The Chronicles of Northside

Meet Pastor Cedar Bibiolata and his wife, Sherryl Joy. Lord willing, they arrive this evening, 3/4/16, from the Philippines!  We are so grateful for our Filipino brethren who were willing to lend them to us for a short-term missions trip to our city of Milpitas, California.  As you will find in the 2010 census, Asians constitute 62.2% of our city’s population, with Filipinos as the largest Asian group! We do look to the Lord for courage and open doors as we try to reach out to the Filipinos and the various ethnic communities in our city, and do thank the Lord of the Harvest for the prayers of His people! Pastor Cedar and Joy’s return flight to the Philippines is 5/31/16, just one day short of 90 days with us.  As much as they were willing to lend Pastor Cedar and Joy to us, we’re sure our Filipino brethren are as much excited to have them back, counting the days for their return!  

Revelation 7 describes those whom the Lord has saved–the sealed of God, a great multitude that no one could number from all tribes and peoples and languages, who cry with a loud voice, “ Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:1-9). By way of introduction to this marvelous chapter, let me go back in time– to the beginning: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (1:14). He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:10-13). If...

Text: Revelation 6:1-8 In chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation, we read of Almighty God, seated on the throne, and of the triumphant Lion/Lamb, Jesus Christ, who alone was found worthy to open “the scroll and its seven seals.”   John wrote, “I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb      be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ The four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Read Revelation 6 (compare Zechariah 6:1-8) and you will be introduced to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The first rider was given authority to conquer; the second, to take peace from the earth, that men would slay each other; the third was holding a pair of scales in his hand, referring to a great famine; and the fourth, “power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, ...

  “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6) In God’s second commandment, Israel was commanded not to make any type of idol or carved image that will become their object of worship (Exodus 20:4-5). At the time Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, neighboring nations commonly practiced idol worship. It was the “norm.” Communities worshipped images and idolized heavenly bodies, nature, and even creatures. Sadly, Israel became guilty of idolatry, as seen in Exodus 32, just a few chapters after God appeared to them at Mt. Sinai giving them the Te...

Marriage is not a man-made institution. For this reason, to redefine it is to go against the God who instituted it. Jesus said, “Haven’t you read…that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?” (Matt. 19:4 NIV) If we are to truly understand what marriage is and should be, let us look into God’s Word. God, our Creator, did not leave us without a clear definition. He not only defines marriage, He also gives provisions for the role of those who enter into it. Consider the following articles by http://www.gotquestions.org/ : 1) What is the Definition of Marriage? http://www.gotquestions.org/definition-of-marriage.html 2) What does the Bible Say About Same-Sex Marriage? http://www.gotquestions.org/gay-marriage.html Sadly, our society has been departing from the wisdom of our Creator. Even those of us who proclaim to know God are failing to follow H...

“Then God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.’” (Exodus 20:1-3) Prior to declaring His commandments to His redeemed people, the Lord affirmed in His preamble two important truths which I believe is the basis for His commands. First, the Lord reminded Israel of who He is, saying, “I am the LORD your God…” (Exodus 20:2 a). “LORD” is God’s personal name which means the “Self-existing One.” He doesn’t need anyone or anything in order to exist. The name also indicates God’s sovereign rule over His creation. Second, the Lord reminded Israel of His great act of redemption, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2 b). Israel as a nation were slaves in Egypt for more than 400 years and was delivered through the mighty hand of their Redeemer. With these two great truths in mind, Israel entere...

A Parent’s Prayer Newspaper columnist Abigail Van Buren has composed a “Parent’s Prayer” in which she stresses the practical side of raising children. Says “Dear Abby”: “Oh, heavenly Father, make me a better parent. Teach me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say, and to answer all their questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting them. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Forbid that I should ever laugh at their mistakes, or resort to shame or ridicule when they displease me. May I never punish them for my own selfish satisfaction or to show my power. “Let me not tempt my child to lie or steal. And guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all I say and do that honesty produces happiness. “Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me. And when I am out of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue. “May I ever be mindful that my children are children and I should not expect of them the judgment of adults. “Let me...