Rizal Park, Luneta, Manila.

Beginnings : The Call To Preach
I confess that on that morning, my spirit was restless. I found myself mightily stirred, for the Lord did press upon me the necessity of a public testimony. My soul was wholly convicted to stand precisely at this very park. A fierce contention then rose within me. I sought to wrestle against the divine command, spending precious hours in anxious debate: Did I truly hear the Master’s voice, or was this but a fleeting fancy of my own spirit? Yet, with a sudden and shaming clarity, I was compelled to confess the bitter truth. My argument was nothing but a cowardly excuse, a base attempt to flee from the post of duty!

In the end I surrendered, I announced the task to my dear family. With haste we made preparation and drove forth. This appointed place lay more than thirty-five miles distant from our own abode. The journey itself proved a trial, for the worldly traffic was nothing short of horrendous—a painful reminder of the choked ways of this fleeting world. Yet, through the sustaining grace of God, we arrived safely, just as the shadows lengthened, past the sixth hour of the evening. The very difficulty of the journey did but confirm the importance of the destination, for the enemy doth never yield a soul's ground without a struggle!

The place appointed for this fearful stand was none other than Rizal Park, that famed and frequented landmark in the very heart of the great City of Manila, Philippines! Consider the multitude that gathers there: souls intent upon fleeting worldly pleasure—the happy laughter of families, the spectacle of light and fire, and the distraction of the live orchestra's melody! Yet, this very ground is also a noted theatre of spiritual battle. For this park hath long held a mournful notoriety as a haunt where philosophers and theologians of every stripe are known to flock and argue their doctrines. The contention of spirits over the things of God runs deep in the very history of that place.

Upon beginning the work, I was instantly met with much fierce resistance Let no man be deceived; the proclamation of the Gospel is a declaration of war in the spiritual realms. Need I say more than this: the very devils of hell do surely rush forth when the truth of the Gospel is sounded! The Lord Himself did wondrously seal His approval upon the message by the very manner of the opposition: He permitted these agents to rush forward and revile the truth being faithfully spoken! Such scorn confirms that the word was sharp and piercing!

It is true that much of the message was lost to the worldly din—drowned out by the jarring clamor of the park’s music and the heedless noise of the multitude. Even our recording instruments failed us, for our simple phone kept dying in the midst of the declaration! Yet, praise be to God! Though the outward circumstances were against us, I was granted a wondrous, supernatural grace to stand firm and to declare the counsel of God. I was enabled to preach the urgent call to repentance, that all may turn from their folly, alongside the terrible reality of man's deep depravity, that the sinner may know his true, lost condition, and finally, the glorious redemption of God, available only through the finished, perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ! We thank Him that though the volume was lost, the substance was secured. For where the true Gospel is preached, it is ever met with both the fury of the world and the sustaining power of the Spirit!

Though the earthly chronicle of that day might fail to capture the work of the Spirit, let it be noted that the mere footage of our toil doth not convey the full details. For despite the fact that the hecklers were as brutes, and the clamor was great, there were, even then, earnest souls who listened intently until the very end of the discourse. These meek ones, standing apart from the scorners, attest that our labour was not wholly in vain. Let this be our guiding principle and our eternal comfort: The purpose of this public stand was naught but to deliver the solemn message of salvation and bear faithful witness; it was never to descend into the vain arrogance of debate with any man. We left that field assured, knowing that the seeds of truth have been sown upon the hardened ground.

Now, our eyes turn heavenward, for the sower can do no more than cast the seed. We offer this day's work to the Almighty, praying that the Lord, who alone can grant the increase, will shower His undeserved mercy upon them all. The success of the Gospel rests not upon the eloquence of the messenger nor the silence of the crowd, but solely upon the power of His Spirit to quicken the dead.

I am speaking in my native tongue. The succeeding ones will have subtitles.

May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward for His suffering.