THE LIFE OF FREEDOM

Last Wednesday night, Friday Night Light welcomed brother Yette Valenzuela, head of Living Free Ministry - CCF MAKATI, as he shared wisdom about the ministry he handles which caters to people with, among other struggles, homosexuality. We were expecting to be taught how to minister, but we found ourselves looking at our own individual struggles... Suddenly, it wasn't about one stigma. It was about a deeper, more heart-related issue. That is what we can consider a paradigm shift -- when views and opinions change, and we enter a journey of new discoveries. It was a blessing much as it is a challenge for the twenty-plus people who attended the talk.

THE ROOT CAUSE

One great take-away was when we were told to look at homosexuality the same way as how we look at other sins.  Indeed, it is how God would see it. James wrote that “whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point” is guilty of breaking all of it (James. 2:10). Suddenly, we came to a realization that there are no minor or major sins to classify, all are found abhorrent to God.

The whole thing started to turn when Brother Yette began to talk about our pre-natal wounds, clarifying that these situations can actually impact the lives that we live when we are born into this world. These are the root causes of most struggles that we have even when we were infants and young children. Possibly words spoken to us, feelings that were conveyed improperly or even unprocessed life memories.

THE ISSUE OF SIN

At that moment, we all began to see ourselves in equal plane -- a struggle is a struggle as much as a sin is, and always will be a sin. There is not much of a difference because all have struggles and we’ve all fallen to sin. This should concern us because if the standard of living is the upward call of pure, unbridled righteousness, we all fall short according to Romans 3:23. It began putting this whole "homosexuality" topic closer to our hearts as we looked at it in the lens of God and not in the faulted--most of the time judgmental--eyes of man.

It was very clear where this ministry stands on homosexuality, and it takes more than just you being "for" or "against" the issue. Instead of attacking the struggle, our friends from LFM target root causes, and every layer from the inside out is being redeemed by the power of Christ; that we received better understanding about this controversial issue is definitely an understatement. As Brother Yette explained, we can all trace it back to the root problem of man: when Adam and Eve chose to sin, we chose to put the spotlight onto our lives instead of putting the spotlight on to God.

THE ME GENERATION

Self-centeredness has taken hold of so many of us today. This puts into light the disappointing problems we experience on a daily basis: our inadequacies, our strongholds, our unending defeats. We ought to put the light back on God and it makes Him become who He is -- He is a BIG God, stronger than our fears and failures. Whenever we feel pressured, defeated, and outright downcast, it is time to check if the spotlight is on us or on Him. Instead of glorifying our struggles and problems, we need to glorify our Victor, our Deliverer, and our God.

THE POINT OF IT ALL

Much has been asked about how to interact, correct, or minister to those who are struggling with homosexuality, and brother Yette has been consistent about not making it different from other known struggles. True enough, we got it all clear that homosexuality is a sin-- but so is lying, adultery, and yes, even gluttony. The key is to not attack the struggle, but point people to Christ. The beauty of reality is that we are all sinners being perfected by the love of Christ displayed at the finished work on the Cross – “It Is Done”, Jesus declared. In Him there is true, lasting freedom.

THE ROAD TO FREEDOM

Our friends from LFM will launch a 10-week program this April (starting April 1), and they meet at Room 3 of CCF Makati on Tuesday evenings. Everyone is invited to join so as to learn how to minister, counsel, and pray for those facing internal struggles brought about by the ever-corrupting presence of sin in this world. It is a good thing that Jesus is always at the center of it all -- we know that there is victory in Him, and because He died and rose again, we are most welcome to enjoy life -- LIVING FREE from the bondage of sin and living in Christ's mighty presence in our lives.

The Light in REVIVAL by Paul De Vera

It was exciting news when we caught a sneak peek of the 2014 plans for Friday Night Light. We all looked forward to a lot of things, but none can match the excitement for the first series for the year:

PRAYERS OF REVIVAL.

