It was a very good Lord’s Day in Cebu! We had about 45 to 50 for our worship this morning with the church that meets in central Cebu. John’s son, Christopher John, led the singing and Sam directed our minds in the Lord’s Supper. Both did an excellent job and the congregation was enthusiastic in worship as well. In the first hour, I preached on “Be Not Weary” from Galatians 6:7-9, a lesson of exhortation to continued faithfulness. In the class hour, we studied on 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 noting what “The Love of Christ Constrains Us” to do.
After lunch, several brethren from other congregations joined us for an afternoon study. When this trip was first planned, we had intended to use Sunday afternoon as a time for a training class for the men of the congregation. However, it was changed to a time for all of the area brethren to study on topics specifically for Christians. So, the first lesson was on “Being Perfectly Joined Together” from 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. The second lesson was on “Foundations of the Family,” a basic lesson on the kind of love needed in the home and the actions that such love will produce. The lessons seem to have been well received.
It is always a joy to be with the brethren in the Cebu area. They are a great encouragement to me and have become very close to me through the years. I guess I have spent more time with them and the church in Tuguegarao than any other places in the Philippines and I have grown to love them all very much. The Lord willing, we will continue the work in this area tomorrow as we work with Pablo Espinoza at Lapu-lapu.
Thanks again for your help in this effort. I need to correct one thing from yesterday. There were 2 baptisms (a man and wife) not the 3 reported here in Cebu. The one I thought was obeying the gospel decided she was not ready yet. We hope and pray that she soon will be.
Brotherly, Harry O.
