I love food!

I love food and so the preparation of it. Here are some of my simple, some healthy, home-made specialties...

Ampalaya with egg & tuna partnered with mixed fruits

Laswa (tinolang okra, squash, eggplant & saluyot) partnered with fried fish

Steamed sayote, fresh raw carrot, raw bell pepper & boiled egg

Banana blossom salad

Grilled Salmon with lettuce, tomatoes & ring onions

Ginataang Pinakbet

Steamed Crabs partenered with Mustard Salad

Ensalsadang Langka

Mixed Veggies with hotdog

Ginataang Labong, Talbos ng Sayote Salad, Adobong Takway

Green Shell soup & Ginisang Kalabasa with Alogbate

My favorite Adobong Tangkay ng Gabi partnered with pork chop & Talbos ng Sayote Salad

Cooking is indeed an art. You can explore whatever you want to satisfy your tastebuds and your stomach. 

Lessons from the Book of Jonah

What a beautiful creation to my sight! This nature reminds me of His mighty hands as I spend time with Him every time I'm at Charis School where Dana is studying. 

Today, I'm focussing on the Book of Jonah.

In Chapter 1, it talks about the Lord's commission & Jonah's disobedience. 

Jonah 1: 1 The Lord said to Jonah son of Amittai, 2 "Go immediately to Nineveh, that large capital city, and announce judgment against its people because their wickedness has come to my attention." 3 Instead, Jonah immediately headed off to Tarshish to escape from the commission of the Lord.

The Consequence? 

The Lord hurled a powerful wind on the sea so that the ship, where Jonah was, was threatened to break up! 

Jonah was thrown into the deep sea. 

In chapter 2, we could read in the story that God sent a big fish to swallow Jonah and bring him to the land after he repented of his disobedience to the Lord. 

Jonah 2: 1 (1:17) The Lord sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish 2 and said, "I called out to the Lord from my distress, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help, and you heard my prayer. 3 You threw me into the deep waters, into the middle of the sea; the ocean current engulfed me; all the mighty waves you sent swept over me.

Jonah confessed to the Lord.

The Comfort?

The Lord used the huge fish to swallow Jonah and commanded it to discharge Jonah to the dry land.

In the next chapter, the Lord commanded Jonah once more to go to Nineveh.

Jonah 3: 1 The Lord said to Jonah a second time, 2 "Go immediately to Nineveh, that large city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." 3 So Jonah went immediately to Nineveh, as the Lord had said. 

Jonah obeyed. The people of Nineveh believed in God.

The Compassion? 

God relented concerning the judgment he had threatened them with and he did not destroy them.

And yet in chapter 4, Jonah was displeased with what the Lord did to the people of Nineveh. 

Jonah 4: 1 This displeased Jonah terribly and he became very angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, "Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish! - because I knew that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment. 3 So now, Lord, kill me instead, because I would rather die than live!" 

God taught Jonah another lesson.

The Conclusion? 

God is concerned of every person of Nineveh to repent and turn their ways to God. 

"Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than one hundred twenty thousand people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals!" -Jonah 4:11

This made me reflect some more. Yes, God has called me to a personal relationship with Him by putting my trust in Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior (John 1:12). That was His primary calling for me. He also called me to help fulfill His Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). I'm not exempted like Jonah who was commissioned by Him to go to Nineveh.

At times, and many times, I also disobey God in His commandments that brought consequences in my life and those people around me. I praise God for His loving, compassionate heart to forgive his people no matter what. Jonah wasn't able to appreciate it but dwelt on his disappointments and anger. 

 

God was dealing with Jonah's heart to have compassion and love. 

This is the prayer of my heart as well. How about you? 

What Does Success Look Like To You?

As Christians, we are not exempted to help fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus commanded His disciples and all the believers to go and make disciples of all the nations. 

The Great Commission:

Matthew 28:  "18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Now, we want to experience success in all that we do as we pursue His calling for us to go and make disciples. Isn't it?

But how do we really view success in life and ministry? 

Is it having a beautiful family of our own? No worries, no regrets? Having all our needs and wants met? 

Is it about a flourishing personal ministry? 

What does the bible say about success? 

In the book of Joshua chapter 1, it says, "5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone. 6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. 7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do. 8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. 

Success is OBEDIENCE in God! 

In John 15, it is written, "1 "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3 You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me - and I in him - bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing."

Success is ABIDING in Christ.

As we obey God, we are encouraged to abide in Christ for apart from Him, we are nothing. As we abide in Him, He will enable us to bear much, much fruit. Fruits that will last for eternity. 

What are these fruits?

1. Internal Fruit:  Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

2. External Fruit: Ministry Fruitfulness (multiplying disciples)

John 15: 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me - and I in him - bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.

God gives us the power for life & ministry. When Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, He promised to be with us. Our part is to OBEY Him and to ABIDE (remain) in Christ. God also promised that we will bear much fruit if we remain in Him. We simply have to step out in faith and trust Him. It is His responsibility to produce fruits out of our obedience.

So because He commanded us to go and make disciples, our response should be to simply take the initiative to share Christ to others in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. We should likewise take the initiative to follow up new believers for further involvement to know Christ and to make Him known to others so that they too can participate in His work of helping to fulfill the Great Commission. Thus, spiritual multiplication will take place. "And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well. -2 Timothy 2:2"

Let's persevere. Let's not give up even when at times it seems that nothing is happening in our personal ministry. It requires focus, discipline & hard work like a soldier, an athlete and a farmer.  

