Set Apart But United

For the past few of weeks, a local and historical movie based on the life of Antonio Luna has been generating plenty of buzz. Why shouldn’t it? It’s masterfully done; with perhaps the most gratuitous aspect of it would be the graphic battle scenes. But to the people who appreciate history, the movie more than satisfies. One scene in particular stuck a chord. (I suppose this is the part where one says spoiler alert?) It was a cabinet meeting, and Luna – who felt as though he has reached his daily limit of absurdity – spoke up about the people’s sense of nationality and in essence, their unity as the nation’s leaders.

He erupts, “Negosyo o kalayaan? Bayan o sarili?” and in that moment one realizes that the struggle to be united in achieving one goal is still something that our country experiences. Thus begs the question: Do we sometimes find our Church to be in a similar situation? Do we sometimes find ourselves to be disagreeing more than agreeing with regards to certain topics or issues surrounding our Church, even if it’s to say that everyone has good intentions just different ways of going about it?

Ephesians speaks about God’s redemptive love and how it is inclusive of both Gentiles and Jews; and Ephesians 4 specifically speaks about unity in the body of Christ. In a world that often tells us to stand out, to be unique, and to be opinionated, how do we live above the pressures of the world and in the way that is appropriate for a child of God?

I.  THE URGE TO BECOME WORTHY OF THEIR CALLING

Paul explains it well in chapter 4. He begins in verse one by urging the Ephesian Christians to be worthy of their calling. He believed that God set a standard for each Christian to behave or conduct themselves in a certain manner. Paul is basically asking us to live and act in the way that will bring glory to God. In his book Live Life On Purpose, Claude Hickman emphasizes how much importance God places in His name. He further explains it by comparing it to being a simple brand ambassador. Brands will only sponsor athletes or celebrities who are at the peak of their fame, because they want consumers to be invested in their brands. While this may be an oversimplification of how evangelism works, there are similarities. God holds His name at such a high esteem that He would naturally want us – His ambassadors, witnesses, and children – to represent Him well.

How do you represent God? When you go to school, do your classmates think that there’s something different about you compared to how they live their lives? If you’re working, do you join in idle gossip instead of respecting the other person that is just as important to God? How do we, as God’s children, show that He is a God that is worthy of being glorified?

In verse two of chapter four, Paul now gives us the pointers on how to be worthy of our calling. He listed down characteristics that are worthy of our calling. He called us to be humble, be gentle, be patient with one another, and bear with one another in love. Of course this might just be a more detailed or specific of Christ’s command in Matthew 22: 37-39, particularly 39 as it pertains to a person’s relationship with other people. These are teachings that we’ve known since we were in Sunday School. We know what it means to be humble, gentle, patient, and loving towards each other, but how often do we emulate these characteristics?

Going back to Heneral Luna, how many of our country’s leaders at that time showed humility, gentleness, patience, and love? How many of them came to the meeting with their own agenda, or something personal which they wanted to protect? The movie line that I mentioned earlier summarizes perfectly our dilemma when we don’t have the characteristics that show that we are set apart by God. Paul’s guidelines on how to live according to God’s standards are basically a set of “how to” tips in relating to other people better. When we stop thinking that our opinion is the only one that matters – and by extension, that we are the only ones that matter – and start regarding others to be just as important as ourselves, that maybe a small step towards unity.

In verse 3, Paul speaks about the unity that is worthy of their calling and the attitude that we should have in maintaining it. He qualifies the kind of unity that he mentions – the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Why does Paul have to qualify what kind of unity it is, and why does he say that we have to maintain it? To the first question, it is because peace is a bond that unites all believers. It’s not something that we create or dependent on us. It is a peace that is solely dependent on the Holy Spirit, one that was given to us. To the second question, since it is only given to us our responsibility is making sure that it is upheld.

