Welcome to the Good News Aces, where the praise is phenomenal, the coffee overflows, and the food afterwards is really good.
Worship – Ganda talaga ng drums natin. Buti na habol ko kanta ni Kuya Yuri. Bigyan pa natin cya ng Don Moen songs. Also, ‘Above!’
Communion – Adam – Di ko alam kung Call Center or Emcee. We don’t really remember Christ in just Communion, but Christ has His ways of reminding us. Take it back to God. Take it back to Jesus.
Giving – Venus – We give from our hearts. Not to impress, not out of pressure.
Announcements?
First Sunday of July… But I think we need to take a quick look back at June.
We took June to appreciate the Holy Spirit, one of the Three and Three-In-One: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We established that the Holy Spirit is at constant work, convicting the world: Of sin, because it does not yet believe in Christ, of judgment, because the ruler of this world has not yet been judged by Christ, and of righteousness, because we have not seen Christ.
For some reason, I’m led to remember the mystery of faith that we always mention during mass:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
I’m also now led to have us consider the following:
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, that they would see, realize, and appreciate the critical importance of Christ’s death – His ultimate, selfless act of love – that they would believe in Him.
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of judgment, proclaiming to the ruler of this world that he WILL be judged when Christ comes again.
Finally, the Holy Spirit convicts the world of righteousness, that we who believe in Him yet have not seen Him will remain at peace, knowing that we are always in good standing with God, through Christ.
I may or may not throw that in. Anyway, the point is, just as the Holy Spirit has been at work in this reality since the beginning of time (as it was the Spirit of God which hovered over in the formless depths, Genesis 1:2), so He has been at work in us, convicting us at every single moment: Of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
I have reason to believe that the moment we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and received Him as our Savior, so we also received the Holy Spirit, or the manifest presence of the Godhead here in this finite, sin-stained world. We see this as the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples in the upper room. The great sound of the wind preceded the tongues of fire hovering over their heads, and they all spoke. They spoke in tongues, and everyone all around recognized that though we were speaking in different languages, they were all speaking in one accord, of ‘the marvelous/wonderful works of God’
They were proclaiming the goodness of God, and as such, they were proclaiming Christ – the pinnacle of God’s goodness, the ultimate demonstration of His everlasting love. It is by the Spirit that Peter first spoke to the curious multitude, leading them to repent, to believe in Christ and to receive the Holy Spirit; the beginning of the first ecclesia. To them he spoke, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”Acts 2:36
In Acts 3, we continue to read that it is also by the Spirit that Peter and John spoke, and the man lame since birth stood, walked, jumped, and danced. To this man he spoke, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”Acts 3:6 Finally, in Acts 4, we read of how it was by the Spirit that Peter spoke boldly of Christ to the (greatly annoyed) Pharisees and the Scribes, until ‘they had nothing to say in opposition’. To them he spoke, “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.”Acts 4:10
Friends, this was June in a nutshell:
By the finished work of Christ, we received the Holy Spirit. Being filled by the Spirit, we speak with the Spirit, of the wonderful works of God leading to the Name of Jesus; We also speak with the Spirit, in the Name of Jesus, resulting in the wonderful works of God… …for the world to repent, for the world to be healed, for the ruler of the world to be silenced.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Introduction to July
We’ve come to the midpoint of this year, 2025. In a conversation with my eldest brother I overheard his eldest son, my nephew, say something else – that as of these recent days we’re now officially closer to 2050 than we are to 2000. Indeed, a lot of stuff has happened 25 years since the beginning of the 21st century… and up until this day things are happening.
In fact, in the span of just this week, I’ve heard a lot.
People are setting up to move out, people have had their plans cancelled or redirected. People have lost work, even if they were actually performing really good. And if it’s not people in our level, it’s people above us or below us that are being moved around, or moved out entirely.
People have been transitioning from one position of leadership to another. People have been transitioning from one relationship status to another.
Within the span of this week I’ve spent time celebrating with someone who’s on his way to physical recovery, also with someone who’s on her way to psychological restoration… and I’ve also spent time grieving as a family friend participated wholeheartedly in a native dance, sat down, and died right then and there.
I think to myself, what’s something to share in this season, and in this month?
As I mentioned last week, we just came out of a Council Meeting, and one of the things that was tackled there was the priority of documentation over position. While some of us were enthusiastic about putting people into positions of power, our good Pastor Poppo, one of my personal mentors, emphasized the need for us to make the essential and critical updates to our foundational documents… and this entailed our going deeper than our Mission and Vision (because even those change given a long-enough timeline), we’ve been brought to reevaluate and reestablish our Values.
After some deliberation, we all came to the agreement that it is ‘Christ-centered Living’ that is the one primary and foundational value of our Church. Christ-centered Living is where our Mission and Vision will come from, and from there positions will be established.
Now, in our humble service, we can definitely draw from ‘Christ-centered Living’. What does it mean for us?
Well, as your Pastor, I’d like to take the first couple of months of this third quarter of 2025 (July and August) to propose something. ‘Magpo-propose ako.‘ (cue ‘ayie‘)
Jesus is confronted in Matthew 22:36-40: 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
What I propose now, from the light of the finished work of Christ, is that we shift from focusing our efforts towards love coming from us, and moving FROM His love.
28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”John 6:28-29
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.1 John 3:23-24
Friends, Christ-centered living for us is to shift – FROM loving God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves, TO believing in Christ (the expression of God loving US with all HIS heart), and loving one another, as He has loved us.
If you’ve noticed, we’ve talked in length, last June, about how the Holy Spirit alive in us is a result of our believing in Jesus Christ. If Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love towards us, the Holy Spirit is the effect of God’s love towards us.
And now, this July, we’re going to go in more length as to what it means to love one another, from God’s love for us… and I could think of no better Scripture to start us off, than 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22.
12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
Christ-centered Living is walking according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh. It’s to live in power and peace, understanding that because of Christ, we are loved so greatly, knowing that we are blessed for good works, and we have a Helper to direct us.
Here, we also see that Christ-centered Living is our loving one another. It’s for us to respect each other, and to esteem each other highly. It’s for us to be at peace with each other – rebuking, encouraging, helping, and expressing patience.
…and if all that goes over our heads, let’s never forget that we as individuals practice Christ-centered Living by the rest of the Scripture: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
And we’re finally at the actual message I have for all of us – that is, for us to rejoice. Or, that Christ-centered Living is rejoicing, always.
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Luke 10:17-24
2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Philippians 4:2-4
By the time I got to this point, I was tired and/or out of time.
A short recap: Christ centered living is our believing in Jesus Christ, and to love others as He loves us.
Believing in Jesus Christ is (1) understanding that as He died, so we died, and we are no longer alive to sin and doomed to death, and (2) receiving the Holy Spirit and enjoying the presence of the Creator of all things, for us, not against us, in us as we are in Him, now and for all time and beyond time.
Loving others as He loves us is to respect others as He respects us, holding others in high esteem as He holds us in high esteem. Loving others as He loves us is to be at peace with each other, admonishing, encouraging, helping each other from the same love He has for us.
Christ-centered Living is rejoicing in the Lord, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances. Christ-centered Living is holding fast to what is good and abstaining from every form of evil.
Here, I gave all of us a reason to rejoice always – and that is, as it was advised by Christ, and prescribed by Paul: We rejoice, and again we rejoice because our names are written in the book of life. We rejoice in victory, defeat, loss, gain, in plenty and in nothing, in life, in death, in sickness and in health, because we have salvation through Christ, marked by the Holy Spirit.
19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
Psalm 22:19-23
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 53:10-11
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalms 51:12
I was supposed to keep this here as a sort of exclamation point – to emphasize that Christ’s ultimate reason to rejoice was in dying for us, because in laying down His life, we who would believe would be reconciled to Him.
Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see our salvation, and rejoice.
Maybe I’ll share it as thoughts for communion next Sunday. Well, however it turns out, may the Lord ever be glorified.
Until the next post, may the Lord just continue to bless us, protect us, keep us, guide us; May we continue to have our entire beings attuned to His everlasting love.
In the mighty name of our glorious, wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ… amen.
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