The MalaBLOG » Christian

“Hexegesis”

Nollie — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:41:00 +0000

The other day, I took the commuter train to go to Greenbelt Malls to meet some friends. Unlike the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) broadcasts commercials, public service announcements, and other things, so commuters will not get bored (here, peace and quiet = boring). I happened to listen to a shocking tidbit that proudly said, “Do you know that the Philippines is in the Bible?” Then it quoted Isaiah 24:15:

Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; in the coastlands (islands, NIV) of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

How does the Philippines figure in this verse? Well, it said the verse refers to islands in the east giving glory to God, and which country, made up of many islands, is the only Christian country in Asia? What Biblical wisdom! Yes, the only country in Asia which boasts 90 percent of its population as “Christian,” but which is reputed to be one of the most corrupt in Asia, and in the world, in fact. (The airwaves are bombarded with an almost daily barrage of bribery, embezzlement, murders and other scandals involving extremely high government officials, but no one that I know of has ever been charged and jailed.)

In context, Isaiah 24 is an apocalyptic telling us how God would destroy all his wicked enemies in the end, then replace them with his people â€“ Jews and Gentiles â€“ from all the nations in joyful worship. We read this prophecy in many other places in the Bible, among them:

that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other (Isa 45:6).

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations (Mal 1:11).

Thus, when the Bible talks about “coastlands” or “islands,” it’s talking about Gentile places distant from the land of Israel, not about the Philippines or Tahiti.

Or Hawaii, as some people at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church think. A few years ago, I stumbled upon its “Hula Ministry.” which has for its basis Isaiah 42:12,

Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare his praise in the coastlands (islands, NIV).

Apparently, Isaiah had a vision of dancers in grass skirts in some distant tropical paradise, 2,700 years into the future.

This reminds me as well of a little book in praise of Filipinos’ spirituality that an American missionary showed me about ten years ago. His “hexegesis” went like this: the etymology of the word “Pilipino” is from a combination of two Tagalog words. “Pili” means “to choose,” so Filipinos are God’s chosen people! And “pino” means “fine,” so Filipinos are “fine” people! Flattery or joke, it’s amusing.

So much for “only in the Philippines.” Filipinos don’t have a monopoly of “hexegesis.” Americans also do it with gusto!

Biblical Hebrew Class at Mars Hill

Nollie — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:24:12 +0000

Mars Hill Study Center is offering a class in Biblical Hebrew. Details are as follows:

Start: August 22, 2008
Days and times: Fridays, 10 am-11:30 am
Fees: Free tuition; approximately 10 pesos for class materials.
Who may attend: Pastors, church workers, college students of all levels of Hebrew language knowledge
Lecturer: Mr. Michael Millier, Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries, Manila, Philippines

Mars Hill Study Center Update

Nollie — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:01:14 +0000

Mars Hill Study Center will be opened to the public on Thursday, July 31 at 10 am. It will be a low-profile affair. No hoopla, press release or parade. Just a sign in front of the building saying we’re open for “business.” We’ll rely on word-of-mouth, flyers in churches around the area, and prayers.

Click on the pictures for larger images.

[Show as slideshow]

As you can see, there’s still a bunch of needs, including:

Printed resources: Books, journals, magazines, periodicals
Multimedia equipment: TV, DVD player, LCD projector, and multimedia resources
Computer equipment: Two PCs, laser printer/copier, DSL router
Furniture: Two computer tables, bookcase, office table, chairs, whiteboard
Appliances: coffee maker, microwave oven, split-type air-conditioner

Although it’s not fully ready yet, what we have right now is a good start. This is already quite a bit of resources that will help local pastors. And we’re very grateful to one of our United Reformed Churches for donating about a hundred books, which include many Bible commentaries and exegetical resources, and which we hope will arrive from the States in about a month.

Please spread the word to your friends who live in the area. College age and beyond are all welcome!

Mars Hill Study Center

Nollie — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:28:51 +0000

Lord willing, Mars Hill Study Center will open its doors to the public on July 31, 2008. Since our target communities are in Pasig, Mandaluyong, Cainta, Taytay, and Antipolo, it will be centrally located in Ortigas Avenue Extension in the heart of Pasig. In reasonable traffic, it is only 20 minutes from downtown Antipolo and 15 minutes from Ortigas Center. Our address is: RCJ Building Room 305, Ortigas Ave. Ext. corner Countryside Ave., Pasig City, Metro Manila. See location map on the left. UPDATE: OPENING DAY IS JULY 31, 2008.

Our Name
Upon his arrival in Athens (Acts 17:16-34) on his second missionary journey, one of Paul’s first destinations was the Areopagus, the “Hill of Ares,” the Greek god of war, known by Romans as Mars. Proud of their great artists, writers and thinkers, Athens was also the cradle of democracy and the center of learning. It was in the Areopagus where the best philosophers of the civilized world – Stoics and Epicureans – discussed their “latest and greatest” ideas.

Sensing that Paul was bringing some new “philosophy” and “a preacher of foreign divinities,” the Athenians asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” And day by day, as in the synagogue and in the marketplace, Paul reasoned with them, using their own poets and philosophers to preach the gospel of the risen Christ against their many idols.

Our Purpose
Mars Hill Study Center is a Christian study and teaching center seeking to glorify God through pastoral education and training. Its primary task is to provide free resources to pastors in nearby communities, including:

Printed and electronic media such as books, commentaries, journals, magazines and periodicals;
Audiovisual electronic media such as DVDs, CDs, and tapes;
Seminars and workshops on various topics necessary to be effective in church ministry; and
Internet resources.

These resources will cover biblical, theological, and ministerial disciplines to help pastors to develop intellectually and spiritually as leaders. While the focus of the study center is to to educate and prepare men for office-bearing ordained ministries of instruction and leadership as pastors, it will also make its resources available for other men and women who desire to serve the church so that the whole body of Christ may be enriched through the diverse gifts bestowed by Godâ€™s Spirit.

The mission of Mars Hill Study Center is to assist churches in preparing and training their pastors for leadership and ministry by providing substantive resources and curriculum. It seeks to develop in its students a balanced combination of knowledge (scholarship) and zeal (Christ-like piety) by expanding their Biblical knowledge, stimulate analytical and critical thinking, and challenge them to cultivate godly and righteous lives in order to present a credible testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You are warmly invited to visit Mars Hill Study Center: to glorify Christ, to teach his Gospel, to serve his Church. Tell your friends! Download an announcement or a needs flyer.

“Rickshaw Gospel”

Nollie — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:24:18 +0000

In the Philippines, they’re called tricycle drivers, ubiquitous by the hundreds in many places, notorious for their peculiar driving habits, their loud air-polluting machines, and for causing chaotic traffic conditions.

But for Pastor Expedito P. Macarine, a tricycle or “rickshaw,” a motorcycle with a sidecar for passengers, means survival of his family and of his church. Christianity Today has a short feature on this man of God serving His people in an unimaginably impoverished garbage dump area. See also the accompanying photo essay.