TalkBRO. AUDEE VILLARAZA:How many of you are familiar with that verse that I just read? This is not the first time that you're reading it, right?You know, one thing that I love about the Word of God is that it's alive and active.You might ask me: "Bro. Audee, why is it that sometimes when I read the Word, I fall asleep?"The Bible is not the suspect. There's nothing wrong with the Word.The problem is you. Because when you don't allow the Word to seep into your heart, of course, you'll feel asleep or dead. But when you chew, and when you digest the Word of God, it's going to keep you alive, awake, and it will sustain your life.So, the goal for today is that we would not just look at the surface-level of the story, but look deep within.I'm so excited to preach this Word to you because there are lessons that I learned for the very first time-- even if I've read the story countless times.We're doing expository preaching and learning.So, we're going to look at the verses line by line and we're going to study them together. If you've got your Bible, it's a good time to bring it out.Why the Wedding at Cana? Let me pause there for a moment.Mary gets a mention in the vlog of John.Good for her because she'll gain some subscribersJBut where was Joseph in all of these?By this time, experts believe that Joseph was already dead. That explains the reason Jesus had to stay in Nazareth for 18 years. He needed to take care of His first ministry: His family.That's amazing because we see that Jesus was responsible not just as a Son of God but also as a Son of Mary.The common question that people often ask is this:Why did Jesus choose this wedding as the setting of His first miracle?Were there famous people, influencers, and vloggers at the wedding?I mean it would be different if it was the wedding of celebrities Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera (left) or Cong TV and Viy Cortez (right).Because there would be people to spread the news: #BestWeddingEver. Two ReasonsIf you did your research, you’ll note that there was nobody famous at that wedding.It was a small, intimate wedding. So, why did Jesus choose this wedding?I'll give you two reasons.First ReasonThe first one is very simple and yet so powerful.Verse 2 gives us the answer>How can Jesus do the miracle if He's not invited?Some of you pray for a miracle from the Lord but you never invite Him to your life. Am I right?You'll be shocked by this: God will show up in places that you invite Him to.It doesn't even need to be a significant event. You don't even need to be in church.Today is Sunday. Tomorrow is Monday and you'll go to work.If you're traveling in your car or you commute, you say, "Lord, this is my chapel."You know what God is going to do? He's going to turn your travel into

Talk BRO. BO SANCHEZ:I'd like to call on the guy who will help me preach this. I've known this guy for 24 years. Before he was born, I already knew him.Please welcome, my son, Bene.This is the first time we're doing this. This is history. We'll not talk about coffee or dinosaurs. We will talk about John 1. Let's do it. Let's dive in.BRO. BENE SANCHEZ: John 1 opens with such a monumental first verse John 1 says, "In the beginning..."Do you know of any other book in the Bible that has the same opening? You're right: Genesis.So, what does it mean that John opens with the very same line that the entire Bible opens with?BRO. BO: This is very bold for him to do that. He was telling everybody that if Genesis was about Creation, his Gospel was about New Creation. BRO. BENE: That's right. So, whatever John is going to be about, it's going to be as important as the Book of Genesis. Whatever the story is going to be about, it's going to be about New Creation. Same Words, Different Perspectives BRO. BENE: "In the beginning was the Word..."What's the Word? Who’s the Word? What’s interesting about the Gospel of John is that it opens with the same words as Genesis 1: "In the beginning, there was God. He created the heavens and the earth."But in John's version, it's "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God."I'm just going to give you a spoiler. John is talking about Jesus. But the way that John likes to tell a story, he wants to draw you in. He's almost written this part of his Gospel like a song where there are verses and chorus.He's an artist, right? He's drawing us in and he's saving the big reveal that thisWord there in the beginning is Jesus--at the very end, right?At first, John sets up the scene: "In the beginning, there was a Word, who was God, and is God."If you're already kind of confused, this is just the first verse. The way to look at it is to imagine you're watching a movie.Have you seen behind-the-scenes clips of Avengers? You find out that the characters are not actually on some other planet. They're in a big sound stage with a green or blue screen. There are lots of people with cameras and various assistants.What we see in the movie is the edited version.But when you search on Google or YouTube, you will see behind-the-scenes clips with the crew and how everything is being set up.This is what I love about the Gospel of John. It's almost as if retelling Genesis from a behind-the-scenes point of view.BRO. BO: So, Genesis 1 and John are about the same story.BRO. BENE: The same story but from a different perspective, from a different camera angle. Isn't that cool? God’s Word BRO. BO: Genesis 1 only showed God creating the universe. John 1 was about the same thing but

