The year 2011 is truly a memorial to God’s love and faithfulness to us and his work in the Philippines.

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Seniors! Today was a big milestone for Rachel and her classmates—the first day of their senior year in high school! As excited as we were that she would be graduating next year, we’re also reminded of that day when we left Tim at Simpson College in Redding, California in 1997. We were in tears, not knowing what to feel in sending a son away to college for the first time. And that was only the beginning; the same feelings were repeated, although not as intense, as we drove away from Biola University in 2001 (Lem) and 2003 (Oli).

These last couple of months, Rachel went college hunting, visiting three in southern California, and one in the northern state. It’s going to be a tough choice, especially with the astronomical costs, as much as $37,000 a year. Even with Federal, State, and in-house grants, the expenses are still quite prohibitive.

But our concerns run deeper than financing college. We hear more and more stories from co-missionaries and other parents in the Philippines and overseas about their children who used to be zealous about their Christian faith in high school but have dropped out of their faith when they stepped into college life. We often are very quick to lay the blame on secular universities, but many “drop out” even when they study in Christian colleges. The question then is, Does it really matter where our teens go to college?

Dr. Michael Horton, Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary California, says no in a short article, “Dropping Out (of the Faith) in College” “According to a recent study, it doesn’t really matter. College students drop out of the church at astonishing rates at religiously-affiliated as well as secular institutions.” So what are we to do? Dr. Horton says he usually shifts the subject from college to church:

In my experience, it’s far more important to find a good church than to expect a college to buttress one’s faith. Of course, it’s important to find a good church when you’re raising kids in the first place. Churches and families that fail to immerse young people in the covenant of grace place an awful burden on a college—even a solid Christian one—or a good church in a college town. Nevertheless, I’ve seen terrific examples of faithful churches that evangelize, teach, and incorporate even shaky believers into the body of Christ while there in college. The college doesn’t matter.

Horton has seen the results of this failure of families, schools and churches in preparing their children for the onslaught of anti-Christian culture in college:

Tough questions that you’d be asked on a secular campus weren’t pressed here. Everybody sort of nodded to the right answers, though not always sure why. Spiritually, it was pretty dull, routine, and mindless … A lot of those friends today are unchurched. Some are bitter—the last person they want to talk to is a conservative Christian, much less an evangelical. I don’t blame the college, but the whole religious sub-culture that shaped these young people and then provided a few extra years of moralistic, therapeutic deism.

John Armstrong, adjunct Professor of Evangelism at Wheaton College Graduate School, in his post “The Self-Esteem Gospel and the Faith of Christian Parents”, also lays the blame squarely on parents and churches for passing down a “watered-down” faith to their children:

What’s more, many American teens who do say they are Christians have actually embraced what is being termed for good reason “a watered-down ‘mutant’ form of Christianity, one that portrays God as a ‘divine therapist’ whose primary aim is to boost people’s self-esteem … What is very clear is that neither churches nor parents are adequately helping teens to see, or comprehend, what true Christianity is. Thus the faith of “Christian” parents has now been passed along to their children.

Horton also recommends this article by Marybeth Hicks, “College Students Need to Keep Their Faith.” Like Horton, Hicks says it’s not college choice that’s important, but

the tools to stay sane and safe – a well-formed conscience, a grounded faith based on whatever beliefs we espouse and have chosen to instill, and especially a commitment to pray for and with our young adults as they head out into the larger world.

A Plea for Catechizing our Children

As we think about our last year of nourishing, discipling, and strengthening the faith of our sons and daughters, let us remember the Bible’s prescription for teaching our children: catechism. No, catechism is not harsh even for little children, nor is it Roman Catholic. As Pastor Ron Gleason of Grace Presbyterian Church in Yorba Linda writes in “A 21st Century Plea for Catechizing Our Covenant Children,”

Children have a high capacity to learn, so the available catechisms are not too hard for them. Historically, catechism has been around since the time of Moses, as we shall observe. During the period of time known as the Reformation, virtually every Reformed pastor cobbled together a catechism for the children of the congregation … “Teaching, by the catechetical method, has marked the history of the church almost from the beginning down to the present time.” [This] statement might come as a shock to a number of people who believe that catechetical instruction is of recent vintage, or that it was only performed in the Roman Catholic Church. Both are misconceptions.

