"WORSHIP IS MORE THAN A SONG!"

HINDI LAHAT NG USO AY MAGANDA AT DAPAT GAYAHIN. PERO MERONG MGA USONG MAGANDA AT DAPAT BIGYAN NG PANSIN. DATAPWA’T ANG LAHAT NG USO AY LUMILIPAS AT NAWAWALA. SUBALI’T ANG SALITA NG DIOS AY MANANATILI MAGPAKAILANMAN.
And the unvarnished Word of God is Jesus Christ who became Flesh and dwelled among us so that we can get a glimpse of God and in the process become worthy to be called a child of God, born not of flesh but of the Holy Spirit.
Children of God who in their spiritual act of worship will offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.
Music pervades today’s modern style of worship. They respect no liturgy at all and they claim worship is as the spirit moves them. Their Music borders on rock if not out and out rock music. And of course, they dance as worshippers had never danced before. Yes, out and out dance.
I believe in creativity and relevance in worship. Worship should not be done redundantly but in different ways while retaining the liturgy that the Bible say should be included in it. A balance must be found between the old and the new without forgetting that worship is an spiritual act. (Romans 12)
Below is a chapter of a book I have written that deals with how I feel about modern worship.

Tsapter Tri
“Kung mangarap ka’t magising…”

MULA sa pagkaidlip ay napamulagat ako. Saan ako naroon? Anong araw ngayon? Anong oras na? Umaga, tanghali, o gabi? Sa loob ng maraming sandali nangapa ako sa mga sulok ng utak ko. Kinakabahan ako. Ba’t wala akong maalala? Bigla, lumilanga-linga ako. Nasaan ang librong “The Story of Rip Van Winkle” na binabasa ko? Wala! At nuon ko napansin ang kapaligiran ko. Hindi ko kilala ang mga furnitures at appliances na nakikita ko. Hindi ko bahay ito. O, hindi nga ba!?

Ano ito? Sulat. “Daddy,” ang nabasa ko, “nasa kapilya na kami.” Pero hindi iyon ang tumawag ng pansin ko, kundi ang petsa. Dec. 25, 2018. Teka, teka, ang alam ko, ang kasalukuyang taon ay 2008 pa lang. Huwag mong sabihing….

Marahas kong binuksan ang pinto at lumabas. Lalong lumalim ang pagtataka. Iba na ang lahat. Ibang-iba ang paligid. Bumalik ako sa loob. Nag-isip. Bumalik ang tingin sa sulat.
Pagkatapos ay binuksan ko ang pinto at tumingin sa labas. Lumabas at mabilis na lumakad. Ang kapilya, nasaan ang kapilya? Dito lang ‘yun. Dito lang, Ahhhhh ayun!

Malayo pa ay dinig ko na ang masayang awitan. Ang electric guitar, drums, keyboard at iba pang instrumentong kumakalansing! Kumakalansing?! Nagmadali ako.

Bumulaga sa akin ang buong kongregasyon na nag-aawitan, nagsasayawan. Masaya. Bigay na bigay ang pag-awit at bigay na bigay ang pagsasayaw. Ibang sayaw, o iba nga ba? Pareho din pero….pero, iba ang indayog. Iba ang dating. Iba ang ibig sabihin? Praise & Worship? Biglang rumagasa ang kaba sa dibdib ko. Iba na ang gawaing ito, isang hakbang na higit sa inisip ko. Dios ko! Ako, ang nagdala, nagpasok ng gawaing ito sa kapilyang ito. Ako! Ganito ba katindi ang intensiyon ko?

Tumignin ako sa paligid. Wala akong makitang kakilala. Hindi ko makita ang pamilya ko. Nasaan sila sa gitna ang nag-iindayugang mga katawan sa harap ko?

Nag-iba ang tugtog ng banda. Tugtog na nagbababala na mayroong darating. Sa kanang bahagi ng stage lumabas ang isang lalaki. Puting-puting ang suot. Nagsasayaw, umaawit. Pumapagitna habang umiindak sa saliw ng tugtog at awit. At nagsimulang magsalita, mangaral sa ritmo ng tugtog. Ang tinig ay nanunuot, tumatawag ng damdamin. Ang lahat ng mata ay tumutok sa kaniya. Umugong ang paligid. May tumili. At naghari ang sigaw ng pagpupuri! Pagpupuri? Kangino?

Bigla nag-iba ang pagsasalita, kangina nauunawaan ko. Ngayon gibberish ang salita. Paulit-ulit. Sumunod ang mga tao. Sabay-sabay. Umugong. Mga salitang hindi ko maunawaan. Dios ko, ako lang ba sa lipunpung ito ang hindi nakakaintindi sa ugong na ito?

Isa-isang naglapitan ang mga tao sa lalaking nagsasalita ng hindi ko maintindihan. Naghihiyawan. Naghahalakhakan. Walang patumanggang awitan, tugtugan at sayawan at halakhakan! Pagpupuri? Kangino? Isa-isang dinunggol sila sa nuo ng nakabukas na palad ng nakaputing lalaki. Isa-isa paatras silang bumagsak. At sa tuwing may bumabagsak lumalakas ang hiyawan, lalong tumtindi ang awitan laluna ang sayawan. Sino ang pinupuri, hindi ko makita. Ako lang kaya ang hindi nakakakita?

Sumigaw ako ng malakas. Nguni’t hindi ko narinig ang sarili ko. Nalunod ito ng lalong lumakas pang ugong ng kawan sa harap ko.
Hindi na ako nakatiis. Mabilis akong lumabas, nakatakip ang dalawang kamay sa ulo. Sa labas, tumakbo akong walang direksiyon. Nang biglang nanuot ang tinig ng isang dalagita.

