Dear family, brethren, and friend,

Because the August 12 meeting on reconciliation and unity dismissed at 11:30 P.M., by the time I returned to the hotel and packed for the next leg of the trip, there were only two hours to sleep.  An early morning flight took us from Davao City on Mindanao to Bacolod City on Negros in the Visayan Islands.  Bacolod City boasts a population of almost 600,000 and is the capital of the Negros Occidental Province.  There are several good churches within a couple of hours radius and they are growing.

On the Lord’s Day we were invited to the church meeting in the YMCA building where Jose “Joe” Montoyo has served as one of the elders.  In the past these brethren were warned to avoid “antis” like us, a scare tactic to prevent them from studying the issues involved in institutional liberalism.  As they have become acquainted with Jack Jaco and other faithful brethren in the area, they have appreciated our appeal for Bible authority in all things.

I presented two lessons on “Two Attitudes Toward God’s Word: Conservative and Liberal” (Jer. 6:16).  I appealed to the Scriptures to show that we must have positive divine authority for all we preach and practice, but the silence of Scripture does not authorize us to act.  Local churches are authorized to do the work of evangelism, edification, and benevolence to needy saints, but there is no authority for centralized institutions to gather money from churches to do such work for them. Also, churches have no authority to engage in social and recreational programs or to distribute benevolence funds to sinners in the world.  God requires evangelists to preach all the counsel of God, but liberalism embraces the so-called “positive” philosophy of preaching which compromises with worldly pressures. The lessons were well received.

These same truths distinguish churches of Christ from every man-made denomination in the world.  Peter Azuelo, a longtime Baptist preacher, attended this morning with us and sat right up on the front row.  We made contact with him on a previous trip and Jack Jaco has been teaching him.  As part of their efforts in personal evangelism in working with the church in Batesville, AR, David and Starla Halbrook converted his daughter who lives there.  She asked us to contact her father to teach him the truth and he has agreed to attend the five days of classes for preachers which begins tomorrow, God willing.

He commented on how much he enjoyed the lesson because all of the passages were projected on a screen by PowerPoint.  Think of that comment from a denominational preacher about a sermon exposing error and filled with Scripture from start to finish.  It is ironic indeed when we consider some U.S. brethren through the years who have complained about so-called “negative” sermons and preachers using “too much Scripture.”

Sunday afternoon Jack and I visited a rural congregation at Bago City where Shem Tagapan has preached for a number of years.  He was teaching a good lesson on the meaning of the Lord’s Supper when we arrived at 2:00 P.M.  About 40 souls heard my sermon on “The Bread of Life” (Jn. 6:35).  This is a stable church which is growing.

It is definitely summer time in the Philippines!  The temperatures are in the high 80’s and the humidity is likewise in the 80’s.  After preaching this morning, I returned to the hotel to change out of my clothes which were wringing wet.  After preaching in the afternoon, I returned in wet clothes again – a small price to pay for the great privilege of preaching “the unsearchable riches of Christ” to souls hungering and thirsting for the truth.

Since arriving in Bacolod City we are having intermittent downpours because two storm systems are out in the ocean.  Though they are not forecast to hit the Philippines directly, they are pumping plenty of moisture into the weather here.  After the long drought, all of this rain is actually a blessing.

Jack Jaco, Jonathan Carino, and I are preparing to begin the five days of classes.  We are thankful to everyone who helps to make all of this work possible by your prayers, financial help, and moral support.

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