FOURTH QUARTER 2013
BURNING BUSH THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE BACK TO THE BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH
9
th
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULLATION
YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL Constantly Abiding In The Service Of The King.
BURNING BUSH
CONTENTS OCTOBER 2013 | VOL 2.1 // THE BURNING BUSH RELAUNCH
FEATURES From the Pastor: Faithfull P. Erwin Concepcion // 3 Into The Word: Good News In 3 Letters P. IAN ALIX // 4 Editor’s Pick: Listening to God’s Word in the Church // 5 BBBC’s 9th Year Anniversary Sis. Cherrie Avila // 6 Eid Camp Sis. Cherrie Avila // 15
C O L U M N S on CHURCH MINISTRIES King’s Men Fellowship
Music Minisries
Ptr. Erwin Concepcion / /8
Sis. Ruth May pedico / /14
Christian Sojourners
Missionaries’ Update
Sis. Paula Rodeo // 9
Sis. Ruth May Pedico //16
Women’s Ministry Corner: True Womanhood // Girls Gone Wise Discipleship updates Sis. Imelda Celebrar // 10
Lord’s Young Flock
Bro. Paul Nena/Sis. Mai Espanar // 12
T This is the “re-launched” edition of the Burning Bush, the Official Newsletter of the B Back to the Bible Baptist Church, which will B be issued Quarterly. b http://issuu.com/theburningbush //issuu.com/the hheeburningbush ON THE COVER O T Burning Bush, photo credit: : The w www.pastoreid.com
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od demands obedience to His people, and there is no alternatives to that! We must obey by faith! Remember, He warned Israel of a curse and a blessing (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).
In the New Testament, God revealed His faithfulness through the life and work of His Son Jesus Christ. He obeyed the will of His Father to rescue us from sin (Matthew 26:39 ; Romans 5:8). As we patiently await for that great day of His coming, the Lord calls all His children to be faithful to Him (1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord”, I Thessalonians 5:23,24 :”And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it”. May the Lord Jesus bless us all as we faithfully work together in expanding His kingdom while on earth.
But G od commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
For His service, Ptr. Erwin Concepcion P. Erwin Concepcion is the Senior Pastor of the Back to the Bible Baptist Church gbdesign@emirates.net.ae
hupakoé: obedience Original Word: , , Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: hupakoé Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-ak-o-ay') Short Definition: obedience Definition: obedience, submissiveness, compliance. To hear God's Word and act accordingly. The word translated “obey” in the Old Testament means “to hear” and is often so translated. In the New Testament, several words describe obedience. One word means “to hear or to listen in a state of submission.” Another New Testament word often translated “obey” means “to trust.” The person's obedient response to God's Word is a response of trust or faith. Thus, to really hear God's Word is to obey God's Word (Exodus 19:5 ; Jeremiah 7:23 ).
Holman Bible Dictionary 3
THE
INTO WO O RD P. IAN ALIX
GOOD NEWS IN 3 LETTERS
T
he word “but” I think is one the most powerful word a human can say It is small, but it has the power to sweep away everything that has gone before it. Coming after some bad news, it has the power to lift the eyes and restore hope. More than any other word that can be spoken by a human tongue, It has the ability to change everything. - “The plane went down but no one was hurt.” - “You have cancer. But it is treatable.” - “Your son was in a car wreck but he’s fine.”
“God has acted to save sinners like you and me”
Sadly, sometimes the “but” does not come. Sometimes the sentence stops, and all we get is the bad news. Yet those moments only magnify for us the times when the “but” does come. And they are glorious.
In relation to our hopeless, mundane, pointless lives... Listen to what the Bible says... “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 Come to think of this: In this world, hopeful “buts” doesn’t come all the time. There can be no good news after some bad news. But according to God’s word, the bad news of human sin and the judgment of hell is not the end of the story, God has acted to save sinners like you and me. We are all sick, in need of a physician. Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. God has given us His heavenly love by sending His own Son - JESUS CHRIST to die on the cross for our sins and to save us from the eternal torments of hell. What a glorious truth! Repent and accept Him now as your Saviour and Lord.
