Why does the Lord allow suffering?

Actually wala dapat suffering. But the whole system was destroyed because of sin.

So, lahat yan, resulta ng sinfulness. Not only of an individual person but of humanity. Pag sinabi mo, 

Innocent naman siya, bakit siya magsa-suffer? Part kasi siya ng buong pakyaw, part siya ng buong system.

So you cannot escape it. The whole world is corrupted and has fallen into sin. How can anyone escape the claws of sin?

Kaya naaapektuhan pati yung mga hindi directly involved. Pero ang maganda non, the Lord Jesus Christ joined us in our sufferings.

Bumaba Siya mula sa langit to suffer for our sins and think no one of us has suffered more than He did.

Kaya huwag nating i-question si Lord na Bakit may suffering?  Ang i-question natin, Lord, bakit dinamayan nyo pa kami sa suffering na ito? Dapat naman, kami lang. Kaya salamat kay Lord.

How shall we love our enemies?

It’s one of the most misunderstood verses in Scripture over the years of my Christian life and service.

Matthew 5:44, Love your enemy. Sa tagalog, Ibigin mo ang iyong kaaway. Parang walang sense, di ba?

Aminin nyo na. Paano mo iibigin ang kaaway mo?

But the Greek language, in which the New Testament was written, has at least four different words for love.

 Merong godly love. Ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sa tao na walang preconditions.

Meron namang filial love, ang pag-ibig sa mga magkakamag-anak.

Meron ding pag-ibig na ang ibig sabihin, I’m commited to your well-being, hindi ako magiging sagabal sa iyong pag-asenso pero hindi naman kita nami-miss kung hindi kita nakikita.

In other words, I’m not emotionally involved with you pero committed ako para sa ikabubuti mo. That is also love.

Dun pumapasok ang Love your enemy. May involvement out of familiarity or out of spending time and space together. In other words, hindi yun yung pag-ibig na emosyonal kasi imposible naman na minamahal nyo yung kaaway nyo, na Iniibig kita, nami-miss kita, mahal na mahal kita.

To love your enemy is to be committed to the well-being of your enemy. Don’t wish him ill. Huwag ka lang gagawa ng bagay na ikasasama nya—love na yon.

Hindi mo siya kailangang padalhan ng lollipops and roses at burong talangka para masabing love mo siya. Ibang klaseng love na yon.

Masama bang magalit ang isang Kristiyano?

Hindi naman masama, depende lang kung paano tayo nag-e-express ng galit.

 Kung nagagalit tayo at ang ating tendency ay saktan ang ating kinagagalitan, masama yon.

Nagagalit tayo sa mali at ang goal ng galit sa mali ay para itama ito. 

Kung minsan, tamang magalit tayo pero ang pagdadala natin ng galit, mali.

Kaya pare-pareho na lang tayong mali.

Titiyakin nyo na hindi kayo nadi-disqualify na mali dahil sa pagha-handle nyo ng galit nyo.

 Dahil kung ganun, eh di pareho na lang kayong mali.

At pakatandaan, ang galit ay dapat ipinapahayag sa lalong madaling panahon.

Sa dami ng relihiyon na itinatag, paano ba malalaman kung alin ang totoo?

Kung relihiyon ang pinag-uusapan, lalo kung Christianity, it should be based on the Bible.

Ang maging pamantayan kung sino ang tama, eh, kung sino yung pinaka-close at pinaka-honest sa pagsunod sa Bible.

Hindi yan dinadaan sa patandaan ng church, sa pagwapuhan ng mga leader o pagalingan ng mga spokesman. Ang titingnan nyo, ano ba ang teaching ng church as compared to the Bible?

Kasi, maraming magagaling magsalita at napapaikot tayo. Ang itinuturo hindi na pala galing sa Bible kundi kaugalian o opinion pala ng mga tao.

