Wednesday, November 01, 2006

"From here and there" by Rev. Eugenio "Gene" R. Filio III










"...when I go to the highest peak,
even on the heights of a surging Tsunami,
Lord, you are there.
...when I go to the deepest depth,
into the heart of Mars and the interior of Venus,
Lord, you are there.
...when I go to the most crowded places,
from one refugee camp to another.
Lord, you are there.
...when I go to the most solitary place,
and deserted streets of New Orleans.
Lord, you are there.
...when my eyes looks up to heaven
and see the vastness of the universe,
how it is expanding and rapidly extending,
Lord, you are there.
...when my eyes looks sideways,
from the rising of the sun and to its setting down,
Lord, you are there.
...when my eyes search deep inside my thoughts,
from Aristotle to Spinoza, from Darwin to Flew.
Lord, you are there.
...when my eyes search within my feelings,
the pounding of my heart and butterflies in my stomach,
Lord, you are there.
...when my ears listens to the stillness of silence,
no sound, no cry, no dirge,
Lord, you are there.
...when my ears hear the rumbling sound of thunder,
bombs blowing up,
crackling sounds of automatic rifles,
nuclear threat from the north to the middle east,
Lord, you are there.
Yes, Lord, even now I see.
Yes, Lord, even now I hear.
My spirit is at rest.
I can sleep silently in the night.
At the end, I just want to see your face.
Your Name to always praise.
From time past,
To time that never ends.
A little more steps away,
You are here.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

UNIDA EVANGELISTIC TRAINING COURSE - "MAHAL AKO NG DIOS!"


Through the efforts of the 75th Unida Anniversary Committee, the Lupon ng Edukasyon Kristiana (Christian Education), and Unida National Mission, the first UNIDA EVANGELISTIC COURSE was launched in five sites last August 12 at Noveleta Unida Church for Cavite 1&4 and Unida Christian Center for Cavite 2&3; August 19 at Matangtubig Unida Church for Metro Manila 1&2&3 and Sta. Rosa Unida Church for Laguna; and August 26 at Sipat Unida Church Bulacan.

546 trainees graduated and were sent out last September 17 during the Unida Mission Sunday Celebration. For pictures of the event, please log on to http://new.photos.com/gbfilio.

Monday, August 28, 2006

MISSION SUNDAY CELEBRATION SEPTEMBER 17, 2006


PANAHON na ng pag-aani ng mga kaluluwa para sa Dios. Paramihin natin ang mag-aani sa pamamagitan ng ating MISSION SUNDAY CELEBRATION sa September 17, 2006, ika-2:00 hanggang 4:00 ng hapon sa Unida Christian Center. Mayroon po tayong sinusuportahang 14 na mission points at 10 growth churches at kailangan nila ang tulong ninyo.
Panahon na ngayon upang maging KAISANG UNIDA at HUMAYO NA! Nguni’t kailangang ang isa ay maging handa para dito sa pamamagitan ng pagdalo sa mga EVANGELISTIC TRAINING COURSE na tayo po ang lumikha at magpapatupad. Unidang Unida at hindi galing sa iba kundi sa atin. Atin ito! Sali na!
On this day we will celebrate JESUS CHRIST, THE LORD OF THE HARVEST IN THREE GENERATIONS OF UNIDA ORIGINAL GOSPEL MUSIC. Three evangelistic songs - “MARTSA UNIDA” composed and sang in 1957 for the 25th Anniversary of the Unida Church, “KAISANG UNIDA, HAYO NA!” composed as the 75th Anniversary Theme, and the Praise & Worship Mission Song “TARA NA TARA NA UNIDA!” composed for the Youth. Three Songs but ONE in Message. We will have these together with UNIDA TV and other videos in a commemorative DVD.

ANG MAPAGWAGING PUWERSA NG KAKAUNTI

“Huwag mo kailanmang matahin ang kakayanan nang iilan. Kahit kinukutya ng lipunan at hindi pinapansin ng mga may kapangyarihan, ang kakaunti ay mayroong kapangyarihang baguhin ang buong mundo.” ~ Lance M. Filio

Ang kakaunti ay palagi nang winawalang halaga ng mas marami. Sa isang mundo na ang karamihan ay nagpupunyaging magkamal ng marami at ang lahat ay iginigiit ang rule of the majority, walang nag-aakalang ang kakaunti ay magkakaroon ng halaga o kahulugan.

