Nazarene Riders Philippines - Disaster Response Network

C𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐠-𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧.

Sa buong kasaysayan, kahit sa Bible, makikita natin na kahit ang mga taong tinawag ng Diyos ay nagkakamali kapag power, pride, at personal interest ang nauuna kaysa kay Cristo.

Ang problema ay hindi ang Church mismo. Ang problema ay kapag nakakalimutan ng Church kung bakit ito nag-eexist.

𝐀𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

Hindi lang ito tungkol sa pera.

Church corruption happens when spiritual authority is used for control instead of care, image instead of integrity, at self-interest instead of service.

𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐠:

- 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞
- 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
- 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐤𝐭𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧
- 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
- 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐢 𝐆𝐨𝐝

Kapag ang ministry ay tungkol na sa impluwensya, hindi na sa pag-aalaga ng kaluluwa, doon nagsisimula ang corruption.

𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐚

Hindi tahimik si Jesus tungkol sa religious corruption.

“Para kayong mga pinaputing libingan—maganda sa labas, pero puno ng kabulukan sa loob.” (Matthew 23:27)

Religious sila, active sa ministry, pero kulang sa humility at righteousness. Paalala ito sa atin na hindi lahat ng mukhang banal ay tunay na spiritual.

𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡?

1. 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 – Walang nagche-check, walang nagco-correct.

2. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 – Mas sikat ang leader kaysa kay Cristo.

3. 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 – Sumusunod ang tao dahil sa takot, hindi sa pagmamahal.

4. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 – Tahimik na lang para “walang gulo.”

Kapag ang correction ay tinatawag na rebellion, at ang transparency ay tinatawag na disloyalty, corruption will grow.

𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐍𝐢𝐭𝐨?

- Nawawala ang tiwala ng mga tao sa Church
- Maraming kabataan ang lumalayo sa faith
- Nasasaktan ang mga inosente
- Napoprotektahan ang mali, hindi ang tama

At higit sa lahat, napapangalanan ang Diyos sa maling paraan.

𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐨 𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐲𝐨𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

Kahit may corruption, hindi iniwan ng Diyos ang Kanyang Church.

“Ang paghatol ay nagsisimula sa sambahayan ng Diyos.” (1 Peter 4:17)

Hindi ito para sirain ang Church kundi linisin at ibalik sa tama. Ang gusto ng Diyos ay:

- Shepherds, hindi celebrities
- Servants, hindi controllers
- Humility, hindi branding
- Faithfulness, hindi fame

𝐀𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐀𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐧

Ang solusyon sa church corruption ay hindi paglayo sa Church kundi pagbabalik kay Cristo.

Bumalik tayo:

- Sa Salita ng Diyos
- Sa tunay na discipleship, hindi lang attendance
- Sa servant leadership
- Sa katotohanan na may pag-ibig
- Sa repentance, hindi image management

𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲,

Hindi kailangan ng Church ng mas magandang marketing.

Kailangan nito ng takot sa Diyos.
Hindi kailangan ng mas mahigpit na control.

Kailangan nito ng tunay na pagbabagong-loob.

Nawa’y hindi natin gamitin ang pangalan ng Diyos para itayo ang sariling kaharian.

Bagkus, maging Church tayo na sumasalamin kay Cristo, hindi sumisira sa Kanyang pangalan.

YOUR MIND IS A MUSCLE. It needs to be stretched to stay sharp. It needs to be prodded and pushed to perform. Let it get idle and lazy on you, and that muscle will become a pitiful mass of flab in a brief period.

How can you stretch your mind?
What are some good mental exercises that will keep the cobwebs away?

Here's how Jesus said it:
The most important commandment is this: "Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." MARK 12:29–30

We quite naturally express our love for God through our emotions—easily offering praise with our words and with the affections of our hearts. But Jesus included the command to love Him with our minds, too. How?

Here are the three suggestions:

1. Read.
You may not have the luxury to travel—but between the covers of a book are ideas and insights that await the joy of discovery.

The powers of your perception will be magnified through reading. Read wisely. Read widely. Read slowly. Scan.

