Today was a really incredible day. The schools were closed due to the election of their new president. Mr. Tebow preached this morning for a long time about the greek word used in the bible for "saved" which is "sozo." It had to do with physical and spiritual salvation a well as the difference between justification and sanctification. It was a message that answered a certain question many people have about the process of salvation. I will not get into the whole sermon but I can say that thank God we cannot be plucked out of our Lord's hand once we have accepted Christ as our savior. If we were saved by our works we would all be falling short every day because we are truly all sinners. When I get home, I will describe to those of you who know me this message in detail.
After this we had the amazing opportunity to go to a large hospital to pray for the sick patients and lead them to Christ. It was heart wrenching as I went in there and saw how unsanitary and poor the facilities were. We entered rooms with families crying over their loved ones-some with broken legs from accidents, sickness, pain, comas, etc. We went into different rooms and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. Many many Filipino people accepted the good news of Christ after we shared and prayed for them. It was an incredible thing to see. I prayed also for their physical healing, but even more important is their soul and where they will spend eternity. Its absolutely incredible how open the Filipino people are and hungry they are to simply accept jesus into their hearts as lord of their life. You can see it in their eyes how much they are yearning for it and just hoping in it. They also show their families so much love as they sit with their sick family members day and night. People in other countries I've traveled in do not have that same hunger I see in these people. Its so true that there is a window of hope in the Philippines right now. The harvest is truly ripe and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
There is nothing greater than sharing the truth of salvation through Christ alone. This is the one thing that matters in life. What else really matters besides where we will spend eternal life? Without Christ, we are all destined for hell. Its the most important message in the world for anyone to hear and many of these people have never heard the gospel put in this clear, concise way.
Not only did we get the chance to speak to people in hospitals, but some of the guys on the trip went to the male prisons and many of them also came to know Christ as their savior. They were so undeniably happy to see them there, reaching out there hands and thanking them for coming to spread this good news. All glory and honor to God for these praise reports! Words can't describe how much this all makes me feel so alive. It is the meaning of life and Christ is for everyone everywhere, of every nation, tribe and tongue. I know He will continue to use us as we move throughout the different provinces. Having other like minded people with me with evangelistic hearts has been something so special. I know I have already begun to make some life long friends; even better, eternal friends.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
First Day....
Today was quite the day. We are going on over 48 hours with no sleep. We traveled from detroit to tokyo which was 14 hours, then went from Tokyo to Manila, Philippines which was another 5 or so hours. When we got to Manila we had to travel about 5 hours by bus to our destination. By the time we got to our hotel it was 4 a.m and we had to be ready by 5 a.m for breakfast for a long day ahead of us! We did get to sleep somewhat as we traveled, but you can imagine how loopy many of us were not having a solid chance to lay down.
By the grace of God we were somewhat okay for our day. Peter Tebow has taken over as a leader as he has been coming to the Philippines for 12 years. His father, Mr. Tebow was still in Manila for the night. It is truly a passion and calling they have in aiding the Filipino people and its evident in what we are over here doing. We split up in small groups of 5 (2 or 3 per school) and headed out to about 10 schools each. I was a little nervous to speak in front of all the kids at first but I really prayed that God would reach in and touch the hearts of the people I was telling the news of Christ to. Since I was tired, I KNEW God would have to come through for me today. The first school I spoke to had 1,500 students staring wide eyed at me. As soon as I started talking to them I felt an overwhelming sense of the holy spirit come upon me. I was at peace as God relieved the nerves in me. Its amazing how he does that for us when we don't look inwardly at ourselves but we lift our eyes to our heavenly father and our help comes from HIM alone. He enjoys getting the credit, which is well deserved because without him in us we are but dust. I've said it before and ill say it again, each time I've ever gone out to play a big basketball game or do anything else that feels like a high pressure situation, God never let's me succeed on my own terms. That way anytime I succeed its obvious that it was him and not me!
The children we spoke to today about the saving message of Jesus were very open. They adored seeing us all, grabbing at us, so intrigued by our "foreign" appearance. They were very well behaved and listened intently as we tried to hit home to them that salvation cannot be earned by what they do or their good works but by receiving Jesus's "free gift" of eternal life. Many people in the Philippines as well as throughout the U.S don't quite grab a hold of that concept. People still try to "earn" points with good works to get to heaven when Jesus already stepped in and took the penalty for what we should have taken due to our sins. I liken it to me doing something heinously wrong and deserving punishment but someone standing in front of the judge on my behalf to take the punishment that I so richly deserved. Many children received Christ today, so all the sweat and weariness felt from travel was worth it all. Each principal and school was so willing to let us come and share the good news of God with their students. That is so unlike the U.S obviously. Not only that, but they are LISTENING to what we are saying and taking every word in. This is truly what we are here on earth to do so when I think of the whole picture of my life, preaching the good news wherever I am called is what I want to be doing..whether its in the streets of Manila or in our blessed states of the U.S. Being out here makes me realize more and more how great we have really have it there and how much others need this message.
By the grace of God we were somewhat okay for our day. Peter Tebow has taken over as a leader as he has been coming to the Philippines for 12 years. His father, Mr. Tebow was still in Manila for the night. It is truly a passion and calling they have in aiding the Filipino people and its evident in what we are over here doing. We split up in small groups of 5 (2 or 3 per school) and headed out to about 10 schools each. I was a little nervous to speak in front of all the kids at first but I really prayed that God would reach in and touch the hearts of the people I was telling the news of Christ to. Since I was tired, I KNEW God would have to come through for me today. The first school I spoke to had 1,500 students staring wide eyed at me. As soon as I started talking to them I felt an overwhelming sense of the holy spirit come upon me. I was at peace as God relieved the nerves in me. Its amazing how he does that for us when we don't look inwardly at ourselves but we lift our eyes to our heavenly father and our help comes from HIM alone. He enjoys getting the credit, which is well deserved because without him in us we are but dust. I've said it before and ill say it again, each time I've ever gone out to play a big basketball game or do anything else that feels like a high pressure situation, God never let's me succeed on my own terms. That way anytime I succeed its obvious that it was him and not me!
The children we spoke to today about the saving message of Jesus were very open. They adored seeing us all, grabbing at us, so intrigued by our "foreign" appearance. They were very well behaved and listened intently as we tried to hit home to them that salvation cannot be earned by what they do or their good works but by receiving Jesus's "free gift" of eternal life. Many people in the Philippines as well as throughout the U.S don't quite grab a hold of that concept. People still try to "earn" points with good works to get to heaven when Jesus already stepped in and took the penalty for what we should have taken due to our sins. I liken it to me doing something heinously wrong and deserving punishment but someone standing in front of the judge on my behalf to take the punishment that I so richly deserved. Many children received Christ today, so all the sweat and weariness felt from travel was worth it all. Each principal and school was so willing to let us come and share the good news of God with their students. That is so unlike the U.S obviously. Not only that, but they are LISTENING to what we are saying and taking every word in. This is truly what we are here on earth to do so when I think of the whole picture of my life, preaching the good news wherever I am called is what I want to be doing..whether its in the streets of Manila or in our blessed states of the U.S. Being out here makes me realize more and more how great we have really have it there and how much others need this message.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
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