God's Reserve

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 a burden to preach? but do I know Christ? A preaching with Christ is a 'tinkling cymbal.' The first commandment is not, 'thou shalt preach.' but 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.' (Matthew 22:37) To desire to preach, apart from a love for God first, is idolatry. Some in the past have joined our group chat expecting sensational prophecies and tips to preach. But when I tell them, 'our primary goal in this group is to study to know Christ more than anything,' they leave. 

Ministry is not a thing to do. It is a response to seeing the beauty of Christ in his word. It is the overflow of a life intimately endeavoring to know Christ. I may preach my whole life, but if it does not come from knowing Christ and being known of Christ, I have only thrown my life away. I will only be talking about a beauty I have never seen. "What? You haven't died yet and you've seen the beauty of Christ?" Oh yes! In His word. I believe it just as if I have seen it. I believe every promise with my life and with my death. I haven't seen heaven yet, but I am daily living in it already. I have yet to be judged but I strive to live as if I am already. The glories of Christ are mine now, it is here but not yet. Just as there is not a man who out of fancy chooses to be born again, no one who understands nothing of the narrow path Christ walked on will in his right mind choose that life. He may desire it for the fancy of experiencing it for a season, but he will not persevere. Perseverance one of Faith's children. Where there is no faith, there is no continuing, no persevering, no enduring. I cannot count how many times I've wanted to cease, but the grace of God will not allow it - am I then forced to obey? No. I am renewed every time with a heart heavier than before. The prophet knows of this burden and said it perfectly, 

LORD, you coerced me into being a prophet, and I allowed you to do it. You overcame my resistance and prevailed over me. Now I have become a constant laughingstock. Everyone ridicules me. For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out, “Violence and destruction are coming!” This message from the LORD has made me an object of continual insults and derision. Sometimes I think, “I will make no mention of his message. I will not speak as his messenger any more.” But then his message becomes like a fire locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul. I grow weary of trying to hold it in; I cannot contain it. 

Jeremiah 20:7-9  

Hence to see laborers sent to the harvest is as refreshing to me as rain in drought. Saith the LORD to Paul in scripture, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, because I am with you, and no one will assault you to harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:9-11) God has not left Bulacan in darkness. He called and sent this man. I am humbled to stand with Pat. May the name of the LORD prosper in his labors.

You may follow him here. (link)