||Written in Filipino - English|| COMPLETED ||
She loves God. He hates the very mention of His Name.
She is anointed by God's Spirit. He plays with demons.
She is God's. He is lost.
A woman of light comes to cross the life of a man whose life can...
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"Good morning, kakabsat*!" Bati ni Pastor. Ngayon ko lang napagtanto, hindi ko pa pala alam ang pangalan niya. Siguro mamaya tanungin ko nalang kay Ma'am. Nagpatuloy siyang magsalita, speaking in Ilocano as he preached. Nagustuhan ko 'yon, kasi at least mas madali magets at relatable saaming mga cordilleran. I discreetly smiled. Ang galing Mo talaga Lord! You knew exactly where to put me.
"Ang mensahe ko ngayong umagang ito ay matatagpuan natin sa libro ng Acts, kapitulo Dos, bersikulo uno hanggang kwatro,"
At his word inilabas ko ang Bibliya mula sa bag at binuklat ito, reading along as soon as I found the passage.
'On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames of tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues* as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability'
I was nodding along as I read each word, my mind trying to process what I've just read. Narinig ko na itong ishinare ng isang missionary na dumalaw saamin. I clearly remembered the verse, pero bata pa ako noon at amerikano pa ang nagpreach eh pure English.
Ano nga kaya ang ibig sabihin nito? It sounds really epic and amazing. But what does it contribute sa Relationship ko sa Panginoon?
"I will begin explaining this in a bit," panimula ni pastor, "But first let us go into a little background. Unang-una, kung ano nga ba ito? Bago ang pagbabalik ni Hesus sa langit matapos ang kaniyang pagkabuhay-muli, mayroon Siyang ipinangako sa mga disipulo Niya. Matatagpuan ito sa Acts chapter 1, verse 4-5,"
He flipped the pages of his Bible and began to read, "Jesus told his disciples this; do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the Gift He has promised as I told you before. John baptized with water, but just in a few days you will be baptized by the Holy Spirit.
"So as we can see, kakabsat, this event - this experience, is a promise from the Father. For what purpose? Once more, let's allow the Bible to give us answers. Acts I:8 perfectly explains this." Ibinaba ko muli ang paningin at hinanap ang bersikulo.
'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.'
I returned my gaze up at him in haste, anticipating his explanation as I finished reading. I may not fully understand yet, pero in my heart I felt a great desire for it. This! This is what I want - to be able to speak His Name even to the ends of the earth.
"You see, brethren, Jesus knew that without the enablement and infilling of the Holy Spirit, the disciples won't be able to do what they need to do to expand God's Kingdom. In a world where Roman rule is still very powerful, and Jewish oppositions for Jesus is rampant, God knew that in order for His people to succeed in spreading the gospel, they need an empowerment from on high,"