Gleason says that the road that families and churches took led this generation to “watered-down worship, preaching and teaching” by two things: first, “open ridicule of biblical truth, otherwise known by that dirty epithet of ‘doctrine’”; and second, assuming that the congregants “were simply too stupid to fathom the depths of the Bible.” He sees the importance of the unbreakable relationship between Christian doctrine and Christian living:

Far too many who call themselves Christians today are rudderless when it comes to living a distinctively Christian lifestyle and are unable to articulate a biblical life and worldview … They see little or no connection between the relationship of one biblical doctrine to another or to how a biblical doctrine has any association with ethical behavior.

To start, here are downloadable 16th century catechisms (PDF):

Heidelberg Catechism

Westminster Shorter Catechism

ANTIPOLO, Rizal, Philippines, July 2011—Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that this letter finds you in the gracious hands of our Lord.

We apologize since this is only our first official update since last December 2010 (most of our updates have only been through emails). So we owe you highlights about our family and mission from January.

Rachel played one of the orphans in Faith Academy's "Annie" musical	Lunch with Oli, Nem & Ching (Ngaihte) at one of Chiang Mai's markets	Tim & Chesney's family were visited by Lloyd & Nancy Peckham and Lem.
Click on images to enlarge

Last school year, I worked as half-time staff of Faith Academy as the school’s Webmaster to save about $1,200 on Rachel’s school expenses. But I found it difficult juggling my time between church ministries, teaching at the study center, and being webmaster. So we decided that Evelyn should apply to be part-time staff as Circulation Desk Manager and IGCSE Exam Officer. We pray that she will be accepted so we can retain the savings and free half of my time.

Rachel finished her junior year strong, and she will enter her senior year in about two weeks. In addition to track & field, she was part of her drama class presenta­tions, and played one of the orphans in the musical “Annie.” This summer, she was given a gift by her broth­ers and aunts and uncles to visit California. She has vis­ited 3 out of 4 colleges in California. We’re thankful that she can work for two weeks in a camp in the Santa Cruz mountains.

On May 9, we all joyfully welcomed Baby Tayte, Tim and Chesney‘s third boy and our third grandson. Caleb is 7 and Tyler is 3. Following after us!

By God’s grace, Tim is still a web developer for File­maker, Inc., while Lem is still busy working and travel­ling for CityTeam Ministries, both in San Jose, CA.

Oli and Nem have both settled in Lakerland—Oli with the LAPD and Nem does design for a print shop and taking classes for an M.A. Last month, they visited Nem’s parents who are missionaries in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We were so glad to meet them there and visit a new place (and also to be able to renew our Philippine visas).

Our family in the Philippines suffered a couple of tragic losses in the last three months. Hannah Ong, Evelyn’s sister Leah’s sweet 13-year-old daughter, and Renato Aguinaldo, Evelyn’s sister Beth’s godly husband, both lost their battle with terminal cancer.

Mission Church Report

Next month, Pasig Covenant Reformed Church will be praising the Lord for our third year anniversary. Please pray that our church will grow, both spiritually and numerically. We also hope to move to a rented room in a building, so we have several needs to establish it as a place for Bible study and Lord’s Day worship. More details here.

We rented a room in the 4th floor of this building in Aguinaldo Highway, Imus, Cavite

Back of postcard for promoting early morning devotional service

Rev. Allen Vander Pol, who visited us in 2009 (above), approved Mars Hill Study Center as a MINTS study center

I’ll be trying a “new” concept: 15-20-minute Wednesday morning devotional services for people before they go to their workplace. More details here.

As we plan to move into this building, we have the following needs:

• One-time: A-C unit ($600), 2 bookshelves ($75), table, desk & chairs ($100), whiteboard ($75).
• Monthly rent and utilities: about $200.

I finished a couple of sermon series, 1 & 2 Thessalonians and the Servant Songs of Isaiah, and am now in the middle of the Book of Isaiah (Chapters 34-35), a book filled with messages of judgment and restoration.

In February, Mars Hill Study Center officially became a study center affiliated with Miami International Seminary (mints.edu), so I’m now teaching a few pastors and elders on Saturday mornings.

After the two morning classes, I drive about 1.5 hours to a city called Imus in Cavite province to teach a new Bible study group. It’s still a small group, but we pray that God would bring more families in when we move our study to a more accessible venue.
To this end, I’m keeping an eye on a Filipino pastor whom I pray will be called by God to lead the ministry to this new group. Lord willing, in the next several months, they will start morning worship services.

Financial Update:

To date, our monthly support for this year has averaged only 47% of our budget. For this reason, we haven’t met our income tax and medical insurance obligations the last two years.

So we are praying that God will provide our needs. If you would like to become a ministry partner, please send your check payable to: MEANS, P. O. Box 8434, Bartlett, IL 60103. Please write “R1612 (FEURM)” on the memo line.

Thank you for your continuing prayers and support. ~ Nollie, Evelyn and Rachel

After a short battle with a brain tumor, our beloved husband, father, son, brother-in-law, and most of all, brother in Christ, Renato G. Aguinaldo, went to be with his Lord on July 4, 2011 at Philippine General Hospital in Manila.

Nato was born on May 27, 1960 in Hagonoy, Bulacan to Ireneo S. Aguinaldo Sr. and the then Ma. Asuncion Guanson. He graduated from Philippine Polytechnic University with a B.S. Commerce degree, major in Banking and Finance.

On May 12, 1984, he married the then Elizabeth M. Roxas from Caloocan City and settled in Malolos, Bulacan. He and his wife and son Jacob have been faithful and active members of Atlag Unida Church in Malolos, Bulacan since they started their married life.

He first worked at the National Telecommunications Commission, then at various shipping companies, and was last employed by Marlow Navigation Philippines, Inc.

He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Elizabeth Roxas-Aguinaldo, son Jacob, daughter-in-law Analyn, and grandson Gabby; mother Ma. Asuncion Guanson-Aguinaldo; sister Ma. Luz A. Lucman (Bong); brothers Florencio (Nelita), Ireneo (Sheila), Marcos (Nerissa) and Enrico (Sarah).

To view the memorial service in his honor, click the images below.

The Aguinaldo Family extend their gratitude to all who offered words of comfort and sympathy.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever
(Psalm 73:26).

To view the thank you card, please click on the images below.

In Remembrance and Celebration of the 100^th Birthday Anniversary of
Rev. Ruben B. Malabuyo Sr.

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 53:3-6; 10-12; Hebrews 12:1-2 (text)

April 6, 2011 • Tondo, Manila, Philippines

Today, many Christians are being persecuted not only in the southern parts of the Philippines, but throughout the world—tortured, their houses burned, and even martyred. Beginning with Jesus and his apostles, the world has always been hostile to believers. People of all kinds of religions hate Christians.

Why are Christians persecuted and killed? Because in the face of violent opposition, faithful believers refuse to deny their Savior and reject the false teachings of those who persecute them. Thousands of martyrs have suffered death as they stood firm in their embrace of the Biblical doctrine of justification through grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone.

To download a printer-friendly PDF file of this sermon, click here.

Of such men and women the writer of the letter to the Hebrews spoke about in Chapter 11. These faithful people of God looked forward to God’s promises which they never saw. Because although they lived in this world, they counted themselves as “strangers and exiles on the earth,” sojourners on their way to “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb 11:13, 16).

Rev. Ruben B. Malabuyo Sr. (1911-1980)

Tonight, we gather again to remember and celebrate the life of Rev. Ruben Malabuyo, and to proclaim our hope in his and our own resurrection because the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Although Pastor Malabuyo was not martyred for his faith, he is also one of our “heroes of the faith” because he persevered—with joy!—through all kinds of sufferings and trials in this world. I’m sure that during his last hours, he too counted himself as merely a pilgrim in this world, but now he resides in his homeland—a better city.

We have loved ones and friends, and together with the Old Testament “heroes of the faith,” they are our examples in our own pilgrimage in this world. Our text says that they are “a great cloud of witnesses” surrounding us. These witnesses are our examples in running and finishing the race of life, just as the Apostle Paul declared at the end of his own race, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7).

How did Pastor Malabuyo and all of them run and finish the race of life? First, before the race, they prepared and trained body and soul. Next, during the race, they ran with endurance. Lastly, they set a goal, the finish line, where Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, awaits with our prize.

How to Prepare

No athlete goes into competition without preparation. Sometimes, the preparation begins when the athlete is at a very young age. Two things are very important in the preparation: (1) light and small equipment, and (2) disciplined training and repetitive practice.

Light and Small Equipment

In all foot races, whether sprints or long-distance, runners today wear as little and as light as they can. Research continues to produce lighter and lighter shirts, shorts and shoes for running, soccer, basketball, swimming, cycling, mountain climbing and almost all other sports.

Why the obsession with light and small equipment? Because the lighter weight an athlete carries, the faster he performs for a longer time. Speed combined with endurance is the name of the game. Have you ever seen a fat world-class runner? All of them are lean but muscular. How does Manny Pacquiao overpower bigger and much taller boxers? He stays light and by staying light, he maintains his foot and hand speed against much slower boxers.

In like manner, the Hebrews writer exhorts all believers to shed all excess weight, which he uses as a metaphor for sin, “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.” Sin hinders, burdens and weighs down our spiritual growth in our lives. What are some of these sins? John says they are the love of the world and its lusts, desires and possessions. We have ambitions, families, hobbies, sports, Facebook and video games that hinder our focus on Christ and his Word on the Lord’s Day and on our daily walk with God. We harbor envy, jealousy, anger, malice and hate against our Christian brethren. All of these are obstacles along the way in our pilgrimage to heaven itself. All of these sins are weighing our lives down and are to be removed and laid aside.

Rev. Ruben Malabuyo and Family (1963): Front: Jasmin, Rosario, Levi, Ruben Sr., Liwanag; Back: Eden, Napoleon, Emily, Ruben Jr., Daniel (click picture to enlarge)

For Pastor Ruben Malabuyo, the most important day in his whole life was always the Lord’s Day. He trained his eight children to prepare every Saturday all things needed for the Lord’s Day worship services: clothes, time, and even lunch for the Lord’s Day. He trained us not to complain when we had to take a two-kilometer walk to church when we did not have enough money to pay for a jeepney ride.

Disciplined Training and Repetitive Practice

Just as an athlete goes through painful physical training and discipline (1 Cor 9:25-27), so Paul endured physical, financial and emotional hardship to preach the gospel to all nations. Repetition makes the athletic performance routine and second nature to the athlete. In boxing, football, or basketball, a player knows instinctively how to respond to all of his opponent’s moves because he has rehearsed and played the game over and over before the actual competition.

Pastor Malabuyo, being a former teacher, loved preaching and teaching. He would prepare long and hard for sermons and Bible studies after he came home from his full-time job. He knew it takes diligent study to be true to God’s Word. Since he never went to Bible school or seminary, every pay day, he would spend a portion of his salary to buy books so he would learn more about the Scriptures and preach the truth to the congregation. He built his own library in this way.

Likewise, how do you, as a Christian, discipline and train yourself to endure the race of life? Jesus himself tells us one way to train in discipline, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31). How would you abide in the words of Christ if not other than regular daily reading and hearing of Scriptures every Lord’s Day, at the same time studying, memorizing and meditating on them?

Another Christian discipline that trains you is praying without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), praying persistently so as not to lose heart and give up the race (Luke 18:1). Paul knows that prayer is the Christian’s most powerful resource in the fight of faith, so he exhorts you to “[pray] at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication (Eph 6:18). In the privacy of his terrible affliction when he struggled with cancer, Pastor Malabuyo constantly prayed for strength and comfort.

Before we set ourselves on the starting blocks in the race of our lives, we are to lay aside sin that so weighs down and hinders our walk with Christ. The word of God and prayer are essential parts of regular training in our race of life.

How to Run

The runners are Old Testament “witnesses” (Heb 12:1) who are “commended” for their faith (Heb 11:39). The English word “martyr” comes from a Greek root word that was translated “witnesses” and “commended.” Thus, the martyrs of the early church were those were witnesses to their faith and who gained the approval of Christ and a good reputation among the people.

Our spiritual lives are like a 42-kilometer marathon race, a long distance event. Can you run 42 kilometers, or even just one kilometer, without stopping to catch your breath and rest your legs? This is why athletes train and discipline their bodies and shed extra weight. They have to perform with speed and endurance.

Compared with most of us, Pastor Malabuyo’s life was difficult and full of sufferings, but he “ran with endurance the race that was set before him.” Our lives are like picnics compared to his nine-year struggle with cancer. All throughout his difficult race, he never complained, never grumbled against God. In fact, when the pain in his body was unbearable, he always prayed to his Comforter.

Likewise, you need endurance in your life’s race. The race before us is long. The finish line is never in sight until the last few hundred meters. So while we run the race, our sights are set on the race course, with its twists and turns, uphills and downhills, smooth and rough places, in the heat and cold wind. We can’t take it easy because the way to eternal life is narrow and full of obstacles. We have cast aside the sin that weighs us down. And this is what we have trained hard and disciplined our body and soul for.

Near the end of the race, all our preparations, discipline and running through the race of our lives will be in sight. The goal, the finish line, will be around the last turn, the last hill, and the last rough place.

What the Goal Is

“Near the end of Paul’s life, he says he has finished the race, fought the good fight, and kept the faith. And at the finish line, there was his reward waiting for him: the crown of righteousness, which is eternal life. As we run the race of life, we are to “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,” as our goal and finish line. When Jesus is our goal, we can keep the faith and finish the long and difficult race set before us.

Unlike many other people today, Pastor Malabuyo’s goal was not fame and fortune but to faithfully serve his Master. As a cashier at the Bureau of Customs, he handled a huge amount of transactions daily. Sometimes, customers would tell him, “Keep the change,” but he asked his Senior Pastor if it was a sin that he accepted these small gifts.

The hero and goal of our race of life is to be nothing else except Jesus himself. Why? Because no matter how faithful, how disciplined, and how godly the Old Testament saints were, they are not the founder and perfecter of our faith. Only the Spirit of Christ can give us the gift of faith and repentance. Only Christ lived a perfect life to give us perfect righteousness. And only Christ can give us the discipline and endurance required to run the race.

He can do this because he himself endured the race that his Father in heaven set before him. The cross of Christ was the greatest suffering and shame ever endured by any human being, because God poured out his righteous wrath on him as he carried all the sins of his people all the way to the cross. He was despised and rejected by sinful men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And yet, he disregarded his shame and suffering because he was focused on the joy that was set before him at the finish line of his sorrowful race.

This joy is that “he will see his offspring”—the multitudes of people that will be accounted righteous on his account. He will “prolong his days” into eternity after his resurrection. And he will reign from God’s right hand, executing God’s judgments, so that “the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand” (Isa 53:10).

Conclusion

Beloved friends, consider Christ, who endured his shame and suffering for the joy and glory set before him.

And like Christ, consider the joy and glory set before you when you finish the long and difficult race that God has set before you. Because Christ is the author and finisher of your faith, be assured that he will complete the good work he has begun in you.

Pastor Malabuyo ran his race with perseverance. He has now sprinted across his finish line. He has received his laurel branch of honor and glory—the crown of righteousness. Jesus himself welcomed him at the heavenly gates, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your master.” The great cloud of witnesses waiting for him from ages back, together with all the angelic host, burst into celebration, saying, “Welcome home, faithful Pastor Malabuyo, you have completed your race!”

This is Christ’s promise to all of you as well who are running your race to eternal life, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Rev 3:21). Amen.

Biography of Rev. Ruben Malabuyo Sr.

Ruben-Rosario Wedding Picture (1937, restored by Tim Malabuyo) (click picture to enlarge)

Rev. Ruben B. Malabuyo Sr. was born in San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines, the third of five sons.

He studied for two years at Philippine Normal School, and then taught at the elementary school in San Pablo City.

There he met Rosario C. Fule and they were married in 1937. In 1955, he started as a Cashier at the Bureau of Customs in Manila. Because of the long commute from San Pablo City, he moved his whole family to Tondo, Manila. Since that time, the Malabuyo family became regular members of the then Templo Central here in Moriones Street.

Because of his faithfulness in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ, and his diligence in the study of and teaching the Word of God, the church called him to be an Associate Minister (together with Rev. Arcadio Santiago) in 1960. Although he was a full-time employee, he persevered in his duties as a preacher, teacher, and in prayer and visiting the sick and the troubled. His gentle and compassionate presence graced all church events and activities.

In 1971, he was diagnosed with cancer, and had to retire prematurely from his pastorate. In January 1976, he sought medical treatment in the United States where two of his children were already residing. Soon after, four of their remaining six children in the Philippines also immigrated. He went to be with the Lord on August 3, 1980 in San Pablo, California.

He left his wife of 43 years, Rosario Fule Malabuyo (died 1996) and their eight children: Emily Tanquintic of Cainta, Rizal; Eden of Pacifica, California (died 1986); Liwanag of Hercules, California; Ruben Jr. of Balanga, Bataan; Daniel of San Lorenzo, California; Napoleon of Antipolo, Rizal; Jasmin Camacho of Vallejo, California; and Levi of Concord, California. Their third child, Bayani, died in 1949.