YOUTH FOR CHRIST MINISTRY PAGE

YOUTH FOR CHRIST MINISTRY












YOUTH FOR CHRIST Ministry Officers


President: Raphy M. Gordon
V-President: Edsel Banusing
Treasurer: Sharisse Delgado
Scribe/Secretary: Queenie Love Delgado Narciso
Auditor: Carl Ian Banusing

Sgt at Arms:
Mike Bello
Chrisni John Rufino
Gereldine Aurelio
Alvin Banusing
Donabel Banusing
Jerelyn Aurelio

COUNCILORS

Fredmar Narciso

Kevin Legaspi

Jerin Gatila

Geson Gatila

Bryan Legaspi

Stanley Legaspi

Carl Joseph Rufino

Mark Kenith Felix

Arjay legaspi

Glory Ann Gatila

Solicitation Chairman: Leomar D. Narciso



REV. INOCENCIO DELGADO

Maranatha Assemblies of God

Carawisan I,San Remigio, Antique, Philippines

For Information:

Contact us: YFC President

09055886492/09397781295

E-mail:youthforchristministry8@gmail.com

I am an Ambassador in Christ.

Ephesians 6:20

One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:5-6


DIFFERENT YFC COMMITTEE

MUSIC COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN: Edsel Banusing

V-Chairman: Carl Ian Banusing

Secretary: Sharise A. Delgado

MEMBERS: All YFC Members

SPORTS COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN: Brian Legaspi

V-Chairman: Donabel Banusing

Secretary: Glory Ann Gatila

MEMBERS: All YFC Members

PROJECT AND PLANNING COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN: Ptr. Inocencio Delgado

V-Chairman: Bro. Rey Banusing

Secretary: Marry Jean Delgado

MEMBERS: All YFC Members

Auditor: Nima Rufino

SCRIPTURE COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN: Raphy M. Gordon

V-Chairman: Carl Ian Banusing

Secretary: Sunshine Delgado

YFC MISSION and VISION

YFC MISSION

The Maranatha Assemblies of God, Carawisan I, San Remigio, Antique through the YOUTH FOR CHRIST MINISTRY now a newly organization of the youth in San Remigio, Antique, which aims to develop Physically and Spiritually well-being, applying the correct principle and biblical bases. We are fulfilling the GREAT Commission. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)



YFC VISION


The YOUTH FOR CHRIST MINISTRY, Antique exists to share every young people person in Antique with the person, who work and live in teachings of Jesus Christ and discipling them into the church.

Our Ministry is involved DIFFERENT activities in the church to produce effective ministry to the young people for Christ and conduct evangelism in every place we reach out of the Youth, communicating, administering, volunteering, and caring in ways that are relevant to these coming generations.




YFC VISION

The YFC Ministry in Antique is committed to a journey of FAITH fully trusting our Lord to supply our needs, resources, and applying the Biblical principle, strategies to impact the youth in Antique. YFC Ministry is committed to serve Jesus through his/her fellowmen with love, Hope, Joy and Trust.

Through broad exposure to the message of God and discipling those who are generous heart to respond to the call of God. As future leaders of the church we need to cooperate for building the body of Christ into ONE.

Our strategies reflect this balanced approach through diversity of ministry in partnership with the Body of Christ.


The History of the Assemblies of God In the Philippines


The History of the Assemblies of God In the Philippines


http://pgcag.wordpress.com




BRIEF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE PGCAG & NWVDC
The Philippine General Council of the Assemblies of God is an expansion of the Pentecostal Movement which had its origin in the United States at the turn of the century. The Pentecostal Movement was characterized by a revival of faith in fundamental Christianity, a re-emphasis upon the charismatic gifts and their operations, an intense evangelistic fervor, and a great missionary zeal.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONVENTION
The organization convention was held in San Nicolas, Villasis, Pangasinan on March 21-27, 1940. Leland E. Johnson, the superintendent appointed by headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, USA., presided over the meetings. Constitution was adopted. The elected officers were: Rodrigo Esperanza, secretary; Pedro Castro, treasurer; Hermogenes Abrenica and Rosendo Alcantara, presbyters. The newly organized “Philippines District Council of the Assemblies of God” was incorporated and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Department of Justice of the Philippines on June 19, 1940.
The wheels of operation for the young organization had just started to turn when World War II broke out in the Philippines. With the missionaries interned and later repatriated to the United States, the work in its embryonic stage was left without a head. Leadership passed from the U.S.A to the nationals.
The war curtailed the advancement of the work, but the nationals were quick to “redeem the time” after liberation. The fourth District Council was held in Bilad, Camiling, Tarlac on December 29-31, 1945. Due to the absence of a District Superintendent, the Foreign Missions Department of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, in Springfield, Missouri, USA granted an election for an acting General Superintendent and Secretary at the same time. His election ratified, he became the duly elect acting representative in the Philippines of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, U.S.A this arrangement allowed the normal functioning of the District Council as an incorporated religious body. Since 1946, the Assemblies of God in the in the Philippines had been headed by a national, elected periodically during the Council meetings.

FRUITFUL MISSIONARY WORK
The liberation ushered in a more fruitful time of missionary endeavor. New missionary appointees came and pioneered works in different places. Elva Vanderbout opened works in the Mountain Province; Edwin M. Brengle in Sogod, Leyte. Paul Pipkin, Paul Davidsons, Ruth Melching, Evelyn Hatchett came fron China and helped in the Far East Broadcasting Company and Bethel Bible Institute in Polo, Bulacan (now Valenzuela). Mr. and Mrs. Warren Denton pioneered work in San Jose, Antique; Mr. and Mrs. Gunder Olsen in Iloilo City; Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Zeisler in Bacolod City; Mr. and Mrs. Lester Sumrall in Manila; Mr. and Mrs. Edward Blount in Cebu City. Ernest Sjoberg, Eliseo Sadorra and Urias Ronquillo were the first to go to the Bicol Region. Graduates of Emmanuel Bible Institute in Cebu City pioneered works in Southern Mindanao. Leslie Bedell, while District Superintendent of the Vsayas and Northern Mindanao District, helped pioneer the Agusan Valley with twenty churches established. These pioneer works of the missionaries became mother of several churches. Other missionary appointees worked in the Bible schools. Evangelist Mayme Williams came in 1949 and traveled all over the country preaching the Word. Other evangelist who contributed much to the growth of the work are Harvey McAlister, A.C. Valdes, Clifton Erickson, Oral Roberts, Morris Cerullo, T.L Osborn, Hal Herman and Ralph Byrd. Thousands were saved, healed and filled with the Holy Spirit in their meetings.

