Seems Yesterday

Since the opening of her class, I would bring Dana to school as early as 7am.  

It seems yesterday when we dedicated her to the Lord. Now, she is in Kinder 2. It seems yesterday when we also heeded God's call for the Great Commission through the ministry of Campus Crusade. Now, God is enabling us to cross boarders and be part of His business of changing lives across the globe. We have been blessed by GOD through the faithful ministry partners he raised up for us. What a privilege! 

We are ETERNALLY GRATEFUL. Our hearts sing for joy. No matter how hard our circumstances at times are, His word in James 1 holds so true.

It says: 2 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials,

3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.

6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind.

7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8 since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways.

9 Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position.

10 But the rich person's pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow.

11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away.

12 Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him.

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.

14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.

15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.

16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters.

17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.

18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Digging into God's Word

Digging into God's word this morning on Jeremiah 9, led me to some insightful thoughts.

The prophet, Jeremiah mourned for the nation of Israel because the Babylonian army had to come and attack to destroy the city. Very soon. God chose to punish the people of Jerusalem by sending the Babylonian army against them so that they will come to repentance. These people were deceitful and always lied to one another.

Jeremiah 9: 23 The Lord says, "Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich.

24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth and that I desire people to do these things," says the Lord.

We are living in this world that is full of lies. We glorify ourselves by telling lies. We boast to exalt ourselves while putting down the others. We fight with each other. God hates these attitudes & actions like what the people of Jerusalem had experienced. And they were punished.

As Christians (God's children through a personal relationship with Jesus), we can help influence our nation for good, giving glory to our God. We need to:

1. Pursue a growing relationship with God in our lives through a daily reading of His word like what the Bereans did in Acts 17: "10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea at once, during the night. When they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

11 These Jews were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so."

2. Humble ourselves before God and men. Let's think others better than ourselves. "Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself." -Philippians 2:3

3. Encourage one another as Hebrews 10:24-25 stated, "24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works,

25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near."

4. Pray continually for our leaders, and our countrymen. "Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and  supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making  supplication for all the saints...."-Ephesians 6:18

5. Go out and share the gospel, make disciples. He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. -Mark 16:15

But the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse. And those bringing many to righteousness  will be like the stars forever and ever. -Daniel 12:3

Have a blessed day, everyone! 

Like a Tree

In one of my ministry-related travels, specifically in Victoria Falls, South Africa, I saw this huge tree. My memory can't recall anymore of its name and its age. But I remember my african friends saying that this is the oldest tree in their country. 

So huge. So beautiful to behold. I was reminded of this verse in the bible:

The fruit of the righteous is like a tree producing life, and the one who wins souls is wise. -Proverbs 11:30

This is my prayer as I walk with God daily. This is my prayer for you who may happen to read this too :)

Are you open to His invitation?

How are you in your walk with God? Do you agree with me that many times we stumble and fall? We desire to be near to our God yet we keep on idolizing things in our life? Our career. Our possessions. Our fame. Our position. Our power. Ourselves. We ask for forgiveness and commit the same abhorrent sins, aren't we? 

The Israelites had sinned against God and had experienced exile into Babylon for their sin. It was painful, but God came to them through the prophet Isaiah, and offered the exiles life and a relationship with Him. God is working in us in our greatest pain and darkness even when its ultimately our fault. He begins to redeem us from our sin and draw us to Himself. That's how He genuinely and unconditionally loves us. 

We need to open our hearts to His invitation and repent. 

Isaiah 55 is just such a beautiful picture of God repeatedly calling us His people to go back to Him and enjoy life and relationship!

Isaiah 55

1 "Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! 2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! 3 Pay attention and come to me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. 4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations." 5 Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he bestows honor on you. 6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! 7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. 8 "Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, 9 for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans. 10 The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat. 11 In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend." 12 Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in the field will clap their hands. 13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of nettles; they will be a monument to the Lord, a permanent reminder that will remain.

What to do on holiday?

For a change? Well, instead of going outside and visiting places, try to stay at home and do the following:

1. Give your kids something to do that will enhance their learning power.

My son, Ardi, wrote these letters and numbers, waiting for my "very good!" affirmation.

Look! My daughter, Dana, painstakingly drew and colored this artwork. You could see here a house with family members representing us.

2. Cook something you haven't been eating the last few weeks.

For us, its the yummy, boiled corn. Good for this rainy holiday! 

3. Pray together as a family.

Praying together is a good bonding time with one another and with God. Besides the usual prayer time before going to bed, meal times or family devotion, it's good to teach our young ones to thank God for His daily provision, protection, peace and power evident in our lives in a different setting. They will learn that God is present everywhere. This is teaching by modeling and doing together. Nothing is learned until it is applied by our kids.