Revival, defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the growth of something or an increase in the activity of something after a long period of no growth or activity”, is close to the heart of FNL as a ministry. In this family, we have seen broken people come and be “revived”. People who seemed so down and discouraged they can never smile again, and yet after hearing God’s words and experiencing His presence, deep joy becomes all of sudden real to them. I am a testament of such ­– there is indeed a power of transformation and revival in the presence of the Lord. And so we all felt it was a very relevant series – exciting, awe-inspiring, and to say the least, convicting.

Early in January, we kicked off the series with BEGINANEW: The Upward Call to Breakthrough. It is quite normal to think that REVIVAL is all about waiting for the forthcoming breakthrough, that all out game-changer moment that comes to pass and sweeps one off his or her feet. We all wait for things like that – an improvement in one aspect, a confirmation for a desire, a healing of whatever it is that was broken and needed mending – and as we witnessed the prayer of Habakkuk, we were treated to a lesson we sort of, kind of, missed along the way:

GOD IS THE BREAKTHROUGH.

We always attribute victory, revival, and blessings when the trials have passed. But Speaker Mike Yap shared something that hit not just me but most of those who were with FNL on its first Friday for 2014: we can be victorious even in trials, because we know God is sticking with us through the battles. There’s a promised victory after every trouble, a silver lining on every dark cloud, a rainbow after every storm. It was a message filled with so much hope--an appropriate light starter for the whole series and for the whole year as well.

I then gave the second message for January 24, CHANGE OF HEART: Sparking a True Renewal. In the message we shifted the view of “praying for revival”. Often, we cry out to God and hope for the better days but one prayer of revival in the Bible did not cry out for such a thing. Instead it was a prayer of humility – of confession and repentance – without asking for anything in return.

Such is the prayer of Ezra, one character unknown to many, including myself. Deep-diving into his ministry for God brought so much realization to me: revival happens when we get a change of heart. Sounds easy, I know, but when we broke it down to its details, we saw how difficult it was for Ezra’s people to keep up with rules, obey, and stay out of trouble. Good thing a true renewal is sparked by the coming of Christ in one's life and ways.

At the end of it all, CHRIST IS ALL. He is all we need for that change of heart. His blood has already sparked a true renewal, and living a life in submission to His will definitely gives birth to REVIVAL.

 Strange Christmas Mythology: 

Saturnalia, Santa, and Odin

The myths and stories surrounding Christmas origins are bizarre to say the least. Christmas, as we know it today is entitled “the season of giving”. If you are more of a non-conformist, you’d call it a special once-in-a-year holiday; if you are anti-sentiment, it would be just another vacation and if you are an overly skeptical individual, you’d call it the most consumerist time of year.

Regardless of whatever you call it, this season is ultimately brought about by one reason and that is to commemorate the birth of a child named Jesus.

It is true however that the holiday (Holy Day) was only celebrated nearly 300 hundred years after Christ’s time on the earth. It is also true that there are some weird pagan customs and traditions that have been mixed with this and sprung into the season that we now know as Christmas.

The following are examples of such things that have nothing at all to do with the birth of Jesus but because of tradition and customs throughout the ages, have been interwoven and incorporated into Christ’s incarnation celebration.

Stuff like caroling for neighbors (with the word ‘Carol’ originally meaning to dance around to something in a circle like a cast idol), kissing under the mistletoe (an ancient druid fertility symbolic act), decorating your home with wreaths and Christmas trees (which was a Norse way of dedicating offerings to the tree’s “spirit”), even putting up socks for a big generous guy to climb through your chimney into your house to give you gifts--if you’ve been good all year--are the stuff of legend and actually have pre-Christian origins.

Santa

Many of us attribute the Christmas season of gift-giving to none other than Santa Claus, the jolly big dude on the slay magically pulled across the sky by flying reindeer to give gifts to good children. This is all a marketing ploy by one of your favorite long-time brands (author sips on his glass of Coca Cola). Santa may have actually had his originas to Saint Nicholas of Myra to be exact.

This guy was canonized as a miracle worker Archbishop who lived roughly around 300 A.D. He was well known for his charity towards the poverty-striken people of his region. And contrary to popular depictions of Old Saint Nick, he was quite a zealous man who had a fiery passion for defending Christ’s deity and upbringing true doctrine to the church.

