While everybody is celebrating Valentines day last Tuesday with their loved ones, my family together with the youth members of our church prepared a special event just for the young people.  It is a night of worship that shows inspirational videos and songs that helped encouraged the teenagers and young adult specially those who are unbelievers to open their hearts and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. The presence of God was moving in this event and these young people felt the “Extravagant Love” of Jesus in their lives. Praise God!

When my family and I was at the rooftop, I have seen and heard many people screaming, crying and calling for help. In the middle of the flood, we prayed and asked God for help. I know that God is in control of everything so I was not scared or worried about it. The song “STILL” from the Hillsong suddenly popped up in my mind and we sang this song and worship God during the storm.

God is in complete control when His people are being persecuted. God controls all things, working out everything in conformity with the plan and purpose of His own will.We do not expect to understand fully the purpose for our trials until our Lord calls us home to be with Him. But we do know that He loves us too much to harm us, and that He is far more concerned with our welfare than we are. God’s choices are always right.

Nothing in this universe happens by chance or accident. For every effect there is a cause. God works all things after the counsel of His own will…that we should give praise for his glory.

Therefore, we should not let ourselves be distracted with society’s version of Christmas, which is dedicated to honoring the fictitious “Santa Claus”. It is absolutely fine to share gifts at Christmas time and decorate your home with lights and a Christmas tree. These things help to spread happiness and joy, but making Christmas about Santa Claus and his elves takes the focus of off Christ and that is what Christmas is truly about. Take a look at the true facts about Jesus and Santa Claus:

Santa lives at the North Pole…
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh…
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year…
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies…
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited…
JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited.

You have to wait in line to see Santa…
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap…
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is “Hi little boy or girl, what’s your name?”…
JESUS knew our name before we were born. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly…
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO…
JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says “You better not cry”…
JESUS says “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.”

Santa’s little helpers make toys…
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but…
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree…
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree… the cross.

Do not forget what the true reason for the season is… It’s not  about Santa Claus,  It’s all about our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ.

But I know that with each type of  this kind of person, prayer is a key because God has brought the person to our group for a reason, and it might be to help us grow as a disciple and a leader. All we need is to pray for this person and ask for wisdom to handle the situation.

Prayer is the most important act for us in any manner and we have to remember that obedience is what counts and not how others respond to us.  We are even called to bless these unreasonable people and we do that by remaining true to His Lordship in our maturity.

We will not get discourage about the situation and let the bad people get you down.  We will not allow ourselves to suffer in our spiritual pilgrimage because of someone else. Remember, Do not let yourself fall to the world’s way, regardless of what the other person does. Give them over to God because He is the one who dispenses justice and revenge and not you.

Our church recently had an outreach program where we fed children here in our neighborhood. We call it a “Night of Hope”  where we had a concert crusade aside from children’s feeding. Our aim to help people find their destiny in Jesus Christ. We thanked God that the parents of this children accepted  Jesus Christ  as their Lord and personal savior. These children was also saved as they received Jesus as their savior too.

Getting to know more about Jesus is our main goal why we have our outreaches from our church ministry.  We want to encourage everyone specially those who are astray and hopeless that there are still hope and bright future in their life because Jesus is always there to carry their burdens. He is our hope and He is all that we need. Thanked God for the life of these children who are willing to listen on the good news about Jesus through Bible stories.

We will continue to have our feeding program providing Bible stories, games  as well as to teach hygiene and other practical topics appropriate for this remote area here in our place. We want to build relationship with everyone involved in the ministry including their parents. If we can engage the parents and begin to see changes in them, then children’s lives are changed as well. We’re all about seeing lives changed… for God’s Glory!

Giving is actually an important aspect of being a Christian.  Christians give as they have purposed in their own heart and as the Lord has prospered them. In other words, we will give cheerfully and wholeheartedly because God wants us to give willingly out of love. We give cheerfully because God has given so much to us.

We are not really giving if we just give what is left over. Our giving should be planned. We are to give as we have purposed in our heart.If we use a teaspoon to measure out our giving, God will use a teaspoon to measure out our blessings. If we use a dump-truck to give, God will use a dump-truck to bless us spiritually.

