Within our sensibilities, we know that extravagance is wrong. That's why there was a public outrage when the a scoop came out that the President with other government officials spent around $20,000 for a single dinner at Le Cirque, a luxurious French Restaurant in New York
I think I am even more sensitive to extravagance because I live in Region 1 -- the Ilocos Region. (Alam naman ninyong may reputasyon tayo dito bilang mga kuripot pagdating sa gastusan). But I must go with historian Teodoro Agoncillo that Ilocanos just earn their money the hard way so they hate spending it. So I think even non-Ilocanos who earn their money the hard way can sympathize with me when I say that I don't understand people who spend fortunes collecting stuff such as shoes, bags or Barbie dolls.
In the Bible, extravagance is usually presented as an ugly thing. God requires the king not to acquire for himself a great number of horses or to accumulate large amounts of silver and gold (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). And in the story of the Rich man and Lazarus, the rich man who went to Hades at death wore expensive clothes of purple and linen and spent lavishly for daily feasting (Luke 16:19).
What has drawn me to this text is because there is an unusual twist here: Extravagance is called a beautiful thing. Caring for the poor is even seen as a lesser priority compared this type of extravagance.
The event took place less than a week before the crucifixion. A dinner was held in the house of Simon- a man who recovered from leprosy. A controversy arose because a woman approached Jesus with an alabaster flask of expensive perfume (probably imported because it is native to India). From Mark's account, we know that it is worth a year's wages.
The woman broke the thin neck of the bottle and she poured it's contents on Jesus' head. It's volume is considerable because it flowed to cover Jesus' body also.
Matthew records: "When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor" (Matthew 26:8-9).
Jesus answered: ""Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial."
There are any other things that could be pointed out in this account like the significance of the perfume in Jesus' coming burial (verse 12) and the promise that her story will be remembered wherever the gospel is proclaimed. But I will just focus on one aspect.
This type of extravagance was commended because it was not done to feed the ego or satisfy the flesh. It was done out of devotion to Jesus. An extravagance that recognizes the greatness of our Lord is beautiful. He deserves our all. He deserves our best. Anyway, he owns all things and all these things were created by him and for him (Psalm 24:1; Col. 1:16). Nothing we possess is too costly to be disposed for his sake.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Be like Jesus, not Cain
I'm holding in my hands a copy of Faithwalk Vol.2 No.4; the theme of this issue is the precious gospel itself. On page 10 is an excerpt of the document The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration. It is a consensus among evangelicals of different traditions and backgrounds on what the gospel is. Let me read a portion:
"God's justification of those who trust Him, according to the Gospel, is a decisive transition, here and now, from a state of condemnation and wrath because of their sins to one of acceptance and favor...”
This part is very relevant because there's a recent sad development within Grace Communion International (GCI); formerly Wordwide Church of God (WCG)-- that former bastion of Armstrongism which gradually moved into more orthodox positions in the mid-90's. This sad development is that they have recently embraced Karl Barth's view of the atonement. In this view, the efficacy (not just the potentiality as in the Arminian camp) of the atonement is all-inclusive. Christ's death effectively reconciled all men to God.
With his pen, Barth writes:
“We must think of every human being, even the oddest or most villainest or miserable as to one whom Jesus is brother and God is Father”
He also wrote:
“The so-called outsiders are really only insiders who have not yet understood and apprehended themselves as such.”
I asked one of their pastors to read the Evangelical Celebration document; he initially says he has no problems with it. So I read aloud the part which says: “God's justification of those who trust Him, according to the Gospel, is a decisive transition, here and now, from a state of condemnation and wrath because of their sins to one of acceptance and favor...” And then I asked him, “Do you accept that pastor?” . He admitted that they disagree with that.
For some, they may treat this as a small thing. “That's a non-essential” they may say. But the same document on evangelical consensus says:
“In things necessary there must be unity, in things less than necessary there must be liberty, and in all things there must be charity. We see all these Gospel thruths as necessary”
As for me, I don't know how to evangelize without saying that man is separated from God because of his sins.
But this post is not about the atonement; it's on the theme: “Loving One Another in the Church”. I am introducing this post this way because last year, a friend of mine who belongs to that denomination was asked to preach once a month. He chose to preach verse-by-verse on the First Johannine epistle. What happened was he cannot reconcile their newly embraced soteriology with what he was seeing in 1 John. Because here, John does make a distinction between INSIDERS and OUTSIDERS.
1 John 2:19: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”
Here, John does make a distinction between those who are of God and of those who are of the devil:
1 John 5:19: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
1 John 3:10 “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”
We are finally one verse away from our text.
1 John 3:10 is a conclusion to the previous section (3:4-10). In this section, John makes a distinction between those who are God's children and those who are not. He is simply saying in this section that God's children practices righteousness. Those who live in sin are of the devil because the devil has been sinning since the beginning.
Yet aside from concluding this section, 3:10 also introduces the next section. After discussing that true Christians are known by their righteousness, they are also known by how they treat their fellow Christians.
For this post, I will just follow the structure of the Apostle John in developing this thought.
1.The Admonition (3:11)
2.Principles from a negative example (3:12-15)
3.Principles from a positive example (3:16-18)
THE ADMONITION: “ We should love one another”
No doubt, the princliple of love should be applied to all, not just on our fellow Christians. Our Lord Jesus himself said that the second greatest command in the Law is that we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Matt. 22:39).
At one point, an expert in the Law asked him, “Who is my neighbor?”. What was Jesus' response? He told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Thieves took away his possessions; he was stripped of his clothes, and he was fatally wounded He is dying. The first man to see him was a religious man. He was a priest; but he passed by the other side. Another religious man saw him, this time a Levite (a temple worker), but he did the same as the priest.
Here comes a Samaritan. This difinitely made an impact to the first century audience. When Jesus ask for water from a Samaritan woman, she replied “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? ((For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. There is a hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans. But look, two religious Jews ignored a dying man. Here comes someone who is perceived as an enemy yet he got something the religious Jews don't have. Verse 10 says that when he saw him, he had compassion. He helped the dying man. After that Jesus asked the question ”Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man...?” The expert of the Law correctly answered “The one who had mercy on him.”. Jesus then told him to go and do likewise.
Jesus' point is clear. We should be a neighbor to everybody. And we should love them as much as we love ourselves.
But the text at hand limits its application on how we should love our brothers. Our fellow believers in Christ.
Galatians. 6:10 says “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
While we are to love all men, we should love our brethren in a special way or greater extent. That is also implied in what God requires of Christian employees.
1 Tim. 6:1-2 "All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them."
We are to love the authorities God has place above us; but we are to love them even better if they are our brothers in Christ.
We must not be lazy and say “Okay lang magpakatamad ng konti kasi si Brother_________ naman amo ko eh. Maiindindihan niya yan. Mabait yan eh." We have to work harder for the one's dear to us.
What I'm saying here is our love should apply generally to all people but it must be intensified when the recipients are our brothers. I really can't understand Christians who are happier sharing their life with their highschool batchmates or Facebook friends than with their fellow believers in Christ. I can't understand people who are more excited in a class reunion than in a worship gathering. There is nothing wrong with keeping in touch with your highschool and college friends or even online friends-- I do. But my affections for them can never match the affections I have for my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Two quick points from the admonition part:
1. Loving the brethren is not optional- the text says we should. If you are a Christian, God requires you to love your brethren. Even if one of them holds a different political view than yours (Republican vs. Democrat; Pro or anti Charter Change). Even if you don't like his personality (baduy). The family of God knows no class: rich or poor; dark-skinned or light-skinned; Vilmanian o Noranian; Kapuso o Kapamilya)
2. Loving the brethren is inherent in the gospel message itself- John says this message is not a new lesson. From the moment the apostolic message was given, loving one another was an integral component of the Christian life. In 1 John 1:3, John says that they have proclaimed the gospel so that the recipients may have fellowship not just with God but with the proclaimers themselves. And so in following the footsteps of the apostles, we also share the gospel with outsiders for the purpose of drawing them into fellowship with us.
Just as love for other Christians is essential in the beginning, it continues as an essential all throughout our Christian life. We proclaimed loved when we first met, w continue to teach you that you must love each other says John.
After giving the admonition, John goes on to give a negative example..
NEGATIVE EXAMPLE
John teaches us how we should love by presenting the opposite of love: hatred. He found a classic example of hatred by moving backwards in time. A time when the universe was so young-- even Adam and were still young. He uses the case of Adam and Eve's first two sons. The account in Genesis 4 tells us that Adam and Eve had two sons. Cain's calling was that of a farmer while Abel's was that of a shepherd. In the course of time, both offered an offering to the Lord. Cain brought some products from his field while Abel brought animal offering from his flock. Abel's offering was accepted while Cain's was not.
There are various opinions as to why Abel's sacrifice was accepted while Cain's was rejected. The most popular being that Abel's involves blood while Cain's was bloodless. For these teachers it is a typology for Christ's death and the acceptable sacrifice he offered on the cross.
But I find those opinions unconvincing since the Bible writers themselves are silent about it. Those are just speculations and conjectures. (Kesyo ipinag-utos daw ng Diyos na hayop ang ialay-- pero wala namang nakasulat na ganun dito) The Genesis account doesn't even say its a “sacrifice”. It simply says “offering” and there are examples of acceptable bloodless offerings in the Scriptures like grain offering and drink offering. But one thing is certain, Abel's sacrifice was accepted because it was from a righteous man. In Matthew 23:35, the Lord Jesus talking to the Pharisees says “And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah”.
The focus of John is what led Cain to do such a horrible thing. The ultimate cause was because he was of the devil. (v.12). He did not become of the devil because he murdered. It was the other way around. He murdered because he was of the devil. If you will moved backwards to verse 8, John writes “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning” The reason why you inflict harm upon the brethren is because you are just imitating the devil who owns you.
Elsewhere, John records a conversation between Jesus and some religious leaders who were planning to kill him. They claimed "The only Father we have is God himself." Jesus responds "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him..." (John 8:42-44)
The other thing that led Cain to murder was because his unrighteousness was exposed when it was juxtaposed with the righteousness of his brother. The Genesis account reports that he was very angry when his offering was not accepted. God confronted him saying, “if you do well, will you not be accepted?”. The rejection of his offering revealed that he was not doing well and he was angry about it. The murder was premeditated as he deceitfully asked his brother to go with him in to the field. Abel was unsuspecting. He trusts him fully. He is his brother, isn't he? They grew up together in the same home. They received the same instruction from their parents. They used to play together (walang ibang kalaro; wala naman kasing kapitbahay ang kanilang mga magulang). But the trust was repaid with violent hands.
That's how a professing brother in the church works, you trust him fully, yet he'll repay it with evil.
From this negative example, John draws out some principles:
1st, Christians should not be surprised when they are hated by the world.
Since their father the Devil hates us, his sons also shall follow what their father is doing. It doesn't mean they hate us all the time. There were moments in the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist when crowds sought them and admired them. But when by the light that we possess, their unrighteousness is exposed, they will begin to hate us. John 3:19 says, 'People loved darkness rather than light...” and since they love darkness, they will take it as an offense if you will ask them to abandon it. Why was John the Baptist imprisoned and subsequently beheaded? Because he boldly exposed the sinfulness of Herod's unlawfulmarriage with Herodias, his brother's wife (Matthew 14:6-12)
When we are hated by the world because of Christ, that is not a strange thing. 2 Tim 3:12 “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”
Those who are in the habit of defrauding the brethren and other people do so because they are not God's children. They belong to a different family. They have Satan as their father, not the God who is good all the time.
The 2nd, principle that John draws out from the negative example is that the love for the brethren is a proof that we are of God-- that we have passed from death to life.
That phrase was lifted from Jesus' words in John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.“
No wonder, there's immesurable joy and thanksgiving in Paul's heart everytime he hears some news that a particular church practices love within the body:
Colossians 1:3-4: “ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--...”
Ephesians 1:15: “ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers...”
3rd, those who hate the brethren are of the devil.
Notice that they may not actually shed innocent blood; just a plain hatred for a brother makes you a murderer.
Matt.5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell”
Perhaps the equivalent of this in our time and place is saying T-A-N-G-A or B-O-B-O to our fellows. Just plain anger that leads to verbal abuse is a murderous act.
THE POSITIVE EXAMPLE
1.The Standard for loving our brethren is Christ sacrificial love (v.16)
John 13:34-35 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Loving our neighbors was required since the Old Testament times. It becomes a new commandment here because we now have a standard on how we should do it. We must love one another to the extent that Christ has love us. That is to the point of death.You don't have to do it now, but if the circumstances require it, we must be ready to sacrifice our very lives for the sake of the brethren. Who was your seatmate last Sunday service? Are you ready to die for him or her?. If not, you are below the standard and you must work on your heart until you match the standard.
2.Our love for the brethren is reflected not merely in words but in practical needs. (v.17-18)
There is nothing wrong with love expressed in words. The problem is when love is expressed merely in words It is easy to say “I am willing to die for you.”. Peter found it easy to say "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." But at crunch time, he denied the Lord.
John is saying here that our claim to love our brethren is back-up by what we do at crunch time-- when the real need arises. (read v.17).
"God's justification of those who trust Him, according to the Gospel, is a decisive transition, here and now, from a state of condemnation and wrath because of their sins to one of acceptance and favor...”
This part is very relevant because there's a recent sad development within Grace Communion International (GCI); formerly Wordwide Church of God (WCG)-- that former bastion of Armstrongism which gradually moved into more orthodox positions in the mid-90's. This sad development is that they have recently embraced Karl Barth's view of the atonement. In this view, the efficacy (not just the potentiality as in the Arminian camp) of the atonement is all-inclusive. Christ's death effectively reconciled all men to God.
With his pen, Barth writes:
“We must think of every human being, even the oddest or most villainest or miserable as to one whom Jesus is brother and God is Father”
He also wrote:
“The so-called outsiders are really only insiders who have not yet understood and apprehended themselves as such.”
I asked one of their pastors to read the Evangelical Celebration document; he initially says he has no problems with it. So I read aloud the part which says: “God's justification of those who trust Him, according to the Gospel, is a decisive transition, here and now, from a state of condemnation and wrath because of their sins to one of acceptance and favor...” And then I asked him, “Do you accept that pastor?” . He admitted that they disagree with that.
For some, they may treat this as a small thing. “That's a non-essential” they may say. But the same document on evangelical consensus says:
“In things necessary there must be unity, in things less than necessary there must be liberty, and in all things there must be charity. We see all these Gospel thruths as necessary”
As for me, I don't know how to evangelize without saying that man is separated from God because of his sins.
But this post is not about the atonement; it's on the theme: “Loving One Another in the Church”. I am introducing this post this way because last year, a friend of mine who belongs to that denomination was asked to preach once a month. He chose to preach verse-by-verse on the First Johannine epistle. What happened was he cannot reconcile their newly embraced soteriology with what he was seeing in 1 John. Because here, John does make a distinction between INSIDERS and OUTSIDERS.
1 John 2:19: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”
Here, John does make a distinction between those who are of God and of those who are of the devil:
1 John 5:19: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
1 John 3:10 “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”
We are finally one verse away from our text.