Nuong si Gideon ay makipagdigma sa mga Midianita ay dinala niya ang Israel sa tagumpay hindi sa pamamagitan libo-libong mga sundalo bagkus kasama lamang ang isang daang mga lalaki. Maging nang pasimulan ni Jesus ang pagliligtas sa buong sanglibutan, hindi niya isinama ang isang laksang tagasunod upang dalhin ang Mabuting Balita kundi ang labing-dalawang alagad lamang. Subali’t ang bunga ng iilang ito ay namumunga pa hanggang ngayon. At oo nga, ang mga ninuno nating tumawag sa ating mga kapilas ng kanilang kaluluwa, ay nagtayo ng isa sa mga matatag at nakapagsasariling Simbahang Ebanghelikong Filipino ngayon, sa pamamagitan ng pagsasama-sama ng kakaunti lamang. At bagama’t lingid sa marami, ay nakikita ng Dios ang malawak at dakilang lakas ng nagkakaisang pananampalataya ng kakaunti: Pakinggan mo: Sa kamay ng mapagpalang Dios, ang mahina ay malakas, ang maliit ay malaki, at ang kakaunti ay madami.

Sa ating mga Kaisang Unida: Sa Cuneta Astrodome ay napaikita kung paano ang isa ay mayroong halaga. Sa pamamagitan ng pagsasama-sama bilang isang nagkakaisang iglesia ay naipamalas natin ang ganda, timyas, at galak ng ating maraming bilang. Subali’t sa malawak na mundong ating ginagalawan ang ating bilang ay maaaring hindi pansinin at pahalagahan. Ang maliit nating bilang ay maaaring kutyain at ipagwalang-bahala ng mga makapangyarihan at maimpluwensiyang mga tao ng ating panahon dahil maaari nilang sabihin na katulad ng iba diyan, tayo ay mahina at maliit. Subalit mga magulang at mga kapatid maging matatag po tayo sapagkat dumating na ang panahon na ang pagbabago ay darating hindi sa pamamagitan ng lakas at kapangyarihan, bagkus sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu na nasa iilang Pinili ng Dios. Ang ating nais ay ang Mabuting Balita ng Kaligtasan at ang ating bandila ay si Hesu-Kristo.

Pitumpu’t-limang taon na tayong naghihintay. At, bagama’t hindi pa dumarating ang araw na ang ating iglesia ay lubos na matutupad ng plano ng Dios sa pagpili Niya sa atin, ay nababanaag na natin ang bukang-liwayway ng isang PASIMULA. Nuong Agosto, limang daan at limampu sa atin ang dumalo sa 1st Unida-produced Evangelistic Training course. Ito ang pinaka-agresibong hakbang ng ating iglesia upang isulong ang ebanghelismo. Maaaring sabihing ang 550 ay kakaunti lamang - iilan. Subali’t batid natin na sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu ng Dios, ang matatag na kakaunti ay kayang pagalawin ang mundo.

Maging bahagi ka ng iilan upang maranasan mo kung paanong pinalalakad, pinatatakbo at pinalilipad ng Dios ang ating iglesia. Himukin mo ang inyong lokal na iglesia upang sumama sa misyon ng pagdadala ng MABUTING BALITA sa buong mundo. Magtayo ng grupo ng kaanib ng inyong iglesia at dalhin ang ebanghelyo sa inyong komyunidad. Ipanalangin ang bawa’t lokal na iglesia sa kanilang pagsaksi para kay Kristo. Magkaloob ng halaga para sa gastusin ukol dito. Tandaan mo, kahit tayo kakaunti ay mayroon tayong hindi nakikitang laksa-laksa na kaagapay.

KAISANG UNIDA, HAYO NA!

THE FORMIDABLE FORCE OF THE FEW

“Never underestimate the spirit of a dedicated few. Although often ridiculed by society and dismissed by the mighty, a handful minority has the power to change the entire world.” ~ Lance M. Filio

The few has always been taken for granted by the many. In a world where most strive to acquire plenty and everyone insist on upholding the rule of majority, no one expects that a few would actually make a world of difference.

