Talk 5

BO SANCHEZ: Oh, it’s so good, so good to be here. Just want to greet

happy birthday to Mimi. You know, Mimi is one of our leaders in Butuan and she brought with her her whole group. They call themselves the Supper Teytas.(Titas or Aunts).

Do you know why?

You know, I go around various Feasts in the country and in the world. And there will always be this group, and yes, they are aunties. They will never hold the microphone, they will never go onstage, they will never preach— but they will support and love, and pour care and God’s love to the people onstage.

And we have different roles — yes or no?

You have a role in the Kingdom of God.

Past and Future

I want you to know, in my life, I had my own Super Teytas. I did. And I will not be who I am now without those Super Teytas…

You know, I was a nobody. And then Tita Neneng came into my life. Tita Neneng would never hold a microphone, but every single time

I would meet her, she would have a bayong (native basket) of food. And she would feed me and care for me, and love me, and she would be a mother to me.

There’s another Super Teyta

I have: Marissa Chikiamco. You know, both Tita Neneng and Marissa, they’re no longer with us. They are in Heaven.

But I remember when I was 27 years old— this is not part of the talk, I’m just telling a story— Marissa Chikiamco, she knew that I would go to Anawim, our ministry for abandoned elderly, and I would actually live there — I would live there for three years in the boondocks. And I would have a car. But my car — how should

I say it— was a museum artifact. And so, Marissa, without me asking— because I was happy with my relic of the past— she brought 10 of her friends.

And she told all of them, “Bigyan natin ng kotse si Bro. Bo.— Let’s give Bro. Bo a car.”

So, for the first time in my life, I received a brand-new car from my Super Teytas.

You know, when I look back at my life, I realize, my gosh, great things happened in the past.

How many of you today are actually worried over something— because something is happening in your life right now?

Some of you, you are worried about your future. Some of you are worried about a relationship— a relationship is sticking like a thorn in your heart. Some of you, you’re worried about your children. Some of you, you’re worried about —my gosh— money. Yea, everybody.

Spiritual Amnesia

We’re in the series on the Exodus event. This is the fifth installment of our series going through the book of Exodus. The people of Israel became stuck, immobilized.

Worry can do that to you. Fear can do that to you.

When you are facing a new battle, it can make you stuck. Because you are focused on the worry. You are focused on the enemy. You are focused on the battle.

But I have a message for you. God has a message for you today. The one big message for you for this entire talk — for both preachers— is this: Revisit what God has done.

God has done great things in your life.

God has won victories in your life. Once upon a time, you were sick. Look at you now: You are still alive. You are still breathing.

You know what? People think I have no problems. How could that be? I’ve got ministries, I’ve got businesses. Anyone who leads an organization, anyone who is an entrepreneur, will tell you: every day he’s got 26 problems.

But you know what? It’s so easy— the temptation is to focus on those problems. But even if I have 26 problems today, I look back at the past. And this is what I see: thousands upon thousands of times God has been faithful to me.

Focus on what God has already done.

The people of Israel had spiritual amnesia. That’s what happened to them. Can you just imagine? They were slaves. And then what God did was He sent cataclysmic plagues — manifestations of His Presence. A multiplication of frogs. A multiplication of gnats. And then you’ve got the pestilence and on and on— manifestations of God’s power. And then not only that.

I’m going to read to you the passage in Exodus 13: 21:

So, every single day, God was with the people of Israel— either as a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire. But even if God was always with them every day, guess what: When the fear comes, when the worry comes, when the new battle comes, you forget that. You take God for granted. Doesn’t that happen? When somebody is always there, you take that person for granted? And you forget— husbands and wives, that person you married—that person is there. And sometimes, you forget how precious and wonderful that person is. Because he’s always there.

Revisit what God has done.

This is the message that God is speaking to you. There are three sub-messages.

I’m going to be preaching on one, and Didoy will share the other two.

Here’s the first message of this talk: The only way to grow in trust is through testing.

When I hear the word test, I think of the Trigonometry test of Miss Carvajal.

I dreaded Miss Carvajal. Because she does not like me— or so I thought. Because the tests were so hard— and I had to pass those tests if I wanted to graduate.

My dear friends, a lot of people think that when you say, “God tests us,” we think God is testing us to see who will go to Heaven or who will be chicharron bulaklak (deep-fried, hot, as in Hell) for the rest of our future eternal life.

That’s what we think God’s tests are.

No. No, it’s not. If you look at the Bible, you’ll see, God rescues the people of Israel without a test.

He does not say, “O sige, ite-test kita, ha. — Okay, I will test you. Then, all those who will pass the test I will rescue from slavery.”

No. You read the book of Exodus, and you find out: God rescues them— and then He tests them.

The tests happen after the rescue— not before.

The Purpose of Tests

So, the purpose of the test is not to find out whether you’ll go to Heaven or Hell. Whether you’re deserving

of His salvation or grace. No. The tests were there after the rescue because

He wanted to train you— to train you to trust Him.

Tests are opportunities to trust in God. Remember, the goal of God — as we read in the book of Genesis— is that He wants to partner with you. And partnership is based on trust.

Without trust, there is no relationship.

And so, what God is doing is He allows the testing so that you will build your trust in Him.

That’s what was happening in the Exodus event. In the book of Exodus, there are two kinds of tests that people were going to go through in the journey.

No.1: Lots of enemies in the wilderness.

And No.2: A lack of resources— lack of food, lack of water.

I want you to know that, in your life, you also have these two sources of tests:

No.1: The evil actions of people: Your husband becomes unfaithful.

Your business partner cheats on you. Corrupt politicians condemn the country to poverty. So, when evil actions of people hurt you or harm you, it is a test.

And God is allowing it, and God is asking you: “Will you trust me?”

How many of you have ever suffered at the hands of evil actions from people who forgot that they were good? Have you ever been hurt, have you ever been harmed by the evil actions of people?

Here’s the question: Can you trust in God? That God will right the wrong. Can you trust in God? That He will sustain you and that He will protect you, and that there will be a Resurrection. That God will vindicate you. That God will be in your life. And He will heal that hurt. He will heal that broken heart.

Test of the Wilderness

No. 2: The second kind of test comes from the lack of resources in the wilderness. The brokenness of the world: when you get the Coronavirus Disease (COVID); when your wife dies of cancer; when a town is decimated because of a super typhoon.

We live in a broken world and this is part of the tests of the wilderness. But when these tests come, the question God is asking you, the invitation that God is asking you: “Will you trust me more? Will you trust me more— that even in the face of these trials, good will come out of these trials?

Will you trust me?

“Revisit. Revisit what I have already done.”

I’m an entrepreneur and I am also a Ministry leader. And for the past decades, I would hire a lot of people— not anymore, now I don’t do that anymore, other people do that for me. But I remember decades ago, I would hire people, and if there’s one thing I look for in a job applicant, it’s track record. You look at whether this person is faithful, whether this person is good—you know. And then you hire the person. You’re a single woman. You’ve got a new suitor. What should you look for? Track record. Yes, or no? Does the person love his mom?

Does this guy respect his own sisters and love them? You look for track record.

I study the stock market. I teach that in the Truly Rich Club. When I select a stock, guess what? There is charting. You look for the track record of the company. Because then you say, “Ah…”

Now, here’s where the analogy breaks down. People with perfect track records can still fail. I want you to know that God has a track record— and He will never fail. God is a God who has been faithful to you. He had been faithful to you in the past, and God will be faithful to you in the future.

I need to end here and Didoy has to give you the message.

May I say this? Once upon a time, Didoy was a med student. He was not a Feast builder—but he has a track record. We saw him when he was young, he was serving God with faithfulness. Whatever assignment we gave that young kid, he did it. As a leader, I would forget about whatever assignment I gave him because I knew that he would do it with flying colors. He had a track record.

Today, he is a Feast Builder. He’s an executive of a company. He’s an amazing doctor. That’s all. Go….

Powerful. Testing leads to trusting God. That’s so good.

Message No.2: Life’s delays could be God’s protection.

Trust. Partnership doesn’t come automatically. It’s not automatic. Someone becomes your suitor, and you say,“Yes,” right away.

No.

When you’re dealing with business, you practice due diligence, right?

Trust in a relationship. Trust deepens as we discover the other person whom

we are dealing with. We are checking the credentials, the track record.

Are they worthy of trust?

