Dear family, brethren, and friends,

I got up about 4:30 A.M. Monday to retrace my steps from Rockhampton to Brisbane to Sydney and back to Manila.  I reached the hotel about 9:30 P.M., went to exercise for 45 minutes, and then crash landed in the bed for a sound night of sleep.  Tuesday flew by with some email work, a visit to the money changer, and preparing to preach the rest of this week (and yes, I got a little extra rest).

Our Wednesday appointment was an hour’s drive from the hotel to Binan, Laguna where Ferdie Ong preaches.  There were 120 souls present to hear a sermon on “Restoring New Testament Christianity.”  Many could not understand English well, so Ferdie translated as I preached.  This was followed by a short lesson on “Bible Authority: Separate Essentials & Incidentals.”

Some brethren have been discussing whether a baptism is valid if not performed by a faithful evangelist in the Lord’s church.  Though that is the normal and typical practice, we learned there are exceptional cases such as Philippians 1:15 when some men preached the true gospel but were filled with the spirit of envy and strife against Paul.  The people they baptized were saved and many of them never knew the heart of the baptizer was not right with God. There have been cases even in recent years when a person in a denomination recognized the truth about the necessity of baptism but did not know anyone who was a member of the church of Christ, and so a denominational preacher was requested to administer the baptism strictly according to Scripture.

The heart of the convert must be right in order for baptism to be valid – that is essential (Rom. 6:17).  The heart of the baptizer does not validate or invalidate the baptism – that is incidental to the fact that someone must do the baptizing.  This topic of discussion was renewed in the late afternoon after we dismissed, and it seems some of the saints have a better understanding including Ferdie.  Several brethren who have been alienated over this question decided at the end of the day to meet and resolve it so as to remove any impediment to their working in unity (not all of them were present or it might have been settled on the spot).  We hope to hear more good news later.

After lunch Rody Gumpad handled questions from the audience in the dialect, followed by my own answers to some questions and a study of “Preserving Unity in Christ” (Jn. 17:17-21).

Today was the 24th wedding anniversary of Carlo and Reza Garcia.  They invited everyone to their house to share a meal and share the joy of this special occasion.  We prayed for God to bless them with many more years to serve Him and each other.

On Thursday we drove two hours to meet with the church in the City of Trece Marires, Cavite Province, where Junie Samontina preaches.  A sister of Willie Pastor allows the saints to meet in her house, and Willie and Kathy joined us for the day.  Willie started preaching early before we arrived.  Our attendance was 27 including many young people who were very attentive even though it became hot in the room without air conditioning.

“New Beginnings in Christ” was my first topic today.  In Christ there is a new covenant, a new kingdom, and a new birth.   Rody summarized and elaborated some points in the dialect, then conducted a Q & A session.  A lady asked about the case of a couple visiting the services.  One of the mates had been married before, but they split up over not “getting along” harmoniously.  Years later this person married again.  Does God permit this couple to stay together if they are baptized?  No, the passing of years did not change the fact that the original mates were joined by God for life when they took their marriage vows.  The couple must repent and cease the sin of living in a marriage where God did not join them together.  Their relationship is adultery, not holy matrimony (Matt. 19:9; Acts 26:20).

Some in the audience requested a lesson on marriage, so after lunch my topic was “Marriage: God’s Gift to Man and Woman.”  Three precious souls submitted to Christ in baptism and he washed away their sins and added them to his body, the church of Christ.  The angels rejoice with us for the grace and mercy of God which again rescued three souls from sin and the destiny of hell.  This good fruit abounds to the credit of all of you who are praying for the cause of Christ in the Philippines and assisting the work in any way possible.  Junie planted, we watered today, and God gave the increase!

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

To see good Bible study material, go to:
http://www.HebronChurchOfChrist.com
http://www.biblework.com
http://www.truthmagazine.com
http://www.CEIbooks.com