When Gideon fought the Midianites, he led the Israelites into victory not with an army of thousands, but only with a hundred men. Even when Jesus set the redemption of the world in motion, He did not commission a crowd of followers. He entrusted the mission of preaching the gospel to a small number of disciples, yet until now, the work of this chosen few lives on. And yes, our forefathers established one of most steadfast and independent evangelical Filipino churches of our day, neither by following the majority, nor by depending on the wealth of the plenty, but by the commitment of a few good men. And though it has been hidden from the eyes of many throughout history, God sees strength of great magnitude in the unified faith of the few. Listen: In the hands of our most able God, the weak is mighty, the small is big and the few is plenty.

To all my fellow men and woman of Unida: In Cuneta Astrodome, we have witnessed how one can make a difference. By coming together as a united church, we have shown the sheer excitement of our numbers. But in the vast reality of the world that we live in, our numbers and resources will appear trivial and insignificant. Our humble size may even be ridiculed and dismissed by the most powerful and influential people of our time because, just like the few before us, we are deemed weak and small. But take heart my brothers and sisters, for the day has come where change will neither come by power, nor by might, but the Spirit of His chosen few. Our cause is the gospel and our banner is Christ.

Seventy-five years, we’ve waited. And though the day has not yet come when our church has fully realized the plan for which God has called us, we can now see a promising beginning. Last August, five hundred & fifty of us attended the 1st Unida-produced Evangelistic Training course. It is, by far, the most aggressive step our church has ever done for the cause of evangelism. Most may say that “550” is a miniscule number - a mere few. But we know that by the Spirit of our God, the dedicated few could turn the entire world upside down.

Be a part of the few and experience how God is moving our church. Encourage your local church to participate in the mission of preaching the gospel to entire world. Form a small band of members and evangelize to your own community. Pray for every local church in their witness for Christ. Contribute your resources in financing this cause. Remember, we may be few but we have an invisible multitude on our side.

KAISANG UNIDA, HAYO NA!

Saturday, April 15, 2006

JUDAS & DA VINCI


THE JUDAS GOSPEL & THE DA VINCI CODE
Oh my, how callous have we become?
A Dissection by Rev. Gamaliel B. Filio


The Robe
They literally disrobed Jesus Christ when they nailed him to the cross. Now they are AGAIN trying to “literarily” disrobe Him of His Divinity and to reduce him to a mere man by marrying him off to Mary Magdalene and by demeaning him through his betrayer Judas Iscariot.

It would be funny if it does not hurt when you laugh. Because they are nailing Jesus on the cross once more and once more for the same reason – M O N E Y. Judas betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver and now after him come Dan Brown, using DA VINCI to make Jesus look bad, is making a lot of money – at the expense of Jesus.

The Crown of Thorns
Is there nothing sacred anymore? Have we really sunk this low? I decried the fanaticism and mysticism of the Roman Catholic Church of my youth. And yet I cannot help but be appalled by what this generation have replaced it with. We have crowned his head with thorns of disrespect.

The Lashing!
We use to utter the Name of Jesus with awe and reverence as befits the Son of God. But Dan Brown disrespected Jesus and lashed & tore his flesh once more at the center of an international audience through his Novel and now the movie “The Da Vinci Code.” And Oh how some people lapped it up and made it a best-seller and translated it into 44 languages. The movie, because of the controversy it created, is running all the way to the bank.

The New Pontius Pilate
The novel is FICTION, a product of the author’s imagination, and therefore not fact. Dan Brown took a button and sewed a colorful, imaginative but historically inconsistent and multi-layered SHIRT on it.

But since it is fiction it should be read like “Harry Potter”, “The National Treasure”, “James Bond”, “Mission Impossible” and even C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Nothing less, nothing more. That it is being given an importance it does not deserve is a testimony of how sacrilegious our world has become.

One said that while it is fiction there are some truth in it. They should stop pulling our leg because this statement is incorrect. You have to take a novel as a whole and not in parts. Even if some truths are injected into it, it is still fiction woven out of whole cloth.

