Trying to Finish

My morning got off to a very bad start. I awoke feeling something creeping up my leg, only to find out it was a roach-like creature. Having dispatched its smashed carcass to the trash, I went to my table and discovered that I had an ant invasion. With those two wonderful experiences, I needed things to improve and they did as I turned on the TV and found that the Super Bowl was being carried live on TV in our hotel. It came on early this morning, our time, so I watched it as I got ready and ate breakfast. The game was carried by the Asian ESPN channel. It was unique to be watching a football game and then, during the commercial breaks, have soccer and cricket updates. The game helped ease a little of my homesickness, though I definitely remain ready to be home!

The Prophets class went well as we studied Obadiah and Haggai. God judgment against Edom for their un-brotherly conduct towards Israel and Judah was shown from Obadiah. We also noted the false security that Edom had in its geographical location as a fortress of natural defense and how they were brought to full destruction. Haggai presented a picture of a people returned from captivity who finished their own houses, but left God’s house (the temple) in ruins. God both cursed them and challenged them. He cursed them for their lack of spiritual concern and challenged them to change their ways and watch the blessing He would pour out on them as they repented.

The New Testament Survey class was on the subject of spiritual gifts as presented 1st Corinthians. We covered the purpose of the spiritual gifts as well as noting the instructions given to Corinth about the use of the spiritual gifts. The Lord willing, we will cover the issue of their duration in the first part of tomorrow’s class.

The Church History class dealt with the Swiss Reformation and the spread of the Reformation teaching throughout mainland Europe. We focused on the teaching of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin. We noted that Zwingli came much closer to the truth than the other major reformers. He affirmed that our faith and practice must be limited to those things expressly authorized in the Bible. However, he continued to hold on to the state church concept that ultimately led to his death as he went with an army in battle for defense of his religion. John Calvin was far more radical in his reform because of his mistaken ideas of God’s sovereignty. Most of you are very aware of the systematic theology of Calvinism that came from these mistaken concepts. I took some time discussing free will as it is taught in the Scripture. Calvin also evidenced an arrogant use of power in bringing the force of the state to execute or banish all who opposed him.

The next hour was spent in beginning the study of Premillennialism. Each student was given a full outline that thoroughly examines and refutes the major tenets of Premillennialism. We discussed the land promise given to Abraham and noted numerous Bible passages showing that it was fulfilled in OT times. Tomorrow, we will cover the remainder of the subject. I ended the class early to give Ron Halbrook time to work with the students on the reference books provided to the students (Strong’s Concordance, Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible Dictionary, a reference Bible, etc.). After a totally ridiculous set of delays by officials openly seeking bribes, the books were finally released from Customs in Manila on Friday and delivered today. This leaves very little time for Ron to help them in 3 days with what normally takes 2 weeks to accomplish. We are all trying to adjust our schedules to give Ron as much time as possible to use in helping the students with the books.

Only a few students are left to introduce, so these men will complete the group. Jhunie Samontina, 20 from Cabarruguis, Quirino, is a late addition to the students. He attended the PTP in 2008 and has been working with Otey Pastor. When Otey had to leave the classes, Jhunie asked to take his place in order to learn more by a second exposure to the material. He is now the youngest and the only unmarried student in this group. Fred Banao, 58, is from Salcedo, Ilocos Sur. He was a former Pentecostal preacher and a classmate of Rody and Tessie Gumpad in the Pentecostal seminary. Fred was converted in the early 1990’s. He has been a very attentive and hard working student in these classes. Mark Bayado, 41, is from Baguio City. He is a member of the Botbot tribe, formerly the “headhunter” tribe of the indigenous people of the islands. We are certainly glad he does not retain that ancestral practice. He was a Baptist before his conversion, but obeyed the Lord about 20 years ago. Mariano Datul, 63, also of Baguio City, is a co-laborer of Mark Bayado as they work together in the same congregation in Baguio City. Mariano is a former Catholic, but I do not know when he was converted. Jaime Battung, 68, is from Metro Manila. He only arrived at the classes on Friday.

Tessie is now calling us to supper, so I will end this post. Tessie and her helpers have provided wonderful meals each day and have done all humanly possible to make us feel comfortable. They have asked us what we want to eat and have fixed anything requested. Just as in years past, Tessie’s kitchen remains our 4-star restaurant in the Philippines!

