Preached on September 25, 2022
By Pastor Godwyn Aguinaldo Main Text: 2 Kings 6:1-7 KJV [1] And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. [2] Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. [3] And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. [4] So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. [5] But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. [6] And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. [7] Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it. Let’s talk about an axe and relate the head of the axe to the holy spirit. An axe cannot serve its purpose without the sharp or cutting edge, like us we serve our purpose with the Holy Spirit but without the Holy Spirit we lose effectiveness. Let’s learn the following steps on how to recover the cutting edge: 1. There must be concern In time out, there’s adjustments and fine tuning, try to reflect on “Am I still effective?”. There may be a time that you lose the holy spirit and you should be concerned if you’re still doing things right. First step: Power of the Holy Spirit If you are to do things you must as well do it right. Don’t waste time, if you have finished a task you must reflect on whether it is effective or not. Let’s evaluate the results and meditate on it because our service is not based on convenience. Revelations 3:16-20 KJV [16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. [17] Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: [18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. [20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 2. There must be confessions In our main text, the man did not hide that the cutting edge is gone. If you think you are not as effective as before you must fix yourself immediately. It’s totally okay to know that you made a mistake but you must admit your fault. 3. There must be comprehension You should comprehend the moment you realize that you are empowered by the Holy Spirit. The man just borrowed the axe, he began to comprehend that the axe was not his and he only borrowed it to fulfill his task. We must also comprehend that we are only empowered by God, without God we won’t be effective as servants so we must not be prideful. 4. It involves coming back Being overwhelmed isn’t always okay. Let’s take a look back, where did you lose it? When did you stop? Look in the very same place where you lose God, you cannot find Him if you look in the other directions. Think very carefully where and when you’ve gone cold and go back to where you stopped, surely it is in the place where you lost it. This is the preaching we can always look back on whenever we lose our cutting edge. Think carefully where you lost the Holy spirit and immediately go back to the exact place the moment you realize you are not being effective in your service to God. Like the man in our main text, he admitted he lost the axe head and he looked in the right place where it fell. In the end, the man was able to recover the missing axe head all because he was concerned, he confessed, he comprehended and he came back to pick up where he lost it. /written by: Jemaimah Alquizar /published by: Em Gacad
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Preached on August 15, 2019
By Pastor Godwyn Aguinaldo Main Text: 1 Kings 20:22-29 KJV [22] And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. [23] And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. [24] And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms: [25] And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so. [26] And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. [27] And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country. [28] And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord. [29] And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. From time to time, we need to be reminded that the God we serve is an all-encompassing God. He is our God in the ups as well as in the downs of our lives. The main text shows that God is a god in both the mountains and the valleys. Some people only remembers God when they were blessed and forgets when things go south. Others, only calls to God in dire situation and never when life gets easy. Nevertheless, whatever we do or whatever we think of, He is an absolute god. No matter what situation we are in, He is God and He is in control. God is in control of our welfare. He never fails to sustain us. He is always providing our needs. We say "Amen" to the things that we enjoy, tangible and intangible, in this life. It is easy to see that God is in control when our need is provided in the moment. But even at times when we thought the moment couldn't get any worse, a promise in Matthew 6:26-29 is given. He always sees our needs, and He will never forget to provide. God is also in control of our own wilderness. There is no field that is so barren that God cannot fill. The situation may be hopeless and we fell on to our doubts and unfaithfulness, but God is able to make a way to break us free. In times like these, we must remember similiar situations in the past of how we've recovered and how God orchestrated the story of redemption and recovery. An excerpt from a song would help clearly see God in these kinds of situation: "Time just drifts away and as I look back on the years, Memories of happiness and bitter tears. Through it all there was a common thread that cannot be ignored. You were there teaching me to be Your servant, Lord. All along, Your hand has been guiding me, Shaping my life to be a beautiful song. All along, You've lead me through things that You knew would make me strong. Your love has been there all along" - All Along (Pictures of Grace) God is in control of our warfare. Everyday is a battle in a Christian life. We are in battle against principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of the world. We need not live in worry and anxiety as we need to remember that God is on our side. Bear in mind that GOD CARES. In the main text, he wouldn't send a prophet is He doesn't care. He cares about your burdens (1 Peter 5:7), your brokenness (Hebrews 4:15), and your bitterness (Exodus 1:14). God can open windows even to those who doubt Him. Our rightful response: Never doubt God and remember who He is. /written by: Jenzhel Sanchez /published by: Em Gacad Preached on December 04, 2022
