PFC : Tenth Anniversary - July 20, 2007

Dear PFC Brethren,

Greetings in our Father’s special favors through Christ Jesus for this special day of celebration!

Christian Excellence.

What does it mean?

"Excel" is to "out-do", to "go beyond", to "surpass in good quality"; and

"excellent means "extremely good of its kind, first class."

To strive for excellence as a being of frailty, is a daunting and perhaps even an impossible task, but, with God there is assurance through Christ Jesus our Lord – as ‘Partners for Christ’. And that is what we should work on towards, as we heed the urging of Apostle Paul to be wise on what is good.

What we should persist to endeavor is to stir up the desire for Christian Excellence! We could call it "Pursuit for Christian Excellence." Let’s remember, Lord Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount, that we are to be "perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect." This was His call to maturity - yes a call to excellence. To out do the world. And as our Lord said ‘exceed the righteousness of the scribes and parishes’.

It would be worth noting that the Bible makes it clear that this is not about materialistic pursuits - life does not consist of the abundance of things that man possess (Luke 12:15). Paul made this clear when he wrote, "food does not bring us near to God, we're no worse if we don't eat, and no better if we do." Neither is this about how well we keep the religious rituals.

What then should we seek in our "Pursuit for Christian Excellence"? Paul's letter to the young church at Thessalonica gives us some clues. In the middle of his first letter, Paul identifies four areas for excellence: Loving Others, Pleasing God, Hope, and Encouragement. An "Excellent Christian" will be exhibiting manifestations in these four ways.

I. Love Others –

1 Thess 3:12 …abound in love one toward another; 1 Thess 4:9….are taught of God to love one another.

Note these passages: Philippians 1:9-11 …I pray that your love may abound yet more…., and I Corinthians 12:31 ‘But covet earnestly the best gifts……’ which leads right into the "Love Chapter". Also notice that the word used here is the context of the word "philadelphia", or "brotherly love", which has to do with friendship. In this regard, Christians are expected to strive to love others, both in the church and outside.

II. Pleasing God –

1 Thess 4:1 …as ye have receive of us how ye ought to walk and to please God…

Lord Jesus said that our "righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees”. Consequently, we should not be content with mere behavior modification, but are ought to be concerned about the condition of our hearts which produce the behaviors. In the text, Paul provides two examples: we are called to be sanctified (4:3f), abstaining from sexual immorality, and are also called on to "lead a quiet life" (4:11). As a Christian, we must respect others, even outsiders of the faith, by minding our own business, and working hard and in our faith for the Lord. Why? In order to Please God.

III. Hope –

1 Thess 4:13 …ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

If we allow ourselves to be immersed fully in the system of the world, we will be dismayed, become negative and defeatish. Praises to our Lord Jesus, His Kingdom is at hand and the system of His Kingdom operates fully to our advantage as a child of God. In Christ, victory in the world is won. Our Lord Jesus said, in this world there is trouble, but He said we should be of good cheer, He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Also it would be useful to note the word of promises in Romans 15:13. … now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.

IV. Encouragement –

1 Thess 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words; 1 Thess 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Christians seeking "excellence" will speak words of encouragement to one another. God commanded Joshua not to be dismayed (Joshua 1:9) These words are for edification - other people's growth is our goal. Let's remember, as Partners for Christ, let us always be abounding in the work of the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58) as we know our labor is not in vain in the Lord.

As we celebrate this 10^th PFC Anniversary under the banner of Excellence, let’s meditate on these Four 4 letter words which summarize the four areas for our Pursuit of Excellence:

1. LOVE others - this is the relational aspect of excellence.

2. LIVE for God - this is the spiritual base and moral aspect of excellence.

3. LONG for the Lord's coming - this is the attitudinal aspect of excellence.

4. LIFT up others by encouraging words and deeds- this is a sacrificial aspect of excellence.

How can we do this?

By A Heart cultivated with the Word.

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Matthew 13:23

Our Lord Jesus indicates that the parable of the four soils was a key to understanding the rest of His parables.

The parable of the soils (Matthew 13:1-23) has to do with what is required for the Word of God to bear fruit in the life of the one who receives it. When the Word is sown in the heart, the condition of the "soil" (the heart) makes all the difference. If the heart is hard, Satan can snatch the Word away. If the heart is troubled or enamored with the world, the Word can die before it bears fruit. But if the heart is tender and ready to receive the Word, it will spring up and bear fruit "thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold." The key to spiritual fruitfulness is a heart in which the Word of God can be sown and take root.

Our attitude would be to spend time daily cultivating your heart so it will be ready to receive the Word. We should allow ourselves to meditate the Word daily and know that the scripture is God breathe (1 Timothy 3:16) .. useful for training in holiness that the man of God can be equipped with every good work.

God’s word is alive, real, absolute, truth, certain and powerful. It’s promises will come to pass. The Word is our lifeblood in the pursuit for Christian Excellence as we operate in the system of the Kingdom of God.

Let's not relegate our Passion for Excellence to the system of this world. Let us all come into the divine sovereignty of His Kingdom and be Partners in the Pursuit for Christian Excellence."

Happy Anniversary our beloved PFC Brethren!

Kuya Fel

With Ates Mae, Hannah & Shasha