THE 2011 GENERAL CONFERENCE AND ANNIVERSARY: A REVIVAL

The Challenge to Unite

         Following the Wesleyan tradition, the IEMELIF General Conference was held on February 24-27, 2011,  at Aniban IEMELIF Church in Cavite; it was attended by more than 600 delegates from America, Middle East, Asia, and the Philippines. It was such an enthused gathering that remarkably shamed the spirit of divisiveness brought by previous debacles that shook the very foundation of this religious organization.

          For many years, the clouds of test had been lingering on the camp of His children in IEMELIF as if looking for those who still have the courage to trust Him while crossing “the valley of the shadow of death.” Painful as it may seem, the IEMELIF had to slow down, if not to stop for a while, to honestly assess her calling; to encourage those who were hurt and doubtful; to define her religious-philosophy, enlarge her vision, accelerate her mission, and clarify the goals as an indigenous Church; and to pray for strength to overcome the test. On the other hand, she continued to nurse the hopeless and took care the wounded so that her people may keep on staying, surviving, and serving Him with perseverance until the end. At last, the IEMELIF made it through His grace!

          Now, renewed with the spirit of reconciliation, acceptance, forgiveness, wisdom, and grace from God; the entire General Conference has seemed to have become God’s “Mt. Sinai” to remind His people of the importance of His laws. Enough! Says the Lord! Go! Make disciples for me. Sound the trumpet of salvation and ready your battle gears. March and proclaim My Name to every nation.  It’s about time that you “…Engage the world.” Thus the fitting theme, “Visible Unity: A Force to Engage the World,” which guided the week-long celebration of IEMELIF.

          It has been observed from the past that the General Conferences could hardly get 350 to 400 delegates despite all efforts from all districts to support the annual general meeting. This could be attributed to the lack of interest of the majority. But everybody was surprised that more than 600 delegates attended the recently concluded  2011 General Conference.  This could mean many things. First, the change of venue from Beulahland IEMELIF Center at Novaliches to Aniban IEMELIF Church in Cavite gave the participants a sense of curiosity of what Aniban IEMELIF Church can offer in terms of accommodation. Second, the issue that ended the decade-long corporate court battle against IEMELIF Sole versus IEMELIF Aggregate called the attention of the members of why the Supreme Court of the Philippines sided to the petition that the IEMELIF Church is a Corporate Aggregate religious organization. Finally, members would like to know how the General Conference will react to the resolution to unite the Church. 

          First time in the history of Methodist Protestant Church in the Philippines, if not in the world that this sensitive internal issue about unity and reconciliation had been successfully addressed.  Even the mother church, Methodists around the globe, failed on this. Of course we owe this to the Lord we serve. What had prevailed during the General Conference was distinctively phenomenal that most protestant churches in the Philippines could hardly believe that such an event was taking place. It has become the headline among Christian pulpits and meetings and couldn't help but have a misty eyes for at last the first Filipino Evangelical Methodist church in the Philippines is back to its feet. They would like to know what transpired in-between so that they may learn from it. For many, this was an isolated case; others say this was due to their able lawyers who handled the case; but I say, this was entirely the mysterious hand of God. Undeniably, it was a miracle in the making which would renew the Church to total transformation. A selfless act. A denial of comfort, power, and material benefits can only be done by those who have truly experienced the love of Christ for His church as the song puts it “not to us Lord, but to thy Name give glory…to thy Name give praise”.

          Today, I’m sure heaven is taunting Satan and making him a laughing stock because he couldn’t; he cannot; and will never be able to continue winning to destroy the church using a “divide and conquer” tactics. The IEMELIF has given the Christian world out there the meaning of “visible unity".  The IEMELIF Church was the first to have become an indigenous Filipino Methodist Church in 1909 and has now the first to have ever unanimously accepted its detractors in the Spirit of love and forgiveness. Because she knows that this is going to be the very message she would be giving to the world to attain social holiness, that is, the message of salvation in the name of Jesus Christ. The Church cannot proclaim with credibility the meaning of solidarity, peace, and brotherhood if she is divided and unable to genuinely forgive.

          On the 102^nd founding anniversary of IEMELIF Church which was held at Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on February 27, 2011 - the culmination of the 4-day annual gathering - the hall was unbelievably packed with attendees from all over the world. This has again manifested the vibrant spirit from God which has long been dormant and passive. Many who have come late couldn’t enter the session hall anymore because it was filled with people who were praising God for freeing the IEMELIF Church from hatred and self-centered spirits. The Bishop and General Superintendent, Nathanael P. Lazaro, addressed the saints about the theme: Visible Unity: A Force to Engage the World and made it clear that every local church must become contributor for the attainment of peace to make this world a "better place to live in."  After the message, he announced the church assignment of each pastor, deaconess, layman, and workers, and concluded the session with a benediction.  Between now to April 2011, these workers will rise and go to their respective offices. Others were retained and most were commissioned somewhere else but the spirit of trust and obedience shall continue to be the greatest strength of IEMELIF. For her people, this newly found experience of unity, forgiveness, and hope is enough to regain the credibility of the IEMELIF Church to teach, preach, worship, and evangelize the world.

          The 2011 General Conference and anniversary of IEMELIF has revived the Church, probably unintentional but God meant it for the common good. Unlike the previous conferences and anniversaries, this gathering was full of spirit of unity and forgiveness. What had taken place will continue to challenge the still divided Church of Christ out there. Learn from IEMELIF. Let us not just unite in spirit and in word but in deed. Let us persevere in making the community of believers truly the holy people of God.

          God will not abandon His people. He is the strength and power of His Church. A famous hymn said, "He giveth more grace when the burden so heavy; He sendeth more strength, when the labor's increase; to added affliction He added His mercy; to multiply trials, He multiplies peace. His Love has no limit; His grace has no measure; His love has no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite wisdom in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again." In addition, the IEMELIF hymn declares the following: "Ang IEMELIF ay diwa ng buhay at ng pag-ibig. Ang IEMELIF sa Ama umaasa hanggang langit; sa IEMELIF ang kasalana’y pilit nilulupig; O sa IEMELIF, pag-ibig ay naghahari bawat saglit." (The IEMELIF is a spirit of life and love. She trusts no one but the Father above. The IEMELIF shall always try her best to battle and win against sin. Yes, love always prevails in IEMELIF.).

          Attendance doubled; forgiveness was made; detractors were accepted unconditionally; visible unity was attained; and the spirit of reconciliation has come back.  The IEMELIF Church is perfecting her being through an act of  faith and obedience. Truly, she can manage her own religious affairs where no one up to this very day has visibly equaled. Amen + 

METHODISM: THE MOTHER CHURCH OF IEMELIF PART 2

The Doctrine of Methodist and Its Relevance Today
          All religions have their dogmas, the body of beliefs about God such as a country’s constitution. Some believe in the Father, Son and Holy, Spirit (Trinitarian); while others believe in monotheism, a certainty in one God; still, others believe that this “Three Persons” is actually Jesus Christ expressed in many ways, while others say that the “Three Persons” represents the Father. God is interpreted in many ways as Spirit, Power, Force, Idea, Being, First-Cause, and Ultimate-Cause. Still, to many, this God is perfect, holy, and rational; love, just, and in control. Thus, religions have different emphasis, about God.

          Obviously, Methodists are strongly Arminianists, Jacobus Arminius who is a Dutch Reformed theologian. The Methodists believed that a person’s free will can embrace or thwart the offer of grace (salvation) and that the Good News of salvation or grace cannot be earned. This leads to conclusion that man has absolutely no contribution about it; that God’s offer of ransom is conditional, that is, it is dependent only on faith to Jesus Christ. Although the atonement that Jesus Christ made on the cross was for all people, this grace can be resisted because man has the power to follow or not, to obey or disobey, to accept the redemption or to reject it. While for those who are already in the flock who became a serious- offender lose their chance of salvation if they do not repent of their sin before they die. This is why it is always important to repent and ask forgiveness, seriously.

          This was the doctrine that influenced John Wesley where he made all his effort to live-out and be faithful till the end. He urged his people to live carefully lest they fall away from grace. A man so engrossed in serving God that he lived and died for what he stood for, enough to inspire of those who continued his legacy. Hundreds of years have passed and his life still inspires his followers up to this day.  Wesley’s life had been for centuries became part of the curriculum of seminaries where students so closely examined his contribution to Christianity and emulated his example.

          The Methodists believe in the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To this, Christology is understood in consubstantial mystery about the union of humanity and divinity of Christ. In most services, especially during Communion, the Apostle Creed is recited, a careful summary of doctrine taken out of the Nicene Creed. This belief summarizes in general the dogma of Methodism; so that there is always a constant effort to inculcate in their consciousness the God that they serve. Disciples must understand the capsulated form of what they believe so as to make strong affirmation before God who graciously gave them His love.
          Wesley understood how it is to serve God. In one of his covenant prayers he wrote: “…Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.”—Covenant Prayer of Wesley

          I'm sure God would be looking for application of belief that helps to unite the Body of Christ and not divide; seek the lost and not ignore them;  be humble in obedience and not brag your money, power, and influence; worship Him in Spirit and in truth and know that He is God.  The Scripture says, "Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe." - Heb 12:28.

          The Methodists affirm, confess, and apply to humanity their God. They understand that they have the responsibility to study their faith and make the most out of it. For it is in faith and obedience that grace is revealed.
          For the meantime all saints must persevere in serving God and be honest in doing so for He sees all actions and motives.

METHODISM: THE MOTHER CHURCH OF IEMELIF PART 1

Important Highlights of the History of Methodism

          If there is one successful and ever growing evangelical protestant church in the world, this is the Methodist church. It’s reported to have reached seventy to eighty million in 2006 globally. It’s hard to imagine that they just started from few zealous young  people almost 300 years ago.