So, walang moral basis. Kailangang nakabase sa Scriptures. Kaya dapat may Bible kayo, para laging nako-compare nyo ang itinuturo ng relihiyon na ito at nang hindi tayo madaya.

Kasalanan ba ang kumain ng dinuguan?

Blood was considered life in the Old Testament and was forbidden as food. But the New Testament declared that all foods sold in the meat market could be eaten. Was blood ever sold in the meat market in the Old Testament? Walang record na ganito sa Old Testament, so gray area. Pero malinaw sa New Testament na lahat ng pwede mong kainin na nabibili sa palengke ay puwedeng kainin.

 Kapag bumili tayo ng meat, sa totoo lang, wala namang guarantee na ito’y 100% na walang dugo. Sa Corinth, isa sa mga discussion nila ay ang Christian liberty. Isa lang ang gusto kong i-highlight or i-focus dito sa Christian liberty. Lahat ay pwede mong kainin pero alang-alang sa isang kapatid na hindi acceptable sa kanya ang pagkain ng dinuguan, huwag kang kumain nun.

Para huwag nang maging isyu at para hindi magulo ang buhay, kumain na lang kayo ng iba. Ang dami pa namang putahe sa mundo—merong  dinengdeng, kare-kare, bulanglang—ang dami pa! Kung umalis na siya, eh di kumain ka nang kumain ng gusto mo. Walang natitisod. Ang point is, meron kang freedom na gawin ito pero hindi mo siya gagawin kung merong kapatid na matitisod.

Napakalaking contention itong dinuguan na ito. Kaya ako mismo, tumigil na ring kumain nyan, dahil in the first place, talaga namang marumi ang dugo. (Pero paminsan-minsa’y napapakain din.)Kita nyo pag may sakit kayo, iba-blood test kayo, kita sa dugo nyo. Kaya hindi naman siguro napakalaking kawalan sa atin  na tumigil kumain nyan para na lang  matigil itong isyu na ito. Sinabi ni Lord sa Matthew 15:17-18, it’s not important what gets into the mouth but what gets out of it. Yet, let us not go to war on this issue. Marami pang higit na mahalaga.

Tama ba na ang isang Kristiyano ay manood ng sine o pumasok ng sinehan?

Ang kabanalan ay wala sa lugar. Ito ay nasa puso. Pwedeng nakaupo kayo doon sa loob ng simbahan pero yun pala, mala-Sodom and Gomorrah ang takbo ng utak nyo.

Yung iba, kaya conservative tungkol sa sine ay dahil maraming himala ang nangyayari diyan sa kadiliman. Dalawang tao, iisa ang anino. Nung lumapit ka, Ay dalawa pala ito! Akala ko isa.

Depende rin yan sa pinanonood. Halimbawa, manonood kayo ng horror, I don’t think it’s good. Una, dahil nago-glorify yung gawa ng masasamang espiritu at ng kadiliman. Second, maaapektuhan din kayo, magkakaroon kayo ng fears. Third, ang pera nyo na galing sa Diyos, ibinibigay nyo sa mga producers ng horror movies.

 Anong gagawin nila? Magpro-produce pa ulit sila. Ganun din yung sex-oriented films. Yung pera nyo binibigay nyo sa gumagawa ng malalaswang pelikula. Eh, di siyempre ang ibig sabihin noon, gumawa pa ulit sila. So dapat pinipili  natin kung anong tinatangkilik. Pero kung sabi ng pastor nyo, huwag kayong magsine, sundin nyo siya, huwag ako.

Lahat ng ginagawa at lahat ng dapat gawin ay maganda kung tama ang timing

How else is time a friend? Time makes everything beautiful. Therefore, everything and every activity is beautiful when attuned to the times, when done on time. Lahat ng ginagawa at lahat ng dapat gawin ay maganda, kung tama ang timing. There’s a time to be born. Kailang nagiging maganda yan? When parents are ready, it’s a good time to be born. But when parents are not ready o lalo na kung walang parents na umaako sa responsibilidad, hindi masyadong mabuti ang time nay an to be born.

