Dear family, brethren, and friends,

On the Lord’s Day James Paet drove me about an hour to the Taytay church in the Province of Rizal to worship with Sammy Medrano.  My first sermon was on “The Prison of Sin” during the Bible study period, followed by “When Peter Confessed Christ” during the worship service.  Out of our audience of 51 people, a man and a woman stepped forward to confess Christ and to be buried in water baptism for the remission of their sins.  This was not their first time to visit the church, and they were fully convinced they needed to obey the original gospel of Christ and leave their sins and false religions behind.

After lunch we drove an hour and a half in Rizal to reach the fledgling church at Binangonan where Jhun Abueva labors in the gospel.  Twenty-three people heard the sermon “When Peter Confessed Christ” and there were several questions during the open forum.

Why do Catholic priest ask money to baptize people, to offer prayers, and to do other services?  This practice is not taught in the Bible but results from men making their own rules to conduct their false religions.  Next, will people be lost who sincerely practice false religions?  Many passages such as Matthew 7:21-23, Mark 16:15-16, and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 teach they will be lost, and this is why we must zealously spread the gospel to everyone we know.  Someone asked if we obey the gospel and continue participating in false religious practices passed down by traditions of men, do we commit sin?  Yes, Jesus teaches that such practices violate God’s authority and God’s Word and are vain and futile.

A lady from the Catholic religion was a first-time visitor, but she understood the gospel and asked to be baptized to wash away her sins in the blood of the Lamb.  It is unusual to see this happen, but the book of Acts includes many such conversions.

I have preached in the Philippines to the tune of dogs barking and roosters crowing but nothing like today’s experience.  We were under a shed with two open walls with multiple roosters opposite the open walls that got into an ongoing call-and-answer competition which sparked more distant roosters to join the competition.  At times I literally could not hear what I was saying as they vociferously boosted and boasted their crowing.  The audience did not seem to be distracted by it all – I supposed they are used to it.

How many Americans have ever tried to study the Bible and worship under such conditions?  We just do not know how blessed we are to have resources to build places of worship!  Some of us are slow to see the need to share funds for Filipinos to construct church buildings because, perhaps, we think they should take care of their own needs.  Perhaps that is what the rich man thought about Lazarus, as well.  Let’s count our blessings and do more to share our blessings!

In spite of the sparing roosters, what a wonderful Lord’s Day this has been with the salvation of three precious souls.  When I feel a little tired and long for home, such responses to the gospel call remind me why I am here and make me thankful again for everyone who helps make it possible!

Our Monday appointment was with the saints meeting at Canlubang in the Province of Laguna about an hour to an hour-and-a-half from the hotel.  Edwin De Pedros serves as an evangelist there.  They are growing and hope to expand the small church building with attendance running 30-40, but this morning 70 people gathered for our all-day gospel meeting including visitors.  It was good to see many young men who are learning to preach sitting at the front listening intently.  Several of them got permission from the schoolteachers to travel with Jhun Layusa about 10 hours from Camarines Norte to hear these lessons and to attend the three-day lectureship following.

The four-lesson series on “Life, Death, and Beyond” was presented today, followed by the open forum.  Our study of hades provoked someone to ask for clarification of our “naked” state there (2 Cor. 5:1-10).  It simply means to be without a body while we await our resurrection body.  Someone asked why Jesus will call the dead out of their graves (Jn. 5:28-29) if they will be in hades.  At death the body goes to the grave, but the spirit goes to hades.  When Jesus calls the dead, their spirits will instantly return from hades to join their resurrected bodies.  Someone asked if infants will still have the mind of infants on the resurrection day.  Deuteronomy 29:29 says there are secret things which God alone knows and He has not revealed an answer to that question.

Is it wrong to use artificial insemination to conceive a child?  Not if the husband is the donor of the sperm so that the child is conceived and born to the husband and wife.  Using sperm donated by another man or asking another woman to provide a surrogate womb is outside the proper boundary of marriage.

Why did God create the forbidden tree if He knew Adam and Eve would sin?  God gave man free will rather than forcing him to love and serve Him.  Without the forbidden tree, Adam and Eve would have served God by mere instinct and not by choice.  Even after all men sin, they still have the choice to seek God and His forgiveness through the gospel of Christ.  Is there any hope for a sinner if he will repent?  If he repents, confesses Christ, and submits to him in baptism, yes, God promises to forgive his sins (Acts 2:38; 8:37; Rom. 10:8-10).  If he repents but refuses to fully obey the gospel of Christ, there is no hope for the sinner (2 Thess. 1:7-9).

Since the moon is in its waning crescent phase, there is not much to see and I am not seeing it at all, but we know it is there and will be seen soon, I hope!

The Edsa-Pasay lectureship on “Preachers Help Preachers Reach Heaven” began Tuesday with singing at 8:30 AM led by Connie Balbin and my first lesson at 9:00 on “The Heart of the Preacher” (textual study of Phil. 1).  We had thought 50-60 might attend, but today’s attendance was 130.  After Lordy Salunga gave an excellent study of “Lessons from Abraham,” I spoke on “Marriage: Joined by God.”

