Dear family, brethren, and friends around the world,

At the Cabanatuan City church of Christ, a five day series on The Home and Family began on Monday, April 16, with Lordy Salunga, Mark Mayberry, and me teaching.  Workbooks on Family Life by L.A. Stauffer and Harmony in the Home by Mike Willis were provided to less than half of the 72 attendees – Jhun Bautista had expected 20-30.

In Philippine culture Jhun is considered the host to all out-of-town guests, so he and his wife have shouldered providing all the daily needs of these saints with the help of several local brethren. Thin foam mats will be used to sleep on the floor each night.  What a privilege it is to teach God’s Word to saints who sacrifice their time and efforts to attend a full week of study, leaving the comforts of their own homes to sleep on a concrete floor!

In my introductory remarks, I explained to our brethren that Mark and I do not have the funds necessary to travel and to conduct such a series but that saints back home have provided the financial means to make it possible, including the teaching materials.  This is a labor of love representing the united efforts of many hearts and hands.  I also expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone who sacrificed to attend – we are not able to pay the transportation costs for all of these people.  It is good to see a strong contingent of young people present who can benefit from these lessons for many years to come.

My first lesson Monday focused on why we approach the theme of family life from a biblical perspective, and then Mark discussed the importance of the atmosphere of love in the home.  My next study presented the design of marriage by God, and Lordy concentrated on the imperative that husbands “love your wives.”

Time was set aside after each study to engage the audience in an open discussion of some basic important questions such as how to create respect for authority in home life, how to increase and express love, how to cultivate companionship, and the like.  Everyone is paying close attention and participating freely.

This is one of the few times, if not the first time, we were able to conduct everything on a strict schedule.  The first day usually starts late and suffers from unexpected problems and interruptions, but today we operated on American time not Filipino time.  I congratulated the group for their splendid cooperation.

I began the Tuesday session with the 8:00 A.M. class on man’s role as head of the wife, followed by Mark’s topic on woman’s role of subjection.  After my next subject of woman as a unique and irreplaceable helper to man, Lordy taught two successive lesson on training children and on parents balancing work with other duties.  Mark taught on the necessity of children being taught to honor their parents.  My final lesson was a discussion of “what God hath joined together,” emphasizing the permanent nature of the marriage union.

We pressed so hard all day to cover all the topics that there was no time for an open forum, so after my final presentation I fielded questions for about an hour. There were questions about tribal customs relating to marriage, how to proceed when converting people living together without marriage or people in adulterous marriages, and issues involving homosexuality.  This has been a busy but very profitable day of study and teaching.

Drinking fresh coconut water (buko juice) replaces electrolytes and is refreshing in this heat.  At lunch we were provided whole coconuts without the shell but with the meat intact as the container – after drinking the juice, we ate the container!

Our audience includes brethren of all ages, but it is a special joy to preach these particular lessons to so many young people who can start their marriages on the solid foundation of God’s Word and instructions.  It is not unusual, and it happened again today, that adults will comment on how they wish they could have heard these lessons before having a family so that they could have avoided many mistakes.

The Wednesday session was very fruitful again.  I cannot remember a time when the series on the home was taught when so many young people showed such intense interest.  About 20 of them occupy the three front tables with their Bibles, workbooks, and notepads.  Not only do they freely participate in reading the Bible passages under discussion, but also several are taking copious notes.  Several are asking questions and offering thoughtful comments when the teachers open the floor for feedback.

My first presentation focused on typical false doctrines which permit people to continue living in adulterous marriages (such as the claim that the law of Christ on marriage does not apply to sinners in the world, so when they are converted they may keep the mate they took in adultery).  Next Mark covered ten rules for selecting a mate.

Mark’s presentation led to an extended open discussion with young people asking how God helps them find the right person to marry, and adults discussing things which can be done by local churches and by individuals to gather young people to give them instruction on this vital theme and to give them opportunities to meet eligible Christians.  This period far exceeded the scheduled time slot, but it was worth every minute!  We are flexible when such golden opportunities arise.

Having completed the chapters in L.A. Stauffer’s book on Family Life, we turned our attention to Mike Willis’ book on Harmony in the Home as a guide.  All three teachers presented a lesson on laying aside the old man of sin, which not only brings our lives into conformity to God’s will but also removes many impediments to successful marriages and happy homes.  I along with Lordy then started teaching lessons to explore putting on the new man in Christ, which again brings our lives into conformity with God’s will while also promoting healthy happy family relationships.  Mark will complete that particular series tomorrow morning.

The gratitude expressed by our students must be relayed to all of you who make these efforts possible by your constant prayers and your financial support.

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