Kasalanan po ba ang sumunod sa mga pamahiin kung nag-iisa kang mananampalataya sa pamilya?

May “pamahiin” na praktikal, mayroong harmless, may cute at may unprofitable. Kung ang pagsunod sa pamahiin ay hindi naman lumalabag sa batas ng tao at sa utos ng Diyos, wala naman akong nakikitang, “kasalanan” doon. Siyempre, yung ibang conservative religious people might think that by observing such pamahiin, you display lack of trust in God. Interpretation nila yun. Hindi ganun ang pananaw ko. Maraming tinatawag na “pamahiin” ang sa totoo lang ay nag-uugat sa kagandahang loob at kagandahang asal. (Mahabang paliwanagan)

Bakit may mga taong pag tinuturuan mo at itinutuwid ay nagagalit?

Marami kasing tao ang gusto ay yung INUUTO sila. They reward those who flatter and make them uto and punish those who tell them the truth.

Ano para sa inyo ang positive at negative side ng isang mega-church versus community church o small church?

Advantage ng mega-church: size. It can do many things because there are many people.

Disadvantage: size. Mahirap magkaroon ng maraming close relationships kasi ang daming tao, unless gawan talaga ng paraan. Hindi naman natin napipili kung magiging mega o small church tayo; assignment yan ni Lord.

Kung may mababago kayo sa church, ano yun?

Marami-rami yan ha!

Isa, lumalawak ang isip at pang-unawa. Huwag sobrang kitid. Para kasing may kalsada na may white line sa gitna. Maraming Christians, doon lang lumalakad sa narrow white line kasi dini-demonize nila yung malapad na daan na actually ay pwede namang lakaran kung malawak lang sana ang pang-unawa.

Kung makakilos sila, parang si satan ang creator and owner of the world kaya ang konti-konti ng natira para sa mga anak ng Diyos. Very defeatist. Very narrow. Very limiting.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it…

Believers must repossess and enjoy creation.

Pare-pareho lang naman pong Bible-based ang mga churches. So ano pong katangian o patakaran ng isang fellowship ang hahanapin nyo kung kayo ang sasali?

1.       Walang maraming bawal. Hindi yung kaliit-liitang bagay ay minamalaki.

2.       Hindi puro fear at paranoia ang itinuturo. Hindi naghahanap ng demonyo sa tasa ng sopas.

3.      Hindi palapintas ng ibang groups.

4.       Hindi napipilitan ang members na magpanggap, magbalatkayo at magkunwaring banal na banal kasi paparusahan o sisipain ang hindi banal.

5.       Hindi parang pulis na laging nagmamanman at nakabantay sa bawat kilos at galaw ng members.

6.       Malawak ang karanasan, malaki ang utak at mayaman ang edukasyon ng pamunuan.

7.       Hindi nangongopya ng kultura ng Israel o ng anupamang bayan kung hindi ipinamumuhay ang pananampalataya sa konteksto ng sariling kultura.

8.       Mapagkalinga sa lahat at hindi naka-focus sa isa lamang uri ng tao o isa lang antas ng pamumuhay/kabuhayan. In other words, a church of mixed social, educational and economic backgrounds kasi realistic ang ganung social climate. Hindi yung church na pangmayaman o pangmahirap o pangganito at ganyan lamang.

9.       Yung pwede akong maglingkod at napaglilingkuran din ako. Walang lugi.

1.   Yung magaan ang feeling. Masaya. Relaxed. Enjoy.

When is the right time to enter a relationship with the opposite gender?

Para hindi sobrang serious na relationship (Yung hindi pa naman gustong mag-asawa/pakasal na)

1.       When you’re not too young anymore: above 16? Better if above 18?

2.       When you are mature enough to love your partner and not just seek love from her?

Mature enough to give and not just want to receive?

Para sa super serious relationship na kasalan na ang next, maganda ang:

       1.older than 25

       2. mayroong financial means to support yourselves

       3. nagawa na ang major dreams na kailangang gastusan like pag-aaral, travel, etc.

       4. nakatulong na kahit paano sa mga magulang (bago magkaroon ng iba/bagong priority)

       5. handa nang “pakulong” sa buhay-may asawa.

Bakit may mga pastors na sobrang conservative at mayroon namang progressive kung iisa naman ang Bible?

Hindi naman yung Bible ang nagpapa-conservative kung hindi yung likas na ugali, education, training, background, psychological profile nung pastor o yung utos ng bishop/congregation.

Ano ang effective way para patahimikin ang nagger at bungangerang mother?

 Give her what she wants: attention or obedience This also applies to nagging wives. Kaya lang naman nagna-nag kasi hindi pinapansin o sinusunod.

Bakit kaya may taong laging swerte?

Hindi swerte ang tawag sun. Blessed siya kasi blessed ang pamamaraan nya sa buhay. Kasi yung swerte, tsamba-tsamba. Eh yung laging maganda ang nangyayari, hindi na tsamba yun. Tamang pamumuhay, pag-iisip at paggawa ang pinagmumulan nun.

Ano naman po ang top 5 accomplishments in life?

1    1.      To know your gifts and develop them to the max/point of usefulness.

2    2.       To give your best to life and to receive your best share in life.

3    3.       To love and be loved.

4    4.       To cause/give happiness and to be happy yourself.

5    5.       To enjoy God’s creation to the most and help preserve/restore it.

Tama ba o hindi ang pagkain ng karne tuwing Huwebes at Biyernes Santo?

Ang sabi ni Lord, it’s not important what gets into the mouth but what gets out of it. So hindi nakukuha sa mga schedule ang masama at mabuti. Lalo namang hindi nakukuha yan sa dieta. Nasa puso natin yan.

Ano ang effective na sandata ng wife laban sa husband na nambababae?

Pera. Dapat may pera ang wife. May sariling income. Para kaya nyang layasan ang husband pag gusto nya. Mahirap yung gusto mong lumayas pero hindi mo magawa kasi ni wala kang pamasahe.

May mga tao bang nakatadhanang hindi mag-asawa at maglingkod na lang sa Panginoon bilang missionary?

Marital status is a choice of the individual or an imposition of human circumstances. I don’t think God assigns who gets married and who doesn’t. Kung minsan, nagiging excuse o escape ang ganyang idea ng mga taong gustuhin man ay hindi naman talaga magkaroon ng partner o kaya pa-consuelo sa sarili. Lalo na sa mga taong gusto talagang magkaroon ng asawa. Hindi ako naniniwalang pagkakaitan sila ng Diyos dahil lang tinatawag sila sa ministry. Mas marami ngang advantage kung may partner ang missionary.

Ano talaga ang meaning ng “CULT”? Bakit paboritong itawag ito ng mga religious groups sa ibang hindi nila kapanalig?

Yan ang tawag ng marami sa anumang religious belief or teaching na hindi nila naiintindihan, o ayaw nilang intindihin o sa tingin nila ay mali. (Siyempre, “mali” means iba sa paniwala nila kasi, natural, sila ang tama sa tingin nila.)

The word cult is derived from the Latin word “cultus” meaning worship. It was originally used to call a group of persons that worshiped a deity. Technically, all religious groups could be called cults. Even Christianity at first when it was an unknown and unpopular religion was called a cult.

In the last several hundred years when the world was dominated by a big and powerful religion, the word “cult: has been used by this dominant religion to describe, berate, belittle, insult, stigmatize and even demonize religious groups that did not belong to/with them. In this way, many Bible-based groups were first called cults, especially when they were still small and powerless. The word was, of couse, used by big religion to scare their members and prevent them from joining the other groups which, naturally, were threats to their dominance.

Most of the time, the term is used in a self-righteous, self-promoting, disrespectful and even cruel way. The word is is usually used to judge, label, insult, mock or destroy the reputation of others, especially the religious competition, the non-conformist, the different or the new which is not yet understood. Many people who use this word are usually not qualified or educated or trained enough to pass expert and informed opinion. Most observers notice that those who are quick to use this word are usually opinionated, bigoted, biased, unloving, cruel or grossly uninformed or misinformed. Or they are very zealous for their beliefs that they are quick to demonize any idea that they do not believe in.

Mayroon ba talagang mga tao na mabigat kasama sa buhay?

Parang ganun nga nga. Madalas hindi lang siya ang factor; yun ding kasama.

Hindi sila compatible.

Dapat suriin din ang sarili kung may kontribusyon rin sa pagbigat ng samahan.

Ano ang best na sabihin pag galit na galit ako sa isang tao?

Wala. Be quiet.  

Baka pagsisihan mo ang sasabihin mo habang galit.

Ano ang posibleng naging buhay ni Jesus dun sa missing years nya from 12 to 30 years sa story ng Bible?

Maraming haka-haka. But since there is no record in the Bible, there could be no biblical basis to answer that. The only basis one could have are:

1.      Extrabiblical sources/other literary traditions (which are difficult to verify)

2.       Educated guess, which at best is just that: a guess.

3.       Faith that because it was not recorded, then the Bible writers did not think it necessary to write about.

He should have lived a normal person’s life which details did not have to be focused on, like life details in the movies where the script features only the highlights or definitive events.

Conservative ba si Jesus noong panahon Nya?

Never! Yung mga Pharisee, Sadducees, priests, teachers of the Law—yung mga kalaban Nya—ang conservative. If Jesus were with us today, He won’t be among the conservatives. He won’t be wearing conservative attire. Like He did then, He would be with the social and moral outcasts because He is a “friend of sinners.”

Bakit kaya may taong laging swerte?

Hindi swerte ang tawag dun. Blessed siya kasi blessed ang pamamaraan nya sa buhay. Kasi yung swerte, tsamba-tsamba. Eh yung laging maganda ang nangyayari, hindi na tsamba yun. Tamang pamumuhay, pag-iisip at paggawa ang pinagmumulan nun.

Okay lang ba na ang isang Kristiyano ay humingi ng tulong pinansyal sa PCSO, eh di ba galing yun sa lotto at sweepstakes na kung saan hindi kinalulugdan ng Panginoon?

Lahat ng mabuting bagay ay galing sa Diyos.

Kung saan-saan lang dumadaan.

Google ads:

Okay lang ba na hatiin ang tithes? 50% sa church at 50% sa ibang Christian organizations, meaning outside ng church ko?

Nasa conviction mo yan, especially kung very worthy yung organizations and the church does not do what the organizations do.

 But why not just give special love gifts to organizations? That way, hindi magagalit ang maraming leaders na strict sa tithing.

Google ads:

1. Ano ang magandang sagot sa “Bakit ako maniniwala sa Bibliya eh gawa lang naman din ng tao yan? 2. How do I know what is the right church for me? Is it wrong to choose a church of my preference?

Answer:

  1.    Hindi naman ine-explain ang paniniwala. Faith yun: personal decision.

  2.     Dapat pumili ng church. Yung both ways may growth: maggo-grow ka at makaka-contribute ka sa growth nung church.

Ano ang pinagkaiba ng “faith healer” sa “albularyo”?

An albularyo or herbulario is herbalist; using herbs for healing and wellness. A faith healer heals by spiritual/religious ritual or practice and may or may not use herbs. Magkaiba sila. Sometimes nagsasama yung dalawang disciplines sa isang practitioner kaya may nalilito.

Bakit ang daming versions ng Bible ang mga born-again? Ang gulo. Buti pa ang Catholics, isa lang ang Bible.

Isa lang ang Bible whether “Catholic” or “Protestant.”

“Version” does not mean magkakaiba ang content; it only means magkakaiba ang style ng pag-translate from Hebrews and Greek.

Basing it on sources, all versions are generally the same Bible. Iba-iba lang ng time of translation from the Greek and Hebrew-based materials kaya may old-fashioned language at may contemporary.

The so-called Catholic Bible is also a version. Kaya lang, Catholics are taught to read only one version. May “Protestants” din na one version lang ang gusto, like the King James Version.

Catholics may read any version. Same with non-Catholics. Essentially, pareho lang ang laman.

The more versions one reads, the more he expands his scholarship/knowledge.

Ano ang pagkakaiba ng Reverend, Pastor at Brother?

Ranking lang yan na ina-assign o ina-award ng religious congregations ayon sa mga standards nila.

May mga grupo na pag nakapasa ka sa specific standards nila, kung anu-ano man yun—ay bibigyan ka ng title na “Rev.”

Ngayon, kung nagpapastor ka at hindi ka pasado sa standards nila o taga-ibang grupo ka na hindi nila nire-recognize o ino-honor, “Pastor” (lang) ang itatawag nila sa iyo—at least a description of what you do.

O kaya kung talagang ayaw ka nilang i-honor pati na ang congregation na kinabibilangan o pinamumunuan mo, pero ayaw naman nilang magmukhang sobrang disrespectful, “Bro” ang itatawag nila sayo.

Gawain yan ng mga religious, church o academic groups who think very highly of themselves and appropriate unto their self-appointed authority the “power” to give or deny such titles.

Some humble leaders do not even want to be called by high-sounding titles; they even volunteer to “demote” themselves and ask to be called by less affected appellations.

Those titles are meaningless. It’s what God thinks of you and what you really  fruitfully do in ministry that matter. None of  Jesus’ apostles ever carried or were accorded titles. Not even Jesus asked to be called  “Reverend.” On the Father is reverend.

Sabi nga ni Shakespeare, “ What’s in a name? ...A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet…” Or a foul-smelling blossom, by any other name, would still smell as bad.