What does the Bible say about Halloween?

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

BE AWARE!!!

What does the Bible say about Halloween?

Halloween is celebrated by millions of people in multiple countries. For most it is a fun time for kids who put on costumes and going door-to-door to get candy. But it is also known as a time of witches, ghouls, goblins, and ghosts. On one hand, some Christians see Halloween as a harmless time of fun and on the other, a ghastly and demonically inspired night that should be avoided.

As Christians, there is a lot of debate on whether or not we should participate in Halloween. Is it alright to go trick-or-treating? Can we dress our kids up in costumes and send them out door-to-door? If we do any of this, are we celebrating an evil holiday?

The Bible Said;

Exodus 22:18, "You shall not let a witch live."

Deut. 18:10-12, "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD..."

Deuteronomy 18:10-12
10 "Huwag makakasumpong sa iyo ng sinomang nagpaparaan sa apoy ng kaniyang anak na lalake o babae, o nanghuhula o nagmamasid ng mga pamahiin o enkantador, o manggagaway,
Deu 18:11 O enkantador ng mga ahas, o nakikipagsanggunian sa mga masamang espiritu, o mahiko, o sumasangguni sa mga patay.
Deu 18:12 Sapagka't sinomang gumagawa ng mga bagay na ito ay karumaldumal sa Panginoon: at dahil sa mga karumaldumal na ito ay pinalalayas sila ng Panginoon mong Dios sa harap mo. "

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Hillsong United Live in Manila

Saturday, May 24, 2014

This June 2, 2011 Hillsong United will come back in the Philippines live for the third time. The band has been here twice before to lead Filipinos into a heart of worship for our God. I have been to one of their previous concerts and it was such a great experience to be in the midst of so many people coming to praise and worship our Maker. Hillsong Publishing will also have a Conference here in Manila, Philippines this July 16, 2011 This time the concert will be held at Araneta Coliseum. The concert title “Aftermath” is named after their latest praise and worship album.

One way - Hillsong United (Aftermath concert in Manila 06-02-2011)

 

 

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Why Do We Worship?

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Psalm 47:1-9

Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
     Shout to God with joyful praise!
For the LORD Most High is awesome.
     He is the great King of all the earth.

Psalm 47:1-2

Every now and then, I need to be reminded of why I worship. Perhaps you do too.

On most Sundays, I gather with God's people to offer songs, hymns, prayers, gifts, and other expressions of worship. If I'm in town, I join my congregation at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Boerne. If I'm at Laity Lodge, including Laity Lodge Family Camp or Laity Lodge Youth Camp, I participate in worship services that are part of a retreat or camp. I worship regularly because it's the right thing to do and, quite frankly, because it's a habit of my life. On the rare occasions when I miss Sunday worship, it feels strange, rather like if I were to skip brushing my teeth before bed.

I don't believe there's anything wrong with showing up for a worship service because of a conviction that it's the right thing to do. Nor do I apologize for worshiping as a matter of habit. Duty and habit rightly help to guide our actions in life. But, sometimes, as I'm singing hymns or worship songs in church, I realize that I'm just going through the motions. I'm singing words, perhaps even thinking about their meaning, but forgetting the fundamental reason why I'm doing what I'm doing.

What is this reason? First, let me say what it is not. We do not worship primarily to feel moved, though warm emotions frequently arise when we worship God. We do not worship primarily to "get something out of the service," though we often benefit from what happens when we gather with God's people for worship. We do not worship primarily for anything having to do with ourselves, though worship is one of the most meaningful and transformational things we do in life.

Why do we worship? Psalm 47:1-2 makes this clear: "Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! For the LORD most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth." Did you catch that? It's easily missed. The primary reason for our worship is centered in one simple word: "For." (The Hebrew word is even shorter: ki, meaning "for.") We worship God for God is who God is. We worship because of who God is and what God has done. Our worship is a response to God, to God's nature and activity.

As Christians, our worship is centered in the Gospel, in the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ. That's why we continually remember the Gospel in our worship, whether in word or sacrament, in praying or singing, in silence or celebration. We worship and praise God. For the unique, all-powerful, sovereign, holy, just God has reached out to us in love through Jesus Christ, saving us from sin and death, drawing us into fellowship with him and with his people, enlisting us as partners in his work to redeem and restore the world. Now there's a reason to worship!

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Do you ever find that you need to remember why you worship God? What helps you to worship with heart, soul, mind, and strength?

PRAYER:

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise. Amen.

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Prepare To Meet GOD In Prayer

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Scriptures for Prayer Meeting

Matthew 6:5-8
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

When we pray, we must prepare our hearts and ourselves, with intensity and seriousness in coming to Him, our Lord whom we are going to see face-to-face, the Lord of Lords, King of Kings. If only we should realize the approaching of God, there should be a preparation of our self and our hearts.

v.6
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.
Close the door wherein nobody can disturb you while you pray - alone in encountering God. Exclude self and lock out other people. Sometimes we are disturbed when we are nearly coming to His presence. We are bothered of our own problems, things we must do. Sometimes we are in a hurry. We think of other people. We think of what other more blessings we could ask God for. Or should I pray for this person to change her/his attitude. We are bothered when we pray.

Enter into your throne. Close the door. God wants us to focus on Him. Free from any disturbances. Forget yourself. Forget other people.
Entering into your room, you are in communion with our God. Prepare yourself to meet our God. Only God must know what you were doing at that time.

Testimony from a Christian
There is no value in life in entering to the sacred chamber, in locking the door, the whole time I am full of myself and thinking of myself and priding myself about prayer. I have to exclude myself as well as other people. My heart has to be open entirely only to God. God alone.. Open our hearts until we come to a realm that we encounter only the glory of God, until we hear the voice of God, until God reveals Himself to us.

Psalm 86:11-12
11 Teach me your way, LORD,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.

Unite my heart to fear Your Name. Know whom we are going to meet - our Living God. Focus on God alone. Deny yourself. Forget everything. There should be exclusivity that only God you are going to meet. Our God who loves us, who cares for us. Wait for Him to reveal His plan to us, the best plan for us.

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What is Baptism?

Water Baptism is a public testimony - the outward confession of an inward experience. In baptism, we stand before witnesses confessing our identification with the Lord.

Christian denominations differ widely on their teachings about baptism. Some believe baptism accomplishes the washing away of sin. Others consider baptism a form of exorcism from evil spirits. Still others teach that baptism is an important step of obedience in the believer’s life, yet only an acknowledgment of the salvation experience already accomplished - baptism itself has no power to cleanse or save from sin. The following takes a look at the latter perspective called "Believer's Baptism:"

In the New Testament, the significance of baptism is seen more clearly. John the Baptist was sent by God to spread the news of the coming Messiah—Jesus Christ. John was directed by God (John 1:33) to baptize those who accepted his message. John’s baptizing is called “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Mark 1:4 (NIV). Those baptized by John acknowledged their sins and professed their faith that through the coming Messiah they would be forgiven. Baptism then is significant in that it represents the forgiveness and cleansing from sin that comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Purpose of Baptism:

• Water Baptism identifies the believer with the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (NIV)
• Water Baptism identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.

Death - “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

Resurrection - “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.” Romans 6:4-5 (NIV)

“He died once to defeat sin, and now he lives for the glory of God. So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires. Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God." Romans 6:10-13 (NLT)

Cleansing - “And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” I Peter 3:21 (NIV)

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” I Corinthians 6:11 (NIV)

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What is G12 Vision?

Monday, April 7, 2014

The G12 Vision is a strategy for Christian evangelism to fulfill the Great Commission. It is founded upon the idea that every Christian can mentor and lead twelve people in the Christian faith, following the example of Jesus. It was first modeled in Bogotá, Colombia by Pastor César Castellanos (pastor) and his wife Claudia after Castellanos said he had a vision from God instructing him to implement this structure of cell groups of 12.

History

Pastor César Castellanos developed the G12 strategy after visiting with Pastor David Yonggi Cho, who had successfully implemented a cell-group structure in the Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea. With about 1,000,000 members (2007), Yoido is the largest Protestant Christian congregation in the world.

Pastor César returned to his church, Misión Carismática Internacional in Bogotá, Colombia, with the revelation that he received from God while he was in South Korea — that God had given him a vision which would increase the number of Christian believers and help him to care for the growing numbers of people.

Aim of the G12 Vision

The aim of the G12 Vision is to form disciples with a Christ-like character who in turn will 'go and make disciples' as commanded by Jesus. Through prayer, encounters with God, teaching, support and encouragement, disciples are then encouraged to also make disciples. In both theory and example this process leads the church to grow exponentially, without losing accountability of Christian values due to the eventual size of the church.

G12 Methodology

The G12 Vision is based on the methodology used by Jesus to begin his ministry, when he chose the Twelve Apostles. Following his 40 days temptation in the desert, the first act of Jesus in his ministry was to form a group of 12 disciples,who were all men. (Mark 3:14). Additionally, in the book of Acts the first action taken by the 11 remaining disciples (Judas Iscariot having been instrumental in Jesus' eventual crucifixion and therefore no longer part of the group ) was to re-establish a group of 12. Seeing fit not to leave it at 11, or allow 13, but rather to cast lots, which fell on Matthias, to fulfill the 12. Jesus of course included women in His group of disciples,Mary Magdalene and His own Mother for example but the men only are counted as Apostles. (Acts 1:26). It was only after the re-established as a 12, that the day of Pentecost came,although Jesus had already appeared to both men and women and many men and women were present, not just the 12 Apostles, when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost.

The G12 Vision is explained by Pastor Cesar in his self-published books, Dream and you will Win the World, and Successful Leadership Through the Government of 12.

Ladder of Success

"Ladder of Success" is used to describe the main steps of the G12 Vision.^[5]

• Win: Evangelism aiming to win people to a new belief in Christ.
• Consolidate: This stage involves attending an Encounter with God weekend retreat, where a new believer is 'consolidated' in the faith by prayer, exposing of generational curses, casting out of demons and deep repentance.
• Disciple: At this stage, individuals enroll in the School of Leaders, which will begin to train the believer to recruit new disciples.
• Send: Leaders are 'sent' to do the work by establishing a new cell group of 12 men or 12 women depending on the gender of the leader.

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Watch Jesus Christ Story

The Public Life of Jesus Christ.This is his story taken entirely from the Gospel of Saint Luke. Today Jesus Christ has over 1,000,000,000 followers. Four Gospels record the humble beginnings of the Christian faith. And while other gospels tell of some other events, or even of the same events somewhat differently...

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