You Cannot Believe Alone

Yesterday, I was tasked by my wife to say a "devotional" during the Christmas party of our homeschool group. I have very recently heard a spirited defense of NT Wright on the merits of child dedication versus adult dedication. It was filled with the usual rigorous intellectualizing filled with historical footnotes one was to expect from Wright. Naturally, I prepared a short message based on that to tickle the minds and convictions of those I was going to be speaking with.

My part of the program was after the usual parlor games that homeschoolers play and just before dinner. In the middle of "Simon Says" and "Freeze Dance" it suddenly struck me - my goodness my audience was going to be these kids! All 10 of them aged 2 to 10! However strong the arguments of NT Wright are will crumble in the face of these kids! Children are notoriously susceptible to boredom and they will not hesitate to tell the speaker personally that they are boring.

After a mini-panic, I prayed and quickly thought how to arrange the thoughts.

When it was my turn, I asked everyone to gather. Kids sat in front, and the parents at the back. First, we read John 13:35: By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. And then I began.

A preaching to the children.

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Do you know that when you were still babies, your father and mother decided that you will be dedicated to God? (Enthusiastic yes!) They made a whole ceremony of it, it was a party thrown especially for you. Of course you were too young to remember it then. In fact, you probably did not get asked if you wanted that party at all. But during that party, your father and mother made a very important decision on your behalf. They decided that you will be growing up knowing and loving Jesus Christ.

You see your father and mother wanted to share a belief with you. They wanted you to grow up believing it too. Someone once said "You cannot believe alone. (NT Wright)" When I heard that man say it, I was absolutely shocked. I was schocked because what he said was absolutely true.

When I say that "I believe it is raining outside (it was actually)". Am I right to believe it? (Yes!). That is because you can go out and see the rain, and you believe it too. We can believe that it is raining together. If I believe it is bright and sunshiny outside, am I right? (No!) 

You see if I believe in something, and I am alone in believing it, chances are I am wrong. That is because I cannot believe alone. If my belief is true, there will always be others who believe as I do.

You are now big kids and no longer babies. And what your father and mother have tried to do is to bring you up together in a community of people who believe the same things. We all believe God loves us. That He is always there when we need Him. We believe God wants what's best for us. We believe He wants us to serve Him. He wants us to be obedient children, and also obedient parents. He wants mom and dad to love one another. And He wants kids to be good friends and care for each other too. 

God also wants us to correct one another. When we are being bad boys and girls, He wants us to tell each other that too. So we can apologize to one another and say sorry. Because when we say we believe together, part of that is asking each other if we really believe what we say we do.

Do you know CS Lewis? (All kids say yes!) You might have already read the Narnia books or watched the Narnia movies. He said something which I want to share with you: "No one goes to heaven alone." We go in groups. We go in packs. Isn't that lovely? (Thanks for this Jason!)

(At this point, one of the very young kids shared that she was told when we die we will see each other in heaven. How lovely. Wouldn't mind being interrupted by such cuteness.)

Can we all say it together: I cannot believe alone. (I cannot believe alone!)

Excellent. Let us pray.

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That's it. I'm glad I survived that. There's more to unpack here obviously. Like what does this mean in the context of identity? When God gives one his Christian identity, is that identity the individual's possession, or is it possessed by the community of believers bestowed upon the individual? But that is too long and lengthy and kids will not be so kind to suffer through that discourse.

The dinner awaits. And more importantly, the dessert. However rigorous the philosophizing of Lewis and Wright are cannot be more important compared to a good strawberry cake.

Merry Christmas, kids.

Submitting to God's Authority

Actually, I was the guy who told Ptr Euclid he was a brave man for preaching this message. In response he made me talk here. I should probably keep my comments to myself next time.

The danger when hearing a message such as this is to focus on behavior and not regard the motivation for the behavior. Paul tells us to submit to authority but he begins with the more important thing – the why.

Very recently, I was talking with a friend who recounted his own experience of the fake tsunami scare that happened in Cebu City last February 2012. I think everyone will remember this incident that we now look back to as the “Chona Mae scare of 2012”. Many of us will remember it now as a funny incident. But I think we can learn important lessons from this.

He was driving along Jones Avenue going towards Colon when suddenly he saw hundreds of people rushing past him. He said they all looked very scared and many of them were shouting and pounding on his car window. They were urging people to start running for higher ground. They believed a tsunami has formed, and sea water was already surging nearby. My friend abandoned his car there in the middle of Jones and started running with the crowd.

Eventually, my friend got hold of an AM radio and from there he heard the mayor of the city telling people to calm down. There was no tsunami. My friend of course believed the city mayor, and started going back to get his car. But he did more than that, he started telling people everywhere the truth.

Our behavior is dictated by our belief. If you believe a surging tsunami is behind you, you will run. You will drop everything and run. And when your belief is founded on the truth, you will behave according to the truth. When you truly believe, you will behave accordingly.

Our series in Romans establishes first and foremost the foundations of our Christian belief before it emphasizes what are the things that we need to obey as we live out that faith.

Cebuanos have a beautiful word that highlights the relationship of truth, faith and obedience. Our word for truth is “kamatuoran”. So if a Cebuano asks you if something is true, he will ask “Tinuuod ni?”. Then he will likely add – “pag-sure oy.”

Our word for faith or belief is “pagtuo”. When a Cebuano wants to know what you believe in, he will ask “Unsay imong tinuohan?” Or unsa imong “pagtuo”.

Our word for obey is basically the verb form of this word – “patuo”. If you have been raised by a Cebuano mother like I was, you would have heard this shouted at you many times “Patuo ba!”. Obey. Or its more dramatic variation, “Di ka patuo?”. Sometimes delivered with a tsinelas on hand.

So, to the Cebuano mind, truth, faith and obedience are intertwined and comes from the same root. If God is real, you put your faith in God, and you obey God. “Kung tinuod ang Ginoo, mutoo ka niya ug mu patuo ka niya.”

I think Jesus says it better:

John 14:23-24
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

The Lord has taken me through a crisis of obedience this year on the issue of submitting to government authority. If I am going to be honest, I – like some of you – struggled with the past election results. I will be lying to you if I say that the teaching of submission came easy. But God has been kind and patient with me.

During the campaign months leading up to the election, my wife Vanessa and I have decided to go all out for our support of one candidate. Along the way, we made many friends and took it as an opportunity to share our faith. But when the election results came, it was not the results we wanted. It didn’t help that election day was also my birthday. So yeah, happy birthday to me.

In the end, we decided to meet together with all the campaign volunteers in our area. We made a party of it. There was grilling and tons of ice cream. That’s what you eat when you’re sad - ice cream. As a kid, ice cream is always a treat so no one eats ice cream sad.

Then I was asked to speak.

I shared the one truth I know: God loves the Philippines. That whether or not we choose to obey His will for our nation, He is able to turn things around for the good. So we will trust Him, and we will continue to stand for the truth and persist on the kind of Philippines we want our nation to be. We will obey God and respect the will of the Filipino people whom God loves.

All of us struggle with submission to authority – if you do not struggle with this government authority, chances are you struggled with the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one…

We struggle when we do not agree with them. But there is something that happens when we resist authority and insist on what we want. The authority can be your parent, or your husband, or your boss or government leaders. The matter eats you up. It occupies your mind, consumes your time and constantly puts you at a state of never-ending complaints and criticism. It subjugates you under the hold of the authority you are trying to resist. You only need to open your Facebook to see what I mean by this. (Also, please don’t @ me.)

In a very real sense, resisting authority only subjugates you. The words of Paul in Romans 13:2 is true: You bring condemnation to yourself.

On the contrary, submission frees you to become the man and woman that God wants you to be. It frees you from having to deal with things beyond your control and gives you an opportunity to trust God. In the end, each time you submit, you are submitting to God. You are saying that even though you do not understand, or you do not agree, you are letting go of the temptation to resist and instead trust that God will work through the situation.

Meanwhile, what are we as Christians to do? Is there anything at all that we can do as citizens of this country that we love? We all want to get to a place where our country can truly change. How does a Christian take responsibility for nation-building?