1 John 3:10 is a conclusion to the previous section (3:4-10). In this section, John makes a distinction between those who are God's children and those who are not. He is simply saying in this section that God's children practices righteousness. Those who live in sin are of the devil because the devil has been sinning since the beginning.
Yet aside from concluding this section, 3:10 also introduces the next section. After discussing that true Christians are known by their righteousness, they are also known by how they treat their fellow Christians.
For this post, I will just follow the structure of the Apostle John in developing this thought.
1.The Admonition (3:11)
2.Principles from a negative example (3:12-15)
3.Principles from a positive example (3:16-18)
THE ADMONITION: “ We should love one another”
No doubt, the princliple of love should be applied to all, not just on our fellow Christians. Our Lord Jesus himself said that the second greatest command in the Law is that we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Matt. 22:39).
At one point, an expert in the Law asked him, “Who is my neighbor?”. What was Jesus' response? He told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Thieves took away his possessions; he was stripped of his clothes, and he was fatally wounded He is dying. The first man to see him was a religious man. He was a priest; but he passed by the other side. Another religious man saw him, this time a Levite (a temple worker), but he did the same as the priest.
Here comes a Samaritan. This difinitely made an impact to the first century audience. When Jesus ask for water from a Samaritan woman, she replied “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? ((For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. There is a hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans. But look, two religious Jews ignored a dying man. Here comes someone who is perceived as an enemy yet he got something the religious Jews don't have. Verse 10 says that when he saw him, he had compassion. He helped the dying man. After that Jesus asked the question ”Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man...?” The expert of the Law correctly answered “The one who had mercy on him.”. Jesus then told him to go and do likewise.
Jesus' point is clear. We should be a neighbor to everybody. And we should love them as much as we love ourselves.
But the text at hand limits its application on how we should love our brothers. Our fellow believers in Christ.
Galatians. 6:10 says “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
While we are to love all men, we should love our brethren in a special way or greater extent. That is also implied in what God requires of Christian employees.
1 Tim. 6:1-2 "All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them."
We are to love the authorities God has place above us; but we are to love them even better if they are our brothers in Christ.
We must not be lazy and say “Okay lang magpakatamad ng konti kasi si Brother_________ naman amo ko eh. Maiindindihan niya yan. Mabait yan eh." We have to work harder for the one's dear to us.
What I'm saying here is our love should apply generally to all people but it must be intensified when the recipients are our brothers. I really can't understand Christians who are happier sharing their life with their highschool batchmates or Facebook friends than with their fellow believers in Christ. I can't understand people who are more excited in a class reunion than in a worship gathering. There is nothing wrong with keeping in touch with your highschool and college friends or even online friends-- I do. But my affections for them can never match the affections I have for my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Two quick points from the admonition part:
1. Loving the brethren is not optional- the text says we should. If you are a Christian, God requires you to love your brethren. Even if one of them holds a different political view than yours (Republican vs. Democrat; Pro or anti Charter Change). Even if you don't like his personality (baduy). The family of God knows no class: rich or poor; dark-skinned or light-skinned; Vilmanian o Noranian; Kapuso o Kapamilya)
2. Loving the brethren is inherent in the gospel message itself- John says this message is not a new lesson. From the moment the apostolic message was given, loving one another was an integral component of the Christian life. In 1 John 1:3, John says that they have proclaimed the gospel so that the recipients may have fellowship not just with God but with the proclaimers themselves. And so in following the footsteps of the apostles, we also share the gospel with outsiders for the purpose of drawing them into fellowship with us.
Just as love for other Christians is essential in the beginning, it continues as an essential all throughout our Christian life. We proclaimed loved when we first met, w continue to teach you that you must love each other says John.
After giving the admonition, John goes on to give a negative example..
NEGATIVE EXAMPLE
John teaches us how we should love by presenting the opposite of love: hatred. He found a classic example of hatred by moving backwards in time. A time when the universe was so young-- even Adam and were still young. He uses the case of Adam and Eve's first two sons. The account in Genesis 4 tells us that Adam and Eve had two sons. Cain's calling was that of a farmer while Abel's was that of a shepherd. In the course of time, both offered an offering to the Lord. Cain brought some products from his field while Abel brought animal offering from his flock. Abel's offering was accepted while Cain's was not.
There are various opinions as to why Abel's sacrifice was accepted while Cain's was rejected. The most popular being that Abel's involves blood while Cain's was bloodless. For these teachers it is a typology for Christ's death and the acceptable sacrifice he offered on the cross.
But I find those opinions unconvincing since the Bible writers themselves are silent about it. Those are just speculations and conjectures. (Kesyo ipinag-utos daw ng Diyos na hayop ang ialay-- pero wala namang nakasulat na ganun dito) The Genesis account doesn't even say its a “sacrifice”. It simply says “offering” and there are examples of acceptable bloodless offerings in the Scriptures like grain offering and drink offering. But one thing is certain, Abel's sacrifice was accepted because it was from a righteous man. In Matthew 23:35, the Lord Jesus talking to the Pharisees says “And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah”.
The focus of John is what led Cain to do such a horrible thing. The ultimate cause was because he was of the devil. (v.12). He did not become of the devil because he murdered. It was the other way around. He murdered because he was of the devil. If you will moved backwards to verse 8, John writes “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning” The reason why you inflict harm upon the brethren is because you are just imitating the devil who owns you.
Elsewhere, John records a conversation between Jesus and some religious leaders who were planning to kill him. They claimed "The only Father we have is God himself." Jesus responds "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him..." (John 8:42-44)
The other thing that led Cain to murder was because his unrighteousness was exposed when it was juxtaposed with the righteousness of his brother. The Genesis account reports that he was very angry when his offering was not accepted. God confronted him saying, “if you do well, will you not be accepted?”. The rejection of his offering revealed that he was not doing well and he was angry about it. The murder was premeditated as he deceitfully asked his brother to go with him in to the field. Abel was unsuspecting. He trusts him fully. He is his brother, isn't he? They grew up together in the same home. They received the same instruction from their parents. They used to play together (walang ibang kalaro; wala naman kasing kapitbahay ang kanilang mga magulang). But the trust was repaid with violent hands.
That's how a professing brother in the church works, you trust him fully, yet he'll repay it with evil.
From this negative example, John draws out some principles:
1st, Christians should not be surprised when they are hated by the world.
Since their father the Devil hates us, his sons also shall follow what their father is doing. It doesn't mean they hate us all the time. There were moments in the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist when crowds sought them and admired them. But when by the light that we possess, their unrighteousness is exposed, they will begin to hate us. John 3:19 says, 'People loved darkness rather than light...” and since they love darkness, they will take it as an offense if you will ask them to abandon it. Why was John the Baptist imprisoned and subsequently beheaded? Because he boldly exposed the sinfulness of Herod's unlawfulmarriage with Herodias, his brother's wife (Matthew 14:6-12)
When we are hated by the world because of Christ, that is not a strange thing. 2 Tim 3:12 “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”
Those who are in the habit of defrauding the brethren and other people do so because they are not God's children. They belong to a different family. They have Satan as their father, not the God who is good all the time.
The 2nd, principle that John draws out from the negative example is that the love for the brethren is a proof that we are of God-- that we have passed from death to life.
That phrase was lifted from Jesus' words in John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.“
No wonder, there's immesurable joy and thanksgiving in Paul's heart everytime he hears some news that a particular church practices love within the body:
Colossians 1:3-4: “ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--...”
Ephesians 1:15: “ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers...”
3rd, those who hate the brethren are of the devil.
Notice that they may not actually shed innocent blood; just a plain hatred for a brother makes you a murderer.
Matt.5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell”
Perhaps the equivalent of this in our time and place is saying T-A-N-G-A or B-O-B-O to our fellows. Just plain anger that leads to verbal abuse is a murderous act.
THE POSITIVE EXAMPLE
1.The Standard for loving our brethren is Christ sacrificial love (v.16)
John 13:34-35 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Loving our neighbors was required since the Old Testament times. It becomes a new commandment here because we now have a standard on how we should do it. We must love one another to the extent that Christ has love us. That is to the point of death.You don't have to do it now, but if the circumstances require it, we must be ready to sacrifice our very lives for the sake of the brethren. Who was your seatmate last Sunday service? Are you ready to die for him or her?. If not, you are below the standard and you must work on your heart until you match the standard.
2.Our love for the brethren is reflected not merely in words but in practical needs. (v.17-18)
There is nothing wrong with love expressed in words. The problem is when love is expressed merely in words It is easy to say “I am willing to die for you.”. Peter found it easy to say "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." But at crunch time, he denied the Lord.
John is saying here that our claim to love our brethren is back-up by what we do at crunch time-- when the real need arises. (read v.17).
Monday, June 28, 2010
Spurgeon and Evangelical Boundaries
That appendix lead me to pick-up R.J. Sheehan's C.H. Spurgeon and the Modern Church and Iain Murray's The Forgotten Spurgeon.
Just last week, I was blessed to discover a paper written by Master Seminary's Dennis Swanson. He read this paper at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2001 when the society's theme was Defining Evangelicalism’s Boundaries.
The paper is available in PDF format here.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Incisive Words from a Loving Heart
Every part of man was created by God for his glory.
Your hands,
your feet,
your reproductive organs,
your brain.
From head to toe, every part of you were created by him and for him (Col.1:16). But when man fell into sin, we rejected God’s purpose for our body: we use our hands in ways dishonoring to God. We use our feet to go where God does not want us to go. We use our brains for scheming evil or for creative ungodly imaginations.
No wonder when we were redeemed, God demanded that we should use every part of us to serve him. He wants us to remember that we are not our own, we were bought with a price.
1 Cor. 6:18-20: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
Our speech components were also redeemed by God. Consider how the bible describes how we use our speech components before we were saved:
Romans 3:13-14 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." “"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
And so now that we are saved and God is in the business of sanctifying us, he is after the transformation of our speech:
Eph. 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”
God wants us to use our lips in such a way that that will bring nourishment and health to others:
“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Prov. 16:24).
There is no room for verbal abuse in the life of a Christian.
Prov. 12:18: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Men are in possession of a deadly weapon, and they are all licensed to carry it—that deadly weapon is the tongue.
ERRING ON THE OTHER SIDE
But we could also err on the other side. We could also misuse our lips when we offer sweet candies when a brother needs a bitter pill. We could misuse our tongues when we give a kiss when what is needed is a surgery.
There are two things I want to address:
1. On the part of the speaker- we desire to be liked; we want to be adorable. In real life, you want to be admired. You don’t want to play the role of Romy Diaz or Bella Flores in other people’s lives. You want to be as sweet as possible.
2. On the part of the listener- You like kind people; you like persons who are nice to you.
Because of these factors, both the speaker and the listener may disregard Prov. 27:6
“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (NIV)
Hebrews 5:11-6:8:
Some time ago, I preached on Heb.5:11-14. That Message titled “The Dangers of and Cure for Dullness of Hearing.” I received some good feedback when I preached it. Thanks for receiving it not as my word but as the word of God. One feedback I received was while he was listening was “para akong sinasampal”. You see, these words are sharp-edged. Not even the barrage of jokes I released that morning intercepted the flying arrows from this text. Let us go through the verses and feel the blades:
5:11- “you have become so dull in hearing”
5:12- “though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the ABC’s of the faith.
5:13-14 you have become spiritual Bondyings, what you need is not solid food but milk
But the incisive words doesn’t end at chapter 5’s last verse, they kept coming even in the next chapter where he implied that their present condition, if it goes unchecked might end in apostasy
6:4-6 if those who were exposed to the spiritual experiences that you have shall fall away, it will be impossible to renew them to repentance
6:6- he equates the state of these apostates as a re-crucifixion of Christ
These are really incisive words yet there is more to come.
6:7-8- he presents an illustration on what apostasy is.
“Hebrews 6:7-8 "Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Hear what he is saying:It is expected for a piece of land to produce a harvest of useful stuff for the one who cultivates—but after all the rain and cultivation it produces thorns and thistles, it must be rejected. It should be cursed and burned. If after all the blessing of God in your lives, if after all the means of grace that he has given to you like the church, fellowship and bible knowledge, if you life yields thorns instead of useful crop, you are good for nothing. And you deserve judgment.
Words that are:
Pointed… bladed… Sharp… incisive…
Hebrews 6:9-12
Does he lack love for others? No. The word rendered as “beloved” or “dear friends” in verse 9 is a term of endearment. It is a word to express affection. It is also significant that in the whole epistle, it is only used here. The writer knows how heavy his previous statements. Surely, there will be an impression among the readers that he hates them. So he uses this word to send the message that though he has some critical things to say, he loves them.
Does he lack respect for others? No. In fact he has a high view of them. He is very much convinced that they are true converts and that they will not fall away. Though they have reached this sorrowful condition called “Dullness of hearing”, the writer is very much convinced that they will bounce back and recover:
“Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation.” (Heb.6:9)
He knows the sharpness of the words he has used but he says that even though he speaks as harsh as this, he does not really believe they will end in apostasy as described in verses 4-8. They were once at the peak of spirituality. Sadly, their feet slipped considerably down the slope towards this condition called “dullness of hearing”. When this downgrade progresses, they may fall at the lowest level called apostasy. So the author of Hebrews warns them about it, yet though he speaks this way, he is confident that they will slide on that level. He has this certainty that they will continue in this path of salvation.
What makes him so confident that they will not fall away?
1st, he has observed their life and saw works done and the love shown in the service of others for the name of Christ a (v.10, Heb.10:32-34)--- that was in the early days. At present, perhaps it has diminished a little because of their present spiritual condition that’s why he was asking them to remember the earlier days. But it has not totally disappeared and that service continues. (v.10).
He is confident that they will not fall away because he has observed their lives and recognize good fruit. See how Paul was convinced that the Thessalonians were chosen by God (1 Thess. 4-10).
2nd, he based it on the character of God as just. Because he is just, he doesn’t ignore the works done in his service. I have said this before, and I’ll say it again. Pres. Marcos issued the Labor law as a presidential decree. For all the evil he is known for, he wants justice for the labor sector. God is infinitely more just than Marcos. He will not ignore the labors done for him—works that he himself gave us the desire and the ability to do (Phil.2:13)
Now if he is convinced that they belong among God’s elect, why then does he said those incisive warnings about apostasy?
You see, like the rest of us, our observations about a person’s life and his eternal destiny are subjective. I have some Professing Christian friends. As I observe their lives, I come up with varying conclusions. For some of my friends, I am almost certain that they are indeed true Christians; for some, I really doubt their Christianity; and still for others, I’m not sure. It is all subjective—according to my perceptions only. Only God knows who are truly elect and who are not. I can’t know for sure because God did not leave a visible tattoo on their skins. My only basis is that if they are continuing in the faith.