Paul touches on this back in chapter 2 of Ephesians, particularly in verses 11 to 22. The reason why Jews and Gentiles are united is because of the redemptive act that God the Father did through Christ. He says in Ephesians 2 verse 13, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Here, he is referring to the way that Jews and Gentiles worship, wherein the temple courts were still divided according to social status. It was a time when the ceremonially unclean were in the outer courts while the Jews and the priests were in the inner courts. But Paul says that that doesn’t matter anymore – that the race of the people worshipping God isn’t of importance because they all have a new race in Christ.

In a way, it reminds me of how our history as a nation came to be. Before any of the powerful countries back in the 1500s decided that it was the best time to explore the world and land on our shores, we were quite literally tribes of people who only cared about the people in their own tribes. But having been formed as a country and nation taught us – rather, is still teaching us – that some things are more important than our personal interests or preferences.

II.  THE FOUNDATION OF THEIR CALLING

In order to maintain in the unity the Spirit provided, Paul gives the foundation of the Ephesian believers’ calling. He believed that believers have the responsibility to keep unity in the body of Christ. In verse 4, Paul mentions that the basis for their unity in the body and in the spirit is rooted in the hope that belongs to their call. This is the hope that Christians will one day be with God forever. Simply being united shouldn’t be the end goal, rather it needs the further qualification that we know why we need to be united and what should keep us united. Paul reminds us that there’s a reason why we need to stick together and what it is that we can look forward to in the future.  

Think of it this way: recall news events when there are rallies for one cause or another and when a reporter asks one of the people around why they’re there, they wouldn’t be able to give a straight answer. What answer do you give when people notice that there’s something different about you? I remember a time when I was going through a rough patch at work, and every fiber in me wanted to leave. I shared to my workmates about how God had wanted me to remain still, despite my own reservations. My friend asked me how it is that I was so sure that God was speaking. Very simply, I said that it’s because I have faith and that His Word spoke to me. It was a year later that God gave me the opportunity to share the Gospel to her. I hope that when we are asked why we are hopeful, or why we are able to be gracious with each other, we would be able to point it back to the source and reason behind everything – that is our faith in our God.

Verse 5 further enumerates that hope isn’t the only thing that belongs with our call. He includes the very foundation and manifestation of our faith – that we have one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. It begins with knowing and accepting our Lord, building our faith, and manifesting it through baptism. It is through baptism that we further realize what being united truly means. While it is a declaration, an act that shows that we believe Jesus is our Lord and Savior, it is also being incorporated into One Body – that is the Church, as seen in 1 Corinthians 12 verse 13.

What does this mean for us? Perhaps these facts have been ingrained in us since we were children in Sunday school or that we’ve been oversaturated with the “Bible Thing” that we go through the motions of serving God with fellow worshippers that it ends up being a routine. It is always good to go back to our roots – the who (Christ) and the what (baptism) of our faith.

III.  THE ONE POWER BEHIND OUR CALLING

                Lastly, Paul gives us the one power behind our calling. He reminds us that God’s oneness defines the Church’s oneness. Verses 4-6 subtly illustrates the oneness of God. Verse 4 spoke about having One Spirit, and verses 5 and 6 speak about Christ and God the Father respectively. These verses defines the unity of the Trinity. Each person of the trinity had a part to play in reminding or empowering us to remain united, and it is through God’s oneness that the Church models what it is to be one as well.

                We know that verse 6 reminds us of the indisputability of God – He is over all, through all, and in all. He is a God who is ever present, boundless by time, and sovereign over all. We can find a clearer picture of this in Psalm 139 verses 7 to 12. The Psalmist says,

⁷Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

⁸If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed Sheol, you are there!

[…] ¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;

The night is bright as the day,

For darkness is as light with you.

His presence is more than enough to saturate us. Imagine being wrapped in the coziest blanket that you own during a rainy day. We’ve all probably had that experience in one way or another, and we all know how difficult that made it for us to get out of bed. This is how we should view God’s presence in our lives. The knowledge that He lives among us and that His Spirit is with us shouldn’t be thought of with disdain. His presence should excite us and comfort us. We should always be reluctant to move away or stray from His presence. Remember: It is because of His nature and His desire to commune with Him that He has called us, together, for His purpose. He has called us for Him, the only One who can, that we may belong to Him and be a part of His kingdom.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

                Antonio Luna isn’t known for his patience. His contemporaries would rather vilify him for the very things that made him a good strategic general. He wasn’t the most compassionate person in the room (neither was he likely to extend grace to those who’ve slighted him). It is not the intention of this sermon to paint him as a saint. However, for all his faults, Luna got one thing right: That the unity of a nation towards one goal is far more important than the wants of an individual.

                In the movie, Antonio Luna says to his apprentice, “Malaking trabaho ang ipagkaisa ang isang bansang watak-watak.” It’s not easy uniting people into doing something they don’t think is important. Unity is never going to be about blindly doing the same thing as everyone else without knowing the reason. Unity is realizing that we are all called to one purpose, called to one God, and called to be a part of one Church.

                Each day we live at a crossroad – do we do what we want or do we do what is right (and by extension, right by God?) Do we choose to live for ourselves at the cost of discord, or do we die to ourselves for the sake of unity? When conflicts arise, do we let it settle and fester instead of addressing it by rebuking each other in love? Unity is fragile if it is dependent on the sentiments of people, but it is empowering when we remember the ultimate source of this unity and peace. Be encouraged in the knowledge that our God is not only the root of that unity, but the model as well. He is a united God that united us all under the cross.  

Firstfruits

"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." -- Proverbs 3:9-10

Being a grown up and earning money. First payday!

Today, I got my very first salary. It has been quite the momentous event and have in fact, reached quite a milestone. And there really isn't much that I can do except praise God for his faithfulness. I mean, I wouldn't even have a salary if it wasn't for Him placing me in this school. I assure you, the unsettling feeling hasn't completely left me yet, but the "veterans" have not lacked in helping us newbies feel welcomed and settled in. God has done SO much in my life already in just the past week. My only response, truly, is gratitude.

I always intended to give my firstfruit to my parents - they are after all, the ones who have gone through my troubles with me and I'm certain that it wasn't easy for them to work for more than half their lives just to have the last of the bunch (me) finally finish college. Add to that the fact that the college that I ended up choosing isn't particularly cheap. I tried to help. I thought that if I maybe tried my hardest, then my academic performance would qualify me to become a merit scholar and therefore allow my parents to keep some of the money that they were about to continue investing in mine. Tuition wasn't - isn't - cheap and having sent 3 kids in private schools have taken a lot from them.

I don't want to say that I owe them - because I don't want to imply that my parents did what they did just because they were legally obligated to do so. Instead, I am immensely grateful to them. I know. We've had a lot of ups and downs, and half the time we're not communicating. But please, I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate everything that you've done for me. Sobra-sobra na nga eh. (Dear parents, the reason why I insist on being independent is because I don't want to burden you anymore.) 

To me, giving them my first salary doesn't even come close to all of the things that they've done for me - whether I wanted them to do it or not. 

I appreciate and I love you both, and I only pray that my work doesn't just bring me joy but that it could be something that you might actually be proud of. I know that my salary deserves to go to God as well, but I figured, God has ministered to me a lot through my parents. I know that there's no substitute to personally giving it to Him. I may be giving the money to my parents, but to You, O God, do I offer up my efforts. I pray that this offering my be pleasing in Your eyes and that You may be glorified.

And I thank You everyday.

21 and Still Growing

Actually, I've been an adult for almost 4 years now. But it was only this week that I truly felt like a "grown up".

After Youth L.I.V.E.'s annual Youth Camp the past week, I reported for work the morning after. It doesn't matter that I didn't get a decent amount of sleep. I'm an "adult" now and when your bosses tell you to come in for work, you do it. The experience was - sometimes is - daunting. It wasn't about the work environment at all (after all, most of the faculty members graduated from UA&P). I suppose, it really was the implication of actually being accountable for my future shortcomings and especially being responsible for my future students.

