Hype: Your Relationships

Hype 3

Hype: Your Relationships

by Daniel Carandang

written by Ashley Petallano

What love song best describes your life right now?

Na Sa'yo Na Ang Lahat?

The One That Got Away?

Buko?

Pusong Bato?

Most songs nowadays reflect on love- the bittersweet experience of falling in and out, waiting on someone who will never notice your affection, one-sided love affairs and the likes. Some even discuss the complex relationship of love and sex.

One of the top-selling songs hinted with love is Katy Perry's Dark Horse. 

The song has sold 7.2 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.In YouTube, the music video has about 470+million viewers. It's been watched and listened to by young people all over the world! There's actually much controversy concerning the video (Illuminati, drugs, witchcraft), but we’re gonna focus on what it says about how the world views love

If you've watched the music video, it shows Katy as an ancient Egyptian queen with magical powers, to whom different suitors go to and try to win. 

I knew you were

You were gonna come to me

And here you are

But you better choose carefully

'Cause I’m capable of anything

Of anything and everything

It seems as if Katy is cautioning the guys with falling in love with her. In the video, it's clear that she's challenging her suitors- daring them to come up and try her. 

Make me your Aphrodite

Make me your one and only

But don’t make me your enemy, your enemy, your enemy

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of beauty, fertility, and sexual love. She is variously described as the daughter of Zeus and Dione, or as being born from the sea. Roman equivalent of Venus. This line pretty much reveals what's in the heart of Katy- she tells the suitors to make her his goddess of love, beauty, and sex,

“I NEED you”, “Ako nalang mahalin mo”, “love me, make me yours” “I will give you pleasure, don't turn your back on me.”

In summary, in the midst of the controversial issues surrounding it, in terms of “love”, Dark Horse is really talking about the kind of “love” that is being practiced by young people today—full of passion (only), interchanged love and sex. If you ask people, “what is love?” there will be a landslide of answers. We all have our definition of love from various sources.

What are some definitions of love?

“a wildly misunderstood, although highly-desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, and heart to beat faster.”

“a form of amnesia when a girl forgets there are 1.2B other guys in the world.”

“minsan ang lovelife parang siopao akala mo special yun pala bola-bola.”

WHAT IS LOVE? Where do you get your definition of love?

Many young people get their definition of love from Hollywood, movies, social media, music, and their favorite celebrities. We're a sucker for romantic comedies or chick flicks and it's obvious that we know numerous love songs by heart. We think we know all about love.

But think about it. If we know much about it, how come there still exists broken marriages and destroyed relationships?

The problem is that we are seeking for real love, but we have not consulted the Author of love—Love Himself. Unfortunately, many young people have this weird thinking that if they involve God in their love life, all the fun will go away, that it will be sad and lifeless. But nothing is farther from the truth.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10

When it says “life to the full” it doesn't necessarily mean rich in earthly possessions but a life full of meaning, purpose, & satisfaction.Whether you believe it or not, it includes you love life! 

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. 

1 John 3:16a

THAT is real love. 

However, there are numerous imitations. So many deceptive kinds of love. Branded items are known for being pirated, imitated and most of us belittle imitations. The same should be said for love. Imitated love is nothing compared to REAL love. 

We need a standard for this kind of love. And that is what Christ did on the cross for us.

1. REAL LOVE is SACRIFICIAL

What's the greatest sacrifice you've ever done for someone? Give up your chair for your mom? Resist from eating the last slice of pizza?

The Bible tells us of the greatest sacrifice for all of humanity. And that is Christ's death on the cross.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. 

1 John 3:16a

A brief background on this verse: the believers were being commanded to love one another. In chapter 3, John clearly defines the standard for real love. He says that Jesus’ death is the standard for real love. That seems quite confusing at first and quite weird. But we have to look at it this way:

The Creator of the universe, willingly left the comforts of His throne in heaven, taking on the form of a fragile human body and allowed Himself to be horribly brutally tortured, insulted, humiliated, and crucified to pay for the sins of people who rejected, cursed, insulted, & could care less about Him. You have to admit, it's unthinkable, but HE STILL CHOSE TO DO IT.

God coming to earth was not comfortable and let's face it, being crucified was no fun at all—but Jesus still did it…for us. He could have just stayed in heaven, created a new earth but He thought about us FIRST and He chose to selflessly and sacrificially die for us because He loved us.

That is LOVE.

As His followers, we are called to follow his example of love.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

1 John 3:16

It’s easy to say "I love you" but it is so difficult/almost impossible to demonstrate real love because it entails sacrifice. It's not just all giggling feelings or physical attachment- it's responsibility and selflessness. Real love is literally laying down all that you are for the sake—for the highest good of the other person!

The norm for most of us is selfish love. Since we were babies, the only person we thought of constantly is ourselves. REAL LOVE is supernatural. It does not seek to gratify oneself, especially at the expense of others. Rather, it seeks to selflessly and sacrificially give.

If what you always think about are thoughts like “What about ME?” “What about MY pleasures, comfort, satisfaction?" and worse you seek to fulfill these selfish needs at the expense of the other person, then what you have is not real love, most likely, it’s just lust. Yep, you read right.

Are you really acting in love? OR just giving in to lust?

Ask yourself: is the relationship you have now sacrificial or purely focused on satisfying your needs?

“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

1 Corinthians 13:7 

2. REAL LOVE is God-honoring

When Jesus made that act of extravagant love by dying on the cross, it honored God by putting on display God’s extravagant love, mercy, grace, compassion and holiness. Since His death on the cross is the standard of real love, real love, should also bring glory to God.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

1 Corinthians 13:4

REAL LOVE demonstrates the beauty of CHRIST. The expression of real love will inevitably bring honor to God. His death on the cross was an act of obedience to God the Father (Gethsemane—it was NOT easy, but He still did it and His act brought glory to God). 

Real love, though hard, will do what is right in the sight of God. “We’re doing this for God” - just because we're sacrificing or caring for someone does not necessarily mean what we have is God-honoring.

If what you have does not glorify God, if you need to hide it because you feel guilty or people will stumble when they find out about it, if it causes you to sin, then in all likelihood it’s not real love.But if what you have for the other person, honors God, draws you closer to Him, and when shared draws others to Him, then what you have is real love.

REAL LOVE is difficult to come by. If we base our standard of love with the world, we will not find it for sure. We should look at what Christ has done and only then will we understand what love is- it is unimaginable and beyond our wildest dreams. 

Hype: Your Purpose

Hype 2

Hype: Your Purpose

by Daniel Carandang

written by Ashley Petallano

'So what we get drunk? So what we smoke weed? We're just having fun.'

Most of us are familiar with that battle cry associated with the lines above. The youth are all about living young, wild and free right now which makes sense on why Whiz Khalifa's 'Young, Wild and Free' is their anthem. 

The song was released as a digital download on October 11, 2011 in the United States. In its first week, it sold 159,000 digital copies, debuting at #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It also received a nomination for Best Rap Song at the 55th Grammy Awards which happened in February 2013.Youtube views: almost 140 million! This song has been heard throughout the entire world. 

If you have watched the music video (which we strongly discourage you to do so if you haven't),  it's really about a party that Wiz and rapper Snoop Dog decided to organize. They planned to invite some ‘homeboys’  and ‘homegirls’ and have some “fun”. What kind of fun?

So what we get drunk

So what we smoke weed

We're just having fun

We don't care who sees

Apparently, as long as it sounds okay or fun, there's no need to fuss. You're just enjoying. So what if you're doing something illegal? So what if you're filling your body with alcoholic drinks? The song teaches us not to care with what people think of our partying. In fact, the video shows the singers openly smoking weed and the likes.

So what we go out

That's how its supposed to be

Living young and wild and free

Basically, the song is all about YOLO. We all know what YOLO stands for: You only live once.

Because you only live once, enjoy everything while you can. Smoke all the cigarettes that you can! Drink all the beer and get drunk till the sun goes down. Have ultimate fun because after all, you only live once. That is what this song teaches us. Don't think about tomorrow- the consequences that follow our decisions. The purpose of life is to indulge in pleasure- to live young, wild and free.

This way of life is being adopted by young people today in our generation all over the world. Just like what’s narrated in the song and what’s seen in the video, many young people think that the way to go is to live life like a party- to exist for pleasure. They identify themselves as party people and their purpose in life is to indulge in all the pleasure they can get and party harder than anyone else.

Just by checking out their social media posts, we  know that these people live to party. Beer bong games announced over Twitter, pictures of the latest raves seen on Instagram and tagged posts of drunken people on Facebook- you name it! They live like they’ll be young forever, like there’s no tomorrow—YOLO!

The question is...WHERE does a life like this lead to?

You may not believe it but there was a person in the Bible who tried the YOLO lifestyle. It's safe to assume that he tried to YOLO harder than anyone else. 

King Solomon, son of the great David, had all access to everything and anything a YOLO person would love. 

- One of the richest kings in Israel

He was also wiser than anyone in the land. 

-Indulged in wine

Well, he had the money to buy any wine he wanted. He could've probably a bar anytime he wanted.

-Collected great sums of money

Being the king, he was paid the most. Kind of like Henry Sy, Solomon owned a number of properties and had pockets so deep, you could swim in money. Even the Queen Sheba was breathless at the sight of his kingdom.

-Entertainment at the palm of his hands

The One Direction concert this 2015 is well anticipated by teenage girls who are willing to spend money despite the troubles involved. If it were Solomon, it would've been too easy for him. He could have any singer he chose to perform in an instant. NO LINES! :)

-Many beautiful concubines

Solomon had all the pretty ladies he wanted. He had 300 wives and 700 concubines. He no longer needed to practice suave pick-up lines. 

"Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. “

Ecclesiastes 2:10

He could've partied and YOLOed more than anyone. Solomon had everything. But at the end of the day, this was his conclusion:

“But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.”

Ecclesiastes 2:11

Despite having everything he could have, Solomon felt empty, weary and very unsatisfied with his life. Instead of posing online and saying, “see you at the next party”, he said, it was meaningless. NO ONE wants to arrive at the end of their lives and conclude that their whole life was “meaningless”

Ecclesiastes was written primarily to young people (though it is applicable to the young at heart). In writing this book, it appears that Solomon desired to teach young people truths so that they could avoid the errors he made throughout his life. 

There are two things we can learn from this book, when it comes to pleasure and living our lives as youth.:

1. God is not KJ

In all honesty, we don't like being surrounded by killjoys. As the name suggests, people like these kill the joy out of the fun we're having. Sometimes, we think of God as a big cosmic KJ because of all the do's and don't's. Our opinion of him is no fun at all. The Bible says otherwise:

“Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in…”

Ecclesiastes 11:9a

Most of us have believe that if we follow God, life would be serious and quite boring because apparently anything fun is against His will. But God is not like that. In fact, He told Solomon to enjoy every minute of his youth. However, God is not in favor with the YOLO lifestyle:

"Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.”

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Whenever, we hear phrases like “we must give an account”, “live your life wisely”, there is a tendency for us to think that God is a KJ, simply because we transfer our perception of our imperfect earthly authorities to God. Some of them may be unreasonable (teachers, parents) but God is unlike these earthly authorities. 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10

“life to the full” —not necessarily rich in earthly possessions—but a life full of meaning, purpose, & satisfaction.When God sets boundaries & reminds us of our accountability to Him, it’s for our protection—it’s to enable us to live life to the full!

Babies are infamous for their habit of putting their wet fingers inside electrical sockets. To them, it seems fun and interesting but to us, we know better. The same can be said about God. We think everything that we do is fun- but little do we know that some of them can cause our destruction. 

