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