tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34802822037317804342024-02-20T02:33:02.632-08:00The LampThis blog aims to proclaim the One who said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-63111926686149204022020-06-24T21:57:00.000-07:002020-06-24T22:35:30.151-07:00Wealth That Really Counts
In one of his book chapters, Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe begins to write saying,
"The late J.
Paul Getty
was reputed to be the richest man in the world. He once complained to a
newspaper reporter that inflation was hurting him and that a million dollars
was not what it used to be! You and I probably would not know what to do with a
million dollars, and I doubt if that much money would makeVic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-54047727703783827022018-12-12T15:55:00.000-08:002018-12-12T15:55:57.934-08:00Called to Bear Witness for the Truth
Photo credit: Metro Praise International Church
The apostle Paul says that the church of the living God is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). What he meant to say is that the church is the instituted organism called and equipped to uphold and proclaim the truth in this world of lies, illusions, and delusions.As Christ's church we preach the truth. As members of the His Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-52319380030100559152018-11-11T15:49:00.000-08:002018-11-11T15:49:46.774-08:00Is there Meaning in Life?
One puzzling statement in the whole Bible is the refrain, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Or in some translations, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." Of course, we can’t take this statement absolutely. Otherwise, everything we say, including the previous statements and the ones that follow, will be nonsense.
The one who uttered these words on vanity identifies Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-30156389910493794252018-11-09T04:49:00.000-08:002018-11-09T04:49:44.404-08:00The "Parousia" of the Lord as the Manifestation of His End-time Presence
Photo courtesy of Taavi Lehtimaki
In studying 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (the so called "rapture" passage), I was helped by G. K. Beale's insight on how the resurrection of believers and the "parousia" of Christ are going to take place at the last day (see the parallel passage in 1 Cor. 15:51-52). Beale says that the Lord Jesus "'will come' and first resurrect the believing dead and then raise upVic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-78010429151929821052018-11-08T16:39:00.001-08:002018-11-08T20:37:58.502-08:00God and His Saints Shall Triumph Over Sin, Satan, and Death
As I prepare for another overview lecture on the book of Revelation I came to chapter 20 again. Although there are issues that need to be sorted out in this chapter, it is such an edifying and encouraging study as the chapter tells us about the triumph of God and His people over their enemies.
The first heartening truth that comforts me a lot in this chapter is the coming to life and the Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-43290533524141351042018-11-06T20:05:00.000-08:002018-11-15T18:36:18.696-08:00Wish List of New Testament Commentaries for the Reformed Institute of Ministry
The following is a list of books we want to have at the Reformed Institute of Ministry (RIM) and, Lord willing, for the Heidelberg Theological Seminary (HTS) center in Davao City. The New Testament commentaries included in this wish list were chosen mainly due to their generally conservative evangelical and Reformed perspective. The list includes introductory and advanced levels commentaries. Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-87293386202418621882018-11-02T16:12:00.002-07:002018-11-02T16:14:01.419-07:00The Work of Reformation Must Continue
One of the passages one could preach on the theme of reform or reformation is the narrative on King Josiah's reforms in Judah (2 Kings 22-23). I have done it a few times.
At a young age of eight, Josiah became king of Judah. And in spite of more than five decades of evil and wickedness that prevailed over Judah brought about by Josiah's father and grandfather, he did not continue in the Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-42315985291097486782018-11-01T22:02:00.000-07:002018-11-01T22:06:47.034-07:00Martin Luther on the Christian Life
Martin Luther's short treatise on Christian freedom, "The Freedom of a Christian," is probably one of the best and clearest treatises on the Christian life that I have read. In an easy to understand and persuasive prose, Luther sets forth the whole of the Christian life in two seemingly contradictory propositions: first, he says that a Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-45032766909827863902018-11-01T01:29:00.001-07:002018-11-01T01:29:51.490-07:00So You Want to Help Reforming Society?
If you think about it, many of the human instruments the Lord used to accomplish his divine purpose were not well-known. In His providence and by His grace He calls ordinary and unknown men or women (a few were even unnamed) to do exploits in order to advance His kingdom. There are times when God uses the best and the brightest, the rich and the famous, in extraordinary circumstance, to do whatVic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-36749507846543183252018-10-31T17:51:00.001-07:002018-10-31T17:51:38.844-07:00All Saints' Day and the Gospel of Christ
Today, November 1, is "All Saints' Day" or "Feast of All the Saints," a festival celebrated in many Christian churches (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, and other Protestant churches) in honor of all the saints, known or unknown.
This celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2) "stems from a belief that there is a Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-19522643277650992512018-10-31T07:06:00.000-07:002018-10-31T07:06:42.782-07:00Reformation Church History Quiz Answer KeyHere's the answer key to the Reformation Church History quiz.Test I. Multiple Choice.1. B2. C3. C4. B5. BTest II. Identification.1. Ulrich Zwingli2. Institutes of the Christian Religion3. John Wycliffe4. Zacarias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus5. Possible answers: Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, John Hooper, John Rogers, John Lawrence, Robert Ferrar, John Bradford, Robert Samuel, JohnVic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-76152879078963052822018-10-31T06:55:00.000-07:002018-10-31T06:55:16.955-07:00Reformation Church History Quiz
This quiz is just for fun. Whosoever may take it. No googling or checking any Church History book, please.Test I. Multiple Choice. Choose and encircle the letter of the right answer. 1. Which of the following does NOT accurately describe Martin Luther?A. He authored the 95 Theses which expressed grave concerns about the selling of indulgences.B. He was an English reformer whose body was exhumedVic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-4067113123466218482018-10-28T05:58:00.000-07:002018-10-28T06:01:17.471-07:00Repentance
"When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said 'repent,' he meant that the entire life of believers should be one of repentance." This is the first proposition that the 16th century Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, wrote in his 'Ninety-Five Theses' which he posted on the eve of All Saints' Day of 1521 at the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 theses set the flame of the Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-48033601179343598542018-10-26T02:55:00.000-07:002018-10-26T06:01:31.770-07:00The Recovery of the Gospel
In his introduction to John Owen's "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ," Dr. J. I. Packer says, “One of the most urgent tasks facing the evangelical church today is the recovery of the Gospel.”
Dr. Packer first made this statement in 1958, but I do believe that that is still true and probably even more urgent now than before. I thank the Lord that there is an increasing interest in Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-81383194072561539012018-10-25T18:01:00.000-07:002018-10-25T18:01:26.456-07:00Top 12 Influential Books in My Life and Ministry
Photo courtesy of Jill Savage at www.jillsavage.org
In no particular order, here are the list of books and their authors that have influenced me the most in my Christian life and ministry:
1. Basic Christianity by John R. W. Stott. "Basic Christianity" is the first book on basic theology that I've read. It has increased my knowledge of my sinfulness and misery through Stott's clear exposition Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-82559962884821053752018-10-24T18:50:00.000-07:002018-10-25T20:42:08.256-07:00A Reflection on the Parable of the Good Samaritan
One of the things I value the most in this life is the Holy Scripture, the Bible. It wasn't that way in the beginning. I grew up where the Bible is only read in church every Sunday.I wasn't able to own a complete Old and New Testament Bible until I was in college. I used to have a Gideons New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs when I was in high school. I was so happy for the Gideons Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-32444167335323063462018-10-24T02:55:00.000-07:002018-10-27T17:19:41.275-07:00A Testimony of My Conversion and Call to the Ministry
Shared at the Gideons
International Mindanao Camp Gathering in Tagum City on September 23, 2016
Good evening, friends. At the outset, I'd
like to thank the organizer for giving me this opportunity to share with you my
experience with the ministry of the Gideons International. I'd like to begin by
saying that I have believed in God and was taught about Jesus
since I was a child. I owned a Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-81504942595057289532018-10-23T06:28:00.000-07:002018-10-23T06:41:49.935-07:00The Sign of Christian Baptism
Not too many of us make much of our baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Some even make it optional in the Christian life. Not so with the Lord Jesus. It was not an option for Christ for He Himself has commanded that those who would believe and become His disciples are to be baptized as a sign of belonging to and being united with Him.
Baptism, as a form of Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-17172275013825067532018-10-23T05:23:00.000-07:002018-10-23T06:34:41.238-07:00Ambrose, the Godly Bishop of Milan
Many of us know quite well St. Augustine (A.D. 354-430), the famous Latin Church Father and bishop of Hippo. Augustine penned one of the most quoted sayings in the history of Christianity which in Latin goes, “Fecisti nos ad te, Domine, et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te” (“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” [The ConfessionsVic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-48263993036581112892017-02-12T20:51:00.000-08:002018-10-23T06:11:52.971-07:00God Uses the Ordinary to Accomplish His Purpose
If you think about it, many of the human instruments the Lord used to accomplish his divine purpose were unknown before they became well-known. In His providence and by His grace He calls ordinary and unknown man or woman (a few were even unnamed) to do exploits in order to advance His kingdom.
There are times when God uses the best and the brightest, even the worst and the wicked, in Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-19765674329968901172016-11-21T00:41:00.000-08:002018-10-23T06:32:30.405-07:00A Homeschooling Parents' Advantage
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-9842091459537531012016-11-07T20:47:00.000-08:002018-10-23T06:37:22.080-07:00An Earnest Prayer of a Pastor for the Congregation He Serves
Our heavenly Father, Sovereign Creator of the universe. You are our Lord and great God, the king who towers above all the power and authority over all the earth and the one true God who is above all false gods and idols. In your hands are the depths of the earth and the mountain peaks belong to you. The seas are yours for you made them and your hands formed the dry land, too. We come to you as Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-68490718996296471692016-11-06T20:48:00.000-08:002016-11-06T20:48:39.193-08:00Anchor and Lighthouses in HomeschoolingIn many ways, homeschooling is like a journey. Sometimes it feels like a sea journey. There are times when the voyage is smooth while at other times it’s rough. Sometimes the journey is as clear as the daylight, but there are also times when it’s uncertain and as dark as the darkest night.
Sixteen years ago, we decided to homeschool our children in spite of lack of knowledge, resources and Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-79973764723664199862016-11-03T19:14:00.000-07:002016-11-03T19:14:46.774-07:00Progress of Civilization and God-Centered LearningNo civilization has advanced without education. Civilization can only be achieved and sustained by continuous learning. Education then is man's chief means of acquiring and teaching essential knowledge and skills that leads to progress. For progress to take place and continue, people must keep on learning and discovering truths that are yet to be known, and at the same time build on the knowledgeVic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480282203731780434.post-50848042664842452552016-10-12T21:55:00.001-07:002017-02-12T19:27:41.585-08:00Fulfilling the Great Commission as Ordinary Christians
When we think of the Great Commission we usually have in mind career missionaries going overseas or cross-culturally. Definitely that's an important part of the Great Commission. But not all will become full-time missionaries. Some will be stuck in the home taking care of their children or to some their aging parents. Some will be managing family business. A few might even do both. Still some Vic Bernaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047344659773576572noreply@blogger.com0