KAISANG UNIDA! HAYO NA!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN EXPANDING BORDERS?

ARE WE CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD?
By Rev. Gamaliel B. Filio
PEOPLE measure our God using us as their yardstick. To them, our God is only as great and as powerful as the things we have achieved in His Name and what we dare to do for His Kingdom. And, of course, comparable to the challenges we throw at ourselves in serving Him. If we are mediocre, what else will they call our God.

Elijah showed how powerful his God is in a prayer face-off with the pagan god worshippers. Yahweh won because the prophet dared to pray for fire to consume his water-logged and water-surrounded offering. Yahweh incinerated the offering with fire from heaven. Are we as worthy of our God as Elijah?

Small ideas are products of small faith. But big and extra-ordinary things and projects, those that other people categorize as impossible, are products of a GREAT FAITH in a GREAT GOD.

We want to “EXPAND THE BORDERS OF THE CHURCH.” GOOD! BUT WHAT DO YOU MEAN EXPANDING BORDERS?

The borders of a church are traditions, territory, and a mindset of how to do and achieve things.

Expanding borders therefore means to get out and operate outside the confines of these three.

When one increases his numbers within his territory, he has not expanded his borders. If one follows only traditions and a mindset, he is not expanding but shrinking.

We were 80 worshippers when we first came to Baclaran Unida Church. We have doubled that number and even reached our target of 215 Sunday Worshippers. However, in doing this we have not expanded yet. But when years ago, Baclaran helped establish a church in Calapan City, Mindoro Oriental, that is going out of its territory and therefore expanding its borders.

When we do things just because that’s the way it’s been done for many years without considering what the world around us has become, that is a trap that we must get out of. If we use modern communications and new technologies to bring the message of the Gospel to people within and outside our territory then indeed we are expanding into the Virtual World.

TERRITORY

The Administrative Territorial Zones of Baclaran Unida Church covers Barangay Baclaran, a part of Sucat and a part of Las Pinas City & Abroad.

The coverage are as follows:
Efeso: From Roxas Boulevard passing through L. Gabriel up to Mactan Street.
Corinto: From after Mactan up to Lt. Garcia Street.
Tesalonica: From after Lt. Garcia up to Unida Street.
Antioch: From after Unida up to Lapu-Lapu including our Church
Galacia: From after Lapu-Lapu passing thru G.G. Cruz up to Quirino
Filipos: Sitio Maligaya and Don Carlos
Colosas: Sucat, Las Pinas and Abroad

Expanding means working outside of these territory and experimenting on doing things beyond tradition and mindset.

Traditionally, the Unida Church holds its Anniversary worship at its temple in Unida Christian Center, Silang, Cavite. The place is now too small for such a big event attended by all Unida congregations. But in 2005 and 2007 this was done before the public and the nation at CUNETA ASTRODOME AND PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER (PICC FORUM).

Next year, The IEMILIF Church will reach 100 years and will hold its Anniversary Worship at SMX near Mall of Asia (MOA). The place holds 10,000 people and rents at Php500,000.00 or half a million pesos.

It is our personal prayer that some day in the future the Unida Church will also hold its Anniversary Worship & Concert there.

Because the God that we serve is not a lesser God but the GREATEST GOD! “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly He was above them.” Exodus 18:11.

People regard and believe in many gods and lords. But this does not mean that they are really what they call them. For absolutely no one can compare to our God. “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 5:11.

We repeat, our GOD is MAJESTIC in HOLINESS, AWESOME in GLORY, and in WORKING WONDERS. If we are shy in our efforts, limited in our initiatives, hampered by lack of finances, stagnant and immobile, then perhaps we can be called children of a lesser God.

But NO! We have a GREAT GOD who can make the impossible possible, and give us the strength ad the wisdom to surmount the insurmountable, and climb the highest mountain.

It is inconceivable that the Church of God will lack finances, “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” Deuteronomy 10:17. God will provide the great, big finances but great big finances carries with it the responsibility to do the impossible, to surmount the insurmountable, and to reach the greatest heights that men can see like a candle on top of the mountain.

Are we then children of the GREATEST GOD? YES, WE ARE. So, let us start doing like we really are.

Let us achieve great and powerful things in His Name. Begin to dare doing what has never done before and challenge ourselves far beyond even our own imagination. Let us aspire to demonstrate and show the whole world the real and true worth of Yahweh.

Then they will know by looking at us and knowing of us that “There is only One God, there is only One Lord, there is only One Saviour, there is only One Name given for our Salvation – JESUS. And they will know how great our God is, through us.”

UNIDA CELEBRATES 75 YEARS @UNIDA CHRISTIAN CENTER

IGLESIA EVANGELICA UNIDA DE CRISTO reaches 76th and on Sunday, May 18, 2008, will celebrate for the whole day at UNIDA CHRISTIAN CENTER located at the junction of Aguinaldo Highway that goes to Silang and Tagaytay City.

The worship service begins at 8:00 and will climax with the sending out of the Pastors and Church workers to their respective congregations and mission points. A Choir Festival follows right after lunch.

Our modern world awaits and the challenges of modern communication and technology offer vast opportunities to reach the unsaved with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us all come together as we forge our way towards expanding our borders and discipling our nation.

PERFORMING VS PRAISING!

SINGING is a God-given talent. It should be used primarily in worshipping and praising God.

On the secular stage, performances showcase a person’s singing talent. The focus is on the performer and the bravos are for him/her. The audience gush “Oh, what a voice, what a performance!”

Several nights ago, the American Idol finalists sang “Shout to the Lord!” They bombed. Why? Because they were all performing instead of praising God. They even started on the wrong foot by changing the lyrics of the song. Instead of singing “My Jesus, My Savior” in the first bar they sang “My Shepherd, My Savior.” They were so focused on their performance, they ignored the God they are singing about.
The Center of Worship is God. It is all about Him. Not the worshipper.

But the worshipper must give all that he has and the best that he has. Our times is blessed with the "best of so much", nay, not only the best but the fastest way of doing things that the first Christians and reformers did not have nor even dreamed could ever be possible.
Could they ever have imagined an instrument that can play like a Hammond organ at the flick of a finger, or be a violin, a trumpet, a piano, etc at the musicians whim? Or a stringed instrument like a guitar whose volume can be controlled from a whisper to the loudest sound. Or could they ever have imagined a MINUS ONE?
These are musical instruments that God has given our generation to use and CONTROL for the good of the church. Satan is using them to take hold of the world. We should not let IT win BY DEFAULT. By all means, let us use them. But let us be DISCRIMINATING AND HOLY when doing it. Let us always remember that worship is about God. Not about you performing but you PRAISING AND WORSHIPPING GOD.