The Baptism of Christ

John the Baptist was the one calling out to the people of Jerusalem and Judea to repent, turn from their sins, and be baptized  before the coming of the Messiah.

It was he who performed the baptism of Jesus Christ. As Jesus came up out of the water, heaven opened, and the Spirit of God, like a dove, descended upon him. 

Witnesses to the baptism heard a voice from heaven saying, "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well.

The baptism of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of his ministry on earth.

Mt 28:19 Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Baptism is the washing away of sins but after the immersion in water, all must maintain a good conscience towards God.

1 Pet 3:21 The like figure to which, even baptism, doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

A conscience void of offense towards God, and towards men  is the baptism of Jesus.

Mk 10:38 But Jesus said to them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

Mk 10:39 And they said to him, We can. And Jesus said to them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of: and with the baptism that I am baptized with shalt ye be baptized;

The first baptism is the washing away of sins and the second baptism is the answer of a good conscience towards God as Jesus Christ did even up to his death in the cross. What I mean is, like Judas, not all baptized in water is save.

The Breaking of Bread

The breaking of bread is important in the gathering of the early christian in their fellowship with Christ.

At first glance, the breaking of bread would mean sharing of meals together, each one receiving foods from one another. 

It's like the boodle fight which is a military style of eating where long tables are prepared and food are on top of the banana leaves. 

Viands and rice ready to eat using your bare hands, jugs of water are prepared on the side to wash hands before the "eating combat". With the signal to start the boodle fight, everyone aims for his/her position.

But what is the basis of today's breaking of bread done religiously during a fellowship within the church?

1 Cor 11:23 For I have received from the Lord, that which also I delivered to you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread:

1 Cor 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1 Cor 11:25  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

1 Cor 11:26  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he shall come.

1 Cor 11:27  Wherefore, whoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1 Cor 11:28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

1 Cor 11:29  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh condemnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

Come to think of it, if the breaking of bread is eating of meals until midnight then they are wasting their time staying together.

Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them (ready to depart on the morrow) and continued his speech until midnight. 

To know more of Christ teachings that comes from the father himself is to break his gospel piece by piece and we can not do this if we just eat meals and literally drink his blood.

Lk 24:35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known to them in breaking of bread.

What comes in the mouth goes in the toilet and what goes in the heart by hearing the word of God makes him a better person and a chance to become a children of God.

Mt 15:17 Do ye not yet understand, that whatever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

Mk 7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all kinds of food. 

Mk 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 

Mk 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Mk 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness;

Mk 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 

The bread are the teachings and the cup of blood are the sufferings that goes with it in following Christ. Logically, we can not be justified by eating bread inside the church coming from supermarket and bakery for we have houses to eat and to drink.

The Vine and the Branches

Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making wine, jam, juice, jelly, grape seed extract, raisins, vinegar, and grape seed oil. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. 

The health benefits of grapes include its ability to treat constipation, indigestion, fatigue, kidney disorders, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and prevention of cataract.

Why this fruit bearing trees was used as an example of Christ to explain our relationship with him? The vine and the branches are inseparable for without the vine the branches will not bring much fruit. Christ is the vine and we are the branches thus we can do nothing without him.

Jn 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

The one leading the Apostles is Christ. The disciples duty is to follow him wherever he will go while preaching the gospel.

Lk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The obvious thruth is that, they can do nothing without him so it is but correct to say that John the Baptist and his disciples can not be credited of performing the baptism alone without Jesus.

Jn 4:1 When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

Jn 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

Even in the manner of preaching, the disciples were assured by Christ to be given a mouth and wisdom that can not be rejected by the listener.

 Lk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer. 

 Lk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

The assurance of his presence in the preaching and in the baptism extend up to the end of the world.

Mt 28:19 Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Mt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.

If Christ is with us always even up to the end of the world, he is therefore the one talking when the minister is preaching. If one can do nothing without Christ, no flesh can glory in his presence. Indeed Christ is the leader and head of the Church of God and we are the unprofitable followers and servants.

The Destiny of Man

The purpose of this article is to once and for all clarify questions about death. For example, what will happen to our body, soul and spirit after death?

My father died at the age of 63 and my mother died at the age of 80. My sister also died last year caused by a dreaded disease,  "cancer of the bone".

Different speculations surfaced starting from the death of my father.

