Our Position in Regard to the Present Issues

by Bp. Reuben M. Abante
Pastor of Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church
via Email

The challenge before us is not how to bring the Arroyo administration down or how to silence the opposition. The challenge is how each and everyone of us may be consistent with the Scriptures in whatever we do and say; how not to be led by bursts of emotions but by our deep commitment both to the Law of God and the law of our land; how we all can uphold a rule of righteousness, decency and law.

"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (Prov 14:34).

This righteousness must not just be seen in the executive branch but in the legislative and judicial branches, as well; not just in people in government but in all sectors of society, including business, military, police, media and those in the streets.

May what we all say and do come from hearts free from ill motives, political ambitions, personal gains, hunger for wealth and power and a conscience that is clean before God (His Word) and man.

Ps 106:3

3 Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!

(NKJ)

A) NEGATIVELY

• We are not with those who are "given to change."

Prov 24:21-22

21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

KJV

• We are not with those who are impatient.

Eccl 8:3a,5b

3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight…

5 …and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment .

KJV

Prov 14:29

29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

KJV

Prov 14:17

17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

KJV

• We are not with those who curse people in authority

Eccl 10:20

20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

KJV

• We are not for people power

Prov 30:12-13

12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

(KJV)

Prov 16:32

32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

KJV

Prov 15:18

18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

KJV

Eccl 8:3

3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

KJV

Eccl 8:5

…a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.

KJV

B) POSITIVELY

• We are for prayerful attitude in addressing the issues

1 Tim 2:1-2

2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all , supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

KJV

• We are for rule of law

Eccl 8:2

2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.

KJV

• We are for peaceful means

Ps 34:14

14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

KJV

Jer 29:7

7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

KJV

• We ask the President to change her ways and to act expeditiously in putting away corruption and corrupt people from government

Prov 25:5

5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

KJV

Prov 16:12

12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

(KJV)

Prov 29:4

4 The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

KJV

• We take this situation as an opportunity for the government and all Filipinos to stand on Biblical principles

Prov 11:14

14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety .

KJV

Prov 15:22

22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

KJV

• We are for Biblical righteousness as core value of the Filipino people

Prov 14:34

34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

KJV

2 Tim 3:16

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness :

KJV

WE PRAY TO THE LORD AND ASK ALL OUR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN AUTHORITY, TO BE GUIDED BY THE WORD OF GOD IN ALL UNDERTAKINGS. MAY BOTH THE ADMINISTRATION AND ALL OPPOSING SECTORS AND GROUPS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DO INVESTIGATIONS, MANIFEST HUMILITY AND FEAR OF GOD KNOWING THAT "BY HUMILITY AND FEAR OF THE LORD ARE RICHES, AND HONOUR, AND LIFE" (Prov 22:4).

LET US ALL KEEP IN MIND THAT "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" (Eph 6:12).

Tell someone how much you appreciate them today!

http://www.appreciationmovie.com

Purpose Driven - Day 1
It All Starts With God

I have embarked on this 40-day journey to discover my purpose in life. It will only take 15 to 30 minutes a day. This series will hopefully help me focus in what I should be and what I should be doing in this brief life. Life is so short to be drifting aimlessly without purpose.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

- Colossians 1:16

It's been very busy the past few weeks. I've just finished training the last batch of new hires, batch 7.

Last September 10, (L-F, back row then front) Norman, Maris, Melai, Claire, Malu and Eris have decided to welcome the Lord Jesus as their savior.

They have also learned that a changed person has a new WILL, WORK, WAYS, and whatever else.. hehehe.

Life should be lived with the end in mind. And what is that? Living for the glory of the Lord. Hence during our graduation we sang "Only One Life."

Help me pray that these people will grow as the Lord leads them to a new life of purpose and providence.

July 4th. US Independence day. This was the date that my trainees accepted Christ as their Saviour and Lord. PJ, Irene, and Emer. Just like the rest of the US, they are now celebrating their freedom from sin and Satan's reign. The Lord Jesus has set them free and has given them heavenly benefits - a heavenly home, God as their Father, an eternal soul that is bound to heaven, and an inheritance incorruptible with Christ our Lord.

May these people continue to grow in grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Christian brethren, please pray for them.

God bless!

Bible Study Charts is a nice website full of Christian literature for personal study and devotion.

