InTouch Vol.2 2012 by Asian Theological Seminary

The Official Newsletter of the Asian Theological Seminary

www.ats.ph

Vol.2.2012

p4 Pastors Carlo Laplano, Danny Prado, Leonardo Aurora & Michael Jocson get the benefits of ATS Training Cover story p14 More Of Christ A message

p10 Tatlong Tropa sa Silangan, Thailand at Cambodia A report p22 Give Thanks Joyfully A Devotion

CONTENTS PAGE

Training On the GO

In Touch 2012

months, and this issue shares some of these

Cover story by Leslie Lofranco Berbano

stories with you.

Tatlong Tropa sa Silangan, Thailand at Cambodia

of ATS students and other volunteers focused

A Report by Mark Joseph Gicain

Exciting things have happened in the past

While thousands of young people hied off to vacation places last April and May, three teams on how to minister to different people groups in Southern Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia. Read about their fulfilling summer on page 10. President Dr. Tim D. Gener’s message given last July during ATS’s 43rd anniversary delivers a strong case for seminaries’ raison d’etre. Read about it on page 14. It’s a good feeling when our Center for

More Of Christ

A Message By ATS President Dr. Tim D. Gener

Meet the Board

Continuing Studies is invited north and south of the Philippines to train pastors and Christian workers in different churches and provinces. CCS Payatas just finished Module 4 and pretty soon will have Modules 5 and 6 . Check out page 4. Fifteen special people are very much on board with ATS, read about them on page 16. We hope you will enjoy this issue. We pray for you to always be open in your heart and spirit to

Give Thanks Joyfully

A Devotion By Dr. Ado Gorospe

the many ways God is wooing you to Himself. He loves us more than we can think or imagine.

Ammi Belle M. Armas Head, Communications and Development Office

IN TOUCH STAFF Roy Antonio Glevy Baybayon Marizol Duran Ella Abigail Santos Honey Belle Wong

Photographers

Contributors

Roy Antonio Vachna Va Glevy Baybayon Leo Armas

Leslie Lofranco-Berbano Mark Joseph Gicain Design and layout

Roy Antonio

ATS MISSION Teach. Lead. Transform. To glorify God by providing quality theological education for Christian leaders to effect Biblical transformation in the Church and society in Asia and beyond

ATS VISION To become the leading Evangelical seminary in Asia that produces outstanding servant leaders

Accreditations: Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) Asia Theological Association (ATA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

by: Leslie Lofranco-Berbano

The training that CCS provides may be simplified, but it is far from simplistic

Jesus Christ the Lord of All is a tiny church in Payatas, Quezon City that leaves little elbow room for worshippers, but what goes on within its cramped confines is nothing to be sneezed at. Already, within nine months, the church has produced a 40-strong daughter church in Leyte province. And on Sunday afternoons, it serves as the venue for a Payatas-wide theological education program under the ATS Center for Continuing Studies (CCS). This Sunday afternoon, a group of eleven pastors and leaders from different churches in Payatas are on their last session of the third module on Bible study methods. CCS Coordinator Ian Hibionada, who handles the module, selects the students who are to present their Bible study lessons. Everyone titters with excitement. This exercise gives them a chance to practice what they have learned. After each presentation, an evaluation is made. Ian stresses the importance of accurate

Trainees listen to Pastor Ian’s lecture on Bible Study Methods

A Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches study shows that 39% of pastors have no theological training observation, contextualized interpretation, and relevant application. There is one primary rule in Biblical interpretation, he says. Read, read, read! Heads nod in agreement. At one point, a spirited discussion ensues about the context of a passage. Is Revelation 3:20 a verse for evangelism? This sparks a healthy exchange of ideas. Clearly everyone is engaged. What is so unique about this program and what is it doing in a place like Payatas? It isn’t your usual graduate course, with its sophisticated curriculum and theorysavvy students. The CCS is a special program born out of the need to equip pastors, leaders, and workers who lack the means, time, or academic qualifications to get into serious theological training but who desire to be better pastors, preachers, counselors, Bible students

