Church of God Sharing Village - Philippines

Elementary Principles For Perfection

We have been blessed by God with the opportunity to have kept and completed another cycle of God’s annual Feast Days. By this time, our spiritual batteries should have been fully recharged and primed for the work ahead of us. However, being the weak and space-time-bound humans that we are, we sometimes find ourselves drained physically and emotionally in the period immediately after the Feasts, such that we sometimes feel that we are back to square one.

We also find a certain consolation in going back to our “comfort zone” like a child going back to elementary school. However, we are advised by Scripture to “leave the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ” and to rather “go on to perfection.” In Hebrews 6, we read:

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

The account in Hebrews encourages us not to abandon those elementary principles of Christ but to progress and to advance to the next level or higher level of perfection.

The word “principles” comes from the Greek (G746) archē (är-khā'), which means: beginning, origin; the person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader; that by which anything begins to be, the origin, the active cause.

The word “perfection” comes from the Greek (G5047) teleiotēs (te-lā-o'-tās), which means: perfection, the state of the more intelligent, moral and spiritual perfection.

What are the elementary principles of Christ mentioned in Hebrews? And just what is the importance or significance of leaving the discussion of those elementary principles so that we can focus on striving for perfection?

There are six (6) elementary or basic foundational principles of Christ mentioned here: (i) repentance, (ii) faith, (iii) baptism, (iv) laying on of hands, (v) resurrection, and (vi) eternal judgment.

The apostle Peter explains the how the first principles of repentance and baptism are linked:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ Himself outlines all of the basic principles in His gospel commission to His disciples:

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Christ also emphasizes the two (2) types of resurrection, one to life, and another to condemnation, linking them to the principle of eternal judgment.

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Pilgrims of a City Whose Builder and Maker is God

A story…

During the thirteenth century Europe, a young Italian mother bore a son and named him “Mark” after the gospel writer in the hope that one day, he would grow up to tell truths just like his namesake.

It is however ironic that later, when Mark wrote his bestselling book on world travels, many skeptics labeled it “Il Milione” - “The Book of a Million Lies”. Instead of becoming a truth bearer, Mark was called Marco Milione or “Marco the Man with a Million Lies.”

Many Europeans found it impossible to believe Mark’s story of a faraway land. His claim was considered preposterous and even heretical in a 13^th century Europe that believed the world was flat, that they were the center of the universe. But as Mark claimed, he was seventeen when he started an epic journey of his life that took him across the plains of Russia, the rough and rugged mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts of Persia (Iran), the desolate land of Mongolia and had seen the top of the world through the Himalayas mountains.

Mark was the first person to travel the world by foot from West to East. He was the first European man to enter (or discover) a city in the east called Cathay. Through an amazing set of circumstances, he became a favorite envoy of the most powerful ruler named Kublai Khan whose vast empire eclipsed that of the ancient Roman Empire. Mark saw cities that made European capitals look like roadside villages. The ‘great’ Khan palaces dwarfed the largest castles and cathedrals in Europe.  His court was so massive that its banquet room alone could seat 6,000 diners at one time, each eating on a plate of gold. Mark became the first Italian to taste that Chinese culinary innovation called “pasta”. As an officer of the court, he was able to travel and catalogue places no European would see for another 500 years.

After serving for 17 years in Khan’s court, Mark began his journey back home to Venice. Khan had sent with him gold, silk, and spices along with his recipe for making pasta! Mark was also guarded with 1,000 soldiers. But by the time he reached the Indian ocean, 600 of his men had drowned or died of disease.  After a harrowing two-year journey, a ragged Mark barely limped home, most of his riches were lost along the way.

When Mark began to tell his story, many people dismissed it as mythical. Coming from a family of priests did not help him, he was even rebuked for spinning lies.  When further troubles landed Mark on prison, he dictated his chronicles to another prisoner who happened to be a writer. His book became famous and was known in English as The Travels of Marco Polo.  But the cynical public dismissed it as Il Milione: The Book of a Million Lies.  He would never shake his nickname: Marco, the man of a million lies. At his deathbed, his family, friends, and parish priest begged him to recant his tales of China lest he rot in hell for his lies. Setting his jaw and gasping for breath, Mark breathed out his final words: “I have not even told you half of what I saw.”