Hi Jo, Rey and Barbi,

Though most people believe in the Holy Spirit as divine, some doubt this. It is for this reason that we need to revisit this most precious doctrine – the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Hope this piece of literature will enlighten you that indeed the Holy Spirit is what the Bible says He is – God.

God bless you!

Raffy

The Holy Spirit

2 More Souls Accept Christ

Dina Alcantara and Meri Grace Magbiray accepts Christ as their Lord and Saviour today! Happy Birthday!

I have discussed to them the benefits of being a Christian. Try asking them to see if they still can remember!

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Changed!

Today, Liz, JR and Rey C. had our Bible study at Starbucks. We talked about the changes that happen to a person who accepts Christ as their Saviour.



Changes in ways, in words, in works, and in will.



Read Mark 5



Once a person becomes a Christian, his Ways change.



He no longer practices his old ways. He may have retained some but is constantly under construction for becoming better.



Change in Words.



Not only does our ways change but our words become wholesome. What used to be a fountain of lies is now a fountain of blessing. We have new words! Words from the Bible! We should no longer be uttering gossip or lies or cursing. Let this be far named among us.



Change in Works



Good works should litter your way. Your life should be full of good work. We may be the only Bible that others are gonna read. Let them read your life as one that glorifies God, and not one that puts your Saviour to shame.



Change in Will



Our decisions should be controlled by HIS will and not our own will. Our will should be submerged entirely upon his own will.



These are not all that should change....



As the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.



We have the power in us to do this. The Holy Spirit himself enables us to change because he dwells in us.



May we find comfort in knowing that God hath begun a good work in us and will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Phil. 1:6).



Amen

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Fort Bible Study Batch 2

Our Bible study Batch 2 commenced last Wednesday morning with Leri, Mong and Job. These three people accepted Christ as their saviour and thus commenced a new life in the right path. What a Valentines day?!

(Feb 14, 2007)

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Bible Day!



We gave out free Bibles today, care of our beloved members at Pilgrim Bible Baptist Church.




Din, Joy, Rey, Anne, Ebra and Peachie enjoy their Bibles. They will read Psalms 119 through and answer the questions sent to them.

The Bible, God's word is trust worthy, free from error, and is necessary for spiritual growth. It is our guide in our Christian walk.

The Word of God

Bible Study on Baptism

This post was meant to be posted last Monday but I got busy and had to do it a week late.

Anyway, we learned a lot about Baptism this week. Today we met at the conference room and we had 1 new guest - April Cortuna. She had to resign though due to personal reasons so that will be our last meeting with her. She accepted the Lord already so I believe all she needs to do is find a church to serve and grow into.

Anne, Dina A, Joy, Nelle, and Glenn formed the core of this meeting.

The Bible study presentation is available on this site:

Baptism

This Bible study, our topic is all about GROWTH.

As new Christians, we were likened to infants (1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:) who are highly dependent on milk - which figuratively stands for basic spiritual food -- the Word of God.

We have commited to read 1 Chapter from the Bible every day beginning with the book of John:
Use this website: http://kjv.biblebrowser.com/

Just type in the reference: John 1:1, or select in the drop down menus on the upper left.

We have also commited to pray for at least 3 minutes each day.

We will be having separate studies about these topics but for now, these are what we need to grow consistently into stronger Christians.

God bless you on your growth!

For those who were not able to attend, the powerpoint slides are available at:

http://www.thinkfree.com/fileview.tfo?method=callFileView&filemasterno=653347&fileno=0

To our first time attenders: Glenn, Marinelle, Ebra, Liz and Myles - we enjoyed your presence & you are most welcome to this fellowship.

Today, Nelle and Abby accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord, congratulations and welcome to the family!

Today, 8 people has professed to have accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.


Rey Caburian, Anne Ubas, Maria Divinagracia Chavez, Abigail Garcia, Dina Alcantara, Joy Alvarez, Beth Chua and Meri Grace Magbiray.

Surprisingly its 9 again.

Next week its going to be about growing up spiritually.

Praise the Lord for his hand continuously at work.

We have begun our first Bible study at Starbucks, Fort Bonifacio. January 16 12MN - 12:45.

It was really a short introduction to the Bible study than a Bible study itself.

We had 9 attenders, Myca, Grace, Rey, Dina, Ahbie, JR, Job, Joy and myself.

