Concrete Pouring Ceremony

At the crack of dawn last Tuesday, January 26, 2010, a large crowd of people assembled at the construction site of the CCF Worship and Training Center at Frontera Verde, along C-5. It was the day set for the first concrete pouring for the Building Project, but it became clear early on that the gathering was about something much bigger than that. For as daylight broke forth in the horizon, so did the gathered people, led by Pastor Insong Nolan and the CCF worship team, break forth in song to their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“We are standing on holy ground,” they sang fervently, “and I know that there are angels all around.” Indeed, at that moment God’s presence was more real to this worshipping community than what physically surrounded them – whether it be the clouds overhead, or the soil on which they stood.

A short prayer was thereafter led by CCF Elder, Ramon Manzana, after which CCF Senior Pastor Peter Tan-chi gave a message to the congregation made up of CCF members, guests, and co-workers in the Building Project.

The pastor’s message was on 1 Chronicles 29, where King David, in the midst of a great assembly, uttered one of his most memorable prayers to Yahweh, thanking Him for the abundant gifts which he and the people were able to pool together in preparation for building the Temple. In that prayer, David’s passion for God’s glory shone through very clearly. Although he knew that God did not dwell in earthly temples, he endeavored to build something magnificent for the glory of God.

Pastor Peter pointed out that we, too, should have the same perspective as we build the Worship Center. We should always remember for whose glory we are building it, and be thankful that we are part of this work which, through God’s grace, will be instrumental in bringing multitudes to Christ. Nonetheless, he warned the congregation not to be deceived into thinking that participating in activities such as this project is, by itself, a guarantee of a heart devoted to God. He cited what happened to Solomon, who died with a heart far from God despite being the one who actually oversaw the building of the Temple. Ultimately, our hearts are the most important thing to God.

The congregation then proceeded to a time of prayer. Many prayed standing, others were seated, some were on their knees, but all were united in asking God for His blessing – for the project, for the country, and for themselves, petitioning God that the hearts of each one be always firmly fixed on Jesus.
The moment then came for the pouring in of the first concrete. With gold-painted shovels in hand, special guest Mayor Robert Eusebio of Pasig City, Pastor Peter, members of the CCF Building Committee, Mr. Rex Drilon of Ortigas & Company, which sold the property to CCF, Mr. Manny Mendoza of Monolith Construction & Development Corporation, the general contractor for the project, and other honored guests pitched freshly mixed cement into one of the nearby holes on which stood a metal post for the upcoming building. Other CCF pastors followed. Then everyone was given the opportunity to do the same. Pure joy and excitement were on the faces of these people of faith, even to the end of the event. And how can it be otherwise, when their Lord was answering their prayers before their very eyes?

The whole event would have been an ordinary kickoff for the foundation-laying of an upcoming edifice, had it not been, from start to finish, such a resounding tribute to that one Foundation, of whom it was said: “no other foundation can anyone lay than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ”.

To Him be the glory forever and ever.

by Macky Ong

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Joel Rosenberg

As a congregation, CCF was encouraged to heed a prayer battle cry at the start of the year: “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” (1 Chronicles 4:10, NASB)

After the annual weeklong prayer and fasting week, an “expansion of borders” took place indeed as the church welcomed New York Times’ best-selling author, Joel Rosenberg, and his team for a full week of activities – the first ever Epicenter (Asian) Conference.

Upon his arrival, Joel wrote in his blog how devastated he felt for the major quake in Haiti, while recognizing, at the same time that we, Filipinos, have recently been shaken by similar catastrophes (typhoons, impending Mayon eruption) – and then segued into, what all these meant in light of what the Bible says about the end of days. This was, in fact, the general theme of the entire conference itself.

First off, Joel Rosenberg with his team and CCF’s went to Malacañang for a luncheon with Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the palace officials. Pastor Ray Bentley from the Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, California, thanked the president for the Philippines’ ties with the US and its battle against radical Islam. Israeli Pastor David Ortiz thanked the president for the historic friendship between the Philippines, the Jewish people and the state of Israel. Joel, during the meeting, explained that the Philippines helped fulfill Bible prophecy after voting for the creation of the modern state of Israel during the Partition Plan in the United Nations in November 29, 1947. The team had an opportunity to share the gospel to the President and the people in Malacañang, and furthermore, prayed for the president and her family and her final days in office.

