We can and should be contented with what we have materially. We are thankful for the blessings of food, clothing and shelter. However, spiritually, we ought to be discontent and dissatisfied, if we have left our first love for the Lord, if there is no desire to grow closer to Him. We should never be complacent, indifferent and lukewarm to the things of God. Do not be satisfied with going through the motions of the Christian life as usual. We need to wake up from apathy and lethargy, be hungry for the Word and thirst for a close and vital relationship with God. We need more of Jesus, more of His grace and glory in our lives!
Do we seek His face constantly? If I can illustrate, when we come before His Presence, do we in essence, stand at the outer court, or draw nearer to the inner court, or move into the innermost place of the Holy of Holies? Put it in another way, in today’s context, when we come to church, do we have a mentality of being an audience, “Let the worship leader and the preacher minister to my needs!” Or do we desire to worship the Father in spirit and truth, and encounter Him in a real and intimate way, in the beauty and splendour of His holiness?
Often, the Church equates material wealth with spiritual blessings! Now, in 1 Timothy 6:6, it does not say “gain is godliness” but “godliness with contentment is great gain”. We can be materially wealthy, yet be in spiritual poverty! There are dangers in coveting riches. It is the love of money – not money itself – that is the root of all evil. Greed is deceitful, especially when the poor are being exploited. Often, accumulating wealth causes selfishness and pride, and destroys relationships with others. Character and values are compromised when we focus on possessions, and not God. The passion and lusts for self-gain will wreck the mind and body, and eventually ruin the soul.
Our fulfilment, identity and destiny is in Christ, not our position or possessions. We believe that God wants to bless His children, in order that we can be a blessing to others. Do we bless our brothers and sisters who are in need? Most importantly, are we generous with giving to the work of God, in fulfilling the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Let us eagerly and earnestly pursue, “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:11-12).
To Be And Not To Be: Be Contented, Not Complacent
September 1, 2017
Come Into The Ark [English and Hiligaynon / Ilonggo]
March 3, 2024
Hiligaynon / Ilonggo Interpretation by Mark Winston Gabutero Hosting Pastor: Johann Bernajo, Promisecity Church Victorias City Jesus said that before He comes back to earth again, our world will be just like it was in the days of Noah. People are eating, drinking and partying. Many are consumed with pursuing money, power and sex. Now, there is nothing wrong with having the legitimate things in life, such as having food and sleep. But life is not just about fulfilling our physical needs. It is also to follow the Lord and seek His Kingdom. Today, we see all kinds of perversion and depravity. People are not only openly living sinful lifestyles, but want others to accept their behaviours. We are living in a day and age where evil is called good, and good is called evil. We have all kinds of blasphemers, mockers and scoffers of Jesus Christ. There is a spirit of violence that is persecuting those who believe God’s Word and walk in His way. The ark was a type of Christ. He calls us to come into the ark of His presence, protection, safety, shelter, refuge and rest. A storm is coming upon our world. It is a storm of judgment. Society will not get better and better, but rather worse and worse. We are a generation of vipers – sin has increased rampantly. Do we weep over lost souls? Do we warn people to flee from the wrath to come? We are close to the midnight hour, where the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, is coming soon! Are we ready to meet Him? Now is the day of salvation. Some of us are religious. We may even attend church regularly, have a form of godliness but denying its power. We do many good works, but are not resting in the cross and the blood of Jesus for our salvation. Today, we must make our calling and election sure! The door of the ark is still opened right now. But it won't be long before the door will be closed.
Arrested, Charged And Convicted As Prisoners Of Jesus Christ
March 3, 2024
Hosting Pastor: Bishop Mike Berdin, Charismatic Revival Center Fellowship The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, unveils the power of the New Covenant. He was given the mission to preach and proclaim the gospel to the world. Yet, until his conversion, Paul who was known as Saul at that time, was a hater of the church. He persecuted the followers of Christ, arrested and thrown them into prison. He stood by, approved and consented to the stoning of Stephen unto death. But on the road to Damascus, he had a dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ. He was blinded physically, but his eyes were opened spiritually. Suddenly, he saw a light from heaven. Often, it is persecution and not prosperity that results in lives being transformed. We like to have palace-like experiences in our Christian life. Yet, there are also pits and prisons in this journey of faith. It is opposition that has been a catalyst to spread the gospel. We want the hand of the Lord upon the church, to win the lost and make disciples. Yet, we must be prepared for trials and adversities in order to experience revivals and reap the harvest of souls. In the natural, none of us want to be a prisoner. Yet, we see that the very man who sought to destroy the Church and imprison its disciples, later became imprisoned himself. From a persecutor of the church, Paul became a great proclaimer and promoter of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, as was in the early church, the world still hates and persecutes Christians. It is not just the ungodly who are hostile to us. Often, there is also intimidation from parts of the religious world. Some religious leaders are outrightly false, others are backsliden and apostate. Paul, before his conversion, was zealous toward God, so he thought, until his encounter with Christ that dramatically changed his life. We can choose to be a prisoner of the world, a prisoner of false religion, or a prisoner of Jesus Christ. We may or may not be put in a literal prison, but we will face unjust accusation, ill-treatment and opposition at times. Paul’s life is to pursue, apprehend and attain Christlikeness. He wants to apprehend Christ and also, to be apprehended by Christ. In the natural, to apprehend means to catch, to capture, to arrest. It is to be handcuffed and chained to Jesus, to be a prisoner of His love. As a prisoner of the Lord, Paul bore scar marks on his body as the result of persecutions he has endured. He was in prison frequently, received lashes, beaten with rods and stoned. When the world looks at us Christians, what brand do we represent? No, I’m not talking about the name of our church, our denomination or our ministry. I’m talking about whether we are faithful and fruitful to the call of God, whether we are standing for truth and righteousness, whether we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, whether we are anointed and preaching the cross of Jesus Christ who saves, heals, baptizes in the Holy Spirit and is coming again! Unlike brands of physical goods and services, we do not seek to be popular. Instead, we are often mocked, hated and persecuted by people of this world and even those from false religious institutions. The world wants to silence our voice, but we will not retreat. We are to be bold as a lion. Yet, we are also sheep in the midst of wolves. As we put our faith in Christ and Him crucified, His power will work exceeding abundantly in us. God can work mightily through us as individuals as well as corporately as the church. We have our unique gifts and callings and yet united and interdependent with other members in the body of Christ. Presently, we are living in the church age, or the age of grace. At the second coming of Christ, we will enter into the Kingdom age. We the redeemed, glorified saints of God, will live forever, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Until then, we are wanted! We are arrested, charged and convicted as prisoners of our Lord Jesus Christ! Let us proclaim the mystery of the cross, the revelation of the New Covenant, the gospel of grace!
The Holy Spirit Upon, Within And Through Us [English and Hiligaynon / Ilonggo]
March 2, 2024
Hiligaynon / Ilonggo Interpretation by Melbert Fajarito Hosting Pastor: Carlito Tablero, A Light Shine The Holy Spirit comes upon and baptizes us, operates within us to develop character and produce fruit, empowers and works through us as laborers in His harvest field.