by Shekinah Margate
JECPP Southern Mindanao Tribal Ministry once again conducted its leadership training seminar last March 11,2024. It was attended by 40 tribal pastors, volunteer workers, and leaders under Tribal Ministry, and it was held at Evangel Family Church Marahan with the utilization of ETTC facilities. The seminar took place for over three days, with Rev. Tony and Rev. Liza Angelias as guest speakers. It aimed to revive devotion and dedication to the ministry once again and to empower everyone to remain persistent in their walk with God.
The first-afternoon session was delivered by Rev. Liza Angelias, entitled “Strengthen the Weakened Faith.” In this session, she emphasized the importance of having a strong faith where doubts are non-existent and wherein miracles will happen together with the favor of receiving answers to prayers. She also gave importance to the evaluation of faith, where it is advised not to be reckless but to set eyes on God. Along with the desire to be close to God through prayer and indulgence in studying His word, that would result in application and being the light of the world through Christ.
The first evening service was then graced by Rev. Tony Angelias, whose message was all about “God uses ordinary people to do the extraordinary.” Rev. Tony brought up Acts 4:13–14, where the verses imply the extraordinary works of God to heal the sick through the lives of Peter and John, who were uneducated and just ordinary men but performed a miracle that captured the attention of the people. He also cited 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, which clearly states that God chose to use the lowly things in this world to shame the highs so that no one can boast. He then encouraged the listeners to never underestimate God’s calling just because they failed to meet the requirements of the human standard but to let God use and work through them to do extraordinary miracles with their lives.
On the following day, Rev. Liza Angelias discussed all about the twenty-two spiritual gifts. These gifts are gifts of administration, gift of apostleship, gift of craftsmanship, gift of discernment, gift of evangelism, gift of exhortation, gift of faith, gift of giving, gift of healing, gift of help, gift of hospitality, gift of intercession, gift of word knowledge, gift of leadership, gift of mercy, gift of miracles, gifts of pastor/shepherd, gift prophecy, gift of service, gift of teaching, gift of tongues (and interpretation), and the gift of the word of wisdom. In light of this, Rev. Liza guided everyone on how to discover, know, or confirm their top five spiritual gifts through the use of giftstest.com. Upon reviewing the results of the site, some were happy to confirm their gifts, some were surprised to discover their unexpected gifts, and some were astonished that their expected gifts were not listed in their top five. To conclude, she emphasized on improving, developing, and using these gifts regularly and not bury them. She said that all spiritual gifts have the same value in different ways, and God gives these gifts to everyone uniquely, as He already planned the use of them in their lives.
During the second session of the second day, Rev. Tony talked about submission to the leader. He pointed out the importance of submitting to and respecting the leader. He also emphasized that if one is being corrected by the leader, one must just choose to smile and obey. He brought up different individuals from the Bible who submitted and also those who got the consequences from not being submissive. Which gave a clear understanding of the relevance of having a humble heart, as concluded.
On the second night of the seminar, God spoke through His word, using Rev. Tony, all about the “Four Reasons Why They Need the Holy Spirit.” Indeed, they need the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit will empower them to be effective in witnessing for God; the Holy Spirit will strengthen them to worship the Living God; the Holy Spirit will give supernatural spiritual gifts for them to grow and progress; and the Holy Spirit will anoint them because they have an awaiting work with purpose. Pointing out to the tribal pastors and leaders that being full of the Holy Spirit is very crucial and should be acknowledged, it also includes having a teachable heart and continuing to recognize God’s work to prevent pride from overthrowing.
On the last day, Rev. Tony delivered a message about giving, which covered giving tithes and offering and giving to pastors. Giving should never be limited, as it will limit God’s work as well, for he gives to the giver. Giving is too powerful to be underestimated, and blessing also depends on giving. He also emphasized on not settling into the poverty mindset but rebuking and letting go of it instead. God wants His people to desire more and pray for great things.
The last session was given by Rev. Liza, who talked about “Victorious Christian Life.” In her session, she emphasized these four points: be wise, be watchful, be understanding, and study the word of God. These points need to be possessed to be a good model for others and to live victoriously as a Christian. Also, the session included the hierarchical priorities in life, which should be God, self, family, and ministry.
Overall, the attendees were empowered as they got to deeply understand their ministries and callings, as well as the spiritual gifts that were being confirmed to them. They are willing to continue with the journey that they started, and they end up having great hope in God’s grace and sustenance. They are also full of love and eagerness to go back to where God sent them and apply the words that they had earned from the leadership training with great perspective and vision. To God be all the glory here on earth and in heaven! Praise be to Him alone!