and interpreters. ATS VP for Finance Dr. Fernando Lua cites a PCEC study that shows 39% of pastors in the Philippines have no theological training. Many of them are homegrown, often with little education, from small independent churches that spring up among the urban poor or in the countryside. It is to bridge the gap in theological education among these pastors that the ATS CCS was conceived. The training that CCS provides may be simplified, but it is far from simplistic. Seasoned ATS professors go out of their way to teach in far-flung areas. It’s the seminary that goes to the students. Pastors and workers who would otherwise not have the privilege of a seminary education are given the chance 5

Coffee break and fellowship

to learn basic principles, methods, and skills of Bible study and interpretation; preaching; counseling; church administration; pastoral ethics; and financial management (among others) in ten 16-hour modules that will eventually earn them a Certificate in Pastoral Ministry or a Certificate in Biblical Interpretation.

ATS Prof. Noli Mendoza speaks on “Preaching That Changes Lives“

Dr. Lua, who has conducted many of these trainings himself, is proud of the outcome. Since its establishment in 2006 under the term of then-ATS OIC Bishop Cesar Punzalan, the CCS has run modules in areas as far north as Marilao, Bulacan and as far south as Polomolok, South Cotabato. Already the CCS has 19 centers nationwide and produced more than 150 graduates—no mean feat considering that many of these areas are hardup provincial communities that must scrimp and save to enroll and so can afford to take only two to three modules a year. But the fruits of such sacrifice are sweet. The Polomolok

and Sta. Mesa and Pasig in Metro Manila. More are being planned. All this is part of the CCS vision to reach more provinces, where the need for training is greatest. Ptr. Leonardo Aurora and his daughter Charie

community, for instance, after three years of study, and after pooling their resources, decided to travel to Manila last September 11 to hold its hardearned graduation rites right in the ATS campusâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;certainly a matter for celebration. Participants from another CCS center, Lord Jesus our Redeemer Church in Cubao, joined them to make up the happy 16 who graduated. Other CCS venues are Babatngon, Leyte; San Jose, Mindoro; Roxas City; Bacolod City; Boracay;

Despite its success stories, the CCS faces huge challenges. At PhP16,000 per module, the cost of education for many low-income communities is steep. Participants divide the cost among themselves. When some members drop out, the rest are forced to shoulder an even bigger burden. Dr. Lua is grateful for partners like Purpose and Passion of Greenhills Christian Fellowship that underwrites as much as 50% of tuition fees, but the task is huge and he looks forward to partnering with more. He also encourages ATS alumni to help coordinate

centers right where they are. Payatas is a prime example of what ATS graduates can do. The pastor of the church, Charito “Charie“ Aurora, is also the financial analyst of ATS and an ATS student. She continues the work begun by her father, Pastor Leonardo Aurora, who started this church in the ‘80s. Seeing the needs of her community and the opportunity provided by the CCS, Charie and her church members organized other pastors in the area and introduced the program. Now on their fourth module, they look forward to completing seven more in order to earn a Certificate in Pastoral Ministry. How has the program impacted the pastors so far? 8

Pastor Danny Prado, of Hope and Abundant Life Ministries, confides that the recently concluded module has given him a “sense of direction” in his Bible study and made him “appreciate even more” the need to dig into the Word for its “treasures,” and to be “prepared” before he preaches. “I am now using what I learned to help us in our Bible study focus as a church,” he adds. Pastor Edna Andaya, of Jesus Christ Yesterday Today and Forever Church, relates how she first met opposition from some of the elders of her church when she tried applying the principles of interpretation and effective preaching that she learned at CCS. But another younger elder of their church caught on, who promptly applied the strategies that Edna shared and found them helpful. Now the whole church has taken notice as enthusiasm spread. “Learning about the historical and literary contexts of the Bible has enriched our understanding of Scripture,” Pastor Edna says, “because there’s actually more to

