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| Who should be censored: Ang Dating Daan or Ang Tamang Daan? |
| 08.18.04 (5:07 am) [edit] |
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LET US JOIN HANDS TO DEFEND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
We, a group of concerned supporters of Ang Dating Daan and Bro. Eli Soriano, strongly denounce and condemn in the strongest possible film and television regulator MTRCB’s unjust decision for issuing yesterday (August 16) a 20-day freeze against television broadcast of Ang Dating Daan without due process of law.
CHURCH OF GOD INTERNATIONAL, which is commonly referred to as ANG DATING DAAN or ADD was never given the chance to explain or give its side about the issue. The swift hand of the MTRCB is posing grave threat to the freedom of religion and freedom of expression in our country.
We are afraid religious freedom is at stake here because in our midst there is a regulatory agency whose chairman and board members are biased and easily swayed by hear-says and threats.
The decision is tainted with religious color because we believe, Ang Dating Daan’s long-time rival Iglesia ni Manalo’s, use its influence and clout in its vain and vicious attempt to silence, muzzle and destroy Bro. Eli for his unwavering exposes of the idiocy and bareness of their blasphemous and unchristian doctrine that JESUS CHRIST IS NOT GOD;
Come to think of it, we now ask you, who should be censored?
- Is it Ang Dating Daan for exposing the truths in the Bible? Or, Ang Tamang Daan hosted by ministers of Manalo who ventured in the “advertising and promotion” of smut magazines supposedly with pornographic illustrations of personalities included in the long list of their target for spiritual demolitions?
- Is it Ang Dating Daan for using as basis in its exposes the same reference materials used, broadcast or published by INC and the Bible? Or, Ang Tamang Daan for coming up with polluted TV presentations of spliced and edited broadcast tapes of Bro. Eli’s previous speaking engagement to quote him out of context and project a bad image of him and ADD?
Something must be done and there must be action for the sake of fairness, truthfulness and justice.
We must act now.
Sincerely,
CONCERNED SUPPORTERS OF
BRO. ELI SORIANO AND ANG DATING DAAN
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| The Real Church of God |
| 06.15.04 (12:35 am) [edit] |
his time, we are going to study the church that is being mentioned in the Bible. We need to study this inasmuch as we are trying to examine the different doctrines of the different religious organizations here today.
There was somebody who said that, the true church is not the congregation of the Apostles because the Apostles were destroyed by satan. They were killed; therefore, theirs was not the true church. He said that, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mat. 16:18). It means that the true church would not die. And for that reason, the members of that church would not experience death either. And they alleged that the Apostles died because their church was not the true church, theirs was the true church.
We will consult the Bible to find out if the claim of many churches, that they are the true church, were true, or not. Let us find out also if there is any truth to their assertion that they are the only true church, and whosoever does not join their church will never be saved.
It is but natural that people develop the feeling that their church is the true church, and that only they will be saved. And those who are outside their church have no salvation. Actually, this is already an old claim by different religious organizations, and until now, this is still their claim.
But let us find out from the Bible, which is the true church. As far as some people are concerned, theirs is the true church, while all the others are impostors. That is why we better ask the Bible, which is the true church? What comprises it? Where is it? Is it in the Philippines? Did it originate here? We will try to seek answers to these questions from the Bible. For us not to be misled, let us start our discussion from the very beginning.
First and foremost, let us find out, which is the very first church? You see, nothing could be better than the original. Please, bear in mind; we are referring to the first real church. The Bible speaks of “firsts,” or “originals”. Let us cite an example. I Corinthians 15:45:
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
The Bible said, the first man, Adam, became a living soul. The very first man, the original, was Adam. Do not forget that nobody came ahead of Adam. Although, nowadays, there are some who believe that there were already a group of people who had come before Adam and they alleged that they were even more intelligent than him. They were referring to those who build the pyramids of Egypt. Apparently, they marveled at the great architectural design of the pyramids of Egypt. But if we are going to base our belief on the Bible, the very first man is Adam. And according to St. Paul, who is an authority of the Bible, he said that nobody came ahead of Adam. The book of Genesis in chapter 3 verse 20 also speaks of another “original”.
“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.”
Very clearly, the reason why she was called Eve was because “she was the mother of all living.” In other words, Eve is our original mother, while Adam is the original, or the first man. If, in matters like this, there are “originals”, when it comes to the church, there is also an original, or the first church. And this is what we are going to talk about. Now, let us begin. Let us consult the Bible and ask: what was the very first church? Let us read Hebrews 12:23,
“To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to the God the judge of all?”
St. Paul said, “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn.” Could there be another church that had come ahead of this? None, because this is the church of the firstborn! Firstborn means the very first; none has come before a firstborn. In other words, the very first church in the Bible is the church of the firstborn.
Now, let us find out, to whom was the Bible ascribing the name “church of the firstborn”? Remember, we are not talking about the first church in the Philippines! We are talking about the first insofar as the biblical account is concerned. And from the Bible, we have learned about the church of the firstborn. Now, let us read Exodus 4:22,
“And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thou saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.”
Which was referred to as the firstborn? Israel is the very first nation that served God. It was the first nation on earth that was chosen by God. Deuteronomy 7:6-7 says,
“For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you because you were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people.”
God chose Israel, despite the fact that it was the smallest then. There were already a number of nations on earth that time. Egypt was one of them. There were already the seven nations, which were a lot bigger than Israel. Yet, God chose Israel to serve Him. (Israel refers to the Jews). Let us read Deuteronomy 7:1:
“When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgasthites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Parizzites, and the Hevites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou.”
There were seven nations greater in strength and in number than Israel. But it was Israel that was chosen by God to be His nation. The Bible said, “The LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” Although there were greater and mightier nations, God still chose Israel. In fact, the Bible even said, that they were the fairest of all people.
That is why, if we are going to talk about service to God, Israel was the first. The Bible calls them as the Church of the Firstborn. And the Israel that is being referred to here is the group of people that Moses led out of Egypt – the people who crossed the Red Sea, which was parted by Moses (Exo. 14). They were the people who witnessed the many miracles of God so that they would be freed from the hands of the Pharaoh. Those very people of God were the ones being called as the church of the firstborn. After freeing them from slavery, Moses brought them to the wilderness of Mount Sinai, where they stayed for a long time. God made a covenant with them, thru Moses. That was the church of the firstborn, the church in the wilderness. What is our basis in saying that it was, indeed, Israel?
In the Acts of the Apostles chapter 7 verse 38 it says,
“This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who received the lively oracles to give unto us.”
This is the Moses in the church in the wilderness. If you will trace the beginning, there was already a church even before Jesus Christ assumed the image of a man. That was the church which was led by Moses, and this was called church of the firstborn or the church in the wilderness. This is the reason why the ministers of other religious groups should be cautious. Imagine they are making their members believe that their church is the original because it was the first. That is a big lie! The very first church is the church of the firstborn, and that was Israel. The word “firstborn” means that none had come before it. None had come ahead of the firstborn.
In the Bible, a firstborn refers to the child that opened a mother’s womb. In Luke 2:22-23 it says,
“And when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord).
The firstborn refers to the child that opens his mother’s womb; a firstborn implies the first. In the Bible, the church of the firstborn refers to the Israelites, not the Filipinos. Therefore, even during the time of Moses, there was already a church. Even before Christ made Himself manifest in the flesh, there was already a church. This was the church in the wilderness of Sinai – the church of the firstborn.
Is there any verse that would affirm that Israel was the church of the firstborn? In James 1:18,
“Of his own will begot he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.”
The Israelites were the first. Do we have a proof that Israel is the church in the wilderness and church of the firstborn, which God acknowledged then? Romans 9:4-5 says,
“Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came . . .”
It was from their race that Christ sprang from when He made Himself manifest in the flesh. It says, to them pertains the adoption, the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises. Whose are the fathers, and in whom as concerning the flesh Christ came. In the beginning, Israel was the only city that was acknowledged by God. Let us read what II Kings 5:15 says,
“And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before them; and said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.”
There was no God in all the earth but in Israel. And this was confirmed by the “Pasyon” of the Catholics, which says,
“Lalong dakila ang sala (Greater is the sin)
Ng tanang anak ni Eva (by all of Eve’s children)
Anakin idolatria (who practice idolatry)
Kahit ano sinasamba (They worship anything)
Pinaparang dios nila (They regard them as their god)
Iisang nasyon sa mundo (There was but one nation on earth)
Ang kumilalang totoo (that truly acknowledged)
Sa Dios kumapal sa tao (the God who created man)
Ito ngang mga Hudyo (the Jews)
Bukod na walang anito (were the only ones who did not worship
false gods)
Israel was the only nation that truly acknowledged God. Israel refers to the Jews – the race where Jesus Christ came from. Both Mary and Joseph were Jews. The Jews were called the church of the firstborn, the church in the wilderness. And the church of the firstborn is the very first church of God.
This time, let us read the verse, which a particular group uses as a basis in claiming that there is the true church. Matthew 16:18:
“And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
It is in this verse where they usually begin. After reading this, the minister would ask, “Whose is the church? Christ said, “my church”, therefore, it is the church of Christ!”
But wait a minute. Let us ask Christ why did He say, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” Christ said, I will build my church. He did not say He will establish His church. What is the biblical connotation of the verb “will build”? Let us read the explanation of the Apostles in Acts 15:16-17,
“After this, I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.”
Therefore, whenever the Bible uses “will build”, it suggests that something has fallen down. According to God’s prophecy, He would return and He would build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen. He would build it again because it was destroyed.
Now, let us find out from the Bible, why had David’s tabernacle fallen? Is there any other verse in the Old Testament that confirms this? Amos 9:11 says,
“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breeches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.”
The reason why the word “will build” was used is because something had fallen. We have cited two verses to prove that. The tabernacle of David in Israel had fallen, that is why God said, “I will build it as in the days of old.”
We have read in Acts 7:38 that the first church was the church of the firstborn, the church in the wilderness. Why, what happened to this church in the wilderness? Why did it have to be raised up? What happened? Psalms 147:2 says,
“The LORD doth build up Jerusalem; he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.”
The Israelites were scattered; they had fallen. Do you know why the church that was built in Sinai, which was called the church in the wilderness, fell? What is the story behind it? Let us read Ezekiel 34:2-5,
“Son of man, prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flock? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye tell them that are fed but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered.”
When Moses and the faithful Judges and Kings died, what used to be an orderly Israel was abused by their shepherds, or pastors. So, God told Ezekiel, “prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flock?”
In your respective churches, who is feeding you? Is it your pastor? Or, are you the one feeding your pastor? You see, there are, indeed, churches wherein the flocks are the ones feeding their shepherds. Ezekiel 34:2 says,
“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds: Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”
It should be the shepherd, or the pastor, who should feed his flock. But nowadays, it has become the other way around. The flock now is the one feeding the shepherd. Your pastors have made you their sources of livelihood. They ask tithes from you; they make you mendicants in the streets; they make you carry pouches where your collections should be dropped. Are these things true, or not? Of course, they are true. We are all witnesses to these things. Therefore, what the Bible said was true.
In Ezekiel 34:3: “Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool . . .” The shepherds are dressed up with the finest clothing material. “Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock.”
It would be very bad had you been the fattest in the flock because you would be killed. Too bad, also, if your daughter happened to be the prettiest in the flock because she would be taken by the pastor. All the women with fair and flawless thighs belong to the pastor. This is not a joke. This is a reality. We have documents to prove that there was a pastor who had 36 wives. And mind you, he was claiming to be a messenger of God. What kind of messenger is that? I am not maligning anybody. What is am telling you is the truth because the public has the right to know the truth. Why am I divulging all these? . . . because in religion, if you are ignorant of the truth, you will be taken advantage. Just like what they are doing to you now, instead of your pastors feeding you, you are the ones feeding your pastors.
What does that mean? Be it literal or spiritual, that is what pastors do to their flocks. They abuse their flock. Imagine, the pastor lives in a palace while his members live in the squatters’ area! And what is worse, these poor people even give donations to their leader who lives in the palace. Is that fair? Isn’t it that the one living in the palace should be the one who should give donations to the ones living in the squatters’ area? There is no such thing in the Bible. The admonition is for the rich to give to the poor. Your pastor is already very rich, but you still give him your money. He already has a lot of money, yet he never stops from collecting money from you. If he is sensitive to the plight of his flock, he should distribute to the poor the rest of his collections. Just like us. The donations that our members give are being spent in serving other people. Our members cannot accuse us that we are a burden to them. No member of this congregation can accuse me of spending his donations for my personal needs. The truth is their donations are not even enough to pay our airtime expenses over radio and television. Thru the mercy of God, food is not really a problem to me. I have my brothers and sisters and nephews who could feed me. Our main problem is how to reach out to as many people for them not to be abused and deceived by those pastors. The Bible said,
“Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and cruelty have ye ruled them.”
A lot of religious leaders are very strict to their members. Strict in what aspect? . . . in terms of money. If the members do not give tithes, they accuse them of robbing God. And because they are robbing God, they will surely go to hell. That is how they threaten their members. But because the members do not want to be condemned in hell, they keep on giving tithes. That is the reason why the pastor is able to live a very comfortable and luxurious life. The pastor rides a very beautiful car. In fact, he owns a total of 16 cars, aside from a helicopter and an airplane. He has five mansions, several condominium units, and three rest houses. The pastor lives a very extravagant life, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Israelites. Their shepherds took advantage of them. Jeremiah 32:31-33 says,
“For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they build it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face. Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests and their prophets and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they have turned unto me the back . . .”
There was connivance among the kings, the priests, the prophets, and the men of Judah to turn their back to God. They did nothing but enriched themselves. This is what Micah 3:11 says,
“The heads there of judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money.”
All for reward and money! Just like what many religions do today. If you want to be baptized, you have to pay. You have to pay again if you want a confirmation. If you want to get married, you have to pay also. If you are dying and you want to receive the so-called last sacrament, you still have to pay. When you die and you want to receive a benediction in the altar, you have to pay again. Has not religion become a very lucrative business for many? Isn’t it that they make a lot of money out of it? Correct me if I am wrong. What the Bible said is very clear. “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money.” What keeps them busy? They are busy enriching themselves. What was the result? Jeremiah 5:26-27,
“For among my people are found wicked men they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, So are their house full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.”
The pastors in Israel made themselves very rich. As a result, they neglected their duties to the organization. God’s organizational set up was lost. Israel had fallen; the flocks were scattered; they lost a pastor or shepherd who truly cared for them. Although the pastors were not literally gone, however, all of them were only after material gains. What happened later on? II Chronicles 15:3 says,
“Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.”
In other words, God abandoned Israel. We have read in II Kings 5:15 that there was no God, then, on earth except in Israel. During that time, God was with them, but now, Israel is without a God, and without a teaching priest. Why? They were replaced by shameless and greedy pastors. And that is how most pastors are in our time. No wonder we experience so many earthquakes and other calamities. Many pastors today are only interested in the money of their members. They sell them handkerchiefs, stickers, and magazines. They make a lot of money out of their members. That was what happened to Israel then. That was the reason why God cursed them. So, they were scattered and they were driven to different places.
Now, will God let His church be disintegrated and scattered for long? Will God completely abandon them? This is what Psalms 147:2 says,
“The Lord doeth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.”
The scattered sheep will once again be gathered together by God. He will raise Israel up again. That is what God wants. God didn’t want His people to be scattered for long. He will find a way on how to rebuild what had fallen. How will He do it? Amos 9:11,
“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breeches thereof: and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.”
What had fallen will be raised up again. Therefore, God didn’t want His flock to be scattered. He will rebuild Israel. What will He do to rebuild it? Will He descend from heaven to personally rebuild it? How will He do it? This is the prophecy in Zechariah 6:12,
“And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of host, saying, Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.”
In the prophecy, there is a man whose name is Branch. Where will that Branch emerge from? Let us read Jeremiah 23:5,
“Behold the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign.”
So, the Branch will come from David. Do we have any proof? Jeremiah 33:15,
“In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up into David.”
The man, whose name is Branch, will raise up the tabernacle of David that had fallen. And this refers to Israel, the city of God . . . the church of the firstborn . . . the church in the wilderness, which fell because of the abusive pastors. Who will raise it up? It will be raised up by the man who shall spring from David, and his name is Branch. Who is He? Let us read Revelations 22:16,
“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”
Who is the offspring of David? Who is the Branch? CHRIST! Therefore, Christ, who also came from Israel, will be commissioned by God to raise up Israel which had fallen. In fact, this is what Mat. 15:24 says,
“But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
What did our Lord Jesus say? “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He was sent to gather them all together. That is why Christ became an instrument in raising up Israel, which had fallen. Did Christ fulfill this when He came? This is what Matthew 16:18 says,
“And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church …”
Is that the first church? No! But there is a religious organization that considers Mat. 16:18 as the first church ever. That is not the first! The first was Israel, but it fell. God wanted it to be rebuilt. And in order to rebuild it, God will send a man whose name is Branch. And that is Christ. He will rebuild what had fallen. This is the reason why, when Christ came, He said, “And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”
Why will He raise the church up? The church in the wilderness, the church of the firstborn, which is Israel, had fallen. So when Christ came, He shall rebuild it. Israel was ruined. It was abused by the pastors. But this time, it will be different. Let us read Matthew 16:18 completely,
“And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Its rebuilding was accompanied with a promise. Because he first church was destroyed by abusive pastors, this time, when Christ rebuilds it, He gave an assurance that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” What does that mean? Was He able to rebuild the church? You see, Jesus said, “I will rebuild my church.” Was He able to do it? If He did, where was it built? Is it in the Philippines? in the far east? in Rome? in the US? If it had been rebuilt, how is it called? What is its name?
Are you interested to find these things out? These are what we are going to study next time.
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| Is it God’s Will that We Join or Become a Member of the True Church of God in the Bible? |
| 06.15.04 (12:33 am) [edit] |
owadays, we often hear preachers say that the church and religion are no longer important because, what matters, according to them, is relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. And via this relationship with Christ, man would become worthy in the sight of God. They also claim that the church could not save a man.
If you are a keen student of the Bible, you would readily discern that such are claims and beliefs of impertinent people who have a very obscure understanding of the Bible. Of course, the church per se could not really save a man. But why is the church necessary? In the first place, is it needed or not?