God is able to make all grace abound towards you so that you will always have all sufficiency in all things and have an abundance for every good work.God wants us to give liberally, according to our ability, but first of all He wants us to give ourselves to Him.God will bless us if we share what we have with others. He wants us to work so we can give and lay up treasures in heaven that’s why we give both personally and through the church.

One of the things that made me so busy offline is our church music teams practice for our upcoming Christian Music concert which will be held in different places. We will be preparing today for a mini concert in Agusan, Cagayan de Oro City and on October 30, we are also invited to play at one of the biggest shopping mall here in our city.

We are so thankful to God for this opportunity that He had given us.  We are not just performers who are performing in front of the stage but we are bringing the glory and honor of God as we share the good news about Jesus through the songs that were gonna play and sing which is all Christian music. Our music band’s new name is now The “Himaya Band” which means the Glory band. It is not for our glory but it is through Jesus Christ alone. Thank You Lord for this awesome favor!

Our church is a self supporting ministry and we don’t have any sponsors or affiliates from other churches . We don’t even ask for donation from other people. All the help in terms of funding for any church activities that we have came from our own pocket.I already heard about few people who are working in their ministry just for the sake of getting money. One of them is our friend whom we treated as partner in the ministry but its just too sad to know that he uses our church photo activities without our permission.

The scripture said in Matthew 6: 24 that “You can not serve God and Money”. Of course we need money for the work of the Lord and God knows that but He will provide all our needs and we never have to worry  about it. Yet the motives we have for serving the Lord are not to make a profit in it. Well, I have no right to judge that person because only God knows what he’s doing and only Him can judge his  works.

I think the most effective teaching method depends on the children in the class. Some children can listen and learn. Others learn by doing. Some learn well on their own. Others need the interaction of a group but by using a variety of methods may be the best approach. Some of the following teaching techniques includes teaching Biblical times outside since children love the outdoors.Using art is also one of the things that children would love to express themselves where they can draw a picture showing what they learned or they can color a coloring page or write the Memory Verse on papyrus paper using ink and a stick.

My sister in law who teaches Sunday school here in our church also encourages the children to learn how to pray before and after they begin their Bible lesson. This could help them become more accustomed to praying in public and also to aid them to pray privately when we teach them to praise God, thank God and make our requests to God. As they learn the discipline and joy of prayer early in life,it has been our prayer that as they serve the Most High God they would continue to be a faithful prayer warriors.

Teaching Sunday School to kids is important because we are not only teaching them just to produce learning but to lead them to Christ. The children should be taught the things of the Lord while they are still young so that when they are old, they will not depart from it.Children have the capacity to believe in God and should be taught about Jesus Christ and His love. Because every man including the children was born a sinner, he needs to be taught how to be saved from the penalty of sin.This ought to be a responsibility of every parent to their children. But the Sunday School teacher’s goal is to support the family in this endeavor to lead a child to Jesus Christ.

The basic attitude that we should bear in our mind is that  is that it’s not our money. All money, wealth and possessions belongs to God. We are simply entrusted with money like the servants entrusted with the talents. Since it’s not our money, it’s not our problem to worry about it. It’s only our responsibility to use it correctly.

Since we are God’s stewards, we must invest our money in ways that God instructs. If your broker disobeyed you, you’d fire him. So, don’t disobey God’s instructions or God will no longer ask you to be His caretaker of His wealth, and will be likely to stop blessing you. Seek knowledge from God and the Bible. Fools refuse instruction. People are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Seek wisdom first, then all other things are added. Seek the kingdom first, and all will be added to you.

You must save the excess portion that you get from all your hard work. You must save to become wealthy. Saving means spending less than you earn. It requires self-control which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. There is no other way to become wealthy. You must have a savings in order for it to be blessed.

Store your treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust can steal. Recognize that it all belongs to God. And therefore, be a wise steward of what God has entrusted to you. Wealth comes with responsibility not only to defend and protect it, but to use it wisely, to give it away wisely, and to invest it into the Kingdom of God.There is a purpose for wealth. For increasing the Kingdom of God.To me, investing in the Kingdom of God means to start back and seek Bible knowledge. And then to teach that knowledge to others specially to those who are interested just like what I’m writing on this blog my dear friends.