There is great deception that causes the widespread acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle in almost all sectors of our society.

This is the reason why the CCF Living Free Ministry held a forum last Saturday, November 21, 2009 at Christ Commission Fellowship in St. Francis Square, Ortigas Center entitled: “THE CHRISTIAN’S RESPONSE TO THE GAY TODAY”, which was aimed to increase awareness of this problem and how we as Christians ought to respond. Bro. Albit Rodriguez, head of the ministry, was the main speaker.
In his speech, Bro. Albit cited various research perspectives coming from medical, social and theological concepts and beliefs which were and still are being used to promote the acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle which run contrary to the Word of God. He said studies like the alleged evidence proving homosexuality’s constitutionality – existence of Xq28 x-chromosome and size difference in the hypothalamus brain region (INAH3) were never proven. He further explained how the men behind these findings later on even recanted their earlier declarations and attempted to correct the widespread deception that their work had caused. He also noted a number of determining factors as to how a person develops homosexual tendencies and desires and later on progress to embrace the so called “alternative lifestyle”. Dysfunctional family environments (such as, having an absentee, abusive or indifferent father or mother, etc.), traumatic and sexual influences, deception and lies of the enemy instigates the unmet need for love and affirmation of a child at a young age thus resulting to a misguided quest for love and affirmation which take parts in the formation of “hole in a child’s heart”. The so-called “hole in the heart syndrome” experienced by individuals due to improper child-development may lead to a reckless quest for love and understanding, which to some individuals result in a perverse and gay orientation and lifestyle.

Bro. Albit referred to Genesis 1:26 which clearly states “God created man and woman” period! He did not create a third sex or gender. “God clearly said that homosexuality is an abomination (Leviticus 18:22). It is a sin, having the same ultimate consequence as other sins (1 Cor. 6:9-12), which is eternal death,” he continued. “For whatever type of sin it may be, it is only through Jesus Christ that we can find a solution and a way out. We should not be disheartened. The Lord has plenty of promises to those who are near to Him and faithful to His word. It is only through Christ that we can overcome sin and temptation. First John 1:9 says ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’.” He further said that with man, changing a homosexual is impossible but “with God all things are possible.”

As the speaker closed the message, he concluded with an encouragement to follow the example that Jesus has set before us. The greatest gift we can give to people in need including those in the bondage to the homosexual, effeminate and lesbian lifestyle is our love. We also need to spend time with the Lord in prayer and fasting for the Spirit to change their hearts. And most importantly, we need to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to them in love.

An audience of 134 men and women from different churches and groups came to hear God’s message because of their burden to learn and know how to respond to a family member, a relative, a co-worker or a friend who are into the gay lifestyle. A series of questions came from the audience as the event closed with an open forum and were answered by the selected guest panels consisting of Bro. Albit Rodriguez, Paul Aquino, Marlyn Estrera, and Cel Dizon, headed by Pastor Bert Villa.

Windsong, together with an LFM member, Bro. Yette Valenzuela opened the event with a heartwarming and intimate praise and worship. Sister Marlyn Estrera and Brother Paul Aquino, both a part of the ministry’s core team shared their own testimonies of being delivered from the bondage to homosexuality through the working of Jesus Christ in their individual lives.

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33

We will face opposition whenever we do the right thing. Jesus Himself made this very clear when He said, “In the world you have tribulation.” Opposition will come in many forms: criticism from other people or difficult circumstances. The bottom line though is we have a spiritual enemy.

It is important to know the enemy’s tactics. Discouragement is one of his most powerful weapons. He also entices us to lose our self-control and tempts us to panic or fly off the handle. He wants to immobilize us to the point of paralysis whenever we refuse to make a move for fear of making a mistake. He leads us to the brink of spiritual defeat and poverty rendering us useless in the Kingdom of God.

But Jesus has told us to take heart because He has overcome the world! How should we therefore respond to opposition? Knowing the enemy’s tactics, we must prepare ourselves because opposition will undoubtedly happen. We must also pray and press on not only for the glory of God but also for our sake and that of the people around us. By the grace of God, we will be able to infuse new hope into the hearts of depressed, disheartened, and disillusioned people simply because we continued to press on.

Yes, it is true we will face opposition, but the battle is the Lord’s and Jesus is the Victor!

When the power of darkness comes in like a flood,
The battle belongs to the Lord.
He’ll raise up a standard, the power of His blood,
The battle belongs to the Lord.- Jamie Owens-Collins

*This Devotional was taken from Ricky Sarthou’s message delivered at CCF Ortigas last NOCtober 21, 2007

ENCOUNTER 2010

Preparing for new realities in 2010 and beyond

December 12, 2009, 8:00AM-5:00PM, 3F CCF Annex

Seminar Fee: PhP350/head [Food and Materials]

Speakers: Pastors Bong Saquing and Albert Noel

For more details, please contact Pastor Albert Noel [09209243324]

I got kidnapped at age 14. It shook my whole life. Before that incident I thought life was OK having come from a religious family from Davao. My family would all go to church together and spend time praying to God. But there I was blindfolded for 2 nights and preparing myself to meet God. I really thought my life was over. During those days, kidnapping in Davao was pretty rampant and very few people returned to their families alive. Surprisingly on the 3rd day, I was released and was just so happy to be reunited with my family. There were so many policemen at our house and neighborhood and they said that the ransom was such a big amount that even if we pooled all our resources it would not be enough. However, some family friends and relatives decided to donate some money and somehow helped to reach an amount close to what was demanded.

It was at this time that I learned that my father, doubting that I was still alive, did not agree to pay the ransom. He told the kidnappers that he only worked in a church and had no money, so they might as well kill me if they wanted, but he did not have that amount of money to pay for my release. This angered me and I began to hate my father. I began to rebel in high school and college. I didn’t want to stay at home so I constantly went out with my friends for parties and gimmicks.

When I got a job, I chose the assignment farthest away from my parents so I got assigned to Isabela province. Having my own apartment, a brand new car and money, felt like I was living in paradise. My lifestyle by this time included, cheating, lying, and sexual immorality and it was becoming my normal way of life. Despite all the worldly fun I was having, it felt like there was a big vacuum growing inside me that nothing could fill.

I met a friend in Isabela at a badminton game and was invited to attend worship at CCF Isabela. There I watched a life testimony being shown on video and since I easily cry and didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of my friend, I just told myself that I will never come back. However, I could not stop myself from going back to hear the messages and actually developed a thirst for God’s word. I began to lose interest in the party life and decided quit my job in Isabela and return to Manila.

In October 2005, I joined the “Be one with God” retreat in Subic. There I learned how much God loves me as it says in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. I then got invited to a retreat in Baguio and even if I was already scheduled to go to Boracay that same week, I found myself registering to attend the encounter 1 retreat instead.

There God spoke to me in Revelation 3:20 “behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me”. I cried out to the Lord and I said enough is enough. I surrendered my life to Jesus and gave him full control of my life. It was as if Jesus himself was standing in front of me telling me “my son, my son, I love you and I welcome you back to me”. I felt God’s embrace, comfort, protection and acceptance into God’s family.

Having Jesus come into my life gave me peace. By God’s grace I was able to forgive and understand my father and was able to express my love for my family to them. Being a child of God becomes sweeter as each day passes by. Wishes became prayers even as coincidences or luck became God’s appointments for blessings.

As I was preparing to write my testimony, my office mate of one year, asked me what I was writing and I shared what God has done in my life. My office mate was speechless and what I heard really blessed my heart. He said, “Don’t you know how much you have changed? You have become more prayerful. You no longer use destructive words and comments. You are always calm and at peace and it is all radiant.”

I praise God for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life and even if I am far from perfect, by God’s loving grace He is always there to guide me. I was lost and was found, I was hurt but was comforted, I was wounded but healed.
With each day I walk with Jesus, I look forward to what is ahead because I am confident that my life is in God’s hand. I can honestly say that by God’s grace, I walk by faith and not by sight.

I am Julius Uy. To God be all the glory!

“Win Build and Send. Make disciples and bear much fruit.” These were the words that kept ringing in my ears shortly after I received Christ into my life while I was in college in 1975. I was immediately discipled by godly and dynamic Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) missionaries who nurtured and trained me how to minister to others also. As I grew in my Christian life, my passion to bear much fruit for the Lord kept increasing which led to my joining CCC as a full time missionary.

My passion to help reach the Philippines for Christ continued until the tragic death of my godly mother in California. Against my will, I left the Philippines to join my family in San Diego with the plan to encourage and minister to them for just one month then come back to the Philippines to continue my missionary work.

But, God changed my wonderful plan for my life. That one month plan became 21 years instead. I completed my Masters in Business Management and enjoyed pursuing my career in Accounting at Chase Manhattan Financial Services. My passion to bear much fruit however, continued even across the world. With God’s power, grace and mercy, He blessed me with a fruitful ministry in San Diego with my family, community and my church, where I met my godly husband during the prayer meeting. He was a beloved youth leader and passionate bible teacher. We served the Lord together and six years later he asked me to marry him. We continued to serve God together and expressed our desire to become full time missionaries someday.

God blessed us with 3 wonderful children, Leah, Bekah and Andrew, a nice home, a stable job, a fruitful ministry in our church, at work and community. Little by little, my heart for the Philippines completely faded away. Philippines became just a part of my history, a place that I might visit someday with my children to show my roots, but never to live again.
But again, God in His wonderful way, changed my wonderful plan for my life. Martin, a lay pastor in our church, Maranatha chapel in San Diego, was asked by our senior pastor to come to the Philippines with another missionary to scout the land just see how our church can send short term mission groups to the Philippines. Instead of just scouting the land, God put a desire in his heart to come back not just for 2 weeks but as full time missionary with our family. To leave everything behind, including his job of 23 years as senior electronic applications engineer . I said, “Dear, I’ll be behind you, far, far behind. I wanted to obey God but according to my time table.” Maybe when my children are older and in college. But, Martin in his godly attitude, never forced me but continued to abide in God’s word and prayed for God to change my heart instead.

With desperation, I appealed to God presenting him a long list of “why Beth Sanders should not go back to the Philippines.” Number one of which was my love and concern for our children. I asked God to speak to me and give me direction and confirmation in context or out of context to prove my husband wrong. God met me at my level through His word. As I continued my daily devotion reading Isaiah chapter 32, I came across verse 9.
Isaiah 32: 9 “Rise up, you women who are at ease, and hear my voice; give ear to my word, you complacent daughters.”

I closed my Bible and argued with God. “That was so out of context Lord. That was not for me”, I said. But my heart was pounding. I knew it was for me.

God was right. He made me realized how my heart had become complacent, and too contented with my daily routine, amidst the many blessings He has given me. I was no longer excited for God to do new and greater things in and through my life. I did not want Him to shake my comfortable nest.

(Garden experience with God)
God in his creative ways comforted me while I was gardening in my backyard one day. For some reason, almost everything that I planted in my yard died except for the one geranium by my fence. It grew so big with beautiful flowers and healthy branches. However, it started to cover the sprinkler and the light that my husband installed. I made a decision to uproot it and planted it by my side yard where there was an empty spot. It looked beautiful as it added color to the empty spot. But as the summer heat hit it at noon, it started to slowly wither. In just few days the leaves started to dry and the branches just laid weak. But I faithfully watered it hoping it will grow again. Sure enough, after 2 weeks the branches started to stand and leaves started to sprout then some flowers budded too. I was so happy as I watched it grew back to health. All of a sudden God, in His still small voice spoke to me and ask, “Beth, did you get the message. That’s how you are. I have planted you in San Diego for 21 years and made you bloom and now I will uproot you and plant you in Manila. Yes, you can get dry and wither when discouraged if you don’t stay attached to the vine. But if you continue to stay attached to the vine and water yourself with God’s word daily, I will sustain you. I will make you bloom again where you are planted and bear much fruit that remain.” Crying by my plant I repented and said, “ Yes Lord, I got your message.”

So, I decided to obey God and submit to my husband. He reminded me that everything I have came from Him including our children and He can take it away if He wants to. He also comforted me with His promise in Jeremiah 29:11; ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” I surrendered my children to God believing that He is much more concern with the life and future of my children more than I am as their mother.

