Category: Talk with the Pastor

The apostle John was the longest living apostle among those who were personally associated with Jesus. As such, he was the one privileged to pastor and give guidance and direction to the Christian Church of the first century. No wonder, he with Peter and his brother James were among those who have been blessed with so many special privileges which were not given to the other nine- because of the need for these experiences and special manifestations for the particular work they were going to do in their future work.
John had to contend with the Gnostics, Judaizers and other false teachers of his day who were avowed enemies of the church. In his first epistle written to the church, he talks about the spirit of the antichrist and antichrist himself who was already out in the world to wreak havoc to the church and the believers. John warns the believers that while there are manifestations of the true spirit, there were a lot more of the evil kind that are out in the world who were out to deceive them with their cunning delusions and false teachings. Thus the necessity to “try every spirit” whether they are of God.
The apostle exhorts the Christian believers that they need to stay in the truth and keep faith in Jesus, the Son of God who came to be manifest in the flesh. And whatever power, strength or wisdom these spirits may have, they can always be safe in the shelter of the Almighty. In fact he declares: “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.
To John, the Christian faith is simply trusting in the power of God. The world is full of evil. It is cursed because of the results of the work of the evil one. But we need not fear, nor should we be afraid. In whatever size or shape the challenges or problems may come to us, God is bigger than any of them. Let us remember John’s reassuring words, “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.”
The Holy Spirit abides in us. That is enough. With Him, we can take care of any problem the devil may throw upon us. Let us take John at his word. The Holy Spirit in us is greater than anything there is in this world that may be against us!

Due to their disobedience and negligence of God’s commandments, God allowed the people of Israel to be taken into captivity in the land of Babylon. It seemed unjust and harsh especially considering that the Chaldeans didn’t fear God and were known for their cruelty and savagery. How could God even punish them using as an instrument a nation that was even more wicked and vile than they were?
Their captors egged them on to sing the songs of Zion while they were in this land. But how can they even do that when they knew Zion was totally desolate and forsaken and here they were, living as captives in a foreign land? And so they hanged their harps on the willows by the rivers of Babylon as they wept and lamented their seeming hopelessness.
But God instructed them through His prophets to remain in captivity and live their normal lives. They were to build houses, have their sons and daughters marry and be given into marriage and to plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
The amazing thing about this experience was that though they were in the land of captivity, God continued to be with them. No, He has not given up on them. They were going to be there for a time and in God’s own sweet time, He will visit them and bring them back to their land. In fact I find in this instance one of the most reassuring and hopeful promises in the Scriptures when God says through His prophet Jeremiah (29:11): “For I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord: plans to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you hope and a future.”
That’s what is so amazing about God. Due to our disobedience and rebelliousness towards His will, He may allow us to go into the land of captivity- of ill health, financial setbacks or failed relationships. He is not going to perform a miracle to save us from suffering the consequences of our wrong decisions and stubborn will. But He does not leave us there. He does not give us up. We are so precious to Him and He assures us of His continued care as He insists whoever touches us “touches the apple of His eye.” Zechariah 2:8.
So let us not get discouraged however our situation may be- whether going through a storm or walking through a dark valley. Let us continue to trust in Him because indeed, He knows the plans He has for us and these are plans that are not meant to harm us but to prosper us- and to give us hope and a future. There is hope even in the land of our captivity. In God’s own sweet time, He will visit us again and bring us back to our own land.

I find the story recorded in 2 Chronicles chapter 20 most encouraging. The armies of Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir (descendants of Lot and Esau) had come to fight against God’s people. When Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was told about it, he panicked because he knew there was no way he could fight against such a great multitude. A physical battle between them and the armies of Israel would bring certain defeat.

The king however did something else which is what he should have done in the first place and which all of us should learn from. He called all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah to the temple to pray, to fast, to sing and to praise the Lord- seeking His face and asking deliverance from their enemies. God’s answer through His messenger was so encouraging. The prophet told King Jehoshaphat not to panic or worry because “the battle was not his but the Lord’s”. He was instructed not to fight because the Lord will do the fighting for them. And then he was told to position himself, and to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” V. 15, 17.

Sure enough, when the people of Israel marched to face the enemy the next day, they saw the Lord already doing His job. The people of Ammon and Moab were smiting and killing the people of Mt. Seir and when they were done, they started fighting and killing one another. After the carnage and all that were left of them were dead bodies, King Jehoshaphat and his people simply went to gather the spoils and treasures from their dead enemies. It took them three days to do this and when they were done, they went back to Jerusalem with so much spoils of war, singing and praising God for what He had done for them.

Many times we feel overwhelmed by the challenges and problems that come in our lives. We might panic like King Jehoshaphat did especially in the face of potentially certain defeat by our enemies. But let’s engage God in prayer, singing and praising His most powerful name. Let us remind Him of the wonderful things He had done in the past for us and His people and trust that He still has the power and might to do it again for us. And let us receive His gracious response: “You shall not need to fight in this battle because the battle is the Lord’s. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!”

While it is true that genuine happiness and real joy in life come only from a relationship with God, very much of this happiness depends on us. We cannot put this responsibility in the hands of other people. If we want to be happy, it is all up to us. The key to our success and happiness in life is in our hands.
What can we do to make this happen? The following are a few things we can do if we are to be happy and enjoy life:

1. Have a purpose in life. The best part of this is that you don’t have to create that purpose. God has already a plan for your life and all you have to do is to discover it. He says, “For I know the plans that I have for you, says the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.
2. Have a strategy for happiness. Obviously, success is no accident. There are goals to be reached and everything you do on a daily basis should contribute to the attainment of these goals in life.
3. Make friends. Establish healthy and wholesome relationships. We have been created to be social beings. We are not meant to live in isolation. Therefore we need to be with other people. But we must be discerning in the choice of our friends or they could be our downfall.
4. Let people you care about know their value. We feed off other people’s positive energy. When we let our friends know how much they mean to us in a variety of ways, they will feel good and they in turn will contribute to a joyful environment for us.
5. Guess positively. No one among us is born a psychologist or may have been trained to be one. But many times, we try to figure things out and assign motives for certain actions of our friends and acquaintances. The best way to go is to err on the side of mercy. Make positive assumptions. Have the best possible construction on the motives of every action. If we are proven wrong, who cares? And if we are proven right, we’ve made a friend forever.

So let’s use these keys we have in our hands. And let’s enjoy the remainder of our days.

—Simeon Rosete, Jr.

A friend shared with me a nice story which illustrates a Biblical principle about an attribute of God which I want to share with you in turn.

The last two weeks, we talked about the first seven signs you could live to 100, citing an article that actually appeared in the July/August issue of the Reader’s Digest written by Alyssa Jung. They are the following:

1. You don’t feel your age.
2. You eat lots of fruits and veggies.
3. You are adaptable and flexible and relatively have no stress and anxiety.
4. You eat lots of fish.
5. You eat Greek-ish (Mediterranean-style diet).
6. You take regular afternoon naps.
7. You remain active: walk, run, bike, jog or do other sports activities.

The final three are the following:

8. You have a sense of purpose in life. A new study in Psychological Science found that people who feel they have a sense of purpose in life are less likely to die over a 14-year period. “My great uncle, who is in his mid-90’s, still works in his woodshop almost everyday,” adds Dr. Watson.

9. You’ve got a shorter waistline. You’ve heard it before, “The longer the waistline, the shorter the lifeline.” Women with a waist of 37 inches or more had a life expectancy that was five years lower after age 40 than did women with a waist of 27 inches or less, according to one study. For men, a waist of 43 inches or more was linked to a three-year decrease in life expectancy compared with those with a waist of 35 inches or less. Trimming a few inches from your pants size may have a powerful health impact. “I tell my patients that whenever possible, walk, don’t drive,” says Dr. Leipzig.

10. You’re connected well to family and friends. Feeling connected to family and friends keeps people engaged and facilitates healthy aging, says Dr. Watson. “Being isolated works in other direction and can lead to chronic illness.” In Sardinia, Italy, a tiny Mediterranean island with a large centenarian population, friendship is key, according to Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow who has traveled the witld to study its longest-living people. “Life is very social. People meet on the street daily and savor eath other’s company. They count on each other. If a neighbor gets sick, a neighbor is right there,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal.

There we have them all. Let us strive to live like these people who are among the longest-living people on the face of the earth. Jesus has not only promised us eternal life which is the best gift we can ever have. He also wants to give us abundant life in the here and now (John 10:10). To accept His gift of health and long life in the here and now is to really appreciate his best plans and love for all of us.

Early in the year, we lost a centenarian at our church. A few more however will reach the century mark in a few years. In the United States, there are more than 72,000 of them, which is a 44 percent increase since 2000. In the July/August Reader’s Digest issue last year, Alyssa Jung shares some signs you could be a good candidate for this elite group. They are the following:

1. You don’t feel your age. You may be 60 but you’re feeling like you’re 50 or 55. Studies show that those who felt three or four years younger than their age were less likely to die over an eight-year period than those who felt their age or older. On the other hand feeling older was linked to a 41 percent risk of dying.

2. You love eating fruits and veggies. A University of Michigan study of 700 women in their 70’s showed that those who consumed the most veggies and fruits had a 46 percent lower chance of dying over a five-year period compared with those who ate them infrequently. Okinawa, Japan has the most centenarians in the world (ratio-wise) and older Okinawans have eaten a plant-based diet most of their lives and almost all grow or once grew a garden.

3. You are joyful and optimistic, relatively free from worries and anxiety. In a 2012 study of 243 volunteers published in a journal Aging, near centenarians share common characteristic and personality traits. Rosanne Leipzig, MD, PhD, professor of geriatics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City says “being adaptable and flexible helps people avoid stress and anxiety which can increase longevity.”

4. You eat a lot of fish. A Harvard study found that older adults with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids lived two more years on average than did those with lower blood levels. They didn’t take fish oil supplements. They simply ate a lot of fish, which is packed with omega-3s.

Last Sunday, a group of 25 members drove 150 miles to the Joshua Tree National Park Twentynine Palms, California for a day out in nature. It was a day set for picnicking, sightseeing and hiking out in the desert.

The group got there shortly before noontime which was just the right time to spread out the delicacies and goodies on the picnic tables and fill up hungry stomachs. Then came the hike to Hidden Valley past rocks that took interesting shapes: a whale, a lion, Snoopy dog and a few that could pass for the non-descript beast in Daniel’s prophetic book.

The weather was just perfect for a day out in the rugged wilderness. In fact, the event almost got cancelled due to a forecast of rain. But it turned out to be perfect after all. The sun shone from a clear blue sky with white clouds above but it was kind of chilly which was just the right combination for a leisurely hike.

It was a memorable day and a day to experience renewal and strengthening of fellowship ties. The awesome rock formations and spectacular natural wonders also gave witness to the majesty and artistic mind of God who carved these rock specimens with His wind, rain and sun.

I was reading Psalm 61 and the psalmist says in verse 2: “From the ends of the earth I will call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

As we drove around this huge natural preserve and during the hike, we saw a number of rock climbers; some busy scaling the imposing walls while a few others were seen successfully on top of the rock, their goal achieved. The Psalmist however asks to be led to the Rock that is higher than him. This Rock is Jesus. And getting in this Rock not only spells achievement and success and thus euphoria and exhilaration. It also means being safe in His arms, away from and unreached by the evil and trouble that sweep the earth.

Let us with David pray that we may be led to the Rock that is higher than us. Then will we have peace, and joy and safety from the troubles of this old and sinful world.

At our Midweek Prayer Meeting which is Day 4 of our Ten Days of Prayer Series, we talked about the Table of Showbread, a furniture in the Holy Place of the Earthly Sanctuary. The bread points to Jesus who Himself said “I am the Bread of Life. He that comes to Me shall never hunger and he that believes on me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

As the bread was kept ever before the presence of the Lord, so we must eat every day of this bread for our nourishment and strength. The disciples didn’t understand when Jesus said they needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Of course He was referring to His words as He explains in verse 63: “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”

We need to ask God to give us an appetite for the Word of God. For when we regularly partake of this spiritual bread, our character develops and gets formed according to His likeness. And what is more, it helps us in our fight against the devil. The material below shows what happens to the enemy when we get serious with our Bible study.

When you carry a Bible…the devil gets a headache.
When you open it…he collapses.
When he sees you reading it…he faints.
When he sees you living it…he flees.

Let us spend time with the Word. Let us carry one all the time, open and read it everyday and live out its principles in our lives; and let the enemy of our souls get a headache, callapse, faint and finally flee from us.

We work to earn a living and support a family. For some people, they may not have to if they have inherited wealth that could take care of their needs for life. Others stop working after the children are grown and are out on their own. And when sufficient funds have been accumulated to assure a comfortable life through the golden years, what is there to be working for? Of course, when one is in good health and considers work as service to God and fellowman, it is altogether different. One can stay put on the job for as long as he is still productive and useful.

Somewhere down the road though things stop getting exciting. Everyday is a grind and work becomes a drudgery. There is no looking forward with eagerness and anticipation to the workday. Someone did a research and came up with some signs that give the message it’s time for a change. When conditions such as mentioned below exist, you know there’s no more future in the job and every day you stay longer in it is a waste of time. The time has come to change your life. Are you familiar with the following?

1. You dread going to work more days than you don’t.
2. You are living in the past or dreaming about the future
3. People are constantly telling you to relax.
4. You are jealous of other people’s successes.
5. You wake up tired.
6. You are antsy.
7. You gossip.
8. Everyone seems to annoy you.
9. You have a constant sense of foreboding.
10. You keep thinking.

Having the courage to stop and change direction at this point in your life will pay you dividends in terms of your health and happiness. It will be a struggle. You may have to start all over again. It will be an uphill climb. But you will make it with determination and perseverance. In the end, you will find yourself in a better, healthier and more meaningful world.

Whatever you do, do it as though you are doing it for the Lord. And you’ll never go wrong. St. Paul admonishes that we ought to be concerned not with men’s approval but with God’s. “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which tries our hearts.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).