
Originally Posted by
Flipo
Ano yung G12?
Eto naman yung sa PCEC
Isang bukas na liham pastoral mula kay Bishop Noel A. Pantoja, National Director, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches
Panalanging Bayan
PASTORAL LETTER
As covered by PhilStar and Inquirer today, May 5, 2016
A CALL TO PRAYER AND FASTING AND A BIBLICAL CHOICE OF LEADERS
To all Filipino Christians and Bible-believing Churches in the Philippines:
My beloved brethren, by the grace and mercies of God, we call on our brothers and sisters-in-Christ and all Bible-believing Christians in this crucial time in our history to read our Bibles, meditate, pray, and fast so that we may be able to wisely select our leaders in the 2016 elections.
As followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, we make our choices not on the basis of our own wisdom but based on the Word of God, the Bible. The Bible is our guide so we can make the right choice whom to vote for.
Exodus 18:21 provides us with the first guide. It says: “select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain".
This verse mentions the 4 qualities of good leaders:
1. A Leader must be capable. Capable means being competent.
2. A Leader must be God-fearing. A leader must fear God and acknowledge that any authority that he possesses is bestowed upon him by God Almighty. He is a God-honoring person who obeys God's commandments.
3. A leader must be trustworthy. He is not abusive and has the highest regard for the trust imposed on him by the people. This is shown in his concern for the rights of others. He puts the concern of others first before himself. This is also shown by integrity in his life.
4. A leader must be honest and hate bribes. The second guide is in the “Wisdom Books”of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The Bible, through these “Wisdom Books” tells us to choose wise leaders and avoid foolish ones as they could bring destruction and suffering to our country and people.
Some examples include the following:
1. The foolish engage in slander (Proverbs 10:18).
2. The foolish joke about their wrongdoing (Proverbs 10:23).
3. The foolish make great boasts (Psalm 12:3).
4. The foolish are stubbornly right in their own eyes (Proverbs 12:15).
5. The foolish are quickly annoyed by insults (Proverbs 12:16).
6. The foolish lash out in rash words like sword thrusts (Proverbs 12:18).
7. The foolish express no shame over their folly (Proverbs 13:16).
8. The foolish speak and act with reckless and careless abandon ( Prov 14:16).
9. The foolish despise instruction and rebukes from those who are wiser (Prov 15:5).
10. The foolish rejects rebukes and corrections (Proverbs 17:10).
11. The foolish love to boldly pronounce their opinions (Proverbs 18:2).
12. The foolish love to quarrel (Proverbs 20:3).
13. The foolish have a history of repeating their folly (Proverbs 26:11).
14. The foolish rage or mock when arguing with others (Proverbs 29:9).
15. The foolish love to give full vent to their spirit (Proverbs 29:11).
16. The foolish are quick to speak (Proverbs 29:20).
17. The foolish are often characterized by shouting (Ecclesiastes 9:17).
This list is basic and not an exhaustive list of the attributes of the foolish , nor (obviously) is it the only list to consider when electing a leader. If a potential leader does not pass the assessment of this list, we must consider them disqualified.
If you find any of the descriptions above in a candidate, do not be deceived by empty words or be subject to pressure. Exercise your sacred right to vote in accordance with God's word. Choose only God-fearing, capable, trustworthy and honest candidates and do not vote a foolish person to office.
We pray that as you exercise your right to vote, you will pray, meditate and ask guidance from the Holy Spirit and remember that a wrong choice will often result in disaster. The Bible teaches us that when righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan. And when you acknowledge your need, our generous God will give you wisdom when you ask for it. (James 1:5).
I call on all Christian Churches and Bible believing Christians to pray and fast for honest, orderly and peaceful elections.I urge everyone to be vigilant in protecting our votes to see Fairness, Accuracy, Integrity, Transparency and Honesty in the election process.
God bless you and God bless our beloved Philippines.
Yours in Christ.
BISHOP NOEL A. PANTOJA
National Director
Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches