She Hath Done What She Could (Part I)

“After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

(Mark 14:1-9)

This sermon tells us to serve God to the fullest... by giving God the first place in your heart, giving God the best that you have and by giving God the strength of your youth.

“She hath done what she could.” The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet was Mary, Lazarus and Martha’s sister.

“Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” (John 12:1-3).

Jesus praised Mary for her unselfish act of worship.The essence of worshipping Christ is to regard Him with utmost love, respect, and devotion and to be willing to sacrifice to Him what is most precious.

I – SHE DID WHAT SHE COULD WITH WHAT SHE HAD - “And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.” (Mark 14:3 )
“Alabaster box” – onyx marble. Popular for making perfume vases and boxes for precious ointments.
“Spikenard” – aromatic ointment. Highly perfumed ointment, prepared from a plant in India. “Very precious” – prized by the ancients – favourite perfume at their baths and banquets.

Application:
1. Is it costing you anything to serve God, or do you serve comfortably from the excess of what you have? Giving to God what cost you nothing does not demonstrate commitment. The word “SACRIFICE” implies giving something that costs the giver in terms of SELF, TIME or TREASURE.
2. Giving is a NATURAL RESPONSE of LOVE, when you love someone, you want to give him your time and attention and to provide for his needs. If you refuse to give, your love may not be as genuine as you say.
- “You cannot LOVE without GIVING – you cannot GIVE without LOVING.”
3. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t.- The attitude with which we give is more important than the amount we give.
4. Giving to the Lord is but transporting our goods to a higher floor.
5. When we give God the leftovers, He is obviously not at the centre of our lives. Give God the honour of having first claim on your money, your time, and your talents.

6. Hymn: “GIVE OF YOUR BEST TO THE MASTER”

I
Give of your best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardour Into the battle for truth.
Jesus has set the example; Dauntless was He, young and brave;
Give Him your loyal devotion, Give Him the best that you have...

Chorus:
Give of your best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armour, Join in the battle for truth.

II
Give of your best to the Master; Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service, Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you shall be given; God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him, Give Him the best that you have...

III
Give of your best to the Master; Naught else is worthy His love;
He gave Himself for your ransom, Gave up His glory above:
Laid down His life without murmur, You from sin’s ruin to save;
Give Him your heart’s adoration, Give Him the best that you have...
“Give of your best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth”

7.When a Christian comes to the end of his life, the regrets that he may have are probably that he has not served Christ better, love him more, spoken of him oftener, and given more of his life to the enhancement of God’s Kingdom.Live today to the fullest. Remember it’s the first day of rest of your life.

8. Give of your best to the Master; Give Him FIRST PLACE in your heart.”To put God first:
a. Recognize what is taking His place in your life.
b. Renounce this “substitute god” as unworthy of such devotion.
c. Ask God for forgiveness.
d. Restructure your priorities so that love for God is the motive for everything you do.
e. Examine yourself daily to be sure you are giving God FIRST PLACE.

9. Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
10. “Give Him your hearts adoration; Give Him the best that you have”. In the Old Testament, animals with defects were not acceptable as sacrifices, because they did not match God’s Holy nature.
When we give our BEST TIME, BEST TALENT and TREASURE to God, rather than what is tarnished or common, we show the true meaning of worship and testify to God’s supreme worth.
God deserved the very best. To give second best to God implies that He is second rate in our lives.

(From Rev. Pastor Teofilito A. Rufon's Sunday Worship messages)

Choir Ministry

"Teach and admonish one another in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs." (Colossians 3:16)

Music is like the Great Mystery in the book of Ephesians that husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church that sometimes we cannot understand the feelings it brought to our hearts and minds. It's so mysterious and hard to explain. It is the missing link that bridges the gap between joy and pain, between sadness and laughter, between war and peace between life and death, between love and hatred, between question and answer. Music soothes the soul of mankind. It is the expression of showing empathy and comfort and peace. It communicates to the very deepest part of human feelings. Someone has said: "a day without music, is like a day without sunshine." It's true. Imagine a world without music. It would be a world without love, a world without color, a world without art and beauty, a world so dry like a desert. But thanks be to God, he made our lives complete through music.

Here in Odiongan Baptist Church, almost all members loved music. Worship and Spiritual music is so dearly loved by all especially those written in the Hymnals. It becomes part of life of every member wherever they are in work, in homes, in travel. Our Choir has been existing all through out by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a spirit-filled ministry of diverse members of young, middle-aged and old alike ready to offer their talents of singing. The common principle lies on the fact that every choir member just simply returns their voice to God who just temporarily lend the voice to them. This is the very reason why our Choir has lasted for so long because God gave to them the best voice God has ever gifted to man. This is perhaps one of the reasons why The Choir Ministry has survived as old as the Church and shall live as old as the universe to come.

