Connecting God

Modernized Bridge Illustration

2008-07-23T07:25:00.005+08:00

Modernized Illustration for

The way of the Master

2008-07-15T10:39:00.002+08:00

On-The-Street Witnessing...

http://www.wayofthemaster.com/watch/witness_gangmembers_high.html

Statement of Faith

2008-03-01T09:31:00.000+08:00

We believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God and that it was given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

We believe in one God, who exists in three Persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His death and resurrection.

We believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that there is no other way to the Father than by Him.

We believe that salvation is by faith in Christ alone and not of works lest any man should boast.

further infos to be continue...

Horoscopes are Evil

2008-03-01T08:15:00.002+08:00

"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God." -Deuteronomy 18:10-13

Do you know what witchcraft is? Witchcraft is seeking help or guidance from any spiritual source other than God. There are only two sources of spiritual power: God or Satan. Ultimately there is only ONE source of power because the only power Satan has is that which God has given him (Luke 4:6). If it's not the power of God's Holy Spirit, then you are dealing with the devil. It's as simple as that folks. Anytime you here someone using words like "spirits" or "spiritual" without mentioning Jesus Christ or the Bible, run as fast as you can. The devil is a spirit, just as God is a Spirit. Our battles in this life (according to the Bible) are ultimately against the devil (Ephesians 6:12). The devil works inside people's hearts to lead them to do horrible things. The devil can't make anyone do anything, but he inspires them with evil to the point where they do his will without hesitation.

All forms of horoscopes, Tarot cards, psychics, palm readings, fortune telling, crystal balls, Ouija boards, astrology, worshipping or contacting the dead, and sorcery are of the devil. "Sorcery" is an interesting word in the Bible. It is derived from the same Hebrew word that our word "pharmacy" today comes from. Hence, sorcery is the use of drugs as a medium to contact the demonic world. If you've ever spoken with someone who was a serious drug addict, they can tell you of the demonic experiences they had while high on drugs. I have talked with such people who claim that they saw demons and unbelievable nightmares. Drugs will mess you up quickly.

It is sinful to seek the help or advice of a psychic or a witch.

"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God." -Leviticus 19:31

God is serious about this stuff, and so should you be.

"And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger." -2nd Kings 21:6

These things are wicked!!! To observe the cycles of the moon and the stars as a form of religion is sinful. The Islamic Muslims pray five times daily corresponding with the cycles of the moon. Ever notice the "moon" symbol that is to cherished by the Muslims? It is the symbol of the moon god, which is exactly where the Islamic Muslim religion started back in 800 A.D., under the moon god Muhammad. It is a false religion!

I remember a couple years ago hearing on the news that India had announced that there would be NO nuclear war between them and Pakistan. They based this knowledge upon the predictions made by the government of India's top astrologers. Right! The stargazers didn't help Babylon...

"Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee." -Isaiah 47:13

These evils are all alive and well today...

"And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger." -2nd Chronicles 33:6

Hell is the place of the future punishment call "Gehenna" or "Gehenna of fire." This was originally the "valley of the son of Hinnom," located south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction. It was the cities garbage dump. Unbelievably, the Moloch religion required parents to sacrifice their children upon the fiery arms of Moloch. This was no doubt a form of abortion. Today, parents sacrifice their children to the surgical saws that rip their tiny bodies painfully apart piece by piece unto all LIFE is gone. Murderers!

All forms of horoscopes, Tarot cards, psychics, palm readings, fortune telling, crystal balls, Ouija boards, astrology, worshipping or contacting the dead, and sorcery are of the devil. This includes the veneration (worshipping) of the dead. The Catholic church worships statues of former so-called "saints." I remember years ago meeting a Spanish man who kept a statue of Saint Anthony and his dog behind the front door to his apartment. There were several jars of varying amounts of water with a penny at the bottom of each glass container. I asked what the purpose was for these strange things and he said it was to ward off evil spirits from his home. He said he was a Catholic and had learned this at church.

The Catholic church teaches people to pray to dead Saints. This is evil. A statue over your grave cannot pray for you. You cannot pray a person out of hell, and there is NO such place as purgatory. Praying to statues of any size is idolatry. Worshipping anyone or anything other than God is sin! Jesus accepted worship from people because He is God. Mary did NOT accept worship from anyone because she was just a dirty-rotten sinner like you and me. Mary had to get saved, just like you and I do.

Let me ask you a question...are you saved?

"...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." -2nd Corinthians 6:2

Simply pray in your heart and admit to Christ that you are a sinner. Ask Him to save your soul from hell and forgive you of all your sins.

God's Simple Plan of Salvation

2008-03-01T08:05:00.001+08:00

My Friend: I am asking you the most important question of life. Your joy or your sorrow for all eternity depends upon your answer. The question is: Are you saved? It is not a question of how good you are, nor if you are a church member, but are you saved? Are you sure you will go to Heaven when you die?

God says in order to go to Heaven, you must be born again. In John 3:7, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.”

In the Bible God gives us the plan of how to be born again which means to be saved. His plan is simple! You can be saved today. How?

First, my friend, you must realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death. “For the wages [payment] of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This includes eternal separation from God in Hell.

“ . . . it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

But God loved you so much He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in your place. “ . . . He hath made Him [Jesus, Who knew no sin] to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus had to shed His blood and die. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). “ . . . without shedding of blood is no remission [pardon]” (Hebrews 9:22).

“ . . . God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Although we cannot understand how, God said my sins and your sins were laid upon Jesus and He died in our place. He became our substitute. It is true. God cannot lie.

My friend, “God . . . commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). This repentance is a change of mind that agrees with God that one is a sinner, and also agrees with what Jesus did for us on the Cross.

In Acts 16:30-31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: “ . . . ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved . . . .’ ”

Simply believe on Him as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures that the believer can claim everlasting life when Jesus is received as Savior.

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).

Whosoever includes you. Shall be saved means not maybe, nor can, but shall be saved.

Surely, you realize you are a sinner. Right now, wherever you are, repenting, lift your heart to God in prayer.

In Luke 18:13, the sinner prayed: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Just pray: “Oh God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus was my substitute when He died on the Cross. I believe His shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection were for me. I now receive Him as my Savior. I thank You for the forgiveness of my sins, the gift of salvation and everlasting life, because of Your merciful grace. Amen.”

Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it!

God’s simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple.” Yes, that simple! It is scriptural. It is God’s plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this tract over and over, without laying it down, until you understand it. Your soul is worth more than all the world.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose all. Please! Let God save you this very moment.

God’s power will save you, keep you saved, and enable you to live a victorious Christian life. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Do not trust your feelings. They change. Stand on God’s promises. They never change. After you are saved, there are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth:

Pray -- you talk to God.
Read your Bible -- God talks to you.
Witness -- you talk for God.

AFTER you are saved, you should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ as a public testimony of your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-believing church without delay. “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord . . . .” (2 Timothy 1:8).

Please note that you DON'T have to be baptized to go to Heaven. It is a step of obedience for the believer.

“Whosoever therefore shall confess [testify of] Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

The Power of a Shout

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The Word of God says, "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lordl let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation" (Psalm 95:1). There is great power in a shout. A shout commands attention. A shout is prophetic and faith building; a shout calls things that are not as though they werer. A shout demonstrates and passion. A shout changes the atmosphere.
God's Word tells us to shout. "Shout to God with the voice of triumph and songs of joy!" (Psalm 47:1). "Shout for joy" (Psalm 98:3). Isaiah 26:19 says,"Wake up and shout." it doesn't say wake up and shot at your kids. It does say to wake up and shout for joy!
When I am leading worship, I don't shout to get people excited or "hyped up." When I shout, I am encouraging people to put action to their faith. A shout of joy changes the atmosphere over our lives. Praise is not an angry shout; it's a faith-filled shout! I am a singing teacher's worst nightmare because I strain my voice continually before I start singing. I get excited in the prayer meeting as we lay hold of God and shout His praise!
I want to go into every service full of expectation to see people's lives changed to reflect His grace in their lives. I want people to sing a new song. I want those who are sad to learn to shout! I want those who are timid to shout for joy. I want to help people see the Father, help them to "taste and see that the Lord is good." That is the power of a shout. I want everyone to know the power of a shout to the Lord
"The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them" (Numbers 23:21).