By Pastor Godwyn Aguinaldo Main Text: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 KJV [1] We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. [2] (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) [3] Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: [4] But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, [5] In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; [6] By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, [7] By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, [8] By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; [9] As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; [10] As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. Happiness is what people seek yet its definition varies from one person to another. Some would say that Happiness "fills" the gap in their hearts but in reality they lack Faithfulness. As the Bible tells us in (Matthew 6:33), we find Happiness in Him as long as we actively seek being Faithful. Same goes as in (Psalms 37:4) by delighting ourselves in the Lord, blessings come abundantly in our lives. Life was simple back in the days wherein we are all contented to what we have. Happiness is appreciation to what we have now and being thankful is what we should be. If a christian lacks happiness, it is because are not counting their own blessings. We tend to be envious of something we don't have yet we forget to be grateful. We must count our blessings not our troubles; we won't find happiness in our lives if we do nothing but complain. Blessing do come unexpectedly and it brings tremendous amount of joy especially when we priorities the Lord in what we do and in word (Colossians 3:17). We sometimes worry about something that has not yet happened yet or we tend to overthink what would happen in our lives; if a christian thinks this way, then they do not trust God at all. In (1 Peter 5:7), we must surrender our worries and to trust our lives to Him. God is the sole guide for us to live our lives Happy and Contented, living one day at a time. To be happy is to release the material things that binds us to the world (Matthew 16:26). This world is not our home and we should not lose ourselves, for if a person is to choose between temporary satisfaction or eternal salvation; most would choose the former because people are disobedient and impatient. it takes tremendous amount of effort to strengthen our own will and beliefs against the wiles of temptation. Happiness comes from being a giver and not receiver, to pray everyday, to learn to laugh and to cry our hearts out. To be grateful is to achieving true happiness in our lives. /written by: Steve Caramoan /published by: Em Gacad Preached on February 13, 2022
By Pastor Godwyn Aguinaldo Main Text: Ruth 3 KJV [1] Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? [2] And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barely to night in the threshingfloor. [3] Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. [4] And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. [5] And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. [6] And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. [7] And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. [8] And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and behold a woman lay at his feet. [9] And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. [10] And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. [11] And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. [12] And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. [13] Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning. [14] And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. [15] Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city. [16] And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. [17] And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law. [18] Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day. Across the entire Bible, we learned about a lot of love stories that in one way or another shaped the history of the Israelites. We have the very first couple, Adam and Eve (Genesis 2-3). We just heard a few weeks back of the story of how Rebekah was brought by Eleazar to be Isaac’s wife (Genesis 24). A more complex love story was that of Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29). But in a timely preaching for hearts day, our Pastor relayed to us what some Bible scholars would call the greatest love story written. In this featured preaching, we are going to delve deeper into the unusual yet perfect love story of Ruth and Boaz. Let’s start by clarifying that this is not the case of boy meets girl then they fell in love in the best circumstances. In painting the backdrop of their love story, we will immediately see that they are not in a perfect place to be in this story. Ruth is a Moabite, a tribe that the Lord exceedingly hates as they came were the seed of a very bad instance of sin. Ruth was widowed and stayed by her mother-in-law, Naomi’s side (Ruth 1:16). Because of a famine that ravaged Moab, they went home to Bethlehem just in time for barley harvest (Ruth 1:22). This shows the desperate situation that Ruth is in. Boaz on the other hand was a near kinsman by Elimelech, Naomi’s husband. In a stroke of God’s leading, Ruth happened to be gleaning at his field. Naomi learned of this situation and quickly acted upon it. She instructed Ruth to get herself ready to introduce herself to Boaz. Ruth needed to move past her bitter experiences and mourning in order for things to move forward. Ruth obliged and followed EVERY instruction of Naomi. Ruth unusually proposed to Boaz in what could be considered a great risk as evidenced by the surprised reaction of Boaz (Ruth 3:9). But this was all leading to what God perfectly planned for Ruth and Boaz. It has been established in chapter 2 of Ruth that Boaz had his eyes towards Ruth the whole time. Anyone in a similar situation would expect Boaz to be delighted and quickly accept Ruth’s unusual proposal. His unusual response breathes honesty and true love however. He wanted to do the right thing by not usurping a position that is not his in the first place. He even applauded Ruth’s virtuousness (Ruth 3:11). His admiration for Ruth should remind us of how Paul describes love in 1 Corinthians 13. True love rejoices in truth and thinks no evil. Boaz made the decision to make things right the very next day. One of the best things about Boaz’ mindset after Ruth’s proposal is how he protected Ruth. He knew the consequences of the risk that Ruth took. He did everything to protect Ruth’s reputation and honor. Boaz followed the right steps (Ruth 4) and the Lord gave them plenteously by revealing at the end that their union was part of God’s larger plan as it led to the birth of none other than King David (Ruth 4:22). May we be reminded that this unusual yet perfect love story mirrored our way to God’s favor as well. The Lord showed through Ruth and Boaz a love that screams redemption and victory only through Him. Every sinner in this world is Ruth. We are all trapped in a situation that is both unbearable and desperate. God would not want or even need to go near us as we are bonded by sins. We are plagued by a history of sins that God cannot take part of. Yet God became our Naomi who wanted only the best for us. God is talking to you today. He wants you to be freed from our bondage of sins (Romans 8:15). What He requires is simply for us to fully trust and obey Him just like how Ruth followed Naomi. If Ruth took a moment to doubt, this would not be the perfect love story that it would be. Just like Ruth, we are desperate because of our sins. But the Lord showed us His love that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die for our sins. The Lord wrote Ruth a perfect love story in the worst circumstances. Ruth and Boaz weren’t in a perfect setting but everything became perfect because of the One who wrote the story. The Lord had already written the perfect love story for you at the cross of Calvary. All you need to do today is accept the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and fully obey Him. Will you accept His love and be redeemed today? /written by: Kevin Sanchez /published by: Em Gacad |