It was in the Nicene Council that the debate about Jesus Christ’s divinity arose when two camps battled it out to find out which holds true: whether Jesus was half man and half God therefore not equal to God—as one camp claimed, or whether he was fully man and fully God—as Nicholas and his camp adamantly defended. He was so furious to the heretical claims of his opponents that he slapped and beat them for it; he was of course detained but not long after released when other bishops claimed to have had a dream showing that Nicholas had indeed been correct and that God was telling them to release Nicholas from prison and place him back into his rightful position. He was truly a staunch defender of Christ—far from what we see him today as a push-over marketing ploy wearing red overalls.

Saturnalia

December 25 has a certain ring to it; usually the day that we celebrate Christmas, it is a day of feasting, opening gifts, and enjoying time with family.

In historical origin, however, the date was considered to be a major holiday of the Roman Empire. As the name suggests, it is a celebration glorifying the god Saturn (based on the sun’s movement in the sky and the winter solstice). It was usually to honor the yearly harvest since Saturn was attributed to wealth, agriculture, and plenty; the celebrations would usually last a whole month and would include excessive feasting, sexual carousing, law-opposing, speech-giving, and gift-giving. The Persians, at this time, also celebrated their feasts in honor of the god Mithras, who was attributed similarly to Saturn.

The original date of Christ’s birth however is highly disputed but scholars believe that it is somewhere between April to October, with most of them concluding that it was likely in September. They argue that if it were in December, Bethlehem would have a climate that is too cold for animals to be grazing and would have below-freezing temperatures for people to be roaming outside at night. Luke 2:8 points that the shepherds were “keeping watch over their flock by night” which would probably suggest that they were indeed outside with their flocks and the weather was not as cold as compared to December (where they would shelter and keep their flocks inside if it were so). 

Odin

This holiday is likewise also called the Yuletide season. Ever wonder what that actually meant? The term is sourced from the indigenous Germanic month Ærra Jéola (Before Yule) or “Jiuli”. Even before the story of Nicholas, we have the norse god Odin (popularly depicted by Anthony Hopkins in the movie Thor).

He was known as the white bearded “All-father” and in the middle of winter (likely in December), he would lead a “wild hunt” during the night of Yule—and guess what? He would be flying while doing so and giving gifts to his faithful worshipers while slaying and casting fear into the multitudes who were not loyal to him.

Sounds vaguely familiar?

| A Flashback to Christmas |

Friday Night Light's FALALALASHBACK FRIDAY was meant to celebrate the year that was and to look forward to Christmas 2013, the eventful day of commemorating the birth of Jesus. A trip back to the times of the past reminded us of a truth we will never forget.

None can deny that Christmas is about JESUS:

His birth has been told through carols. His name claimed a stake on December 25.

He was the REASON for the SEASON.

Christmas, however, was celebrated only 300 years after Christ's death and resurrection.

For quite sometime, His birthday was not a Holiday. Not many people looked forward to that day. In fact, the traditional December 25 celebration was never just about Christ, for many pagan traditions and beliefs take place during this season too.

Flashback to 800 B.C. And you'll see prophets like Micah and Isaiah, preparing the way for the coming King. Flashback to 1000 B.C. And probably even further, and you'll see great men and women of the Bible -- some leading a nation like Solomon and his father David; Jacob, Isaac, and the father of many nations, Abraham; and even the ark builder, Noah -- each and every character prepared the way for the fulfillment of the promise of Redemption, a story carefully and creatively written by the greatest Author of all.

And then we flashback to Genesis,
The beginning of it all. Here is where we are reminded that God has

Created man in His "own image and likeness..."

You were created with such rich comparison:

As the favored creation of God,

you were meant to be RESPECTED.

You were meant to RULE.

You were meant to be LOVED.

However, because of sin, this identity has been taken away from us. But as John 3:16 says, "...God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life."

The LOVE OF GOD for me and you PREVAILED.

