Undeservingly Chosen

09/10/2025

25/09/2025

He must increase, I must decrease

10/09/2025

How Modern-Day Worship Dangers Your Soul

In today’s fast-paced world, worship has changed dramatically. What once was a sacred gathering centered on God’s glory is now often shaped by culture, entertainment, and personal preference. Many don’t notice it, but modern-day worship can quietly endanger the soul when it shifts focus away from God and toward ourselves.

1. Worship Becomes About Experience, Not God

Many churches today emphasize the atmosphere: lights, music, and emotions. While these can be used for good, they can also make us chase the “feeling” of worship instead of the presence of God. The danger is when our faith depends on goosebumps rather than truth. If we don’t feel inspired, we think God isn’t near when in reality, His nearness is never based on emotions but on His promise.

2. Worship Turns into Performance

Worship leaders, musicians, and even preachers can unintentionally become performers. The stage replaces the altar, and the congregation becomes an audience. When applause takes the place of repentance, worship loses its holiness. Worship is meant to point us upward, not to elevate personalities or talents.

3. Worship Becomes Man-Centered

Instead of asking, “What honors God?” many ask, “What attracts people?” Songs, styles, and sermons get tailored to please the crowd. The result? Worship becomes consumer-driven, not Christ-driven. When the church caters to preferences, it risks creating fans rather than disciples.

4. Worship Redefines God

Some modern songs and teachings present God as a mere problem-solver, therapist, or cheerleader. This watered-down view strips Him of His holiness and authority. The danger here is subtle: when we worship a God of our own making, we aren’t truly worshiping the God of Scripture.

5. Worship Without Truth

Jesus said we must worship in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Yet truth often takes a backseat to emotional hype. Without biblical grounding, worship can drift into empty rituals or even false teaching. Genuine worship must be rooted in God’s Word, not just in what sounds or feels good.

The Way Back to True Worship

The good news is that God has not left us in confusion. True worship is simple, yet profound: it is reverence from the heart, guided by His Word, and centered on Christ’s sacrifice. It doesn’t require dazzling lights or professional bands ,it requires humility, truth, and a heart that longs for God above all else.

When worship is God-focused, it becomes more than an event it becomes a lifestyle. Every prayer, every song, every act of obedience becomes a way of saying, “Lord, You are worthy.”

Reflection:
The question isn’t just “How do I worship?” but “Whom do I worship?” If our worship doesn’t lead us to a deeper love for God and holiness in life, then maybe we are worshiping the idea of worship itself that is where the soul is most endangered.

10/09/2025

The Origin of Altar Call That You Do Not Know

When you attend many evangelical or revival services today, one familiar scene often takes place: the preacher ends the sermon with a heartfelt invitation for people to come forward to the “altar” and publicly make a decision for Christ. This practice called the altar call feels so common that many assume it has always been part of Christian worship. But did you know the altar call is a fairly new tradition in church history?

Not From the Apostles

If you open the New Testament, you won’t find Peter, Paul, or John asking listeners to “walk down the aisle” after preaching. The apostles simply proclaimed the gospel, called for repentance and faith, and baptized those who believed (Acts 2:38–41). Conversion was seen as the work of God’s Spirit, not the result of a public walk forward.

The Birth of the Practice

The altar call traces its roots to the early 19th century during the Second Great Awakening in America. Revivalist preacher Charles G. Finney popularized the “anxious bench,” a front-row seat where seekers were urged to sit as a sign of their conviction and desire to surrender to Christ. Finney believed that creating this visible, immediate response could help press sinners into a decision. Over time, the anxious bench evolved into the altar call we see today where entire crowds were invited forward after a sermon.

Why It Spread Quickly

Finney’s methods appealed to an emotional, decision-centered style of preaching that swept across revivals, camp meetings, and eventually into evangelical churches. For many, it became the defining moment of a spiritual experience. By the late 19th and 20th centuries, evangelists like Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham further cemented the altar call as a standard evangelistic practice.

What Most Don’t Realize

Here’s what surprises many: the altar call is not an ancient Christian practice. It is barely 200 years old, an American innovation shaped by revivalism. For centuries, the church called sinners to repentance through preaching, catechism, and baptism not by asking them to step forward to an altar.

Why This Matters

Knowing the origin of the altar call helps us understand that it is a method, not a mandate. While God has surely used it to awaken many hearts, salvation itself does not depend on walking an aisle. True conversion rests on the inward work of the Spirit and faith in Christ not on the outward step to the front of a church.

The altar call may feel timeless, but in reality it’s a modern invention with roots in revivalism, not the apostles.

09/09/2025

Any idea where I can buy this?

09/09/2025

Prosperity, wealth, or fame is not the measure of God’s favor. Many people succeed in this world yet remain far from God, for even the devil offers riches and power in exchange for worship. The true sign of God’s favor is knowing Christ and living according to His will.

09/09/2025

Rebuttal on The Honest Calvinist Post

1. Election is not based on feelings, but on God’s sovereign choice in Christ.

The post reduces election to a psychological game: “If I worry, maybe I’m elect. If not, I’m still glorifying God.”
But Scripture grounds election not in our feelings or worries, but in God’s eternal purpose:

“He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:4)

“So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:16)

Election is God’s sovereign act, not our anxious speculation.

2. The doctrine of election does not produce despair but assurance.

The mockery suggests that election leads to endless worry. But biblically, election produces comfort and worship for believers:

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” (Romans 8:33)

“Knowing, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:4–5)

Far from leading to confusion, election assures believers that salvation rests on God’s unchangeable will, not our unstable emotions.

3. Election magnifies God’s grace, not human reasoning.

The satire tries to spin election into a circular joke. But the Bible presents election as the ultimate proof that salvation is by grace alone:

“So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:12)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood… that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Election glorifies God precisely because it highlights His mercy and grace—not human worry or logic loops.

4. The real issue is Christ, not speculation.

The doctrine of election is always tied to Christ:

“As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

Mocking election misses the central truth: God calls His people to faith in Christ, not to endless doubt. The evidence of election is not worrying, but believing.

08/09/2025

The Second Great Awakening: A Departure from Biblical Christianity

The Second Great Awakening (1790s–1840s) was one of the most influential religious movements in American history. It swept through New England, the western frontier, and the South, leaving a lasting mark on American evangelicalism. While it is often praised for its zeal, evangelistic passion, and social reform efforts, careful examination shows that it also departed significantly from biblical patterns of revival and church life.

1. From Sovereign Revival to Human-Oriented Methods

The First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s), led by men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, emphasized the sovereign work of God in salvation. Revival was seen as a divine outpouring of the Spirit, awakening sinners to life. By contrast, the Second Great Awakening, under figures such as Charles Grandison Finney, introduced a new theology: revival was not a miraculous act of God but a result of proper methods.

Finney taught that revivals could be produced at will by using the right techniques—emotional preaching, “new measures” such as the “anxious bench,” and extended altar calls. This marked a shift from trusting in God’s sovereign grace to depending on human manipulation of emotions. Biblically, salvation is “not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy” (Romans 9:16).

2. An Optimistic View of Human Nature

Reformed theology, rooted in Scripture, affirms that man is spiritually dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1) and utterly dependent on the regenerating work of the Spirit. The Second Awakening, however, embraced a more optimistic anthropology. Finney denied original sin, insisting that people had the natural ability to repent and believe if they simply chose to.

This directly contradicted biblical teaching that “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). By minimizing man’s depravity, the movement fostered a shallow understanding of conversion—one based on decisionism rather than Spirit-wrought transformation.

3. Shallow Conversions and Emotionalism

Because revivals were engineered through methods rather than grounded in truth, many conversions proved short-lived. Emotional frenzy, mass responses, and dramatic experiences were mistaken for genuine regeneration. This produced what some historians call a “burned-over district” in western New York—areas repeatedly swept by revival campaigns but spiritually exhausted and disillusioned afterward.

The Bible warns of those who “receive the word with joy… but they have no root” (Matthew 13:20–21). Genuine revival produces lasting fruit, not merely temporary excitement.

4. The Rise of Heterodox Movements

Another consequence of the Second Great Awakening was the birth of numerous heterodox sects. The “burned-over district” became fertile ground for groups such as Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Millerite movement (which gave rise to Seventh-day Adventism). The lack of doctrinal grounding, combined with religious fervor, opened the door for serious departures from biblical Christianity.

Paul warned Timothy that in the last days people would have “itching ears” and “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3–4). The Awakening, though claiming to exalt Christ, often replaced sound doctrine with shallow experiences that left people vulnerable to deception.

5. The True Biblical Pattern of Revival

In Scripture, true revival begins with God. It is not the product of human schemes but of His Spirit applying His Word. Revival is marked by deep conviction of sin (Nehemiah 8–9), repentance (Jonah 3:5–10), renewed love for God’s Word (Psalm 119:25, 40), and lasting obedience.

The Second Great Awakening, in its departure from these biblical principles, shifted the focus from God’s sovereign work to man’s efforts. While it produced social reform movements such as temperance and abolition, its theological compromises weakened the church’s grasp on the gospel of grace.

Conclusion

The Second Great Awakening cannot be denied its historical influence, but from a biblical standpoint, it represents a turn toward pragmatism, decisionism, and emotionalism rather than a Spirit-wrought renewal of the church. Its departure from the doctrines of sin, grace, and divine sovereignty serves as a cautionary tale: zeal without truth leads to shallow faith and enduring confusion.

The church today must learn from this history. True revival will not come from manipulation or methods but from the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and reliance on the Spirit of God.

03/09/2025

Introducing Highland Evangelical Church

We give thanks to God for the establishment of Highland Evangelical Church, a pioneering ministry located at the Cabajaga Residence, Purok Mahogany, Barangay Mambaroto, Sipalay City. This work is under the care of Dungga Evangelical Church, a recognized member of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches.
By the gracious providence of God, six families are presently gathering for Lord’s Day worship and fellowship. Though we have no church building at present, the congregation is hospitably meeting in the household of Mr. and Mrs. Cabajaga.
This church humbly subscribes to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith and is committed to the Regulative Principle of Worship, seeking in all things to glorify the triune God through reverent worship, the faithful preaching of Christ crucified, and the observance of Christ’s ordinances.
The ministry is shepherded under the leadership of Rev. Jose D. Rabala Jr. of Dungga Evangelical Church, together with Bro. James Peter C. Doong, worker of Highland Evangelical Church. We earnestly covet the prayers of God’s people as we labor for the advance of Christ’s kingdom in this community.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” — Acts 2:42

Soli Deo Gloria.

Uziel Joy Tapang Doong
Jethro D. Rabala
Jahaziel Tapang Rabala
Brave Susie Valdez
Regie Bundac
Ramon Bayhon
Janice Amosco Biatingo
Libni Tapang
Nida Bordomeo
Michael Baynosa Tanjian
Margie S. Cabajaga

03/09/2025

Do we surround ourselves with this kind of friends?

29/08/2025

Christ our all in all

It's Christ above all or nothing at all.