The heart of our Savior is for Christian unity. Yet, as we see today, we confront the stark reality of disunity and division among Christians. We cannot experience spiritual revival apart from true Christian unity. The apostle Paul, in Ephesians 4:1-16, offers us a roadmap to how we can pursue this. This urgent need for unity is not new; it has persisted throughout the history of the Church. Today, let us look into God's Word and seek answers on how to maintain unity, so that we may shine as a beacon of Christ's love in a fractured world.
1 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. 2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. 4 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. 6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. 11 For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. 12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. 13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. 14 The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. 15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. 18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you. 22 Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles! (Psalm 25:1-22)
Once you surrender your life to God, you want to live according to His ways. You want to pursue righteousness. You don't want to sin anymore. But try as hard as we can, we still sin. When that happens, we feel ashamed of ourselves. Our enemy, Satan, who is the accuser of God's people, will try to convince us to hide or to withdraw. He will remind us that we are not worthy to be part of God's people anymore. But this is not the way of the Spirit.
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Main Idea: “God's unchanging character is always greater than our failures.” (“Ang di-nagbabagong katangian ng Diyos ay laging mas higit kaysa sa ating mga kabiguan.”)
What must we do when we fall into sin?
Two Acts of Faith:
1. Remember God's unchanging character: a) His goodness (vv.8-11) and b) His graciousness (vv.12-15).
2. Request help based on God's unchanging character: Ask for a) hope (vv.1-3), b) guidance (vv.4-7), c) forgiveness (vv.16-19), and d) protection (vv.20-22).
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7VG_R_4HPQ
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4)
We live in a world of uncertainty. People are not sure about anything. This is the reason why most people would rather not commit themselves to anything. They would rather take a neutral stance. This is especially true when it comes to faith in God. Who can be sure about anything when it comes to God? There are so many different views (i.e., also called diversity). In addition, to claim that one's belief is correct versus all the others is a sign of intolerance and pride (i.e., also called plurality). This may be the reason why many Christians do not actively share their faith.
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Main Idea: “Only the certainty of our faith can overcome the world.” (“Tanging katiyakan ng ating pananampalataya ang magtatagumpay sa mundong ito.”)
How can we be certain of our faith?
Three Reliable Reasons
1. The Gospel is historical in nature (v.1).
2. The Gospel is handed down by reliable people (vv.2-3).
3. The Gospel is heaven sent (notice the keywords: fulfilled, eyewitnesses and servants of the word, Theopilus, taught).
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0seduyXj2Q
God's Unchanging Character | By Pastor Bong Baylon | RLCC
1 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. 2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. 4 Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. 6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. 11 For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. 12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. 13 They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. 14 The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. 15 My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. 18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you. 22 Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles! (Psalm 25:1-22)
Once you surrender your life to God, you want to live according to His ways. You want to pursue righteousness. You don't want to sin anymore. But try as hard as we can, we still sin. When that happens, we feel ashamed of ourselves. Our enemy, Satan, who is the accuser of God's people, will try to convince us to hide or to withdraw. He will remind us that we are not worthy to be part of God's people anymore. But this is not the way of the Spirit.
#churchonline #digical #rlccphil
Watch or listen here - https://solo.to/rlccphil
Discussion Guide - https://rlcc.ph/devotional/
Give or donate - https://join.rlcc.ph/giving
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Download our FREE app - https://app.rlcc.ph
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...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUt6iqSQOoY
Full Life in the Lord | By Pastor Bong Baylon | RLCC
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:25-35)
Because of the advancement in medical science and technology, it's now possible for people to live long lives. If you add a healthy diet and regular exercise, we may live longer than most people a hundred years ago. But the length of our lives is not as important as the quality of our lives. How we live each day is what glorifies our Lord. We need to learn how to live a full life in the Lord.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPA00dVIrGU
38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them. 40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. 42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:38-44)
When a person comes to faith in Christ for the first time, he or she is usually very zealous. He or she shares his or her faith in Jesus to friends and loved ones alike with boldness and passion. But after a few years, something happens. He or she stops sharing. Why? There could be a lot of reasons. But regardless of the reason, we must never stop sharing the Good News.
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Main Idea: “Sharing the Gospel should always be our passion.” (“Ang pagbabahagi ng Ebanghelyo ay dapat simbuyo ng ating damdamin palagi.”)
Why should we keep on sharing the Gospel?
Three Reasons
1. To restore people (vv.38-39).
2. To rebuke the enemy (vv.40-41).
3. To reach the lost (vv.42-44).
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzZbR6e1s0o
Prayer is not just what we do every now and then. It is the essence of our relationship with God. The quality of our prayer lives is a reflection of the depth of our relationship with God. Neglecting prayer is tantamount to neglecting our relationship with God.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxGWkNtAC_w
Day 1: Focusing on God's Instructions
Scripture: Genesis 21:1-21
Today, we center our thoughts on God's guidance in our lives. In Genesis 21, we see Abraham facing a tough decision regarding his son, Ishmael. When emotions ran high, God's instruction prevailed. Our meditation today encourages us to prioritize God's guidance over our emotions and relationships. In your own life, is there a situation where you need to focus more on God's instructions rather than your emotions? Take a moment to reflect. In prayer, ask for God's wisdom and strength to follow His guidance even when emotions are strong.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohPJirHDG4Q
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God creates us for relationships. But not all relationships are good for us. Some of them are detrimental to our spiritual lives and can harm us or make us ineffective and unproductive. Ironically, the detrimental relationships that the Bible warns us about are not with regard to unbelievers or the people in the world. The apostle Paul says in 1 Cor 5:9-10, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case, you would have to leave this world." The Bible warns us to watch out against certain types of believers within the church that can negatively influence us.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54yk9LN-d5k