The Nails
It grieves me that Brown did a Pontius Pilate in desecrating the name of Jesus by means of fictitious allegations and imaginations as did that Roman Procurator. That is disrespect on the Name of Jesus and every Christian martyr, living and dead.

The plot is imaginative but based on loose premises and untruths masquerading as widely accepted truths. “The book opens with the claim by Dan Brown that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate"; but this claim is disputed by academic scholars in the fields the book discusses. As widely noted in the media, there has been substantial confusion among readers about whether the book is factual. Numerous works have been published which explain in detail why any claim to accuracy is difficult to sustain.” (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Cross
They are crucifying Christ on the Cross of Controversy. Because without controversy books, television, movies, and media has no other way to call attention to itself. And if people do not pay attention to them they will not make money. Truth is no longer important but Controversy that attract people. That spells M-O-N-E-Y.

Who is Da Vinci anyway that what he is implying in his Last Supper painting is being passed off as the truth? Brown made him the keypoint to his Novel and concocted a conspiracy as only a Fiction-Writer can. Congratulations, he started a controversy and he is now a rich man because of it!

But as soon as the controversy wears out, the book, together with its author Dan Brown, will be forgotten but the name they disrespected – JESUS – will stand forever.

The Tomb
Jesus died in calvary and they laid him in Joseph Arimathea’s tomb. Judas committed suicide and was buried in Potter’s Field. But while Jesus resurrected from the dead on the third day, it is the Gospel of Judas that is being resurrected today.

It is being presented not as fiction but as an original factual manuscript. And here the first debate lies, and secondly on what it contends.

Is it real or fake? The debate cannot end even up to doomsday, perhaps. I believe, however, that it is an absolution after the fact, written by one of the close friends of Judas to redeem him from what he has done.

But a discussion on the real role of Judas in the fulfillment of the prophecies about Jesus Christ is quite relevant to us today.

It is evident that the language and style of this gospel is so different, if not inconsistent, with the 4 gospels of the Bible. Jesus speaks in a different manner and about things not discussed in the four. Mathew, Mark, Luke and John are compatible and their books compliment each other although different in style and approach. And Jesus speaks in a way that is common to the 4 and other books of the Bible.

However, the verse that intrigues and the point of contention is that one where Jesus supposedly told Judas: “But you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.”

The Judas Gospel is contending that Jesus, instead of letting the prophecy be fulfilled through the people that has been foretold thousands of years ago, conspired with his “friend Judas” so that the prophecy will happen. And yet the verse admits that he is both man and God. If Jesus is God as he demonstrated when he raised up Lazarus from the dead, he does not need to conspire with anybody to make things happen. Prophecies will be fulfilled no matter what anyone does.
Did Jesus make a mistake in choosing Judas as one of His disciples? My answer is he did not, because the role of Judas was something that was prophesied and it was part of the plan of Salvation that God put in place. Nobody could stop it, nobody could change what Judas was, not even the Son of God.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

NATIONAL OFFICERS CONFERENCE



WHAT WE SOW NOW,
THEY WILL REAP DECADES FROM NOW!
Rev. Gamaliel B. Filio, Evangelista General
Gal 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. KJV


CONFLUENCE
We consider this National Officers Conference as a Prelude to A UNIFIED ACTION – a CONFLUENCE of the SHEPHERD and his FLOCK. A time when all things, ideas, theologies, ideologies, laws and events must conjunct, juxtapose, fuse, and merge into one single question: WHERE ARE WE GOING?.
We have to settle first where we are going before we even begin to devise ways of FLOWING TOGETHER to get there. This is the very essence of STRATEGIC PLANNING. FLOWING TOGETHER with the POWER OF ONE.
John 14:5
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
NIV

A VOW TO REACH THE GOAL
First, a Shepherd-Leader should sit down and think. Set a direction. And target a single goal. One that can be remembered. Three, four, or at the most 10 words. For a period of one or two decades. And then plan the infrastructures needed to the accomplish the goal. Then make a vow to God to reach the goal.

KAISA! KAISA! KAISA
PALAGUIN ANG IGLESIA!!

