Three Baptized in Cebu

Friday was a travel day providing some much needed rest. We slept a little later and ate breakfast before packing up to leave Ormoc. Lordy started the day with news that a problem had arisen at home and he needed to return for some studies with brethren in Angeles City. We all boarded the SuperCat at about 1:45pm for the two hour trip across to Cebu. When we arrived, Nanette was there to pick us up. When I got to the hotel, I headed for the Starbucks in the mall near the hotel and had a healthy dose of pure joy! Everything was going great until my air conditioning broke in the middle of the night – an especially troubling development over here.

We started the lectures this morning a little after 9am with some singing in the dialect. The venue is the rented room in downtown Cebu where the congregation assembles with whom John works. There were about 90 to 100 people present, including brethren from the area churches and non-Christian who had been invited. I brought the first lesson on “What Makes a Religious Practice Right or Wrong?” It dealt with fundamentals on authority and the cessation of the OT law. Jack Jaco followed with a lesson on “New Testament Baptism” that was delivered in the Cebuano (Visayan) dialect. The final study for the morning session was “They Say & Do Not” dealing with claims made by denominations and how those claims conflict with the truth. Sam Robinson and I had a good chance to talk during the lunch break. (He will be coming back to San Antonio and OKC later this year.)

The afternoon session began with my lesson on “Cornelius & Salvation” from Acts 10 and 11. It was a long lesson because I combined it with another lesson I preach on the “Plan of Salvation.” Jonathan Carino then preached on “The New Testament Church” in the dialect. I completed the studies for the day with a sermon on “Almost Persuaded” dealing with Bible cases of people almost saved, but lost. Jun Apatan extended the invitation, but no one responded. However, before we left two had decided to be baptized and I understand a third also made the same decision. It was a good day and the meeting continues tomorrow!

We also found out today that four more have been baptized in Dumaguete as a result of our lectures there! Thank you again for helping to make this work possible through your sacrifices and prayers. May God be glorified in all that we do! Please continue the prayers.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Two Baptized in Ormoc

We had a much shorter travel to our venue today since it was only a few hundred yards from our hotel. We were able to start earlier as well, so we had more time for teaching than in previous days. The crowd of 70 was again comprised mostly of common people who did not understand English well. Over the past several years, we designed lectures to reach denominational preachers who were able to understand English well, so there was no need for translation or summary into the dialect. While those lectures were very effective, we believe they have served their purpose for this time and we are designing our present lectures for the common people who are invited by members of the church. So, Jonathan Carino needed to summarize each lesson into the dialect.

I again started with the lesson on “Salvation, the Gospel & the Seed” from 1 Peter 1:21-25 followed by the study of “How God Used the Prophets to Speak His Will.” As Jonathan was summarizing both lessons, one man among a group of attendees began to interrupt John and challenge his statements. He came from the “Instrumental Church of Christ” which is also premillennial. These men had been associated with Cyrus Gesulga, formerly the leading preacher among premillennial churches of Christ in the Philippines who recently renounced that doctrine and began working with faithful brethren. So, I inserted a lesson on “The Distinction between the Covenants.” Jonathan summarized that sermon also before we took the lunch.

The afternoon studies began with the sermon on “Salvation & Saul,” dealing with issues about the plan of salvation. We showed that Saul was not saved at the point of faith only, repentance & prayer, a personal appearance of Jesus or a miracle. Rather, the Bible clearly shows Paul was saved at the point of baptism because it is in baptism that we contact the saving blood of Christ. John again gave a detailed summary of the lesson into the dialect. We then considered a lesson on “Identifying the New Testament Church.” The preachers from the instrumental group became very uncomfortable when I dealt with the worship of the church and even more so when John covered the points in the dialect. One of them was trying to argue the point, but John dealt with him very well and the crowd could see the point. In the end, this man helped the crowd recognize the truth as it was apparent in contrast to his error.

The last lesson covered was a very short version of “Counting the Cost.” Jonathan summarized the main points and extended the invitation of Christ. Two young men came to obey the Lord, being baptized for the remission of sins. Since we were very hurried at the end of the service, I did not get to find out the background of those baptized, but I understand they are both from Ormoc.

We had no time left for a long question/answer session, but offered to answer any questions for a short time. The main two men from the instrumental group asked for time to discuss the use of instruments in worship. We did not have that time today, but offered to discuss further at a future time. Though their attitude had not appeared good early in the day, they seemed to manifest a good attitude at the end and we are trying to arrange a time for more study in the future with about 12 or more preachers from this group. I promised that I would make every effort to be there for such a study. Please keep this opportunity in your prayers.

Brother Wilfredo (Willie) Pelino is the local preacher here in Ormoc and has done much to help in this effort as well as other studies. He is a faithful man who has shown years of service to the Lord and dependability in his work. For several years, the church in Centerville, Texas supported Willie. Brother Richard King and other brethren there at that time kept in contact with me about the men they were helping and the work being done in the Philippines. When brother King and some other brethren who knew of the work being done here were no longer present in Centerville, they decided to use their funds in other directions. This has left Willie and several other very deserving Filipino preachers in great need as that was their only support. Willie has taken a teaching job to provide support for his family, but it will take 6 months before he receives his first salary for that job! (Yes, things are done very different here in the Philippines where the number of available workers far exceeds the available jobs!) In the meantime, he is in great need. His talents are needed in the kingdom and he will continue to preach the gospel even without any support, but he could do so with less distraction if he were able to receive some support again.

Thank you again for following the work that is being done in this effort. May the Lord bless each of you as you strive to follow Him and spread His truth to souls in desperate need of salvation!

Brotherly, Harry O.

Lectures in Baybay - No Responses

Today’s venue was about an hour and a half south of Ormoc at Baybay in a building owned by the provincial government. It is built as a lecture hall with the audience seated in stepped up level about the speaker. It had air conditioning that tried to overcome the heat from outside and the fact that doors were rarely closed after being opened. Over 70 were present for the studies of the day – about 20 more than anticipated. They were very attentive, but were limited in understanding of English, so we had to summarize each of the lessons into the dialect.

I again started with the study on “The Word of the Gospel, the Seed & Salvation” from 1 Peter 1:22-25. We emphasized the need for turning to the right seed (the gospel) if we want to produce the right product (salvation in Christ). Without break, I then went into the lesson “How Did God Used the Prophets to Speak His Will?” Jonathan Carino then summarized the lesson into the dialect before we broke for lunch.

The first lesson of the afternoon session was “Salvation & Saul.” This study was chosen because it deals in detail with the issues relating to the plan of salvation and it is the most familiar lesson on that subject to the Filipino brethren traveling with me. Jonathan Carino has interpreted that lesson for me numerous times. Since I crowd was largely limited in understanding English, John needed to give a detailed summary of the lesson. It is always interesting for me to notice the faces of the crowd because it is soon apparent whether they understand what I am saying. More than half of this audience seemed not to understand the majority of what I said. However, when John taught the material in the dialect, their faces lighted up with understanding and they responded when he asked questions and called on them to give a conclusion.

The next lecture was on “Identifying the Church in the New Testament” based on 1 Cor. 1:1-2. We studied the meaning and use of the term “church” in the NT. We then showed identifying characteristics by which one may recognize a local congregation with whom they may rightly work in service to Christ with fellow Christians. John again summarized the lesson in detail for the audience.

The last lesson was on “Counting the Cost” from Luke 14. John also summarized that lecture into the dialect and then extended the invitation for those who were ready to obey the gospel. There were no visible responses to the gospel from these lectures. I believe this is the second or third time I have preached in Baybay and there have been no visible responses in any of those efforts. This place and Tacloban have both been particularly hard to penetrate with the gospel, but we keep trying!

The internet connection at our hotel continues to be a problem. While here in Leyte, we are trying to go to a place that has an internet connection on our way back to the hotel so I can file my report while the other guys eat supper. That means my reports are more hurried than normal, so please excuse my typos and other mistakes. Thanks again for your help in every way and please keep us in your prayers.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Lectures in Tacloban

Our venue today was in the city of Tacloban, famous as the place for the American forces landing under the command of General Douglas MacArthur in WWII. We met in the upstairs function room of a Cindy’s café. It was somewhat air conditioned and served as a good spot with very little disruption present. The members of the small congregation at Tacloban had invited their friends and acquaintances to listen for the day. A little over 50 were assembled to listen to the gospel presented.

The morning session was taken by me introducing the studies with a lesson on “The Word of the Gospel, the Seed & Salvation” from 1 Peter 1:22-25 followed by a sermon on “How God Used the Prophets to Speak His Will.” The second lesson covered the same basic points as my lesson on “Inspiration of the Scripture,” but was arranged differently by taking the order from the points made in 2 Peter 2:12-21. We then took a break for lunch.

The afternoon session began with a lesson on “Salvation & Saul” and was followed by a lesson from Jonathan Carino on “The Church in the New Testament.” I followed with the final lesson on “Grace, Faith & Obedience” then went immediately into another on “Counting the Cost.” Jonathan closed out the day’s study with an appeal for those who understood the lessons and saw the need to obey that they come and do so. Before he even started the song (“Have You Counted the Cost”), one man started towards the front who had been listening very carefully and confessed Christ. After making his confession, he asked to address the crowd and called upon all to make the same decision and related his great joy in obeying the Lord.

