The “JESUS.” banner that we hung back in the day was our way of making sure everyone knew we were all about Jesus.
In a time and age where people hesitate to share who they follow, may we never be ashamed to put Jesus first in everything—that He is the one we follow and live by.
Let us come together over the next four weeks to discover what it truly means to know Jesus as Lord—and how this truth shapes our daily lives.
Week 1: The Lordship of Christ
Week 2: Receiving Christ as Lord
Week 3: Living under the Lordship of Christ
Week 4: Bearing Witness to the Lordship of Christ
You may check the worship service schedules here or by visiting your Victory location’s Facebook page.
Kathleya de Vera, or Keevee, grew up, in her words, “a good friend, a kind-hearted sister, and an obedient daughter.” In her senior year in high school, two campus missionaries from Victory Dagupan reached out to her, and invited her to a youth service. It was there that she had a personal encounter with God. However, she struggled with change. “(God wanted me) to let go of my selfishness and let him write His agenda for me. It was clear that he wanted me to surrender. Yet I was not ready for His Lordship. I was not willing for God to take over every area of my life.”
Keevee continued to seek God when she became a university student at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Victory Quezon City connected her to different women leaders on campus, all of whom tried to take her through ONE 2 ONE, Victory’s seven-lesson discipleship guide designed to help facilitate conversations to jumpstart a person’s walk with God.
“I had issues about the chapter on Lordship,” Keevee says. “I was also afraid to be baptized, because I thought it meant that I wouldn’t have control over myself anymore.”
Underneath the good-girl exterior, Keevee freely admits that she was selfish. Her kindness and obedience was not out of a genuine care and concern for people. “I found security in my relationships because I needed to feel loved. I took pride in being ‘that nice friend’ to everyone.” More and more, she put pressure on herself to please the people in her life. In all her efforts, however, she felt empty deep down.
Keevee describes her family as her “best friends.”
After some time, Keevee agreed to be baptized—but she still held on to her hesitations on lordship. “I decided, He can be the Lord of all, but not in the area of my relationships.” Shortly after being baptized, she entered into a relationship with a man who did not share her faith. “I thought it was a proper response to the call of discipleship.” Though she was able to preach the gospel to her boyfriend, “it felt empty. I felt like was stuck, and I lost who I was, in the process.”
Keevee decided to lay her cards before God at this point. “After a year in the relationship, I told God that I could not change this person, and that if He did not want this relationship for me, then He could take it away, and if possible, spare me from heartbreak.”
At that point, God was giving Keevee the grace to put Him above her own desires and that of her boyfriend. She soon decided to end her relationship with her boyfriend, and God’s perfect timing became painfully clear to her why.
“Eight months after we broke up, I learned that my ex-boyfriend got someone pregnant, even while we were together.”
God proved Himself faithful, answering the entirety of Keevee’s prayer—by both giving her the strength and grace to end the relationship, and sparing her from further heartache.
Keevee acknowledges that it was God who helped her through her challenges with Lordship. “Being Lord does not mean that He calls the shots in everything I do because He wants to boss me around. (Jesus being Lord means) He cares for every small detail of my life.”
Keevee (center) meets this growing Victory group composed of young single professionals weekly,
Keevee now knows who is at the center of her relationships. “Jesus continued to pursue me like no other man can.” With this truth, she fully and completely found her security in Christ. “I can say that I learned to depend on Him more, because He knows best.”
Now, Keevee is seeing things through a different lens. “Because I experience God’s mercy every day, I’m motivated to tell others about Jesus.” She currently leads a Bible study group in her workplace, and has invited her colleagues to Victory Pioneer. “The call for discipleship is very natural,” she says, “and God’s grace is sufficient.” Along with a team of twelve others, she embarked on a short-term mission trip for the first time in a creative access nation.
Interestingly enough, now that Keevee has put God first, He also multiplied her time with those she loves. She considers her family “her best friends,” and seeking a romantic relationship doesn’t hold the same weight it used to. “I began to look at my season of singlehood (as a time for me to) be maximized—that this is the best time to get to know my Maker, so that I will understand myself more.”
For Keevee, there’s a world of difference when you give God your all. He fills each of us with peace, joy, and rest, no matter what. “God is faithful when you surrender,” she smiles.
“I thought I knew God,” JR confesses, “After all, I prayed regularly and went to church.”
That was the mindset that the young professional had when his best friend invited him to one of Victory’s Sunday services. He knew he wasn’t a bad person. He was a sinner, compared to other people committing heinous crimes and making immoral decisions. Thinking that he was on relatively good terms with God, he made up excuses and declined his friend’s invitations numerous times.
Not one to be deterred, JR’s best friend continued to invite him, saying that he should just give it a chance because he had nothing to lose, anyway. “I finally said yes just to shut him up,” JR recalls. “It was only for two hours, so I relented.”
Once the two friends got in the worship hall, JR immediately felt a different kind of atmosphere. He remembers the day vividly. “It was weird, but in a good way. Everyone was singing, people were dancing, and they were raising their hands,” he added. “Deep inside, I was in awe!”
When the preaching started, JR couldn’t help but feel that the pastor was talking to him specifically. He left the church convinced that he would return; he knew that God spoke to him that day through the message, and it was unlike any other feeling he had before. It was something beyond mere attendance and muttering prayers; it was an encounter with God.
Two years later, JR continued to attend worship services. One Sunday afternoon in 2013, he finally gathered up the courage to publicly surrender his life to Christ. “Before, I was so hesitant and shy to even respond to the altar call,” he reveals, “I guess there was still a bit of pride in me, so I would just respond to God quietly on my own.”
JR knew that his courage to step up and publicly acknowledge Jesus as his Savior came from God Himself. Emboldened, he knew he made the right choice. He immediately took steps to be connected to a Victory group, and that’s when he met Marlon Valientes, the guy who would become his Victory group leader. He was also introduced to Martin Remos, who would eventually lead him through ONE 2 ONE. On the first of June in 2014, JR publicly declared his faith in God during Victory Weekend.
“It felt so good to finally shout it out to the world!” he exclaims, “I was so glad God didn’t give up on me despite my many hesitations and insecurities.”
The change in JR may not be so evident on the outside; he didn’t have vices to get rid of nor did he have a perverse lifestyle, but inside, the transformation was drastic. God renewed his mind. He realized he was not better than other sinners, and there was no such thing as mild sinning. JR was so on fire with God’s love, he couldn’t help but tell other people what He did in his life. He joined this year’s prayer and fasting with these prayer requests in mind: to grow deeper in his relationship with God, to be involved in ministry, and to finally lead someone through ONE 2 ONE.
After a week, JR was invited by one of his friends to be part of the Tech and Stage ministry and he happily committed to serve. He has also started leading someone through ONE 2 ONE, and is in faith that God will empower him to disciple more people in the future.
“Discipleship is important because Jesus commanded us to make disciples,” he shares, “I want to preach the gospel to those who don’t know God because I know how it feels to be lost and just know him, instead of really knowing him.”
With the knowledge and understanding that everyone needs God, JR is believing for his whole family to be saved, too. “God is great,” he proclaims, “He is true to His promises, and that’s something we can always rely on.”
Starting this weekend, join us as we discover Jesus’s supremacy in our lives in our newest series, “All and Nothing”.
After this series, may each of us have a greater perspective on Jesus’s Lordship and His finished work on the cross. May this, then, lead us to live lives that are centered on Him.
Here is the list of weekly topics:
Week one: What God has Done for us
Week two: The Supremacy of Christ
Week three: Fullness in Christ
Week four: Position in Christ
Week five: Living in Christ
Week six: Household for Christ
Week seven: Mission in Christ
Join us at a Victory location nearest you! Victory is one church in Metro Manila meeting in 29 locations across the metropolis. We also meet in multiple venues throughout the Philippines.
If you’re tweeting about the “All and Nothing” series, please use our official hashtag #AllAndNothing.
Invite your family and friends! See you at our services!
Vincent Garcia had everything he wanted. At 20 years old, he had more money than a young man should have. He could eat anything, go anywhere, and do whatever his heart desired. He was a self-described spoiled brat, and he loved it. He was enrolled in various schools in San Juan, Manila, but never paid attention to his education.
“I would go to school for my allowance,” he confesses, “And to meet girls.” He took BS Business Management at the Central Colleges of the Philippines, but never completed his course.
Initially indulging merely in designer clothes and expensive perfume, Vincent’s penchant for a hedonistic lifestyle soon found him experimenting with drugs and joining dangerous motorcycle drag races. One night, after winning a race with his friends, they decided to celebrate. Vincent got on his motorcycle, without a helmet on, and cruised along a highway in Morong, Rizal to meet his friends who were also on their way to their party venue. Before he could reach his destination, Vincent figured in a head-on collision with a pick-up truck.
“I didn’t exactly know what happened but I woke up with a fractured left leg,” he shares, “I also dislocated my right knee.” The doctors had to put metal plates in his legs to secure the fractions and dislocations. The accident wasn’t enough to keep Vincent away from his indulgent and illegal lifestyle. After he had healed enough to be able to walk with crutches, he returned to his wayward life, with little concern for his future.
Because he couldn’t ride motorcycles anymore, Vincent soon found another hobby. He brought his mobile phone to a friend to have it repaired. There, he found out that repairing mobile phones actually interested him. He asked his friend to take him in as a shop assistant. While working at the shop, he developed his skills and studied more about cellphone repair. Some time later, Vincent was able to put up his own cellphone repair shop. He had additional income again, but despite the second chance he was given, he still chose to spend his money on his dangerous lifestyle.
In 2009, Vincent met Grace, and they started living together. After a year, Grace gave birth to their son Kurt. With this big change in his life, Vincent attempted to live a healthier lifestyle, unable to reconcile being a father with his life as a drug user. Eventually, he realized that his current lifestyle was not the solution, and for the first time in his self-indulgent life, Vincent wanted to find peace. He wanted to change.
It was then, however, that his business took a downturn: he started losing clients. To make matters worse, Vincent’s father was soon diagnosed with lung cancer, and cursed his son for his bad luck. Vincent tried to meet the needs of his growing family by starting a business, but even that failed. Left with nothing, he never felt more alone in his life. Without a way out, Vincent contemplated the only thing he could do: suicide. “I was ready; I had no other options,” he confesses, “I had no value or purpose left.”
At his lowest moment, devoid of any hope, everything blurred for Vincent. He was in his room, with muddled thoughts of ending his life, when he spotted the only lucid thing he could see: a book. Though covered with a thick layer of dust accumulated through years of storage, Vincent pulled out The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, and suddenly started reading. Filled by a deep, unfathomable need to do what was written in the book, Vincent decided then and there to stop doing drugs. “I told myself, drugs are history,” he says, “A bad page in my story.”
The Purpose-driven Life recommended Vincent find a small group. He went to a nearby church, inquired, but was rejected. However, the rejection couldn’t douse the fire in his heart. For the first time, Vincent prayed. It was a short four-word prayer, “What shall I do?” And for the first time, Vincent heard a voice so comforting and clear, a voice he absolutely knew he could trust.
“I knew it was Jesus,” he shares, “My heart was pounding but I felt peace for the first time. It was beyond explanation.” He knew Jesus was telling him to read the book again, from the beginning. When Vincent opened the book, he saw a handwritten note behind the cover. It was from his cousin, whom he had been avoiding for the longest time. Vincent didn’t waste any time. He called his cousin, and soon, the two of them were on their way to Victory Fort.
Seeds of God’s Word were sown in Vincent’s fertile and thirsty soul. He was prayed upon, and in no time, he underwent One 2 One. Without struggle nor doubt, he surrendered his life to Christ, the only one who has given him peace that transcends understanding.
While doing One to One, Vincent was given the opportunity to clean landline phones in an insurance company, on a weekly basis. His wages were meager compared to what he used to receive, but there was contentment and gratitude in his heart. “I knew God is my provider, it was indescribable joy,” he declares, “I knew that God was moving in my life.”
After his Victory Weekend, Vincent made up his mind to return to his cellphone repair business, acknowledging that his skill to repair cellphones was given to him by God. Without any capital, he prayed to God and asked Him for his go signal to start his business again. God answered his prayer by sending people who would help raise the business capital he needed. Before long, Vincent was able to set-up his stall again. With the help of his spiritual family, he got back in business and decided to save up for his surgical bone operation.
“The metal plates the doctors used when I got in an accident were actually the wrong plates,” he reveals, “My legs got infected.” Vincent was ready for his operation. He was just waiting for the surgeon’s schedule to be finalized.
While waiting for his operation date, something started nudging the peace he had. Vincent realized, he had been living with his longtime partner, Grace, since 2009. Wanting to set everything in his life right before God, Vincent decided to forego the much-needed operation for his legs, and decided to marry Grace. In a simple ceremony prepared by his Victory group, on the 18th of July 2015, Vincent and Grace tied the knot before God.
Seeing Vincent’s desire to please Him, God gave him a surprise. A client who brought her iPad to be repaired found out about Vincent’s need for a surgery. As he was doing the repairs, Vincent talked about Jesus. When the repair was completed, he mentioned that he was going away for a while because of his operation. His client then suggested that Vincent take a second opinion at their hospital, the Philippine Air Force Hospital. He was also offered to have his operation in the said hospital, with a better solution, at the same expense and a faster recovery period. He was endorsed by his client’s husband, a senior officer in the Philippine Air Force.
When Vincent chose to honor God by marrying Grace, Vincent’s operation became God’s concern. Truly, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. As Vincent chooses to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, everything is added unto him.
Today, he shares God’s love to every customer he encounters in his stall at the Greenhills Shopping Center. He serves clients from all over the country and has continuously received excellent feedback. “For every repair or inquiry brought before me, I work at it with all my heart because I know that it is the Lord whom I’m serving.”
Today, Vincent is part of a coaching group and also leads his own Victory group. He has preached the gospel and the goodness of God to his sister, Mercy, and to his sister-in-law, Michelle. Both Mercy and Michelle attended Victory Weekend together and belong to the same Victory group.
God has truly begun a good work in Vincent. From the man who has lost everything, he is now the man who has gained everything in Christ. That, for Vincent, is more than enough.
“I used to search for love from fairy tales and romance films,” says 27-year old Camilla Rivera, a self-confessed hopeless romantic.
Growing up in a broken family, she has craved love and acceptance since her parents’ separation when she was 12 years old. The memory of the day they separated is still vivid in her mind.
Throughout her high school years, Camilla felt alone. She described it as one of the most difficult times in her life. Like all girls her age, she needed proper guidance but didn’t get any from her parents. So, she turned to her peers. Enrolled in an exclusive school for girls, she looked for love, even entering a same-sex relationship to see where it would take her.
Camilla also developed an indulgent lifestyle that she thought would fill the emptiness inside her. While in college, she entered the modeling industry to sustain her wants and whims. While studying, she met the man who would eventually father her child. Not wanting to be alone anymore, and thinking that she already wanted her own family, Camilla got pregnant at 20 years old. “But after six years of this relationship, we decided to part ways,” she reveals. “I realized I was not really happy.”
Giving birth to a daughter didn’t stop Camilla from entering into a lot of flings and short-term relationships. Finally, she met another man, an Indian who became her long-term boyfriend. Camilla found comfort and security in her relationship with him. “My life revolved around him,” she confesses, “I didn’t know it then, but I realized I was guilty of idolatry, and he was the idol.”
The man proposed marriage to Camilla, and she accepted. It was exactly what she has been dreaming of since she was a little girl–her own Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. “I was on cloud nine!” she exclaims. However, after the initial thrill of the proposal passed, Camilla started having second thoughts. She was in the midst of wedding preparations when she realized that she wasn’t happy. She started questioning if she was actually in the right relationship. “He accepted my past, yes. He loves me, yes. But he wanted me to leave my daughter here. We couldn’t bring her to live in his country,” Camilla explains, “That just changed my entire perspective!” With a heavy heart, she decided to end the relationship and her fiancé left the Philippines for good.
The break-up shattered Camilla’s life. She was devastated and started questioning her purpose. She blamed God and asked Him why He had to let her undergo such a painful experience. It was Christmas Eve when Camilla encountered God through Isaiah 66:9 (NCV), “In the same way, I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born,” says the Lord.
In the solitude of her room, while crying out to God, Camilla felt comforted. She felt that God was asking her to come home. “He brought me back on the right track, just when I seemed to be so lost,” she shares, “He understands how painful discipline can be, but it is His way to remind me to trust His plans accordingly.”
After her intimate encounter with God, Camilla remembered her friends, who had been consistently inviting her to attend Victory and join a Victory group since 2014. So, last January 2016, she finally decided to join them during the Dare to Believe prayer and fasting week. She only had one prayer: to have a personal relationship with Christ. “Father, I want to know you,” Camilla prayed, “I want to keep my eyes on you and have a relationship with you. Reveal yourself to me.”
Last April 2016, Camille publicly declared her faith and was water baptized at Victory Weekend. God heard her prayer, and answered it. “I was not worthy of His love, but Christ still died for me,” she declares, “I was forgiven and his grace has saved me. I now live to honor Him and advance His kingdom.”
Today, Camilla serves as a KIDS Church volunteer, where her daughter also participates. She is in faith that she will be able to lead her own Victory Group by next year.
From someone who craved acceptance from the wrong places, she is now overflowing with God’s redemptive love. Now stronger and content, she’s not looking for ‘happily ever afters’ elsewhere, She has now found her eternity in Christ.
Paul uses two words in his letter to the Colossians that I think aptly describe the Christ-centered church. He writes, “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18).
The first key word is “everything.” Jesus is supposed to be the center of everything — not just religious and eternal things. Everything certainly includes Sunday, but also Monday through Saturday. Jesus should be the center of every sermon and every song, every prayer meeting and every worship service, every individual and every family. Everything.
The second word is “supremacy.” Jesus is not to be the top priority on our long list of priorities, the first of many. Rather, He is to have supremacy, meaning He is the foundation and the cornerstone, the starting line and the finish line. He is the beginning, the middle, and the end. He is the ultimate. Nothing compares. Nothing competes. Supremacy in everything!
Sarah Ballao, a student leader from Victory Makati, recounts how God removed mindsets in her that kept her from growing in her relationship with Him.
I was a Christian since birth. My parents brought me up in the ways of the Lord, and I had perfect Sunday school attendance. My father served in the church I grew up in. This being said, people would always expect so much from me. They expected me to do the right thing, even without being told to do so. Truth be told, I wasn’t the “good girl” that people thought me to be.
I knew a lot of things, but they never translated to how I lived my life. I was blinded by the idea that God’s grace was a license to sin. I believed that since He had already forgiven me from my past, present, and future sins, it was okay to sin again and again. Because, what did I have to lose if I already had a ticket to heaven? My dad served in church anyway.
My parents trusted me a lot because I was a “good girl”, after all. When I was in college, I began hanging out with friends he never knew about. I abused my dad’s kindness and was always out drinking with these friends. One day, I got found out—and the people around me began condemning me because of what I did.
I was so ashamed of my mistake that I didn’t even want to go to church anymore. I was beginning to lose hope. Then God showed up in the most unexpected way.
The school org I was part of held an event in school, and Pastor Job of Victory Makati was slated to speak there. Honestly, I wasn’t even listening to him talk—I showed up only because my friends were there. After his message, we were all split into groups, and that’s where I met Jaycee. After going through the group discussion, she explained what Every Nation Campus was all about, and invited us to youth service.
That Friday, I attended the youth service, but I felt so out of place—not because of the people around me, but because I felt so ashamed of myself. I thought that they were “holy people”, and I felt like I shouldn’t even be there. I decided not to go back after that, but Jaycee kept on sending me text messages asking how I was. I felt obliged to reply to her because I didn’t want to offend her. We eventually did ONE 2 ONE together, and I slowly began to understand what Jesus did for me. My dad’s service in the church was not my ticket to heaven—it was Jesus dying on the cross for me which made a way for me to be reunited with God.
I still struggled with condemnation because of my past sins, but layer upon layer of my shame was removed when I had an understanding of who I was—and am—in Christ. His Word says that I am chosen, royal, and holy. All of the pain and condemnation that lingered in me was removed. I became secure and I gained back my confidence.
Today, I stand firm with my belief that I am a new creation. My mind has been renewed, and my mindset that my salvation is through my dad’s good works is now gone. I also started to build relationships with the right people—men and women who encourage me to walk in God’s ways and spur me on to God’s will and destiny for my life.
