Week 1: Husbands

Week 1: Husbands

FILIPINO

Week 1: Husbands

Week 1: Husbands

Join us this weekend as we start our newest series, “Take Home.” This message series will give us great insight into how the gospel—the good news of our salvation—transforms our families.

Check out the list of weekly topics below:

• Week One: For Husbands – Know the unique calling God has placed in husbands.
• Week Two: For Wives – Get a glimpse of God’s design for wives.
• Week Three: For Children, too! - Find out how all of us can learn to honor and obey our parents in the Lord.

Victory is one church that meets in fifteen locations in Metro Manila. We also have various churches all across the Philippines. Visit us at a Victory location nearest you!

You wouldn’t want to miss this series. Invite your family and friends, too!

Yep, that’s right. I grew as a Christian through discipleship. And I’m still growing!

When did my discipleship story begin? One Sunday evening in 2009, I was attending a small group and Acel van Ommen just so happened to drop by. Since she was a musician like me, I assumed that she would understand me. I decided to ask her to be my “mentor.”

Yeng (left) and Acel

You may be wondering what I’m talking about right now. Let me explain what discipleship is, based on my experience.

Discipleship is helping someone in their walk with the Lord. It’s being there for the person in times of happiness and sadness, speaking the truth, and rebuking in love. It’s pointing them to the cross for repentance and forgiveness. It’s helping them to know Christ more, not just with words, but through your life. A mentor is the one who does that. It’s like having a teacher or a leader.

Acel did all that I said about discipleship. She was there in my lowest moments and my victories. She spoke the truth to me and rebuked me in love. She always pointed me to Jesus in times of grief and triumph. She helped me know Christ more not just with words, but with her life.

Maybe you’re thinking that Acel is a superhuman. Sometimes I see her cry, too. One time she went to my house crying because she had a fight with her husband. Seeing her that time didn’t made me think that she is a weak leader, because she’s not. She acknowledges that just like me—just like all of us—she also needs a Savior and God.

I am extremely inspired by Acel. I want to be like her—a mentor who will open up her heart and allow others to see how God works in her life.

Now, I’m ready to lead women to Jesus!

Yeng Constantino is a singer-songwriter whose heart is for the next generation. You may read more of her blog posts at http://yengonthemission.tumblr.com.

Group discussions helped the participants get to know each other better

Joseph Bonifacio, LifeBox Executive Director, emphasized the importance of our standing with God. We often think that the gospel—the good news of our salvation—is merely the ABCs of our faith. However, it’s more than that. “The gospel is the A to Z of our faith,” he shares.

Patrick Mercado, one of the youth pastors of LifeBox Fort Bonifacio, shared a simple and straightforward message on discipleship. He encouraged young leaders that it is not about bringing in crowds of people to their services, but helping them to have a relationship with Jesus.

The importance of team leadership was what CJ Nunag, National Coordinator for LifeBox, shared with the participants of the summer class. Sharing important principles on character, competence, and team chemistry, CJ stressed the value of working together as a team. According to him, “Your calling in life is always intertwined with another person’s call. God wants you to (partner) with other people.”

Finally, Ryan Tan of LifeBox U-Belt taught about culture and shared some experiences of how LifeBox considers the culture factor in its respective campus ministries.

The Summer Class was an opportunity for everyone to share ideas and insights on discipleship and campus ministry

One of the highlights of the summer class was a testimony from Timothy Firwelo of Life Church. Tim enrolled in our School of Campus Ministry in 2011, and currently leads a thriving campus ministry in his home church. He shared this short message that later summarized the entire class:

“Whether you’re a leader or an aspiring leader, the only thing that will sustain you is deep, undivided, (and) devoted love for God. Next to (that), the people following him must do the same. The only way we can do that is to make disciples.”

Tim also shared that it was not Victory nor Every Nation that invented discipleship—and that it was found in the Bible, initiated by Jesus’s disciples. Truly, as Jesus made relationships happen and showed love and compassion to others, we can follow His example and bring others to Him!

LifeBox is honored not just in preparing students for LIFE, but also partnering with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ! They are excited to equip the next generation, and to see more and more young people—and their families—experience the joy of having a relationship with Jesus.

In March 2012, we went to a Ten Days mission trip in Phnom Penh,  Cambodia. Phnom Penh is the nation’s capital and houses the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Cambodia’s oldest and largest university.

To connect with the students in RUPP, our Every Nation church in Cambodia has been conducting English classes. Our first activity was to observe the classes.  The students were so eager to learn!

We were given the chance to teach. While their limited English made it a bit hard to communicate, it didn’t matter! Games, hand gestures, and students eagerly translating in their language made it possible for us to connect with them in a more personal level.

The students also love music and we had the chance to share this with them. It was no accident that many from our team are gifted in this area. We were able to give them simple voice and guitar lessons. Music really helped us bond together!

We had an opportunity to preach God’s Word come Sunday. Some male students even accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior! They were so encouraged that they committed to attending all our activities. We were just in awe at how the Word of God is so powerful to speak life to those who hear it.

 The remaining days of our mission trip were spent in the company of the young Cambodians, learning about their rich history and beautiful culture. We came home more blessed than we can ever imagine. God’s love was evident all throughout. We are expectant that our Every Nation church in Cambodia will continue to grow, with more leaders equipped and more locals to come to know  Jesus. We’d like to give all of you a heartfelt okhun charan! (Thank you!)

If you’d like to know how you can be part of a Ten Days mission trip, please visit http://www.tendaysmissions.org.ph.

The leading answer from our survey was about knowing God’s will. With that, we would like to share with you our new series, starting this weekend: F.A.Q.!

Our new series, F.A.Q., will shine light on questions about knowing God’s will. Here’s the list of weekly topics:

Week one: What is God’s will?
Week two: How do we know God’s will?
Week three: How do we obey God’s will?

We hope that after the F.A.Q. series, each of us would discover and fulfill God’s will in all our situations in life. May it bring each of us to a deeper understanding of who God is, resulting to deeper trust in and love for God.

Catch F.A.Q. at a Victory location nearest you! We are one church meeting in Metro Manila and in different provinces in the Philippines. You would not want to miss out on this.

Invite your family and friends to join us! See you at our services.

Week 1: What is God’s Will?

Week 2: How do we Know God's Will?

Week 3: How do we Obey God's Will?

FILIPINO

Week 1: Ano ang Kalooban ng Diyos?

Week 2: Papaano Natin Malalaman ang Kalooban ng Diyos?

Week 3: Papaano natin Susundin ang Kaloobang ng Diyos

These students, composed of ten Metro Manila campus missionaries and thirteen provincial campus missionaries, have coined “The Catalyst” as their batch name. They chose this mainly because of the life changing impact that Jesus has done in their lives and how they have come to understand this even more, especially when they entered the three-month training.

“A catalyst is something or someone that causes an important event to happen,” Liane Silla, this batch’s Best Preacher Awardee, shared. “For us, Someone did. Jesus is our Catalyst. Just as a catalyst combines two things that are originally impossible to combine, Jesus did so too.”

By realizing that Jesus is their Catalyst, these men and women are now even more passionate in reaching the next generation. As Jesus caused change in them, it is also through Him that they can be agents of change in the lives of the young people of this nation!

Armed with a compelling truth and equipped with all the lessons they’ve acquired in the School of Campus Ministry, these new campus missionaries share our excitement in their returning to many different parts of the Philippines to win campuses for Jesus!

Fiona Alvero is the Communications and Special Events Coordinator of LifeBox. She’s also a Victory group leader in Victory Quezon City reaching out to the campus of Miriam College.

The students—some about to enter college, others about to enter the corporate world—excitedly shared stories with their co-scholars, take photos at the onstage photobooth, and spend time with their parents.

It was a great opportunity for Real LIFE’s twenty-eight high school and university graduates to celebrate an important milestone in their lives. In spite of personal odds, these young men and women were able to finish school and also be examples of leadership, integrity, faith, and excellence among their peers.

The scholars heard various testimonies shared by their fellow graduates and from Raquel Bag-o, a Real LIFE alumna. One common theme in these stories was the hope that they had in Christ, and how Jesus helped each of them overcome their struggles and difficulties.

Eric, one of Real LIFE’s university graduates from Bacolod City, shared his testimony onstage. Eric was part of a government scholarship for the first two years of his college education when it was suddenly cut short. He felt that he lost all hope in finishing his studies, when an opportunity to be part of the Real LIFE Foundation was presented to him. “Being part of Real LIFE is the greatest gift (I received) from God,” he shares. “It taught me to value my family, my church, and the people around me.”

What was the most important lesson he learned while being part of Real LIFE? “I was taught to be a leader.” Eric was able to exercise his leadership skills particularly in leading young men like himself to a relationship with Jesus. He currently leads a Victory group in Victory Bacolod, and one of his group members is also a Real LIFE scholar.

Ultimately, Eric learned about LIFE: leadership, integrity, faith, and excellence. Because of his learnings, “Jesus became in the center of my heart.” Truly, Jesus is the best example we can emulate in our lives!

Eric’s story is just one of many that highlight the vision of the Real LIFE Foundation. Not only about sending underprivileged young men and women to school, the Real LIFE Foundation is also about transforming lives and empowering dreams. As the most recent class of Real LIFE graduates, along with their parents, left the banquet full of hope and expectation for the future, we are expectant that each of them would be God’s light to their campuses as well as their workplaces. And we are confident that, being fully equipped, they would also be encouragement to others who are going through the same trials they once did.

Through your prayers for, help and support of Real LIFE, these men and women are given a bright hope and future. They are equipped in their character, given opportunities to exercise what they’ve learned, and have a vision for their future.

To know more about Real LIFE, please visit http://igivetolife.com or call 8171212 local 338.

Check out photos from the graduation banquet here:

Real LIFE Grad Banquet 2012
By Real LIFE Foundation  |  View on Facebook

I first received Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was six years old. I’ve been attending Victory KIDS for three years and one Sunday, we were singing the song “Heart of Worship.” I realized right then and there that my life was all about Jesus—nothing else. From then on, my life was forever changed.

Growing up in church, I’ve been discipled by different people. One of them, Janelle, taught me how to love God’s Word and pant for it like water. She showed me how important it was to have a relationship with Jesus.

I decided to share the gospel to my classmates and friends because of how God revealed Himself to me. There’s just no other way to respond. When He reveals how great He is, there’s just no containing Him. Once He fills your heart, there’s just nothing else to speak of.

Who says discipleship can't be fun?

Some of my classmates and friends readily received the gospel; some didn’t. I even had to repeat chapter 1 of ONE 2 ONE five times before taking a break. God really reminded me that it’s not about me or the way I speak or how I live, but it’s really about Him and how He can just reveal Himself to His people.

One time, one of the girls I was doing ONE 2 ONE with disappeared. I couldn’t contact her at all. I had my time of crying to God, “Where did she go? Did I waste my time on her? What happens now?” It’s really moments like that that God humbles me and reminds me that my time isn’t my time but His. And that I am NOT the savior and I will never be the savior. God comforts me and tells me to trust and pray and to remember everything I was taught. She came back six months later and right now she can’t stop inviting her classmates and friends even if they live so far away. It’s crazy how God’s timing is perfect. I’ve learned to trust His control AND His character.

Discipleship is relationship! Sarah (center) and her Victory group having a picnic in UP Diliman

Don’t look for someone else to share the gospel to the people around you. If God wanted someone else, then He would have spoken to someone else.

God is not far away. He lives in YOU. I don’t know about you, but that just makes me feel so powerful and confident in Christ!

Sarah Bulahan is a college student at the University of the Philippines – Diliman taking up BS HRIM. She also volunteers at the Music Ministry of Victory Quezon City.

Week 1: Died for me

Week 2: Alive in Him

Week 3: Ultimate Passover

FILIPINO

Week 1: Namatay Para sa Akin

Week 2: Buhay sa Kanya

Week 3: Ang Pangwakas na Paglampas