JIL celebrates 45th anniversary

MANILA, Philippines — Reviving one’s passion for God is what every faithful needs to make him more compassionate as well as deepen his love for the country, Jesus Is Lord (JIL) founder Bro. Eddie Villanueva said last night during the celebration of the movement’s 45th anniversary.

“It’s important that we revive our passionate love for God so that we may have a compassionate heart for men and a passionate love for our country,” Villanueva told thousands of followers gathered in Rizal Park for the anniversary of the Born Again Christian group.

In his preaching based on the theme “Revival: An Urgent Call to Action,” he called on his followers and other Christians to “heat up” their Christian life, following the path of righteousness and justice and fighting evil.

“We should be more intense in loving and serving God, even if it means more hardships,” he said.

Villanueva, a congressman representing CIBAC party-list, also cited the need for “revival in one’s life, in family’s life, in community and especially in the life of our beloved nation.”

He emphasized the “lordship” of Jesus, saying, “It is easy to have Jesus as our Savior, Healer or Provider. But it is difficult to truly have Him as Lord because having Him as ‘Lord’ means we no longer follow our own will, it means we no longer live for our selfish ambitions, but we live for Him, to the exclusions of other gods.”

“Revival is preceded by contrition, repentance and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. And one cannot surrender to His Lordship without first believing in Him as the only Way to the Father, the only One who can save,” he said.

Citing verses from the Bible, he said the “second coming” as prophesied by Jesus may not be far away, judging from many catastrophes and sufferings being felt by many in the world such as earthquakes, disasters, wars, appearance of “false teachers and prophets,” as well as pestilences, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, Villanueva’s wife Adoracion or “Sister Dory” died, while his daughter, former Bocaue, Bulacan mayor Joni Villanueva-Tugna, succumbed to cardiac arrest while undergoing dialysis in May.

While recalling the death of his wife and his daughter, Villanueva said he had wished to die and “go home to heaven.”

“I must confess, I had lost my will to live,” he said.

But his faith deepened by understanding the teachings of Jesus, which drove him to continue his mission of “spreading the gospel of love and the salvation of Jesus in our country and in the four corners of the world, to give chance to all human beings to be saved before it’s too late.”

Before his sermon, Villanueva prayed over the sick and thanked God for the good weather during the event that started at 3 p.m. Before lunchtime, heavy rains fell.

Meanwhile, Villanueva’s son and Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva also shared how the death of his sister, whom he called his best friend, moved him to advocate for the enactment of Republic Act 11509 or the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act. At the time, only one physician was attending to her, he said.

“You can make a difference. That’s what I have been taught. God has never left us wanting,” he said.

The Manila Police District (MPD) estimated the crowd at 25,000 people by 3 p.m.

Around 400 pastors from other Christian movements and government officials like Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and Senator JV Ejercito attended JIL’s anniversary event.

Also in attendance were Bocaue Mayor Jonjon Villanueva, Bocaue Vice Mayor Sherwin Tugna and JIL vice president Rev. Pastor Jovi Villanueva-Binalla.

Both houses of Congress passed their respective resolutions congratulating JIL on its 45 years.

JIL said many of the attendees at yesterday’s gathering came from overseas and the provinces.

Villanueva became a Born Again Christian in 1973 when he was deep in radical activism and intellectual communism, a statement of the group said. He started a campus ministry at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines where he was teaching. With 15 students as his core group, Villanueva started the JIL in 1978. JIL is now present in 70 countries.