JESUS THE SHEPHERD CHURCH

Blessed To Be 43!

Yesterday, July 17, 2009 was Pastor Raul's 43rd Birthday. The church members agreed to have a simple gathering to honor our Beloved Pastor. It was just a simple gathering but you can surely tell that everyone loves Pastor Raul. The heavy rain did not stopped them for the celebrating pastor's birthday. Everyone who came last night brought food and that was one thing we enjoyed the most. (he.he.he.)

Pastora Nenette, shared about the importance of honoring our pastor and after that everyone prayed for Ptr. Raul. We ate and and have fellowship with one another. There were some who gave gifts too. :) By the way, if you haven't given your gifts yet, you can still give it to him.. (LOL!) or you may just send a package (he.he.he).

As a church, we are so thankful to the Lord for giving us a pastor like Him. He is a very funny pastor, but He is very serious about God's business. He is a good teacher and a good mentor too. It is our prayer that God will continue to bless him with wisdom, good health and everything that he desires. May his life be continually used for God's greater glory.

To our Beloved Pastor Raul, a Blessed Birthday to you!!!

We're Happy!

We are now holding our Sunday Services at our new church building at Balulang. Every time we worship God in this place, we are always reminded of how faithful He is. Anyway, below are the photos of JTS members who were indeed very happy because they have tasted and see that the Lord is good.

Goodbye De Luxe Hotel!

This post was originally written by Ptr. Nenette Achas on her blog. Here's the link of the original post: "Goodbye De Luxe".

Tomorrow will be our last Sunday service at De Luxe Hotel. After a couple of years, we’re finally giving up the place starting the third Sunday of this month because, praise the Lord, we’re moving to our brand new Jesus The Shepherd Church building at Balulang, Cagayan de Oro City.

When we held our last and final practice at the hotel early this evening, we noticed that the place looked good, the chairs were covered white. I jokingly commented; “If you’ve been doing this every time, we could have stayed in this hotel.” But seriously, we’re happy and excited to use the blessing the Lord granted the church. This evening was the last time the Music Ministers will be hauling the instruments from the center to the hotel. It’s the last time that we’d ask the hotel personnel to reserve any of the first 2 rooms on the first floor (sometimes we’re declined of it).

Anyways, if I’m not mistaken, we started the construction of this building around two years ago. Finally, it’s useable already, although there are still some portions to be finished like the windows. We believe, the Lord will complete this soon. With this, I am also calling the JTS people to relay the message to our brethren who were absent last week, for them to be informed of the transferring. We're saying goodbye, De Luxe Hotel...and thank you.

John 1:16, “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.”

Church Building Update

Praise God that our church building is almost finished. Hopefully by June 21, 2009 we can now have our 1st Sunday service now in a building where we can call our own. The remaining task to finish the church building would be the painting works. We are still praying for God's provision for this but we are sure of this because God has been faithful to provide all the things we needed for the construction of this building.

Thank you Lord for your goodness and for blessing Jesus the Shepherd Church!

To God Be The Glory!

He Must Increase

This is taken from a Devotional Book of Greg Laurie
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Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. Matthew 3:13

Before Jesus officially began His public ministry, He had to take a couple of very important steps. The first was to be baptized.
Sometimes that troubles people. Why should Jesus have to be baptized? The idea certainly bothered John the Baptist. Matthew tells us that when Jesus came to be baptized, "John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? (Matthew 3:14).

In one way, it's really not so hard to understand why some don't understand Jesus' baptism. The Gospel of Luke tells us that John preached "a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Luke 3:3). Since Jesus never committed any sin and therefore never had to repent of anything (see Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15), what purpose would His baptism serve? Why should someone who never sinned undergo a baptism for the repentance of sins? John knew of Jesus' spotless character (see John 1:29), and so at first he opposed Jesus' request.

So why did Jesus ask John to baptize Him?
Before suggesting an answer, perhaps it would help if we recall something of John's background and importance.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus and John were cousins. By his early thirties, John had emerged as a major national figure. It's worth noting that Josephus, the renowned Jewish historian, wrote more about John than he did about Jesus. Why? Since the death of the prophet Malachi -- a period of some four hundred years - Israel had not heard from a genuine prophet of God.

