Ministry Update: JIL BC

The 17th batch of JIL BC Encounter Retreat just recently concluded this day. Another weekend passed with more or less 5o delegates from the JIL BC Churches. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, God’s word and ministering under God’s presence. Altogether, lives were changed and transformed towards fulfilling their destiny under God’s plan and purpose. Praise the Lord!

Congratulations to all our Pastors and Coordinators including all leaders, workers and the delegates for being where the Lord wants them to be this weekend. Seeing and hearing them testify of what God has done only prove one thing, that is, God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Great is the Lord and His wonderful acts to His people.

Until next time!!!

Ministry Update: Meeting Days

These upcoming two weeks will filled with meetings with JIL USA and Canada Pastors using the facility of the JIL Prayer House and Retreat Center in Mission, BC. It will be days spent for strategizing and cascading of the direction and goals for 2009-2010 or even beyond. Simply put, a time well spent to fulfill the JIL MVV for USA and Canada.

I am looking forward in meeting the Pastors for a very fruitful time of exchanging ideas, providing inputs and outputs for the common desire of saturating cities for Jesus. I believe that it will be an important meeting to set the tone for the next move towards church-planting and leadership development for these countries. It is a great time to be seeing what will unfold after these meeting days…..Great things are ahead for sure!!!!

Better Things

As the world totter in crisis nowadays, we can only hope for better things in the horizon. Everything that goes down and touches bottom has only one direction but to go up. Have we touched bottom yet? How can it be when we still hear news about companies like GM considering filing for bankruptcy and many others experiencing the squeeze as well in their own businesses? Should we be concern and begin to panic? We can glean from biblical principles to find solace and encouragement in these times of crisis. One of the many popular verses comes from Matthew 6:25-34:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)

Read it carefully and one will find specific instruction that deals with the daily concerns of life’s basic needs. It has provided simple but workable solutions to what ails humanity at its core, i.e., worry and fear. Jesus described it as unjustified and unnecessary when we reflect carefully on some simple illustrations of care that God has done to other created beings in our planet. We will lose sight of what God has done in the past and what He will do today and tomorrow when we surround fill ourselves with unbelief and doubt. The outlook of better things is hindered by our “little faith.” Thus, we see worst things and hopelessness rather than holding on to God’s promises of better things.

One very clear reminder is to stop worrying about tomorrow when today is already full. Here’s something to consider as written by Reynolds Dodson in Reader's Digest, June, 1992 as the rules for crisis management:

1. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
2. Look first, and then act.
3. When you do act, act aggressively.
4. Seek help.
5. Don't get locked on a detail.
6. No matter how bad things get, be truthful.
7. Look for the silver lining.

The silver lining can never be found on our own ways and means. When we have exhausted all means possible and still nothing happened favoring our way. Then it is time to apply the biblical principle stated above, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” Let it become a proven principle when applied deliberately and consistently in our daily life.

Remember that crises are part of our life and they are here to stay whether we like it or not. However, we have a choice in dealing with them that includes God in the equation or to depend on our own ways and know-how. God guarantees His words and promises with complete success especially when we obey His will completely and faithfully at all times. Otherwise, we will be left with uncertainties without any guarantees but more anxieties. Being anchored in God’s promises might be the best option at this time of crisis, pandemics, political upheavals and many other related events. Trust God more than anything else in his world and you are in a very good hands. If you remember the Sunday school song that says, “He’s got the whole world in His hands” then everything will always be better ahead.

Let’s talk again!

CHANGE

Change is a word that majority of people does not want to hear or experience. Why not? It is because change will either bring favorable or unfavorable consequence to the person concerned. How are we to respond to change whenever it comes our way? I want to propose this simple solution: Get ready for it! Change is an inevitable fact of life. It is what defines every situation both small and huge. Many have used it as their slogan and still many desires it to occur in their lifetime. Many aspire for change and it cannot be stopped from happening when the right time comes. It will be like an unstoppable flood that will sweep away everything in its path.

Let me share the story of Mercedes Benz to give us a glimpse of how mode of transportation changed because of a vision of one man: “In 1886, Karl Benz drove his first automobile through the streets of Munich, Germany. He named his car the Mercedes Benz, after his daughter, Mercedes. The machine angered the citizens, because it was noisy and scared the children and horses. Pressured by the citizens, the local officials immediately established a speed limit for "horseless carriages" of 3.5 miles an hour in the city limits and 7 miles an hour outside. Benz knew he could never develop a market for his car and compete against horses if he had to creep along at those speeds, so he invited the mayor of the town for a ride. The mayor accepted. Benz then arranged for a milkman to park his horse and wagon on a certain street and, as Benz and the mayor drove by, to whip up his old horse and pass them--and as he did so to give the German equivalent of the Bronx cheer. The plan worked. The mayor was furious and demanded that Benz overtake the milk wagon. Benz apologized but said that because of the ridiculous speed law he was not permitted to go any faster.” Very soon after that the law was changed. 

You see, if there was no change, we will not experience all of this sophisticated technology and breakthroughs in the past century. Yet changes are still happening with breakneck speed. Just begin to browse through any scientific magazine and you will discover new things being invented and introduced. One of which if not the greatest change is the mode of communication that people are enjoying through email, text, phone and the internet with many possible ways of communication. Every aspect of life is experiencing changes and many are not coping up well with it. One reason that I can think of is their fear of change. No matter what our apprehensions might be, changes are here to take place, sooner or later.

What needs to be maintained even in the midst of all these changes is our relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:8 states that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (NIV) It is a truth that will stand the test of time. Furthermore, Hebrews 13:5 provides an everlasting truth of God’s never-ending presence "…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (NIV) We can hold on to this truth even if everything around us changes. Our family members may change but God will not towards us and especially to those that are faithful to Him.

Here is another basis of God’s never-ending love for His people as Lamentations 3:21-22 states, “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.“(NIV) We can rest on these words spoken thousands of years ago for today and tomorrow. The rapid change of our society will only continue no matter what but God will remain the same. Therefore, our faith in His word and promise must never be affected by the changes we experience externally. Remain steadfast and unmovable in our commitment and faith in God’s ability to bring us to our destiny and His will for our lives. As one Sunday school song declares, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Never lose sight of this fact and no matter what changes arise, God never change!

Let’s talk again!

RIGHT WORDS

There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "A speech will either prosper or ruin a nation." Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other, we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party. Here's a simple story to illustrate such a situation: A friend and her millionaire husband visited their construction site. A worker who wore a helmet saw her and shouted," Hi, Emily! Remember me? We used to date in the secondary school." On the way home, her millionaire husband teased her, "Luckily you married me. Otherwise you will be the wife of a construction worker." She answered ,"You should appreciate that you married me. Otherwise, he will be the millionaire and not you." Frequently exchanging these remarks plants the seed for a bad relationship. It will only yield endless arguments and hurt feelings. It's like a broken egg - cannot be reversed. In order to learn the proper application of right words, we must hold fast to the biblical principles in regards to it:

• Proverbs 10:19, When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
• Proverbs 12:18, Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
• Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.
• Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
• Proverbs 17:27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.
  

Let us keep in mind that words cannot be taken back, even if desired to. Therefore, if you do not have anything good to say, stay quiet until you do. Furthermore, the best way to make sure that the words spoken are appropriate is to think hard and long before speaking. Rights words must be formed in order to build up people most of the time. It is by using constructive criticisms with an intention to promote the development and growth of the person involved. Words were designed to express the thoughts and intents of the person. Without it, there will never be relationships and ideas developed. Just think that dreams and visions need to be articulated by the right words to inspire people. Revolutions and movements were started by charismatic leaders with eloquent speeches; and the rise and fall of a leader were determined by its great rhetoric during rallies. Many more have been indirectly and directly affected by words spoken. But most importantly, belief systems like Christianity were started by the words of Jesus when He spoke of the Kingdom of God and His words were written by many to provide timeless education for our betterment in our relationship with God and others.

