April 7-10 in the Philippines
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
The preacher training classes on Thursday, April 7, ran like clockwork. My class on the preacher’s life and work included a discussion of 2 Timothy 4:1-5 and also the challenges of working with congregations without elders. The basic Bible doctrine session covered “How Sinners Receive Salvation,” i.e., what must I do to be saved?
The study of issues dividing brethren addressed the sponsoring church arrangement which elevates a local eldership to a brotherhood eldership by centralizing funds and oversight into the hands of one eldership. I explained that I actually came from that background and had to gradually learn this practice is not authorized by Christ.
In the session working with the concordance and Bible dictionary, we investigated the difference between the Bible doctrine of imputation (our faith is counted for righteousness) and the Calvinist doctrine (transfer Adam’s sin to all men, transfer sins of the world to Christ, and transfer Christ’s personal righteousness to Christians). The Bible word “impute” does not include the concept of transfer. This period closed with many of the men giving reports of what they learned from the Bible dictionary about various books, persons, and places found in Scripture.
By God’s good grace, everyone is staying healthy, although Craig and several students suffered a brief bout of stomach discomfort. Dr. Cathy Forelo recommended a medication to resolve the problem. We are praying for Lordy Salunga and Harry Osborne to overcome health issues they are fighting so that they can join Jonathan Carino for the second two weeks as teachers to replace Craig and me because we will travel to the Ilocos region.
When I walked tonight, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds twice just to wink at me and let me know many of you also see him! The weather continues to be unbelievably comfortable for this time of year, but I heard that next week it will return to normal. I have been here when the temperature was 100 and humidity 100%, but I hope we are not going to see that again!
I walk to a lighted park nearby that has a walking track, but I notice the streets of this city are almost completely deserted like a ghost town. I have never seen that before here over the years, so I asked about it. There is no curfew, but most people are still living in fear of covid and not venturing out at night, although the rate of infection has plummeted.
Our Friday classes went very well because now everyone knows what to expect and what to do. The students are now comfortable not only reading passages but also asking questions. My morning session dealt with a range of practical duties and decisions required in the work of an evangelist – where to go, when to move, consideration of family needs, working for peace and unity in the church without compromising the truth, etc. In the basic Bible doctrine segment we discussed the New Testament church and how local churches spread by the seed principle (Lk. 8:11). The original gospel produces Christians and churches of Christ, not Catholics and Catholic churches, not denominational members and churches.
The period on issues that divide brethren dealt with the social gospel. Many churches of Christ are going beyond the mission of evangelism, worship, and benevolence to needy saints by adding entertainment programs, social welfare services, common meals, secular education, medical missions, and the-sky-is-the-limit as the social gospel activities multiply and expand. The New Testament church follows the New Testament pattern for its mission.
The session devoted to the use of the Bible concordance and the dictionary focused on the word hell. This included the Hebrew word Sheol, which applied primarily to the realm of the dead, and the Greek words Hades, also the realm of the dead, and Genenna, referring to eternal punishment. The KJV translates both Hades and Gehenna as hell, which may confuse the reader. For instance, Jesus visited Hades in Acts 2:27 and 31, meaning the realm of the dead not eternal punishment.
After supper I had a very congenial and productive meeting for an hour and a half with a good brother about our united desire to handle benevolence according to Bible principles and avoid potential abuses. Meanwhile, Craig was teaching his weekly Zoom class on the book of Romans. It was about 9:30 when we got to our hotel exhausted after a very busy and productive day.
I took my walk in the rain with the protection of an umbrella and returned to fall asleep on the bed without a shower. I awoke about 12:30 A.M. and showered and went back to sleep – sleeping for a total of 9-10 hours. My wife will tell you I never sleep that long unless I am sick, but apparently my body was sending a message of some kind!
A tropical depression is continuing to form which has pushed rain into our area and it is also producing a typhoon headed for the Visayas and Mindanao to the south of Luzon. This is very unusual because the typhoon season is July-October. All of this unseasonable rain is hindering and hurting the harvest season for rice and corn.
It is hard to realize the first week has been completed. As the Romans said, tempus fugit – time flies! Preparing for this trip and now teaching these classes have thrown me even further behind on email correspondence. Some of you may wonder why I have not been responding to your messages. All I can do is to apologize because a one-talent man is trying to do a ten-talent job. Thank you for your understanding.
On Saturday there were no formal classes, but Rody instructed the men on how to conduct baptisms and how to greet people when offering tracts and inviting them for Bible studies. Then they went downtown offering opies of The One True Church by James R. Cope and inviting people to services and studies. As always they came back reporting favorable and unfavorable reactions. In the afternoon they had time to rest, wash clothes, and take care of other personal needs. Craig and I spent the day preparing for Sunday sermons and next week’s classes, with a little rest on the side when possible.
The Lord’s Day started early as we headed different directions to preach. Jay Gumpad took Craig to his appointments and Gerald Ganela brought me to Kinama in Rizal, Kalinga Province where a new work is off to a very good start. A total of 72 people met in the new church building which is still under construction without windows or a concrete floor because of a lack of funds. Gerald teaches high school but labors with them on the weekends as their numbers continue to grow. They do not yet have electricity, so I preached from Scripture without PowerPoint charts on the topic “The Lord’s Supper: Memorial to Christ” (Acts 20:7).
In the afternoon Rody brought me to the Baliuag congregation in Pena Blanca, Cagayan served by Alfonso Danao. They have an adequate church building but need windows and a door costing about $1,400. Many of these brethren came from the instrumental churches of Christ but have learned the difference and embraced the truth. About 60 people attended including Jimmy Christrup, a Danish brother who was converted in the Philippines and is married to the daughter of Alfonso.
My sermon was entitled “Precious: The Death of God’s Saints” (Ps. 116:15). Eight souls of various ages responded to the gospel invitation, confessed Christ, and were baptized in a nearby river. Let us rejoice with the angels of heaven!
After returning to Tuguegarao, before taking my walk, I strolled through the huge courtyard of the Catholic Cathedral. Hundreds of people were inside celebrating Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Many others were milling around the courtyard which was filled with about 50 floats preparing to parade through the city with large elaborate images of Jesus, Mary, Lazarus, and other so-called Catholic saints. It is heartbreaking to see what a powerful grip these false religious traditions have on the Philippine populace. No wonder Jesus said the harvest is great but the laborers are few! We are trying hard to increase the number of laborers in the preachers’ training classes.
When I took my walk, the moon in the Waxing Gibbous phase broke through the gathering rain clouds long enough to smile for a moment on me. It was good to see my old friend again even if only for a moment, and thus to be reminded of dear brethren and friends around the world!
In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook
To see good Bible study material, go to:
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https://biblework.
https://truthbooks.com
https://www.truthmagazine.com