DISTRICT EXPANSION
The growth and expansion of the work brought an increasing need for supervision from the office of the District Superintendent. At the Eleventh District Council held in Malinta, Polo (now Valenzuela), Bulacan on April 20-24, 1953, a resolution was approved which amended the District Council into a General Council, creating as many district as deemed necessary. This step kept the whole work as a unit but provided for proper supervision necessary for a growing organization, prosecuting its activities through its General and District Councils.



The Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God was re-incorporated and re-registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 23, 1953. the General Council met triennially from 1953 to 1959 and met biennially from 1961 to 1973, and has met annually from 1973 to 1997 & triennially again from 1997 to the present. Now we have 20 Districts Nationwide.
April 1986, a resolution was approved during Gencil convention creating another District known as the Northwestern Visayas Council of the Assemblies of God which covers the area of Eastern & Western Aklan, Romblon and Northern part of Antique & later Capiz joined in this District. For 25 years NWVDC was with the Western Visayas District Council (Iloilo Office) but for the geographical and accessibility reasons the new District was organized.


May 28,1986, the first organizational meeting was conducted at Faith Village, Boracay, Malay, Aklan. The meeting chaired by Rev. Felipe Acena our Gencil Secretary, resulted to the election of the 1st District Officials as follows: Rev. Marcelo Arangote (District Supt.); Rev. Roberto Labor (Asst. Dist. Supt.); Rev. Ronardli Delfin (Dist. Sectretary); Rev. Juanito Espino (District Treasurer); Presbyters were: Rev. Eduardo Almaida (Eastern akaln Section); Rev. Leonard Enerio, Jr. (Western Aklan Section); Rev. Edito Gaad (Romblon Section); and later Rev. Rojeto Domingo (Capiz Section). The new district when first organized have 25 churches and 58 Ministers. 10 classified as ordained; 20 licensed; 28 Exhorter.
The burning desire and vision of the District from its beginning through the leadership of rev. Marcelo Arangote is to train more workers into the Ministry, to see to it that every place is saturated with the Gospel in our area, and to organized strong committed core group of believers in every Barangays and Towns. So, crusades were conducted.


Assemblies of God History

Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God

It was in September of 1926 when the first Assemblies of God (U.S.A.) missionary Benjamin H. Caudle arrived in the Philippines (Esperanza, 1965:17). Shortly thereafter, he and his wife established home bible studies, university bible classes, evangelistic meetings, and Christian literature distribution centres. However, due to Mrs Caudle’s illness, their developing ministry was cut short when they returned to the U.S. For a period, the Assemblies of God work in the Philippines was suspended; however, as Esperanza recalled, “events worked out” in realizing plans for establishing Assemblies of God churches. The wave of Filipino labourers coming to the U.S.A. in the early 1920s paved the way for them to be exposed to Pentecostalism.[1] Eventually many of them became missionaries to their own people and pursued the vision of developing Assemblies of God churches in the Philippines (ibid:19). The first who was involved in this endeavour was Cris Garsulao. He became a Pentecostal while studying in a university in the U.S.A. His conversion led him to commit himself to full time church ministry. After finishing his training at Glad Tidings Bible Institute, an Assemblies of God school in California, Garsulao went back to his hometown in the Philippines. Later, several other Filipinos with similar experience were also instrumental in bringing the Pentecostal gospel to various parts of the country.[2] These and other pioneering works established Pentecostalism in the Philippines.

The coming of Leland E. Johnson and his family in December 1939 marked the beginning of the arrival of more Assemblies of God missionaries from the United States to the Philippines. The 1941 invasion of the country by the Japanese forces hindered the growing work but did not stop the preaching of the gospel. Despite the difficulties, several American missionaries remained in the country, and as a result, inspired the local converts to carry on with their newfound faith. After the war, the work of establishing new churches throughout the country continued with much better results. Meanwhile in the U.S.A., a group of Filipino Assemblies of God preachers combined their efforts in organizing the Philippine Assemblies of God. Their initial action was to request a U.S. Assemblies of God appointed missionary to the Philippines to help them achieve this goal. Esperanza (1965:30) explained the basis for this move:

Their reason for this action was that the Philippines at that time was still under the United States protectorate with a Counsel General as the final seat of authority. A requirement for permitting any outside church denomination to operate in the Philippines was that it must seek registration with the United States Counsel General and have a duly appointed missionary or church leader from the home body in the United States.

When Johnson arrived in 1939, he sought approval from the Counsel General to register an organisation known as “The Philippines District Council of the Assemblies of God Incorporated” (ibid:30). For fourteen years, the work of the Assemblies of God in the Philippines was under the U.S. General Council. In 1953, the Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God was formed with Rev. Rodrigo C. Esperanza as the first superintendent.[3] According to Seleky’s account, Esperanza was mainly responsible for gathering Filipino Pentecostal preachers, which eventually led to the founding of the Philippines General Council (Seleky, 2001:129). The increasing number of local churches called for the need to train more church workers. Bible schools were then established in various places; these initially had foreign counterparts as administrators.[4]

In the early stages of the development of the Assemblies of God in the Philippines, its distinctive theology created a sense of ideological separation that helped to solidify the group experience. This was because the locals merely adopted the theology of their sponsors. Despite strong persecution in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, the movement continued to grow rapidly. Arthur Tuggy (1971:152) in The Philippine Church: Growth in a Changing Society, wrote:

By 1949, 1822 members were reported. In 1952 there were 2,193. Then the Assemblies of God entered a new phase of rapid growth as the large Bethel Temple in Manila was begun under the ministry of Lester Sumrall. This church, which became the largest Protestant church in Manila, had its beginnings in 1952 and 1953. . . By 1958, the Assemblies of God reported a membership of 12,022 – an increase of almost 500 percent in five years

