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God's Call: From Infilling to Outpouring (Sermons by Wesleyan/Holiness Women Clergy)
edited by Margaret Dunn
Copyright © 2000
Grantham, PA: Wesleyan/Holiness Clergy, Inc.
Contents
Resting: Time with God - Commissioner Kay Rader
Reflecting: Tune into God - Rev. Enriquita "Kits" Monencillo
Reaching Out: Speak Out for God - Rev. Janine Tartaglia Metcalf
Responding: Obey God - Rev. Dr. Diana L. Swoope
Reflecting: Tune into God
Rev. Enriquita "Kits" Monencillo
Before I begin this evening, may I sing to you a song, one of the old favorites which defines beautifully our omnipotent God in Psalm 139:
When I go to sleep at night, behold, Thou art there,
When I rise to morning light, behold, Thou art there,
Upon the troubled, stormy sea or in the busy crowded street,
Lord, wherever I may be, behold Thou art there.
Thou art there, Thou art there.
I know you really love me, Lord,
I know you really care.
If I'm on the mountain so high or in the valley so low,
This is one thing I surely know—behold, Thou art there.
In the quiet place of prayer, behold, Thou art there,
When my burdens are so hard to bear, behold, Thou art there.
In the midst of loneliness or when my heart is happier,
For my heart is surely blest, for, Lord, Thou art there.
Thou art there, Thou art there.
I know you really love me, Lord,
I know you really care.
If I'm on the mountain so high or in the valley so low,
This is one thing I surely know—behold, Thou art there.
Yes, my life is truly blessed, for, Lord, Thou art there.
As I was introduced this evening it was mentioned that my church has a local FM radio station in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, the only radio station in that community. It broadcasts from five o'clock until nine o'clock each morning. My program is from 6:30 until 7:30 and it is divided into three parts. The first part is called reflection and you see in your brochure, my topic "Reflecting: Tune into God." It's just a coincidence, is it not? So I preach for about 20 to 25 minutes, then followed by health reminders, and then the third part is morning greetings for all those people around. I enjoy my program, but I need to prepare at least eight sermons every week. It's hard work, but I love it.
But the radio station is only 10 kilowatts. You can just imagine, it's a very poor one. Anyway, it's broadcasting in the community. So when the current is low, the signal is poor, and when there are distractions such as when my dog comes inside the radio room, or children are playing outside, or someone knocks at the door, I need to tune in. Because those other FM stations will take my program, so I must adjust it. We try to look at ourselves as ministers of God—we've been called by God, haven't we? And as we reflect on our past and present circumstances or situations, let's make sure we are tuned in with God.
This evening, I will be bringing to you a topic, "Reflecting: Tune into God," with three major divisions. The Scripture is found in Romans, chapter eight, verses 35-39.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)
Praise the Lord.
The first thing we need to consider this evening is reflecting a life in the Spirit. Our theme is "Come to the Water" . . . infilling and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As Wesleyan/Holiness ministers, we must ask "What does holiness mean?" We are always saying life in the Spirit or life through the Spirit. As we read it beginning in verse seven it says,
The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you (Romans 8:7-11 NIV).
Reflecting a life in the Spirit. And what does Paul mean in saying this—when he wrote "life in the Spirit" in Romans 8:2? It means our mind accepts what the Spirit desires. We want to obey God's will. We want to do just what He wants us to do. So the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us to pray like this: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." We always say, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). What does it mean? It does mean letting the Holy Spirit empower us, letting the Holy Spirit control our lives. That is holiness.
In the Philippines, some people say you are holy if you do not smile. That is a misconception. Some also think that when you are a holy person you do not wear shorts, you do not cut your hair, you do not wear slacks—that's how they define it. But we believe that as we read in the Scriptures . . . it says, "If the Holy Spirit . . . is living in you" (Romans 8:11). And this is the favorite phrase of Saint Paul. When you read through his epistles you will always see "Christ in you" (Colossians 1:27, Romans 8:10) "in Christ." (Colossians 1:28; 2:6, 10, 11). And so we find it here. If the Spirit of Christ is in you, if God's Spirit is in you, that is life in the Spirit. Women of God, do we have the Spirit in us? There are lots of professing Christians today. And the thought might be that we'll be speaking in tongues if we are filled by the Spirit of God, but we don't really believe in that. What we believe is that when we ask the Holy Spirit to possess us, to control us, to be the King, the Lord, and the God of our lives and we are obedient to do His will, that is being in the Spirit. That is what Saint Paul is saying here.