The author of Hebrews wrote those incisive words with a desired effect in mind. What is it? It is there in v. 11-12 “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” This is a desire so strong that the NET renders it as “But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness…”
This pattern of hard work and love that you have set in the past, we want to see continued until the end. This thing that has convinced me that you are indeed the elect of God, I want to see until the end. I am convinced that you are truly of God, but I must continue witnessing it. If this diligence evaporates, so is my confidence about your salvation. You must continue in your diligence to make your hope sure. I must say these incisive words so you will not fall into laziness. We want you to hold on to your Faith and patience so that in the end, you will posses what was promised.
His desired effect then for his incisive words is that it may serve as a means of their perseverance in the faith. That is the 5th point of our Calvinistic doctrine of salvation (the doctrines of grace)—those who are elect and are drawn irresistibly by his grace shall persevere in the faith until the end. But God works through means. As an article in the canons of Dort puts it: “And, just as it has pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel, so he preserves, continues, and completes his work by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises…” (I removed the sacramental part, but to this part, I agree).
We are preserved not just with the comforting exhortations and lovely promises but also by the dreadful threats… and so the Book of Hebrews is full of threats.
John Piper explains the necessity of the word of God for our perseverance:
“We can say that eternal security is certain for the Christian, yet avoid a mechanical view that drains the blood-earnestness right out of the weekly ministry of preaching to the saints. Biblically God uses the earnest application of the means of grace to hold his people secure; one of those means is the preaching of God’s Word. Heaven and hell are at stake every Sunday morning not merely because unbelievers are present, but also because our people are saved “IF they continue in the faith” (Col. 1:23) (The Supremacy of God in Preaching)
BUT THAT is just Dort… that is just Piper. What I want is Scripture—okay, so I will give you Scripture:
Heb.3:13: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”
As we minister the word of God to each other, we strengthen each other’s resistance against sin. Your brother, your sister who sits beside you is an instrument of God for your perseverance in the faith.
My final words for recipients of rebuke:
1. Be open to criticism
2. When you are wounded emotionally, test whether the wound came from the world or from the Scriptures. If it comes from the world, you are a victim. Yet do not retaliate. Leave it to God; he knows what to do.
3. But if the wound inflicted upon your soul is scriptural, count it as a blessing.
4. Do not be suspicious about the other person’s motive when he rebukes you. The efficacy of the word of God is not dependent upon the motive of the instrument. Paul can even rejoice about people whose intentions are wrong provided that they have the right message (Phil.1:15-18). God can use a person with wrong motives for your sanctification as long as their rebuke is biblically valid.
For rebuke givers,
1. Be open to criticism too.
2. Do not utter incisive words just for the sake of wounding the feelings of the brethren.
3. Do not utter incisive words just to show that you are right and they are wrong
4. The wounds must be inflicted by the scriptures, not your personal preferences, opinions, or your vitriolic personality and vocabulary
5. Lastly, use incisive words sparingly. Do it when it is badly needed. Do not neglect the other means of sharing God’s word like reminding them of the promises of God, testifying about his goodness and acts, encouraging the weary. I do not want to be around people whose exclusive ministry is rebuking.
6. In short, Make sure first that you love the persons you are correcting. Incisive words must have a definite end, that is their sanctification and their perseverance
Photo Credit: Thanks to Simon Howden who has kindly offered the image I used above at freedigitalphotos.net. Howden's portfolio is found here
Monday, May 17, 2010
Maaari bang matalo ang Diyos sa halalan?
Buwan ng Mayo, taong 1998, sa kabila ng ipinapatupad na political ad ban, bumili ng ilang oras na air time ang ilang prominenteng evangelical leaders sa PTV-4 upang ipalabas ang programang "Jesus' Declaration of Victory"-- (JDV-- mga initials ni Jose De Venecia). Doon ay inihayag ng mga evangelical leaders na ito na si De Venecia raw ang God's anointed bilang susunod na pangulo ng bansa.
Lumipas ang araw ng halalan at nagkabilangan. Ang resulta: landslide victory pabor kay Joseph Estrada, ang kandidatong pinanigan ng mga grupong Iglesia ni Cristo at El Shaddai. Nabigo ang "anointed" raw ng Panginoon.
Lumipas ang araw ng halalan at nagkabilangan. Ang resulta: landslide victory pabor kay Joseph Estrada, ang kandidatong pinanigan ng mga grupong Iglesia ni Cristo at El Shaddai. Nabigo ang "anointed" raw ng Panginoon.
Maaari nga bang matalo ang Diyos sa halalan? Maaari bang mabigo ang Panginoon na ilagay sa puwesto ang kanyang mga napili? Tignan natin ang patotoo ng bibliya:
Paano nagkaroon ng kapangyarihan ang Pharoah ng Ehipto?
Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." (NIV)
Paano nagkaroon ng kapangyarihan si Pontious Pilate?
John 19:10-11 ""Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above..."
Paano nagkaroon ng kapangyarihan ang mga emperador ng Roma tulad nina Nero at Domitian?
Romans 13:1 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."
Ayon sa Romans 13:1, lahat ng pamamahala at awtoridad ay galing sa Panginoon-- kahit nga sa mga lugar kung saan bawal ang pangangaral ng ebanghelyo.
Demokrasya man o sosyalista; diktadorya, military junta, parliamentary, monarkiya-- LAHAT nito ay galing sa Panginoon.
Psalm 75:6-7 "No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt a man.
But it is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.
Daniel 2:21 "He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them."
Daniel 4:25 "... the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
Ibinibigay niya ang kapangyarihan sa sinumang kanyang nais. Maaari niya itong ibigay sa isang pastol tulad ni David o sa isang housewife tulad ni Cory o sa isang racist tulad ni Hitler. Maaari rin niya itong bawiin anumang oras kaya siya rin ang dahilan kung bakit inatake sa puso si Manuel Roxas noong 1948 at kung bakit bumagsak ang eroplano ni Ramon Magsaysay noong 1957. Hindi rin tatamaan ng bala si John F. Kennedy kung wala siyang pahintulot. Maaari siyang gumamit ng People Power tulad ng EDSA 1 at EDSA 2. Maaari rin niyang biguin ang People Power tulad ng EDSA 3. Maaari rin niya itong ipagkait sa iyo kahit kasinsikat ka ni FPJ o kasinyaman ni Manny Villar o kahit mag-kudeta ka ng maraming beses tulad ni Gringo Honasan.
Kahit pa may flying voters, kahit pa may vote buying, kahit pa may dagdag-bawas, kahit pa pumalya ang PCOS machines (na hindi naman)-- ang Diyos na aking sinasamba ay hindi natatalo sa halalan.
Psalm 75:6-7 "No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt a man.
But it is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.
Daniel 2:21 "He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them."
Daniel 4:25 "... the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
Ibinibigay niya ang kapangyarihan sa sinumang kanyang nais. Maaari niya itong ibigay sa isang pastol tulad ni David o sa isang housewife tulad ni Cory o sa isang racist tulad ni Hitler. Maaari rin niya itong bawiin anumang oras kaya siya rin ang dahilan kung bakit inatake sa puso si Manuel Roxas noong 1948 at kung bakit bumagsak ang eroplano ni Ramon Magsaysay noong 1957. Hindi rin tatamaan ng bala si John F. Kennedy kung wala siyang pahintulot. Maaari siyang gumamit ng People Power tulad ng EDSA 1 at EDSA 2. Maaari rin niyang biguin ang People Power tulad ng EDSA 3. Maaari rin niya itong ipagkait sa iyo kahit kasinsikat ka ni FPJ o kasinyaman ni Manny Villar o kahit mag-kudeta ka ng maraming beses tulad ni Gringo Honasan.
Kahit pa may flying voters, kahit pa may vote buying, kahit pa may dagdag-bawas, kahit pa pumalya ang PCOS machines (na hindi naman)-- ang Diyos na aking sinasamba ay hindi natatalo sa halalan.
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Friday, May 14, 2010
Bitterness and Sour Graping Continues on Bro. Eddie's Facebook Fan Page
When Bro. Eddie wrote this letter to his supporters, I thought they would stop. I was wrong. The bitterness and sour graping continues:
i will not give up hoping for God will do something for our country and for us kabangon naniniwalang si BRO EDDIE VILLANUEVA ang instrument ng Diyos to changes our country..pipili lang sila ng dadayain yung pang pinili ng Diyos, di ba sila natatakot sa gagawin ng Panginoon sa kanila at sa mga taong nag paloko at nagpab...ili...Vengeance is not ours ..EXPECT D UNEXPECTED FROM GOD..HE WILL TWIST AND TURN sa tama ang sitwasyon isasalamin nya eto sa buong sambayanang Filipino...excited na ako at kaming mga OFW..GOD BLESS BRO EDDIE AND D PHILIPPINES..
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I believe God will do something that we will all be amazed, in fact He is already moving. Ang dami na pong naglilitawan na mga anomalya sa pandaraya sa eleksyon. Ang malaking pagkakamali na naman nila ay ang pagtalaga ng maliit na numero sa mga votes kay Bro Eddie. Constantly he was only receiving around 3% accross the... board. if 3-5millions pa ang itinalaga nila, wala siguro masyadong reaction ang mga Pinoy, so magiging acceptable yung number. pero yung 1million votes lang? it's very far to possibility, considering the fact that a lot of different sectors have pledged their support to Bro Eddie all around the country. As far as I know ngayon lang nagkaroon ng pagkakaisa ang mga religious group including the Muslim community. 1MILLION votes? IMPOSSIBLE!
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saka nasan ung mga UV lamps na binili ng comelec?..
may nakausap nga akong teacher na naging BEI, wala daw silang ginamit na ganun.. tsk tsk
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MERON PONG LUMABAS NA GENERAL NA NAGSABI NA GAWA NA ANG ELECTION BGO MAG MAY 10NAPANOOD KO SA NEWS SINO PO BA YUN???... DAPAT INTERVIEWHIN YUN NG MEDIA... GOD BLESS PO... LALABAS DN ANG KATOTOHANAN... GOD WILL MAKE A WAY... KAKAMPI NATIN ANG DIYOS...
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respect everyones opinion, pero eto po ang opinion ko:
Kung maaalala mo binaboy n ung boto
ni Bro Eddie nuong 2004 ng Hello Garci...papayag ba uli tyo na gahasain
ng Electronic PCOS Garci ung BOTO KO at BOTO MO at BOTO NG BODY OF
CHRIST AT MGA MUSLIM at LAHAT ng Taong nanindigan sa pagbabago???
Kung walang
maninindigan sa a...tin paikot-ikot nalang mangyayari at puro ... KASINUNGALINGAN
na lang ang lulunukin natin....
Di ba we want CHANGE....? Pano mababago
ang ganitong uri ng sistema sa election kung mananahimik na lang tayo!
DI PA TPOS ANG LABAN...HANGGAT WALA PANG FINALITY MAY CHANCE PA RIN SA PAGBABAGO!
GOD WILL REVEAL THE TRUTH IN DUE TIME!!!
HONESTLY SINO SA INYO ANG NANINIWALA NA 1MILLION LANG ANG NAKUHANG BOTO NI BRO EDDIE???? SINO??????
THERE IS REALLY A BIG CONSPIRACY ON THESE!!!
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In the precinct where i voted, i have found out that only 28 out of 948 voters voted for Bro. Eddie, according to the Comelec ER's. But then what literally shock me is that i personally know that most of my folks voted in that precinct. The votes could have reach to a hundred or more atleast.
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bro. eddie wag ka mag conceed ma bubuko na ang mga dapat ma buko.... tuloy natin ang totoong laban laban para sa karapatan ng taong bayan. this time ma pupulbo na ang mga eto... mahuhulog sila sa sarile nilang bitag. watch closely at di nila what really hit them.... is mismong kagagawan nila..... Babangon na ang Pilipi...nas For sure laban sa katiwalian ng mga taong sa likod ng garapal na pandadaya sa taong bayan.... they will definitely see God's Glory beyond human reasoning...... eto na nga ang sinasabi ko eh na kelangan na e drive out mga demons sa mahal nating bayan eh.... if you guys understood what i meant.... dko tinutukoy yung tao but the spirit behind nitong kalokohan... watch this at yayanig ang mga balita soon...... for sure natataranta na mga yan to cover up that but hehehe... too late.. i have a backup of the mess they did.and this will take its toll on them for sure big time!
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lets accumulate enough evidence pra matigil na kalokahan ng mga mandaraya, hindi matutuwa c Lord kung mananahimik lang tayo.. Besides, isa sa plataporma ni Bro. Eddie matigil ang injusticeness... Love u Bro. Eddie, we're proud of you!
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Bro. Eddie bawiin nyo na po un pag-concede nyo...for the sake of the destiny of the Filipino people...
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si SIR DELOS REYES ng KAPATIRAN ng decline ng kanilang concede dahil me PAPASABUGIN syang anumalya! na patay nito ang comelec... go go go... L for LABANAN ang kadayaan!
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Yes, hamanda cla lagot cla k Lord sbi nga Nya, " revenge is mine". Imagine mas mataas pa score ni Acosta s kanila nla Jamby at Perlas patawa naka 60thou votes pa c Acosta samantalang tig 40thou lng cla nla Jamby at Perlas
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PANAWAGAN
PO SA LAHAT O SA ADMIN SUGGEST LANG PO: Bat di po natin pamirmahin ang
lahat ng mga bomoto kay BRO EDDIE sa bawat rehiyon ng Pilipinas at
kausapin ang lahat ng mga pastor na sumuporta sa kanya o anumang sekta
para malaman natin ang talagang totoong boto natin lahat may lagda at I
kompile natin yun.....
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BINIGYAN TAYO NG DIYOS NG KAALAMAN PARA ALAMIN ANG TAMA AT MALI. KUNG ANG PAGPAPARAYA AY KAPALIT NG PAGDURUSA NG NAKAKARAMI, PILIIN NATIN LUMABAN PARA SA KABUTIHAN. SO, TUKLASIN NATIN ANG ANOMALYA SA ELECTION NA ITO.
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Dapat mag-imbestiga tayo at magtaka kung bakit 1M lang ang boto ni Bro. Eddie. Maglabas lang po tayo ng mga credible evidences/reliable testimonies at kung totoo na nagkaroon ng dayaan ay sama sama uli tayo para isulong ang katotohanan. Sabihin po natin na kalahati lang ang bomotong JIL out of 5M-3Mn nasan naman ang bo...to ng MINDANAO, KATOLIKO, OFW'S + RELATIVES, AMANAH COALITION, MILF, PAMANA, KKB, FARMERS ASSOCIATION, BAPTIST PHILIPPINES, 7TH DAY ADVENTIST, ASSEMBLIES OF GOD, JMC, 4TH WATCH, TAU GAMA PHI, SENIOR CITIZENS, ADD, MNLF, PJM AT MARAMI PANG IBA. NAKAPAGTATAKA TALAGA KAYA DAPAT ALAMIN NATIN ITO MGA KABANGON!!!
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unite na tayo para mag marcha sa daan, wag na tayo tumahimik pa, ang tagal na natin tumahimik...gaun na ang time sumugaw at isulong natin....Im for bro.eddie!!! ikaw pa rin nanalo ng landslide bro.eddie!!!
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Noong 2004, 1.9 MILLION. Ngayong 2010, 1.07 MILLION. Ang laki ng DIFFERENCE. Eh, ang dami nating pumunta ng LUNETA di ba?
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ayaw kong maniwala maraming pilipinong stupid!!! niloloko na tayo wala
pa tayong ginagawa!!! puro lang salita...sa klase ng gobyerno na tin ,
pagkakaisa sa edsa ang kailangan natin!!!!!!!!
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AKO...NAIINTINDIHAN KO ANG MGA KAPWA KO KABANGON DITO...HIDNI TAYO NAGHAHABOL PARA MABAWI KAY NOYNOY ANG PAGKAPANGULO NIYA IF EVER...ANG AMIN LANG ILABAS NILA ANG TOTOONG BOTO NI BRO EDDIE...BILANG RESPETO SA KARAPATAN NG LAHAT NA BUMOTO AT MAKITA ANG BOTO NILA.
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BAKIT KAYA DI TYO ULIT MAG JERICHO MARCH S COMELEC N PARA MAIMBESTIGAHAN N NG MAAYOS?..PERO DAPAT THIS TIME YUNG LAHAT N NG BUMOTO K BRO.EDDIE..ANO S TINGIN NYO?
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kasalanan ito ng pcos.. na HOCUS PCOS A TA!!
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baket po ganun..nasa 1M lang ba kaming JIL people..and so where's the other and the non-JIl and the non- Christian na sumopporta kay Bro Eddie...saan na ang boto para ka Bro Eddie..
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UPDATE: May 14, 2010 (11:07 am)
Tuloy pa rin sila:
Ano na po ang update ngayon? May gagawin po bang hakbang ang BP para imbestigahan ang malawakang dayaan?
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Guys, the problem is not in body of Christ but with the PCOS. May glitches kasi yun or manipulation
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please BE INFORMED....COMPUTE ALL THE RESULTS OF EVERY PRICINCTS IN PERCENTAGE... YOU WILL COME UP WITH 3% AVERAGE VOTES FOR BRO.EDDIE...
THIS IS THE FORMULA USED IN MANIPULATING THE RESULT OF ELECTION...
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That's right.. Last May 11, right after the election. Naglabas sila ng result na tumpak na tumpak na percentage sa survey. Parang kinurot ang puso ko nung time na yun. 5am in the morning nung May 11, I already knew that there's really a dauntingly massive election fraud happening.
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mahusay talaga sila ha! muko mong 50 milyon voters alam nila ang saktong porsyentong makukuha ng kandidato 3% sa survery pati sa actual voting WOW!!!! mahusay talaga ginagawang bobo ang mga tao!!!! magbago na kayo!!!!!!
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Tingnan nyo po... Look-a-like ba sa survey results? Indeed, the first ever Philippine automated election was manipulated!!!
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Let's help Bangon Coordinators in our respective precincts get as many signatures for the "Mass Affidavit of Loss Votes" to be used legally by Bangon lawyers. For more information contact 4703848 (BP HQ).
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"nagtext ung pastor from cotobato na si Bro. Eddie ay landslide s mindanao at maguindanao pati mga baptist nagulat sa resulta ng boto..Please pray n iexpose yung mga gumawa ng kalokohan" - text 1 of the pastor in mindanao
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IN THE FIRST DAY OF COMELEC TALLY UP TO NOW... CONSISTENT 3% BRO.EDDIE...
PLS. BE INFORMED THAT BRO.EDDIE IS CONSISTENTLY 3%IN THE SURVEY...
MIND CONDITIONING TACTICS NG MANIPULATORS...
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Yan din ang naisip ko na yung SWS at False Asia ang 3% ni BRo Eddie ay ginawa nila talagang 3% sa actual voting tyak na nakaprogram na iyon sa kanila na 3% lang dapat ang pumasok sa kanya
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Guys, the problem is not in body of Christ but with the PCOS. May glitches kasi yun or manipulation
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please BE INFORMED....COMPUTE ALL THE RESULTS OF EVERY PRICINCTS IN PERCENTAGE... YOU WILL COME UP WITH 3% AVERAGE VOTES FOR BRO.EDDIE...
THIS IS THE FORMULA USED IN MANIPULATING THE RESULT OF ELECTION...
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That's right.. Last May 11, right after the election. Naglabas sila ng result na tumpak na tumpak na percentage sa survey. Parang kinurot ang puso ko nung time na yun. 5am in the morning nung May 11, I already knew that there's really a dauntingly massive election fraud happening.
---------------------------------
mahusay talaga sila ha! muko mong 50 milyon voters alam nila ang saktong porsyentong makukuha ng kandidato 3% sa survery pati sa actual voting WOW!!!! mahusay talaga ginagawang bobo ang mga tao!!!! magbago na kayo!!!!!!
----------------------------------------
Tingnan nyo po... Look-a-like ba sa survey results? Indeed, the first ever Philippine automated election was manipulated!!!
-----------------------------------
Let's help Bangon Coordinators in our respective precincts get as many signatures for the "Mass Affidavit of Loss Votes" to be used legally by Bangon lawyers. For more information contact 4703848 (BP HQ).
--------------------------------
"nagtext ung pastor from cotobato na si Bro. Eddie ay landslide s mindanao at maguindanao pati mga baptist nagulat sa resulta ng boto..Please pray n iexpose yung mga gumawa ng kalokohan" - text 1 of the pastor in mindanao
----------------------------------
IN THE FIRST DAY OF COMELEC TALLY UP TO NOW... CONSISTENT 3% BRO.EDDIE...
PLS. BE INFORMED THAT BRO.EDDIE IS CONSISTENTLY 3%IN THE SURVEY...
MIND CONDITIONING TACTICS NG MANIPULATORS...
----------------------------------
Yan din ang naisip ko na yung SWS at False Asia ang 3% ni BRo Eddie ay ginawa nila talagang 3% sa actual voting tyak na nakaprogram na iyon sa kanila na 3% lang dapat ang pumasok sa kanya
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Bro. Eddie writes a much needed letter to Bangon Pilipinas supporters
Sa lahat ng nagtiwala at sumuporta sa Bangon Pilipinas,
Ito na siguro ang pinakamahirap na sulat na ginawa ko. Mahirap kasing isalin sa salita at pagkasyahin sa isang papel lang ang nag-uumapaw na pasasalamat sa puso ko.
Natapos na ang eleksyon at nagbigay na ng kanilang mandato ang sambayanang Pilipino. Hindi pumabor sa atin ang mandato ng eleksyon. Pero hindi ibig sabihin na nasayang ang prinsipyong pinanindigan natin sa labang ito.
Sa loob ng tatlong buwang campaign period, naramdaman ko ang pagsama ninyo.
Hindi biro ang pinagdaanan nating laban. Mabigat man ang sakripisyo ko, naging magaan dahil sa inyo. Hindi ko na maiisa-isa lahat ng kontribusyon ninyo para sa pagsusulong ng tunay na pagbabago... para sa matuwid na pamahalaan. Hindi ko man maisa-isa, salamat! Kayo ang “unsung heroes” ng Bangon Pilipinas.
Sa panahong ito, dalangin ko na lahat tayo ay magkaroon ng kapayapaan na ang lahat ng ginawa natin ay hindi para sa ating sarili kundi para sa Diyos at Bayan.
Ang ginawa natin para sa Diyos, hindi mawawalan ng kabuluhan. “Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the LORD, because you know that your labor in the LORD is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Ang ginawa natin para sa bayan, nakaukit na sa kasaysayan. Wala nang makakanakaw nito sa atin.