“Lolo! Lolo!” Hindi ko agad nakilala ang mukha ng dalagita na nakalabas ang ulo sa isang bagong modelong kotse na minamaneho. Pero saglit lang, kagyat namukhaan ko. Si Bebel, dalagita na ang apo ko? “Lolo, hinihintay ka na namin sa Grand Unida Temple.”

Sumakay ako at nakita kong ibang lugar ang pinupuntahan namin.

Pagpasok ko, nanduoon silang lahat. Ang buong pamilya ko at ang mga mukhang pamilyar sa akin. Umaawit ang kapulungan. “Patnugot Ko Ay Si Jesus.” Ang paborito kong Himno. Inaawit ng masaya. Hinugot ko sa dibdib ang isang malalim na buntung-hininga.

Nuon ako nagising. At natuwa. Kilala ko ang paligid. Tiningnan ko ang kalendaryo, 2008. Ayos!

Ano ang ibig sabihin ng panaginip. Tumayo ako at pumikit. At sa aking balintataw ay nakito ko ang Unida, ang aking iglesia, sa harap ng isang magkasanggang sanga. Sa kaliwa ang pagbabago at sa kanan ang babala ng pananatili. Quo Vadis? Saan dapat magtungo?

BACLARAN CHURCH CAMP!

THE whole Baclaran Unida Evangelical is on a Church Camp. It began on Holy Thursday with 110 members in attendance, a record of sorts for a special event, continue on to Fasting on God's Friday, and CELEBRATION on Easter Sunday.

With the Holy Spirit in-dwelling in them, the camp began with a spirit-filled group dynamics that brought all of them to Tomas Claudio where historically the church began and bringing some of them to as far-off as the Mall of Asia. And then the Bible Study entitled: "Finding the Power Within You." The camp continues on God's Friday capped by THE SEVEN LAST WORDS AND COVENANT TIME. Easter Sunday will be a Celebration ala-American Idol titled "ANG GALING MO 'TOL."

SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE AT BACLARAN

SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE

WHAT is Spiritual Renaissance? It refers to the dawning-in of the LIGHT of knowledge of things SPIRITUAL. Darkness is the cessation of learning, a period in the history of mankind when knowledge halted and was at a standstill. Renaissance is when light entered in and knowledge flourished in arts, science, and more importantly in hearing and heeding God’s words.

The church should be at the forefront of this Spiritual Renaissance. God’s command is clear: GATHER, HEAR, LEARN, AND THE FEAR THE LORD.

Deut 31:12-13 GATHER the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within the temple gates, that they may HEAR, and that they may LEARN, and FEAR the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

On Maundy Thursday, Holy Friday, and Easter Sunday, Baclaran Unida Evangelical Church will launch a SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE by the whole membership of the church. This is a spiritual voyage that will bond together all the members in fasting, hearing the call of God, learning from His Scriptures and fearing God.

All of us will board the PAMANDAWAN NG KALIGTASAN (Ark of Salvation) for a COMMON EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNING WITH GOD the whole day of March 20 and the whole day of March 21, with a culminating Worship on Easter Sunday.

The Challenge is: Can we leave the world where we live and LIVE WITH GOD for three days? Are we up to the challenge. Men, women, and children?

"WHAT IS WORSHIP?"

WORSHIP is an often discussed subject and many books have been written telling us what it is suppose to be. In this discussion, I stop merely accepting what other people say it is and begin saying what I feel it is. Worship for me is personal and therefore concerns what I can feel about my God. For a while, I will refrain from quoting verses to avoid circular logic but rather refer directly to my personal relationship with God. Deep in my heart, this is the meaning of worship.

“YOU, feeling God and acknowledging His reign in you. GOD, feeling you and declaring His Kingship of you.”

FEELING GOD, means accepting His presence and existence. Is there a God? Yes, there is a God who must be without beginning and no end. An Eternal God who created the universe and began Man’s time and entered into it by creating man in His own image.
This feeling begins with you and connects you to God and should never be severed. This is what faith is, never cutting your connection with God no matter what happens in your life.
Why can’t this feeling end? Because when God created you, He not only created you in His own image but made you a LIVING SOUL by breathing into you His SPIRIT. There is a part of God in you so your feeling of Him should never end. Rather, could never end, because whether you are aware of Him or not He is in you.

ACKNOWLEDGING HIS REIGN, means accepting that He rules your life. It is not you who lives but He who lives in you. When you pray, when you enter His temple and His presence, it is not any purpose that drives you but rather the Holy Spirit that powers you to overcome all things and achieve great things for Him. You were created so that God can overcome this world through you. He has no other way but you. Accepting this and His will for you is worship.

GOD FEELING YOU, means He rejoices that you have come to worship Him. He welcomes you to His flock within His Church where He is at door. He says come so that He can feel your presence.

DECLARING HIS KINGSHIP OF YOU, means God saying YOU ARE MINE and the devil cannot touch you. And as He sees you worshipping Him, He rejoices and accepts your worship.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Attached is a picture of LANCE MALACHI LIMPIN FILIO nicknamed ELI.

This is now the time to thank all of you for your prayers and to some of you for the financial help. OUR GOD IS A WONDERFUL AND MIRACULOUS GOD WHO RE-GAVE A NORMAL HEART TO ELI. He was operated on last November 8th to revert his red and blue blood arteries to normal and is now a bouncing normal baby boy surprising even the staff of Philippine Heart Center with his quick recovery. Thank you all for the prayers.

ELI showed us the true meaning of FAITH. Let us all continue praying for Lance and Nikki in their struggle to make both ends meet for their Million Peso Baby. GLORY BE TO GOD!

Because Christ lives,

Pastor Galying & Lucy, Children, grandchildren including the newly-hearted Eli.