2) Choir: There was no practice today, but will resume next Sunday as we will start practicing for Sunday’s choir numbers this summer. Thank you again, choir, for all the hard work you always commit to each cantata! Know that your sacrifice is a blessing, ministering to the body.

Also, thank you to those who took time out of their busy Easter morning after the early Sonrise Service to sing and minister to the senior citizens in the Lakeland SC home.

3) Budget Meeting: budget meeting for entire congregation next Sunday as part of the 1st quarter financial report given to us by the Board of Trustees.

4) Young Pro’s Monthly Bible Study on “Crazy Love” scheduled for April 28, Saturday at the Bautro’s. Going strong!

5) Thank you to those who help out w/ Sis. Ligaya for the Junior service and nursery downstairs during worship service. We’d still love new volunteers.

“He who win souls is wise’ says the Holy Word. (Pv 11:30). These men win souls. They must be wise. And wise indeed to commit their Sunday afternoons for works of missions. A church-start work that after 14 months of steady sowing of seeds and watering, yielded new and old believers alike from Mt Laurel to Browns Mills . These believers drawn by the Lord creating a community of faith we trust would become permanent witness in that county.

Sunday after Sunday, be it  colds of Winter or chills of Spring these men thread on.What is Summer and fall? They are just seasons marking these men’s progress of work.They were relentless and unforgiving unto their own weary bodies.In pursuit of souls they were unmindful of the passing seasons.It’s hard not to be inspired when you are surrounded with these kind of men.In silence they have encouraged my spirit .Casting influence they hardly know.

At one thirty ,Sunday afternoon,hardly after Agape Meal, they are moving on to take that one hour and ten minutes of drive to mission field  and would return at about five to their own families. The drive to is their only time for rest and drive fro is their moment of rejoicing before the Lord for whatever things He has done in their midst that afternoon. Yes, they rejoice. They always do. To my delight,keeping me awake on the wheel.

A few good men. That’s all it takes.In my case, five! Five men who are willing to place the yoke of servant hood unto their necks and move with CHRIST, side by side,step by step in many afternoons of toiling and sweating. While many others are greatly involved in CLUSTERS , CHOIR, PRAISE TEAMS, PRAYER GROUPS and the likes, these five men seek to establish a work that shall become a church that soon will have Choir,Clusters, Praise Teams,Prayer groups of its own. And the process is long and weary thus the kind of spirit that shall endure the length  of time and and test of circumstances.Really, a few good men.

They may not be the finest in terms of character and behavior! They may not be the sharpest in terms of intellect! They may not be most acceptable in terms of friendship and partnership, but hey, The Lord, the Creator of universe loves them, He called them, and behold,they were willing.Its up to God to trim their rough edges.He has taken a risk on them and I am not bothered by it at all. They are my team mates and we are a team. We have to work on with our team work.

Tim Tebow they are not. Nor Jeremy Lin. They may not create Tebowing nor Linsanity. They may not turn heads when their names were called nor attract listening ears. But they’re faithful doing their task to to honor their Lord also.In less serious way ,I know these men love TEE- ing and Bow-Lin! Fore! Strike! Baw Gid!

If Gideon has his three hundred and the Lord Jesus His twelve, he surrounded me with five, enough to claim the county of BURLINGTON FOR CHRIST. The mighty shout is,JESUS IS LORD.And ‘Burlington” listens. The work has progress to the point that we’re deciding to have a regular worship service every Sunday! But we have to check our excitement. We need to seek the will of God. We are in weeks of prayer now concerning this matter. Gideon has to wait until the sign from the Lord has been given.The Lord Jesus has to say “my time has yet  come”. Fleece or prayer?  Whichever way, both convey waiting upon the Lord.  We’re better off  waiting.

In my mind now, I think of Joshua commanding the sun and moon to be still (Josh 10:12-13). I think of Christ commanding the storm to stand still ( Mark 4:35-41).And I know that I possess no such powers because the few men He surrounded me with to do the work of mission in Burlington cannot for long  Be Still!

Thanks be to God for examples of few good men who understands His orders of STEPS and STOPS. 

Thank you also to our choir who continues to minister during this important time of the year that we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. God bless all your hard work and dedication!

If you want a list of the songs that were sung today, please feel free to leave a comment below !!  If there’s any questions you may have regarding our ministries, church, and didn’t have time to approach us, you can also use the comment box below.

Help us fill the seats.

“I Will Rise” Easter Concert
April 8, 2012
after Sonrise Easter Service 6am 

1st. THANK YOU for coming on time for vocal warm up! It really paid off. 
2nd. Sorry we had to cancel choir today. There were too many conflicting activities which didn’t make a 2pm practice practical. Thank you for understanding.

3rd. Since we missed an important practice, the only day to make it up is FRIDAY, and since there’s no service that night, we’ll meet at 7pm. Bring your books. Sorry guys, sincerely. But we’re almost done.

4th. MANDATORY FINAL REHEARSAL. SATURDAY. 2pm. Bring your books.

Thanks guys. Please continue to listen to your cds .

“I Will Rise”
April 8 Easter Sunday
Concert following our Easter Sonrise Service 6am

Invite your friends and family, coworkers…and help us fill the seats

1. This whole week, ATB (alto, tenor, bass) PLEASE go over the last portion of the song over and over again from “crown Him with many crowns, to get your parts on point, as that will be the hardest part of the song.

2. Sopranos, practice the beginning to middle since you will not have the melody. Please practice it in such a way that your vocal area will have some sort of muscle memory of where to place the notes in the middle registry. 

3. SATURDAY PRACTICES resume. This Saturday at 4pm. All parts.

4. If someone has the #4 book, please bring it to practice. Please bring all books to practice to fully maximize note learning.

5. Please go through the songs with the music and start writing down notes (melody, harmony, unison, repeat, up progressions, downs, cuts, sustains, etc.)

Thanks choir! Almost there. To God be the glory for your dedication. See you Saturday.

Questions?

But I took the question as it was stated.

Christians make a lot of mistakes. We are not fine nor refine as we ought to a lot of times. We have episodes of unguarded moments.Those costly mistakes and errors and slips undermine the holy teachings and admonitions  we advocate and became known for. We frustrate people and we’re frustrated at times! It is not helpful to fully assign blames to offenders. Every Christ followers has to carry some degree of responsibility for  creating and bringing the sorry state of church relationship into a messy stuff. Our little hands are not clean. Marks of bias,prejudice,and verdict gloves them.

The command to love one another is central to Christ teaching. In fact Jesus called it a new commandment. He said, “ A new commandment I give to you,that you love one another ; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (Jn 13: 34). The newness of this command is essential for us to recognize and to aptly apply. The “old one” is of course, loving thy neighbor as thyself. No more! But loving our neighbor as “I loved you”. Hence,loving the brethren now is never release from our own estimation, feel, and willingness,of relating that love, but rather,pattern after the demonstrated love of Christ to us. Yourself is more than a departure point. Christ love is the arriving point from where our own love can really begin. And that’s our struggle and dilemma. Struggle because it constantly slip our grips and dilemma because we cannot put a steady hold on it.

Yet the astounding result of this kind of love is the very thing we’re seeking for “all the world will know that thou art my disciples, if you have love one for another” (Jn 13:35).

And so failure to do so,frustration naturally files up. This submerge and surface in the Body spreading its fatal dose to weak-hearted and immature believers-creating havoc in the fellowship of Christ followers. Yet this unflattering lot can be the very ground from where new loving can be demonstrated by His people. Those who see the problem can be the very part of the solution. Those who identify the conflict can play the peacemakers. Those who see the gap can start putting up bridges. To withdraw or get out will miss the very opportunity of allowing this new love to surface.To bloom. To blossom.To spread out its life that we may take delight and inspiration on its  inherent beauty. Thus bonding us truly.

Apostle Paul wrote: “… we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produces perseverance; and perseverance,character; and character hope; Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us “(Rom 5:3-5). Amazing! We often miss this Roman heart-chamber! Perseverance,character, hope, surface in the midst of troublesome times. Difficulties and conflicts in remarkable ways build us up and does not tear us down.It strengthened us and not weakened us.  James, the brother of Jesus reminds:”…knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work,that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (Jm 1:3-4). We’re admonished to let patience have a hold on us.And patience will help us deal with unsavory and unflattering things be it things, situations or persons. And look patient brethren how stretched it is. “ …until the coming of the Lord” (Jm 5:7). Whoooaah! Peter stressed that our faith more precious than gold is likened to gold passing through fierce fire,to remove impurities.For our benefit and good,yes,we are fired at! Not to fire back!

