We Are A Transitional Generation

I once was invited to teach ‘housechurch’ with the leaders in one of our island Dumageute. I told them, “I’m not gonna share about house church at all because you can just read a book about it and you can know. Or most of you are probably better than me about that. However I will talk to you about fathering and mothering your next generation. As I went on explaining how our generation has no fathers and mothers ‘in the Lord’ and that’s the reason why we suffer in many ways, in fact the worst result are many have become ‘spiritual orphans’ roaming around churches (without changing their lives) and they’re not really looking ‘who can be able to preach a better sermon’ or ‘sing better’ but I believe they are longing ‘who can become their dad and mom in the Lord. Who can ‘treat’ them like a daughter and son, not ‘members.’ Because we may have our own parents but have never really done some parenting to us – like we have a father but have not taught how to do carpentry or driving. We have mothers but have not taught us cooking or teach us some piano lessons? Think about it, if they, the older folks have not done this to us how much more our NEXT generation? If they’ve failed most of us it is probably accepted. But if we fail ourselves again doing this to our next generation? That’s not good hey? Now, don’t get me wrong, surely the older folks have done some very good things to their next generation. They did their best and what’s best. I can call up names of good and godly people who influences my life. But they should have been more ‘relational’ people than ‘religious’ ones. Too much focus on the doctrine and church system than people. Valuing relationships must be the priority, not systems.”

I ended up saying that we have the job of “transitioning our next generation” not to become a fatherless and motherless one. We are a transitional generation.

As soon as I’m about to finished, a lady, one of their housechurch leader, were already in tears. And I gave her time to talk. She talks about how she really want someone to father and mother her. Other older leaders, including their pastors gave her a hug and affirmed they can become their father or mother in the Lord.

It’s not that fathering and mothering or parenting in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1) was ignored in most churches. It’s just was not recognised and so it wasn’t valued. Seems like church systems and how we handle programs that it ‘must be in the order’ has become more important than a persons feelings?

We have so much leaders and pastors and teachers but lack fathers and mothers. Parenting is not automatic, it’s intentional. So not all leaders or pastors are fathers or mothers. But most good fathers, mothers to their own children that I know are leaders, and no one ‘calls’ them “you’re a leader of your children” But “you’re a father to your children.”

Someone ask me, “Molong, how to father someone?” I smiled and replied “simple, treat him as if he is your own son.” As much as I can whenever I want to talk to someone because he errs or needs some rebuke I always ask myself “what if he is my son what should I say and how would I say it?” And that one question alone change my perspective of that person.

See, Church is family. “He who can manage his children well, can manage the household of God.” How easy to father or mother someone if you yourself have fathered or mothered your children “intentionally.” When the book of proverbs says to “train up a child in the way he should go so that when he is old he will not forget”? The meaning of the word “train” means in Hebrew “initiate.” That is quite intentional. You better know “why” you do what you do.

When I was teaching about making disciples in Singapore I asked “If Jesus says ‘go and make disciples’ it means that there are gonna be people on this side (waving my left hand) that we can make disciples and people on the other side (waving my right hand) who made us disciples of Jesus. Right?” Sure enough they agree. “If so, does this two kinds of people know each other?”

“Nope” a guy named Hezekiah quickly said, “we don’t need to know. We don’t have to.”

Then I said, “then what kind of father you are who do not know your children? And what kind of son you are who do not know your father?” This statement earns me my next meal after the meeting 😉

Oh how we love to do “hit and run” type of evangelism. Lack of relationship. We are only interested of their soul to be saved and after that we trust the church system and it’s leadership to grow that person. You don’t raise a son or a daughter by a book or program. That’s not a very good fathering and mothering method.

Good fathering or mothering takes a lot of time, effort and yes money. Books? Of course but put a lot of relationships in each page. And it’s worth it. Remember that what you will find in the last book of the Old Testament in the last chapter, in the last verse is about bad parenting. And do you have an idea what is the result of it? It’s the last word of the Old Testament: Curse. Where? In the family.

Sorry to say that Satan will never destroy God’s people by church, but by family.

Are you ready for more parenting skills?

Molong

We are A Transitional Generation

We are A Transitional Generation

I once was invited to teach ‘housechurch’ with the leaders in one of our island Dumageute. I told them, “I’m not gonna share about house church at all because you can just read a book about it and you can know. Or most of you are probably better than me about that. However I will talk to you about fathering and mothering your next generation. As I went on explaining how our generation has no fathers and mothers ‘in the Lord’ and that’s the reason why we suffer in many ways, in fact the worst result are many have become ‘spiritual orphans’ roaming around churches (without changing their lives) and they’re not really looking ‘who can be able to preach a better sermon’ or ‘sing better’ but I believe but they are longing ‘who can become their dad and mom in the Lord. Who can ‘treat’ them like a daughter and son, not ‘members.’ Because we may have our own parents but have never really done some parenting to us – like we have a father but have not taught how to do carpentry or driving. We have mothers but have not taught us cooking or teach us some piano lessons? Think about it, if they, the older folks have not done this to us how much more our NEXT generation? If they’ve failed us it is probably accepted. But if we fail ourselves again doing this to our next generation? That’s not good hey? Now, don’t get me wrong, surely the older folks have done some very good things to their next generation. They did their best and what’s best. I can call up names of good and godly people who influences my life. But they should have been more ‘relational’ people than ‘religious’ ones. Too much focus on the doctrine and church system than people. Valuing relationships must be the priority, not systems.”

I ended up saying that we have the job of “transitioning our next generation” not to become a fatherless and motherless one. We are a transitional generation.

As soon as I’m about to finished, a lady, one of their housechurch leader, were already in tears. And I gave her time to talk. She talks about how she really want someone to father and mother her. Other older leaders, including their pastors gave her a hug and affirmed they can become their father or mother in the Lord.

It’s not that fathering and mothering or parenting in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1) was ignored in most churches. It’s just was not recognised and so it wasn’t valued. Seems like church systems and how we handle programs that it ‘must be in the order’ has become more important than a persons feelings?

We have so much leaders and pastors and teachers but lack fathers and mothers. Parenting is not automatic, it’s intentional. So not all leaders or pastors are fathers or mothers. But most good fathers, mothers to their own children that I know are leaders, and no one ‘calls’ them “you’re a leader of your children” But “you’re a father to your children.”

Someone ask me, “Molong, how to father someone?” I smiled and replied “simple, treat him as if he is your own son.” As much as I can whenever I want to talk to someone because he errs or needs some rebuke I always ask myself “what if he is my son what should I say and how would I say it?” And that one question alone change my perspective of that person.

See, Church is family. “He who can manage his children well, can manage the household of God.” How easy to father or mother someone if you yourself have fathered or mothered your children “intentionally.” When the book of proverbs says to “train up a child in the way he should go so that when he is old he will not forget”? The meaning of the word “train” means in Hebrew “initiate.” That is quite intentional. You better know “why” you do what you do.

When I was teaching about making disciples in Singapore I asked “If Jesus says ‘go and make disciples’ it means that there are gonna be people on this side (waving my left hand) that we can make disciples and people on the other side (waving my right hand) who made us disciples of Jesus. Right?” Sure enough they agree. “If so, does this two kinds of people know each other?”

“Nope” a guy named Hezekiah quickly said, “we don’t need to know. We don’t have to.”

Then I said, “then what kind of father you are who do not know your children? And what kind of son you are who do not know your father?” This statement earns me my next meal after the meeting 😉

Oh how we love to do “hit and run” type of evangelism. Lack of relationship. We are only interested of their soul to be saved and after that we trust the church system and it’s leadership to grow that person. You don’t raise a son or a daughter by a book or program. That’s not a very good fathering and mothering method.

Good fathering or mothering takes a lot of time, effort and yes money. Books? Of course but put a lot of relationships in each page. And it’s worth it. Remember that what you will find in the last book of the Old Testament in the last chapter, in the last verse is about bad parenting. And do you have an idea what is the result of it? It’s the last word of the Old Testament: Curse. Where? In the family.