So enthusiastic and interesting to note that every one longs to sing whatever kind of piece that our Choir Master taught us. Our ever loved Mrs. Xenia S. Foja has promised to herself to give her full life and support to the Choir Ministry. This is her life...a very loved life. Maybe if you ask her why she doesn't stop teaching songs maybe perhaps it is because God gave her a gift too that she has learned and nurtured in order to share and serve others. Our Church is so thankful for Madam Xen for her untiring service to the Choir.

Most songs prepared by Mam Xen were so inspiring that one's heart will be touched by the message and the melody it brings to every listener. Full of wonderful message of God's grace, love and promise of salvation. In return though thick and thin, the Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses made also their promises to render songs well, that's why the Pastor gave the Choir the title which deserves them most...The Best Choir in the World! Oh songs and pieces were really nice. Choir members doesn't look at the tune but the message it brings. Choir members performs diligently and internalizes every lyrics and message it brings. From Christmas songs to easter songs to thanksgiving songs to elegies (songs for necrological services). With this ministry, we ask God's blessings and guidance to give more strength to every member in order to make our Church Worship Services more alive and meaningful.

The Odiongan Baptist Church Kindergarten Center (OBCKC)

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

(Proverbs 22:6)

Founded in the year 1968, OBCKC is already 43 years old. OBCKC is one of the pioneers and perhaps one of the oldest Private Kindergarten School recognized by the Department of Education in the entire province of Romblon. She has produced many successful leaders locally and abroad.


OBCKC offers Nursery, Kindergarten I and Kindergarten II (Preparatory) with a very cheap tuition and miscellaneous fees.

Our Church prays that God will sustain its enrollment so that many more children will be molded through responsible and God-fearing christian education.

Radio Ministry

“and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all ye nations.”

(Luke 24:46)

The Radio Ministry of Odiongan Baptist Church Inc. started in the year 1998. It has been operating for 13 years. The program dubbed as “Ang Mabuting Balita” (The Good News), tackles the current events that affects every Christian life: politics, education, health, environment, science, law, among others using the Bible as the only hope for mankind’s search for eternal peace and security.

Anchored by Rev. Pastor Teofilito A. Rufon, the program uses the FM Radio Band (GMFM 101.5) based in the Capital Town of Romblon, Romblon reaching its signal to its listeners as far as Tablas, Sibuyan, Panay , Mindoro, Masbate, Marinduque, Corcuera, Banton, Sibale and San Jose Islands.

Many people are blessed by this program and our church prays that more listeners will be touched by this evangelistic radio ministry.

Spiritual Birth Versus Physical Birth (The Prenatal, Natal, and Postnatal Life Of A Christian)

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

(John 3:3-7)

SPIRITUAL BIRTH - is the time when man “received God and became son of God” (John 1:12)and was “born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13). It is the beginning of man’s heavenly life.

PHYSICAL BIRTH – is the time when man was born from woman’s womb as a result of conception and reproduction. It is the beginning of man’s worldly life. It has a fixed age of gestation of 9 months. It has an estimated date of delivery or confinement. (EDD/EDC).

Being “physically born” makes us “physically alive” and places us in our parent’s family while being “spiritually reborn” makes us “spiritually alive” and places us in God’s family. This is the reason why some Christians celebrate two birthdays. The physical birthday and the spiritual birthday.

It is interesting to note about Nicodemus’ ignorance on being “born again” when he asked God “how can a man be born again when he is old?” “Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”It is really impossible. But God’s answer is so simple: “except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5). God simply answered a complicated question. But being born again is not as simple as that. We need to prepare.

I – PRENATAL PERIOD – In the field of obstetrics and gynecology, health workers sees to it that every expectant mother should have a good preparation in order to have a safe delivery of the baby. The aim is zero Maternal and Infant Mortality Rate and prevent premature babies or miscarriage. Prior to birth pregnant women undergoes a physical exam or pre-natal check up.

In the same way that every expectant born again Christian should prepare and undergo spiritual examination before receiving the gift of salvation. There should be repentance followed by regeneration like the transformation from cocoon to butterfly. We should ask ourselves” “are we worthy of receiving the blood of the lamb?” Are there some diseases that should be treated like an expectant high risk pregnant mother who has diabetes or anemia or other abnormal condition during pregnancy? Does she needs iron and vitamin supplement in preparation for loss of blood during delivery?? How much have we prepared prior to birth??? Prior to be being born again. Or we just received Christ because somebody told us that we should receive and accept Jesus. Or no consultation at all! This will result to a stillbirth, premature or even miscarriaged “born again” Christians. Premature babies seldom survived. We can learn the value of preparation from the ant. “The ants are a people not strong yet they prepare their meat in the summer.” (Proverbs 30:25). “Prepare to meet thy God.” (Amos 4:12).

The lesson here is: to reach the full term 9 month pregnancy not just 8 or 7 or 6 months pregnancy. OUR CHURCH NEEDS FULL TERM OR FULLY MATURED CHRISTIANS NOT PRE-TERM OR PREMATURE CHRISTIANS.

Accepting and believing Jesus as a personal God and saviour is a serious matter. We must not deceive God. Otherwise a Christian will be born prematurely. They are termed also as “Spiritual Babies” who remains “Babes In Christ” who are called the “carnal man”. They are knowledgeable in Bible yet they have little or no prayer life. “they walk after the flesh, not after the spirit.” (Romans 8:1). “Be not deceived God is not mocked!.” (Galatians 6:7) Some submitted for baptism for the sake of Church membership, not God’s kingdom membership.

“We must not return to Herod.” (Matthew 2:12). We must not return to old ways. Our heart and eyes must practice“the ways of God”(Proverbs 23:26) prior to being born again. If a person feels he’s not ready to leave sinful and old ways...he must not be born again. He will be categorically termed only as a “professing Christian.”

It is also worthy to note the very much foundation of salvation which is “ for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9) is often abused by Christians. The “grace” which is the redemptive blood of the lamb is turned to “disgrace” by backsliding and returning to old ways.

II- NATAL PERIOD (SPIRITUAL BIRTH DAY).- This is the time when man received God as his personal savior and accepted God’s grace and mercy and gift of eternal salvation. . “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17). “ This is the day that the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in Him. “

This is the happiest and the most meaningful day of our lives. To become sons of God. The day when Jesus washed our sins away. We must not forget this day because this is more important than our Physical BirthDay. The Spiritual birthday is more important because it speaks of eternal security while physical birthday speaks of temporal security. It is the beginning of man’s heavenly life. Spiritual birth happens any time. Born again can also be termed synonymously as “The Father’s Son/Child” “The Called One” “The Justified” “The Sanctified” “Sinner Saved By Grace” “The Regenerated One” “The Convert.”

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19).


III- POSTNATAL PERIOD- This is the time after a man is born again up to the time of his death.

Shortly after delivery of a baby in a mother’s womb, again health workers determine or evaluates whether the baby is healthy or not. They evaluate it through an APGAR SCORE. A stands for appearance, P stands for pulse of the heart, G stands for grimace, A stands for activity, and R for respiration. Each has a numerical value. If the APGAR SCORE is 10, this means the baby is healthy.

In the same way that after being born again, we should also be spiritually alive by being: always visible and APPEARS and not disappear in Worship Services, has a PULSATING HEART of kindness to the poor and the needy, a BEAUTIFUL and HANDSOME FACIAL GRIMACE not just always feeling painful, ACTIVE in church activities, and RESPIRES by breathing and shouting and singing Praise God and Amen! Hallelujah! The Score should be perfect 10. This means our Spiritual Life is healthy. As the score lowers below 10..our spiritual life is not healthy.

A very loud crying baby after being born in a few seconds of life indicates a very healthy baby. An indication that the baby is pink, active, has a good pulse and breathes . Likewise, a very loud, radiant, active, evangelizing, soul winning and shouting and crying out loud Born Again..... is a very healthy Christian. But a silent Christian may be a diseased born again Christian. He might even die like premature babies.

If babies don’t cry immediately after delivery, doctors will spank the feet of a newborn in order to cry and soon baby breathes in air. In the same manner God will also spank us if we don’t follow his commands. “My son despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son whom he delighteth.” (Proverbs 3:11-12).

In Galatians 5:22-26 it says there that “the fruit of spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Great blessings come to those who obey God’s commands, but severe judgement come to those who disobey Him. Along with God’s blessings come the responsibility to live up His demands for honesty and faithfulness. “And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”( Job 1:21).

The Altar, Tent and Well (Part I)

“And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.”

(Genesis 26:24-25)

In this verse you will notice the words: “he builded an ALTAR there,” “pitched his TENT there,” and “servants digged a WELL.” Altar, tent and well form a trinity which ought to be regarded as indivisible.

I – THE ALTAR - In the Old Testament, altars were constructed by the Hebrews for the purpose of offering of sacrifices and the burning of incense.

Under the old system, everything was cleansed by animal sacrifices, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”(Hebrews 9:22).
This has an important lesson for us today. Gifts and sacrifices were offered but these failed to cleanse the hearts of the people who brought them. “Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience.”(Hebrews 9:9).

