Dear family, brethren, and friends,

On Monday Mark Mayberry flew from Manila to Bacolod City, Negros Occidental in the morning and I flew there from Cebu City in the late afternoon.  We both had safe and uneventful flights and were met by Jack Jaco. When I walked in the evening, I finally saw a small slither of the moon, so I know it is still there at last!

Mark and I rested Tuesday, worked on email, studied and reviewed sermons for tomorrow.  I got to bed before 11:00 P.M., which is a major accomplishment!

Jack Jaco picked us up at 8:00 A.M. Wednesday and by 10:00 we were in Escalante City where James Burden gathered 180 souls at a rented function room, including a table with seven denominational preachers sitting right at the front where they could hear every word.  I preached “The Messiah’s Message & Miracles in Mark,” followed by Mark’s lesson on “The Kingdom of God.”  After lunch, Mark addressed “Truth VS Error” with many good applications, followed by my sermon on “The Resurrection of Christ.”  

During the open forum, the denominational preachers asked Mark to clarify his explanation of Mt. Zion in the literal sense and in the figurative sense.  Mark explained from Isaiah 2:1-5 and Hebrews 12:22 that Mt. Zion can figuratively represent God’s spiritual kingdom and rule in the hearts and lives of His people, the church.  Additional questions explored the relationship between faith in Christ and the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins.  We discussed John 1:12 and John 3:5 with verse 16 to show that true faith in Christ is obedient faith.  Baptism is required in the process of the new birth which makes us children of God (see also Gal. 3:26-27).

Many of our brethren preachers from Negros and many visitors attended.  The audience was very attentive and showed a high level of interest all day.  Two precious souls submitted to Christ in baptism to receive forgiveness of their sins and to embrace the hope of heaven when Christ returns! 

We returned safely to Bacolod City just before dark, thanks to the good driving of Jack and the loving providence of God.

Jack took us Thursday to the church in Sagay City where Jerry de Erio preaches.  Jerry expected as high as 70 but the attendance was over 90, filling the seats and overflowing.  I preached two lessons on why we worship by singing without instrumental music.  Mark preached two lessons on the necessity and application of repentance. 

The open forum ran for about an hour.  A newly converted Baptist preacher had heard about the restoration movement in America and wanted to know what it was all about.  Mark and I explained it refers to events in the late 1700’s and the 1800’s when people were searching for the truth in the Bible and they returned to the original teaching of Christ and his Apostles in the New Testament, escaping Catholicism and denominational systems of religion.  We explained the same thing is happening now in the Philippines.  It can happen anywhere at any time because the seed of God’s kingdom is His Word (Lk. 8:11).  We do not follow those men and events as our standard of truth, but we follow the same Word of God which they followed.  There are examples in the Bible of people who returned to God’s standard of truth such as King Josiah and the events in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.  God preserves His Word so that men who seek Him can find Him in these holy pages!

On Friday Jack drove us almost two hours to reach the church at Pue, Sagay City where Jordan Cabras labors in the gospel. The location is actually in the foothills of the mountains surrounded by sugarcane plantations.  Jordan has a radio antenna at this house so that he can broadcast the gospel far and wide in this region.  103 souls gathered including seven denominational preachers who were very attentive to the lessons.  

Mark’s first lesson focused on the identity of the New Testament church and another sermon presented New Testament teaching about baptism. I preached “Nailed to the Cross” to explain we are saved by the terms and conditions of the gospel of Christ, not the Law of Moses.  My last sermon was entitled “When Peter Confessed Christ,” which is a study of Matthew 16:13-19.  Christ built only one true church and we must escape all sin and error, including denominational systems of false religion, in order to enter his church.

In the open forum we clarified that the church of Christ is the kingdom of God on the earth today (Matt. 16:18-19).  There was a question about how the penitent thief on the cross knew about the kingdom (Lk. 23:42)?  The thief was a Jew.  The Old Testament repeated many promises of the coming of God’s new kingdom and every Jew was anxiously awaiting its establishment.  Also, John the forerunner of Christ preached that men must repent and be baptized in order to prepare their hearts to hear the Messiah who would soon appear to establish the new kingdom of God.  The thief may or may not have submitted to John’s baptism, but he surely knew God had promised to send the Messiah to establish the new kingdom.  

Always remember that Jesus had the authority to forgive men’s sin during his personal ministry on earth before his death, burial, and resurrection.  After those events, he gave the Apostles the Great Commission sending the gospel to all the world until the end of time (Mk. 16:15-16), but the thief had already died and entered the paradise of hades at that time.  The thief was not baptized under the Great Commission because it was not given in his lifetime.  It does apply in our lifetime.  We are not saved like the thief, and he was not saved under the terms and conditions of the Great Commission like we are. 

Our Saturday appointment was at a function room in a rented facility here in Bacolod City.  62 souls composed mostly of denominational visitors attended including several of their preachers.  I gave two lessons on why we sing in worship but are not authorized by Christ to use instrumental music and Mark spoke on baptism and on the identity of the New Testament church.  The audience was greatly interested and paid close attention as was confirmed by the open forum.

One listener said they had been taught we are saved by grace through faith in Ephesians 2:8, which does not mention baptism.  Mark explained that saving faith is obedient faith and it must include baptism according to the many passages he presented earlier today.  In addition, I asked the audience to connect the dots going from Acts 19:1-5 to Ephesians 2:8.  In Acts 19 Paul brought the gospel to Ephesus to people who had received John’s baptism but had not heard that Christ had already come.  When Paul preached Christ to them, verse 5 says, “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”  Later, Paul wrote Ephesians 2:8 affirming they had been saved by grace through faith, i.e., when they were baptized.  Water baptism of a penitent believer is salvation by grace through faith!  The questioner was satisfied with this answer.

Someone offered 2 Chronicles 29:25 as proof we can worship with instruments.  I pointed out that this was worship under the Law of Moses and the verses which follow instruct the instruments to be played during the offering of animal sacrifices.  I asked if he was worshiping by offering animal sacrifices.  He answered, “No.”  I insisted if he takes the instruments from this passage, he must take the animal sacrifices with them. 

Then, I asked him how many wives he had.  He said one.  I pointed out the Old Testament included laws which allowed polygamy.  If he was going to use 2 Chronicles to justify instrumental music, he had just as well use the Law of Moses to justify polygamy.  He later told Mark his question had been adequately answered. 

It is obvious that seed was sown into good and honest hearts today.  We all agreed we should expect there will be baptisms as a result.  We will wait to hear the good news!

On the Lord’s Day, Mark went with Jack to Victorias City while I went with Shem Tapagan to the Capisan congregation for my third visit across the years.  My topic was “Modest Dress through the Ages” and I complimented the ladies because everyone was dressed modestly.  There were 18 souls with a good mix of age groups present for today’s worship.

After returning to the hotel and eating a quick lunch, Mark and I traveled via fastcraft boat from Bacolod City on the Island of Negros to Iloio City on the Island of Panay, arriving about 2:30 P.M.  I have been blessed to see the moon while taking my evening walks on Negros and after arriving here on Panay I could see a faint moon in the broad daylight!  No doubt, that is an omen of good things to come (you may smile here, do not think I believe in literal omens, thank you).

Thank you for your prayers.  Mark and I are remembering all who are praying for us and all who help make these trips possible.

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook