A typical young woman is busy learning to put make up.

A typical young man is busy playing computer games.

A typical mother is busy doing the household chores.

A typical father is busy earning money.

And a typical Christian is busy attending church services.

But, an untypical Christian is busy doing the Work of God – building the church and doing greater things than what has been done! John 14:10-14 says,

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

As mentioned last preaching, God is busy building His temple. Jesus, when He was here on earth, did exactly what the Father wanted Him to do. It is the same way today. God wants us to continue doing the WORK of BUILDING HIS TEMPLE. It is God’s dream which should be our dream as well, and must be fulfilled. More so, we are mandated to do GREATER WORKS than what has been accomplished! Because greater things are on our way but greater works are needed to be done.

Mandated to do same things and much more, to do greater works, we must know what precisely Jesus had done when He was on earth. It is written in Matthew 9:35 and the following verses:

“Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people (WIN). But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd (CONSOLIDATE). Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few (DISCIPLE). Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest (SEND).”

One great act will move you closer to the Kingdom of God than your millions of intentions.

In its simplest form, GREATNESS is the result of your OBEDIENCE to the WORD OF GOD. And your simple OBEDIENCE will OPEN THE HEAVENS for you (John 14:13-14).

JAPAN, a strong nation that was shaken by an earthquake and tsunami; EGYPT, where the early human civilization started underwent to a revolution; and both LIBYA and BAHRAIN are in the midst of a civil war. These are only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

For the Lord says in Haggai 2:5-8,

“According to the word that I covenanted with you

when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!”

“For thus says the LORD of hosts: “Once more (it is a little while)

I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;

“and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations,

and I will fill this temple with glory,” says the LORD of hosts.

“The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,” says the LORD of hosts.

God will shake cities, nations and those that don’t recognize Him as Lord. All these things occur so the Glory of God will be proclaimed. Heaven and earth will fade, but God’s Word will remain, hence, do not fear. Stay in the Presence of God and meditate His Word, only then you will find security and God’s goodness. We are grateful because Jesus is Lord over the Philippines covering us underneath His wings.

At this time, for us to experience the manifested glory of the Lord and the double portion of His blessings, there are four things that should be evident as well in our lives. Coined as A.B.C.D., the four things are as follows:

1. Abide to God and His Word. John 15:7 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. Being connected to God and His Word means blessing. Conversely, being disconnected only implies a dangerous life. Thus, abide through prayers, devotions and Scripture-readings.

2. Believe God as well as His Word. 2 Chronicles 20:20 says, “Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” If you can believe, all things are possible (Mark 9:23).

3. Confess the Word of God. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).We do not live just to work. We do not work just to earn money and eat. We do not eat for us to continue living. We live to fulfill the purpose of God in our lives. As we live by this principle, surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6). The Word of God must be returned to Him Who promised it, through our confession (Isaiah 55:11).

4. Do it! This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8).

And in these circumstances the Lord says,

“Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,” says the Lord

and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest;

and be strong, all you people of the land,”

says the LORD, “and work; for I am with you,” says the LORD of hosts.

This world is trying to upset you. But God says, BE STRONG and WORK AGAIN!

“I love you and my heart will follow wholly after you.” – Dwelling Places

The 9^th of January 2011 marks the second Sunday of New Year and signals the second week of the first month. In the Bible, the 14^th day of the first month of the year is very important. It is the day of the Lord’s Passover – His way to protect His people from any physical harm such as accident, sicknesses or diseases and any attacks of satan. God just wants us to enjoy life with His protection and have the best of health in 2011!

Celebrating the Feast of the Passover is God’s commandment (Exodus12:2, 13-14). It shall be celebrated throughout all generations and generations to come, thus, it is an everlasting ordinance. God Himself said in Leviticus 23:2 to proclaim and celebrate in on the appointed time. This is God’s feast.

Why should we celebrate the Feast of the Passover?

Every year, God evaluates us and gives fair judgment according to what we have done; but when He sees the Blood we had applied, He will pass over. That’s the only way God can protect us. Same thing happened in the Old Testament when Moses was instructed to do the said Feast. In fact, he was the first to celebrate it. At that time, God will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when He sees the blood on top and sides of the door posts, the Lord will pass over their homes. He will not permit his death angel to enter their house and strike them down (Exodus 12:12-13). That’s why, as I have mentioned earlier, celebrating this feats is God’s way to protect us from any physical harm.