May the Lord bless you as you honor and serve Him.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Lord's Day Worship - One Baptized

It has been a very busy and enjoyable Lord’s day here in Tuguegarao. We started the Bible class this morning at 8:30 where Ron taught on “Because Christ Came, We Must Go.” It was a lesson encouraging all to increased efforts in evangelism. The lesson was very good to encourage the students who are preaching to work harder as well as helping each Christian realize the opportunities that we have to teach others the gospel as doors of opportunity are opened to us.

During the second hour, we partook of the Lord’s Supper and had the collection as brethren are doing across the globe on this same day. Rody led the singing while some of the students read Scripture and led prayers. I preached on “God Satisfies the Longing Heart” from Psalm 107. No one responded to the invitation when it was extended.

After lunch, Dennis Yuson took Lordy and I to a congregation started by Robert Rances. At least one family at 84th Street had helped that congregation buy land and erect a building. The building is not finished, but it has a roof and most of the walls up. They are very happy to have the place as they were previously meeting in a home where only a few could fit inside while most had to sit outside. I preached from 2nd Timothy 1:8-13 on “Passing the Gospel on to Others.” The lesson focused on the kind of heart one must have to see the necessity of passing on the pure gospel to others. At the invitation, one young mother with an infant in arms came forward to be baptized. After the service, we took her back to the church building at Tuguegarao which has a baptistery and baptized her into Christ. We rejoiced with her at her decision to obey the Lord.

Whenever I ride very far in a car here in the Philippines, I always see things that amuse me. This afternoon, we passed several buildings with unique combinations of businesses inside. Over one set of double doors were two signs side-by-side. One was an “all-u-can-eat” place and the other was for kidney dialysis. A little farther out from town was another building that looked like a garage with one sign announcing it as a place to eat noodles and rice as well as change your car’s oil. Crisco or Pennzoil?

Another interesting thing has come to my attention over here on this trip. Since I have never cared much for the breakfast at the hotel café, Lordy and I decided to try getting McDonald’s to deliver breakfast, as I noted earlier. It has been an improvement and it has cost less. Now for the interesting discovery. Every single day, without exception, the breakfast order from McDonald’s has arrived exactly on time and with exactly the correct items as ordered. What are the chances of that in the US? I think the US fast-food industry needs to send their employees over here for training because they evidently know how to do it here. If they make the trainees come over in the middle of the very hot summers, they could increase productivity by threatening to send them back if they messed up.

Thanks again for reading these reports and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We hope and pray that you will have a great day to worship and praise our Lord on that side of the globe as well. May God guide your hearts and actions as you serve Him whole-heartedly according to His will.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Shorter Schedule

Being Saturday, it was our shorter schedule today. We started earlier, abbreviated each class by 5 to 10 minutes and eliminated the Denominational Doctrines class for today. Several of the preachers in this area needed to leave by 3:40pm to get transportation back to their homes where they will preach tomorrow.

The Old Testament Prophets class overviewed Zephaniah and Habakkuk this morning. We discussed Zephaniah’s pronouncement of judgment and destruction on Judah, as well as his message of the hope for the faithful to be found therein. We then examined the book of Habakkuk which has always been one of my favorites. We talked about the prophet’s questions of God and His workings in judgment. We saw how Habakkuk learned to be quiet and accept God’s way with a faith of full trust that God knows best. The statement that “the righteous shall live by his faith” was a point we closely studied in its context. We close the study of each prophet by noting some practical points learned from each book.

The New Testament Survey class met as the last class of the morning today and examined the book of 1st Corinthians. We covered an introduction and overview to the book by showing its historical setting and then studying an outline of its teaching. On Monday, the Lord willing, we will focus on chapters 12-14 to show the nature and use of the spiritual gifts present with some of the Christians Corinth.

My only afternoon class on this schedule was Church History. We studied the German Reformation and the work of Martin Luther. We noted that Luther rightly rejected the authority of the Catholic Church and hierarchy, saying the Scripture was the final authority. Yet, he violated his own principles by making a human creed to define faith and practice (the Augsburg Confession) and turning to civil powers to help settle and direct religious matters. Indeed, Luther’s urging of princes and civil power to take leadership in religious matters ultimately led to the state churches that divided Europe for centuries and led to numerous wars.

Though it was a short schedule for today, I have a great deal of work to do tonight in preparing to preach tomorrow as well as getting ready for next week’s classes. Thank you again for your interest in this work. May God bless you as you seek to spread His truth wherever you are.

