Dear family, brethren, and friends,

The last week of the work here in Manila has involved so much time and effort that I have barely been able to make a few notes each day but have not been able to prepare reports.  Wednesday the 19th marked the beginning of two days of Bible lectures for preachers held at the Edsa-Pasay church of Christ in Metro Manila.  Our theme was “United to Proclaim Christ” with lessons by Rody Gumpad, Lordy Salunga, and myself.

Rody started by examining the sin of Moses which prevented him from entering the promise land and pointing out ways we might fall into the same trap because of frustration and anger.  My first topic was “Attitudes Essential in God’s Kingdom” (a verse by verse study of Matt. 5) followed by “Preserving Unity in Christ” (Jn. 17:17-21).  After lunch Lordy addressed “Brotherly Love.”  My next subject was “The Heart of the Preacher” (verse by verse study of Phil. 1) and last “Christ Teaches Total Honesty.”

Our registration showed 58 people present.  The open forum continued for almost an hour with questions about proper attitudes, does God receive prayers of sinners, the Bible “heart,” dealing with false teachers, how God can see and know all things, etc.  This was a profitable day of study.

As our lectures continued on Thursday, we had 64 in attendance coming from Metro Manila and several provinces.  Our first speaker was Lordy who preached on the topic “Who Is a Preacher?”  I followed with “Helping Each Other” and “The Great Commission.”  Rody presented a study of the relationship between saints in times of stress such as the difference between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark.  When properly handled, such occasions can bear good fruit.

My afternoon subjects were “To Serve or Be Served” and “Rejoice in the Lord Always.”  If we all put into practice what we have studied these two days, we will be truly “United to Proclaim Christ” as our theme proclaims.  The attention and participation of our audience could not have been better for these two days.

For many years I have had the privilege to preach to saints in the deaf mute congregation which met in Sampoloc served by Tony Hornedo.  During those years they worshiped in a small room beneath the street level without windows, often in intense heat and humidity which left me literally soaked in sweat.  Beginning in December of 2019 they moved to the same large room used by the Edsa-Pasay church on the 4th floor of an old business building.  Both groups now share in paying the rent, though the church which was originally meeting there pays the majority of the costs.  Tuesday the brethren of the Edsa-Pasay church built a room which takes part of their large auditorium so that the deaf mute saints can conduct their worship services at any time without waiting for the other church to vacate the space.

Some of these deaf mute saints must pay fares to travel 3-4 hours to attend worship and they are so poor there are times some cannot attend.  Twenty-five of us participated in the studies Friday as we began a three day series on the theme “Then Comes the End” using as a guide Mike Willis’ excellent workbook by that title published by Truth Publications.  James Paet located a Christian who hears and speaks and who teaches in a school for deaf mutes.  His name is Leonel Jumawid and he agreed to sign for us for these three days.

As I preached using PowerPoint charts with a projector, he interpreted in sign language which means there was no need for me constantly to write explanations on the white board. We must simplify the lessons and the words we use because being deaf and mute creates barriers to the learning process especially where concepts are involved, but a trained interpreter who can sign is a great asset to clarify what is being said verbally.   This resulted in a much smoother presentation.

During the morning I covered the meaning of physical death, the immortality of the soul, hades as the intermediate state, and the false doctrine of reincarnation.  In the afternoon Lordy covered the doctrine of purgatory, the second coming of Christ, the final destruction of the heavens and the earth, and the final Judgment.  During the open forum they asked for clarification on annihilation and some other false doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization.

Thirty people including some visitors were present on Saturday for the second day in the series on “Now Comes the End.”  Lordy taught the morning sessions covering hell, the battle of Armageddon, various millennial theories, and the meaning of the 1,000 years reign in Revelation 20.  After the lunch hour, I proceeded to discuss the resurrection, heaven, the claim that Christ returned and the world ended in A.D. 70, and Matthew 24-25 regarding Christ’s judgment against Jerusalem and the final Judgment of all men at the end of time.

During the open forum some of the questions involved God’s plan for backsliding Christians, the need to grow in Christ, and how to teach people who are willing to come but cannot afford the fares to ride the jeepneys to the meeting place.  The answer to the last question is that we go to them to teach them or we help them pay their fares if possible, but this last question also is a reminder of how much we take for granted.  How many people reading this report ever have to worry about not having the money for gas or to pay fares to reach the place of worship and study?  Very few, and the rest of us never stop to think about it.  What does that song say…“Count your many blessings, name them one by one”!

