Wednesday, March 17, 2021
What Exactly Defines A Church?
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. Revelation 3:14
Should you ever have the opportunity to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, you must see the painting done by artist Holman Hunt—one of my favorite religious paintings. The artist pictures Jesus, a lantern in his left hand, knocking on the door of an English cottage. He based his painting on the closing words of a letter to a backslidden church in the city of Laodicea. In this, Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Most evangelical pastors have quoted that verse, suggesting that Jesus stands at the door of your heart and wants to come within, taking up residence in your life. While that is true, the context conveys another thought.
Jesus was not standing at the door of an English cottage, but He wanted back into the midst of the fellowship in Laodicea. It seems that the church leadership had pushed Jesus right out the door, and he wanted back in.
John wrote that they were “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Blind? In this ancient Roman city, an eye-salve was manufactured which was famous the world over. But they needed corrective eye-surgery.
I’ve been thinking recently of where Jesus Christ is in relationship to a vast number of our churches. It’s true that in the last days a large number of people will fall away from the faith in a great backsliding we usually call an apostasy. It’s also true that some simply give up because (quote) “the church no longer meets my needs.” “Irrelevant” is the catchword we often hear.
This brings up a related question? “Just what is a church?” The Greek word, the same one found 88 times in the book of Acts, means “called-out ones!” The same word was used of the mob of people who shouted against Paul in the city of Ephesus. But in the context of the faith, a church is a kind of sinners anonymous where none are good enough to stay out and none are too bad to come in.
It isn’t a club, a holy huddle of individuals who have nice clothes and relate to people who are moving up in society. It embraces all kinds of people from all backgrounds and walks of life.
Is it possible, I ask, that some no longer bother with church because they can’t find Jesus Christ there, and they’ve given up on pursuing him the traditional way? For 300 years churches were home fellowship—much like the hundreds of thousands of small groups who yet meet in homes in China, sometimes registered with the government and sometimes in defiance of the same.
Many groups today, not able to afford a building, meet in shopping centers, restaurants, schools, hotel ballrooms, and yes, in homes. Are they not churches in every sense of the word?
A closing thought. I’m glad, no matter how bad things were in the church in Laodicea, that Jesus wanted to get back inside, to the center of the group. He still cared. Revelation 1 to 3 records letters to seven churches. Plot those seven on a map geographically and you will find they form a rough circle, and, according to what John wrote, the churches were represented by lamp stands and Christ stood in their midst. In every nation of the world you will find churches—some small, some very large, but in every true one within you will find the Risen Lord who still touches hearts and lives and still wants to be worshiped.
One more thing about Holman Hunt’s picture–there’s no door handle or latch on the outside of the door. Hunt once explained that when Christ knocks, the door can only be opened from within. It’s still true.
Resource reading: Revelation 1:8-20.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/what-exactly-defines-a-church/
PH to bar entry of foreigners, non-OFWs starting March 20
(3rd UPDATE) - The Philippine government will temporarily close its borders to foreigners and returning Filipinos who are not overseas workers starting March 20 amid an increase in the number of daily COVID-19 cases in the country.
In a memorandum circular issued Tuesday, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 said the Philippines will suspend the entry of foreigners and Philippine passport holders who are non-OFWs from Thursday, March 18, until April 19, 2021, "in light of efforts to prevent the entry of SARS-CoV-2 variants from other countries and the further rise of cases."
The entry ban will cover all foreigners and non-OFWs, except for the following:
- holders of 9(c) visa
- medical repatriation and their escort/s duly endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
- distressed returning overseas Filipinos dully endorsed by the DFA and the OWWA
- emergency, humanitarian and other analogous cases approved by the NTF COVID-19
The Civil Aeronautics Board earlier said it would only allow 1,500 inbound passengers from international flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport starting March 18.
The cap on inbound arrivals in the country's main gateway will be in effect until April 18, 2021, CAB said in an advisory.
The CAB advisory will prevail, said NTF spokesperson Ret. Gen. Restituto Padilla.
"By and large wala naman po pagkakaiba, 2 araw lang po 'yan pero ang motive po ng pareho circular na ito ay 'yung paghihigpit ng pagpasok ng ating bansa para mapababa ang bilang ng may sakit na COVID-19 at mga bagong variant na nakukuha natin," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
(By and large, there's no difference, it's just 2 days. The motive of both circulars is to tighten the entry to our country to lower the number of COVID-19 cases and those with new variants.)
FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS
Because of the development, Cebu Pacific announced that it would be cancelling flights through the following routes from Mar. 18 to April 18, 2021:
- Manila – Narita (Tokyo) – Manila
- Manila – Nagoya – Manila
Cebu Pacific said all affected passengers would be informed through the contact details they provided in the ticket booking.
They can update, rebook, or have a refund for their flights through the airline's Manage Booking portal within 30 days from the date of departure here.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health reported over 4,000 new confirmed infections in the country.
The Philippines is unlikely to return to enhanced community quarantine this March despite a surge in COVID-19 cases, Malacañang said as the country marked the first year of its coronavirus lockdown.
- With a report from Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/16/21/ph-to-bar-entry-of-foreigners-non-ofws-starting-march-18
‘We stopped at the right time’: Boy Abunda explains why ‘The Buzz’ format wouldn’t work today
Over the years since “The Buzz” concluded its 16-year run in 2015, showbiz fans would still clamor for the return for the iconic talk show, whenever controversies involving celebrities would erupt.
The secret wedding of Sarah Geronimo and Matteo Guidicelli in February 2020, for instance, would have made for explosive television, if it had been given “The Buzz” treatment, fans said at the time.