WINNOWING
Once the question of where one is going is settled then it is time to separate the chaff from the grain. All activities should be planned and devised towards reaching the place pinpointed or zeroing in on the status desired. Consequently, all activities that are counterproductive or does not contribute to the attainment of the goal is discarded and left.

Conceptualizing
•It should always be CONCEPT before ACTION. A plan before movement. The WHere should always precede the HOW. Everything proceeds from the concept. All things that follows are how to do activities that proceed from the concept.

Borrowing Activities
•The easiest way is to import an activity. But the hardest part is to trace the concept from which that activity emanated. Foreign concepts do not always fit local needs nor concerns. That is just like fitting a round peg into a round hole.
Conceptualizing and Initiating Activities
· We must learn how to conceptualize and initiate our own activities as did our forefathers.


When the winnowing is over, then one will know how much money is really needed and only necessary funds will be budgeted.

OUR REASON FOR BEING
Why are we here? Why do we exist? The Church must realize the reason for its existence. Where it is coming from and where it is going.

•To develop the ability to forge the unity of the whole church towards expanding the borders of the work of the church. UNIDA IS KAISA!


• Upang linangin ang kakayahang pandayin ang pagkakaisa ng buong iglesia patungo sa pagpapalawak ng hanggahan ng Gawain ng iglesia. ANG UNIDA AY KAISA!

SETTING THE DIRECTION
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LEADERSHIP IS TO SET DIRECTIONS. It is the rudder that points to where and how fast the church should go. Their task is to make sure that the flock does not lose its SENSE OF DIRECTION. Because it is so easy to get lost in a world that is cluttered with so many ideas, theologies, technologies, media-mind-conditioning, enticing seminars and books and so many charismatic but false prophets that mislead and make man lose sight of God and His Great Commission for the Church and its flock. If the leadership has no sense of WHERE IT IS GOING the flock will just flounder on.
However, this sense should come from within like a geiger counter. From our identity, what and who we are, our heritage from our forefathers who bonded Iglesia Evangelica Unida de Cristo following the Acts of the original Apostolic Church.
We begun as ONE and must continue to act as a church that originated from the first Christian Apostolic Church that was founded by Christ in Caesaria Philippi. We must also value our Presbyterian roots and also be responsive to the changes around us. But we must act together and resist the tendency to flow in different directions. We must value who we are and what we have that enabled a small and financially poor church called Unida to reach more than seven decades of fruitful existence.

WHO ARE WE?
“An EKKLESIA that is One and United in the Worship of One God in Spirit and in Truth.”
From the beginning up to now, and yes, from our forefathers up to us today - WE ARE ONE. In 1932 our church founders (mga tagapangulong tagapaglingkod ng iglesia) wrote an open letter addressed to us and using a term that is so wonderful & poignant & apt: “sa inyong MGA KAPILAS NG AMING KALULUWA.” Wow, the term in English came to be used only in the 1980’s - SOULMATES. Unida members are all soulmates – ONE. Mula nuong una hanggasng ngayon, sila at tayo ay magkapilas ng kaluluwa. May kabuluhan ang ISA.
The essence of being ONE is as old our Church. It is embodied in that letter when they said: Ang kabuuan ng dakilang layon ng Dios sa ating paglalakip-lakip ay ang tayo na mga tingting na nakasabog sa ating kapuluan..... ay mabigkis ng matibay na TALI NG BANAL NA PAG-IISA sa pananampalataya, pag-asa at pag-big na lalong pinakadakila sa lahat. This is our heritage.