Pastor Lillian Reyes receives a Certificate of Recognition for coordinating CCS Polomolok from Dr. Fer Lua, Dr. Tim Gener and Dr. Adonis Gorospe. She invited pastors from all over Mindanao to participate in the training.

the Bible than we realize!” Charie sums up the impact of CCS in this way: “In the long run, equipping the pastors and key leaders will benefit the church members themselves.” Indeed, it is the body of Christ that gains from a seminary that goes to the grassroots. A stronger body is better able to do the work of genuine transformation in the world. The ATS CCS proves that the work of a theological institution cannot be confined to the four walls of the classroom or the perimeter of its campus. New wineskins are needed. By going right where the people are, where the need is greatest, the ATS CCS is showing us what a lean, agile, enterprising, and missional seminary with vision and sure intentions can accomplish.

by Mark Joseph C. Gicain,

Coordinator of the Summer Mission Trips

Last April 29 to May 12, in line with the internship curriculum of the Intercultural and Urban Studies (IUS) Department, ATS sent a team each of students to the Southern Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia. The IUS opened the two-week trip to students from other departments and partner churches. Here’s a report of what the teams were able to do by God’s grace:

Tropang Silangan Southernmost part of the P h i l i p p i n e s . Te a m L e a d e r : Gail Nestle Gianan (Christian Education Department). Seven members.

Te a m m e m b e r s p r a i s e d God for the partnership that they have had for two years now with a local missionary and his team. The missionary’s simplicity, devotion to the Lord, dedication to ministry, and humility in service were an inspiration and encouragement to the ATS team. The team conducted tutorial classes to the tribal children, and taught English, Math and Values Education to the youth. Several workshops were held on Holiness, guitar, voice, interpretative dance, hand mime, and career guidance. Adults

*Three Teams to Southern Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia

were given seminars on Environmental and Health Awareness and PreEmployment Orientation Seminar. Local teachers were given sessions on “The Educator and the Learner” and “Different Learning Styles.” The team also visited sick people in their homes. Community immersions happened on a daily basis. Tr o p a n g T h a i l a n d Te a m L e a d e r : M a r i e Angelie Cruz (IUS Department). Seven team members. This team first conducted a Children’s Camp in the Ponsawan Church in Chiang Rai (northernmost part of Thailand) using the material “Hooked on Jesus,” for children who mostly came from a Buddhist background. They then went to the town of Mae Sai, which is a major border crossing between Thailand and Burma, to work among the L a h u Tr i b e . W h e n S u n d a y came, the ladies of the

team taught Sunday School while the gentlemen of the team met with leaders of the three tribes that were present in the area. Women team members ministered to the women of the tribe, while the men of the team ministered to their tribal counterparts. Tr o p a n g C a m b o d i a Te a m L e a d e r s : S h a r o n Villareal (Christian Education Department) and Johann Philip Ignacio of the Diliman Campus B i b l e C h u r c h . Te a m o f 1 2 included Dr. Jojo Manzano (IUS Department) and Mark Joseph, coordinator of the trips. Tr o p a n g C a m b o d i a s t a y e d overnight at Siem Reap before starting their 14hour bus ride to Kampong Saum (Sihanoukville), South West of Cambodia, where they spent the first part of the trip at Kampong Saum Bible School. Dr. Jojo Manzano and five team members 11

taught World Missions to the Senior Level students. Mark Joseph together with the rest of the team taught Pastoral Care and Spirituality to the Junior Level students. When Sunday came, the team said goodbye to Kampong Saum Bible School and travelled to Phnom Penh for the next part of the trip. In the mornings, the team split into four in order to work with four organizations: 1. Prison Ministry- Believing inmates of a local prison at the outskirts of Phnom Penh had formed themselves into a church. The team taught English, Bible lessons, and music to 22 of them. 2. Kindergarten Ministry- The team assisted in teaching the children of a formal school run by a Korean missionary. 3. Freedom Cambodia- The team joined the ministry activities of this group, which ministers to drug addicts, prostitutes and victims of human 12