After the lunch break we heard Rody Gumpad’s “Lessons from Moses,” another excellent presentation for preachers.  I followed with a two-part examination of “Mistaken Views VS False Doctrine,” a distinction preachers must make to maintain both the unity and the purity of the church.  Elias Cruz preached on “Lessons from Elijah” to edify and encourage the brethren.

During the open forum, Lordy explained why he believes such things a government records and witnesses of marriage are expediencies though God binds people in marriage in unusual situations such as war without the expediencies.   Several questions related to my presentation on mistaken views such as whether brethren sin when they do not come to agreement on those views.  No, that is the very point of Paul’s discussion of vegetarian views in Romans 14 – though there is some difference of views, neither person is in sins.

Someone asked about a case when a couple lives together in fornication and has children but later go their separate ways.  Are they permitted to find someone to marry?  Yes, because the fornication does not bind them in marriage.  They can, and should, repent and find someone to marry, if not to each other.

The Wednesday lectures began with singing at 8:30 AM and another good turnout of 119 attendees.  Julie Notarte preached “Lessons from Isaiah,” followed by my study of “The Social Gospel,” and then Jonathan Carino’s “Lessons from Jeremiah.”  After lunch we heard Jack Jaco’s “Lessons from John the Baptist, then my two-part study of “Maintaining Balance in Times of Controversy,” followed by Jolly Julom’s “Lessons from Jesus.”

To start the open forum, Jonathan Carino presented some thoughts on when God binds two people in marriage, emphasizing that God Himself joins them with or without such expediencies as a formal ceremony, a government record, and witnesses.  In short, God not man has the power to bind and loose in marriage.

There were 17 questions offered in the open forum.  In the Philippines when there is all-day preaching, is it right to use church funds to feed the participants?  No, the food should be funded or provided by individuals because feeding the people does not qualify as the work of the church: evangelism, worship, and benevolence to meet emergency needs of the saints.

What should be done if someone discovers the church treasurer is not reporting the full amount in the treasury?  He should be confronted, and his sin should be exposed before the church.  Transparency is imperative in the work of the church.  Does Matthew 5:43-48 (love your enemies) authorize church funds to be distributed to sinners in the world in benevolence?  No, Christ is not discussing the work of the church but the proper attitude of saints who are abused and persecuted by worldly people – we should love, pray for, and seek to serve them.

Is it right for a gospel preacher to receive support from a liberal church?  No, because support is fellowship and we cannot be in fellowship with people who are not in fellowship with God.  If two families agree their son and daughter should marry, does this constitute a valid marriage?  Not unless the man and the woman agree to be married and take their marriage vow.  If the preacher who baptizes someone has a mistress, is the baptism valid?  Yes, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, not the preacher (Rom. 1:16).

The lectureship was completed Thursday, with an attendance of 130.  After our 8:30 singing led by Jerry Moral, Willie Pastor led us in a study of “Lessons from Paul” at 9:00, followed by Dario Belviz with “Lessons on Barnabas,” both well done.  I closed the lectures with a sermon on “Preserving Unity in Christ” in the hope that these three days of Bible study will help to foster that very result.

Actually, something very beautiful has been unfolding in the Philippine work for the past couple of years.  When I first came in 1995, there was something of a “patriarchal” culture among many of the older mature preachers and they were somewhat uncomfortable with brethren preachers from other regions visiting their “territory.”  In the early 2000’s I arranged some lectureships to invite them to speak so that they could hear each other preach and spend time in personal conversation.  It seemed to be a step forward.  Gradually, the younger generation began crossing those barriers and now most of them feel free to invite men from other regions to work with them.  The main hindrance now is lack of funds to manage the travel, but they are sacrificing to make this happen and some U.S. brethren are helping them at times.

(Speaking of U.S. brethren, it is still helpful for us to visit and preach from time to time.  Newcomers may not be aware of a challenge created by our presence.  When there is an all-day event in the Philippines, the host has a duty to share something to eat so the people will not be hungry.  The local preacher is the one who is considered the host for our events.  Money should not be used from the church treasury to feed people, so the local preacher must bear the expense with some little help from his local brethren [most of whom do not have funds to help].  Therefore, he will borrow the funds.  If we do not inquire about those expenses and help to bear them, the local preacher’s budget will suffer the consequences as he struggles to pay the lenders after we leave.)

We expressed appreciation each day to James Paet with his family, local saints, and other brethren who helped make the arrangements and kept the wheels turning behind the scene to make the lectureship possible.

When the lectures ended, Sammy Paet drove me to the Philippine Bible Society where I purchased 756 Bibles in various dialects to be shipped around the Philippines where brethren have submitted requests.   This is generally the last thing I do on each trip, but it is a high and holy privilege to render this service to our Filipino brethren and to the cause of Christ.  On behalf of these saints, thank you to all who donate funds for this purpose.

As brethren who attended the lectures began making their ways home in the afternoon and, likewise I will travel at 12:30 PM Friday for about 24 hours to reach my precious Donna, the saints at home, and others who are near and dear to my heart. It is not possible to make these trips without recognizing the sacrifices and service of beloved family members and other saints who make this work possible in many different ways.  And, ultimately, it is God in His loving providence who opens doors for each one of us to serve Him and the cause of Christ as we make our journeys to heaven!

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook