Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Having completed our schedule in the Ilocos region, we said our goodbyes to our dear brethren there and flew from Laoag City, Ilocos Norte to Manila on Thursday, April 27, arriving in the late afternoon.  James Paet took us to the Asian Mall (the third largest mall in the world) so that David and Joel could look for souvenirs and gifts for family and friends.

On Friday I woke up with the gift of knowing it was Donna’s birthday (at least in the Philippines – we are 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time here).  Then I had the honor and privilege of purchasing 750 Bibles in various dialects to be shipped to brethren in many parts of the Philippines by the Philippine Bible Society, thanks to the generous donations of many saints.  Joel went with James and me, but David stayed behind to rest because his energy was depleted and he did not want to crash and miss the special classes planned for Saturday-Monday.

After taking care of the Bible orders, James, Joel, and I drove an hour and a half to reach the saints waiting at Dasmarinas, Cavite where Noel Tanalas labors as an evangelist.  There were 41 souls gathered in the assembly as I preached the sermon “The Gospel Makes Us Right with God” (Rom. 1:16-17).
Before going to the next lesson, I opened the floor for questions and several good questions were asked.  Of course, when people want to learn, all questions are good questions!

Someone asked if God accepts people who repent and obey the gospel at the end of their lives.  The answer is yes, if they obey “from the heart” (Rom. 6:17).  That is the criterion for people of all ages and circumstances in life.  At times a young man will be baptized in order to satisfy the girl he is courting, which is a failure to obey God from the heart.  Such a baptism is not valid.

But another question about valid baptism was raised.  Is there a baptismal formula such as the necessity of repeating the words in Matthew 28:19?  The answer is no because “in the name of” indicates the divine authority which validates baptism, not a set formula of words to be repeated.  Colossians 3:17 says we must do all things in the name of Jesus Christ.  This means all we do must be authorized and approved by Christ, not that we must repeat a formula of words as we perform every activity of our lives.
Another question about the validity of baptism was whether it depends on the baptizer.  No, the gospel does not predicate the forgiveness of a sinner’s sins on the qualifications of the baptizer.  The baptizer could be a male or a female, depending on the circumstances, because males and females are baptized and then are taught to teach and baptize under the authority of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20).  If men are present, as is customary, they will take the leadership as taught in 1 Timothy 2:12.  If no men are present, nothing prohibits a woman to baptize.

Obviously, a faithful Christian will perform the baptism if he is present, but the baptism is valid even if performed by someone who is not in a right relationship with God (see Phil. 1:14-18).  The power to give life is in the seed, the Word of God, not in the farmer who sows the seed (Lk. 8:11).

There were so many good questions, the plan to present another sermon was canceled so that everyone could travel home before the traffic became problematic.  Some members of the audience had traveled 2-3 hours to join us.  We got back to the hotel close to 7:00 P.M., and David joined Joel and me for supper after having had a good day of rest.

Joel has been a perfect gentleman all day without his father along.  He enjoyed the world’s best blueberry pancakes at the Pancake House as we traveled.  He took at least four large pages of notes on the sermon.  I took him swimming tonight until some women came to swim and we left.  We could see the beautiful moon shining over the skyline of Manila tonight.

The church at Kapitbahayan in Navotas, Metro Manila divided a couple of years ago over issues created by covid but successfully reunited earlier this year.  To further solidify the reconciliation, we had agreed to hold three days of classes designed to edify and encourage young people.  Meanwhile, Jerry Toreja passed away unexpectedly before our plans came to fruition.  We rejoiced Saturday when the series began with David presenting a study on the importance of humility.

I followed with the lesson “Children, Obey Your Parents,” which took two sessions because the lessons are being translated line by line as we go, which slows the process.  After a short break, David took the young people from ages 8-10 to a separate room to teach them as I taught the second part of my sermon.  Our attendance was 75 including a group of 14 who traveled about 8 hours from the Bicol region to join us.

After lunch David spoke on the reality of God.  Then he took the 8-10 year olds aside for a separate session as I presented a study entitled “God Created Us Male and Female,” countering the homosexual and transgender movement.

Next came the open forum.  Most questions centered on the topic of obedience to parents.  For instance, how will obey “in the Lord” apply if one or both parents are not Christians.  “In the Lord” means that children must learn to put God’s will first in all decisions.  The instructions of parents who are not Christians should be obeyed as long as they do not violate God’s Word.

A couple of questions focused on the death penalty for children who struck or cursed their parents under the Law of Moses.  Rebellion against authority begins in the home and spreads to the whole society, which destroys a nation.  This law was designed to protect and preserve the nation of Israel because God promised to send our Savior from this nation in Genesis 12:1-3.

Someone else asked for clarification because some preachers say it is sinful for women to teach classes for children and for ladies at church.  Matthew 28:19-20 shows that all people including women are to be taught the gospel and baptized, and then they are to be trained to teach and baptize other people.  1 Timothy 2:12 does to forbid women to teach under all circumstances but forbids them to teach in exercising authority over men.  If no men are present, she cannot violate this restriction.  Furthermore, older more experienced women are commanded to teach younger women in Titus 2:1-5.

At the end of the day, I commended all of these young people for their good attention and conduct throughout the day.  We are definitely off to a good start!

Bible study begins at 8:00 A.M. at Kapitbahayan on the Lord’s Day.  My subject was “How Beautiful Heaven Must Be!”  There were 140 present and David taught on the importance of continuing to believe and practice the things we have learned.  After lunch David spoke on God and science, and then he held another special class for the 8-10 year old group.

My afternoon topic was “Selecting a Mate: The Lord Builds the House.”  In the first session the focus was on God’s part in helping us and the second session focused on our part.  We must be the right person in order to find the right person!

Next, the open forum ran for an hour as the young people covered a lot of ground regarding what should be done if dating an unbeliever, the marriage of Christians to unbelievers, proper conduct in courting, having children out of wedlock, homosexual and transgender issues, can all sins be forgiven, etc.  This was a very productive hour!

It is so uplifting to see this church reunited and working together in peace, love, and unity for the cause of Christ.

Today is Monday, the last day of the series for young people.  David started our day with a faith building study of Psalm 145-146.  This was followed by my sermon “Young People, Read the Bible!” I conducted a short open forum before lunch.  Some questions were asked about how we can help people to be baptized when they are very sick and dying in the hospital.  I explained that it is possible to request from the staff to use a therapy tub for the baptism (and Dr. Teresa Toreja confirmed this).

After lunch David taught “rejoice,” “refuse,” and “remember” from Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:1.  Then he took the younger ones to another room for their special class while I taught “Modest Dress Through the Ages” and “Young in Age, Strong in Faith.”

There was another lengthy open forum with questions on a wide range of subjects including cross-dressing, modesty, and other topics.  One young man asked what to do when your parents are not interested in the Bible and yet he wants to learn more about the Bible.  I suggested to request them to read with him, but he indicated they really have no such interest or desire.  Next, I suggested he gather Christian friends who will help him study and also request the preacher to have regular Bible study with him.  This young man’s questions broke my heart.  These parents do not realize what a treasure they have and do not know how to truly love their son.

The young people expressed their appreciation for the three days of classes again and again.  And, I must express my gratitude again and again to God and to every saint who helped make these three days possible – and to make this whole trip successful with David and Joel.  God has given us many open doors and there have no accidents or illness.  Joel was our public relations man, making new friends everywhere we went!

Many of you will be reading this report Tuesday when we are high in the sky flying from the Philippines to Korea to change planes and part ways.  David and Joel will fly to Seattle and home to Fairbanks, Alaska where Starla, Esther, and Eliel eagerly await their arrival.  God willing, I will fly to Minneapolis and on to Louisville, Kentucky where I am anxious to see Donna and all the beloved saints at the Hebron Lane church of Christ who play such a vital role in this work.

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

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