Change isn't only difficult; it's terrifying.

The morning of my first day, my dad actually talks to me about insurance and how he talked to my brother about it. I felt my head nodding but my mind already got lost the moment he mentioned the word "insurance". I never really understood the concept - especially how it's supposed to help you as you get older. Then there's tax payments, and SSS pins and all these other government related things I just have no clue about. I just felt a general lack of preparedness on my part. As though I'm uncertain of whether or not I'm supposed to be growing up.

But I think God has been consistently reassuring me that yes, I do have to grow up and move on with my life and that it's not like I'll be left all alone. I have people I know and trust in my workplace, and I think God spoke through my mom as to why He placed me there specifically.

(I think this is something I have to keep telling myself so that I could get used to it.)

I suppose it's more than a little bizarre that a year ago I was a camper and an incoming 4th year university student and now I just finished helping out at our camp as a buzz group leader/team counselor/worship team member and about a month away from my own graduation. Seriously. Where did the time go? And why is it in such a rush to fly by?

There are so many things that have been happening lately that I'm not too sure my head's caught up with what's been going on in my life.

Adulthood's more than a little frightening - and I'm not too sure how everyone else has done it. I'll be turning 22 a few days short of a couple of months - but that brings me no comfort at all. All I'm really doing now is trusting that God will show me how to go about being a light to the place he specifically chose for me to be in. I can't even really distinguish between excited and terrified anymore.

I just. I need to take it a day at a time. I know God will lead me where He wants me to be. Ang dami kong arte. This is mostly attributed to a new environment and a new chapter in my life. I know this will get better and I'll get used to it. I'm just overwhelmed. But this will pass.

Okay. Stay calm. Pray. Take it a day at a time. 

Are we good?

Good.

Next major life event - June 1 graduation. Here, you get a selfie:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

-- Philippians 4:13

EDIT: On the flipside though, I will be discipling 3 girls starting June. And that's scary and such a blessing at the same time. GAH. Lord. Let Your wisdom be upon me as I mentor and help shape these girls into the daughters that You want them to be.

Amazing Love

"But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed [...] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." - Isaiah 53: 5,7

This passage. Natulala kami pareho ni Ate Rhods. 

Lord, I don't know if the time will come when I will be able to comprehend the tremendous love that You have for me. It amazes and terrifies me that a perfect God would sacrifice Himself on the cross for a broken person such as myself. It's such a crazy love, Lord, and I don't even know if I'll ever understand how You thought I was worth dying on the cross for. But You did. And there's nothing I can do to ever make myself deserving of Your love, it's not something that I can work for. You've done all the work. And all I want is to know You more, to bend my will to Yours. It suddenly gets harder to breathe when I realize how much You love me (and I know how that sounds like such a corny line from a movie), but I suppose that's how a person feels when they fall in love? 

I cannot even fathom how You  managed to show so much strength in Your silence while You were on that cross. I can't even imagine how much it must have pained the Father to see His Son dying on the cross, knowing He's not supposed to do anything about it for the sake of saving a people who don't even understand why there is a need for salvation. And the craziest thing is, I know You'll do it all over again if You were asked. There are so many things I want to ask You, and I don't even know why I'm having such a hard time accepting that You thought I deserve Your love. I wonder, if your answer to my question is it's because You love me, am I going to want more questions answered? Am I going to be satisfied with that? (Is it really hard for my mind to wrap around the fact that You love me?)

Hay Lord. Ang tagal na nating magkasama. But it's like I'm a new Christian that's just gotten to know You and what You've done. And it just took my breath away. There's a new found wonder for everything that You are. (And maybe, that's not such a bad thing?)

You leave me speechless.

You take my breath away.

Loving the Miserable

I wasn't always the musical junkie. In fact, I can hardly say that I am. Thoroughly Modern Millie was the only Broadway show that I had seen live; RENT the only other musical that I obsessed about.

