Straight From Pastor Ey

Image credit While I was listening to the recent Congressional Hearing that is supposedly “in aid of legislation,” what caught my attention was what one lawmaker said among other things that were said during that hearing. I will not write anymore about the apparent questionable (read: malicious) line of questioning that our “honorable” lawmakers employed. Our netizens already had a field day.  That lawmaker intoned, “Truth is in the eye of the beholder.” Now that’s an interesting play of words. The original saying says, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  A beholder is an observer: someone who gains awareness of things through the senses, especially sight. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the person who is observing gets to decide what is beautiful. A common saying is “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” which means beauty doesn’t exist on its own but is created by observers.  [1] Image credit What the lawmaker said is in e...

Image credit When the apostle Paul faced King Agrippa in a trial, he pointed out that the king already have knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ. And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—” Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” (Acts 26:26-28, NLT. Emphasis added.) Though the king knew the events about what the Lord did, Agrippa was not yet persuaded to become a believer in Him. The Message version of verse 26 goes like this: “ The king knows what I’m talking about. I’m sure that nothing of what I’ve said sounds crazy to him. He’s known all about it for a long time. ” (Emphasis added.) Here we see that to know about that Christ is the Savior is different from agreeing that He is.  Knowledge alone is not enough. … Of course it is necessary that ...

Image credit I have my strong, personal opinion regarding this Marcos burial issue at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. But I chose not to comment or post as much online and offline knowing that it won’t please people from either side of the fence. I also have people I love from both sides. This issue is divisive. It could actually divide (if we are not yet divided) our nation, our churches and our families. I am under no illusion that this article could solve the issue. But I would like to call our attention beyond the issue.  Image credit One time, the Lord Jesus gave a seeming insensitive answer to an apparent reasonable request. To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-60, ESV. Emphasis added) What was that disciple requesting? If his father was already dead, he would have been making th...

Image credit While knowledge about our Lord Jesus Christ is not enough to save a person, it doesn’t mean that such knowledge is not important. While it’s not the only ingredient of faith, knowledge is one of its ingredients. Reformed theologians called it notitia or “acquaintance with the content of the gospel”. [1] Thus, the content of the Gospel is as important as our commitment to the Gospel. According to 2 Timothy 1:12, trust is rooted in knowledge. That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust , and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. (NLT, emphasis added) To trust somebody without knowing him or her is a misplaced trust. It’s important to know whom we trust. Image credit That’s why we are commanded to love God with all our mind (Matthew 22:37).  This involves the intellect and emphasizes that there are certain basic truths that must...

When a suspect pulled a gun to shoot at him, Police Officer Mark Walker knew his life depended on whether the bulletproof vest he was wearing would work or not. Based on the live fire tests that he saw, Walker “believed that” his vest would work. But this time, it’s different. His very life depended on it. While Mark knew that his vest could sustain the impact of a .45-caliber round, tonight he trusted in the vest for the very first time. In that singular moment, Mark went from ‘belief that’ to ‘belief in.’ It’s one thing to believe that the vest can save a life; it’s another thing to trust it to save your own life.  [1] To “believe that” is to believe the facts about someone or something. To “believe in” is to trust in or depend your life on those facts. Of course, “believe that” is important. The basis of our faith must be factual or truthful. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the S...

Image credit Right after Donald Trump was proclaimed the winner in the presidential election in the USA, I saw on my Facebook newsfeed that somebody posted a YouTube video trumpeting the supposed fulfilled prophecy of the self-proclaimed Indian prophet, Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj.  It claimed that way back in August, Selvaraj allegedly had a vision that Trump would win. He claimed, I was caught up in spirit and I found my soul standing before the [council]. The very [council] where I always used to go and I saw Father Abraham, and I was standing beside him. And I was very very surprised to see Donald Trump come and stand in that room. And this is what I was told. They said, “Trump will become president.” [1] Before you jump to conclusion that that proves Selvaraj is a true prophet, the most we could say is he just got “lucky.” Why? Even if he did predict a Trump victory, remember that he has a 50/50 chance of hitting it. There were only two presidential candidates....