I am now boldly preaching to people how God transformed me and how faithful He is to me, my family, my studies, and my needs. Jesus died not only for Christians—He wants all people to know about Him, and for them to be saved. If someone took the time to get to know me, listen to me, and preach the gospel to me, why would I not do the same?
Truly, it is never too late for any one of us to turn back to God. God is gracious and faithful, and He will change your life.
Sarah (left) and her family are enjoying a restored relationship, with Jesus at the center of their family.
“The main reason why we can love God is because He first loved us.”
What does it mean to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Find out in this blog post from Pastor Paolo Punzalan entitled, “A Difficult Question Jesus Asked.”
In this Every Nation podcast, Pastor Jun Escosar talks about the true essence of honoring God. Unlike religiosity, which only changes our outward behavior, a relationship with God changes our hearts.
“Valuing God comes before anyone or anything.” What does it mean to put God first above all else? Pastor Joey Bonifacio encourages us about this truth in his blog post, “Why Values are Tricky”.
“The only way to deal with pride is to deal with the heart, not the external circumstances.” In this blog post, Victory founding pastor Steve Murrell shares one simple (but difficult) solution on how to deal with the pride in our hearts.
We are looking forward to our new series, “I Wish Jesus Didn’t Say That!” This weekend, join us as we talk about certain specific things that Jesus said. After our series, may each of us have a greater grasp of the Lordship of Jesus, and learn to live out its implications in our lives.
Here is the list of weekly topics:
Week one: Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5:43-44)
Week two: Sell All You Have (Luke 18:18-25)
Week three: Hate Your Own Family (Luke 14:26-27)
Week four: You Will Be Persecuted (John 15:19-20)
Join us at a Victory location nearest you! Victory is one church meeting in fifteen different locations in Metro Manila. We also meet in multiple locations across the Philippines.
If you’re tweeting about our series, “I Wish Jesus Didn’t Say That!”, please use our official hashtag #JesusSaidThat.
Starting July 7, every Monday for the next five weeks, we will ask a question, based on the preaching topic of the week, on our Facebook page. Anyone can answer the question on their blog, or by replying in the Comments section of the question on Facebook.
Here’s a round-up of several of the stories shared over the course of the week:
Lordship Is . . . Pastor Paolo Punzalan sets the context for our Lordship discussion by discussing Victory’s core values, giving some insight into our history, and summarizing what Lordship means, using a L.O.R.D. acrostic.
Jesus As Lord. Pastor Ferdie Cabiling shares a blog post about the Lordship of Christ.
Jesus is Lord over my Love Life. Pastor Joseph Bonifacio describes what Lordship entails, sharing his love story with his wife, Carla, and what he went through when God told him it was not yet time to pursue a relationship. In the end, God gave Joe everything he’d asked for, and more.
Lord and Lordship. “Jesus is not Lord when there is no Lordship.” Carla “Rica” Peralejo-Bonifacio puts a thoughtful spin on Lordship in her blog, Wanders and Wonders.
One Tough Decision. Pastor Dennis Sy shares in Act Like A Man about the skeletons in his closet, and what it took for him to establish Jesus Christ as the true Lord of His life.
Releasing Forgiveness and Putting God in Control. Fiona Alvero shares a deeply personal story in Journ-ey, writing about how a high school teacher wounded her emotionally, and how putting God first enabled her to forgive and move on.
Chapter 2. Bethel Ann Mercado shares her thoughts on Lordship, specifically some solid points on the Lordship discussion of ONE 2 ONE, on this blog, He is Less Than 3,
Lordship Stories. Several university students share their toughest Lordship decisions were, and compiles them in this blog entry on DoCampusMinistry.com.
When Obeying Meant Letting Go. Val Baguios III of BrokenMindset.Org discusses how his relationship with God became the top priority over other relationships, and how God honored that Lordship decision with a relationship that would change his life.
His Higher Ways. Karess Rubrico shares how she gave up her biggest dream to pursue God’s ways—and the rewards and benefits of that decision.
Passion for passion. Ganns Deen writes in GannsDeen.com about giving up his passion, his friends, and his career in one blow, to follow Christ. He was never the same.
Lordship? BIG WORD!. Jek Valle discusses Lordship—and shares his own testimony—in this surprisingly serious blog entry from this Christian comedian.
