The BIG "R"

 

The Big "R" is "Relationship"

Relationship Causes Us to be Growing and Maturing Persons

• Pinoy Christmas is all about catching up with our relationship with almost everyone.
  
• As pinoy we are “groupists.”
  
• The heart of the issue is the issue of the heart. 
  
• The issue of the heart will always be that big letter “R”
  

Developing Growing and Maturing Relationships with Everyone

BOND TOGETHER

• Matthew 1:18 (NIV) This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
  
• “Strong & Unwavering Commitment” is key to grow a lasting and mature relationship. 
  
• Real bonding is all about accepting everyone’s good side and correcting/developing everyone’s bad side.
  
• Mulan (film): “Flower that blooms in adversity is the most beautiful and fairest of them all.”
  
• A real friend is both a sword and a shield.
  

STAND FOR WHAT IS RIGHT

• Matthew 1:19 (NIV) Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
  
• Right is right wrong is wrong, what’s in the middle of it is called “compromise.”
  
• Fact: There’s no such thing as a perfect middle either you are middle to the left or right.
  
• Brother Eddie Villanueva (TV Interview): “The world is too poor to buy my convictions.”
  
• Song: “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, through thick and thin always by your side.”
  

ALWAYS UNDERSTAND

• Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV) But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
  
• We can never ever be good in our relationships if our nature is not changed.   [Spirtual DNA]
  
• Stephen Covey: “Seek first to understand then be understood.” [it is not the other way around]
  
• Parenting a child is the best teacher of really understanding anyone.
  
• A really growing and matured person can be measured according to his/her deep understanding of people and situations.
  

SPEAK LIFE

• Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us."
  
• Where there’s prophecy, there will be destiny.
  
• Always tell people that they have “LIFE.” 
  
• Liberation
  
• Intimacy
  
• Fasfd
  
• Encouragement
  
• What God has said it will be fulfilled!
  

PROTECT WITH LIFE

• Matthew 1:24-25 (NIV) When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
  
• When Joseph knew God’s will he immediately enacted it by protecting his family.
  
• True love protects.
  
• Never promise love unless you are ready to die for that person.
  
• Never promise to a ministry unless you are ready to give up yourself.
  
• A real friend will always point you to God.
  

The King Inside of You

Pasko…panahon ng mga binalot (regalo/aguinaldo).

Ano ang madalas na gusto nating gawin sa mga regalo?         

Sagot: hulaan ang nasa loob.

Ano kaya ang nasa loob ng iyong puso ngayong pasko?    

THREE WAYS TO TREAT THE KING INSIDE OF US

1st.      RECEIVE

• Luke 1:26-28 (NIV)     (26) In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, (27) to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. (28) The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
• The Good News: Favored by God with His “Present” (baby) and “Presence”
• Mary’s initial action: “receive”
  
• To receive means to be “open” to every gift God will surely give. 

2nd.   RESPOND

• Mary naturally responded with confusion. (a natural human reaction)
  
• Luke 1: 29-30 (NIV)     (29) Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. (30) But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
  
• Angel Gabriel responded with assurance.
  
• Luke 1:31-33 (NIV)     (31) You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. (32) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (33) and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
  
• Mary, to take away the confusion, responded with a reasonable question.
  
• Luke 1:34 (NIV)     "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
  
• Angel Gabriel responded with a convincing answer.
  
• Luke 1:35-37 (NIV)     (35) The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (36) Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. (37) For nothing is impossible with God."
  
• KEY THOUGHT: Our response to any of God’s desires should be “WIN-WIN”
  
• Explain: Lose-Win, Win-Lose, Lose-Lose and Win-Win

3rd.    RESPECT

• Luke 1:38 (NIV)     "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
• Respect God by… Humility & Service
• We honor God by completely respecting all of his powerful moves and directions!
• We respect God because “he deserves it”

 The Lord Jesus didn’t want to be outside of Mary’s life. He desires to be inside of us!!!

Receive, Respond and Respect the King Inside of You.

 

FAITH TRANSFER

• Let’s say you were given a day to live, “ano ang mga bagay, bilin at pamana na iiwan mo sa iyong mga minamahal?” [share you answer to a person nearest to you]
• Ang tawag doon sa ating ipapasa ay “Legacy”?
• “Legacy” – “anything handed down from, or as from, an ancestor” [www.yourdictionary.com] / (legal definition) “A gift of money or of personal property, title to which is passed under the terms of a will” [www.lectlaw.com].
• Billy Graham – “Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.” [www.thinkexist.com]
• One of the best thing that we could transmit/transfer to people is the gift of “faith.”
  

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “FAITH”

• Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Faith – “belief, trust, and loyalty to a person or thing. Christians find their security and hope in God as revealed in Jesus Christ, and say "amen" to that unique relationship to God in the Holy Spirit through love and obedience as expressed in lives of discipleship and service.” [www.biblecrosswalk.com]
• Our faith is a “living faith” because we all serve a “living Lord.”
  

“YOU CAN NEVER GIVE WHAT YOU NEVER HAD”

• Faith must start inside of us.• Before we can transfer it, we must know “what it is” and “how it works (it can be applied).”
• Think Intergenerationally…
• (Monday – 15 Sept…“Lehman Brothers”, 4th largest investment bank filed for bankruptcy protection together with Merrill Lynch and AIG – with Morgan Stachs and Goldman Stanley surviving…reason: “too much money invested in pools of investments in mortgage security[cnn.com]…result: their collapse puts tens of thousands of jobs at risk, including over 3,000 in NYC – pending Global Recession…)

THE LADDER OF LIVING FAITH 1st Step: Saving Faith

• Ephesians 2:8-9 (TEV) For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it.
• “Saving Faith” (Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary) – is so called because it has eternal life inseparably connected with it. It cannot be better defined than in the words of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism: "Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel." [www.biblegateway.com]
• All Christians started with “salvation.”
• This marks the point that we started with “saving faith” our lives will end with “saving faith.”

2nd Step: Sustaining Faith

• Romans 1:17 (CEV) The good news tells how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith. It is just as the Scriptures say, "The people God accepts because of their faith will live."
• Habakkuk 2:4 (CEV )"I, the Lord, refuse to accept anyone who is proud. Only those who live by faith are acceptable to me."
• Description of “Sustaining Faith…” Habakkuk 3:16-19(CEV) (16) When I heard this message, I felt weak from fear, and my lips quivered. My bones seemed to melt, and I stumbled around. But I will patiently wait. Someday those vicious enemies will be struck by disaster. (17) Fig trees may no longer bloom, or vineyards produce grapes; olive trees may be fruitless, and harvest time a failure; sheep pens may be empty, and cattle stalls vacant—(18) but I will still celebrate because the Lord God saves me. (19) The Lord gives me strength. He makes my feet as sure as those of a deer, and he helps me stand on the mountains.
• Saving faith I good but it is not enough to make us “lasting/enduring” Christians.
• We need faith to sustain us from every trials, temptations, crisis, problems that come our way.
• Dennis Bratcher (www.cri/voice.com): A picture of sustaining faith is a “total and radical trust expressed in a life lived as if God really were sovereign in His creation! That is faithfulness. That is life! Life for the creature is totally dependent on the Creator. Faithfulness is trusting the Creator with life!

3rd Step: Solid Faith

• Jude 1:3 (ESV) Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
• Jude 1:20-21 (ESV) (20) But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; (21) keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
• Remember: God did not only designed us to be “sustaining people” we also need as sense of permanency.
• A “faith” which is solid is something we can “defend” (if needed…even with our life).
• Jack Dempsey (heavyweight prizefighter) “The best defense is a good offence. [www.wikianswers.com]
• Hymn by Edward Mote (My Hope is Built on Nothing Less):
• My hope is built on nothing less
• Than Jesus’ blood and righteous;
• No merit of my own I claim
• But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
• On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
• All other ground is sinking sand.

4th Step: Sincere Faith

• 1 Timothy 1:4-5 (RAB) (4) Kapag naaalala ko ang iyong mga pagluha, kinasasabikan kong makita ka, upang ako'y mapuno ng kagalakan. (5) Naaalala ko ang iyong tapat na pananampalataya, isang pananampalataya na unang nabuhay kay Loida na iyong lola at kay Eunice na iyong ina at ngayon, ako'y nakakatiyak, ay namamalagi sa iyo.
• This level is where faith is tested with “purifying fire”
• What’s needed is “integrity.” Integrity can be defined as “truth to self.”
• People are in search of persons who are intact because they are true to themselves.

5th Step: Super Faith

• Hebrews 11:5-6 (RMBB) (5) Dahil sa pananampalataya sa Diyos, si Enoc ay hindi nakaranas ng kamatayan. Hindi na siya nakita sapagkat kinuha siya ng Diyos. Sinasabi sa kasulatan na si Enoc ay naging kalugud-lugod bago siya kinuha ng Diyos. (6) Kung hindi tayo sumasampalataya sa Diyos, hindi natin siya mabibigyang kaluguran, sapagkat ang sinumang lumalapit sa Diyos ay dapat sumampalatayang may Diyos na nagbibigay ng gantimpala sa mga nananalig sa kanya.
• Faith that encounters the supernatural presence, proclamation, and power of God.
• Faith should be thought-provoking and heart-pounding leading to action.
• Supernatural faith is faith in action (led by the Holy Spirit).

ACTION POINTS

• Think Intergeneration – what you do now affects your future generation!
• Apply to Life First – you can never give what you never had!
• Pass the Faith – transfer the faith (saving, sustaining, solid, sincere, and super) with your values and lifestyle

ILAW

Inukit na yata sa matigas na bato,

Ang salitang "ina" amin ngang napagtanto,

Labis na ang hirap, sakripisyo't pasakit,

Ngunit patuloy lang, laban at pananalig.

Lumipas na, mga dekada't 'di mabilang na taon,

Pag-ibig nami'y, kailanma'y di naglaon.

Kaya salamat ng labis, aming Panginoon,

Una kang nagmahal, una kang tinugon.

Anumang hamon ng buhay ang sa ami'y ihampas,

Kami'y di magmamaliw, hindi rin kukupas.

Handang maghandog sa asawa't anak,

Maging luha, pawis o dugo man ang dumanak.

Wagi ngang tunay, ang lahat ng mga nanay,

Nananalig at nagsisilbi, sa isang Diyos na buhay.

Ngayo'y araw namin, batid taun-taon,

Asahang kami'y magsisipag at magpapatuloy. 

TEN.COM

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The BIG "P"

The Big "P": The Best Pattern for Our Prayers

ADEQUATE & EFFECTIVE PRAYERS

Matthew 6:5-8 (New Living Translation)

⁵“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. ⁶But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. ⁷“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. ⁸Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! ⁹Pray like this:

For Our Prayers to be Adequate and Effective:

• ·         It must be Non-showy (v. 5)
  
• ·         It must be Non-public 
•        It must be Non-repetitive (v. 7)

 

THE BIG “P” PRAYER PATTERN...

I.  ADORATION

·         Matthew 6:9 (NLT) Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

II. CONFESSION

·         Matthew 6:12 (NLT) …and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

III.  THANKSGIVING

·         Matthew 6:10 (NLT) May your Kingdom come soon.  May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

IV.   SUPPLICATION

·         Matthew 6:11,13 (NLT) Give us today the food we need,…And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

·         Let us Prayer for…(supplication) (a)Personal Needs (v. 11) and, (b)       Freedom from Temptation (v. 13)

Prayer: Fuel of the Vision by Pastor TOTO Gustilo

PRAYER:FUEL OF THE VISION

Pastor Bill Hybels: Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion in you.

Passion is like a fire in our bones which will never be quenched.

For fire to continue we need fuel. Prayer is the fuel which fires up the vision.

FOR OUR PRAYERS TO BE EFFECTIVE FUEL FOR THE VISION…

A.        Prayers must be SIMPLE

·         Matthew 6:5-8 (The Message)         ⁵And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? ⁶“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. ⁷“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. ⁸Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.

·         Simple doesn’t mean ordinary. Rather it must not be “flashy.”

 

B.       Prayers must be STRIKING

Our prayers must be “striking” or “appealing” to God. He surely responds to us when our prayers are

1.       God says: “SLOW’ (when the timing is wrong)

·         Natural people’s attitude: take “No” for an answer

·         Let’s be comforted that when God says “no” there’s a reason “why”

·         Matthew 6:9-10 (The Message) ⁹With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. ¹⁰Set the world right; Do what’s best—as above, so below.

2.       God says: “GROW” (when you are really wrong)

·         God as father saying to us: “Why should I honor your request when you don’t honor mine?”

·         It is like God also saying to us: “Grow up child!”

·         “Deserve before you desire” 

·         Matthew 6:11-13 (The Message) ¹¹Keep us alive with three square meals. ¹²Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. ¹³Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.

·         For us to grow, we must be: well-fed, exercised (pushed to our limits) and protected.

3.       God says: “GO” (when the timing and our hearts are right)       

·         Matthew 6:13 (The Message) You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.

·         When God moves you it will always be according to his will and to the fulfillment of his glory. It’s never about you.

·         1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT) So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

 

C.        Prayers must be SACRIFICIAL

·         Matthew 6:14-18 (The Message)     ¹⁴“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do (Sacrifice of the Self). You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others (Sacrifice of the Extra Mile). ¹⁵If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.¹⁶“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it (Sacrifice of Appetites). It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. ¹⁷If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly (Sacrifice of Training). Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face (Sacrifice of Attention). ¹⁸God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.

·         All types of sacrifice leads to a form of reward.                                                                                                        

NOW WHAT?

·         Call (to sacrifice) – pray and fast

·         Character – do we have the patience? Ask from the Holy Spirit

·         Conviction – do we have the willpower? Ask from the Holy Spirit

·         Capability – can we do it? Yes. By God’s grace.