Volume 38 Number 5 January 1996
Greetings! May our God Lord and Savior Jesus Christ keep you always in His loving care. I am so happy and grateful for having been invited to come over to the United States of America. Despite my unworthiness, God blessed me with that grand opportunity of visiting America and meeting loving brethren living on that part of the world. Truly, the trip was indeed a very exciting and soul enriching experience. Contrary to my preconceived idea of American receptiveness, the American brethren are very hospitable. The way they welcomed me was quite heartening. It not only lifted my spirit but also made me feel at home. Now that I am back in my homeland, that experience has been relegated to a mere memory. Nevertheless, a memory that will not be soon forgotten; a memory that I will treasure in my heart the rest of my life.
As I had witnessed it myself, the U.S.A. is a very rich and progressive country. So rich that even those which were considered poor by American standards were enjoying amenities in life (such as cars, phone, houses, etc.) which only the well-to-do in the Philippines can afford to procure.
The Americans are indeed blessed in having a very rich country. A country that doesn't merely provide the least of her people a modest living but also secures and saves them from the poverty-related plagues that are not only taking astronomical toll on human lives but also spoiling and ravaging the very foundation of man's society the world over. For that, I'm really happy for you, my American brethren. My only hope and prayer is that your sufficiency lead you not to spiritual complacency and decadence. Because just as inadequacy tends to draw people to come closer and trust the Lord, sufficiency tends to make people forget and trust Him less.
However, there's no harm in having enough or more than enough as long as we know how to handle it (after all it is not money, but the "love of money" which is the root of all evil—I Timothy 6:10), and the best way to handle it is by making it a blessing not only to ourselves but also to others. As the apostle Paul admonished; "as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men but most especially to those who are of the household of faith", since by doing it to the least of them we are also doing it to Christ (Galatians 6:10; Matthew 25:35-40). I'm so glad to find out during my visit to the United States that the Spirit of love prevails within your midst. However, I was somewhat saddened by another spirit that thrives in the different congregations of the Church of Christ. These congregations seem dissatisfied with the name Christ has given to His Church that it necessitated them to add something more on it; thus amending the name Church of Christ to Church of Christ (ME), (NI), (I), (One Cup), and others. Indeed, I'm wondering what made them do it? Mutual edification, for example, is not a name tag but one of the practices of the church. If their intention is to set their congregation apart from the rest of the congregations of the Church of Christ, the act I'm afraid connotes a spirit of "holier
than thou" attitude. On the other hand if their purpose is just to make their pious activities shine before men, advertising it isn't God's way because by doing it, they are not glorifying God but themselves. God's way is for us to practice it and let the activities shine before men in a natural way. After all, the practice of edifying one another, like the rest of the saints' good works, is a great reality. It is so distinctly marked that everyone around could easily feel and see it.
Lastly, I strongly believed that God allowed me to come to United States to find out whether the accusations of some of our American brethren against you are true or not. These people accused you of being divisive, satanic, and adhering to a hidden doctrine. I must confess that such accusations had troubled me and the Filipino brethren a great deal.
However, during my stay in your country, I found out that their accusation is nothing more than a piece of defamatory statement which was fabricated to the intent of discrediting you before the eyes of Filipino brethren.
Contrary to their accusation I found you all to be God-fearing people who delight in keeping God's Commandment. And if ever you are adhering to a hidden doctrine, that hidden doctrine must be no other than that which I have personally witnessed for myself - your genuine LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER. What I can say now is forgive these people who accused you and let's pray for them. Let us all strive to keep God's Commandment, remain steadfast to the faith and continue loving one another.
Finally, my deepest thanks and gratitude to all of you especially to the Old Lamine Church who sponsored my trip and the churches & brethren who gave me money for Bibles. A special thanks to the brethren who were with me during my tour in your country; Louis Garbi & family, Mike Kirby & family, Jay Graham & family, John Morris, Tom Woody & family, Loyd & Rosa Lee Potter, Delbert Russell & family, Charles Fry & family, Delbert Deister & family, and Bill & Lois Norris. As I have said before, I appreciated your country; but I love more my country for the cause of my brethren here. If Lord's willing, I love to be back and visit you again, if opportunity does not prevails. Just see and meet you in Heaven. I love you all.