Salamat | Lyrics | Yeng Constantino | Lanilane Ocbina | Cover

Let it Go | Lyrics | Idina Menzel | Lanilane Ocbina | Cover

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight...

You Can Make It Through The Rain by God's Grace

GOD's Justice Is Imprinted On Our DNA

God is loving but He is Just as well. Remember that balance.

Grace | Laura Story | Lanilane Ocbina | Cover

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. - 1 Corinthians 15:10

1 Peter 1:16 | Be Holy for I AM Holy | Weekly Preaching

Indescribable (Chris Tomlin cover- UKULELE)

Indescribable

Chris Tomlin

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creations revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God
All powerful, untameable
Awestruck we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing, God
Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet, conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God
All powerful, untameable
Awestruck we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing, God
You are amazing, God
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable
Awestruck we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart
And You love me the same
You are amazing, God
You are amazing, God

Forever | Lyrics | Kari Jobe | Cover | Lanilane Ocbina | Worship

June and Kopi | Review | Indonesian Film | Netflix | Tagalog Review | Filipino Review | Audio Only

Grabe naman to nakakaiyak. Nakakainis. O sadyang drama mode lng? Pero hindi, nakakaiyak tlga haha!

Very nice movie. I was deeply affected. Thank you Netflix.

Take Me Out of The Dark | Lyrics | Gary Valenciano | Cover |Female | Lanilane Ocbina

BOOK REVIEW: THE WORSHIP OF THE ENGLISH PURITANS by Horton Davies

 

Being new in Puritanism studies, I am thrilled with the tons of information about the Puritans and I somehow regret because I could have learned about them for the past years. Indeed there is a lot to learn from the Puritans. This is especially true when I browsed through the book by Horton Davies.

Puritans intended fundamental tenets from Calvin in contrast with the Anglicans, who followed Luther’s theology. This difference is the root of their differing expressions of public worship. [1]

Every church today may not necessarily be Puritan nor Anglican or hold strictly to Lutheran or Calvin doctrinally speaking. The thing is that there is uniqueness in public worship expression. And as long as everything is Biblical and pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, then who will say that the worship is invalid?

            So what are differences according to the book? One of the many differences is that Lutheran service is subjective while the Calvinist service is objective.[2]  The former “contained hymns which are the paraphrases of the Christian experiences..” This is evident in many churches today as expressed in many Christian contemporary Music and modern worship songs. There are only few Christians today who do what is being done in a Calvinist service, where praises are entirely scriptural, only allowing Psalms.

            The difference is clear in a sense that Puritans, holding to Calvinist tradition, believe that what is to be done is only what is ordained by God in the scriptures. Anglicans, on the other hand holding to Lutheran tradition, “will have what is not specifically condemned by the scriptures.”[3]

            There were so many controversies between the Puritans and Anglicans as the author expounded them well in every chapter. The point of Puritans is that Anglicans tend to miss the spirit of the scriptures as there is much focus on matters like vestments, ceremonies, forms of prayer, liturgical principles, and so forth. “Puritans observed the spirit of the Scriptures rather than the letter..”[4]

            I partly agree with the Puritans that there should not be “additions” as what the Anglicans do as they urge traditions in their belief system. Nonetheless, I feel that depending on the culture of a certain people group, especially today, we can freely contextualize but strongly with reservations. The Scriptures should still be over every contextualization. Thus, we can express worship to God according to the unique creation that He has designed us but always reckoning with what the Scripture says.

What were written on the Bible were mostly for the Jewish culture. But in reality, Filipino culture is different, so as Khmer, so as Koreans, so as Americans, and so forth. We are all unique and I believe the Lord has prewired each one of us to express that uniqueness in worship to Him.

A strong point that Puritans have though is that, “If God does not ordain these things in worship in His worship, how can they either please Him, or be edifying to His people?”[5] I would agree. But the Bible also says that there still a lot of things that Jesus did and taught but were not included in the writings. Hence there should be balance between interpreting the Word of God from the literal to the metaphorical perspectives.

“The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, is the religion of the Puritans.”[6]  As Puritans also approved the famous dictum that “The Bible is the Religion of the Protestants.” I strongly believe that we are to keep everything Biblical as Puritans would assert at all times.

