Halbrook Philippine Report May 1-6, 2013
May 6, 2013th Year of Our Lord
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
By the grace of God on May 1 my flight from General Santos City to Manila and back to the island of Mindanao was safe and without incident. Cagayan de Oro City is the capital of Misamis Oriental. It is home to Cipriano Carpentero and Cyrus Gesulga.
Cyrus is host for the Home and Family series with the cooperation of Cipriano. The venue is the building of the the church at Buntong Camaman-an where Cipriano preaches, but the men are staying at the building where Cyrus preaches (Capisnon). Here at Camaman-an in August 2011 during a preacher training session, Cyrus stood and apologized for his role in the longstanding division over premillennialism in the Philippines. We prayed for his forgiveness and he pledged to spend the rest of his life doing everything possible to heal the division and solidify the unity of the saints. Since then we have been working together and making good progress.
Our attendance today was 40 and the teachers are Jonathan Carino from Cebu, Jack Jaco from Victorias City in Negros Occidental, and myself. These two brethren have attended the series several times through the years and are now well equipped to teach it. I focused today on the need to begin with a biblical perspective, then discussed the design of marriage, the husband’s role as head, and the wife’s role as a suitable companion. We got off to an excellent start.
Friday, May 3rd, we are pressing forward. The days are so busy and fruitful they seem to pass rapidly. I taught two lessons today dealing with God binding man and woman in the marriage covenant, and warning against false doctrines that profess people who violate and break the marriage covenant may take new mates. Jonathan and Jack taught on a range of other topics involving duties of husbands and wives.
The men have learned to sing “Where Love Is In the Home” and “God Give Us Christian Homes,” and they sing with feeling and fervor. We finished going through the workbook on Family Life and began Mike Willis’ workbook on Harmony in the Home. I taught two lessons on laying aside the old man and putting on the new man in terms of attitudes and conduct affecting family life.
These men are as attentive and interested in the classes as any group we have ever taught! I am emphasizing that we as preachers must first apply these lessons to ourselves and then teach our brethren to apply them in their homes. The men are offering many comments and expressions of appreciation. To see this attitude makes it worth all the time, money, and effort necessary to arrange and teach these classes.
Continuing our series on Saturday , Jack taught one lesson and I taught two on the Sermon on the Mount, all focused on applying principles in this sermon to family life. Many of the principles Jesus taught about the character necessary to citizenship in his kingdom have a great impact on our homes such as controlling the temper and the tongue, working for reconciliation, and avoiding the spirit of revenge and retaliation. Jack and Jonathan also presented excellent material on such themes as the need to show respect for each other, to accept responsibilities, and to be unselfish. It was another good day.
The men are remarking they are anxious to go home and teach what they have learned to the brethren where they labor. “Where Love Is in the Home” and “God Give Us Christian Homes” are being sung again and again with increased appreciation for the blessings of godly homes.
Jack and Jonathan preached this Lord’s Day at the Camaman-an church where Cipriano Carpentero labors. The brethren at Capisnon where Cyrus Gesulga preaches invited me to speak. The two topics covered were “God Created All Things” and “The Purpose of Our Lives.” About 100 souls attended the worship and I was warmly received.
After lunch the series on the home and family resumed. The afternoon theme was “Man’s Leadership in the Home” with Jack and Jon delivering one section each and myself three. An afternoon brownout or power loss lasted about an hour which shut down our little air conditioning unit and made us appreciate it much more! Water levels are low and the hydroelectric plants on Mindanao cannot keep up with the demand. A nationwide election occurs May 13 and this is one of the issues politicians are focusing on – just as they have done in the past with negligible results.
By God’s grace on Monday I presented four lessons going through the Song of Solomon chapter by chapter and verse by verse. It is always an uplifting joy to study this celebration of passionate love in marriage, the most beautiful and unique of all the 1,005 songs written by Solomon. It is a wonderful reminder of how greatly we should appreciate this special gift of God’s love in our lives.
The men were given simple certificates acknowledging their completion of the classes on the home and family (this is a Filipino custom). They were very appreciative and some are asking for arrangements to be made to bring these classes to their own areas. Meanwhile, they will be doing their best to teach some of the lessons they have learned to the saints in their home congregations.
Is it really possible that the fourth segment of this six week trip is now complete? And tomorrow I go to Manila to begin the final two-and-a-half weeks? Yes, life moves forward at a steady pace and this trip will soon be history. And, before we know it, our very lives will be history. Meanwhile, we know the joys of serving God and serving each other to His glory.
After flying to Manila tomorrow, I will make final preparations to begin preaching in the national prison and then Steven Deaton will arrive and join me in two full days of preaching at the new Edsa congregation in Manila. Thank you for your love and prayers, dear saints of God!
In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook
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