SCRIPTURE:
“But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.  For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.” (Philippians 2:25-30, NIV)

OBSERVATIONS: 
I asked myself how does Paul label Epaphroditus?
I learned he does it in 4 ways:
1. My brother.
2. My fellow worker.
3. My fellow soldier.
4. Your messenger.

INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself the significance of the Apostle Paul labeling Epaphroditus this way?Labeling Epaphroditus as his brother before giving him other titles showed me Paul’s closeness to him. Later, he goes on to say what a worker and soldier he has been. I found it significant that he was labeled as a soldier too because being a soldier is not easy and it shows his work ethic. There are a lot of things soldiers need to do to prepare themselves and Epaphroditus became a soldier for the Lord. He must have conditioned himself and done multiple spiritual drills. His life was also in danger and he almost died but thanks be to God that He was spared!
 
Later, Paul says that Epaphroditus is their messenger sent to him to take care of his needs. Now Paul wants the Philippians to know that there is a Homecoming on the horizon as a brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier will be returning to the Philippians as their messenger and he wants them to give him a welcoming reception for all that he has done.

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life. It is in the concept of homecoming. Just as the Apostle Paul saw Epaphroditus being so excited to go home to see the Philippians for his homecoming, others need to see how excited I am to be part of the homecoming that the Lord Jesus has prepared for me. Wow, the King of Kings is preparing a homecoming for me and when everything is ready, He will come and get me so that I can be with Him. Even right now, Jesus wants to be part of my life as He prepares my homecoming and I need to let Jesus be part of my life. Help me Jesus!

HOW GOSPEL GIVES TESTIMONY REGARDING H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G:
Homecoming can be so exciting and I am going to share with you about Ryan whose life may actually be describing my own experiences, your own experiences, or someone you know! There was once a girl named Ryan. She was so bold and beautiful. She had everything going for her when she entered college. She had transferred from Santa Barbara to study religious studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Settling at Pitt was not easy for her. She missed the good old days. She belonged to a band called 'Young and the Restless'. She was always restless with personal issues taking a toll on her. Ryan would always search for tomorrow hoping it would be better than the present day she was facing. One day she heard a women praying, "Lord, I want all my children to come to know your love and the grace you offer amidst the problems in this world for you are my Lord and personal Savior and can be my children's Lord and personal Savior! Please save my children. You will have the best homecoming for us. Thank you Jesus!"

After hearing the woman, Ryan's hope of a fun and exciting life does not have to end in misery but can end in everlasting joy just as the woman felt. As students on university and college campuses, she knew she faced another world compared to high school or the work force. She knew this world can be hard on all of us. There could be continuous pressure from parents or guardians to excel in studies and pressure from friends to conform to their standards more than in high school.

Ryan also knew, as the world turns, we are left in a dilemma that could produce suffering or joy. It does not matter even if our home is in Port Charles. Many times we choose the wrong choices and suffer the consequences because our passions are in the wrong direction. Some consequences are tragic that lead to death as we have only one life to live. Some consequences take us to the general hospital whether we are dealing with a pregnancy, overdose of drugs, alcohol intoxication, or various types of sicknesses from depression to suicidal tendencies, etc.

Is there a hope for us to continue in our studies and still have an exciting time without worrying about pressures we face from our parents or friends?

Can we find activities that are fun and do not have negative consequences?

Ryan, knew the answer had to be yes as she thought about what the woman prayed. She wanted to know more about Jesus and the homecoming Jesus offered. So, she went and found the woman to talk to her. The woman sat her down and explained to her that there is only one true Homecoming and it starts with Jesus Christ. She told Ryan about Jesus Christ and how only Jesus Christ can be her Guiding Light on Pitt's campus or anywhere she is at.

The woman shared with Ryan about what Jesus Christ did for her and how much Jesus loves her. She showed Ryan verses from the Gospel of John especially John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life". After talking awhile, she prayed with Ryan who accepted Jesus Christ into her heart and surrendered her life over to Christ. The woman not only gave her the Gospel of John to read everyday but also 'My Heart Christ's Home' by Robert Munger.

As the days went by whether she moved to Dallas or stayed in Pittsburgh, her life was being transformed by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, she wanted to share her new found joy with all her other classmates and people she came across because she found the true Guiding Light!

Friend, so can you! Ryan's hope became Jesus Christ and that same hope can be for you too. There is hope in Jesus Christ for each one of you no matter where you are in your life right now. All the days of our lives we can turn to God who loves us so much and has a wonderful plan for us. Yes, we can!

Some of Ryan's story describes me actually and other parts of it describes others. It maybe describing you too. No matter what you are going through remember that God has promises for you and these promises are for your uplifting.

Yesterday, we learned in Living Acts small group about those held in captive in Babylon and how the Lord would rescue them and bring them back home in His timing. In their distress, He gave them wonderful promises from Jeremiah 29:11-14. My favorite is Jeremiah 29:11.

"I know the plans, I have for you says the Lord, they are plans for good and not for evil to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

That's God's plan for you my friend! God loves you so much that He sent Jesus Christ to give you hope.

Jesus says, "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with Him and he with me" (Revelations 3:20)

Jesus wants to be your Guiding Light. He wants to guide you throughout your life and give you peace of mind and heart just as Ryan received it and became a sister, fellow worker, and fellow soldier for the Lord.

Maybe you say that none of this vignette describes you and your life is all peachy and going well. Lest you fall, be careful because it is usually those that think they have it all together that come crumbling down due to pride and other vices. Take it from me because it happened to me.

