No worries

It's amazing how God assures us that our food, shelter, and clothing are taken care of. I don't have to worry about what my family will eat today or tomorrow. Right now we have a place to stay — our own home. We all have clothing. Although we may not always be able to buy the clothes we like, we will not go naked. These things are promised by our Provider.

At the same time, Jesus promised that He will build His own church and nothing and no one can destroy it! I don't even have to worry about planting His church or bringing in more disciples. No one can come to Christ unless he is called by the Father. It is the Spirit who brings conviction to a person's heart. I am just an instrument at the right time and the right place. His command to us is simply to disciple the ones He calls, baptize them, and teach them all His commandments.

I have determined that I will not build His church. I will let Christ build His own church. I will simply obey His command to disciple the ones He brings into my life. I will go and find the ones He is calling (when they are already ripe for the picking) and disciple them.

His Kingdom is like a seed that was planted. The farmer goes to sleep and the seed continues to grow by itself without the need for the farmer. The miracle of life and growth belongs to God. Again, the Kingdom is like yeast, just a little and it expands the dough. The Father is the Great Farmer.

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Tags: worry, anxious, provision, church, kingdom, house church, Christianity, discipleship

Whose follower are you?

Last night we were at a birthday party, a surprise party thrown by the friends of one of our brothers in Sta. Rosa. We had a rare chance to meet some of our old friends/comrades from other churches.

After the party, some lingered around and talked for a while before heading home. One of the former pastors of my old denomination shared how the senior pastor of his present church was really an uncommon Pentecostal because he was strict with the Word. That means he really had a very high respect and admiration for his senior pastor. He also mentioned how one of the families of Metro South Vineyard now attends his church.

The whole conversation reminded me how Paul scolded the Corinthians about being followers of Peter, followers of Paul, followers of Apollos, and followers of Christ. He scolded them for the factionalism and disunity in the Corinthian church.

Will he not scold us in the 21st century for being followers of so many leaders and for being divided into hundreds of denominations and thousands of churches? When I meet other Christians, the talk is always about "Which church do you belong to? What denomination does your church belong to? Are you Pentecostal, Evangelical, Born-again, Full-Gospel, Protestant, Catholic, etc?" And as if that was not enough, Christians now talk of their ministries like they were denominations. Worse, they now want to convert churches and denominations into their "way of ministering."

Have we become followers of men instead of followers of Christ? Be honest. Paul warned that God will destroy those who destroy His temple — who divide His church.

What is communion?

My wife is in the province on a mission and I'm left at home to look after the kids. Yesterday, Sunday, was a pretty tough day, busy with household chores. Good thing it was Sunday, and it was a day when I did less of my business work. In the evening, almost everyone was present -- just one of the boys was out. However, short dinner together was, it was lovely, sharing in a meal my daughter, my eldest son and I prepared: mung bean stew and deep-fried chicken.

The best part was sharing time together and joking around. With three teenagers, that's the order of the day. :)

Communion comes from two simple words: common and union. We've placed too much religious meaning into communion that we've lost the real sense of that word. Communion is about sharing in the things we have in common and thereby developing unity.

Communion is not a ritual. It's a lifestyle. It's about sharing with the ones we love, spending time and resources with them, serving them, and being served by them too. It's about going out of our way to develop unity with each other. It's about fellowship, talking, eating, and laughing; sharing dreams, concerns, hopes, and disappointments. And, the most important thing we share in common is Christ and his love.

What is church?

Someone asked me just a few hours ago if it's alright to not attend church, stay home, watch a couple of Christian preachers on TV, and pay tithe to a chosen Christian organization.

To answer the first part of this question, we need to redefine "church." What is church?

Jesus said, in Mt 18:20 (GWT):

Where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.

He also said in Mt 16:18 (GWT):

... on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not overpower it.

There's only one church that Jesus built and continues to build. Nothing in this universe, physical or spiritual, can ever destroy his church. The church is not physical (such that it can be destroyed). Hence, it is not a building that can be destroyed by fire, nor an organization or corporation that can be disbanded or dissolved. Church is not the worship service or mass or even the time set aside for corporate gathering that can be called off due to inclement weather or emergencies.

Church is US. We, who believe in Christ and follow him and have received the Holy Spirit and continue to walk in the Spirit, are the church. Where two or three of us gather together as Christ's followers, Jesus is there in the Spirit. He inhabits us because we are his Temple.

Church is a group of people, not a place or event. It is not even a registered organization.

Thus, when two or three of us gather, we don't have to gather in a holy place. We are the Holy Temple. We don't have to meet at a holy time. We are forever in communion with Christ, now "seated...with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:5 –Eph 2:6, NRSV).

Yes, you don't have to go to church because you ARE the Church. You are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. You are part of his spiritual Temple, the New Temple. But you must obey Christ's command to love one another.