P. IAN ALIX Is the associate Pastor of the Back to the Bible Baptist Church xtian413@yahoo.com
strings Praise Him with the Psalm 150:4a
Free Guitar Lesson Class with Pastor Ian Alix will start soon! SIGN UP NOW!
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LISTENING TO
GOD’S WORD CHURCH IN THE
J onathan Leeman | TABLETALK
If spiritual life comes through the Word of God (Isa. 55:10-11; Rom. 10:17; James 1:21; 1 Peter:23), why not skip church with all its hassles and just devote yourself to studying the Bible? Think of the time you would save, not to mention the relational trouble. Or, better, why not download the three best podcast preachers every week and listen to them? Chances are that they are better preachers than old Pastor Bob down the street anyway. Can I get an “Amen”? I suspect most Christians would have a vague sense that there is something wrong with this counsel. But the fact that we expect so little from our preachers in terms of biblical exposition, the fact that precious few seconds are devoted to actually reading the Bible in our weekly gatherings, the fact that we give scarcely a thought to not staying up late Saturday night so that we’re not drifting off in the middle of Sunday’s (or Friday) sermon all suggest that we don’t really apprehend the right to link between listening to the Word in church and our individual and corporate growth as Christians. For starters, God’s Word creates the church. Not detached Christians. It creates a group of believers who are covenantally united in one Lord, faith, baptism, and remission of sins. “ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:38, 41; 4:4 6:7). God’s word actually creates local churches. It unites you and me to other Christians, and the local church is the place on planet earth where we demonstrate and practice our Word-created unity. You will find, therefore, that Bible understanding and Bible living work best in the context of church membership. Here are seven reasons our growth should be centered on the listening to God’s Word in the context of the local church” 1. FOR THE SAKE OF OBEDIENCE. The
author of Hebrews tells his readers, “ Let us
consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another” (Heb. 10:24-25). How do we stir up and encourage others when we gather? With God’s Word. This is what we see the early church doinggathering to listen and encourage: “ and they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship (Acts 2:42). 2. FOR THE SAKEOF RECEIVING JESUS’ GIFTS. Paul tells us that after Jesus
ascended, He gave the gifts of pastors and teachers to His church (Eph. 4:8-11). Your elders are gifts. They are better gifts than anything you will find wrapped under a tree, because these gifts will build up you and your brothers and sisters in Christ until you reach maturity, unity, and Christlikeness (vv. 12-14). Think about it: Jesus loves you so much that He has grabbed a bunch of men by the collar, pulled them off their career tracks, and told them to devote their lives to serving you and your favorite Christian friends by studying the Bible and explaining it to you-every week. Are you not amazed? And even if the well-known podcast pastor is a better preacher, he doesn’t know your congregation, and he’s not applying the Word to you like old Bob will. 3. FOR THE SAKE OF LIVE ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE WORD. Paul
writes, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Phil 3:17; 2 Tim. 3:10-11). Paul wants Christians to have words and live illustration of those words. We need a church community around us to exemplify the message. Pastors, especially, must watch their “life and doctrine”. 4. FOR THE SAKE OF GODLY FRIENDSHIPS. We imitate and follow our
friends, adopting their language and life patters. We spend money where they spend money. We raise our children like they raise their children. We pray like they pray. Friends are surely valuable outside the local church, but friends within a church will be formed by the same ministry of the word,
