The Apostolic Youth

Holy Spirit-filled Sunday

2011-06-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

The service began with nothing unusual, or so I thought. We arrived at the church just in time for the divine worship service. The singing and praising was great. I thought it would be just another Sunday at church. I was wrong for God prepared something different, something great for us.

Just before the pulpit was given to the senior pastor for the preaching of the Word, the backup singers sang a soulful "You are awesome in this place". It was an anointed offering as the Spirit of the Lord started to move. When the backups ended their song, we were all in praises and worship to the one and only God - Jesus.

One was already speaking in other tongues, which I thought ignited everyone. I think the Lord used her so He can move freely into each of us. When the pastor held the microphone, everyone was already praising and worhipping the Lord. Indeed, the Spirit of the Lord has moved.

The pastor was not able to preach because the Lord was already moving everyone of us. It was such a great experience. We all moved to the front and experienced more of what the Lord has in store for us today. Many spoke in other tongues, filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Lord is fulfilling His promise - that He will pour out His spirit in the last days. I myself am so thankful that I did not miss church this day. I got what I came for - the refilling of the Spirit of the Lord. I could not thank the Lord enough for what He has done to each of us this day. I pray that every Sunday would be a Spirit-filled Sunday.

God bless, everyone!

UPC Toril Braves

2010-01-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

UPC Toril Braves - this is what we call the youth department of the United Pentecostal Church in Toril, Davao City. It practically means bravery with the Lord. We are friends. We are a team.

After seeing the websites of the other churches, I was inspired to develop one for the team. This is something I have stopped doing for years. The last I worked on a website was in 2006. I am again studying the language. And that's what I've been busy about for the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it's completed and fully functional by October.

To God be the glory!

UPC SMD Section 1 Youth Rally 2009

2009-12-31T06:03:00.000-08:00

Section 1 of the Southern Mindanao District of United Pentecostal Church in the Philippines had their annual youth rally last December 28-30, 2009. The event was held in AIM Bible School, Sasa, Davao City. It's a gathering of the young people (aged 13-30, unmarried) in the section. Different activities were held during the day - seminars, ball games, Bible games -, and divine services were held every night.

Although I was not able to join the activity this year, my heart went with their joys and victories. It would have been nice to see young people having a fellowship and enjoying in the Spirit of God.

I am so glad to know that our local church, Toril Sapa, won in some activities. I was told they had 21 registered participants, and almost got the highest delegation award (the winner had 22). Most of them are new, first time joiners, who just joined the youth group.

We used to win the singing competitions. This time, veteran youths from our local church went to other places to work. They had fresh blood join. I congratulate them for winning 3rd in the solo contest, 2nd in the duet and 1st in the trio content.

When it comes to the ball games, Toril Sapa, used to always rule basketball. But the veteran players, who are tall and really experienced are either already married or has work. What's left are those that are not very lucky when it comes to height. Nevertheless, they still got the 3rd place. It's good that the girl's team in volleyball still won the championship.

We also got a win in the Bible drill. Unfortunately though, they fell asleep while the other Bible games were played, that's why they were not able to join the other games. Now, that's a lesson to learn!

I think, the most surprising win this time was the 1st place in the choir competition. That's very surprising! It's our FIRST TIME! In all these - victories and the not-so-victories -, TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

Celebrating Christmas

2009-12-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

Christians around the world are celebrating once again the birth of Jesus Christ. No one for sure knows the real date of His birth. But we celebrate to thank Him for coming to the world and making a great sacrifice for our salvation. This is not only the time to prepare and eat a lot of food, drink and be merry for a whole year's blessing. Most of all, let's remember the very essence of this season - the birth of Jesus Christ. Let no one forget to thank Him for His love, mercy and grace.

Let each of us share this season to those who can't feel it. We may not know their reasons, but we can bring them to God who can search their hearts.

Merry Christmas and God bless, everyone!

Tested and Purified Like Gold

2009-10-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

[1] There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
[20] Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
[21] And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
--- Job 1:1, 20-21

We all go through trials - some are easy, some would tear our characters and turn our lives 180 degrees, and make us ask God why. The great men of God were no exemption.

Job was a perfect man, who loves the Lord with all his heart and his life - a faithful man. But tragedies truck his life. All of a sudden, he lost his children, his servants, his animals, his fields. He was kept alive, but his body was covered with boils, from his head to his toes. But inspite of what happened, inspite of losing everything, Job worshipped the Lord!

In the first part of chapter one, God was very proud of Job, that He mentioned him to satan. And it was only when God allowed satan to touch the life of Job that satan was able to test Job. That means when we start to struggle, that is when God has been boasting about us. That also means satan could not hurt the children of God, unless God permits.

But why would God allow his children to suffer? To test and to purify us. Remember a gold needs to go through fire to remove the unwanted materials and to get the pure gold. Only then will we see it shine. And once it's gold, it will always be gold.

His Love Sweet Love

2009-10-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

If God is good, then why does He allow people to suffer from diseases? Why does He let some little children have cancer? Why does He allow good people to die? Why do we get sick?

My answer may not be the same as God's, since I don't know His thoughts. What I do know is that the joy of the Lord is our strength. He is the SOURCE of everything - including our strength. He guards us everyday and makes our heart beat 24 hours a day. He makes our heart pump blood for the body even while we sleep. He makes us healthy so we can do what we are tasked to do. He is keeping us so we can achieve things for His glory.

But achieving our dreams may not always be to our advantage. It is when we achieve a lot of things that our egos grow - we become proud. We start sharing the glory with God. No man should give glory to himself. So God has to remind us that it is through Him that we were able to do things.

It is through Him that we passed our exams. It is with His blessings that we got a job. It is with His help that we went through the most difficult times of our lives - and not because of ourselves - our will, our desire, our intelligence, our own strength.

So He has to take away the things in our lives so we can see Him - only Him. Because when we have nothing, we still have God. No one, no man, nothing can take Him away from us, unless we ourselves walk away from Him. But even if we did, He is always there, waiting for us to come back.

How sweet the love of the Lord is!

The Lord's Ways

2009-10-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 55: 8-11
[8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[10] For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
[11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

When God said to Moses that He will destroy the earth with water, Moses did not ask Him how He is going to do it. Neither did he doubt God. When Moses preached to the people, they told Him it's not going to happen. How possible is it to cover the whole earth with water?

It seems impossible to human mind. But there are no questions as to how God will perform things. He has thousand answers to one problem. The Lord is an all-knowing, all-powerful God. Nothing is too hard for Him to do, too impossible for Him to perform.

When God says so, believe that it will be. For His words shall not come back to Him void, but it will do that which He said. And so God opened the windows of heaven and the fountains of the great deep broken up. And water covered the face of the earth and destroyed all life outside of the Ark.

Remember, our God is able. Nothing is too impossible for Him. He always makes a way when we think there is no way. God's thoughts and ways are not like ours. He sees things beyond what we can see. His ways are way beyond what we can imagine. Praise the Lord!

Help for Typhoon Ondoy Victims

2009-09-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

Philippines - Typhoon Ondoy (international codename is 'Ketsana') left the country with hundreds dead and millions damaged to properties. The calamity affected everyone - ordinary people and celebrities, believers and non-believers.

Our apostolic brethren in Marikina (one of the areas that were severely affected) need our help - not just in prayers, but also in kind. They need any help we can give - clothes, food (canned goods, sardines, noodles, rice), toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothbrush and paste).

Also, let us not forget them in our prayers. May God strengthen their faith and give them hope.

The All Powerful God

2009-09-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

God is a no respector of person. He does not mind whether your're rich or poor, popular or just an ordinary man. His works affect those He wants to send message to. And nature recognizes Him as master - the winds obey Him, the waves follow Him. Indeed, His will be done.

God is in control. Nothing is impossible in Him. If we think about it, the world is too small compared to His greatness. He created things through His spoken words. And He can destroy things in the snap of His fingers.

God has not come to the world to destroy, but to save and give life more abundantly. God has been wanting to talk to His people. But His children has been busy doing the other things in life - things material and temporary.

Because of this, God sometimes has to take steps to make His people come to Him in prayer. He sometimes take away the things that we consider important. Only when we are left with nothing that we see that God is everything.

How long are we going to trust in ourselves and our abilities? How long are we going to live life as if we don't need God? Do we have to wait for tragedies and calamities to hit us before we realize that we need Him? Wake up people, before it's too late. God is calling us NOW.

Inspired by a stranger

2009-09-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

it all began last march 2009, when i got a call from a customer who would like to purchase a website. his domain name sounds very familiar to me. it's a verse in the Bible. it has so much to do with the teachings of the apostolic faith.

at first, he was just inquiring about the prices of our web hosting packages. i asked him if he's an apostolic, and he confirmed that he is. i then told him that i know the verse, as we are in the same faith. an instant connection! i heared his voice shaking over the phone. i know he was moved, and so was i.

the call ended with me giving him my personal email address (i'm not sure if this was allowed). we talked about encouraging and inspiring each other. to be honest, i admire his boldness - his courage to share the Word of God, no holds barred. his website mentions things that i am having a hard time sharing with my friends.

God bless him for touching my life so much that i had decided to also take part in the mission to share the Gospel to the world - at least, online. we are still communicating until now. i don't see him as a stranger anymore. i pray for God to bless His children and those who labor for Him, for i believe, "our labor is not in vain in the Lord".