Straight From Pastor Ey

That's the title of a radical book (written by Frank Viola, “an influential voice in the contemporary house church movement” ) which I am reading during this Christmas break. Though I may not agree with some of his proposals, what he pointed out regarding the practical implications of the church being an organism and not an organization resonated with my heart. God designed the church as an “authentic community.” It is rooted in the very relational, triune nature of God: “It is the unity of a community of persons who love each other and live together in harmony… They are what they are only in relationship with one another … There is no solitary person separated from the others; no above and below; no first, second, third in importance; no ruling and controlling and being ruled and controlled; no position of privilege to be maintained over against others; no question of conflict concerning who is in charge; no need to assert independence and authority of one at the expense of the o

Due to a popular, local telenovela, many people now call our Lord Jesus as “Bro” (short for “brother” ). It seems to be a sincere attempt to humanize God. They feel that they could get close to Him that way. I suppose there was no intention to demean Him. However, we cannot call the Lord with just any name we want. In the Bible, the name reflects the nature (character) of the person. The names that Isaiah 9:6 gave to our Lord Jesus Christ revealed His divine nature. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ” (ESV) Here He is called “Mighty God.” Cults that deny the deity of Christ try to wiggle out of its weight by saying that He is not the almighty God but only the mighty God. They usually claim that mighty is different from almighty. But Isaiah appears to be not making such a distinction. In Isaiah 10, he connected “mighty God”

We, members of the Evangelical community, convey our deepest sorrow and share the enormous grief and anguish of our fellow citizens in Mindanao, the whole nation, and the international community, for the tragic and untimely loss of brothers and sisters who were mercilessly murdered in broad daylight last November 23, 2009, in the municipality of Ampatuan, Maguindanao Province. There is no adequate expression of what we feel and carry in our hearts. It is a most unfortunate event. We condemn in the strongest possible way this senseless act of carnage against unarmed and helpless civilians – women of the Mangudadatu clan, women-lawyers, media practitioners, indigenous peoples representative(s), and other members of the delegation – all were there in their line of duty, including unborn children and innocent travelers on that ill-fated day. We lament because of this mass killing. It is a barbaric and savage act, with complete disregard to the rule of law, human rights, dignity and even sa