The second Passover had also been celebrated by Moses and the Israelites in Numbers 9:12, followed by the time of Joshua in Joshua 5:9-10. Nevertheless, during the reign of judges and kings in the Old Testament, such Passover surely had NEVER been held (2 Kings 23:22). That was when Israel became unfruitful. They became immoral and lived according to their own. They fought over one another (Judges 2:11-15). Failure to celebrate at means chaos, destruction, war and extreme poverty.

But, when King Hezekiah restored the celebration of the Passover (2 Chronicles 30:1-5,12-13), results were: the Lord listened to their prayer again, great joy was once more experienced, heavens were opened for their prayers, there was great abundance throughout the land and revival came which led to prosperity (2 Chronicles 30:20, 26, 27, 31:5-10). From King Hezekiah, Ezra and Ezekiel continued to celebrate the Feast of the Passover (Ezra 6:19, Ezekiel 45:21).

All these people who celebrated the Feats expectantly wait for the True Passover to come – Jesus. Now, when Jesus came, he celebrated it as well. Luke 22:15. Jesus said, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…” And in the following verse, “for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Hence, the Feast of the Passover will continue until the Kingdom of God is fulfilled – the Second Coming.

Moreover, the elements of its celebration in the Old Testament were the lamb which was to be killed as an offering, its blood which must be applied at the doorpost and the bitter herbs to remind them of a bitter living without God. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ became our Passover offering who sacrificed His life for us. He redeemed us from our sins and cleansed us from our iniquities. The Bread represents His Body and the Cup of juice, His Blood. The Bitter gourd, reminds us in addition to the truth of how bitter our life would be without God, the extreme suffering Jesus had been through the Cross of Calvary just to save us (Mark 14:22-24).

All those in the past joyfully celebrated the feast as much as they expectantly wait for the Messiah. Today, we know that Jesus had already come and became our Messiah. And all we need to do is to commemorate what He had done, reinforce His victory and stand with gratefulness.

The Feast of the Passover wrapped up in just one great reason – to remember God’s Love for us and our love to Him which is the foundation of our Christian life. That no matter how arduous 2011 might be, we will not turn our backs because His Love will strengthen us!

How a car needs to change oil every now and then for a smooth run, we, people, also need to “change oil” so that we will have a new course of life. There are many predictions and sayings for this year, but God said that the Year 2011 will be the start of the “Years of Rewards”. New Year is the indication of new things to come, new opportunities, new hopes and new dreams, and it is best if we start everything right, by having the Fresh Anointing that comes from the Lord. Back to the Old Testament where David was anointed by God, it says, in 1 Samuel 16:13,

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward..”

this Scripture also applies to those people who will receive the fresh anointing from God. Anointing of Oil speaks of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives from that day forward. Why do we need the anointing? Psalms 89:20-22 says,

20 “I have found My servant David;

With My holy oil I have anointed him,

21 With whom My hand shall be established;

Also My arm shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not outwit him,

Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.”

In this passage, we can see 3 things why we need the anointing of oil:

1. Assurance that we will never fall! (“with whom my hand shall be established.” v.21a) – This is a promise that if problems or difficulties arose, it will never put us down!

2. Assurance of being empowered! (“also my arm shall strengthen him.” v.21b) – there will come a time in our lives that we may feel weak inside and out, but thanks be to God, because of the anointing, we will be strong!

3. Assurance of Divine Protection! (“the enemy shall not outwit him, nor the son of wickedness afflicts him.” v.22)

- There is a special covering for the anointed one, we may be limited in so many things, but we have an unlimited God!

We cannot live depending on the past anointing; we need the “fresh anointing” that comes from above. A ball pen cannot perform its functions without someone holding it. No matter how beautiful it is, how strong the material that was used and what brand it represents, without “someone holding it”, it’s nothing, The strength of the stroke of that pen depends to the strength of the one holding it. Same as with people, without “Someone” holding us, we will ruin our lives. Thank God for the anointing at the start of the year, because when we receive it, His presence will be with us, from that day forward. Desire the “fresh anointing” from God as you start your year, like David in Psalms 92:10,

“But my horn you have exalted like a wild ox, I have been anointed with fresh oil.“

This year will be the year of greater things, and we need to be prepared for that! God Bless!

Ps Francis Alvarado

It was September 2009 when Metro Manila was flooded by a strong typhoon named “Ondoy.” Not long after, while Manila hadn’t recovered yet, came “Bagyong Pepeng” and stormed the provinces of Northern Region. This awful situation left a scar to almost every Filipino whether rich or poor, professional or non-professional. Yet no matter how much lost it brought to the Filipinos, their lives never ended there; they strive to continue living.

Same as with us Christians, notwithstanding how strong our faith is or how righteous we live, every believer undergoes trials and be discouraged. Elijah, a great prophet of God who sees His Hands with miracle also experienced discouragement.

Elijah, in 1 Kings 19:1-18, has just finished his work for the Lord successfully when suddenly he received a threat to his life. He was full of fear then, decided to flee, burned out and worst, ready to die. But even how hopeless he was, God was with Him and Elijah was able to recover.

There were seven things that Elijah did to recover, first, he rested but this rest means resting in the presence of God (v. 5-6). Do not be overwhelmed by the negative situations you have, rest in the presence of God. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “In the presence of God, you will find rest.” God is the God of rest. Next, he discovered that God was concerned with his physical needs (v. 6-8). God knows everything and He always makes miracle to provide all our needs. Christianity is very practical, serving God doesn’t necessarily mean sacrifice rather, it results to blessings because we have a caring God. Third, he went away with an Encounter with God (v. 8-9). There is always a certain place where God will meet you again and again, a precious time where He will speak directly to you. After that, he got real with God (v. 10-14). When he expressed himself with God, he discovered that He is real and He will never leave you nor forsake you. Your emotional distress shouldn’t decide for you, you need to rise up and continue the journey. Fifth, he experienced the tenderness of God (v. 11-13). God is never in the windstorm, earthquake or fire of your life, He is speaking directly to you in the sound of a still small voice, just listen. Remember, Elijah heard the voice of the Lord in his stillness. Sixth, he got back to work for God (v. 15-17). Elijah instantly followed God’s order and there he found courage. There are only two places where you can be found – to the place where God has put you to work or the place where the enemy can hold on you. It’s time to work earnestly for God! Finally, he got a new perspective that God is in charge (v.18). You thought you were all doing the work solely and felt tired, but God is actually in charge of everything, He is with you and planned for your life a long time ago. Let God drive your life and just ride with Him.

We are no different to Elijah. There is always a rough road in this journey, in this conquest. There are discouragements, problems and emotional undertakings, but we should only passed through that and never stay because there’s always a way to overcome it. Learn by heart that there’s no victory when there’s no fight. God wants to restore our joy of serving Him, courage in every battle we have and hope in finishing this journey, this conquest in order to win the prize.

We have discussed last week in Deuteronomy 28:3-6 where we can see the blessings – it is from our calling, purpose and vision.  More importantly, there is a place where God has called us for a purpose and to be connected with the vision. That place is in the House of God where we should all be planted. Like a plant whose roots are planted, it will grow and become fruitful.

What God will do if you are now planted? It is written in the following verses of Deuteronomy 28. First, “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face (v.7).” God will put shame to your enemies. They will be humiliated for you will not remain jobless, unblessed and unfruitful. Second, “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you (v.8).” Blessing will enter your storehouses – your wallet, banks, jobs and even the church. In line with this, God will only command blessings in the context of unity. When there’s unity God will bless you and the church. Psalms 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is, For brethren to dwell together in unity!…For there the LORD commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.” Next, “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself…(v.9)” You are God’s holy people and you are made holy because of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” More so in 2 Peter 2:9-10, it says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” Another one is written in v.11, “And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground…” In everything you do, God will surely bless it – in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock and in the produce of your ground. The Lord will increase you more and more, you and your children (Psalms 115:14). One more blessing is, “The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens!…(v.12)” Why? To give you rain to your land in its season, to bless all the works of your hands then you shall lend to many nations but you shall not borrow. The way to open the windows of heaven is written in Malachi 3:8-12. Give your tithes. Giving faithfully your tithes requires a decision. Now try God on this then He’ll rebuke the devourer for your sakes and He will protect your blessings! Last, “And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath…(v.13)” It is the blessing of leadership like Abraham who believed and become the father of many nation.

All these take place for those who are planted in the House of God. Psalms 92:13 says, “Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.”