Because He desires to restore us back to the identity with which we are made,

CHRISTMAS had to happen to restore you; empower you; give you hope; change you.

To once again make you a creation deserving of Respect, Rulership, and above all, Love.

He had to be born and live in the likeness of man, eventually becoming the sacrifice for sin itself and submitting Himself to death, even death on the cross... He did this to set you free from all the lies you've believed and to give you back the identity you have in Him.

You see, Christ maybe the reason for the season,

BUT CHRISTMAS WAS MEANT FOR YOU.

This 2013, celebrate Christmas with this in mind.

No matter what happened this year and before, know that God has pursued you,
and He has given you His everything... Because you meant EVERYTHING to Him.

Now, that is a reason for unadulterated, everlasting JOY.
Merry Christmas from Friday Night Light!

LOVE YOU TO DEATH

"LOVE YA TO DEATH!"

is the phrase that I commonly hear when one friend says to another his or her sentiment and concern. I sometimes hear it being said flippantly without the meaning behind those very words genuinely felt and conveyed.

It sounds novel, even caring, and sympathetic but when we really deep-dive into the meaning of the phrase, it comes down to a love that we are all, to be honest, quite unfamiliar with. You can liken it to saying something like 'love unconditionally' or even 'love until it hurts' but what do these statements actually mean?

I have found that they describe more of what is being proliferated in our highly media-controlled culture and distant online communication--a love that is "there" but won't be there when you need it. A love that says to love you but when it all breaks apart, leaves you instead. A love that strives to the end only to skip away at the first onset of trouble. A love that is only skin-deep but cannot go any further to the deep things of the soul. A love that says "I will be there for you" only to find absence in the most desperate of times.

We've all been there to that facade and imitation of what we call "love". Somehow, we have been wired to think that that kind of love is all that we can expect. We've been so disillusioned that we've really given up on the whole "love" thing.

But then...Jesus turns everything around.

He loves unto death.

He exhibits his love by death on the cross.

He gave his life as ransom for ill-deserving sinners.

He forgave the very people who were murdering him on Golgotha.

He stayed even when all others fled.

He demonstrates a real, unabashed, raw, kind of love that you would not have expected from anyone else.

He loves to the very end.

Love one another unto death

So the next time you are about to quip "love you to death", perhaps a moment of thought and reflection would be fitting. After all, Jesus teaches us to love one another as He has loved us. What does this mean? It means that we are willing to love another unto death. Yes, death.

This means loving until the point that you cannot love anymore.

This means loving even if the person doesn't deserve it, or worse--the person ill-deserves it.

This means loving beyond any inconvenience, discomfort, and suffering.

This means forgiving even when you have been wronged.

This means staying when all others have fled.

This means demonstrating a love that is almost rare in our day and age, exhibiting a love that is like none other and that wouldn't have come from yourself.

This means loving to the very end.

Who is JESUS: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?

 Who is JESUS: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?

Having gone through the JESUS Series on Friday Night Light for the past few weeks was incredibly daunting but at the same time deeply awe-inspiring. Being the last series for the year 2013, the team really felt the need to boldly proclaim Jesus from the scriptures, particularly the Gospel accounts as written by witnesses.

The reason for this was very simple: people nowadays do not have a biblical viewpoint of Jesus and do not really know him for who he is, what he did, and how he did it. Most of the problem lies within the millennial make-up of our generation, taking every bit of information in without first verifying and investigating what we are fed or told about.



Media portrays Jesus as a prolific moralist/philosopher, popular culture would say that he was indeed a good man and a great teacher, others would count him as a prophet, still some would attribute him a myth, a madman, or simply just a man. There are so many misconceptions and lies that are bred unto us today that we end up with a shallow, non-biblical, far-fetched, and detached view of Jesus.

Far worse, we turn to others or ourselves as functional saviors hoping to get saved from our dismal problems and our doomed fates.

Who is Jesus--really?

We went through the whole series talking about Jesus: how he healed the masses of sickness and disease, how he freed those who were under demonic bondage and influence, how he worked mighty miracles such as hushing a storm by a word of his mouth, how he speaks life and truth onto people, and how he loves unto the point of death--even a brutal and bloody murder on the cross. All this just so he could be painted as a fake or legend? Even his disciples and many others across church history have selflessly died for this fellow, Jesus.