So when we say "in Christ," "Christ in you," that is being controlled by the Spirit of God—letting God possess us, nothing less. That is why Paul says in Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ." We want to do His will completely. This is full surrender, complete surrender to the will of God. We also find that living a life in the Spirit means we have the assurance that we are children of God. And the Bible says that the Spirit in us cries, "Abba, Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15a). So if the Spirit of God is in us we can call Him "Daddy," "Papa," and in my dialect we call our father "tatay." That is intimacy. We can call him our father, not because we are like this but because the Spirit is in us. So we are daughters and sons of God. Praise the Lord.
And reflecting is not only living a life in the Spirit. If we read through we see that we need to live a life of faith—reflecting—living a life of faith. Paul says in verse 28, "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). You know what? This verse was quoted when my husband died. What is good in my husband's death? I do not know. But I know there was something good behind it. I could not see it during that time but I know that all things work together for good to those—only to those who love God. And that is faith. If we love God, we know that He is here and we believe that He is in charge of us.
So suffering is being quoted here and being defined in verse 22 . . . we read what Paul says:
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:22 -23 NIV).
And if we back up a little bit, look at verse 17 and verse 18.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:17-18 NIV).
You know, as I think of all the sufferings I have experienced, I said, "Lord, is it really necessary?" But when I read this verse again and again it says, "If you want to become an heir, then you need also to share in his sufferings" (Romans 8:17). So I am not saying that it's not necessary. That is not Paul's words. He said we need to share. Indeed, we need to "share in his sufferings in order that we may share in His glory." Praise the Lord.
But then what does he say? He says, "We are more than conquerors" (Romans 8:39). Who are those people? Those who love the Lord. Those who are filled by the Spirit of God. Scripture says:
What, then, shall we say in response to this? (What, then...) If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors (Romans 8: 31-33, 37 NIV).
So Paul is saying that the sufferings are there. You will experience sufferings, hardships, and many others but in all these—and I want to name all the sufferings that I have experienced. I have experienced financial shortages, perhaps you cannot relate with me—unpleasant attitudes of my parishioners against me; the brutal death of my husband; my daughter met an accident a year after my husband died, and my daughter's illness was diagnosed by the psychiatrist as chemical imbalance; and now I am on the special ministries, which I do not know what kind of ministry, So I have no job. I'll be going home from the US to I don't know. You know, I enjoy the song "Follow the leader." I said, "Well, Lord, You just lead. I will follow. I don't know where to go." That is a life of faith, my sisters and my brothers.
So when you reflect on your past and your present condition, you must live a life of faith so that you can tune in to God, or else if you will say, "Why did God do this to me?" You will just complain, and complain, and complain, and complain. When my husband died there were lots of people who said, "Oh, he is taken by the Lord." I said, "Oh, no, I don't think so. He is taken by the Lord, so what does it mean? He asked those five suspects, five criminals to kill my husband? That's not fair. I was presiding at a meeting for His Kingdom, I was doing my part, and God was asking somebody to kill my husband. That's unfair." But I said, "No, it's not. It's not the Lord who killed my husband, it's Satan." So I am still a friend of God—a friend forever. But then there was a time when it was really very hard to pray, very hard to read your Bible—when you're grieving. But do you know what? When you live a life of faith and the Spirit of Christ is in you, look at your Bible. In verse 26, "When we are weak, the Spirit of God intercedes for us" (Romans 8:26). And look at verse 34. It says, "Christ is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:34). So, the Holy Spirit, when we are too weak to pray, to get in tune with God, He will do it for us, He will take charge. You need not worry because you do not know how to pray. You know, that day—the hardest day to pray— the only prayer I uttered was, "Lord, help me. Lord, help me." One of my missionary friends told me, "You know, Kits, that was the greatest prayer you ever made." I think so. It helped a lot. This prayer soothed my heart and calmed my mind. People were amazed. They were talking how this widow was not really yelling and crying so loud like the others who lost their husbands. Tears were just falling, but not really, because my heart was so light. There was peace. Why? Because the Holy Sprit was interceding for me and Christ was also interceding for me.
So we need to live a life of faith in spite of all the sufferings, in spite of all the crises in life. We need not quit. My name is Kits. The original spelling is Q U I T S and you read it "quits," isn't it? And what does it mean to quit? Stop. Do not go on. Dr. Robert Cranston, one of my favorite missionaries in the Philippines, said, "Kits, you need not call your name ?Quits." You are not a quitter." I said, "Yes," Because my real name is "Enriquita." That's a Spanish name. So my friends spell it Q U I T S for my nickname, so I decided to spell it like this—K I TS—because I am not a quitter. Praise the Lord! I want to live a life of faith in spite of all the trials. Who shall separate us from the love of God? Death? Tribulation? Nakedness? Nothing can separate us. Nothing. In all these things we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:35- 37 NIV). Why? Christ is in us. The Holy Spirit is in control. It is not because I am Kits that I can do it, but because the Holy Spirit is here. Praise the Lord. Hey, Kits, "be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). I have been quoting this verse again and again, but now I can really relate myself to it. And in my own interpretation the Lord is saying, "Hey, Kits, you just sit back. Relax. I am in control anyway. Don't you worry." "Why this, Lord? This, Lord?" And you keep on whining. So let us reflect a life of faith for nothing can separate us from the love of God.
And the third one, and this will be the last, reflecting, living a life of hope. We share his sufferings. but then it says, "These sufferings cannot compare with the future of glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8: 18 NIV). We have this hope and this hope originated from the fact that God loves us. Praise the Lord. Because I am His child, I call him my daddy, so why should I fear? I have that hope that I am secure in His hands and I am His heir, so though I don't have money, I don't have a house, perhaps I would line up my things on the street, but I am His heir. I need not worry. And the Holy Spirit and Jesus is interceding for me. He is with me. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). That's our greatest hope, my dear sisters. We can rely on God. We can always rely on Him. He is in control. Nothing can separate us from His love. All these sufferings will not last. I really wanted to browse that book Storm Pass. Have you seen the book by Robert Schuller? Tough times don't last, tough people do. So these sufferings will not last. Tough times will come, but we know the Spirit is in us and with us.
Joseph, the son of Jacob; the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego; and Daniel stood the test because of their loyalty of their love for God, their devotion to God. They stood the test. They were able to overcome. They were overcomers. They were victorious. Why? Because they were in God's hands. And God was in control and He is still in control today and he will be in control tomorrow. "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). We keep on worrying about tomorrow. We do not know what is ahead. But we are sure that we are in his hands. He holds our tomorrows in His hands. Praise the Lord.
And in Hebrews, chapter 12, this is my second to the last verse that I will read to you. It says:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12: 2-3 NIV).
So if it seems that your burden is overwhelming, you are wading through deep waters, you need to look up to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. He is the only source of your strength and power and everything—of your inspiration. Sometimes you want to talk to people but they do not understand. Sometimes they will misunderstand you and it will just add up to your problem. So you need not tell them. You need not tell them if it's really a heavy problem. You had better look up to Jesus. Tune in to God. Tell him, "Lord, this is enough. I cannot carry it anymore. This is too heavy for me." Just unload all your burdens to Jesus (I Peter 5:7).
And in James, chapter one, verse 12 it says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." The storms may be too strong, may be very devastating. Maybe your trials are overwhelming, you cannot carry it by yourself. You need to tune in to God. Tell him. Just tell him, "Lord, here is my problem."
You know, when my daughter was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance—I said, "Lord, the ministerial appointment committee are saying, ‘Kits, you need to go to another church.'" But I know it is not God's will for me to move. So I said, "No." And that is not disobedience anyway. I just feel it is not really God's will for me to move with this pressure. If this old church could not understand the situation, how much more for a new church? So I said, "Well Lord, I just leave it to you." So I said, "I do not want to be appointed this time." But it does not mean that I don't want to do his will. So the bishop said, "You will be on a special ministries." But there's no job description anyway. It means no job description, no salary. So I keep thinking, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" And the Lord just keeps telling me, "Kits, after all these trials, I just want you to relax. Just relax, sit back, be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). I keep hearing this call: "I want you to minister to the ministers who are hurting." So this is a new call: "I want you to minister to the ministers who are hurting." *** So I said, "This is a promotion, Lord. And you will finance it." I need to get more training. So this morning I have been to the counseling session. I need to get more training for this. But the Lord is saying, "Yes, you can put up a clinic for counseling." And he assured me. So I said, "Yes, Lord, you lead the way. I will just follow."
So you pray for me, my sisters and my brothers. I do not know what is ahead, but I am sure that I am not out of touch with the love of God. Nothing can separate me from the love of God. Same with you.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God if the Spirit of God is in us and we have that assurance that God will lead the way through to the finishing line. Don't back up, don't quit. Go on and on. Just let the Lord lead the way and you follow, and I'm sure as you reflect on God and as you keep on tuning in to God you will receive more power—holy boldness—more power, more inspiration, more strength to do His will. And we are called by God to do it. So I hope that the Lord will bless us all. Whatever circumstances we may encounter in life, let us hold on to God. Just tune in to God. Don't just sit back and say, "No, Lord. I will quit." But just go on. Hang on. Look up to Jesus, the author and finisher of you faith, of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2). God bless you.
*** From 1996 - 1998, Kits taught module classes for pastors and lay leaders. Her experiences became a blessing to many of her students.
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