Yet, I thank Jesus so much for coming for the sick and not for those who think they have it all together. I had issues like Ryan and did not have it all together and sadly, I have not always wanted Jesus to be part of every facet of my life.

Instead, I would compartmentalize my life which areas I wanted Jesus to be involved in and which areas I did not want Jesus to be involved in.  But, through it all, by His grace Jesus has prepared a Homecoming for me waiting for my return as the story of the prodigal Son illustrates. Thank you Jesus! I am so glad Jesus did not abandon me in my own sin but wants to be part of my life and when I hand over all the title deeds to every facet of my life to Jesus, He will manage it the best way more than I can ever imagine. My homecoming with Jesus will always be the best. Praise the Lord!

What better place to be than in the arms of love of our Savior! He will hold us near and hold us still! For that I am excited! My homecoming started the day, I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ surrendering myself over to Jesus. Though there have been detours because of my sinful ways, Jesus has always put me back on the right track! Thank you Jesus! Jesus restored me in my guilt, shame, etc washing me in His precious cleansing blood to give me Eternal life. Thank you Jesus! I found my homecoming in Jesus and so can you.

I ask you now dear friends, how does the Gospel influence  H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G in your life?
Dear friends, there are a lot of Homecomings that occur on college campuses but there is really only one Homecoming that will make such an impact in your life and in the lives of others and that is the  homecoming that involves Jesus Christ as Epaphroditus experienced and Ryan experienced. Epaphroditus' homecoming began when he gave his life to Christ and also after he served the Apostle Paul for awhile as his brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier in the Lord. You maybe able to say that your homecoming began on so and so date or you may not even be able to say that you have a homecoming around the horizon.

I don't know where you are in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ but this I do know for sure that your homecoming is something that will make Jesus so happy because He who created you wants you to be part of His glorious Kingdom. It started with Jesus who prepared for your Homecoming. The preparation was done with His precious cleansing blood on the cross of Calvary so you can have magnificent entrance into Heaven when you turn your life over to Christ. You can do that friend no matter where you have been or what you have done.

Jesus did that for you because Jesus knew on our own, we cannot reach Father God because of the sin that controls us. Jesus wanted to make a way for us to reach God despite our sin so He took all our sin upon Himself on the cross of Calvary and was nailed to the cross. It did not end there, but after Jesus said, 'It is finished', Jesus came back to life on the third day to save.

Yes, friend Jesus did all that so we can be restored to the Father and have our homecoming because now when God looks at us, He does not see our sin but Christ's righteousness covering over us and his judgment will passover us.

A Holy God cannot allow sin to enter into His presence but through Christ we have been made free and allowed to come before the Father when we acknowledge all Jesus did for us accepting Him as our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you Jesus! You can do that friend!

It will be more spectacular than any school’s Homecoming, for you will be Homecoming to the One who loves you so much that He died for you and came back to life to save you!  That is exciting to know! There will be Heavenly fireworks and a laser show, heavenly style which we cannot even comprehend right now.

Don’t let the enemy deceive you and lie to you making you think that you will not be accepted. For the Lord Jesus will take you in and you can receive His abundant blessings His ways and peace His way as you confess and repent of your sins and ask for His help to guide you and lead you!

I am not talking about a prosperity Gospel but the life-saving, life- changing Gospel of Jesus Christ whose promises we can claim. In Jesus Christ, you can have a “Homecoming to find the Light of the World” 

I do not know about you but I need Jesus to be my Guding Light to show me the way through life. I hope you join me in having Jesus become part of your life daily so He can transform you by His grace.

Jesus says, "I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart, and the peace I give is not like the peace the world gives, don't be troubled or afraid" (Read John 14)

Jesus loves you so much and will accept you just as you are. You do not have to prove yourself for Christ to love you. You are important to Christ just the way you are. If you are having difficulty in any area of your life, give it to the Lord and leave it in His hands to take care of it. His hands are Helping Hands and He will help you.

If you are enjoying your life and think you don't need the Lord, remember He wants you to be His son or daughter because He loves you so much. Jesus died and came back to life to save each one of us and to give us a life of hope, love, and faith. The greatest of these is love. May you experience healer offers magnificent emancipation, multiplying nurturing guidance! Amen!

"Healer Offers Messiah's Emancipation Coming Over, Multiplying Inspirational, Nurturing Guidance!" (H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G)/"How does the Gospel influence H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G in your life?"

PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, I have heard that you love me so much just the way I am. I want you to be the whole of my life. There are so many things that are happening in my life right now and I need you to intervene to help me out. I am so sorry for my sins. I confess my sins to you Lord and repent of them. Please be in control of my life and be my Guiding Light. Thank you so much Jesus. Please forgive me of my sins and help me. Thanks for forgiving me of my sins. I come now and acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior who will be my Light for eternity as I come home and find you as my Light of the World. Thanks Lord, I do not have to be alone but you are with me. I give my life to you Lord because you want to show me the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Please come into my heart and make my heart your home. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home! Thanks for living in me Lord and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thanks again for this new life and all my sins are forgiven and I am washed clean. Thank you for dying for me and coming back to life to save me. Thanks for hearing me and answering me. You are my Heavenly Father and have given me the best homecoming as you are ready to take me in your arms of love. Thank you I need not go by feelings but on your promises! I claim your promises Lord! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!

If you want to be a soldier in the Lord's army, you can become it right now. Now is the time of Salvation! You do not have to wait but can pray this prayer and give your life to Christ to serve Him daily! There is no draft but coming to Christ is voluntary. He loves you so much and wants you to come to Him! He will take care of you, guiding you and leading you!

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. "The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us." I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!