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The Five Solas of Protestant Reformation

Oct. 13, 1517

Sola is Latin for “Alone” or “Only.”

•Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)

•Sola Christus (Christ Alone)

•Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)

•Sola Fide (Faith Alone)

•Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone)

The foundational set of biblical principles held by theologians and churchmen to be central doctrine of salvation as taught bu Western Protestantism.

The name “protestants” came from when Martin Luther’s followers were “protesting” to Pope Leo about capturing Martin Luther.

What is the Protestant Reformation?

It was a movement in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe which tried to “reform” the Roman Catholic because of perceived doctrinal and moral corruption that undermined the Christian gospel. The outcome was reform not exclusion. The reformers were not tolerated in the church.

Romans 3:23

All Have Sinned

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is the eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:9

We shall be saved from wrath through Him.

1 Thessalonians 1:9–10

John 3:36

Ephesians 2:1-5

We are spiritually unable to save ourselves because we are by nature..spiritually dead or “children of wrath”. We are rebellious. We love our sin more than we love the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14

Romans 8:7-8

The mind of the flesh is hostile to God. There is a root of hostility because none of us want to submit to the authority of God and His sovereign rule over us.

Is there hope that we could live and God could be 100% for us (and not be wrathful or against us) forever?

Yes! This is the Good News of Christianity. And the answer that the Protestant Reformation found in the Bible was this: Our being made alive in Christ, and God’s being 100% for forever is...

•by God’s grace alone

•on the basis of Christ alone

•received through Faith alone

•so that all things ultimately lead to the Glory of God Alone

•with Scripture alone as the only final decisive authority for discerning, teaching, and defending these truths.

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The Secrets of Cheerful Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-7,9:7

MOTIVATION:

•Giving as an expression of LOVE.

-You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

John 3:16

-God gives us everything we need. Our life, breath, water, food, rain, families, work, and SALVATION.

WHAT CAN WE GIVE IN RETURN?

-Matthew 22:37 "Love the Lord your God with all..."

-Obey His commands.

-We give our whole tithes.

-Get involved in the great commission. Make disciples of all nations.

-We feed His sheep.

WHAT DO WE GIVE?

-Give yourself FIRST to the Lord.

-We give our tithes.

-We give our offerings.

-We give support to the ministries He entrusted to the church. (Local ministries, special projects, certain people).

WHAT IS A TITHE?

"A tenth" - voluntary contribution or as tax to support religious establishments.

Leviticus 27:30

"A tithe of everything from the land, whether from soil or fruit from the trees, belong to the Lord; it is only to the Lord."

WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY IF YOU DON'T GIVE TITHES?

-Malachi 3:8-10

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.”

-If we tithe and tithe correctly, we demonstrate our love and obedience to God. And He promised He will bless us.

-For every obedience, there's a blessing.

For every disobedience, there's a curse.

MISSION is not only GOING, but also PRAYING and GIVING to those going.

"FEED MY SHEEP"

-Pastor teachers help the church get a better understanding of the bible.

-Pastors need to also be trained and schooled.

-Pastors need to be well compensated. To continually learn from others through seminars/workshops.

-They must be provided with good reference materials to keep them updated.

-They must be provided with a good, accessible, and comfortable place of teaching.

-Provided with good place to live.

Ecclesiastes 2:21

“For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.”

‭‭

•Giving in OBEDIENCE.

Psalm 32:8

"I will instruct you.."

Matthew 6:26

"Are you not more valuable than they?"

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So Blessed, I Can't Contain It

Tell The Good News

2 Kings 7:3-11

The highlights of the story:

•DILEMMA

v.3-4

In every problem there's always a choice. Either you stay or you find a solution.

"Ang problema ay pinagdadaanan lang"

*The four lepers tried to think "if" and had these choices: city, sit and stay, or go to camp of Syrians."

Choose to try and fail rather than failing without trying.

•DELIVERANCE

v.5-7

The lepers went to the camp and there was no one there. Leaving the camp as it was. God made them hear of great chariots and army so they Syrians fled. God saved the lepers. So the lepers went in the camp and they ate and drank and carried gold, silver, and clothing.

•DECISION

v.9-11

They said "What we're doing is not right."

"This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves."

LET US GO TELL THE GOOD NEWS

We are spiritually hopeless but we are saved by God's grace.

