Christ Died for Us While We Were Evil and Rebellious

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Christ Died for Us While We Were Evil and Rebellious, Not When We Were Good---and We Always Forget That.

They all want us to renounce our eldest son for all he did---living in with his GF who has lots of tatoo on her body, borrowed a lot of our money without paying for them so far, and asking his mom to take loans online for him amounting to hundreds of thousands of pesos. I told my wife to stop the help (though I love our son), and she did, but she felt bad leaving our son without any help because everyone's rejected him. I mean everyone, even our siblings and relatives. His GF's relatives don't care one bit and she's an orphan and can't work due to her heart ailment. 

And seeing her son getting no help whatsoever from anyone, my wife sometimes has highblood pressure seeing him suffer, especially at times our son calls us up and cries and says he can no longer endure it and would give up. So I let her help to make her feel better. But the loans keep increasing. And everyone gets pissed off by that---our loans for our son and him wasting it all for over a year now. They all tell us to spurn our son and disown him as family. And these are Christians who profess to love GOD.

Our son did a lot of stupid mistakes, I admit it (still does them), and I always scold him each time, telling him what he should do, with reminders about GOD and His Word. He listens and sometimes obeys but he's also stubborn. He's a good guy, actually, and I'm not saying that just because he's my son. But he grew up with us all the time (so I know hm well) until he met his tatooed GF. Then everything went haywire. 

He's still good and respectfully, soft-spoken and tends to rescue the weak and bullied. He's been like that since grade school (he's 29 this March). But he has a lot of wrong ideas about how to earn money and he wastes money doing businesses that fail. Plus wastes money on expenses to please his tatooed GF. He's prodigal. That's his sin. He's not into drugs, vices, liquor, women, gambling, etc. And because of his sin they want us to punish him with banishment. They forget that all of us were worse when Christ blessed us with grace. 

Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. 

HE died for us while we were yet rebellious, evil, GOD haters, stubborn, greedy, selfish, and worshiped money, to mention a few. And yet, while we were like this, Jesus died for us. While we did everything GOD hated, GOD blessed us with the most important blessing of all---HIS SON. GOD never thought of abandoning us or stopping his blessings to us. While evil, he still blessed us with our jobs, job promotions, education, food, good times, vacations, and everything else (God's general blessings to both the righteous and the wicked), not to mention oxygen, sunlight, rain and the seasons. He gave us all these while we were not yet Jesus followers and soaking in stupid wickedness. 

I find it ridiculous how so many religious people won't help people in need unless the needy pass their religious moral standards. Thank GOD he didn't do that to us. He blesses us regardless of the condition of our hearts or whether we pass GOD's moral standards or not. Thank GOD he doesn't stop blessing us just because he doesn't like what we're doing. In fact, even after being born again, we still do a lot of stupid wrongs (especially in the bad ways we think of others). But GOD still blesses us anyway. If we are unfaithful with giving, for instance, he may withdraw some blessings but still blesses us with some needs, though in scant amounts. God still keeps us alive, and that's a blessing. 

See the prodigal son? That son grew up with the father and the father knew his son's character. Yet, when the son asked for his inheritance, the father gave it. He didn't withhold it because of his son's tendency for wasteful spending and wrong living. And he never disowned, rejected or renounced his son. It was the son who left home of his own freewill. And when he came back, the father welcomed him. How many times must we forgive the guy who sins against us? Jesus said not seven but seventy times seven, or infinitely. As long as the person goes back to ask our pardon, we give it to him---and even prepare a feast for the offender. That's what the father did. 

Now, these Christians who are angry at our son and tells us to disown him and stop helping him. I don't know where they got the idea. For sure, it's not GOD's parenting principle. 

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Debts and Possibilities

So here I am, struggling financially, especially with loans we have to pay, loans incurred by my eldest son's martial adventurism. He got his first girlfriend (GF) pregnant when he was in third year high school (he was 17 and her first GF was 15), going good for some years but eventually they did not work out. Then he got his second GF pregnant and this GF is supposed to be unable whatsoever to be employed due to her heart problem and because she has no valid ID. So my son alone has a job and I'm not really sure if he has one. Everything about him is strange.

But I still hope with my lil book, GOD's Word, like in the iage above. 

Our loan is somewhere in the amount of half a million pesos, maybe less, and we're hoping my eldest son would come up with the sum. I don't know how, but I hope in GOD that HE will make a way, although my son is not yet fully surrendered to HIM. At least I hope GOD will make a way for me and my wife. I've been a church pastor for decades (recent decades pastoring a small house church), suffering persecutions for HIS Name, and my wife has been in ministry since teenage years helping out with her parents' church ministries. Not that favor is by works or achievements, but I hope HIS grace would consider what we have dedicated to HIM. 

"Look, we have left everything and followed you" says Peter. Jesus responds, "I tell you the truth, all those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms for me and for the Good News will get more than they left". [Mark 10.28]

I have been praying and patiently waiting for "will get more than they left" for decades, but nothing has been "more than they left." I mean, we're in big debt and our small house is dilapidated and we short of beg for money from people. This is not my idea of abundant life. I love to experience getting sufficient supplies (or a bit more sufficient) direct from the hand of GOD so our indebtedness to people can stop. And if we'd check this out with Scriptures, this is how it's supposed to be--that we have no indebtedness to anyone except GOD, all our needs being supplied directly and personally by HIM. 

And there are channels ready if HE wants to prosper me. I have finished a lot of spiritual and inspirational (self-improvement) ebooks I am selling online. HE can easily make that online business sell continually, residually, and bring me more than enough money (more than enough so I can help others financially as well). And there's also our one-hectar ancestral land my clan is selling in Bulacan. If GOD works that out, it can provide us enough money to repay our debts and start a small business that I pray GOD will prosper. Then there's Jun's land deals (Jun is a Jesus disciple in my care) in Palawan which GOD can prosper, if HE wants to, so Jun can be blessed financially and be able to give money support to me which he volunteered. 

All this is in GOD's hand and decision. Everything depends on HIM. HIS Word taught me the extent and power of HIS sovereignty that covers every single event, transaction or anything in this world. Nothing happens without HIS approval. Even the devil cannot do anything without HIS approval. We are accountable for what we decide and do, and yet it all depends on GOD. 

BTW, if anyone is interested in buying my ebook on Job's sufferings, "Suffering as GOD's Favorite," just email me at liljob.me@gmail.com and I'll send you the PDF download and the means of payment. 

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"Don't Support Your Son's Sin"

Trashed...

THEY ALL SAY WE NEED TO JUST IGNORE OUR SON AND STOP HELPING HIM UNTIL HE SETS HIS LIFE STRAIGHT.

Previously

If GOD were to do the same to us, we would all have died a long time ago. I've thought of this way, way back, asking GOD about this self-righteous advice from people, and GOD impressed on my heart how it is indeed self-righteous religiosity. Even church people who claim to be born again (or especially them) have many times disappointed GOD and continue to wander from HIS will. Even a lot of pastors. And yet GOD never stopped HIS grace and provisions to them.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash.

Our churchy Sundays, ministry involvement, activeness in church programs, impeccable Sunday worship attendance and even involvment in missions and church planting do not prove that we have set our lives straight as GOD wants us to. Many times our hearts have wrong motives doing these things. We may be assuming that our hearts are right with GOD when we serve HIM in church, but the heart is deceitful above all things. We can only be sure that what we do for GOD is approved of HIM by HIS grace and mercy alone. Nothing else. 

The Father has set HIS seal of approval on JESUS alone, not on anyone else. What we do becomes acceptable to the Father through Jesus alone. You know why your worship and ministry become approved to GOD? It's not (NOT) because you have set your life straight or have become a good person. It's all because of Jesus---the grace and mercy of GOD that are in HIM. Nothing else.

Jesus once corrected someone when he said, "No one is good but GOD alone." Self-righteous people easily forget this and decide that those who do not live up to their expectation deserve no help from them. You know how many times GOD gives us second chances when we screw up? Seventy times seven (in other words, HE will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness as long as we ask forgiveness and as long as it's not yet Judgment Day). How many times have we asked forgiveness and then committed another sin (doesn't matter if it's a "small" or "big" sin)? How many times have we struggled about a sin we can't seem to wriggle out of, and yet GOD pardons us each time we come to him?

Even the most "spiritual" among us is guilty of this. No one is exempt, even if you claim to be very spiritual, anointed or carry a holiness doctrine. We all still sin. The smallest trace of self pride (or local church or denominatinal pride) or unbelief is sin. The slightest wrong or unfounded thought about an individual is sin. And yet GOD provides well for us. He never withdraws his blessing or support. We still get oxygen into our lungs for free, for instance. But they tell us to stop helping our son when he comes begging us for help because he hasn't set his life straight. GOD knows he is now trying to (and we're trying to help him see GOD's love and mercy) but is still confused about a lot of things. They refuse to help him even with the financial capability GOD has given them by HIS grace, just because they see my son still living a wrong life.