If we will only exercise logic and common sense, we will not be misled. By using our common sense, let us see for ourselves if the church is needed. Common sense tells me that if it is not important, then, our Lord Jesus should not have established it! If the church is not needed, it would appear that our Lord Jesus Christ does not exercise common sense. Why build a church when it is not needed after all? It is just like installing a post, or a pillar that did not reach up to the roof. Of what use is that pillar if that is the case? If it is unnecessary you better discard it, otherwise, your head might just bump into it. If you insist in having it there, that is a proof of your lack of common sense.
But let us find out from the Bible if a man has any need for the church. And if the church is needed, should we make ourselves a part of that church? What do the Born Again pastors mean when they said that the church could not save a man? Actually, that is how they entice people from joining their “fellowship,” or “crusade,” or “ministry”. If we are going to ask the Bible about the importance of the church, which was established by Christ during the first century AD, the Bible will answer us truthfully. Do we have to join the church, or do we just have to ignore it? Is there a truth to the common belief that so long as a man prays fervently and he is not doing anything wrong to his fellowmen, regardless of your religious affiliation, he would still be saved? Is it in accordance to the will of God? This is what Deut. 12:5 says,
“But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, thither thou shalt come.”
Where are we supposed to go, according to the Lord God? The Bible said, “unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose…” Who shall choose the place? God, of course! Did He give any specific directive? Did God give His consent that we can go anywhere? No! There is no sense if you will just go anywhere. It would appear that you are the god because, despite His directive, you still go where you want to go.
If your son tells you that he will go wherever he wants to because he is already 10 years old, will you give him your consent? Actually, even if your son or daughter is already in his/her age of reason, you still would not let your children go wherever they want to because you love them. But greater is the love of God to all of us that is why He would not permit us to be just anywhere. Being a God of justice, He will not allow you to go anywhere you want. What the Bible said was clear: “unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, thither thou shalt come.”
Let me give you an example. For a time, Adam and Eve served God. They were not bad in the beginning. And while they were in service to God, they were kept safe in a place chosen by god, and that was the Garden of Eden. Gen. 2:8, 15 says,
“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward of Eden ...
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden ...”
Did you see where God intended man to live? Spiritually, physically, and biologically speaking, God wanted man to live where plants grow abundantly. For the man of God to be healthy, Adam was put in a place chosen by God. He did not place him in an environment that would be hostile to him like the Sahara desert. And neither did He place him in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Adam was meant to be taken care of by God in the Garden of Eden. There was a specific place that God assigned for Adam – the garden. And there, he could freely eat the fruits of the plants except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In other words, during the duration of Adam’s service to the Lord, he stayed in the place where God wanted him to be. But when Adam and Eve transgressed, they were sent out of the Garden of Eden. Gen. 3:23 says,
“Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden ...”
This means that the Garden of Eden is a place of obedience. If you disobey, you will be thrown out. And it is after God has thrown you out that you can go wherever you want to. You can now be a vagabond like Cain. You can now go wherever you please because you refuse to be taken care of by God. You see, God has an administration over man, and Adam and Eve used to be under God’s direct administration when they were still in the Garden of Eden. But after their transgression, they were sent away. It is very important that we realize this. This truth could also be reflected in the “Pasion” of the Catholics:
“Sapagka’t pastor kang tunay (Because you’re the real pastor)
Nitong mundong kabilugan (of this world.)
Ang obehang sino pa man (And whosoever refuses)
Kung di masok sa bakuran (to enter your domain)
Hindi mo masasakupan. (will be outside your administration)
Therefore, there is a specified place of dominion. So, who was the god who taught you that you can be wherever you want to be? Definitely, he is not the God of the Bible. He is just the god invented by greedy pastors who crave for your money. They are bringing people anywhere. See if they are not really craving for your money. One pastor said, “Yes, you can go to any other church. You can listen to their sermons, you can pray with them, and worship with them. But your tithes must be given to your mother church!” Do these pastors look after the welfare of their flock? They are letting their flock to “graze” anywhere, but they make sure that their money goes to them. It’s pretty obvious that they are only after the money. But, were the true ministers of God interested only in his members’ money? II Cor. 12:14 says,
“Behold the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you:”
For a true minister of Christ, “what you own” is not important. What matters to him is “you”. But that is not true with the pastors today. They are only after what you have – your tithes, your offerings. And that is against what the Bible teaches because the Bible said, you cannot serve God just anywhere. This is what Christ said in John 12:26,
“If any man serve, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servants be ...”
Christ doesn’t want you to serve Him anywhere. You have to be where He is. So, let us ask our Lord Jesus where He is. Where shall we serve Him? Where shall we worship Him. Heb. 3:6 says,
“But Christ as a son over his own house ...”
Therefore, Christ is the head in the house of God. What is our basis? Heb. 10:21 says, “And having a high priest over the house of God:” Where is Christ? He is in the house of God, in fact, He is heading the house of God. In other words, if you are going to seek for God, you can find Him in the house of God. The question is, which is the house of God? I Tim. 3:15 says,
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God ...”
Therefore, the house of God is the Church of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. The church is the house of God. So, if you want to be governed by Christ, you are not supposed to go just anywhere because there is a specific place where Christ reigns, and that is in the house of God, or the Church of God. It is there where Christ rules. And this church of God in the Bible is what we are preaching. We are not claiming that we are that church because it was already in existence even before we were born. What we did is, we joined that Church. We made ourselves members of that Church. And we are preaching to all that, whosoever wants to serve Christ should go there because that is where Christ is. He is the high priest there. It is in the house of God, which is the Church of God, where we are supposed to have fellowship.
The question now is, Is it man’s obligation to join, or be a part of the Church being mentioned in the Bible? Let me reiterate that what I am preaching of is the Church in the Bible. People have come up with different names for the Church in the Bible, but whatever name they have conceptualized, there is but one church being spoken by the Bible. The question is, Is it God’s will that we join that Church? Is there a need for a church? Other preachers say, “Just accept Jesus.” How can you accept Jesus Christ if you are rejecting the church?
Remember Christ is the head of the church. How can you accept Jesus Christ if you are setting the church aside? Will that be possible? It is just like asking for a warm ice cream. How can you accept Christ and reject the church when Christ is the head of the church? You are beheading the church that way. You take the head and leave the body. Don’t forget, the body is the church. So, it’s pretty awkward if you will just accept the head, or Christ, and discard the body, which is the church. That is wrong!
Let us ask the Bible, Is man duty-bound to join the church that is being mentioned in the Bible – the Church of God? Can a man be saved if he just anywhere, or, does he have to incorporate himself in the Church if he wants to be saved? Ephe. 3:6 says,
“That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs . . .”
Gentiles are fellow heirs. Gentiles are those that are outside Israel. Therefore, we are classified as Gentiles. And the Bible said, “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body . . .”
So, for the Gentiles to become heirs, they need to make themselves part of the “body”.
“. . . and partakers of his promise in Christ . . .” The Gentiles may become partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus if they become parts of the “body”. Now, what is the “body”? Col. 1:18 says,
“And he is the head of the body, the church;”
Which is the “body”? Its head is Christ and the entire body refers to the Church. And the Gentiles need to be of the same body. They cannot reject the church. They cannot say that they would serve God on their own, in their respective houses. That cannot be!
Christ said, love your fellowmen; love your brethren. If you are all by yourself in your house, whom will you love? Yourself also? Christ said, give donations. To whom will you give your donation? To yourself also? Will you take money from your left pocket and give it to your right pocket? That is impertinent. You cannot be saved on your own. Submit yourself to the word of God. He said, for the Gentiles to become fellow heirs, they should make themselves members of the “body”, which is the Church being headed by Christ. Combine the “head” and the “body”, the result is the Church. You need to be a part of the body for you to be ruled by Christ, for you to be under the dominion of Christ. What will become of those who are not under Christ’s leadership? Isa. 63:19,
“We are thine: thou never barest rule over them . . .”
Are there people who are not being ruled by Christ? What happens to these people?
Isa. 58:11 says,
“We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us:”
Salvation is far off from people who are not being ruled by Christ. If you want to be saved, you need to be ruled by Christ first. And for you to be ruled by Christ, you have to make yourself a part of the “body” being headed by Christ, which is the Church being mentioned in the Bible.
Now, what are you supposed to do to become a member of the “body”? How are we supposed to join the church? Do we really have to join the church after all? Rom. 12:9 says,
“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
Let us take our case for instance. If you are a person of, at least, a little self-esteem, you will not borrow rice from all of your neighbors. Of course, you will just borrow from people whom you think are kind-hearted and trustworthy. But definitely, you would not borrow from all of them. Unless, of course, you have no “delicadeza”.
We need to accept what the Apostles heard, which they declared to us thru the Bible. And once we accept it, St. Paul said,
(I Thes. 2:13-14)
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. For ye, brethren, became followers of the Churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus:”
So, if you want to experience what happened to the Thessalonians, there is a “pattern” that we need to follow for us to be molded as one. We could be molded like a one person, with a way of life similar to that of the first Christians. This “pattern” refers to the word of God in the Bible – the teachings of the Gospel. That is why, if the youths then did not become drug addicts, if they behaved with meekness and modesty, if they feared God, and if they loved their fellowmen, that would be the very same attitudes that those who would accept the word of God would develop. Why? Because they will be molded using the same “pattern.”
