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Published: Monday, 12 August 2019 01:13

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The Bodyguard

By Augusto A. Kho

Five Star Bus; Pura, Tarlac

August 10, 2019 (Saturday); 6:05 A.M.

Revised for Sunday Preaching dated August 11, 2019; 9:30 a.m.

Can you place your life on the line for a call of duty?

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I was on board in a five Star Bus yesterday on my way from Manila to Pangasinan. Exhausted, I decided to take a nap in the meantime. Afterall, I left Paranaque City at 3:00 a.m. and had barely sufficient sleep. I was nearly dozed to sleep yet I could still remember that I am in between consciousness and unconsciousness. From that state, I suddenly saw the word on capital letter that says, “BODYGUARD.” I looked at my watch, it was 5:06 a.m.

I snapped back my complete awareness and started navigating the word “Bodyguard.”

Is it the Lord speaking or simply my own imagination? Was the enemy sowed something in me?

But Jesus said, “Thy shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind,” (Matthew 22:37).

Our mind should love God as well. We can worship the Lord lifting up our hands to Him or worship Him with our mind or thoughts.

What is mind?

Mind Defined

Mind in Greek “dianoia” means “the mind as a faculty of understanding, feeling and desiring; thoughts (either good or bad); mind (spirit, way of thinking and feeling)” according to Thayer Bible Dictionary.

So every time we navigate the Word to get into the deeper definition then it is a manifestation of worship to God. Strong Bible Dictionary define “mind” as “deep thought” or “the faculty of disposition,” by implication, “it is an exercise” or “imagination.”

Some think profoundly while other don’t. Not one’s imagination is as rich compared to others as well. We imagine on different levels, be it good or bad.

Name recall

I started having a name recall.

And I tried recalling of any bodyguard that I have had experienced in the past. And I remember the movie entitled, “Bodyguard” played by Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. That is for one.

And I had this thought of “putting one’s life in the line of duty?” And how much of our lives can we give unto God?

And right there and then the Word of the Lord came up from the Book of Hebrews which I opted to just share it to you at the end of this story. That was the second one.

And the chartered chopper that will bring me to my destination. And on the same day, the business transaction that was scheduled that we need to close with. And that was the third name recall on bodyguard. Two separate police escorts were ahead of us for our protection.

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No non-sense

David a not a no-sense man. He was a giant-slayer, remember? He killed 9-feet tall Goliath who defied the Name of God with a mere single stone from his slingshot as a young man. Can we be like him – young and inexperienced yet fearless and uncowed by any man’s stature?

So when Goliath-like President Duterte called God as “stupid,” did we ever defended God’s name like the fearless young David?

So David regarded is “man of valor” who needed personal guards as well. David has the most trusted guards but aside on that he had the top of these three guards. His name is Benaiah. And how prophet Samuel described this guard?

“He was more honorable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him (Benaiah) over his guard,” – 2 Samuel 23:23

The word “guard” here in Hebrew “mishma’ath” (mish-mah-ath) means “bodyguard.”

A bodyguard or guard is an audience that is in the royal court according to Strong’s Definition. In other words, a bodyguard is a commoner inside the palace or in the royal house. Mishma’ath is derived from root word “mishma” meaning, “thing, heard or rumor.” A bodyguard must have a strong sense of smell and hearing especially in the presence of present danger.

They are saying that good intelligence officer or a bodyguard must possess a “criminal mind.”

A man with a “criminal mind” is inquisitive and exploratory in terms of probing every angle at all means from the crime scene to identify who the killer or culprit is?

Strong defines “mishma” as “a report or hearing” which has a deeper meaning in Hebrew “shama.”

Shama means “to hear, listen and obey. “Strong define it as “one who hears or discerns intelligently.” In other words, a bodyguard is not a stupid fool who lacks understanding or prudence. He must be highly intellectual person. Now would you like yourself to be a bodyguard.

If a body guard must possess a strong sense of hearing, does a Church should poses as a bodyguard in this End Time? When a Church fails to smell or listen to the creeping danger, then she loses her purpose.

All the Churches in the end-time church in the Book of Revelation have been addressed this way: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith,” (Rev. 2:7; 11, 17, 29; 3:6; 13, 22). Like a good bodyguard, a church must be able to hear.

