Today is Resurrection Sunday! Every Christian celebrates the victory of our Savior and King Jesus who conquered Sin, Death and its power over us! It's amazing how we can be part of the advancement of His Kingdom and His Unstoppable Movement in our generation all because Jesus started a good work in each of us who now lives in Him!
Last Tuesday, Every Nation Ministries celebrated the 7th commencement of its School of Campus Ministries. Twenty-three promising individuals from all over our nation are now geared up to reach the next generation with the message of new life in Christ! These young men and women are passionate in preparing students for a life that would honor God and make a lasting impact in their cities and campuses.
I personally like how their batch response was made and delivered. (You can read Liane Silla's speech, their batch's best communicator and excellence awardee below) And as I was listening I realized 3 basic truths we must hold on if we are to be catalysts for transformation in our generation:
1. Christ is the Ultimate Catalyst!-the hope for World Change stems back from who Jesus is and what He has done for us on the cross! It's all about Him, it has always been about Him. and it should always be about him! Every story that does not revolve around the glory of the Jesus' victory on the cross is not worth sharing.
2. We're Called to Make A Difference!-the radical grace that we have received will continue to change us and will cause us to spark transformations in wherever we set our foot on. Indeed as “salt and light” we preserve a decaying culture and lead people to the only Truth, the only Way, and the only source of Life.
3. God Will Definitely Change the World!-this is the hope that all of Christ's followers should look forward to! Christ Jesus will literally come for the second time around to make all things new! We are not to be concerned of the time and date of His return, but it has always been imminent. What we need to be concerned of is what Christ has commissioned us to do which is to faithfully live lives that honor Him and make disciples!
THE CATALYST
Batch Response by Liane Silla
“Good evening. Indeed time flies by so quickly. After eleven jam-packed weeks of fruitful learning moments, fun, crazy adventures and gimiks, nerve-racking classroom discourse and debates, surprise quizzes, as well as a lot of character-building and faith-stretching experiences, not to mention the countless sleepless nights partnered with a very comprehensive list of group projects, assignments and reading requirements, I count it a privilege to stand before you today, proud to present the 23 graduates of the 7th batch of the School of Campus Ministry, The Catalyst.
Well, I could talk to you about all the experiences we’ve gone through as a batch – all the deadly assignments, our even deadlier events concept paper presentations, and the many times when we felt like Jesus in Gethsemane falling with our faces to the ground and praying, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” J But tonight, allow me to talk to you about something else. Allow me to talk to you about our greatest take home as a batch and as individuals from the school. I remember Ptr. Joe and Maya asking me why our batch name wasn’t in plural form. Why just The Catalyst when there were 23 of us? Well, a catalyst is something or someone that causes an important event to happen. And for us, someone did.
Jesus is our Catalyst. Just as a catalyst combines two things that are originally impossible to combine, Jesus did so too. He was the only one capable of reconciling God’s justice for our sins and God’s love for us. He was the one who served as the bridge in order for us to be reconciled with God, something that we can never do on our own. Once we were far away, but because of Jesus we have now been brought near to God and now we can even enjoy a relationship with His Father. Jesus is our Change agent. Not only has he saved us; he has also changed us to live a new life. He brought the greatest transformation in our lives; He gave us a new heart. Imagine, insecure people finding their identity and value in Christ; the proud realizing that it’s never about them but about Christ; people who once questioned their capabilities now drawing their strength from Christ; people from backgrounds of abuse finding healing and restoration in Christ. That’s not just random examples of life stories, the people you see here in front? Those are our life stories. And it is Jesus who made all that possible.
Where else can you find a love like that? Where else can you find a love that lays down one’s life for someone who returns nothing but hate? A sinful man encountering the love of Jesus. This is the story for all of us who are in Christ. And if you are not yet in Christ, this too can be your story. Your story doesn’t have to end with an ugly past. God desires for you to encounter him in a way that will change you forever.
But it doesn’t stop there. The transformation that God did in us through His son, Jesus, He now commissions us to share to others. Now I understand why God allowed the 23 of us to go through the things
that we did in life. In order that we too can become catalysts of His love to other people. Those who were fatherless, he calls to minister to the fatherless. Those who experienced abuse, he now calls to comfort those who went through the same. Those who were insecure, he sends out to speak of identity and value. Those who were unloved, he uses as a mouthpiece of his unconditional love.
The Bible says in 1 Cor. 1:26-29 “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no-one may boast before him.”
We are not wise, nor are we influential or of noble birth. And yet, God loved us anyway. You know why? Because God is never limited by the things we see in the physical. He knows there is no way we could change with our own strength. Left to our own we are n
othing but with Jesus as our catalyst, we can be strong. With Jesus as our catalyst, we are unstoppable.
Let me end by expressing our deepest gratitude to some of the people who God has used to be catalysts in our lives:
To the Apostolic Team – Thank you for putting such a high premium on young people. Thank you for your life that testifies extreme passion and love for God and the next generation. Thank you for embodying what we value most as a church – your life of faith and total surrender to God speaks much louder than words could ever speak.
To our dear families and loved ones – Thank you for the unconditional love and support you have continuously given us along the way. Thank you for understanding the call that God has place in our lives and for always wanting the best in us. From all of us, we love you. In front of all of you I would also like to honor my bestfriend, my #1 fan, the greatest man in my life, Papa. Thank you papa for being the best father that you are and have always been. I love you, mama, kuya Tristan, Tita LC, and JR. J
To all our teachers and mentors – thank you for the opportunity of learning from you. Thank you for imparting your life to us and for always reminding us of the most important thing – loving God and loving His people. We shared so many precious hours listening to you, exchanging and sharing with one another our experiences and insights which will surely go beyond the four corners of our classroom. Because of you, the cute little colored plastic balls we used to love and play with as kids have now become quite a scare for us. Every time you’d draw a ball to call someone for recitation, all the class pray with fear and trembling that our name wouldn’t be called. Babes, thank you for discipling and mentoring me especially for those times when you did not give up on me kahit sobrang sakit ko na sa ulo J When you graduated from the School of World Missions not too long ago, I remember telling myself I’d also be going up this stage like you did. Your labor and tears were not in vain. J Thank you for being my discipler, my mentor, my confidant, and my friend.
To Perci, Maya, Ptr. Joe and Ptr. Cj – Thank you for looking beyond our weaknesses and recognizing our potentials. Thank you for raising the bar of excellence and for challenging us to improve more, to walk the extra mile, and to take that extra step. Sabi nga ni Eca, you bring out the best in us J and to the LifeBox National Office, thank you for making the school an unforgettable experience for all of us.
To Kuya Neil, ang pinakagwapo daw naming tech guy sabi niya – Thank you po for helping us accomplish our EPIC presentations complete with all the lights and sound effects and perfected with your on-time powerpoint transitions. Ang galing niyo! J
To Jae, our library model sabi din niya – Thank you (and sorry) for bearing with us every time we’d stress you out for printing/photo copying/ring binding/book borrowing. You are an angel sent down from heaven to rescue us in times of destruction, I mean, submission of assignment. J
To Ms. Hazel of the MPD Department – Thank you for processing our monthly remittances, indeed you are our piece of heaven here on earth. Enough said. J
To all our Pastors, Campus Directors, leaders and churchmates – Thank you for believing in us and for sending us to the school. Thank you for your love for the next generation. We are all excited to go back and serve the Lord with you. Pastor Jon, Ate Trish, Pastor Jerry and to the rest of my Victory LB family, thank you very much. For everything. You guys are the best, most hardworking and craziest bunch of people I’ve ever worked with! Thank you for being my second family and my friends.
To our ministry partners – Thank you for your rich generosity, unwavering support, and faithful commitment to pray as we continue to reach the next generation for Jesus. We count it a privilege to partner with you in advancing God’s kingdom in the campuses. And just as you have sowed much, we pray that you would continue to experience God’s overflow and abundant provision in every area of your life.
To the students – Know that God has a great destiny for each one of you, a destiny far bigger and greater than what you have ever thought of or imagined and there is no greater joy than to see you become the best person God has intended you to be. Don’t ever look down on yourself just because you are young; God has given you the highest value and He desires to use your life as a platform to display His power and greatness for all men to see. Don’t ever look down on yourself because with Christ living inside of you, you are worth a hundred people, maybe a thousand. You are worth your whole campus, think of your whole family. With Christ’s power at work in your lives, you can change your generation. Fight for your relationship with Christ! Fight for your destiny in Christ! Never let anyone or anything stop you from pursuing the call of God in your life! OKAY?! J
To my batchmates – Thank you for sharing your life with me and the rest of the class. I have learned so much from each one of you. I know it is no coincidence that God has brought us together and I look forward to a lifetime of friendship and good memories to share with you all.
Above all, we give our utmost gratitude to you, Jesus. Thank you for your unconditional love and overflowing grace in our lives. Thank you for being the catalyst in our lives and for calling us to be a part of the great work you are doing in the lives of the next generation, we count it an honor to be used by you as catalysts of change in the campus. We give you all the glory and honor and praise that is due you. We love you.
Again, in behalf of the graduates, from the bottom of our hearts: Maraming maraming salamat po.”
Indeed, Christ is The Ultimate Catalyst, We are Called to Advance His Cause, and He will definitely make all things new!