Nazarene Riders Philippines - Disaster Response Network

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Judas Iscariot walked with Jesus for three years. He heard every sermon. Witnessed every miracle. Ate at the same table.

Judas had perfect theology.
He could quote Scripture.
He knew Jesus was the Messiah.
But knowledge didn't save him.
Proximity didn't save him.
Religious activity didn't save him.

Only surrender saves.
Judas's fatal mistake wasn't betrayal.
That was just the symptom.
His fatal mistake was keeping Jesus at arm's length while using Him for personal gain.

Sound familiar?

Modern Judas Christians: Consume sermons but never repent.
Use Jesus as life coach, not Lord.
Want Heaven without holiness.
Follow Jesus for benefits, not worship.
Keep one foot in the Kingdom, one in the world.
They pray when convenient.
Read when motivated.
Obey when comfortable.
Surrender when forced.
But they never BOW.

Jesus didn't die so you could improve your life. He died so He could OWN your life. Big difference.

Judas called Jesus "Rabbi" (teacher).
Peter called Him "Lord" (master). Judas kept his autonomy. Peter surrendered it.

What do you call Him?

You can walk with Jesus your whole life and never KNOW Him.
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 7:21

C𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐠-𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧.

Sa buong kasaysayan, kahit sa Bible, makikita natin na kahit ang mga taong tinawag ng Diyos ay nagkakamali kapag power, pride, at personal interest ang nauuna kaysa kay Cristo.

Ang problema ay hindi ang Church mismo. Ang problema ay kapag nakakalimutan ng Church kung bakit ito nag-eexist.

𝐀𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

Hindi lang ito tungkol sa pera.

Church corruption happens when spiritual authority is used for control instead of care, image instead of integrity, at self-interest instead of service.

𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐠:

- 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
- 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
- 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐤𝐭𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧
- 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
- 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐢 𝐆𝐨𝐝

Kapag ang ministry ay tungkol na sa impluwensya, hindi na sa pag-aalaga ng kaluluwa, doon nagsisimula ang corruption.

𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐚

Hindi tahimik si Jesus tungkol sa religious corruption.

“Para kayong mga pinaputing libingan—maganda sa labas, pero puno ng kabulukan sa loob.” (Matthew 23:27)

Religious sila, active sa ministry, pero kulang sa humility at righteousness. Paalala ito sa atin na hindi lahat ng mukhang banal ay tunay na spiritual.

𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡?

1. 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 – Walang nagche-check, walang nagco-correct.

2. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 – Mas sikat ang leader kaysa kay Cristo.

3. 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 – Sumusunod ang tao dahil sa takot, hindi sa pagmamahal.

4. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 – Tahimik na lang para “walang gulo.”

Kapag ang correction ay tinatawag na rebellion, at ang transparency ay tinatawag na disloyalty, corruption will grow.

𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐍𝐢𝐭𝐨?

- Nawawala ang tiwala ng mga tao sa Church
- Maraming kabataan ang lumalayo sa faith
- Nasasaktan ang mga inosente
- Napoprotektahan ang mali, hindi ang tama

At higit sa lahat, napapangalanan ang Diyos sa maling paraan.

𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐨 𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐲𝐨𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

Kahit may corruption, hindi iniwan ng Diyos ang Kanyang Church.

“Ang paghatol ay nagsisimula sa sambahayan ng Diyos.” (1 Peter 4:17)

Hindi ito para sirain ang Church kundi linisin at ibalik sa tama. Ang gusto ng Diyos ay:

- Shepherds, hindi celebrities
- Servants, hindi controllers
- Humility, hindi branding
- Faithfulness, hindi fame

𝐀𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐀𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐧

Ang solusyon sa church corruption ay hindi paglayo sa Church kundi pagbabalik kay Cristo.

Bumalik tayo:

- Sa Salita ng Diyos
- Sa tunay na discipleship, hindi lang attendance
- Sa servant leadership
- Sa katotohanan na may pag-ibig
- Sa repentance, hindi image management

𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲,

Hindi kailangan ng Church ng mas magandang marketing.

Kailangan nito ng takot sa Diyos.
Hindi kailangan ng mas mahigpit na control.

Kailangan nito ng tunay na pagbabagong-loob.

Nawa’y hindi natin gamitin ang pangalan ng Diyos para itayo ang sariling kaharian.

Bagkus, maging Church tayo na sumasalamin kay Cristo, hindi sumisira sa Kanyang pangalan.

YOUR MIND IS A MUSCLE. It needs to be stretched to stay sharp. It needs to be prodded and pushed to perform. Let it get idle and lazy on you, and that muscle will become a pitiful mass of flab in a brief period.

How can you stretch your mind?
What are some good mental exercises that will keep the cobwebs away?

Here's how Jesus said it:
The most important commandment is this: "Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." MARK 12:29–30

We quite naturally express our love for God through our emotions—easily offering praise with our words and with the affections of our hearts. But Jesus included the command to love Him with our minds, too. How?

Here are the three suggestions:

1. Read.
You may not have the luxury to travel—but between the covers of a book are ideas and insights that await the joy of discovery.

The powers of your perception will be magnified through reading. Read wisely. Read widely. Read slowly. Scan.

2. Talk. Conversation adds the oil needed to keep the gears of our mental machinery running smoothly. The give-and-take involved in rap sessions and the question-answer dialogue connected to discussion provides the grinding wheel to keep us keen.

3. Write.
As Dawson Trotman said, "Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the lips and the fingertips." How true! The old gray matter increases its creases when you put stuff down on paper. Start a journal. A journal isn't a diary. It's more. A journal doesn't record what you do—it records what you think. It spells out your ideas, your feelings, your struggles, your discoveries, your dreams. In short, it helps you articulate who you are . . . and how deeply you love the Lord!

Read. Talk. Write. Got it?

“The person who succeeds is not the one who holds back, fearing failure, nor the one who never fails, but rather the one who moves on despite failure.”

If anyone in Scripture had justification for fear of failure it would have been Joshua. He had some mighty big shoes to fill, following Moses! Yet as he stepped into his new role as shepherd of Israel, God issued the newly minted leader this command:

Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. (JOSHUA 1:6–7)

God didn't say, “Don't blow it, Joshua!” There was no warning against failing . . . God understands our human limitations. What He desires is that when we do fail, we remain firm in our resolve to trust Him. To get back up and keep moving . . . not with a tentative, halting attitude, but with a strength and courage that flow from our confidence in Him.

If you've blown it, don't sweat it. Make things right today, brush off your sandals, and move back out in His strength and courage. It's not that great a leap.

Let's read it together as a refresher:

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

GALATIANS 5:22–23

Notice, please, the fourth on the list. Patience. The original Greek term unloads a lot of meaning upon us. Makrothumia is the term, and it's a compound word. Makros means “long or far,” and thumos means “passion, anger, or wrath.” Putting it together, we come up with “long-anger.” You've heard the English expression, “short-tempered”? Well, I suppose we could coin an expression for patience—long-tempered—and not miss the accurate meaning very far.

So many Christians express frustration over their repeated failure to display this all-important virtue. But the key is in the beginning of the verse. Did you see it? The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. That's it! You cannot muster patience—it, along with all the other fruits mentioned, is formed within us by the Spirit of God. He makes it happen.

James offers a helpful description of the patience-forming process:

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy [one fruit!]. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance [that's patience!] has a chance to grow. So let it grow [that's the Spirit forming!], for when your endurance [patience!] is fully developed [Spirit work!], You will be perfect and complete, but you need nothing.

JAMES 1:2–4

Facing trouble today?
A long struggle with uncertainty, or confronting a seemingly impossible obstacle in your life?

The Spirit is at work, forming patience in you. Don't resist it . . . embrace it! Let Him lengthen your temper. You can't, but He can.

"We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown."
(1 CORINTHIANS 15:51–52)

Talk about “the flash of a mighty surprise!” Jesus' return will be the absolute greatest surprise. Adding to the greatest surprise will be that people like us will be included in the group, stunned and dumb with wonder.

Let's face it, that won't be just a surprise or a dream. That'll be a flat-out miracle.

Are you ready? Are you sure?