After this one obeyed Christ, we had a time for a short question/answer session. One was a denominational lady who asked about denominational baptism and whether one receiving it in the past would need to be “baptized again.” We discussed the Bible teaching on what constitutes true baptism in the name of Christ and hope she will soon obey. One man from a holiness group asked a question clearly aimed at advancing the oneness position regarding God, professing there is only one person that possesses the divine nature. After we answered that question, he jumped to some of his views on what human regulations should be imposed to insure holiness. This was easily answered by noting what the Bible teaches regarding true holiness.

Again, we are thankful to each of you who have shown your concern for this work. Please keep us in your prayers.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Lord's Day in Pagadian Area

After preaching for over 35 years and working in the Philippines for 10 years, it is not often that I have a new experience, but I had one today. This was the first time I had ever preached in five different churches on the same Lord’s Day. It was a long, but fruitful day in the Pagadian area!

The first service of the day was at 9am with the Guipos congregation where brother Leo Armada preaches. I spoke to a full house for about an hour and a half on “Being Perfectly Joined Together” from 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. James Armada extended the invitation following the lesson and 9 came to confess Christ. Before they went to baptize the group, another asked to confess Christ and be baptized for remission of sins. So, they took the 10 to the spillway where all were baptized. We passed on as they went down to the river because we had to get to the next place.

We had a lengthy drive to the next appointment at noon with the Pulacan church where Ernie Colliado preaches. We had a good number assembled for that meeting as well and I preached on “The Life of Joseph.” No invitation was extended, but the brethren were thankful for the visit and seemed to be encouraged.

We were delayed a little reaching the scheduled 2pm meeting with the Manga congregation where Leo and James Armada labor together. The building sets fairly high above the road just in front of it, so there is a rather steep climb up a number of uneven steps in order to reach the meeting place. I preached on “Avoiding an Evil Heart of Unbelief” which included some points for non-Christians, but centered on exhortation for Christians to grow in faith. At the end of the service, brother James Armada again extended the invitation with further instruction towards non-Christians and 3 came to obey the gospel. James took those to be baptized while we went on to the next place to set up.

Our next schedule was with the Danlugan congregation where James Armada preaches. He was a little delayed due to the baptisms at the previous place, so we were well behind the scheduled 4pm time in getting started. Again, a good number was present, mostly members of the church, so I preached a lesson on “Where Is Your Treasure?” from Matthew 6. No invitation was extended at the conclusion of that service.

Our last scheduled meeting was at the Hilltop church where Gadiel Candallo preaches. We arrived a little late, but found only the preacher and one other member there. It seems a large rain had come about 2 hours before the service which prevented most from coming. However, there were 10 of us traveling together plus the entire Armada family that joined us as well as several other brethren from the area. I preached on the “Foundation of the Family” from 1 Peter 3. We had a good study with excellent interest shown. I finished preaching at 9pm – twelve hours after I began at 9am. In all, it was a very tiring, but fruitful day.

The Lord willing, tomorrow is a travel day with no preaching scheduled. My voice can use the break! We are to drive from Pagadian to Ozamis, fly from Ozamis to Cebu and take the fastcraft boat from Cebu to Ormoc on the island of Leyte. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travel.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Saturday at Maraya

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.

3 Baptized in Aloran

Our Friday was a very long day! It began at midnight as we set sail on the ship from Dumaguete to Cebu. After waiting on the ticket checker to come by, I finally fell asleep about 1am. We were scheduled to arrive in Cebu at 6am, but I started to hear an announcement at 4:20am. By a little before 5am, we were already docked. Jonathan’s wife and son picked us up and took us to their house where we had some coffee and dropped off several bags. We then went to the airport and flew to Ozamis where we also arrived early. After eating lunch, we started on our way to the meeting place of the church in Aloran.

I will discuss the trip in a moment, but the meeting with the church in Aloran was very uplifting! When we arrived, Diosdado Tual (the preacher) greeted us outside and brought us into the very basic building with a tin roof and half-walled sides made of concrete block. It was hot and the humidity was high, but all were happy to be there to hear the gospel. To my great surprise, among those present was Cyrus Gesulga, formerly the leading preacher among premillennial churches of Christ in the Philippines who recently renounced that doctrine and began working with faithful brethren as a result of studies with Ron Halbrook and Jonathan Carino. I did not think I would be able to meet him on this trip, but it was a joy to be with him and talk for a long period after the meeting.

Since it was after 2:30pm when we arrived at Aloran, we only had time for one sermon. I preached on “Who Is a Christian?” The lesson covered basic points on the plan of salvation, the identity of the church and several points on common errors of denominationalism. Brother James Armada with whom I have worked on previous trips gave a summary of the sermon in the native dialect of Cebuano and did his usual, excellent job. When the invitation was extended, three people (one married couple and an older woman) came to confess their faith in Christ and be baptized for the remission of sins.

Though I thought Aloran was to be on the outskirts of Ozamis, I found out it was the dreaded “30 minutes” away. In the Philippines, when you are told it is “30 minutes” away, it actually means at least one hour and possibly two. In this case, it was over an hour away and in the opposite direction of the place we needed to go for our hotel tonight. The roads were rough and congested with the full assortment of wheeled vehicles found in the Philippines from animal to pedal to motor driven. It never ceases to amaze me how all these vehicles travel on the same road at the same time – most of them without lights after dark! As we traveled towards Pagadian at night, the road was among the roughest that I have ever been on and it was raining the whole time. It was a jarring trip. I am looking forward to the sleep tonight!

Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement in our efforts.

Brotherly, Harry O.

One Baptized in Dumaguete

We began the lectures this morning after about an hour delay – a common occurrence we sometimes call “Filipino time.” There were 71 registered guests not counting children or those of us doing the teaching. Mario Rubio had made the arrangements for the lectures. He is a good man trying to serve the Lord with his wife and 7 children. Mario was baptized in 2007 after hearing the truth presented by Ramon Carino and other faithful brethren. Mario, as a denominational preacher, had been discouraged from hearing the truth earlier by the ungodly life and error of Zennon Nodado and others who called themselves “gospel preachers,” but were only out for the money they could receive from American brethren. Having already seen such hypocrisy from Zennon and other firsthand, it was easy for me to see how Mario would not want to be a part of such. I am thankful to God that Mario’s truly searching heart came in contact with faithful men who could help him truly obey the Lord.

The morning session began with introductory remarks by Mario and Jack Jaco leading the assembly in several songs. I followed with a lesson on “The Inspiration of Scripture” followed by another on “Salvation & Saul.” Jonathan Carino then began his lesson on “Grace, Faith & Obedience” which he finished after lunch. I had the next lesson on “Identifying the New Testament Church.” Since time was running short at that point, we decided to have a final lesson on “Counting the Cost” to show those that may want to obey the gospel that there will be costs associated with that decision (loss of family, persecution, material costs, etc.). Jonathan then extended to invitation and led the invitation song, “Have You Counted the Cost,” which was sung in the native dialect. One older woman responded to obey the gospel and was baptized into Christ. She had been a very active member of a Pentecostal Church in this city.

The remainder of the time was spent in a question/answer session. Two men tried to dominate the time by raising objections. The first sought to confuse the issue of inspiration. Though he would never come out to show where he was headed, his objections were easily answered by reviewing what the Bible teaches on the subject – that God chose the very words used in the Scripture. The second man was a Primitive Baptist preacher who believed and affirmed full-blown Calvinism – that God chose certain individuals to be saved and chose others to be lost before they were ever created and that there was nothing either group could do to change that arbitrary decision of God. He began by attacking the essentiality of water baptism in the remission of sins, but soon went into other subjects when his error was exposed by simple, Bible verses. His anger and ridicule of the truth and those who taught it became apparent to all of the audience that saw he was only presenting his own thoughts while we were answering by showing what the Bible says. His rejection of the Bible teaching simply made that truth more obvious to the audience. In the end, I think several more will obey the gospel in time as they are seeing the truth more and more clearly.

Thanks again to those who have encouraged and supported this effort in so many ways. We ask your continued prays as we travel towards Ozamis tomorrow. The Lord willing, we will sail by ship tonight from Dumaguete to Cebu City. In the morning, we are scheduled to arrive at 6am in Cebu then go immediately to the airport where we will catch a flight to Ozamis on the island of Mindanao. A half day of lectures has been arranged there for tomorrow. We would appreciate your prayers for our safe travel.

Brotherly, Harry O.

Safe Arrival in Dumaguette

This trip began for me on Sunday afternoon with the flight from Oklahoma City to Atlanta. After spending the night in Atlanta, I caught a flight on Monday to Tokyo Narita and then connected with another flight to Manila where I arrived at 10pm Tuesday, local time. After a very long wait on baggage, I got to the hotel a little after midnight. Today’s flight to Dumaguette got me to the place where we will begin the lectures tomorrow.

Mario Rubio does local work in this area. He met me at the airport together with Jonathan Carino and Jack Jaco. We discussed the topics to cover tomorrow and other arrangements for the lectures. Mario went out to get copies made of the lessons to be covered since this help in the understanding initially and to facilitate further study. Jonathan, Jack and I ate supper at the hotel and I am posting this report from there. After several very turbulent flights and a restless night, I look forward to turning in early tonight and getting some rest before the real work starts.

Thanks for your support in every way. I will try to keep all updated with the work as it progresses each day. Please keep us and the work in your prayers.

Brotherly, Harry O.