And now, I think I find myself in love with this musical called Les Miserables.

I think part of the reason why I love it so much (apart from the heartbreaking music) is that, as much as it is a story about falling in love and dying for democracy, it is also a story about grace - both horizontal and vertical. It portrays the story of how a man found Salvation by someone showing him what grace is all about. And the beautiful thing about it is he shows the same grace and mercy that God has shown him through the Bishop.

It's not a Christian story, but you see and hear the references. In the first few lines of 'Who Am I':

Who am I, that I condemn this man to slavery.

Pretend I do not feel his agony.

This innocent who wears my face,

Who goes to judgment in my place.

I mean, I realize these are lyrics that pertain to Valjean's inner conflict of whether he should give himself up or not. But I mean, those lines pretty much speak about the Gospel right? I mean, that's what grace is about (1 John 4:9-10). That is love: that a God would send His Son to die for a people undeserving.

I guess I just love this musical because it reminds me of how a glorious God can love and redeem miserable human beings like us. And I think I might always marvel about this fact.

The best thing about thing is, just like Valjean had, there is certainty in Salvation. If you truly believe, then you are truly saved and nothing will ever separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).

And so I must now leave you with my favorite line from this musical:

And remember the truth that once was spoken - to love another person is to see the face of God.

Psalm 115

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.” – Psalm 115:1 (ESV)

This year, I’ll do better. This year, I’ll be more diligent in my studies. This time I won’t put my work down to the last minute.

Sounds familiar? We've all tried (and failed) to stick to our resolutions. We make them at the beginning of the year because we've reflected on how poorly we may have done in the previous year. So we make plans to wash the stain of the past year with renewed (and maybe premature, too) determination to be better people by our own effort so that in the end, we can proudly say that I did this because of me. While it is tempting, we end up forgetting who the focus of our year – our everyday lives, really – should be. Our year shouldn't be so that WE could shine and be the stars of our lives. We should remind ourselves that from the moment we've accepted Jesus into our lives, we've basically accepted that we’re never going to bring glory to ourselves. And if anyone be glorified, it should be Him.

Not to us, dear God, but to You be the glory. May our eyes always shift towards You. May we learn to love who You love. May we commit to faithfully obeying You. Humble our hearts, break us if You have to. Use us as a vessel, Lord, that Your majesty may shine through us. In Christ's name, Amen.

Time to Grow Up

It’s time people stop pointing fingers and accusing God of abandoning us when things go horribly wrong. Wake up people, it’s not His fault that innocent lives were lost 3 days ago. God didn’t do that, a person did. A person has free will because God gave him free will - and it is because of the misuse of that freedom why 27 people are dead in one morning.

This is not God turning a blind eye or punishing us. This is the consequence of our own actions. We worry about offending other people so we remove religious paraphernalia and we refuse to have our children be guided morally, theologically, because “hey, I don’t think it’s nice to shove my beliefs down other peoples’ throats”. And yeah, it’s not. But teaching children how to be morally upright human beings should hardly be a problem? I think the biggest problem is that it’s not stressed enough. That’s why teachers like Victoria Soto have to stand in front of a shooter and die protecting her students. 

God didn’t abandon us - we abandoned Him. We were more concerned about what other people thought of us than how God sees us. We have no right to question God. He doesn’t make mistakes, letting that Lanza boy shoot all those people wasn’t God’s mistake. 

Our decisions, our actions, our responsibilities. He is sovereign, but he is not a puppeteer that controls our every action. He is our creator not a destroyer. It is ignorant to think that the God who sent His son to die for a world full of murderers, liars, adulterers, thieves, bullies, pedophiles, greedy, proud, envious, treacherous people and be the same God who willed for these people to be killed. 

People kill people.

It’s time we take full responsibility for our sins and stop blaming God for everything. A God as loving, merciful, and just as He is, is not a God who will personally move someone to murder children and adults in cold blood. So before we accuse God of being unfair and questioning His power, maybe we should first spend the time to get to know Him.