http://www.biblechurchinternational.com Bible Church International Podcasts en Bible Church International Podcasts Bible Church International no Bible Church International bcijlepasana@gmail.com ℗ & © 2010 Bible Church International 720 After we said that we are God’s priests, all of us should be able to ask ourselves whether or not we are fulfilling the ministry that God has called us to do. Looking at Ephesians 4:11-12, it is quite obvious that there are different ministries in the church where we could serve – like some being evangelists, while others are called to be pastors. Just like in our church, we have many ministries where you can choose to serve. You could be one of the ushers, Sunday-school teachers, worship leaders, choir or praise band singers, and many others. There are literally many opportunities and ministries to choose from. And yet, in most cases, there are many believers who have not yet responded to any ministry responsibility. Here in BCI, we know we have more than 10 percent of our people serving. And because we believe that it is God’s will that we all serve Him, we want to continually encourage as many members as possible to participate in our ministries. In fact, one of the goals we have for this year (2010) is to increase active participation in the ministries to 90% http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/fulfilling-your-ministry-calling Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:16:43 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Back to Basics ministry_calling,talent,service,participation,volunteer_work In God’s eyes, all believers are esteemed as ministers of Jesus Christ. Although, there may be different ministries, God has called every Christian into an active service – He literally has saved us to serve Him. After Paul had met Jesus on the road going to Damascus, God has sent His servant Ananias to reveal to him God's purpose for his life. Acts 9:15 states it clearly: 'But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel."' Later, Paul would fulfill his calling as Christ’s apostle to the Gentiles. And as he ministered to the churches, he communicated this plain teaching about God’s people being saved to serve God. Listen to Ephesians 2:10: " For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This is a direct statement about believers being prepared in advance to do good works. These good works represent our services to God. Whenever we exert an effort to help others become closer to Jesus Christ, we are literally fulfilling our calling. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/priesthood-of-believers Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:30:31 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Back to Basics priesthood_of_believers,servant_of_god,faithful_followers One of the most basic truths we must acknowledge as Christians is the fact that we are dependent creatures. We are absolutely dependent on Jesus Christ to lead us through this life with all our struggles with sin until we arrive victoriously in the very presence of our gracious Father in heaven. When we try to live independently from Him, our lives will tend to be more painful and complicated. The good news is: God is very much aware of this. He knows exactly how much we need Him and so He has always made Himself available for us through Jesus Christ. We, who know Jesus Christ as our personal savior, should never be ignorant of the fact that we don’t have to go through life by ourselves. God is always there ready to assist us every time we need Him. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/pursuing-the-power-of-the-spirit Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:42:09 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Back to Basics holy_spirit,holy_ghost,power_of_the_spirit,trinity It is truly tragic that in America today, fatherlessness has become one of the greatest social evils. The most recent statistic shows that nearly 40 percent of all American children do not live with their fathers. Before they reach age 18, more than half of all U.S. children will spend at least a significant part of their childhood living apart from their fathers. Many sociologists believe that it is the principal cause for many social problems like poverty, juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy, domestic violence, etc… We need to be alarmed with all of these and pray that God will intervene bringing revival in the hearts of our fathers. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/the-calling-of-fatherhood Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:09:11 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Back to Basics calling_of_fatherhood,christian_life,back_to_basics Since the beginning of man, God has already conveyed His desire for man to work and partner with Him. Genesis 1:26 reveals this intention: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Thus, after Adam and Eve were created they were given the privilege to oversee and develop everything on earth. Evidently, they were never created to be idle; they were given the opportunity to perform according to their skills in cooperation with God, and for the honor of God. However, this partnership was broken when man chose to sin against God. Instead of being conscious of working with and for God, Man became obsessed and consumed by advancing himself. Literally, all his energies, talents, and resources were used no longer used to honor God, but to pursue personal gains and glory. The truth of the matter is: the victory of Jesus Christ on the cross was not only to bring man to a close communion with God; it is also design to restore him to a productive partnership with God. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/performing-through-your-spiritual-gifts Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:30:18 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Back to Basics back_to_basic,spiritual_gifts,christian_life,offering_our_talents Is there a basis in the Bible that if you want to be happy in this life or blessed in life, you need faith and obedience? Absolutely! We said that if we believe in God, we will obey Him regardless of consequences. We have to believe that He knows what is best for us, and He has our best interest in His heart, so we can obey Him in whatever He commands for us to do. Take for example, in our natural faith; we go to our doctor because we are sick. And so, he prescribes us a medicine; if you don't drink the medicine because of your lack of faith towards Him, do you think you will get better? Certainly not! Same is true in our relationship with God. If we truly believe that He wants the best for us, then we have to obey Him. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/seeking-consistent-obedience Sun, 30 May 2010 13:33:47 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Back to Basics back_to_basic,obedience,following_christ,christian_life Sharpening is necessary to make our lives purposeful and useful to God and to one another. And none of us is exempt form learning to sharpen. Perhaps you are not in a position to do so now, but the health of your church body depends on your sharpening influence. Sharpening can be distasteful to us, because it is painful to the person doing the sharpening. Sharpening is also painful to the person being sharpened. For one thing, sharpening of any blade involves polishing away tiny imperfections and impurities, grinding away gaps and snags, in order to get down to the smooth surface underneath, which can hurt! We need to recognize the value of sharpening applied with the appropriate motive and goal, by someone who genuinely cares for us and whose character is maturing in Christ, however. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/sharpening-one-another-building-up-the-church-through-mutual-accountability Sun, 23 May 2010 13:05:31 GMT Rev. Steve Allen Sharpening is necessary to make our lives purposeful and useful to God and to one another. And none of us is exempt form learning to sharpen. Perhaps you are not in a position to do so now, but the health of your church body depends on your ... sharpening_one_another,accountability,edification,lifting_up_fellow_believers,serve_one_another Have you ever wondered why other people would experience God's supernatural activities more than others? The right answer is found in Matthew 9:27-31, particularly v. 29. The reality is: God is able to engage us according to our faith in Him. As much as God wants to connect with us or manifest His power to us, if we don't believe in Him, we won't acknowledge it as from Him. For many people, it would only be perceived as luck or another coincidental event. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/living-in-faith Sun, 16 May 2010 15:31:12 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Back to Basics living_in_faith,back_to_basics,encounter,actions_of_faith,christian_life Today, we consider our service very special because we are here to offer our highest praises and thanksgiving to God for giving us our mothers. We take it as a real privilege to honor all of them because of their great contributions to us. We truly appreciate all their unselfish love, unfailing support, and unending sacrifices for us. I know for a fact that without you, mothers, we will not be where we are right now. Indeed, God has demonstrated great grace and wisdom when He has included a mother in His design of a home. So, to all the mothers, may God continue to bestow His rich grace and blessings to you! And I hope you would recognize how special you are and you will continue to faithfully fulfill your great calling of being mothers. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/the-calling-of-motherhood Sun, 09 May 2010 13:47:14 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Today, we consider our service very special because we are here to offer our highest praises and thanksgiving to God for giving us our mothers. We take it as a real privilege to honor all of them because of their great contributions to us. We ... calling_to_motherhood,mothers,family_service Since God has created us as social beings, it is quite natural for us to pursue friendships. I’m sure, today, there are people in your life that you consider as casual friends, and they are usually your acquaintances. Then, you also have close friends; these are the people you get to see on a regular basis. Lastly, there are those whom you trust the most, you refer to them as our best friends or our committed friends. There is no question that great friends are gifts of God to us because they can definitely boost our happiness in life. http://www.biblechurchinternational.com/sermon/christ-the-faithful-friend Sun, 02 May 2010 13:22:57 GMT Rev. Jerry Lepasana Back to Basics trusted_one,best_friend,christ_as_a_friend,faithful_friend,back_to_basic