          Its origin is Great Britain and it started as a movement in response to spiritual and moral decay of their time. It broke away from the Established Church, the Anglican Church, to address the seeming hopeless condition of society in 18^th century brought about by obsessive beer drinking, gambling, and crime of all sorts. It is quite interesting that the Anglican Church was unable to address the problem despite enormous influence and power to the dismay of the Wesleyan Methodists. They found out that the Anglican Church had their share to this chaos as they were said to have invested a large amount of capital for gin-making. Drinking of alcoholic beverages was a profitable business and it generated a lot of income for the church. It was observed that one out of four houses was either a gin-maker or seller. The Established Church could have stopped this by introducing reforms first to their ranks, to parishes, and then to their respective localities; but it was hard to stop especially if it involves revenues.  

          The Wesleys responded with a strong call for individual holiness. They went from market to market, to plazas, towns, and to many places where people meet. Where people gathered there the Wesleys would put up a stage or would just utter a voice and preach God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. To make this more effective, they brought church music (hymns) outside the church and sang them to public places to get attention and gather a crowd. To John Wesley this was not difficult to do, because he was a trained and educated theologian, musician, and Anglican clergyman. With the help of his brother, Charles Wesley, the followers grew rapidly and called themselves the “Methodist.” When they are gathered publicly, people would often refer them, "Wesleyan Methodists" because of strong discipline and seeming fanaticism that they have. They concentrated to the study of the Bible and put up small groups from place to place. They would often tell the people about the importance of obedience and living a life that is worthy and acceptable with God.

          Through charismatic campaign and missionary activities, they literally covered the entire British Empire and soon reached the soil of United States. John Wesley taught his followers to abstain from living a luxurious life. His first followers were students and met regularly to fast, to study the Bible, to make testimonies, to encourage, motivate others to follow the Lord, and to observe communion every week. Often, they would visit the sick, the prisoners, and those who are bereaved, and imprisoned.

          Undoubtedly, many of church strategies Christians use today were actually  "Methodist" in form and structure. Theirs, the Methodists, were considered unorthodox, something non-traditional, thought provoking, or should I say unacceptable to norm. Was it? Well, look at how this movement reached this far in faith, in number, and in deed.

         The Methodists learned the value of professionalism, seriously; second, they learned to live-out their faith and stood for what they believed; third, they were very effective with their Bible study, fellowship, communion, worship, and community services to achieve personal community holiness; fourth, they targeted the young people and trained them well; lastly, the Wesleyan Methodist was revolutionary in nature. She conquered enemy territories, won sinners for the Lord, brought back morality in Great Britain, expanded to continents, and made the world its parish.

THE CHALLENGE OF INTEGRATION

Unknown to Many

          Unknown to many Filipinos of today is the IEMELIF Church's contribution to religious nationalism. At its backdrop is the struggle of Filipinos for independence against the oppressive government of Spain with its friars for nearly 400 years. This was followed by the American occupation for more than 50 years.

          Motivated by the lives of heroes like Gomez, Burgos, Zamora, and Jose Rizal; Rev. Nicolas Zamora, the first Filipino who was ordained as Methodist pastor by the Americans, decided together with other nationalistic elders to form the first Filipino protestant church.

          In 1909, the IEMELIF (Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en las Islas Filipinas), also known as The Evangelical Methodist Church in the Philippines, came into being. It spread-out from Tondo, Manila and to Notrthern and Southern Luzon. It tirelessly proclaimed the Good News of salvation and brought many followers to the feet of Jesus. Today, it continues to keep its mandate to evangelize the world about Jesus Christ and reaches out not only in the Philippines but to other parts of the world, in Asia, Canada, America, and Europe.

          Then and now, the IEMELIF Church continues to adhere to its objectives to self-propagate, self-sustain, and self-govern through the unwavering support of its members around the world. There is a continued growth taking place to every local congregation. You can feel the love and solidarity of a truly Filipino in mind, in words, and in action; which is attributed to the Holy Spirit's guidance that made the IEMELIF grew in number and wisdom because the will is attuned to fully cooperate with God. This is grace that enables the ministry to move on. As the Scripture says in 1 Cor 12:11 "All these gifts, achievements, abilities are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same Holy Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually exactly as He chooses." True enough, He never fails to supply the needs of His people in IEMELIF.

          As an Evangelical Protestant Church, the IEMELIF has contributed a lot to Filipino religious nationalism. The Church stood firm with her mandate to follow the Lord amidst global financial crisis that brought down economies around the world. Uniquely, the IEMELIF's music is made out of human composure, a music of personal religious experience and her people have a balanced view of prosperity and austerity; of love and discipline; and of perseverance and assurance of grace. Truly, God is proclaimed within the ideals and aspirations of Filipinos. 

          She will be the focus of our gramar-exercises, paragraph-development, and article-making. I'm glad to to inform you that the unique integration of English in the IEMELIF context is the first to have ever tried in this Church. Let this be known that this is a personal effort. But of course you have the chance to say something either to praise, to correct, and best of all - to contribute.

          Let me close by saying that the challenge of integration is not simple. By signing up to this blog, I shall have endless reasons to continue on writing for the Lord as time and tide wait for no one. Paul said to 2 Tim 1:11 "For the proclaiming of this Gospel I was appointed a herald (preacher) and special messenger and a teacher of the Gentiles." Therefore, let all opportunities be made and done for the glory of the Lord.

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