4. Play inside your house.

This is about creating good memories in our home. Most of the time we go out and spend for a vacation in the beaches, hotels, waterfalls or anywhere away from home. But realize that it's also good to have a vacation in our home. We should not bring our office in our home. Simply rest and be with one another. 

5. Play your favorite instrument and sing a couple of songs.

What a restful vacation at home. No worries what to prepare and bring outside. No need to spend much. No need to travel. For a change! 

Reminiscing the days...

I love to keep my "spider charts." These are the "spiritual multiplication charts" to help us see the visual picture of what's going on in our personal ministry as we help fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) through a strategy of Spiritual Multiplication (2Timothy 2:2). 

Keeping some of these charts since my college life up to the present reminds me of God's faithfulness in my life and in the lives of people I am privileged to meet and journey with. I so much miss a lot of them. It's a joy to be involved in their lives through our life-to-life discipleship. 

I remember those times when I cried to God for and with them, sharing of struggles, praying for one another, studying the Word together, sharing the gospel whether one-on-one or in small groups, bonding in exploring the nature, and so much more!

These days, I'm still connected with so many of them, but sadly I lost contact with a lot of them too. Thank God for the technology that brings us closer still and adds more souls to His kingdom as we continue to multiply. 

To Him be the glory!

My ILOILO College days... (1996-2001)

My PUP Staff days... (2004-2006)

My MAPUA Staff days... (2006-2012)

Classroom Evangelism Guidelines

Do you have the desire to share the gospel before the class or a group of students and or professionals? Do you want to try speaking before the bus passengers on your way home while crawling in the traffic? Or you simply want to obey God wherever He would bring you and lead you to be His mouthpiece? 

Here's one idea you may want to learn from. Have fun! 

Take Note:

"Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the tesults to God."

 

 

Before CE

1. Pray with the team.

2. Identify your Target Audience (T.A.)

3. Set up appointment with the professor.(Attached is a Sample Script on Setting up an Appointment).

4. Identify who will share personal testimony (pwede ring wala pag limited ang time na binigay ng professor)., isang emcee, isang clincher at dalawang mag-help sa comment sheet distribution. Take note of the schedule set with the professor.

5. Have yourself checked out by your discipler/staff. Syimpre pag pasado ka na sa check-out, ayos ka na! Go! :-)

 

During CE

1. Keep praying. That means, always be in the attitude of prayer. Remember, prayer is the backbone of our ministry.

2. Go to the class 10-15 minutes before the CE appointment.  ‘Wag na ‘wag kayong ma-late. Oki? :-)

3. Be sure that you have all the materials you need – comment sheets, ‘thank you’ card for the prof, at syimpre, mga Literatures/Evangelistic Materials ng CCC na pwede pa nating ipamigay.

4. Assign somebody na mag-head count kung ilan ang nasa class, including the prof.

5. Appreciate the prof after you speak. Bigyan mo ng ‘thank you’ card ang prof. You can also give any evangelistic literature/reading materials to the prof.

 

After the CE

1. Thank God for what He has done. Pray for those who heard the gospel.

2. Distribute the ‘hot contacts’ among your team and make sure na ma-follow up sila within 48 hours.

3. Keep praying for the hot contacts.

4. Report to your discipler/head of the chain those who showed up for the fist follow up appointment.

 

 

 

Set Up Script

 

 

“Good morning/ afternoon,  Sir/Ma’am. My name is _____________. I’m in my ______ year, majoring in __________. This is my friend ____________/(these are my friends: _________________________). We are from MIT-Campus Crusade for Christ.

 

Campus Crusade for Christ or CCC is an international, interdenominational Christian student movement. We are committed to help develop good moral leadership which our students need today. We want students to have the opportunity to hear the gospel and help them in the spiritual aspect of their lives. So we would like to ask permission to speak to your class for 20 minutes.”

 

 

Ayan, alam nyo na ang mga dapat gawin before, during and after CE. But here are some more help, sakaling kailangan n’yo…

 

What If…

 



The prof allows only 15 minutes for you to speak to the class?

- Don’t share testimony but be sure to build good rapport with the class (about 1 minute) then share God’s Plan.



The prof allows only 10 minutes?

- Same as above, but take less time in building rapport. Be quick in distributing and gathering comment sheets.



The prof allows only 5 minutes?

- Share testimony only, make short invitation to receive Christ and then lead the class through prayer of acceptance.



Someone asks question while you are sharing God’s Plan?

- say, “That is a good question. I believe that would be answered later as I continue with what I’m sharing…” If you still have time to answer the question, answer it. If you don’t have time, set appointment with the person so you can talk with him later.

- If you don’t know the answer, be honest. Say, “I cannot answer your question right now. But I can research on that and we can talk about it later.”

- Be careful not to go into a debate. Our goal is simply share Christ.



Someone asks what religious group we represent?

- Explain that CCC is an interdenominational group. We are not propagating any religion. Our main concern is that people would come to know Christ in a personal way and grow with Him.



Someone asks if you are born again?

- Ask the person to clarify what he means. Say, “yes” if he means someone who has experienced new life in Christ. If a person means that ‘born again’ is a religion/denomination, point out that it is an issue of right relationship with God rather than affiliation. You may ask them to read John 3:1-8 later.

 

 

Remember: Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.

 

FINAL REMINDER: PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!

 

 

 

Classroom Evangelism Script

 

Good morning/ afternoon! My name is _____________. I’m in my ______ year, majoring in __________. In behalf of ______________ (University/College name) – Campus Crusade for Christ, I would like to thank your teacher/professor, for allowing us to speak to you today.

 

Campus Crusade for Christ is an international, interdenominational Christian student movement that aims to reach out to college students like you and help you discover how to get the most out of life. But we did not come here to talk to you about our organization. We are here to tell you about the Person who can give you the best out of life.

 

But before that, I’d like to introduce to you someone who will share with you his/her experience on getting the best out of life.(or…”But before that, I’d like to share with you my story).

 

[3-min Personal testimony]

 

My friend here, (name of clincher, year & course), will tell you more about how to know God personally and thereby experience the wonderful plan He has for your life.

 

[Clincher shares God’s Plan]

 

God’s Plan

 

Every man is seeking happiness and fulfillment in life, but the bible teaches that there is only one way to experience true happiness and complete fulfillment in life – and that is through knowing and following what God’s Plan is. These principles had been very helpful to me and I’d like to share them with you.

 

Principle#1: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

 

God did not plan for man to live an unhappy, miserable and defeated existence. Many people think that Christianity is a merely an emotional, fanatical experience or a religion that takes all the fun out of life. They think that if you are a Christian, you have to be sober and sad.

 

On the contrary, the bible tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

 

The bible also tells us that God meant man to live an abundant life – a life that is full and meaningful. Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”

 

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? The second principle gives us the reason why…

 

Principle#2: Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life.

 

The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

 

This means that even the kindest person you can think of is not exempt. All men are sinners and because of that, we cannot satisfy God’s requirement for holiness.

 

The bible also says, “…the wages of sin is death” – or spiritual separation from God.

 

People try to reach God in different ways – such as living good life, embracing certain philosophies or through religion. But we cannot reach God on our own efforts, no matter how hard we try.

 

Blaise Pascal, a great physicist and philosopher said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in theheart of every man , which cannot be satisfied by any created thing, but only by God, the creator.”

 

There is only one way to solve the problem of sin in man and the third principle gives us the answer.

 

Principle #3: Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life.

 

The bible states, “But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

 

Imagine yourself as one of those who were kidnapped. Your situation is beyond your power. Think of how you and those you love back home are powerlessly waiting for your fate because ransom is just too high for you and your family to afford. Now you might say that that will never happen to you. But if you think of it, all of us are in a sense kidnap victims ourselves, slaves and hostages to sin and no amount of ransom we can give will ever be good enough to pay for our freedom. There is only one acceptable ransom and that is the ransom Jesus Christ can offer.

 

Now who is this man, Jesus Christ, that He, more than anyone else who has ever lived, has the power to connect the sinful man to a holy God?

 

The life Jesus led, the miracles He performed, the word he spoke, His death on the cross, His resurrection, His ascent into heaven…all these point to the fact that He was not a mere man, but was more than a man. He Himself claimed that He is God. He said”…I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through me.” He is the only one worthy to deal with sin in our lives.

 

At this point, you might be saying, “Okay, I know God loves me and He has a wonderful plan for me. I now know that my sin prevents me from experiencing all that He has planned for me. I know that it’s only Jesus who can help me in my predicament. How do I Personalize this? This is where the fourth principle comes in…

 

Principle#4: We must individually receiveJesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

 

The bible declares that those who receive Christ are adopted by God into His family.

 

The bible also says it is not good works but our faith in Christ that will save us. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”

 

One way to express faith is through prayer. Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…” The door Jesus is talking about is the door of your heart. Will you open your heart to Him? If you want to open your heart and ask Jesus to come into your life, you can talk to Him through prayer that goes something like this:

 

“Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my heart and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be. Amen.”

 

Does that prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life as He promised.

 

[Lead the class in prayer.]

 

If you asked Jesus to come into your life today, you have made the most basic and important decision in life. You have also received the most wonderful promise the bible gives – eternal life.

 

“God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

And here’s more good news: receiving eternal life is only beginning of a life of joy and adventure with God. And we at MIT-CCC are more than willing to help you grow more about your relationship with Jesus Christ. My friend will give out some comment sheets. Please fill them out.

 

[Read the contents of the comment sheet and instruct them to check appropriate box/es of their response.]

 

Thank you very much for your time and your kind attention. Thank you once again, (name of professor) for allowing us to speak to your class. In behalf of MIT-CCC, thank you and God bless you all! Good day!