DavidSays

7. ---------------------------
Everlasting life not for everyone

The promise of an everlasting life is not for everybody.
Contrary to the popular religious notion that people choose God, the bible illustrates otherwise. In the bible it is, “God has mercy on whom he has mercy.” Take it or leave it, but God’s way of dealing with people is by His own behest. This is clearly illustrated throughout bible history.
Check this pattern: God rejected Cain’s offering, but honored Abel’s. That triggered an intense sibling rivalry and resulted in the first recorded murder in the history of the humankind. He favored Noah, instructed him to build an ark before letting loose the Great Deluge that washed out a whole sinful world. He chose Abram (later Abraham) as the father of all nations over and above every man in his generation.
And although Ishmael was Abraham’s first born (by the Egyptian maid Hagar) God focused on Isaac as the Son of Promise. Then came the Esau-Jacob saga about birthright. Although Esau was the firstborn of the twins, Jacob ended up with the birthright because Esau sold it to Jacob for some hot stew. Jacob’s got God’s nod despite his manipulative way of acquiring the birthright.
And of all the twelve sons of Jacob, God raised up Joseph to carry out his heavenly design. The young Joseph was sold by his brothers to a caravan of spice traders bound for Egypt. What his brothers meant for evil, God turned it around for good. Joseph went on to became the second most powerful man in Egypt, next only to Pharoah, at a time when there was a great famine. As years went by, Egypt was alarmed when the Hebrews grew in number. The Egyptians made them slaves.
That is when a man named Moses got into the picture. His speech deficiency notwithstanding, God picked Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of bondage and into the Promise Land, which is Israel in the modern times.
What does this mean?
Simple, said Zin Yi, a noted bible teacher from Buffalo, New York. “God elects people.”
At a recent bible conference in Binangonan, Rizal hosted by Dr. Rosalia R. Osias, a many-time member of medical missionary teams traveling all over the world, Zin Yi assailed the “big lie” peddled by so-called Christian teachers “that God is waiting for you to do something before God does something for you.” He cited a litany of bible passages that prove his point.
Zin Yi, who said that the church age is over and that the tribulation has, in fact, begun, is advising the elect to “depart out” from the churches because “all churches are spiritually dead.”
“The elect must depart out now,’ says his bible tract, 27,000 of those had been distributed to the people in Manila, Angono, Davao City, Kapalong, Tagum, Tambungco, and Mactan and Cebu City.
Zin Yi said the eschatological (end-time) truth that God withheld from the prophet Daniel has now been revealed to the “elect,” and that some bible teachers say that “in a span of ten years the Day of Lord will come.”
I am ambivalent about the “ten-year” forecast, but I am sold to the teaching that God elects whom He wants to save.
I have studied some of Zin Yi’s bible teachings. My personal comment: If you have sound biblical knowledge you will be drawn to his website. He has a very interesting way of interpreting the bible. You can check out on his teachings at www.distinctlyandrightly.com, zinyi.com, and www.goodmessage.org.

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Extraordinary people

The date was 300 A.D., the heroic Apostolic age of the Christian Church, when the body of believers were tempered in the fires of persecution. Peter and John were imprisoned at one time or another and Stephen and James had died a martyr's death. Apostolic Fathers Ignatius, Justin and Polycarp, all martyrs of the faith, soon suffered the same fate. And Emperor Nero, threatened by the rapid increase of the Christian movement, shifted to high gear in his drive to annihilate every Christian believer.

A half-conscious, almost limp man was brought before the Emperor, who asked the believer to denounce Jesus Christ and recant his Christian faith. Earlier, the man had undergone extreme torture for his faith but he would not back down one bit. So, the Roman soldiers bodily dragged him before the Emperor for his final grill.

"Deny your faith or I will banish you," thundered the Emperor.
The Christian, suddenly coherent, answered, "You cannot vanish me from Christ, for God says, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'."
The Emperor then said, "I will confiscate your property."
The Christian said, "My treasures are laid up in heaven. You can't touch them."
The Emperor said, "I will kill you."
The Christian responded, "I had been dead to the world for forty years. My life is hid in Christ with God. You cannot touch it."
Disgusted, the Emperor turned to the member of his court and asked, "What can you do with such a fanatic?"

The world will never understand why true Christians are not concerned by the cares of the world, and are unafraid even when confronted by death. The serenity, the peaceful, confident demeanor of true Christian believers is legendary. Recorded accounts of Christian martyrs singing the psalms while their human flesh were cut or burned are amazing as they are mind-boggling to the secular world.

However, to the true Christians, there is nothing extraordinary with dying for the faith. Even today, around the world, Christians continue to be persecuted for their faith. Except for untaught Christians, who do not exactly understand what their faith is all about, dying for the Christian faith is the sweetest passage from this irreverent world to the place prepared by Jesus Christ for his flock.

The man who was brought before the emperor did not care if the Emperor were to confiscate his property. He was not attached to it. He was not dependent to it. To him to live and die was in Jesus Christ. He was totally dependent on God and not on material things of the world. His riches were stacked up in heaven where they were safe from moth and rust and burglars.

The man who was brought before the Emperor understood fully well that the suffering he was undergoing was temporary; and the agony and pain that he felt were nothing compared to the joy-joy-joy of eternity. Nobody can vanish a Christian. You throw a Christian behind bars, into a lion's den, or into a fiery furnace and the result is victory. A Christian is dead to the world. By faith, he understands that an incorruptible one will replace his corruptible body. The prison door may not open to him like it did to Peter; the lions may not remain "reverent" like they were to Daniel, and the furnace that failed to burn three Hebrew boys may, after all, consume a modern day believer. One thing is sure though - he goes to where Jesus is. That is the hope of every Christian believer throughout the ages. The Holy Spirit, with miracles big and small, strengthens that hope along the way. That is why Christians are the most overconfident people in this planet.

Are Christians fanatics?

In a sense, yes, consecrated Christians are fanatics. They don't compromise what they believe. And that is because what they believe are eternal truths that are outlined in the Bible. In a correct system of Christian worship the more fanatic the person is, the better for him. In the true Christian faith, fanaticism is never destructive, because no amount of Christian fanaticism can measure up to the worthiness of a holy God. (The author can be reached at davecasuco@yahoo.com)
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God allows U-turns
By DAVID CASUCO

(Christian Evangelist John Tantay, who is now doing his ministry in California, allowed me to write his amazing life story in an exclusive interview)

John was barely eleven years old when his father, a taxi d river from Kalookan City, died of cancer. His mother, an itinerant vegetable vendor, didn’t have time for young John as she was at the market the whole day. John started hanging around with bad guys, even as he worked as a car wash boy at a gas station.
One night John had a rather rude awakening. He was barely in his pubescent age when a sexual predator drove in the gas station he was working at, lured him with money and took his innocence away. The experience led John to the Red District of Manila, and into the very heart of male prostitution. He became a macho dancer, a massage attendant, and a waiter – jobs that served as fronts for the flesh trade in the city.
While John was enjoying all these sexual frenzy with all kinds of people, he contracted a sexually transmitted disease and was forced out of the prostitution circle. Needless to say, his life became miserable. He felt unwanted. He knew no other job but selling his own body. To him the sexual act is a job and has a price. He wanted to quit being a prostitute but didn’t know how. He tried going to church, but felt he was so dirty, so unworthy before the eyes of God. He returned to prostitution but found out it was not fun anymore; he was an old face, and nobody would want him. He became even more miserable. He couldn’t take the rejection. That drove John to severe depression. Sleep didn’t come easy for John. One night, John’s depression hit an all-time low. And seeing no help coming, John wanted to end it all by killing himself. It was 2 a.m. in the morning, a perfect time to do it. While everybody else was sleeping, John was wrestling with demons that are pushing him to his final ruin. In his confusion he reached out for the television knob and turned it on.
And … are you ready for this? God met him there!
“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow….” the preacher evangelist went on with his message of divine forgiveness. That caught John’s attention; it was the very thing that John needed at that very moment. Also, it was the first time he heard that God is interested in him and wanted him back. And when the altar call came, the preacher asked the TV viewers in their respective homes to touch the television screen and repeat after him the sinner’s prayer or the prayer of repentance.
That was the turning point of John’s life. Feeling so ashamed of what he had done, and crying like a baby who desperately needed help, John slowly reached out for the television screen and was surprised that some electricity ran over his body. After that, he experienced a total peace that he never experienced all his life.
John went back to school, got married, then went to Bible College and became a passionate minister of the gospel. John made a complete turnaround – from a sure life of perdition to a life of absolute freedom and, eventually, eternal bliss.
That is one of the most beautiful thing about God – He can take us as we are, where we are, and for what we are. There are no preconditions. We are made in His image and likeness, that is why. We are precious to Him. His plan of salvation does not cost us anything. All it needs is a contrite heart. His plan does not need the over hyped religious tools and rituals; all it needs is a heart open to receive Jesus, our Lord, who died on the cross as ransom for sin.
Our God is holy, powerful, loving, eternal, merciful, just and righteous. But, he allows U-turns. And never mind if we are in the worst form ever – totally devastated, crumpled, downtrodden, and torn apart; God, the Ultimate Potter, can mold us back to a perfect shining vessel that He wanted us to be.
* * *I showed my friends a $100 bill last week. I asked them if anybody wanted it. They all raised their hands eagerly. I told them, “Wait.” So then, I crumpled the bill, kicked it, and smothered it on the dirt. Then I asked my friends, “Anybody still wanted it?” Their interest did not change; they still wanted the smudged $100 bill. Why? It is because even though it is crumpled, kicked, and dirty, the value of the money did not diminish. It is still a Federal Reserve Note of value.
The same thing with God; we can be the worst sinner on the face of this earth, the dirtiest of all dirts, but we are His children, to Him we remain so precious. God doesn’t change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is us who stray every now and then.
What an awesome God! Like the Biblical character, Job, we wonder why God cares for us so much. Indeed, what is man that God makes so much of him, that He gives him so much attention? (To contact the author email him at davidlvnow@aol.com)

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God is not a Pinoy

A lot of us think that God is essentially a Filipino. So, what do we do? We deal with God like the Pinoy next door. Instead of following the guideposts to life and living that is written in the bible, we create our own shortcuts to spirituality.
Filipinos, a lot of us anyway, still pray through Mary or some saints, when the bible quoted the Lord in no uncertain terms, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life: No man comes to the Father except through me.”
My friend, a Marian devotee who had years of seminary studies, puts it in perspective: “In the spiritual realm, nobody knows how great the intercessory power of the Virgin Mary. After all, she is the mother of the Savior.”
That is exactly where most of us are on spirituality. We know we have to deal with the Son, but the son demands a relationship that requires total commitment. In the Pinoy family setup, the mother is usually the more compassionate parent. So, we go tell the mother to ask her son about our request. It looks like a perfect system, but it is not. In God’s way our Pinoy style does not have any merit at all. Thus sayeth the Lord, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” So, if the bible says salvation is through the Son, then through the Son it is. Afterall, he died on the Cross as ransom to many.
Still, for some reason, a lot of Filipinos get upset whenever they hear or read something that, in a way, trivializes Marian worship. They think that it is an affront to their beliefs. Their reaction: “What did Mary do to you? Why are you picking on Mary?” The answer to that is, “This is not about Mary. This is about correct system of Christian worship. Not our own Pinoy way of worship.”
And when we are into a wrong system of worship that is when we get into big trouble. It becomes worse when we put in our unbiblical Pinoy version of spirituality.
Check out this conversation I extracted from regular Pinoy believers: “Ugali lang ‘yan. Mabait ka lang sa kapwa mo, tapos (Spirituality is just being good to people. No more no less). The person was responding a conversation about how people attain the promise of an everlasting life. Obviously, the person thinks that if he keeps a good moral character and be kind to people, salvation is secured for him. Typical Pinoy thinking, but God does not fall for that. The word of God says that it is by grace that you have been save through faith, and not of your works, lest you will boast.
Another one: “Ginagawa ko ‘yang penitensiya tuwing Mahal na Araw para mawala ang mga kasalanan ko (I do this Holy Week ritual for the atonement of all my sins.” This is from a person who thinks he can remove his sins by doing religious voodoos during Holy Week. No, God does not buy this. The blood of Jesus now covers all our sins, big and small. So, if you are an elect of God, all you have to do is put the Lord in your hearts. The problem of sin can only be atoned by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. That Lamb of God is Jesus the Christ, who died on the Cross-some 2000 years ago in Calvary. Salvation is done. It is the work of God, not ours. Our Pinoy shortcuts to spirituality ­ even with the best of intentions ­ are, in fact, abomination to a Holy God. (You can reach the author at davecasuco@peryodiko.net)
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Good Samaritans of our times
Wilfredo is a true do-gooder. He goes out of his way to help people. He is willing to do personal sacrifices so that others may feel a little comfortable. A modern day Good Samaritan, I would say. Last year, when he was vacationing with his family in Las Vegas, he saw a Filipino man along the Strip looking so confused. This man would plea his grim case to every Filipino-looking man or woman walking on the neon light flooded Vegas Strip. However, the Filipinos were so busy to listen to the poor soul.

Wilfredo, a former member of the Manila’s Finest, took time to listen to the man. He was confident that by talking to this man he could know if the stranger really needed help or just a phony trying to fool people. After a few minutes of police-style questioning, Willy was able to determine that the man was indeed hungry, sick, and penniless. He learned that the guy was a seaman, was left behind by his ship in Seattle, and somehow found his way to Las Vegas. When Willy saw him, the man was slowly cracking up – a picture of virtual hopelessness. Willy took home the man, nursed him back to health, fed and clothed him for a couple of months, until he was reunited with his sister in New Jersey.

“Wow, what a heroic act! It is nice to know that the road from Jerusalem to Jericho is still relevant today. And that there are still Good Samaritans passing that way,” I told him. “Why do you do that?” I asked Willy, just trying to probe a little bit more. “Nagpapalakas tayo sa Itaas (I want to earn God’s favor),” he answered.

This is the common misunderstanding of the gospel – the warped mindset that we can earn God’s favor by being good and doing good works. Of course, good works come naturally if we love God. But to think that our good works can earn us salvation is not attune to God’s plan. God wants salvation of men to be His work, His and His alone. He does not want to share that job. That job is already done. It had culminated in Calvary some 2000 years ago. It is for His glory. He does not want to share that glory. He alone is worthy of that glory. God is unchangeable. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. No amount of man’s rationalizing can change God system. The best and worst of men are not going to change God’s masterplan.

Why not?

It is because we have a problem. Our problem is we are sinners. And then we are faced with a predicament. Our predicament is we cannot save ourselves.

We are born sinners with a problem of sin. That is why you will notice, you don’t have to teach little children how to lie; they know it. They are sinners by nature. And children don’t need to see selfishness from adults; they pick that up all by themselves. That is human nature. Our tendency is to veer away from what God wants us to do.

So, we have a problem. The Bible says it in no uncertain terms, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” We are faced with a predicament that we cannot save ourselves, “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not of works, so that no one can boast (Eph. 2:8-9).” And, yes, we also have a penalty, “The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).”
People who don’t know Christ, they pay the awful price of eternal separation from God.

Which brings us to another question on how a loving and merciful God could banish people to a place of eternal torment. “I just don’t believe God will do that,” and old line of human wisdom goes. Okay, God is loving and merciful, but he is also holy and just. Besides, God never prepared hell for people; it is for the devil and his angels (Matt:25:41). However, God gives us a choice. It is now up to us where we want to go. Right now the choice is clear: It’s Jesus Christ or bust.

Yes, God alone can save us. Period. Human wisdom, self-pontification, good works, niceness, over-hyped religious tools, they don’t work. If I am going to write a script for a stage play, I would like to create a scene -- like a key moment -- where God confronts and tells a group of smart people who claim that God is all in the head, and that the Bible is just another boring book, “You think you are smart, huh? The truth is that you guys are incapable of cleaning up your messy stink by yourselves. That’s the way it is. So, come now to Calvary with your rough edges and worrisome baggage and leave them on the foot of the Cross. And that’s it; consider it done.”

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Heaven is silent

Newspaper headlines read, Tsunami death toll reaches over 150,000. The usual
reaction from people: "Jesus, why did God allow this to happen? What was God
thinking?
No answer. Nobody knows the answer. And, as usual, heaven is silent.
While I was in bible college, I remember my professor in Systematic Theology was
confronted with almost the same question. And the student was saying, "If God is
God, then He is not good." The simplistic question was, "If God is in control of
everything why does He allow bad things to happen to good people?"

The theology professor's answer, "I don't know. I can't explain God. If I will be
able to explain God, then I am God myself. Sorry, I really don't know. When you
reach heaven ... ask."
"I don't know, man, I think the professor is not making any sense," the student next
to me responded under his breathe.
It is tough for self-respecting individuals to accept the idea that some things
happen for no reason. People want everything sensible, especially during aftermaths
of great natural disasters.
Do natural disasters happen because ours in an imperfect world? Didn't the God of
the bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob already put order to the"formless
and chaotic" world as shown in the first chapter of Genesis?
Author Harold Kushner, in trying to explain his randomness theory, surmised that
the world is still in a state of imperfection. Said Kushner: "In the biblical
metaphor of the six-day Creation, we would find ourselves in the middle of Friday
afternoon. Man was just created 'hours' ago. The world is mostly orderly,
predictable place, showing God's thoroughness and handiwork, but pockets of chaos
remain..."
He was saying Creation is still in progress, taking into consideration that the
world took billion years to take shape, not six days. If that's the case, then
science can, at least, prove that the world is getting more and more perfect.
Meaning, less and less natural disasters happen as eons and centuries go by. No,
scientists say, that is not the case.The idea that the world may be diminishing as
it is turning into perfection runs opposite to the proven scientific perspective
that "every system left to itself, will move in the direction to more chaos and
randomness." Although Albert Einstein thought that quantum physics, which is based
on the hypothesis of things happening at random, is a bad science. He tried to
disprove it. He believed that the world is not a system left to itself. He
maintained that "God does not play dice with the cosmos."
When Job, the bible's icon of personal disaster, accused God as a cruel and punisher
God and dared to call for an audience with Him, he did not get what he wanted.
Instead, God told him that his words are "without knowledge" and subjected Job with
a litany of rhetorical questions, to each of which Job must plead ignorance. God did
not address Job's suffering, but His divine discourses succeeded in bringing Job to
complete faith in God's goodness without his receiving a direct answer to his
questions (Job 38-41
Christian theologians' view on randomness of natural disasters usually go with the
idea that "God does not cause misfortunes. Our sufferings are consequences of who we
are -- mortal beings living in a world of good and evil and governed by inflexible
natural laws. When great disasters strike, our questions should not be, "Why God?"
and "Where was God?" Rather, we should look at how people respond with love and
compassion to the suffering and the afflicted. From that vantage point, we can see
where God is. Afterall, he is a suffering God. He suffers for us and with us all the
time. (The author may be reached at davecasuco@yahoo.com)