Jun P. Espina 1 min read
Updated on February 17th, 2020
C. H. Spurgeon once commented that little minds need Latin to express their shallow thoughts, more so on how to enter God’s kingdom. Unlike the artful deception of falsehood, truth needs but simple words. Its beauty and might is easily seen in its actual, rugged form. In only six common words, the apostle Paul penned one of the greatest Christian truths ever told: “I have been crucified with Christ.”
On TV, we see Muslim radicals praying before launching an attack. This kind of praying in the spirit of killing will not give joy to the only true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Moses—the God of the Holy Bible, who is the Father of Christ! This prayerfulness is an ABOMINATION to the Lord. Observe the first part of the verse: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD…” It is no surprise to us that even the priests and “pastors” of the Christian faith may have made abominable prayers to God, for God’s word in Proverbs 15:8 states that “the prayer of the upright is His delight.” Yes, you and I may have prayed unto the Father in heaven a prayer that was not pleasing to Him. How to be UPRIGHT or RIGHTEOUS then, so that our prayer gives delight to God?
How is one piece of wood, the so-called Black Narazene, making both news and history every January of each year in the Philippines since Catholic “devotees” worshiped it as a miraculous idol for hundreds of years? The Black Nazarene symbolizes the ordinary Filipinos’ Catholicism and devotion to a god made of wood. “Not at all,” protested the learned academicians and intellectuals who were into the Black Nazarene worship, too. It is how deep the Black Nazarene cult has permeated into the matrix of the Filipino faith system for over 200 years.
In politics, the followers of Christ are instructed not to be rebels of the duly instituted authority but rather to pray for their leaders. Some leaders of pseudo-Christian groups went to the mountains during the period of Dictator Marcos in the Philippines and became rebels and combatants. Such wasn’t fundamental Christianity. Here is Christ’s teaching: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17).
What is the greatest form of poverty in this life? Poor pocket? Poor health? Poor relationship? NO! When cancer or accident comes to kill, Christ would say: “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee…[but] you are not rich toward God.” In Luke 12:20-21, Christ taught about poverty toward God.
Jun P. Espina 1 min read
Updated on February 17th, 2020
What is a Feminist Movement and how relevant it is to our understanding of marital and family relationships? Is the assertion of most wives that they are better off without their weak husbands the ideal model to follow?