Reference: Extravagant Worship by Darlene Zschech, page 63

Listen: Shout To The Lord

Ed Lapiz Back-To-Back Series No.1

2007-08-22T09:55:00.002+08:00

18 Things To Consider While Young

14 Things To Refuse While Young

The first book I read on my entire life ... And I can say that this is one of the greatest book I ever read. It contains teachings on how to manage and enjoy your youth to the fullest and of course with Jesus Christ our God.

If you ever try to attempt to look for this book at National Bookstore, maybe you'll get curious about the book because of its design. The book has no back. Side by side is a front cover page. You need to flip the book VERTICALLY or in other words UPSIDE DOWN. Hope you'll not get shocked at the store while looking at it.

The first side which tells about things you need to consider or things that you need to learn while you are still in the days of your youth. So you can walk in the right and enjoyable life. Pastor Ed Lapiz will tell you everything what to do on the days of your youth. It tells about good things like finishing your schooling, making a lot of good friends, enjoy your family, learning to swim, learn fractions and percentages. and so on.

The other side which tells about things that you need to refuse. Mostly things that will tempt you to loose yourself into worldly things, worldly happenings like taking drugs, pre-marital sex, cults, etc.

So, why don't try to? The book cost only P100 at any branch of National Bookstore. Near religious sides of books, mostly where you can find the Bible. God Bless us all!!!

Father Ed Lapiz Testimony

2007-08-15T18:43:00.001+08:00

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A New Creation, Not Yet Perfect

2006-11-09T08:33:00.000+08:00

“The believer is a new man, a new creation, but he is a new man not yet made perfect,” observes John Murray.

The born again believer still has to deal with indwelling sin. He still sins even though he is growing in Christ likeness and is the subject of the progressive sanctification of the Holy Spirit.

The believer is being transfigured into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18).

The emphasis the apostle Paul makes in Romans 6:14, 17, 18-20 is there has been a radical change in the believer’s relationship to sin. It is true that the believer still sins, but he is no longer a slave to sin. Sin no longer reigns as in the condition of the old man, the unregenerate person. Romans 7:14-25 teaches us that sin still remains in the believer’s mind, affections, and will. Slavery to sin is broken. But as Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:20-24, and Colossians 3:9-10 brings out the struggle in the heart of the very believer.

Herman Bavink said, “The spiritual struggle which the believers must conduct is between the flesh and the spirit, between the old and the new man, between the sin which continues to dwell in the believers and the spiritual principle of life which has been planted in their hearts.”

If the old nature has been “crucified” and “laid aside,” how can one say the believer still has an old nature?

Christ’s death took the form of a Roman crucifixion. The apostle Paul says the believer is "crucified with Christ" and is "dead" as a result of this action just as Christ after His crucifixion. Just as Christ was definitely dead so is the believer in his vital union with Christ is dead to sin. "For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God" (Romans 6:10 NET).

But the finality of death is not the only thing Paul stresses about our relationship with Christ. Drawing on the symbolism of baptism by immersion in water Paul says, "Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4 NET). It is not a physical death and burial in regard to the believer, but forensic and positional. Paul has in mind our new position in a vital union with Christ. This is an act of God. We have a new relationship with Him. We have been placed in a new unchanging position. This is the way we exist in God's sight. We are no figment in His imagination. This is the greatest of spiritual realities.

Believers are to "consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" because this is the great reality of our spiritual lives (6:10).

This status or position before God has vital significance and power in our daily life. We draw power and resources from this unchanging position.

Paul is describing the whole man and the change in our relationship. We have a new position. The contrast Paul is bringing out in these passages is not a change in our nature, but a change in relationship. Our old man is the old unregenerate self. The new person is the new regenerate self.

Because of this spiritual regeneration brought about by the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we are new creatures in Christ. As a result we have a new relationship with Christ and a new position before God the Father.

It is the believer’s responsibility to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in obeying the Word of God and overcoming temptation.

The true believer knows he needs Christ everyday. He knows he must guard and keep his heart everyday until he sees Christ is glory. When he sins he flees to Christ, His advocate. God had begun a new work in the believer, but that work is not yet perfect.

The Christian lives in both Romans chapters seven and eight. The Christian life is an increasing dynamic repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Everyday we increasingly depend upon the blood and the righteousness of Jesus Christ to cover all our sins. We love Him more and more everyday.

Our sense of repentance deepens as we discover more sins that need to be put to death. Like the apostle Paul, we cry out daily in our mourning, “I am carnal.” But daily we also rejoice in the great truth, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We die to sin daily, and we live to righteousness daily. By the inner working of the Holy Spirit, we “put to death the deeds of the body that we might live.” This is daily responsibility. Daily the inner man or “self” is being renewed day by day.

Romans 7:14-8:4 is the inner battle against remaining sin and imperfect obedience to God’s Word. It is the work of the Holy Spirit leading the believer into deeper repentance, increased holiness, and a greater dependence upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.

There will be a day when repentance will be no more, but that day has not arrived. Until that day arrives, we need to deepen our repentance and increase our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Selah!

The Attitude of Christ

2006-11-01T08:06:00.000+08:00

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

The Christian faith of the first century of Christianity was centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. The preeminence of Christ was the focus of the early preaching in the church. Christianity is Christ, and as in many other passages, Philippians 2:5-11 makes this emphatically clear.

Even before His incarnation, Jesus was in the form of God and was equal to God. Jesus Christ eternally possesses all of God’s attributes. He is God. “He existed in the form of God” (v. 6), is not referring to a bodily appearance, but is a strong way of proclaiming the deity of Jesus Christ. His deity never alters or changes.

Jesus, in His high priestly prayer the night before His crucifixion, referred to His “glory which I even had with You before the world was” (John 17:5). He was referring to the glory He enjoys on par with His heavenly Father. The apostle John wrote of this same pre-incarnate glory in John 1:1-4, 14.

The event that staggers the mind almost beyond comprehension is the fact that the Second Person of the Trinity laid aside the manifestation of His divine glory and took upon Himself the form of a common household slave. He became flesh. He is the God-man. He was fully God and fully man. He is God in the flesh. The Word became flesh, and pitched His tent in our very midst, testifies the apostle John (1:14,18). The one who enjoyed glory that was inherently His through out eternity past “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (v. 7).

Jesus Christ exists eternally as the Second Person of the Godhead, and as such He is equal with God the Father. Everything the LORD God Almighty is, so is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Before He became flesh, Jesus Christ shared to the full the divine nature and was clothed with the splendor that always surrounded God’s person. He was identical with God both inwardly and outwardly. When Jesus became flesh, what remained was God’s glory in the inward sense because even in His flesh Jesus was God and retained that full divine nature.

The Second Person of the Godhead Jesus Christ was not selfish. He did not cling to the outward glory of His deity, “But emptied Himself,” not of His divinity, but the outward visible manifestation of it. He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. He made nothing of Himself. He was obedient to His heavenly Father as a bond-slave. He only limited Himself of His outward visible glory because He was still God.

In addition to being God, Jesus took on “the form of a bond servant.”

The essential attributes of God were unchangeable and unchanging. The essential nature of Jesus Christ is the same as the essential nature of God. The nature of Jesus is the nature of God. The “form” signifies that which in God never alters and never changes.

Jesus laid aside His divine privileges and became the servant of Jehovah. The Son of God became the Servant of God. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (v. 8).

Jesus Christ gave up the glory and honor of heaven to become one of us so He could die as our substitute and provide a means whereby God could offer us eternal life. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13).

No one with a spiritually discerning mind can read those words without a deep sense of thanksgiving gratitude for a humble and obedient Savior. "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). He was humble and obedient even unto death.

Do you have this humble attitude of Jesus? When we have that attitude toward ourselves, we will, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). That is the mind of Christ in the Christian. It is a humble attitude of denying self, bearing the cross of Christ daily, and doing the will of God at all costs.

Selah!

