April15, 2015th Year of Our Lord

Dear family, brethren, & friends,

Thanks to your prayers and God’s grace, the preacher training classes were very successful April 6-10 in Cebu City on Cebu Island. Jonathan Carino and his family, members of the Cebu City church of Christ, and other brethren rendered invaluable services behind the scenes. On Saturday, April 11, the men went home. One of the denominational preachers who was converted went home and shared what he had learned with his wife. He sent word that he baptized her into Christ.

Mark and I completed reports and sent them out, caught up on some email, rested, and prepared for Sunday. This is the first day we have had to catch our breath since arriving ten days ago. Tonight we met the Carino family at a Pizza Hut for a taste of the U.S. and for a relaxed supper visit. It was a joy to be with them.

On Sunday the 12th Mark preached at the morning service of the Cebu City church where Jonathan serves as an evangelist and I preached at the South Road church where Jun Apatan labors. My two lessons deal with “Serving Christ in the Local Church.” Our attendance was 50-60 including many teenagers and brethren in their 20’s. One responded to the gospel call, asking to be baptized for the remission of her sins. Jun had been conducting studies in her home, and he is hopeful her family will be converted as well.

After lunch Mark joined with Fred Ogario and the saints where he preaches at Dumlog, Talisay City and I repeated the same two lessons at the church in Labogon, Mandaue with Roy Matta. We had about 35 including four Catholic visitors.

Monday our day started at 5:30 A.M. as we ate a quick breakfast and went to the airport to catch a flight to Manila. Arriving safely in Manila, we caught a connecting flight to Tuguegarao, Cagayan Province to work with Rody Gumpad and other saints in this area. Tessie had prepared a late lunch for us – she knows how to cook to American tastes and our lunch was worthy of a five star restaurant.

After resting at the hotel, Mark and I took a vigorous walk trying to reclaim our lost energy. Then we began preparations for the next two days of preaching here for the Tuguegarao City church of Christ. Rody invited the mayor and he agreed to come – we will see if he is able to come.

Our gospel meeting got off to an excellent start on Tuesday, April 14 with an attendance of over 150. Mark’s first lesson emphasized the importance of “Gracious Words” as spoken by Jesus Christ. I followed by proclaiming “The Gospel Makes Us Right with God” (Rom. 1:16) by teaching us the right God, the right Savior, the right gospel, the right baptism, the right church, and the right life. When the invitation song was sung, three precious souls responded. One lady is a school teacher who has been attending here for some time. She had been baptized into a denomination several years ago, but Rody said today’s study further clarified some things in her mind abut the difference between the New Testament church and the errors of denominations.

In the afternoon Mark discussed the blessings and duties of the home which was very practical to everyone. My next study was about “New Beginnings in Christ” (Ps. 118:22-24): the new covenant, the new kingdom, and the new birth. After the meeting was dismissed for the day, 12-15 stayed to ask questions. This session lasted for about two hours with questions ranging from what are “the gates of hell” in Matthew 16:18 (the realm of the dead), to the recipients of church benevolence (faithful saints), to whether it is scriptural for children to give into the collection (yes, it is good training; Eph. 6:4), to guiding children through the pitfalls of the world in school (such as dancing), to the Bible prohibition against eating blood (Acts 15:20), and others. It is a joy to study with people who are hungry to learn!

Although Mayor Ingle Bert Caronan was not able to get away from his office to attend, he did come to spend the lunch hour with us. He was elected vice-mayor with the primary duty of chairing the city council meeting, but seven months ago he became mayor when the elected official was arrested for corruption and graft. He explained to us how he used to think the mayor’s office was a very powerful position, but since becoming mayor he has seen many things happen when convince him that God actually is in control. He finds himself constantly asking God to give him wisdom in making difficult decisions. He is only 42 years old. He asked for our prayers as he explained how painfully difficult and slow it is to root out corruption while watching his backside in a culture where assassinations are all too common.

As we completed the two day gospel meeting on Wednesday, it was a joy to see many brethren we have known in past years including students from preacher training programs, as well as new brethren and visitors. Today’s attendance was excellent including many teenagers who were very attentive all day. Mark presented a study based on Jeroboam’s apostasy this morning and I followed with a lesson based on Revelation 18:4, “Come out of her, my people.” God’s people must be separated from the world, and unashamed.

After lunch Mark based his lesson on the young prophet of Judah who was deceived by an old prophet. My lesson gave an overview of the Song of Solomon entitled, “Solomon’s Song of Marital Love.” This beautiful story of courtship and marriage overflows with good applications about the nature of love, how it grows, and how to maintain it.

Time was given for open forums for 30 minutes before lunch and again at the end of the day. The brethren love to study in this manner. We were asked why God sent an evil spirit to afflict King Saul, but Saul brought this debilitating depression upon himself by filling his heart with stubbornness, envy, suspicion, and hatred. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart by setting before him the choice between right and wrong, when Pharaoh was determined to do wrong. God sent the evil spirit on King Saul in the very same way. Each man reaped what he sowed.

Someone asked why God allowed polygamy in the Old Testament. This is a live issue in the Philippines because several tribal groups and the large Muslim population practice polygamy. Jesus said God clearly made known His will in the beginning when He created one man to be united with one woman for life in marriage (Matt. 19:3-9). God tolerated and regulated several practices among the Jews only for a temporary time until He could bring the Savior from this nation. The Savior reaffirmed God’s plan for marriage as one man for one woman for life.

There were a couple of questions about what Christians should be when pressed to do things to please a boss under the threat of losing a job. The answer is that we must do what is right without compromising, and trust the result to God. Early saints were willing to lose not only their jobs but also their very lives to be faithful to God.

We complete this meeting at Tuguegarao with much thanksgiving to God for the opportunity to sow the seed of His kingdom where there are so many good and honest hearts! For the next couple of days we will scatter out and visit other congregations in the area. Please continue to pray for us, as we also continue to pray for our brethren in every place who love and serve the Lord.

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

To see good Bible study material, go to:
http://www.HebronChurchOfChrist.com
http://www.biblework.com
http://www.truthmagazine.com
http://www.CEIbooks.com