The Guidelines in the Scriptures for Christians to be Victorious

4/27/2019 22 Comments

Definition of Christianity in the Bible

I often say that not all who profess to be Christians are truly Christians. And for the nth time, I say it again: not all who claim to be Christians are really Christians; not all who call themselves Christians are Christians in the truest sense of the word.

The root word of the word Christian is “Christ,” and Christ is the leader of Christianity. So, a Christian means a follower of Christ. Therefore, if we are Christians we have to be followers of Christ. But, who are the people whom the Bible refers to as Christians?

ACTS 11:26 (KJV) says,

And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Christians are the people in the Church who were taught the teachings of Christ. You have to be taught thoroughly and rigorously of all the doctrines and commandments of Christ to be a Christian. It should be all. Do all of those who call themselves as Christians abide by all the doctrines and commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ? Had they been thoroughly taught all of His doctrines? An example of the doctrines of Christ is written in 1 TIMOTHY 2:9-10 (KJV).

9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

In the Modern King James Version, 1 Timothy 2:9 was worded as:

In the same way also, I desire that women adorn themselves in decent clothing, with modesty and sensibleness, not adorned with braiding, or gold, or pearls, or costly clothing,

That is what Christian women must do. But look around you. Do you see women wearing decent clothing or are they practically baring their body to the public? Are they Christians? Do they deserve to be called Christians?

By the apparel alone you could already determine who are the real Christians and who are not.

If you are a Christian, there are struggles that you would have to face. What struggles are these?

2 TIMOTHY 3:12 (KJV) says,

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

If you are a Christian, you are bound to suffer from persecutions. That is inevitable. What kind of persecution does a Christian have to endure and struggle from?

MATTHEW 5:11 (KJV) says,

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Why will they treat Christians that way? Why will they persecute and revile us? Why will they say evil things against us? Have we done them any wrong?

1 PETER 4:3-4 (KJV) says,

3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

The Revised Standard Version rendered 1 PETER 4:3-4 as:

3 Let the time that is past suffice for doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.
4 They are surprised that you do not now join them in the same wild profligacy, and they abuse you;

The reason why they revile Christians is because we no longer join them in the kind of activities that they are engaged in. We are no longer like them who are drunkards and idol worshippers that is why they speak of evil things against us.

That is most likely the fate of every Christian — he will be persecuted by non-Christians, by drunkards, by criminals, by the ungodly men. Why? Simply because we are no longer like them, and we do not belong to their world anymore.

JOHN 15:19-20 (KJV) says,

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

So what are we going to do in order to be victorious in our struggles as Christians?

HEBREWS 3:6 (KJV) says,

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

All we have to do is to hold on firmly to the hope and confidence that we have in God and in Christ. Let us stick to that hope because that will save our souls.

HEBREWS 6:19 (KJV)

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

The hope that we have as Christians is not with the people that live on earth. Our hope is that God will resurrect us and save us come judgment day. The only religion whose leader had shown hope is Christianity. Our leader died on the cross but, after three days, He resurrected to give us hope, and because of that hope, we must struggle unceasingly to endure up to the end.

You do not have to guess, you do not have to be double-minded, you do not have to doubt, because the hope that was given by Christ to His disciples is that, after death, there will be a resurrection. And on that resurrection, all the good things that we had done and all the sufferings we had endured would be rewarded by our Lord. We have to keep that hope until the end, and having that hope will keep us whole.

1 JOHN 3:3 (KJV) says,

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Those men who do not purify themselves and do evil things instead are without hope. Christians have something very important in them, and that is the hope in Christ. Having that hope, we have to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, which is one of the hallmarks of a true religion. Let us not learn the ways of the world, let us stay away from the lusts and desires of the world. Let us purify ourselves; let us continue with the purification process that was started by our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us hold on firmly to that hope as Christians that even if we die, our Lord Jesus Christ will come again and resurrect us.

Aside from the hope in us, what else?

TITUS 2:11-13 (KJV) says,

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

These are the guidelines for Christians to follow: hold on to that hope; purify yourself; do not live with the lust of the world; continue as a disciple; and look unto that blessed hope in the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.

22 Comments:

Praying on Bended Knees

4/20/2019 27 Comments

The Effective Way of Praying to God

All people who believe in God always pray to God. And our prayers are prompted by different reasons and different circumstances. We pray for His guidance and protection, for good health, for blessings, for His forgiveness, and many more.

There are instances that we pray together with the congregation, and in such occasions, we say our prayers aloud. But most of the time, we pray to God alone. Here, we do not say our prayers aloud but we do it silently.

But how should we pray to God rightfully? If you are praying alone, the Lord Jesus Christ gave a recommendation on how to do it.

MATTHEW 6:5-6 (KJV) says,

5 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.
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.

When praying alone, it is better that you pray secretly and unnoticed. The Father does not want us to display ourselves in public while praying, like what the Catholics and other hypocrites are doing. They pray just to show the people that they are praying to God. Theirs is a mere display of superficial piety. They just want to appear holy in the eyes of people who see them. But the Lord Jesus Christ admonished the Christians to “pray unto thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

How can you pray in secret? Go to a place where nobody can see you praying, and pray to the Father in secret. Pray without uttering a word. How? According to the Apostle Paul, in 1 CORINTHIANS 14:15 (RSV),

What am I to do? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

If you pray with your mind, nobody would hear what you are telling God so nobody, not even satan, could interfere. Satan does not see the heart and the mind of man; things that are in the heart and mind of man are unknown to satan. Only the Lord knows what’s in our heart and in our mind.

JEREMIAH 17:9-10 (KJV) says,

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

If you pray with your mind, it would just be a private matter between you and God; only He knows what you are asking for. So satan would not be able to interfere with your supplications. He wouldn’t be able to hinder also the good things that the Father will give you if He is to answer or grant your prayers.

The proper way of praying, if you are doing it alone, is to pray in secret. You do not have to say a word; you don’t have to speak out what’s in your heart and mind because the Father knows the things inside you, even if they are unspoken, or even if you find difficulty in verbalizing them. ROMANS 8:26 (KJV) says,

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

There are groanings that cannot be expressed in words but the Spirit intercedes for us to the Father. The Father knows everything that we need, even if we are not able to express it in words. Our hearts and our minds can be connected to the Father through the intercession of the Holy Spirit of God.

Now, what should be our position in praying?

MATTHEW 26:39 (KJV) says,

And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

When the Lord Jesus Christ prayed, He fell on his face. This is what the Catholics and the Protestants do not practice – they do not follow the manner by which our Lord Jesus Christ prayed. Biblically speaking, to kneel down is to bow down one’s head to the ground, prostrating oneself in a horizontal position. It is not the usual bending of knees in 90 degrees, like how the Catholics and other Protestant churches do. Instead, it should be with bended knees, you will prostrate yourself with your face facing the ground.

Other important pointers when praying are given in 1 CORINTHIANS 11:4-5 (KJV), which says,

4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

A man is dishonoring his head if he is praying with his head covered. Just like the Indians or the Hindus whose heads are covered with turbans. So, a man should not cover his head when praying.

How about the women?

5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

As for the women, when she prays she must cover her head. In order for a woman not to dishonor her head, she needs to cover it whenever she is praying.

Of course, the “cover” being referred to in the verse does not refer to the literal covering for the head like the multi-colored veils worn by Catholic women on their heads. It refers to something spiritual and something that is very profound which I intend to elaborate on, not in this article, but in the articles to come. God bless!

27 Comments:

Pieces of Evidence that Debunk the Idea of Trinity as a Christian Doctrine

4/13/2019 10 Comments

The Authority of the Father Son and Holy Ghost

Many present-day pastors of different religions teach that God the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have the same authority.


That is not true! That is not biblical!

Let me reiterate that my belief is based on the Bible, and the Bible tells us that they are not of the same authority. 1 Corinthians 11:3 says,

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

The head of Christ is God. So God is higher than Christ. In an ordinary setting, a father is higher than his son; the authority of the father is greater than the son’s. The contention of some people is that the son attains the same authority as the father when the father dies. That may possibly be true among humans, among mortals. But the point is, the Father of Jesus Christ did not die, and He will never die because He is immortal. So, He will forever remain the Father, and Jesus will always remain the Son; and the Father will always be higher than the Son.

I am not degrading the Son; I believe in the Son. But I want you to consider what the Son said about His and His Father’s greatness. John 14:28 says,

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

No other declaration could be clearer than the one coming from the Son Himself. He said, my Father is greater than I. How will you contest that statement? How dare the Oneness group say that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all the same? Even the Holy Spirit is not greater than the Father; the Holy Spirit is also under the power of the Father. Why do I say that? It is because the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son, can send the Holy Spirit. And according to our Lord Jesus Christ, the one sending is greater than he who is sent. John 13:16 says,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him

The Lord Jesus Christ was sent by the Father. If He was sent, does that make Him greater or equal to the Father who sent Him? Of course not! As mentioned in the verse, the one sending is greater than the one being sent. The Holy Spirit is also being sent by the Father. So, what does it imply? The Father is greater than the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul likewise testified that the Father is the highest authority of all.

