When our blessed Lord spoke those luminous words, "You people are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world" (John 8:23) , He was expressing a sense of belonging that transcends every experience, every attachment, and every fleeting treasure we may ever know on this mortal side of eternity. Christ is, eternally and essentially, from above; and thus, by the sheer, unmerited election of grace, are we, the adopted children of God, also declared to be. To receive into our hearts the declaration of His subsequent testimony, "but I have chosen you out of the world, that is why the world hates you," is to realize how incomparably special the believer is held in the discerning eyes of the Almighty. In this divine transaction, God the Father offers nothing less than the entirety of who He is, manifesting His full being in the person of the most valuable treasure in all of heaven—the promised Messiah, Christ Jesus. This is the hig...

I confess that I nearly did not address them at all, for my flesh was apprehensive, as it so often is, and my mind was utterly void of anything resembling a ready compliment or a hint of genuine charity. Two full days had passed without the proper benefit of rest, and burdened as I was by a myriad of urgent affairs, my faculties were naturally quite dulled. Indeed, my only earnest desire was that my physical frame might, for one rare instance, be granted sleep, and that my troubled thoughts might finally consent to the same peace. The simple necessity of securing a place to pass time—a brief interval of private relief—led me to this spot, immediately after having conveyed my beloved wife and daughters to the hospital for their consultation. This sacred site, the environs of the Parish of St. Martin of Tours, sits within the bustling Bocaue Town Proper. Upon my entrance, and after settling the required toll, I was immediately beset by a small, importunate company of boys, perhaps ...

It is of grace that we are compelled to conclude the church's three-day prayer meeting, deliberately appointed for the solemn hour of three of the clock in the morning. By this inconvenience, we intend to emphasize the dire urgency in petitioning the hand of the Lord to bestow upon us greater spiritual blessings, most especially in the sacred area of prayer itself. It is common practice to offer God the spare remnants of our time; yet, to truly apprehend the evil of these days, we must relinquish the hours allotted for ease and rest, choosing instead to knock early upon the door of the just Judge. He is one who not only doth not slumber, but who takes a peculiar and great pleasure in answering those who stand confidently at His divine courts, firmly believing that He will perform His promise. The effective execution of the children's church, the power of our public preaching, the fervency of private devotions, the profitable reading of the Scripture in family worship: all thes...

As we made our weary journey homeward, the Lord guided our steps to visit a dear brother in Quezon City, who is currently passing through a most difficult and trying chapter of his pilgrimage. His physical frame is sorely vexed, having wrestled these many months with a severe affliction of the back—a pain so sharp and persistent that even the simplest motions are rendered excruciating to him. Yet, this trial is compounded by a heavier concern: he is now facing the disheartening prospect of being stripped of his earthly livelihood, for his body can no longer sustain the demands of his daily employ. His strength doth fail him for his duties. May the God of all comfort minister to his body, sustain his spirit amidst this double chastisement, and show him that even this crucible of affliction is measured out by the hand of the Sovereign Physician for the eternal profit of his soul! Photo by K The visit was, alas, of brief duration, yet it afforded us the cherished opportunity to share a si...

This would be the first post of a very long backlog that I hope to fill after nine months of not blogging. Since my last post in August, a lot has happened, the majority of which has been related to daily Family Worship. Being overwhelmed and exhausted was what took up the greater part of the missing time. As things begin to wind down, I will try again to resume documenting from where I left off. Sometime in December last (if my failing memory serves its duty), I received a casual invitation from Pastor Nate Sonner of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Dumaguete. The invitation concerned a conference upon the matter of planting biblical and reformed churches, scheduled for the nineteenth day of May, with Dr. Al Baker of Vanguard Presbytery as the designated speaker. I confess I did not initially ponder the matter deeply, yet I went forth in simple faith and extended the invitation to several of the brethren in our gathering. Immediately, a plan was hatched: we began the consistent,...

Currently seeking Christ, more than public preaching, posting, and social networking.  Before I elected to wholly close down my connection to that platform, Facebook, near a year ago, many souls did earnestly admonished me to leave my postings public, relating how they served to edify the saints. Perhaps this held a measure of truth. Yet, I perceived a profound danger: that the act itself did serve to unduly elevate my own person, whilst also drawing my spirit into the shameful waste of precious hours, spent merely observing the idle activities of others. A decidedly sour taste began to develop in my mouth for the sheer, daily clamour of the place—the overwhelming barrage of repetitive notions, the ceaseless memes, and the quotations from every popular theological celebrity of the hour. One was utterly swamped by the fleeting thoughts of men upon the affairs of this world, upon the character of their neighbours, and, most regrettably, upon the very nature of the Divine. I found mys...

Posting this for record's sake, as the topic is of much importance. Chapter 1 of What is the Church by R.C. Sproul In the seventeenth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus gives the most extensive prayer that is recorded for us in the New Testament. It is a prayer of intercession in which He prayed for His disciples and for all who would believe through the testimony of the disciples. That prayer is called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. One of the central themes of that prayer is Christ’s request to the Father that His people might be one. It was a prayer for Christian unity. Yet here we are, in the twenty-first century, and the church is probably more fragmented than at any time in church history.  We've seen a crisis with the question, "What is the church after all?" Historically, via the ancient church council of Nicea, the church has been defined by four key words. It is, 1) one, 2) holy, 3) catholic, and 4) apostolic. As we study the nature of the church, I want to look ...

After the patient space of one full year dedicated to the humble discipline of Family Worship, it hath now pleased the LORD to mercifully birth the reading of the Holy Scripture into four new households this year. This is a visible testament to the Sovereign’s pleasure! Our own young ones, having been diligently instructed in this sacred practice, have carried the custom learned in our home directly into their respective dwellings. With a commendable zeal, they now intentionally read the Scriptures to their own unbelieving families—a work of bold, spontaneous evangelism. A visible stirring is already observed amongst those who have heard the Living Word thus plainly read. The very heartbeat of this ministry in the home is to magnify the reality of God's great glory as the Scriptures are opened and the Psalms are either read or sung—and by the whole family participating in unison. The precious fruit of all this labor, however, is not presumed by us, but is dutifully left to God’s ow...

So keep these words deep in your heart and in your soul, and have them fixed on your hand for a sign and marked on your brow; Teaching them to your children, and talking of them when you are at rest in your house or walking by the way, when you go to sleep and when you get up: Writing them on the pillars of your houses and over the doors of your towns: So that your days, and the days of your children, may be long in the land which the Lord by his oath to your fathers said he would give them, like the days of the eternal heavens. For if you take care to keep all the orders which I give you, and to do them; loving the Lord your God and walking in all his ways and being true to him: Deuteronomy 11:18-22 / 6:7-9 The gift of family worship, was given to us April of last year and has continued non-stop 7 days a week till this day. It also gave birth to the weekly prayer meeting in which the whole gathering participates, all thanks be to God for the great kindness He evidenced through the exa...

It is an inescapable truth that there is a weighty and strange, prevailing disparity between the open passions of the world's devotees and the quiet disposition of the Christian soul. I have paused many a time to ponder why the adherents of novel and unconventional ideologies seem ever so unreserved, so vocal, and so insistent in the public square, while we, who hold the key to eternal life, keep our profession of faith confined to the corners of our chapel walls. The question presents itself with poignant clarity: Why do Sodomites who promote sin and degeneracy labor with such determined effort to present their tales to the very innocents in the school-room, when the Christian father and mother, knowing the priceless worth of sacred Scripture, so often permit a day to pass without committing to the reading of the Bible with their own dear children at home? Must we not feel a prick of conscience to see those Mormons who follow a misguided phantom of a deity expend the whole of t...

My wife takes our current house help through the pages of the New Testament each day before starting work. Her life is unbelievably difficult, and seemingly hopeless. Singled out by her in-laws for her background, she struggles between being beaten and maltreated by her husband, disrespected by her children, and having nowhere to turn to, till she found solace in talking about the Lord. As believers we are to treat each soul brought to us by the Lord as a candidate for His mercy. Each gasoline boy, driver, or security guard, a recipient of a gospel tract. These bread crumbs, done consistently and without regard for numbers, will one day surprise us in heaven. I tend to imagine a soul in heaven approaching me saying, "Remember that one tract you gave at such a place? The Lord used that to save me. And now I am here to worship God forever because you obeyed."

Some gain the things of this world in the strength of their youth at the cost of the next life, and all they have are rusty memories that die with them. While some set their eyes upon eternal things at the cost of this temporal life, and gain a crown that will never fade away. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. Matthew 19:29-30 

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...