Who doesn't have a wrong life? Even those saved by grace and active in ministry (who look and sound spiritual) still live a wrong life when they unknowingly disobey GOD in certain things. Even David asked GOD to save him from his hidden sins.

"No one can see his own errors; deliver me, LORD, from hidden faults! Keep me safe, also, from wilful sins; don't let them rule over me. Then I shall be perfect and free from the evil of sin." [Psalm 19]

The Israelites in Egypt never asked GOD to forgive them (they didn't even pray for God's help). They simply cried out to no one in particular, not to HIM (nothing is said about their cry being directed to GOD), but just cried out in their anguish. We all do that. And yet when they groaned and cried, their cry was heard by GOD. Their cry and complaints simply "went up to God." In HIS mercy, GOD hears our desperate words we release aimlessly in the air. 

The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. [Exodus 2]

Churches sin against Jesus' Word big time. Jesus has clearly spelled out what proper prayer is and what doing righteous deeds should be. He said everything should be done in secret, being careful that we don't do any of our church ministries publicly "to be seen by men" but only by the Father. Everything in secret, and the Father who sees what is done in secret will reward us.

But churches, big and small, have failed in this big time. They do everything to be seen by men. They love to be seen praying in front of people. And yet GOD never ignores our needs despite our follish religiosity. Just because we haven't set our lives straight, doesn't mean GOD will stop all provisions. He may lessen or limit HIS blessings as a result of our churchy silliness, but HE will continue to bless.

Again, Jesus revealed in his prayer (John 17) about GOD's will, that all believers should be "completely united" as the Father and Son are one. And yet churches continue to be denominational or independent. Yet, GOD continues to give us grace and mercy, blessings and everything else. What if GOD were to use the same judgment on us, that unless we set everything straight the way HE wants it, He'd withdraw all support and blessings from us? We'd all instantly die. 

When we help our son with prayers, advices and finances we're not "supporting or financing his sin" or abetting his sin. When we're in sin and GOD continues to bless us, is HE abetting or financing our sin? When we continue to breathe air and get sunlight from GOD, is HE approving our sin? Despite our sins, GOD is faithful with HIS promises as our Father in heaven. And GOD's parenting principles should also be our parenting principles. As GOD enables us, we must help our erring sons and daughters. It's not our job to execute punishment to those who sin. That's GOD's job. 

I know, the bible says we shouldn't even eat with anyone who claims to be a brother but who sins. The context is about willful sexual immorality between two supposed believers in the Corinthian church, which the church was proud of. 

"It is reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud!"

My son has realized his sin and is not proud of it, and neither are we his parents. No one is proud of it. But, trying hard to be responsible for what he did, my son is now trying to make up for all the loss (and badly needs help), especially taking responsibility for his new GF that he got pregnant and for their baby who is recently born. He plans to be responsible for his other child, too, but is presently unable financially. He plans to marry his new GF and settle down and start having serious bible studies with me, along with his GF. He wants to be given a chance, not condemning lectures. 

Understandably, he insists (and prays hard for it) that he needs financial help first to settle a lot of debts and to start a new life. In his immaturity and confusion (what to be expected of any immature Christian) he thinks seeking money first is right and GOD will just be added to his life later---although he wants to set his spiritual life right soon and prays that GOD would help him fix his family life first, especially financially. That's how he sees it, and he's confused. He needs to be helped. The last thing he needs is to be trashed.

No doubt, my son wants to go back to the LORD and asks our (my wife and I) help. He's showed me how he wanted to put his life right with GOD again. Even Paul later shifted gears a bit and sounded merciful with a sinner who needed help with repentance (Paul probably came to his senses after his first harsh letter). 

The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. [2 Corinthians 2]

Not helping a believer who needs our help spiritually but is presently confused about his life, finances and the attitude of church people who trash him, means Satan has outwitted us. 

Continued here soon...

Loan Woes Start

Previously

So my eldest son decided to live with his new GF (despite our protest) somewhere in Mandaluyong, but he often asked our help. We explained to him that leaving us meant he was going independent of us and should work to sustain himself and his new GF. He did so. He tried a lot, according to him. But for some reason he had problems getting a job or staying in a job. So he often still asked for our help. We would ignore him for a while, but what could we do? I and my wife (especially her) now realize it's hard to ignore your child even if he or she is gravely in the wrong. Not that my son is a criminal, but he has done something very irresponsible (and offensive to GOD), especially the time he got his two GFs pregnant and now living with his second GF outside marriage (but they want to get married as soon as their problems lessen). I had sternly warned him before that if he got any of his GFs pregnant we wouldn't help in any way, so he better made sure that no pregnancy happened. But it happened, while we were in the US helping out in a church ministry that provided some allowance.

Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash.

I told him that was double stupidity. He should've learned from his first mistake of getting her first GF pregnant. It should have been a big lesson. But no, he did it again for the second time with his second GF. And this girl supposedly (sometimes I'm not sure if he's telling the truth) has heart problems that made her stop working and badly needed medical attention (according to him) so that he kept asking for our help for the medical treatments. Plus, he got her pregnant later. I kept asking GOD, what did I do wrong? I've been praying for my two kids since their infancy to be seriously devoted to GOD and His Word in HIS prophetic ways as they grew up, and my prayers were said every single day up to now. We exposed them to the Word each Sunday in church and during family devotions. But they just never showed serious interest in the Word or in GOD's presence. I don't want them just being active in church, that is garbage to me. I want them to be deeply serious about the Word of GOD and about His Presence, and in taking part in church, pursuing Jesus' glorious church, which is without spot or wrinkle or any blemish. This has been my prayer for them and my grandkids up to now.

Then my son took her new GF to a very expensive hospital known for being a hospital of the elite rich. I don't know why he took her there, even after we had strictly warned him not to. I told him we would not help if he insisted on taking her there. According to him, some friends cautioned them about taking her to a government hospital because a lot of people they knew died in government hospitals during child birth because of gross negligence. To cut it short, he took her there and incurred hundreds of thousands as bill because of cesarian birth---plus, they were held in the hospital for their inability to pay their bills. They were held there for 14 days against their will. 

A lot of people, even Christians, told us to disown him for the things he'd been doing, especially asking as money and getting almost everything we had worked hard for in the US. Indeed, he had used up almost 80 percent of it so that today we're in dire need of money for our own expenses. We're bankrupt, being so frugal even with our food expenses. Sometimes all we eat is small scrambled fried egg sliced into three---for me, my wife and youngest son who's in college and graduating next year. Sometimes I cook miswa soup with an egg drop. Sometimes, I fry three small fish. By the way, I'm the cook while trying to make a small living online and, by GOD's precious grace and mercy, my wife has been employed since August this year (2024) as school nurse in a neighborhhod grade and high school. She just walks for 3 minutes and she's at school. Thank GOD!!!

But the Word says that "while we were yet sinners (while we were downright EVIL and showed no sign of regret, remorse and repentance), Christ died for us. And HIS death is the greatest blessing of all. GOD never withheld that blessing even while we were unrepentant and kept sinning and loved the devil (or "married" to him). That's how GOD blesses people, even HIS church people, and that's the same blessings principle I and my wife are following. GOD blesses both the good and bad with their basic needs (HE makes the sun shine on both good and bad, as well as give them oxygen, rain, etc.) HE doesn't stop the blessings when we sin or even when we repeatedly sin. In HIS Sermon on the Mount, HE said "give to whoever asks from you." No ifs or buts. 

Because we cannot just ignore our eldest son and watch him succumb to poverty without extending any help to him, we give aid in any way we can until we find ourselves making loans for our own needs and for his. This started when we helped him and his new GF get out of the expensive hospital via a promisory note. We have to pay for the bill on a day decided by the hospital. My wife is a co-maker in the promisory and would face litigation with my eldest son if the payables (Php 280k) are not met. I'll discuss why we keep helping him in the next coming articles. I just want to put everything here so that one day my posterity would know why my wife and I did what we did for my eldest son. The loans started our bitter financial journey so that now we have some Php 500k plus loans from friends and a few lending agencies. Imagine, once upon a time excitedly praying for my sons to be anointed servants of GOD---my eldest as an apostlic servant and my youngest a prophetic servant---but then ending up like this. 

Continued here 

Wasted Flower Bouquet

Part 1 here.

