Rise up, Arenda Church!

It was a very busy day.. And I'm glad that I spent it with my Majesty! :)

Isn't it worth it when you know that all your sweat, all your sacrifices, and all the money you spent are only for the glory of our King? Hehe I'm indeed a happy servant! :">

I love Sundays because they are filled with church-loving and people-bonding :)

We went to Arenda Church of the Nazarene (ACN) in the morning.

We have been going to their church for more than a year already.. I forgot exactly when we started going there. It started when one of my friends wanted to train ACN's worship team. They were teenagers like us. :) We shared to them the stuff we know in playing for the worship team.  We would go there on Sundays to teach them new songs. We did that for months. And now they're good. :D Time came when there were conflicts with the schedule, so we stopped going there to teach them music.. And Jopel and I thought of mentoring them. We had small groups, accountabilities and even doctrine teaching. However, this could be the last Sunday that we could go there.. Our schedule of going there on Sunday afternoons would now clash with the new schedule of TFCN's youth service (Generation Congregation is now at 4pm!) But no, it's not goodbye. God still has many things in store for these young people. We're here praying for them and supporting them in whichever way we can.

It was their First Year Anniversary! They were an independent church for that span of time. It was tough, but through the celebration earlier, we were reminded how faithful He is to His people! Praise God! :">

What would be our response to His faithfulness to the church and to our lives?

Let's Rise Up!

That's their anniversary's theme, along with their theme chapter Ezekiel 37. :)

Pastor Sam Tamayo was their speaker.

He shared stuff about Ezekiel 37:1-10.

1. Nothing is impossible when you have faith! (Ezekiel 37:3)

     Ezekiel saw hopelessness in the dry bones in the valley. However, he knew that there are many things that only God knows, even the possibility of the rebirth of these bones. He did not deny the possibility; Ezekiel may have thought that this could be possible by directing His faith to the Sovereign Lord.

     Likewise, we should put our faith in Jesus. Not in our dreams, not in our goals. Our faith should be that His Will be done! 

2. God Himself will give the grace and blessings we need to nurture our faith.     God does not rate our faith when He's showering His blessings. It's not like school, where you get what you deserve. When God sees the littlest faith in you, He will definitely move in that little one. He does not wait for you to become the greatest person on earth - He is the one that supplies you what you need to be the greatest you could become. :)

     He also gives us blessings little by little. He nurtures our faith little by little. Pastor Sam shared how He imagined the scene in the chapter.. The dry bones assembled, then joints and ligaments appear slowly. Muscle would slowly creep up the bones until it fully covers it. Looking like a zombie, skin slowly makes the figure more human. (Ezekiel 37:7-8) And God paused.. To let Ezekiel appreciate how God will give breath and life to these bodies.

     God blesses us little by little so we would always have something to anticipate! Miracles upon miracles. God Himself will be the one that fills our life with encouragements every time we're down. He also supplies whatever we need to grow deeper in faith. 

3. The Holy Spirit would lead us towards victory.     It is the end result that is most important. And when you have God on your side, you're sure to end up victorious. The realization of this does not depend on how you read your Bible.. It relies on how much you allow God to move in your situation. :)

The Church's response to God's call to rise up. I pray that their response would not be merely raising of hands. May these only be symbols to how they would choose to rise up for God from here on forward.. :) 

Loved this kid <3

Here's Joy. Kat's sister. We also got to talk. I will miss talking to her.. She's very transparent and I know that God has big plans for her. I got a peek of her heart and I am blessed! Her heart would surely bring her to great encounters with God. :)  

Here's Ate Donna.. We had funny kulitan! Hehe and she shared a little secret........ HAHA.

(Okay, sorry for saying something you won't relate at all. Hahaha) 

 I love eating with people - great way to bond. :) It makes you feel like you are family. No wonder why there were many important things in the Bible that happened on dinnertime. :D

Here's Jopel, my ministry buddy. We became close to each other not because of ligawan or texting or whatever. We became close because of our mutual love for God that we express through ministries like what we do here in Arenda. :) I praise God for this man's life. Our sincere friendship has definitely helped me grow in immense ways! :)

 This is Kat. We had a great talk after the service.. I want to get to talk to her more often :( In person.. What could be God's plan why He allowed the schedules to conflict? But she promised to update me on Facebook. I really love this girl. She's the sweetest :">

With the other girls.. Their lovely, aren't they? Nothing makes a woman lovelier than the joy she experiences from God!

If you read this and you feel like God's whispering to your ear to pray for these young people, please do so!

And yeah, by so doing, you're taking part in the great things God has in store for them. Let's wait and see how God would be using these teenagers mightily and powerfully! :)

Who are the people you are praying for? Who are those whom you encourage to be all out for our King?