Saturday was to be spent in Margosatubig, Zambuanga del Sur by our original plan. We designed these lectures for a series on the Sermon on the Mount as an announcement of the new law, not a correction of misunderstandings of the old covenant. The people in this area asked that I give a day to teaching on this subject and I agreed to do so many months ago. The place had been determined because it was the place of Ernesto Canon who is the leading disciple of Jim Puterbaugh and Wallace Little in spreading their “One Covenant Doctrine” in this area. However, the brethren who hold to the truth wanted to benefit from the studies, but would be prohibited by cost if we held the studies in Margosatubig.
Just before I left home, it was decided to change the venue to the building of the Maraya church in the village of Vincenzo Sagun where Junie Gocela preaches. I did not know how that could work since the last time I had been to their building, it was very small. I had forgotten they received funds to extend it, so I was surprised to see a metal-roofed building that was very modest in style, but able to hold over 100 people. This group was the original congregation that started in this area and it was very small. They now have 80 to 90 a week, but there have been 9 or 10 other churches started in that area. Junie and Carlos Sanguan have both done excellent work in the area for a number of years. Carlos was receiving support from a brother in the US, but it was cut off without notice after he opposed the error of Ernesto Canon, Jim Puterbaugh and Wallace Little. Carlos continues to labor in the kingdom and find work to help his family survive. They are in great poverty, but they are still diligent in service of the Lord’s cause.
The morning session was taken entirely with my lesson on the
introduction to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 4 and the beginning of that sermon in Matthew 5. After lunch, I presented a lesson on the “Relation of the Covenants” based on a sermon presented by Stan Cox that I thought was very well organized in laying out the basic distinctions between the old and new covenants. Jack Jaco then spoke on “Why We Preach the Cross” which was given in the Cebuano dialect. I finished the time for the afternoon session with a lesson on Matthew 7. The lessons were very well received and it seemed to help the people more fully understand the problems with the “One Covenant Doctrine.” There were about 175 in attendance with people sitting outside the doors and windows where they could see and hear.
Getting to and back from the venue was the most difficult part of the day. After traveling a little over an hour on the highway, we then got on the road into the mountains toward the building. The “highway” is about the size of a neighborhood street in the US with no shoulder at all. The road up into the mountains was so rough and torn up, it is impossible to adequately describe it. The pictures on the blog do not show the fact that some rocks are big enough and rise to a height that they can destroy an oil pan or other car parts. That is exactly what happened to Brother Armada’s truck in front of us. The ride was absolutely bone-jarring! I dreaded this day’s journey because I knew what the road was like by going before, but I think it got worse! Needless to say, my back is giving me a bit of difficulty at this point, so I hope it will be better after a good night’s rest.
We finished the day by eating at Ramon and Leah Carino’s house. It was the first time I had seen the home they moved into after leaving the previous one. It was good to be with them again.
Thanks again for following our efforts. The Lord willing, I will be preaching at 5 different churches tomorrow with the first service starting at 9am and the last one beginning at 7pm. It should be a very full day.
Brotherly, Harry O.