In the Exodus event, we see that God, again, did not expect the Israelites to trust Him fully, right away. So, in His goodness and in His greatness, He dealt with the Israelites according to the level of their faith.

Delays Are Not Denials

So, here it is. Let me continue the story in Exodus 13: 17-18: 

Do your plans get delayed? Do you envy friends, families who sometimes get a little bit faster in their progress than you? You see your friends getting married— and you still don’t have a date. You see your friends who already have children— you’ve been trying for many years together. That’s hard. That’s difficult. You feel that you are in a roundabout way. Sometimes, we feel it’s tough, right?

Let me say it again: God’s delays are not denials. They are directions. God’s protection is coming to you. And, you know, in the goodness and the greatness, in the big thinking and love of God, He knows what’s best for you.

Maybe, He knows if there’s a quick route for your success, happiness, for quick fixes, you will eventually meet problems that maybe are too big for you— too much for you to handle. The giant obstacles that may come your way will crush your spirit. They will break your body. We are only limited beings— 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We cannot be bilocating in different areas, places. God is taking us on the longer route. Because He wants us to mature. There is a bit of processing and strengthening so that you will be ready for bigger challenges that are yet to come.

The Great Way

The theme of our Feast Conference is Greater Than… Greater things to come.

If you’re setting up for greater things, learn to be patient with God’s timing.

Because His ways are better, bigger than our ways.

And that what was I realized: God is patient. He won’t stop dealing with us until we realize that He is worthy of our trust. The testing makes us trust Him more.

And I remember— talking about success— this year has been humdrum, steady for our company. Remember, the context was there was COVID, healthcare people, healthcare businesses thrived. We were even put on a pedestal — everybody adored doctors, nurses — all the frontliners. And, we reached a certain point of success.

But this year, ayos lang— just okay. We were expecting more, many things. As for me, God was talking to me: We are in the fourth quarter of our business year, and we’re like, getting not according to what we expected. And I really want to tell you, business or corporate people here, that is very humbling. And God spoke to me this Gospel for today: Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.

Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

And as I worshipped God today, I said, thank You for being patient with me.

Thank You that there are roundabout days, and weeks, and even months and years. Because God is humbling me.

And in humbling moments, that’s when we learn humility. And that is more important — what is inside. Your character is much more important.

Who we are becoming as a person, as a family, as a community, is much more important to God. More than any external achievement out there. Amen.

God’s delays are not denials. God’s delays are for our protection.

Trust Him also in the delays.

Message No. 3: To grow in trust, revisit what God has done.

The Israelites, upon arriving at the Red Sea, they saw Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit of them.

And yes, there was a pillar of fire. And there was the Red Sea in between.

Despite letting them go after the 10th plague, the Pharaoh changed his mind and said, “I’m going to get them again.”

Pharaoh didn’t want to be defeated by God. And so, when the Israelites saw the Egyptians pursuing them, they were terrified. Let’s read about their panic:

This is shocking behavior. How could people of God grumble to Him— despite God saving them, showing them great miracles— so many changes for their freedom— and yet they forget. They immediately forget. The Israelites, the people of God, are clearly failing their tests.

And again, we can look at the Israelites and learn from them. And reflect: How much God has done for us? And yet when gratitude stops, grumbling starts.

Remembering What God Has Done

Let’s remember how much God

has done for us. Many, many blessings coming to us. Out of a hundred blessings, when there’s one problem, we focus too much on the problem, and we think: God is so hard on us, making our life difficult because of this one problem— compared to the 99 blessings we are receiving.

Even as we receive blessings that we do not deserve. That’s our problem— it is not just the Israelites’ problem that they are grumbling even after God saved them. God is testing them.

And here is one thing that we recommend to you — one thing that we always do at The Feast. And I am encouraging us all to do differently.

This is the context of why we do this: Worship is our remembering. When we worship, that is our remembrance of what happened in the past and what is still happening even now.

The Israelites, through God’s power, were able to cross the Red Sea —

the Biblical scholars call it the Sea of Reeds. The Israelites walked from a watery death through the Red Sea, supposed to be. But it parted and gave them New Life. And what was the first thing they did when they got to the other side?

Again, the context was they were freed from Egypt, and then Pharaoh went after them, they got so terrified, they grumbled against God, but God protected them through the pillar of fire, and yet, roundabout way, and there’s the Red Sea. They were afraid that they were going to die. But the Red Sea parted, opened up …

Hey, that’s a hyperlink to Genesis — during the Great Flood, when the waters receded, and land came up, and a New Life was brought up…Wow.

Everything is hyper-connected— especially in the Bible.

And so, the Red Sea parted. Can you imagine how many— thousands— crossed the sea? And when they arrived at the other side, and Pharaoh was not in pursuit anymore, they’re saved., they’re happy. You know what they did?

They worshipped God.

What We Can Do

This is what we can do.

What we do weekly. What we do daily. What we do when we are feeling well or unwell. We worship God.

By the way, this is the first Worship song found in the Bible— a very, very old text. You know, at the end of this Worship song, it talks about the time of the Garden of Eden, remembering the mountain of the Lord—which is the Promised Land. The verses say further:

And again, this song is significant because this is the first Worship song in the Bible. It is called the Song of the Sea. It is a poetic re-telling of God delivering Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea. And guys, this is the reason we sing Worship songs. Because when we sing Worship songs, we’re not just singing about the story of God’s people of Israel. When we sing songs, we re-enter that story— we are in that story too. That as God has saved the people of God, the Israelites, we are also these people. We are still, continuously, being blessed and saved. We relive God’s work. We revisit God’s miracles. We sing so that we never forget about His love for us. This is the reason we also sing as a Community.

That’s why we sing Worship songs together— because we all share God’s story.

We Are Still Singing

So, later, we are going to sing Worship songs. Imagine that we are one thousand years ago— with the Israelites. They were singing about how God saved them. And imagine, the tradition has continued for years upon years.

Yes, hundreds of years after, the people of God are still singing.

Let’s keep on singing. Let’s keep on worshipping. We are part of God’s Family.

But let me also say, we can also worship in silence— in your heart, one-on-one with the Lord, or as a couple, every night before you go to sleep. Turn off everything, turn on your gratitude, and just think about five things, three things of what God has done for you— the good, the great, the small, and the big things.

Let’s have that attitude of gratitude and revisit what God has done for us.

A grateful heart is a happy and healthy heart, my friends. Amen.

Let me end by saying this: Let’s listen to what Moses said to the Israelites.

This is God’s Word also for you today: Exodus says, “Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.”

Instead of rescue, other versions of the Bible used the word salvation.

And my friends, listen to this: This is the first time in the Hebrew Bible that the word salvation appears — and the Hebrew word for salvation is Yeshua— which appears later as the Name of Jesus.

We Sing About the Truth

This is why we can trust Jesus today. Because when there was nothing else left for us, but death, worry, anxiety, hurting, Jesus came to this world, to our world, became human— to be the best that we could not be. And we have failed to become. Jesus died on our behalf and rose again so that He may provide us a way, and usher us across the Red Sea, across the turbulent, chaotic waters. He parted it so that there is New Life. Across our muddy hearts, or sinful life, He is right there — faithful, loving, and true.

That is why we sing our songs because we remember that truth. There is no other appropriate response, my friends. Because of who He is, and what He has done. We worship God when we’re facing what looks like death. We sing when He rescues us. We sing even more when we experience miracles. We worship some more. And because He is proven worthy of our trust. And we worship the God who parted the Red Sea.

And I think about Jesus— He calmed the storm. He walked on the water. As a doctor, I know the human body is 60% water.

God can command, and heal, and provide, and deliver.

What is our response? We worship. There is no other way. There is nothing else we ought to do. But to sing about His love— sing about His greatness.

And let us not just focus on our one problem. We focus on those 99 blessings that God has done for us — and thousands more that are yet to come.

Yes! to The Truth

So, let’s come into worship— right here, right now.

I want you to imagine when the Israelites, after the hot pursuit of the Pharaoh, they were so afraid. But God parted the Red Sea, and they moved across the sea. They were saying goodbye to their oppressors. They were saying goodbye to their slavery. And they’re saying Yes! to that New Life that is ahead of them.

And that is, my friend, your truth today. We worship just like they worshipped. Because New Life is here with us again. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lift your voice, lift your hands. Sing, sing, and sing.