God uses us just as we are

I have learned this week about the different contributions of different people who are John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the great, Augustine Redivirus, and Francis of Assisi. Two of them have become my favorites. One is John Chrysostom who was considered to be "Golden-mouthed" because of his excellent preaching skills. He became a doctor of the church and became a pope in 500 A.D. Another is St. Augustine. He was a pope in Hippo. He pursued worldly success and was attracted to several non-Christian movements. He was converted because of Ambrose's preaching. He believed that humans are biased to sinning and that people can not be saved unless helped by the grace of God. He believed that God chooses certain individuals to receive His grace.



I have learned from John Chrysostom to be passionate on what God has gifted me personally. I could imagine how John Chrysostom developed his speaking skills. He learned and studied more of it and so the result was that he became an excellent preacher of God's Word. It is really necessary for me personally to find my niche or my passion in the area of any ministry that God would entrust to me for me to become an effective minister just like John Chrysostom had become.  I believe that what I am going through in life today are part of the training that God wants me to experience for me to soon become the person He wants me to be. I have learned form St. Augustine about being righteous before God through His sustaining grace. Without any judgment of St. Augustine's life, I believe that what he had written about God's grace and its all-sufficiency, had come upon him by real life experience. I think positively about St. Augustine experiencing it himself and so urged every human to admit the sin being committed and to trust God's grace through faith in Christ for salvation. Because of this teaching, I am more thankful of God's sustaining grace.



 In the ministry I find it easily to mingle or to minister to adults than to little children. So, I believe that my strength in the ministry is in teaching the adults. I am developing it through preaching and leading Bible studies to adults. I praise the Lord because I have been practicing a new way of communing with God every time and it is through sending Him breath-prayers. I include thanksgiving, asking for guidance, protection especially when I travel or am facing a test, exam, or leadership opportunities. I find it very helpful and beneficial to always thank God of His goodness and grace in my life. I notice that every time I communicate with God, I feel much in need of His guidance and presence in my life.

God weaves us for the work He has prepared for us

I became interested with St. Ambrose's life and contribution to Church History. He was born in a religious family. Since Childhood, he had been suspected to have a good communication skill. As the years went by, he studied literature, law, and rhetoric and developed his skill as a good communicator. Truly, he was used by God to be a good and effective preacher. He even became the instrument of God for St. Augustine to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. In 374 A.D., he finally became the Bishop of Milan. All through the years as a bishop, he accomplished and became successful in the area of song composition, introducing new hymns. Two of his compositions were, "Framer of Earth and Sky," and " Maker of All Things, God Most High." He also promoted "Antiphonal Chant." These were some of his enormous accomplishments and contributions in Church History.



I have learned from the life of Ambrose that "man must not use God instead let man be used by God." He never used God to be successful in life. Although at first, he became reluctant about accepting the role of being the bishop of Milan, but soon submitted to God's plan for his life. He let God control his destiny. He also used what God had gifted him to accomplish great things for God's glory. He used his ability in speech to bless other people in order for them to praise and look up to God. That is what ministers and God's children should aim at in life. As of now, I also am thinking of this for me not just to work in the ministry for the sake of doing my obligation but to work in the ministry because God works in and through my life. Ambrose used the timeline of his life wisely. He lived doing something for God and indeed he has left a legacy that I and other Christians should also follow. In order to become the person God wants Ambrose to  be, he allowed people around him to influence him and contribute in his accomplishments in life. Ambrose became teachable.



Though I am uncertain of my future, coming to BTC (Baptist Theological College), I would say, is one of the steps of becoming the person that God wants me to be. Everything I have must be offered to God and used  by God alone. I also have to learn from other Christians around me because I believe that God wants me to learn something from them and regardless of diversity, I know God wants me to grow in my character through their lives developing love, understanding, and a teachable heart inside of me with the help of the Holy Spirit.