Of Homosexuality

I slightly touched on this topic on When Love is Wrong, but I want to clarify a few things about our take on homosexuality. It’s simple: Humans have rights, and humans are sinful. May karapatan, makasalanan.

I would like to ask both camps to please stop cherry-picking. And more importantly, it’s not about taking Manny’s side or not.

Yes we believe it’s a sin; go read Romans 1:22-31. Homosexuality is a sin along with “unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:" Although during that time the context might have been about male prostitution (I am not saying that it is), the apostle condemns the very act. It was more a side comment after talking about idolatry. (Go read the text itself, not Facebook posts, please. Read and see and think for yourselves, since you take so much pride in that.) Verse 27 “for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another.”

Atheists/unbelievers will say homosexuality is natural. Please note that we also believe that creation has been cursed, and natural doesn’t necessarily equate to good. I know you do not believe the Bible, but that is another issue. Let us be civil, just as you take so much pride in yourselves to be, and have some respect here.

Now to fellow Christians: that’s not the point at all. It is not just homosexuality. Notice that the apostle placed a greater value on the issue of lust. The standard is much, much higher. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We do not downplay sin, for “the fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” “But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person.’” Not only that of others’, but also of ourselves. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We are all a sexually broken people, in one way or another. Don’t we also get caught up in the romances of this world and desire girlfriends and boyfriends and love life and sex and marriage more than God? These are means to worship, but in a sense we also have “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.” Do not cherry-pick.

“Those who are outside God judges.” That is not for us. I am for LGBT rights’ on marriages. Humans are sinful, but humans have rights. It is not the law that they need. They need the Christ, just as much as we do. Are we not free from the law? Then why do we impose it on others? Did not Moses create laws for divorce? Yet the Christ says “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” No, it was not this way from the beginning. But “God gave them up into vile affections.”

If you are bothered by this, remember that these things must happen. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation.”

Yes, homosexuals have rights. And yes, we believe that homosexuality is a sin. Thankfully that is but the first chapter of Romans. We do not end there. At the beginning of bad news is good news. We might have been born this way or that way, but thankfully we can be born again. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” We look at sin in all its filth, so we can see the blood of Jesus in all its purity.

PS I salute you Manny for standing for what you believe in. I do hope that you tell the remainder of the story: that you tell the good news, for what has been quoted from you is only a distorted half-truth.

PSS Elections is a different matter

Don't Wait for the Pope - On Pope Francis' Arrival

Millions of devout Catholics and millions more of curious and intrigued people are eager for his arrival next year, January 15 2015. A lot are actually more excited about this than New Year or Christmas. There are even hashtags in Twitter like #DearPopeFrancis where you would see people write messages, ask for prayers, and even ask for help from him.

And why not? After all, he’s the cool Pope. He’s the people’s pope. He wasn’t just a poser who joined twitter and took selfies; He was a man of action. He would personally take time to call and console a rape victim, and sneak out of Vatican to help the poor. He always emphasized love over dogma. He focused on serving people. He extended the hands of the church to the gays, the whole LGBT community, atheists, Muslims – people who were previously disdained by the church. He openly criticized the lavish lifestyle of some bishops and priests and held them in account. He was a role model to the youth.

Even from the viewpoint of those outside the church, Pope Francis is an amazing guy. But Filipino Catholics are eager to see him too for another reason: blessings. It is the same reason many aim to accomplish “Simbang Gabi.” It is why people would volunteer to torture themselves and shed their own blood in penitences. It is why millions would stampede and push and even step on others just to touch a portion of the Poong Nazareno with their handkerchiefs. “Blessing” is often understood as an answer to a personal wish or a prayer, and it can be attained either by completing a ritual, or being in contact (not necessarily physical) with someone or something holy.

Third, Pope Francis is a celebrity, and Filipinos love celebrities. There’s probably no need to expound on this.

Well, what’s so wrong with waiting for Pope Francis? It diverts attention from the real focus. Not much, eh? Actually, that’s a pretty big deal, because the real focus should be on Christ. Even he admits this.

We ask for wishes from Pope Francis, #DearPopeFrancis to get him to pray to God for us, when the only mediator between God and man is Christ Jesus. In fact, this is why Christians aren’t like Catholics that pray to saints and Mary the mother of Jesus: aside from being a sign of unbelief in Christ’s work (that His sacrifice has allowed us to enter boldly into the throne of grace), it’s quite pointless to pray to another intercessor, even the Pope, when you can already pray directly to God. (Anyway, it’s true that most Christians don’t get the doctrine that Catholics’ praying to dead saints is a matter of talking to them and asking for intercession the way a Christian would ask for intercession from other believers, making their bias rather irrational and simply an act of following the majority.)

We wait for His blessing, when God has already given a much greater one: eternal life through Jesus Christ. He has given us Himself; He is our portion. What more should we seek?

We await his arrival with much eagerness, but not even have a percent for Christ’s. Even before finalizing the date and the itinerary of the Pope’s visit, the government has been doing some “cleaning up” in Tacloban. (It’s an extremely unjust case of relocation of the poorer residents to put up a facade of order and cleanliness. I do hope the Pope addresses this.) But waiting for Christ’s return isn’t even half as exciting. We have lost our faith that He will come. Local media’s announcement that “Pope Francis’ visit confirmed” is more reliable than that loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying “I will come to you quickly!”

And so don’t wait for Pope Francis. Wait for Him who has already come; Him who was, who is, and who is to come.

Hephaestus

Here is an essay I wrote when I was in 4th year high school. The question was simple, "who is your favorite Greek god and why?" There is actually a longer version of this, but I forgot to save it (stupid me)

Hephaestus is my favorite Greek god not because of his works, but because he is the god of fire, bringing out the best in us. Fire is a double-edged sword; it is naturally destructive, but when controlled, becomes a very important part of our lives. From it, we crafted more deadly weapons: cannons, bazookas, and nuclear bombs. But from the same energy came about plastic, fuel, and even medicine. Bright and powerful, it cannot go unnoticed. Yet Hephaestus, the god of fire, volunteers to remain concealed in his workshop; the irony of the master smith. This only shows that Hephaestus has fully taken control of fire, and can use the full extent of its power to bring forth wonderful and marvelous works.

Furthermore, unlike other gods, Hephaestus works a lot and does not spend his time looking for women and flirting with them. Being a craftsman, he is patient, creative, and industrious. Ever since he was born, he was ugly and rejected. He got thrown out of Olympus, spurned by his wife, and was laughed at when he demanded justice. Yet, he was quiet and reserved, and is even a peace-maker between his parents who were the first to reject him. He redirected these emotions to his handiwork, melting the cold metal of revenge with the flames of his passion, molding them with his ingenious hands, and then finally quenching them in the cold water of his peacefulness to produce the most extraordinary and most beautiful creations of all. Like him, I also want to be a man of great tolerance, and someone who can bring out the best in others even in challenging times.

How Much Does a Family Cost?

This is an article I wrote for our Economics Magazine in 4th year high school.

Families are important. It has existed way back before civilization did. No species would have survived if it wasn’t for the existence of families. Ironically, divorces, abortion, disrespect, rebellion, and running away from families are becoming more and more rampant nowadays. It seems that families are losing their importance. Or are they?

To measure how much a family costs to a person, we can also measure how much a family spends on that person (expenditure approach). Assume a fictional middle class high-school person named Marfred San Antonio in a family of five. Marfred was given vaccines after he was born, so he could have a greater immune system. He gets a BCG vaccine, which costs around P1700, another one for measles, which is around P1500. The vaccine for chicken pox is about P1200, and for MMR, P600 each shot for 2 shots. DPT and Polio vaccine require 3 shots and 3 booster shots costing P2500 each shot. The same dosage is needed for Hepatitis B and A vaccine, but each costing P700 and P2700 respectively. Lastly, immunization against typhoid fever is P1500 per shot for 2 shots. These total to P73,800. These vaccines are not only a pain to the family, but also to poor Marfred.

Man does not live on vaccines alone. Baby Marfred also needs food, clothing and shelter. His milk costs P900 per can, which can last for about 2 weeks. In his sixth month, his soft food might cost P35 a piece, eating once or twice a day. This gives a total of about P85000 for Marfred’s food. His clothing can get as cheap as P240 for three months and diaper for P8 a piece, giving a total of about P100,000 for Marfred’s basic necessities for 2 years.

Let us click the fast forward button on the remote of time and space. Marfred is now studying in a nearby school. Costs increase as one puts more input. Marfred’s food now costs P120 a day and his clothing also increases to P500 for three months. This sums up to about P140,000 for his 3 years of preschool.

Another click brings us to his elementary days. Here come new classmates, new lessons, new challenges, and new burdens, not only for Marfred, but also for his family. He is now a growing boy, and starts eating P150 worth of food a day. His clothing also now amount to P1200 for 4 months. Furthermore, he starts receiving allowance of P100 a week. His school is now a bit far that he needs to spend P200 a week for his transportation. That amounts to P443,700. It seems like six years in a public elementary school isn’t so cheap after all.

Marfred finally steps onto high school; not just on any ordinary high school, Philippine Science High School. He eats a lot more than before and spends P200 a day for food. His clothes are also very costly. P2000 are spent every 6 months. His allowance also increases to P300 a week. His high school is quite far from their home, and costs him P100 a day. His projects, class funds, and other educational spending reached P50000. A stunning total of P566,400. On second thought, six years in a public elementary school is cheap after all.

Throughout his life, Marfred is also using electricity, water and the house itself. To make things simpler, we can say that his electric and water bill costs P300 and P50 a month respectively since these values do not fluctuate very much. The house also has a net worth of P700,000 and therefore an equivalent annual cost of P28,000 assuming he lives in it for 25 years. P483,000 for his total utilities.
The San Antonio family spent a grand total of P1,806,900 for Marfred. Of course, you can guess that there is something wrong with this calculation. We missed out a lot of things. We did not bring into account the inflations and appreciations. Also, his parents are not freebies. They cost about P15,000,000 each in terms of the money spent on them. His three siblings are also worth a little less than he is, giving a total P35M. But, most importantly, the time spent for him by his mother and father is more valuable. The opportunity cost for this time is about P1000 per hour. Instead of earning P43,800,000 in 15 years, Mrs. San Antonio spent it on her beloved Marfred instead. This brings a total spending of P120M, which is equal to the family’s worth from Marfred’s point of view. These values are approximate, but not too far from the real value, so we may well say that the value ranges from P100 to P150M for a middle class teenager like Marfred.

But, the real value of the family lies in the very heart of economics: scarcity. No matter how many P120M you have, you cannot buy families, because there is only one family for you. This makes families invaluable, because once lost, there can be no replacement. There is so little supply and so much demand that the price exceed the cost by a factor of infinity. Not only that, there are things that we cannot simply put a price tag on, such as love, support, security, and the unbreakable ties that bring the family together. These things are exactly the things that we forget to value, but are the things that count the most. In any case, if you think your family is not good and unimportant, just think about the P120M they spent on you.

Pangarap sa Dilim

Isang malamig na gabi habang naglalakad pauwi sa aming lugar nang masilayan ko ang magnanay: isang batang mapayat na mga apat o limang taong gulang at isang nanay din na kung titingnan ay kasinpayat lamang din ng kaniyang anak. Nahiya na akong pagmasdan pa sila sa ilalim ng dilaw na ilaw ng poste ng kanilang katapat na kapitbahay.

Wala silang ilaw. Hindi ko ito agad napansin ni napag-isipan lamang; nalaman ko lang ito nang sabihin sa akin ng aking ama. Palibhasa'y ako'y hindi palalabas ng bahay, at kung lalabas ma'y may pasok sa kolehiyo o may pakay sa ibang lunan; kahit saan basta't hindi sa aming lugar. Dahil dito, hindi ko gaano kilala ang aming mga kapitbahay at lalo naman itong mag-inang ito na dalawang kanto pa ang layo mula sa amin.

Hindi ko alam ang pakiramdam ng mabuhay sa literal na dilim gabi-gabi, dahil ako ay ipinanganak sa liwanag: literal na liwanag. Ilang segundo bago magtanghaling tapat nang ako'y iluwal mula sa sinapupunan ng aking ina noong ika-6 ng Mayo labingwalong taon na ring nakalilipas. Ako'y panganay ng isang buo na pamilya. Masunurin, mabait, matalino, o kung minsan pa'y henyo ang turing sa akin ng iba na hindi ko naman iniintindi, pinaniniwalaan, o iniinda. Marahil kung mas kilala nila ako ay hindi nila masasabi iyon.

Hindi nila ako kilala ng lubos ng marami nguni't mas lalo namang hindi ko kilala ang mag-inang nasa tapat ng poste ng kanilang kapitbahay. Nakaupo sila sa semento't grabang hagdan kung saan lumalapat ang kanilang luntiang gate, nagbabasa sa ilalim ng malamlam na dilaw na ilaw ng poste. Sa sandaling sumulyap ako sa kanilang mga mukha'y nakita ko ang kunot na noo ng nanay, ang mahigpit na hawak sa libro, ang matigas na pagpihit ng kaniyang hintuturo sa pahina ng aklat na kaniyang hawak, at ang asim sa mukha ng batang humahagulgol at nagmamakaawang, "Ayoko na..."

Hindi ko man sila kilala'y sa sandaling iyon ay naintindihan ko sila. Naintindihan ko kung bakit galit na galit ang nanay. Naintindihan ko kung bakit pasigaw siyang nagtuturo ng English sa kanyang anak. Naintindihan ko ang dahilan sa likod ng bawat hagulgol at bawat luhang umagos sa mata ng bata, Naintindihan ko sapagkat dumaan din ako rito.

Noong bata ako'y pinagagalitan din ako ni mama. Lumuluha din ako sa harap ng kaniyang flashcards at multiplication table na kailangan kong masagutan sa loob ng wala pang isang segundo. Kailangang napakabilis, palibhasa'y ako'y isang panlaban sa palahok na pinamamahalaan ng Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines o MTAP. Sumigaw din ako ng "Ayoko na", at sinagot din ako ni mama ng "Hindi!" Natawag din akong "tanga" habang nagngingittngit sa inis si mama.

Nguni't hindi palaging ganito sa amin. Hindi ko lamang alam sa magnanay na ito, pero ang sa amin ay ganito lamang ang eksena tuwing galit na galit si mama. Pero sa loob na loob niya'y hindi naman talaga ako "tanga", dahil naniniwala pa siyang kaya ko. Naniniwala siya dahil nasa akin ang kaniyang pangarap.

Marahil dito nga kami nagkaiba ng batang humahagulgol: hindi ako sumuko at hindi rin ako sinukuan ng aking ina. Sabihin na natin na hindi kami sumuko dahil halos taon-tao'y umaabot naman ako sa Sectoral Division, nananalo sa iba pang mga palahok at patuloy na "honor student." Pero kahit anong sabihin ay hindi pa rin kami sumuko. May mga nakita at kilalang tao na hindi naman uliran ang katayuan noong mga bata sila ngunit ngayo'y makikita ang kanilang pagsusumikap. Marahil kung sinukuan sila ng kanilang mga ina ay hindi sila nakatungtong ngayon sa the University of the Philippines Diliman (UP Diliman).

