Invading Philippines into Chritianity

The most fulfilling and praising event was the coming of Christianity in the Philippines. Without the desire of the foreign missionary and Filipino’s who went abroad and became Christian Christianity in the Philippines might not be this large in number now. But this critical for a missionary to share the gospel in the Philippines, it is because the Philippines under Spanish oppression and different languages, culture. This is so amazing, how to make this happened in a very mysterious ways that the Philippines became the Christian country.

According to the survey there were more ureached people group need the gospel. Still a lot people in this world need salvation, and need to hear God. I wonder what if each believer will take the challenge to share the gospel to each person each day? But sometimes this problem with people they have different lifestyle, works, and places. I think one of the hindrances for a people not able to take the challenge because some just follow Jesus but do not have the desire to share the salvation. The reason is they do not know how to share the gospel.

One thing that God put the desire in me is to train the young people how to share the gospel. Through the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, He will send these youth wherever places God put them. And it is the challenge for me also to train this young people in this days for the next generation. 

Revival

The work of the Holy Spirit in lives cannot be measured by mathematics but many thousands of people were swept into the Kingdom of God during this time; the clergy was reformed which set a new, high standard of pastoral care; agencies to promote Christian work were formed and missionaries.

Christian concern for the under-privileged grew - people were made aware of social obligations to other, like orphan care. In the Catholic Church Jesuit missionaries continued to expand through South America and parts of Asia to found Catholic churches - they were people with faith, vision and dedication. The Christianity revived and it spread even throughout Asia. We have noticed that we were the recipient of their effort.

The revivalist leaved an impression to the history as a great impact to the church. Since, today we experienced that impact in us, how these people originate the missionary work, pastoral care, and even promoting Christian work. I became the recipient of this impact that God put the desire in my heart to become a missionary. I am praying as God put this desire in me, He will also open the place where He wants me to be. My desire that not only to reach out other people, but first I must reach out my relationship to God or I must keep my relationship to God, closer and more closer. God’s lavishing love and grace inspired me and also ignites me to extend it to others.

Burning Desire

Many felt that Christianity at this time was in a permanent decline and would never recover. There was a dissatisfaction with the coldness of the established church, the collapse of personal faith and need for a move of the Holy Spirit. They did not take into account the mighty hand of God to touch hearts again. There was a desire to return to apostolic Christianity in these new movements in the midst of a spiritually dead period. The smouldering flame of God began to break into flame.

I learned that people at this point had the deepest desire to be ignited and they had the passion to be touched by God once again. People changes but the need does not change. The need of God is still the desire of every people. Every time I heard God’s message I had this feeling inside that God touched and struck my heart. Every word that came out from a pastor whom used by God as an instrument to deliver His message.

 The gospel is preach anywhere at this age but the most important is, not that how much message we heard, but how we apply God’s word in our lives. If those people felt their need of God, it doesn’t mean, I do not need God. I always remember that I have no choice not to follow and obey God, unless His presence is with me.

Science vs. Scripture

On this content it caught my attention with the period saw advances in science which sometimes brought conflict with church thinking. Galileo an astronomer and physicist argued that the planets revolve around the sun - a theory which brought him into conflict with the Inquisition, after which time he lived under house arrest until his death.

Isaac Newton the great English scientist is best remembered for his law of gravity. He believed that his scientific discoveries were communicated to him by the Holy Spirit and regarded the understanding of scripture as more important than his scientific work. He encouraged the belief that human enquiries into nature, unaided by Scripture could demonstrate the wisdom and power of the Creator.

It is indeed beyond human understanding to understand the happenings of our world. The world people itself could not distinguished his existence, but God made him known by made Himself known to the world. We cannot even define God through science. Science is by observation and due to observation in the laboratory. We can observe the activity of God, but we could not observe God in the laboratory. Therefore, the science itself is not beyond God, through the Scripture we can define God, because the scripture is the revelation of God. 

Bloody Mary

The fires never ceased to blaze whilst Mary was alive, and five martyrs were burnt in Canterbury only a week before her death. Out of these 288 sufferers, be it remembered, one was an archbishop, four were bishops, twenty-nine were clergymen, fifty-five were women, and four were children. It is a broad fact that these 288 sufferers were not put to death for any offence against property or person. They were not rebels against the Queen's authority, caught red-handed in arms. They were not thieves, or murderers, or drunkards, or unbelievers, or men and women of immoral lives. On the contrary, they were, with barely an exception, some of the holiest, purest, and best Christians in England, and several of them the most learned men of their day. 

This is the fact that this event proved how bloody Mary was, it was not about their rebels against her, but it was against her belief. It was sad story about those men and women died because of their belief as a Christian. There were no justice with their death, there was neither offense that they were worthy to be punished. I looked the mirror and ask myself, why this happened to them, why You (God) allowed this happened is this was part of your purpose and plan? The truth hanged me for a moment of pondering the deaths of this people. What if I was one of them died on that day? What will be my reaction or what would be the reaction of my family? I am sure because I am a Christian my family too would be punished. Then, is it my time to deny my faith just to save my life, and torment my soul for eternity? 

This illogical reason that I would just deny my faith for the sake of my soul is not worthy, because I would rather deny anything and everything that is in me than denying my Lord. I am willing and ready to face world judgement of believing in Him and put to death. But before all those, I should spread the gospel and help people change, as what the Lord did for me before He takes my life. 

Puritans

The Puritans were English Reformers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They were frustrated by the slow progress of the Reformation in the Anglican Church. They left a legacy of theological writing that is unsurpassed in church history. Their doctrine tended to be Calvinistic and Presbyterian. John Calvin encountered Luther's teaching and was converted in Switzerland-. A man with an intense love for God, he believed that all knowledge of God could only be found in the Word of God. He also believed in predestination. He believed in the final authority of God and that God has everything under control -how close and fundamental this is to our belief! 

These two men were not perfect! - Luther believed that babies were “born again” at infant baptism. Calvin had more than one opponent burnt at the stake for opposing his teaching. But through them and the division they caused in the church, came further expansion of Christianity. Renewal and reform cane at the cost of the break up of religious unity in Western Europe but was basis of modern religious freedom. Most denominations were born out of a search for truth rather then strife. Luther became father of Protestantism (so called because of taking the stand of protest) and also founder of the Lutheran church.

Calvin's work gave rise to the Presbyterian Church in Scotland and Netherlands and Puritan movement in England and America. What a prevailing truth that some of our doctrines based on these men, but usually to Calvin. This is the truth that these things happened for the sake of preserving the truth even between life and death situations, these people were willingly to give their lives. This reminds me that as a Bible school student what I should pass on to the next generation. It seems that I had no capability to impart my intelligent but hopefully my living testimony would speak through them that there is God. 

Radical Discipleship

Zwingli worked hand in hand with a group of radicals with Comrad Grebel, Felix Manz, and the others. They maintained a common front but the issues of the church and infant baptism divided them. It seems that Zwingli himself opposed infant baptism for a time but drew back when he realized that it is essential if a state church is to be maintained. After public disputation with Zwingli, they began to rebaptized believers. The infant baptism was the obvious point of disagreement but the issues were more fundamental. The Anabaptized rejected the state church, to which forced to belong. Christian faith was free and voluntarily, not to be restrained. The church is voluntary association of committed disciples. Baptism is not a requirement for the church to become a member of the church, but rather baptism is the professing of one’s faith.

Becoming a Christian (follower of Jesus), baptism is not the requirement, but it is an act of obedience of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When I decided to became a Christian, I declined to be baptized in the Baptist Church, because it is my own knowledge that when I got baptized in that Church, I will become Baptist also. My decision to follow Jesus is not about the church, but it was a decision to follow Him with all my heart. 

The Church is just a tool, where I can know God more. I thank the church who cater my spiritual needs and help me grow of my faith in the Lord. This I pray that I could do the same to others, which the desire of my heart to share the gospel to the unreached people and disciple them and lead them to our Lord Jesus Christ.