2. God wants you to live a life with no regrets

Admittedly, we've all had regrets. Those what-ifs in our lives can cause us to wince every time we remember. Why didn't I ask her out? Why didn't I eat that last slice of pizza before it's too late? Why?

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,before the days of trouble comeand the years approach when you will say,“I find no pleasure in them.”

Ecclesiastes 12:1

Solomon, after doing everything a person wants to do, did not say: ”Yes, this IS the way we should live”. But instead of being an advocate of the YOLO lifestyle, he tells us to remember God.

"Remember” - recall/bring to awareness

Our thinking affects our living.

That’s why we are commanded to keep remembering who God is(specifically the fact that He creates us—that we are not our own, that we will be accountable to Him for how we live, He created us in love, & that He has a plan for our lives) 

Many of us, live recklessly and throw our lives away simply because we think there is nothing to look forward to. We're young- strong and healthy. Therefore, we think we can do anything and everything! But the truth is that God loves you, cares about you, & has a plan, destiny, & purpose for your life!—Remember Him in everything you do.

We also need to remember Him  & live for Him because life is temporal and we won't be young forever.

Many young people endanger themselves, do stupid things thinking that they are immortal, and still young so can sustain pain. They spend their youthful lives this way and before they know it, their youthful years pass away, and they become old. Prior to being old, they've fallen victims to the lie that they will be forever young...that everything will always work out.

Some people today live out the consequences of their youthful mistakes. A mom has three children and is raising them on her own. A young man is limited from fulfilling his full potentials due to AIDS. The hurt and the pain comes back every single time. 

Sensual pleasures may seem fun at the moment, but in the end, you will realize that it was all meaningless. God wants you to live a life of no regrets! And the way to experience that, is by living according to who He is.

At the end of his search for the meaning of life, Solomon came up with this conclusion:

“13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad."

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Solomon: I have tried literally everything in this world there is to try and it was all meaningless. If you want to have meaning, Fear God and obey His commands.

The result of really knowing God & His character is not defiance or rebellion, but really reverence and willing submission to Him. Life is more than just parties, drinking and relationships- it's all about HIM and what He has planned for us. YOLO is nothing compared to the Lord. It's about time we get our thoughts straight. Being young, wild and free is meaningless without Christ.

Hype: Your Identity

Hype 1 Hype: Your Identity by Daniel Carandang written by Ana Andres When we hear the word “party”, what usually comes in to mind are things such as; music, DJ’S, dancing, alcohol, and maybe even drugs. We live in a liberated generation where there’s no stopping as long as there’s no hurting. “We can’t stop and we won’t stop!” as Miley Cyrus profoundly declares. If you put that song of hers in to simple words, it is basically about indulging in the pleasures of partying and never wanting to stop. After the release of its music video, it has gained millions of views and several criticisms for its explicitness. Despite tremendous hate, she continues to expose indulging in pleasures and sexuality through her music and videos and there is definitely no stopping her.  Why is she perceived so negatively? This is who she is. Why does partying usually connote immorality? This is who we are. We can’t do anything about it. We’re here to have fun and there’s nothing wrong with that. Why does it seem to be such a bad thing? But more so, is this who we really are? Is this what we’re really made to be? WHERE ARE YOU GETTING YOUR IDENTITY? You see, it says in the bible that God created us (Genesis 1:28) and because God created us, it is only right that we find our identity in Him. He designed each and one of us for a purpose and not unless we know and seek God, we will never know what that is and will continue to find our identity in the wrong things. To illustrate this let me ask a rather foolish question, if you have an Apple iPhone, would you use the Nokia manual to figure out how to operate the iPhone? Of course not because Nokia isn’t the maker of the iPhone and likewise with us, God is our creator and therefore He has authority to determine how we ought to live and function. If we function based on another “manual” other than God, we are wasting away the precious “features” we have  and not be able to carry out our real purpose. So what? I want to live life the way I want to and nobody can tell me to live otherwise.  You have to understand that, “..we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:10 You have to understand that we are God’s masterpiece. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)! We are made for greater things and there is so much more to the temporary happiness we experience by living life in our own terms. And because you are GOD’S MASTERPIECE.. YOU ARE EXTREMELY VALUABLE Whether you believe in God or not, you are extremely valuable to Him. Even despite your filthy past or even present, you are valuable to Him just the same. Nothing can reduce your worth because your value is in God. Therefore if you truly understand this and see your life as valuable, you won’t waste your life away. You will take careful heed of your actions and you will continue to pursue the greater things you were made to have. You will no longer try to identify with the matters of the world because truth is, the world does not care about you. It gives temporary pleasures and happiness but in the end, will leave you feeling empty.      2. YOU ARE DEEPLY LOVED  God’s love for you is relentless. Only His love will fill that void in your heart. “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.”  Psalm 139:17-18 He is deeply and madly in love with us that His thoughts about us are more than the grains of sand. He knows everything about us; all of our pains and all of our sorrows. He hurts for us more than we do. Often we don’t understand it but that’s just because His love for us is  immensely vast and our limited being can not contain all of it. If that does not convince you, know that “..God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8  He loved you although you hurt Him and He continues to love you despite constantly failing Him. “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”  Isaiah 64:8 God made you and He made you for a purpose. Seek Him and unravel the mysteries of His love and then see the masterpiece that you truly are!

WIN: Holy Spirit, Great Companion

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Holy Spirit, Great Companion

by Julius Rayala

written by Ashley Petallano

Nobody wants to be a nobody.

Being alone is not exactly the situation most of us would want to be in. Who in the world wants to be forever alone? When we're all alone in our seats at the school cafeteria, we can't help but feel vulnerable and...well...alone. Even CR breaks require us having a companion.

Nobody wants to be alone!

Humans are meant for human connections. It's vital for us to be with someone- be it one person or a whole group. Though some of us claim to be loners, we cannot deny the fact that we still crave the affection of other people- our families, friends and others. When we're alone, it's as if anything can tumble us down with one flick. 

We don't want to be alone.

The same can be very said in one part of our Christian faith: sharing Christ with our friends and families. Even though we have heard the Good News of Salvation, we refuse to share it with our friends...especially when we are alone. We're afraid to share when it's just by ourselves. The fear of being ridiculed or rejected by others stops us from sharing the Word.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

Christ promised His disciples that the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon them. Similar to them, we will receive His power, be His witness and we can win a soul. 

Focusing on the first part of the verse, it makes one wonder why we need power. 

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Matthew 10:16

Sheep are known for being defenseless animals. They are the dumbest of the mammals, that's for a fact. Should they stumble on their own, they cannot get up on their own. If you throw a lonely sheep against a ferocious wolf, we know that dinner will be served in a few. A single sheep is defenseless against a predator but according to Jesus, an army of sheep is not. 

You can't share the gospel alone. We're not talking about always being accompanied by friends when we do so- it's all about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Together, we can spread the word of God with help from the Helper He gave us once Christ ascended to heaven. It's not easy to win your campus, but even without the help of other people, you can do it, along with the Holy Spirit.

Success doesn't come from people- it's from the Lord. It is through His power, His strength that we can share His Word.

The Holy Spirit plays a big role in our lives. It is everything; Christ left it for us. 

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 2:1-4

After that fateful day, the disciples of Christ made it their mission to spread His Good News- wherever and whenever...in spite of the risks involved. It's interesting (and amazing) to note that despite the life-threatening road blocks they faced, not one of them backed down till their deaths. Most of the disciples died for His word and their demises were not pretty ones- being crucified upside down, stoned to death, beaten up, skinned alive, etc. Only John managed to die of old age but even he experienced grueling torture (he was boiled in oil. Can you imagine?).

Not one of them backed out. They were serious for the cause. 

