Posted: 06/03/2009 at 2:46am | IP Logged

On the Road with God

by Molong Nacua

THE PHILIPPINES -- Just came from a six day trip to an hour flight from Cebu to Manila, and then a ten hour by bus trip....and on the way to this trip, huh, my wallet was gone! Great! (he he)
So, all the way my driver's license was gone, ATM card, some documents and money.....but God took care of me along the way.
Anyway, I did two seminars on intentional-relational discipleship with about thirty five leaders of networks of house church.
I find this interesting, though: a lot of them express that the weakness of their ministry is discipling....well, i did house church for nine years, a lot of experience and some experiment has been taken, quite good and fruitful, and it spread like fire here....sad to say for Filipino's it has easily become an “endless meetings.” To make them healthy house churches, they should start to make disciples; then those new disciples will be a part of Jesus family, and this will become spontaneous meetings from house to house. Because if a house church starts from meetings, then it becomes structured, scheduled, endless meetings - at least here in my country. A church meets, but the “meeting” is not the church. Like a family, we don't ask when will they meet, but surely they meet.

BARKADAS

BARKADAS is the word here for friends numbering only from six to twelve at most...but mostly six....very normal gatherings anytime, everywhere, at any place and they do a lot of different activities which are unpredictable; everybody in the group can plan and everybody can support - -  the idea is they do things together, treating each other as family. They help one another; if something happens to the other, they believe and trust one another, they love each other so much that even their own physical families they can leave, no hierarchy, no leadership, no titles, no 'general' name calling like 'bro' or 'sis', but calling each other by their names; the word “community” can never be understood here as to what it is, because there is community already, I cannot use that word here honestly because if I have, then I have to define what it is, and it comes out as complicated - but instead simply encouraging them on what's going on already.

A friend in my province named Phil Walters has some wonderful stories here.


NEW BARKADAS

Last week we baptized four people - -  not me baptizing them but two were baptized by two different people - which makes them a disciple of Jesus. I love this “making disciples” going on - much more fruitful, more baptisms, that in seven months they got thirty three people around me, and twelve Jesus family groups put up - everyone treating like family together, having spontaneous spirit-led meetings as opposed to structured, scheduled one's. This is the way it works best here because we have community already everywhere. One instance, if you go to any community, and they see you just walking, normally everybody's nodding their head if you look at them in the eye [because they thought you know them and you thought they know you and don't want to be embarrassed] and if they're eating they will always ask you to join with them. Dining tables are not hidden in the center of their houses, you can glance at them in the window or at the door of their house, or mostly they ate outside: take a table, invite someone to join with them....somehow here, inviting someone into a “house church” meeting doesn't work, inviting them into a meal always works! And that's a “house” church is all about here.....and stories come from all around you, and you can share His stories with them too. At times, we don't call them a church now, a family is, being together is much more appropriate and scriptural.

During a two-day seminar, May 27-29 in Bayombong, Nueva Viscaya, we were talking about Making Disciples in two different sets of people.  I always want to hear them ask questions and get into conversations. Most inquiries have been asked already in my recent seminar trips; you can read them by scrolling my site here.


WHO SHOULD BE DISCIPLING?

One church leader's particular question is: When is the person qualified to make disciples?

Let's be careful, this question arises from a structured mind-set of making disciples called “discipleship program.” And so this question, paraphrased, could be, "What training can we give to the person who would be able to disciple others? What teachings should he go through? How many months? Or even years?" To his dismay I answered him a quick reply, "A person is qualified to make disciples when he is a disciple. A disciple is one who makes disciples; that's his purpose." When he starts following Jesus words, hearing His voice, being led by His Spirit, I believe he can start practicing at the moment of his second birth; then he is able to lead others into the same journey. Taking someone on the journey does not take a long distance affair; it only takes you to go alongside and go together with him. The journey would be exciting and full of surprises if there were two walking together on the road to Emmaus, “for where there are two or three gathered, there am I in their midst.”


