The Old Path awarded "Most Informative Religious Program of the Year"

Hollywood Center, California, North America – Vice-Presiding Minister of the Members Church of God International (MCGI), Bro. Daniel Razon accepted the award for the Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) as the "most informative religious program of the year" from Gawad Amerika Awards in North America last November 18, 2006.
This followed days after Bro. Eli Soriano, the controversial host of the television program and the Presiding Minister of the Members Church of God International, announced during the Thanksgiving ceremonies that the Ang Dating Daan program, which fearlessly discusses issues of religion and contributes to the lively discussion of religion and spirituality, won the prestigious honor.
Bro. Eli looks like he is the happiest person in the world that Thanksgiving Day and his face seem to intone that if God work, who will turn it away (Isaiah 43:13). Similarly, the attendees of the Thanksgiving erupted with shouts of joy and clapping of hands. Some eyes moisted with tears of joy. That moment was priceless and the same excitement, joy and exuberance surely beamed around the world in the Church of God's other regional chapters.
Gawad Amerika Awards is an independent award-giving body based in the USA that recognizes the achievements of Fil-Americans in the field of acting, singing, professional careers and businesses since 2001. Now in its fourth year, Ang Dating Daan is honored to be recognized by this award-giving body.
This is not the first time that the Ang Dating Daan and its host, Bro. Eli Soriano, receives such honor. Bro. Eli is recognized for his outstanding contribution to the society and people of this nation by various socio-civic organizations since the late 90s.
The program's host, Bro. Eli, describes one US-based newspaper: "readily answers all doctrinal questions from A-Z, on the spot ... He explains everything and elaborates all the details so the viewers would easily understand every word in the Bible."
Ang Dating Daan is celebrating 26th year in the mainstream radio and television broadcast this year, making it the longest-running, the most-awarded and the only sensible religious program in the Philippines. Its recent victory in the United States was a confirmation of the dedication, sincerity and the concern of the Church of God International and Bro. Eli Soriano to fulfill the Church's mission to share the goodwill and hope that God wants people in the world to learn and live by.
Despite government intervention to stop the airing of Ang Dating Daan in the Philippines, the program consistently adhere to its task--discussion of truths and untarnished teachings of God in the Bible to open people's eyes about religious realities that's been clouded by greed, corruption and self-interest by other religious sects. The Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), for one, is believed to be influenced by some powerful groups who have hands in the government, to pester and ban the program for being truthful, assertive and authoritative in discussing religious topics and controversies grappling the modern world..
Its online presence, www.angdatingdaan.org, has been a consistent frontrunner in the Philippine Web Awards with three (3) Most Popular Website Awards already tucked in its pocket. This year, Ang Dating Daan is already finalist for the best organization website award of the 9th edition of the award-giving body.
The Philippine Web Awards this year gained the prestige of being recognized by US-based Webby Awards, the annual online award-giving body that is referred to as the Oscars of the Web by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED? Part 1

ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED?
Part 1

As we continue discussing this, we are already enlightened that not all Christ being introduced or preached by preachers in our time are the same. They have their own conception of who Christ is and what Christ is. It is very obvious that these religious groups have different Christs because if the Christ they are preaching are the same with what the apostles have preached in the scriptures, they should have been united together; their doctrines must not differ from each other. The only Christ of the scriptures has a definite teaching and if all preachers have accepted that teaching, they will all be united in one faith. If all these preachers now have come to the knowledge of the truth of the Christ of the scriptures, we should have all been united in one faith. The fact that we follow different teachings and doctrines proves that there are different Christs being preached by preachers in our time.

Another thing to discuss or to note about the teachings of our present day preachers is that belief that once you have accepted Christ you are already saved and will always be saved. That is the belief of most Born Again movements and so with the Baptists. These Baptist churches themselves are not united. You will meet some Baptists who call themselves as Conservative Baptists, Bible Baptists, Modern Baptists, and Southern Baptists. I am not sure if they also have Northern or Eastern Baptists but I have met one Southern Baptist recently. I do not know what is the reason why do they call themselves as Southern Baptists. What I know is the conservative Baptists who are adhering to the original principles of the Baptists. Impliedly, there are modern Baptists which may have departed from the original teachings of the Baptists that is why they call themselves as Modern Baptists.

But whatever the case maybe, one thing is very clear, these Baptists believe that once you receive Jesus Christ, you are saved and are saved forever - come what may, whatever you do, you are still saved. Is that the case regarding the teachings of the Christ of the scriptures? Let us put this under the light of the scriptures so that it will be ventilated among the minds and hearts of our listeners that not all people who claim to have received Jesus Christ have really received the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Is that belief that once you received Jesus Christ you are saved and are always saved Biblical? Let us consult the Bible about this teaching. Is it true that salvation cannot be lost? They claim that salvation is just like a gift and when it is given by God or handed by God to anyone, He will not take it back again. They are using a particular verse in the scriptures that is why people believe in them. Let us read a verse they use as a basis that if you have received salvation, then it will be forever be yours; it will not be forfeited anymore by God. The verse that they use is in the book of Romans:

Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

They are banking on this particular verse. The apostle Paul wrote this to the Romans. He said, "the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance". So, if God gave a person or anybody His gift or if God called anybody then that calling and the gift given to him is without repentance. Meaning, God will not repent anymore and He will not forfeit that anymore. But this is not the idea being conveyed by the verse or by the apostle Paul. He does not mean to say that after God had given you a gift, then whatever you do and come what may, that gift will be with you. It doesn't mean like that.

Let us take this from the Biblical concept. What does the apostle Paul mean when he said, "the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance"? Of course, God will not repent in giving a gift or calling a person. But does this follow that because you are called you are already saved? Because you are called you are forever assured of your salvation? Is that the real meaning of that? Let us consult the Bible about this. Is it true that if you are called you are already assured of salvation and is it true that if you have received the gift of God after he has called you then you are assured of salvation? Let us turn our Bible in the book of Mat. 22:14:

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

You see? That indicates that not because you are called, you are already assured of salvation. Many are called, according to our Lord Jesus Christ himself, but few are chosen. So, it doesn't mean that because you are called, then you are already chosen. After God called you, he will choose from amongst those who are called to be worthy for salvation in the last day. There are proofs in the scriptures that there are those who were called but did not merit salvation. Who are they? There are many instances in the scriptures proving that not all those who were called were chosen or have succeeded in attaining salvation. Let us prove that in 2 Tim. 4:3-4:

2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Note that. Their ears are hearers of truth but time will come that they will not endure sound doctrine. These are people who are enjoying hearing sound doctrine because they were called in the church. But according to the prophecy of apostle Paul, time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heed to themselves, teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. Meaning, they are from the truth. They were once in the truth, they were hearers of the truth but time will come they will not continue hearing the truth. "Having itching ears", their ears will be turned unto fables according to the Bible.

This is clear now, that because you are called, you are given the chance to serve God. Will all attain salvation? No. There are people in the first century Christian church that were called but were not chosen. One good example is Judas Iscariot. He was called. In fact, it was our Lord Jesus Christ who personally called him as an apostle. But he was not that faithful to endure sound doctrine. He manifested the kind of heart he have and had turned to be a traitor. There are so many others. Ananias and Sapphira were also called but did not remain faithful. There are other people since the start of the Christian dispensation who were called into the church but did not continue.

To be continued ¡K