It’s just like producing pairs of pants in big volumes. Whether a thousand pairs will be sewn, there wouldn’t be any discrepancy in their lengths and widths so long as the pattern was followed faithfully. What do I mean to say? Wherever the word of God reaches, so long as the people who would receive and believe it will be just like the first Christians – like the first Disciples of Christ who preached the Gospel. They bore hardships and difficulties, they made sacrifices, they did not enrich themselves, nor did they build palaces for themselves. They all died poor. Unlike the present day preachers who, after preaching for three years, have already built a palace for themselves. Why? . . . because they did not follow the pattern. If only they will follow the pattern faithfully, they will not enrich themselves. An honest-to-goodness preacher will never be rich. Look at me, I began preaching since I was 17. But have I grown any richer? No! That is because I know in my heart that if you will truly preach the Gospel, you will never grow rich. How will you become rich when you do not collect all sorts of contributions like, contributions during the Thursday gathering, during the “Santa Cena”, during baptism, etc? There are no such things in the Bible. What Christ said was, “freely you received, freely give.” If a preacher will abide by Christ’s admonition, will he become rich? No! Instead, they will even incur lots of debts. But why is it that there are preachers who keep on getting very rich? They collect payment for baptism, confirmation, wedding, chords, candles, masses, etc. Actually, they also make money out of the dead. Even if you are already dead and your grandson wants to offer mass for your soul in purgatory, your grandson will still have to pay for it. Religion has become a very lucrative business for some pastors. Where do you think these pastors will lead you? . . . to hell! You will never be saved with such kind of teachings. They are not biblical. They are all profit-oriented.
If you want to be saved, be a part of the church that is being mentioned in the Bible. And this is what we are preaching to all. We do not have to build another church. That is why it is a must that we make ourselves members of that Church. You can never serve God just anywhere. Do not be misled. The teachings of God that could save man are in the Church being mentioned in the Bible. That is why it is necessary that we accept these teachings for us to lead a righteous life. There are laws that man must follow, and these laws are all beneficial to man.
We are not encouraging you to join us. Instead, we are inviting you to join the Church that the Bible mentions. There is a Church wherein we must integrate ourselves. How can we do it? Accept the teachings that were preached by the Apostles. Lead a life which the Apostles led. If they endured all kinds of persecution, if they denied themselves of worldly pleasures, if they did not engage themselves in drinking intoxicating drinks, if they did not womanize, if they did not gamble, you will do as they did. You will abide by everything that the Bible teaches. That is where we shall have fellowship with one another – in an organization built by God, not by man. Make yourselves a part of the Church being spoken in the Bible.
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| False Faiths and Beliefs |
| 06.15.04 (12:32 am) [edit] |
e are going to study the many false beliefs taught by many pastors today. Let us study the belief of those who say that they are invulnerable with guns, by sword, and those who are saying that they can’t be penetrated by any deadly weapon. They will just shout Hallelujah Praise the Lord and the bullet will be moved back.
To give them the benefit of the doubt, let us read and digest the verse for us to see if it is true that their basis is really meant for them. In Isaiah chapter 54, here is what was written:
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”
God speaks through prophet Isaiah in Israel, to the nation that is a servant of God in the older days. God said concerning Israel, no weapons that were made against you shall prosper. Including the bad statements of the tongue against you, it will not prosper, as God said. This is the legacy of the servants of God.
Who is the servant being referred to that says any weapon made against you will not prosper? Who are those servants of God that are referred in Isaiah?
“Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;”
Who served God in the older days? The Israelites. Theirs is the covenant, the commandments; also theirs is the service to God, also theirs is the promise. They were the ones referred by God in the statement that there are no weapons created against you that will prosper. Including the sharpness of the tongue—the destructives will not penetrate. That is the promise of God. But the question is to whom was that told? Let us know whom God said that, “To them who claims that they are the true church” was this said?
For us not to be misled in reading the Bible and in getting the verse, we need to analyze first to whom this was said. Let us know from the Bible to whom God referred it? Let us just read Isaiah 54:4-5, 17
“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper...”
The spouse of God is the one being spoken with here. This is addressed to the spouse of the creator. The one being told to with this promise is the spouse of God. Who is the spouse of God in Biblical terminology? In Hosea, chapter 2, here is what we can read:
“And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.”
The one referred here to be the spouse of God is none other than Israel. Spouse in the sense that God will take them as companion, and God will unite with them in Israel because the meaning of spouse is companion. In a simple sentence, the spouse is a companion, to be beside with. With whom God promised this is to Israel. And the proof that God will accompany Israel; Israel will never be ashamed, which will be read in chapter 2 verse 27 of Joel:
“And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.”
The one promised that will not be put to shame is the nation of God—that is Israel. “And ye shall know that I [am] in the midst of Israel …” That is the one referred to in 54:4 and 54:17 that will never be ashamed because that is the known spouse of God. He will accompany Israel. “And the God of Israel said, there are no weapons created against you that shall prosper.”
What God means there, Israel will not be hit by bullets and stabbed by swords? Israel will not be penetrated by any weapon, is that the meaning of it? Has God spoken of material weapons of war? Is that the meaning of it, countrymen?
When the Lord Jesus came, Jesus explained all the things about the promise of God to Israel. Is the meaning of it, Israel will not be penetrated by bullets, that even if crushed by a truck at the speed of 120 the truck will be ruined but he (the person in the truck) will not have any bruises even a bit?
Because others say if you read the Bible, you will get crazy. No. This creates minds. Those that become crazy are those who were already crazy even before reading the Bible because there are no things coming from the Bible that could make men crazy. Nothing from the Lord will harm a person who fears the Lord. There is nothing from God that is evil for his servants.
Does the Bible makes minds crazy? There are really crazy minds that read the Bible so they are really just crazy. But if you are not crazy, you are reading the Bible, you will not get crazy, if you are not crazy, you are reading the Bible, you will not get crazy, it will truly complete your faith in God if you read the Bible.
For it to be said that the interpretation to the verse we read that you will not be penetrated by bullets as said, 45 people shot him, all the bullets moved back while the three persons who shot him were penetrated. They gave an interpretation to the promise of God that there is no weapon made against you that is beneficial and so the tongue will not succeed on you, they gave that a literal interpretation.
Let us see if it can be interpreted literally. Was Israel penetrated by literal or material ammunition? Was Israel penetrated? Let us read if they were penetrated. Let us again read chapter 9 verse 4 until 5 of Romans and study if the Israelites were penetrated.
“Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”
What generation or race is Christ if we are going to talk about flesh? Christ is an Israelite. In the tribe of Judah, came Christ that is why He is Israelite. We can read that from Heb. 7:14:
“For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.”
Judah is an Israelite. Christ came there. That is why He is an Israelite.
The question whom did God promised the verse, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper...” to Israel, right? Christ is an Israelite, a great Israelite because He is our Lord, our savior. The question now: was Christ penetrated by a literal weapon, was He penetrated or not? Let us read if He was penetrated. In John 19:33-34 here is what we can read:
“But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”
Pierced or not? Pierced. When pierced by a spear, what happened? In John 19:34:
“But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”
Was Christ pierced? He was already dead when pierced, right? They were testing if He was already dead. They pierced him. But before that, before He died, what was the first to pierce him? Nail. Where was he nailed? Let us read John 19:18:
“Where they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”
Was Christ pierced? Let us continue, reading John 20:27:
“Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, be believing.”
Pierced or not? If there was, it was prophesied … in Psalms 22:16
“… they pierced my hands and my feet.”
In prophesy He was pierced already. Was He pierced? Feet and hands were nailed. Penetrated or not? Penetrated. Literal weapon pierced the greatest Israelite that appeared on earth—who is none other than Christ.
It will be remembered that God promised not an individual. The one promised concerning the weapons that shall never prosper, the one promised to is a generation of man. Let us read again the paragraph, Isaiah 54:17:
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”
Is Christ a servant or not? Let us read from the Acts of the Apostles if He is a servant. If He is a servant, why was he pierced by a weapon? Is Christ a servant of God or not? Let us read Acts 3:13:
“The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our father, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.”
Is Jesus a servant or not? Servant! God said, this is the heritage of the servants of God. Which is that? No weapon formed against you will prosper. The question, was Christ pierced by a weapon? Pierced. What weapon pierced Christ? Literal weapon. That is why it can not be interpreted literally like the interpretation now of those who are saying that they can’t be penetrated by an armalite (M-16 rifle), of guns, why? The greatest of all the servants of God was pierced, can you not be?
Was it only Christ who was penetrated? Here is another servant of God who was penetrated too. Let us read what happened to John the Baptist. Mar. 6:21-27
“When a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;
And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.
And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,”
Penetrated or not? Is John the Baptist servant of God? Was John the Baptist penetrated? To Christ, nail and spear; to John the Baptist, sword. Will armalite penetrate? Let us read Acts 7:59-60, let us see if armalite will penetrate to the servant of God?
“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Died or not? Dead! What pierced? Stone. Was it not the armalite, it is also a stone? But it was a lead stone. It is a stone. A pressurized stone. The principle of gun come from stone, right? But pressurized. Did it pierce? If the stone penetrated them, wasn’t it that an armalite will become more piercing to Stephen? He died. He fell asleep, according to the Bible.
I want to show you something, the promise of God, God does not break promises. It is not God who breaks promises but we should not interpret literally what God said. There are no weapons formed against you will prosper. Including the tongue of the one to say same thing against you by judging will be judged, God said.
It can’t be literal because if literal, why do the Israelites got pierced, John the Baptist is an Israelite, Christ is an Israelite, Stephen was Israelite; these Israelites were pierced right? So it is not literal. What is the meaning of the statement of God that weapons formed against you will never prosper? And why do the enemies have weapons and that is the weapon of the Christians? It is because there is a battle. What is the weapon? Let us read Ephesians 6:12:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
What battle do the servants of God do? Our battle is spiritual. Because our battle is spiritual, the battle for the evil spirits up above is also spiritual, the higher authorities.
You know, in the world, we can’t only realize the reason why people do not become good because we have enemies in the higher authorities called by the Bible, the evil spirits up above that turned bad and became devils.
Our enemies are spirits. That is why our battle is spiritual, not the battle with guns and armalite. Not that. That is not the fight of the Christians. I don’t expect that the promise of God that you won’t be pierced by weapons is material weapon because that fight is not material.
This is the heritage of the servants of God as said. Is Christ a servant of God or not? Was he pierced? Pierced. John the Baptist, can you question his being God’s servant? Pierced or not? Pierced. And you, you won’t be pierced? Meaning, you are greater than Christ? Or you have a wrong interpretation? Really Wrong. Why? The battle is spiritual. Because the enemy is spirit. Our enemy is the devil, the spiritual leader of the darkness of this world including the angels. It is called the power of the wind, right? Let us read on Ephesians 2:2:
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”
That is why man keeps on disobeying. So what should be fought is the highest power of the devil. That is the truth that cannot be denied.
There was this teacher which I pity. She was proven to have amassed P32,000 and she was jailed. Almost 20 years or more? She confessed she was tempted because of the difficulty in life. For that measly amount of P32,000 she was jailed. But ironically, there are those who are amassing billions and billions of pesos and never got imprisoned or jailed. Why? Others have higher stature in our society.
That is why me, if I don’t see complaints on a high-ranking official, I really respect him so much. So if his name is cleared, okay. But as long as it is not clear my chest thumps.
Will I vote this, when it is known that he is connected with drug-dealing? What if this wins and put to position? All Filipinos might become drug addict, right? That is why I don’t want to be linked to drug addicts. They say drug addicts has glaring eyes. It kills mothers and father. Does an addict have sin? No. It is not the addicts who have the greatest sin. The one at fault there are the protectors of those drug syndicates.
Others are the ones at fault but cleared are the ones under. Clean first the ones on top and there will be no dirt to fall down if the top most part is clean. Is it not my countrymen?
What do I mean? For Christians what we fight against is not man, not flesh and blood. Our enemy is the one that makes a man evil, the evil spirit in high places, according to Paul. As said in Ephesians 6:12:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. That is not our battle. Our battle is spiritual.
If you put in spiritual—God said to his apostles. There is no weapon formed against you that will prosper—will the evil created by satan pierced? Is there an evil created by satan to pierce if you are a servant of God?
Call all sorcerers. Make a doll that exactly looks like a servant of God, then pierce the throat, see if it will take effect. Use all types of superstitious healing, all the devices of devils, do them, those are the weapons of evil, those are already black magic, has love charms, etc. Will that affect the servants of God? Will that affect? Let us read if it will affect. In 1 John 5:18:
“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.”
Will it pierce? You will not be touched by devil if you are a servant. He will not be touched by evil.
What is the proof that although there are weapons made by enemies against the children of God they are not affected? Let us read the testimony of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:16-18:
“At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
I was saved from the mouth of the lion. Who is that lion? The lion which is roaring and wandering, none other than satan. In 1 Peter 5:8 it said:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;”
Paul said that he was saved from every works of the devil. So nothing affected Apostle Paul.
The devices of the devil and devices of the spirit world become futile against the spirit of Christianity. But the early Christians were hit by sword, nail, they are pierced. They were pierced by stung, hit by stone, but they were not affected by the devices of devil. Those did not affect the servants of God in the olden days.
So if you use the verse just to say that you will not be affected by armalite, you are misleading people with that. Why am I saying this? Is it because I am injuring your reputation? My concern is the person you will mislead. I will never injure your reputation. Why will I injure your reputation? I just would like to save my fellow Filipinos from your fooling them. Your foolishness will be discovered anyway. This starts already. The Filipinos will understand that the promise of God is not literal that no weapon will pierce you. Why? That is the weapon of the enemy, the devil, his weapon, his evilness—you will not be pierced by it if you are a servant of God even if you are enchanted by 50 sorcerers, you will not be affected by it.
If you are a servant of God, will it affect you? As St. John said, let us read why it will not pierce … I John 4:4:
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. Who is he that is in you, to the Christians?
Let us read who is He with the Christians who is greater than that is in the world (Mat. 28:20):
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
What is the promise of Christ if you follow the law? “I am with you even up to the consummation of the ages. Christ is greater than the demons. So will the weapons of evil win against Christians? Whatever defamation you do, whatever evil words you say to someone in Christ, accused them of various lies, Christ said you are lucky, if you are told of all manner of evil for my sake. (Matthew 5:11)
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
That is the meaning of that. That is spiritual weapon. Because the word of the tongue is also like a weapon right? It is in the Bible that their tongue is like piercing of swords (Proverbs 12:18), it is like dueling with swords. That is why the preachers of the devil when he speaks, wrong things are said. But if you are a preacher of God and you believe the Bible and God, well, whatever they say will not affect you.
With God’s mercy, their weapons have not pierced me yet. None of their weapons have pierced. There are legal cases made against me, the enemies of our faith. But until now with God’s mercy none has pierced yet.
I may be jailed. If the judge will believe right? Like Christ. He was sued. Pilate was forced. Judged. Like John the Baptist. Herod’s daughter danced. Herod was really fascinated. Herod said go ahead, wish for anything even half of my kingdom, I will give to you. I promise that whatever you wish for I will give you. She asked her mother what she will wish for. Because Herodias is mad at John the Baptist for his attacking her because Herodias is a concubine, she told her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist. That is what was wished. Was he pierced? Pierced.
But the evil devices used by the evil spirit, will never pierce. To whom? To the servant of God. The servants of God are not touched by evil.
That is what we have to understand. The meaning of that is spiritual. If you will give material meaning, it will come out wrong. Christ was pierced. John the Baptist was pierced. Stephen was pierced by just stones. Will Stephen not be pierced by armalite?
There are those who are saying that he will not be pierced by an armalite. Think, you will not be pierced by an armalite? Drinking medicine is said to be forbidden because it is for non-believers. But his wife has false teeth. Will think how can you have false teeth? You have the dentist do it. How was your teeth extracted? Don’t tell me medicine was not used in you? You were injected with anaesthesia?
You are just fooling many people. Fooling with your false testimonies. So if you are joining a church, choose the one that speaks of sensibility, one that is credibly basing on the Bible, and knowledge and not based on anywhere.
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| Why are there many religions today? |
| 06.15.04 (12:22 am) [edit] |
What explanation does the Bible give to the emergence of many religions, in our time? Why are there many preachers, today, teach the so-called way to salvation? And why is it that, simultaneous with the upsurge of many religions and many religious preachers, is also the upsurge of wickedness and anomalies in various places? These, we will try to answer, thru the Bible.
For our starter, let us pose this question: What particular Biblical period covers our time? Why do we have to ask this question? You see, it is very important that a person becomes certain of the time, or period, stated in the Holy Scriptures, that covers his existence … for him to realize, also, what kind of period it is.
From the very beginning of the history of mankind, until the would-be end of this world, all the important details about the PAST, the PRESENT, and the FUTURE are recorded in the Bible. The Bible contains a record of all the things that had happened, of the things that are happening, and of the things that will happen. This is what Rev. 1:19 says, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.”
If you noticed what the paragraph says, God is commanding St. John to write all the things that he saw. Therefore, this is one commandment that St. John abided by. God ordered him to write the things that had happened, the things that are happening at present, and the things that are yet to come, which were all shown to him. This is the reason why, whatever information we are seeking for, concerning faith, can all be learned from the Holy Scriptures. Now, let us find out from the Holy Scriptures what kind of period encompasses us. II Tim says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”
St. Paul was the one speaking here. And he was talking to Timothy, his fellow worker during the first century. He told him, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”
Here, the Bible made reference to “the last days.” Why was it called “the last days?” It is because, these last days signal the coming end. When you say “the last days”, they refer to the forthcoming end. Why? Is there really such a thing as “last days,” or an end? In John 6:44, it says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
What we read earlier mentioned “the last days. ” This time, it says “the last day. ” Our Lord Jesus Christ said, all that were sent to Him by the Father will be risen by Him on the last day. The Bible is mentioning a “last day.” And whenever we say “the last days,” that means that, the very “last” is soon to come. And on that “last day””, as Christ said, He will rise again His servants, who had died.