I have thought about this question many times. And let me tell a story that will hopefully illustrate my point.

My wife and I like to volunteer and help organize with our DGroup those Couples Retreats that we have here in our church. If you are a married couple and have not yet attended a Couples Retreat, I encourage you to attend. It is going to be one of the most amazing experiences you will ever have with your spouse.

Banne and I were assigned at the registration booth. Couples after couples would come – very sweet like honeymooners. We hand them their forms, and then we assign them to their hotel room. However, there would always be some couples who are not as sweet. You can tell right away. Some would probably come as a last attempt to fix an already broken marriage. Perhaps they have been invited to the retreat, perhaps they have been forced by well-meaning friends and family. They will be hesitant. I remember some would request for separate beds. One time, we got a request for separate rooms.

The most emotional part of the retreat is always the last day. Here you will find couples after years – even decades – of animosity and bitterness will suddenly come together again in forgiveness and love. Banne and I always stay for that part when couples so hopelessly broken make the decision to renew their vows to each other once they come into grips with the profound saving love the Lord is offering each of them.

During one of those times, the Lord made me realize: Isn’t this nation-building? Aren’t we building strong Filipino families this way? Is there a government policy, a piece of legislation, or any big and grand structural reforms that can be more effective than the mighty work of God to change the very hearts of men and women? All of us, we long to see that grand big change that will turn our nation around. But is there a more profound change than the transformation that comes from the saving knowledge of God? I am convinced there is none.

If you are not yet part of a small group, I am inviting you to come and see us at the Welcome Center after this service. There you can take the first step to be part of a group of either single men, or single ladies, or couples. These small groups pray for each other, minister to one another and encourage each other to walk in their Christian faith. It is an opportunity for you to help and witness the stories that God is writing in the lives of many, including your own.

Fifteen minutes before each service, we as a church also come together in a quiet time of prayer.

This is a chance to pray as a church for our government leaders. I invite you to come as we pray for them but also we pray for ourselves. That we spend our time and energy being faithful Christ-committed followers.

To focus on the things within our control, encourage and love those whom God has placed in front of us. To live respectful and prayerful lives with quiet conviction.

The more we pray the more God reveals to us small acts of submission that we can do from where we are. Obeying and following traffic rules is my favorite example. As you know, we are increasingly filling up this place, and so is the parking areas. When we opened the parking ministry last month, I knew it was going to be an interesting test of how well CCFers in Cebu submit to the authority of our volunteer traffic attendees. Will they submit when told not to park in specific areas? Or will they complain?


Well, I am happy to report our church is full of people who will happily submit to the authority of our parking volunteers. As a result, our parking is orderly, and our parking volunteers are happy. We praise God that CCFers follow rules. But in case you don’t obey we have your plate number on our files. (Just kidding. No it’s actually true. Just kidding.)

If each of us is faithful to our being Christians in big and small ways, all of us will see change sweep through this nation like a river. The very vision of the church will come alive:

Our vision is to see a movement of millions of committed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ meeting in small groups, transforming lives, families, communities, and nations, all for the glory of God.

This is a crisis of obedience. Kung dili ka mupatuo, nituo ba gyud ka sa Ginoo? If you do not obey, do you really have faith?

If today you struggle with submission to government authority, let me encourage you: God loves the Philippines. And He is at work.

The real change we are looking for is the one that comes from God. Jesus was, is and always will be the savior of our nation.

It's Who We Are

My volunteer journey started in 2008 when I came back to Cebu. Back then, I found a CCF Cebu that is just starting, worshipping in a dark basement in Gorordo. I volunteered in what used to be called Dawnwatch prayer gathering. My then girlfriend, and now wife Vanessa, and I would wake up at around 5 in the morning, make our way to Gorordo, arrange seats and set up the sound system and wait for the prayer warriors to come. We were also serving in the singles ministry. My professional work as a software developer naturally took me to Live Productions.

We went wherever God took CCF Cebu. I served during the Sunday services in Ayala Cinema 2, SM Seaside, Raddison Blue, Marriott, and sometimes City Sports Club. I was there when we only had exactly one projector to stage the whole worship service. We would bring that projector wherever we needed to be. Because God has a sense of humor, I even found myself as the Team Leader of the Music Team for a time despite my musical skills being up to videoke level only.

Finally in 2018, the Lord brought us here in North Drive. I praise God for taking us this far!

Pretty soon, COVID-19 happened which upended our world. Almost overnight, it changed everything.

Well, not everything. The church of God continued to thrive in the virtual space. Eventually, when restrictions eased, it was decided in February of this year that we will come back to physical worship in this place.

It was very challenging. The inertia of very long lockdowns and almost two years of habits proved to be so heavy that it was very challenging to get back to the rhythm of physical Sunday worship. It was difficult for me too personally. This time around, God called me and my wife to lead the whole Sunday Event.

What we found in front of us was an opportunity to start things from scratch. We re-assessed the old ways we used to do things and opened ourselves up to new ways of volunteering. We opened ourselves up to new people too. The restart was a blessing in many ways because it gave a wide space for improvement. But we also knew that we needed to go back to the very basics because we needed a compass to correctly navigate these new waters. We needed to hear from God.

What does He want for the Sunday event?

The Lord brought us to Luke 14:15-24, the Parable of the Great Banquet. Here, Jesus told the story of a master who was throwing a party. He told his faithful servant to make sure everything is ready. When the day of the party came, all his invited friends gave excuses not to come. The master was angry and he told his servant to go out into the streets and invite the blind, the cripple, the lame - basically all the dispossessed in the city. When there was still room, he told his servant to go out further into the countryside and invite as many of these poor forgotten people in the fringes of society.

There is a beautiful phrase in Luke 14:23 that says "Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full." The phrase "compel them to come" does not mean physically carrying them into the venue. It means persuading them to come, removing any excuses not to come, and making them feel welcome to the house of the rich man.

That is exactly what the Sunday Worship Services are. It is God's open banquet for everyone to come to feast in the word of God. Since reopening the worship services, we have met men and women who knew of CCF only from the internet during the long lockdowns. These are the men and women who in the loneliness of isolation, God has touched. They are coming and they are many.

We have a phrase we like to use in CCF Cebu - "Come As You Are". It is from the very heart of God to make everyone feel welcome to come into His house and meet Him. Now, it is our prayer that as we all have a personal encounter with Jesus in this place, He will change us to be the men and women that He wants us to be. Because that is what tends to happen, isn't it? When we decide to follow Jesus, we do not remain as we are, Jesus begins His work to change into what we can be.

In the past few weeks, we have seen an influx of worship goers and we are all simply overwhelmed. Very soon, we will fill up this place and all the various overflow rooms. God is at work in calling so many to worship at a time when the volunteer workers are so few. We need men and women who will usher and help with the parking downstairs. We need volunteers who will help with the live productions, operate the tech booths and manage the program. We need volunteers who will facilitate in Kid’s Church and Song Leaders who will lead the singing. We need you and your whole DGroup to come and serve.

All through the years of my ministry journey, there have been many times when I questioned why I continue to volunteer my time, talent and treasure for God. Many times, I wanted to quit. But I have since learned one thing that I wish to share with you today: To be a Christian is to be like Christ. To be an adopted son of God means to continue the legacy of the Father. And isn’t it the very ministry of Jesus to serve those whom He is calling to Himself?

Service is a Christian heritage that we must live out. It is the Christian identity that we must embody.

There is a scene towards the end of Spiderman No Way Home where the three spidermans played by Toby Maquire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland are talking to each other. They have just ended the movie's final battle scene and of course they have emerged victorious. We see them tired and bloody. Tom Holland's spiderman wants to thank them because they saved his life and also say goodbye to them because they will never see each other again. But he looks at these two other spidermans and he is at a loss for words. He’s very awkward.

And suddenly, Toby Maguire's spiderman just sort of stops him. And he goes on to say, "Peter, you know - it's what we do."

Outside on the lobby are booths we have set up for everyone to get to know the many opportunities to serve in this church we love. Please ask us questions if you have any. And if God is calling you today to serve his church, please heed His call.

We are Christians. We are saved to serve. It's what we do. It is who we are.

Giving of Ourselves Solves The Country's Internet Problem

Last week VECO did electrical works along the small road that leads to our home. While doing so, they cut fiber optic internet wires. I asked them who is responsible to fix those wires. VECO said not them.
I called our internet provider and asked for a repair. The contractor came and said it was the "box" that had the problem. I asked who is responsible to fix that. They said not them.

It's been a month now waiting for a delivery of a car part. I asked the service center what the delay is about. They said they were waiting for Manila's delivery. I asked who is responsible to provide the delivery date. They said they will ask because they too are not sure.

Sometimes I wonder how we function as a society when there seems to be no clear accountability. No one seems to be responsible for anything. The German national who decided to leave the country is right: In the Philippines when a child is killed in a traffic accident, the driver at fault isn't really at fault. Rather, we say, it is the will of God that the child should die.

I remember sitting in a shareholder's meeting in a big Singaporean company. After a long time of preparation, the Chairman stepped into the hotel venue and took his seat. He felt hot and realized that the place was not cool enough. The first thing he asked was not "Is the aircon broken?" or "Can we do something about the aircon?". No, it was clearer and more direct: "Who is responsible for the aircon?"
The Singaporeans understand it well: Personal responsibility and accountability is the key to make a society function.

What is the antidote to the Filipino's abhorrence to responsibility? Where do we even begin to repair this extremely fundamental flaw in our social contract with each other?

 
This week, we discussed in Church about giving. Contemplating on 2 Corinthians 9:7 with a few men, it struck me. The Bible - as always - describes the human condition correctly and this time prescribes the remedy exactly. The Filipino must learn to be giving.

In fact giving is the exact opposite of irresponsibility. When we see a neighbor in need and help them, we are saying thus: I am not obligated to help, I am not compelled to give, but I am voluntarily giving a part of my resources to another person. In other words, I see that my neighbor is in trouble, and even though I have no idea who is responsible for their plight, I see their suffering and I am voluntarily taking responsibility to help ease their pains.

What an absolutely revolutionary way to live! What a clear demonstration of love! Not the love that says many words but entails no personal sacrifices. But a true radical way of loving. One where societies can be built on.

I know of some Christian business that has taken this to heart. You can always tell. They are the ones with the most excellent customer service. But I also know many Christians who have taken this to heart. You can also tell. They are the ones who are the most loving.

The Bible says where your treasure is there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). Something profound happens when you begin to give to another. As you transfer your resources from yourself to them, a cosmic event happens - one that has existed from the very beginning of time. A part of your heart remains with them.

You begin to care more for them. You are invested in their life. You think of them occasionally and wonder how they are doing. The invisible social fabric between yourself and them is reinforced. They too know this, having been recipients of your generosity. They know instinctively that your heart is with them also.

Volunteering and giving to causes that uplift our neighbors is the antidote to the Filipino's lack of responsibility. This is the modern-day application of a truth from the Bible. God should know. After all, He gave His only Son so we can all have a chance at life.

He knows whereof He speaks.

No Truth

We have now come to this. We are now a nation with no absolute truth. We now all must rely on our own perceptions, which are themselves truths of equal importance.

Back in College, my Philosophy professor said something that has remained with me all these years: There has to be only one absolute truth because there is only one reality we share.

But of course that is not where we find ourselves now. Today, we all have different realities playing out in our own individualized, customized social media feeds. Very few of these realities we actually share.

And yet, our very own hearts are so uneasy with this. At best we laugh at the intellectual acrobatics we need to contort ourselves to justify this world of "perception is reality". Our very conscience is resisting this. Our very selves crave for a shared reality: An absolute truth upon which we build our identity, our culture, our history, our nationhood.

For what are we apart from this? Leaves thrown into the winds blown by those who influence what we perceive.

As a Christian, I contemplate daily what Jesus has said more than two millennia ago: "I am the way, the truth and the life." What an absolutely brazen thing to say. Today, even more so.

And yet, has there been anyone in history who has described reality and the human condition so accurately that societies built on His philosophy have persisted to this day?

Maybe it has been too long. Come, Lord Jesus. Maranatha!