Ang Iglesia Metodista . . . through the valley with Christ
"This one thing let us do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are ahead, let us press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14); crying unto him day and night, till we also are "delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious freedom of the children of God!" (Romans 8:21)
John Wesley, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, 1872
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The Good News
They are all plain to him who understands and opens his heart, and right to those who find knowledge and live by it. Proverbs 8:9 (Amplified Bible)
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7th SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
Epiphany of Christian Perfection
You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy . . . (Leviticus 19:8) Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? . . . For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
Ye have known both the Father and the Son and the Spirit of Christ, in your inmost soul. Ye are "perfect men, being grown up to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ [Eph. 4:13] - John Wesley
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When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.
(Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-10)
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Genuine faith produces inward and outward holiness
Christian perfection, for Wesley, is achievable in this present life because it has to do with the affections. When, by the grace of God infused into the soul through the Holy Spirit, one’s love for God and others is made pure and complete, their lifestyle cannot help but increase in virtue, finding expression in loving, selfless actions. (Dr Neil D. Anderson, Wesleyan-Holiness Theology, http://www.asbury.edu)
II
Salvation must produce holiness of heart and life
The Christian life of faith always holds out the potential of ever-increasing likeness to Christ in love through the gracious indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. (Dr Neil D. Anderson, Wesleyan-Holiness Theology, ibid.)
Australia gives more aid to Phl By Pia Lee-Brago, Helen Flores and Joven Cagande (The Philippine Star) 22 February 2014
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop interacts with students of the Neptali Gonzales High School in Mandaluyong City yesterday.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced Australia’s further support for the Philippine government’s PPP reform agenda that has helped the PPP Center deliver five projects worth over $1 billion. . .“Australia’s partnership with the Philippines is delivering on our commitment of improved infrastructure development and sustainable economic growth,” Bishop said.
Meanwhile, officials of the DepEd and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) signed yesterday the Memorandum of Subsidiary Arrangement for the Basic Education Sector Transformation (BEST) Program.
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As we journey on through the valley...with Christ, let us bring the books we read, the songs we sing, the reflections we write,
the pictures we keep and the people we love.