And if we are going to refer to the Bible’s timetable, we are being covered by the “last days” that is spoken in the Holy Scriptures. And the reason why we are saying that, we are living in the last days, or in the days that are close to the end, is because of what Mat. 24:3-7 says. “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came upon him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
The Apostles were asking of a very significant event in the history of mankind, and that is, the end of the world. One of their questions pertained to the signs of the end of the world. And our Lord Jesus Christ answered them. “…Take heed that no man deceive you.”
Why do you think did He warn them to “take heed?” It is because many false Christ and false prophets shall come, and they shall show great signs and wonders. And if possible, they shall deceive even the very elect.
The birth of many religions today is one of the signs that the end is near. And each preacher, or minister, will claim that he is Christ. Actually, we are already witnessing its realization in our time, my fellowmen. We cannot deny this fact. Nowadays, there is an extensive effort on the part of the different religious organizations to propagate their faith. They have resorted to all possible means of preaching their faith: by boarding passenger buses, by going to market places and supermarkets, and by using the broadcast and print media. This is but a fulfillment of the pronouncement of our Lord Jesus Christ that, many false Christ shall come. And mind you, my fellowmen, they are many. Therefore, the appearance of many religions is one of the signs of the coming end.
What else did the paragraph say? “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers places.”
These are the signs of the coming end. And right now, we are witnessing how these prophecies are beginning to be realized, like the wars among nations, especially in some Middle East countries. And we are also aware that our fellowmen, from the different parts of the world, are suffering from famine and starvation. And also, the earthquakes that we experience today are not as frequent as the earthquakes previously recorded. Actually, even here in our own country, we also experience earthquakes quite more frequently. Do you know that earthquakes occur everyday in various parts of the world? That is why, we are definite that we are living in the last days – the time when our Lord Jesus Christ will come again to raise all of those who died following Him.
As he said in John 6:44, “I will raise him up at the last day.” And when He said, when He comes, He will raise up His servants, He was, in effect, referring to the last day, … And we are living within, what the Bible calls, the last days.
However, these days do not refer to literal days. Please, do not get it wrong. The Bible’s interpretation of the “last days” is different from the people’s interpretation. For us, humans, a day is made up of 24 hours. (Sometimes, we associate a day with one complete revolution of the sun.) And as far as the Bible is concerned, the last days do not refer to the literal day, unlike how some people think.
Once again, let us read II Tim. 3:1-5, “This know, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lover of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, truce breaking, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
These verses tell us of the signs that will mark the coming of the last day. The last days will be perilous, and men shall be lovers of their own selves. And these are all evident today. The people, nowadays, no longer care for their fellowmen. They only care for their own selves. They don’t care if their fellowmen are harmed, so long as they benefit from them. Let me give you a clear example.
There was a vast plantation of bitter gourd (ampalaya). When the owner of the plantation learned that the prices of bitter gourd had gone up, he immediately harvested his crops, even though he had just sprayed them with insecticide. The bitter gourd (ampalaya) were sold. Now, if the owner cares for his fellows, he should have waited first for several days before he harvests his crops, to allow the insecticide’s poison to subside. That way, the bitter gourd could safely be eaten. But, in his desire to earn a big amount of money, he sold them despite the hazard they pose to the people’s lives. This is a realization of what the Bible says, that, in the last days, people will be lovers of their own selves.
As what we have just read from the Bible, we are living in the last days … and these days will be perilous. And the worst peril that besets mankind today is the proliferation of false prophets and false Christs, whose aim is to deceive men. I John 4:1 says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
The warning that St. John gave concerns us. It is in our time that the false Christs and the false prophets shall appear. And for this reason, we can say that, we are, indeed, living in a very perilous period. We might become victims of the deception of these false prophets and false Christs, which, according to the prophecy, will appear in the last days. But, why are they succeeding in deceiving many? In Mat. 24:24, our Lord Jesus Christ says, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs of wonders; insomuch that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
In other words, the reason is, they are able to show great signs and wonders. That is why, it is no longer surprising to hear claims that they can heal the sick, and they can raise the dead. However, this is a big deceit! It is a blatant lie! They are the ones that our Lord Jesus Christ referred to as false preachers.
So, if we are really going to examine the present situation, we can very well say that, we are living in a period of deception. At present, the appearance of many false preachers has become very noticeable. You see them in every corner … you hear them over the radio and television … you can also read them in newspapers and magazines.
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| ANG DATING DAAN BIBLE EXPOSITION ONLINE |
| 04.04.04 (8:46 am) [edit] |
Ang Dating Daan Bible Exposition Online is the online edition of the said religious program, which is aired through various waves of the latest communication facilities on radio and television, and the internet.
The program is headed by the most controversial and the most sensible preacher in our time, who is none other than Brother Eli F. Soriano, accompanied by co-hosts, Bro. Josel Mallari, Bro. Danny Navales, Bro. Willy Santiago and Sis. Luz Cruz.
The program aims to propagate the true and everlasting Gospel of Christ based on the Bible, convert sinners to believe and glorify God. Only the Church can teach the wisdom of God in the salvation of mankind.
The program can be viewed over the facilities of Southern Broadcasting Network Channel 21 in Luzon, Cebu, and Davao and heard over the facilities of the most powerful radio networks in the Philippines DZRH, RMN, and 100 Radyo Natin Stations Nationwide, and now stretching to all corners of the world, the program streams over the facilities of the internet thru www.angdatingdaan.org and http://webtv.angdatingdaan.ne...
Our Central Office can be found at the ADD Convention Center, Brgy. Sampaloc, Apalit, Pampanga with satellite offices all over the Philippines and the world.
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| The Bible |
| 04.04.04 (8:45 am) [edit] |
The Bible refers to the Holy Scriptures. The topic that we are going to study is, SHOULD THE BIBLE BE INTERPRETED? We will try to answer this question by referring to what the Holy Scriptures teaches. We found it necessary to discuss with you this subject matter inasmuch as, at present, many religions have deviated from what the Bible really teaches. And this can be attributed to the fact that they have wrongly interpreted the Bible, just like what our Lord said in Mat. 22:29, Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
There are people who believe that all religions are but one and the same in the eyes of God, and that, the only difference lies in the manner by which a certain religious belief is explained. However, this belief ought to undergo a thorough scrutiny, by referring to the Bible. And why are we saying this? It is because it is not true that the Bible should be interpreted by man! God did not give anybody any right to interpret the Bible! And nobody can claim, not even a person who had obtained a degree, like Law for instance, that he can explain the Bible even if he follows the principles of hermeneutics! There are preachers who think that, through hermeneutics they can rightfully understand the Bible.
We believe that the laws of men do not apply here. They do not contribute in developing correct interpretation and understanding of the Bible. We do not have to follow any set of principles formulated by men because we believe that even before we came to existence the Bible had already been explained. The meaning of everything that had been written there had already been explained in the past. And for this reason, if our concern is our salvation if we are seeking the light that will lead our souls to the kingdom of God the only thing that we have to do is, read the Bible. Do not interpret it.
Our intention in tackling this subject matter is, to prove to each and everyone that what we are saying is true, and not to malign and discredit other religious organizations. And neither are we after exalting ourselves. We hope that youll not develop that impression. Although in an undertaking like this, it is inevitable that we criticize some preachers who are using the Bible the way they want to.
We are hoping that this study will open your minds. Let us scrutinize our faith if called for, let us develop second thoughts, let us not be fanatics let us not just cling to what our pastors and ministers are telling us. What is right and proper is that, we cling to what the Bible teaches. Do not just do things simply because you want to, or simply because you like your pastor. That will not be in accordance to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.
And for us to realize its importance, let us begin analyzing our subject matter. By referring to the teachings of the Bible, let us find out if there is a need for man to interpret the Bible? Or, had the Bible already been interpreted by the authorities that God, Himself, had commissioned? That is our first question. Now, let us read Romans 16:25-26. Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.
In those paragraphs, St. Paul is clearly telling us that, the mystery that was kept secret through the ages has already been made manifest now. The question is, when is that now? Does it refer to the 90s, so that 10 years from now and we will be led to the year 2000? The now that St. Paul referred to, is not our present time! It referred to that particular time when St Paul was preaching this particular teaching. It, therefore, refers to the time of the Apostles.
In other words, even before we were born, God had already made manifest the mystery that had been kept secret since the beginning. He revealed it during the time of the Apostles, and these Apostles were the ones given by God the authority to explain the writings of the Prophets. The early writings in the Bible had been explained by our Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostles. And to prove that the Bible had already been explained in the past, let us read Col. 1:24-26. Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind, of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodys sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from the ages and from generation, but now is made manifest to his saints.
What St. Paul said in these paragraphs is clear. He said, I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Please, pay a close attention to the next lines. Even the mystery which hath been hid from the ages, and from generation, but now is made manifest to his saints. In other words, what St. Paul was referring to when he said, now is made manifest to his saints is the mystery that had been kept secret for generations. Therefore, can anybody now claim that, God left a certain mystery unexplained for these pastors to explain by themselves? Doing that is clear act of deception.
The Apostles had, long ago, explained the mystery that had been hidden from the ages and from generations. And the Apostles had made it manifest to the saints.
