Leaders' Retreat 2022 — Rest and Recharge | Victory Alabang
On May 20 and 21, the 2022 Leaders’ Retreat was held at Victory Alabang with more than 200 participants over two days, with four sessions by Pastor Ariel Marquez, Pastor Paolo Punzalan, Pastor Christian Flores, and Pastor Mye Nunag. The Victory group leaders were refreshed and recharged as the pastors spoke about wholeness in Christ, restoration and healing, waiting on the Lord, and the authority of the believer.
The participants excitedly reunited and caught up with one another. Some even admitted to experiencing spiritual dryness and being “low-batt” while on pandemic lockdown. They welcomed this opportunity to reboot and to be equipped.
True enough, the topics discussed by the pastors provided the much-needed respite to the participants.
Pastor Ariel discussed “Wholeness in Christ” while living in a broken world. He reminded them that God created man intentionally, not out of a hobby or a whim. Man is God’s masterpiece. He is above all other creations because he is created in God’s image, “Imago Dei.” The sum of Christianity is not to behave but to behold. “The more we behold God, the more we become like Him. We must draw closer to God daily, not by proximity but by intimacy.”
Next, Pastor Paolo Punzalan shared the importance of resting in the Lord, of being still and leaning on Him. Nowadays, people have become uncomfortable with silence. During lull moments or times when we find ourselves doing nothing, the immediate impulse is to grab our phones and get busy browsing. Quiet moments when we can converse with God have now become a luxury.
A perfect segue from these topics was the talk of Pastor Christian Flores the following day about waiting in the Lord. In this hurried world, people misunderstand “waiting time as wasted time.” Everyone is in a rush. They resort to multi-tasking without realizing that they actually slow down, lose focus and become less productive when they do so.
Stillness is a part of waiting. It is during these quiet moments that the Lord speaks to His people.
Finally there came the charge to all the leaders by Pastor Mye Nunag. She spoke powerfully, declaring the authority given to God’s people. She said, “God has already broken the power of the enemy over our lives. We declare once again, ‘Game Over’. Their inferior agenda has bowed down to the greater agenda of God.”
Jesus has won the victory. Brokenness is not the final stage of a believer. It is wholeness, victory, power, and authority. As the Victory group leaders walked out of the worship hall last Saturday, a sense of peace was evident on their faces. They were filled with hope and excitement as they went out to preach the gospel. In their “coming in,” thoughts of isolation and spiritual dryness were erased by the assurance of their wholeness in Christ.