FAIR SUNSHINE

On my way to my fishing hole I kept asking the LORD to send a searching soul to hear the gospel. I had peace He would. He never fails to graciously give what I ask of Him. I often feel this profound, grounded calm; this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. To boast to the world about the wonder of God's unmerited gift: Christ crucified. It brings about a sense of gladness in the soul mixed with terror in the flesh. Knowing that I have to do this but detest attention is a mystery to me. God took this insecure creature out the hole I buried myself in to put me in the last place on earth I would want to be, doing the very thing I would never think of doing. He is so wise. This creature then has nothing to boast of. This nice lady suddenly spoke with me as I parked right by the municipal hall. A kind soul that I couldn't help but repay her kind gesture towards me by treating her to a meal. She was so thankful. May the LORD grant me time to talk with her on my next return....

And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from it and went and hid them. Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king's household.” 2 Kings 7:8-9  "At first, the lepers' self-centered disregard for other people was terrible. They cram themselves with food while storing as much spoil as they can. At least in the middle of it all they realized their mistake. Even more concerning is the fact that their actions reflect that of many Christians who reap the rewards of salvation but never spread the gospel to people around them who are in desperate need of the truth. May the Lord help all believers understand their resp...

"I fear that in some of our less enlightened country churches there are conservative individuals who almost believe that to preach anywhere except in the chapel would be a shocking innovation, a sure token of heretical tendencies, and a mark of zeal without knowledge. Any young brother who studies his comfort among them must not suggest anything so irregular as a sermon outside the walls of their Zion.  In the olden times we are told Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets, she crieth in the chief places of concourse, in the openings of the gates'; but the wise men of orthodoxy would have wisdom gagged except beneath the roof of a licensed building. These people believe in a New Testament which says, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, and yet they dislike a literal obedience to the command. Do they imagine that a special blessing results from sitting upon a particular deal board with a piece of straight-up panelling at their b...

A religion that costs nothing, does nothing, and is worth nothing. A cheap Christianity, without a cross, will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown. 1 -J.C. Ryle And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 2 Samuel 24:24 1. J.C. Ryle (2015). “Holiness: It's Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots”, p.106, Letcetera Publishing

It is right to care for the found sheep. It is not right to forget there are still lost ones. Make your short time here on earth count. Witness for Christ.

No labor in the LORD is in vain. At my favorite fishing hole.  

Ernest C. Reisinger goes a step further when he points out that even damnation is a result of evangelism, and hence it is effective even when none are saved: "There are two results: (1) ..he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.' (2) ..he that believeth not shall be damned.' Salvation is one result, and damnation is another result." One paragraph later he states, When the biblical gospel is preached, there will be results, and God will be glorified..His justice, holiness, and righteousness will be glorified in the damnation of those who believe not. Many modern preachers do not like even to mention this aspect of the results, but it is clear in the Bible. When God reveals His mercy, He always reveals His judgment, and the Bible makes this very clear.  This means evangelism is always effective, regardless of how a person responds, since the Lord is glorified either way.  This is also why we can be truthful and bold about making sure the unsaved know the cost o...

The Muslims became restless towards the end when all they heard was about Jesus dying on the cross. They did not want to hear about their secret sins brought out into the open, nor did they want to hear about a mere prophet being the Savior of sinners. Whitefield said, “I was honored to have rotten eggs and pieces of a dead cat thrown at me as I preached Christ.” Though I have had some type of resistance and threat before alas, I have not yet had such an honor. God has graciously taken me often to the brink but not over. My time will come. I purposely avoided preaching at this spot but it was inevitable. The crowd was more than usual being days away from the New Year. Despite my fears and excuses not to stand here, God prevailed. I was not sent to preach the Gospel to the many who were irritated and annoyed, and who honked horns to drown me out - but to the few who listened patiently and intently. Just as Jesus did not come for the self-righteous but for sinners. If there is such a thi...

Today's crowd was unusually boisterous and dense. Not antagonistic. Not accommodating either. I used a fish vendor to paraphrase the brief passage about the Pharisee and the tax collector so that people could better relate to the narrative. Our limited supply of tracts were all given away just when I was done addressing the crowd. It took all forty-five minutes just to distribute the small batch we had. It turns out, many were opposed to receiving one. There are a lot of cults that preach here and ask for money from the populace. And people disdain this practice. That's a pretty broad brush that, regrettably, lumps us in with the corrupt lot when people think that all street preaching is just about asking for money. I can't help but think that my recent absence might have caused the labor to start over from scratch. I did not see any familiar faces today. This is not something new. Our eyes and hope remain fixed on Christ. He will do what is right. I trust there are still t...

Despite the heavy drizzle this late afternoon people still flocked to the cemetery to visit their deceased. This is the perfect time to remind the people that God owes no man another day. It really is not about the dead, but about the living, who for some would soon have their turn being visited by their own relatives. The LORD in answer to prayer prepared a favorable spot for me beside the long table where all the Baranggay officials were. My bible was wet from the rain, but the people sat through the whole message and the LORD arrested not a few people with the pleading since this intersection was extremely busy. Many of the occupants of the houses across listened intently. O Lord, may this not be for judgement but for salvation. Let thine word go our in power and let those who have ears to hear come to Christ. I rode on to the next cemetery on my list.

A rainbow reflecting off God's firmament. Photo by Kenya I sat for a while in front of the rice store and looked at the unusually thick crowd today and thought to myself, "how do you talk sense to this people? What do I say?" The task is totally impossible. But I serve the God of the impossible. Yet if the Spirit of God will not move and breathe life to these dry bones, no one would be made alive. I have endeared this people to my heart and make it a point to plead for them before God. I know He will reward this weak servant with peace, and I shall behold His glory among the people. I had so many excuses in my head not to go out today. ( I am still unable to walk and every step is painful, at least for my right foot. I have an ongoing deadline.. ) Any reason not to go. It was the flesh talking. But grace would always have me going home after thankful that I went.  The LORD has given me respect in the eyes of the vendors at this blessed fishing hole. I am now greeted with,...

Week 2 Day 4. If I were to gauge the day according to my fallible opinion, today was dead and cold. In terms of souls won the labor of the gospel for the most part yields little to no results. But the gospel is not about results. Neither is it about souls. It is about Christ, and the lifting up of Christ, who in turn draws men to Himself. The proclamation of the finished work of Christ on the cross is the singular means by which God glorifies His name. He is revealed to be gracious and merciful in the saving of His elect. He is revealed to be holy and just in rendering to the proud and reprobate the error of their ways. Before we left God quickened our low spirits with encouragements from a Samaritan.

I spent a good while sitting there just watching the crowd and looking intently at the faces of the people passing by. I saw one vendor happily servicing her buyer with her items, and after the customer left she slumped back in her chair but the huge smile she had just seconds ago was gone. She looked really tired. It was humid, and noisy, it smelled. You can tell for most of them it was a long day; pure chaos. I felt totally inadequate. I was afraid, nervous,and I wanted to simply leave. But who else will tell them? I courted and pleaded with the people for an hour. God is He who justifies the ungodly. Christ died not for the righteous, but for sinners. Not for the good ones, but for the bad ones. The doctor is for the sick, not the healthy. The Savior is for the sinner, not the saintly. And for the first time I realized towards the evening, the vendors were silently listening. This is the third day for this week. 17 vendors came and personally asked for free bibles. May they be grant...

I can walk without the aid of crutches today but my soles tire easily. Walking zaps me quickly more than pleading with the people. I am pained and humbled in proclaiming the sentences of the Law of God that is impossible with men, yet am also filled with strange joy in courting them with the mercies and goodness of Christ. We have been commanded to Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19) Indeed, but where is the man who will tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49) I truly praise God for bringing me to praying brethren who are fully aware of our poverty of spirit pertaining to the things of the kingdom, but also greatly trust that God hears prayers and will do what is right. This day some of the vendors showed me familiarity and extra kindness.  After hearing that they were indeed somewhat the forgotten of the lot and of the concern I have that God has remembered them in bringing them the good news, th...