Brotherly, Harry O.

It Is Hot!!!

We are continuing our efforts in the classes and trying to make sure we finish the material by the end of our allotted time. As long as the power stays on, the PowerPoint presentations make it easy to cover the material in the time schedule while being understandable. However, the frequent brownouts that last for anywhere from ten minutes to over an hour make meeting our schedule more of a challenge. Our battery backup will keep things going for about ten minutes, but beyond that we lose the projector and we are back to the white board. As the heat increases, the brownouts seem to increase as well. This picture from my digital thermometer is not a fake. It was set on a retaining wall in front of Rody’s house and beside of the building. It registered 122 F! To see if it was significantly different off of the hot concrete, I held it in the air by a non-heat sensing part of the clock/thermometer and it registered 112.4 F – confirming that it is, in fact, hot!

The morning class on the Prophets covered Micah and Nahum. I begin each class by reminding them of the prophetic model seen repeatedly in these books. To evidence the fact that he speaks of God, the prophet includes in his message of instruction a foretelling of events to be fulfilled in the relatively near future. When those come to pass, God shows to the people that they can have confidence in all of the prophet’s teaching, including the events foretold of the more distant, and often Messianic, future. This is seen in Micah as the prophet tells of the imminent destruction of Samaria (Israel), the more distant judgment on Judah (if they also fail to repent), as well as the distant blessings of the Messiah to the remnant of the faithful. Micah tells by inspiration about the coming Messiah “whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” that would come out of Bethlehem in Judah (Micah 5:2). The total accuracy of prophecy regarding the nations and the Messiah is compelling evidence for the inspiration of the Scripture. We also looked at the corruption of the leaders which was singled out for special rebuke. These students are very familiar with the concept of corrupt leaders as they see it in abundance in their government. In fact, the books for these classes are still being held up in Manila by corrupt customs officials who want a bribe in order to release them. We talkeded about the only effective way to change corruption – from the bottom up, as honesty is taught and exemplified in their lives, their families and their community. The truth is that honesty has always been a “grassroots movement.” In Nahum, God again shows that he gave the Gentiles an opportunity to know His will, though we are not given many details about such opportunities. The same Nineveh (Assyria) that Jonah had brought to repentance had increased in wickedness again to the point that God would destroy them. He gave them the time and opportunity to repent, but they would not. The same principle holds true for any nation or individual. As Nahum describes the overthrowing of Nineveh, their vain attempts to flee and their ultimate destruction, it is like reading the historical account of their demise. The prophet shows such detailed accuracy that the prophecy could only come from God. When wicked Assyria fell, no one mourned their fall. Such is the epitaph of evil.

Our New Testament Survey class took a closer look at Romans 4 – 5 to examine what the text means by Abraham being accounted righteous by faith that it might be by grace. We saw that it cannot be referring to the popular doctrine of salvation by “faith only” (the point of mental acceptance of certain facts) because that would go against both the context of Romans and the facts about the life of Abraham as seen in the book of Genesis. We noted that Abraham is pronounced “righteous” by God in Genesis 15:6. This was not the first time he had mentally accepted as fact all that God said, nor was it the first time he showed a reverence and commitment to God. Before this point, chapters 12 through 14 of Genesis show that Abraham’s faith was active in obeying all that God said. He left Ur and Haran as God directed. He journeyed to a land he did not know as God directed. He built altars to worship God and called on the name of the Lord, obeying God each step of the way. When Abraham was told of the coming child of promise, he believed God and acted in readiness to receive the promise though he knew it was impossible by physical means. In other words, the saving faith of Abraham involved obedience.