The Only B Student. Nate Punzalan writes about how Jesus matters to him more than high grades, and how he had peace despite getting lower grades than a few of his classmates.
The Pride and the Sea. Sofia Paderes writes in her blog, Sofiyichka, about stubbornly pursuing her ballet dream despite a horrific injury, and what happened after she finally put God, not her ballerina hopes, in control.
I Love You! Joy Buena writes about God’s love, and the role it plays in allowing Him to be the Lord of her life.
Better than Paella and FC Barcelona! Campus missionary Perci Paras recounts his personal Lordship story on choosing God’s calling over his own plans.
He Broke Me. Dr. Neslie Buena recounts her story of obeying and submitting to God’s will for her life.
Sandy Santi of Victory Zamboanga also recounts a testimony of Christ’s Lordship over his life and family:
I got saved in Victory Quezon City, went home to Zamboanga after graduation, and right away was connected to our Victory Zamboanga church. The church was relatively small then, so we pretty much knew everyone. We were like family. On what was to be my first day of at work, my dad had a stroke. In the hospital, Pastor Ritchie Llanto was able to share Jesus to him. My dad passed away soon after. The comfort of God and my spiritual family was what got me through that difficult time. I was still able to attend Sunday service and worshipped Jesus, even during my dad’s wake. I remembered thinking then that if God fulfilled His promise of salvation for my dad, then He will always always be true to His word—and He still is 13 years after.
Jasmin Estinozo of Victory Novaliches also shares her Victory story in her marriage with her husband, Exyl:
If I’m not mistaken, OURS was the first wedding that was held at Victory Nova.
Exyl and I were in a “live-in” setting for about four years. It was a topsy-turvy relationship. We did everything to stay together, but we found ourselves frustrated, exhausted, restless, and defeated. God’s Word indeed rings true: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
Then God’s radical love found us. We were wed on April 1, 2010. It was the day that His radical love ended our foolishness and made us wise.
This wedding was made possible by a lot of people, like our relatives, friends, and our Victory Nova family. This marriage would not be possible without our house builder—the Lord Jesus Christ. This is my Victory story.
July 11 update:
We’ve also received more Lordship stories for this week’s #myVictoryStory blog roundup! Here are a few more that we encourage you all to read and share on your social networks:
The Bishop and his Lord. “Lordship is acknowledging that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth by virtue of His death and resurrection.” Pastor Manny Carlos shares his Lordship story in DoCampusMinistry.com.
Pastor Carlos Antonio shares his Victory story in “Absolute Surrender,” a heartfelt story of a mother’s stubborn persistence, and how God orchestrated an incredible series of events to transform one man’s life forever for the glory of the gospel.
The Ultimate Trophy.Yrose Lacerna writes about giving up her dreams and surrendering to God’s ultimate will.
Is it him or Me? Dr. Catherine Deen writes about how God challenged her to give up her relationship with a man who didn’t share her faith, and what He did after she chose to obey.
Lordship: The Life After. Tin Ginete shares her own unique Lordship journey. Know how God’s love proved more enduring and valuable to her than any relationship she’d ever had, and how ultimately her confidence and image rests in how God sees her.
A Love Problem. Em Gomez writes a thoughtful post about how Lordship is a love problem. It’s “always difficult to do something,” she says, “when it is not done out of love.”
Win or Lose.“A year and a half ago I chose to run for council even if I dislike politics. It turned out to be worth it because it became an open door for me to share my faith to my org mates and slate mates.” Elle Cabiling shares her Lordship story on taking risks.
Out of the Shell. Ann Luna recounts how she overcame her introversion and surrendered to Christ. Now, she is enjoying fruitful relationships with people she now calls her friends.
Thanks for sharing your Victory story with us! Keep posted for next week’s question on Evangelism. Like us on Facebook for more info!
MANY CHRISTIANS are still being persecuted in some parts of the world today.
Say I was stranded in one of these nations and a police approached me for he discovered I am a pastor proselytizing the locals and said, “I am cutting off your tongue. And before I do, you may say one last sentence.”
“Jesus Is Lord!” is what I would say.
Now, if he would allow me a second sentence then I will surely say, “Please don’t kill me!” At least I had already declared the first one!