The LORD never fails to send in timely helps to this stubborn and stupid mule.  This particular verse has time and again ministered to me. Yet in my devotions this morning, it gently spoke to me a truth I always seem to forget: He said to them, “Come with me privately to an isolated place and rest a while” (for many were coming and going, and there was no time to eat). Mark 6:31 The following is part of my lecture notes taken from a recorded seminar of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. "Putting in long stressful hours in the Lord's work doesn't grant one immunity from the laws of health. The minister must eat nutritionally, sleep sufficiently and live relaxingly. I had to learn the lesson of relaxation the hard way. Remember that the Israelites didn't keep the Sabbath year. And the punishment was that they would have the Sabbath year spent in exile. So they missed 70 Sabbath years. They were going to spend 70 years in exile. I think that does work out in a lot ...

Last Lord's day after finishing with our worship service we headed out again to Grace Plant Santa Maria Reformed Baptist Church, after pastor Reuben graciously invited us to their in-house service prior to their flight back to the UK. Lord permitting he will be back next month to continue with the work. It is always precious to be around people who love to talk about Christ. Brother Reuben is such a man. With regards to the general state of Christendom here in Bulacan, the city itself being huge, it is also an open door that is perfect for the planting of the gospel. Sadly public preaching here locally is a trivial church activity. A tedious chore no average professing church-goer will undertake - unless either the church is going, or they are asked to. It is not something the nominal attendee will have a burning passion for. The darkness prevails because the gospel is mostly kept within closed walls. The gospel is not preached to the people because the pastors do not believe it to...

We have been graciously gifted by the LORD with interceding brethren from Lubbock Reformed Church in Texas and Grace Covenant Reformed Church in New Mexico who are partakers of our labors in this part of Father's vineyard. His hand is greatly manifest both in the work and in our spiritual preservation. I do not say this loosely, for I have never been under greater spiritual oppression than presently, and my dependency upon God's grace made more clear. It is one thing to read "praying" in the comments section of posts asking for prayer, it is quite a different thing to listen to brethren actually intercede on your behalf, much more when they plead for you in their secret closet. I find it shallow and superficial to actually tell the brother for the sake of letting him know that I am praying for him. Let him see the LORD's hand moving himself and glorify Him, as God answers me in my secret closet in behalf of him. I believe with all my heart that as sure as God has ...

I chanced upon this group of young adults minding their wares as I was distributing tracts around Santa Maria. Since they were in my route I handed them a tract as well but they politely declined, so I asked if it was because they were not allowed to receive materials from other sources. They just looked at each other for an answer. So I asked them if they can tell me what their books were all about, and the boy in charge simply told me to get one. It was quite a one sided exchange; I was practically begging them to share the gospel to me, but surprisingly I was directed to go see a psychologist instead. I must have looked like a lunatic to them judging by the advice I was given. Oh these poor, poor souls. They refused to engage and promptly told me, "I invoke my right to silence." The boy read to me their prepared scripture: James 3:13-18. Explaining it to mean that those who ask such intimidating questions (please share the gospel with me) are sowing strife and discord, b...

I honestly know little of the ministry of this blessed missionary couple, but I know the gospel enough to recognize it preached biblically. Last Sunday was their 2nd official service since starting as bible studies. And we are well pleased to ride out and support them in fellowship. I bless the LORD for brother Warren's Facebook post. Bulacan is a place ripe for the gospel. Praise God for sending more laborers here who have a heart for Christ and people. Perhaps I would be writing more about them in the days to come. May the LORD prosper His Word in Bulacan through their lives and the church. Grace Plant Santa Maria is a reformed baptist church, led by brother Reuben Saywell and his lovely wife Cathy.