Our duty is not to keep the good news within ourselves, we have to tell it intentionally to the people.

It's sad to know that people are losing interest in transforming the world.

Salt and Light?

Salt - preserves the morale and values that comes from the Lord.

Light - shows the path.

Disciple people otherwise the world will disciple the people.

Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven;

Luke 6:23

The heavenly reward for sharing the gospel is far more great than its earthly cost.

If we don't share the gospel, we prolong the pain.

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Mission's Month

•The Command

Matthew 28

-Go and make disciples of all nation

Mark 16:15

-Go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

The gospel or good news is used to proclaim the salvation found in Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:3-4

Romans 1:16-17

•The Motives

The issue of obedience. A matter of life and death.

Luke 6:46

Obedience is a sure proof of our love and commitment to the Lordship of Christ over our lives.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

•The Promise

The power of His name. The promise of His presence.

Matthew 18:20

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Godly Addiction

When God calls you, it's irrevocable.

We only watch. We let the unbelievers to solve the problems.

Addicts put 0% to themselves and 100% to their addictions.

We were born selfish, yet with addiction we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for addiction. Willing to kill, to steal, and break families for addiction.

People these days are addicted to FB, movie, basketball, coffee, food, teleserye, smoking, alcohol.

Can the people around you say, "This person is addicted to the Lord."

When you are a certified child of God, blessings will chase after you.

Don't boast, because everything you are and everything you have are only entrusted to you. Everything comes from the Lord.

The Lord opposes the proud but gives praise to the humble.

Daniel had the same favor and blessing because he chose to please the Lord rather than his bosses/kings.

Because of Daniel's blessings, the other elders of the land were jealous of him. So they plotted a trap for him. They made a rule that no one shall worship other gods besides the king or else they will be thrown into the Lion's Den. Since Daniel is addicted to God, he worshiped the Lord and he was thrown. God protected Him and he was not touched by the Lions.

Even when you give 0% to God, He will give you His 100%.

The ultimate essence of life is WORSHIP.

What is our value compared to God's value?

What is the distance between your house and your church compared to the distance that God traveled to send his son here on earth from Heaven?

What is the hours of labor you spend in ministry compared to the hours that Jesus bore the cross?

God did not make you to live on your own.

Worship is not an option, it must be an addiction.

If your prayer has not been answered by the Lord, maybe you have not given your 100% to him.

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The 10 Commandments for Choosing God's Best

A guide for single women

Leah Marasigan Darwin

Diane Hutcheson

1.Know The 3 M's (Master, Mission, Mate)

2.Do not marry before you are ready to take on responsibility as a wife.

3.Do not marry to escape pressure.

4.Marry someone who has depth of character. Focus on what's inside and look deep within. (Don't marry an angry man, a jealous man, a man who lacks financial integrity)

5.Marry someone with the blessing of your most significant others: your family, godly friends, or counselors.

6.Thou shall study, observe, read up on, and learn about marriage as much as you can while you are still single.

7.Do not marry with the illusion that he will change after the wedding.

8.While waiting, get busy becoming the best partner for God's chosen one for you.

9.For your own experience of maximum ecstasy in marital bed, stay pure!

10.Pray and believe that God has His best matched mate for you.

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Follower

Traits of a True Disciple

John 10:27

We live in a world of gadgets. And we have ways to "follow" people.

Follower = Disciple

Mathetes: more than just a student or a learner.

A disciple is a follower, someone who adheres completely to the teachings of another, making them his rule of life or conduct.

John 10:22-27

•A LISTENING DISCIPLE

The sheep is a follower of the shepherd. We are only as smart as the sheep, but we can be lead in the right path. A sheep listens to his shepherd. They can distinguish their real masters from impostors.

If you are not of God, you do not hear God.

If you do not listen, you are not of God.

Just because a person prays, does not mean that that person is of God.

They claim they are Christians, but their hearts are far away from God.

Not all who says, "Hallelujah!" are of God.

Tell me who your friends are and i tell you who you are. Listen to Goldy counsel and Godly friends.

Following God is not a bed of roses. Hindi mo mahahawakan ang rosas kung di mo hahawakan ang tinik. Endure the thorns.

You cannot have the rose without holding the thorns. Following God is not a bed of roses.

Sin becomes "normal" because sin hardens the heart.

Worship the Lord through tears and joy and He will bless you beyond your thoughts.

The secret:

Prayer. Worship. Praise.

Don't WAIT to learn the hard way. Learn to follow God now.

•A KNOWN DISCIPLE

Matthew 7:21

Not all who says to Me, "Lord, Lord" shall enter the kingdom of heaven.

•AN OBEDIENT DISCIPLE

Do we practice His will? Or lawlessness?

Obedience seems to be the hardest word in follow ing the Lord.

"Cristin is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me."

Every day is a battle with lots of temptations, we must deny ourselves.

Matthew 10:37-39

God created Adam first for Him to love God first before Eve.

A disciple of Jesus is called a Christian, but not all Christians are disciples.

If you say you have faith, it should manifest in your work. Actions speak louder than words. We are created to do good works.

Faith without action is dead.

Faith = impossible things made possible.

Faith. Hope. Love. Love is the greatest. Forgive.

Matthew 22:37-40

Christianity is all about relationship.

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Glorious Deeds of the Lord

Happy Grandparent's Day! Psalm 78:1-8 Almost 10million senior citizen in philippines. The culture that we live in is a culture of youthfulness. It denies the acknowledgement of age/being an elder. But, the bible calls us to honor the aged. -Leviticus 19:32 The devil will use your frail weakness as an older person to attack you. But, let it not sway you. As grandparents it is our duty to raise our children according to God's standards. If you don't raise them in this way, this world will raise them. -the internet and this society will raise them. Pass your godly learning and godly wisdom to the next generation. The knowledge of the Lord. We must be faithful in passing down the information we get from the bible. We are entrusted by the Lord to do this just as our ancestors were entrusted to teach us. We have a responsibility, as people with more wisdom with the Lord, to teach the younger ones. Unfortunately, there are many adults who does not realize the importance of reading the bible. Reading the bible is something we need to develop on our own. The church is not a rehabilitation center. It is in partnership in raising the children. Therefore, it starts at home. Learning starts with the parents and grandparents. People cannot expect their child to be Godly if it is not seen in their own homes. The most important gift/inheritance we can pass on to our children is our faith. We need to love the word of God. There is nothing for us to communicate about the Lord if we know nothing of it. 2 Timothy 1:5-6 Our children needs to hear the bible stories and our own stories about God's faithfulness in our lives. They also need to know the will of the Lord in their lives. It is to be lived within God's boundaries. So that they would put their trust in God. -not their own. Why? Because money, fame, power, their relationships etc. will fail them. Remember the 10 commandments. It starts with us. That they may place their confidence and allegiance to God alone. The purpose is for us to be followers of Jesus Christ in humility. We do not want our future generation to be stubborn and rebellious whose hearts are not loyal to God. As parents and grandparents, we are the best interpretation of the bible that our kids can have. Though we are not perfect, let us try to continue to grow in the Lord so that our offsprings could be the same. "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Deuteronomy 6:4-9 1.Build relationships (with your children & grandchildren) 2.Be an example 3.Know the truth to pass on 4.Share our testimony: where you came from, how the Lord changed you, where you are now To share your faith, life, and be an inspiration.

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God being Holy

Revelations 6:15-17 “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” ‭‭ Who are we? Are we any different from them? We may be king of our own lives. Sometimes we are the gods of our own lives. These may also be seen in pastors/spiritual leaders. We should be humble. The simply joy of giving away things, wealth, or life. A church where there is love, compassion, mercy, brotherhood, etc. -not treating each other differently because of their status. A God who is ready to kill us when we are not righteous. If we go to church late, we do not spend time in ministry, we do not let God work in our lives. Then, there's no difference between us Christians and those who do not believe. We are all going to face God. And it is so intense. Are we really serious with our faith? We are not serious with Jesus when Jesus is so serious with us. Some people who are rich will have a hard time to go to heaven because they will have to give away ALL their wealth. Our life is like a vapor. And we are living in a crazy time today. We need to take our faith seriously. We have a responsibility with the Lord. Make sure that we are ready for the end times. Not just how we converse, but through our lives. You should not be ashamed. Luke 21 We need to straighten up. Redemption is drawing near. You know who you will believe in. What's in your heart is what's important. Not what's in your pocket, your resume, or your profile. We should not substitute our time with the Lord for other lesser activities. We are raised by our parents to respect the elders. There is honor in that and extra favor in the Lord. Does our life make sense? Do we live according to God's will? Or like a King of our own selves? We need to do it. And do it now. Because time travels faster and faster than we realize. Make the most of every opportunity. Because the days are evil. 70% of our lives now are spent in entertainment. The satan uses that to take your mind out of God. The commitment level of those who follow jesus vs. what we do every day is so different. The first church = Book of Acts We think of our bros and sis in church like blood related bros and sis. There is a relationship like a family. There should be enough love that people will be excited to come and worship together. The Holy Spirit kind of love. Where the love is so thick that we have a supernatural bond with each other. That only the Holy Spirit alone can do within us. God hates any type of arrogance/pride. Let us be weary in preaching God's word that is watered down. Let us not lose the boldness and spirit. We need to tell the truth because Jesus is coming back very soon. Revelations 3:2 Strengthen what remains and what is about to die... Strengthen the love you have left for the Lord... because the world is about to die. God will surely reward you when you treat your faith seriously, with priority, and right commitment. There is deceitfulness in power and it will destroy your soul. -your love for the Lord.

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Trial, Testing, and Temptation

•Trial is when LIFE happens. It comes from being a human being. You're not human if you don't go through trials. Trial - in court there is usually is a jury. Trials produce evidences of who we truly are. •Testing is when God happens. God will never tempt you, but he will test you. When a certain trial keeps occurring, it's because you have not graduated that certain season in your life yet. Until we mature from that situation, God cannot bring us to the new promise & next season of our lives that He has planned. Because we wouldn't be able to handle it when it is given to us. There's diff between a GF and a wife. A wife has a special favor from the Lord. You don't have to run after a man. A godly woman who seeks God's kingdom first. A man will pursue you. Ladies, there's kore favor from you. Don't let satan fool you that you need to lower your standards to find a man. Uphold God's principles always. If a man does not understand/respect your value and favor, he does not deserve you. Do not diminish who you are to fit worldly standards. Let us not fall into the trap. You belong to Jesus Christ. To Men: Pursue favor from the Lord. Pursue maturity in the Lord. Pursue God's purpose. And everything else you desire including a woman to marry will be given to you. Pursue her. If a woman is pursuing you, STOP it. Lovingly tell her, "let me come after you because i know how valuable you are." That woman is still developing her self. To womean: Read proverbs 31 so God will anoint you. Men, to other men, hold them accountable in honoring God. So you may walk your lives in holiness and integrity. •Temptation is when the devil happens. The devil is tempting you and tell himself, "Let me see if he/she can still surpass this." Satan will see if you are still in the same lesson that God brought you out of. As co-heirs of Jesus Christ, God wants us to mature. So that when we leave our past season, we will be able to walk away, stand tall, and not be affected by it anymore. You will be able to see things you cannot get away from when you look at the devil. There will always be new temptations he will bring you. We are extra merciful, extra patience, extra kind to others because that's how Jesus Christ would do it. James 1:12 Don't focus on the blessing, focus on the GIVER.

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New Season (Part 3)

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 We want our testing/trials in life to point to Jesus Christ. All the things that will come out of your mouth can come out in a loving manner. -with purpose. People are like brand new gloves that need to be broken in and poured with oil so we can fit our purpose better according to God's plan. Our lives is designed to shine light on what God wants us to do as Christians. To bring people to Jesus Christ. Win souls for the Lord. We are called to catch the lives of people who needs God in their life. Like a baseball glove. We should be designed so that we will not drop the ball (souls). Church people vs. Saved people •Saved people - they have humility, grace, love. Will honor you, you will not be judged, and they will always change when they hear God's word. •Church people - will judge you, will talk about you, will attend church but they never change. From being stubborn and stiff to being whole, restored, and useable. When we walk in the room, we want people to immediately know that we have God in our lives. Let us be very careful not to be argumentative. We just want to be accepting and loving to other people. Being a child of God means you may have to go through difficult things. But since we have God in our lives, we can push through. The truth is, we cannot help ourselves fully or completely. We will always need somebody else in our lives.. and that is Jesus Christ. That is why prayer is SO important. It's an opportunity for us to bring out everything to God. A lot of people are uncomfortable with silence because it forces us to talk to God. James 1:2-3 Profiting from Trials "..the testing of your faith produces patience." Trial in greek means experiment or an attempt or a trial proven. God is watching you even if you don't feel him. We have a responsibility that we go through. A blessing w/o the responsibility and maturity will cause us to walk in pride. We want to be sure that when we walk with the lord we walk humbly with God

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New Season (Part 2)

Romans 8:14-17 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” ‭‭ •We are sons of God. When people talk bad about us, we are reminded not to respond to them. God will take care of them. •We are heirs. And heir is a person legally entitled to the property of his/her parents. A person continuing the legacy of the predecessor. This is a promise that we are joint heirs with Christ. Wherever Jesus is, I am allowed to be there. All of us who believes in Jesus Christ, we are royalty. Part of God's kingdom. And we need to act like royalty. When you are being pulled back, God may be using you as an arrow to prepare to launch you. Some of us who are struggling must understand that He is stretching us so that when we are launched, we will reach our destination. We are not held back, but simply pulled back. A perfect example was Job. (Read the book of Job). •Godly suffering produces glory. This is important because of the relevenace of Job's way of handling his seasons of suffering. •What you do and how you respond to difficult seasons is directly proportionate to the level of glory that God wants you to produce out of your life. There should be a purpose with our life. What is it? It's to glorify God, serve Him, and expand His kingdom. •We need to be aware and to realize that there are things we are doing that are good, but not necessarily GODLY. •We can do good things but they may not be God things. How do we know if it's a God thing? By what God's word is saying. Read the word/the bible and find out. In this season, may God give us the wisdom to discern between "good" and God. •Function in our CALLING. We cannot function in our calling if we were not first broken. Sometimes God allows us to go through sufferings to prepare us for our purpose. At times, God will allow "life" to happen in order to break us. But, he does not just break things to break it. He allows it to happen, because He wants to "break you in." Sometimes you want to stay angry, but the bible teaches that you can't. One of the keys to being purposeful is worshipping God.

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New Season

Psalm 1 We need to watch and be careful who we are with everyday of our lives. Because whatever our company does, we tend to do the same. •Walk •Stand •Sit Spiritual Gold Diggers - They are never around when things are hard in your life. But, when the harvest comes, they start to show up. Some Christians sometimes say they want to pray for you, but sometimes all they want to is to hear gossip from you. We need to guard our hearts with this trap. It causes more harm than good. Every word that we speak has weight in this point of our lives. Our prayer life should have the same weight as our request. It should be as serious as our request. Whatever we do prospers. We need to learn to position our words to agree to what God has said in the bible. STAND When you stand and you are righteous: you don't only become and example but you become a beacon because people need to see somebody else doing it so that they can have the strength to try it. Who is the Lord of our time? Our lives? Our decisions? SIT If people will be like scornful, they will see very little of the abundance of God in their lives because their words keeps cancelling out their harvests. Meditate on His Law day and night. 7 is a number of completion. It is a special number in the bible. Choose and bf/gf who is maturing in the Lord. Pick a person that is getting deep in the Lord just as you are. Say I love you, but you should love the Lord more. You can never save that person, only Jesus Christ. You need to give up that person so he/she can grow deeper in the Lord. Give them space to mature.