And so,If I may, let people say what they want to say on your face. Let people throw what they want to throw in your way, Let   them draw what they want to draw of your image. They can do their worst. Was it Abraham Lincoln who said this thought or words to this effect? If you’re on the truth,ten thousand devils telling you’re lying won’t change that. If you’re on the wrong,ten thousand angels saying the opposite will not make you right nor upright.

To this day, the Lord Jesus sanctifies or cleanses her (the church) with the washing of water by the Word (Eph 5:26) . Why?  “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church,not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (v.27). The love of the Lord to the church is deep, long, and enduring. That should inspire us. we may be spotty today, has wrinkles and worst unholy and full of blemish, but that’s where exactly He wants us to effect that love of Him. And that’s JESUS and HIS LOVE, unchanging, even if the actions and attitudes and ways of His followers misrepresent Him.

Telling me strongly, that’s us, let’s love one another,as He loves us, even many a time our actions and actuations toward one another have not been a  representative of our Lord’s kind of love.

Loving church, just as CHRIST loves the church. Let’s take it that way.   

Lukewarm
by Jaspher Cosico 

Our recent C.L.U.S.T.E.R group study and discussion of Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love was led by Deacon Rogie Rabanillo.  The topic was the state of being lukewarm and half-hearted. We started the worship with a song called Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher and we delved ourselves into the study that asked us to assess the status of our worship, our service, and relationship with God.

How is your relationship with God? Are you yourself feeling as if you’re serving God half-heartedly? Kuya Don, a fellow church member, said that if serving is an inconvenience, we tend to not do it. I guess for me, I can relate by saying that if monetary income seems insufficient to drive around to every church bible study, or if physical exhaustion overwhelms my body, then I can’t go. So for me, it is true that sometimes I think that it is an inconvenience to do something that glorifies God. Kuya Ronnie says that he feels like he can always do more, and that he can always give more, which gives him a reason to strive to serve more. I think it’s a positive way of viewing it but can be harmful if looked in a different way. For example, I have to do more but nothing I can do that will ever be enough, or there will be others that will do the job. This mindset is detrimental not only to your relationship with God but also to others. However, let’s not digress from the subject but continue on with the discussion.

The chapter referenced Luke 14:33, stating, “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” Ate Marchesa posed the question, how can you get yourself off that list of being lukewarm and half-hearted? What do I have to give up that will not make me lukewarm?  In my head I thought it depended on how you look at it, because if you can always do or give more, so in some way it means there’s a lot more to be done, which means you’re always going to be lukewarm. So I questioned, is there nothing I can do to get off this list? Instantly, the verse that came to my mind was Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” No one can do enough. No one is enough except One; only One person is exempt from being in this list. No one can fulfill what God deems as holy and pure except the Son that He sacrificed to atone for our sins, Jesus the Christ.

Furthermore, Francis Chan references this verse I believe Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” He compared the loss of our saltiness to being less than manure, because manure can at least be used as fertilizer.  And based on this verse, we are useless. We cannot even be used to mix with manure because nothing will happen. The brevity and pungency of this analogy really hit me. I could be less than excrement. I could be nothing. However, Emman, a praise team leader, addressed that our seeming worthlessness is not the highlight of this study. Instead, we are worth more than that; it is the reason Christ died for us. You were paid with a high price and that is why you’re not worthless. However, it does not mean you are worthy because no one is; but you’re definitely not worthless.

After a lengthy discussion, we decided that it’s not about what you do or can do, it always matters with what is inside your heart. Do you serve because you’re trying to be worthy or do you serve because you know you’re not worthless? Do you serve to fill a quota or because of love, in response to who He is?  The remaining questions ended with a solemn and discerning song called “All of me” by Matt Hammitt.

Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 states, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” It’s such a fitting verse to conclude with because it advocates exactly what God looks for when you’re confused; if you feel lukewarm or serving half-heartedly. The heart is what matters. It’s what He looks into, the deeds that spring out of it will simply make Him smile.