My eldest began acting independently from us since his first GF dumped him, and according to her, their separation (or the dumping) was for good. She didn't like the way my son was too dependent on us, among other things. But the only reason he was dependent was his time taking care of their baby while she went to finish college. My son stopped school and also had no way of getting a job at the time. But, she didn't see that, and perhaps my son also didn't see some things that he should've seen. But his point was that, he sacrificed a lot to make their relationship and future work. 

I'm aware my son has lots of weaknesses and faults and foibles, but these things are not excuses for her to dump him,especially when they already have a child. Bringing that child into this world was both their own decision and they should both take responsibility, accepting each other's negative attitudes. There's no justification for separation (or not going through their marriage) just because they no longer can stand each other. Both of them shouldn't have been selfish but should've prioritized the future of their child. All children need responsible parents to grow up properly. That's how GOD designed it.

Probably this was why my son packed up and left home because he wanted to show her that he could make it on his own without his parents. Anyway, he didn't leave us at once. We enjoyed his company about a month or so at home after the official breakup, and we talked a lot and I tried to comfort him. He told me that his GF's mom wanted him to apologize for things that he didn't see needed any apology for. Like how he disapproved the mom's idea of pretending in public that the GF was her sister and their baby was the mom's own son. Another was that my son should apologize for protesting aggressively about the abortion idea of her mom---the mom had wanted the baby aborted when my son's GF was newly pregnant with their baby. Of course, my son had to disapprove of that, but the GF's mom was offended and wanted him to apologize for it. 

Because my son didn't apologize (though still respectful the best he could be), his GF decided to dump him for good because, according to her (as my son had told me), nothing would work out for both of them if he could not apologize to her mom. This was when my son started "courting" her again for 7 years, trying to make her see that they should continue their relationship and get it to married status, but she simply refused. For 7 years, my son tried to make things work for them. Finally on that day of the 7th year when he brought her a bouquet of flowers, his GF decided to disconnect from him for good, saying she and the baby didnt need my son, and they could get along well without him. At this time, the GF had graduated from college and got a job and I think it was a good-paying job. I saw the hurt in my son's face when she told him that he was not needed anymore. He brought the flowers back home, and when I asked about them, he said they were not important anymore, and threw them in the trash can. That's when he told me the whole story--that he and his GF had not been in good terms for 7 years and that day she dumped him. I was shocked because all along I thought they were planning for their wedding. I'd never forget the expression on my son's face although he kept his cool. 

After that, some weeks after, my son started talking about another girl who had been "courting" him and waiting to see what would come of my son's relationship with his former GF. When this girl learned that they had broken up, she started wooing my son. After some days, my son bought the idea and gave this new girl an engagement ring. More days after, according to my son, he's never felt so loved by a girl before. I asked if he was sure of this new girl and he strongly confirmed it. But my suspicion was that he was rebelling in some way against his former GF, showing her that he could easily dump her, too. 

I asked about his child with his former GF. He said he'd always care for his boy and support him when he's able to get a job and make enough money. I told him to make sure he doesn't neglect my grandson because I'll never forgive him for it. I also decided to myself that, because he and his former GF were not married anyway, he could freely decide to choose another girl and marry her. 

But I told him that in GOD's eyes, he and his former GF was already one flesh because of their sexual act. In the bible, sexual intercourse made a couple one flesh, not really the wedding ritual. This is why the bible says you cannot join yourself to a prostitute because you will be one flesh with her. And this talks about having sexual intercouse with a prostitute, not marrying one, because theres's nothing wrong with marrying a former prostitute--or a prostitute for that matter, as in the case of Hosea and Gomer, when GOD commanded this prophet to marry Gomer the prostitute. 

And what about my grandson? This will make him a victim of a broken family, which he doesn't deserve one bit. Young as he was (about 3 yrs old at the time when I took care of him), he always told us how "family is important to me." And then this. I don't know how my dear grandsom would take this, and it's nothing of his fault but both his parents'. Why does he have to suffer for his parents' misdeeds? My heart deeply cries for him. 

This new girl that my son later befriended is a vlogger and has a good number of followers, and made good money from it before. She also is supposed to be some kind of a model. But unfortunately, she developed a heart condition that made her stop working and couldn't live by herself. BTW, she lives alone with no more parents and her relatives are against her for some reason although they asked a lot of financial favors from her before because she made good money out her job. But now that she's sick and unable to work, they wanted to kick her out of their family compound in Mandaluyong. This was the time my son decided to live with her to take good care of her. He cooked, washed clothes, bought food from the wet market, and did everything for her. Against our will, he left home and started living with his new GF, although he frequently asked money from us. This was maybe 4 or 5 years ago. And this started people judging us as bad parents. And this started our difficult journey.

