There's a Pharisee in all of us

The Pharisees must have been causing a great lot of trouble for Jesus to take a whole chapter just telling them off ("Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!").

Hypocrisy. He said this about 8 times in this chapter alone. Our pastors say that when words are repeated a lot in the Bible, it means there is a lot of emphasis put on it. 

Hypocrisy. One of the worst, if not the worst thing to do. It would be easier to find someone who is completely lost than one who claims not to be lost at all and knows it all, but lives none of it, but claims to. Or maybe we work around it by choosing only the parts of the Bible that are convenient and comforting. 

Hypocrisy. Verses that talk about God being forgiving, loving, caring, gentle, full of promises to make our lives wonderful. Ignoring everything else that requires obedience, sacrifice, losing our lives to gain it, humility and just simply obeying God. How do I know these tactics? Cause I did them myself. I grew up in Sunday School. "Been there, done that" was one of my favorite lines. 

I deserved it. All that Jesus said in Matthew 23. 

There's a Pharisee in all of us. A hypocrite. A tendency to be arrogant and blinded, most of the time with self-inflicted blindness. It was no surprise that I got myself into such depths, with such a self-destructive nature. It is only by Your Grace that I did not fall too far out of reach with irreversible damage. Grace undeserved. 

There's a Pharisee in all of us. Whenever I feel more spiritually all-knowing than others, more holy or righteous that someone else ("I am not as bad as that person" or "I'm just a typical sinner, I'm not a murderer or anything.") When I feel that someone is "hopeless" and will never deserve forgiveness. When I read, listen to and know God's Word and do nothing about it, never live it, never follow it.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes."

I know what David meant. I know what Paul meant. Wretched. I would ruin myself to irreversible damage, with no hope at all, if left to myself. Save me from my wicked nature, Lord. Take over the driver's seat of my life and don't ever let me get in the way of your plans. Don't even let me near that steering wheel and don't let me jump out of the car either. Without you, I would be blindly walking on the road straight to hell.

Highlights of Matthew 23 (The Message Version):

^4-7Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. 

8-10Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do.

^11-12Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.

^27-28"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds."

Read something.

You are never late

"Teach me the difference between what I must pursue and what I must wait on You for. They say You are never late. In these days of waiting, keep me strong in faith. Don’t let me stop short of my blessing."

 Source: http://word4utoday.ucbmedia.ph 

Move The Mountains (A Song Journal)

Light For Les-eng Mission Climb, Climbing4Christ Philippines

Kibungan to La Union Traverse, June 9-16, 2011

by Jael Garcia

With the children of Tacadang & a double rainbow.

This mission climb was called “A Light For Les-eng” as we set out to bring the light of God’s love to the remote and unreached village of Les-eng (and Tacadang). But this Light did not only reach Les-eng,  it also reached deep into my soul throughout the journey.


This Light shone on the many parts of my life and my heart that had been shrouded in fog, dark and lost. I went on this mission climb to share what I have but I returned having more than I had before I left.

A Light on Strength

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in your weakness.”                      2 Corinthians 12:9

This verse is the best description of the experience of the 10-hour ascent to Tacadang. And collectively, the 29 hours of climbing within the 7 days as we traversed from Kibungan, Benguet to Ilocos Sur to La Union.

Having only climbed 4 mountains before this “major major” climb, as our C4C leaderAce Concordia put it, I was truly nervous in facing these mountains. The first day of climbing was little more than a crawl for me, as the slopes just got steeper and steeper and higher and higher, my physical strength was pushed to the limit.

29 Hours of accumulated climbing time

But with each aching step came a breathtaking view of the beautiful mountains, rice terraces, streams and waterfalls. An experience soindescribable, how could I complain of aching limbs when I had that beauty in front of me? As my heart rate climbed, so did my spirit.

And as one of the old worship songs in my iPod said, “More of You and less of me”, I knew that I wasn’t climbing this mountain on my own.

“Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” 2 Corinthians 12:10 (MSG)

Song: Indescribable by Chris Tomlin

A Light on Worship

I had never sang so many songs of praise in a constant stream in such a long time as I did in these 7 days of the mission climb.

I heard a saying before that if you want to encounter God, you should immerse yourself in nature. This is so true, for only there did I fully comprehend the words “I’ll bring you more than a song” and“I’m coming back to the heart of worship”, for in every step and in every breath I took, I knew it was worship.

Let The River Flow

Upon reaching about the eighth hour of continuous ascent in our first climbing day, I was already feeling the fatigue slowly taking over. I noticed this because I stopped talking, because even talking required energy. But inside I never stopped singing continuously of praise songs. Only then did I appreciate all the songs of praise and worship I know from growing up in church.

I know that it was only by God’s grace that we completed the 10-hour climb, free from harm or injury, before dark, into the summit village of Tacadang. And each aching muscle was a cry out of praise to the God of all creation.

Song: God of All Creation by Hillsong

A Light on Suffering & Sacrifice

Before I left, more than one person I told about the trip said to me, “Are you crazy?”.  In our sharing time the night before our first ascent, all the climbers agreed that in every climb, there will be a point in which you will ask yourself “Why am I here?”. This is quickly followed by “What am I doing giving myself such a hard time when I could be at home resting, feeling comfortable in my air-conditioned room, drinking cold water and eating my fill?”

And in this moment, you should have an answer prepared, for that answer will determine whether you continue or you quit. Tito Ace shared his answer with us and it struck me to the core: “I do this because this is my way of showing God how much I love him.” It is in suffering that the deepest form of love is found, just as Christ gave his life for us.

In a world that is obsessed with convenience and making life easier and easier for yourself, suffering is almost like a taboo concept. Sacrifice is only for the epic movies. I know that in my life in the city, I spend a lot of time thinking how I can make things more convenient for myself. I keep on focusing on me and my needs and I usually do this without being aware of it. It is second nature to be self-centered.

Independence Day on the summit.

Only in that moment did I realize the real meaning of true suffering. It is not aimless suffering that you can claim you are doing for God. It is true sacrifice with a PURPOSE. As we climb and suffer physically and sacrifice our comfort and time, there is a clear mission and purpose for it. At the summit are men, women and children waiting, eager to hear about God, receive the gifts and feel the presence of people who care.

How can I replace these rewards for anything? To live a life following God’s purpose comes with an overflow of rewards greater than any suffering you could ever endure, any sacrifice you could ever give, for He already made the ultimate sacrifice. It is no sacrifice to say: God, take my life, it’s all for you.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 (MSG)

Song: Take My Life by Chris Tomlin

A Light on Redemption

He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. (Phil 1:6)

I grew up in Sunday School as a Pastor’s kid (PK) and a Missionary’s kid (MK). And like many PK’s and MK’s and Sunday School kids like me, I can bet that we have similar stories to tell. A childhood growing up in church, memorizing all the songs and verses and all the programs of church. Some are lucky to grow all the way into Youth church and Young Adult church, but we all have our moments when we step back and shun the Christian world we grew up in for many reasons.

My reasons ranged from painful experiences with people in the church to simply just wanting to get away from it all and live however I wanted to live. But as I stood at the summit of the mountain, staring at the double rainbow in the sky after the rainfall, I realized how great God’s faithfulness was to me.

He sustained me. He redeemed me. He restored me.

David & Goliath Storytelling

It was more than amazing that  I was thousands of feet above ground being part of a mission climb to share God’s love after all the time I spent running away from that Love. It was through the Sunday School songs and the Bible storytelling we did for the children that I saw it. I watched their eyes go wide with wonder as Jesus made Peter walk on water, as the child David defeated the giant and as the multitude of 5000 was fed miraculously by 5 loaves and 2 fish.

The message is simple and it had been deeply ingrained in me as a child. It was just overlapped and clouded by the turmoil I passed as I grew up. Jesus loves me this I know. All those seeds of God’s messages that were planted in us as children, He will grow and bloom in His perfect time.

Song: More Than Amazing by Lincoln Brewster

It is not by the climber’s might, nor by power, but only by His Spirit. As we descended the mountains after 7 days, we came back even more refreshed and revitalized than ever, for it was our spirits that grew stronger.

He can move the mountains.

It is only in a life lived for God that I can have the best, most fulfilling life I could ever live.

Only He can truly save. Only He can move the mountains.

Song: Mighty To Save by Hillsong

Would you like to be a part of the future mission climbs of Climbing4Christ Philippines?

Pray. Give. Go.

Doctors and Nurses especially needed and anyone else with a heart to serve.

Our next mission climb to the mountains of Kibungan is on October 2011.

Training climbs happen from June to October.

Visit http://c4cphilippines.multiply.com/