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Everything Has Its Time

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 It's time for a new season for you. Everything that happens in our lives revolve around purpose. We can maximize every moment in our lives if we know that they have a purpose. So that when the inevitable happens, we will be prepared. We need to prepare ourselves from people who may have "viruses" or things that are not pleasing to the Lord. Sometimes we have friends who are even encouraging us to do activities that are sinful in God's eyes. It's a new season and God has something fresh for you. Some of us may still be waiting for relationship to heal, for a job to be accepted, for a pain to heal for too long. For you to move on, you need to leave the situation/place. When we stay in a place for too much than we were called to, we may catch "viruses." Surround yourself with people who are maturing with the Lord so you yourself will also mature. Then, we will catch their good virus. Be careful on what you can cause or spread. Bitterness, jealousy, insecurity, anger, etc. can we be spread. Thus, be weary. Whatever season you are in, BE in that season. Be who you are. Sometimes as christians we live lives like that of a tree with many leaves but no fruits. From the outside, it looks grand. But, when you take a closer look, it has not produced anything. On the outside, we look happy, but on the inside we are empty. BE WHO YOU ARE: Start by being honest with ourselves. Sometimes we are in a different seasons in our life, but we don't want to accept it. Never let the devil trick you into thinking that your problem is too big that God can't get you through it. Jesus is about to change your situation. -your season. But, it's all about faith. God will really change your life if you really believe it. It's just a matter of time. Let us not make a permanent decision in a seasonal moment. Some people are also seasonal. When it is already over, don't try to make it work anymore. God has already told you to move on. Some places are seasonal also. If God is telling you to do something other than your work, this is your time. You are challenged to go beyond your degree, your pedigree, and your lineage. Make time for what God has called you to do. Some assignments are seasonal. Yes, You are called to help some people, but not called to raise them. Help them, but not unable them. If you continue to baby your children, it will not help them. Let them go and give them off to God so that God can mature then. Don't hinder God from His work towards your child. As long as they know that your wallet is open, your house is open, and your help is open, they will never learn and mature with the Lord. You need to step back and let God do what God has to do. When everything seemed dry, you were still there to seek God. The Lord sees everything and honors your experiences. And because of this, a harvest will come in the different walks of your life. Blessings are about to come. Speak praises and joy. You have to take off the heaviness and place a garment of praise. The garment is a symbol that a season in hr life has changed. And you thank God that you have a garment. You have to make that everyone will notice it. That you season has changed and your garment has changed. These seasons are the seasons of attack, testing, and the trying of our faith. He will do all of that to discourage us. There will be signs that our seasons are changing for us. Luke 21:29-31 Depending on what was sown and when you may be getting an unexpected harvest. Blessings in the form of wisdom, knowledge, love, relationships, wisdom to multiply what you have in your hands if you are faithful in giving your tithes to God. Help the least of the least. God said, "What you do to them, you do to me" When you're at your greatest, the enemy attacks the greatest. He will give you a detour to steer you away from God.

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Approved by God

1 Thessalonians 2:4 The church is created not just for the holy. But, for ALL. Go out to the people who are hurting. Reach out, not just to Christians, but everyone. The Thessalonian church was very Spirit filled. The church is: •Changed by the Gospel •Entrusted with the Gospel •Proclaimers of the Gospel

[cccristin-blog]

How to Gain God's Approval?

2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." Sometimes to gain God's approval, we need to loose the approval of men. We will be criticized, hated, and questioned. God's approval depends on our diligence. Are we satisfied with a saved soul even though we have a life that is lost? For you to be approved by God, you need to do it on your own. So many Christians are so careless and lacks spiritual discipline. It is so easy for us to go with the crowd, to be worldly, and to live for ourselves than for God. When you are always ready to move with the world, you are as if ashamed of the Lord. God's approval depends upon our faithful handling of God's truth/word in our lives. 5 Aspects That We Need To Consider: 1.To Accept the Bible as the Word of Truth. Sometimes people only choose to believe some parts of the Bible. But, we must accept it as a whole. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” 2.It Means to Apply Every Part of the Bible to Life and Conduct. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” ‭‭ 3.It Means To Distinguish Between Things That Differ. 7 THINGS WE NEED TO DISTINGUISH: -Law & Grace -Salvation & Rewards -His Work & Our Work -Birth & Growth -Old Nature & New Nature -Standing & State -Justification & Sanctification 4.It Means To Declare the Bible Without Distortion. Those who speak the word of God knows that we should not speak of heaven without hell, or faith without works, or the first coming without the second coming. Acts 20:19-21,26-27. 5.It Means To Give To Each What is Needed. We are all unique and we all have different needs that we should be getting from our leaders. 2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” We fail when we only present our minds to God. The scripture says that we need to present our whole being to God. God approved of you before anybody else ever got a chance to disapprove.

[cccristin-blog]

SILENT SERVANT

Silent is the one who serves. That your gift is not found in life’s straight wins, but in all its curves.

Age is in the heart of those who learns. That maturity comes with practice. And practice with words. With words that blessed those who heard.

Heard. Listened. Obeyed. When you vowed and committed to change every time you prayed. When everyone left. When it was God who stayed.

Courage is in the soul that burns. Like David’s heart who trusted at every turn. Who yielded at every churn. That not even the greatest giant could earn.

Hush, to the one that serves. Quiet, to the heart that learns. Sound, to the soul that burns.

Beauty is the hushed quiet sound. It serves. It learns. It burns. Silent is the one who serves.

Truly, Cristin Gapasin

#silent #servant #silence #retreat #silentretreat #GodSpeaksInSilence (at Oasis House Of Prayer)