Let us be assured that the Holy Spirit who guided these men is the very same Holy Spirit who will guide us in sharing the Word. It's not promised that we won't be faced with rejection or persecution but let's remember that the Lord trumps over whatever factor there is on this planet. 

How can you maximize sharing the Word?

14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 

Acts 1:14

PRAY!

You just have to seek God and His help for this. It's the only way :)

A number of souls are wandering alone in this world- they're just not aware. Your school mates think that YOLO is the anthem of life when you know full well that it won't get them to heaven. They are clueless of the saving grace of Christ and His love for His children. Will you let them never know this beautiful fact?

Don't let you're loneliness hinder you. Remember: you're not alone. The Holy Spirit is with you. The Lord will guide you as you WIN souls for His glorious kingdom.

WIN: Discipleship: Why and How?

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Discipleship: Why and How?

by Jeremy Sanchez

written by Aggy Apolinario

How do you think Peter Parker would have reacted if he knew he was going to be Spider-man? He could’ve run away, and trapped himself in a room where he won’t be bitten by a spider. After all, who would want to put themselves to danger?

How about you? How will you react if you were given a big responsibility—a mission?

And what more if it’s God who’s asking?

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

Matthew 28:18-20

In this verse, Jesus wants to tell us that He has done His work on earth—his mission. Now, it is time for us to do ours. He wants us to let people know about the victory that we can have through Him. He wants us to share the truth and hope that we can have in Him. We already know about it. We have experienced it. And now, He wants us to share it.

God is commanding us, and as His followers we must follow Him. Like what is stated in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands”. AND making disciples by sharing the gospel is obeying God.

You see, God wants to work with us in making His disciples. Isn’t it such a great privilege? To be the one to share His truth to those who still don’t Him, to help and guide them live their lives according to the gospel, and to let them experience what we are experiencing.

Let us let them know of the amazing experience that we had when we met Jesus, when we let Him enter our lives, because we all know that our old life can suck it up for our new life with Him is better in every way we can imagine.

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”

2 Corinthians 5:18

Sin set us apart from God. But because of His death on the cross and resurrection, we were reconciled with Him. Everything that was torn and broken was mended.

He said in Matthew 28, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.

Baptizing isn’t a means for us to be saved. It is not the key to our salvation nor is it the way. It is simply a declaration that we believe, that we know what God has done for us, and that we are saved because of Him.

Knowing this truth, He wants us to go out there and share His truth to others because DISCIPLES SHOULD MAKE DISCIPLES.

It’s a beauty and a privilege to take part in making disciples of Jesus Christ. But oftentimes, we are discouraged to do so.

Why?

Maybe it’s because there’s a sin that we don’t want to let go. It’s hard for us to stop doing it. Like what most people say, “old habits die hard”. But that doesn’t mean they can’t.

Or maybe it’s because we’re overconfident. We think so highly of ourselves. But remember, God opposes the proud.

But most of the time, there’s this voice in our heads saying, “I can’t do it. I want to, but I can’t.” Sometimes, we even make excuses like, “I don’t know how. Wala akong alam”, “I’m not ready”, “I’m shy”, “Di ko kaya”.

There’s fear in us. That is why we must ask God to remove it. We should put our trust in Him and what He can do through us and not what we can do on our own.

What are we afraid of?

Is it our struggles?

We have struggles and issues in life, but we shouldn’t let them get the best of us. It’s not a question of whether we have them or not, but of whether we follow Jesus despite them or we love our struggles so much that we lose ourselves to it.

So let’s ask ourselves, are we letting it control us? Yes? Then, let’s get back up through God.

Or maybe it’s our thinking that we must be perfect before we lead?

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to know everything immediately. You don’t have to be an Einstein. We’re humans. It’s inevitable for us not to fall. But what’s important is that we continue to seek God and follow Him.

We must not let fear be a hindrance. It’s always not big enough, because God is and will always be bigger. God will take care of us, and the journey that He has set before us. We just have to trust in Him.

When we lead, there’s good pressure.