We talked about the purposes of the Bible study and some of the expectations of the group.

Among the purposes are CFL. Which stands for Change, Fellowship and Leadership.

We will have different approaches to studying God’s word.
Topical, Doctrinal, Devotional, Chapter Study, Word Studies, Biographical Method

In our study, the assumption is made that everyone is a learner.

The Bible will be our guide.

Everyone is encouraged to talk.

For next meeting we'll talk about life, its purpose and our relationship with God.

It All Starts With God
Col. 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

It is my prayer that we will be able to use a training room for our Bible study and have the blessing of the company.

What is the essence of Christmas?

Christmas is one week away and every seems to be celebrating the season. I wish I could say the same.

It all started when someone called Christ came to earth several millennia ago. According to scholars he was born during the summer months of Aviv or April not during the cold months of December. He was born because was God's gift to mankind. The saviour to save every one -- that is -- everyone who desires that God save him. Of course God could not force himself on someone who doesn't need to be saved from Hell's fire, right?

So Christ was born that night with just the starry heaven as his "Christmas lights" and probably the whispering of the wind. As God gave Christ as a gift to save man, Christmas should remind us of that very same thing. Why was Christ born?

Was Christ born so that we could just celebrate Christmas?

Christ was born so that we can turn to him for salvation. Salvation from what you may ask? Salvation from sin and hell. All sinners are doomed to hell, whether you believe me or not, that is what the Bible says in Romans 3:10, "For all have sinned" and Romans 3:23 where it says, "There is none righteous, no not one."

How can we face such a penalty for sin? The Bible has has two answers: escape it or face it. If you choose to face it, just wait until you die and go to hell. You will pay for it every single day of your immortal life. If you decide to escape it, simple. Just read on.

Admit that you are a sinner who is hellbound without a Saviour. Realize that you need Christ to save you and ask him to save you from your sin. This means trusting Christ with your entire life including your choices: who decides right and wrong? If you accept Christ, you will have to give him that choice and you will have to follow him as your spiritual Dad. It is no longer you who lives, but Christ will live in you (Galatians 2:20). Of course, you will still be committing sin, but you will be sinning less as opposed to being sinless.

Trusting Christ involves faith. Faith is a requirement to salvation. Working for it is not. Faith says that I believe in God and his ability to save even if I have not seen him. Faith is taking God at his word. "He said, that settles it," should be our attitude.

The Bible says, without faith we cannot please him (Heb 11:6)

So if you admit that you are a sinner, trust Christ with your life through faith and turn from your old wicked ways (called repentance) you will be saved.

Here is a prayer that can guide you through it.

"Jesus, I know that I am a sinner that is incapable of saving himself. I understand that my efforts at saving myself will not work and that my religion is vain without a proper relationship with you. I know that you can save me and I trust that wou will. So please, father, save me from my sin. I repent of all my sin and ask you to start me off with a clean slate. I pray that you will give me eternal life in heaven with you. I make this decision in faith and totally commit my life to you.

In Jesus' name, amen."

Once you've said a prayer similar to this or followed this prayer, please tell me about your experience. I would love to hear from you, brother/sister!

WHAT IS YOUR TOP PRIORITY?

Number one. That is the battle cry of most athletic teams, corporations, people, and even churches.

I THINK my top priority is to serve God and maintain my Christian testimony. However if an auditor would audit my life, I don't think that he will have the same conclusion. I have not been serving God as I should, knowing that much has been commited to my trust. I have been educated in two Bible colleges, have a wide collection of books and a lot of Christian friends. I have a ton of Christian mp3s and a ton of reference materials inside my computer. The Lord has commited much to me, I think he expects more from me.

But what have I done lately? I have been preaching, but I haven't won anybody to Christ for the past several months... What a shame. What kind of salvation did I receive? Where did all my training go? Even my family is not on better ground.

So, back to priorities. Where are my priorities? What are they? Should I set newer goals?
Or should I attain my previous goals first.

I need to win some. At least once a week. Lord grant me this simple prayer.

Give me someone.

This is my top priority.

SOLID REASONS TO WIN SOULS

We are God's ambassadors - representatives of God, we are the last and only line of hope for people to know about Jesus Christ!

I am trying to win all my workmates at ePLDT to the Lord, I hope the Lord will show me ways to be relevant to them and help them know the Lord.