There’s also a time to die. Huwag nyo namang sabihin na 135 years old na kayo at para nang driftwood ay gusto nyo pang mabuhay! Siyempre, magiging beautiful na rin to die kung panahon na. Magandang tumanda lalo’t may pinagkatandaan. Kung na-invest nang tama an gating panahon at lakas, kung mayron tayong tinulungan at mayron tayong minahal, magandang tumanda. That’s when it’s good to be old. When life has been lived to the fullest and can no longer be lived meaningfully, that’s when it’s good to die! So there’s a time to be born and a time to die.

And a time to plant. It’s a beautiful time when it is done in season. It’s also good to uproot. Mabuti na yung bumunot ng mga itinatanim para sa ikapapahinga ng lupa at para sa ikalalago ng ibang halaman. May binubunot ka para yung iba naman ang lumusog.

There is a time to kill. To kill the evil thoughts and deeds that are inside us. There is a time to weep. Pag hirap na hirap na talaga ang iyong loob, it’s beautiful to weep. Kaya lang inilalagay dapat sa panahon. Kung nagtatawanan yung iba tapos medyo umiiyak-iyak ka, baka madala ka sa Mandaluyong. Ang problema kasi sa iba, wrong timing ang lahat ng ginagawa. Kailangan may tamang panahon.

There’s time to laugh. A time to mourn. To let your emotions show. To let your emotions happen so that you can begin healing. You cannot be in constant denial. Mayrong mga tao nalulungkot na nagsasaya-sayahan pa. Hirap na hirap na, kunwari pa nadadalian. Tapos bigla-bigla na lang silang bumibigay. Kailangang i-recognize natin ang ating mortality. That there’s a time to be happy, a time to be sad. These are all parts of life. And done in its own time, everything is beautiful.

A time to dance, especially to the Lord. A time to embrace and a time to part. To stop from embracing. A time to search. Especially for knowledge. And a time a time to stop searching. A time to keep. Especially relations and things. To throw away things that complicate our lives. To throw away things that become burdens in their upkeep.

There’s a time to be silent and a time to speak. Sabi nila, speech is silver, silver is gold. Marami kasi magaling magsalita pero wrong timing. Timing is sometimes even more important than the act itself. Kaya sabi nung isang tula, “What was appropriate to say one second ago, no longer is and hurts the feelings rather than helps its cause.” It’s important to do everything within the rhythm that the Lord has so designed. Why? Because everything is beautiful in its time. And only in its time.

A rich person is not measured by how much he owns but by how much he enjoys what he has

Verse 12 says—I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and to do good while they live. Hindi ko pa yata nakikita sa slum book itong goal na ito.

Goal in life: to be happy and to do good. Pero ang sabi, there is nothing better for men than to be happy and to do good. Sometimes in the pursuit of our ambitions we become unhappy.

Sometimes in trying to have what we want to possess we make ourselves and the people around us miserable. In the end we end up owning everything except our own hearts.

Except our own happiness. It’s not wrong to own a lot of things but to lose your soul is a terrible payment for owning things that you will leave behind.

What is our goal with time? To be happy. Hindi yung maging que sera, sera. Hindi yung maging happy-go-lucky. But just to be happy. Who is a wealthy person? A wealthy person is he who enjoys what he has.

Kahit namn ang dami-dami nyong possessions pero kung hindi naman kayo nag-e-enjoy dahil wala kayong inisip kundi more, more, more, eh hindi kayo rich. A rich person is not measured by how much he owns but by how much he enjoys what he has.

Kaya sabi, be happy. Hindi naman maging walang ambisyon o sobrang kontento. But you must know where to draw the line between ambition and idolatry.

We should not make idols of our ambitions. They are just general guides of what we want in life. But never ever be too focused on goals set far away that you forget to enjoy today.