Abba

Fathers. You usually see them at home or in work places. They make money, feed you, and serve as the pillar or the head of the house. But these are not the fathers I talk about. Let me take you back to many years -- centuries ago. Believers, the church started as the seed was planted by our co-heir and brother, Jesus. When he ascended to sit at the right hand of the throne of God, he left his disciples the Great Commission and sent the Holy Spirit as his exchange here on earth. After the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit came like tongues of fire, the believers of old had ignited and had fellowship, which led to the church or the body of believers as a congregation. After the New Testament, many fathers stood up and helped or maybe ruined the church.

As I see it, there are three groups of church fathers: heretics, orthodox, and those who stand in between like chaff being blown wherever by the wind. But I assure you that these church fathers had all done good to the church. Those orthodox fathers helped maintain the truth inside the church and within believers as they reached out to the unbelievers. The heretics gave the challenge to the church and the believers to stand firm in the faith; they were the ones who acted as strainers, sifting the believers in their faith and doctrine. Finally, the chaff fathers were those who gave a choice to people whether to act on something or just be blown by the wind to whichever direction it goes. The church fathers all did the work or the mission tasked by God to them. One to lead, one to destroy, and one to confuse. Whoever you follow, there will always be a challenge or a problem to solve or make a choice in.

But all these lead to one person only, to the Father of lights, the Source of Life, God. No matter the name or the accomplishments of the church father, you should look only to the Truth, God the Father in whom we find truth and we feel life. It does not really matter if you believe in the doctrines of church fathers, what matters most is your belief, faith, and trust in God whom you ask guidance for.

SEEK. FIND. BELIEVE. TRUST. REMAIN.

Beginnings

Before Christ returned to his home on high, he had already left the seed of the church. Some years after, the church was booming, as if it were a business. Much money was coming in because of selling indulgences and other stuff. Churches exist and had lots of different times where there were changes in doctrines and other stuff. The churches had ups and downs, but they had all ended according to the plans of God.

The church was there even before I was born. The question was, how did I value the church and the church fathers who fought for the church. But then I realized, what were they fighting for? Were they actually fighting for Jesus, for the truth or were they fighting because of greed of power, authority, or money? How about me? Why do I even go to church and why do I bring people to church?

It's difficult to answer these questions. But I believe that I should change perspective. I mean, it's the least I can do for now. I'm still growing, but I know perspective can change things. How I view the church and the efforts made for the church will bring me to how I value the church. Through this change, I will be able to influence and help change the perspectives of others.

GO

Most churches have outreach ministries or simply, they get out of the four walls of the building (some may have more than four walls according to their uniquely shaped buildings) and reach out to different people of different statuses. I, for one, am an outreach teacher. I minister to children, and teach teens of 10 to 15 year old girls and boys. I have been doing outreach for a few years now and I have seen that in those ministries it is difficult especially when we forget the motive of why we minister.
It is indeed important to know who, why, and how we are to serve. Before getting in the ministry or in a ministry, a general and holistic self-check is to be done. Look inside yourself, look outside to those who need help, look around at what you should do. Be aware, especially of God's call.
Many times, our social actions, or the social actions of the church are too focused on the "selling" or "promotion" of religion or the church itself. The church forgets that we are to promote Christ, we are to share, raise, and bring the banner of Jesus' name in all that we do. Many communities reject our social actions and invitations because we bring the name of another religion or another church, when they already have one. Let us remember to fix our eyes on Jesus, as we parade to our social outreaches or ministries of the church and bring His name, His love, for His glory and honor. Remember that religion or the church cannot save or change a man, it is only Jesus and through faith in Him could one be saved.

It's Purity

Being pure is hard. All my life, my parents had always taught me to stay pure. Even the Bible tells me so. I can tell you now that I have not succeeded to do what they say. Sin always creeps up on me and I find myself falling in. I can say that in my battle for purity for these past 20 years, I am growing slowly. Yes, slowly because it is pretty hard to live up to the standards of purity the Bible has set, even to what the world has set. It needs time, energy, commitment, and most of all focus.
The puritan movement in the time of the church has existed mainly to purify the church. But in their course of purifying the church, they have stepped upon some ground that could be wrong views. They were not just intellectually changing the view of men, but also changing the ways of men. They went too far as to make the people view God as judgmental and an angry God. Is God angry and judgmental? I don't think so, but they, the Puritans do. Far too strict to distort the truth, they kept on.
I think that some of their teachings and purification are right and somehow the church needs it. But to go beyond what the truth says is too much and may be bad. As believers who also want to purify the church from any conformation to the world, we should keep reading the Bible as we check on how we could slowly and rightly purify the church. Many times, decisions would be rash and could make the church split or cause havoc. A professor once said in class that we should initiate and innovate changes we see the church needs, but we should do it in the process and at the same time tell the leaders about it and ask guidance.

I Do Not!

Martin Luther, the Father of Reformation had been tried and tested in his faith. He was on trial because he had revealed the truth. What was wrong with that? It was, after all the truth! Well, he had revealed the truth, yes, but at the same time, he had opposed and ruined the teaching of the traditions of church and the leader of the church, the pope. He had taken down what everybody thought and believed was right.
But Luther was right. The doctrine of indulgences was not found in the Bible. Anyone who read the Bible, knew that. Luther had been looking for the truth, and he had found it in Scripture. The Bible is to be the ultimate source of authority, but many disregarded that and said that only the church should read it and not simple believers. How could the people know the God they serve when they could not even read the Bible which was God's letter to the people, the manual He had given for them to live? Everything a person needs to know about God and how he or she should live is in the Bible. The outside world then, is where he or she practices and experiences what he has learned.
I agree on Luther not recanting. He was right and God has blessed him on how he stood up for his faith. How little the minds of the church leaders who ridiculed and opposed him for they put him on trial because they too, have not read the truth nor have they tried to understand the truth they were reading. Indulgences were not in the Bible and cannot save man because only by grace through our faith in Christ could we have salvation. I, then, encourage you to read your Bibles and seek the truth, that we might not be vulnerable to attacks of heresies and false doctrines. Read your Bible with clear minds and guidance of the Holy Spirit in order for you to find out and know the truth, then keep it in your heart.

The Dark Church

The church has suffered many years of torment. If only the church was a human, she would have taken a suicide from all the things thrown and done to her. She had and maybe, is still being defiled by many. Her reputation is ruined, and she may have no face for the world anymore. This is the most tragic life for the church. She may have been existing for many years now, but in those years of existence, her life was full of war, bloodshed, defilement, and injustice.

If many people took the time to see her history, go back through the records piled up, like a movie of the autobiography of the church, and had her character as a person, I believe all of us would cringe at how badly she had been treated and how shameful it must have been for her. She had no choice of her own because other people lorded over her.The church has gone through a whole bunch of trouble in which she had no say at all. The truth in which she was supposed to stand on had been marred by the people who hide or oppose the truth. 

Many had fought for the church, but had either died or had been taken over by heresy. Others hid. Their love for the church, for the truth, for God, was not enough for them to fight for the truth. Yes, the church had gone through so much. She has so many scars and wounds, some unhealed and some healed. Amidst the scars, she is strong and still exists. She is still silently waiting for the people who would fight for the truth and continue to do so. Many other churches, cults, have risen and dominated. But once you know the truth and the truth has been hidden inside your heart, it will serve as a light unto your feet and a lamp unto your path, leading you to the source of all truth, Jesus.

Be the Radical Lover

Many times, we the Christians are the reasons for many to fall back from the faith. We are the reasons for unbelievers to hate Christianity. We are the reasons why many people do not accept Christ saying, if Christ is their leader, why are they doing these things? What had Christ taught us that we act this way? Christ had been accepting and loving to the "sinners" of their time. But the 21st century Christians are far from what their leader had portrayed. If we were in a business, we would not be able to sell our products since we are not loyal to the product itself.
Christians, yes! Christians, we all need a change of heart, a total 360 turn from the ways we treat others. If we are now guilty, then let us be changed. Many out there hate the believers but actually love Jesus. As Gandhi had said, if we just change and follow how Jesus walked and how he treated other people, then we would be able to win millions,maybe even billions, to Christ.
This challenge is not a challenge of changing, but a challenge to show radical love. As Jesus had shown radical love, let us show this too because we are his disciples and we are taking the path he is taking. Thomas Kempis had said that our chief effort should be to study the life of Christ. This, this radical love is what Christ's love is about. Kempis also said, "whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ." Try. Yes, try to pattern our whole life, starting with our actions, starting with radical love. Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."