Laboring in the LORD's vineyard at the usual Pagan/Roman Catholic/Islamic fishing hole. Every week after service our sister church in Taiwan and fellow saints in Cavite labor vigorously for the gospel. It is an honor to fight this war alongside them. Pastors Blaine and L.A. are shining examples of mature and faithful shepherds both keeping and leading the flock.  

The shorter version. May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.  

Ah, beloved soul, I must defer the fuller account of our late labor until this mind-benumbing pain, which seized me upon returning home, hath somewhat abated. At present it so possesseth me that I can scarcely gather my thoughts, much less compose them sufficiently to write of the Lord's dealings with us this day. Yet what a blessed outreach it was! My heart is full when I think upon it, and I can only pray that the Father would be pleased to cause something spoken or done this afternoon to bear fruit unto eternity. And amidst this present suffering I find peculiar cause for thanksgiving. The pain might as easily have seized me whilst I was yet abroad; but the LORD in His kindness withheld it until the labor was finished and I had returned home. Oh, how differently I behold the pain when I consider this! He did not forbid it to come, but He suffered it to wait. The work was done first. For this I thank the LORD. The gathering was indeed attended with no little spiritual peril, bein...

Our new batch of tracts came in this morning, Wednesday. We had it made last Saturday and it usually takes 10 days before it arrives. I asked Father if we could have it by Thursday, in time for Friday ministry use. It took only 4 days this time. A day ahead of my asking. God never fails me. Our printer in Bacoor, Cavite, Dynaspan printing, prioritized us the way they always did.  Dynaspan Printing is a family-owned business ran by Mr. Willy Pardilla and his wife. They are good people. When I say good you get it to mean they are decent and dependable in business transactions. Although they are strict Catholics with weekly rosary devotions, still they accommodated our need and delivered quality work every time. They have been our printer since October of 2018, printing close to ten thousand tracts for us. Sometimes even giving us 200 pieces over for free. I have have been praying since then that the Lord would at least be pleased to use the tract to testify of the gospel to everyone ...

Young Danilo, at thirteen years of age, drew near as I spoke with Tatay Junior by the Chowking gates. Twice the guards drove him hence, yet he kept returning! With a smile, I motioned for him to wait, and behold, he stretched himself upon the hard pavement as if upon a cushion of down. After a lengthy retelling of the Gospel, to which the old man listened intently, I sought leave to minister to this patient, young soul. Tatay Junior thanked me sincerely, laying an affectionate hand upon my arm. Poor Danilo hails from Pandi, earning a meager pittance by carrying groceries for commuters—only four dollars a day! His father, he says, is in Heaven for being a good man, having died at the age of forty-six. His mother, alas, is idle at home and grievously beats his sister, a maid of fifteen years who is already married. The family is scattered, finding support wherever a relative will offer shelter. Though he confessed to being sorely hungry, having missed his morning meal, he ordered just en...

Yesterday's communion, beloved, was a cause for exceeding joy! Firstly, I was finally enabled to connect with our dear 116 Bible Church Taiwan family for a brief digital interview and to offer our humble introduction. How exceedingly happy I was to behold our dear brother Blaine, our beloved Ingrid, and their beautiful congregation! Secondly, our local fellowship this very afternoon, begun around the hour of three, was so profoundly sweet that it tarried until the sun went down around the six o'clock bell! The precious hours vanished like mist! And oh, had we but possessed more light, we would have pressed on longer still! The LORD was deeply pleased to lavish upon us His love, as our solemn commitment to Christ and each other was re-ignited. I wholeheartedly bless the Father for His miraculous hand in so tenderly guiding us all this time, ever since we commenced this walk last year! Seeing our church family's beautiful faces, seeing how happy they were to see us as well, w...

The poor woman's furious cry, "I am Christian too!" , spoken with such intensity and anger, is a fearful echo of my own past folly. In that proud, foolish exhibition—when she did so forcefully swipe the tract from my dear wife's hand, flinging that sacred message onto the cold pavement—the LORD doth grant me a painful, arresting glimpse of my former, ugly, self-righteous self. It is truly a sorry sight to behold, for like so many souls we encounter in this labor, she stands dangerously close to an eternity of regret and unimaginable terror. Seeing this tragic, recurring spectacle compels me to fall upon my face and thank the boundless mercy of God who, in His good time, snatched me from that same darkness into His marvelous light. Had He not quickened me first, I too would still be dead in my trespasses and sin. To Him alone be the Glory for my deliverance! Ah, this past week, I confess, was a mere blur to my remembrance, being so entirely overwhelming with many, many...

"A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument." This very expression, beloved, is a chosen arrow aimed at a most grievous spiritual failing! It speaks of the profound error of those who presume to speak from mere theory and not from sanctified practice; who cling to the cold light of mere intellect and lack the warm, living fire of proven proficiency. Alas, it condemns the vanity of reading the records of others without ever having brought the Divine Truths into the crucible of their own personal, heartfelt experience! Let us ever pray for a faith that is not borrowed, but birthed in the soul! This was birthed out of it: You will only be at the level of the people you spend time with. The proverb is absolute: Iron doth sharpen Iron. But the spiritual danger is equally stark: a dull blade is useless for the work of true fellowship and refinement. The measure of your devotion is not found in talk, but in the price I am willing to pay to follow Him! T...

As I cast mine eyes upon the year's record, now full thirteen months since we first convened to ponder the Eternal Word in February last, a holy wonder doth seize my soul. A humble tally reveals nigh on two hundred assemblies in that brief span! Until this very eve, I confess I grasped not the sheer immensity of the Almighty's mercies, the great graces He hath poured out upon us. Had I but glimpsed this undertaking from the outset, surely, my own timorous heart would have quailed with double fear! Bless the name of the Lord, who, in my protracted season of seeking wisdom concerning our former affiliation, sent me godly counsel—pastors and brethren overflowing with truth, love, and, most crucially, the Scriptures themselves. It would be more sinful to remain when God was bidding me to leave. Better far to be divided by the Truth than to be held fast in unity by error! Our Heavenly Father hath been pleased to bridge the chasm 'twixt holy writ and our present lives, correcting...

On my homeward course, following the pressing duties of the day, as I slowed my pace upon the lonely service-road beside the swift thoroughfare, the Spirit of God did, with sudden and unmistakable force, lay a curious nudge upon my heart: I was to turn right into the solemn quietude of Eternal Gardens! A smile, I confess, played upon my lips, for I knew not the meaning of this gentle command. Slowly, I steered my humble vehicle through the great gates, uncertain if the earthly watchman would permit my intrusion, yet casting all to the wind in that moment of obedience. I did but take the chance, for the Lord's Impulse is ever a sovereign guide! Ah, the silent cities of the dead! My soul doth find a most unexpected affection for these hallowed grounds, these resting places of mortal clay. Many, I know, deem them melancholy, or reserve their notice for the appointed day of memorial; yet to me, they are a spring of solace! Here resides a certain, profound quietude that my spirit craves...

Those that have wisdom, though they are so modest as not to promise much, often perform great things, even against those that are so confident of their strength, by their wisdom.  Good conduct will go far even against great force; and a stratagem, well managed, may effectually scale the city of the mighty and cast down the strength it had such a confidence in.  A wise man will gain upon the affections of people and conquer them by strength of reason, which is a more noble conquest than that obtained by strength of arms. Those that understand their interest will willingly submit themselves to such a wise and good man, and the strongest walls shall not hold out against him. Matthew Henry

Praise God for work. Not work for our earthly means, which we do thank Father for, but work which is for His cause. Christ is not the object of our faith, but the source of it. We do not do this in the hopes of moving up, but that THE work which makes all the difference has already been accomplished on the cross, and we are His offspring.  Father has placed a burden in my heart to take the message of the word out to the public square. To hold services before the people who would rather stay out of church doors. Many puritan preachers who have been mightily used by God were of such spirit. Rather than dispense the word in mere trickles every Sunday to the few in the pew, it would be much profitable for the kingdom to have it publicly unleashed in torrents. I will still have to plead the LORD for this, but the seed is already laid in my very soul. If the LORD wills, then there is great work ahead indeed. My mind was not in the spirit the whole afternoon as I compiled all the verses ...

I have hardly, ever heard from any reformed pulpit, read from any reformed material, or was impacted upon by any reformed preacher, a substantial and relevant dwelling upon the subject of prayer drawn from a deep and intimate experience of its source. Is it because we know little of it? Do we not teach that which we only know? Much of what is floating around what I have been in since I was regenerated revolves around higher thinking and academic theology. Knowing about God, than knowing God. Belief in God, than believing God. Sitting in church, than effecting the responsibility of the church. This is not to say there is little gain in good theology. Truly correct theology is critical in knowing God, and walking in God. Knowing and walking go hand in hand. Most are taught it is perfectly fine just to have one. But study is not practice, as is having a doctorate degree or a pulpit does not equal God's anointing.  I spoke with a pastor once, and he opened up to me, 'Nag-pepray di...

The youth were already waiting for us as we made our way to our beautiful place in the fields. Walking a good distance to gather with God's children once again refreshed me. This is our 30th humble fellowship, and the 6th on our extensive study on the letter to the Hebrews. I have many times proven myself wrong in measuring the message to be quite brief by my estimation, but God by His immeasurable grace never fails to give us more than what we think we need to hear. This day's particular topic seemed for me worthy to be skipped, but as the Spirit unfolded His word the more it left me in awe, dread, and an elevated sense of wonderful hope. Awe in realizing man lost more than his intimacy with God when he fell into sin, he also lost his authority over all creation. Dread in that Satan tempted the woman particularly to steal and usurp that God-ordained authority away from man, thus becoming the ruler of this world. Hope because my Savior is the very One who will restore man to hi...

It was a great day as we gather with fellow believers in sharing a meal, followed by an afternoon study continuing on our Hebrews series. This particular session had with it a heavier tone as the Spirit provoked upon each of us a response to the urgent question of the gospel.This week we are finally joined by Aaron who gathered with us for a whole year while he was still in the US, and now was enabled by the grace of God to stay and live with us for a while. Last night also, a great door was opened: we were privileged to hold a foundational study of the law for two precious daughters of the Most High God, whom He brought to us just this month, to care for in our prayers. May the LORD bring forth fruit unto His glory in the lives of His redeemed. Since leaving the membership of our previous fellowship, the LORD has enlarged our horizons and opened new doors. Doors that we would have missed, had we not followed His leading, and stayed for wrong reasons. May it please the LORD to sear us ...