Until John.
John shook the nation with his bold words and unusual actions, drawing huge crowds eager to hear him preach. He was a radical, a revolutionary who proclaimed an uncompromising message of repentance and faith in the Messiah. John came at a strategic time in human history when the old covenant was about to roll into a new one and when all the law and sacrifices were to be fulfilled in the life and ministry of one man -- a man like no other who had walked the earth (or will again). That mans was Jesus. Yet at this point, John's notoriety and fame were greater.

But John had no desire to toot his own horn. He clearly knew his role. He was to pave the way and point people to Jesus.
John humbly accepted his role as the forerunner of the Messiah (see John 1:27). His motto in life was, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). He felt content to speak as a herald of the coming King.

When John clearly understood Jesus to be the Messiah, he directed even his own disciples to start following the Lord (see John 1:36-37). Once he did that, he was ready to fade into obscurity. His role was to point people to Jesus and then step aside.

For all these reasons, Jesus proclaimed John to be the greatest prophet who ever lived. "I say to you," Jesus declared, "among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist" (Luke 7:28).

None greater? How can that be? We know of no miracles that John performed? Unlike Moses, he never turned the Nile to blood. Unlike Elijah, he never called fire down from heaven. He never stopped the rain or raised a single person from the dead. He left behind no written record, unlike Isaiah and Jeremiah and even the "minor prophets" like Malachi and Micah.

So why would Jesus call him the greatest of prophets?
Only one reason: his nearness and connection to Jesus. As God's appointed herald of the Messiah, John had no peer among the prophets.

How many of us think of greatness in terms like these? Too many of us wonder how God can enrich our lives, make s feel better about ourselves, or help us achieve success in business. We ask what God can do for us to make us greater and better.

John had a very different attitude. He constantly asked himself, "What can I do to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah? How can I direct them to Him? How can I decrease and He increase?

John's godly character and unique mission help us to understand why Jesus came to His cousin to be baptized. For a long time, John had been preparing the people to receive the coming Messiah: at the baptism of Jesus, he would publicly identify the Lord as God's Anointed One.

Jesus also was baptized because He had come into the world to identify with the human race. So it was He who was without sin submitted to a baptism destined for sinners. "Permit it to be so now", He told John, "for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15)

When the day finally came for Jesus to make His very public stand, John welcomed Him into the waters of the Jordan River. As Jesus prayed, "the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased" (Luke 3:21-22)
In this way, John found true greatness with God and with all humanity. His life stands as an example to us of what it takes to shake a nation.

May we adopt John's philosophy of life as well!
May Christ increase, and may we decrease.
If we really lived like that, who knows how it would affect others for their good?
Like John, we must prepare men and women to get ready for the kingdom of God. My the Word of God burn in our hearts as we, too, prepare the way of the Lord.

Pictures (July 13, 2008)

THE HOUSE OF PRAYER (Part 1)

Text : Mark 11:15-17
Mar 11:15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons;
Mar 11:16 and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.
Mar 11:17 And he taught, and said to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers."
Aim : To challenge them to prayer that will impact the world.
Intro :
· Mark 11:15-17
o Truth # 1 – Church is not marketplace.
o Truth # 2 – Church is not den for robbers.
o Truth # 3 – Church is House of Prayer for all nations. – This speaks of the serious activity of the church; PRAYER, for nations depend on it.
Discussion:
A. THE BIBLICAL TRUTHS ON PRAYER
1. God, by creating man with a free will and making him a partner in the rule of the earth, has, to some extent, chosen to limit Himself. (Andrew Murray)
· Jer 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known.
· Eze 22:30,31 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath; their way have I requited upon their heads, says the Lord GOD."
· However when God’s people do not call to Him and trust Him to do these great and mighty things, He often does not do them!
2. Prayer is God’s legal ground to move in this planet. (Miles Muroe)
· He must deal with satan on grounds of absolute justice.
· The only legal ground God has is when His people prays!
· Mat 7:7,8 "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (ASK-Ask, Seek, Knock)
· Joh 14:13,14 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.
o Ask in His Name! - 2Co 1:17-19 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans like a worldly man, ready to say Yes and No at once? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silva'nus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes.
· Jam 4:1-3 What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
o Truth # 1 - Man’s way of getting what they desire is through physical means; “Fighting”. But God is telling us that we can get what we desire through prayer.
o Truth # 2 – Wrong personal passion will surely not get anything from God.
§ 1 John 5:14 - And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

