Happy New Year! Speaker: Bro. Stanley Alfonzo Text: Matthew 16:13-17; Ephesians 5:1 Who is Jesus to You? 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Speaker: Alex Cruz Title: Merry Christmas Text: John 3:16 Isaiah 9:6-7 New International Version 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

This will be a joint service with White Ave. Community Church Speaker: Bro. Joven Calingo Text: 2 Corinthians 1:8-10; 12:6-10 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. The Bible tells us in Ephesians that it is by Grace that you have been saved, not by your own works lest anyone boast. In 2 Corinthians, Paul makes it absolutely clear that it is also by Grace that we live, survive, overcome and thrive. What causes that, God repeatedly told Paul that "My Grace is sufficient for you. for in your weakness my power is made perfect. It is clear why we go through the refining by trials and tribulations. Paul tells us in v8-9 of 2 Cor 1 the reason for the hardship. "We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. God brings us to the end of ourselves so that we can begin operating on his capability, hence, Paul stopped relying on himself, so did his companions and learned to rely only on God. Let's start making it a habit on relying only on God. He raises the dead, right?

Speaker: Bro. Genesis Alfonzo Text: Matthew 17:14-20 19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” 20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” In the text it would seem that Jesus was correcting his disciples openly among the crowd. But in reality, he was addressing primarily the crowd that came just to witness a miracle and then criticized the disciples when they failed to deliver a healing. In private, Jesus addressed the disciples part in the failed miracle. He pointed that they were more focused on their ability to heal the boy rather than their faith in God that brought about the ability to heal. He pointed to another reason, " 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” meaning this was a difficult case, since you wrestle with principalities and powers - this specific one required more than what you usually bring. So He stated it needs prayer which calls for the intervention of God and fasting which means that they had to deny themselves. Or in other words, don't look at your own capabilities but look into your faith in the one who can deliver this healing. More dependence on God. Failing or not having enough faith is a lesson in itself. We have to ask God what we missed so that we can be effective in our ministry. Time and time again, we are reminded by God to act under his authority and strength. Let's see what Bro. Genesis is going to teach us this Sunday.

Post Thanksgiving Worship Speaker: Pastor Leo Delacruz Text: Isaiah 38:9-20 From Problems to Praise 17 Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back. In biblical times, it was believed that people were ill due to sin. We can pick up this idea from the verse above. Hezekiah was gravely ill but after God forgave him of his sins, "For You have cast all my sins behind Your back." v16 "So You will restore me and make me live." He was healed and years were then added to his life. The Lord is sovereign and he will heal and other times he tells us that my Grace is sufficient for you. This difference in answer does not imply that he favors one person over the other. And this also does not mean that we should give up asking for our healing since our God also is merciful. In the new testament, the disciples were asking in the case of the blind man, "Lord, who sinned, seeing the man was blind since birth. Jesus answered, neither this man nor his parents sinned." We are being reminded that that while sin and illness may be connected, we should not assume that every illness is a direct result of sin.

Speaker: Bro. Mark Oliver Text: Acts 16:4-15 When doing God's work is interrupted. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. 9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there. In the first part of the chapter, we see that Paul and Silas met Timothy a gentile convert whose father was Greek and his mother was a Jewish believer. He joins Paul and Silas since John Mark and Barnabas had left earlier. They were on their way to the Asian province of Mysia but Paul had a vision that a Macedonian man was asking for help to preach the good news there, They were also forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia prior to the vision. v 10 states in other versions that immediately "we" sought to go. It is peculiar that the "they" became a "we" indicating that in that moment of decision, they picked up another person, the apostle Luke who wrote the book of Acts. They were able to arrive in Philippi in just 2 days hence the word "Samothrace" (Samothrace is a nautical expression that means the wind was at their backs). Which in its self was a miracle since on their return in took them 5 days to get back on the same route. Let's look at the Lord's provision for Paul's 2nd missionary journey. He picked up Timothy who had a Greek father before they went to the province of Macedonia where Philippi is which as we know is in Greece. His two previous companions, Mark and Barnabas left but immediately, he had 2 appropriate replacements. God even provided Paul with his own personal physician. In Philippi, they meet Lydia who was converted and became a supporter of the ministry in Philippi. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” The man in Paul's vision turned out to be a woman in the person of Lydia. In following the lead of the Holy Spirit, Paul and Silas did not realize that God was producing in them a greater work than what they originally planned staying in Asia. God opened up a whole new continent for them to evangelize and the foundational support for their ministry in Europe.