Gaya ninyo, nasasaktan din ako. Pero maiibsan ang sakit na ito kung sama-sama pa rin tayong magpapalakasan sa bawat isa at hindi matitinag sa patuloy na pagdalangin sa Diyos na magkaroon ng matuwid na pamahalaan sa ating minamahal na bansa!
A paraphrased prayer from Daniel 3: 16-18: God, we do not need to defend ourselves in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it and You will rescue us. But even if You do not, we want the Filipinos to know that we remain steadfast in our service to God and country.
We have given joy to the heart of God as we supported His cause for the Philippines. Now, let the joy of the LORD be our strength!
Thank you once again!
God bless you all marvellously!
GOD bless the Philippines!
Para sa Diyos at Bayan,
BRO. EDDIE C. VILLANUEVA
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These were the sort of things you will find on their fan page before Villanueva conceded defeat:
"TO BRO.EDDIE/MR,YASAY/AND APPOINT PV/BANGON PILIPINAS SUPPORTERS:
I WAS TOTALLY DISAPPOINTED NOT IN MY PART BUT IN OUR COUNTRY'S FUTURE. I THINK THIS ELECTION WAS FIXED, NOYNOY AND BINAY??INSTEAD OF MAR ROXAS? BRO EDDIE ARE NOT EQUALS THE NUMBER OF VOTE TO MR.YASAY????
BUT ATLEAST YOU ALL DID UR PART..YOU TEACHED US TO E...DUCATE OURSELVES. TO LOVE OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PEOPLE AND TO LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL.
NOW,KEEP MOVIN ON AND LETS SEE HOW THIS CONSEQUENCE HAPPEND AGAIN IN OUR BELOVED NATION..."
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HINDI NIO BA NAPAPANSIN HINDI GUMAGALAW ANG BOTO NI BRO EDDIE? KASI NAKAPROGRAM NA ANG RESULT NG ELECTION BEFOREHAND
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MANIWALA ANG DAPAT MANIWALA NA KAHIT GRADE 1 STDENT MALALAMAN NA MAY DAYAAN NA NAGANAP SA NAKARAANG ELEKSYON SA PILIPINAS. SA DAHILANG ANG COMELEC AT ANG MGA INTENTIONALLY MALFUNCTION PCOS MACHINES WERE UPLOADED ALREADY WITH NUMBERS OF VOTES IN FAVOR FOR NOYNOY, LOOK THIS WAS FRAMED BY ALSO BY MAKATI BUSINESSMEN, CHIN...ESE BUSINESSMEN AND CORRUPT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THE RESULTS WERE ALREADY FORETOLD BY THEM.. KAYA CONTROLADO NA NG MGA BUSINESSMEN NA CHINESE AT BUSINESS SECTOR ANG MALACANAN. BELIEVE ME THE LAST ELECTION IS MARRED WITH DECEIT AND MANIPULATIONS.
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Noong 2004 , Mano-manong bilangan at Mano-manong dayaan at umabot ng higit
2 MILLION votes for BRO.EDDIE. Ngayong 2010, Automated ang bilangan, Automated din ang dayaan at WALA PA SA MILYON ang boto ni BRO.EDDIE
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SA UMPISA PALANG MAY ABERYA NA ANG MGA PCOS MCHN, AT MGA MEMORY CRD, INAYOS NAMAN DAW AT NAPALITAN NA ANG NAKAPROGRAM NA NAME NI GIBO....?SA PANONG PROGRAM NAMAN KAYA ANG INAYOS NILA...PILIPINO SOBRA ANG GALING AT TALINO MO..SANAY ITOY GAMITIN NG TAMA AT WAG SA PANDARAYA..
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COMELEC DIN ANG GINAMIT NI MARCOS NOON TO WIN INSTANTLY SA MGA ELECTIONS. KAYA MAGTITIWALA PA BA KAYO SA COMELEC?? ANG DAPAT GAWIN NINYO AY MA PENETRATE NYO ANG COMELEC AT IBA PANG OUTPOSTS NG PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT..PAANO??? MAG ARAL KAYONG MABUTI MGA STUDENTS AT MAGING EMPLEADO NG COMELEC OR NG MGA GOVERNMENT OFFICES,... THEN PAG NAKA POSITION NA KAYO DOON, MAITITIGIL NYO ANG MGA DAYAAN SA FUTURE NA ELECTION.
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ang problema kami mismo hindi kami makapaniwala sa mga resulta ng election.. hindi kapanipaniwala talaga.. basta sa harapan ng Diyos panalo tayo dahil bumoto tayo sa ating kanya kanyang koncenxa at sa katotohanan... walan iba kung di si BRO> EDDIE VILLANUEVA!!!
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lhat ng jil bumoto kso ung iba wla ung name s mga listahan, mrming pinagmarahsan...at nadya p ang eleksyon kya yan ang result.
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KA INIS..................................................................................... LORD PLEASE DO SOMETHING...................................................... MAHIRAP TANGGAPIN.................... MA EXPOSE SANA ANG MGA ANUMALYA..........
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I PERSONALLY NOT BELIEVING ON THE ELECTION RESULT, UNTILL IT WILL BE PROVEN THAT THERE THIS ELECTION COUNTING HAVE NO MANIPULATIONS AT ALL...
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sana po lumabas na tau!!!sa mga kalsada!!!upang ipakita kung gaano karami ang nagmamahal sa Diyos at sa Bayan!!!!!!
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Ayaw namin maniwala sa vote result coz our promise to vote for Bro.Eddie is a covenant to God,kami lang dito sa amin marami kaming na convince bcoz of the ppb dvd samantalang last 2004 kami lang ata ang bumoto but now we campaign alot with my family.but our labor is not in vain,God will repay our labor and sacrifice.
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MGA KABANGON WE NEED TO GO TO THE STREET TO SHOW OUR NUMBERS... HAVE A SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN.. SURASSING 1MILLION VOTES... 5-MILLION AND UP... IT WILL BE EASY TO PROTESTS...
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Saturday, May 1, 2010
Poor Man's Grave (Eraserheads)
Things I want to say
to the man who does not want to lie in a Poor Man's Grave
1.I have a good news for you: God cares for the poor and needy (Psalm 35:10)
2.There is a better way of spending your savings-- don't waste it on a golden box and a piece of lot where the grass is green and the gate shines. Leave it for your starving children.
3.You seem to be a religious man for you regularly go to church. Yet it alarms me that you claim to have no sin all your life. The Bible's testimony is we have all sinned and fell short of his standard (Romans 3:23). God would not have commanded us to repent if we were not sinners (Acts 17:30). We are all sinners and equally in need of forgiveness through the blood of his Son.
4.I urge you to learn from Jesus' story about The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Certainly, that rich man was buried in a luxurious tomb for when he was still alive, he wore the finest clothes. He also feasted extravagantly daily. But after burial, he goes straight to eternal torment.
On the other hand, there was a poor man-- perhaps poorer than you are today. He stayed at the rich man's gate-- not standing but laying. Perhaps the reason is he is physically handicapped. If he is physically strong and healthy, would he not resist the dogs that lick his wound?
He waits for the crumbs that fall from the rich man's table to be thrown at the gate and he must compete with the dogs every time. Surely, this man was buried in a poor man's grave, the very place you hate. Yet after death, he was escorted by no less than the Angels into the presence of Abraham. There, eternal comfort and joy awaits him.
5. The story of The Rich Man and Lazarus was originally given to address the Pharisees who were lovers of money (Luke 16:14). The love of money is a dangerous thing (1 Timothy 6:10). It's not only the rich folks who can be guilty of this sin but poor men as well. Therefore we are all are exhorted to store up treasures for ourselves not on earth but on heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matt.6:19-21). We must set our minds on things above and not on earthly things (Col.3:2), for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15)
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