Pastor Lance Filio preaching
—Guest Post By the Rev. Mr. Nollie Malabuyo
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On the Lord’s Day, September 8, 2013, Trinity Covenant Reformed Church in Imus, Cavite held its regular Sunday adult class and worship service. But it was also a thanksgiving service for God’s faithfulness to the church in its first two years.
The theme of the service was from Jude 3, “Contending for the Faith that was Once for All Delivered to the Saints.” Rev. Lance Filio, Associate Pastor of Baclaran Unida Evangelical Church, preached the sermon on the theme, “What Does it Mean to be a Believer?” based on Jude 1–4. He reminded the congregation that faith is objective, not “faith in faith” as is popular today. He also exhorted the people that faith is visible in its evidences: confessing Christ with the mouth, receiving the sacraments, and submitting to the discipline of the church.
We’re also thankful for an attendance of about 50-60 people, many of them first-time visitors. A great time of food and fellowship among new and old friends followed the service.
Pastor Nollie Malabuyo leading worship service
Trinity Covenant Reformed Church was formed by believers who were concerned that most evangelical churches in the Philippines have departed from scriptural teachings to accommodate entertainment and the extremes of social and prosperity gospel. Though our first two years were not lacking in financial and attendance struggles, we gave praise and thanksgiving to God who was faithful in upholding our new church. We have had many visitors, but only a few stay. The enticing and glamorous entertainment of big megachurches around us are much more attractive to them. The popularity of the prosperity gospel and moralistic, therapeutic sermons are more “relevant” and “authentic” to them than the true gospel of Christ.
On June 18, 2011, I started a small Bible study group in a home in Imus, Cavite. We continued to meet until September 11 when we held our first Lord’s Day worship service in a small rented room. By that time, we were joined by several other visitors, and almost all of these 10–15 believers were new to the Reformed faith. On May 5 of this year, the church was organized after the election of our first two elders and two deacons. Today, there are 20 professing members, including three baptized children, and weekly attendance is about 25-35 people. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper every first Sunday of the month.
As we look forward to future anniversary celebrations, we praise God for his faithfulness in building up the church through “the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers.” If the Lord wills, we will have two Lord’s Day services with catechism classes and fellowship in between. We also plan to invite the surrounding community to a new midweek Bible study. Our desire is to disciple the members of the church into mature Christians, and proclaim the true gospel to “inquirers” who visit us.
The church has a new website. We’re also on Facebook. You can view a gallery of pictures of our 2nd anniversary service in this new post.
If you would like to financially support this work in the Philippines, please email me.
R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.
More by R. Scott Clark ›
I’m slightly concerned, revt brother, that you seem to be unaware of a rather older evangelical reformed group also working in the Greater Manila area. One of their churches is the Grace Community Church in Pasig and another is the Calanasan Baptist Church in Silang, Cavite. Probably these churches are far enough away from yours for you not to be treading on each others’ toes, but you should know about them, and also about the Grace Ministerial Academy in Cubao, and they should know about you. Their home url is http://www.crbc-ph.org/ and the works I have mentioned are accessible through links from that website. It might be profitable for you to consult and compare each others’ literature and teaching materials in general, for instance.
I write as a believer in the Covenant Principle, seeing the primary antitype of circumcision to be regeneration, which takes place following a completed period typified by the seven days preceding circumcision, water baptism being only secondary to this, leading me to believe that baptism should be linked in time to profession of regeneration.
http://heidelblog.net/2009/01/who-or-what-gets-to-define-reformed-re-posted/
John,
I’ve known the Reformed Baptists in the Philippines for many years, and I have some friends among them.
Thank you for that, brother Nollie. I didn’t think it was implied by “most evangelical churches in the Philippines have departed from scriptural teachings to accommodate entertainment and the extremes of social and prosperity gospel”, but clearly I misunderstood you.
As regards your re-posting brother Scott, it is possible to accept all that is said about the Covenant of Redemption being one covenant, etc., and still to argue that the right of the children of believers to baptism doesn’t create a duty to baptize them at the wrong time, any more than the right of the sons of Old Testament Israelites to circumcision created a requirement to circumcise them at the wrong time. This is my position as a reformed Covenant Principle baptist. If you say I am not reformed, then the Lutherans can say YOU are not reformed, since they were a part of the Reformation before you were.
“We have had many visitors, but only a few stay. The enticing and glamorous entertainment of big megachurches around us are much more attractive to them. The popularity of the prosperity gospel and moralistic, therapeutic sermons are more “relevant” and “authentic” to them than the true gospel of Christ.:”
Christ’s sheep hear his voice and will find a small, true church like this one, rightly passing by the sub or unbiblical megachurches.
Thanks for the encouragement, Matt.
You are welcome, sir.