“More radical Puritans and Separatists regarded the Lord’s prayer as a pattern and held that it was not intended that it should be repeated.” This one is agreeable since Jesus Christ Himself said before the prayer, “This is how you should pray…” and not that “This should be your prayer..”.  The Anglicans however interpreted it as literal command for repetition. Later Presbyterians combined both views.

One thing I admired about Puritans is their high commitment to gain more thorough knowledge of the Word of God. Hence their sermons are relatively regarded with high value. These are manifested by factors like vehement gestures, diction and so forth. To them “preaching was God’s appointed means of bringing men to salvation.. the most effective way of gaining the interest of a congregation and of educating it.. it could adapt themselves to the needs of the particular congregation and to the age in which men lived.”[7]  And speaking of sermon, Puritans normally invest the whole day to the Lord as their Sabbath day, wherein they attend two services. Today, not a lot of churches care so highly about the sermon as Puritans did before. Most are more concerned of fellowship and usually not focusing on the Word of God anymore. This is the sad reality in many contemporary churches.

There were three main divisions amongst the Puritans: The Indpendents, the Baptists, and the Presbyterians.[8] The difference is seen for example in the time and the way the sacraments were instituted. Nonetheless, all Independents, Baptists and Presbyterians still held strictly on the guidance of Scriptures in the administration of the sacraments: the Lord’s supper and Baptism. This is a good example to imitate since some churches today sadly have their own versions of  the sacraments. Some “reinvent” ceremonies to bring “flavour” into the celebrations, desiring that the LORD is pleased. This is especially true today when the Pandemic is still felt all over the world. I saw a viral post about a catholic priest using a water gun to baptize a child and it looked really hilarious. I wonder what God thinks about it.

The doctrine of ordination in the book also made me think a lot especially in our local church. The Puritans clearly take this seriously. What amazes me is the issue about the “laying of hands”.  Once upon a time, they were not sure if they will lay hands to the people being ordained for ministry in the church as it was either an “bene esse” or “esse”. I never thought that laying of hands has been restricted just for the elders and local church to do, disallowing neighbouring ministers present during ordination to lay their hands on the ministers being ordained. Today, we just invite all who are present to raise their hands as a sign of blessing or anointing to the ministers being ordained. In contemporary churches, as far as I have experienced, be it independents, Pentecostal, and so forth, there are no categories for as long as you are one in Spirit in the church, you are free to lay hands. At this point in the book, I am really in awe of how loyal each Puritan was to the Scriptures. On another note, I was thinking, are they being so dogmatic already for having all these strict “rules”? I would say no, because that is how they understood what true worship is. God is holy and He just deserves holiness out of us and if that is how the Puritans understood holiness, they I would agree with their ways. Nonetheless, the LORD looks at the heart and not focuses on the way things are being done.

To sum up what are approved or disapproved by the Puritans, it is noted that rings in marriage should not be used, no crossing of Baptism, no surplices as suspicious garments, no need to kneel during communion, having free prayer, and most of all emphasizing the importance of preaching as it is also called prophesying to the congregation.

What I am very much agreed with the Puritans is central position of the Bible in worship, doctrines, government, marriage, and all aspects in the Church. Nonetheless, the differences will never be inevitable because all of us are created unique. We have independent understanding and interpretation of the Scriptures and as long as the degree of differences is not significant as destroying our relationships as children of God, I believe it is all well. All these differences at low intensity will be blotted out once we see Christ face to face. All our questions and confusion will be answered when we get there. Our final glorification will bring light to all these and while we are still waiting for it, it is important that we all be patient with one another, and not criticize and hate one another, as if one is not abiding by our own standards.

God’s standard is holiness. And no matter our ways in worship to Him, the end point is that God is looking at our hearts. What is inside while we worship Him is only known by you and our Lord. That is all that matters.

 

 

 

---

[1] Page.12.

[2] Page 23.

[3] Page 16.

[4] Page 55.

[5] Page 64.

[6] Page 67.

[7] Page 188.

[8] P.204.

20 Theological Questions Answered Under Reformed Lenses

 I am currently taking ThM at Westminster Theological College and Seminary Cambodia and the first subject for this fall semester has just concluded although not fully over since we are still working on our papers. Grateful that by God's grace I have just accomplished the first part which is answering the following 20 Theological questions. I hope that one way or another, these will also help you if these are some things that would be of your interest.  

Please note that the main textbook in this class was Michael Horton's "Pilgrim Theology". So without further ado, here are the questions and answers.

1. What is Verbal-Plenary Inspiration?

This is about the Word or the Bible being “inspired” of God-breathed. “Inspiration means that God supernaturally guided the authors of the Bible to write the exact message that He wanted to communicate to humanity. Now “Verbal” means that every word of Scripture is God-breathed while “Plenary” means “complete or full”. Hence all parts of the Scripture are equally of divine origin and equally authoritative.

 

2. How does magisterial authority differ from ministerial authority?

Magisterial authority, i.e. the magisterium of the Roman catholic church, refers to the special teaching authority of the church even outside the Scripture. This authority resides within the Pope and Catholic bishops. Such teaching  covers the attribute of the church especially the pope being infallible. Catholicism hold to magisterium because they say that it is vital since without it, humanity cannot correctly understand God’s revelation. In contrast, Ministerial authority is preaching the Word and administering the sacraments having Jesus Christ as the source of such authority and not the church.

 

3. What is Homoousia? What triggered the church to formulate Homoousia?

Homoousia is the belief that the Son and the Father are of one substance. It was formulated at the Nicene Creed in AD 325. Gnosticism and heretical teachings like Arianism, Apollinarism, Origen's and so forth about the Trinity were rampant for many years. The Nicene Creed formulated not the unity of the Godhead but rather the coeternity of the Son with the Father, which is now part of the doctrinal teachings of many mainstream Christians.

 

4. What is Trichotomy and Dichotomy? Why did John Calvin seldom mention Trichotomy?

Trichotomy is the belief that we are composed of the body, soul and spirit while dichotomy believes that soul and spirit are relatively the same.  Dichotomists believe that  soul and spirit are two different terms but refer to only one entity of humanity. Calvin holds dichotomous anthropology. According to his writings, it seems that he believes that although Scripture speak of the soul and the spirit separately at times, it just explains that either soul or spirit is more comprehensively the incorporeal part of the human being, hence it seems to be identical.

 

5. Why does the book reject Dualism? Can Monism correct the error of Dualism?

Radical dualism is about having human divine soul being trapped in the physical/bodily prison house. Monism does not correct the error since it is also denying the distinction between the body and soul. As per the book, “Biblical duality-in-unity recognizes a distinction without denying the unity of the human person.

 

6. How does Pelagianism differ from Augustine/Calvin?

Pelagianism, coined after Pelagius, taught that human will was capable of spiritual good without God’s grace. Hence, it almost sounds like  humanism on another note Augustine was among the church fathers who criticized this school of thought. For him, Jesus did not come to give us a “self-help” gospel, as what Pelagius teaches. And Calvin on the other hand emphasizes that we are saves by God’s grace and not by our works, which are mere evidence of salvation.

 

7. What is the difference between the Covenant of Work (or law) and the Covenant of Grace?

The Covenant of Grace is traced from God’s unconditional promise of salvation to Adam and Eve going down to the next generations of faith from Seth to Noah and to Abraham and Sarah all the way to the New covenant, as inaugurated by Christ’s work on the cross. God said “I will be your God and you will be my people..”
The Covenant of Work or Covenant of Creation is simply the conditional covenant between God and humanity in Adam. In Adam’s disobedience, humanity will die like him. Hence, work is needed. Both covenants (COG and COW) have to be understood in order to understand the Old Testament.

 

8. What is the active and passive obedience? Why was it necessary to divide the Christ’s obedience into two?

Active Obedience is Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of the law on behalf of His people. On the other hand, Passive Obedience is Jesus Christ’s suffering the penalty of sin and death on behalf of His people. The book states that the division is necessary because Christ’s fulfillment of  all righteousness (active) is imputed to the believers, which their sins are imputed to Christ in His death (passive).

 

9. What is the difference between Kingdom of Grace and Kingdom of Glory, and how are they relate to Christ’s humiliation and exaltation?

Christ is the King of grace as He took the sufferings that were actually meant for us to carry. This was Christ’s season of humiliation. On the other hand, Christ is the King of Glory as He has risen to glorification proving that He has conquered death. This has marked Christ’s exaltation and that He will come again for His millennial reign.

 

10. How does Arminianism differ from Calvinism (using 5 points to explain the differences)?

Arminianism holds that sinners can do good and respond to God while Calvinism holds that Man is unable to respond to God. The goodness that come after being saved is an evidence and not as something to manipulate God’s decision for man.

 

Armianism holds that God elects on basis of the foreseen faith while Calvinism holds that God elects according to His good pleasure. God being an omniscient God knows what is ahead and He does things according to His pleasure since He is the sole sovereign creator who knows what is righteous and what is just so He permits things to happen and nothing escapes from His hands.

 

Arminianism holds that Christ died for all while Calvinism holds that Christ died for the elect. The New Testament speaks a lot about the conditional nature of salvation as John 3:16 for example, where it says that only those who believe will receive eternal life. God’s work on the cross is sufficient (for all) yet it is efficient (for those who believe/elect).

 

Arminianism holds that Man can resist God while Calvinism holds irresistible election. Since God already knows who will be saved since He is not bound by time, when He says one is saved, that person is saved indeed and he cannot resist that.

 

Arminianism holds that Believer may lose salvation while Calvinism holds that the elect can never lose salvation. When a believer is truly salvation, that is if he/she receives Christ genuinely in his/her heart, they he/she is an elect and will never lose salvation.

 

11. What are the characteristics of believers’ union with Christ?

Being the elect, who share in Christ’s eternity, the believers undergo union with Christ. In the process from justification and sanctification, to glorification, the elect experience changes which lead to the likeness of Christ. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is manifested as: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control.

 

12. What is the New Perspective on Paul?

The “New Perspective on Paul” is an attempt to redefine and sort of deny some key biblical doctrines that are the foundation of the Christian faith. One of the lead proponents of this new perspective is N.T. Wright, a Bible scholar from the Anglican Church. He and other scholars introduced different interpretation of the Pauline theology such as regarding the doctrine of justification. These scholars say that Paul was not speaking of personal and individual justification wherein a guilty sinner is declared righteous on the basis of faith in Christ and succeeding that is the imputation of God’s righteousness, instead, they say that Paul was speaking of how one could tell if a person was “a member of the covenant family.

 

13. What are three uses of the law? Briefly explain each use.

The first use is to give knowledge about sin. The law gives a reflection of God’s righteousness and the unrighteousness of human. Hence, it teaches how humans were in the beginning, when created in His image. The second use is for civil use. The law itself cannot change the heart but it gives warning for the offenders as backed by the civil code for the punishment against particular offenses. The third use is to guide the believers. The law directs God’s children to undergo regeneration into the good works that God has planned for them.

 

14. What is Eternal Security? How can a believer be assured of their salvation?

The Scripture says that whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will have eternal life. Hence, if a believer genuinely receives Jesus Christ in his/her life, then he/she receives that eternal security. Salvation will never be lost. An important note is that eternal security or blessed assurance is a result of God keeping us and not us maintaining our own salvation. Receiving Christ should be genuine and true in order that eternal security is assured.

 

15. Why do the church baptize only once?

Genuine baptism is done only once in a person’s life since baptism in the Holy Spirit happens once as well. If a person is baptized more than once, then the previous baptism/s has/ve never been genuine. Jesus gave us an example that before He went to fasting and later to ministry-proper, He was baptized only once. He rendered it as one of the two ordinances for all believers hence it has to be taken seriously.

 

16. What are Transubstantiation and consubstantiation?

In Roman catholic eucharist, the bread and wine materially changes and become the body and blood of Jesus Christ while both objects remain as they are. This is Transubstantiation. On the other hand, Consubstantiation describes the real presence of Christ in the eucharist. It holds that during the sacrament, the total substance of the body and blood of Christ are spiritually present along with the total substance of the bread and wine. Lutherans hold to Consubstantiation.

 

17. How do the Roman Church, the New Apostolic Movement and the Reformed theology understand “we believe in the apostolic church”?

The Roman Catholic church identify itself as an apostolic church by being office bearers tracing the pope's ordination to the early Church apostles. The New Apostolic Movement (NAM) on the other hand identify itself as apostolic through the charismatic ministry of revelation and prophecy, to the point of extreme display of the gifts such as tongues, healing, and prosperity. An Apostolic church is generally referring to being a Church moving forward to do Jesus’ great commission, which is proclaiming the Gospel to all the earth. This is how Reformed and Lutheran traditions identify themselves with.

