FAIR SUNSHINE

We are currently teaching covenant theology to the children starting from the Pactum Salutis. God has been so gracious as to provide the wisdom to translate this deep subject into simple language in order to communicate it well to the children. Covenant Theology is pivotal in giving us a coherent picture of the plan of redemption that culminates at the cross of Christ. It answers many questions and unifies what may seem to be disconnected stories of Scripture into one seamless and majestic revelation of the eternal God's grand design. Our goal is to explain the promise, necessity, and reason for the coming Messiah and His work in redeeming us to the Father, according to His eternal will. We are pleased to hear each precious soul, from the eldest to the youngest, recite scripture. May it please the LORD to preserve these blessed children unto salvation for His name's sake.

Saint Ephraim the Syrian Excerpt from the Sermon on the Transfiguration The facts themselves bear witness and his divine acts of power teach those who doubt that he is true God, and his sufferings show that he is true man. And if those who are feeble in understanding are not fully assured, they will pay the penalty on his dread day. If he was not flesh, why was Mary introduced at all? And if he was not God, whom was Gabriel calling Lord? If he was not flesh, who was lying in the manger? And if he was not God, whom did the Angels come down and glorify? If he was not flesh, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes? And if he was not God, whom did the shepherds worship? If he was not flesh, whom did Joseph circumcise? And if he was not God, in whose honour did the star speed through the heavens? If he was not flesh, whom did Mary suckle? And if he was not God, to whom did the Magi offer gifts? If he was not flesh, whom did Symeon carry in his arms? And if he was not God, to whom did he say, ...

This Sunday was a review of the lessons from the past month. The children who have been with us for fourteen months have responded so wonderfully to the catechisms that I cannot begin to praise God for deepening the children's understanding. The Old Testament's main ideas, starting with the Genesis' prophecy of the coming Messiah up to Joshua, required about a year to study. Much grace has been given to the teachers who put their hearts to pray for the children, and going the extra mile by burning the midnight oil, studying for the lessons, often well into daybreak. It gives me great joy in encouraging them that their labors in the LORD are never in vain, and that they have been given the privilege of shaping these minds who would one day, Lord willing, be granted saving grace. They have a hand in affecting these children's lives who in turn will be the very ones to take the gospel into their homes, to their parents, and to their siblings. God is able to do more with th...

We are opening our channel to everyone who find joy in the worship of God. The only requirement is a humble heart. Join us without any obligation, and start the worship of God in your own homes. Here is our Telegram link . Photo Credit Our daily Family Worship with the whole church, consistently upheld by LORD, is now on its 15th month. Every 9:30 in the evening, Monday to Sunday, the church gathers to read Scripture, share thoughts, and sing/read the Psalmody to the LORD. What started off as a 15-minute family covenant quickly spread like fire among the saints, with worship going for as long as 45 minutes to an hour. Some of the children have also started an afternoon family worship for those who work the night shift. It so pleased the Lord to birth the reading of scripture in one of the homes of a dear saint where she reads with her parents and sibling who are unbelievers, but now look forward to the reading of scripture. Truly if we have great joy in honoring the Lord, he will give...

This very afternoon I purposed to take my dear wife out for a brief season of rest and quiet refreshment. Yet as we made our way, the rain overtook us midway, compelling us to seek shelter in a bike wash nearby. What seemed at first but an interruption of our plans proved to be another of those moments wherein Providence often worketh unseen. While we waited there, a man approached us asking for alms, one whose manner and appearance testified, as I perceived it, to a life marked by deep spiritual confusion and homosexuality. In that moment I was reminded that however broken or disordered a life may appear outwardly, the soul standing before us is a person made in the image of God, in need of mercy, truth, and the saving Gospel of Christ. And I perceived once more that such interruptions are not to be regarded lightly, for what seemeth unto men an ordinary encounter may in truth be an occasion appointed by God. Heaven’s opportunities do not always come clothed in grandeur, but often in ...

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

Thank you for your kindness dear brethren. All the way from Reformed Presbyterian Church Dumaguete. Courtesy of Nate Sonner.  

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.

Ο λόγος σου είναι λυχνάρι στα πόδια μου και φως στο μονοπάτι μου. Psalm 119:105 I are indebted to Jeff Chavez of Theoglossa for his selfless assistance and inspiration. May the LORD return his kindness tenfold. I am nursery level in both languages. Slow in Greek and twice as slow in Hebrew. But in time we'll get there. Maybe I'll post another reading a year from now Lord willing to see if I improved or not.