Doctrine of Balaam

While on our way to Bulacan to attend a Church’s Anniversary, I asked a Christian bishop whether he is well-informed of this London-based Investment Company who lured many Christians and Evangelical Bishops and leaders for an investment worth over P50-million from two evangelical churches in Metro Manila alone.

I shared to the good Bishop that I strongly doubted the company’s legal personality in Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), the Board of Directors’ credibility and the “products” they were selling from “Bosnia.”

Such far-away manufactured products are very hard to determine to exact theveracity of the authenticity of the company and their products. (I remember that it was sometime (more on less) on December 17, 1992).

Immediately, right there and there, the dear Bishop called up his wife and their church elders and immediately ordered them to pull out their investments. Few days later sometime between December 23-24, 1992 Philippine Star, a local newspaper had on their Headlines that the company that I am referring duped over P50-Billion from Filipino investors and brought the money to London and Canada. President Fidel V. Ramos was then on the headline citing the said scam an “economic sabotage.” Though few of its personnel were arrested, the dubious investment company officials fled that includes Filipinos, Canadians and British nationals.

Meanwhile, one big Evangelical organization lured fluent English- speaking evangelical teachers to work illegally in South Korea. The applicants were charged a minimum amount of $1,000.00 from gullible evangelical Filipinas to work as nanny and English-tutors to Koreans using a 3-month “religious visa” which is a deception. Such a religious hypocrisy and spiritual blindness! And according to the law, “illegal recruitment” is a non-bailable criminal offense.

Take note that even prophet Balaam was lured by greed of money (Number 22:12; 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 1:11) and because of that “Doctrine of Balaam” came to the picture in Revelation 2:14.

Thought for a thought

A thought for a thought, is it “Prosperity Doctrine” as sort of “”Doctrine of Balaam that speaks of appetite or greed for money?

One Bishop in Quezon City who has given us Devotion on that day was “exhorting” us to take off our watches and jewelries to drop them to the offering box as a symbol of our worship to God. I told him to take the led by taking off his expensive diamond-studded rings but he didn’t.

Pastors must be a spiritual-bodyguards to provide detailed security measures to the non-discerning flock of God.

A pastor should possess strong intelligence like a body-guard during a present-and-clear danger. It shouldn’t be the pastor who will lead the flock to go astray.

Bodyguard spirit

There must be something like the “bodyguard” spirit in us so we could imagine in great complexity and can discern danger that poses threat to our flock, people, economy or government.

But sad even pastors lured their flock to questionable investments that duped their hard-earned earnings to investment-posers who turned to be scammers. Other pastors or bishops who are even my seniors approached me personally talking about billions of US Dollars investment, gold treasure hunting and recovering a former president’s stolen treasure from the national treasury.

Who is your most trusted aide-bodyguard? How accessible our bodyguard is to report to us, to listen to us, to understand and discern what we want without verbally telling them what we need?

So those who can be trusted as intellectual who served King David as bodyguards must be the people we need in the church, in the academe, in the government or in any other sector of our society. We need someone who watches over us and give us detailed security personnel to provide us the protection and the services that we need.

Should Jesus Christ had bodyguard during His earthly ministry, can we regard the 12 disciples as His bodyguards? One who betrayed Him, one who denied Him thrice and one who did not believe on Him? Or is the three in the likes of Peter, James and John are Christ’s most trusted “bodyguards?”

But how about us, do we in need of a bodyguard and why and who?

Who is our bodyguard?

Who is our bodyguard that we can truly count on? Who is he? How far can we trust these bodyguards or watchmen?

Is it the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)? Or the governor or congressman?

The Military

Article II, Section 3. “Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.”

Let the photos speak by itself:

Ironically, right after thirteen (13) years of working overseas and returned to Manila for good on December 19, 1990, no less than a coup d’etat welcomed me at EDSA.

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Duterte praying for Nur Misuari’s ‘enlightenment’

Standard; August 06, 2019 at 11:20 pm by MJ Blancaflor

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night said he is praying for the “enlightenment” of Moro National Liberation Front founding chairman Nur Misuari, saying there are still “sparks” which threaten the “smooth transition” of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

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He also said he was in a “hurry” to strike an agreement with Misuari who had warned of war if the planned shift into a federal system of government will not push through.

Duterte also said he is worried about an ISIS attack, and that he prayed that God would spare the Philippines from the terror group’s “brutality and cruelty.”