Because as a leader, we have to step up our game. And that’s good for us because we know Him more and what He wants to do with our lives.

After all, our Christian life is like a marathon. We have to keep moving forward towards the goal—the goal of being more like Jesus Christ. We should progress. We should improve every step of the way.

As Jesus said it, “the student is not above the teacher, but when fully trained will be like their teacher”.

Let’s be a step ahead of our disciples, so that we’ll be able to help them in times of need. This is why there’s good pressure on us, because it makes us want to become more like Jesus.

Now that we know all this, we ask HOW?

How do we do it?

1. Spend time with them

“After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.”

John 3:22

Jesus could’ve been an introvert, and not mind His disciples at all. But He chose to spend time with them because He knew the power of having quality time with His disciples.

Like Jesus, we, too, should spend time with our disciples because discipleship is a relationship. It’s not always about bible studies or theological information, but it’s about bonding and having quality time. We should bond with them through different activities. And before we know it, our relationship with will grow deeper. In return, they will learn to trust us more when we show them what a life lived according to the gospel is.

It won’t happen in a snap of a finger. It will take time. But we’re sure that it’ll be worth it.

2. Share what was shared to you

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

2 Timothy 2:2

We must share what we learn in our dgroups. Like what was said earlier, their trust in us will grow when we spend time with them. From there, we can find trustworthy people who will also share the Gospel and God’s truths.

We don’t have to know everything to share. Knowledge is important, but sharing what we know, and are still knowing, is what’s more important. We don’t have to become an Aristotle. We just have to know the gospel, to live it out, and to share it.

Like what was stated in Matthew 28:20, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

3. Challenge them

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.”

Luke 10:1

Jesus exemplified his disciples, but He didn’t stop there. He challenged them.

Make this as an example. We should challenge our disciples. Let them do the devotional once in a while. Have them vision their future dgroups. Have them vision for their campuses, families, and friends. Remind them of the mission God gave us: Go and make disciples.  We are bombarded by a lot of things. It distracts us, and oftentimes, we tend to forget, which is why it’s important that we remind our disciples of this mission.

So let’s challenge them by reminding them of these things, and engage them on how they could partake in this. We should encourage them to get out of their comfort zones because no man will grow if they don’t get out.

Maybe God is telling you to step up and share, but your fear of getting teased by your friends scares you. So ask God, “Lord, what comfort zone am I in that you want me to get out of?”

4. Accept them

Ever heard of the saying “No man is an island”?

We are relational beings. We need other people. Even the most introverted person in the world needs acceptance.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

Romans 15:7

This doesn’t mean that we have to agree with them. They may be saying one thing, and we may be saying another. But this doesn’t mean that we don’t and won’t accept them.

In Romans, it is said that we should accept those who are weak in faith. Even if you think they’re not mature like you or even if when you think they’re not all that. We should accept them because Jesus does.

When we accept, it means that we’re letting them enter our hearts, and that we’re welcoming them no matter what they’ve done or who they are.

The problem with us is that we tend to be judgmental. We shouldn’t be like that. We must accept them as someone who Christ died for. Accept them even when you think they’re hard to accept, even when you think they’re too much to handle, because you never know what God can do in them through your leading and guidance.

5. Love them

“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

John 13:1

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

John 13:34

Love them the way Jesus loves you. Show them the love Jesus also has for them.

Knowing these truths, go and make disciples.

There can be a lot of motivations. It can be pride. Maybe, we’d want to prove that we’re good, and that we can do anything. These things can be motivations, and may succeed. But in the end, they will all burn out.

That is why we should make love our motivation. God loves each and every one of us. In turn, we should love them as well. Because when love is the motivation, it will NEVER burn out. Yes, NEVER.

A lot of people are hurting. Maybe through you they’ll know the hope there is in Jesus. So, as we go and make disciples, let us look at people in view of their need and their eternity.

ETERNITY

It’s such a big word, isn’t it?

That’s because we have a big God.

An amazing God who loves you and me.