May mga kamag-anak akong nabalitaan kong hindi na kumuha ng entrance exam sa Philippine Science High School (Pisay) o sa UP Diliman dahil daw alam na nilang hindi papasa. Sobrang nakakadismaya. Eh ano kung magsayang ng isang araw? Eh ano kung sumubok? Eh ano kung bumagsak? Sa tingin ba nila'y "ok lang" ang ganoon? Ang nakita ko lang sa kanila ay hindi na sila nangangarap ng mataas. Gaano man kalaki ang possibilidad, kapag hindi sumubok ay nawawala lahat. Kung bubong ang pangarap, sa lupa ang lagpak. Kung langit ang pangarap, sa bubong babagsak.

Nalulungkot ako tuwing nakikita ko ang libu-libong mga anak ng liwanag na hindi na nagsusumikap sa buhay at pag-aaral. Hindi dahil may ilaw na sa ating tahanan ay hindi na tayo dapat mangarap. Nasasaktan ako tuwing nakikita ko ang mga magulang na pinag-uusapan ang anak nila na "bobo", "tanga", at "mahina ang ulo" na tila ba wala nang pag-asa. Hindi dahil walang ilaw sa inyong tahanan ay hindi na dapat kayo mangarap.

Mangarap ka, batang humahagulgol, dahil nasa'yo rin ang katuparan ng pangarap ng iyong ina.

What is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel?

Acts 2

Author: Luke

Version: ESV

The Coming of the Holy Spirit v. 1-4:

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested^a on each one of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

1.      Pentecost – Name given by Greek-speaking Jews to the festival which occurred fifty days after the offering of the barley sheaf during the Passover feast. Note that Christ died during the Passover. Other names: In the Old Testament it is called the "Feast of Harvest" (Exodus 23:16), also the “Feast of Weeks” (Deut. 16:10, II Chron 8:13), also the “Day of the First Fruits” (Num. 28:26). Later, it is called the “closing season of the Passover” to distinguish from the seventh day of Passover and from the closing day of the Feast of Tabernacles/End of the Fruit harvest.Also,

“In Palestine the grain harvest lasted seven weeks and was a season of gladness (Jer. v. 24; Deut. xvi. 9; Isa. ix. 2). It began with the harvesting of the barley (Men. 65-66) during the Passover and ended with the harvesting of the wheat at Pentecost, the wheat being the last cereal to ripen. Pentecost was thus the concluding festival of the grain harvest, just as the eighth day of Tabernacles was the concluding festival of the fruit harvest (comp. Pesiḳ. xxx. 193). According to Ex. xxxiv. 18-26 (comp. ib. xxiii. 10-17), the Feast of Weeks is the second of the three festivals to be celebrated by the altar dance of all males at the sanctuary. They are to bring to the sanctuary "the first-fruits of wheat harvest," "the first-fruits of thy labors which thou hast sown in the field." These are not offerings definitely prescribed for the community; "but with a tribute of a free-will offering of thine hand . . . shalt thou [the individual] rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou and thy son and thy daughter, . . . the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow" (Deut. xvi. 9-12). In Lev. xxiii. 15-22, however, there is a regularly appointed first-fruit offering which the whole community must bring. It consists of two first-fruit loaves ("leḥem ha-bikkurim") of new meal, of two-tenths of an ephah, baked with leaven. The loaves were to be waved; hence the name "wave-loaves" ("leḥem tenufah"). Furthermore, various animal sacrifices were enjoined, and no work was permitted. In Num. xxviii. 26-31 the main pentecostal offering is one of new meal ("minḥah ḥadashah"). There is also a list of grain and animal offerings differing somewhat from that in Lev.xxiii.15-22. These offerings are to be made in addition to the fixed daily offering. In Men. iv. 5, x. 4 the list of Leviticus is referred to the sacrifices directly connected with the loaves, and the Numbers list is referred to the sacrifices for Pentecost considered as a special festival; the one was designated for the journeyings in the desert; the other was added after the Israelites had entered the promised land. The concluding festival of the harvest weeks was largely attended (Josephus, l.c. xvii. 10, § 2; idem, "B. J." ii., iii. 1; Acts ii. 5).” http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12012-pentecost

It is notable that the coming of the Holy Spirit during the Pentecost is symbolic: as Christ is the Passover Lamb, so with the Holy Spirit a “season of gladness”, a cessation of work (as we need not work to save our selves, we also need no work to change our selves. We are saved by faith, and we live by faith. It is God’s work from beginning to end. He is indeed the Author and Finisher of our salvation). From the Holy Spirit comes a “tribute of a free-will offering”. As God has provided the Passover Lamb, He poured His Spirit freely upon us that we may serve Him and sacrifice our lives as a pleasing free-will offering as He has enabled us.

This also marks that the “wheat fields” are ripe and in need of harvesters ( compare Luke 10:2, Matthew 9:38).

This event also explains the large number of people that were added to the church on that day (v. 41). There were already a lot of people to begin with. It should be noted that in modern times, this is not an evangelistic event: this is completely unplanned. It is upon the work of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that the fruitfulness should be due.

2.      They were all together in one place

a.      Who are they? – the believers

b.      What were they doing? – They were together in one place. They are likely to been having fellowship at that point in time and celebrating the Pentecost. As early as this there has been an understanding of fellowship of the believers, for if there were none they would not have been together in one place.

c.       In verse 2, it is shown that they were in fact, sitting inside a single house.

3.      ²And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested^a on each one of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

a.      The Holy Spirit came with a grand entrance. This event was, however, never repeated again as far as the Biblical records are concerned.

b.      The gift of tongues from the Holy Spirit rested on each one of the believers without exception.

c.       It can be seen that the Holy Spirit used men (and probably women, even though during Pentecost males perform an altar dance at the sanctuary it is said that the believers are gathered together in one place) who are imperfect. Were the men conscious of what they said? Were the men conscious of the Holy Spirit?

v.5-11

⁵Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” ¹²And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

4.      men from every nation under heaven.

Should this be taken literally? Did people from the Americas and the Philippines come to Israel at that time? Was there a world convention? Like most phrases “every nation under heaven”, the scope or view of the phrase is what the writer considers “every nation”, which is mostly the Roman Empire. As seen in verse 7-10, the areas mentioned are only those known to the Jews (or to Luke). Asia is simply regarded as one bunch, which is probably Turkey a.k.a. Asia Minor. Also, men of Judea are present (v. 14)

5.      At the sound the multitude came together

At the work of the Holy Spirit people will gather. They need not look for an audience, for the fish themselves have come to them. Yet this is not a rebuttal of aggressive evangelism. Aggressive evangelism has been done even by Christ Himself, sending the disciples to preach. This shows that God has already prepared an audience for His work.

I am having doubts whether to continue aggressive evangelism. I think it should rather be an “overflow evangelism” the kind that simply overflows out of a joyful heart for the work that God has done.

6.      Proclaiming the Gospel is proclaiming the work of God and at the same time bearing good testimony.

a.      What is good testimony? Here the testimony of the believers is the gift of the Holy Spirit – the gift of tongues. It is not by our good works – never. It is only by the fruit of the Spirit, and we must always ever be discerning and ever learning to distinguish the fake works of self from the fruitful work of God.

7.      There are two responses to the mighty works of God

a.      A response of reverence v. 12

                                                              i.      Evidently, the miracle for speaking in tongues was used for evangelistic purposes, just as all of Christ’s miracles were.

                                                            ii.      This is the correct response that could lead to repentance.

                                                          iii.      Probably it was the foreigners who appreciated the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the speakers were probably Jews (they were in Jerusalem v.5). Here we see that the Gospel is even for the Gentiles who are grafted into the vine due to the rejection of the Jews. (as fulfillment to the promise to Abraham, and also written in Isaiah, although this is contended by Classic Pauline Dispensationalism)

b.      A response of ridicule v. 13

                                                              i.      This ridicule was later referenced by Paul: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Eph 5:18. To some people, the Gospel is not different from the nonsense of an intoxicated man, but the fruit is evident: drunkenness leads to debauchery, and the Spirit gives fruit (Gal. 5:22-23)

                                                            ii.      Those who ridiculed were likely to be Jews who did not understand the different languages.

                                                          iii.      We should not be surprised to receive such a response. This is the natural inclination of men. But the Word of God assures us that there will be people who will respond reverently.

                                                           iv.      Peter would ridicule this response in v. 15

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.^b 16But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

8.      Third hour of the day is about 9 AM. It is seen that men of Judea who live near Jerusalem are also present probably to celebrate the Pentecost.

9.      The boldness of Peter is something to be noted. It was he who came the closest during Christ’s crucifixion yet shyed away. It was he whom Christ rebuked by calling him Simon, not with the new name he reinstated. It was he whom Christ rebuked by asking him three times, reminding Peter of his cowardliness. Yet after 40 days of Christ’s convincing proofs and teaching about the kingdom of God, he was transformed to a new person. To share the Gospel you must be prepared by God. In the 12 apostle’s case it was Christ, in Paul’s case it was the appearance of Christ and the transformation of the Holy Spirit for a period of three years. So it is in our case: we must never work independently of the Holy Spirit, but work with complete dependence upon Him.

10.  How to start the Gospel? Peter began by sharing something in common with his audience. They marvelled at his work, and Peter endeavoured to explain it. One can start with current events, or anything in common with the audience.

¹⁷“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

¹⁸even on my male servants^c and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

¹⁹And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

²⁰the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

²¹And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

11.  How to share the Gospel? Use Scripture. Peter was addressing the devout men from every nation, “Men of Judea” and Jews of Jerusalem, so they were familiar with the Scripture. Should we use Scripture on those who are not familiar with it?

12.  The Scripture used is on reference to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Yet Peter (possibly) used this to explain the gift of tongues, indicating a partial fulfillment of prophecy. (I am not good with prophecy please correct me). Another possibility is that the passage from Joel supplements what the Jews were already speaking of (the mighty works of God).

²²“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

13.  What the Gospel is not? The Gospel is not a gospel of awkwardness. The Gospel is not awkward. It only becomes so when you doubt that it is true.

14.  What is the Gospel? The Gospel is a gospel of scandal. It tells of something different to what popular opinion says. This is no different from proclaiming that the “abundant life can only be found in Christ” and that “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow” against the present day mantras of “Tiwala lang” and “N Steps to Success” via positive thinking. This is no different from proclaiming that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” against the modern science of Big Bang and evolution. This is no different from proclaiming that “You are dead in your sins” and that “the wrath of God is upon you” against the contemporary belief of apathy, agnosticism, and freedom of belief. The modern times do not

15.  How to share the Gospel? Go straight to Christ. Right after his transition Peter went to tell the Good News. He did not shy away from God’s sovereignty (v. 23, 31)

²⁵For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

²⁶therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

²⁷For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

²⁸You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³²This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. ³³Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

16.  How to share the Gospel? Testify. Peter testified that they are witnesses of the ressurrection of Christ (v.32). The power of the Holy Spirit is proof of this (v. 33). Though we are not literal eye-witnesses of the flesh and body of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit and His transformation of us are proofs of the ressurrection. Even the mere fact that the message is alive today after two thousand years of persecution and insanity (from the world’s point of view) is a miracle. Today we testify that Christ is still alive, and despite all that has happened He will be true to His word return in judgment with all the splendor and glory of God.

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

Sit at my right hand,

³⁵ until I make your enemies your footstool.’

³⁶Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

³⁷Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

17.  What is the Gospel? The Gospel is a gospel of repentance, remission, and reception. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the core of the Gospel. The rest are exhortations and encouragements, specifics and principles.

a.      The Gospel of repentance – far too often we focus on salvation and eternal life, that repentance has been neglected. We ask “would you like to pray this prayer right now?” and after saying yes, and repeating after some prayer, like a chant or mantra we leave that person, thinking that he is already saved. We follow-up, we meet, we read materials, we can even witness for Christ without having repented. We can be disciplined and read the Bible daily, pray daily, and minister daily without having repented. This is all good and well, but without God’s revelation of the wickedness of the self, without God’s revelation of His pure holiness, without the changing of mind regarding God and regarding self there could be no real work of the Holy Spirit. Regeneration begins along with repentance and repentance continues along with sanctification as we discover more about God and change our minds about His infinite characters.

b.      The Gospel of remission – the forgiveness of sins is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Faith is not mere head knowledge; to believe about Christ is not the same as to believe in Him. Faith is a trusting faith, a sure faith, an unfaltering faith all based upon a growing relationship and an ever-expanding knowledge upon the character of God which He revealed through Christ. It is a living faith;  It will manifest as light in darkness cannot be hidden.

c.       The Gospel of reception – that we have repented and are forgiven is good news indeed, but that God would still do further work than that – to send His Spirit to live in us, and among us, and upon us, and to work through us shows the marvelous grace that He has given. That He is able to finish the work He started is good indeed, but that He is willing, oh the grace of God!

d.      These three should not be separated; they are a package.

⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³And awe^d came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

18.  What to do after the Gospel? Commitment. ⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. This is where the exhortations come in. This is where spiritual discipline is. This is where we test every spirit whether they are truth. This is where we bear fruit, where we show our love to the family of God, where we show our love to the lost people. If we truly believe the true Gospel, this is but an overflow of our lives.

Can God create an immovable rock that He cannot lift?

No.

"Then God is not omnipotent."

God is omnipotent.

"How can that be?"

Now that is a good question. Let us take this step by step. If you knew God, you would have immediately realized that He is both the Sovereign Lord and the Immovable Rock. So then God cannot create an immovable rock simply because God cannot be created.

As for the second question, "can God lift that immovable Rock?" Yes He can, in such a way that it would not be moved. What do I mean? I mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, will find a way to display His character even in seemingly conflicting situations.

For example, God declares Himself in the Bible as

the Rock and the Living Water
the Living Water and the consuming fire
The Prince of Peace and the Lord of War
He who creates and He who destroys
He who prospers and He who sends calamities
He who gives and He who takes away
The Lion and the Lamb
The King and the Servant
The High Priest and the Sacrifice
The Judge and the Mediator
among a host of other descriptions. But perhaps the outright clash of His qualities with regard to the human condition is best expressed in Exodus 34:6-7

6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”


Now, consider your case you sinner, whoever you are. Based on this text, what would God do to you? Would He forgive your sin, or would He punish you? Obviously, if He punished you then He had not forgiven. If He forgave you of your sins, then He cannot punish you because punishing you further would make Him unjust and cruel. There is an outright clash between God's mercy and justice.

Now what God did is this: God sent His Son, in whom His fullness dwells, to become flesh so that the Son would not only be the representative of the whole humanity, but as a substitute for sin (see God the Sacrifice below), "that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Through God's way, in the very act of punishment, God was extending mercy to us.

Bottom line: God, in His infinite wisdom, will find a way to display His character even in seemingly conflicting situations. I do not know, nor will I claim to know how God will lift the immovable Rock. But I affirm that He can display both omnipotence and His immutability in a conflicting situation if He pleases.

Read more from Scripture:
God is the Sovereign Lord: Is 14:27
God is the Immovable Rock: 2 Sam 23:3, Acts 4:11, Psalm 18:1-2
God is the Living Water: Jeremiah 2:13,
God the Prince of Peace: Is 9:6
God the Lord of War: Ex 15:3
God prospers and creates disaster: Is 45:6-7
God the Sacrifice: 2 Cor 5:21

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haha sorry I don't have time right now. I'll just add the lacking Scripture references later if I remember and if I have time. Regardless, they're fairly easy to find especially with online Bibles :) Please do comment if you find them. Help is appreciated ;)