The people divide the Philippines into 3 areas: Mindanao, Vessias & Lucena when they refer to where they live.
Pastor Dave organized a Lucena Pastor’s meeting in Pastor James’ church Missionary Alliance in San Pablo city. It is about 2 hours per bus from Manila Metro.
Pastor James partners with Harvester in Coron, Palawan. His ministry outside the Missionary Alliance is called: ‘Building Bridges.’ He reckons it is the time for Coron now. ‘The heavens will open for anyone that is willing to plant a church in Coron.’
Pastor Dave led worship for a while and then handed the meeting over to me. I shared on areas of reform and the Holy Spirit led me to speak about reforming the way we should raise kids according to Scripture.
Samson’s parents asked the Angel how they should raise him. Most people never enquire of the Lord about raising children but simple repeat what they learned from the previous generation. We leave the education of our children to schoolteachers and do not create jobs for our own kids. The Jews know better: when a boy has his bar mitzvah at the age of 12 he gets a share in the family business because they consider him to be a man. You hardly see Jewish kids looking for jobs. A family business is something special. God commands his blessing where brothers dwell and work together. If a family business continues for a few generations it becomes a wealthy business. God blesses his people up to the 4th and 5th generation and even says for a thousand generations!
The problem in our world is that kids leave school and don’t know what they want to do. Parents should train them up in the way they should go according to Proverbs 22:3. When they are older they will not depart from it.
According to Deuteronomy 6 we should teach our children when they go to bed, for then they dwell on those words even in their sleep; when we eat, because their mouths are full and have to listen; and when we travel, because they cannot get out of the car and we have their attention! It is useless trying to teach them while they are playing or if they are busy with their cell phones. Obviously Sunday school is important too. That is where we can impart spiritual principles and give them guidelines for godly living that brings good success. At Harvester Cape Town our daughter-in-grace (no longer under the law!) has taken our Miracle Bible College material and made it ‘edible’ for the kids.
The materials are available on request.
I also shared on some other aspects of reform such as unity. Dr. Gray at Miracle Valley, Arizona, taught us that unity comes by the preaching of the Word. We cannot create unity; only preserve it. So if a few people are of one mind, one heart and one purpose others that come into that orbit will be drawn into that unity. That is a how core growth takes place instead of merely adding numbers to a congregation by some worldly method or scheme. By teaching everyone from the same material builds a frequency for unity in a Church.
One of the delegates spoke up: ‘we hear what you say about unity but it won’t work here in the Philippines. Here we agree to disagree.’
I warned him that his statement is anti-Scriptural. Jesus prayed: ‘Father make them one as You and I are one’ and Paul prayed that the believers be of one mind, one heart and one purpose. There is one God, one faith and one baptism. We cannot agree to disagree on these important spiritual issues.
Pastor Dave gave a power point presentation of Harvester’s Orbital System designed by Apostle Aje Pelser. (He has a book out on it as well and is available from www.pelsermedia.com or by ordering it directly from our Church website www.harvesterchurch.net as well)
I was amazed that several people attending the seminar had already viewed our live streaming church meetings. Elsie, Pastor James’ wife told me: ‘I saw you dancing in the church! Here men don’t dance.’ That is an area that can be trained by Apostle Leigh and Prophetess Lynette Collins.
Prophetess Nola & Teacher Chantal can instruct on worship. Nola can also talk on submission and counselling.
Pastor Dave explained how orbital structures should replace pyramid schemes in churches. An orbital system centres round Christ. He alone can reform a Church.
‘We are agents of reform on behalf of Christ, telling people to conform to His image.’ Christ is our hub. We all centre round Him and our entire activity centres round Him.
Then Pastor Dave handed out our 50 pages Foundation Course to all the delegates and ran through the 12 foundation stones, one by one. He promised to hand out certificates for attending the course in March ’17 when we will hold another Pastor’s conference in Lucena.
After the session we had a lively discussion about tithing. One of the questions raised were, ‘is tithing not simply an Old Testament activity?’
I asked them how many books are in the Old Testament and how many in the New Testament. There are 39 books in the Old and 27 in the New Testament. Then I asked why there are fewer books in the New Testament. They could not answer. I explained: ‘if you rewrite your last will and testament you only change the parts you want to change. The rest remains the same.’ Certain things in the Old Testament are totally acceptable: like David’s form of worship. There is hardly any instruction in the New Testament concerning the ways of worshipping God. God is happy with the way David worshipped and praised Him and restored the tabernacle of David in our time. We still use all the praise words David used to describe the different forms of worship.
The same applies with tithing: it still applies in the New Testament. Here men receive tithes, Hebrews tells us, but there He receives it!
The next question was: ‘what about the curse when you do not pay tithes? Does it apply under grace? Didn’t Jesus break the curse?’ I answered: ‘Jesus broke the curse of sin and sickness’ and added: ‘if you want the blessing from tithing you hope it still applies. Therefore the curse of not paying tithes also still applies.’
One of the Pastors shared a humorous story. Someone asked a Pastor: ‘is tithing the key to blessing?’ to which the Pastor answered in the affirmative. ‘Then Pastor why don’t you use the key?’
Pastor James asked the delegates: ‘do you receive the challenge brought to you today from God’s chairman, apostle Andre?’ (It’s the first time I’ve been called that!).
‘He came to encourage us through the Scriptures and a simple presentation today and gave us the foundation course book that will bring reform in the churches in Lucena.’
Then he prayed a blessing over the people and also blessed me for coming. He asked God to bless my family and our church in Cape Town.
We gave lunch to each delegate: chicken & rice from Jollybee. (The Philippine form of KFC) We also gave some delegates money for gasoline to get home – especially to an old Pastor.
Pastor Dave is setting up meetings and conferences for March ’17 in both Mindanao & Lucena. One of the Pastors at our meeting also requested that we come and do the foundation course in his church and also preach on a Sunday in Lucena. Pastor James asked if I would go to Coron again in July ’17. The doors keep opening in the Philippines. One thing leads to another. Jesus went from village to village and explained: ‘for this purpose I came forth.’
‘Follow the Lamb wherever He goes.’