The remarkable growth of the Assemblies of God in the 1950s and 1960s was hampered by leadership conflict within the organisation during the 1970s. Other contributing factors to the lower growth in the seventies could be attributed to the nascent independent Pentecostal and Charismatic groups (mainly Roman Catholic). However, twenty years later, a significant recovery of growth was reported in the Missions World Edition of the Pentecostal Evangel Magazine, a U.S. Assemblies of God publication. In that account, the Assemblies of God in the Philippines grew from “1,230 churches with 198,000 members and adherents to 2,600 churches attended by 420,830 people making it the largest evangelical body in the country” (Kennedy, 2000:5).[5] A more conservative estimate however, is given in the World Churches Handbook edited by Peter Brierley (1997), which only showed 94,000 total membership. Present statistical data of membership can be difficult to ascertain; the office of the Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God itself does not have an updated record.[6] Despite the lack of proper record keeping, there is little doubt that the Assemblies of God in the Philippines has experienced remarkable growth through the years in both adherents and number of churches planted.


[1] Bruno Lasker (1931:221) estimated the total net increase of immigration to the U.S. and Hawaii from January 1920 to December 1929 was 81,149.
[2] See Trinidad Esperanza-Seleky (2001:119-129) and Warren B. Denton (1955).
[3]See also “Presenting Rudy C. Esperanza, General Superintendent, “The Pentecostal Voice (September 1956). Seleky in “Six Filipinos” noted Rodrigo Esperanza heard the Spirit of the Lord spoke to him and said, “If you will be faithful to Me, someday I will make you a delegate to an international convention of the Assemblies of God.” This incident was taken by Esperanza as confirmation from God for him to join the Assemblies of God.
[4]At present (2001), there are only a few schools and church-related institutions that are still under the direction of U.S. missionaries.
[5]Kennedy however did not indicate in his article how he obtained these figures. His usage of “members and adherents” and “attendees” is ambiguous. It is not clear how many of 420, 830 attendees are actual members.
[6]As of 28 June 2001. Many of the smaller congregations in the Philippine Assemblies of God do not usually keep an updated record.


