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God Never Repairs

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SkitterPhoto They say God repairs the brokenhearted. Probably, if the heart break  is God initiated, like in the case of Lazarus dying, and his family brokenhearted, so the glory of God may be revealed [Jn.11.14]. But most times he demolishes, not just repairs, what remains standing. And especially, he never repairs man's broken efforts. In the case of Lazarus, God demolished unbelief in his disciples that they "may believe." Redress like that are never accomplished with mere, skin-deep repairs. The remedy should deal with the foundation. Demolishing is foundational. We often think God repairs problematic churches through the revival services we have. We pray for these services well, thinking God would use them to repair the broken lives of believers who fell into sin, or broken relationships gone sour. We imagine God doing a little bit here and there, tinkering with some malfunctioning parts in our lives, and eventually making us whole again. We don't

"Watch Out for Those Who Cause Divisions"

"...watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them." [Rom.16.17] There was only one global church in the time of Paul, which was started by my Jesus. No matter what locality the churches were in--Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, etc.--they belonged to the one Acts church. They had one doctrine, faith, church, and sets of leaders, which were apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and teachers, along with the deacons and elders. At the time, Paul already saw impostors pretending to be disciples but were after dividing the church so they could set up their own churches different from the Acts church and get members from it. They taught things contrary to what Jesus and the apostles taught. Paul did not identify who they were but gave us some hints. They caused divisions. Put obstacles in the way. They taught things contrary to the teaching. That deception continued to this day. I

They Don't Know Where to Put Apostles in Church Today

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I was reading this book [not the one above] about how big the church really is, and in one portion it talked about apostles and prophets. It said church "experts" can't figure out where to place apostles and prophets today in church. Since church denominations have their leaders, where would apostles and prophets find their place in them? The book also mentioned how past church "experts" surmised or hinted that the disappearance of apostles and prophets in church was due to the sufficiency of the offices of bishops, elders, and pastors to efficiently run the church all by themselves without help from apostles and prophets. Hence, their gradual exclusion. Well, at least modern church "experts" now are thinking about putting back apostles and prophets in church. That's a relief. The problem is, they can't figure out what their roles would be. I don't see that as the problem. What is, is the stubborn insistence on keeping church denominati

What Church Revival in PH Will Stop Prophesied Calamities?

I saw the prophesy given by God to an Indian prophet about God's judgment on the Philippines, which were partly fulfilled with the big earthquake in Bohol and Cebu and the Yolanda super typhoon which both hit the country in 2013. Another catastrophe is said to be hovering over the country and set to hit anytime this 2014 if a genuine revival doesn't happen in the Philippines. It's not about a corrupt government needing repentance, but a church badly needing revival. And by "revival" we mean genuine repentance of the church, especially the born again Christian church, in the country. Church denominations have been stealing from God and telling lies to people. I really hope we all get this message clearly. God doesn't just want revival worship services or intercessory prayers for national repentance--He wants true revival that would demolish everything man-made and man-invented in church, primarily church denominationalism. It will be useless for all churc

If MY People, Not the People or Government

With the devastation by typhoon Yolanda of central Visayas in the Philippines, and the prophecy from India that another super typhoon may again hit the country in April, popular church leaders urge the stop of corruption in government. People should repent of wickedness, especially those in government, they stress, and then quote or sing, "If my people who are called by my name.." in 2 Chronicles 7.14. Well, they're reading it wrong. First, in the passage above, God urges HIS people , not the people in general nor the government. The term My people are people of the covenant. So, in Chronicles, it applied to the whole nation of Israel, which was God's chosen, especially its government. But we cannot say the same of the Philippines, or of other nations, even the US. All people in the Philippines and people in government [and especially a people soaked in centuries of an idolatrous religion] cannot be called My people . My people are genuine born again Christian

How You Get to be Comfy with Sin without Noticing It

It can happen to anyone. It happened to Kings Saul and David. They were in sin without realizing it at first. Saul thought God was on his side as he pursued David, intending to kill him. David also was madly devising plans how to get rid of Uriah to have Bathsheba for himself. They both became comfy with their lives, confident of their achievements and positions, not seeing how they gradually drifted spiritually from God. Land of Slavery Can Look Like Paradise Sin is like that. Like the devil, it deceives. Paul said sin can seize the opportunity that the law affords and deceives believers [Rom7.11]. Sin can device strategies so you fall without noticing it. It is alive and plans spiritual disasters for the church. It dies when it is unmasked, brought into the light, and melts in the exposure. We need light to see how sin is deceiving us. Church achievements and busyness can blind us into believing we’re doing okay with God even if we are harboring secret sins in our hearts. Th

Book Review: Leaving the Land of Slavery

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IS A SINLESS LIFE REALLY POSSIBLE? It is, if you're in Christ, although many people who have supposedly "received" Jesus into their lives still remain in sin. Among promises of Jesus once you surrender your life to him is freedom from sin. "If the Son sets you free you will be free indeed." Here's how he said it: 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 [John 8] There are powerful principles in the bible designed to help us live a holy life in Christ. I share about them in this e-book. These are Kingdom principles seldom seriously discussed or taught in church. Learn about them in this e-book and also support me in my ministry when you buy a copy (PDF). Click here to buy!  Being free from the traps of sin takes more than just church attendance, church activities, seminars,