Sorry to say that Satan will never destroy God’s people by church, but by family.

Are you ready for more parenting skills?

Discipleship as ‘Classes’

Jesus is basically saying to Peter “Follow Me and you will become My disciple.”

He didn’t say “Follow Me, and study about Me and when you knew me well enough then you will become My disciple.”

But wait, isn’t that’s what we all understand when we are trying to make a person a disciple. We dump him with some discipleship materials that we’ve collected, lock him up in a room for four months or four years, and then release him and tell him “now you are qualified. Go and do the same”

Jesus didn’t say “Peter, nice weather today, nice view also, the Sea of Galilee is just in front of us. Fresh wind is blowing! Aha! This is such a suitable place to start our Class. Can you give your co-disciples some instructions to sit down and start passing on the lesson 101 about Faith. Did you make enough copies for us all?”

Quite absurd, right?

How Can You Serve?

Most of us have always thought that one needs to be ordained in order to speak the word of God. I have good news for you from Jesus. 1 John 2 speaks about the anointing that is in you simply because Jesus the Anointed one is in you. You are anointed. Anointed of what? Not merely to speak the words of Jesus but also to do certain jobs in the Body of Christ that needs to be done. The anointing is not a position or title but to get things done.

For example, in Acts 6, there is a job to be done, that is caring for the widows. “True church takes care of orphans and widows.” The 7 men were chosen to do the task but they’re already men who are “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” They are already doing good as they have already a good reputation among the church people. None laid their hands on them to be anointed to do it but the laying on of hands is for them to get the job done in feeding the widows.

God’s people around have many needs, be it a job to care of children, distributing food to hungry saints, caring for money matters, care for orphans and widows, and most works such as these were quite neglected, read it yourself: gardening, plumbing, welding, sewing, fixing electrical wirings, painting, building homes and toilets, etc – all these are the needs of the saints around us taking care of their homes and property. “Serving one another” that’s what the Bible means if you want a Biblical support. It’s “helping one another carry some burden.” It’s your gift and talent being offered to me as a priest of God and me to you. It’s looking up into each other’s needs, it’s me thinking of you and you thinking of me. It is no-buying and no-selling but only giving and receiving kind of living. It is when you want to be a part of God’s people that you be ask two things:

What did you bring?

“Oh, I bought a banana for everybody or widows.”

“I bought some money to pay one of the electricity bills of widows”

“I brought some vitamins for the lambs (kids) of Jesus!”

“I brought some chickens to be cooked for everybody!”

“I brought some books for someone who might need it!”

“I brought some carpentry tools and a welding machine for the community.”

“I brought a gallon of paint maybe someone’s house needs to be painted?”

Although some may bring their debts to get help from us to be paid 😉. The other question is,

What can you share?

“Well, I just bought a paint, I can paint someone’s house!”

“I can cook for everybody!”

“I can read books for the lambs!”

“I can teach lambs some baking!”

“I can do gardening and plumbing!”

“I can clean toilets of widows and wash their clothing!”

“I can do carpentry works and cement.”

“I can drive and anyone can use my car and bike.”

Although some came to us to be serve, ate our food and drink our water. Sometimes I thought that some people needed to be told what to do simply because they do not know what to do.

It’s not about “talking” in the “meeting.” When I ask someone to come to us he replied “I don’t do building stuff, I don’t do gardening, I just don’t do what you guys are doing. I can’t even talk your language so I can not communicate to people what I want even if I will share Jesus.”

“You don’t need to talk,” Albert replied “as we don’t do what you want us to do as well (meetings). Why not bring a nail cutter and I will let the children line up for you?”

Sometimes, just sometimes I thought of people who loves doing meetings so that they can talk and talk and don’t want to get things done. And using their calling to justify that. As I normally would say “what’s the good in you memorising verses yet doesn’t know how to cook an egg? How can you be able to serve?”

Making Disciples Series (Part 3)

On Finding a Person to Make Disciples – What to look for.

The friends that you have who believe in you and trust you are the easiest people to make disciples. So, now that you know who they are it is time to look for that sign if they’re ready or not to enter into the kingdom of God. Because not all your friends will qualify for what 2 Timothy 2:2 says. It is not enough. There are friends we have who may like to be with us but do not want to believe what we believe in. That is ok, this sign that we are looking for will not show up overnight. It takes time for people to be convince that we are truly living differently. The gospel they needed to receive should be the gospel they see, not hear. When they see our change lives that’s when they give their ears to what we have to say. So, what is that very sign that we are looking for?

When I look at Jesus, the way He prepares people’s hearts for the kingdom is quite interesting. First, He makes friends. How did we know that? He calls people by name and His disciples by name. He’s a ‘friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34), simply put He makes friends to worldly people, to the unbelievers! So sad to say that in our churches today we are forbidden to make friends with the world, “do not love the world” using some biblical text, and so we are only surrounded by our ‘christian brothers and sisters.’ Light is only effective in dark places. Mostly to the people who needs to see us, not for us though. There was a blind man walking in the night with a candle in his hand and he was seen by someone and notices that he was blind. “Why are you holding a candle light walking in the streets when you are blind?” The man wants to settle his confusion on which the blind man cleared his thought with one sentence “it is not for me but for you to see me!”

Second thing I recognise about Jesus is when He preaches, He preaches to the crowd but when He makes disciples He would do it to individuals. And whenever He would do it to someone to become a disciple He always succeeds. Somehow He knew that it is time for Him to make this particular guy into His disciple. So how did He knew for sure? What is He looking?

Curiosity.

After He preaches to the many, tells parables mostly without explaining, do healings and miracles (by the way, this is how we should live), He would normally left them and go to other places and do the same. Lots of people would see Him do kingdom stuff and lots of people as well hear stories about Him. He makes people disillusioned, unsatisfied, or perhaps disappointed. He makes them angry, sad, glad or mad. He loves stirring people’s hearts and minds. He makes them hungry for more reality. He gives them hope and sometimes damnation. I don’t know about you but if I am one of those people who sees and hear Him do crazy stuff I will have some sleepless nights!

I would be so curious!

“Who is this man with power and authority? Who is this man who cast out demons? Who is this man who forgives the sinners. What is His name? I want to know!”

“The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame men now walking. Sicknesses flee at His voice. The dead live again, the poor hear the Good News!”

“Why is this ‘kingdom’ is He talking about?”

“Why He sees things I didn’t see?”

“What is His story?”

“Where did He came from? Who are His parents?” He is just living a life that demands questions.

“Ah, but wait a minute, what? Is He leaving us again without telling us plainly what is this stuff He is speaking about? Come on, I’ve got to know more of this man.”

I love Jesus whenever He does things like these to people. I felt the excitement within as I found this out. I want to know what is the next thing He will do. And then I realise, would the same set of questions can be ask of me and you? Can our friends say the same thing about us? Can they ask the same questions they ask to Jesus? Did they see something different in you? We are Christians indeed and the way to know which is real or not depends on how they frame up their words. It’s either, “That is a Christian!” Or “Is that a Christian?” We know that the latter statement is a fake one.

We cannot just do what we want to do, when we want to do it and how we want to do it. But we only do what we ought to do. And when we do exactly what Jesus wants us to live only then that we have live a life also that demands some questions. “Give me an answer Jaco!” “Give me an answer Harm!” “Come on Henk, explain to me! Why are you so different? When you are bombarded with criticism you just kept silent? Why is it when you see sick people you laid your hands and they get healed! Why so patient? What kind of stuff are you made of?” (You might not have some experiences of healing the sick nor casted some demons out or have been raising dead people like Jesus and Paul, but I’m not only talking about this kinds of ‘differences’ that people needs to see in us. There is no greater miracle than a change life. Surely you know what I mean when I say that we should live our lives differently. A simple problem of a mother who needs milk and you buy her one can make a person curious already. A simple food to feed a widow makes you a different person already to someone who is observing you. Why? Acts 6, takes some people who are “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” to feed widows. Why? We have had enough people who has thousands of dollars, pesos and euros, and still will not feed people because they are not “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” So if you’re feeding one, be glad as only one who has the spirit of God can do such task.) And when they are in that stage of disillusioned it is likely they would like to hear what you have to say. Well, it is time for you to make them disciples I guess.