3. Prayer does not equip us for the battle; prayer is the battle!” (Oswald Chamber)
· Eph 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.
· 2Co 10:4-6 for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

B. THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER
1. We need to pray faithfully, passionately and persistently if we really want to impact our world!
· Faithfully – Consistency is a proof faithfulness in prayer
Job 1:5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.
· Passionately – involves our heart, desire and our innermost part in prayer.
o Like Hannah the mother of Samuel
1Sa 1:10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD, and wept bitterly.
1Sa 1:11 And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy maidservant, and remember me, and not forget thy maidservant, but wilt give to thy maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."
1Sa 1:12 As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth.
1Sa 1:13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard; therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman
o Examples :
§ Moses – “…Blot my name out of the book of life”
§ Stephen – "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." (Acts 7:60)
§ Jesus – "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
§ John Knox – “Give me Scotland or I die”
· Persistently
o Luk 11:8,9 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you
o Luk 18:1-8 And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me against my adversary.' For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

2. What to intercede for? – Matt. 9:36-38
a. Intercede for people who do not know Christ!
Mat 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
o Evangelistic Prayer List
§ List on a big sheet of paper all the names of people you knew.
§ List on a small sheet of paper 10 names of people you knew whom you think are ready for the gospel.

Conclusion:

Ø With all the amazing answers to pray God is giving today and which He has given throughout church history, why do God’s people and churches pray so little?
o The enemy seriously fights God’s people in this area because he knows what prayer can do.
o Prayerlessness is sin, because it is disobedience to what God has specifically commanded us in His Word. (Matt. 7:7-12)
o The root of prayerlessness is often slothfulness, unbelief, and selfishness.
§ Slothfulness because we allow the enemy to defeat us, sometimes because we are too lazy to fight.
§ Unbelief because faith is a choice we make to believe and trust what God has said;
§ Selfishness because so much of our time is consumed on selfish interests and pursuits (television, entertainment, computer etc.)
Ø Let’s repent from the sin of prayerlessness.
Ø Let’s commit ourselves to a life of prayer.

PEOPLE OF DESTINY

Text : Esther 4:13-14
Est 4:13 Then Mor’decai told them to return answer to Esther, “Think not that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.
Est 4:14 For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Aim : To challenge them to see themselves as men and women of destiny and that JTS exist for a purpose.
Intro :
Have you wondered why we exist on this planet?

Discussion:
1. Personal Destiny
a. Examples:
· Esther – became Queen of Persia for a purpose; to save the Jews in her time.
· Joseph – To save the posterity of his people.
· Abraham – to be the father of all nations
· Eve – To be the mother of all living
· Moses – To deliver Hebrews from Egyptian bondage.
· Paul – To be apostle to the gentiles
· Jesus – To be the Saviour of His people
b. Elements
· Experience
o Esther was just an orphan, Joseph was the youngest, Abraham was childless and old, Eve don’t even know what giving birth nor baby was all about, Moses raised up not as Hebrew but as Egyptian, Paul really love Jews and Jesus was born in a manger.
o Are all these an accidents? Their beginnings does not speaks of their end, their destiny.
· Opportunity
o Turning points – Esther won the beauty contest, Joseph interpreted the Pharao’s dream, Abraham had an encounter with God, Eve got pregnant, Moses and the burning bush, Paul at Damascus, Jesus at water baptism.
o Circumstances arranged by God.
· Time – When the fullness of time has come Christ was born…
o Kairos Moment – This is the time set by God to do His thing.
o We should not miss this Kairos moment of God.
Reflections:
· What is the very thing that we exist for?
· See that everything we experiences are part of the total plan of God for us to fulfill the purpose of our existence.
· We should not miss his timing for us.

2. Church Destiny – Jesus the Shepherd Church
a. Our Vision – We are a Holistic shepherding church committed to church planting and mission.
· Holistic - We exist to minster to the total needs of Christians; Body, soul and spirit.
· Shepherding – We exist to minister to all kinds of Sheep (Christians); Wounded, Hermit, good, confused, wondering, and related.
· Church Planting – Urban and Rural church planting. Establishing churches in Urban areas to do the church planting in Rural areas.
· Missions – Philippines (Muslims and Poor and needy – People with disabilities), International (Muslim - Indonesia and Buddhist – China)

b. What are we now?
· Officially – Navotas has 130 members for 2 outreaches, Taguitic has 70 for 3 outreaches, CDO has 75 adult members and 15 Children. We have Missionaries in Thailand, CDO Maranao, Bible Study among the Blinds, Little Evangel Christian School, Bless Our Real Neighbor (BORN) Program, Covenant Keepers Livelihood Association and network of partners in 11 years of operation. Church planting was not yet an intentional effort. Is this the picture of our Vision?
· 3D Church
o 1Sa 22:1 David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.
o 1Sa 22:2 And every one who was in distress, and every one who was in debt, and every one who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
· We have so much potentials
o We are still young – there are so many opportunities await us.
o We have gifted people in our church.
o We have the vision.
o We have so much fire in us and within us.

Conclusion:
· Believe that you are person of destiny!
· Being part of this church is not an accident. This is an opportunity to express our given-given potentials
· JTS is a church exists for such as time like this! This is our time!!!

DESIRING TO FOLLOW CHRIST

Text : Matthew 16:24-27
Mat 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Mat 16:25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Mat 16:26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?
Mat 16:27 For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.
Mat 16:28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."
Aim : To teach them the price of following Christ.
Into :
· Matthew 16:21-23 - Jesus predicts his death and resurrection.
o He must go… suffered many things… killed … resurrect.
o The idea of not suffering or paying the price of following Christ is not from God but from Satan!
· Suffering here is not a punishment but the price we ought to pay (with our agreement) for the sake of following Christ

Discussion:

1. Denying of Oneself
a. Denying of oneself is withholding ourselves on our rights just to give way to the most important thing; His rights! (Let not my will… but your will be done –Matt. 26:38-39).
b. Self-denial – is not recognizing what you suppose to recognize yourself to gain more self glorification. This is not a positive virtue but speaks of selfishness and pride.
c. Our rights – Preserve one’s life, Profit (vs. 25-26)
d. Salvation is free and all the rest has a price!

2. Taking up our Cross
a. Christ cross is to save mankind through his death.
b. Paul’s cross is to bring salvation to the gentiles… regardless…
· Paul experience shipwreck, snake bite, imprisonment and was beheaded.
· 2 Cor. 4:7-12; Phil. 3:10-11
c. Peter’s cross is to open salvation to Jews and gentiles – He was hung on the cross upside-down

3. Following Christ
· Mathew 8:18-22
a. Fox have holes, birds have nest but the son of man know not where to lay his head.
b. Let the dead bury their dead!
c. No looking back!

Conclusion:

Desiring to follow Christ is a good desire, but let’s turn our desire into commitment… LETS COMIT OURSELVES TO FOLLOW CHRIST!

DVBS 1: Brgy. Balulang

We were blessed to have conducted the Daily Vacation Bible School at Barangay Balulang last May 5 - 9, 2008 . There were three classes held simultaneously at different areas of the said Barangay. One is at Lourdes Village Subdivision at the house of Mrs. Bombeo the sister of Nanay Inday Caballero. Second is at Maggahan, Hillside area of Balulang and third is at the house of Mrs. R. Lumactud ( Koko's house) at Villa Angela Subdivision. There were around 80 kids who participated. The theme for this years DVBS was "Jesus makes a world of Difference!". It means that wherever you are and whoever you are, Jesus can makes a difference in you! The materials used for this activity were given to us by Operation Blessing.

DVBS team members: