Good morning! I rejoice greatly in the Lord for this chance to testify on God’s working in my life. I didn’t hesitate to accept this opportunity because I thought I really need to make myself known more to you, most especially now that you have welcomed me to the band. As requested by Rev. Hoshizawa, I will testify today on how I got converted for Christ and why I went to seminary.
How I got converted for Christ
Christ came into my life in March 1995. He made me realize my need of Him through one brother who patiently chased me for a bible study with him, after I promised to meet with him but evaded meeting him many times. Before Christ came into my life, I was like a wandering nomad. I had no sense of the purpose of my existence. I had no sense of why I do things – I just did and took whatever came for me each day for I had no sense of the future. For this reason I never took my schooling seriously but just contented myself with being mediocre in class.
Before Christ came into my life, my life was also full of darkness. I succumbed to alcoholism and fornication. I started to drink wine at age 8. I tasted drugs first when I was 11 and again when I was 15. Drugs did not have a hold on me, but alcohol did. So by the time I was 15, I was already a very strong alcoholic and eventually almost became alcohol-dependent. When I was 17, I sang in honky-tonk bars where drug users, alcoholics, and prostitutes were going. By this time, I got sick of urinary tract infection (UTI), ulcer, hepatitis, and insomnia. Praise the Lord I didn’t acquire AIDS or HIV. By this time, too, I was already sleeping with a 15-year old girl. I quitted from college to medicate myself but I went back to the same dark lifestyle after I recovered from insomnia. In 1994, I found myself back in school taking up another course. I carried my dark lifestyle to school so I continued wandering until Christ finally came into my life and totally changed me in 1995.
I recognize that Christ’s coming into my life is by His grace alone, and that the faith I had to be able to accept Him as my personal Lord and Savior was a result not of my own conviction but of His grace alone still. Without His grace, I would not have trusted Him for my life and I would not have come out of my dark lifestyle. The apostle Paul is right in saying in Ephesians 2:8,9 that it is by grace through faith that I have been saved and that this is not from myself but the gift of God.
Why I went to seminary
One very expressed change the Lord has caused in me is the conscious conviction I felt in my heart to serve Him for the rest of my life. He prompted me to enter seminary for training and equipping in the handling of His word. I then thought of finishing first my college course so I could be qualified to the Master of Divinity program and to give myself enough preparation for the training. By God’s grace, I finished college in March 2001 so I went to seminary in October of that same year. I entered seminary not because I dreamed of it before but because of God’s call, not because any man decided it for me but because I volunteered to, not to know whether or not I am called to serve Him but because I knew I am, not because I had nothing else to do in life but because I had no other satisfaction in life but to preach the gospel, and not because I had no place to go but because I was fully satisfied with being at the feet of my Lord and Savior. Who would have thought that I would enter seminary for training for lifetime service to the Lord? Not my parents, relatives, and friends who knew who I was. I, myself, even have not thought of it, never! The unchristian mind will never be able to understand why, but it was God, by His sovereign work, who sent me to seminary. Apart from God’s sovereign working in me, I would not have chosen to take Master of Divinity; I would, instead, have taken another course that will yield me prestige and money. For this, I understand the apostle Paul whenever he points to God’s sovereignty in his life when he makes an introduction about himself in his letters, like in 1 Corinthians 1:1a, wherein he says, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”
In short dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I got converted for Christ by grace through faith, and I went to seminary because of God’s sovereign working in my life. Thank you very much and may God bless us all.
(This is my personal testimony that i delivered during the worship service on October 21, 2007 at the Asakura Yorokobi Kyoukai, Kochi city, Japan in response to the request of our minister, Rev. Hoshizawa)
22 October 2007
Saved by Grace through Faith, Prompted to Serve God by His Sovereign Work
16 October 2007
2 October 2007
A Year of God’s Unmerited Favor
[The story has been told that one day the well known Christian author, C.S.
Lewis, walked into a room where a lively debate was in progress. The small group
of people that had gathered there was having a discussion about the major
religions of the world, and trying to decide what is the fundamental difference
between these other religions and Christianity. As Lewis entered, the room
became suddenly silent, and everyone turned to put the question to this great
Christian thinker. His answer was short and simple. "One word," he said,
"describes the difference between Christianity and all other religions. That
word is 'grace.'" End of sentence, end of debate.] - http://www.webedelic.com/church/graceworksf.htm
(accessed Oct. 1, 2007)
Grace (charis in Greek; chen in Hebrew; biyaya in Filipino, and megumi in Nihongo) is popularly defined as “God’s unmerited favor toward men.” Dissecting this definition would give us three of its basic elements: (1) it is from God; (2) man is the recipient; and (3) it is unmerited. It is a picture of the cross and all it represents.
Given this definition and though it would still be an understatement, my one year here in Japan can be characterized by a year of God’s unmerited favor, as has been in the past years. God has amazingly engineered a lot of events and circumstances, bestowed blessings and triumphs, and allowed trials and frustrations in my one year here in Kochi. I recognize His graciousness and faithfulness, and I am grateful.
1. I was awarded a Monbukagakusho scholarship for PhD. Although it is
in a small graduate school in a small university, I am still thankful because
then I get the opportunity for discipline in self-study, independence in work,
and all the accompanying difficulties that only serve to strengthen one’s
resolve;
2. I got married. God gave me a husband who prays, and who
undoubtedly loves me. Although his marrying me completely delayed all his other
plans, we both believe in and attribute our circumstances to God’s sovereignty;
3. I’m now with a child. I look at my big belly and smile at his
father, and I tell myself, this is another grace from God. I know of one here
who had to go through invitro fertilization (IVF) where the implantation
succeeded but the zygote strangely didn’t manage to grow.
These, and all the innumerable daily little joys, frustrations, triumphs, trials, blessings, friends I encountered in my past year in this foreign land are unmerited favors from our gracious God. I cannot be more grateful.
For His glory,
Che
(I came to Kochi, Japan on October 2, 2006)
26 August 2007
6 August 2007
On accomplishments
I came across this collection of bite-size quotes in Francis Kong's website (http://www.businessmatters.org). I thought it nice to share it here.
"No person was ever honored for what he received.Honor has been the reward for
what he gave."- Calvin Coolidge
"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."- Chinese
proverb
"It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your
help.Now that it's all over, what did you really do yesterday that's worth
mentioning?"- Coleman Cox
"For a man to achieve all that is demanded of him, he must regard himself as
greater than he is."- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be."- Wayne W. Dyer
"All the discontented people I know are trying to be something they are not,to
do something they cannot do."- David Graydon
29 June 2007
A letter to HPC and JCLGF family
Dear family:
"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." Eph 2:6-7
This was part of the text (Eph 2:1-9) in last Sunday's WS and although I understood probably only 10 to 15% of the message given in Nihongo, the passage spoke to me very clearly. Indeed, one cannot fathom the incomparable riches of his grace.
Thank you for continually praying for us. I would like to share with you some of our praises and thanksgivings:
1. God saw me through in my first trimester with relatively few discomforts. Our baby is genki and growing normally according to the doctor, while his/her little adversary in my left ovary is not growing.
2. The Immigration here finally accepted my application for Marlon's Certificate of Eligibility. We are now waiting for their decision which may come in 1 or 2 or 3 months, God-willing.
3. My adviser had some initial shock and disappointment owing to my pregnancy, but God caused him to reconsider and he finally agreed to Marlon's coming here in Japan as soon as possible.
4. The Asakura Yorokobe Kyokai, the church I am regularly attending here now considers me a 'transient' member of the family so I have my own bin for announcements and I get the rounds of being assigned to taking and praying for the offering (similar to how HPC does it). What a great support group God has provided me in this brave new world.
5. Notwithstanding my pregnancy, I haven't missed any of my Wednesday classes; and I still get to the graduate room the rest of the week.
So iu koto, Kami-Sama ni kansha ita shimasu.
Thank you for your prayers and please continue praying with us on the following areas:
1. My planned data gathering this August, and research funds for it;
2. God's will for Marlon when he comes here;
3. Trainees from Benguet here in Kochi--strength, comfort and recognition of God's grace;
4. Our spiritual maturity;
5. My pregnancy.
Thank you so much for your prayers. God bless you. Rest assured that I am also always with all of you in prayer.
In His Grace,
Che/Ate Che
11 June 2007
The importance of improving infrastructure
This is a part of the DEMAND AND SUPPLY column of economist Boo Chanco. Full column can be accessed at http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=80379 A new and improved Ate Glue? ... On the other hand, von Amsberg paints another more positive scenario, the "takeoff" scenario. If the Philippines is to be set on a path toward joining the East Asian renaissance, key decisions need to be made. The fiscal gains of 2006 have to be followed up with real investments in 2007, with infrastructure playing a driving role in the real investments. With new investments, there will be more jobs and income, and Filipinos will begin to feel the fruits of the economic reforms. The choices are clear: muddle through or take off. If indeed we have a new improved Ate Glue ready to govern as she should and not as her political allies dictate, then we just might take off. But unless I see concrete evidence that the new and improved Ate Glue is for real, muddle through is the likely scenario for the next thousand days.
BOO CHANCO
Poor Ate Glue! She may proclaim through the rooftops until she is blue in the face that the economy grew the strongest during her watch but the people are not inclined to give her any credit for it. That’s because people can’t eat statistics. If the economy is really strong, how come they are not feeling it?
The same question was the subject of an article by Karen Bitagun in the Makati Business Club magazine and website. The general populace, the MBC publication noted, measure economic growth in terms of availability of jobs, access to services, and food on the table. The areas that have recently been experiencing growth — the stock market, export revenues, or even OFW remittances, affect a more limited number of people.
The MBC publication turned to World Bank country director Joachim von Amsberg for his views on what exactly is going on in the Philippine economy. Mr. Von Amsberg says sustainability of stronger than usual economic growth depends on strong policy signals from government and real investment to come in. Unless investment kicks in strongly, that 6.9-percent growth is in street parlance, ampaw.
According to Von Amsberg, as quoted in the MBC publication, the per capita GDP growth rate of the Philippines from 1966 to 2004 averaged 1.28 percent, significantly lower than the regional average of 5.77 percent. "This is not talking about one administration, not talking about one regime, but a 40-year perspective," he explains.
It would appear, he said, that the Philippines has been missing opportunities and did not adapt well to changes in those four decades. The country’s recent economic performance has picked up, but there are still doubts about whether this can be sustained and expanded to the point that it becomes palpable to all Filipinos.
The local World Bank representative thinks "one of the basic building blocks of economic expansion is improvement in infrastructure, where, unfortunately, the Philippines has failed miserably compared to its neighbors." The paradox, he observed, is that the Philippines is a "country with wonderful assets, great opportunity for progress, educated people, natural resources, and wonderful neighbors who are rapidly developing and strengthening the dynamic business sectors. But the modest development outcome, modest levels of growth compared to other countries of the region, is rather a slow progress in terms of improving the quality of life of the poor and poverty reduction." Von Amsberg points to poor infrastructure as the culprit. "I want to make a case that infrastructure policies and infrastructure investments are actually quite central for the Philippines to grasp its window of opportunity and become part of rapidly growing East Asia. Entrepreneurs, and business leaders have told us that infrastructure is a major concern and constraint to investment," says von Amsberg.
The good news, according to the World Bank official, is that the year 2007 presents a unique window of opportunity for the Philippines to catch up on infrastructure investments. For one, the country’s fiscal condition is now healthy and can therefore afford disbursements for infrastructure projects. Furthermore, there is presently high liquidity among international investors just waiting to be tapped and channeled into infrastructure projects. Just as we have written in this column, the World Bank executive sees two possible scenarios for the Philippines in the next three to four years.
"The first scenario is a continuing ‘muddle through’ scenario, where fiscal reforms and the current positive environment will lead to complacency," says Von Amsberg. In this scenario, he expects politics will dilute fiscal reforms and investments will not pick up. Unless urther policy reforms are pursued, people will not see financial gains leading to better jobs or higher income.