1 Corinthians 15:24-28 says,

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

When the end comes, after the Son had put down all rule and authority and power, after He had vanquished all enemies, and the last of which is death, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God the Father. This means that the Son will be under the authority of the Father. Therefore, They are not the same in authority.

In fact, there are things which belong only to the Father. Acts 1:7 says,

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

That was the answer given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the apostles when they asked Him, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? So, the time and season are under the sole power of God the Father. It was not given to our Lord Jesus Christ to appoint times or seasons. It belongs only to God.

Even the next coming of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth is not known to Him. He said, No one knoweth except the Father only. Christ is not privy to the day or hour of His coming. It is only the Father who knows that.

I hope that the verses cited are more than enough to prove that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not the same in authority.

10 Comments:

The Prophecies That Ascertain Whom God Will Pick as His Messenger

4/05/2019 9 Comments

Prophecies About The Real Messenger of God


I SAMUEL 16:7-8 (KJV)
7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

Many people, especially those who regard themselves as superior than others, or their race as superior than other races, find it difficult to accept the fact that God would choose an ordinary man, from an inferior race, to become His messenger. To be more specific about it, they couldn’t believe that God would pick a Filipino to be His messenger.

Actually, messengers of God are people whom you wouldn’t expect would be chosen by God. God’s standards in choosing are different from human standards. Anybody, regardless of his race, could be a messenger of God because He is not a respecter of persons. As written in Acts 10:34,

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

If you know the God of the Bible, you would not question Him. Nobody dictates to Him and nobody should question Him. He could pick an American, or an Australian, or an Italian, or a British, or a German, or anybody as His messenger. It doesn’t matter whatever his nationality is. God may pick from any nation and make him His messenger but, of course, with specific provisions. As written in Acts 10:35,

But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

I believe this particular verse is enough to answer people who are asking if I qualify to be God’s messenger. I do not have to glorify myself; all I have to do is read what the Bible says.

According to the verse, in every nation he that feareth him. That is one of the provisions, he must be God-fearing. If there is one thing I can assure you of, it is I fear God. Another provision is, and worketh righteousness. That is exactly what I am doing, I work righteousness; I do what God is telling me to do. All my life, I have tried and persevered to work righteousness. Apparently, I may pass the requirements in becoming God’s messenger.

However, there are biblical prophecies that would disqualify Americans to become God’s messenger. I am not insulting the Americans and the American nation but if you are going to respect the prophecies in the Bible, salvation will start from the East, making the easterners qualified. And I am from the East!

Malachi 1:11 says,

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

This prophecy made reference to the heathen, not to the Jews. It is for the Gentiles. Gentiles are nations outside of Israel.

The Bible is telling us of a sequence of events, from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; So, the preaching of how great the name of the Lord God is will not come from Israel but from the East, from where the sun rises. The heralding of the greatness of the name of the Lord will start from the East.

Zechariah 8:7 has a collateral prophecy,

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;

The verse clearly states that salvation will start from the East. Another collateral prophecy is in Isaiah 24:15 which says,

Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

The Philippines is comprised of isles - isles of the sea, coastlands of the sea. And there is no country in the East like the Philippines in terms of people’s belief in the name of the Lord God of Israel. In our particular side of the globe, in countries like China, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, India, the name of the Lord God of Israel is not popular. They do not glorify the name of the Lord God but instead, praise other names — such as Buddha, Shinto, Confucius, and many others. It is only in the Philippines that the Lord God is glorified. Although the Philippines is not exclusively a Christian nation, because other Filipinos practice other religions, the fact remains that there are people in the Philippines who glorify the name of the Lord God of Israel. And I can humbly claim that it is our congregation that does that.

The prophecies tell us that there would be a messenger of God from the East precisely because the name of the Lord God would not be proclaimed among the Gentiles if there would be no messenger.

I believe that in the Philippines somebody will qualify to be God’s messenger! I am from the East, from the Philippines, and I am preaching the glory of the God of Israel. But I do not want to exalt myself, nor would I make any claim that I am somebody special. I am nothing. But very clearly the Philippines qualifies to be a place where God’s messenger would come from, because it is in the East that the work of salvation will start in the last days.

9 Comments: