Imagine for a moment that we were all waiting for Jesus back in 100BC. We think he will be a ruler, he was wearing Armani suit, drives a Ferrari and has 5 gold rings on his finger, cool shades and a fuzzy hat. Then in 4AD, Jesus came looking like an outcast, wears a jersey and He looks black. He didn’t kick out the Romans – the problem we want to solve, but He intrudes on rearranging the personal life and our temple, things we thought were ok and doesn’t need fixing. That is how Jesus looks like when He comes daily in our life, He feels so outrageous and intruding it is easy to miss Him even if He comes not everyday but every hour! That is my experience. Continue reading →
Everyone talks about it. We have different expectations on how it should be. Sometimes we have disappointments because what we thought it should look like doesn’t feel that way. I feel you.
Coming from a very analytical background really closed my mind. I am also a perfectionist (I learned it is actually pride to never admit mistakes, make it a habit and there you go, perfectionism, even for areas you want to be “normal”) But nothing is too great for God to break through. He gave me friends who were open enough to see the goodness of God in my life and spoke enough to convince me I was prophetic. Continue reading →
After much thought and anticipation, I would like to post a video I made back in 2009. The video might look amateur but its my best effort back then.
One and Only You by Ian Jay Bantilan
10 Years Ago
Imagine yourself 10 years ago. Could you think back on your understanding of love? Ten years ago, I didn’t know a lot about love, but I thought I did. At this time I believed:
Being right was more important than loving other people.
I did not know how to receive love.
Romance was transactional and more about getting.
I have polarized black and white/ good or bad thinking
Caring (in hindsight) looked like for others to see.
But because I was an ok, working in one of the richest cities in the world in an architect job, not only did these not matter. I wasn’t aware I had them. Continue reading →
Imagine yourself as Superman, unstoppable, a son of Jor-el. Your dad, the brightest scientist in Krypton encased you in an alien ship and in part 1 you grew up to be powerful.
Then in part 2, 3 Kryptonians broke free from their prison and come to planet earth. They decide that their goal is to find the most painful ways to torture you and give you a hard time.
For many of us this is a real story except that in real life, the 3 super villains are invisible.
Superman Man of Steel
Enter the Game of Life “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6
I thought this passage was really for slave owners and cruel bosses. It still is but after 200 years of human rights and labor laws, there are very few slaves, count with them child abuse, battered women and abused helpers in the middle east. The abuses today are minute compared to the slaves eaten by lions and burn alive in the old days.
I saw myself with a small pail, the one we typically use in bath here in the Philippines. This morning as I listen to worship, I see so many failings in my life. As I approached the Thrown with my pail, I only desired “a little water, Lord”. As a calmed and waited, the sky ripped open. Floods or rains washed over my world. I never saw so much water in my life.
So I threw my pail as the formerly dry ground around my valley soaked up the rain. As the ground became so wet, spontaneous shouts of joy and celebration fill in with people from all over earth. They were dacing and partying like crazy. Some playing in the presence of the Father. I saw some blacks and caucasians running around. It felt like an infinitely huge swimming pool.
The water speaks of the love of God – mercy goodness and kindness flowing from the heart of God. Head knowledge of God’s goodness never did me good. I never knew that deep in my heart I still believed good is just nice. He can’t be this loving awesome.
Soon the whole wide region flooded with God’s goodness. As I looked farther away, some patches of dry ground remain. And there was this huge dam that stops the flow to many areas. This dam is legalism and religion. It deprives the land and community of God’s love. Jesus said that “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21. Jesus opened the doorway to that dimension. Jesus is our key.
Then as I saw this huge dam, it got filled in and started to overflow. The love of God got through and those who felt far away were touched and transformed by the Love of God.