2. Talk. Conversation adds the oil needed to keep the gears of our mental machinery running smoothly. The give-and-take involved in rap sessions and the question-answer dialogue connected to discussion provides the grinding wheel to keep us keen.

3. Write.
As Dawson Trotman said, "Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the lips and the fingertips." How true! The old gray matter increases its creases when you put stuff down on paper. Start a journal. A journal isn't a diary. It's more. A journal doesn't record what you do—it records what you think. It spells out your ideas, your feelings, your struggles, your discoveries, your dreams. In short, it helps you articulate who you are . . . and how deeply you love the Lord!

Read. Talk. Write. Got it?

“The person who succeeds is not the one who holds back, fearing failure, nor the one who never fails, but rather the one who moves on despite failure.”

If anyone in Scripture had justification for fear of failure it would have been Joshua. He had some mighty big shoes to fill, following Moses! Yet as he stepped into his new role as shepherd of Israel, God issued the newly minted leader this command:

Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. (JOSHUA 1:6–7)

God didn't say, “Don't blow it, Joshua!” There was no warning against failing . . . God understands our human limitations. What He desires is that when we do fail, we remain firm in our resolve to trust Him. To get back up and keep moving . . . not with a tentative, halting attitude, but with a strength and courage that flow from our confidence in Him.

If you've blown it, don't sweat it. Make things right today, brush off your sandals, and move back out in His strength and courage. It's not that great a leap.

Let's read it together as a refresher:

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

GALATIANS 5:22–23

Notice, please, the fourth on the list. Patience. The original Greek term unloads a lot of meaning upon us. Makrothumia is the term, and it's a compound word. Makros means “long or far,” and thumos means “passion, anger, or wrath.” Putting it together, we come up with “long-anger.” You've heard the English expression, “short-tempered”? Well, I suppose we could coin an expression for patience—long-tempered—and not miss the accurate meaning very far.

So many Christians express frustration over their repeated failure to display this all-important virtue. But the key is in the beginning of the verse. Did you see it? The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. That's it! You cannot muster patience—it, along with all the other fruits mentioned, is formed within us by the Spirit of God. He makes it happen.

James offers a helpful description of the patience-forming process:

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy [one fruit!]. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance [that's patience!] has a chance to grow. So let it grow [that's the Spirit forming!], for when your endurance [patience!] is fully developed [Spirit work!], You will be perfect and complete, but you need nothing.

JAMES 1:2–4

Facing trouble today?
A long struggle with uncertainty, or confronting a seemingly impossible obstacle in your life?

The Spirit is at work, forming patience in you. Don't resist it . . . embrace it! Let Him lengthen your temper. You can't, but He can.

"We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown."
(1 CORINTHIANS 15:51–52)

Talk about “the flash of a mighty surprise!” Jesus' return will be the absolute greatest surprise. Adding to the greatest surprise will be that people like us will be included in the group, stunned and dumb with wonder.

Let's face it, that won't be just a surprise or a dream. That'll be a flat-out miracle.

Are you ready? Are you sure?

When Job’s life fell apart, he asked the same questions human beings have asked for millennia: Why me? What did I do to deserve this?

How could God allow this to happen to me?

Maybe you’re in Job’s shoes— feeling abandoned, rejected, and hopeless. Maybe you are demanding answers from God. But as Job discovered, knowing the God who created you is better than knowing the answers to all your questions. Because when you know and trust his love, you’ll find the freedom and hope that will enable you to trust in God’s control over all things, even your suffering.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.

PHILIPPIANS 3:7–9

In comparison to Jesus Christ and all the things He has made possible—His forgiveness, His love, His righteousness—everything else we may be or accomplish diminishes in significance. That level of acceptance and realization is developed in us when we willingly surrender to the Spirit's work in our lives. Left to ourselves, we'll hint and insist and suggest and even demand that everyone around us acknowledge the value of our contributions and applaud us for our abilities. I can tell you, that's no way to live!

During the early years of my ministry, I lived as a prisoner to my own insecurities—shackled to my own feelings of inadequacy and an unending struggle to measure up to self-imposed standards of perfection. I was a mess! I finally learned to get out of the way. I traded off perfection and accepted reality: it's all about Him, not me.

It's time to take the attitude of Christ—laying down our lives in full surrender and obedience—and insist on giving Him the glory. You are wise to hit the “pause” button before doing anything else today. Ask the Lord to help you back off and allow Him to lead. John the Baptist got it right: “He must increase . . . I must decrease” (John 3:30, KJV).

Only God Can Change a Mind

Paul wrote to the church in Rome for people to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12:2) He doesn’t say “transform yourselves by renewing your minds.” Only God can change a mind. This explains why Paul wrote to Timothy that God has “not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) When God is present in a mind, it begins to flow with a new kind of thought. But there is a role for us to play. We can, by choice and by our actions, invite God to be present in our minds. Or we can close the door to him. It all depends on what kind of mind we want to cultivate. So let’s walk through three options.

1. Maybe your goal is debauchery, lust, and depravity.
It’s not hard to cultivate a mind like this. You can do it. Just be careful about what you do and don’t put into your mind. The moods that will dominate your life are resentment, anxiety, and unsatisfied desire. The key to maintaining this inner life is found in Psalm 10:4: “In their pride, the wicked does not seek him; In all their thoughts there is no room for God.” It’s not hard to cultivate this kind of mind. All you have to do is avoid contact with anything that would disrupt this flow of thoughts. Avoid Scripture, avoid wise and honest people who know you deeply, avoid honest self-examination, and avoid contact with people in need who might move you to compassion. Mostly you have to ensure that there is no room for God in your thoughts.

2. If your goal is to have a mediocre spiritual life, you can do a half-and-half deal.
The Bible talks about this. One writer speaks of a condition called “double-mindedness.” In the Jewish tradition, it is called the yetzer hara, the wayward heart. Jesus himself refers to a church suffering from what he called “lukewarmness”; it is neither cold nor at the boiling point. It doesn’t experience any change of properties. This condition enables you to get the worst of all worlds: you experience a kind of chronic, low-level, hidden debauchery so you’re frustrated by all the fun you think that major-league debauchery professionals are having. Yet you get just enough spiritual-religious input so you have chronic, low-level guilt about the amount of depravity you are maintaining. How do you pursue this goal? Get sporadic spiritual input. Go to church sometimes. Read the Bible once in a while — but without clarity about how you want it to shape your mind. Pray sporadically — when you’re in trouble. But then mostly fill your mind with the things that everybody else in our culture fills their minds with. Just keep spiritual channel surfing.

There is a third alternative.

3. Make your mind the dwelling place of God.
The goal here is to have a mind in which the glorious Father of Jesus is always present and gradually crowds out every distorted belief, every destructive feeling, every misguided intention. You will know your mind is increasingly “set on God” when the moods that dominate your inner life are love, joy, and peace — the three primary components of the fruit of the Spirit. God is never more than a thought away. To make my mind a home for Jesus, I deliberately fill my mind with the kinds of things God says are important. Paul puts it like this: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV)

The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
Nahum 1:3

English Romantic painter John Martin (1789–1854) is known for his apocalyptic landscapes depicting the destruction of civilizations. In these fantastic scenes, humans are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the destruction and powerless against the approaching doom. One painting, The Fall of Nineveh, depicts people fleeing the coming destruction of mounting waves under dark rolling clouds.

More than two thousand years before Martin’s painting, the prophet Nahum prophesied against Nineveh foretelling its judgment. The prophet used images of mountains quaking, hills melting, and the earth trembling (Nahum 1:5) to symbolize God’s wrath on those who oppressed others for their own gain. However, God’s response to sin is not without grace. While Nahum reminds his listeners of God’s power, he notes that He is “slow to anger” (v. 3) and “cares for those who trust in him” (v. 7).

Descriptions of judgment are hard to read, but a world where evil isn’t confronted would be terrible. Thankfully the prophet doesn’t end on that note. He reminds us that God desires a good and just world: “Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace!” (v. 15). That good news is Jesus, who suffered the consequences of sin so we can have peace with God (Romans 5:1, 6).

"All Heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all Hell is terrified of it, while men are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning.”

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