An encouragement for 2011

Last year, I wrote a same post to encourage the different fellowships for 2010. I'm continuing the tradition.

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Ipil Christian Fellowship

Don't lose heart, brothers and sisters. You may be few in number but as long as you seek the LORD's glory, I know that He will honor your hearts' desire. I remember last year when your fellowship had the most number of attendees. You were a vibrant and strong fellowship. You served your dormmates and the body with zeal and passion.

But in God's wisdom, He moved many of you from your comfort zone to another dormitory. Now, only a few remain. Let not your number define you. Remember how Gideon led an army of 300 to defeat the Medianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples for Israel. The Hand of the Lord was upon them and they succeeded. 

In the same way, big or small, few or many, the ministry is never dependent on you. It always goes back to God. So I encourage you to seek HIM above all. This may be a period of sowing for a bountiful harvest in the coming years. If God adds to your number, we praise Him. If not yet, we praise Him still for the opportunity to share His Good News to everyone in the dorm. Never stop speaking. Never cease sharing. Let us continue to pray for a genuine compassion for the lost.

I pray with you, brothers and sister. Draw strength from the Lord. I encourage you also to pray for one of your brothers who has temporarily left UP. Again, we don't know yet how God will move in his life. But wherever God places us, our joy must be in the fact that He's putting the pieces of our lives in place that He may be able to use us for His glory!

Let us not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Be strong and courageous!

Molave Christian Movement

Dear Brothers and Sisters, rejoice for the Lord is moving in your fellowship. We planned long and hard last year, but He thwarted our plans-- a reminder that we must never lean on our own understanding but to trust in Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength.

God moved people, but He added new ones. The challenge for you is to bridge the gaps and to strengthen the relationships. Love one another as Jesus loved you. Remember how Christ proclaimed, "By thus all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Don't let your fellowship be simply a gathering. Make it a part of your everyday life. Go beyond yourselves for your brothers and sister. Do things you don't usually do to show your care and affection for one another. God is glorified when people see the difference in your group. His name is honored when people realize that your love one another because Jesus loved you first.

Brothers and sisters, Christ is our strength. He is the glue that binds us as a family. We may have different priorities and concerns, but at the end of the day, we all run back to Him. I urge you to focus on Christ. We must be concerned for the fellowship and evangelism and for one another, but above all, we must focus on Him. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your souls and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself."

Be strong and courageous!

Yakal Christian Fellowship

Brothers, I rejoice with you for God's answered prayers. Last year, we cried out to Him, asking Him to add more people to the fellowship. He answered our prayers while teaching the value of dependence, faith and patience to the fellowship.

Do not forget these great truths. Do not be complacent. Do not put your joy in numbers. Put your joy in the LORD! Now that He has increased you, discern what He wants you to do in Yakal. You have the number, the commitment and the passion, I urge you to put them to good use for the glory of God!

Remember how other fellowships struggle with numbers. God has blessed you in this area, know that He demands greater things from you. The harvest is plentiful and the workers are abundant. The Lord of the harvest has sent you out into his harvest field. Go, sow and reap for the glory of God!

This is also a time of transitions. Pray brothers that God may raise up leaders from among you. Pray that He will place great burdens in your hearts as well as obedience that the Spirit may work great wonders through you!

I rejoice for the spiritual growth of many among you. I rejoice for the continuing passion in everyone's heart. I pray brothers that you will continue to grow and mature in the Lord. May your appetite for the Word grow even more as you apply the truths contained in it. Build each other up! Learn to correct and rebuke with love. Be always ready to help, to share the Gospel and to preach! May the Lord be with you always!

Be strong and courageous!

Kalayaan Christian Fellowship

My heart leaps with joy when I remember you young brothers and sisters. You are all answered prayers and we praise God for all of you! This year will be different from last year. You will now start to lead. You may be faced with challenges that are new and seemingly insurmountable. But know this, God will never leave you nor forsake you!

At the onset, remember that it is not your strength but His strength, never your words but His alone that will propel your ministry in Kalayaan. You are the salt and light of your dormitory. Go and shine in the darkest places, among the lost, the weary and the downtrodden. Let your dormmates know that you are Christ's follower and that Christ is offering the free of salvation by grace through faith in Him alone.

Be nourished by the Word. Learn to read the Bible daily, basking in God's presence and knowing Him more intimately. Do not let God's Word depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, hide it in your hearts that you may not sin against the Lord.  "Do not let anyone look down upon you for you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

You will be the future of this ministry. Pray brothers and sisters, that the Lord will strengthen you in faith and grow you more in your walk with Him.

Be strong and courageous!

Kalayaan Brigade

You come from different dorm fellowships, but the Lord gathered you together to help the young in faith in their spiritual walk. You were once young too, but God has been faithful and He has brought you up slowly but surely in Spirit and in Truth. I rejoice with you in the new opportunities God is giving you.

Pray brothers and sisters that God will give you the heart of obedience. Do not be afraid of the new challenges ahead. It is but normal to feel inadequate and unworthy, but praise the Lord, for brokenness is the beginning of leadership. Just survey the Scripture and you will find out that God chooses the humble, the simple and the unlikely for His ministry. He does this so that the glory, honor and praise will be His alone and never ours. 

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not  many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."

I affirm your solidarity and love for one another. I remember when you first joined the ministry. You were virtually strangers to one another then. But God taught you to care for your brothers and sister. You are an encouragement and an inspiration to me. I urge you to go beyond your circle and to reach out to more people-- both within and outside DCF. 

Draw strength from God and one another, but do not let your group be an exclusive click. May you radiate Christ's love from your fellowship so that everyone may see your good works and praise our Father in heaven.

Be strong and courageous!

Kamia Christian Fellowship

My dear sisters in Kamia, rejoice for the many opportunities God is giving you. In His wisdom, He moved some of you in different dorms but added new faces in your fellowship. I am encouraged by the bond of friendship you were able to develop last year. I pray that you will be able to use that foundation to help you in the ministry this coming year.

Many encouraging stories came from KCF throughout the years. God has taught your fellowship to value the relationships you have with one another. It is a joy for me to see that this remains true to you today. There may be challenges in number and commitment, but I encourage you to give your all for Christ. You may be separated by dorm admissions and sent to other fellowships, but the lasting bond among you is Christ. Stay close to Him and know that you are never too far away from your brothers and sisters in the body. 

In the coming year, I pray that we can work with you in sharing the Gospel to Kamia residents. May your presence in the dorm be a blessing to the people living there. May your life and fellowship be used by God to draw more and more people to Himself. Let us work hand in hand in discipling our younger sisters in Kamia as we pray for everyone in DCF.

Let us pray for that God will prepare all of us this coming year to be fully committed in serving Him in words and deeds!

Be strong and courageous!

Ilang-ilang Christian Fellowship

Dear sisters, it is a joy to be in fellowship with you always. Your challenges are great especially in the area of discipleship. But I admire you for the love and concern you are showing for one another. It is encouraging to witness a growing fellowship in your dormitory.

Dear sisters, I encourage you not to stop in sharing the Good News. At the same time, I urge you to pray for maturity in faith that God may be able to use you more in ministering to younger ones in the fellowship. Do not be afraid to ask for help from your brothers and sisters. Challenge them to reach out to their sisters in Ilang, to know them more and to also be in fellowship with them.

Know that your labor is never in vain if it is offered to Christ. It is always a joy for me to be in fellowship with you. May others learn from you the child-like faith which I have always admired. Many of you may be young now, but I trust in the Lord that He will grow in you the desire to lead and to be the older sisters of those who will be after you.

Remember the courage of Deborah as she led the people of Israel. May you also be courageous for the Lord.  Know that it is His strength that will strengthen you. Trust in Him always and commit your thoughts and your ways to Him and He will give you success in all your endeavors.

Be strong and courageous!

Sampaguita Christian Fellowship

Dear sisters, I will always remember encouraging messages from among you. You said, "Let us know God's Word more that we may be able to teach the truth." Also you said, "Let us always share the Gospel so that instead of false teachings, the Truth of Jesus Christ will be known to men and women in UP."

What encouraging words and truths coming from you! I praise God for your zeal and passion for the Lord, His Word and for the lost. I urge you dear sisters to enjoin the body in all your activities that all of us may learn from one another.

Thank you for never giving up. This is a praise item for all of us especially when we remember your struggles last year. The Lord has worked mightily among you. I know that He will give you the ability to reach out to your dormmates as He prepares the hearts of those who will listen to the Gospel.

Dear sisters, pray that the Lord will make your ministry flourish for His glory. I have witnessed how He has worked in your fellowship. Just three years ago, we barely have a fellowship in Sampa and Kamia. But because of His faithfulness, we now witness a growing ministry in both dormitories. With His track record, I know that we can trust the Lord. In fact, even if we witness none of these, we can always rest in the Truth of who our God is.

Be strong and courageous! 

Our Alumni

To our dearest alumni, thank you so much for always being there to help and support our ministry. We praise God for you have allowed Him to use you during your stay in UP. Your are all testimonies of His faithfulness! Your lives and where you are now show His unfailing love.

We may not know one another personally, but Christ is our common ground. It is a joy for us to have a truly extended family with you. Let us continue to pray for one another. Remember us and intercede for us as we do the same for you. For 21 years, the Lord has done great and wonderful things in DCF to show His majesty and glory. In the years to come, we desire to still have you our foremost partners in the ministry.

We invite you to come and visit us that we may also be in fellowship with you! We will always praise God for you!

Centennial Christian Fellowship, Kamagong Christian Fellowship, IC Christian Fellowship, Sanggumay Christian Fellowship

Lord, we ask for forgiveness for failing to reach these dormitories. I pray that you make us bold in sharing Your Truth that we may also have ministries in these residence halls.

Thank you, Lord, for you have placed key people whom we can tap in these dorms. We pray that you will show us Your will that we may know where and how to begin.

We also pray, Lord, that You use us in reaching out to the whole of UP and the communities surrounding it. Your Gospel has no bounds and we know that when You called us to fulfill the Great Commission, You did not set a limit. May we also aspire to go and share wherever we are, in every circumstance and to every person you bring to our lives.

This is a great task, indeed. But nothing is impossible with You!

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"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
(Hebrews 12:1-2)