In the Church History class, we looked closely at the work of those who prepared the way for reformation and restoration efforts that followed them and often depended on their previous work. Special emphasis was given to the early work done by John Wycliffe, often called the “Morning Star of the Reformation.” He was truly an amazing character whose scholarship and zeal for making known the message of the Bible helped many people to seek God’s will by returning to the Bible. His work in England as a teacher at Oxford influenced many student, some of them carrying that teaching back to mainland Europe. We also noted the life of John Huss and his effect on the people of mainland Europe. His thinking was first challenged by former students of Wycliffe who had returned to Prague. Through Huss, the idea spread of going back to the Bible for authority in religious matters, rather than to the Catholic Church. In Florence, Italy, a Dominican monk named Girolamo Savonarola also had a profound influence towards reform from within the Catholic Church. As a serious student and pious man, Savonarola saw the ungodly lifestyle of the pope and the priests and was appalled. He spoke out against such. Aided by the protection of Charles VIII of France who had invaded Italy, Savonarola spoke out even more boldly. He condemned the extravagance of the wealthy in Florence including the very rich and powerful De Medici family. His call for a true reform of character from top to bottom was not received with joy by the rich and powerful. Eventually, the corrupt religious leaders joined hands with the materialistic people of wealth to kill Savonarola by hanging and then burning his body. It is not the last time that morally corrupt people of false religion and wealth have joined to silence a principled teacher of truth. We then began examining the German Reformation and the work of Martin Luther and will finish that tomorrow, the Lord willing.

As in previous days, I will continue to introduce you to some of the students each day. Sammy Gamit, 59, is from Saguday, Quirino. His father was one of the pioneer preachers in that area and Sammy is faithfully following in those footsteps. He has been an excellent student in attitude and in diligence of study. Julian Ramil, 60, is from Ballesteros, Cagayan. He is another former Pentecostal preacher converted by Rody during the 1980’s. His wife was initially an impediment to his conversion as she was a “pastora” and resisted the fact that women were not preachers or those who took oversight in the New Testament church. In the end, both submitted to the gospel and are now working in the Lord’s service according to His pattern. Robert Pader, 36, is from Tuguegarao City. He was one of those converted in the 1990’s from the Solana area. There is much good and fruitful work continuing to take place in that area which is very near Tuguegarao. Mamerto Leoncion, 30, is the youngest of the students in this training. He comes from Abra De Ilog on the island of Mindoro where I earlier noted that we have received invitations to come and preach to those desiring to hear the pure message of the gospel. Mamerto was a Mormon for 12 years before his conversion which I believe was about two years ago.

Thank you again for reading these reports and showing you interest in the work being done. The students and teachers continue to voice our thanks for your help and support in this training program because we know it would not be possible without you. Many of the prayers include words of thanks for your generosity and concern. Please know that I am continually thankful for every assistance and encouragement that you have given to this effort and me personally. May God bless and prosper you as you have done to us.

Brotherly, Harry O.

It's Hot Here!

The temperature here in Tuguegarao continues to increase. It has been from the high 90’s to about 100 degrees, far above the normal for this time of year. The tropical sun was out in full force today, unimpeded by any clouds. Though the humidity has not been as bad as in April, temperatures of near 100 are still very uncomfortable. The reason we moved these classes to this time of year was to escape the heat and then cost of greater electrical use, but it has not worked.

The Old Testament Prophets class surveyed Amos and Hosea showing the sins of Israel and the reasons for their destruction. We spent some time on the emphasis made in Amos of God’s rebuke of the materialism in that society. The book depicts a people so corrupt and self-indulgent that even the women (“cows of Bashan”) were depicted as being given to immorality, laziness and luxury rather than having concern for God or others. We also noted Israel’s foolish reliance on political alliances, rather than upon God for their protection. In Hosea, we discussed the tender picture of God’s grace presented by the parallel with the family life of the prophet. Though he took a woman to wife from a surrounding of whoredom and loved her as his wife, she rejected his love and turned to harlotry. Despite such ungodliness, Hosea was told to take her back and love her again. Though he did so, she rejected his love again and returned to harlotry. This is the picture of God’s love and mercy for Israel and her rejection of Him. Much the same picture is presented of God’s love for us and our rejection of Him when we turn to sin.

The New Testament Survey class started the book of Romans today and we will continue it tomorrow. We introduced the book and gave an outline of it. We then started to discuss Paul’s basic argument by breaking down the theme statement of Romans 1:16-17 and showing the full concept and meaning of “faith” as Paul uses it in Romans. When people say Romans teaches salvation by “faith only” (meaning a mental acceptance of certain truths) before and without any action of obedience, they have never read the book of Romans. One cannot read the book with any reflection or thought as to the overall teaching and come to that conclusion. The book of Romans clearly presents saving faith as not only something we receive from the gospel, but also a life guided by that trust (obedience – Rom. 1:17; 6:15-23; 12:1-2; 16:25-26; etc.). A brownout during the class made me revert to the whiteboard and markers to teach most of the period, but I think they were able to decipher my hieroglyphics enough to get the point J.

The Church History class covered the Crusades, persecution of groups opposing the papacy, the Inquisition and introduced the early reformers. We looked in some detail at what happened in each of the Crusades so as to emphasize that nothing really was gained by the tremendous loss of life. It was a result of the foolish quest for power sought by kings and popes that brought horrible tragedy and loss to the masses. Maybe the saddest point of the whole thing was seen in the Children’s Crusade where two young boys were convinced by pious sounding hypocrites that their purity might cause them to victorious in the carnal battles With the encouragement of the Catholic hierarchy, these boys gathered children throughout Germany and France to go ill-equipped into battle, leading only to the massive slaughter of most and slavery of the rest. In the end, the Crusades helped bring an end to feudalism and spark nationalism which combined to decrease the hold of Catholicism. A pattern of thirst for blood can be traced from efforts to kill the Moslem enemy in the Crusades, to killing the enemy groups (Catherists, Paulicans, Abigenses, Waldenses, etc.) opposing the papacy, to torturing and killing of individuals suspected as heretics in the Inquisition. In short, the Catholic Church has more blood on its hands than any organization in history. It is history’s greatest mass murderer and we should recognize it as such!

As in previous days, I want to continue giving you an introduction to the students. Lorenzo Lazaro, 72, is our second oldest student and comes from San Agustin, Isabela. He was formerly a Pentecostal preacher. He is very accomplished in playing the piano and organ, so was used as lead man to some of the American Pentecostal missionary crusades. Bernardo Quibina, Sr., 58, is from Sison,Pangasinan which is near the place Lordy lives. He came from an institutional background, but came out from them long ago. Rosendo Gumpad, Jr., 41, is from Baguio City and is Rody’s youngest brother. I have worked with him several times in Baguio City as he strives to build a strong congregation in that vital city. Many young Christians from across the Philippines go to that city for college and other business purposes. It has been a hard area in which to work, but Rosendo is committed to continue in that effort. Rodel Baagin, 40, is from Abra De Ilog on the island of Mindoro. He at one time worked with the “one cup” (binding the use of one container in the Lord’s Supper) groups and also the mutual edification faction. He has begun to see their errors and has invited us to come teach in his area to help teach others. We will be looking into that possibility in the near future. We have also had contact from others in the same general area that were under the influence of other teachers of error and some denominations. They have expressed a desire to hear further teaching as well. We hope and pray that there will be doors opened to the truth in this area as well for a number to hear the purity and simplicity of the true gospel message.

Tessie is calling for supper, so I will close. Please keep us in your prayers that we will speak as we ought and God will be glorified. May the Lord help and strengthen you each day as you serve Him.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Good Day!

After finishing today’s classes, we are past the halfway point in this training effort. At the end of tomorrow, I will be inside of one week until I go home and that is always a good feeling. This is always the hardest part of the trip because we are tired, missing home and still have a great deal of work ahead. However, once I get within a week of coming home, it always makes me feel much better.

Lordy and I had a change of pace this morning. Since internet access is still unavailable in my room, I went to his room until after 10pm last night to do some research for today’s classes. I knew that I would have a long night still in reworking charts, so we decided to get the local McDonald’s to deliver our breakfast order to my room. It was a welcomed change of pace to have an American style breakfast for me while Lordy still liked the McDonald’s version of his breakfast better than what we get at the hotel café, plus it was cheaper. Think we will do that again!

My classes today required a great deal of work on charts to get them the way I wanted. So, I stayed up until about 2am getting them finished. It was time well spent because the classes went more smoothly and the students got the points better than in any of the past classes where the same material was covered.

The Old Testament Prophets class studied Joel and Jonah this morning. We had good interest from the students as they seem to be enjoying their study of the prophets. Several told me that they have never had a class in the prophets and had no idea of their background. As we put each prophet in his historical context and the issues being faced at that time, they immediately grasp the message much more clearly. It is enjoyable to see that look of comprehension (the “light bulb moment”) come to the face of students as they come to understand points not previously seen. All have said they see many things from the prophets that they want to include in their sermons.

