Philippines
Philippines Report
2012
In travelling to the Philippines this
year in November, we were in much prayer to see a real breakthrough happen in
regards to the brethren really coming into the apostolic revelation. God is
faithful and during this trip we saw a much deeper reception of the Word and
transformation in people’s lives who did receive.
We do not want to give a detailed
report of all the events but to impart the heart of the trip to you. I
especially want to feature the report that Geoff Tarran has written.
Team
ministry
This trip was the first trip where Rhoda and I (Nick) had another companion on
team. Geoff Tarran from Bright, Victoria, came to the Philippines on his first
overseas apostolic mission. Having Geoff on team added a whole new dimension to
the ministry and we saw Geoff grow considerably over the whole trip in
presenting the Word and ministering the riches of the glory that Christ has put
in him.

Geoff,
Emmanuel Ortega and Nick Geoff sharing at Emmanuel’s place
Everywhere we went, Geoff shared and introduced himself as a disciple that is
learning. This was a wonderful testimony to the pastors, leaders and brethren
as they could see the reality of true discipleship. Discipleship involves
teaching and then raising the disciples up so that they can learn to minister
the Word that has become real to them. This was how Jesus and the apostles
raised disciples and it works.
Here
is Geoff’s report. It has some wonderful revelation to receive:
Dear Paul, Janet, Nick and Rhoda,
It has been a great privilege for me
to go to the Philippines as part of an apostolic team - and to see apostolic
ministry in action overseas with many groups of pastors and leaders being
impacted. There is a real hunger among the people there to hear with some
walking for 3 hrs plus to attend meetings in Siayan. They have received
revelation of Jesus the Christ - of His plan for the Church - and for the
earth, that gives them fresh hope for the future. We pray that many apostles
prophets etc. will be raised up so that the Church in the Philippines can
become a revelation of Jesus to the people there - and a sending nation for
apostolic teams into the surrounding Asian countries. It was especially good to
meet people I have read of in reports such as Pastor Dutch and his wife.... in
Cebu - and Apostle Emmanuel Ortega and his wife Corazon, in Dipolog, who hosted
us so well.

Geoff sitting next to Pastor Dutch,
Cebu Apostle Emmanuel and Cora
To be honest I had some misgivings
before going - even as to whether I could cope physically - but experienced the
fact that Jesus gives grace for what He sends us to do, including health and
strength. I felt better and stronger than ever over there - even waking up at
the right times so that I was ready for the events of the day [including when
we were leaving very early in the morning on a few occasions]. We were very
well looked after by the host churches and the people were very friendly. It
was often very difficult for me to converse, but I was adjusting more to
'understanding' and 'being understood' as time went on. [Nick has become very
proficient and was using many words and phrases in the local dialect.] There
are also other cultural adjustments to make - including a change of diet to
predominantly rice - but for every challenge there is grace to overcome. Nick
encouraged me something like this: 'there are no problems, only challenges and
opportunities to receive grace'.
Impact of Ministry
Nick is writing a full report and I
don't want to repeat points he makes - but just to observe that Nick and Rhoda
have grown in grace to become a very effective team, and I had no problem in
following them in learning ministry as they have first learned to 'follow
Christ'. [Nick was frequently telling others of the training he has had as a
'Timothy' to 'Paul'.]
I was blessed by the ministry of
Christ through them as they discipled others in their homes and preached the
Word of God in the seminars for [mainly] pastors and leaders. In every place we
saw breakthroughs with revelation coming to many in a life-changing way. They
were seeing Jesus - and the eternal purpose of God to reveal Christ through the
Church as they never had before. They were seeing past religion to the reality
of Christ.
They were seeing that the Bible is not
a book of doctrines and stories but the revelation of God to us in Christ. They
were seeing that the Person who wrote the Book wanted to reveal Himself to them
through it so that the living Word would be 'made flesh' in them. They were
seeing God's plan to 'form Christ in them' and to 'reveal Him through them'.