 

18. What is the difference between the Normative Principle of Worship and the Regulative Principle of Worship?

The regulative principle of worship maintains that Scripture provides specific guidelines for how corporate worship services are to be done. Doing beyond such guidelines is not encouraged. Some regulative principles is specific use of musical instruments or not using them at all. On the other hand, the normative principle provides greater freedom in worship as the church can do anything as long as it is not expressly forbidden by Scripture. can be used in corporate worship. The regulative principle is common in Reformed churches, while the normative principle is usually happening in modern evangelicalism. For whatever the worship style is, it is still the Lord who tests the heart of the worshipper.

 

19. How do amillennialism, premillennialism and postmillennialism understand “thousand years”?

Amillennialism maintains that there will not be a literal 1,000-year reign of Christ in contrast with what Premillenialism and Postmillenialism believe. The most widely accepted view is premillennialism as it holds that Christ’s second coming will occur prior to His millennial kingdom which will take place literally for 1,000-year reign. The less-widely accepted view is postmillennialism that maintains that Christ will return after Christians, not Christ Himself, have established the kingdom on this earth, again literally for 1,000-year reign. Amillenialists believe that Jesus is already sitting on the throne of David. The reason why Amillenialists do not interepret the millennial literally is because for them, unfulfilled prophecy is to be interpreted spiritually, or non-literally as symbolic, figurative, spiritual language and so forth.

 

20. What is Apokatastasis?

Aposkatastasis is Origen’s theory of Universal restoration. It held that all spirits, even including Lucifer, will be saved. Barth’s doctrine of election and reconciliation suggests an agreement to such teaching. Some Arminians also agree since Arminianism was once known as “hyphothetical universalism”. Nonetheless, Christ’s work is sufficient for the whole world but efficient for the elect alone.

 

 

Distorted Principles of the Kingdom Power in the Theology of Prosperity Gospel

This was a paper I wrote for the subject "Kingdom of God" at WTCS. Hope this will be of help to you. :)

Introduction

 

We have heard stories like when preachers just ask the congregation to lift up their wallets to claim the financial blessings of God or waving their passports in the air claiming the travel provisions of God or even their handkerchiefs to use them for healing purposes. There is a sense of great faith in such gestures but when do we say that things being preached behind the pulpit are already not Biblical anymore?

The volume of contemporary prosperity preachers in the world is on the rise. Hence, genuine Christians should be all the more vigilant to preach and teach sound doctrines in light of the Bible in order not to take multitudes into deception. Among the over emphasized matters in the prosperity teachings today is about the Kingdom of God, particularly presenting half-truth about the Kingdom Power. God’s power to love, show providence and mercy alone is dangerous since half of the truth, which is God’s power to exercise justice, is well forgotten. With this, many are being led astray and end up worshipping a different God, very far from the God of the Bible.

Kingdom Power in the Eye of Contemporary Prosperity Teachers

 

Spiritual leaders namely E. W. Kenyon, Oral Roberts, A. A. Allen, Robert Tilton, T. L. Osborn, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Hagin, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland, and Oprah are just some of the popular prosperity icons being castigated in the Christian world today.   Some spiritual leaders like Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn recently released their statement of correction to their own hyper-grace theology and we hope and pray that such turnaround will awaken others too. In my country, the most recent prosperity teachers being celebrated by their followers were the FIJ church pastors[1], Apollo Quiboloy, and Bo Sanchez. Most of their teachings are putting spotlight on the grace and love of God without preaching about hell or in case they do, they stress its inexistence.[2] Some prosperity teachings that they also promote involve the elimination of all the negative things in life and just focus on the positive things through the power of God because these will make us look younger and stronger and most especially, “blessed” in the world’s perspective.[3] And all these should start in the mind but not to a point of setting the center of everything on ourselves and what we want because that will be humanism.[4] Yes, most of them claim that they are against humanism but ironically leading many to humanist lifestyle.

A lot of the prosperity gospel teachers today will deny being called as such and will argue that they are teaching just according to what the Bible says. If we try listening to what they teach, it is all very pleasing to the ear of someone who is constantly facing problems and sorrow in life. And they are quoting things well from the Bible. Nonetheless again, they are preaching just half of the truth, stressing God’s love over and over without teaching about the truth about His righteousness and power in light of His justice. I would say, half-truth is a lie. We are then to extinguish such in order not to corrupt the churches today and call out the false teachers.[5]

Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Acts 20:28–29 when he said, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. . . . I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing...”

Summary of the Orthodox Reformed Position About Kingdom Power

 

            Vos points that Jesus’ ministry was the start of shifting the center of gravity from God to man, since the Jews had lost the sense for this. That is due to the expectation of the coming king exactly opposite of how Jesus arrived.[6]

Jesus inaugurated the kingdom with power, teaching that the bondage of sins and the enemy are to be broken. This involved miracles such as feeding the thousands and healing multitudes from their sickness. Vos stressed that these “signs of the times are nothing else than the miraculous works which prove the kingdom to be there. The forces which will revolutionize heaven and earth are already at work..”[7] Sadly, the understanding of this truth is distorted by prosperity leaders and followers today.

The interpretation of the Kingdom power in prosperity teachings becomes superficial, emphasizing on the enjoyment of God’s blessings here on earth without looking forward to the final consummation which Jesus reiterated in His teachings. Like the Jews, some focus on the kingdom power as a gift, which is true, but the problem is what is being ignored, that is the supreme object of worship- God. The gift over the giver, so to speak.

The kingdom power, intertwined with kingdom righteousness and kingdom blessedness,[8] is to be seen as God’s element for His kingship. Never to be used to glorify man but solely to celebrate God’s rule over all creations. And the Church, according to Snyder, is the “primary point of entry of the new order of the kingdom into present history.”[9] Hence the Church is to become an agent of the kingdom on earth in the present order but nevertheless in a fundamental way the sacrament and sign of the kingdom in today’s world.[10] It is to embody the different dimensions of our communal life as followers of Jesus as we represent God, being His body growing organically as we approach the Parousia.[11]

Vos says, “.. the kingship of Christ is equivalent to the process of subjecting one enemy after another..”  Jesus overcome evil, He conquered death, and assures us of the victory ahead in the final consummation. This is His whole point of having the kingdom-power manifested. 

As Jesus introduces us to the end that is to come, we are oriented to God’s righteousness, which is “always taken by Jesus in specific sense which it obtains from the references to God as Lawgiver and Judge.”[12] God will judge the world and as the Lawgiver, it means that some are predestined to comply while some are not. And reckoning with God’s righteousness, one will be rewarded according to the choices made on earth. Although Vos did not explicitly talk about hell and only stressed on the side of the righteous ones, it is apparent that there is a moral conduct that when broken, negative reward is resulted and the ultimate destination is eternal separation from God.

On another note, Vos pointed that Christians should be aware of losing focus on the Lawgiver, not too much emphasis on His miracles, moral codes, and so forth, as the Jews deified the laws back in history. Jesus did not like it and continually stressing in His ministry that the priority is God’s glory and not our convenience or enjoyment. It is important to see that the supreme motive for obedience to God is not out of self-centeredness.[13]

Calvin defines lawful worship of God as the one whose chief foundation is to acknowledge Him just as He is - "the only source of all virtue, righteousness, holiness, wisdom, truth, power, goodness, mercy, life, and salvation.."[14], assigning all glory entirely to Him. “The kingdom centers in Jesus and the coming of the kingdom in its fullness on earth still hinges on faith in Jesus and obedience to His word..”[15] This is to be preached to the ends of the earth.

The church, according to Snyder, raises signs of the kingdom when it is genuinely faithful to the good news as per the Scripture and in Jesus Christ.[16] “When the church effectively and authentically combines her evangelistic and prophetic witness within a vision of the kingdom, these forms of church life and ministry point to the reality of God’s kingdom.”[17] Hence the church is to keep Jesus as the primary need and focus of the church and not the miracles and power, because all these will just be added unto us when we seek God first, Matthew 6:33.

Biblical References About Kingdom Power

 

Acts 1:7–8 says that “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Many Pentecostals today stresses this kingdom-power, mentioned in Acts 1:7-8, bestowed to the Church through the baptism of the Holy Spirit as supported by Acts 2:4, where the “glossolalia” is the initial physical evidence. Nonetheless, such “Pentecostal gift” is claimed to be a separate gift of the Spirit from saving faith as per some Pentecostal scholars who based their theology from Lukan pneumatology.[18]

When it comes to miracles, we can note innumerable accounts from Jesus’ ministry such as what is said in Luke 11:20, “If I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you”. And many charismatic leaders use these to support their healing ministries and again crossing the border of extremism.

The kingdom power in the Kingdom of God is not just limited to the miracles and gifts through the Holy Spirit but in totality, the rule of God in everything, even over sufferings and death, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son..” Colossians 1:13. The Church has become an agent of God to proclaim this victory on the cross and surely not to become a playground for magical healing and enchanted provisions.

Practical Application

 

We do not limit God and His kingdom power in the visible kingdom that Jesus has established. But we all need to be careful in handling His truth because with any unsound theology, multitudes may be caused to stumble. We are to speak and act according to what God wants us to be since our direction is heavenward, where our true home is.

Philippians 3:20, But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. John Calvin said it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom visible. This is done through living in such a way that we bear witness to the reality of the kingship of Christ in everything we do whether in our studies, jobs, family, ministry and so forth. Christ is King over every one of these spheres of life and this is manifested by the way we live as citizens of heaven and subjects of the King. The Holy Spirit delights in our hearts that are surrendered for obedience and deference to His will and that the fear and love for God reign in our hearts, where His throne is.[19][20]

In the ministries that the Lord has entrusted to me, I will try my best not to miss the mark. That the Kingdom of God is here and is yet to come. That the Kingdom of God is not a show for entertainment nor any magical stage for our self-centered amazement. It is an inward and outward realm where God rules and is to be solely glorified. Nevertheless, we do not mean that there will be no miracles in the church anymore. Of course, there will be a lot. But this is to be understood that God allows miracles to happen for His sole purpose, which is for His glory that will result to the advancement of His Kingdom until the final consummation.

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

John Calvin. The Necessity of Reforming the Church. Ligonier Ministries. Indiana. 2020.

 

W. Menzies, et.al. Spirit and Power. Michigan. Zondervan. 2000.

 

J. Meyer, Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind, FaithWords Publishing, 2010.

 

J. Osteen, Empty out the negative,  p.2. FaithWords Publishing, 2020.

 

H. Snyder. Kingdom, Church, and World. Oregon. Wipf & Stock.2001.

 

Geerhardus Vos. The Teaching of Jesus Concerning The Kingdom of God and the Church. Place of publication not identified: Fontes Press, 2017.

 

 

Online:

https://www.facebook.com/606011042765270/posts/4163595383673467/

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/should-we-call-out-false-teachers-or-ignore-them

 

---

[1] Ps. Arnel Cadelina recently posted in social media his sentiment about Christian leaders castigating him for his recent proposal that there is no hell and that God is too good to send anyone to hell and suffer. He underscored too much about “grace wins”. https://www.facebook.com/606011042765270/posts/4163595383673467/

[2] Pastor Arnel Cadelina presented his exegesis about the hell that Jesus was talking about as the Gahena, which is not to be interpreted as the hell in the final consummation. https://fb.watch/4S5ddIJe0g/

[3] J. Osteen, “Empty out the negative”,  p.2. FaithWords Publishing, 2020. "God promises that if we make room (for positive things), He will not only fill us with good thigs, but He will keep us young and strong.."

[4] J. Meyer, "Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind", FaithWords Publishing, 2010. “Let me be clear that I am not saying that we can think into existence anything that we want. That view of the power of thoughts is a form of humanism, which is an ungodly philosophy.”

[5] John Piper gives Five Factors for Calling Out False Teachers: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/should-we-call-out-false-teachers-or-ignore-them

[6] Geerhardus Vos. The Teaching of Jesus Concerning The Kingdom of God and the Church. Place of publication not identified: Fontes Press, 2017. P.44.

[7] Ibid. p.47.

[8] Ibid. p.46.

[9] H. Snyder. Kingdom, Church, and World. Oregon. Wipf & Stock.2001. p.81.

 

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.p.82.

[12] Vos.p.54.

[13] Vos.p.55.

[14] John Calvin. The Necessity of Reforming the Church. Ligonier Ministries. Indiana. 2020. p.6.

[15] H. Snyder. p.72.

[16] Ibid..p89.

[17] Ibid.

[18] W. Menzies, et.al. Spirit and Power. Michigan. Zondervan. 2000. P.121-132.

[19] Calvin. p.7.

 

[20]  Luke 17: 20-21, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”