Speaker: Bro. Joven Calingo Text: Acts 1:4-8, 12-14; 2:1-4 When a time of Inactivity Slows you down. 6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus, after his torture, crucifixion and death on the cross returned from time to time after his resurrection to show himself to his disciples. Jesus instructs them to stay in Jerusalem to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. At the same time, the disciples were getting anxious with regards to what was going to happen next and bombarded Jesus with many questions, " “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” Jesus answer, " “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know." This answer places the disciples in a situation that many of us are not comfortable with. The place of not knowing and waiting. What they did not understand as well was that what they were waiting for was someone that would change their whole stance on their faith. The Holy Spirit was going to empower them to become resolute in their faith, unwavering and un-fearing. This was the crossroad of their life. When they received the Holy Spirit they were transformed from men hiding in fear to bold witnesses for the Gospel of Christ. This is a challenge to us, Are we functioning by our strength and chutzpah or are we marching in line with the Holy Spirit and God's word. Remember, our Lord said in John 15, without me, you can do nothing. Let's always be ready to ask for help and direction from the Holy Spirit. It is the antidote for our weariness and anxiousness caused by the not knowing and waiting. If we have to wait, let's wait upon the Lord because those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles. Waiting and not knowing is an exercise in Trusting the Lord. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding, In all your way acknowledge him and He will direct your path. And as you know, Eagles soar not flapping their wings but they effortlessly ride on thermals (hot wind) to bring them to new heights without any effort. This is Pastor Jun with this day's encouragement from scripture.

Speaker: Pastor Jun Cardenas Text: Luke 8:40-50, 54-56 When Well Meaning People Interrupt Your Plans 43-44 But as he went, the crowds nearly suffocated him. Among them was a woman, who had a hemorrhage for twelve years and who had derived no benefit from anybody’s treatment. She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, with the result that her hemorrhage stopped at once. 45 “Who was that who touched me?” said Jesus. And when everybody denied it, Peter remonstrated, “Master, the crowds are all round you and are pressing you on all sides ....” Jesus was on his way to the house of Jairus when he felt power come from out of him while they were in a large crowd. This stopped Jesus from fording through the crowd, he wanted to know who touched him. This seemed to perturb his disciples like Peter and John and they said, “Master, the crowds are all round you and are pressing you on all sides ....” Translation, there's gonna be someone who touched you, newsbreak Jesus, we are actually in a sea of people! Why would Jesus take the time to attempt to identify the person who touched Him, when this appeared to be nearly impossible to do, and when it threatened to cost the life of the girl who was mortally ill? There are at least two answers, I believe. The first answer is that His delay was for the good of the woman who had been healed. The second answer is that His delay was also for the good of Jairus and his daughter. Jesus had very few words to say to the woman, but they are very important ones. Let us look at them carefully: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace” (Luke 8:48). (1) Jesus would not allow the woman to have a second-class healing. (2) Second, Jesus would have no misunderstanding as to the real cause of the woman’s healing. (3) Third, Jesus did not want the woman to experience guilt for stealing a healing (4) Finally, Jesus would not allow the woman’s faith to be anonymous. It is not the miracle which Jesus wanted to make public, but rather the woman’s faith. Jairus’ faith was very evident, as he fell before the Lord Jesus and pled for Him to come to his house. But while the woman reached out to Jesus in faith, she had done so anonymously. Jesus does not allow her faith to remain anonymous. Faith in Christ must be publicly professed. (Bible.org Bob Deffinbaugh). That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Everyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11). God wants us to publicly confess our faith, in so doing, when He acts on our behalf, it becomes an overwhelming testimony of what can do if we believe. So let's make it a habit to share our faith so that we can declare the Lordship of Jesus. This is Pastor Jun for Crossroads Church.

Speaker: Pastor Ariel Genido Text: Exodus 2:11-22; 3:5-10 When Your Actions Cause An Interruption. 7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” If we look into this story, it is quite noticeable that Moses had a heart for those that are being oppressed; in v 11 He saw a Hebrew who was forced to work being beaten by an Egyptian; the following day He saw 2 Hebrews fighting and he defended the one being beaten up. The Hebrew that was beating the other chimed back, " are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses feared for his life after the revelation of someone knowing of his crime. He fled which was a smart thing to do since as Pharaoh found out, He set out to kill Moses. Fast forward to Midian. He saw women being oppressed by shepherds and not allowing them to fill their troughs with water so that they can give their flocks a drink. Moses has shown us that he was very consistent with his perspective and action against oppression. He helped the women from being harassed by the shepherds which allowed then to draw water. He even helped them to draw water for their flocks. This allowed the women to come home early to the surprise of their Father. V 7 reveals to us the heart of God for his people, "“I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land." It is so much in line with what Moses was doing on his own as he observed everyday events in the places he was at. His view of righteousness and the ugliness of oppression fell directly in the same place of God's love for his people that were being oppressed at that time. God sees that and I am sure that he directs us to the place where He can use us for his purpose. Looking back at the story of Moses from birth to his migrating to Midian, all of the events that happened to him were directed by God though Moses did not purpose those events himself. The core of his being dictated his actions. Its just that God has an amazing way to use our experiences, skills and where our heart is so that he can apply us to his plan. Knowing this, we can conclude that there is no wasted moment in our lives. God uses all of them for His glory and His plan. Think about it.