FATHER FIGURE IN NUEVA VISCAYA

The highlight of my trip are those relationships being built.  A friend named Abruce, thirty two years old, but was very aggressive in his ministry. As we drove with him in his old, used car, I was amazed as his finger pointed at many locations, sighting the twenty five house churches around his town. But at the same time I was aware of the need for discipling God's people. I slept at their house for a night, but didn't sleep until 1:00 in the morning, talking about a lot of things including family issues and concerns and future plans about his children. We've had some wonderful times together. Another father whom I respected much is my host Dennis Harms, a Canadian sixty seven-year old man married for forty years to a seventy year old Filipina. See those numbers? I ask them what's their secret of marriage longevity; Sally, his wife, answered me sternly, "Forgiveness." I was shocked a bit; here am I, thirty three year old, married to a twenty six year old woman for six years now; see the difference? She said that forgiveness is based on your decision to forgive - - from the heart, not from the person who mistreated you. Because men normally has some “male ego” as she called it [my wife agreed and we laughed]. We tend to forget what they've done. Amazingly she said that her husband would willingly ask for forgiveness, but then she forgets what the situation is all about. Isn't this wonderful? Dennis, was a very humble man, a father indeed by heart treating his own children like Ambruce.  Ambruce has mentioned this to me, word-for-word, that he felt Dennis was like a son to him and that Dennis’ family was like his own. I couldn't believe it, as I told Dennis, how he just sits there and doesn’t even say a word while I speak and start discussions.  I admire his just being there for me.


FATHERING YOUR NEXT GENERATION

My message in this “Making Disciples” trip is how to start fathering and mothering your next generation. How will Jesus statement really happen when He said, "He who leaves fathers and mothers and children will have hundreds of them." If church is a family, a “household of faith,” then there should be some “parents” in the Lord, as there are children in the Lord. Of course, Jesus didn't mean to demean your family; He is just redefining it. He who can manage his own household will be able to manage God's. If there is a place where revival must  begin. then it should be where sin begins: in the house, the family. Right from where the O.T. ends is where you can find family relationships being broken, and in N.T. we find John the Baptist preparing Jesus way, by turning the hearts of the father to the children and the children to the father to make way for the Lord. At the end of Malachi in the last verse, it talks of Jesus ministry through John. The point is, how to prepare the way of the Lord? Luke 1:17 revealed - families being restored. Luke 10: 1 - Jesus sends His disciples two-by-two before His face...from house to house. Thus fulfilling David prophesy: PSALM 22:27


RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

You've got to have a gift of patience when it comes to transitioning a church from Traditional / House Church Structures to simply becoming Jesus’ family on earth, as it is in heaven. But this is only wasting your patience in an impatient people in your church. Why not start it right here, right now? A wonderful book written by a friend entitled Right Here, Right Now can really deal with issues such as traditions of men, religious rules that prevent you from getting the real thing. Get your copy here, or contact me if you're on my country at molong.nacua@gmail.com.


LUZON SUMMIT

On the 29th in the morning, Ambruce and I were heading south towards Nueva Ecija, a five-hour trip by bus. Since I am finished and my flight back home is on the 31st, I thought I’d better drop in there and see some friends in the network. We had wonderful times together as friends and family discussing and talking and praying. We shared different views, too, on a  couple of topics including Making Disciples. Traditional Church, House Church, or even Making Disciples of Jesus is just the means of fulfilling God's purpose for His Church - as his Bride-to-be, His family. For two days we were together in a room, transferring to our friends’ house for meals together and more talks. We slept together in one room, pack in like sardines in a can!


LESSONS FROM THE SUMMIT

Building Healthy Devoted Relationships, here, is the most important thing when it comes to church “stuff” - -  nothing more, nothing less. When Jesus speaks of loving God and one another in the N.T., this can only be fulfilled through relationships. Discussing geneologies, theologies, and whatever other “ologies” we've got that are different from others  is not that important at all, if you don't mind. As friend David Lim argues, our theologies were not there five to ten years ago; the point is maybe next year you might change it again. But then arguing and discussing traditions of our minds, granted, is quite helpful 'til we all come to the unity of faith' but then debate is not the way to fulfill it. 'Speaking the truth in love' will. Eph. 4:13-15.


A FAMILY TOGETHER

One thing we agreed upon, we will treat one another as members of our own family. It shows by the way we treat one another. And this is very important. We ate together, and encouraged one another in love, understanding and accepting one another's weaknesses. My prayer is that “we will grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ.”


ON THE WAY BACK

God has been good on my journey; He has always been. On the first day of my trip my wallet was gone; either it was some pickpockets, gang around Manila, or I dropped it in the bus seat as I slept while traveling for nine hours. Anyway, going back to Manila we all traveled together; about six of us packed in the car. Traveling back five hours was tiring because of a two-hour traffic problem in Quezon City. I couldn't believe I slept during those hours. When I woke up the traffic was still there. Wow, what amazing traffic! I slept for a night in a friend’s house, and while on the way to the airport I almost lost my flight! Poor Molong. Finally got home last Sunday, and nice to be back with my family - - - without my Driver’s License, ATM card (which is below maintaining balance), my official receipt of motor registration, some important receipts, and money too. Thanks for Filipino friends who offer help in anyway while on my way for this six-day trip. How did I get back without showing any ID's at the airport? Dennis was gracious enough to get me an affidavit of loss.

I have been to crises and back, and back is important.