After more than one year of preparation, we came to Manila with our 3 young children. However, I did not tell Martin that I secretly made a commitment with God for only 2 years. So I came to Manila with a mission: to minister to the Filipino women with a sense of urgency to bear much fruit fast so I can go back home with a fruitful ministry. I shared the gospel to every human being that I came in contact with in my neighborhood but no fruit came out for the first 6 months . I was running out of time and feeling like a failure. I got so discouraged and depressed and thought it was a mistake that we came. I was ready to go back to San Diego especially when I saw my children crying and missing their many friends.

Until on New Year’s Eve, God brought to my remembrance His promise before we left in John 15: 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” He assured me not to fear and that He has gone before us and will continue to be with us. That He is not concern about the success of the ministry He has called us to do, and the number of women I minister to but rather with the condition of my heart. He wants my heart to be completely devoted to Him as His child not to the ministry. That the ministry should be just an overflow of my private walk with Him as I abide in His word and be motivated by His love. He revealed my selfish agenda and wrong intention for rushing to bear fruit- just so I can do the ministry with success and go back home to San Diego.

Prostrating myself on the floor, I repented to God and devoted my heart back to Him. He gave me a new heart, one that is motivated by His love resulting to true joy and excitement to stay in the Philippines as long as He wants us to stay.

Few days later, after I made my heart right with God, He directed me to a handful of women to invest my life by discipling them, who in just a short period of time started to bear much fruit also and still continue to do so. The 4 became 10, then 20 then 50 and still continue to bear much fruit, not by my might nor my power but by His spirit alone.
It’s been almost 9 years now, and as I look back, I praise God for His grace that enabled me to obey Him and submit to my husband. I could have missed out from the many blessings of knowing Him deeper and witnessing the work that He has done and still continues to do in and through my life, my family and the many lives whom we have the privilege to minister to.

God showed me that the best place to be is not California, but it is at the very center of God’s will and if Manila it is, so be it. It is my prayer that when God looks into my heart daily, He will find it completely acceptable and devoted to Him and hear Him say, “ Well done Beth, my good and faithful servant.”, then make Him smile. That’s enough to motivate me, to abide in Him daily so I do not miss out on His perfect will for my life, until that day when I see Him face to face.

May it be the choice of our heart, to intentionally abide in His word and His love daily resulting to bearing much fruit that remain for the audience of “one” alone. To God be the glory. God bless you .

“This I command you, that you love one another.” John 15:17

We’ve heard it said time and again. Love is not a feeling. It is a commitment directed towards imperfect people to seek their highest good which often requires sacrifice.

C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity says, “Do not waste your time bothering whether you love your neighbor – act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

Have you ever heard the story, “The Frog and the Princess?”  Sometimes we are kind of like the frog.  Frogs feel slow, low, ugly, puffy, drooped and pooped.   The frog-feeling comes when you want to shine, but you feel down.  When you want to share, but you are selfish, when you want to be thankful, but you feel resentment, when you want to be great, but you are small, when you want to care, but really you are indifferent.   At one time or another each of us has found himself on a lily pad floating down the river of life, frightened, disgusted, we are just too froggish.  Once upon a time, there was a frog, only really he was not a frog.  He was a prince who looked like a frog.  A wicked witch cast a spell on him.  Only the kiss of a beautiful maiden could save him.  But since when did cute girls kiss frogs? There he sat, the unkissed prince in frog form.  One day a beautiful maiden gathered him up and gave him a great big smack.  “Crash, boom, zap.“  There he was, a handsome prince.  You know the rest, “They lived happily ever after.“  So what is the lesson here? What is the task of the church?  Kissing frogs, of course.  Did you ever kiss a frog? Is not that what Jesus was saying?  “Love one another.” The kind of love that we share with people even though if they are frogs can transform them into a prince.  He has done with you and me.  Think of how much the Lord has loved me, and how much more should I love others.  Only He can give us the power to do this.  (MS)

We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong is right;
What could be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who’s lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear;
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share. -Ray Boltz