2Tim 2 says it all, " 3 Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops."

 

Success is WALKING in the Spirit

We cannot do this on our own effort. We need to acknowledge His power available for us. God gives us a lot of power through the Holy Spirit. If we stay filled. How? http://www.cru.org/training-and-growth/classics/transferable-concepts/be-filled-with-the-holy-spirit/04-what-does-it-mean-to-be-filled.htm

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth." -Acts 1:8

What are some examples you have seen of God providing supernatural power?

I had this unforgettable witnessing experience. I was attending a funeral service of a college classmate. Her relative approached me and asked if I could pray prayer number 4

for the dead. It was against my conviction but I didn't had the courage to say no too. So I asked her, "May I see the flow of your program?" I was literally trembling because I knew that the Holy Spirit was prompting me to share the gospel to those who were attending the funeral service. I felt a huge challenge. I was so uncomfortable. People of different ages were there. Wealthy. Simple. Young. Old. Yet, the Spirit's prompting was clear. People are lost without Christ. This was a great opportunity: Facing the reality of  death and our assurance to be with God in eternity. By faith, I asked God to fill me with the Holy Spirit once again, to direct my life and use me - especially that night to share His message. Without hesitation, I asked the woman who approached me for prayer for the dead. I asked her of the flow of the program. And yes, God gave me wisdom on how to handle the situation. I saw a Testimony part on the program and so, I volunteered to take that part instead of prayer for the dead. I was glad they agreed with me. And here's what happened...

When it was my turn to share, I started by saying, "_______ was my classmate in college. I'm sure she is now enjoying in God's presence. You know why? She asked me one time, 'Nalds, what are you sharing with some students. Can you share it with me?' I shared with her about the Four Spiritual Laws."

To make this long story short, I was able to transition that testimony to gospel presentation from 1 John 5: "11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life."

I led them to a prayer to receive Christ in their lives to be their Lord and Savior by faith. 

It was a beautiful experience with God. What a beautiful sight to behold a crowd bowing their heads, praying to Jesus to be the God of their lives.

What about you? What are some examples you have seen of God providing supernatural power as we obey God, abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit? 

This is SUCCESS! Obeying God. Abiding in Christ. Walking in the Spirit. 

Connecting with the Students

Here are the simple connecting conversations we had this afternoon as we initiated to share the gospel with Ivan, Daniel & Randolph on separate situations: 

What time will your class start? Would you have about 20 minutes to hear about the Four Spiritual Laws? Have you heard about it?

What is your course? I'm ______. And you are? We have been sharing this booklet to the students and getting their feedback afterwards, could we have 20 minutes of your time?

Bro, we have been sharing this booklet to the students here. The message of this booklet has been meaningful in my life, would you be interested to know why? 

       

Ivan prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Daniel had to go when we reached up to law 3 of the booklet. Randolph prayed to receive Jesus too, and expressed to share the booklet to his girlfriend. 

Why Ask Individuals to Partner in the Ministry?

The principle behind asking for more individuals to partner in the ministry through prayers and finances is that, many people will be involved in the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) through Spiritual Multiplication (2Tim 2:2) in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). 

It is not begging nor sending a message to them that they should pity us, missionaries. It's a joy and privilege to know people on their journey with God and help them invest for something that lasts for eternity. It's about giving them an opportunity to be blessed by God. The bible says, "By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" -Acts 20:35

For sure, there are a lot of Christians out there who have been blessed by God to be a good steward of His resources to bless His work. Let's therefore work hand in hand, tapping these resources for the expansion of His Kingdom here on Earth. 

It is also true that, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So when we give to the missions, we would really pray for it because we invest on it. Our heart is there too. Read more here http://naldsganaba.blogspot.com/2014/05/treasure.html

Watch this video and  be encouraged how the locals were blessed because of their generosity. 

http://vimeo.com/generousgiving/review/32346180/961cfe7149

May we be motivated to continually give and help others have an opportunity to give to the Lord's work. 

"Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive." -Luke 6:38

Inside the Walls of Intramuros

It's a joy to be with our Mapua team in Intramuros this afternoon. Marco heard the gospel and received Jesus as Lord & Savior, by faith. He said that he will share the booklet (Four Spiritual Laws) to his girlfriend by tomorrow. Jonathan (our co-staff) will meet him on Friday for follow-up. While Jonathan shared the gospel to Marco, Eric and Jay observed and interceded. 

      Jon sharing the gospel to Marco

                    Eric & Jay

It's true that the harvest is ripe. We simply need to do our part sharing the gospel to those who need to hear it so that they too will know about God's love and plan for their lives. Let's also pray for God to raise up more laborers in the harvest field. Let's pray that those who heard the message will become His disciples who will, in turn, make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

Matthew 9: Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest."

Dana in her first new uniform

Time flies swiftly! Dana is on her kinder 2 already! Her class starts at 7:30am everyday at Charis School of Marikina. There are 10 of them in the morning class.

She is excited for her first new uniform after two weeks of waiting. She looks beautiful!