Dear family, brethren, and friends,

On Tuesday James Paet and I flew from Manila to Iloilo City on Panay Island and Jack Jaco drove us to San Jose in the Province of Antique.  All of our travels were safe and we thank God for His providential care.  Denominational preachers will gather here in a function room to study with us.

We had supper with two friends who are denominational preachers and who have been learning during our visits the last several months.  They initiated a discussion of the mention of pastors in Ephesians 4:11 as to whether such terms are titles or simply functions.  Men in denominations are often given the title pastor in spite of the fact they do not meet the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and in spite of the fact they may not even be working with any particular congregation.  Pastors, bishops, and elders are synonyms for leaders of a local church who must meet the qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.  None of these terms are titles, but they simply describe the work these leaders perform in a local church.  They were receptive to this clarification.

We rented a function room at a facility in San Jose where we could present all day lectures Wednesday on the theme “Back to the Bible.”  Most of the 64 attendees serve as denominational pastors for a variety of churches.  Some of these folks have heard us teach during our recent visits and some were hearing us for the first time.

When such groups gather, different dynamics may be a work – sometimes there are hostile people present, other times they have been warned that we are heretics and they are immediately on the defensive, and other times they may be curiosity seekers window shopping.  Today’s group genuinely came to listen and to learn.  They were focused and attentive all day, even after the lunch break when it is easy to lose focus.

In the morning sessions we studied “Back to the Bible (Jn. 17:17-21)” and “When Peter Confessed Christ (Matt. 16:13-16).”  This afternoon the topics were “Christ VS Calvinism (Rom. 2:11)” and “How Sinners Receive Salvation (Rom. 10:1-17),” followed by an open forum.  Questions ranged from why baptism is not mentioned in John 3:16 (it is in vs. 5), to why the thief on the cross was saved without baptism (he died before the Great Commission was given), to why we do not use instrumental music in worship (it is not authorized by Christ in the New Testament), to whether people on sick beds need to be baptized to be saved (yes, just as they must believe, repent, and confess Christ), to whether we can be saved in all churches (no, Christ has one true church, Eph. 4:4-6).

Jack extended the Lord’s invitation.  Though no one was ready to be baptized, it is clear some are near the kingdom and will likely obey Christ soon.  Comments of gratitude included, “This is our first time to hear such clear teaching straight from the Bible.”   When people hear new things from Scripture, they need time to digest and examine what they hear.  We simply sow the seed and God will give the increase according to His will!  This was an exceptionally good day of sowing the seed.

Jack drove us two hours on Thursday from San Jose to Guimbal in the Antique Province where 32 souls gathered to consider the theme “Searching for God and Salvation.”  At the morning session we studied “Evidence God Exists (Ps. 19:1)” and “Salvation: Amazing, Astonishing (Isa. 52:13-15).”  After lunch the subjects were “Finish the Race (2 Tin. 4:7-8)” and “Death, What Then? (Eccl. 12:7).”

I had trouble assessing whether the audience was really listening and focusing, but then I had an unusual sign they were listening during the open forum.  A Baptist preacher started asking questions such as whether it is really wrong to have the Lord’s Supper only once a month, which means he heard and absorbed what I covered on that subject (and, yes, it is wrong to deviate from the Bible pattern, Acts 20:7).  Next, he wanted more information about instrumental music in worship – yes, Jesus lived during the time it was used, but he said he came to introduce a new and true pattern of worship different from the Mosaic system centered in the Temple in Jerusalem (Jn. 4:22-24).  After several minutes of this ongoing discussion, he raised his hand again and said, “I just want to thank you for giving such bold and direct answers to my questions from the Bible.”

At the end of the day, four precious souls repented of their sins and were baptized in the ocean nearby for the remission of their sins through the blood of the Lamb.  After we dismissed, a lady approached me asking for help to start a group based on what we studied today and I am putting her in touch with Marvin Escuder who is preaching for a new congregation in the area.  Many others expressed appreciation and the desire to learn more.  It has been an exceptionally good day!

We drove another hour to reach Iloilo City where I will preach for the next two days, God willing.

We rented a function room at a hotel for a two-day lectureship on “The Authority of Christ” in Iloilo City, beginning Friday.  Almost all of the 54 who attended are denominational preachers or “pastors,” as they call themselves.  The first lesson showed that the authority of Christ is expressed in Scripture, not by traditions, creeds, and denominational leaders.  Next, we focused on Christ’s authority as the only Savior and as the head of the local church.  After lunch, we studied the gradual departures from the original teaching of Christ in the New Testament, which resulted in the formation of the Roman Catholic Church.

The final lesson addressed some of the corruptions perpetrated by the Catholic Church approaching the 1400’s such as the worldly mindset and conduct of the hierarchy, withholding the Bible from the common man, and the doctrine of indulgences.  Indulgences involved the transfer of merits from Christ, Mary, and other saints to people who are living and also dead people in order to absolve them from facing certain penalties of sin in this life and in Purgatory.  The sale of indulgence papers swept huge amounts of money into the coffers of the Catholic Church.

This audience was very engaged as became apparent in the open forum which continued almost an hour and a half.  They had many follow-up questions about the role of New Testament pastors which is very different from the practices of denominational pastors.  In their denominational system, a pastor is a preacher who has authority over all the affairs of the local church.  In the New Testament, the work of an evangelist and the work of pastors are quite distinct.  The preacher or evangelist proclaims the gospel but does not exercise the rule of pastors who oversee a congregation.

Other questions covered women being preachers, tithing, instrumental music in worship, speaking in tongues, why there are no Apostles and prophets today, and the rising challenge of homosexuality.  These “pastors” have been trapped in their denominational systems and practices for many years.  We must teach them patiently and sympathetically with full confidence God will give the increase in His own time and way.  This has been another very fruitful day!

Our Saturday session was attended by 53 souls who had to endure the afternoon heat in the function room because two AC units failed.  In spite of the heat, they stuck it out as we reviewed the Protestant Reformation and the key doctrines of the denominations which prevent them from restoring New Testament Christianity.  Next, we followed the rise of the restoration plea, “Back to the Bible,” as many thousands of people abandoned denominations to obey the original gospel of Christ.  They were baptized for remission of sins – sometimes they had to baptize each other to start because there were no preachers in their areas preaching the original gospel.  They then learned to put into practice “all things” Christ commanded including the work, worship, and organization of the local church (Matt. 28:20).

In the afternoon our attention turned to a two-part study about avoiding the dangers of apostasy.  When precious souls escape sin and error, Satan will counterattack, seeking ways to bring them back into sin and error.

Again today, the open forum ran more than an hour with questions about the meaning of “election” and “predestination” (God’s plan of redemption in Christ, not God sending people to heaven and hell before their birth), the trinity (three divine persons in one Godhead), the founder of the church of Christ (Christ, Matt. 16:18), and how many times should a person be baptized (if a person has one or more baptisms into denominations, he needs to submit to Christ in the “one baptism” he commanded in the Great Commission for all men; Matt. 28:18-20; Eph. 4:4-6).  Several questions about the necessity of baptism were submitted – yes, it is essential in order to receive forgiveness of sins through the blood of the Lamb (Acts 22:16).

At the day’s end, I returned to my room utterly exhausted but greatly encouraged by the hunger to learn manifested during these past two days.  Though no one was baptized today, it was evident we were teaching receptive hearts who are learning.  After falling asleep on the bed in my room for about 45 minutes (I don’t remember ever doing that before), I went to supper, then immediately began reviewing the lessons for the last day on Panay Island.

There is not much moon to see right now because it is in its waning crescent phase, but I have not been able to locate it for the past couple of days. But I know it is there, and I know many of you have been watching it.  This helps us to remember each other and to pray for each other – thank you, and God bless you all!

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