Talk I want to preach the message:Stop building your tower. Start building God's Throne.I want you to help me preach this message to that person beside you.What tower are we talking about? I'm talking about the Tower of Babel-- if you know that story from Genesis Chapter 11. But just in case you don't know, we're going to backtrack to Genesis.I need to backtrack. I cannot jump right away to the Tower of Babel story.How many of you think that you’ve heard the Tower of Babel before?In Genesis 1:28, God gives us this mission:When we read that passage, we think it's almost like God is saying, "Have children."But it's not only about having children. This is about you and I scattering and filling the Earth wherever we walk.The earlier verse was about us being images of God. So, when God says, "Fill the Earth,” He means that we fill the Earth with God's Presence.Because you are a God-container. You are a God-bearer.So, whenever you walk into your office, school, mall, and your home, you bring the Presence of God with you.When you talk with someone, that person senses the Presence of God through your words. When people look at you, they will not only look at you, but they also need to see the God who lives in you. Question: Did man obey that Word we just read today?Not really.Instead of filling the Earthwith His Presence, we fill the Earth with evil-- which culminates in the Tower of Babel story.Now, for modern eyes reading this and modern ears listening, there's nothing wrong with that plan to build the city and the tower. Looks nice! The plan is good. But the reason we don't get this story is we're modern people. This was written 3,000 years ago.When an ancient person hears the story, the reaction will be like, "Huh!"I will give you the meaning of the story and I want you to react in that way.Heaven was God's throne and man wanted to take over. This was a coup against God.Now, react in 1, 2, and 3: “Huh!”Now you understand the story. That's basically what I'm trying to say. Now you might ask me, what's the problem with being scattered?Wasn't that God's command in Genesis 1 -- to fill the Earth, multiply, scatter, bring the Presence of God to everyone?With the Tower of Babel, the people would like to set themselves apart from others. They feel superior to everyone.Now, this is the most important point I want to share with you about this story.We're going to go deep in this Talk. Whenever a talk is deep, I want you to go louder.The reason I want you to be loud is this: If the talk is deep, you might just get lost.You just miss one sentence, and you say, "What was that?”I want you to lean in the Talk. I want your full attention. I don't want you to miss anything. I want you to be loud when you respond, okay?This is

TalkINTRODUCTIONBRO. AUDEE VILLARAZA:A fair warning. I need you to stand up for this, all right? We're about to read one of the most boring passages you will ever encounter in the Bible.How many of you have sleeping problems? You don't need melatonin. All you need to do is read what we're about to read and I promise you, if you're alone reading this, you'll be gone in 60 seconds. I'm just humoringJI'm talking about the first chapter of the Book of Matthew 1:1-17,15-16 NLT:This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse.Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa.Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram. Jehoram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon). After the Babylonian exile: Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Akim. Akim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.The Value of a WomanI wanted to make sure you were standing. Otherwise, you might have dozed off while reading that.Honestly, the Word is supposed to be alive and active but the reason that verse sounds so boring is it's just filled with names that we don't know even how to pronounce.Did you notice something when I was reading the text of the types of names that were included there? Did anybody notice that they were mostly men? Right? I mean there were a few exceptions. There were five women mentioned.But it was an almost male cast. It's not an accident. During the time of Jesus, most ancient genealogy, which is like a family

