Gospel Meeting Notes

Cristina H. – I am very much impressed to see a packed room today. John 8:1-11. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" This they said to test him that they might have some charge to bring against him. These religious people came to Jesus for the purpose of trying him. They don’t see their own selves they just see the faults in others. Jesus did not answer them but bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. The best answer sometimes is just not to answer. Jesus is the light of the world and the light doesn’t speak, it just shows our true condition. One time I was in a field where we don’t have electricity and we have to use those little kerosene lamps. We had to leave early morning to catch the bus and I put on my blouse in the dark. As the first rays of light came out, we were already outside waiting for the bus – my companion said to me, “your blouse is inside out!” I put it on in the dark and now it was exposed in the light and I have to hurriedly make it right. These religious people continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. After being with Jesus, they saw the light and realized they too are sinners. We need to make necessary changes if Jesus shows us our own self. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." Jesus wants us to go and make it right after being with him. He was just saying to the woman, “Now that you’ve met me and have known me, go and change your ways.”

Nadine T. - Psalms 19:7-14. About things that has to do with our salvation. Jesus said the law and the prophet are summed up in these two. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and strength and soul. And love your neighbor as yourself. I remember some accounts about people with mental illness. They always hurt themselves or try to injure themselves. It’s because they are sick and it’s very hard to treat. If we love our neighbor, we will not harm them as we don’t like harm our own self. The law is perfect. Mat. 5:44, Four things here Jesus wants us to do: 1)Love your enemies, 2)bless them that curse you, 3)do good to them that hate you, and 4)pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. God’s commandment is perfect. Jesus said if you hate your brother is as if you killed him. Ps. 19:7, the testimony of the LORD is sure. Jesus said I am the light of the world. I am the bread of life. I am the living water. The statutes of the Lord are right. If godly words are sown in our hearts godly actions will also come out. The commandment of the Lord is pure. God will not ask us anything to harm us. Luke 5:4, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets…” Because of obedience they were rewarded... Pro 10:22, the blessing of the LORD, it makes us rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. It’s not about natural riches but spiritual riches- love, joy, peace, faith, hope, etc. If there are sorrows it’s not from God. It’s because of wrong choices. V.9, the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. Owe no one but to love another. The judgment of the Lord is right. Jesus doesn’t judge by the hearing of the ear or seeing of the eye but of righteous judgment. Jesus noticed the widow giving her all. Psalm 19:12, who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. In Psalm 51, David also prayed the same thing and God said of him, ‘He is a man after my own heart’. V. 14, Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. I have a cousin who is blind and when we in grade school he likes to listen to us when read. One time I read to him a book on fishes. The fish can swim far down into the deep without much effort and don’t die. Humans can only swim to a certain depth and then it could be fatal to go deeper. This is because God has created the fish to withstand the high pressure of the deep. The pressure inside the fish is greater than the pressure outside. God’s people are like that. What God has put inside their hearts is greater than all the pressure outside that’s why we are able to withstand the pressures of the world all around us…

J. Bermejo. Being in this meeting with young ones like you, reminds me when I was a young man myself and going to school. We were poor and after graduating from grade school, I went to Negros (an island in the Visayas) to continue on with my high school education there as my parents couldn’t support it. After graduating high school, I would’ve loved to finish college just like you here but it wasn’t possible. So I went back to my parents in Mindanao to help them. I remember going to my uncle’s place at harvest time to help with the harvest so we can bring home some rice. I was brought up in a religious home as my mother was religious. At that time I didn’t know that my uncle had already professed. He was religious too and had many images in his home but on our way to my uncle's home I noticed all his religious images were all out in the sun and in the garbage pile. I was confused and didn’t understand why he did that. That night he talked to me and told me that he found the Way of God. The next day he told me about how the true servants of God went two and two together to bring the good news to people (Mark 6:7-12). The way Jesus sent his disciples is a walking ministry. The gospel says “Go”. In the religious world it’s the opposite. It’s the people who are looking for their ministers. In Rev. 22:18, there’s nothing to add or deduct from the word of God. What Jesus taught and lived was perfect. He gave them the qualifications of being fishers of men. Luke 18:29. They left everything for the gospel’s sake. They are like emergency workers in ambulances. They are always ready to go anywhere and anytime to help save lives. They did not have their own families so they can be ready anytime to go. Jesus' pattern did not change. They left all behind w/o any reservation so they can be used to help others. Good to have the Bible while we listen to the gospel so we can’t be deceived. I’m thankful for this example that Jesus showed. Also glad to see the change in my uncle's life after he found this Way of God. Thankful that what Jesus showed in his example does not change.

J. Mastin. In starting a mission like this, it’s needful that we start in the beginning. In school it is seldom we see very young pupils accelerated to high school or college at a young age. But for the majority of us school starts in Grade 1. In construction, you can’t start on the 10th floor. You have to begin with the foundation and start building up. A boy just started school. At the end of the day, his mom asks him, “How’s school?” The boy answered, “I don’t like it because my teacher keeps asking me questions I do not know.” We need to start w/o any knowledge. If we go to a certain theological school we know what doctrine is taught there. When they ask us, we tell them we didn’t go to any theological school. The teachers in these schools, who taught them? Was it from the Bible? So many theological schools in Jesus’ time, and he could’ve chosen his first disciples from there, fresh graduates but instead He chose lowly people like fishermen. What they saw, heard and felt from Jesus was directly taught by Jesus to them. What Jerry shared was from his experience in going into the ministry. Where did Jesus learn it? It was all from his Father. He was very sensitive to his Father’s voice and leading. John the Baptist could’ve lived the life of the priest since he was from the tribe of Levi but his life was different. He chose a simple and modest living. The priests in those days lived in luxury and abundance dressed in expensive robes. At one time we met a man dressed in robes w/ two lady companions and they sat and listened in the meeting. After the meeting, he came up to me and embraced me and gave me a holy kiss. He said he was living in the desert and God spoke to him. John the Baptist was not like that. He said repent for the kingdom of God is near. When Jesus started to preach it was the same message... Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand... it was the same doctrine, the same teaching from God. John told his disciples to follow Jesus. He was not jealous of Jesus. He was happy that Jesus disciples were increasing and he was decreasing. Back in the States a pastor of a church in a community where we had gospel meeting came and talked to us. This pastor said to me, “You know this is a very small town, and if you convert these people to follow your teachings, then there will be nothing left for us. I have a family and children to support and if they leave my church my finances will be jeopardized.” He was worried about his income and not w/ the souls of men. If Jesus taught his disciples to leave everything behind for the gospel and just go by faith, it is still the same today. There’s no need to change it. It’s perfect. Jesus sent his disciples to preach in every village and they were glad when they saw the results in people’s lives and we're very happy that the evil spirit obeys them. He himself went into those villages to preach the gospel. In Luke 18:23. We read about the rich young ruler. He wants to follow Jesus. And when Jesus told him what he needs to do, he was very miserable. It was so hard for him to leave his job, his position. He doesn’t have faith to believe. How can he give the same faith to others when he doesn’t have it himself? Lo, we have left all. What will we have? Our joy in seeing those found and brought into the Fold is far greater than what we could have gained in the world. Just to see people with hope and faith is great joy to us. What Jesus established was not a religion but a family. I have a son born when he was 82 years old and died when he was 90. He was born of the spirit. When we first went to Alaska, this man was a native of the place and he had many names given by the religious missionaries who arrived there before us. He became religious but he knew deep within he was not yet a “child of God.” One day he told us, “My native name is Tukatnik. Later, they gave my father the name ‘Bean’ and after some years they gave me my name ‘Aaron’. I like it because he is Moses’ brother. But the name I liked most ‘I am now a child of God.’” He further said to me, “What I received from you through the gospel is to be a child of God.” My brothers and sisters in Christ are very important to me. This is what God wants to give us through the gospel. May God help us to be willing to listen to the gospel story so He can teach us.