Though 13^th century Europeans dismissed his stories as the tall tales of an unrepentant liar or lunatic, history has proven the truthfulness of “The Travels of Marco Polo”. Today no one will ever deny the existence of China, and the reign of its famous emperor Kublai Khan, whose empire reached from the the Black Sea to the Pacific, from Russia, Mongolia, Korea, to modern day Afghanistan and India—one fifth of the world’s inhabited land area.

“Write the things which you have seen”

But do you know that thirteen-hundred years before Marco Polo, another journey—a vision was revealed to a man—but this time, this man’s journey took him to another realm or kingdom? He saw and penned it in a book we can call the “travels of John” in the book of Revelation. Apostle John opened the book of Revelation with his direct testimony as follows:

"I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, ¹¹ saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea..

¹⁹ Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. Revelation 1:9-11,19

“Write the things which you have seen...”  the angel told John and this he did and so we have today an amazing vision—a journey to a great and “holy city”—the new Jerusalem in God’s kingdom! Will you believe what John wrote?

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The Power of an Endless Life: Interactive Bible Study, Feast of Tabernacles 2011

The Power of an Endless Life: Interactive Bible Study, Feast of Tabernacles 2011 (video) - as derived by Gilbert and Ann Deboma from the Feast theme: “What is your understanding of the phrase "power of an endless life" (Hebrews 7:16) that God will share in His Kingdom? What are you doing and not doing in this present life that will prepare you for that power of an endless life?...”

Pilgrims with Vision

We have a well-known Filipino saying “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinang-galingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.” This means that we must continuously learn from our past experiences in order for us to grow and move forward. Of course, we must be grateful first of all to our God, our Heavenly Father and our parents, for without them we would not have had the opportunity to live this life in the first place.

Another popular saying (this time in English) goes this way, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” – as popularized in an Aerosmith song. Another line in the same song goes, “You have to learn to crawl, before you learn to walk, but I just couldn’t listen to all that righteous talk.” The song goes on about how amazing it is to finally seeing the light after going through many mistakes, losing one’s grip, hitting the floor, and just trying to survive after being addicted to drugs as you can only fly so high with broken wings.

If we take these popular phrases “with a grain of salt” so to speak, we can glean some very important lessons in life:

1. We have to learn from the past (not only our own but that of others as well) in order to move on to the future.
2. However, we must not dwell, reminisce, or yearn for the past (or look back like Lot’s wife did) or else we will forever be stuck in it.
3. Life is indeed a journey, but that doesn’t mean we can proceed on our journey with disregard for the destination.
4. What we do in this life certainly affects our final destination.
5. Life without a destination is no life at all.

Life is a Pilgrimage – Abraham and the patriarchs

The Bible is full of examples of how the patriarchs lived their journeys. In the book of Genesis, we read that God gave the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants as their inheritance.

Genesis 15:18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates ---

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Q&A Bible Study: The Resurrection, Judgment for Every Human Being, Living Sacrifice Here and Now

¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,

² To Timothy, a true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
  
³ As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, ⁴ nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. ⁵ Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, ⁶ from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, ⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. —1 Timothy 1:1-5 (The Holy Bible NKJV, © 1982 Thomas Nelson Inc.)

In a country where mention of “The Bible” has nearly everyone in more heated arguments than any transforming effect, we really need that constant reminder when asking of God’s Word, as cited by elder Raul de Asis-Hipe, during the Q&A Bible Study on the Sabbath of January 29, 2011...

The object of studying and discussing the word of God, not for arguments, vain disputes and genealogies, hostility, rather than godly edification. To the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure...

