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Month: June 2017

National Chaplains Of Philippines National Convention June 2017

Attended and celebrated the ordination of my comrade-in-Christ, Pastor Martin Fao-ilan, as Bishop during the National Chaplains of Philippines national convention cum fellowship conference with the leadership of the Body of Christ Fellowship, Indonesia from 19 to 20 June 2017.

All thanks and glory to God that I was also conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity by the Alliance of International Bishops and Theologians Inc, Urdaneta City, Bangasinan, Philippines and re-appointed as the International Chaplain on the same occasion.

 

Pastor Myra and John Jalique of Cathedral of Faith, Philippines

Testimony (14)

Phil 4:6

 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

We will encounter trials and tests of our faith in our life journey.   Do we bring our anxieties to God in the first instance and ask for deliverance ?

At times, God delivered us.  And at other times, God granted us peace to deal with the situation.

My 2 younger children aged 14 and 13 were supposed to join a church delegation on an overseas mission. They were already issued boarding passes and had boarded the plane but were later offloaded from the plane because they would need a waiver of exclusion ground to travel unaccompanied by a parent to the Philippines.

We told them not to be disappointed but to bring everything to God in prayer first.

We had 3 hurdles to clear altogether :

  1. We hoped the airline would not void their air tickets and  treat as no-show for the promotional tickets they had purchased. That was unlikely because the terms and condition specified on such promotional tickets put the onus on us to check and comply.
  2. We had to expedite the application for this waiver at the Philippines embassy which normally required at least 3 days in advance for such application according to their website.  To compound our anxiety, that very day was a holiday for the Philippines embassy staff, so we had to wait till the next day to apply for the waiver.
  3. Even if we clear the first 2 hurdles, would there be available seats the next day since we were informed few seats were available ?

We prayed knowing that if God so willed, He could still grant our prayer request to overcome these hurdles despite the really slim odds. It was a great lesson for my children to learn to trust God in every situation.

Because the airline had issued the boarding passes and my children had boarded the plane,  the airline was also apologetic for the mistake which should not happen in the first place.  Otherwise my children would be denied entry into Philippines at the Philippines airport which would be more problematic.  So the airline was willing to allow my children to re-book on later flights.  We had cleared the first hurdle.  When we showed up the next day at the Philippines embassy,  we learned they could expedite our waiver application and issued in 2 hours.  Hallelujah !  Another hurdle cleared.  And we could also get seats on the flight the following day and we cleared all hurdles.

Hallelujah ! All thanks and praise to God our Father and Jesus our Lord for granting our prayer !  My children were able to join the mission after all.

 

The Christian And Politics

The Only Commission

The only commission given to the Christian is to save souls and make disciples.  And not to effect policy change in legislating morality.  Legislating such change cannot permanently change human hearts.  Only the gospel, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can effect real change in society.  We are to share the gospel to everyone but when we take sides in politics,  we end up losing the evangelism focus.

The Sovereignty Of God

All governments are ordained by God.  God is sovereign over all the affairs of the world and we can trust Him over all national and foreign affairs.  God has revealed through His Word how the world will end with lawlessness increasing by the day till it climaxes.  We are not to be alarmed and we should have hope because we are already pre-warned.   As such,  it is something we cannot stop.  We can never make any society truly righteous until Christ our Lord comes again and set up His perfect Kingdom.  Instead of political activism, we should glorify God in our little sphere of influence by exalting our Lord through good works,  witnessing,  and exhibiting good conduct.

Submission To Governing Authorities

Our Lord came in a time where there was slavery, persecution and oppression.   He never tried to effect political change although the people were looking forward to it.  Instead He said,” Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Matt 22:21.  Instead of political revolution,  He started a spiritual revolution in the hearts of men.

During  the apostles’ time,  the believers faced severe persecution under the wicked Nero.  Yet Paul and Peter exhorted us to submit to the governing authorities and live godly exemplary lives.  Rom 13:1.  1 Pet 2:12-15.   We are also exhorted to pray for those in authority over us and the salvation of their souls so that we can live tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.  1 Tim 2:1-2.   Titus 3:1-2.   So when we see our leaders act unrighteously,  the first response is to pray rather than protest, since it is God who ordain these governments in the first place.

Citizenship In Heaven Not Earth

Our true citizenship is in Heaven.   Though we are in the world, we are not of the world.   Our priorities are to advance the Kingdom of God and not kingdom of the world.  So when we spend time on making the world a better place to live,  is that advancing the Kingdom of God or kingdom of the world ?  Even if we manage to Christianize governments through political means,  do you think we can change the heart of the non Christian society through political power instead of the power of the Holy Spirit ?  We should pursue spiritual pursuits instead of political pursuits.

  • gleaned from an article by Dr John MacArthur, “God, Government And The Gospel”.

 

Gray Areas In Life

In many matters of conscience in which Scripture does not address clearly the appropriate response,  should the believer simply have the freedom to act as he wishes ?

Can a believer enjoy any entertainment ?

Can a believer enjoy any music ?

Can a believer enjoy any hobby ?

Is it correct to say that a believer can do what he wants to do since he is free in Christ ?

It is true that the Bible does not mention specifically every possible decision a believer may face in life, but it does address all choices with general principles that govern Christian freedom and conduct.

Here are some principles which I gleaned from the excellent book, Right Thinking In A World Gone Wrong, by Dr John MacArthur, that will help us to make the right decision in life which will glorify God as the main goal.

1.  The Edification Principle.  Will this activity produce spiritual benefit ?

1 Cor 10:23.   “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

Unless something is profitable and helpful to the spiritual good of others,  it is not worth doing.

2.  The Enslavement Principle. Will this activity lead to spiritual bondage ?

1 Cor 6:12.   “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

Anything that dominates us and takes that rightful place of Jesus Christ as our Lord will bring us ruin at the end.

3.  The Exposure Principle. Will this activity expose my mind or body to defilement ?

1 Cor 6:19-20.    Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Anything that exposes us to the sinful nature of the society is to be avoided obviously.

4.  The Esteem Principle. Will this activity benefits others, or cause them to stumble ?

1 Cor 8:8-9.  Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

If any activity that causes a brother to stumble because of his weaker conscience, we should not insist in doing it for the sake of love for the brother.

5. The Evangelism Principle. Will this activity further the cause of the gospel ?

Matt 28:18-20.  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Christians should always consider whether their action in any activity will affect their witness to a watching world.  1 Cor 10:32-33.  1 Cor 9:19-23.

6.  The Ethics Principle. Will this activity violate my conscience ?

We sin if we act in any way that goes contrary to the convictions of our own faith and good conscience.   If our conscience is troubled by what we are doing,  don’t do it.

7.  The Exaltation Principle. Will this activity bring glory to God ?

1 Cor 10:31.  So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

We are created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  If any activity that will bring dishonor to His name,  don’t do it.