Learning to Walk By Faith

“For we walk by faith and not by sight” 2 Cor 5:7

Over the past month, we were one of the presenting couples in three Marriage Encounter weekends organized by three different BLD districts. Last week, we helped facilitate a reconciliation retreat in another district. While we are physically tired, we have remained spiritually buoyant, for the Lord ministered to us just as He ministered to those whom we served.

The marvel of seeing how the Lord builds communities through collaborative ministry reminded us of BLD Newark's early years when we did not have the material and spiritual resources for outreach. We had zeal, but we did not have what matters the most- faith. Those were the times when the Lord taught us to walk by faith and not by sight.

We recall that when the ME1 class decided to sponsor ME2, we were not sure how we will raise the $5,000 in airfare cost to bring the two presenting couples and priest from Manila to New Jersey. We dedicated our love offerings during our monthly ME reunions for the sponsorship. But we could not use the love offerings from our weekly worship, which were used to pay for venue and other community operating expenses. After 5 months of reunions, we had enough to pay for the airfare of one couple and the priest. We intensified our prayers. In no time, the Lord sent sister districts and benefactors to the rescue. They provided for what we lacked. All we needed to do was to ask in faith, and the Lord took care of the rest.

God’s steadfast love was again manifested when we sponsored our second Life in the Spirit Seminar. We still had no local sharers then; we did not have our first witnesses until our third year. Our community treasury simply did not have enough to defray the cost of flying LSS sharers and a priest from Manila. Who else could we turn to for help but the Lord? Again, He delivered through the generosity of sister districts who gave from their treasures and talents.

A few months after we sealed our covenant in 1994, BLD's Council of Servant Leaders (CSL) in Manila asked Newark to form a new community in Reno. Like any significant question in community, we needed to discern our decision. But our concerns and anxieties prevented us from seeking the Lord's will on the matter.

Based on logic, our fears were not unfounded. We were “fast-tracked” in our formation; we were barely starting in our discipleship walk at that time. No one among us, except for Donnie & Ningning de Vera, had any experience in forming new communities. No one knew had to administer a new district; BLD had no manual on that subject.

Moreover, Reno was 3,000 miles away from us! How could we commit to the responsibility of forming, nurturing and supporting such a far-flung outreach when our very own community was just a “toddler” in terms of spiritual maturity and needed nurturing itself? For a community that just had enough funds for next month's venue rental, how could we even think that we could afford the cost of sending outreach shepherds and teachers to Reno every month?

How could we not have faith in God whose faithfulness extends to the heavens? The Lord saved us from unbelief by sending His disciples Eliong & Leah Sison- whom Fr. Adorable called "the prayerful ones"- to aid us in our discernment. They advised us to leave behind our fears and anxieties, and to focus on prayer, the Scripture and on seeking the will of God.

After worship and during our waiting on the Lord, we received the following word: "Rise, take up your mat, and walk" Jn 5:8. God revealed to us our spiritual condition. We laid on our mat of unbelief, we allowed ourselves to be paralyzed by fear. The Lord assured us that we were not lame, that we are made strong by His grace. He commanded us to arise from our stupor, to put away our doubts, and to walk in faith as directed by His Spirit.

We gave the Lord our tearful yes, and that was enough for Him. He did all the rest. He poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom He has given us. In early 1995, a plane load of BLD Newark disciples descended into Reno to serve in their ME1 weekend. Our faithful God was with us throughout the years of Reno's formation and growth. From thereon, we began our life of faith, obeying His Word which directed us to begin new communities of faith in Seattle, Long Island, Albany, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Trenton, Rockland, Phoenix, Charlotte, Allentown and Camden.

The stories of God’s faithfulness do not end here. There are many more stories of God’s faithful love awaiting to be told. This is just the beginning. We will not stop proclaiming His love that never ends! Neither should you.

"Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Mt 17:20