Sodomite March at University of the Philippines

Upon learning, two weeks past, of the assembly of the sodomites scheduled for the twenty-eighth day in Quezon City, our hearts were immediately drawn to the Lord's high court. We immediately instituted overnight prayer meetings, convening between the solemn hours of two and four in the morning. For we hold fast to the conviction that every battle undertaken in behalf of the Kingdom of Christ is won on our knees, and that our Lord's perfect victory upon the Cross was secured and made possible by that pivotal, agonizing moment of wrestling He endured in Gethsemane the night preceding His crucifixion.

A great earnestness seized the assembly, and all souls were desirous of participating; alas, our small carriage could accommodate but five brethren. Thus, the remaining faithful were compelled to endure the laborious effort of traversing great distances from Makati and Bulacan. Some did willingly sacrifice their very day of rest from their honest toil, whilst others journeyed directly after concluding a weary five o'clock morning shift.

We were not present at that place to gaze upon the event or the people, but to stand as witnesses for our crucified and risen Savior!

The very practice of the public proclamation of the Word is grossly and lamentably misunderstood by the great majority, especially by the tepid religionists of our day, who deem the practice to be utterly outmoded, impractical, and ineffective. I have been constrained to read those mournful commentaries which argue that this practice doth merely serve to drive the populace away, or, worse still, that it serve only to belittle the professed faith of the hearer. In reality, these persons have never, in their entire existence, been closer to the essential Truth than at the very moment they have heard the Gospel preached boldly unto them! One cannot, by any stretch of logic or spiritual reality, drive a soul further away from a God from whom that soul is already wholly and miserably separated.

The spirit of evil naturally holds the Truth in as much hatred as it holds the very messenger who delivers it. Remember this immutable law: the pure Truth is ever harsh and offensive to the haughty and the proud, but it is a balm, most gentle and sweet, to the soul of the lowly and the meek.

To faithfully follow Christ most assuredly come at the fearful cost of the world's most bitter hatred. It is, tragically, one of the foremost sorrows of our age that there is so widespread an absence of instruction upon this vital truth: that the very life of the new creature may only spring forth from the absolute, unsparing death of the old man. The rugged Cross stands as a symbol of a price far too dear for the vast majority to contemplate or willingly settle. This essential, vital teaching—that one must die to self—is now so rarely heard from the pulpit that it is almost an unheard-of doctrine.

And here lies the solitary reason why we find it so intensely difficult to live a life devoted unto Christ: it is because we stubbornly, perpetually refuse to submit ourselves to that necessary, daily crucifixion of the self.

Many times, I leaned helplessly on the cross, desperately waiting on the Lord, groaning in my spirit. Unsure of what to ask. I've heard a story about Whitefield upbraiding his hearers for being dull and lifeless they could not even weep for themselves, so he would throw his head back and cry out to God for them. It is the same here. How do you address and respond to men who are blind, deaf, and dead? To those who, on their own, flee from the light for fear of being exposed for their wicked deeds?(John 3:19)

During those trying moments when my head was bowed and my eyes were tightly shut, I could only hear the sharp sound of scorn, laughter, and cruel ridicule. I stood there, truly, as a fool in the eyes of this fleeting world. Yet, through that dreadful clamor, only the clear, steady words of my blessed Christ could reach and comfort my soul, echoing as from a great distance: 'Remember why the world hates you.'

To which my spirit could only answer: 'Yea, Lord. Because it hates Thee.' (John 15:18-19)

In that very instance, a harrowing and deep sense of my own unworthiness did relentlessly creep into my very being. I was a confessed sinner, standing amidst my fellow sinners. The torment of doubt and unbelief crept upon me. Such wretchedness resided in my flesh that I felt undeserving, utterly and miserably, to even hoist aloft that Name which is blessed forevermore! My fear was not of speaking against the wickedness of men; nay, my great, suffocating dread was that I might speak, but speak so poorly, on behalf of my most Holy Lord.

Anticipating the very worst of consequences, I swiftly made a choice, and gave the vehicle's keys and papers into the hand of my son-in-law. Thus, should any ill befall me, they might yet retreat safely homeward. Having resigned my every hope and fear unto the sovereign Will of God, I took my stand.

For the space of two arduous hours, I remained planted upon that crowded intersection, bearing aloft the sacred cross, its vital message displayed in bold, unambiguous script. This act was committed directly before the very guards who had expressly forbidden us from the public preaching of the Word without their prescribed permission. I held strictly to their injunction and did not utter a single sermon; no, the Cross itself did the preaching. Countless souls hastened past, and each, without exception, was compelled to turn and read the stark message. I could not, I dare not, put the burden down, though its weight seemed to increase with every passing minute. This was the appointed time for labor, not for complaining!

Every manner of persons stopped to take photographs of the cross as a spectacle, some even with evident mockery and derision. Yet, I raised my heart in praise to the Almighty, knowing that they would post their images in public elsewhere, and thereby assist in pushing the saving message well beyond the confines of our own reach. That which they intended for vulgar ridicule, God intended for lasting good! Who, indeed, would have taken time to notice this person without that divine emblem? Assuredly, no one. The cross performed the great work entirely on its own; I was but a lowly footstool for its glory.

It must be acknowledged that these two sorry souls, those very 'walking dead men,' served by divine providence to draw the assembly. Yet, let us pause to recall that the preachers and martyrs of old bore a far more grievous burden than that which we face this very day. And surely, our blessed Redeemer, Christ, endured a suffering far beyond the reach of our current comprehension.

Indeed, all events transpired with a terrifying, lightning swiftness, making it almost mind-numbing for the spirit to process the reality of what was unfolding. The immense burden of discerning how to best communicate the pure essence of Christ unto that motley crowd—combined with the profound, chilling sense of the futility of casting pearls before swine—was a feeling as indescribable as it was utterly overwhelming to the soul.

Credit to the owner of this photo

This is what many do not understand about public preaching: the goal is not the people, but the glory of God. Before the holiness of God all men are beasts and devils. Not one man deserves pity and pardon. We are utterly impure, and our crimes against the holiness of God, heinous. We preach to witness against the pride of men and to call men to repentance. To vindicate the name of God so that He might be justified when he speaks, and be clear when He condemns (Psalm 51.4). Preaching the cross of Christ honors God, and through it God both saves and condemns. There is no condemnation to him who will believe, but he that believes not is condemned already. (John 3:18)

I am here not for them but for my Lord. I am pleading not for them but to witness for my Lord. He has sent us here not for them but for Him. 

We carried with us, by my estimate, no fewer than a thousand tracts, and returned with but a paltry few remaining. Thus, over nine hundred hands received a tangible witness of the Gospel truth. We now commit this scattering of the seed to the Almighty, praying earnestly that it may not prove unto the recipients' condemnation, but that the Lord, in His infinite mercy, would move upon their hearts.

A most remarkable instance occurred: a certain person of that unfortunate predisposition, a sodomite, approached my station, requesting to know the true meaning of the word 'Repent.' Beginning at the separation of our first parents from God in the garden, I took him through the gravity of the Sinai Law, demonstrating how it reveals the utter impossibility of restoring oneself to the Divine presence through mere human works. I then unfolded the ancient promise of a Savior given after the fall who would reconcile us, who were born separated, back to God, and the perfect fulfillment of that promise in the person and redemptive work of Christ Jesus. When we came to conclude upon the solemn topic of secret sins and the unyielding certainty of the final Judgment, the poor soul became visibly uncomfortable. He offered a hurried expression of thanks. I made sure that every necessary word was delivered before I, in turn, offered thanks to God for the brief, yet powerful, encounter. May the Lord grant that the word spoken finds fertile ground!

I observed a man taking photographs from across the street. I could tell he was a professional based on his gear. Not long afterwards, he approached me and took closer photos. He was from the Manila Times, and he encouraged me greatly for taking a stand even if I was alone, saying though many would regard this as foolish, it was nonetheless necessary. I thanked and blessed him. (I learned later that a dear sister was asking the Lord to send me an encouragement.) Another lady came, asking for my name, thinking I was a pastor. She was from the Inquirer. I gave her my first name, and told her I was just an insignificant layman, and asked her to highlight the cross instead. Their work appeared in their respective newspapers the next day.

The Almighty Father, in His boundless wisdom and power, did truly multiply the reach of His Message unto the populace. The precise number of souls reached remains unknown to us, but I hold an unshakeable conviction that we have gained infinitely more in that brief span of time than we would have by merely sitting for three hours within the chapel walls on the succeeding day, idly discussing an event which had already passed. The glory that our God shall derive from our meager and humble witness is, beyond measure, worthy of our few hours of toil and necessary humiliation. The Father's gracious answer to our prayer proved to be infinitely more than we had dared to ask or even conceive of.

For the Scripture doth affirm this eternal truth, and in this promise rests our sure confidence:

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20

Photo from the Manila Times