It is not enough not to leave you some examples of individuals whom Jesus had made into disciples. We will not look at how He made them, let’s do that later on, but just looking at the ‘curiosity’ side of each person. This is just a quick look but would encourage you to read each stories of these people in your Bibles.

The Samaritan Woman. Jesus functioned in the gift of discernment by saying to her that she have had five husbands, etc. This makes the woman curious thinking He is a prophet and so she started asking God’s stuff. Jesus has made her into a disciple, and brought some more people in to be introduced by Jesus. (Read John 4: 1-26)

The Pharisees named Nicodemus. After seeing some miracles and hearing some statements of Jesus he became curious and wants to see him in a more private time and place – he came ‘to Jesus by night.’ He is really that curious, imagine He already believes that Jesus ‘came from above.’ He saw ‘signs.’ He said “no one can do these signs unless God is with you.” Ultimately, Nicodemus became a disciple of Jesus that very night. (Read John 3:1-21)

The Tax Collector Zacchaeus. Certainly the most curious of them all. Imagine a guy working in collecting taxes for the government climbs up on a tree just to see Jesus? This is just like you watching a concert of one of your favourite bands and you’re sitting quite afar and the lead singer sees you and guess what? He invited himself to come to your house just as Jesus did to Zacchaeus. If I am he, I would do the same and invite my friends too, just as what he did.

And we know what happens next to these people: making disciples has become more simpler because of this one sign: curiosity.

(On my next series we will start making your friends disciples of Jesus. But before that I want to explain The Great Commission in simple terms and words to make the job of making disciples simple, quick and fast to reach then growing population. See you in Part Four)

Making Disciples Series (Part 2)

On finding a person to make disciples: WHERE to look to?

The person you intend to make into a disciple is a non-believer. “Go and make disciples to the world,” To simplify what Jesus said and meant is “to the lost, not the found. To the blind not those who can see. To the world, not the church. To an unbeliever, not to the believer.” My point is, many of us have been looking to the wrong places when it comes to finding someone to make into a disciple of Jesus. See, I am not talking about ‘discipleship,’ nor doing ‘evangelism.’ As most Discipleship programs are aimed to the found and then doing ‘classes’ for a lifetime. And most evangelism is a “hit and run” type of activity. The person whom you preach at to doesn’t know you nor you know him. Nothing is wrong with these methods and nothing also could go right. We all have been doing this and the result we get is only some mediocre Christians who still doesn’t know how to make disciples. Perhaps, it is time to shift?

We lose the effectiveness of The Great Commission when we lose its focus: lost. Forgive me by saying this: you cannot save the saved anymore.

So, how to know a person if he or she is in the position to become a disciple? Before continuing, let me say to you that in the community of saints that we have whenever we want to make a person a disciple it’s always 100 percent sure that he is going to respond and for all that we have made into disciples of Jesus it is 99.9 percent they all decided to get baptized. How do we know for sure?

All have something in common: Friends. We make disciples to our ‘unbelieving friends.’ We all have our friends right? Unbelieving friends, not a Christian. Or did we lose some of them when we became Christians? Now that’s a problem. No wonder when we want to share the Good News we just go at the park and look for a stranger. That’s easy to do without showing your ‘light’ and spreading your ‘saltiness.’ A ‘hit and run’ type of evangelism. If the person do the ‘sinners prayer’ you hit a jackpot. If not? Well, no hurt feelings. I do not know you anyway! Who cares?

Church activities nowadays are so void of relationships. We value programs and position more than people. We value ministry and money more than relationships. My friends and co-brothers and sisters who wants to share the Good News of Jesus to people, I have an advice for you: stop winning souls, start making friends. You will win more souls by winning relationships. You cannot save Jaco unless you know Jaco.

We forget the one thing Jesus says for us to do before anything else that pertains making disciples: let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works. Take note: good worKs, not good worDs. Sometimes I want to think that we replace making disciples with evangelism activity because we lost our saltiness. We cannot show how truly a Christian lives except attending meetings after meetings. Somehow that became the ultimate definition of who a Christian is: going to church. A good Christian may go to a church but a real one is a disciple who follows Christ.

Where to look for people to make disciples? Friends, unbelieving one. What category? The kind of people whom Paul says to Timothy, “Teach these to faithful men who can be able to teach others as well” 2Tim.2:2. The ‘faithful’ ones that are able to multiply themselves because making disciples should be simple and fast enough to reach the growing population. “But Molong, you’re talking about unbelieving friends right?” You may interrupt. Yes, you read me right. Unbelievers that someday become the faithful ones. Alright, let me talk straight now. The kind of people you want to look for are from your circle of unbelieving friends who believe in you, trust you and loyal to you. Because they have seen you as ‘light’ and have tasted your ‘saltiness.’ That is why, you have their belief and trust. Because showing your light shine is what it takes for them to believe in you and trust you. You won them not by your words only but by your actions. You lived your life differently. Well, simply because you are different, isn’t it? You are born ‘from above.’ You are a ‘new creation.’ So live differently. Make decisions differently. Handle anger differently. You have more patient than them. You love your enemies. Come on, you can do it, no shortcuts, let your light shine! Be a witness! (Matt. 5:13-16, Acts 1:8).

When God showed me this I ask God “So, I should look for people who believes in me and trust me?”

“No. Not really.” God said.

“Why?”

“Because they are the ones who will look for you.” He replied.

See, we live in a messy world. The Bible speaks of it as “wicked and adulterous generation” (Matt. 16:4) where people cannot be trusted anymore and because of that they are looking for people who they can believe, who they can trust. Will you be that person?

“But aren’t we leading that friend of ours to the Lord and not to ourselves?” You may ask. Yes, we will lead them ultimately to the Lord as we are going to make them into Jesus’ disciples, not ours. But like John the Baptist, people became his disciples first but only ‘for awhile.’ Paul says, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Then sooner or later, you make them disciples of Jesus. Only when they want to become Jesus followers if they see us following Him.

So, our job really is only taking men to Jesus for them to be discipled.

(The Part Two on finding a person to make disciples is WHERE TO LOOK TO. The Part Three is WHAT TO LOOK FOR in a person as not all your friends who believe in you and trust you has this one particular ‘sign’ to be sure they will become a disciple.)

Makig Disciples Series (Part 1)

On finding people to make disciples

While others are still struggling on how to make disciples, and some may already know how but yet struggling to look for people to make into disciples – this is another dilemma to those who want to start their journey in making disciples.

Where am I going to look for people to make into disciples? Who are they? What am I going to look for to know if they are ready to enter into the kingdom of God?

God would surely will draw people to you for you to make them into Jesus’ disciples but how do you know that they are the ones God wanted you to make? Unless you know, then all you can do best is having a nice chat, discuss or even a debate about religious stuff without having to lead the person to become a disciple. And sad to say that many of us have already been doing this only to lose a divine opportunity to make the person into a disciple.

“Molong, I just shared to someone about Jesus and we had a very good conversation.” A friend chatted me, he loves to share the Good News, “and I am so happy!” He said.

“So, have you made him into a disciple?” I ask

“What do you mean?” he queried.

“Did you make him decide if he wants to follow Jesus and baptise him?” I explained.

The chat ended.

Most of the time this is our situation too. We enjoy the godly discussion, somehow we know what to share and how to share it yet to bring the person into a decision to become a disciple we do not know how. And a part of the reason why is because we do not know the ‘signs’ the person is showing in order for us to bring them into our intention: to make disciples.

So, what are the signs to look for?

Making Disciples Series (Intro)

The commands of Jesus to make disciples was somehow lost in the deep oceans of knowledge from our own readings and research, seminars and summits about The Great Commission. We have spent too much time and effort trying to ‘figure it out’ that we lost many opportunities to just do it. To act on our faith was lost.

My friend Henk Kempers motto “just go for it” is what we need. I didn’t simply find on how to make disciples just by attending conferences about it. In fact, i had enough of it, receiving all its teachings and methods, cd’s and books, plus laying on of hands, only adds my confusion asking “ok, now what? How to make disciples? How to start it? How to find people to make disciples?” Still my questions never got their answers. Until one day I ask the Lord Himself, out of frustration while I tried my best shot to make a person into a disciple, and that’s when my journey of making disciples starts. One by one, question by question, answer by answer – God gave us the work of making disciples and this work teaches us how to do it.

One of our working projects

Subject: Fwd: Good News from a Friend

Check this out . . .  now THIS is genuine “apostolicity”

Steve

Begin forwarded message:

From: Steve Hill

Subject: Fwd: Good News from a Friend

Date: August 10, 2017 at 7:07:32 AM EDT

To: Steve Hill

Hi Folks

We have been friends with Molong for several years now.  He is making disciples in his native Phillipines and facing the challenges of helping the poor who often do not have enough land around their rented homes for a garden.  So….

Enter the plastic barrel garden!  It has a central pipe into which vegetable waste is put to compost. Worms are placed in this to produce their waste which is called vermicast.  Vermicast is the best soil and commands a good price when sold.   A bowl at the bottom of this pipe catches the vermicast and also “compost tea” which is water that has percolated through the compost and used to fertilize the growing vegetables.

The barrels along with soil and worms are given free to the families.  They will plant, harvest, eat the veggies and feed the worms.

Once a month the team goes back to the family to harvest the vermicast to sell it to pay for the barrels and to generate the funds to give barrels and worms to new families.  Everyone works and everyone wins!

Micro projects making macro differences in people’s lives

Your brother

Steve

Part 2: Hearing God’s Voice, a practice

“Wait a minute,” this new-found friend named Tony interrupted me as I was sharing my story, “when you say ‘God told me’ did you really hear His voice?”

Many eof us are having a hard time hearing God. We ask questions like “how would I know that what I’ve heard is of God?” This time, I’m not talking as an expert of this but as one like you – still practicing into perfection to know God more. “Knowing” God and His voice is the most important part of our growth in Christ. Being a follower is a daily task because we follow Jesus everyday, not just every Sunday. Oh what a joy to be able to hear and obey Him! Why? When you hear Him, you can’t miss!

Three stages of growth that is found in 1 John 2. And each stages has challenges. For a child, his challenge is to overcome sin. When a child becomes a son, his challenge is to overcome the devil. And when he becomes a father, he has the most challenging of all challenge: to know the Father.

So how would I challenge someone to start hearing God? Here’s what you can do: Have a record book, every night you asking God, for example, “Lord, i want to give a kilo of banana tomorrow. Who do you think I should give this to?” And whoever the Lord will put you in remembrance write it down Like this. Today is November 5: Give a kilo of banana to Susan, a widow next door. The next day in the morning you will expect God will lead you. Psalm 5:3 says “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to You and wait expectantly.” Many of us prayed a prayer at night and in the morning we forgot what we’ve prayed for! So nothing happened because we don’t expect anything will happen.

So you went to Susan’s house with a banana that day and hand it to her, “Hi Susan, the Lord has you in His mind last night so i came with a kilo of banana!” And if Susan wouldn’t make a good comment then guess you just have to forget what you’ve heard last night. Put “X” next to what you’ve written. But if Susan would say a good comment saying “Oh it’s been a while that I’ve longed to eat some bananas and guess what? You came!”

Do you think that’s a sort of confirmation? Would you consider putting a check “mark” next to what you’ve written last night?

I would.

(If you think you didn’t feel you hear anything from the Lord, maybe that night GOD will give you a dream who. It’s called ‘navigational’ dream. We have these kinds of dreams many many times here in my community)

How about a kilo of rice the next day? A bag of noodles? A pair of your old shoes? Surely it won’t “hurt” you even if you miss it right?

“But why you gave an idea Molong on what to give?” You make ask. Well, many of us wanted to start hearing God “fully” and we’re having a hard time. Why not half way through it? Give yourself or God an idea. Say “Lord, I may not be that good of hearing you from ‘start to finish’ like ‘wake up’ and you woke up. ‘Go to your kitchen’ God said and you went to your kitchen. ‘Open the fridge’ He said. And you open the fridge. ‘Get 3 piece of cake’ and you obeyed slicing 3. ‘Now get out’ God continued. ‘Walk up to the 4th street corner’ and you go on. ‘Ophs, now stop’ God said. ‘Knock on the 3rd door of the building and give that cake.’ Boom! A mother needs some food for her daughter but she got no money and she prayed that someone would help her and that is you!”

Sounds so good and so detailed right? I wish, we wish we can hear God that good. Oh surely we can be but we need to practice. Jesus says that we as His family will “hear God’s Word and put it into practice.” So to check some things in our house to be given away would be a good start to practice. You got extra tunic? Shoes? Bags? How about kitchen utensils you hardly use or extra? A dress or pants? A book? School books? A lampshade? Slippers and thongs? Wrist watch? A sack of rice? Carpentry tools?

Have I given you an idea? Yes. Exactly. Why not? Why not use these extra stuff you have not just to give away but also for you to practice hearing God? Got 10 extra shirt? That’s 10 days practicing! The person might be saying, “I badly needed a shirt but can’t afford it. So I thank God for you giving one for me!” Wow! Is that a check for your notebook?

There are 365 days a year. How about for a year you can have just 100 days of check and 265 wrong. Is that bad? Man, you’ve heard God 100 days! Maybe next year 200 days. Is that bad at all? Surely when you reach enough days of check you will be able to start hearing God from ‘start to finish.’

Using what needs to get rid of in your house to practice hearing God is not bad at all. Surely it won’t hurt you. It actually helps you to get rid of your selfishness and greediness. To get rid of your selfishness, serve. To get rid of your greediness, give.

“For as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14. This is what matures the disciple of Jesus. In Christianity, how easy it is to be mature: been a Christian for 20 years, faithful in going to church, have a choir ministry, have read the bible 10 times, 200 memory verses, etc. All are but a borrowed words of proof of maturity from someone’s book! Whereas a record of your own experiences of how you hear God none can refute it!

Lastly, don’t be childish when you want to hear God. Many heard “My child, I love you. I died for you. You are the apple of my eye. I have love you with an everlasting love. Blah blah blah.” Oh yeah? Sure. Go ahead. Nothing wrong with that. Or like my 3year old daughter saying “God told me I’m so cute” when I started teaching her about prayer that it’s not just talking but also listening to what He would tell her to “do.” Please hear based on Jesus’ commands to ‘teach them to obey.’ Hear to obey something. Not to affirm you. Be done with elementary teachings. Stop being childish. Grow up as a son or a daughter then to become a father or mother. Stop being lambs to be feed. Start being a sheep. “A sheep hear His voice.” John 10.

“How to know it is from God?” Someone ask me.

Because I am seeking the kingdom. When we are seeking something and when you find it you will know that what you’ve found is what you are seeking for. For a simple example, when I ask God for a computer set I felt God speaking to me “give what’s valuable for you.” At that time it’s my Yamaha guitar. Days passed, someone from other province came to my house and uses my guitar as he sang some worship songs. Then he said, “I have prayed for this kind of guitar for so long.” That’s when I knew that what I heard from God is authentic. To cut the story short, I gave my guitar to him and days passed a lady bought me a set of computer. It’s not about the computer or guitar. It’s about obedience.

So how did I answer Tony’s question when he ask “did you really hear God’s voice when you said ‘God told me?'”

“Tony,” I said. “Do you know what’s your problem?”

“What?” he replied with a question.

“It is me who heard it, not you.”

We all have a good laugh and started sharing what I just shared to you now.