Pastors in Calamba, Mindanao Seminar
in Siayan, Mindanao
The pastors were also seeing that they
were not being asked to join a group
- or even to leave the associations
they are a part of - but rather just to become obedient to Christ Himself
through obedience to His Word. They were seeing the apostolic mandate to
represent Christ alone.
Some were trying to define what they
were hearing in terms of a particular doctrinal position [eg Oneness - Trinity]
and being told that we were not debating doctrinal issues or representing any
group - just sharing the Word of God and letting it speak.
As we preach Christ - bringing a
revelation of who He is from the written word - and of 'Christ in us our hope
of glory'- His headship is being restored in the Church. As Christ becomes
truly pre-eminent in the Church - and is seen for who He really is - we must
see His Kingdom come on earth in an unprecedented way that will fulfill the
'feast of tabernacles' to which we are now being called.
Finally I would encourage others to
pray about joining a team as a 'disciple' - to learn the ministry and the
lifestyle. In my case I learned so much, and received much fuller revelation of
many things in the Philippines. In particular God is opening up to us fresh
understanding of the 'foundational principles of Christ' [Hebrews 6] in an
exciting way. They are not just doctrines but 'principles' or expressions of
His life in us that keep us grounded and growing 'in Christ'. The last teaching
of the trip on 'the resurrection of the dead' shared some of this with a group
of students in Cebu [part of the fellowship Pastor Dutch is shepherding] who received
it well. Praise the Lord for all He is doing to bring us out of religious ideas
into the reality of Christ, so that others too can see the apostolic reality of
what God wants us to enter into now.
Thank you so much to all who were part
of the trip in their prayers and support in so many ways. You share the same
reward as those who go.
Grace and Peace to all, from God our
Father and Lord Jesus Christ,
Geoff
Tarran.
The
reality of Christ
One of the key words
that was being spoken by brethren who received us was “this is reality”. Jesus
is reality, not doctrines. He is the Word who became flesh. He is the living
bread and those who received us were seeing the reality of life in Christ being
manifested through the team and the teaching. The angel who broke Peter out of
prison told him, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the
words of this life” (Acts5:20).

Ps Eddie & Jocelyn – spoke of the
“reality”
The
lifestyle
Many of the leaders,
and especially our hosts apostle Emmanuel and his wife Cora, began to partake
of the lifestyle in Christ. We were able to stay on site with Emmanuel and his
family and daily live in the reality of Acts2:42. We were seeing that
this life of giving ourselves to the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship,
breaking of bread and prayers is the way of discipleship and how to daily
experience Jesus in the midst of us corporately. Emmanuel is now implementing
the breaking of bread daily in his apostolic base where there are up to 14 live
in disciples as well as his family of four children.

Meeting with disciples at Emmanuel’s
home base – “continuing daily…”
Strongholds
breaking
There were leaders
who had heard us teaching in previous years who broke through on this trip. We
were encouraged to see that the Word effectively works in those who believe. As
we continue speaking the Word it breaks through mindsets and strongholds. The
Word will root out, pull down, destroy and throw down all of our ideas
so that then the Word builds and becomes planted in us (Jerermiah1:10).
We encourage you all brethren that the Word of the Lord will always prevail if
we persevere. One pastoring couple had heard us share in two successive years.
The wife said that after last year her heart was so heavy and she had so many
question marks. The Word was rocking her foundations. She did not even know if
she would come to see us again this year. She did decide to come and after
sitting through one session, freedom came to her and she suddenly understood
and received the revelation of the Word. She and her husband were so excited
and her husband said to us, “You have really opened up my mind!”
Philippines
is opening
This trip we saw the
Philippines open up and new contacts develop. The island of Negros has opened
up through the contact of Pastor Dutch Manzano. Pastor Dutch has done two
seminars with a brother named Pastor Ritchell Sebua in Escalante, Negros. This
paved the way for the apostolic team to come and now a door has opened for the
Word on this island.
Other places on Mindanao have also opened and there is need for a follow up
trip next year. We can see the beginnings of real apostolic fellowship
developing – which is fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus
Christ (1John1:3).

Nick
and Ranel Ps Ritchell (in Negros)
with Geoff
(acknowledged
call as apostle)
Grace
and peace in Jesus the Messiah.
Nick
and Rhoda