The New York Times reported in March that the Philippines is groomed to become an emerging base for ISIS.

ISIS had “attracted a range of militant jihadists” in Mindanao, according to the NYT.

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The Government

Article II, Section 4, “The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in the fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal, military or civil service.”

About 3 in 10 Pinoys say it's dangerous to walk at night

The same study showed that 62% of Filipinos said the statement “most people live in areas where it is dangerous to walk around at night” does not describe the Philippines well.

Philippines a haven for money launderers, criminals — AMLC

Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star) - May 23, 2019 – 12:00am

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A study titled “A risk assessment on the Philippines’ exposure to external threats based on submitted suspicious transaction reports” covered 161,650 reports with an aggregate amount of P17.9 trillion submitted by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) supervised financial institutions such as banks and money service businesses from January 2013 to December 2017.- Miguel De Guzman

The Church

Article II, Section 6. “The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.”

Which one should be serving us like a body guard? Which one do you think will endure to the very end – the military, the government, the economy or the Church?

The church is the only surviving organism to remain in the end-time. Matthew 16:18-19 says:

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

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God in the Preamble

“We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society, and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.”

As long this Preamble will not be amended and God remains in this document, we have that divine protective gear in heaven and earth.

How far

How far can we trust our friends or our government or our strength or our money to provide us the protection and security that we need?

A military major who became a friend of mine offered his help to provide me a security escort. He believes to my strong social advocacy campaigns against graft in the public office and abuse of political authority. He proposed that I should be detailed by his trusted subordinates. Three years later, he became an elective public official and it turned out that I was one of his greatest foe against graft. And a friend turned as an enemy. And no enemy is kind. An enemy is always hostile and overwhelmed with hate.

Enemy in Hebrew word “ayab” (aw-yab) means “to hostile, to hate.” (Exodus 15:6).

Our greatest enemy may not be outside of us but he is the inside of us.

Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

Trust in Hebrew “batach” (baw-takh) means “to have confidence; to make secure; to put confidence.”

Who truly watches you?

Who truly watches you and me 24 hours a day or 365 days a year? Can God watch a nation?

“Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep,” Psalm 121:4

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Literally, a pastor is to guard the safety and whole-being of the sheep. Jeremiah 3:15, “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. “

• Pastor Hebrew “ra’ah” means “to pasture (of ruler, teacher), tend, graze, feed, to associate with, be a friend,, herdsman, shearing house, to rule.”

Herdsman (Webster) is a person who watches over a herd of cows, sheep, etc.

I said earlier, “Who truly watches you and me? Can God watch a nation? “

“Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep,” Psalm 121:4

The word “keepeth” in Hebrew “shamar” means “to keep, to guard, to protect; to save life, watchman.”

• Knowledge Hebrew “deah” means “the knowledge of God.” Origin “dea” meaning, “God’s knowledge, judgment and opinion” from “yada” i.e. “learn to know,”

• Understanding Hebrew “sakal” (saw-kal) i.e. “to be prudent (to look at or upon; have insight; to ponder; to comprehend).

Shepherd In Greek “poimen” means “herdsman, especially a shepherd.” Metaphorically, the presiding officer, director so of Christ as Head of the Church, overseer, prince and king.

A shepherd or pastor is one among the five most important ministry gifts God has given not just for unity but for the perfection, ministry work and edification of the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13).

A great helper

When I first saw the word, “BODYGUARD” at 5:06 on that Saturday morning, what immediately came to my mind is “God as our helper.” Hebrews 13:6 says:

“The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. “

The word, “helper” in Greek “boethis” (bo-ay-thos) means “a succorer, helper.” It derived from “boe” (boay) and “theo” meaning “a cry; a call for aid; to raise a cry, pain, etc; to cry or speak with a high, strong voice; to cry to one for help; to implore His aid or a shout for help.

That is how God as our bodyguard can discern our faintest cry even from a great distance. He “hear, listen, and obeys” to the cry of our deepest souls; a body-guard as” one who hears or discerns intelligently” our most profound and desperate need for help which is taken from Hebrew “shama” that speaks of a bodyguard (2 Samuel 23:23)

Can you put your own life in the line of duty?

CHRIST DID!

Christ as good shepherd is the one who can place his own dear life on the line for a call of duty as an obedience to the Father but also for a call of love.

John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. “

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