PGCAG Churches-Western Visayas

Western Visayas

Aningalan Full Gospel A/G Church , 5714 Aningalan, San Remigio, Antique

Assembly of God – Magsaysay, 5702 Magsaysay, Patnongon Anrique

Assembly of God – Villa Lawa-an, 5705 Villa Lawa- an Antique

Barbaza Christian Fellowship A/G , 5706 Barbaza, Antique

Blessed Hope Christian Fellowship, 5702 Cubay, Patnongon Antique

Bugasong Aseembly of God, 5704 Bugasong Antique

Bugo Christian Assembly of God, 5714 San Remegio Antque

Cadolonan Assembly of God, 5714 Cadolonan, San Remegio, Antique

Calag- itan Assembly of God, 5714 Calag – itan, San Remegio, Antique

Calvary Temple Assembly of God, 5713 Villafont, Sibalom Antique

Calvary Temple Assembly of God, 5714 Carmelo I San Remegio Antique

Calvary Temple Assembly of God, 5713 Lagdo, Sibalom Antique

Christ is The Answer Assembly of God, 5708 Centro Norte, Culasi Antique

Christian Life Center Assembly of God, 5700 San Pedro, San Jose Antique

Esperanza Assembly of God, 5713 Esperanza, Sibalom Antique

Faith Assembly of God, 5702 Bitas, Patnongon, Antique

First Full Gospel Church ( Old Town), 5714 Old Town Vilvar, San Remegio, Antique

Freedom Hills Christian Life Center, 5715 Hamtic, Antique

Goodnews Assembly of God, 5700 Funda Dalipe, San Jose Antique

Grace Gospel Church, 5702 Villa Salomon, Patnongon, Antique

Jesus Cares Fellowship, 5715 Calala, Hamtic, Antique

Jesus Cares Fellowship Assembly of God, 5702 Vista Alegre, Patnongon Antique

Jesus Living Water Christian Assembly of God, 5700 Badiang, San Jose Antique

Jesus the Savior Assembly of God, 5707 Del Pilar, Tibiao, Antique

Lacaron Assembly of God, 5713 Lacaron, Sibalom Antique

Living Water Assembly of God, 5702 Patnongon Antique

Lord of the Harvest, 5717 Anini-y, Antique

Maranatha Assembly of God, 5714 Carawisan, San Remegio Antique

Nagdayao Assembly of God, 5713 Nagdayao, Sibalom, Antique

New Life Christian Fellowship, 5701 Poblacion, Belison, Antique

Praise the Lord Christian Fellowship, 5700 Common, San Jose Antique

Reconcialiation Assembly of God, 5714 General Luna, San Remegio, Antique

San Jose Assembly of God, 5700 Avenida St., San Jose, Antique

San Rafael Assembly of God, 5702 San Rafael, Patnongon, Antique

Santiago Assembly of God, 5705 Lawa – an, Santiago, Antique

Saved by Grace Assembly of God, 5715 Ingwan, Hamtic, Antique

Sibalom Assembly of God, 5713 Sibalom Antique

Solong Assembly of God, 5713 Sibalom Antique

Valderama Assembly of God, 5703 Valderama, Antique

Villar Assembly of God, 5713 Villar, Sibalom Antique

Agape Christian Fellowship, 5004 Zarraga, Iloilo

Alibunan, Christian Church, 5040 Alibunan, Calinog, Iloilo

Balasan Christian Center, 5018 Balasan Iloilo

Bay – ang Calvary Temple, 5012 Bay – ang, Ajuy, Iloilo

Barosbos Full God Church, 5019 Brgy. Barosbos, Carles, Iloilo

Batad Christian, 5016 Batad Viejo, Batad Iloilo

Binggawan Assembly, 5041 Binggawan, Iloilo

Bitoon Christian Center, Bitoon Iloilo

Buaya Full Gospel Assembly of God, 5019 Brgy. Buaya, Isla Gegante Carles

Calinog Full Gospel Christian Fellowship, 5040 Calinog Iloilo

Carles Assembly of God, 5019 Po. Carles Iloilo

Christian Worship Center, 5008 Pototan, Iloilo

Estancia Christian Center, 5017 Estancia, Iloilo

Estancia full Gospel Assembly of God, 5017 Estancia, Iloilo

Glad Tidings Assembly of God, 5038 Duenas, Iloilo

Goodnews Charismatic Fellowship, 5035 San Matias, Dingle, Iloilo

Granada Assembly of God, 5019 Granada, Isla Gegante, Carles

Jesus Life Giver Ministries, 5032 Mina, Iloilo

Jesus Loves You Fellowship, 5012 Luca, Ajuy, Iloilo

Living Hope Christian Center, 5006 Dumangas, Iloilo

New Life Christian Fellowship, 5010 Banate Iloilo

New Lucena Christian Fellowship, 5005 New Lucena, Iloilo

Odiongan Christian Center, 5019 Isla Gigante, Carles, Iloilo

Passi Full Gospel Church, 5037 Passi City

Praise Nissi Christian Church Inc., 5007 Lagubang Barutac Nuevo, Iloilo

San Enrique First Assembly of God, 5036 Manolo St., San Enrique Iloilo

Streams of Living Wate Assembly of God, 5011 Barutac Viejo, Iloilo

Sara Christian Fellowship, 5014Sara Iloilo

Sinai Assembly of God, 5035 Tabugon, Dingle, Iloilo

Talingting Christian Center, 5017 Talingting Estancia Iloilo

Tambunac Bethel Temple, 5035 Tambunac, Dingle, Iloilo

Toong Christian Center, 5019 Toong, Isla Gegante, Carles, Iloilo

Word of Life Christian Fellowship, 5003 Cagamutan, Leganes, Iloilo

Alimodian Assembly of God, 5028 Alimodian Iloilo

Barosong Assembly of God, 5021 Barosong, Tigbauan, Iloilo

Bethel Temple Assembly of God, 5022 Brgy, Nalunda, Guimbal, Iloilo

Buyuan Christian Center, 5021 Buyu – an, Tigbauan, Iloilo

Cabatuan Full Gospel Christian Church, 5031 Cabatuan, Iloilo

Faith Assembly Community Church, Molo Blvd. Iloilo City

First Assembly of God, 5024 San Pedro St., San Joaquin, Iloilo

Janiuay Full Gospel Center5034 Janiuay, Iloilo

Jesus the Life Giver Fellowship, Manduriao, Iloilo City

Home of Refuge, 5021 Tigbauan, Iloilo

Hosanna Christian Fellowship, 5000 Gen. Hudges. St., Iloilo City

Lambunao Christ Centered Church, 5042 Lambunao Iloilo

Life Christian Center, 5000 Lopez Jaena St., Oton Iloilo

Lord’s Banner Christian Fellowship, 5000 Tabuc Suba, Jaro Iloilo City

Maasin Full Gospel Church, 5030 Maasin, Iloilo

Miracle 1 Assembly of God, 5023 Brgy, Calampitao, Miagao, Iloilo City

Miracle 2 Assembly of God, 5023 Brgy. Gines, Miagao, Iloilo

Mt. Hope Assembly, 5000 Banker’s Village, Jaro Iloilo City

Neighborhood Christian Family Fellowship, 5023 Camp Monte Claro, Igtuba, Miagao Iloilo City

River of Hope Christian Assembly, Compania Central, Molo, Iloilo City

Savior’s Touch Ministries ( Hotel), 5000 Four Season’s Hotel, Delgado St., Iloilo City

Sharown Christian Tabernacle, 5000 Quezon St., Iloilo City

Tabernacle of Praise Christian Fellowship, 5026 Cambronero St., Leon Iloilo

Tagsing Assembly of God, 5002 Tagsing, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo

Born Again Christian Fellowship, 5045 San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras

Buenavista Assembly of God, 5044 Buenavista, Guimaras

Living Hope Christian Fellowship, 5046 Nueva, Valencia, Guimaras

Mt. Moriah Church Assembly of God, 5046 Zaldivar, Buenavista, Guimaras

Responsibilities of Praise & Worship Team

YOUTH FOR CHRIST MINISTRY

Maranatha Assemblies of God

San Remigio,Antique

Responsibilities of Praise & Worship Team

By: Raphy M. Gordon

Praise and worship teams lead worship through music during, Sunday Service, Wednesday and Friday Fellowship, weekly church services and every 1st Sunday of the Month.

A church praise and worship teams lead the congregation in song during weekly services, Sunday Service, Wednesday and Friday Fellowship, weekly church services and every 1st Sunday of the month and other gatherings.

The team may include a full choir and a full band or just a handful of singers and musicians. The specific duties of the praise and worship team may differ from church to church, but generally these teams carry the responsibility of selecting and preparing music for Sunday morning worship, afternoon or evening. Worship teams may also organize other artistic means of worshiping such as dance, drama and visual art.

The Roles of a Praise & Worship Leader

By: Raphy M. Gordon

A praise and worship leader draws the congregation into an attitude of worship

A praise and worship leader builds the body of Christ and draws people into worshiping God through carefully chosen music and lyrics. The praise and worship leader shoulders responsibility for the flow of the service and the mood and readiness of the congregation to hear God's word as spoken through the pastor.

Lead by Life Example

· The roles of a praise and worship leader don't start in front of the congregation on Sunday mornings. Those roles start with a life dedicated to serving Jesus Christ. This involves studying the Bible to learn how to lead with the love, sensitivity, authority and humility modeled by Jesus. A praise and worship leader's life, as viewed by the congregation on a daily basis, has as much or more effect on the worship attitude of the congregation as a well-planned flow of music and singing from the worship team. The role of a praise and worship leader is to lead by how he conducts his life and how he treats his family and others.