The New Testament Survey classes covered the book of Acts today. I drilled them for a great deal of the time on what chapter various events and verses could be found. Several memory tools for putting together the content with the correct chapter in the book were shared. We also overviewed the cases of conversion, the journeys of Paul and the local churches found in the book. We spent a good amount of time towards the end of the class in distinguishing the purpose and effect of water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The Church History class was my last for the day and also the most challenging. Trying to explain the power struggle between the Catholic popes and the secular rulers has always been difficult to get across to students in a limited time and yet be understandable. It is the section of this study that has been the hardest for me to teach through the years. A few days ago, it occurred to me how it could be done more effectively, so I totally changed my whole presentation and I was very happy that it really seemed to do the job. The students seemed to understand the material and it made the development of papal power and corruption much easier to follow in both cause and effect.

Now to introduce a few more of the students in these classes… Carlos Domingo, Jr., 61, is from La Union. Two of his sons attended the PTP in years past and were very impressive young men. I have worked with Carlos in other places, but never at his home congregation. I was scheduled to preach there for two days several years ago when I became more ill than I have ever been in my life. (At one point, it got out that I was so ill I had been taken to the hospital which caused sudden panic to Leslie and Mom.) We now joke about when I plan to return, but I would love to do so in the near future. Carlos is a faithful and dedicated man. Virgilio Paet, 64, has had 3 sons take part in past PTPs, all good students. Virgilio has proven to be an excellent student in these classes as well. I have worked with him in his home area several times, the last time being after an all-night bus trip from Manila. I would prefer a different kind of night to prepare for the next time. Florendo Respicio, 60, is from Tuguegarao City and is one of the members of the Metro congregation where Rody preaches. I think he is also one of the elders. It is always a joy to be with him when I am in this area. Dennis Yuson, 34, has become very close to me through the years that I have worked with him. He is mature and talented well beyond his years. He often interprets for me when I am preaching in the countryside anywhere in this area. He endures great hardship without a word of complaint or diminished effort. In my judgment, Dennis is one of the most dedicated, effective and talented men of his generation in any country. He has the heart and work ethic of a true servant of the Lord.

Since it is well past the time I usually post this report, I will close and get it sent. One quick note before I do so -- Otey Pastor has now left the classes to go home with his family for a few days before beginning to serve time on Monday or Tuesday. Several have wanted his address and I will get it to all of you as soon as I know what it will be. Thanks again for keeping up with this effort. May our Lord and Savior bring you joy and peace.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Full & Fruitful Day Again!

Since starting the training program, Lordy Salunga and I have enjoyed have our time together at breakfast. We meet at 7:00 to 7:30am in the café of our hotel and are able to talk for a while before starting our daily work. Lordy is a good man whom I greatly admire and it is an honor to be with him.

This was another day with four preparations and four classes for me. The Old Testament Prophets class examined the book of Daniel today. We saw that the book begins with a section emphasizing God’s rule in the kingdoms of men. With that point firmly established and illustrated repeatedly, the prophet goes on relate prophecies or visions within the timeframe of his prophetic view as established from the foundational prophecy of Daniel 2 relating to the four-part image struck by the stone. The prophetic messages given refer to events in a timeframe starting with the Babylonian Empire through the Roman Empire, during which the kingdom of God would be established by Christ. In the New Testament Survey class, we covered the Gospel of John. After noting an outline of the book, we took a closer look at each major section: prologue, ministry to the public, work with the disciples, suffering & glorifying of Jesus and the epilogue.

As the New Testament Survey class ended, a Pentecostal preacher who has been listening to Rody Gumpad’s radio program came to be baptized into Christ. We were all joyful over his decision and his courage to make this commitment that will surely cost him in physical terms.

It was another day with a two-hour block of teaching for me this afternoon. The Church History class looked at the development of Catholicism and the rise of Islam. We tried to show how the sacerdotal concepts of Catholicism brought on a total control by the priests over the lives of the people. In the rise of Islam, we briefly introduced the historical background and spread of Islam. Later in these classes, I will have two full hours on classes given to the doctrines and actions of Islam. The next hour was the Denominational Doctrines class where we completed the two-part examination of Roman Catholicism. We examined and refuted the Catholic doctrines of Mariology (perpetual virginity, co-mediatrix, etc.) as well as transubstantiation, the use of religious titles and the vain repetition of the rosary.