In the New Testament, the Altar is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Altar looked to the great sacrifice that the Son of God was to make on the cross. For the people of God (believers in Christ), altars were more than places of sacrifice. Altar reminds us of the VERTICAL DIMENSION of our lines. Altar symbolized communion with God and personal encounter with God. “And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.”(Deuteronomy 12:2-3).
We too should be ruthless in finding and removing any “heather altars” we have in our lives. They maybe activities, attitudes, possessions, relationship, places, or habits – anything that reminds us and tempt us to do wrong. When we want God’s help, when we undertake large tasks, we must first check to see that our relationship with God is firmly established.

Hymn: “Is Your All On The Altar”
Is your all on the ALTAR of sacrifice laid?
Your heart does the Spirit control?
You can only be BLEST,
And have PEACE and SWEET REST,
As you yield Him your body and soul.

Altar speaks of SACRIFICE. The word “sacrifice” implies giving something that costs the giver in terms of self, time or talent. Giving God what costs you nothing does not demonstrate commitment.
ALTAR speaks of OBEDIENCE. Obeying God is often a struggle because it may mean giving up something we truly want.

“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Genesis 22:2). Note the words: “Thine only son,”“whom thou lovest,” and “offer him.”

“Surrender” isn’t giving up something you don’t WANT. It is GIVING UP WHAT YOU WANT. Christ is not valued at all unless He is valued ABOVE ALL. In other words: Christ must be No.1.

Number one in our prayers
Number one in reading our Bible.
Number one in witnessing to people.
Number one in our giving.

Difficulties should never be excuses for missing services for God. Rather as difficulties arise, we should make an even greater effort to be faithful in serving the Lord.

The Altar, Tent and Well (Part II)

“And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.”

(Genesis 26:24-25)

II – TENT - A temporary dwelling. Portable shelter. And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.(Genesis 26:25 ).

Note the words: “and pitched his tent there.” Peter reminds the believers that everything in this life – possessions, accomplishments, people – will eventually fade away and disappear. Only God’s will, God’s Word, and God’s Work are permanent. We are all just merely passing temporarily like pilgrims in this world. “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”(1 Peter 1:24-25).
We must stop grasping the temporary, and focus our time, treasure and energy on the permanent – our eternal life in Christ. "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18 ).
The Christian’s permanent home is where Christ lives. “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2-3).
This verse gives us a different perspective on our lives here on earth. To let heaven fill your thought means to look at life from God’s perspective. The more we see the life around us as God sees it, the more we live in harmony with Him. We must not too attached to what is only TEMPORARY.

Illustration: “The Only Importance”
Over the triple doorways of the Cathedral of Milan, there are three inscriptions spanning the splendid arches. Over one is carved a beautiful wreath of roses, and underneath is the legend: “ALL THAT WHICH PLEASES IS BUT FOR A MOMENT”.
Over the other is sculptured a cross, and the words: “ALL THAT WHICH TROUBLES US IS BUT FOR A MOMENT”.
But underneath the great central entrance to the main aisles is the inscription: THAT ONLY IS IMPORTANT WHICH IS ETERNAL.”
The more we see the life around us as God sees it, the more we live in harmony with Him. We must not too attached to what is only TEMPORARY.

III – WELL – a pit or hole dug in the earth down to the water table. The level at which the ground us saturated with water.
Notice the words: “Isaac’s servants digged a well.” (Genesis 26:25).
In Old Testament times, water was as precious as gold. If someone dug a well, he was staking a claim to the land. Some wells had locks to keep thieves from stealing the water.Jacob’s well was probably more than 200 ft. deep (John 4:5-7). Wells were almost always located outside the city along the main road. Twice each day, morning and evening, women came to draw water. People had to walk a mile or more for their water.

“Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:6-14).

Many functions of one’s spiritual life parallel the functions of the physical life. As our bodies hunger and thirst, so do our SOULS. Our souls need spiritual food and water. We should not think of depriving our bodies of food and water when they hunger and thirst. Why then should we deprive our souls? Only Jesus Christ can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls.

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”(Psalm 42:1-2). As the life of a deer depends upon water, our lives depend upon God. As the Song says:

Like a woman at well I was seeking
The things that could not satisfy,
And when I heard the Saviour speaking,
Draw from my well that never shall run dry.

Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord,
Come and quench the thirsting of my soul,
Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more,
Fill my cup, fill it up and make we whole.

Do you need to experience God’s love, peace and forgiveness? Drink from His WELL that never shall run dry. “WELL that never shall run dry” means:

Love that can never be fathomed.
Life that can never die.
Peace that can never be understood.
Rest that can never be disturbed.
Happiness that can never be interrupted.
Strength that can never be enfeebled.
Beauty that can never be marred.
Resources that can never be exhausted.