Lead in Excellence

· One role of a praise and worship leader is to take responsibility to lead with excellence. What she does, she does to the best of her abilities. A praise and worship leader doesn't wait until Saturday night to choose music for Sunday morning. A praise and worship leader takes the role of worship leader seriously, not only as a position granted by the church but one provided by God as well. A praise and worship leader works with the pastor, planning music around the theme of the sermon. The praise and worship leader spends the week choosing the songs, working with the worship team and planning when and how music will flow to take the congregation from praise to an attitude of worship, waiting and ready to hear from God.

Lead in Reverence

· One of a praise and worship leader's roles is to lead the worship team in showing an attitude of respect and reverence for what they do, the congregation and a deep desire to draw others to know the Lord. The worship team reflects the attitudes of the leader. His role is to model an attitude of reverence, not a gloomy sadness, but a deep joy and gratitude for being able to lead the congregation into worship. His role as praise and worship leader is to make sure he and the members of the worship team recognize that worship isn't about them or showing off their talents, but about helping the congregation worship and honor God.

Lead Congregation into Worship

· Because a praise and worship leader leads the team and congregation into worship, she needs to learn about using music to lift up, challenge and comfort. A praise and worship leader plans the service so others who are part of the service understand how everything works together. This requires the leader to communicate and work with pastors and other leaders on an ongoing basis. She puts together a service schedule for the secretary or whoever prints the weekly bulletins and does so in a timely fashion when it works best for the secretary. The leader is sensitive to the style of music that best fits the needs of that particular congregation.



Leader and Back-up Leader

By: Raphy M. Gordon

Some praise leaders are in charge of leading choral music as well.

A Praise leader is a person who leads other people in worshipping God. In most churches, the position of praise leader or "worship leader," as it's often called, involves addressing God through music. A praise leader has an extremely important position, since praising God through music has been an integral part of the worship experience since Biblical times. Being an effective praise leader involves personal spiritual and musical preparation, time and consistent effort.



Instructions

1. Gain a musical background that includes aspects such as choral music, vocal technique, the history of church music and various instrumental lessons and techniques. The better-rounded you are in your musical training and knowledge, the more talent and experience you will have to contribute to your position as praise leader.

2. Prepare yourself spiritually. If you are going to be praising God and leading others to do so, you need to seek personal spiritual growth through prayer, Bible study and meditation. Your praise should be a natural outpouring of your own personal relationship with God rather than merely a musical routine that you execute.

3. Meet with the leaders of your church to discuss your responsibilities. Some praise leaders only lead contemporary congregational music, whereas others lead groups such as children's choirs or adult ensembles. Other praise leaders may be required to lead church orchestras.

4. Use music that meets the needs and personality of your church. If your church has primarily an elderly population, they may be more comfortable with traditional hymns. If the congregation is composed of mostly young adults, they may favor a more contemporary music style. Some churches use a blended style of praise and worship music in which they employ old and new songs.

5. Utilize the talents and abilities within your church. Recruit singers and musicians to help lead worship. Even if you aren't leading a choral group, you might want to ask soloists or groups to contribute to the praise worship in your church. Praising God should be a group effort and not the "performance" of one individual.

6. Praise and worship team must be practice during Saturday morning or afternoon not during the Sunday service.


WHO IS JESUS

Who is Jesus Christ? Is Yeshua (Hebrew for “Jesus”) really the promised Messiah of Israel (Hebrew for “Christ”) of the Old Testament?” Is Jesus Christ truly the Son of God … literally God Himself, the Divine living within human flesh? Were Jesus Christ’s claims that of a Liar or Lunatic … or is He really Lord of the universe?

You may want to take a tour of some of the major highlights of Jesus’ life. Or you may want to preview what people were saying before Christ was born. Of course, you may want to check out Jesus’ claims about himself. Some may be interested in learning about the muscle Jesus exercised and the miracles he performed.

Knowledgeable people will agree that Jesus Christ has made quite an impact on the world. You may even come to learn that Yeshua is indeed the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. If you prefer, you can take time to further investigate Jesus Christ’s claims in the New Testament.

But after all is said and done, the key question for you is, “What does all this information about Jesus Christ have to do with my life?” Or, you may have other questions. The following describes how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ today, experience forgiveness of your sins, receive eternal life, and gain a whole new purpose for living.

Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God.

1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

(References contained on this page are from the Bible and should be read in context wherever possible.)

God's Love

"God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV).

God's Plan

[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life?

Because...

2. Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life.

Man Is Sinful

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

Man Is Separated

"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).


This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that man is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as seeking to lead a good life, philosophy, or religion - but he inevitably fails.

The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf...

3. Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.

He Died in Our Place

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."(Romans 5:8).

He Rose From the Dead

"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to to more than 500..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

He Is the Only Way to God

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me."(John 14:6).


This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

However, it is not enough just to know these three laws...

4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

We Must Receive Christ

"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

We Receive Christ Through Faith

"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth

(Read John 3:1-8)

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation

[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

These two circles represent two kinds of lives:

Which circle best describes your life?

Which circle would you like to have represent your life?

The following explains how you can receive Christ:

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer

(Prayer is talking to God)

God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, I invite you to pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

Did you pray this prayer?

BIBLE STUDY PAGE





Who is Jesus Christ?
When this question is personalized, it becomes the most important question one will ever be asked or answer. Who is Jesus Christ to YOU? Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10, NKJV). In 1 John 5:11-13 we are told that if we have the son in our life we can KNOW that we have eternal life. Jesus is the only way for us to live an abundant life here on earth, or receive eternal life in fellowship with God. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins so that we could be sinless in the eyes of God. If we do not receive the free gift of eternal life by experiencing the forgiveness achieved by Jesus, then we will receive the punishment we so justly deserve. Jesus must become the Lord of our lives. Imagine your life as an automobile—Jesus must be behind the wheel of your life. The verses below show the attributes of Jesus, but if he has not forgiven your sins, been invited into your life and involved in a personal relationship with you, there is little purpose in reading on. You can change your life at this very moment. Admit your sin, repent of it before God. Believe in the atonement of Jesus on the cross and receive the gift of eternal life which Jesus died to freely give you. Invite Jesus into your life to live through you and thank him for doing so.
He is God Almighty
Isaiah 9:6 -- For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 7:14 -- Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Prophecy).
Matthew 1:23-- "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-- which means, "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14 prophecy fulfilled).
Comment:
Jesus was declared to be the Mighty God and Everlasting Father long before he was ever conceived in the womb of Mary. The Everlasting Father became the child and son born in the manger. Therefore Jesus truly is Immanuel, God with us. Jesus is Almighty God become a man.
Isaiah 40:3 -- A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God (Prophecy).
John 1:23--John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord'" (Isaiah 40:3 prophecy fulfilled).
Comment:
The word LORD, spelled with all capital letters is the name of God, Jehovah. For more information about God's name go to the article titled "LORD, Hebrew Tetragrammaton." In prophecy, John the baptist was to prepare the world to receive God Almighty. In reality, John prepared the world for Jesus, preaching the message of repentance. John did not make a mistake, he knew that Jesus was Jehovah God joining the human race.
Isaiah 45:23 -- Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear (Prophecy).
Philippians 2:9-11 -- Prophecy fulfilled: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Isaiah 45:23 prophecy referring to Jesus).
Comment:
Isaiah 45:23 quotes God to say that "every knee will bow...every tongue will swear." In the previous verses God stated: "...there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me...there is no other." In Philippians, Paul, a Pharisee, uses this same language to refer to Jesus. He understood scripture's description of God as a solitary spirit, a lone sovereign. He also knew that applying this scripture to Jesus was the same as calling him the only true God. In essence, Paul was saying that Jesus was the only God and Savior, become a man.
Isaiah 44:6--Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isaiah 48:12--Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
Revelation 22:13, 16-- I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Comment:
God declared through Isaiah that he was the "first and the last," but Jesus went further with his declaration by claiming to be the "Alpha and Omega, first and last, beginning and end." How many "firsts and lasts" are there? The only accurate explanation is found in the fact that Jesus is Almighty God incarnate.
Jesus is the image of the invisible God
Hebrews 1:3 -- The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
2 Corinthians 4:4 -- The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Colossians 1:15 -- He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Comment:
According to John 4:24, "God is spirit." Luke 24:39 tells us "a spirit has no flesh or bone." All scripture confirms that God, in the Old Testament, was invisible. "No man has seen God" (John 1:18); but Jesus is described as the "exact representation of God, the image of God, and the image of the invisible God." The spirit of God that never permanently occupied a body or form before, took on the form of a man by becoming the person of Jesus Christ. He was no longer invisible, untouchable, without form, now he dwelt among us. Both God Almighty and man: born in Bethlehem as Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to save us from our sin
Matthew 1:21 -- "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
John 1:29 -- The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 3:17 -- For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Hebrews 7:27 -- ...He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
I John 1:7 -- But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
I John 3:5 -- But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
Comment:
The name of Jesus in New Testament Greek is "Iesous" (e-ay-soos'). The origin of Jesus' name is found in the Old Testament names "Joshua, Jehoshuah, or Jehoshua," pronounced Yehowshuwa` (yeh-ho-shoo'-ah); or Yehowshua. These names mean Jehovah-saved, Jehovah saves, Jehovah saviour. The name of Jesus was not decided upon in an arbitrary fashion as most children's names are. Jesus' name was decided based upon his mission in life, and his mission was determined from the foundation of the world—He was to save us from our sins (Revelation 13:8) with one sacrifice for all time. The significance of the name of Jesus does not end with his mission in life. It is also found in the fact that Jesus is Jehovah. The one true God, who "stretched out the heavens alone, and spread out the earth by himself" (Isaiah 44:24), came to earth to save us by living as Jesus Christ. "God did not send someone else to save the world...he came himself."
Jesus is the Son of God
Psalm 2:7 -- I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father (Also Hebrews 1:5).
Matthew 1:18 -- This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
John 3:16 -- "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 14:28--...If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
Matthew 3:17 -- And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Matt 26:63-64 -- But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
Romans 1:4 -- ...and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Comment:
The sonship of Jesus was predetermined in the mind and plan of God from eternity, but he did not really exist until he was born in Bethlehem. As my mentor Robert Sabin described, when a homebuilder looks at blueprints of his future home, they see the plans for the bathroom and say, "There's the bathroom." They can see it in their mind's eye, but it doesn't exist yet. The plan of Jesus' birth, life, sacrifice, and death was similar. You might say, God had a blueprint of salvation that was so real to him he could see it as though it already existed. Romans 4:17 tells us "God...calls things that are not as though they were." Psalm 2:7 (quoted above) in the KJV states "this day have I begotten thee." Jesus was God's son, his only son—he had a birthday which means there was a time when he did not exist. The spirit of God is eternal, without beginning or end. Man is not eternal. As a man, Jesus had a beginning. The humanity of Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins at Calvary. The spirit of the risen Christ, humanity and divinity together will never end. Since the first Christmas day, Jesus will always be God, and God will always be man. 1 Corinthians 15:28 describes a time when "God will be all, and in all." The sonship of Jesus as mediator to the human race will no longer be necessary when there is no more sin, no more death, no more sorrow. Jesus will always be God's only begotten son.
Jesus is both the creator and descendant of David
Isaiah 11:1--A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
Matthew 1:2-26--See this text for the lineage of Abraham to David, and David to Jesus.
Matthew 22:41-46--While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" 42 "The son of David," they replied. 43 He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him `Lord'? For he says, 44"`The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." ' 45If then David calls him `Lord,' how can he be his son?" 46No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Romans 1:3 -- ...regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David....
Revelation 5:5
Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

Revelation 22:16 -- "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
Comment:
When Jesus declares he is the "Root and Offspring of David," he is exposing two facts: 1) David is descended from Jesus and 2) Jesus is descended from David. How can this be? Jesus, the human, did not exist actually before David, but the spirit of God did. The "Root" is the Spirit of God. The Spirit that spoke the worlds into existence out of nothing. The same Spirit that selected David as king and then blessed his kingdom. It was that Spirit which overshadowed Mary to become the father of Jesus. The Spirit of God then took on the identity of Jesus, by living in him. Jesus' human ancestry is traced back to David and Abraham. His bloodline comes directly from God. Jesus is the Spirit of God from the Old Testament who became a man in the New Testament, thereby the "Root and Offspring of David."
He is the King of Kings and Lord of lords
Daniel 2:47--The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."