There are preachers who say, I am going to explain this particular paragraph This is what it means or, This is my interpretation to that particular verse Those who dare do that are all anti-Christ. In the first place, who are they to interpret the words of God? Actually, even if we are going to talk about matters that pertain to humans, there are instances when a man finds difficulty in understanding the words of his fellowman because, he does not exactly know how the other feels inside. What more if it concerns the words of God? The more man will have difficulty in understanding and explaining them!
And what is ironic is that, most of those who claim that they are pastors and God-sent are not really pastors and God-sent, in the truest sense of the words. Instead, they just pretend to be one. Most of them had just been trapped in such a situation, and they could no longer find their way out. Why am I saying all these? You see, my fellowmen, today, there are many so-called preachers who loiter in market places, trying to preach. But from the way they talk, you can readily discern that they were just trapped in that situation. And even if they are fully aware that what they do is wrong, they still opt to go on.
Now, what are we trying to show you? There are preachers who would just read a verse, or a paragraph, from the Bible. And after reading it, he will start giving his own interpretation to that passage. And because of this practice, a lot of our fellowmen have been misled they have gone astray. Do you know the reason why many pastors do that? Let us read the pronouncement in Isa. 56:11. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
Meaning to say that, they have gone to their own way a way, which was not taught by God. As mentioned, each of them only considered his personal gain. It is utterly evil if a preacher is being driven only by his desire to extract as much benefits from his members. This is the reason why, whenever the commandment on the giving of donations is being read from the Bible, various interpretations are being given to it by different religious leaders all of them are geared towards the solicitation of bigger amounts of money. Beware of those kind of religious leaders! They are harmful!
But why will a man surely fail should he dare interpret the Bible by himself? The answer in Isa. 55:8-9 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heaven are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher that your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Today, with the aid of modern science, many experts have seen galaxies, which were never seen by the previous generations. Even the scientists have seen many marvelous things in the outer space. However, until now, no expert has ever given yet the exact distance between the heavens and the earth. The scientific device that would reach to what the Bible referred to as heaven of heavens is yet to be invented. And for that reason, no human being can ever succeed in fathoming the thoughts of God. It is impossible for man, especially for preachers whose only concern is his personal gains, reach the thought of the Lord. Let us go over what St. Peter said in 1:19-21. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The words of God that the Apostles bore were compared to a light that shines in a dark place. St. Peter said, no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private interpretation. And because of this, the laws of men can never be used as a basis in explaining the Bible. It is only with the laws of men, and the books authored by men, that we can give our individual interpretations to. But we cannot do that with the Bible! Why? Because verses 20-21 said, holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Therefore, the giving of interpretation had been completed during the time of the Apostles.
Now, how are we going to prove (by using the Bible) that the Bible is already an interpreted book? The Bible does not have to be interpreted. All that one has to do is read and search the Book of the Lord. Let us read what was written in Isa. 34:16. Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded and his spirit it hath gathered them.
It says, seek ye. What must we do? Are we going to interpret it? NO! The instruction is clear: Search the book of the Lord. And what must we do as we search? We must read it! It did not say interpret it just search and read. Why? No one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate for my mouth it hath commanded and his spirit it hath gathered them. It clearly states that, it had been commanded by the mouth of the Lord and gathered by His spirit. Therefore, in order to comprehend how the words are connected to each other, these words have to be gathered by the Spirit of God. And these words had been gathered ever since, and everything that ought to be explained, for man to understand, had already been explained. And for this reason, it will pose a great harm should a person dare to interpret the Bible by himself.
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| Salvation |
| 04.04.04 (8:44 am) [edit] |
Salvation comes from God, whom the Bible calls as the Living God and Savior. God is employing a human being in order for His will to be fulfilled and that is the salvation of man.
Our Lord Jesus Christ will bring two kinds of salvation, thru the Bible. At the time He assumed human form, He saved Israel from its sinfulness. That was written in Mat.1:21. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
However, when He comes again, for the second time, He will bring salvation to the faithful. And, the Bible is teaching us how we can be one of those that our Lord Jesus Christ will save come judgment day.
The first verse that we ought to pay attention to is Ephe. 3:6. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel.
St. Paul, the Apostle, said, The Gentiles should be fellow heirs. But before we continue analyzing this verse, let us find out from the Bible who were being referred to as Gentiles, who were also called heirs. In Ephe. 2:11-12, this is what was written: Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.
In those lines, St. Paul was reminding the Christians in Ephesus of their former conditions. According to the Bible, during that time, they were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. Therefore, Biblically speaking, the Gentiles are those who were apart from Christ. They were strangers from the covenants of promise, they were the hopeless, and they were without a God in the world because they were not a part of Israel. And we, who are living at the present time, may also be called Gentiles if we are going to use the Bible as our basis.
According to St. Paul, for the Gentiles to be a part of the salvation that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ, they have to be made parts first of the body. And only after that will they become partakers of a promise in Christ by the Gospel.
You will notice that St. Paul made reference to a body a body into which the Gentiles must integrate themselves so that they also become heirs. The explanation to that may be read in Col.1:18. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Therefore, the body whose head is Christ is the CHURCH. At this point, we must understand that the Gentiles, like us, must join the body, or the Church. And when we say that we must join the Church, it means that we no longer have to build any. We no longer have to establish our own church just for us to become partakers of a promise in Christ.
And whenever we say join, or be a part of the body, of the Church, it denotes that, there is already an existing Church in fact, this Church had already been existing even before the promise of salvation was given to the Gentiles. There was already an existing Church even before Paul was made apostle. And this was the same Church that our Lord Jesus Christ taught, when he assumed human form. And there can never be another church.
Today, there are preachers who claim that another church had appeared in the Philippines. And according to them, this church was different from the one in Israel. If this is the case, it would appear that, despite the fact that there was already a church in Israel, another church appeared in the Philippines. As far as the Bible is concerned, such a belief is wrong because, according to St. Pauls epistle to the Ephesians, in 4:4, There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.
There is just one body there is no other body. And the proof that there is only one body can be read in Col. 3:15. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which ye are called in one body; and ye be thankful.
Here, St. Paul was addressing the brethren who, in the beginning were Gentiles, but were eventually called to one body. In other words, the body that the early Christians (the Israelites) made themselves a part of, is also the same body, or church, into which the Gentiles were being called upon to join. Now, if the Gentiles will just integrate themselves to the body, then, the Church will remain ONE.
It is against the teachings of God, and of the Holy Scripture, that other churches be built in other places, lets say in the US, or in England, or in Germany, or in Rome. They also claim that another church had also been founded in the Philippines. The truth is, God did not give any right to anybody to build his own church. It is indeed disgusting that today, a lot of ministers build churches of their own. They deliberately oppose and defy what the Bible said that, the Gentiles, like us, must join or make ourselves a part of the body, or the Church, for us to be saved.
And what is the reason why we must abide by it? It is because, as far as God is concerned, He did not give anybody His consent to build a church right now in our time. This is what Psalms 127:1 says, Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that built it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
The verse mentioned of a house, which becomes useless if it is not built by the Lord. Let us now ask the Bible. What is being referred to as the house, which only God has the right to build? In I Tim. 3:15, it says, But if I tarry long , that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
If you have noticed, in the New Testament, the word house refers to the Church of God. This is, truly, the house of God because it was built by God, Himself. That is why, if, in our time, you come across churches, whose founders were also their ministers, you can be sure that they are NOT REAL!
The Bible teaches only one church that each of us must join, for us to be saved by Jesus Christ. In fact, the Church in the Bible will become God's instrument in making the Gentiles heirs to the promise of eternal life. This is what was written in Ephe, 3:10-11, To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose of which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Therefore, the church is the medium that God uses in order to make known the principalities and powers in heavenly places the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose. If there are Gentiles who want to go back to God, to be worthy of salvation which will come from our Lord Jesus Christ, they must make themselves a part of the body, or the Church. And all of those who claim that the church is no longer necessary are all liars and deceivers!
Now, we may ask, what could be the reason why, instead of just joining the Church of God, they preferred to build their own churches? We can read the answer in Romans 10:2-3. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
What could be the motive of these people who built their own churches? In Isa. 56:10-11, it says, His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark: sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds, that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, everyone for his gain, from his quarter.
What is the reason why they turned to their own way? Why did they build their own church, and teach their own doctrines? According to the Bible, it is because each of them only thought of personal gains. In other words, these pastors are teaching and preaching only for personal gains only for money! Aside from that, the Bible also said that, they are never satisfied with what they have. In fact, formerly, the people that we see in the streets that are asking for alms are the needy--the beggars, who are financially hard up. We see them dirty, and they wear tattered clothes. But nowadays, aside from those beggars, there are other mendicants in the streets. But unlike the beggars, these mendicants are well-dressed. They even wear long sleeved shirt and necktie. And in their desire to solicit as much alms, they capitalize on the name of the Lord. They deceive people by saying that the alms that they give are offerings to the Lord.
