Author: Jojo Agot

Pastor at Victory. Faculty and adviser at Every Nation Leadership Institute (ENLI). MA in Theology and Mission at Every Nation Seminary.

Five Kinds of Books

Paul David Tripp, in his book Dangerous Calling, mentioned at least five kinds of books that we read:

There are explanatory books written to help you understand something that has left many people confused.

There are encouraging books written to speak into the discouragement of life in a fallen world and give you motivating hope and a reason to continue.

There are instructive books that help you know how to do something that you need to do but simply don’t know how.

There are exegetical books that take apart a portion of God’s Word, helping you understand it and to live in light of its truths.

[Then there is the] diagnostic book. It is written to help you take an honest look at yourself in the heart-and-life exposing mirror of the Word of God- to see things that are wrong and need correcting and to help you place yourself once again under the healing and transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Legalism Is Never Pretty

An excerpt from a blog entry I posted in March 2011:

In John 9, a blind guy got healed. He didn’t do anything. He was just there minding his own business when Jesus came along and healed him. He didn’t ask for it. He simply received the grace. Now the entire Pharisaical force was after him, asking pointed questions, casting doubts on his credibility, hurling insults and lambasting his morality. All because he got a miracle.

The ex-blind guy who was supposed to be welcomed to the community with open arms became an outcast (again) overnight. You know who threw him out? The Pharisees who were supposed to validate his healing and declare him clean. They could not believe that God would come to help anyone without going through their neat religious system.

Legalism is never pretty. It slams the door at God’s face and makes people mean. It keeps grace away.

Common Sense and Divine Instruction

1 Now Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has built this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 And Jacob saw from Laban’s face that his attitude toward him was not the same. 3 Then the Lord said to him, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.” (Genesis 31:1-3)

This is a good place in the Bible where you can see common sense, sound advice and divine instruction put together in one critical life decision.

Jacob heard what his brothers-in-law were saying. He also observed that Laban’s attitude toward him changed by the look on his face. Then the Lord spoke to him about moving out and his two wives strongly agreed.

Often, when the Lord reveals His will for us, He orchestrates circumstances and events to prod us along to a certain direction using multiple means of confirmation.

We Feel Small

I just found this exhortation notes tucked away in my WriteRoom iPad App. I shared this word during our worship night here in Victory Caloocan in September 6. The topic was about Joshua’s crossing of the Jordan River.

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you (Joshua 3:5).”

The task ahead was too big for their own strength. Logically, small nations aren’t supposed to conquer bigger nations. Theoretically, Israel was not supposed to survive the desert. Numerically, Israel was supposed to be eaten up alive by the Canaanites.

But God called them to conquer. God ordained that they will become victorious.

You may be facing a similar situation today. You are dwarfed by the bigness of your challenge. Fear not. Continue reading We Feel Small

Becoming a Bookworm

John Piper on the pastor’s reading life:

The Word of God that saves and sanctifies, from generation to generation, is preserved in a Book. And therefore at the heart of every pastor’s work is book-work. Call it reading, meditation, reflection, cogitation, study, exegesis, or whatever you will — a large and central part of our work is to wrestle God’s meaning from a Book, and proclaim it in the power of the Holy Spirit.