FAIR SUNSHINE

Take heed to yourselves lest you should be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim the necessity of a Saviour to the world, your hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits. Take heed to yourselves, lest you perish while you call upon others to take heed of perishing, and lest you famish yourselves while you prepare their food. Though there be a promise of shining as stars to those that turn many to righteousness (Daniel 12:3) , this is but on supposition that they be first turned to it themselves: such promises are made ceteris paribus, et suppositis supponendis. Their own sincerity in the faith is the condition of their glory simply considered, though their great ministerial labours may be a condition of the promise of their greater glory. Many men have warned others that they come not to that place of torment, ...

To emphasize the standard is not to be mean-spirited, nor should it be viewed as censorious. We exercise the same judgement when trusting our health to the diagnosis of a qualified physician, or place ourselves under the knife of a qualified surgeon. But the ministerial office is qualified by God Himself. Theological schooling is very important. But how do you measure education when in our day, every school claims to be truthful while contradicting each other on doctrinal interpretation? And even so, to be proficient theologically, or to confess to a creed, does not necessarily mean one is spiritually born again. When this requirement is set aside, everyone is ministry is legitimately correct, and the line between mere human knowledge and heaven-sent unction is blurred. *************** We are not among those who accept the apostolical succession of young men simply because they assume it; if their college experience has been rather vivacious than spiritual, if their honours have been c...

For years have I sat under emotional and academic yet lifeless preaching about repeated affirmations of basic truths. It merely stunted my growth. But I believed I had to sit through it because it was the program, and I convinced others to do the same. The glaring truth stared me in my face the whole time yet I closed my eyes because the system was set up as such, that I had to be bodily present, never mind if my spirit remained unfed. It was assumed that the Spirit was always present in the external exercises, but the lives of those who sat with me told differently as they remained lethargic and uninterested. In our first church, it was about the grandeur of gifts, achievements and humanism. In our second, comfort, richness, and identity. With our third, which professed to be reformed in doctrine but definitely not in deed, it was timidity and dead religion. There was rampant gossiping, backbiting, and taking sides. The pastor was then in a secret relationship with the youth leader wh...

April 2024 recording, Song of Solomon Chapter 1: Ito ang pinakamagandang awit ni Solomon:  Ang Unang Awit Babae: Akong ito'y pinupupog, sinisiil mo ng halik; ang dulot ng pag-ibig mo'y mainam pa sa alak. Ang taglay mong halimuyak, saan kaya itutulad? Simbango ng pangalan mong ang samyo'y malaganap, kaya lahat ng dalaga ay iyo ngang nabibihag. Ako ngayon ay narito, isama mo kahit saan, at ako ay iyong dalhin sa silid mong pahingahan. Tiyak akong liligaya ngayong ikaw ay narito, ang nais ko ay madama ang alab ng pag-ibig mo; pagsinta mo'y mas gusto ko kaysa alinmang inumin; hindi ako nagkamali na ikaw nga ang ibigin. Dalaga sa Jerusalem, ang ganda ko'y kayumanggi; katulad ko'y mga toldang sa Kedar pa niyayari, tulad ko ri'y mga tabing sa palasyo ng hari. Huwag akong hahamakin nang dahil sa aking kulay, pagkat itong aking balat ay nasunog lang sa araw. Itong mga kapatid ko'y hindi ako kinalugdan, nagkaisa silang ako'y pagbantayin ng ubasan.  Pinagyama...

Sodomites love quoting Ezekiel 16:49 to deflect the argument away from homosexuality into the toned down sin of neglect for the needy. Yet they always, always, stop at verse 49 - and shy away from the following verse. Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, PRIDE , fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.  They were PROUD , and committed ABOMINATION before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. Ezekiel 16:49-50 He who believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he who does not believe on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God remains upon him. John 3:36 He who believes on him is not condemned: but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he did not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:1...

Pat, as he is simply called, is a servant of the Lord with a passion for the proclamation of Christ. I had the honor of meeting him and his beloved wife Sarah during the rebellion march at University of the Philippines last Saturday. This meeting has been long overdue. God is gracious indeed.  I have been with a handful of  men in the past who for a time preached Christ in public but went back to comfort and silence. They did not continue or persevere in it. It was just a phase. Perhaps the reason they did it was because it was a "Christian" thing to do and there were others to do it with. However, true calling is demonstrated when men follow through even when others have abandoned you. I have lost count the number of messages I've received along the lines of, 'I want to preach with you.' or 'do you have Facebook so I can follow because I want to preach?' Even, 'I have a burden to preach. Do you give instructions?'  The question is not, do I h...

Two weeks upon learning there would be a sodomite rally on the 28th at Quezon City, we held overnight prayer meetings between the hours of 2AM to 4AM. We believe all battles in behalf of the kingdom of Christ is won on our knees, and that our Lord's victory on the cross was made possible by that pivotal moment He spent in Gethsemane the night before. Everyone wanted to participate, but our small car can only accommodate five people. Everyone else would have to endure the laborious effort of traveling from Makati and Bulacan. Some sacrificed the day off from work, while others traveled directly from a 5 a.m. shift. We weren't there to see the event or the people, but to witness for our Savior. The public proclamation of the word is grossly misunderstood by most, especially by religionists who think the practice is outmoded, impractical, and ineffective. I've read comments arguing that it drives people away, and it belittles their faith. In reality, they have never been cl...