Beware of those people! What they do is a clear deception. They tell the people that the money they give is for the Lord, but the truth is, they are using the money in constructing buildings and mansions, and even palaces, for their pastors. And why have those pastors gone to that point? According to a prophecy in the Bible, it is because these pastors are like greedy dogs, whose stomachs are never filled. And at this point, it is no longer surprising to see religious leaders acting like dogs. This is what the Apostle Peter prophesied in II Pet. 2:1-3. But there were false prophets who among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And though covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
The ulterior motive of these false prophets is to make business out of religion. They make business out of the peoples faith. They teach damnable heresies whose inevitable end is destruction and damnation. Its a shame that they are even addressed as reverend, most reverend, or his eminence. This is but a confirmation that they are really fond of earthly honors. Of course, we are not saying that all of them are like that but what I am saying is that, those titles of respect are not supposed to be used by men. This is in Psalms 111:9. He sent redemption unto his people he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
In the entire Bible, it is only in this verse that the word reverend was used. And this word is attributed only to the Lord. However, today, so many preachers have attached the word reverend to their names. They do not even show shamefulness to the Lord. They have been trying persistently to make themselves of equal rank to God.
Ironically though, most of those so-called reverend are cheaters and liars. They are only using religion to amass wealth. They are using their religious organizations as a front to their business. Actually, if you are going to study the beginnings of many pastors today, you will find out that most of them were but good-for-nothing loafers. But today, they are already millionaires living in plush palaces riding very expensive cars.
But our group believes that, in serving God, benefits and personal gains must be out of the question. In fact, in serving God, you have to sacrifice a lot, in terms of material things. Serving God is rewarding only in matters of spirituality. Anyone who thinks that religion is a means of enriching oneself is not of God! That is what I Tim.6:3-5 says. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrines which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and stifes of words whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
We must avoid those kinds of beliefs because they will never help us in attaining salvation. Instead, they will just bring us to destruction and damnation.
Do you want to be a part of our Lords salvation come judgment day? The Bible teaches us how. Everyone must make himself a part of the Church, which is written in the Bible The CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS, PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH.
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| Prayer |
| 04.04.04 (8:43 am) [edit] |
In Mat. 6:5, this is what our Lord Jesus Christ said, And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
Here, our Lord Jesus Christ is teaching the Christians that, whenever they pray, they must not do what the hypocrites do. These hypocrites are fond of standing as they pray in synagogues and street corners because they want to be seen by people. Please, bear in mind that the main issue here is, they pray to be seen by other people. And for this reason, Jesus Christ forbade His Christian followers to pray if being seen by others. Otherwise, they will not merit any reward from God. Christ said, Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
In praying, our Lord Jesus Christ prescribed a definite manner, which must be followed by the Christians. This is written in Mat. 6:6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
It is clear that Christ is commanding us to pray in secret, and the only parties that must know about the same is our God and the suppliant.
This is the reason why, we can say that, what most of the religious organizations today are doing is wrong, especially those who have radio and television programs. They pray while in front of a television camera. That is a clear manifestation of their hypocrisy. In other words, if praying, while standing up, in synagogues and street corners is already against the will of God, what more if you are going to pray over radio and television.
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| The Kingdom of God on Earth, and the means by which a person can enter into it |
| 04.04.04 (8:41 am) [edit] |
The Church is being introduced as the Kingdom of God here on earth. And since the Church is a kingdom, then, it is necessary that a man enters into it and be a part of it, according to the Bible. In Mat. 23:13, this is what was written. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
There is but one point that this paragraph is trying to show us: God wants and God commands the people to enter into His kingdom. However, the hypocrite, scribes and Pharisees did not just refuse to enter into His kingdom, they also prevented the others who wanted to enter into it.
Do you know that there is a means by which a man may enter into the kingdom of God? We can find it in John 3:3-5. And these verses are fondly used by the members of the so-called born again group. They are those who claim that church and religion are no longer needed. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mothers womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
It is of great importance that a person is able to enter the kingdom of God. However, before he can enter this kingdom, he must comply first to a specific requisite that he must be born again. Apparently, it was out of those verses where the Born Again group derived its name. And that is an obvious misunderstanding of the context of the Bible because, being born again is not a name but a condition, or a state of being, that must be attained before a person can enter the kingdom of God.
For the benefit of our countrymen who call themselves born again, let us, once again, go over John 3:3-5. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born again when he his old? Can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Therefore, entering the kingdom of God is necessary for salvation. That is why, nobody should claim that the Church is no longer needed because this would, in effect mean that the kingdom of God is, likewise, no longer needed!
We need the Church because, this is what the Bible referred to as the Kingdom of God. And for a person to enter the kingdom of God, he must be born again!
But, how will it be possible for a person to be born again? He must be born of water and of the spirit!
On the other hand, what does being born of water and of the Spirit mean? In Titus 3:5, this is what was written, Not by words of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
In other words, what is being referred to as being born again is the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Now, let us find out how the Bible interprets the washing of regeneration, which in turn, corresponds to being born again. In Acts 22:16, it says, And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
According to the Bible, the washing refers to baptism. Therefore, being born again commences with being born of water and of the spirit. And Biblically speaking, it refers to baptism. Man must be immersed into the water, and having imbibed with the words and teachings of God, he will be washed clean from his sinfulness.
Today, those who claim that they are born again, do not even give baptism to their members. These deceivers are all in a hurry to collect tithes from their members. For them, all that you have to do is raise your hand or, sometimes, you may just lay your hand on your radio or television set accept Christ, and presto, you are already and instant "born again." That is a blatant stupidity and deception of the many shameless preachers in our time.
And why are we saying that these preachers are bold and shameless? It is because the Bible, itself, said that, there are, indeed, shameless people. Eccle. 8:1 says, Who is as the wise man? And who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A mans wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
If a person knows the art of acting, the Bible said, the boldness of his face shall be changed. Undeniably, there are preachers who are really bold and shameless. They propagate teachings that do not conform to what the Bible teaches.
Being born again is not attained by simply raising ones hands. To be born again, you have to undergo a process that was prescribed by the Bible that you must be born of water and of spirit. And this is thru baptism. The agent that is used in baptism, or the cleansing of sins, is WATER, coupled with the power of God, and the SPIRIT, which refers to the word of God.
And to prove that these things are the ones being referred to, let us find out what Ephe. 5:26-27 says. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Water plus the Word! Those who misinterpreted those verses say that, water is also the word. That is wrong! The water refers to the literal water, accompanied by the Word - - - water and Spirit, inasmuch as the Word is the Spirit! And will be able to prove this in John 6:63. It says, It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
That is why, what St. Paul said was right, cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. Therefore, being born again is a state, or condition, in life. It applies to people who have received baptism. Born again is not a name! The correct manner of address is CHRISTIAN. A Christian is a person who has undergone the process that Christ, himself, taught. He had been born again of water and of spirit.
That is the reason why, joining together the words born again and Christian is a gross ignorance of the Bible. Why? Because, if a person is considered a Christian, it is understood that he had been born again. And when we say that a person is born again, it is understood that he is a Christian.
Now, why are we discussing this matter? Because being born again, or going thru baptism, has an intention. It is done so that one can enter the kingdom in heaven. John 3:5 says, Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
And which is the kingdom of God that is entered by him who had been born of water and of spirit? In our previous discussion, we have learned that the kingdom of God on earth is the Church. And to prove that there is really a kingdom of God right here on earth, let us read Mat. 6:9-10. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Actually, this is a very popular prayer and song among our fellows. According to the prayer that was taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy kingdom come. And when His kingdom comes, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Our Lord commanded the Apostles to pray after that manner. But the question now is, Has this prayer been realized? Had the kingdom of God come? You see, until now, many of our people still recited this prayer as if the kingdom of God has not come yet. Let us find out, from the Bible, if God had not answered this prayer. This is what was written in Mat. 6:33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
In other words, the kingdom of God had come here on earth, inasmuch as God is commanding us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. God will never command us to seek for it if we are not going to find any, here on earth. In the first place, God made a promise to those who will search for it. Mat. 7:7-8 says, Ask, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Therefore, when God said, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, He, at the same time, gave a guarantee that it will be found by whoever seeks for it. But, where can it be found? The assurance that the Bible gave is that, it can be found here on earth. This is the reason why we can be sure that there is a kingdom here on earth. Now, let us find out which is being referred to as the kingdom of God, which should be entered? Let us read what was written in Col. 3:15, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
The body that Christ heads is the Church. Ephe. 1:21-22 gives us the Bibles confirmation. For above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.
Where is Christ ruling over? It is in the CHURCH, and not in what they call as ministries, or international crusade! The Church is the kingdom of God here on earth, and it is where the people are enjoined to get into. That is why, it is a big lie to claim that is no longer important because the Church is the realization of the prayer that Jesus Christ taught the Apostles. And this was built during the first century. What just saddens me is that, they have replaced the church with what they call fellowships, ministries, and crusades. They do not want to join the Church, and they also hinder the others who want to get inside. The proof that the Church has an inner part is written in Mat. 25:30. It says, And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
It is outside the Church that the unprofitable servants are thrown. But, who are who are those unprofitable servants that are being thrown outside? I Cor. 5:12-13 says, For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge that that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
The unprofitable slaves refer to the wicked persons, and their destination is the darkness outside the Church. Here, we have proven that there is an outer and an inner portion of the church. If we want to be saved, we have to get inside the Church, because the Church is the kingdom wherein God reigns. And for us to get inside the Church, we have to be baptized, or be born of water and spirit.
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