As much as speaking the right words reverberates across history, speaking the wrong words has the same effect with an opposite consequence that has plunge the world into wars and destruction. Thus, one can choose the right or wrong words to say to receive a right or wrong response and a right or wrong action. Here's an important reminder: control your tongue and never be controlled by it! Failure to do so will always bring unnecessary troubles. Guaranteed!

What I have shared to you in this article are words that I want to contribute to your success with your very important other and others in your life including your boss, children, teachers, government employees, police officers, pastors and priests to name a few. We all know how saying the right words deliver favors and blessing but the wrong words have the opposite outcome.

Now that I have given you some things to think about, make a firm decision to use the right words wisely to benefit others primarily and to secure some for yourself in the process. You will like what you will hear from people in response to your right words. Do not forget the biblical saying, 'what you sow is what you reap." Speak great things and expect great things; speak bad things and they will come as fast as they can!

Let's talk again!

Missed Opportunities

The story is told by Peter Kreeft of an immigrant family on a ship from Europe to America. They were poor, so poor that they had to spend almost all of their money on the ticket. What they had left over for food was only enough to buy bread and cheese. All they ate were cheese sandwiches. The young boy, Hans, said to his father, "Dad, please, give me some money for an ice cream cone. I hate cheese sandwiches!" His father said, "Son, we are poor. Cheese sandwiches will keep you alive until we reach New York; the streets are made of gold, and we will eat whatever we want." Not satisfied, Hans continued to beg for money so his father gave him some change for an ice cream cone. The boy disappeared and didn't come back for two hours. When he did come back he sported a big fat tummy and a huge smile on his face. "Hans, did you get your ice cream cone?" "You bet, Dad. And then another one, then a steak, and then apple pie." "What? You bought all that with the money I gave you" "Oh no, Dad. It is free! It comes with the ticket!"

If we analyze this true story, we can reach various conclusions. Obviously, this immigrant family did not realize that the food comes with the ticket. Perhaps they were misinformed or they had trouble speaking the language. Were they quiet and shy, not wishing to mix with the other passengers? Whatever the case, they missed out on some great food.

Somebody said, "Four things come not back, — the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity." Many have missed obvious opportunities because they were simply not aware that it was what they were waiting for. Looking far ahead when it is clearly staring us in the face is a common occurrence among many people. But the majority just give up altogether and surrendered to "que sera, sera" mentality. They would argue that it is useless and wishful thinking. That's why, many have been overtaken by others' keen aggressiveness and unyielding determination to pursue opportunities and open doors.

The book of Revelation shares an important insight, "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open." (Revelation 3:7, NIV) This verse provides us a timely reminder of how we should view the events and opportunities that come our way. When we begin to think about it, it is either we force our way into every opportunity with a "hit and miss" experience or look at every situation whether positive or negative as an opportunity and see results. However, if we will allow and trust in God's ability to open the opportunities for us, I believe we will go through life without any struggles whatsoever. But bear in mind that I am not endorsing a laid back mindset like the story of Juan Tamad and the guava fruit. While he was able to reach easily and pluck the fruit but because he was lazy, he decided to just wait patiently for the fruit to fall right into his waiting open mouth.

You might find this a funny story but believe it or not, there are many that have adopted this kind of attitude. They patiently wait for an opportunity to come at their door when in fact; every aspect of life has one already waiting for us to grab it. The ability to distinguish what is a right opportunity from a wrong one is clearly marked. Yet many have opted to go the wrong way due to narrow-mindedness and utter desperation. Remember that a gloomy perspective dulls the ability to see great opportunities. Therefore, aim to change the way you see things that nothing is impossible to those who believe in God because with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). And this is optimism at the highest level. What are you waiting for? Never look at you circumstance but look towards God instead.

Let's talk again!

Worship Service as Angels See it!