Healthy food for the sheep has arrived. God continues to support His work. Thank you for our sponsor. Beeke and Smalley's Reformed Systematic Theology Volume set is now complete. This stash includes two book on the church fathers. Three books on the study of the book of Revelation. The Returning King goes well with The King in His Beauty. Steve Gregg's study on the four views on the (Historicist, Preterist, Futurist, and Idealist) . And of course, one by G.K. Beale. Last but not least are two books on both the Westminster Confession of Faith, and an expository on the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

The most useful books for the whole week that compose the Sunday liturgy, with the family worship guide being used daily, 7 days a week. We keep the services 2 hours short, with an hour of close fellowship prior to start. An hour dedicated to prayer, worship, catechism, and Scripture reading - before the message. Ending in songs from the Westminster Scottish Psalter, and another hour of fellowship. God has tremendously blessed the dear ones by instilling a greater awareness of sin, and a deeper reverence for His commands, especially the seriousness of Lord's day, by which most of them have stood firm against much opposition and ridicule from employers, and even from their own families. The fruit of God's faithfulness shone through when I spoke with one of the young ones, "Should God gift me with my own family, we will dedicate every night to worshipping the Lord. From my children and to my grandchildren." Each one of them share the same sentiment. What a blessed work...

Our time here at Grotto did bring with it a strange blessing and no small intellectual exercise, for I encountered a Romanist apologist, Timothy, whose knowledge of Church history was notably sharp and well-practiced—a rare thing indeed in all my years of public ministry. He contended earnestly for the doctrines of the Roman Catholic faith, speaking with confidence and no small familiarity in matters historical and theological. Yet however fluent a man may be in defense, however learned his arguments may appear, he cannot escape the necessity of confronting the most fundamental question of truth: Is the finished work of Christ upon the Cross ultimately sufficient, or is it deficient? Must the soul trust God fully, resting upon the blessed assurance that its Salvation in Christ is altogether complete and needing nothing else? Or must the anxious heart still be compelled to add to what God hath already accomplished, believing the Divine work to be deficient? In this essential dichotom...

The observance of Holy Week is, in the Philippines, a deeply rooted custom. Even before I had fully grasped its spiritual significance as a mere child, the people were already flocking to this sacred site in Bulacan whenever the solemnity of Good Friday drew near. Their pilgrimage commences upon the Thursday, with souls pouring in from all corners of the metro, some even traversing the considerable distance from Cavite entirely on foot, determined to arrive in time for the awful reflection of the Lord's Passion. The roads for many kilometres are forthwith blocked and surrendered to the multitude, the highway becoming a river of humanity. Thus, even those who attempt the usual conveyance must still finish their journey by walking a considerable distance to reach the ground. I recall the year of my adolescence when a neighbour invited this writer to undertake the journey on foot. We departed our dwelling at the fourth hour of the afternoon and arrived just before the chiming of midni...

Let us maintain a sober and necessary distinction between those who merely criticize the spiritual decay of the age and those who, in the fear of the Almighty, labor against it. There is a vast gulf separating those who simply affirm the existence of error from those who are truly broken before God because of the transgression! Verily, a great chasm separates those who merely attend the assembly and those who, in humility, worship God in Spirit and in Truth. As the sacred record laments, the wicked doth often surround the righteous, wherefore wrong judgments abound in the public square and even within the courts of the Church (Habakkuk 1:4) . Of such wrong judgments is born a grievous lack of urgency for the advancement of Christ's eternal Kingdom—a damnable disease we call complacency. This slothful spirit doth stand in direct violation of the LORD's solemn command to "occupy" our appointed posts until His glorious return (Luke 19:13) . We must affirm that the as...

Father doth bless the work by turning the ministry of the Children’s Church in a more experiential direction: seeking to implant in the little ones a consciousness of the deep, humbling reality of the heart’s corruption, even in their tender years. We are forced, hourly, to acknowledge that we are totally inadequate to communicate the glorious salvation of Christ with the requisite power, and thus we know that our strength and help cometh from the LORD alone! We grieve to report that the cruel affliction of molested children is lamentably common in this locality—a silent plague where, tragically, the parents and immediate relatives are often found to be the heinous offenders. With fear and trembling, we taught the children that their innocent bodies were a gift bestowed by the Lord to be theirs alone, and that no other person, save their own mothers in needful instances, should touch or gaze upon them in parts that ought to be private. They were given solemn warnings to be keenly aware...