Jesus Is Lord
This is the capsulated version of Christianity’s statement of faith, “Jesus is Lord.” The Fathers of the faith in church history went through such great lengths just to be able to separate truth from the prevailing falsehood, help believers get a good grasp of their faith in a manner that they can easily understand, and be able to share to others. They are what we know today as (besides the Chalcedon Creed and the Nicene Creed) the Apostles’ Creed.
Do or die
Declaring “Jesus is Lord!” in the Philippines today would cause people to give you a religious label. But during the time of Jesus, it would mean martyrdom. With Rome as the prevailing empire at that time, the word ‘lord’ has an imperial usage. There’s only one lord— Caesar. On the other side of the coin, among the Jews, it had a religious connotation. Only Jehovah is Lord. So for them, to insinuate that there’s another Lord is incomprehensible.
Perfect Righteousness
When someone says, “Jesus is Lord“, that person is declaring two inseparable natures of Christ: perfect righteousness and unlimited power.
1 John 1:5 says, “In him there’s no darkness at all.” He takes charge of the universe with perfect righteousness.
His perfect righteousness, though, without his unlimited power to carry out that righteousness would render him not worthy of worship. And people of the earth could not be guaranteed justice.
Unlimited Power
While on the other hand, unlimited power without perfect righteousness would make the center of all things to be unrighteousness. And no one, as in no one, could do anything to change that. It would render Christ as tyrant and abusive in his leadership.
But thanks be to God that while in his humiliation he was named ‘Jesus’.
Matthew 1:21: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
He accomplished that through the cross.
That’s what we call the gospel.
The Gospel
My good friend Rice Broocks has this to say to summarize what the gospel is. (I hope I can write it out of memory.)
“The gospel is the good news that God became a man in Jesus Christ. He lived the life that we should have lived. And died the death that we should have died. After three days he rose again from the dead proving that he is the son of God. And offering the gift of salvation to those who will repent and believe the gospel.”
In his exaltation, he was declared by the Father as ‘Lord’.
Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Seriously, if I would be given a chance to speak again before the police would cut off my tongue, what would I really say?
I would just repeat my first statement.
“Jesus Is Lord!”
_____
Ferdie Cabiling is the director of Victory Metro Manila, and a member of Victory Philippine’s Apostolic team. He is married to Judy, father to Elle and John Philip. You can like his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter.
For more information on #myVictoryStory, click here, and to read other responses to this week’s question on Lordship, please click here.
“I thought I knew God,” JR confesses, “After all, I prayed regularly and went to church.”
Two years later, JR continued to attend worship services. One Sunday afternoon in 2013, he finally gathered up the courage to publicly surrender his life to Christ. “Before, I was so hesitant and shy to even respond to the altar call,” he reveals, “I guess there was still a bit of pride in me, so I would just respond to God quietly on my own.”
After a week, JR was invited by one of his friends to be part of the Tech and Stage ministry and he happily committed to serve. He has also started leading someone through ONE 2 ONE, and is in faith that God will empower him to disciple more people in the future.
The Purpose-driven Life recommended Vincent find a small group. He went to a nearby church, inquired, but was rejected. However, the rejection couldn’t douse the fire in his heart. For the first time, Vincent prayed. It was a short four-word prayer, “What shall I do?” And for the first time, Vincent heard a voice so comforting and clear, a voice he absolutely knew he could trust. 
While doing One to One, Vincent was given the opportunity to clean landline phones in an insurance company, on a weekly basis. His wages were meager compared to what he used to receive, but there was contentment and gratitude in his heart. “I knew God is my provider, it was indescribable joy,” he declares, “I knew that God was moving in my life.”
“The metal plates the doctors used when I got in an accident were actually the wrong plates,” he reveals, “My legs got infected.” Vincent was ready for his operation. He was just waiting for the surgeon’s schedule to be finalized. 
When Vincent chose to honor God by marrying Grace, Vincent’s operation became God’s concern. Truly, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. As Vincent chooses to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, everything is added unto him.
Ferdie Cabiling is the director of Victory Metro Manila, and a member of Victory Philippine’s Apostolic team. He is married to Judy, father to Elle and John Philip. You can like his