THE POWER OF ONE
•ONE WORSHIP
•ONE PRAYER
•ONE BAPTISM
•ONE FAITH
•ONE GOD
•ONE SPIRIT


A UNIQUE AND DISTINCT CHURCH - We are the only church in the world that chooses their leaders the Apostolic Way. God chose the name of our church, IGLESIA EVANGELICA UNIDA DE CRISTO and since the inception of our church, God chose the leaders, the Generales who led our church for the last 73 years. By means of pelotilya or drawing of lots that was laid down in the Acts of the Apostles we avoided church politics. We should be proud of this and this should bind us together.
We are also a church that has a distinctive way of praying every time we break bread together – by singing the following:
Pagpalain Mo po, O aming Dios
Ang mga biyayang mong kaloob
Itulot mo nawa na magdulot
Ng kalakasang ipaglilingkod! Amen.
If it pleases everyone I suggest that we do this before every meal in this Officers Conference.
Unida members know each and greet each other and embrace and beso-beso each other everytime they meet. And during every occasion “hindi matapos-tapos ang kwentuhan at halos ayaw nang maghiwalay.”
And lastly, the Unida Church is indigenous. A Pilipino Church composed of Pilipinos and run by Pilipinos.

OUR WORK
“Bringing the Message of the Saving Grace of the Lord to all creatures in every corner of the world.”
There is ONE Work. To plant and establish churches. And to add to the church daily such as should be saved.
In 1901, an American, Rev . James Rogers, regarded as the first Protestant Evangelist started planting the gospel of the Saving Grace of the Lord in this Roman Catholic Nation. Rev. Tomas Filio picked it up and was followed later by his nephew Rev. Eugenio R. Filio and other Unida Evangelist who started what they called then “Propaganda” for the Evangelical Faith in towns and barrios, in the process establishing churches. In 1957 at Unida’s 25th Anniversary there were 25 strong churches namely Central, Matangtubig, Gagalangin, Sociego, Bagong-Ilog, Baclaran, Caloocan, Tipaz, Novaliches, Imus, Medicion, Caridad, Bacoor, Dasmarinas, General Trias, Anabu, Bacao, Salawag, Malabag, Marulas, Panginay, Sipat, Atlag, Mambog, Carolina.
They are still around and are performing quite well. Now, we are 85 churches and 50 mission points. These are products of the pastors and missionaries that followed one by one, planting churches. The legacy goes on.
OUR HOPE
RUNNING TOWARDS THE FINISH LINE
THE BINDING OF THE ONES INTO ONE DYNAMIC BODY
“The Hope that Jesus will be with them to the end of the ages at the coming of the Kingdom of God.”
We are binded together with this HOPE. And with this in us, we serve God. And there is nothing like a common GOAL that can unite us.

AIMING FOR A FULLY-ARMORED ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

OUR age, times, and world demand of us to establish a church that is fully-equipped to meet the challenges brought about by the Great Commission in a world that is constantly being changed by Information and Communication Technology and the advances in science & modes of transportation that are changing the outlook and values of man. The world is continually being compressed into a GLOBAL VILLAGE. How should the Church respond?
Pastor-Shepherd-Leaders (PSL) must be fully equipped in areas of church administration and concerns not traditionally regarded as part of the work of a CHURCH. This will enable them to respond with confidence to what is happening around them. The future is definitely here already and is not something still to be yet anticipated. The PSLs must guard against finding themselves lacking in personal equipment and the whole church membership must likewise be fully equipped for royal priesthood.
The church and the workers in God’s Vineyard today cannot afford to be ONE DIMENSIONAL. They must strive to be MULTI-DIMENSIONAL.
It is our belief that Strategic Planning is Biblical and it is about time, if not yet late, for the Unida Church to do this. We must now AIM FOR ROYAL PRIESTHOOD IN FULL ARMOR. Royal Priesthood refers first to the Pastors, then the Laity-Professionals, the Organizations, and the whole membership of the Unida Church. But a National Church Development Plan must first be formulated, discussed, debated, approved, submitted to God and implemented.

IT’S TIME TO EQUIP
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” KJV


FULLY-ARMORED
Eph 6:13-14 “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” NIV

FOR ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light

WITH THE POWER OF ONE
KAISA defines how ONE can acquire the power of a MULTITUDE! The Kaisa Spirit comes from the prayer of Jesus and this is where its power comes from.
John 17: 11b “Holy Father, protect them by the Power of Your Name – the Name you gave me – so that they may be ONE as we are ONE.”
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be ONE, Father, just as You are in me and I am in you.”

Our Aims for the Term:
•To fully equip ministers for royal priesthood by means of a PASTORS PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.
Upang sangkapan ang mga manggagawa sa maharlikang pagpapastol sa pamamagitan ng PASTORS PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.

•To develop the ability to mobilize each and every member to a meaningful ministry in the local and national church.
Upang linangin ang kakayahang hamigin ang bawa’t isang kaanib upang magamit sa makabuluhang ministeryo sa iglesia lokal at nasyonal.

•To develop the ability to plant and establish local churches that are self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-propagating.
Upang linangin ang kakayahang magtanim at magtayo ng mga iglesiang may kakayahang suportahan ang sarili, may kakayahang pangunahan ang sarili, at may kakayahang paramihin ang sarili.

•To develop the ability to establish a Fully-Resourced Unida Church.
Upang linangin ang kakayahang magtatag ng isang iglesiang sapat sa pananalapi.

LAYING DOWN INFRA-STRUCTURES FOR THE FUTURE
Strategic Planning requires laying down structures that will effect the future.
What we decide to do or not to do today are relevant to the youth because they will be the leaders tomorrow.

Our batch of youth leaders of the 60’s had a big part in the laying down of the following infra-structures that affects us right now.

1. The First Constitutional Convention in late l960s.
2. The Unida Centralized Budget
3. The Finance Committee
4. The Unida Ministerial Institute & The Unida Lay Leaders Institute
5. The Resistance Against Liberation Theology
6. The Unida Christian Center

The following are some of the infrastructures we wish to be part in laying down for the future.

1. The Unida Professionals for Ministries in the Church
2. The Unified Development Plan for the Unida Church
3. The Bagong Unida Blog

Sunday, January 08, 2006

A TOTAL WORLD PERSPECTIVE

A
TOTAL WORLD PERSPECTIVE
FOR THE UNIDA CHURCH
IN THE FACE OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
AND THE 21ST CENTURY
By Rev. Gamaliel B. Filio


PROLOGUE
VISION is a burden to the leadership. But to a Church, it is the sign that it is ALIVE.

The problem with vision is that it is, often times, so hard to understand and to accept in the present time. For it speaks of a future that cannot be immediately perceived, much less be completely understood.
Because people can only feel a sense of urgency about something that presently stares at them face to face, and it is mostly on this that they are forced to act or react. When one thing happens, they react to it. When an innovation is introduced, they either imitate or denounce it. It is something that they consider urgent because it is staring at them on the up-front.
But acting or reacting on things that some visionaries say are bound to happen, and therefore cannot be seen nor felt at the present time, just do not command such urgent attention. This is human nature. But there are times when we have to veer away from the way things are usually conceptualized, done, executed or implemented. The Church must have vision. Simply because it is spiritual and not physical as a whole.
And to enable it to do this, the Church must have a total perspective of the world around it. A world that is constantly changing (progressing?) and is always trying to shake the Church away from its moorings. But the Church must not be moved.

PERSPECTIVE
The world that Jesus Christ referred to when He said, “Go ye therefore into the world…” is now a totally different world. The Great Commission that Christ gave has never changed and will never change, but the world which is the target of the message of the Saving Grace of the Lord has turned over several thousand times.
Are we saying that Christian perspective must change? No. But it has to be widened, considerably expanded, to the extent that the Church’s work can cover the total world perspective. WE MUST EXPAND THE BORDERS OF THE WORK OF THE CHURCH.

UNIDA TARGET
We should therefore be:
· A Church that answers the needs and stands up to the challenge of a Technology & Communication-Driven World.
· A Church that always emerges victorious in the marketplace of ideas and faith.
· A Church that can identify the current “battleground” for the souls of men and become relevant in it
· A Church that can withstand the onslaught of the winds of change.

THE CHANGING VIEW OF THE WORLD
The Old World. When Christ said “Go ye into the world…”, he was referring to the WHOLE round WORLD and the universe around it. But the limited knowledge of the people He was talking to prevented them from understanding the total width and breadth of that world. Because to them the world was a FLAT area consisting of only the places they have seen or heard of and traveling beyond the flat area is unimaginable because they will fall into limbo. This is the limit of the their perspective of the world at the time.

