on to it. Seek His power and feel His love to us.

1. How to sieze the day to live a more fulfilling life? (John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full) Jesus Christ died on the Christ so that we can have an eternal life and live it to the fullest. We shouldn't be wasting our time thinking of the past, let's enjoy it by praising Him and do His ways. We might be abused physically or mentally on the past but by praying everything will be forgotten. Don not live on the past.

2. How to live life abundantly? Pastor gave this keys: a) forget the bad / b) Do not dwell on the past to wrap your future - In our every decision, don't look back to the past instead, plan it by visioning the future as the past may hold our hearts and can't move on to embrace what awaits to us / c) Let Go and let God - Let put Him in control, let go of the past and forget those painful days, just pray and believe that He will guide us into His path / d) Live the life of Jesus in You - We should be living a life based on His ways and how He wants us to be the leader of our lives. Obey His commands and be inspired by His power and life.

Isaiah 43:18-19 - 18) Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19) See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

Luke 23:43 - Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

During the lowest point of my life last year, specifically around July to September, I was at home most of the time and I used it to get closer to Him by reading the bible. On one instance, I was impatiently waiting for a good result and answer that I almost gave up but upon reading this verse, it striked me.

Mark 11:24 - Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

So I continued to pray and claimed that all my prayers will be answered in the right time and that I just need to believe and trust His plans to me. But still after that, there were still those times of doubts and questions on when is the right time? How long should I wait? Should I give up? Are these His plans, to make me suffer? Why is this happening to me? Did I do something wrong? But my trust to Him erased all those uncertainties and I just continued to pray and that time, I looked for more support on the bible as I believe all the answers to our questions can be found in that tiny book.

1 John 5:14-15 - 14) This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15) And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him.

Acts 16:31 - They replied, "Believe in the lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household.

Matthew 7:7-8 - 7) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8) For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to Him who knocks, the door will be opened.

We can see how great He is, He will give everything we desire, just approach Him, just ask and believe that He is always at our side, ready to listen. By believing, it feels so light to wake up every morning knowing that we are loved. Like what I posted before on my Facebook account, "Prayer is the best communication as you know you are loved by the one you are talking to". But there were some moments of questions why we are not blessed or the prayers are taking too long to be answered. The answers are still in the bible and believe me, after reading it, I understood more what my weaknesses are and what are the things I need to consider.

John 16:24 - Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.

James 1:6 - But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

James 4:3 - 3) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
The keywords are to ask and believe, don't be discouraged and get frustrated. As my UL discussed to me on our last shepherding, ensure that my prayers are for good intentions and that my motives are clean and will not make any harm to others. Well then, I insist, ask thru prayers, there is always a proper and correct timing to Him... just believe.