Similarly, the supposed “love triangle” among Bea Alonzo, Gerald Anderson, and Julia Barretto had TV viewers who grew up with “The Buzz” imagining sit-down interviews of those involved, whether separately or face-to-face.
A semblance of that finally did happen last week, when original “The Buzz” host Boy Abunda interviewed Anderson, resulting in his confirmation of being in a relationship with Barretto.
The 20-minute exchange was reminiscent of Abunda’s exclusive interviews on “The Buzz,” last seen six years prior, prompting fresh demand for a revival of the talk show.
But for Abunda, “admittedly, we stopped at the right time.”
“We were pushed to obsolescence by social media, I will admit that with humility,” he told ABS-CBN News during a virtual press huddle ahead of the March 20 premiere of “The Best Talk,” Abunda’s talk show on Kumu.
He explained: “Gone were those days when you were looking for an exclusive story, you would go to ‘The Buzz.’ You were looking for a scoop, you would go to ‘The Buzz.’ Today, the landscape has changed. Important moments in [celebrities’] lives, they would post it on Instagram. Social media has pushed us — I don’t know if it’s cruel — to obsolescence, to a certain extent.”
First aired in 1999, “The Buzz” was a Sunday showbiz talk show that saw A-list stars and up-and-comers revealing their relationships, confirming personal milestones such as engagements and pregnancies, and addressing intrigues, ranging from workplace conflict to rivalries in love.
When “The Buzz” ended in April 2015, social media had already boomed in the Philippines, with many personalities opting for a controlled, one-off statement to respond to a controversy, slowly but surely — as Abunda now recalled — making talk-show appearances less vital as a venue for the same purpose.
“I think storytelling has changed in so many ways,” Abunda said. “So if ‘The Buzz’ comes back, instead of doing exclusives, I think there should be more commentary, there should be more analysis, there should more confirmatory news. Mababago ‘yung texture. ‘Yung panlasa iibahin mo. And that’s the only way to survive.”
Abunda, dubbed local showbiz’s “King of Talk,” would continue hosting a number of talk shows after “The Buzz” — including “Inside the Cinema,” “The Bottomline,” “Aquino & Abunda Tonight,” and most recently “Tonight with Boy Abunda.”
Beyond those TV offerings, Abunda has started establishing his online presence. Aside from “The Best Talk” on Kumu, he launched his eponymous YouTube channel during the pandemic.
“We have to embrace the powers of social media,” he said. “Everybody has become a reporter, a broadcaster. Everybody has become what we do. So what do you do in a situation like this? Level up, and discover your equity in a landscape that has so much parity between hosts and interviewers and performers.”
Bulacan imposes curfew, liquor ban to curb COVID-19 spread
The provincial government of Bulacan has imposed a curfew and liquor ban, beginning Wednesday in a move to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Curfew hours will be from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Only those in need of emergency services and those allowed to work in permitted industries, provided they show proof of identification and work schedules, are exempted.
In Executive Order No. 8, series of 2021, signed by Gov. Daniel Fernando on Tuesday, the local government also ordered a province-wide liquor ban which covers the sale, transport, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
The provincial government will also implement border quarantine checkpoints.
Aside from these measures, the provincial government urged the public to observe the minimum health protocols, including wearing of face masks and face shields, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and physical distancing at all times.
All directives under EO No. 8 will take effect until April 17, 2021.
Meanwhile, the provincial capitol is temporarily closed on Wednesday and will resume operation on Thursday, March 18, to give way to the disinfection of the main building.
As of Tuesday, the province has 1,175 active COVID-19 cases.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/17/21/bulacan-imposes-curfew-liquor-ban-to-curb-covid-19-spread
House OKs stiffer penalties for driving under influence of drugs, liquor
Voting 203-0, the House of Representatives has approved on final reading House Bill 8914, providing stiffer penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol, dangerous drugs, and other similar substances.
The bill will be submitted to the Senate for action.
Under the proposed law, a driver found to have been driving a motor vehicles under the influence of alcohol, dangerous drugs and other similar substances will be penalized as follows:
- if the violation did not result in physical injuries or homicide, the penalty of 6 months imprisonment and a fine ranging from P50,000 to P100,000.
- if the violation resulted in physical injuries, the applicable paragraph of article 263 of the the Revised Penal Code in its maximum period or the penalty provided in the preceding paragraph, whichever is higher and a fine ranging from P150,000 to P250,000.
-if the violation resulted in homicide, the penalty provided in Article 249 of the Revised Penal Code in its maximum period and a fine ranging from P350,000 to P550,000 shall be imposed.
The non-professional driver’s license of any person who violated the law will be confiscated and suspended for 18 months for the first conviction and perpetually revoked for the second conviction. - report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
House OKs ban on illegal drag racing
Voting 205-0-0, the House of Representatives has approved on final reading House Bill 8916 or the proposed "Illegal Drag Racing Ban Act.”
The bill will be sent to the Senate for its action.
The bill declares drag racing illegal if not sanctioned or without the authority of the concerned agencies or the local government unit having jurisdiction of the place where the drag racing was held.
It imposes the following penalties for drag racing: a fine of not less than P300,000 but not more than P500,000 and or imprisonment of one year on the participants and promoters or organizers at the discretion of the court; confiscation and suspension of drivers’ license of the participants for a period of six months and requiring them to undergo a seminar prescribed by the Land Transportation Officer before they can redeem their licenses; perpetual disqualification to hold a driver’s license for participants who commit the offense a second time and impounding the vehicle used ion illegal drag racing subject to the payment of reasonable storage fees according to the reasonable schedule of fees imposed by the LTO as approved by the Transportation Secretary.
It requires the Department of Transportation to work with the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the local government units to ensure the implementation of the proposed law. - report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/16/21/house-oks-ban-on-illegal-drag-racing