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R:12 Christianity

ikthusbacolod — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:19:14 +0000

Encountering Israel in the Old Testament times, one cannot do away with the sacrificial system in the big frame of their religious picture. Every time someone, or the people, sins – one needs to kill a sheep or pigeons to offer to God for the appeasement of His intended wrath. The animal is killed and placed on the altar to be burned; the smoke created by such is thought of as perfume in the nostrils of God. Propitiation is simply satisfying God by killing a scapegoat, substituting the death of an innocent beast instead of the sinner. In the end, God is pleased – and so, life continues in the Israeli camp.

Of course, we as Christians know that the sacrificial system is once and for all a picture of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. Jesus, in a larger scope, became the scapegoat for the supposedly punishment of the people of God. Whoever is in Jesus has the atonement that God requires, abolishing the need for killing cows and birds on the altar of the religious system. But there’s one ‘sacrifice’ that we are into as Christians. The apostle Paul, after clearing the doctrinal air in his epistle to the Roman church, points to the new sacrifice that so pleases God. “In view of God’s mercies (through what Jesus Christ did at Calvary),” the apostle says in Romans 12, “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…” Paul was ‘beseeching’ or ‘urging’ the Christians to be living sacrifices. This is the picture of an R:12 Christian: the living sacrifice. The picture painted by the apostle here is not the Old Testament sacrificial system of a dead meat on top of a microwaved altar. The apostle wrote an adjective prior to the word sacrifice: it’s living. In simple terms, it is you and me who are alive, reading this. While you are alive, make your life a sacrifice on the altar of everyday living (redundant word: life).

What exactly is the point of dead and living sacrifice here in the life of a true Christian? It’s this: Christ died for us to live; He lived for us to die to self. This is sacrifice. It is, in a sense, letting the very life of Christ to be reenacted inside of us and be lived out to the world around us. If we do so, imagine the Father closing His eyes everyday, inhaling the air and smiling His heart out. God is sniffing sweet, sweet perfume.

Midweek Service

ikthusbacolod — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 06:42:54 +0000

About R:12

ikthusbacolod — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:07:53 +0000

God dreams for His Children.

He dreams no just for their occupation or accomplishments, but dreams of the kind of person they will become and the life they will live. God desires His children to become “mirrors” to reflect His character and glory.

God desires His children to become disciples.

If you yearn to become a true disciple who mirrors Christ’s character, if you want to live God’s dream for you, embark on a life-changing journey through Romans 12 and discover what it really means to life and please God.

Series Outline

Surrendered to God: Your Spiritual Act of Worship
Separated from the World: How to Get God’s Best for Your Life
Sober in Self-Assessment: How to Understand Who You Really Are
Serving Others in Love: How to Experience Authentic Community
Supernaturally Responding to Evil: How to Overcome the Evil Aimed at You

R:12 Christianity (Article)
How will the R:12 Campaign be conducted

r12 Small Groups Training

ikthusbacolod — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:07:00 +0000

Schedule

July 15 – 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
July 16 – 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

About r12

r12 is a relational profile of an authentic disciple based on Romans 12. r12 is not about being religious, keeping rules, developing programs, church growth, self-actualization or spiritual formula’s for success. more

About the Speaker

Pastor Philip Tarroja is the Training Consultant for WorldTeach International.

Cross’fire Youth Friday Fellowship

ikthusbacolod — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:53:49 +0000

The Cross is the Miracle of Life-Change

ikthusbacolod — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:45:30 +0000

Life-change, or transformation, happens when there is life. And life begins at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures were not given, paraphrasing D.L Moody, for the transfer of information, but for our transformation. Studying the Bible as believers is simply like breathing-in spiritual oxygen. But unless it transforms us like Jesus Christ, it will be mere empty words of information, and we will end up faking Christianity. And it shouldn’t be. Like a caterpillar worming its way up a tree and start its metamorphosis towards becoming a butterfly, we climb up Calvary and start our spiritual metamorphosis there to become more like Jesus. The apostle Paul, truthfully declaring the concrete picture of our salvation in the first-eleven chapters in the book of Romans, moves to “transformation” in the twelfth. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom. 12:1-2) Transformation (metamorpha) is deeply rooted in this simple truth: it’s in view of God’s mercies. It is our act of surrender; offering our lives as sacrifices to the God worthy of it. It always starts to where grace and mercy meets: at the cross of Jesus Christ. Without the cross, life-change wouldn’t be possible. Transformation reminds us that it is God’s job lest we boast of it. It is still part of God’s grace and mercy. We surrender; God transforms. The cross of Christ is a reminder that we are supposed to nail the world and our selfish desires to the cross and let God transform us for the better.

The cross is already a finished work – all we need to do is surrender. Without that total surrender, transformation is but an empty, faking of good deeds. We can be honest, and caring, and virtuous, but not have Jesus. The cross reminds us that the goal of the cross is relationship with God through His Son, and transformation is but a result to it. Life-change is possible, because Jesus made it possible on the cross. Oh, the wonderful cross!

Let’s Fly

ikthusbacolod — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:28:46 +0000

July 2011

ikthusbacolod — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:05:38 +0000

Small Group Topics for the month of July

This month, we emphasize on activities and object lessons that small groups can do together to further foster friendships and to experience special activities.

The aim is for the group members that learning is not just going through a material together, but even as you do activities together and get to know each other deeper.

Week 1 (July 6-12) – ABC’s of Thanks
Week 2 (July 13-19) – God of the City
Week 3 (July 20-26) – Favorite Childhood Food
Week 4 (July 27-Aug 2) – Fun Times

April 2011

ikthusbacolod — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 06:24:11 +0000

Theme for the month of April: The Cross & the Miracle of Life Change
April 3 – The Reason for the Cross (Luke 22:14-23)
April 10 – The Cost of the Cross (Luke 23:33-46)
April 17 – The Power of the Cross (Romans 5:6-11)
April 24 – The Cross & the Miracle of Life Change (Mark 16:1-18)

February 2011

ikthusbacolod — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 07:39:14 +0000

Theme for the month of February: LOVE Knowing The Heart of God
February 6 – Tender Lessons on Tough Love (Hosea 1:3-9)
February 13 – Unfaithfulness and God’s Love (Hosea 2:2-13)
February 20 – The Cost of God’s Love (Hosea 3:1-3)
February 27 – Returning To Your First Love (Hosea 6:1-3)