The New World. Copernicus came, followed by Galileo and they found out through scientific studies that the earth is round. People soon traveled by ocean-going ships beyond the flat area and did not fall into limbo and they proved that the world is bigger than they thought; and it is round. They also found countries and people beyond the horizon and they called these places the New World. They found out how big the world was. Columbus soon discovered America, Marco Polo went to China, and Magellan discovered that there are people in the islands later called Filipinas after King Felipe of Spain. During these times people traveled by horseback and in groups by horse-drawn carriages and stagecoaches.

The Present World. If the world became bigger in the New World. It began to become smaller, to shrink by means of advances in science and inventions. Henry Ford invented the horseless carriage, the automobile or Car, and later the Wright brothers invented the airplane and the world was on its way. Soon, air travel became ordinary and the whole world became accessible and reachable. Radio, telegraph, television, satellite signals, cable TV, the Internet converted the whole world into a global village, making every nook and corner of the world within reach.

The Virtual World. The previous three worlds discussed are physical. The fourth is not. It is in the world but it has no geographical location. Advances made by man in science and most especially in Information & Communication Technology has created a virtual world not apart from the physical one but very much distinct from it. It has its own language and is capable of fast communication that can reach every nook of the earth in volume and speed beyond our imagination. The FUTURE is indeed here already. Take note of the world millennium celebration that was broadcast and telecast simultaneously in every country around the world. And this makes one wonder: what about a simultaneous broadcast and telecast of the message of the Saving Grace of the Lord?

A MAJOR CONCERN:
TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION

BUT are our pastors and workers ready to face a Technology & Communication-Driven World, or do we all really understand our TOTAL WORLD, which is both physical and virtual and its relationship with our SPIRITUAL WORLD?
The answer is a big fat NO. Is this an indictment of the Unida Church? No, not Unida alone but the whole fellowship of believers in the Philippines. We are all not ready.
The Christian Churches are now in radio and television communicating the gospel to the people. Through this the Christian Presence is established in the visibly most effective means of bringing and selling a message or information to the people. But with the coming of the future, the present is revised. For the present and the future is forged together in the Virtual World created by Information & Communication Technology. And here there is no clear Filipino Christian Presence yet.
I definitely cannot think for the whole Christian fellowship of believers, but being one of the Generales, I can think for the Unida Church.
The Unida Church must pioneer the establishment of the Christian Presence in NETRADIO and NETTV and must fully use the communication & information venues of the INTERNET.

OUR NEXT CONCERN:
THE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS AND FAITH
We are sure about our faith. We are sure about the God that we serve. We are sure about our salvation.
Let us put ourselves to the test by being in the marketplace of IDEAS and FAITH through the present Information & Communication Technology. The faith of our forefathers, our original “mga pangulong tagapaglingkod ng iglesia Unida”, withstood the test of time and new ideas and ideologies. We believe that we, too, can fight the good fight in our physical and virtual world so that the Kingdom of God will prevail.
But we must prepare ourselves.

OUR THIRD CONCERN:
THE CURRENT BATTLEGROUND

The new battleground is the virtual world created by the Information & Communication Technology.
Some are saying that computers are satanic and therefore we should not use it, much less touch it. They are partly correct because the minions of satan are using it to purvey false teachings and satan worship. But it is precisely because of this that we should be there to counter them by answering with the Word of God. If we don’t we will lose by default and we will answer to God.

OUR FOURTH CONCERN:
THE WINDS OF CHANGE

The winds of change is upon us. I have discussed this in another article and so I will not elaborate on this here. Let it suffice that I quote the words of a non-christian whose teaching of non-violence is so Christian, Mahatma Ghandi:
“Let us open our windows so that the winds of beliefs and faith of other cultures can freely flow in and out of our house, but never permit these strong winds to blow our house down.”

OUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITY:
AN UNBLEMISHED CHURCH

“…..even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27

WE HAVE presented a total world perspective that challenges the wisdom, strength, preparedness, and faith of Christians today. The first inclination is for us to retreat into our Christian shell and let this world pass by. But if we do this a lot of souls will be left unsaved and this the Lord does not want. Because when He comes for the second time, we must present to Him a glorious Church that is without blemish. Christians must not run away from their responsibility. But the time to do it is now. LET US DO IT!