May 4-11, 2024 Philippine Preaching
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
On the Lord’s Day, our round trip to Balasan in the Iloilo Province on Panay Island consumed five hours, but Jack Jaco and James Paet did an excellent job getting us there and back to Iloilo City. We passed miles and miles of rice fields which should be standing in water but were barren and dry because of drought. Romeo Jaco, Jack’s brother, labors with this congregation of about 30 souls in a rural area, but there were 50 present for all-day preaching today including visitors who are good prospects.
I preached a series of four sermons on the theme of “Seeking God and Salvation.” I first presented “Evidence God Exists (Ps. 19:1),” followed by “Salvation: Amazing, Astonishing (Isa. 52:13-15).”
During a break I had a good discussion with a Baptist visitor who was interested in the difference between Baptist baptism and the original baptism commanded by Christ in the Great Commission. I drew a simple chart on paper showing that Jesus said in Mark 16:16 Believe + Baptized = Saved. Baptist doctrine teaches Believe = Saved + Baptized to join a local Baptist church. He wants to teach his family what he is learning before he is baptized, which is typical for many Filipinos. He urged me to return and go with him to the community he came from to preach the original gospel of Christ there.
The final two lessons in the series were “Finish the Race (2 Tim. 4:7-8)” and “Death, What Then? (Eccl. 12:7).” This was a typically hot day in the Philippines and my clothes were soaked with sweat, but no one complained and everyone expressed their gratitude for the day of Bible study.
Jack brought James Paet and me to the Iloilo airport to catch our plane to Manila Monday morning and we arrived safely before noon. James bid me goodbye here and I caught a connecting flight to Cebu City, arriving about 4:00 PM. It was a joy to see Jonathan and Nanette Carino, who brought me to a hotel to get settled in and to prepare to start preaching again tomorrow.
On Tuesday we traveled an hour over the mountains going from Cebu City to join the saints at Maraag, Sudlon where Mario Rubio serves as an evangelist. Even Mario did not expect the more than 100 attendance including many visitors (one from Ireland!) who heard the series on “Searching for God and Salvation.” The two morning sessions considered “Evidence God Exists” and “Salvation: Amazing, Astonishing.” Then, the two afternoon sessions addressed “Finish the Race” and “Death, and What Then?” There were only few questions when we opened the floor for open forum because the audience said the lessons were clear and they understood them well. Mario will follow up with the visitors in the hope of converting them to the pure and original gospel of Christ.
What a wonderful way to spend my 78th birthday: studying the Bible all day with precious souls seeking the truth about God and salvation. We were blessed that the gathering place had a roof to shield us from the sun but no side walls so that light mountain breezes made us relatively comfortable.
The last two days, Wednesday-Thursday, were devoted to a Bible lectureship for evangelists on the theme “United to Proclaim Christ,” hosted by the saints meeting in the Luym Building in Cebu City where Jonathan Carino has preached for many years. They rent the 14th floor of this old hotel and business building where sometimes they must climb all of those steps if the elevator is not working. Fortunately, today it was working, and the seating area was full with 70 brethren from Cebu Island and surrounding islands.
The morning topics were “Attitudes Essential in God’s Kingdom,” based on Matthew 5, and “Preserving Unity in Christ” based on John 17:17-21. After lunch we studied “The Heart of the Preacher” from Philippians 1 and “Christ Teaches Total Honesty,” emphasizing the imperative of integrity in a preacher’s life and work.
The open forum lasted only about 10 minutes with the main question centering on baptism “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” in Matthew 28:19. It is not a formula of words which must be spoken over every baptism but points to the divine nature and authority of the Godhead in commanding baptism as essential to receive the forgiveness of sins by the grace of God. In water baptism we submit to and enter into fellowship with the one true God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
As our Bible lectureship continued Thursday with 80 in attendance, our morning studies turned to “Helping Each Other” and “The Great Commission.” In the afternoon the subjects were “To Serve or To Be Served?” and “Rejoice in the Lord Always.” It appeared our last session finished the lectures right on time, until the floor was opened for questions.
There was a slow start but then one question followed another for an hour and a half. The questions were wide ranging including clarification of the three persons in the Godhead, whether Christians should abstain from intoxicating beverages (yes!), whether Christians who intentionally neglect to assemble can be saved (no, not unless they repent), how to conduct worship in places where no local church exists (such as Filipinos working around the world), the meaning of “breaking bread” in Acts 2:42 and 46 (the Lord’s Supper in worship, and sharing common meals in homes), whether Judas had free will in denying Jesus since it was prophesied (yes, he did, but God had foreknowledge of the betrayal), etc., etc.
Having already preached four sermons today, conducting the lengthy open forum tested my stamina, but I survived fine, and it was obvious the brethren and our visitors thoroughly enjoyed all of the good discussion about the many topics raised. It has been a great joy to work with Jonathan Carino and the other saints here again!
On Friday Jonathan and Nanette Carino and myself exchanged our goodbyes at the Cebu City airport and I flew to Manila, arriving about 3:00 PM. James Paet immediately drove me to the Philippine Bible Society where I purchased 580 Bibles in various Filipino dialects to be shipped to brethren in many places and then distributed to the saints longing for a Bible. This is one of the highlights of every trip, made possible by the donations of many dear saints! Now, I need to notify each recipient by email that they should receive their orders of Bibles within the next few days or weeks.
This has been another profitable trip, but I miss Donna and many other loved ones at home, and I am ready to see them again. God willing, I will fly from Manila tomorrow (Saturday) about 12:30 PM and arrive home in Louisville, Kentucky about midnight on Saturday in the U.S. after some 24 hours of travel. If my voice holds up, the report of this trip will be delivered to the saints at the Hebron Lane church of Christ at our 5:00 PM service on Sunday. This trip, like every trip, ends with much thanksgiving to God and to all of His saints who make this work possible in His service and to His glory.
In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook
To see good Bible study material, go to:
https://www.