1 Timothy 6:13-15--I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time-God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Revelation 17:14 -- They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings-- and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."
Revelation 19:16--On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Comment:
Misunderstanding these scriptures leads to an inaccurate perception of God. In any kingdom, there can only be one "King of kings." You may say, "That is true in a human kingdom, but it could work in a divine Kingdom." God Himself leaves no room for plurality within His sovereignty. He declares "I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself "(Isaiah 44:24). To create a doctrine to solve problems of scriptural interpretation only creates problems, not solutions. The question raised from these texts is: How can the King of kings of the Old Testament be alone as God, and yet Jesus rightfully claims the same title in the New Testament? The answer is found in the fact that the King of the Old Testament is also King in the New Testament. There is no division of power, no delegation of authority, no savior dispatched from heaven. God did not send someone else to save the world, He came Himself. God did not send a prince into the kingdom, the king put on the robe of a prince and came into the kingdom. You may ask, how can this be? Read on below.
Jesus’ Father, the Spirit of God, was living within him.
John 10:30 -- Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."
John 10:38 -- But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
John 14:8-10 -- Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
John 14:20 -- On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
2 Corinthians 5:19 -- ...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation (NKJ).
Colossians 1:19 -- For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him
Comment:
Have you ever asked yourself the question: When Jesus prayed, who was he praying to? Why did Jesus seem to have such a subordinate role if he was God Almighty? (After reading this, I encourage you to visit the Sir Isaac Watt's article "A Solemn Address to the Deity." He had very similar questions.) Jesus was born a male child of the human race. He required food, water, warmth, and nurturing to survive and flourish. Jesus became tired; he slept; he wept. He was tempted in every aspect possible. The humanity of Jesus was as fragile and susceptible to failure as any other human being. The difference between Jesus and us, is Jesus had total access to the Spirit of God living in him. John the baptist described Jesus by saying: "For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit" (John 3:34). It was the Spirit of God living in Jesus that gave him the power to do miracles, to know the thoughts of men, to be "God with us." The humanity of Jesus prayed to the Spirit of God in him for strength, insight, wisdom, knowledge, direction, and power. The Spirit in Jesus was no longer just a temporary manifestation of deity on earth (See Theophanies). God became a man, or "The Creator became part of creation" (Robert A. Sabin). The humanity of Jesus was the mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5). The flesh and blood was necessary for the propitiation of our sins (Romans 3:25, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10); for without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). The importance of Jesus being a man does not end there. Jesus is also our advocate, defending us when we stand before God in judgment when the accuser attempts to steal us away from God (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25,1 John 2:1). The humanity of Jesus should encourage every downtrodden, brokenhearted, defeated individual because in Jesus, we have someone who understands what we are going through. Jesus will always be a man, but he won't always need to be a mediator, an atonement for sin, an intercessor. See above reference to 1 Corinthians 15:28 under "Jesus is the Son of God." God will always reside in Jesus, therefore Jesus will always be God.
Jesus is the baptizer with the Holy Ghost, the Comforter
Isaiah 44:3--For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Isaiah 59:20-21--"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD. 21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.

Joel 2:28-29--I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
Matt 3:11 -- "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Mark 1:7-8 -- And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Luke 3:16--John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Luke 24:49--I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
John 1:33 -- I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
Acts 2:1-18--When the day of Pentecost came...All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them...Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd...this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Comment:
In the Old Testament, God was speaking when he promised the out pouring of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 59 uses the Hebrew Tetragrammaton for the proper name of God--LORD. Yet in the New Testament, there can be no controversy that Jesus will be the one who pours out the Holy Spirit. Jesus even refers to the promise of the Father in Luke 24:49 that he will pour out. When considered in perspective of Jesus being Jehovah God in the flesh, there is no conflict between the Old and New Testaments. Any other interpretation, requires the formulation of a doctrine to reconcile the Bible with itself.
Jesus is the Holy Ghost/Comforter
Matthew 28:20--And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
John 14:16-18 -- And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Romans 8:9-11--You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you
Comments:
One must be exercise caution to remember that the Holy Spirit is God's Spirit, not a separate entity. The words "Holy Spirit" are "pneuma hagion" in the Greek. Translated it means "holy breath." It was the holy breath of God that hovered over the waters in creation (Genesis 1:2). That same holy breath of God overshadowed Mary, the mother of Jesus, and then lived in his son. The holy breath of God raised Jesus from the dead. The spirit of the risen Christ referred to in these verses is the same holy breath of God. Only now, the spirit has taken up permanent residence in a man. Jesus told his followers in John 14: "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you" (KJV). He identifies himself as the comforter, which is one and the same as the Holy Spirit. In Romans, Paul refers to the Spirit of God living in you, and in the next phrase emphasizes the importance of having the Spirit of Christ in you. The connection should be simple.
Jesus will be on the throne when we arrive in heaven.
Matthew 19:28--Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne...

Revelation 3:21--To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 4:2-3--...there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.

Revelation 7:17--For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.

Revelation 19:4--The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne.

Revelation 22:3-4--The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Comments:
According to the Bible, how many thrones are there in heaven? It is clear by the constant use of the singular word throne, that there is only one throne. How many will be seated on the throne. Matthew refers to the Son of Man. Is that one? When Jesus speaks in Revelation 3:21, he tells us the he will be seated with his Father. Is that two? It must be understood that the Father and Jesus are one (John 10:30) because the Father lives in Jesus. There is one God, one savior, one Father, one LORD, one throne, one King of Kings and Lord of lords...Jesus.
Jesus is everything to us: He is God, savior, mediator, propitiation for sin, advocate, and comforter. Soon, he will be our rescuer, King and ruler.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

History

by Joseph Suico, PhD, © 2003 (for academic reference e-mail author at gensuic@gmail.com)