Some said my father and mother together with my sister are now together living in heaven with the Lord. Some said, they are now one of the Angels of the Lord.

What was written in the scripture is that, only the spirits of the just men made perfect are in heaven.

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

The spirits of the wicked who died at the time of Noah up to this very day are still in prison.

1 Pet 3:19-20  By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

And the dead body will remain still in the dust sleeping and awaiting for the day of judgment.

Dan 12:2   And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

How I wish that my father, mother and sister spirits are not in prison. How I wish their name were also written in the book of life.

Ezek 37:5-6  Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

For what is a man, what has he got? For after your way, the way of the Lord will prevail.

♫♪♫ And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way ♫♪♫

Bible Technology

Technology is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, and methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a pre-existing solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, including machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species' ability to control and adapt to their natural environments. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include construction technology, medical technology, and information technology.

The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in traveling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.

In modern era where technology and knowledge had increased, can we build a house without hearing a noise?

1 Kgs 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

In the industry of clothing and shoes apparel, can we make the quality to last for forty (40) years?

Deut 29:5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.

Inventions makes life easier. It's a shortcut for convenience so that even in a relationship, the Scripture is teaching the humans to live a life of convenience.

1 Cor 7:34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

1 Cor 7:35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

Generally, as the saying goes, what we do is what we get and what we eat is what we are.

Exod 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Lev 3:16 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S.

Though not explained to them the reason for not eating the fat, to us we know that fat makes us obese, stout, heavy and overweight based on advanced medical technology.

The Struggle

Our life is like a game of sports. It usually requires more than one participants competing either in teams or competing as individuals. 

Sports are usually governed by a set of rules or customs which serve to ensure fair competition, and allow consistent adjudication of the winner.

While sports are governed by a set of rules our struggle in life as Christians has written laws to follow which will be the sole basis of judgment in declaring who the winners are.

In Sports, the struggle is between man against another man. In life, the struggle is between the inner man and the outer man.

Rom 7:14-15  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow not: for what I would, that I do not; but what I hate, that I do.

It's an struggle between good and evil. The evil being the strongest in the world.

Jn 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

But knowing the Gospel of Christ as the basis of judgment at the end of the race, we should strive to stay within the parameters of the Gospel to ensure victory. 

Rom 2:16  In the day when God shall judge the secrets of  men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

1 Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 

While it seems that life in this world is a journey wasted in favor of the spirit.

2 Cor 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man is wasted, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 

Let us go on with our life unto perfection, knowing that we profit nothing from the flesh.

Jn 6:63  It is the spirit that reviveth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Enmity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Jihad, an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims.  In Arabic,  the word jihad translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Within the context of Islam it refers to struggle against those who do not believe in Islamic God (Allah). Jihad is commonly misunderstood as "Holy War", Jihad means "to struggle in the way of Allah". 

There are two commonly accepted meanings of jihad: an inner spiritual struggle and an outer physical struggle. The "greater jihad" is the inner struggle by a believer to fulfill his religious duties. This non-violent meaning is stressed by both Muslim and non-Muslim authors.

The "lesser jihad" is the physical struggle against the enemies of Islam. This physical struggle can take a violent form or a non-violent form. The proponents of the violent form translate jihad as "holy war", although some Islamic studies scholars disagree.

According to the BBC, a third meaning of jihad is the struggle to build a good society. In a commentary of the hadith Sahih Muslim,  entitled al-Minhaj, the medieval Islamic scholar Yahva ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi  stated that "one of the collective duties of the community as a whole (fard kifaya) is to lodge a valid protest, to solve problems of religion, to have knowledge of Divine Law, to command what is right and forbid wrong conduct" 

In Christianity, the struggle is between good and evil. Between the Serpent and the Woman and their seed.

Gen 3:14-16 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

In which way, either inner spiritual or outer physical, the struggle is non-violent. It is a struggle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Satan struggle for the body or the outward man as man struggle for the spiritual or the inward man.

2 Cor 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

To explain it further, We do not simply burn the house to drive away pests or destroy an unclean drinking glass for we either don't have a house to live in or a glass to drink from.

2 Tim 2:20-21 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

As Jesus Christ said:  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Mt 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if some struggle violently then some have already strayed after Satan.

Jn 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The Anti-Christ

Antichrist as defined by +Merriam Webster Dictionary is the Chief enemy of Christ who would reign at the end of time, first mentioned in the epistles of St. John. The idea of a mighty ruler who will appear at the end of time to fight against the forces of good was adapted from Judaism; the Jewish concept in turn had been influenced by Iranian and Babylonian myths of the battle of God and the devil at the end of time.

In the New Testament, the Antichrist is a tempter who works by signs and wonders and seeks divine honors. It was a potent concept in medieval Christianity that received the attention of many commentators including Adso of Montier-en-Der, whose work became the basic medieval treatise on the Antichrist.

An example of being an antichrist is forbidding anyone to marry and commanding his people or workers under him to abstain from eating meat on specific time of the season which they considered a "holy day".

1 Tim 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons;

1 Tim 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

1 Tim 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving by them who believe and know the truth.

Forgetting this one verse in the Bible regarding serving God with one wife.

1 Tim 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children, and their own houses well.  

Though there is a big difference in focus between the married and the unmarried.

1 Cor 7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

1 Cor 7:28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.

1 Cor 7:32  But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

1 Cor 7:33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.

1 Cor 7:34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

Marriage therefore is a matter of choice, thus marrying is not a sin.

1 Cor 7:36 But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.

1 Cor 7:37 Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.

1 Cor 7:38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.

To make a decree or a law forbidding anyone to marry (removing him from performing his spiritual duty if he opted to marry) is one of the doctrines of demons and therefore it's the  antichrist.

Hardened Not Your Heart

Grafting or graftage as defined by +Wikipedia is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation. The technique is most commonly used in asexual propagation of commercially grown plants for the horticultural and agricultural trades.

In stem grafting, a common grafting method, a shoot of a selected, desired plant cultivar is grafted onto the stock of another type.

In another common form called bud grafting, a dormant side bud is grafted onto the stem of another stock plant, and when it has inosculated successfully, it is encouraged to grow by pruning off the stem of the stock plant just above the newly grafted bud.

The same method was used by God in grafting the laws to his own people.

Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

For we are all sinners and considered by the Scripture as wild by nature likened to a wild olive-tree but we're given the chance to partake of the bread and to inherit the promise of eternal life.

Rom 11:16  For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Rom 11:17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive-tree, art ingrafted among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive-tree; 

Rom 11:18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boastest, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 

Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be ingrafted. 

Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: 

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them who fell, severity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou shalt continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Rom 11:23  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be ingrafted: for God is able to ingraft them again.

Rom 11:24  For if thou wast cut out of the olive-tree which is wild by nature, and wast ingrafted contrary to nature into a good olive-tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive-tree? 

Don't be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

1 Tim 5:6  But she that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth.

Eccles 7:29  Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. 

Why then do we harden our hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? As Jesus Christ said to his disciples: Have your heart yet hardened?  

Eph 4:18   being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;

Let No One Be Left Behind

Two characters are escaping from something. One of them falls down, breaks a leg and says "Leave me, I Will Only Slow You Down". The other one says, " I won't leave without you!" and takes his wounded friend with him. Possibly even requiring, as soon as they reach some degree of safety, that the wounded character gets evacuated first.

In more hard-pressed situations, the character must stand over the fallen friend and fight off enemies, all the way up to the grim Last Stand. In case of close comrades, such as Blood Brothers,  or beloved commanders,  this may be done even if the fallen friend is dead and not just wounded, and the heat of battle may make it impossible to tell whether the fallen character had just been wounded or had died. And if the dead character has Royal Blood or Blue Blood,  this may have a grim necessity: they need to be able to prove that the character died to ensure that the succession goes smoothly in time of crisis. This trope is often used to generate drama in a situation that calls for a Heroic Sacrifice.

“Let no one be left behind” is a slogan adopted by many to stress the goal of its commitment that no one is left by the wayside as they pursue their dreams in life.

In a family situation for instance where the husband has to leave the wife and children to seek greener pasture in other land, the principle that "Let no one be left behind" should also apply as family relationship is at stake. 

Mt 5:32 but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery. 

Let poverty therefore be not the reason for the husband and wife separation except with consent and come together again for a certain period of time to satisfy the desire of the flesh.

1 Cor 7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan may not tempt you for your incontinence.

This commandment is given because God knows that the flesh is weak and that the wife is a weaker vessel and can be easily tempted.

Mk 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 

1 Pet 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

So the next time you think of escaping from poverty with a desire of providing comfortable living to your family, think of the consequence/s of going away.

1 Pet 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 

Don't give Satan the chance to tempt and devour you. Save your marriage, bring with you your Wife and Children wherever you go and "Let No One Be Left Behind". 

1 Tim 5:8 But if any provideth not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 

Saint Pedro Calungsod

Pedro Calungsod was a young Roman Catholic Filipino migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist, who along with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious persecution and martyrdom on Guam for their missionary work in 1672. Through Calungsod and San Vitores' missionary efforts, many native Chamorros converted to Roman Catholicism. Calungsod was beatified on 5 March 2000 by Blessed Pope John Paul II. On 18 February 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially announced that Calungsod will be canonised on 21 October 2012.

On 19 December 2011, the Holy See officially approved the miracle qualifying Calungsod for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church. The recognised miracle dates from 2002, when a Leyte woman who was pronounced clinically dead by accredited physicians two hours after a heart attack was revived when a doctor prayed for Calungsod's intercession.

As a Filipino, I should be proud of having a saint like him but to kneel down and pray to a creature and pray for his intercession is an abomination unto God because the Scripture says:

Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For Christ is a creator and the only mediator that can interceed between God and men.

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

To fell down and worship even to an angel who is also a creature is an abomination unto God for angels like men including prophets and apostles, are fellow servants of God.

Rev 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Rev 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Let us believe that until now,  no man has ascended into heaven except Christ.

Jn 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Dead is dead and they can not do anything under the sun not until the coming of Jesus Christ. 

1 Thess 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thes 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

For there is hope for all the living: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 

Eccles 9:5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Eccles 9:6  Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, hath now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

To the followers of Saint Pedro Calungsod, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint John or to any creatures, If you want salvation, think before you kneel down and be among the followers of Christ prophesied; which had not worshipped idols and together lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

The Way of the Lord

Listening and following God is beneficial not to Him but to us in the long run. Afterall for by his act we were given existence in Christ Jesus to do those good works which God before made ready for us so that we might do them.

Making it clear to us that we are to put ourselves under rulers and authorities, to do what they are ordered and  be ready for every good work.

Tit 2:12 Teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and piously, in this present world;

In a relationship for example, it is the desire of God for us to have focus, to be free from anxieties for the unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, on how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, on how to please his wife, and his interests are divided.

1 Cor 7:9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

This teaching is the same with the homosexuals and the lesbians like the eunuchs. The marriage is between a man and woman for God created they. If they are not comfortable with that then be holy and forever remain single with a promise of reward from G0D better than man and woman.

Is 56:4 For thus saith the LORD to the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even to them will I give in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

The covenant of sabbath to Israel is the old testament; the new covenant or the new testament for the Christians is the gospel of Christ as the old is now obsolete.

Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and groweth old is ready to vanish away.

But marriage is not an instant reunion. It must have a serious preparation and planning, like an engineer who will build a house or a nation that will go to war with another nation.

Lk 14:28-30 For which of you intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it? Lest perhaps after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Lk 14:31-32 Or what king going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an embassy, and desireth conditions of peace.

This is not a situation we viewed in movies where after a boy meet a lonely stranger girl at the bar, the next romantic scene is in bed. Jacob courted his wife Rachel and waited for 7 years without sex and another 7 years after the deceitful switching of  Leah made by Rachel's father Laban.

Gen 29:16-18 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well-favored. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

You see, marrying a stranger or foreign woman not permitted by God is a disaster. For clarity, stranger in this verse are the ungodly and the unbelievers.

Lev 22:12 If the priest's daughter also shall be married to a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.

1 Kings 11:1-5 But king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said to the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in to you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon cleaved to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

So what is the lesson here? The lesson is to be patient. Remember that patient is a virtue. Don't be in a hurry in jumping into a relationship. Have trust in the Lord that someone is on your way; when you are prepared and be ready to marry.

Prov 19:14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.

For what can you gain when you bear sons and daughters that you can't raise and feed. They are souls valuable in the eyes of God more than the value of the whole world.

Mt 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

This is the way of the Lord. AMEN.

Devil's Nest

There are places which are not allowed by God for all Christians to stay or hang around. 

All locations that patronises bad habits like drinking, gambling, smoking, womanizing and the likes are prohibited in order to have a clean heart with a meek and quiet spirit; having no reason to shame between God or men, which is in the sight of God of great price. 

As we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, we are indeed commanded to abstain from all appearance of evil. 

1 Thess 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Gal 5:19-21  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The question now is this; Why are we commanded to shy away from those places? And the answer is very simple; the devil knows who are the men with the mark of God.

Acts 19:13  Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them who had evil spirits, the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

Acts 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

You see, the devil does not even know their peers having the same mark of the devil. Having them know you, frequenting therefore in the nest of the devil may render you outnumbered and may be tempted to commit sins.

Don't follow then the devil, follow Jesus Christ instead.

Jn 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Included in those prohibited places are the place of worship built by men where devils are grouped and nested together.

Mt 23:15 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Except the Lord shall build the house, they labor in vain that build it. The house built by Jesus Christ, as commanded by God the father, is the Church of God.

Ps 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD shall build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD shall keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain. 

1 Cor 10:32 Give no offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Other than the Church of God, do I have to name names of churches where devils nested and grouped together? Surely, you will know them by their teachings.

1 Tim 6:3-5  If any man teacheth otherwise, and consenteth not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is according to godliness,  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, from which cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing gain to be godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Move away from them, for they are teaching other gospel other than the one preacheth by the apostles and ministers of Jesus Christ.

Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

Worsening Economy

Every nation is observing the progress of its economy especially when a recession or a depression occured. It is an event that happens again and again, a recurring problem, which has yet to be solved. Every day there is news of jobs lost and businesses closing. These lost jobs and closed businesses are not being replaced by new jobs and businesses. Unemployment is increasing.

Many years ago our situation was not like this. What has changed? Why are we heading steadily into a depression?

An economy is not based on money or finance, though most people believe it is. The ultimate basis of an economy is entirely physical. An economy is ultimately based on the production of physical wealth. Without first having adequate food and energy production, none of our other economic activities would even be possible.

Though good economy or good harvest for that matter; this is not a guarantee of peace and security, for in the abundance of everything, here comes the calamity reserved for the world and is destined to happen.

Mt 24:6 And ye will hear of wars, and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 

Mt 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there will be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. 

For whatever we do, the word of God will always prevail. The prophesy written in the Bible are not made to be broken.

Is 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

We have to expect the unexpected and the time of trouble is here to come.

2 Tim 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,   Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;   Having a form of godliness, but denying its power: from such turn away.   For of this sort are they who creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts;   Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Though perilous times are already happening, the great tribulation was not yet experienced by the whole world.

Mt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 

The great tribulation is more horrible than this event that happened in the beginning.

2 Kings 6:28 And the king said to her, What aileth thee? and she answered, This woman said to me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.

2 Kings 6:29 So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. 

The worsening economy is just the beginning that we must endure up to the time of the end.

Jn 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye will have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.

Our only hope therefore is Christ whether we live or we die.

Rom 14:18 For whether we live, we live to the Lord; and whether we die, we die to the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

All Things That You Desire

God does not approve the wrong conduct of men, but that he had kind feelings toward them, or was "earnestly desirous" of their happiness.

God hates wickedness, but he still desires the Happiness of those who are sinful. "He hates the sin, but loves the repentant sinner." 

A parent may love his child and desire his welfare, and yet be strongly opposed to the wrong conduct of that child. When we approve the evil conduct of another, this is blind love unaware of the danger that lies ahead; when we desire simply their happiness, this is an act of kindness.

Jn 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If I did not ask God to give his son for my sins and yet he did, my own and personal desire therefore is nothing compared to what has given. Though he knows what is best for us we should still pray and ask.

Phil 4:6  Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 Ask therefore and believe that we already received it.

Mt 21:22  And all things whatever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Mk 11:24  Therefore I say to you, Whatever things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Instead of desiring what others have, envy others because we don't have, the scripture commanded us to ask. 

Jas 4:2  Ye lust and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

But remember, ask only what you need and not just to satisfy the lust of the flesh.

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Because the Lord sees the way of the upright and know the end of the sinner which is destruction.

Prov 3:33  The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

The Perfect Man

The day of the lord is the final and eternal judgment by God to the living and the dead who are not included in the first resurrection.

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.

It will purportedly take place after the one thousand years reign of Jesus Christ who reigns together with the living first caught up in the air and the dead first resurrected on his second coming.

1 Thess 4:16  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thess 4:17  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Rev 20:5   But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

In the last day, who will condemn and justify if a man is perfect or not.

Rom 8:33 Who will lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth:

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, or rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Salvation is unto God with the intercession of Jesus Christ as the mediator between God and man but there are three (3) ingredients that a man of God should have that he may be made perfect:

2 Tim 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works.

Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

2 Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

And a perfect man kept his word and can never be offended with the word of God.

Jas 3:2 For in many things we all offend. If any man offendeth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

1 Jn 2:5 But whoever keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: by this we know that we are in him.

All Men Are Created Equal

The opening of the United States Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, states as follows:

We hold these truths to be self-evident,  that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,  that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;

The right to liberty can be found in the letter of Saint Paul to the members of the Church of God referring to the Galatians.

Gal 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called to liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 

The right to become happy is also mentioned in proverbs; for a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Prov 17:22  A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

But the right to life is something we must leave to our creator, as living without Him is vain.

Jn 6:63  It is the spirit that reviveth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Jn 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Eccles 7:15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. 

In this world, life is full of calamity and the pursuit of  happiness is dependent on every individual as the Scripture says:

Jn 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye will have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.

Think of a scenario that we are all the same; same looks, same familiar faces, same status in life or same in everything. Aside from the problem of identification, who's gonna clean the toilet or the oven, or whom to pay when money is not needed? If you have money, you can let somebody work for you. If not then work for that money. 

So we are not created equal after all,  though in God, we are all the same by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:29 And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

But as the saying goes; The money is with a man, but the truth is, many man has no money. Learn the secret of happiness which is contentment.

Heb 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you."

Phil 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

God is Everywhere?

The question of God’s omnipotence has historically caused little controversy. Basically, being omnipresent means being present everywhere at the same time. Can this term be applied to God? What does the Scripture tell us?

There is no verse/s found in the Scripture that says: God is everywhere. It is only the eyes of the Lord that is everywhere.

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. 

My understanding dictates that, if God is everywhere, there is no need for Satan to go back and forth from heaven to earth and vice versa,  accusing us before our God day and night. 

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night.

In fact, God ask Satan where he came from one day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

Job 1:7 And the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.

If He is everywhere, there is no need for Him to send legions of Angels guarding us from evil harm.

Ps 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth around them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Mt 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he will presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

Moreover, the LORD Almighty assured us that he will hear our prayers from heaven.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

And when Jesus was made flesh, He taught us to pray to our Father which art in heaven.

Lk 11:2 And he said to them, When ye pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 

At what instance then will the LORD Almighty be in our midst? In this verse, He said, "I myself will go also".

Zechariah 8:20-21 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘ Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “ Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD, And seek the LORD of hosts. I myself will go also.”

It is also at this instance will our Lord Jesus Christ be in our midst.

Mt 18:19  Again I say to you, That if two of you shall agree on earth, concerning any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.

Mt 18:20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Though the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands, He made himself available always in the congregation and assembly of his faithful.

Acts 7:48 Yet, the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands, as saith the prophet,

Acts 17:24 God that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

Let us therefore hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised:

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

There is really no need for our God to be present at all times. We can always pray and ask for protection and guidance anytime we want to for He knows the intent of our heart. 

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 

Jer 17:9  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Cheating Wife

Often times we read news about a man who killed himself after he caught his wife having an affair with another man or a man kills wife after suspecting infidelity then committed suicide.

This can happen between relationships with reference to the number of incident related to crimes of passion.

For whatever reason, murder, suicide or killing self may not be the case, for a woman was created because of a man.

1 Cor 11:8 For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.

1 Cor 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

For in the beginning, a man was created in the image and likeness of God.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Anything can happen to us. The scripture says: In the world we shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; Christ have overcome the world.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Trust God always and believe that a prudent wife is coming your way.

Prov 19:14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.

The only reason for a divorce is marital unfaithfulness not for any other reasons. Other than infidelity it's adultery.

Matthew 19:9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

In this world, never mind loosing everything than to lose God, Christ and your own soul.

Mt 16:16 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Please don't get me wrong and think that a woman is not important to God. Women like us are also heirs to life everlasting.

1 Pet 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

If she desires to go away, then she is not a Christian, let it be so.

1 Cor 7:15  But if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases; but God hath called us to peace.