HOW many of you believe that you're a winner?
A lot of things can go against you; The enemy can be againstyou; Circumstances can go against you; Events can go against you;
Problems can go against you; People can go against you; But if God is for you, who can be against you? There is no force in the universethat can stop your destiny.
Today we answer your questions.
How will you know if it is God talking to you or it is just your inner self stating what you want to believe in?
First, don’t rush making decisions. Our problem is that we are always in a hurry. Take your time. Sleep on it. Take a break. Go for a short vacation. The reason you’re so confused is because you’re so immersed in the muck of life. Walk away from the situation, climb a mountain, and get a mountain view perspective. Spend time discerning and praying. Seek confirmation with other wise mentors. Just by doing that, you’ll be able to make better decisions.
Second, know the difference between the role of your conscience and the role of youremotions. You get into heaps of problems if you mix them up. The role of your emotions is toreveal what is real, not what is right. That’s the role of your conscience. Your emotions arethe windows of your soul: They tell you how you’re doing, not what you should be doing.
Third, God honors your sincere desire to know His will. And even if you make a mistake inknowing God’s will, God will find a way to right the wrong. All things will work for good tothose who love God. In God, you can’t lose. You’re always a winner.
Is giving to beggars a good thing? Wouldn't this keep them begging? But nakokonsiensya ako if I don’t give. Is this the voice of God?
God wants us to love the poor. The question is how. You need to find the best way to love them.
When you give to kids who beg on the streets, you’re encouraging them to stay onthe streets. But the streets are a very dangerous place for kids. That’s where they meet accidents, gangs, and drugs.
The best way to help the street kids is not to give fish but to teach them how tofish.Instead of giving to the beggars directly, give to ministries that help the poor on along-term sustainable program, like the He Cares Foundation for Street Children.
I want to be an usher at the Feast. How can I apply?
Are you sure you want to be an usher at the Feast? Do you have a permanent smile on your face, especially at the 10:45 a.m. session, where they have to close the doors because PICC management requires that we close them, lest we go against the fire ordinance of the City. Some people will shout at you for being so bad! (I honor our ushers for being the most patient people. I love you!)
To volunteer, simply go to the Connect Group Table at the Lobby. To volunteer in any of our ministries, we encourage you to join a Connect Group.
How can I establish a Campus Feast in our school?
That’s fantastic. Anyone listening right now who is being called by God to start a Campus Feast, please get in touch with JC Libiran (below) at jclibiran21@gmail.com
We started a Feast in SM Manila some four years ago. Some of those students had graduated and are now serving in the various Feasts. In a few years, they’ll get married and have kids. I started very young—I was 13 years old when I began preaching. Most of our leaders started very young in the Lord. And I believe that a huge number of our future leaders— 3 or 5 or 10 years from now will be coming from our Campus Feasts.
I love giving. But sometimes, I feel my actions are not true. I was just compelled to give, and every time I feel this way, I become sad. What should I do to be pure in giving?
At least you know that you’ve got impure motives. That’s wonderful. Knowing what tochange is half the battle won. But at the end of the day, do what is right. And then ask God to purify your motives.
Breathing consists of two parts— inhaling and exhaling. You just can’t inhale and notexhale—or you’ll die. In the same way, wealth is like breathing. It also consists of two parts getting and giving. If you don’t give, something in you dies. So you can’t say, “I have impuremotives, so I might as well not give.” You still need to give, but keep praying to God to cleanse your motives.
I just want to know what is the difference between Catholic and Christian? I’m kind of confused. And is the Feast Catholic or Christian?
We’re Buddhists. Just kidding. Catholics are Christians. But I understand your question. I think you’re asking, “Is the Feast Catholic or Protestant?” We are Catholics. We love our Catholic Faith. In fact, we give our volunteers a Bible Study to deepen their Catholic Faith. (We’ll invite you to join that soon.) But since we’re reaching out to the unchurched, we welcome everyone—Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, Atheists, Agnostics, Rizalistas,Noranians, Vilmanians…
Why do so many children die of hunger in Africa? Puwede naman gawan ng paraan ni Lord di ba?
Unless God steps back and moves out of the way, we won’t learn that to minister to the poor is our role. In Matthew 25, Jesus calls us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the strangers, clothe the naked, and visit those in prison. Instead of asking, “God, why aren't you doing anything about this?” let’s ask our self, “Why am I not doing anything about this? Lord, teach me…”
This is our world. This is our people. At the early part of Genesis, Cain killed Abel. When God said, “Cain, where is your brother Abel?”
He asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
That question is found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. And the entire Bible is
answering that question with a resounding,
“Yes, you are your brother’s keeper!”
Is giving tithes different from charity? If I donate to charity, may I skip tithing?
I can only share with you my personal practice. I don’t want to impose this on you.
Pray to God for direction. I follow the practice in the Bible where there’s a difference between Tithes and Alms. Tithes go to the Temple and Alms go to the poor. Tithes go to the church and ministry that gives you spiritual nourishment so that your spiritual family can continue to support you.
Why do some people who want to have children cannot have children while others who don’t want to have children, such as poor people or even rapevictims, have them?
Answer: I don’t know. (Next question!)
I wish I knew the answer. Because I pray for a lot of my friends who are childless. But at the end of the day, I still trust that every pain has a purpose, every loss has a logic, every regret has a reason.
In Heaven, we will all say, “Oh, so that’s why that happened…”
I don’t know why my wife lost three babies through miscarriage. Every time, the pain was horrendous. After each miscarriage, my wife would go through depression for six months.
On the third miscarriage, I asked my wife, “So, is the pain lesser now that it’s your third?
My wife screamed at me. (Husbands sometimes say the most awful things.)
It’s a mystery that will only be answered in Heaven. And in Heaven, I will say, “Oh, so that’s why that had to happen…”
And I’ll be thanking God for how all things work for good.
All of us thank God for the blessing of open doors. But we should also equally thank God for the blessing of closed doors.
We are equally blessed when He gives things to us and when He takes things away from us. We are equally blessed when He says yes and when He says no.
When we started the Light of Jesus 33 years ago, we’d always wanted to have our permanent place for our prayer meetings. But every attempt we made failed. Today, 33years later, I thank God that we failed. Because we would have been stuck in that smallplace—when God wanted us to grow.
In the last three years alone in PICC, we grew from 3,500 to 10,000 attendees.
When we were praying for our place, God probably was laughing at us and saying,
“That place? You want that itsy bitsy teeny weeny polka dot bikini place? Ha-ha!”
When God says no, it means He wants something bigger, and better, and brighter for us.
Are statues and icons of Jesus, Mary, and Saints considered idolatry like other religions claim?
The command against idolatry in the Bible was against the idols found 3000+ years ago. For example? Moloch, a god made of bronze, that was like a giant oven. They’d put blazing fire inside his belly, and when the entire statue was smoldering red hot, they’d throwa baby on his outstretched arm. Obviously, God was against idols like Moloch, not images of Jesus or Mary or Angels. In fact, even in the Bible, God asked Moses to create two images of angels at the Ark of the Covenant.
I have a photo of my wife and my boys in my wallet. That doesn't mean I idolize the photos. That means I love the persons in those photos. I have statues of Jesus and Mary on my altar at home not because I idolize those statues but because I love the person symbolized by those statues.
I denied my religion once and my conscience still bothers me. God knows Iam sorry for what I did. Does it mean that I’m a bad Christian?
You’re not a bad Christian. You’re a forgiven Christian. And everyone is. God has embraced your past the same way He embraced Peter’s denial. I need to warn you: Peter denied Jesus three times, and the Lord made Peter the first Pope. So you better watch outwhat great thing He’ll do in your life.
Why do other churches say that Saturday should be the day we go to Church? They quote the Bible as proof. They even say that we will not be saved because we’re doing business on the Sabbath.
Yes, the Bible tells us to worship on Saturday—as all the Jews did. But the early Christians transferred our worship day from Saturday to Sunday because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. And the resurrection is our most important Feast. But Jesus also said thatthe Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Catholics in the Middle East go to“Sunday” Mass on a Friday—because that’s when they’re off from work. I believe it’s not the day but the heart that matters to God.
Remember this spiritual principle: It’s the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law, that is important to God. When you emphasize the letter of the law over the spirit of the law, you call that legalism—and that’s idolatry. Because you’re making the law your god.
Fr. Mario Sobrejuanite told us a story of a woman who came to him for confession.
She said, “Father, I committed a mortal sin. Last Sunday, I wasn’t able to go to Mass.
My mother was sick, and there was no one in the house to take care of her. So I couldn’t goto Mass.”
Fr. Mario said, “You did not commit a sin.” The woman was shocked and said, “But Father, the Catechism says that if we don’t go to Mass on a Sunday, it’s a mortal sin.”
Fr. Mario said, “If you went to Mass last Sunday, you would have sinned against God because you left your sick mother at home all alone.”
