Nowadays, trial by publicity has become a norm most especially in social media. Whenever something is posted, it is easy for the public to make comments and sometimes, even bash people. Now, put yourself in the situation of those who are being bashed. Never mind if the accusations are true or not. How would you feel? When people are accusing you, insulting you, looking down at you, and doing all sorts of evil against you… well, how would you feel?

If you are in their situation, you probably will feel mad, bad, and sad. In other words, your weakness will show! You will not feel glad. But that’s what exactly Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 12:6-10. How can you be glad when you are in the midst of a “thorn in the flesh”? (He is referring to a person who was probably giving him such a hard time.)

We can easily relate to this. Sometimes we encounter people in our lives who do not wish us well. It seems that they are out to hurt us. How do we respond? Paul says, “Be glad!” But why? He gives us three reasons.

We didn't have electricity at the Real Life Center for almost three weeks! It's hard to do anything without electrical power. So, we were stuck. We had to find an alternative venue where we could meet. But, finally and thankfully, Meralco came and helped us out. They restored the power from their side. Now, it’s up to us to turn on our switchers.

When we are undergoing trials, it seems that we are also stuck in helplessness and despair. We need God’s help. But we also have a role to play. We need to turn on our faith switchers, so to speak, to receive God’s help. James, the brother of Jesus, teaches us how to do this in James 1:2-18.

Trials can easily pin us down. But it doesn't have to be a stumbling block to our faith. It can be a stepping stone instead toward deeper spiritual growth and maturity. The key is to turn on three faith switchers to receive God’s help in our time of need.

Throughout my 23 years of ministry, I have observed that, while all Christians are called to serve, only a few participate. This deviates from God's intention for every believer to utilize their God-given gifts in ministry, regardless of their role. Ephesians 4:7-16 emphasizes this calling, urging the Ephesian church to use their talents to glorify God. This passage, following the discussion of salvation and grace in chapters 1-3, highlights the importance of serving as a response to God's blessings. In this message, I aim to convey to my audience the crucial nature of serving in ministry, emphasizing that it is not limited to pastors or gifted individuals but is an integral part of every Christian's calling.

Why is it important that we join/participate in church ministry?

Life is full of hardship, sorrow, and pain. Some people drown in despair because of that while others try to alleviate the situation by escaping or denying the situation. The former leads to a loss of hope while the latter leads to an unhealthy attachment to pleasure. Is there another solution? Yes, it's called the discipline of celebration.

The discipline of celebration is one of the key disciplines of engagement (i.e., disciplines that we do with other people) that we can learn to practice in the midst of all the sorrow and pain in the world. It is the intentional enjoyment of our life with God by faith together with others. It must be balanced with other spiritual disciplines, especially disciplines of abstinence. Let us learn how we can practice this discipline in our lives.

Ever feel like faith is a solo journey? Nope! This month, we're diving into the power of community! Building strong connections with others is key to growing closer to God. Remember, loving your neighbor goes hand-in-hand with loving God [Mark 12:30-31]. Join us as we explore how strong relationships can fuel your spiritual journey! This is Community!

In our final message for the April series "Welcome Home”, we invite you to open your hearts and minds to God as we listen to Him and learn about another important spiritual discipline: WORSHIP. Join our LIVE service today and together, let us experience God as a community as we listen to His word.

Join us this Sunday at Real Life Christian Communities as we delve into the power of prayer and how it can ignite unshakeable confidence. Through 1 John 5:14-21, we'll discover that prayer empowers us with boldness before God.