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Philippines Dispatch 3- Purity, Everywhere and Always

Purity: Everywhere and Always

Once again, early morning greetings from the other side of the world. I pray that your Mondays were as good as mine and from my vantage point Tuesday is going to be much better. Your heard it here first.

It is political season in the Philippines (elections are May 10th) which means street arguments, party brawls, and above all political flyers teeming by the millions. It is no exaggeration to say that every available square inch of wall has been covered by political flyers proclaiming their candidate as the one who loves the poor and aims to destroy all the corruption of government (it seems the FIlippinos have been paying attention to their American cousins). For a country that is struggling to provide jobs for a vast majority of it's work force- it sure seems they have plenty of pesos to spend on politics. Politcal flyers as far as the eyes can see.

But there is another flyer that hang on the far wall of an outdoor gym at the East City Secondary School in Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro.

It simply reads Purity: Everywhere and Always.

What a stark contrast to the flyers of pride, corruption, and greed that choke the rest of the country.

It is here at the North Mindanao Summer Youth Camp that students from all over the region have poured into the rented school property. Student from as far as 350 kilometers (a tremendous distance in an island nation) have come to worship, sing, and experience Jesus together.

I arrived at last nights opening concert to the hustle and bustle of campers and parents trying to settle into their dormitories. At first glance it would appear to be any other Monday at any other UPCI campground in America. At first glance...

The boys all stand in semicircles, their hair spiked and gelled to the imperfect perfection, their demeanor of "I don't care" screaming loud and clear despite their casual and frequent glances in the direction of the girls... Just to make sure they are still watching them. The girls in turn play their part in the Pentecostal mating game, wearing their Sunday best in spite of the scorching heat that lingers on after thte fall of darkness.

But it is here that the similarities begin to dissipate. Now I remember the old Indiana campgrounds fondly... And I have scars to prove it. I remember the days before the sanctuary or dorms were air conditioned, before the new cafeteria, before the adjustable basketball goals. I am among the chorus that knows what a 5 day camp sun burn, heat stroke, and frozen shower experience feels like. But as bad as we had it back in the 80's and 90's, it pales in comparison to our Philippine brothers and sisters.

To begin, the price of registration is 200 pesos per camper (1 dollar = 46 pesos so the price is roughly $2.20 for the four day camp). This sounds very cheap for an American but it is the maximum amount the cam staff can ask for the average camper to afford (registration does not include food). The camp staff spends the weeks before e camp sweating out the finances of renting the facility (4 day rental is about $300), hoping at enough campers will show up to alleviate the costs. There was a tremendous sigh of relief amongst the staff when nearly 500 campers registered.

As I wrote earlier, the food is not included in the price of registration, innovative as they are, e camps staff has set up a makeshift cafeteria under a borrowed Coca-Cola tent, for the children to buy meals for around 10-15 peso per meal. Last night I dined with the campers to a traditional meal of pork stomach lining and pork fat, a piece of fried fish, and of course a helping of rice. It makes the "panfakes, facon, and feggs with sunny d" a delicacy of epic proportions. (I would love to eat and Indiana Camp frito boat right now).

The concert began and the student stormed the gym. The first 300 hundred of them found a seat... The unlucky two hundred or so are forced to stand (tonight we are expecting maybe 700 with visitors). The staff could only afford to rent 300 hundred chairs on their stretched thin budget.

After a few hours of worship songs, featuring IBC... And the appearance of the drama with the life house song with a Filippino Jesus holding Hell's demons at bay ( some of you know exactly what I am talking about)... It was time for the campers to return to their dormitories... Er classrooms. The dorms are the classrooms of the school that they are renting. The children sleep on the school tables and the hard concrete floors with whatever bedding they had room to bring on the buses and Jeepneys to get to the camp.

It was heartbreaking to see.

It a world of ministry that values hip, cool, and groundbreaking as the model for growth, these students lead the way to the heart of Christ following after the Spirit, meeting in fellowship, joining together in worship.

It is so old school that I predict it will become new school.

It really is all about Jesus... Not just in phrase but in deed.

And in a world marked by poverty and corruption, the banner of Purity: Everywhere and Always stands tall and clear. Now that is being salt and light in the world.

IBC Heroes

Good Morning from Mindanao,

My sleep schedule is improving... Last night I stayed up to the wee hours of 8pm and woke up at 5:30 am (which is sleeping in by jet lag standards). If this continues I can expect to be fully on Fililppino time just in time to return to the US. Thank you everyone for your prayers and well wishes.

Yesterday was exciting in Iligan City. I preached in the local church, pastored by Frank Tameta (of whom I have affectionately nicknamed Tomato). Service was beatiful. It began with 8:30 Sunday school. With the aid of jet lag this wasn't such a problem but it is still not an idea that I would bring back to America.

After teaching a youth class of almost 30 students on the importance of baptism in Jesus name, the main service was underway. Well over a hundred people poured into the sanctuary under a tin room. Just as the first song began, rolling brownouts caught the city, causing the lights, and much to my chagrin, the fans to immediately sputter out. You could feel the temperature rise and it wasn't just the heat... After a small delay, a car battery and cables were produced which spit out just enough power to blast the keyboard and bass. Song after song filled the cramped neighborhood area, located around the church. (If you are a neighbor of the church- you would never miss a service especially when the microphones are on... Talk about taking the message to the streets).

Unlike my previous mission experiences, I recognized almost every song the worship team was singing. They were all contemporary worship songs but then I realized- they were all IBC songs (more on this later). After the worship service, prayer for the sick, and offering- the entire church cam forward to shake my hand and welcomed me to preach to them- talk about a confidence builder (this is an idea that I would like to take back with me to the states).

The remainder of the service was divinely anointed as people from the front to back shed tears and fell on their faces before the Lord. I preached myself into a puddle. But then again that is pretty typical of me even with air conditioning, this time I enjoyed an excuse.

After the service had concluded it was time for pictures. More pictures than a wedding party. Filippino people love pictures with white people... I empathized with animals in a zoo. But what really caught me off guard was a question by a few of the music team members.

"Do you know Alicia Hudson?" one of the young girls asked in a thick Filippino accent.

After deciphering what she said, I responded, "Well yes, I suppose I do."

"Oh, I just love her," she replied, "But my friend loves Jessica Petty more. They are our heroes. Did you sing with them when you went to In-gee-anna Bible College?"

I have never wished that I was into music ministry more. Here I was soaked from head to toe in sweat, 10,000 miles from home losing points because I can't tell the difference between a half rest note and a whole.

"We love all the songs that IBC sings and we watch them all online (the most recent CD they owned was 2007)," she continued.

Later in the day, it hit me what an impact that IBC has on the world that goes completely unnoticed, whether it is an unknown graduate that plants a home mission church in South Dakota to an IBC Praise singer inspiring a young Filippino girl. I have had critical things to say about IBC in the past, but you cannot overlook the enormous impact it makes on our world.

What IBC lack in formal education standards (accreditation) it makes up for in the opportunity it gives each of it's students. The opportunity to become a hero of the faith.

Now before this becomes a commercial for Indiana BIble College (I wasn't at the Allumni Banquet by the way), it's not just IBC or any other Apostolic Education Institute- it's the empowerment of today's Apostolic youth to follow after the spirit and take ownership of the gifts and talents that God has created them with.

It's Chad Thomas who has a burden for intervention ministries... Something much needed in Apostolic circles.

It's Corey Taylor who loves UFC so much that he started a blog, scored a major interview with "the Fight Pastor" and had e opportunity to see and report the undercurrent of Christianity spreading through the sport. (for more info search Fist to Mouth)

It's Jaydee Johnson who is on her seemingly 100th tour of West Africa missions.

Today's heroes are tomorrow's legends. Tomorrow's heroes are today's students.

We can be heroes... Follow your God given passion not your human creativity.

Dispatch from Illigan City, Philippines

Greetings from a wearied traveler,

After a 20 plus hour flight, a 12 hour time zone change, and two restless nights of jet lag... I am happy to report that I have reached the area of my final destination. It is scorching (100+) from the moment the sun rises- sometime around 5am- I know cause I had breakfast with the sun the last two days. The preachers joke here that they have two seasons in the Philippines, Hot and Hotter, April is the in the latter.

Illigan is a busy city on the sea with bountiful harvest of seafood; last nights dinner was calamari, sweat and sour chicken, and fried chicken. While certainly and eclectic mix, it was tasty and lighter than one would imagine, and as is with everything in the Philippines served wi a huge plate of rice. Better yet was the beautiful view from the restaraunt porch as we dined on the shores of the Pacific setting sun. Waves crashed gentily against the rocks as the surf and tides swept slowly along the shore. Children and families played peacefully in the sand, presenting a view of paradise most Americans seldomly experience- those from the Midwest at least.