Yesterday, I began to introduce you to some of our students and today I will continue that. If you would like to put a name with the face, the pictures are given in order to the left. Warner Macusi, 43, is from Dingras, Ilocos Norte. His father is the man who baptized Rody Gumpad, but the father has since joined with men coming from the Christian Church and institutional churches in the US. Warner has taken a stand for the truth and his support was immediately cut off by these groups who have preached so strongly that we should have a “broader fellowship.” Interesting how it does not work both ways! Warner will not be able to stay for the whole PTP because he had to get a secular job to support his family. Fortunately, he is well educated and has gotten a job as a civil engineer. Rolando Agpoon, 52, is from Rizal, Kalinga and preaches for the Villa Salud congregation as well as some other places where he makes rounds on Sunday afternoons. Though the years, I have worked with him in preaching many times. Rolando has two sons who have attended previous PTPs in past years and now preach in congregations started in their area. Rolando is a fine man and I respect him greatly. Leonardo Bareng, 59, from San Agustin, Isabela where he preaches for the Masaya congregation. He was formerly from the Pentecostal Church and obeyed the gospel about five years ago. Esteban Nicolas, 60, is from San Agustin, Isabela and is preaching in the Calaocan congregation, about 3 hours from here. He is a former Pentecostal preacher converted in the mid 1980’s. These classes have provided my first opportunity to meet these last two men.

Thank you again for reading these reports and keeping up with the work. Please keep us in your prayers as you are also in our prayers. May God bless and keep you by His care.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Back to Full Strength

After a good rest yesterday afternoon and a full night’s sleep last night, I awoke feeling fully back to strength. I am very thankful to God for the recovery and thankful for the prayers of faithful saints.

The recovery came just in time for me to teach a very full day of classes. After an early breakfast, Lordy and I left the hotel and went to Rody’s house which is next door to the church building where we have classes. Lordy immediately went to teach while I put finishing touches upon my PowerPoint presentations for the classes. My first class this morning was on the gospel of Luke. We examined the outline of the book and then looked at a portion of the teaching. Our focus was on the parables of Jesus since they take a central role in the way Luke presented Jesus to the reader. After lunch, I started the afternoon schedule with the Old Testament Prophets class, today dealing with Ezekiel. We again started by noting an outline of the book and then taking a closer look at its teaching. The apocalyptic style of the book was noted as well as the purpose of that style. We noted other books like Daniel, Zechariah and Revelation that share many of the same characteristics in style. The prophecies about Tyre were also studied in some detail to show the amazing detail of fulfilled prophecy as presented in this case.

After an hour break, I taught a two hour block with the classes on Church History and Denominational Doctrines. The Church History class looked at the power structure that developed as the church went into apostasy and which was advanced as Constantine reordered it after the same form of organization found in the Roman government. We also saw the apostasy in doctrine that took place as the result of the councils meeting from 325 to 787. We looked at the decisions or decrees of each council and how they departed from the truth. In the second hour, I presented the first of a two-part study on the errors of Roman Catholicism. (It will be finished tomorrow, the Lord willing.) We focused today on the fact that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) teaches that grace and truth come from the RCC, but the Bible teaches that grace and truth come through Christ (Jn. 1:17). We spent some time detailing the differences in the two concepts. We also looked at the 7 sacraments taught by the RCC and how they differ from Bible teaching. Lastly, we dealt with the papal power and the false claim by RCC that Peter was the first pope. Some time was taken to show the teaching of Peter in 1 Peter 5:1-2 stands in total opposition to the nature and practice of the papacy.

Over the next few days, I would like to introduce you to some of our students. These picture will help you put a name with the face. The pictures are given in order of the names that follow. Jesus Adolfo, 38, is from Buguey, Cagayan. He is a graduate of the Christian Church college in Aparri, on the extreme north end of Luzon. He heard Rody’s radio program and left the Christian Church about 4 years ago. However, after the discussions about baptism over the first few days, he decided that he needed to be baptized because he saw his baptism into the Christian Church differed from NT baptism. Virglio Bocarile, 52, is from Rizal, Kalinga, about 40 minutes drive from Tuguegarao. He is a former Baptist, but was converted in the late 1980’s. I have worked with him in this area many times. Francisco Duque, 76, is from Amulung, Cagayan. He is the oldest of the students. He was a former Pentecostal preacher who was converted in February 1984, the first one converted by Rody Gumpad when he came to this area.

With the class day having ended and Tessie calling us to supper, I will close this report for today. We continue to appreciate and request your prayers as we engage in this work. May God bless your efforts in His service wherever you are doing your part in His kingdom.

Brotherly, Harry O.