giving them the opportunity to extend that ministry more carefully into one another’s lives throughout the week. 5. FOR THE SAKE OF LEARNING HOW TO ALIGN OUR HEARTS TO GOD’S HEART THROUGH SONG. Singing is one
activity in which God’s Word grab hold of our hearts and aligns our emotions and affection with His. Therefore, a church’s song should contain nothing more than the words, paraphrases, or truths of Scripture. Churches sing together because it helps us to see our hearts’ praises, confessions, and resolutions are shared. We are not alone. 6. FOR THE SAKE OF LEARNING HOW TO PRAY. If God aligns our affections and
emotions to His Word through song, He teaches us to align our wills and ambitions to His Word through prayer. Hearing older saints pray is how we learn to pray biblically. Christians praying increasingly conforms to the intensions of God’s Word. So we will adore, confess, give thanks, and ask for those things that His Word reveals. 7. FOR THE SAKE OF NON-CHRISTIAN AND THE GOSPEL. Ask any non-Christian
who has attended a church gathering what happened there, and (hopefully) he or she will report that God’s Word was discussed, and maybe that conviction came (see 1 Cor. 14:24). Paul reminds the Galatians that they had received the gospel when Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified through preaching (Gal. 3:1) the Word-centered gathering is where God has placed an embassy among the nations to declare “Jesus is Lord. Turn to him”. So listen attentively on Sunday (or Friday). Takes notes. Discuss the passage with your family afterward. Let your prayers be guided by the preacher’s main points for the rest of the week. Encourage your elders with prayer. And then thank God for His Word, His church, and his ministers. What remarkable gifts. Jonathan Leeman is the editorial director of 9Marks and the author of Reverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom and Action to his People and Church Discipline: How the church Protects the Name of Jesus.
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Back to the Bible Baptist Church (BBBC) marks its nine years anniversary Dubai – The October celebration of the 9th anniversary of the BBBC church in Metropolitan Palace Hotel was a time for celebration, thanksgiving and renewing Christian fellowship. Through the years the congregation has grown into a dynamic worship that attracts many who seek to find a spiritual grounding. And for the current church members this was not any ordinary anniversary as it is there greatest joy in praising God for his past blessing to the church. The celebration started a foretaste of heavenly music from the instrumentalist playing Me and My house rendition, followed by a scripture reading by Pastor Ian Alix, associate pastor to songs and hymns – Power of Jesus name and Wonderful grace of Jesus by Bro. Rued Almadilla, a warm welcome remarks of the associate pastor and an opening prayer lead by Pastor Erwin, BBBC senior pastor.
Those 109 visitors who attended the one day gathering were blessed with the testimonies of the newly baptized brethren reflecting their journey towards peace and contentment in finding and accepting Jesus as their Lord and personal saviour. As the grace of God continues to pour through and transform their lives. Then preceded with special songs from, lords young flocks (LYF) quartet, duet, BBBC choir respectively. The anniversary was highlighted with the Pastoral message about Salvation, from the theme “Constantly Abiding in the Service of the King�, a person can achieve salvation, by accepting that he or she is a sinner (Romans 3: 10,23), then must repent of his sins and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour., Pastor Concepcion stated. The event was concluded with a closing hymm in the Service of the King to a closing prayer from the senior pastor. What an anniversary! I'm sure that through Gods grace and mercy the years ahead hold great prospects and promise for this congregation.
W
hen God gathered His people to make His name known to them, He chooses the most responsible man fit for the job, Moses!
But to Moses, he is not the right man to lead thousands of Hebrew people out of the kingdom of Pharaoh (Exo.4). In fact, they didn’t totally trust him for they murmured and blamed him for their sufferings for going with him (Exo.15:22; chp.16; chp.17). The standard of man in choosing direction is through physical and intellectual knowledge. Man evaluates his options by his experience and feeling. Moses forty years leadership experience in the kingdom of Pharaoh did not make him qualified for God’s call to be His leader, he even affirmed it by saying “I am not eloquent” (Exo.4:10). Not even his additional forty years experience in the dessert overseeing the flocks of herds would qualify him to lead God’s people in the wildeness! Nothing of these was the standard of God in choosing leaders for His people! God’s standard i choosing His leaders start from the heart (Sam.16:7). He chooses men of faithful heart, men who love the Lord and honor His Word. Faithful men who were trustworthy and reliable in accomplishing their tasks. We may not see that quality at the beginning, but when God chooses His man for the job, trust that he is a perfect man! Moses indeed turned to become a perfect man for the job. He served God faithfully up to the last breath of his life (Deut.34)
We men, should not gauge our service with God on how much knowledgeable we have in the Bible, time we spent in the ministry of the church, or the standard of our education and career achievements. God is not interested with how much a man reached in his spiritual, intellectual or physical life (Deut.10:17; 1 Pet.1:17). In the original creation, man should lead being the head of a woman (1 Cor.11:3), may it be leading the country, community, family, company or church. God created man first and not the woman (Gen.2:7; 1 Cor.11:9). Men should take a lead in everything; it’s the will of God. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Deut.10:17; Rev.17:14), and we are His people and soldiers to defend His name. As Kings Men, God mandated us to protect His kingdom and His testimony while in this world, preaching the Gospel to all the world (Matt.28:19-20), rescuing perishing souls for Jesus. Let us serve Jesus in love and faithfulness from the heart, till He comes.
God bless BBBC Kings Men.
P
rayer Watch is one of the ministries of BBBCChristian Sojourners. It started way back March 2009 and this ministry focuses on prayer anchored in the Word of God. PW is being done early in the morning, which is a great way to start a day! For this year, we had our 18th PW on 6th of June in Mamzar open beach, Dubai, UAE, attended by 25 sojourners, led by Mr. Angelo Malilay. We started the activity with some morning stretching. Afterwards, we sang hymns for the Lord then sat down to have our devotion. Our short devotion on that morning was about the Parable of the Fig Tree in Luke 13:6-9. The lesson for the individual is that borrowed time is not permanent. In the parable, the vineyard owner grants another year of life to the tree. In the same way, God in His mercy grants us another day, another hour, another breath. Christ stands at the door of each man’s heart knocking and seeking to gain entrance and requiring repentance from sin. But if there is no fruit, no repentance,
His patience will finally come to an end, and the fruitless, unrepentant individual will be cut down. We all live on borrowed time; judgment is near. That is why the prophet Isaiah wrote, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7 After pondering on God’s word, we had our prayer time. We had our individual prayer first, followed by praying with a partner and prayed as a group on our conclusion.
Prayer has an immeasurable power from God.
“The Word of God frequently underscores the importance of prayer.” God has attached many wonderful promises to prayer: “ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Ephesians 6:18
Prayer Watch is a quarterly event of CSJ and everyone is very welcome to attend; single and even married too. A few moment of your time will be counted for God’s glory; with almost 3 hours of fellowshipping, singing inspiration hymns, studying the Scriptures and talking to God through our prayers, we will exalt the name our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
2013
was another exciting year for the True Womanhood Fellowship. Another year of worshipping, studying, discovering and serving the Lord! We welcome year 2013 with our 1st Scripture Recitation Event held last January. About 17 women volunteered to recite a total of 25 Bible verses - in front of the class! It was so delightful to see and hear these women exert their best to heed this challenge and discover that memorizing Scriptures has power to change our perspectives and that we can still memorize more than what we think.
With TW Anniversary Jacket
The second focus of the TW ministry for the year was the preparation for the 4th Anniversary. The long preparation combined with prayers and with the help of gifted women led us to a Spirit-filled event last March 15. The whole afternoon was packed with singing, sharing, fellowshipping and studying together. Lessons about Biblical womanhood shared by our elder women namely; Sis Dhors Soriano (“What is a True Woman?”), Sis Lani
TW MINISTRY FAIR
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nother highlight of the year was when we held our very first True Woman Ministry Fair last August 9th alongside the Inter BS Fellowship at the Dulsco Arena. (see TW Photo). The event was spearheaded by the 3 Group leaders namely Sis Sherrylle Alix – the Joyful Team (in-charge of the Garage sale), Sis Jane Mejila of the Faithful Team (for the Kids corner & Mini Games) and Sis Arriane of the Lovely Team (for the Coupons Sale).
Almost everyone came together to organize, donate, sort, sell, shop. All to raise funds for Women’s future projects – we were able to raise AED 849.00. All unsold clothes will be packed and set aside to help our needy fellowmen in the Philippines. Thanks to the tireless efforts of a very organized team headed by Sis Sherylle Alix of the Joyful Team.
Maningat and Sis. Beth Concepcion (“For Such a Time As This”- our Main Theme taken from the book of Esther chapter 4). A total of 57 ladies – singles, widows, young and adult women took part in this 5-hour event! We concluded the Program with Prayer, Praise and Worship led by our Music Ministry Team members Sis Shirley, Klariss, Khei, Kim and Sis.May
Women Who Make Disciples
From Top left to right: Sis. Angeli Cruz, Sis. Klariss Bergonio, Sis. Sherylle Alix, Ptr. Ian Alix, Sis. Arabella Mojica, Sis. Rochelle Maloles & Sis. Erlani Maningat during the GGW Batch 2 Graduation
Very recently, The TW Discipleship ministry, “ Girls Gone Wise” study group held their graduation Ghurair. The 2nd GGW batch of graduates was event on 7th of September at ChowKing Al headed by Sis Rochelle Maloles. 6 Women (or Girls!) shared their experiences on how God dealt with the ‘wildness’ in their hearts, pursued, and patiently finished 21 chapters or contrasts between “Wild (proverbs 7 woman) vs Wise (proverbs 31 woman) . They testified how this study has contributed a great deal of principles and wisdom in their own personal lives. It was a tear jerking moment when their spouses surprised everyone with their speech talking about how this study has helped these women while serving their homes. We will be launching new classes very soon, please contact your respective Group Leaders to register. Remember, it was August of last year when we witnessed the first GGW Graduation with 18 students led by Facilitators, Sis Elijah, Sis May Pedico and yours truly. For more information on the Girls Gone wise study group, please contact your Group leader Lastly we would like to announce our proposed program for the TW ministry for year 2014. Our schedule will be dependent on the approval and availability of dates from the Church Calendar of activities. Here are our proposed programs for next year: 1. 2. 3. 4.
TW Fellowship goes to OWWA Overnight retreat-Fellowship for leaders (Pre-registration required) Career-equipping ministry – soft skills on Interpersonal, communication and personality development Girls Gone Wise Batch 3 Graduation
Please pray for the Women’s ministry as we go forward in year 2014, especially your leaders. Pray that everything we will do will be useful vehicle in helping the whole church and equipping one another. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” Philippians 4:8
True Womanhood Fellowship is the Women’s Ministry of Back to the Bible Baptist Church. It seeks to strengthen the fellowship of women; to reach other women for Christ; to make use of their gifts to support the ministry; to understand and fulfill their Godgiven roles in the home, church, workplace and their communities- for the glory of Christ. Sis. Imelda Dolor is one of BBBC’s Leaders in Women’s ministry icelebrar@gmail.com
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It’s always been a joy to see our Lord’s Young Flocks (LYF) continuously growing in the knowledge of God. Offering their talents and gifts at the early age through singing, playing instruments and studying the Word of God.
person and be used with the ministry of the Lord as they grow. LYF Choir is held every 3rd Friday of the month. Wherein they render songs along with instruments such as piano, guitars, flute and violin. Music instruments
such as new games, arts and crafts, songs, experiences, camaraderie, Bible verses and Word of God. It was a fun-filled days for them. Topics that were discussed are God’s Promise, Plan, Power, Peace and Providence.
LYF MINISTRY in Action
The LYF activities are designed to give children a good foundation. As young as they are, they’re able to learn about Jesus and His word especially through their Friday School every week. Friday school is of great help in a way that children can have a chance to understand deeper important biblical truths, and how they can apply in their lives. LYF Junior Worship is held every 2nd Friday of the month. Each one of them has an assigned task to perform. This task is a preparation for them to be a responsible
practice is every Saturday. The quarterly activity is Prayer Watch. It centers on prayer, devotion and singing songs for the Lord. This activity makes the children realize the importance of Prayer that God listens to our cries and it is a way of communicating with Him. “Diving to God’s Faithfulness, Ocean Odyssey”, was the theme of the Summer Camps held last April. It was a three consecutive Fridays and Saturdays camp held in different places. They were divided in three groups: Preschool, Graders and Teens. They enjoyed and learned many things
Various seminars were conducted both for Teachers and Children (Grades and Teens) in different time. Teachers had been refreshed by the seminar facilitated by Teacher Eng and Teacher Jane early this year. Many essential points had been discussed which are beneficial for children, teachers and parents. Children likewise had a seminar for PowerPoint presentation, Ushering and Assistant Teaching. The objective is to train them early to be prepared for a major role.
Outdoor fellowship is part of this ministry, wherein they enjoy sleeping over, going out and playing outdoor games such as badminton and swimming, to name a few. They had also a Cantata every month of December, Children are actively participating in this kind of celebration - the Jesus Birth! Each of them are using their gifts and talents given by God, may it through singing, acting or playing musical instruments to have their part in this event.
“As young as they are, they’re able to learn about Jesus and His word”
Recognition and awarding is the most awaited time. It is done twice a year. Galatians 6:7 says” What you reap is what you sow”. Those who have gone so far have a reward waiting for them. This serves as an encouragement to give their very best for the Lord. Truly, children are a gift from the Lord; we have to nurture them with love and care. Equip them to be the God-fearing individual. As one quote says, "Children are easier to train than to correct amen and a firm foundation is what makes the fortress strong". Children should have the clear
understanding of the truth about Jesus and his teaching at the early age, as for this will be their strong foundation in life. As David's prayer says, Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Psalms 119:33-34. Back to the Bible Baptist Church Lord's Young Flock Ministry would like to thank God for the sustaining grace to our dedicated teachers in helping the LYF to learn deeper about the teachings in the Bible and trained them to live in Biblical conduct.
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M
usic by definition is an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. It is held to be the language of the soul as what we universally have heard as the world’s meaning. Unquestionably, for us Christians it is a kind of worship to our Almighty GOD in the beauty of His holiness, giving our ultimate reverence to Him in singing psalms and playing instruments! As David in his psalm says: It is good to give thanks unto the LORD and to sing praises unto your name oh Most High! (Psalm 92:1) and so we speak with this man after GOD’s own heart! Led by our very own choir director, Bro. Sid Guiang joined by her sibling our pianist Sis. Shirly Guiang, the music ministry triumphantly asserts that for the past few months, we reached our vital objective and that is giving solely the glory to our Only Spectator, our Awesome GOD!
Activities
A variety of activities was set by the Music Ministry leaders and among such is the Music Fellowship brought together last 11th of July 2013 @Manama Villa 7. Everyone had the benefit of the gathering with the games, fellowship and spiritual and physical foods prepared. Simple sources of Christian joy – God’s gift to us! (James 1:17)
The Choir
More often than not, the choir chants a song for the LORD every Friday to prepare the heart of the congregation to listen to GOD’s message. As what it frequently do, the choir rendered three songs for the LORD last Anniversary (picture shown above) entitled, Give of Your Best to the Master, Take My Life and Let It Be & I Surrender All (Medley) in correlation to the Theme, Constantly Abiding in the Service of the King!
The Instruments
For the past few years, the music ministry just started with the choir. Subsequently, the LORD continued to bless it with dedicated and committed servants of GOD in Whom He has given a heart to train decisive, willing and unswerving brethren in various musical instruments. To name them are guitar lessons led by Pastor Ian Alix, Pianos lessons led by Sis. Shirly Guiang and recently the violin lesson which was conducted by Bro. Sid Guiang. g Manyy brethren endured the studies stud st udiees till the eend despite the busy iitineraries it ine and received their th heir certificates. However, H ow far beyond the recognition re eco is the joy felt byy every brethren who b aaccomplished cco the studies for fo or several months, having h avin the perception of uusing sing the said acquired kknowledge now (from a total zzero) ero in playing instruments in nstr during worships w ors and other aactivities ctiv for GOD’s
magnificence! It is joy unspeakable and beyond compare! Piano, guitar, violin, recorder, brass flute and cello joined together produced an orchestra! Yeah, you’ve read it right! As an evident of GOD’s grace and faithfulness, to sum it all up, the church finally has its orchestra! The BBBC Orchestra rendered an instrumental number entitled, “We Will Serve You” in the opening of the worship service held last 9th Church Anniversary @Metropolitan Hotel! As we played the instruments in front of the congregation, we felt the moving of the Holy Spirit through the harmony of the reverberation of the instruments! Reminiscing, we have gone through a lot of hardship, of course because we in actuality are not expert to the extent that we came to a point that we want to give up! Nonetheless, through much prayer, dedication, practice and above all the mercy and grace of GOD we rendered it wonderfully the mere verity that the congregation is blessed to hear us. With our heartfelt gratitude we bring back all the glory to GOD for He has allowed us to humbly serve Him in such way, as we seek to please the Him in whatever way we can! Certainly, we are in high spirits to endow our best service to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords through music!
Eid Camp Retreat held for the fourth time in four years or the fourth straight year, the Back to the Bible Baptist Church (BBBC) held its annual Eid Camp Retreat at Royal Palace Hotel Resort in Umm Al Quwain last October 15 to 16, 2013. The twoday event, which has the theme: "One Christ, One Body, One Family," is one of the most anticipated BBBC activities, and is being regularly held during the Eid holidays to promote oneness and fellowship among the brethren. On its first day, this year's participants gathered at Manama Villa for a hearty brunch fellowship before travelling to Umm Al Quwain together.
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Upon arriving at the venue, a solemn prayer was led by Pastor Erwin Concepcion, and signaled the start of the fun-filled games where participants were divided into four competing teams which
will be battling it out in a series of games hosted by Pastor Ian Alix and Bro. Rued Almadilla. Every team showed determination and eagerness to win right from the very start where each team was required to present themselves creatively in the form of broadcasting. This was preceded with several games which drew a mix of competitive spirit as well as fun and laughter from everyone. A sumptuous dinner was served during the night to everyone's delight as a treat for October birthday celebrants including Ptr. Erwin. This is also where the Pastor led the participants into a collective devotional prayer, and shared that the camp was intented to serve as a tool in avoiding church division, (1Corinthians 1:1-31).The night ended with
continuous singing.
fellowship
and
The following day was spent in fellowship through morning devotion led by Sis Rochelle and Sis Deds for women and Ptr Ian and Ptr. Erwin for men, and a continuing delicious breakfast, another short devotion lead by our senior Pastor. Lunch served after this also, the games that concluded with Team Yellow Lion emerging as the over-all champion beating Red Eagle, Green Horse and Blue Dolphin which ended up in second, third, and fourth places, respectively. Prizes and recognitions were given not only to the winners but also to individuals who has shared their time and efforts in making the event a success. No one came home having second thoughts about attending the Eid Camp Retreat again next year.
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MISSIONARIES UPDATE Significance of Missions The LORD JESUS CHRIST before HE ascended to heaven commanded every Christ ones to “19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. “Matthew 28:19-20 KJV
Thus, aside from bodily spreading the gospel here in the UAE, we take pleasure in supporting the Mission works in Thailand and Cambodia through
our prayers and financial supports. We may not be physically present in the said countries but there are committed missionaries there who are our mouths and feet to spread the good news of salvation, having passion to the lost souls. Underneath the idea of mission is important because it is God’s plan in this world to establish new churches and bring new believers to Christ through the work of missions. When we think of missionaries and mission movements we also think of foreign works.
Mission Works in Thailand with the Acostas It’s always our joy to see many people coming to our student centerevery week to learn free English, music and Bible.It is through these ways that we can share to them about the living God and lead them to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. We are amazed how they show interest not just in English but in listening to the Bible. We have 2 monks students this month and they are eager to know what the Bible is about. We praise God that 17 souls decided to trust Christ and we have baptized 4 souls. We are encouraged to know that God is working in a tremendous way . We have 147 registered students this June from kids to adults in 5 levels of classes and we are overcrowding our rented church building. We are praying hard that God will provide for us this urgent need. The new believers are
growing and are burdened for their family members who are yet unsaved. Pray with us that the christians will love the Lord and commit to offer their lives for God’s use. Praise God that we can see our youth and few adults now actively involved.Thank you hugely for praying,supporting and partnering with our evangelistic, church planting,discipleship, and seminary training ministriesfor the kingdom. You are always an inspiration to us,our family and ministry.God bless you.
PRAISE REPORT: 1. 147 new English students 2. 15 piano and guitar students-a new way to reach out to the youth. 3. 6,000 Gospel tracts distributed to 3 villages here around Bangyai. 4. 17 Professions of faith and 4 baptized PRAYER REQUESTS: 1. We covet your prayer and support too for our church building project worth (B6 million). Our money is 3,300dollars(B105,000.00)We trust God will give us this need so we can have our own place of worship. 2.Salvation of our new students and a monk.
Mission Works in Cambodia with the Apostols B ringing the Gospel even to the remote places of Cambodia - We are praising God for His sustaining grace in ministering to the people in the village. We thank Him for His care and provision for our visit once a month in the village. We know and believe that our once a month visit to the village is not enough, we see their hunger and excitement every time we visited them. We want to minister to them more and teach them the Word of God. Could you help us pray for them that God will
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continue to reveal Himself to them through God’s Word? We entrust to God that He will provide a volunteer staff to minister to them every week and God’s financial provision for all the needs. Thank you so much for your prayers and partnership through your support. All glory to God!
PRAYER CONCERNS 1. More love to God 2. Strength and Wisdom 3. More souls to be saved 4. Provision for the ministry 5. Leaders Empowerment 6. Campus Ministry Planning months now 7. Spiritual Growth of the believers 8. Healing for Janice – Bleeding for 3 years
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Not forsaking the
ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER HEBREWS 4:12a
S UNDAY // PRAYER MEETING 8:30PM Manama Villa Contact: Sis Cathy 050 452 3550 W EEKLY BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: MONDAY // KARAMA Contact: Bro. Carlos 056 749 8194 TUESDAY // INTERNATIONAL CITY Contact: Sis. Cathy 050 452 3550 // SATWA-GOLDEN BELL OFFICE Contact: Sis. Sheila 050 943 4529 // DEIRA Contact: Bro. Jeff Intal 050 287 6209 // SHARJAH/AL NAHDA Contact: Bro. Jeff Maloles 050 206 9392 // ABU HAIL-JOMAC RESIDENCES Contact: Bro. Nelson 055 936 6988 W EDNESDAY // NEXTCARE GROUP Contact: Bro. Ryan 050 247 1152 // SOJOURNERS Contact: Bro. Angelo Malilay 055 281 9612 THURSDAY // CHOIR PRACTICE Contact: Sis. Shirley 050 363 4894 FRIDAY W ORSHIP SERVICES: (DHOW MEETING ROOM, SAMAYA HOTEL) // TAGALOG SERVICE 8-10AM // FRIDAY SCHOOL 10:15-10:45AM -KING’S MEN FRIDAY SCHOOL CLASS 10:15AM -TRUE W OMANHOOD FRIDAY SCHOOL CLASS 10:15AM -THE LORD’S YOUNG FLOCK - GRADER & PRE-TEEN’S 10AM - PRE-SCOOLER’S 11:40AM
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