But beyond the natural beauty of the islands is the raw experience of the people. Friendly and welcoming as they are all hustle and bustle throughout their daily lives. Illigan, unlike the madness on the streets of Manila (one of the most populated cities in the world) produces charming and warm people with warm smiles and an eagerness to help you- for the small sum of any donation you are willing to supply.

This being my second excursion to the Philippines, I cannot help but observing the large large element of aging, white American and western European men. One will see them walking hand in hand down the street with Philippino women a fraction of their age. To be perfectly honest, the sight of them creeped me out in my first visit. But this time I met one such gentleman on my plane ride from Manila to Cagayan de Oro.

Let's call him Terry from Arkansas.

We struck up and easy conversation being the only two Americans on the plane and being about a foot taller than everyone else. Through Terry's thick good ole boy accent, i sensed an underlying nervousness. He admitted that this was His first ever flight. I then asked the most natural follow up question,"how is it that your first flight was to the Philippines?"

"Because of Annie."

Annie was a Fillipino woman half his age from the pictures he showed me.

"Annie saved my life," he said in His thick accent. " I've never met her in real life but I feel like I know her more than I have ever met anyone before. This time I am going to do the marriage thing right," the father of four confessed.

And there it was... A human face on what I had previous thought somewhat disturbing.

We are all looking for redemption. Some of us just know where to look better than others. Some travel the world looking for a second chance. The truth is that God has given us the task of preaching, bring, giving the Gospel free of charge. The Gospel is the truth of the redemption of all men through Jesus Christ. Yet some how Terry found himself halfway around the world looking for what Jesus purchased for Him on Calvary.

This Sunday morning I am glad that my searching is over. I praise God that my journey is not one of inquest but of commission. That when I was like Terry, lost and confused I found in Him a resting place, the Holy Spirit. Be thankful for your church and your relationship with God. Without Him the world is a very big place.

Because of the way all airports are set up in the Philippines me and Terry walked out together. I told him that I was a pastor and to be encouraged that everything would be alright. He asked me to pray, and I did right there by the baggage claim. As we left the airport a young woman that I recognized from the picture in his wallet ran toward him and jumped in his arms.

" Because of Annie?"

No, Terry, because of Jesus.

The Wikipedia Effect: The WikiChurch

WIKICHURCH… 'Collaborate, Add, and Remove.'

Because Wikipedia is open source, it operates on the assumption the majority opinion is the right opinion, or by consensus, truth can be achieved by majority. By everyone expressing their individuality that the truth will emerge. This is an old lie repackaged as a new idea; the democratic approach to universal truth.

All opinions combined will lead to truth… sort of like all roads lead to heaven. Each person works together to produce the finalized information, the product. Each person feels entitled to add to the product or take away from the product.

Sadly, today's Christians have difficulty divorcing political belief from Christian living as democratic thinking has morphed into modern Christianity. Christianity is NOT a democracy. The end result is the Wikichurch, a church very different from the one established on the day of Pentecost.

The Church of Thyatira

A Wikichurch has members which feel entitled to be participants in the functions of the service and the natural growth of the church. The modus operandi is majority opinion of the saints dictates how the church should operate. A Wikichurch gives special ear to the desires of the saints who give more, they outreach certain groups of economic status. When saints begin to collaborate together, it can easily become the breeding ground of entitlement.

The Church of Ephesus

Feelings of entitlement grow up and choke the seeds of joy, privilege, gratitude that were gifts accompanying the Holy Spirit. It is easy to forget our first love; just to belong in the church triumphant, called out of darkness into His marvelous light! Paul catches the spirit of the Wikichurch:

2 Timothy 4:3-4
3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

The Church of Pergamum

A Wikichurch is one that adds and removes. They cannot endure sound doctrine like a legalistic church that cannot endure the preaching of sufficient grace, like universalistic church that cannot endure the preaching of eternal judgment. They reject the preacher, the pastor, the word that does not fit their definition of religion. They will not worship, unless the music fulfills their own lusts for their own musical tastes, whether young or old! They reject the notion of a sacrifice of praise.

They add those teachers and interpretations and stories of the things that fit their agenda, their church program.
They remove all aspects and requirements that hinder their desires and their version of Christianity.
"I know MY pastor preaches against that, but I just don’t feel convicted" and "Do you understand how hard it is to raise children in this day and age?"

The Church of Symrna

But the church triumphant, the church that Jesus purchased with His own blood on Calvary's Cross, is set up a little different. It is a church where everyone is equal at the foot of the cross. There is no rich or poor, no color.

The Church of Philadelphia

There is no seniority in redemption there is only love. There is no one beyond God's grace and mercy! Everyone comes together not because the sacredness is in the assembling because the sacredness is in the moving of the Holy Spirit connecting people through worship and rebuking and rebuilding them through the word of God! The saint of 35 years is no more "saved" than the person that stumbles in form the street.

The spirit moves freely… and the people pray without ceasing… and the preacher preaches truthfully. This is the church in motion. Paul illustrates:

2 Timothy 4:1-2
1. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove , rebuke , exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Paul to Us by way of Timothy- Don’t worry about Wikichurch Timothy, young preacher, pastors all over the world. Yes, they will not like what you are saying… But preach the word. They may rip pages out of the encyclopedia forever but the page is still in the printing office in the sky. (Psalms 119:89), The Word is bound on the cross and printed on the hearts of all believers on Pentecost.

The Wikipedia Effect: WikiTruth

The WIKITRUTH… 'Always Changing'

Wikipedia is an open source format. Anyone, no matter their education, knowledge, or intelligence level can change the definition of any of the topics that can be searched. China constantly edits out information from their page and the CIA has been known to remove information pertaining to the JFK assignation.

Wikipedia and its information is always changing. It is never solid, never consistent. The question that Pilate asked Jesus at the hour of His execution, 'What is truth?' is alive and well. Truth is relative and changes from one person to the next how ever they choose to edit it or define it for the world.

Truth, by definition, cannot be relative. The way one chooses to live their life has consequences on the people around them. There is a universal truth that is good for everyone. That is the truth of Jesus Christ. No redefinition needed.

Paul deals with the advent of Wikitruth in Romans 1:20-25:

20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened .
22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools ,
23. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator , who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Pauls argues from an unchangeable truth as the foundation of everything: God exists and has created all things with mankind as the crown of His glorious creation, created in His own image (Imago Dei). All of creation is the testament to God's eternal power. Through creation, Paul argues that God is revealed, and through man's ability, unlike every other creature, to reason and recognize God, we understand we were made to have dominion.

There is no excuse for not recognizing God in the intricacies of His wonderful universe. We then, are without excuse yet have continually generated them from generation to generation. It is in our failure to recognize God that man must recreate truth.

To reject God's truth is the same as rejecting God.

Man is left to recreate truth, seeking wisdom and education but not the answer to all things. Our imagination is only to the extent of ourselves… what mankind could conceivably do, create, accomplish. In this vanity and foolishness there is no need for faith and without faith it is impossible to please God. All the education in the world makes one foolish if it refuses to recognize the most elemental aspect. God is here. God is truth.

Paul continues to explain our origins of delusion. Because man cannot accept God's law we recreate God into our own image instead of the created order. We create demigods of life, replacements, representations and theories that speak on His behalf, yet it all has a common thread of the capacity of humanity and our desires.

In short; Paul says that mankind has exchanged the truth of God for a lie, according to human desires, ambitions, and goals. Worshiping ourselves and our accomplishments, has not solved world hunger, genocide, disease, or even weather patterns.

When Christians preach and believe the Wikitruth such as: Follow Christ on our terms not His. Follow the words of Christ but not the example of Christ. Take the things that you like, ignore the rest. We are no better than the Rich Young Ruler of the gospels who obeyed every commandment to his own destruction. His observance of the law was futile as he was lost.

Changing truth has a singular root- Love of the world. Because we love the world, the love of the father is not in us and we become blind guides who do not know the way.

But Jesus says' I AM the way, the truth and the life… no man comes to the father but by me!'

There is one truth- Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Blog One: Wiki Gospel
Blog Two: WikiTruth
Blog Three: WikiChurch
Blog Four: WikiJesus
Blog Five: WikiFaith

Youth Revival in the Philippines

This month (15th-23rd) I have been given an incredible opportunity to travel to the Philippine Islands. This will be my second trip to the nation as I am preparing to preach a four day Youth convention in Caigon City (19th-22nd).

I am asking everyone to pray for this event. I feel that God has impressed upon me to pray and fast for 500 young people to be baptized in the Pacific Ocean during this convention.

I will use whatever technology I have available to me during this convention to give twitter (follow me - @theocracy15), Facebook- Jordan Parnell, and blog updates on the status of this event. Until that time- please join me in faith believing and prayer that God would move in a mighty way.

-Jordan