Israeli Pastor David Ortiz

The following day, the team had a courtesy meeting with Israeli Ambassador Zvi Vapni. The ambassador, as Joel described, is very intrigued and supportive of building strong ties between Israel and evangelical Christians; and is thankful for the mobilization of Christians in supporting Israel. Later during the day, Joel and his team were interviewed by CBN Asia about their personal faith journey, the end times prophecies and how the church in Asia can and should live these days. These interviews will soon be broadcasted throughout the Philippines, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Another luncheon took place the following day, this time, with the American Chamber of Commerce. The event was attended by several hundred business leaders, which also included presidents of several major U.S. and Filipino companies. Here, Joel spoke about

“Israel, the Iranian Nuclear Threat, and the Next War in the Middle East,” and presented it in the context of Bible prophecy.

The Epicenter Conference officially began with the Leadership Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel last January 21, 2010. The event was attended by at least a thousand business, government and military leaders, which included some of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Here, Joel had the opportunity to explain the “signs of the times,” the Biblical mandate we have to love and bless Israel, and most importantly, he had the opportunity to share the Gospel to the attendees.

The whole day Christian Conference happened on Friday, January 22, 2010, which had an overwhelming attendance of 4,500 people within CCF St. Francis itself, plus probably thousands more, who watched the live streaming via satellite TV and the Internet. Joel presented his message, “Are We Living In the Last Days”, as described in Matthew 24 and Luke 21; and, “What Is the Future of Russia, Iran and Israel?”, as described in Ezekiel 38-39. Israeli Pastor David Ortiz shared about God’s extending love for the Jewish people and explained that the persecution of the believers will intensify in the last days. Iranian Pastor Hormoz Shariat described his journey from being a radical Shia Muslim to becoming the “Billy Graham of Iran” and how God has been touching the lives of Iranians. Pastor Rey Bentley shared a message from Joel 2.

Saturday, January 23, 2010, was another packed day, this time, with at least 3,000 young people for the Youth Conference. Here, Joel had the opportunity to share the Gospel, taught about end times prophecies as based in the Word, and his love story with wife Lynn – which became a good connector with the young people.

The conference ended on a high note having Joel in all five services at CCF St. Francis last Sunday, January 24, 2010. The auditorium and overflow rooms were packed with a total of between 20,000 to 25,000 attendees plus thousands more watched via satellite TV and the Internet. It was an opportunity once again for Joel to share the end times prophecies as presented in the Bible and most importantly, to share the Gospel to the people.

In light of everything that happened, the real question boils down to, “are we really ready?” Are we really ready to face our Master? Are we really ready to live holy lives and to make an impact to the people around us? Many lives were touched by God’s love during the conference proper – either as a new believer or as a recommitted follower standing for God’s glory. The next step is to take action. Following all these will be a six-week Bible study series on the End Times, designed to be evangelical nature. It is through this that each person’s borders will be expanded; and most importantly, God’s kingdom will be expanded.

by Sherry Magno

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.-1 Peter 4:7

We need to be aware of the second coming and live lives of “sound judgment and sober spirit?” because the second coming of Christ is the single most powerful motivation for Christian living. But why does God not tell us when He is coming? God wants us to live expectantly always ready for Christ’s return.

Everyone will die but nobody knows when. If we believe we will be in the presence of God within six months, how will that thought impact our lives? When we face the reality of meeting the Lord, will we not begin to see things differently? If we expect to see God very soon, doing nothing about it is tantamount to not believing at all.

God is telling us that the end of all things is at hand. Examine your relationship with the Lord, with one another, and your service to one another. Do you have a right relationship with God? Is your prayer life a declaration of dependence and trust in the Lord? What about your relationship with other people? Have you chosen to love and forgive especially those who are imperfect and unlovable? Are you living a life in service to God and to others? Are you using your special God-given gifts to help one another?

It is not too late to appreciate the reality that sooner or later we will see God. Therefore it is important to reconcile the reality of Christ’s second coming with the certainty that we will have to give Him an accounting of our lives. In prepping for the end, it would be wise and prudent to always be ready.

Behold he comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun, at the trumpet’s call
So lift your voice, It’s the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes.

-Robin Mark

*This Devotional was taken from Ptr. Peter Tan-chi’s message delivered at CCF Ortigas last August 29, 2004

Pastor King Flores

In 1976, I received Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord during my freshman year thru the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ at UP Los Banos. Trained as a disciplined follower of Jesus, I realized the value and power of prayer early in my Christian life. God answered my daily petitions for me to pass all my courses and thus managed to maintain my scholarship until I finished college.

Upon graduation, I received a word from God telling me to serve Him full-time. But due to the financial difficulties our family was in, I begged off and instead asked God to help me land a high paying job so I can help support my younger siblings. Through constant praying and fellowship with God, the Lord granted me success in my work and I was blessed with favor after favor from my bosses which led to a rapid promotion and a climb in the corporate ladder and financial stability.

In 1994, again God called for me to serve Him full-time. Thinking that this might be His last call, I listened and said YES to God. In my mind I was thinking that our two year reserved resources would suffice for the needs of the family. But 2 months after that decision, my mother got sick with a terrible kidney disease that depleted all our funds. The doctor suggested that she go thru Dialysis treatment but since we did not have the funds, we told the doctor that we will take the option to pray and trust God for a miracle. We brought our mother home and took care of her daily needs even as we kept on our knees praying and asking God for her healing and recovery. After 4 months, our mother’s kidneys recovered and began functioning normally. God indeed is a God who answers prayers.

While we were rejoicing, we suddenly heard a commotion just outside our gate. Our 6 year old daughter was run over by a 5-ton water delivery truck. On our way to the hospital we kept on praying that God will spare her. Once again God proved His power and response to prayer as the x-ray results showed neither fracture nor dislocation. She was up and about in just 3 days and is now 21 years old. Glory to God! God assured me that He can take care of my family better than me and all I needed to do was to abide in Him. In 1996, God even provided schooling for my children after we returned from 2 years of studies in Singapore. God allowed my wife to be employed as a teacher in International School Manila, which paved the way for my kids to study almost for free.

The following year, the Lord opened a door for us to minister to the Anito Motels. Armed with prayer and 35 other pastors, we set up 77 small groups. We had to deal with prostitution and other vices which we battled out by fasting 3 days every month, early morning prayers every Monday and Wednesday. In 18 months, 70% of the 2,000 employees Metro Manila wide became Christians. The next year everybody has come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Today, God has totally transformed this motel to become a family hotel. Each hotel now has a prayer room where prayers are offered up for their operations and customers too.

Riding on this momentum, the Lord brought me to debt ridden Paranaque City. Together with two other believers, we offered to pray for the city and the newly elected Mayor. Jun Bernabe allowed us to pray inside his office every day. Soon other pastors and some city employees join us in prayer.

God started to answer our prayers when the people started to pay their taxes and gradually the city’s income grew significantly. The mayor was so encouraged that he allowed us to teach the PDL to every department and to hold monthly fellowship inside the city hall premises. Because of these activities, the spiritual climate of the city hall was changed and God was welcomed into the whole city hall. After nine months of praying every day, our mayor dedicated the city to God and the City has been blessed.

The City has since been able to pay off its P900 million debt; the garbage problem was solved, streets were lighted up, graft and corruption curbed and peace and order improved. Our mayor was awarded as the best mayor in 2006 and the city now ranks 6th place according to a study done by AIM. Our treasury department has also been awarded by the Dept. of Finance as one of the most efficient tax collection unit nationwide for two consecutive years.

Last year our mayor asked for prayers for his quadruple bypass. God miraculously granted our request that in only 2 weeks, time our mayor already went back to work. Last September, our City was spared by the ravages of typhoon Ondoy. The following Monday, our mayor during the flag ceremony attributed this all to God with a ringing PRAISE THE LORD from his mouth.

The greatest news of all is that more and more souls are being saved. More and more employees and residents received Jesus as Savior and Lord into their lives and bible study groups are multiplying.

We are CONTINUALLY praying that all the 1 million residents in our city will enter the kingdom of God. We have now expanded into the business community like the banks, the urban poor and the other sectors of the city. Indeed the harvest is plentiful and God is simply waiting for us to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out more workers into the harvest field.

My name is King Flores. I have been attending CCF with my family since 2005 and I am part of the ministry to the Government called GMEN under the church planting ministry.

May the Lord touch our hearts that starting today we will make use of this privilege of prayer more than ever so we can altogether expand God’s kingdom wherever we are. All it takes for God to move is for us His children to pray.