Leonel really has a heart to help deaf mute people and his signing has been very effective, along with a second interpreter who gave him some relief today.

The Lord’s Day weather was beautiful with temperatures rising nearly to 90.  The hearing and deaf mute brethren met together but on opposite sides of the seating arrangement so that the one signing could stand directly in front of the deaf mute saints.  The deaf mute saints numbered 35 and the hearing 62 for a total of 97 (total of 51 at the afternoon service when the hearing group was small).

My first lesson was entitled “The Rapture: Now, Near, or Never?”  Premillennial theories claim Christ will secretly silently take the saints off the earth and leave all the other inhabitants to suffer great tribulation seven years before he returns to establish his 1,000 year earthly kingdom.  The word rapture refers to saints being transported from the earth, but this word is not found in the Bible and the whole theory is a human concoction.

Next, we studied “Born of the Water and the Spirit” in John 3:5 and other passages.  The new birth into the new kingdom of God for salvation involves two elements:  water baptism and the work of the Holy Spirit through the gospel producing faith and repentance in the human heart.  The denominational gospel of salvation by faith alone is nowhere taught in God’s Word – it is a false gospel.

In the afternoon we studied “The Bread of Life” in John 6 where Jesus teaches we must believe and obey him to eat the bread of eternal life.  His miracle of feeding the 5,000 proved he is the Son of God and Savior of the world, but many turned away when they learned he brought no feeding ministry or earthly kingdom.

The last topic was “They Kingdom Come,” showing the prayer of Matthew 6:11 is fulfilled in Acts 2 when Christ established his church through the preaching of his Apostles.  They theory that we are still waiting for his kingdom to come is utterly false.

The open forum continued for about an hour covering a whole range of questions.  For instance,  can we study and grow adequately at home without assembling to worship?  No, God’s plan for our spiritual growth includes gathering with the saints for worship.  Should we be baptized again if we learn our former baptism is different from the teaching of Christ?  Yes, the people in Acts 19:1-5 did that very thing.  What Bible translations should we use?  The KJV and NKJV are very accurate as is the ASV and these may be used with others such as the NASV, ESV, and NIV for comparison.  The deaf mute community in the Philippines communicates with the English language and does not know Filipino dialects.

We thank Tony Hornedo for his dedicated work for many years among the deaf mute population which is growing in the Philippines and for his good work preparing for our three days of Bible lessons on the theme “Then Comes the End.”  It is truly an humbling experience to work with these saints.  I often wonder if I try as hard as they do to learn and understand God’s Word!  Of course, they are simply human like all of us in the hearing world, but their handicaps require greater efforts in many ways for them to learn and obey God’s Word.  I have worked with deaf mute people since my teenage years and I always find it an inspiration to study with them.

As I write the last report on this 77th trip, I am left wondering, “Where did the time go?”  Kevin Stilts and I left Louisville on February 4 and God granted us safe passage to Manila, then to the Visayas, back to Manila, Kevin returned home on the 18th, and now I am scheduled to fly home tomorrow, God willing.  In addition to the lessons presented by Kevin and Filipino brethren, I taught 45 times and God blessed our labors with 26 baptisms.

Today, Monday, James Paet and Jhun Gumpad brought me to the Philippine Bible Society where I ordered 830 Bibles in various dialects to be shipped to various parts of the Philippines from Luzon to the Visayas to Mindanao.  Why such a large order?  The gospel continues to spread and most of the people being converted live in poverty, struggling to feed their families.  In addition, the series of five earthquakes with over 3,000 aftershocks in southern Mindanao destroyed many homes and church buildings including their contents.  In the wake of these disasters, our brethren continue spreading the gospel and again hundreds of precious souls have been converted to Christ.  A large percentage of these Bibles will go to Mindanao.  I put the Bibles on a credit card knowing the tight budget for this trip will not cover the costs but trusting that God’s providence will make a way.  Perhaps someone reading this report may be able to help?

When I say goodbye at the end of these trips, it is always with mixed emotions.  On the one hand, I say goodbye to dear brethren whose examples of faith, hope, and love will help me be a better Christian and reach heaven’s shore On the other hand, I long to see Donna and many other loved ones and saints at home who help make these trips possible and who inspire me to be a better servant of God.  May God bless, guide, and protect us all so that we will be with Him, with all the angels, with each other, and with all the saints of all the ages to love and serve Him forever in heaven!  To Him be the glory in al our endeavors!

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

To see good Bible study material, go to:
https://www.hebronlane.com
https://biblework.congregateclients.com
https://truthbooks.com
https://www.truthmagazine.com