1. Why we come … ‘Tuesdays’ we come to worship, to listen, group to interact and intercede for our concerns and also enjoy ‘eating fellowship’ at times. This meeting has kept us afloat yet on course for more than a year now. The Yuppies aims and desires to have deep and meaningful encounter with the Lord, because we believe victory in Christian living depends on God’s unhindered access to human heart. ‘God loves to operate freely with His own child’ who is willing to listen and obey. Our Tuesday night meetings are times of refreshing, relaxation and renewal. It fills the empty, awakens the drowsy, lifts the weak, melts the hardened, refines the unrighteous, and ignites the flame in us. Would you like to come too? We’re open …. Tuesdays. THE ARMY OF THE LORD A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The Pastor said to him, “You need to join the Army of the Lord!” My friend replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.” Pastor questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?” He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.” THE ROBBERY A burglar breaks into a house in the richer area of town. He’s sure that there’s nobody home, but he sneaks in, doesn’t turn on any lights and heads for where he thinks the valuables are kept. He hears a voice say, “I can see you! Jesus can see you, too!” He freezes in his tracks! He doesn’t move a muscle! A couple of minutes go by. The voice repeats, “I I can see you! Jesus can see you, too!” He slowly takes out his flashlight, switches it on and looks around the room. He sees a bird cage with a parrot in it. “Did you say that?”, he asks. The parrot says again, “I can see you! Jesus can see you, too!” “Hah, So what? You’re just a parrot!”, says the burglar. “I may be just a parrot,” replies the parrot. “But Jesus is a Doberman!” (The Young Professionals/Adults Journal) MY JESUS THE LIVING WATER I N T H I S I S S U E MAR 2004 The Faith of Abraham 2 The Passion of Christ 4 Puzzles, Facts 5 Prayer/Praises 7 Y-Link/Yupdates Heavenly Humor 8 S T A F F Yuppies4Jesus is a ministry of Kalimbas Evangelical Church, My Jesus the Living Water located at 1585 Aragon St., Sta. Cruz, Manila, telephone number (02) 3145694. Web address: www.yahoogroups.com/yuppies4jesus Editor-in-chief Contributors Lay-out Charm Castro Ptr. Ricky Paner, Elsa Daria Yasmin Matubis collection  Heavenly Humor S hepherd’s C all by Pastor Ricky Paner

2. THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM One of the best examples of faith in the Bible is Abraham. He is not only the father of the Christian faith, but he is also acknowledged as the spiritual father of the Muslims and Jews. Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going.” What are the lessons on faith that we can learn from Abraham? FAITH IS OBEYING EVEN WHEN I DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND. The first thing we notice about Abraham’s dealings with God is that, when God called him, he obeyed. He did not fully understand the situation nor did he ask God for more details. He packed his things, asked his household to do the same and left home in obedience to God’s call. That is one of the characteristics of faith that pleases God. The underlying lesson here is that understanding can wait, obedience cannot. What made Abraham obey? The basis of his obedience was God’s word which was a series of promises given to him (see Genesis 12:1 ff.). Abraham obeyed simply because God said so. Why did God call Abraham? Because he wanted to bless him. Not only this, God also wanted to bless people through Abraham. The point is this: God takes the initiative in blessing us. The questions is: are we ready and willing to be blessed? If we are, then, we must be willing to trust God. And when we are willing to trust God, we must be willing to leave our old life. That is what Abraham did. That is what we are called to do. We will not grow in the faith any further until we are willing to let go and leave our old life. Why did God not reveal every thing to Abraham? Because He wanted Abraham to grow in the faith. In the same manner, God wants us to walk with Him – one step at a time. At times, God reveals to us His will in stages. Why will God tell us what step 2 is if we have not gone through step 1? The problem with many Christians is not knowledge; many Christians are full of than.What we need is courage and the will to obey God. FAITH IS WAITING EVEN IF I DON’T SEE IT. Hebrews 11:9 says, “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.” Notice that Abraham was an alien in the land God has promised to him. What did Abraham have to do? He had to wait. Generally, we do not relish the thought of waiting. And yet, the Bible teaches us that waiting is not really wasted time. God uses time to grow us. And, the truth of the matter is, maturity takes time. What happens during this ‘waiting period’? At times, God allows us to go through testing. This is what we read in Genesis 12:10 – ‘Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.’ Imagine the situation: here is Abraham faithfully obeying God. Then, when he reaches the Promised Land, what does he find? Famine. Hardship. Many of us have experienced similar incidents. We follow God’s word and yet we still face difficulties in life. Why does God allow things like this to happen? He wants to mold our character. Time and testings bring out in the open our character flaws that God wants to remove. I N S P I R A T I O N We give thanks and praise to the Lord for the following: 1.Job placements abroad of Marlon Lagare, Edgar Eran, Henry Flores and Lynjohn Canaya. 2. Invovement of more YAs in EGR as attendees, speakers (Charm, Bong, Ruth) and retreat staff (Liza, Rachel, Ronald, Lalaine,Elsa, Elena, Romy, Danny) 3.Pinky’s migration to US 4.YA Cell Group’s new venue at Joshua Center, Taft Avenue Praises and Prayers Let us agree in prayer for the following requests: 1.Completion of Church Extension project 2.More YAs to join the Encounter God Retreat (EGR). WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY/FELLOWSHIP PRAYER Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Pre- and Post EGR Joshua Center, Taft Ave. every Friday, 7 p.m. Other events/activities will be announced soon and will be posted on the e-group. January 4 - Raymond dela Cruz 8 - Jonathan Gregorio 20 - Fred Ramones 26 - Charlie Paner 27 - Ruth Paner 31 – Jeffrey Yap February 12 – Bon-bon Atanacio 17 - Jerry Francisco 18 - Marlon Meily 29 – Yearly Lejarde March 4 - Eric dela Cruz 31 – Jerry Atanacio Y-Link Yupdates “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4 WEDDING ANNIVERSARY February 3 – RICO & ANGEL MENDOZA February 8 – PTR. JEFF & LOIDA ATANACIO

3. It’s Not a Movie. Last night I sat next to a father of five as we watched “The Passion of Christ”. Before the movie began, he and I talked about our families, work, home, the usual. When the movie was over, I didn’t speak to another person until my wife asked me about the movie at home. The entire theater sat in stunned silence when the movie ended, until the credits were nearly complete. I’ve been going to movies since I was a small boy, but I have never experienced what I felt last night. This was no movie. You are in Gethsemane, struggling with Satan and wrestling with the soldiers. You cringe when the Christ is beaten and bloodied on the way to his Jewish trials. You stand before Annas and Caiaphas and peer into their scheming souls. You join the horrified bystanders as the Romans whip him, beat him nearly unconscious, his entire body shredded and torn! You hate the soldiers who spit into his bloodied face and wedge their thorned crown into his lacerated scalp. You despise Pilate for his cowardice in yielding to the crowd. And yet somehow you feel that you have done the same to Jesus. The way up the Via Dolorosa to Calvary feels like the longest journey of your life. Your shoulders ache with the weight of the cross. You are grateful to Simon of Cyrene as he helps your Savior up from the dirt and shoulders his pain. You grieve with his mother as she watches, helpless, her soul as torn as his beaten face. You cannot bear to watch as they rope his arms to the cross, gouge the spikes into his palms, and drive them through his flesh. And yet you cannot look away. Somehow you feel that you owe him at least this, that you must watch what he did for you. When he pardons the repentant thief to his left, you feel the mercy of God, the weight of your own sins lifted! When he looks up into the sky and gives his spirit to his Father, you know that it is finished. The earthquake which tears the ground and terrifies the people feels like just vengeance upon such horrific, miserable sinners. But you cannot feel justified in condemning them, for you know that you stand among them. His bloodied corpse in his mother’s arms, with the tears of heaven falling upon their faces, is a scene you will remember for the rest of your life. Then you are inside the tomb as the massive stone is shoved aside. You watch with a mixture of shock and joy as the shroud collapses, its enwrapped body gone. When the risen Christ stands, you cannot move. You can only sit motionless. In my entire life I have never felt such electricity. I can see him now, this morning, as I write. If a movie is a film you watch on a screen, this is no movie. You have been to Calvary. You watched as Jesus was tortured and executed, for you. You will never again wonder if God loves you. You know that the Passion of Christ is… Y O U. (written by Dr. James C. Denison, Pastor, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas) BIBLE NUMBERS Since schooldays are about to end and the most dreaded subject of students is MATH, Let’s have some fun with Bible Numbers. 1)_________________ Number of days Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments 2)_________________ Age of Methuselah when he died 3)_________________ Noah’s age when he entered the ark 4)_________________ Number of children attacked by two bears when the children mocked Elisha 5)_________________ Gideon wound up with this number of men in his army 6)_________________ Numbers of window in the ark 7)_________________ Age of Joseph when he was sold by his brothers to the Midianites 8)_________________ This number in scripture often speaks of perfection 9)_________________ Number of people in the ark 10)_________________ Rahab hid this many spies in the city of Jericho The Passion of Christ collection  Puzzles, Facts ANSWERS: 1) 40 2) 969 3) 600 4) 42 5) 300 6) 1 7) 17 8) 7 9) 8 10) 2

4. There is another lesson that God taught Abraham in the latter’s period of waiting. While he failed the test by lying to Pharaoh, God delivered Abraham and Sarah and had them deported back to the Promised Land. Here, Abraham learned that God is not just God in Ur or Haran or Canaan where he came from, He was also God in Egypt. Many times our faith is compartmentalized. We are willing to trust God for our salvation but are not willing to trust God in our business. We trust God with our soul but not with our money. Time and testings will allow us to learn that God is God in all places, times, and circumstances. Why was Abraham willing to wait on God? Hebrews 11:10 says, “He (Abraham) was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Abraham’s faith was not focused on the temporal material things of this world but on the eternal hope that God had promised him. FAITH IS TRUSTING GOD EVEN IF IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE. Hebrews 11:11 says, “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” Notice the words, “even beyond the proper time of life”. This tells us that Sarah’s condition made God’s promise humanly impossible to fulfill. In Genesis 15: 1-2, Abraham proposed to God that his servant, Eliezer, be made his heir in order to fulfill God’s promises. In Genesis 16: 1-3, Sarah also proposed an alternative by telling Abraham to lie with her maid, Hagar, so that God’s promises will be fulfilled through this son of Abraham. But God affirmed His promise by saying that Abraham’s own son through Sarah will be the heir of the promise. There are times when we, too, are tempted to offer God options to fulfill His will in our lives. Faith says that we wait and trust God even in impossible situations. When we wait and follow God, we are expressing our confidence in God that He knows what He is doing. Why did God wait until Abraham was too old before He gave Abraham a son from Sarah who was both barren and passed child-bearing? First of all, God wanted to mold the character of Abraham. Secondly, God wants this to be a testimony throughout all generations – that nothing is impossible with Him. Many of us are in situations that seem impossible to get out of or get through. The life of Abraham teaches us that God is the God of the impossible. And when we put out faith in God, we will experience His great power and grace. The Bible tells us that when Sarah finally gave birth, Abraham named his son, Isaac, which means “laughter”. This tells us that, at the end of our journey, after our times of testing and waiting, God will make us laugh as Sarah and Abraham did. Joy awaits every believer. That is what God promised and, by faith, we look forward to this. Source: CCF Journal Continuation… I N S P I R A T I O N collection  Puzzles, Facts ANIMALS OF THE BIBLE 1.What bird served as food in the wilderness? 2.What animals ate the carcass of Jezebel? 3.What did God provide as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac? 4.What animal panting for water illustrated one man’s desire for God? 5.This animal was a plague God sent upon Egypt. BIBLE TEASERS 1)The most frequently mentioned woman in the Bible is: a) Eve b) Sarah c) The Virgin Mary d) Rachel 2)The most frequently mentioned man, after Jesus Himself, is: a) David b) Abraham c) Moses d) Paul 3) The longest book in the Bible is: a) Jeremiah b) Genesis c) Ezekiel d) Psalms 4) The shortest book in the Bible is: a) 2 nd John b) Obadiah c) Philemon d) Nahum 5) The shortest verse in the Bible is: _______________________________. 6) The shortest prayer in the Bible is: ______________________________. 7)The Old Testament book most often referred to or quoted in the New Testament is: a) Psalms b) Isaiah c) Daniel d) Genesis 8) Which two books in the Bible begin with “In the beginning…”? ____________________ and ____________________ 9) What is the most often used noun in the Bible? a) Lord b) Israel c) water d) wilderness 10) The very last word in the Bible is __________________. ANIMALS OF THE BIBLE ANSWERS: 1) quail 2) dogs 3) ram 4) deer 5) locust BIBLE TEASERS: ANSWERS: 1) a 2) b 3) d 4) a 5) “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) 6) “Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:30) 7) a 8) Genesis and John 9) a 10) Amen (Rev: 22:21)