________________________________________________________________________________________________


ASSEMBLIES OF HISTORY IN THE PHILIPPINES


It was in September of 1926 when the first Assemblies of God (U.S.A.) missionary Benjamin H. Caudle arrived in the Philippines (Esperanza, 1965:17). Shortly thereafter, he and his wife established home bible studies, university bible classes, evangelistic meetings, and Christian literature distribution centres. However, due to Mrs Caudle’s illness, their developing ministry was cut short when they returned to the U.S. For a period, the Assemblies of God work in the Philippines was suspended; however, as Esperanza recalled, “events worked out” in realizing plans for establishing Assemblies of God churches. The wave of Filipino labourers coming to the U.S.A. in the early 1920s paved the way for them to be exposed to Pentecostalism.[1] Eventually many of them became missionaries to their own people and pursued the vision of developing Assemblies of God churches in the Philippines (ibid:19). The first who was involved in this endeavour was Cris Garsulao. He became a Pentecostal while studying in a university in the U.S.A. His conversion led him to commit himself to full time church ministry. After finishing his training at Glad Tidings Bible Institute, an Assemblies of God school in California, Garsulao went back to his hometown in the Philippines. Later, several other Filipinos with similar experience were also instrumental in bringing the Pentecostal gospel to various parts of the country.[2] These and other pioneering works established Pentecostalism in the Philippines.

The coming of Leland E. Johnson and his family in December 1939 marked the beginning of the arrival of more Assemblies of God missionaries from the United States to the Philippines. The 1941 invasion of the country by the Japanese forces hindered the growing work but did not stop the preaching of the gospel. Despite the difficulties, several American missionaries remained in the country, and as a result, inspired the local converts to carry on with their newfound faith. After the war, the work of establishing new churches throughout the country continued with much better results. Meanwhile in the U.S.A., a group of Filipino Assemblies of God preachers combined their efforts in organizing the Philippine Assemblies of God. Their initial action was to request a U.S. Assemblies of God appointed missionary to the Philippines to help them achieve this goal. Esperanza (1965:30) explained the basis for this move:

Their reason for this action was that the Philippines at that time was still under the United States protectorate with a Counsel General as the final seat of authority. A requirement for permitting any outside church denomination to operate in the Philippines was that it must seek registration with the United States Counsel General and have a duly appointed missionary or church leader from the home body in the United States.

When Johnson arrived in 1939, he sought approval from the Counsel General to register an organisation known as “The Philippines District Council of the Assemblies of God Incorporated” (ibid:30). For fourteen years, the work of the Assemblies of God in the Philippines was under the U.S. General Council. In 1953, the Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God was formed with Rev. Rodrigo C. Esperanza as the first superintendent.[3] According to Seleky’s account, Esperanza was mainly responsible for gathering Filipino Pentecostal preachers, which eventually led to the founding of the Philippines General Council (Seleky, 2001:129). The increasing number of local churches called for the need to train more church workers. Bible schools were then established in various places; these initially had foreign counterparts as administrators.[4]

In the early stages of the development of the Assemblies of God in the Philippines, its distinctive theology created a sense of ideological separation that helped to solidify the group experience. This was because the locals merely adopted the theology of their sponsors. Despite strong persecution in the predominantly Roman Catholic country, the movement continued to grow rapidly. Arthur Tuggy (1971:152) in The Philippine Church: Growth in a Changing Society, wrote:

By 1949, 1822 members were reported. In 1952 there were 2,193. Then the Assemblies of God entered a new phase of rapid growth as the large Bethel Temple in Manila was begun under the ministry of Lester Sumrall. This church, which became the largest Protestant church in Manila, had its beginnings in 1952 and 1953. . . By 1958, the Assemblies of God reported a membership of 12,022 – an increase of almost 500 percent in five years

The remarkable growth of the Assemblies of God in the 1950s and 1960s was hampered by leadership conflict within the organisation during the 1970s. Other contributing factors to the lower growth in the seventies could be attributed to the nascent independent Pentecostal and Charismatic groups (mainly Roman Catholic). However, twenty years later, a significant recovery of growth was reported in the Missions World Edition of the Pentecostal Evangel Magazine, a U.S. Assemblies of God publication. In that account, the Assemblies of God in the Philippines grew from “1,230 churches with 198,000 members and adherents to 2,600 churches attended by 420,830 people making it the largest evangelical body in the country” (Kennedy, 2000:5).[5] A more conservative estimate however, is given in the World Churches Handbook edited by Peter Brierley (1997), which only showed 94,000 total membership. Present statistical data of membership can be difficult to ascertain; the office of the Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God itself does not have an updated record.[6] Despite the lack of proper record keeping, there is little doubt that the Assemblies of God in the Philippines has experienced remarkable growth through the years in both adherents and number of churches planted.


[1] Bruno Lasker (1931:221) estimated the total net increase of immigration to the U.S. and Hawaii from January 1920 to December 1929 was 81,149.
[2] See Trinidad Esperanza-Seleky (2001:119-129) and Warren B. Denton (1955).
[3]See also “Presenting Rudy C. Esperanza, General Superintendent, “The Pentecostal Voice (September 1956). Seleky in “Six Filipinos” noted Rodrigo Esperanza heard the Spirit of the Lord spoke to him and said, “If you will be faithful to Me, someday I will make you a delegate to an international convention of the Assemblies of God.” This incident was taken by Esperanza as confirmation from God for him to join the Assemblies of God.
[4]At present (2001), there are only a few schools and church-related institutions that are still under the direction of U.S. missionaries.
[5]Kennedy however did not indicate in his article how he obtained these figures. His usage of “members and adherents” and “attendees” is ambiguous. It is not clear how many of 420, 830 attendees are actual members.
[6]As of 28 June 2001. Many of the smaller congregations in the Philippine Assemblies of God do not usually keep an updated record.


YFC

Sunrise April 2012

Sunrise April 2012
La Parolla Beach resort,Antique




Rev. Inocencio Delgado

HEAVEN OR HELL

john 3:16

Youth for Christ President

Assemblies of God Logo

Preview

Maranatha full Gospel Assemblies of God

Preview

Edsil Banusing

Preview

7 last words 2012

7 last words 2012

Marvin Legaspi

Marvin Legaspi
San Remigio

Geraldine Aurelio

Geraldine Aurelio




batuan falls

batuan falls


Chrisne John Rufino

Chrisne John Rufino