BRO. BO SANCHEZ:We're going to talk about Fatherhood.Fathers, you’re going to be blessed. Mothers, you’re going to be blessed.Children, you’re going to be blessed.I remember when I was growing up and then being in the Lord, and serving God, some parents would ask my parents: "What did you do for your son? What’s your secret, that made your son this way? Did you have special prayers for your son?"My Mom would say, "I don't know. He just turned out like that."In hindsight, my parents did something right. The reason they weren't aware of it was that’s just who they were. What were the right ways they did?They lovedThey spent time withThey taught me aboutThey brought me into their faith. We prayed the Rosary every night. We went to Mass every Sunday. The Dad I Can TrustI love sharing this story. You've heard this before.When my Dad came home from work, he looked for me and he would say, "Bo, let's jog."He was not a great jogger. We had a car parked in our garage.Both of us would jog around the car for a few minutes. At a certain point, he would stop and sit, and I would sit on his lap.He often read the newspaper. But because I was with him, he did not read the front page, only the comic section-- Tarzan, Beetle Bailey, and Dennis the Menace.Later, I would go down and that’s when he would read the front page. That's it.Those were the few moments every night being with my Dad.Growing up, I had very few toys. I had 10. I counted them. I knew the number.Today, I have two sons. When they were small, they had a department store of toys in their room. Blame that on our wonderful friends who spoiled them to death. I had 10. I didn't complain. Why?Every Saturday, my father would say, "Let's walk."It was our father and son time. We usually went to Cubao. Not ride a jeepney or a car. We walked. On the sidewalk, he would buy me a hotdog on a stick. I ate but he would not. He just watched me eating. After that, he would bring brought me to the toy section of a department store.He’d tell me, "Bo, play."I owned all the toys in the world. I sat on the floor, and I played. The saleslady watched me, while tapping her foot.After some time, my Dad would say, "Let's go home."Again, I did not feel bad not bringing a toy. We did not buy a thing. I did not complain. My hands were not empty. I went home holding the hand of my Dad. I knew somewhere, somehow that right there, he loved me.I have five elder sisters I called evil sisters back then. I was the youngest and the only son.My father had his peculiarities. Whenever my siblings and I greeted him, "Hi, Dad," he just nodded, saying, "Hmmm."That was his favorite word. He wasn't expressive. But even if he was like

BRO. AUDEE VILLARAZA:Who among you came with your family here today? May I ask you to tell your family member: “I’m grateful for you.”You better mean it. Say, “I’m blessed by you.”I want to give everybody a fair warning before I read the Word.The message that we'll talk about is very difficult. It'll not be easy for some of you to hear and much more for us to preach to you.If you think that Talk 1 and Talk 2 were like a walk in the park, Talk 3 is more like a walk in Jurassic Park. It will unearth and unleash some pre-historic wounds of your life. Maybe some of you might even have questions after the talk.But if you lean on God, ask His guidance, and ask the Holy Spirit to move into this place to receive His Word with love and humility, I guarantee you that it'll change the way you think about your family life.We're reading a passage from Matthew 1:18-20, 24-25. It's a story about the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d] (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Stages of MarriageHow many of you, when you read the Bible, like to put yourself in the situation and imagine that you're there?That's how I do it when I read the Bible.From time to time, you'll stumble upon a word that is not familiar to you. One word that I noticed while reading the passage is the word betrothed.Maybe you've heard of it but do you actually use that? We don't use it, right? It's an ancient word. In Jesus' time, it was a word that was widely used.Let me explain this...There are two stages of marriage that we know now:In the time of Jesus,

Talk INTRODUCTION BRO. BO SANCHEZ:Tell that person beside you, “God is doing something new. God is doing something beautiful.”I just flew in from Butuan this morning. We had a huge Feast there yesterday.We have three Feasts in one city in Butuan. Here are some photos of our visit: John Levy’s LifeThe guy who leads one of the Feasts in Butuan, his name is John Levy.His life is amazing. He was swallowed up by drugs-- and he ended up in prison. But God touched him and changed him. Today, he’s leadingThe Feast in Butuan.If God can work with someone who was in prison, and society has condemned... if God can work with a man where people around him already said he's a basket case, he’s hopeless, he can never change... if God can work with that person and make him today lead a Feast that is changing people's lives and blessing generations... so many young people go to that Feast in Butuan... now there are three Feasts there... if God can use someone like John Levy,I'm announcing to you there is no such thing as a basket case in God's Kingdom.There is no one hopeless in God's Kingdom.Last week, I was not here because I was in Baguio where we had a big Feast.God is moving. We are in hundreds of cities all over the world. We are in 30 countries. God is moving, God is touchingMy friends, God can do all things. God is a God of Possibilities. You are in the Presence of a God who can do amazing things in your life.Please know that whatever situation you are in, God is there. He can save you.He can lift you. He can bring light in the darkness. He can give hope to despair. He can just bless you.Are you excited that we follow a God who does not know what impossible means?John Levy was there. He was in the pit. He said, “Lord God, rescue me.”And God did. The God of John Levy is your God. He's going to do amazing things in your life if you say Yes!Audee Villaraza, give us the Word.. BRO. AUDIE VILLARAZA:Everybody, join me and sing:Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.We’re taking a page from the Book of Genesis.Most of you have probably heard this passage-- it's pretty famous. From Genesis 1: 27:Three lessons we can learn from this passage:There is a Creator;There is a We are His creation; andHe is creativeQuick sharing. Whenever I get together with my old college buddy-- his name is Noel-- we always somehow get into a heated friendly debate because we're so different from one another. He likes the Cleveland Cavaliers and I like the Golden State Warriors. He loves the car brand, Toyota. I love the car brand, Honda and Ford. He likes the cool weather, and I like it when it's warm. I'm very sensitive to the cold weather. He thinks that he's more good-looking than I am

Talk BRO. AUDEE VILLARAZA:What I love about the Word of God is that you know you can open the fridge and get a snack. You can also open the Bible and get a meal. This is not dessert but the main course.Today, we get to dine with this wonderful Bread of Life that will feed you and sustain you for the rest of your days.For the next six Sundays, we will study a topic that is relevant for any age, gender, or nationality. We will talk about Family. Are you with your family right now? Yeah? That's good. If not, you'll still be blessed by this series.Here's something interesting. After God created Heaven and the Earth,next, He created the first family -- Adam and Eve. Because God’s modus operandi, God’s intention, was to bless the world through the family -- the first family.Unfortunately, this first family failed. A third party came between God and His children. We know the rest of that story.But God wasn’t done yet. He would raise another family through Abraham. God said to Abraham this Word which I believe is the Word for all of us today:“All the families of the Earth will find blessing in you.”So, here’s the Word that I wish to profess to all who are here today: “Your family will bless other families.” Under Different RoofsSome of you might say, “Bro. Audee, you don’t know my family. My family is broken, my family is messed up, my family is dysfunctional.”Yes, I know. How do I know? Because there is no such thing as a perfect family.But despite your brokenness, I declare that God will use you to bless other families too-- that He will turn every defeat in your family to use it for victory. Because what the enemy meant for evil, God can use for the good of those who love Him and for those who are called according to His purpose. I declare that your family will bless other families.Everybody, put your hands on your chest, and just sincerely say this: “Lord, I’m right here.I’m open. I’m available. Speak. Your servant is listening. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.’ New Talk SeriesWe’re starting a brand new Talk series today.The title of our series is Under One Roof. I love the title. It speaks so much about the truth that we live under one roof – under the Roof of God. You might not have the same name as the one beside you, but deep inside, we’re all under one roof.We’re all brothers and sisters. But take note: Not all roofs look the same-- because not all families are the same. Some roofs have families there that live in the same house, but their hearts can be living in different worlds. One person may be living on Earth while the other is on the moon, and another on Mars.This is obvious in the living room with a television. One person wants to watch drama while the second one likes action, and the third person

BRO. DIDOY LUBATON:This is a safe place. May I see a raise of hands if this verse resonates with you-- because you feel burdened with heavy concerns and you need God’s rest?If the person beside you raises a hand, tell him or her, “God will give you rest.”This is not part of the plan, but I will sit down while preaching because if I stand, I don’t look like I’m restingJREST. The holistic importance of REST. It is a necessity, not a luxury.I’d like to give Five Types of Rest so that we may have ideas, practical ways of what we are going to do after being inspired by The Feast talk. What lessons may we apply..Your body is not just an artificial machine.It’s a supernatural, beautiful, and wonderful creation. It’s created to rest too. Your body needs time to repair, regenerate, and recharge.Simple. First, get good sleep. Sleep is the charging station of your body.You will develop chronic illnesses if you don’t sleep well. Your allergies are related to that.I’m wearing my medical doctor’s hat as well as my preacher hat as I speak now.Your moods are affected by your sleep. Please sleep. But not now.Second, do active rest. Wow, weird-- active rest.Yes, slow and gentle movements-- such as walking in nature, stretching, and deep- breathing exercises.Those are good for you. They recharge you.Physical rest is not just reclining with your mouth wide openJ No. Go, walk...Inhale, exhale...Remember, St. Paul said that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit:Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?... God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. -- 1Corinthians 3:16-17 NLTWhen we rest, we honor God. Taking care of our bodies is not just a necessity but it is a spiritual responsibility. The moment you wake up, what’s the first thing you hold? Your phone...?When I was younger, it used to be the Bible. Well, okay, now the Bible is already on the phone.Our minds are constantly bombarded with information and tasks leading to mental fatigue. Have you ever felt that at times, your mind is simultaneously loaded with concerns in the family, profession, and business? Everything-- what’s in the news, even showbiz news.We need a mental break. When I’m in the office, I leave my cubicle not only for water breaks and bladder breaks.I leave my cubicle to walk and to talk with some people.Sometimes, your desk can also be toxic to you when you’re sitting there for a long time. You need to unplug --which means you need to literally take off from the Internet. Turn off your laptop. When we’re putting our laptops off, it’s a sign that we are trusting God.Recently, in my office, we unplugged and recharged just for one day. Among top officers in my 700+ organizations, a dozen leaders, including me, hied off outside Manila.It’s good for our well-being when we unplug and recharge elsewhere. We cannot expect

Talk I’m going to preach this Word right away to you: God is giving you real rest. That person beside you might be tired. That person beside you might be experiencing the pandemic of exhaustion. I want you to tell that person, wake him up: God is giving you real rest. We’ve been going through five weeks already-- five weeks of analyzing low-grade exhaustion that people are carrying like a badge of honor. Because if you’re not tired, people will say you’re doing nothing, and therefore, probably you’re irresponsible and, you know, you’re passing on the responsibilities to other people. And so we carry this exhaustion. And we think it’s normal. But for the past five weeks, we’ve also been saying that God has an antidote. And that antidote is Shabbat. And Shabbat is sacred rhythms of rest and relationship. How many here can actually say that in the past five weeks, God has spoken to you? God has dealt with you, and you have been blessed by our series. We Don’t Have Sabbath Rhythm There's something that troubles me. We, Catholics, are supposed to be loving and obeying God. But I noticed that many of us don't have any sort of Sabbath rhythm. We go to church or to The Feast. But that’s it. I have a hunch. I think we’ve misread the Gospels. In all four Gospels-- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John-- there are a bunch of stories where Jesus heals on a Sabbath. But a bunch of guys called the Pharisees took Sabbath seriously. They criticized Jesus for not making the Sabbath the way they wanted Him to. We’ve got this message: If Jesus did not take the Sabbath seriously, why would we? Maybe, it’s not very important. In this talk, we will convince you otherwise: That Jesus took Sabbath very seriously-- but in a different way. So, extend your hand towards the Word: Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “I will give you rest.” The global average of burnout is 45%. That is shocking. It means that people of all ages in different cultures and nationalities are experiencing burnout. But there is something worse. In the Philippines, a Deloitte study shows that 63% of millennials and 70% of Gen Z are going through burnout. This is wild and crazy. The verse above is very relevant but then Jesus shocks everybody as He continues: The Yoke of Jesus A yoke is a harness around the neck of an oxen or a carabao. Can you rest while carrying a yoke? No. But if it’s Jesus’ yoke, you can rest. Here’s news for you: God is not in the business of removing your burdens. He is in the business of replacing them. We have the wrong notion of what rest means. We want a comfortable life but what we really want is the absence of burdens. Yes or no? How many of you dream of