t r a f f i c k i n g . 4 . H a p p y Tr e e In this orphanage with 100 HIV-positive children, the team assisted the teachers and helped teach the children as well. In the evenings, the team of 12 was divided into three groups as they led in worship, played games, and gave testimonies to the dormitory residents of Phnom Penh New Life Church led by Veasna Heng, an ATS alumnus who graduated just last March. We praise God for the experiences we had. Come summer 2013, we will be sending teams to these places again. Pray with us as this program continues to challenge students and graduates inside and outside of ATS for World Missions. Thank you for praying and partnering w i t h u s . To G o d b e t h e glory!

More of

Christ by Dr. Tim D. Gener ATS President

(Adapted from the Message given last July 7 at the ATS 43rd Anniversary Celebration. Theme: New Beginnings. Scripture references: Matthew 1:21, 13:52, 28:18-20) ATS exists so that we may all learn to love God more and respond to him in love. Our heart’s desire is to have more of God, and to have this desire shine forth in our seminary.

“ATS exists so that we may all learn to love God more and respond to Him in love.” 14

Thank you for considering, even owning, the ATS mission for yourself, your family, church, or business. Our mission is this: “To glorify God by providing quality theological education to prepare leaders who will effect Biblical transformation in the Church and societies in Asia and beyond.” Key to Newness The key to new beginnings lies in having MORE OF GOD or MORE OF CHRIST. The Gospel of Matthew begins with “Emmanuel, God with us,” and ends with the same Emmanuel assurance from Christ, “I will be with you at the end of the age.” How does this relate to ATS and theological education? How does “Emmanuel” accompany us in theological education-past, present, and future? First of all, our mission states that we provide quality theological education because we want to glorify the God who is alive and enthroned as King over all. It is in acknowledgment of God’s presence, in worship of God, in honor and service of the living God, that we prepare leaders for ministry.

“We reach as we teach, and teach as we reach, thereby intensifying genuine growth.” In other words, ATS’s ministry is meaningful only because it is part of what glorifies God. It is like saying: “if you want to know what glorifies and honors God, I know one sure way to do it – and that is to prepare and equip Christian leaders who will change the world.” The Greatest Investment ATS’s slogan “Transforming leaders for the church and the world” should really be every Christian’s dream and agenda. I believe that bible schools and seminaries, in particular ATS, are in a major position to effect the Biblical transformation of our world through the gospel of Jesus Christ. How is this so? The key instrument God uses for transforming our world through the gospel of Jesus Christ is the church. And the effectiveness of the church is dependent on whether its leaders are formed and educated biblically and holistically. That is why I am really convinced that theological education is a great investment, if not the greatest investment, one can make for the growth of Christ’s kingdom. New Beginnings We talk of new beginnings. New beginnings at ATS will flourish only when we see theological education – that is, the teaching and equipping of leaders – as part of the very heart of God’s plan of transformation. For if this work is really at the heart of God—as we believe it is—then it is Emmanuel, “God with us,” who will continue to renew the church and the world, even ATS.

The Great Commission passage (Mt 28:18-20) is often used to give importance to evangelism and discipleship at the expense of promoting education. Some want to do away with seminary education in order to do church planting and discipleship. Reaching out is pitted against teaching and educating. When examined in the light of the Great Commission itself, this understanding is to me misguided. In making disciples, the Great Commission equally balances reaching with teaching. We make disciples of all nations by going, baptizing, and teaching people to obey all that Jesus Christ commanded. What will come out of a church that makes disciples by reaching out only, without teaching and training its believers? The result will be followers of Jesus Christ who are undernourished, liable to many false teachings, and biblically deficient. We will have stagnant churches that merely seek the status quo, churches that are, in the words of a well known Christian leader, “a mile wide in terms of quantity but only an inch deep in terms of quality.” To put it another way, we will end up with too many churches that are shallow in faith in the sense that Paul puts it: like “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching” (Eph 4:14). That is why seminaries such as ATS are important. They keep the ongoing reform, correction, and renewal of the Church for the sake of the Gospel. As John Stott puts it: “The key institution in the Church is the Seminary… In every country the Church is the reflection of its seminaries… There is no better strategy for the reform and renewal of the church than capturing seminaries for evangelical faith, academic excellence and godliness.” (Message of 1Timothy and Titus, 184). Reach and Teach We can and should do both – reach (continued on p.21)

What is a seminary without a Board of Trustees to direct its policies and help steer it closer to achieving its Mission and Vision? ATS is very blessed with a group of godly men, and one godly woman, who pray, guide, and work so that ATS may live out its calling and mandate to train Christian workers for the worldwide harvest.

Dr. CECILIO KWOK PEDRO (Board Chairman) Chief Executive Officer/ President of Lamoiyan Corporation. One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in the field of Business Entrepreneurship of 1991 Most Outstanding Toothpaste Manufacturer by the Consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Union of the Philippines (1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001 & 2002) Board Chairman of ATS, Deaf Evangelistic Alliance Foundation Inc., Legaspi Hope Christian School; Vice Chairman, Ateneo Scholarship Foundation Board Member, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Technological University of the Philippines; Ten Outstanding Young Men Foundation; Elder, United Evangelical Churches of the Philippines.

Bishop CESAR VICENTE P. PUNZALAN, III

(Vice-Chaiman) Presiding Elder of Hope Christian Fellowship Churches; Senior deputy National Director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches; board member of several national civic and religious organizations. Former President and Chairman of the Board of Philippine Bible Society in 2007; OIC President of ATS in 2006; chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Baptists Conference of the Philippines from 1998 to 2008. A Raymond Bakke Scholar, graduated with a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Bakke Graduate University of the Philippines in 2011; Master of Divinity in Missions from ATS; Masters of Pastoral Studies from Southeast Asian Theological Schools. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in CrossCultural Studies at the Asia Graduate School of Theology.

Arch. ERLINDA G. TAN (Secretary) Architect/planner by profession, Principal, E.G.Tan and Associates (Urban and City Planning; Architectural and Interior Design; Project/Construction Management). Deacon of Jubilee Evangelical Church, Board member: ATS, Jubilee Christian Academy and Christian Gospel Truth Foundation, Inc. Member of the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Credit Cooperative where she is involved in Project Planning and its Development and Construction Committee.

Rev. NOEL PANTOJA

(Treasurer) His father, Rev. Luis Pantoja was the first Filipino pastor of the Conservative Baptist denomination in the Philippines. Masters in Christian Leadership from ATS in 1991. Currently General Director of the Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines (CBAP); International Partner in Ministry / Missionary of World Ventures International (CBI); Board Member of Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), ATS and CBGLobal; Chairman of the Luis Pantoja Foundation, Inc. and Lead Church Planter of Subic Bay Community of Faith.

Pastor JAMES ABERIN

Pastor Aberin and his family were missionaries to Poland with the North Central Europe team of SEND International for about seven years. Upon their return to Manila in March 2007 he assumed the role of Executive Director of the Philippine Sending Council of SEND International. Its mission is to mobilize Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people and engage the unreached in order to establish reproducing churches.

Atty. FRED B. BRAVO

Board chairman, Christian Reformed Church in the Philippines Board member, ATS Partner, Castillo, Bravo and Associates He and wife Normita have five children: Lou Alfred, Bonn Alfred, Jan Jacob, Thea Andrea and Juris

Atty. FRANCIS M. EGENIAS Finished Master of Divinity in Theology from ATS in 2005. Master of Theology (Theological Studies) candidate at Asia Graduate School of Theology. Teaches theology at Penuel School of Theology. Practicing lawyer, partner at the Velicaria-Egenias Law Offices. Graduated from the UP College of Law in 1993, and was admitted to the bar in 1994. President of the ATS Alumni Association.

Dr. ANASTACIO ESCOSAR, Jr. Overall Missions Director of Victory, focusing primarily on International Church Planting; Philippine President of Every Nation Ministries and serves with the Philippine Apostolic Team; Member of the Asia Leadership Team and the International Apostolic Team. MA in Missions from ATS; Doctorate of Missiology from Asian Graduate School of Theology. Has a passion for leadership development, church planting and crosscultural missions. Traveled extensively in Asia and has ministered in 38 different nations. Board member of the Real Life Foundation, Asian Theological Seminary and the Philippine Missions Association. He and his wife Gigi have two children, Rachel (17) and John Daniel (15).

Dr. DAVID NICHOLS Field Personnel Manager, Overseas Missionary Fellowship Phils. OMF International missionary in the Philippines since 1986; Master of Theology, New Testament, Dallas Theological Seminary; Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation, Asbury Theological Seminary. Former faculty member and President of Koinonia Theological Seminary in Davao City (1993-2005) Member, Evangelical Theological Society Married to Doris for 33 years, with two adult children aged 25 and 29.

Mr. NOEL PABIONA

Country Director of Compassion International (Philippines) an international Christian NGO that seeks to release children from spiritual, economic, physical & social poverty. Economist by profession; held various executive positions in corporations both in the Philippines and abroad. Licensed minister under the Conservative Baptists Association of the Philippines; Elder, Greenhills Christian Fellowship. Graduated summa cum laude, Masters in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines in 2011. Married to Lot and blessed with two children: Nathan Immanuel and Timothy John.

Rev. Dr. VICENTE YU SIA Chaplain of Jubilee Christian Academy, JEC

missionary to the missionaries, facilitates Discipleship International Equip To Serve series in various churches and pastoral fellowship here and abroad. Doctor of Ministries in Pastoral Leadership from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2001, Master of Divinity from Asian Theological Seminary in 1994, Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling from the University of the Philippines in 1988, and Master of Biblical Studies from Biblical Seminary of the Philippines in 1980. Awarded an Advance Certificate in Counseling last 2011 from Asia Graduate School of Theology. Registered Guidance Counselor.

Youth Pastor, Resident Pastor and Senior Pastor of Jubilee Evangelical Church (JEC) for almost 33 years (May 1978 till 2011). He and his wife Helen are blessed with an only son Nehemiah (seminary professor and youth pastor), daughter-in-law Ann, and grandson Nathan Andrew.

Rev. RUSSELL SIMONS International Coordinator, IPA (International Partnering Assoc.) ; Partnering Advisor, Southeast Asia Islands, IPA; former Executive Director, Wo r l d Ve n t u r e P h i l i p p i n e s ; B o a r d m e m b e r o f AT S ; E l d e r , F a i t h C h r i s t i a n Fellowship, Antipolo, Philippines His wife Ramona is the Director of 180 D e g r e e s M u s i c Te a m ( F i l i p i n o y o u t h a g e s 13-21, reaching Filipino youth for crosscultural missions to Unreached Peoples Groups (UPG)) All four sons married godly women and all have gone into Christian ministry, three of them in Asia (Hong Kong, India, and Mindanao, Philippines), the other one in northern Ontario Province. They have 10 wonderful grandchildren.

Rev. PETER TAN-CHI

Founder and Senior Pastor of Christ’s Commission Fellowship (CCF), a church planting movement that has grown to nearly 40,000 members in the Philippines and other parts of Asia. Bible teacher and speaker, traveling around the world to teach and train other leaders. Regularly conducts seminars on marriage and parenting, and Growing Healthy Churches. Self-supporting pastor and a successful businessman. Founded The Master’s Academy—the first home school program to be accredited by the Department of Education in the Philippines. Board member of ATS, International Graduate School of Leadership, and the Far East Broadcasting Company Philippines. Married to Deonna for 39 years, blessed with five married children, who strive to serve the Lord. He and Deonna are also enjoying their ten charming grandchildren.

Bishop EFRAIM M. TENDERO N a t i o na l D i r e c t o r o f t he P hi l i p p i ne C o u nc i l o f Ev a ng e l i c a l C hu r c he s s i nc e 1 9 9 3 ; Ex e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r o f t h e P hi l i p p i ne R e l ie f a nd D e v e l o p m e nt S e r v i c e s ( P H I L R A D S ) , t he r e l i e f a nd d e v e l o p m e nt a r m o f PC EC . Execut i ve Edi to r o f Ev a nge l ic a l s To d a y. F or m e r B o a r d c ha i r m a n o f AT S ; C u r r e n t l y B o a r d c ha i r m a n o f B a c k t o t h e B i b l e B r o a d c a s t , Ev a nge l i s m Expl osi on (EE) 3 Phi l ip p ine s , a nd t he P hil ip p ine Mi s s i o ns A s s o c i a t i o n. Ma r r i e d t o S i e r r y , a nd ha s f o u r c hi l d r e n: El i z a b e t h Es t he r , Ef r a i m El i j a h, Ez r a Em m a nu e l a nd El a h Eu ni c e ; a nd t w o g r a nd c hi l d r e n, Da t u a nd Ta l a .

Rev. DWAYNE F. THIELKE B.A., Calvin College; M. Div., Reformed Theological Seminary 1990 - 2011: Missionary, church planter and developer, theological educator with Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) Philippines; Timothy Institute, Myanmar and Indonesia; Back to God International Ministries (BTGMI), Indonesia. 2011 - present: volunteer with CRWM, Timothy Institute, BTGMI and RedHAT HIV/AIDS Team.

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and teach – in making disciples as commanded by Christ: we reach as we teach, and teach as we reach, thereby intensifying genuine growth. This is doable, and Paul practiced it himself: “and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well” (2 Tim 2:2 NRSV) When we intentionally train key leaders, we do not only add new believers to God’s flock, we multiply them. When we have more of what Christ wants, we will have more of Christ’s followers growing inside out and reproducing in number and quality. Consider this beautiful picture of reaching and training: Thawng Hei was the registrar at Myanmar Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (MEGST) before he came to ATS and the Asia Graduate School of Theology to pursue his Master of Theology. What most of us here at ATS probably do not know is that MEGST was established by an ATS alumnus, Dr. Aung Mang. God is using MEGST in growing the church in Myanmar. MEGST now passes the baton to younger leaders like Thawng Hei, thus training more pastors and leaders who will produce more vibrant and faithful churches in Myanmar. My heart was truly warmed when I met Thawng. I praise God that while I cannot be in Myanmar right now to minister Christ’s love to the people there, a Myanmar native who caught the ATS vision of training leaders of their own is multiplying Christ’s presence in that region of the world. When I say we need people who are better trained, we are NOT stopping church growth. We are in fact intensifying it here and globally. More leaders taught and trained means an even greater number of Christ’s followers—not simply added but multiplied and deepened through leaders who reproduce other leaders!

E-Learning I left the middle verses for our final words. Jesus said in Matthew 13:52 “every teacher of the law… is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” Teaching is not just bringing out old and familiar treasures; it is also bringing out of the storeroom treasures that are new and fresh. Christ hails not just the old and the familiar, but also the new and fresh in teaching. This means that as a seminary, ATS is called not only to be conservative, safeguarding the Gospel and what is best in the familiar, but also to be contemporary, bringing out the fresh and the new so as to transfer the faith to the new generation of Jesus followers. One major project we have is Digital or E-Learning. We are praying that more and more students, wherever they are, may be able to access seminary education through the use of computers. Now this is a new thing for seminaries. The digital media is something fresh that should be utilized in reaching and teaching for Christ. More people are asking us if we have online courses. Praise God, our answer is, “We’re getting there.” With the full support of the Board and your partnership, we hope that in a year’s time, we will be able to offer full online courses. Our world needs more of the Christ who renews. Emmanuel, God with us, promises His presence. He knows us and will guide us. Surely, God will never fail us!

by Dr. Adonis Gorospe, Academic Dean

“In praying for someone we love, don’t we pray for God to make everything better for that person?” But when I read Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Colossae, that is far from what I see: “May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” (Colossians 1:11-12) Now that is a strange sort of request. What he prayed for was strength and patience to endure everything and while enduring everything, to joyfully give thanks to the Father. Thanking God in spite of and not because of Thanksgiving is often associated with blessing. We thank God because we are blessed; healthy and not sick; rich and not poor; having some things, not deprived of them; happy and not sad; our loved ones are with us and not

parted from us; and we are full and not hungry. Paul, however, doesn’t look at thanksgiving the way we often do. For Paul, we thank God not because of the blessing we have received but in spite of what we have or what we are feeling or going through. In Ephesians 5:20, Paul tells us to give thanks “to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ” (NRS) Thank God for everything? Even for the bad, painful, horrible and unspeakable things? Yes, perhaps, even for all these, we can give thanks to God. But how can we give thanks joyfully to God for the difficult things in life? Chuck and John Retired U.S. Marine Corps General Charles Krulak tells of a time in the early 1960s when as a nonbeliever he was first confronted with the testimony of a person committed to Christ. He was rooming with another married man, John Listerman, while going through basic school where officers learned about honor, courage, and commitment. John, who was a Christian, was a wonderful human who exuded goodness. Chuck thought this niceness was all there was to John.

Let’s read further about John and Chuck’s story: Upon graduating from basic school, John and Chuck went to Camp Pendleton, California, where they joined the same battalion preparing to go to Vietnam. There he saw another side of John Listerman: he was a tremendous leader—aggressive and technically proficient. People loved him. He was committed to his troops; his troops were committed to him. He was a Marine’s Marine. Chuck narrates one critical day: On a December morning in 1965 John and I went to war. John

“It seems impossible unless God gives us the grace to do it.” Listerman’s war lasted one day. We were on patrol moving down a trail through the jungle. We came around a corner in that trail, and we ran into an ambush. John took the first round, a 50-caliber round, right in his kneecap. As his kneecap burst, the crack was so loud it sounded like a mortar exploding. It threw him up in the air. As he was dropping, the second round hit him right below the heart and exited out his side. I was wounded also but nowhere near as badly. I saw John about 30 meters away on his back, his leg blown off. I crawled up to him, and I wanted to say, “Are you okay? Can I do anything?” but before I could do that, his head turned to me and he said, “How are you doing, Chucker? Are you okay?”

I said, “Yes, John, I’m okay.” He said, “Are my men safe?” I said, “John, your people are okay.” At that point he turned his head and looked to the sky and repeated over and over, “Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank your for caring for my people. Thank you for caring for me.” I was dumbfounded. John had just lost his leg. He was severely wounded in his chest. Yet he was thanking God! (John Listerman and Charles Krulak were evacuated and survived Vietnam. Krulak later became a Christian.)* Conclusion How do we thank God joyfully in the midst of difficult, trying circumstances? It seems impossible unless God gives us the grace to do it. The apostle Paul’s prayer is that the Colossian believers may be made strong with all the strength that comes from God’s glorious power, and that they may be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has enabled us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. God grieves with us as we go through difficult times. You must have lost a loved one and do not know how you can possibly go on. You find it difficult to cope with your illness or handicap. You are in need and do not know how to meet it. Whatever your problem, difficulty or need, be honest with the Lord. Tell Him about it and how you feel, and ask for His grace to strengthen you and help you endure so that you can give thanks joyfully. Will you come and take all your problems and difficulties and put them in the hands of Jesus? * More Perfect Illustrations: For Every Topic or Sermon. Compiled by the editors of Preaching T o d a y. C o m ( W h e a t o n I l l i n o i s : Ty n d a l e H o u s e , 2 0 0 3 ) , 2 8 3 - 4 .

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