Do You Have Life’s Greatest Satisfaction?

2006-10-30T16:08:00.000+08:00

One of the most delightful books I have read was Surprised by Joy in which the brilliant Cambridge scholar C. S. Lewis tells how the “Hound of Heaven” tracked him down and brought him to his knees to surrender to Jesus Christ.

“I was going up Headington Hill on top of a bus. Without words and (I think) almost without images, a fact about myself was somehow presented to me. I became aware that I was holding something at bay, or shifting shutting something out. Or, if you like, that I was wearing some stiff clothing, like corsets, or even a suit of armor, as if I were a lobster. I felt myself being there and then given a free choice. I could open the door or keep it shut; I could unbuckle the armor or keep it on. Neither choice was presented as a duty; no threat or promise was attached to either, though I knew that to open the door or to take off the corset meant the incalculable. The choice appeared to be momentous but I was also strangely unemotional. I was moved by no desire or fears. In a sense I was not moved by anything. I chose to open, to unbuckle, to loosen the rein. I say, ‘I chose, yet it did not really seem possible to do the opposite.’’

A short time later in his room at Magdalene College in Cambridge, England, he made a final personal commitment to Jesus Christ. “In the Trinity Term of 1929, I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed: perhaps that night the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England” (Surprised by Joy, pp. 224, 228-29).

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).

Jesus used a strong word for “satisfied” meaning “completely satisfied,” like when feeding cattle are satisfied after grazing in a beautiful lush meadow.

Do you have that satisfaction that comes from an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

It is the result of a spiritual hunger and thirst that only God can satisfy when we submit to Him.

Do you carry a heavy burden that weighs you down? Have you grown weary fighting with God? He is ready to give you His perfect rest if you will come to Him and yoke up with Him. When you submit to Jesus Christ you find rest for your soul as Lewis did.

Are you weighed down by a heavy load of anxiety? Christ invites you to humble yourself “under the mighty hand of God . . . casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

There is no greater spiritual satisfaction, inner peace and joy than that which is found in an intimate, personal love relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Have you entered into that personal relationship with Him? Admit to Him your need and ask Him to be your Savior. “Lord, I confess to you my need for you to be my Savior. I am a rebel at heart and want you to forgive me of my wandering sinful ways and unbelief. I ask you to forgive me and cleanse me of all my sins. I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose from the dead, and I want Him to be my Savior and Lord today.”

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17). Will you come today and drink freely of the water of life and be satisfied?

Selah!

Speak Lord, for Your Servant Listens

2006-10-28T08:34:00.000+08:00

It is difficult to listen to God speak to us. Drawing near to God is not only speaking to Him, but it is hearing God speak.

It is difficult to be silent before Him. We are a lot like the disciple Peter who in his anxiety before The Almighty was quick to speak and slow to be quiet and to sit silently in His presence (Matthew 17:4-5). We are quick to jump in and start babbling when we need to be quiet and “hear Him.” It is far more difficult to be silent before God than to speak to God. Most of us have forgotten how to sit in silence and listen for God.

We need to cultivate the silence of the soul. For most people it is frightening to be still and silent. Perhaps this is why our generation is quick to say God does not speak as in days of old.

“My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation” (Ps. 62:1). The Psalmist used a word meaning, “silence, still, repose, and still waiting.” The word connotes the silence of death. It is good for us to wait on God in silent repose.

Perhaps in our great emphasis on praising God, we have almost forgotten how to listen for His small quiet voice. We need to cultivate the silence of the soul so that He may break in upon us anytime, anywhere He so chooses. It’s just as important that we recognize His voice when He does speak.

The fire had departed in Eli’s day, "Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent" (1 Samuel 3:1, NASB 1995). “The Lord called Samuel; and he said, ‘Here I am’” (v. 4). The boy Samuel ran to Eli thinking it was his master calling. “So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’” Then Eli knew that the Lord was calling the boy (1 Samuel 3:8, NASB 1995). With insight and wisdom, “Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy” (v. 8). Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place (1 Samuel 3:9, NASB 1995). "Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for Your servant is listening’” (v. 10).

When God speaks we must obey. And when we do not immediately obey, He waits in silence until our will is ready. “Closer is He than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.”

When God speaks it may not be a pleasant message. It was not good news when Samuel heard a message of judgment on the house of Eli (vs. 11-14).

God may say to you as He did to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle" (1 Samuel 3:11).

The important and crucial thing is that we obey God when He does speak. "Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail" (1 Samuel 3:19).

God still speaks. How do you respond? On the mountainside God told Peter to shut up and listen to Jesus. That is what we need to do. There is a time to speak, and there is a time to be still and listen to His quiet voice. We don’t have anything worthwhile to say until He speaks to us in private.

God primarily speaks through His written Word the Bible. The Holy Spirit who is the divine author of the Scriptures, takes His word and speaks to our inner most being concerning “sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8).

He also speaks to us through circumstances, mature Christians, preaching and teaching of His Word.

How tragic that we have the ability to turn a deaf ear to God. We can drown out the whisper of God's voice.

Have you sat in quietness of spirit and listened to the pricking of your conscience by the Word of God? Has He quickened your spirit with the reality of some sin, or the peace of reconciliation with Him?

He comes in quietness as we meditate on His Word and the groping of the mind with some new profound truth?

There are times when He chooses to come through the preaching of the Word, or a quiet devotional passage, an intense spiritual hunger, or a mature Christian friend who give Godly counsel.

The important thing is to sit in His presence and listen, then to arise and do His bidding.

When God speaks to your inner being, quietly listen, agree with His voice, confess any known sin to Him, claim the cleansing blood of Jesus alone for your sin, and obey Him. “Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out.” Speak Lord, for your servant listens.

Selah!

The Witnessing Spirit

2006-10-27T08:17:00.000+08:00

Bill Bright said, “Successful witnessing is simply sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Sprit and leaving the results to God.”

Jesus promised all His disciples the presence of the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses . . .” (Acts 1:8). And “when the day of Pentecost has come” they were all witnesses. Before the day was over “there was added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). That is what happens when a preacher is preaching from the overflow.

There is a sweet fragrance about the name of Jesus and those who emit the distinctive qualities that name signifies. He “manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved . . .” (2 Cor. 2:14-15).

That is what should happen in the daily lives of the followers of Jesus Christ. The impact of the lives of persecuted believers who fled Jerusalem and went to Antioch was “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21). We do not know who the first evangelist was who preached in Antioch, the greatest city in the world next to Rome and Alexander.

However, we do know when the church at Jerusalem heard about what God was doing in Antioch they sent Barnabas who “began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers (lit. multitudes) were brought to the Lord” (vv. 23-24).

Everywhere the believers went they talked about Jesus Christ. They carried about them the sweet fragrance of Christ—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, etc.

The name of Jesus Christ was continually being glorified, and the result was “the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (v. 26).

Our job is not finished until we have gone to every tribe and village preaching the good news in Christ. God the Holy Spirit has equipped us to be those witnesses just as He did the early church in Acts. Their life, their passion was Christ and so likewise must be ours.

C. T. Studd said with passion, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice that I can make for Him is too great.”

Have you found the “Pearl of Great Price”? Then give it away to the poor, hungry, thirsty who long to know our Lord and Savior.

The missionary heart is part of the fruit of the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of missions. He is the one who calls and sends forth men and women who will be faithful witnesses of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. He finds people with a missionary heart and says, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul.” Separate me Will and Ann. They fasted and prayed and asked the Spirit to give them guidance and so He did. The will of God is always His very best.

Do you tremble before God because of the millions who have never heard the name of Jesus? Is there the clarion call of God to preach the gospel and make it plain to those who have never understood that Jesus paid it all on Calvary? Is Jesus the master passion of your life? Are you ablaze with Him? Do you have the fire of God in your soul?

Guard the holy fire. “You shall be My witnesses.” You are His chosen vessel and He has a chosen place for you to labor. The Spirit of missions will make it very clear where He wants you to serve and what He wants you to do in the kingdom of God.

God had only one Son and He sent Him as His missionary to a lost world (John 20:21). He says to you and me, “So send I you.”

Selah!