Continued here...

Long Time No Write: How's Everything?

My last enttry was on February 21, 2017. Some 8 years ago. I almost lost track of this blog, forgot the email and password. But thank GOD I remembered and had the urge to write here again. I still struggle a lot, and when I do I feel like writing. I have other blogs but they're inspirational. I needed something where I could pour out the bitterness of my heart. And then I remembered Lil Job.

Bitterness? It seems inappropriate to have inspirational blogs and ebooks but have bitterness in your soul. Well, even Job had bitterness and frustrations. A lot of Psalms in the bible are about bitterness. Paul pleaded or "begged" about his thorn in the flesh three times. And Jesus cried his feeling of abandonment on the cross. You can be inspirational and yet aggrieved or resentful. And you need to pour out your heart somewhere, some way. Sometime.

Jesus poured his lots of times.

Anyway, I still struggle a lot from heaviess of heart and the madness of trials and difficulties, all amid moments of inspiration and joy. I still wonder why hardships need to come, although I know why. Yet I wonder. Severe trials, they say, are given for good reasons--to grow you, strengthen you, make you mature, make you lean more on GOD, make you humble, make you realize things, etc. But I think all these can be possible without severe trials that make you lose faith, lose your mind and want to give up than grow in faith. Nothing is impossible with GOD, and I believe he can help you with everything without making you suffer first.

Jesus did say that picking up our cross daily is a must. I understand that, but what I cannot understand is continuous suffering that seems meaningless, and you're given only some lull moments before another storm is sent your way. And then you're given scant blessings. They say count your blessings and you will have no more time to think of your problems. But I need to be honest. I don't want to tell lies and I'm tired of denying what's really happening in real life. There's really scant or little blessings and this has been so for the past many years, even decades.

With spiritual blessings, I can't count the blessings with their large numbers. I am so blessed. Meditating one verse pours lots of revelation on me, like the gate valve of a huge dam has been opened. The floodgates of heaven bursts out wisdom, and I'm talking of radical and unusual revelations that I haven't heard of before. This is why I find no one on earth (so far) I can have myself discipled or mentored because when I listen to them they all just say the same things being said decades ago. Nothing new. 

Worse, they just say smart, earthly things in ministry. Nothing more. Boring. I hate earthly smart.

When somethng is alive and growing it should bear new fruits in season, not bear the same old fruit for all time which age has rendered wrinkled dry and rotten. Even religious posts on FB are all just the same year in and year out, as if the bible has nothing more to say than the usual. Sunday sermons are the same. You know what really bores me? Sermons that use acronyms. They bore me to death. They say it makes people remember details easily. Maybe. But they do nothing but bore me. Anyway, Jesus or the apostles or prophets didn't use acronyms. 

My latest trial is my eldest son. I don't know what happened, but since he was a baby I had been praying for him, especially that GOD would call him to a powerful apostolic ministry, the kind you see in the Gospel and Book of Acts. I did that every day and exposed him to the WORD, he and his younger brother. But they both grew up without deep love for the Word and serious panting for GOD's presence. Today, my eldest gives me serious problems. He respects me and tries to be good, but he gets himself into troubles and affects us (I and my wife) and our ministry. 

About 10 years ago he got his GF pregnant and I urged them to get married. I don't believe in forcing people to do something for GOD. I want them to act willingly and through a revelation to them. I prayed for them and urged them about marriage. He told me they were planning for it and both wanted to finish their studies first. My son took good care of their child while the girl pursued her studies. They lived separately because they were not yet married. He assured me their relationship was stable and they were both enriching it. I thought it was like that all the time.

But after 7 years he told me her GF dumped him due to some serious misunderstandings and the girl wanted him out of her life for good. But my son disguised that day as a final day for discussing their wedding. He told me he'd visit his GF to bring her flowers because it was their anniversary and wedding planning. He even showed me the flowers and asked if the bouquet looked good enough. I said yes excitedly. But later, when he returned home, he looked so heavy-hearted. He told me the whole story. It was supposed to be the last day that he'd try to convince the girl to continue their relationship, but the girl turned him down, for good. 

Since then, my son changed and the problems started. 

Continued here...

Communication in Miscommunication, and Vice Versa

Dreamstime

It's amazing how people can communicate with each other through a lot of ways today. Through email, texts, FB posts, social media, Skype, and whatever else technology has made possible. And yet, there's gross failure of communication. You see most people not communicating as they communicate.

They agree, but they mean different things. They think they're talking of the same thing, but they're not. But at least, you see them agreeing even if they don't really see eye to eye.

One guy said he wanted to be in the company of good people. The other guy agreed. They seemed to mean the same thing until later you see how the first guy meant that he wanted to be with people who always agreed with him, who always bowed down to him. To him, such people were "good." They were "real" friends.

But the second guy meant something else. He wanted to be with people who were considerate. He wanted people who did not just sought after their own interests but the interests of others, too. So, you see these two guys later having conflicts, although at the outset, they had agreed on loving the company of "good" people.

I see this more pronounced when talking with denominational Christians. When I say we have to love and pray for "the church,"---and what I mean by that is the universal church of Jesus Christ, the body of true believers worldwide---denominational Christians would agree with me. Even with a resounding "AMEN!" But then I'd see how they mean something else altogether.

In their minds, "the church" or "body of Christ" is their denominational church. There can be no other church. Other churches are just congregations of believers who are "lost"---lost until they attend their church denomination.

When you say it's important to go to church to worship God, they'd agree with you. But then, it means you'd have to attend their church. If you say you attend another church on Sundays, they won't think you are really doing church. They'd still insist that you attend their church---because they feel that only in their church can people really do church.

When you say we should love one another, they'd agree with you. But that means you should love them. You should look after their needs, make them feel happy and cared for, and understand them. You should go along with their plans. If you don't, it means you don't believe in loving one another. You don't love them.

In one case, I was even accused of harboring bitterness, hatred and animosity---just because I turned down one guy's invitation to be a member of his church. I was pastoring a church the Lord entrusted to me, so how could I be a member of his church?

"You don't have love," he said.

People often define words in ways that favor them, especially those with narrow minds and ulterior selfish motives. They always use words to support their interests, without any consideration about other's interests. So, if you discuss about something, to him it's always "It's about me!"

For instance, they may ask if you believe in peace. If you say you do, they'd say, "Then you have to agree with me so we can have peace---if you really believe in peace."

Manipulators and controllers.

That's why I always try to see how the mind of a person I'm talking to works. Because often, people's minds are thwarted and twisted, even the minds of church people (or perhaps I should say especially of church people).

Recently, I was talking to a guy who believed God called him to lead church people to a deeper experience with the Lord. He had a noble intention, but he planned to do it by infiltrating churches and gradually re-defining their doctrines and swerve them to the "correct" one.

I told him he couldn't do that. Denominational people will stick to their denominational doctrines even if they see how their doctrines oppose the Word of God. They opt to be blinded by their doctrines. Why not instead, start your own, I said. Start your own bible studies.

But earlier, we had agreed how every teaching in the bible should be obeyed by the church. No doctrine should eliminate or declare obsolete or reject any part of the bible. He had agreed enthusiastically. But then, he was thinking of another way to make this happen, and his method was not supported by the bible. The bible says we should submit to the authorities, and that includes church authority.

If you can't submit to a church authority and plan to go against it, you should get out and look for another church.

And then later, he invited me to a "couples fellowship night." It turned out later to be a Valentines fellowship. I laughed. I said I didn't go to fellowships that had pagan origins. I mean, didn't we just agree that all the teachings in the bible should be honored? Then why this pagan and demonic Valentines fellowship?

He laughed and said he also didn't believe in pagan derived programs. But anyway, this one's evangelistic in purpose, he reasoned. He wanted more souls saved for Jesus.

You see, a lot of churches and Christians would agree with me and even shout "Amen!" if I said we had to share the Gospel with unbelievers. You think you are communicating well with these people. But then, you'd see later that there was nothing that went on between you really except miscommunication. You meant one thing and they meant entirely another thing.

How can there be one body in Christ with this kind of miscommunication? How can they agree in prayer? How can they agree on one faith, one baptism, and one Lord?

Be careful. People will often mean something else when they use words you think you share with them in meaning. You have to have the gift of discernment from the Holy Spirit to see how the minds of folks you're talking with work.

You may think you and the guy you're talking with are referring to the same thing. But actually, you're in two very different worlds or dimensions. Don't be caught in the trap.