Bakit nangyayari ang pagkakaligaw? When people desire to be teachers of the law, but not understanding the purpose of the law of God—love from a pure conscience

“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,” —1 Peter 1:22

When studying the word of God we should have this desire to obey the truth, to have a pure heart, the willingness to be purified by it, kagustuhang itama ang mga mali sa ating sarili. So we build each other up through God’s word...

Click on any of the links below to listen to the podcast episodes or download audio mp3 excerpts from the Sabbath Q&A Bible Study of January 29...

The purpose of studying God’s Word...

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Can it be explained from the Bible the wise saying, “You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving”?

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“Do not be hasty to utter anything before the LORD... Ecclesiastes 5:2... Please give examples to explain this admonition...

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“Present your bodies as living sacrifice which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1... In greater detail and with examples, please expound on this...”

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“Please discuss in more detail the 1st and 2nd resurrection... And also the 100 year-period written about in the book of Revelation...”

GOD Opens Wide The Book of Revelation!

Can you know the future and feel sure that you know that you know?

Multitudes of people from all walks of life would dearly love to know so.

Unable to find the resource and authority to obtain such information, the nearest and most convenient are thereabouts. There is the nearby prognosticator. The daily horoscope of the day’s syndicated  newspaper. The fortune tellers abound. The palm readers. The self-proclaimed prophets have written their books. Subscription newsletters. Their tracts. Their radio broadcasts. Magazines. Television programs. Their websites.

In the 21st century,  the freedom of expression and religion have made easily available to the masses many ideas and concepts of what is coming. Take your pick...

Thru the unvarnished pure Word of God, the Voice of God speaks to the whole of mankind. To the entire human race that He formed and placed on the earth that He made and owns.  The Everlasting Presence makes known His Word, His Will, His Way, and His Great Work.

For the good of humanity. For the well-being of every mortal, born of woman, on planet earth.

The Voice of God speaks to every one without distinction.

The Voice of the Everlasting God pierces thru all the opposing minds and hearts of every one in every continent. On every country, In every nation. Into all homes and dwellings where men, women, and children dwell.

And what of the Book of Revelation? The last book in the 66 books of the Holy Bible?

He moved to open wide the long-dreaded book of mystery and symbolisms. For the open words seen on its pages speak of  great tribulation. Of the death of peoples on a scale so terrifying as to freeze the fallible human heart and boggle the mortal consciousness. Of wars and conflicts never before known and experienced.  It tells of pestilences. Of  plagues. Of earthquakes.  And of woes being poured out by great, powerful angels upon all living things.

It never sits well with the “YOU ARE OK, I AM OK” generation.

To them, this is the ultimate KJ book. The mother of all “KILL JOY” horror books, and they are horrified that God is the purported author, so they have heard. It makes them think that God is cruel...

Vigilance is sort of looked down upon in these jaded times. They have grown weary of the long struggle. “Tired of it all” is what they seem to say these days.  A whole generation are being swept into an era they are not quite prepared for.  It is the very time when the adversary of mankind is pulling out all stops to attack and go on the total offensive against the family of man.  To prevent, to effectively block the human species from entering into their foreordained destiny to enter into the Family and Kingdom of God.

The unseen legions of malignant demons are poised to destroy the human race at their highest level as this generation moves onward in the process of time:  the spiritual, in the heart and mind and conscience of young and growing, impressionable children.

The moment of extreme danger in loss of vigilance is here. WATCH OUT!

Guard VERY CLOSELY your children, world of mortals.

Be VERY vigilant to guard for your own selves.

IT IS NOT THE TIME TO GO DROWSY.

...As the true Book of Revelation unfolds before your very eyes, into your very mind, and into your very own understanding, the entire book becomes, as unto you, the pen-ultimate epic chronicle of broadest vista, wonderfully fresh, and astonishingly new!

 

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw

3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein:  for the time is at hand, (Rev. 1:1-3).

Why are the churches reluctant to talk about the most intimidating, mysterious book of Revelation?

What key will open the closed pages of the Book?

Is this a physical key? A secret Code? A spiritual key?

Who holds The Key in the last of the last days?

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