April 19-23 in the Philippines
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
As we prepared to leave the hotel in Mira Sanchez to come to the Ilocos region on Tuesday, April 19, there was a message from Rose (the lady who wanted to be baptized but her husband prevented her). She asked us to wait for her to meet us because she wanted to be baptized for the remission of her sin through the blood of Christ in spite of her husband’s objections. That is a more difficult decision to make in the Philippines because of the patriarchal culture. Her husband may be furious, but the angels of heaven rejoice for another precious soul added to the body of Christ on the road to heaven! Randy Tiene baptized her and we prayed together for God to bless both her husband and her. Thank you to all who prayed for her after the previous report!
Robinson Pulveras drove us to the beautiful Ilocos region and we stopped to take pictures overlooking the South China Sea. Turning off the main highway further along, we wound around in a rural area to reach the church in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte where Abraham Aguete has invested much time and effort to preach the gospel, but he is recovering from a stroke now. He joined us by sitting in his special chair. Craig preached the five basic facts of life and I followed with “Work While It Is Day.” One young lady confessed Christ and was baptized in a farm drainage ditch nearby and we all rejoiced with another new sister in Christ.
We proceeded to the church meeting at Bagunsanay in Bangui where Sherwin Ravelo is laboring with about 15 members – over 30 attended today. His father preached here many years ago and the church grew to 300. After his father moved away, the work gradually died as people scattered and some fell back into a life of sin. Sherwin is determined to get this congregation growing again on a solid foundation of truth. They meet in his house because they have no building. Craig’s sermon answered the great question, “What must I do to be saved?” My lesson was based on Luke 19:10, “Jesus Came to Seek and Save the Lost.” Two souls stepped forward by faith in Christ, repenting of their sins, confessed Christ, and were baptized in a small stream behind the house.
We pray Sherwin will press forward and the gospel will spread in this community again. A blind man now 75 years old was there in the old days and he is still faithfully serving the Lord. He asked for advice on how the church will grow again. I responded that a church grows when every member does his part to live right, to teach the truth, and to invite friends to come.
We finally reached our hotel in Laoag City, the capital of Ilocos Norte, about 7:30 P.M., tired but thankful for the privilege of laboring in the gospel with our Filipino brethren.
Three days of classes on the book of Revelation began Wednesday at the Banna church in Binacag, I.N. where Efren Ramos serves as an evangelist. This series was planned two years ago and has been on hold because of the pandemic. Dan King’s excellent workbook surveying Revelation was distributed and served as our outline for a textual study of the great visions recorded by the Apostle John.
I began with three lessons introducing Revelation as a unique book written to prepare the seven churches of the Roman province of Asia for an impending persecution sparked by the enforcement of emperor worship, a fiery trial which continued for about 200 years. Many other churches would benefit from this letter, but it is addressed to the region where the storm began. Craig presented two studies summarizing the message to the seven individual congregations in Revelation 2-3, where Christ assessed their strengths and weaknesses to prepare them to survive this impending persecution.
My next session covered chapter 4:1 through 8:1, the opening of the seven seals of the scroll containing the unfolding of this future ordeal. Craig closed the day by examining the blowing of the seven trumpets predicting judgments by God on the Roman Empire (8:2-11:19). Our 49 participants were attentive in spite of the Philippine summer heat and humidity!
Our study of the victorious Christ in Revelation continued Thursday with an examination of the beasts rising up from the sea and the earth to persecute the saints who refused to worship the emperor. God numbered His faithful saints who refused to participate in such blasphemy. After I finished that lesson on chapter 12-14, Craig called attention to chapters 15-16 where the angels poured out seven bowls of divine wrath pointing to the doom of Rome who refused to repent.
The day closed with my presentation of the message of the judgment and fall of this harlot embraced by many nations in chapter 17-19. While the nations grieved for the harlot’s demise, heaven celebrated the marriage of the Lamb and his faithful bride.
The message of the book is relevant to our lives today. The same God who ruled the wicked nations to accomplish His own purpose in those times is still ruling the nations to fulfill His will today! We must trust in Him no matter how difficult our trials may be, and no matter how much wicked men may despise and persecute us.
Knowing that visitors were present, Efren had Craig include instructions on how to become a Christian at the end of his lecture. The congregation sang a song inviting sinners to obey the gospel. Two precious souls were saved from the kingdom of darkness and added to the kingdom of God’s dear Son by being baptized into Christ.
It was a joy to have Egdon and Faith Sabio present with us. I had planned to preach in their place before the Philippine government required me to trim back my schedule because of some covid protocol.
About 70 souls attended the Revelation class on Friday as we discussed chapter 20 regarding the final victory of Christ over Rome, and then his final victory over Satan and all of his allies and followers at the end of time. The highly touted 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth in a civil kingdom based in Jerusalem is nowhere to be found in this chapter or anywhere else in the Bible. The 1,000 year victory and reign of the martyred saints in 20:1-4 does not refer to days on a calendar at all but to the total and perfect victory of the saints who were slaughtered for their faith in Christ. That victory now past, Satan works again through our allies and avenues but will utterly fail again when Christ comes to cast him into the lake of fire forever!
Craig presented two lessons covering chapters 21-22 which give a beautiful picture of the reward of the faithful in heaven where God eradicates all sin, suffering, and death – we shall live in perfect fellowship with Him for eternity!
In the open forum there were good questions about the state of the dead, the resurrection of the body, and even the origin of Satan. The Bible gives no details about Satan’s origin. We know God created all things, but He created nothing evil. It may be deduced that Satan and his angels rebelled against God at some time in the past but the occasion, time, and factors involved are not revealed to us. It is more important to know that we can be saved from Satan and his malicious evil designs by the power of the gospel of Christ. When diseases arise, it is not always possible to determine their exact origin, but what is more important is learning how to counteract them.
The day ended with my sermon “Rejoice in the Lord Always” and Craig’s good presentation of five basic facts of life.
We thank Efren Ramos for his hard work preparing for these three days of special classes. A delicious lunch was provided each day and we are indebted to the saints who served us from Efren’s kitchen. I told his daughter Ailish that she is a good cook like her mother before her.
Today is Saturday and we are taking a break from preaching for the first time since we landed in Tuguegarao on April 2. I have needed to prepare this report, to arrange lessons for the last two days, and to catch up on some email (though many messages are still unread and unanswered). We hear the preacher training classes in Tugugarao continue to go well, but please continue praying for Lordy Salunga. After his successful pace maker implant, he had an allergic reaction to some medicine and is back in the hospital.
My update for all the moon watchers is that one night the moon beamed beautifully with only a few clouds, followed by its total absence on a clear night with plenty of bright stars. The next night the atmosphere was even clearer and the stars even brighter – but I miss my old friend the moon! When I see him again, I will think of all of my dear loved ones at home who can see him too!
Filipino saints have asked me to extend their love and gratitude for all the help extended to them by fellow Christians who have provided benevolence during the pandemic and have made it possible for us to return to teach God’s Holy Word again in their land. I have publicly commended them for their diligent and determined efforts to continue serving God in spite of the pandemic and in spite of our inability to visit them. May God bless us all as we press forward in serving Him!
In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook
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