All of these--and more--are found in all the Gospel accounts and even in some extra-biblical and historical data. We are presented with a Jesus that is far beyond what we thought and exceeds any amount of explanation as to why this person has had the influence that he has for millennia now. 

As C.S. Lewis mentions,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 

Who is JESUS to you?

 This enigma has indeed been revealed to us and elicits a response for us and a choice we have to make. The very answer as to who JESUS is will weigh the eternity that lies ahead for us. We all will live forever, according to the Bible, but the difference is where you will spend eternity and to whom will you owe your life's allegiance to: the Devil, the world, the self, or the Savior.

Jesus was born to die. He lived the life that we could never live and died that death we should have died. He solely took upon himself the whole wrath of God for ALL of our sins and amazingly enough, 72 hours later, rose from death to life and made possible for us to restore relationship with our God, whom we have forsaken by our own sin. He was left alone, broken, battered, bewildered, and beaten on that cross by us yet in Hebrews 13:5, he graces us by saying, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

He remains true to that promise to this day! Jesus Christ is risen and is seated at the throne and he looks with compassion and love on those who look to him in faith. He sends forth his Spirit to be with us in every rise or fall, in every mountain or valley, in every circumstance or situation, and in every condition and trial that we will ever face. He has made all the difference in the lives of his people.

None but him can claim such authority as being the Son of Man and the Son of God, Alpha and Omega, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, the Name that is above every name--Christ Jesus.

So if ever there comes a time that great 'heroes',

appointed 'saviors', and audacious 'messiahs' come to compare,

none will ever be as compelling and as true as the One

who died for you and me out of great love

and lived again just to prove it. 

Investigating the Man who claimed to be God: Jesus of Nazareth

It is no secret that the Philippines is cited as one of the world’s most “Christian” countries. A US-based Pew Research Center has recently found in its study that there are about 86.8 million Filipinos—or 93 percent of a total population of 93.3 million—adhering to the teachings of Jesus Christ. This country is the largest “Christian” country in Asia and the 5^th largest in the world following the United States (246.8 million), Brazil (175.8 mil) It is no secret that the Philippines is cited as one of the world’s most “Christian” countries.).

Many people in this country, especially in our culture and age, profess to follow Jesus; yet there is a stark contrast to what they profess and what is actually being lived out in their lives. Many claim to know God but what is observed from their lives is actually the absence thereof—no God.

Jesus of Nazareth has become one of the most infamous figures in all of history, an iconoclast in his popularity, influence, work, and teachings. Still, much of who he is and what he did is still incredibly unknown, foregone, and misunderstood.

The point of the matter is… we need to go back to who this Jesus of Nazareth really is and what he did to prove his claims. There is a need to adhere to the scriptures to examine data and apparent evidence in order to come to a final conclusion and decision as to whether or not we believe in this man who claimed to be God or dismiss him as another infamous character in myth or history.

This five-week series is a 2000 year old ‘investigation’ into the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, one who claimed to be God-incarnate and the appointed Messiah of the world. For those of us who know of Jesus, this would be a great opportunity for you to bolster your knowledge of him and as Dr. Tim Keller would put it, “to doubt your doubts” and healthily question your beliefs and convictions.

All throughout the gospel accounts you will find Jesus’ recurring question: “WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?” (Mark 8:29/ Matthew16:13/ Luke9:18). I guess the only question that remains to be answered is,

“Who do YOU say that JESUS IS?”

*Drop by @FridayNightLight starting this October 18, 8pm onwards at the third floor of A.Venue Mall in Makati Avenue and join us for this momentous five-week series that will strive to get straight answers from both the scriptures by way of exegesis and historical accounts of Jesus’ person, teachings, and works. See you then!

References:

(http://globalnation.inquirer.net/21233/philippines-still-top-christian-country-in-asia-5th-in-world#ixzz2hy7EyaKU)