NEWS: iYACIES Movie Date

Those who want to watch Transformers, can do so with the iYACIES family. We can watch together at the Galleria tomorrow (Friday night around 7PM).

If Friday night isn't feasible, we can watch on Sunday night after the 6PM service.

If you were a kid in the mid to late '80s (like me)...this should interest you! Please confirm whether you want to watch Friday or Sunday (09209613851). - Pastor Jon

LESSON: Human Nature

Tonight, we begin with the first of the 17-Lesson Study on EXTREME MAKEOVER: Life Edition.

Human Nature- Why Are We What We Are?
What makes someone human? This question starts us on the journey toward understanding our need for an extreme makeover and identity in Christ. We are called to Christ as human beings, so we must understand the fundamental purpose of human beings. This session explores God’s purpose in creating humankind. What binds us all together?

See you tonight at 7PM, at our new meeting rooms, BM02-BM03 on the Mezzanine Level. Please come on time, prepare your hearts by praying, reading Genesis 1-2, and by bringing a friend to our study tonight.

Coffee, Tea and light snacks will be served.

NEWS: A New Venue for iYACIES Thursday!

You may have noticed in the last several weeks, the room we meet in has become too small for us. God is causing the group to grow. This Thursday, we will meet in a new room- BM02 on the Mezzanine Level (just above the one we've used for the last several months).

We begin with the new series: EXTREME MAKEOVER (LIFE EDITION)! this Thursday at 7PM. For our first edition, we will talk about HUMAN NATURE~ why are we what we are? Know where we came from and the reasons behind some of life's greatest challenges. Come prepared with your Bibles (Read Genesis 1-2) and lots of questions! Invite friends! I hope to see everyone there. Please come early so we could end on time (7 to 9PM).

Freshly-brewed Coffee and Chinese Green Tea wil be served.

NEWS AND INVITATION: Baptism, July 15

We are saved by God's grace alone which we receive through faith. It happens spiritually and internally when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The moment we ask Him to be our Savior and Lord, we are graciously saved by God, and we begin in our journey as Christians.

Next step is BAPTISM. It does not save, but it does two very special and important things: (1)allows you to publicly tell everyone about your faith in Jesus and your journey with Him in His death, burial and rising from the dead, and (2) it symbolizes your entry into the family of God.

On JULY 15, Sunday, we will celebrate Baptismal Sunday! If you have not been baptized before, or you wish to have it re-done to personally to renew what your parents vowed for you (for those who have been baptized as infants in other Protestant churches), SIGN UP NOW for baptism and membership class BEFORE JULY 15.

For more information contact Pastor Jon at 09209613851 or 6321354 local 334.

NEWS: New Series for iYACIES Thursday!

In an age of makeovers shows, we want to be reminded of a timeless truth: the Christian life is about makeovers! God is doing that in each of us. We have a high-fallutin', "$6-billion word" for that work of God: Sanctification! Know what it means in practical terms. Don't miss our EXTREME MAKE-OVER a Transforming Life Series will help us identify the areas in our lives that must be knocked down, developed or reconstructed or reinforced, tackling the "how-to's" of the Christian Life. The series will run for 17 weeks (June 28-October 18).

NEWS: Update on MB and Sam

Some days ago, I asked the two- MB and Sam to send me pictures so that I can update the whole group with their "local news."

Sweet Car! MB bought a car less than 24 hours after her plane landed in Grand Rapids, and has, thus far, been to 3 job interviews. She has also done a presentation of her year of mission work in Manila at her church, Highland Hills Baptist Church evening worship. She now lives with her parents, bumming around and lovin' it! Pray for MB and her job hunting.

MB and her new Pontiac

MB and her dad and mom.

MB and her cousin's baby, Aidan Scott!

Selfless Sam I am...I am Sam. I asked Sam to do the same, and all she gave me were photos of her nephew, Ward (in maroon), and Luela (in blue) and some photos of her tiny town in southeast Pennsylvania (I used to spell that, Pencil vein ya)! She gave little news about herself though....all I know is she's going to Chicago!



Ward, Sam's nephew


Luela, her niece



Railroad tracks near her house (sign reads: Watch for Black Bears...)

Lake Glen Onoko


In other news:
- As agreed, we will be promoting the group one of the Sunday's in July, and one in August. We will need all the help we can get from each member.
- We will have a do a new series in the coming weeks called Extreme Make-Over a series on Transforming Life. That should be exciting!
(PJon)

LESSON: Psalm 67 (Kingdom Psalm)

Behold! The outline for our Thursday study!

This psalm contains elements characteristic of the psalms of blessing and of the psalms ascribing kingship to the Lord.

I. The Way of God made Known (67:1-3)
The blessing, reminiscent of the pastoral benediction in Numbers 6:24-26, and pertains to three aspects of blessing:

24"The LORD bless you and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
27 "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."

1. Protection (Nu 6:24);
God's intention for his people is their good; he will preserve them to enjoy that good.

2. Favor (grace, v. 25);
When Moses was on the mountain, it was in the context of terror. But God had come down in grace; his revelation was of mercy. Hence we have the splendidly suitable tie of the light of his face and the grace of his presence.

3. Peace (v. 26).
Shalom is a word meaning well-being or total peace. As it does in English, it can refer to either peace between two entities (especially between man and God or between two countries), or to the well-being, welfare or safety of an individual or a group of individuals.

When the Psalmist alluded to the Priestly Blessing, he was reminding them of God’s total concern for them. But how is God’s way made known?

Study Questions:
1. According to verse 1, What drives God to continue blessing us?
2. What are the areas in your life that you think are “dry” spiritually? Why do you think so?
3. What is the reason for God’s blessings? (v.2)- Grace!
4. How are we responding to each blessing we receive? (v.4)


II. The Rule of God Implored (67:4)
For the mind of the Psalmist, the rule of God has to do with the religious and political state of the nation of Israel during his time. The nation of Israel was a theocracy. What is theocracy?

Study Questions:
1. In our situation as modern-day Christians: How and when can you say that God is ruling?
2. Do you think God is ruling at this point? Why or why not?
3. What do you think does this mean to Jews?

And what do you think does this imply for Christian non-Jews?

III. The Nations of the world Included (67:5)

Study Questions: This Psalm was written hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born.
1. Has this prayer become a reality? How and when?

(Partly/Faintly, OT proselytes; Fullness: Jesus Christ)
2. Why is God concerned with other nations when in fact he chose Israel to be the nation in His heart?

IV. The Purpose of God's Blessing (67:6-7)

We go back to verse 2, The purpose of God's blessing is so that the nations may "know" his way. From observing God's blessing on his people, they should be able to deduce his royal sovereignty and acknowledge Israel's God as God. Thus they too may enjoy the fullness of his "salvation", which pertains to all the benefits of God: his kingship, rule, blessings, and promises.

One of the interesting things about the Holy Land is you've got the Jordan River going right down and on either end you have large bodies of water. The Sea of Galilee is teeming with life. But, you go to the other end of the Jordan River and you find the Dead Sea. A place that has so much salt content in it that large life, life that we would consider useful and part of our abundance, just doesn't even exist. It's dead in that regard.
They both receive the same water. They both receive the same abundance, but the key difference is, Lake Galilee receives, but it also has an outlet and the water flows through it. But in the Dead Sea there is no outlet and so the water just accumulates, year after year, century after century, getting more and more salty and less and less hospitable to life. I think that is a good image for us to ponder about our lives. Which are we like, Lake Galilee or are we like the Dead Sea?

God is pouring much abundance into our lives.
1. How much of it leaks out? How much of it is passed on? Because one of the things that we can't escape is that a basic rule of life is that we have life in us and as we receive abundantly and as we pass that abundance on in some measure to others.
2. So when God looks at your life, what does he see? Does he see something that's full of life, where his blessing to you pass on through and become blessings in the lives of others here and around the world? Or is there something stopping it up and making it become more and more inhospitable to the life of the spirit?

We are blessed to be a blessing. So as we focus on this time and we look at how missionary heart of God is, lets also recommit ourselves to being a missionary people, a channel of good things to the incredible variety of people that God has put around us. Because even as we share this life (blessings) with others, we receive it more abundantly in our own lives.

NEWS: GCF EXTREME ADVENTURE CAMP

Crossover Ministry's

EXTREME ADVENTURE CAMP

on June 30-July 1 (Saurday & Sunday),

at the beautiful Pranjetto Hills Resort, Tanay, Rizal. Camp fee is PhP1400- inclusive of transporation, board and lodging. Call the GCF office (6321354 local 106).

This is the third year of GCF's Extreme Adventure Camp, and is expected to be more fun than the last two camps! If you're free on that weekend, come and join! If you're not free on the weekend...postpone your appointment and join this year's Extreme Adventure!

NEWS/LESSON: PSALM 67 Kingdom Psalm

On Thursday (JUNE 21), at 7PM, we will meet again for study and worship.

We come from different backgrounds, and a lot of us don't appreciate our Christian roots/history perhaps due to lack of information about it. This week's lesson will bring us to conclude that God has had all the nations in mind, even when He was working in the life of Israel. Long before missionary work started, God has had the nations in His heart. He is calling us to join Him in His venture by actually blessing us.

We will learn that the blessings we enjoy actually have a missional purpose. We hope to have a KINGDOM perspective after the study.

I suggest you do the following stuff: Pray for me as I study/teach, Pray for yourself and Seek God's help as you read PSALM 67, and Bring a friend on Thursday night!

Looking forward to seeing you this Thursday at 7PM! (PJon)

NEWS: INGRID AND LESLIE WRITE ABOUT THEIR JOURNEY

iYACIES' very own Ingrid Nieto and Leslie Cukingnan have each written a section in a new book titled, YOUNG WOMEN ON THE JOURNEY, a compilation of thoughts and life-lessons on modern-day Christian young womanhood published by the Church Strengthening Ministry (a ministry of the IMB Southern Baptist Convention).

The book was launched last May 26, and copies are available at all POWERBOOKS and NATIONAL BOOKSTORE outlets.

Ingrid and Leslie are among several GCF church members who contributed to the book- Wawa Ponce, of WorldTeach, seminary instructor and a CE specialist; Ginger deGuia, a GCF office volunteer and a recent graduate of the King's College NYC.

We praise God for an opportunity given them to touch other women's hearts through sharing their own experiences. Ingrid works as a DJ at Mellow 94.7FM, Leslie is operations manager of Kitaro Japanese.

Kudos to Ingrid, Leslie and the rest of our lovely young Christian women who are vocal about their faith journey in hopes of winning others to the Lord Jesus and building up the church.

NEWS: P. JON'S BIRTHDAY BASH

After Bible class, we headed off to a Korean restaurant as suggested by Ryan where we celebrated P. Jon's birthday. The food was a blast! (it had to be, it took us a whooopping PhP 6K to settle the bill!) We had lots of fun and most definitely, an evening of Korean cuisine is an educational experience. Here are some snapshots from this memorable occasion. :D (Andy)

COMING UP: WALKIN' THE TIGHTROPE

Hear ye! Next Friday (June 22) at 7PM, the Young Adults and Singles gather once again for the monthly interactive worship called TurningPoint.

with Dan Andrew Cura, President of Far East Broadcasting Company, a GCF Elder, with his wife Aileen Espinosa-Cura
at the Social Hall Level One.
Worship led by CROSSOVER MUSIC TEAM.
Call 6321354 local 106 for details

LESSON: PSALM 1: The Two Ways to Live

As you know, we will be studying the Psalms all summer long. We begin with this Wisdom Psalm to appropriately kick off the study portions of the book, it's cool to start with the first, right?
In the coming days, we will cover selected Psalms and how we can glean truths to make us better people.

I. The Discerning Way of the Godly (1:1-3)

A. The Psalm describes the untarnished life of the blessed individual (1).
B. The Psalm describes the godly person’s delightful meditation in the Law of the LORD (2).
C. The Psalm describes the prosperity of the blessed individual under the image of a fruitful tree (3).

Questions:
1. What are your standards for a happy (ashre) life?
2. Do you delight in the Law (Word) of the Lord? How do you delight in God’s Word?
3. Do you believe in “prosperity Gospel”?

II. The Ruined and Empty Way of the Wicked (1:3-5)
A. The Psalmist portrays the worthlessness of the ungodly under the image of chaff (4).
B. The Psalmist predicts the final separation of the ungodly from the righteous (5).

Questions:
1. Do we still have habits that characterize wickedness?
2. Are there things that we do, our pet projects and dreams that do not seem to flourish? If yes, why do think some of our plans don’t shot up like others’ do?
3. Have you ever envied an unbeliever for the “blessings” he/she enjoys?

III. The Discriminating Way of God (1:6)


Something Similar, but for Believers:
1 Corinthians 3:10, By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Application:
1. What materials are we using to build upon the Foundation?
2. Are you doing great things for God’s glory? Are you even attempting?
3. How do we attempt and do great things for God’s glory?
4. Which of the two walks of life are you taking?

Sources:
NIV Study Bible
NIV Commentary
Greg Herrick Th.M., Ph.D. Psalm Studies

Prayer Items and Updates for the week:

1. Marybeth Sattler will be interviewed by a school head this week for a new job. Pray for directions and guidance.

2. Heidi Lane has settled in her home country, Canada. She ventures into job hunting in the days to come. Hopefully, she lands a good job in one of the schools she's applying in/at.

3. Sam Zipp is in Chicago, enjoying her vacation. She is with her good friend. She returns to Manila, the Lord willing, August 6.

4. Oliver Rasca has started schooling again at the University of Santo Tomas (Conservatory of Music). Pray that his schedule won't hinder his ministries at church.

5. Pastor Ro Penaranda is preaching at the Union of Church of Manila's STATION ONE service on Tuesday night.