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Piripi Taiata Hamiora
1898 -- 1962
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PHILIP SAMUEL was born in the Morrinsville district of Waikato, in the year of 1898. His father was Taiata Hamiora of the Ngati Haua tribe. His mother, Rititia Irihei, was of the Tuwharetoa tribe of the Taupo district.
Trained as a jockey, Philip, did a lot of horse riding in his early days and became well known at race meetings in Waikato and Auckland districts.
In the year 1929 he was living with his wife and family at Kereone near Morrinsville. His home was well known to the Morrinsville police because of the drinking parties at weekends.
New Zealand law at that time did not allow Maori people to take liquor away from hotel premises – but Philip found a way to get large quantities to his home
and also became quite clever at making home-brew. He himself had become a drunk.
Around this time two Christian ladies from the Morrinsville Gospel Hall decided to try and start a Sunday School for the Maori children of the Kereone Pa. They met with a lot of opposition from Philip Samuel and other Maori men of the Pa. This surprised the two Christian ladies because they knew that Philip was an assistant to the local Maori minister. When the opposition became too strong for the two ladies, they took a Christian man along to help. His name was Jim Forlong.
Phil did his best to oppose Jim and yet he realised that Jim had something he would like to have. Once Philip and his friends made as much noise as they could during a service. They wanted to see if they could stop Jim from praying – but he went on with the prayer. Philip knew in Maori custom that if a prayer or a song can be stopped it is a bad omen.
The Maori proverb says, “Ki te whati te waiata he aitua.” “If the flow of the chant is broken it is an evil sign,” but the prayer went on like flowing water. Philip knew he was beaten and he began to be troubled in his heart. In his own words he said, “For three months I was really troubled. I could not work properly and could not sleep, but I was too proud to ask Jim for help.”
Philip began to improve his life. He tried several times to stop drinking but usually ended up worse. He realised he had no power to change himself. Walking along the main street of Morrinsville one evening he heard singing. It came from a large tent. He went to have a look.
Standing outside he listened to the words that were being sung:
“Have you any room for Jesus,
He who bore your load of sin,
As He knocks and asks admission,
Sinner will you let Him in?
Have you any time for Jesus
As in grace He calls again?
Oh today is time accepted,
Tomorrow you may call in vain.”
Philip went inside. He sat down and listened to the preacher. The sermon was about two ways – the way to Heaven and the way to Hell – the narrow way that leads to eternal life and the broad way that leads to destruction. Philip realised that he was on the broad way, and he also knew where it would end.
As he sat that night in the tent, he realised he was hopelessly lost – without Christ and without hope. He knew Maori geneology and culture, he had church and religion and had been christened and confirmed and took communion in the church, but he now knew that he was lost because he had never accepted Christ as Saviour.
He was in the church and in the tribe, but out of Christ. When the service was over and everyone gone, there was Philip Samuel still sitting on the seat. The preacher, the late
Charlie Gedge, asked him if anything was wrong. Philip replied, “Everything is wrong, nothing is right.”
The preacher asked a second question: “Are you saved?” 17
Philip replied. “No, I’m lost.”
The preacher then read John 1:12 from the Bible: “As many as receive Him to them gave He the power to become children of God.”Philip remembered that these were the words he had heard from Jim Forlong.
After a few minutes the pakeha preacher and Philip knelt together side by side and the preacher said, “Will you now come to Christ – will you confess your sin and accept Him right now as your Saviour?”
Philip said, “I will” and he then asked the Lord Jesus to come into his heart and save him.
At that moment Philip Samuel passed from death to life and was born into God’s family. (See John 3:3). He was now a member of the true church, to which every true believer belongs. His life was completely changed. He no longer wanted to drink, and his home was changed. His wife and family soon realised he was a new man. Instead of drink, he began to bring home furniture and food. He went through a hard time from many of his old drinking mates and his family and relatives also turned against him. But in the years that followed many of those same people turned to Christ themselves.
For more than 30 years he preached the Gospel up and down New Zealand. Once when he was asked by a clever pakeha if he believed that Jesus turned water into wine, he said, “Yes, I believe that, and in my home he turned beer into furniture.”
Philip was a loyal supporter of the Maori King and became well known as a preacher on the courtyard at Ngaruawahia. Often at large gatherings he would be seen standing up to proclaim the Gospel in Maori. At the Centennial celebrations of the Maori King movement he was chosen to preach at the official service. There he stood with his Bible in his hand, dressed in a traditional feather cloak, and he preached from two verses from the Bible, John 14:6, where Jesus said ,“I am the way, the truth and the life”, and Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” He pleaded with chiefs, elders, parsons and others to come to Christ for forgiveness, peace and salvation.
The late Dr Maharaia Winiata, who was among those listening, said afterwards, “That man’s message is the answer to every problem we have in Maoriland today.”
Philip with the late Ernie Edwards who was a full time Christian worker among the Maori people for over 40 years.
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Here is the A.B.C. of the Gospel, the heart of the message that Philip Samuel preached:–A is for ALL. Romans 3:23 says, “ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That ALL includes you. B is for BUT. Romans 5:8 says, “BUT God commends His love to us in that although we are sinners Christ died for us.” Can you say as you read this, “Yes I believe He died for me?” C is for COME. Matthew 11:28 says, “COME unto me ALL ye that are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
Have you come to Christ yet for peace and salvation?
Will you accept this challenge from the story of a Waikato - Tuwharetoa Maori Christian? Will you, as you read these words, COME to Christ as Philip Samuel came? Philip found that for more than 30 years the Lord Jesus was not only his Saviour, but also his helper and friend. He passed away in September, 1962.
During the days of mourning while his body laid in state on the Rukumoana Marae near Morrinsville, hundreds of people came from all parts of New Zealand to pay their last respects to the memory of Philip Samuel.
Maori men from the East Coast and other areas said, “We first heard the way of salvation from our brother Samuel and we are glad we accepted his Saviour as our Saviour too.”
When a memorial stone was later erected in the Rukumoana cemetery by his sons and daughters, it was unveiled by a leading representative of the Maori King and the words on the stone were read to the people. The words are:
PHILIP TAIATA SAMUEL –
BORN 1898 BORN AGAIN 1931 HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH.
If you died today, could there be written on your memorial stone the date on which you were born again? If you are not born again, you are outside of God’s family. If you need any further help, please write to: The Editor, PO Box 10, Wanganui. Email: graham.mpa@gmail.com
Philip with a group of Maori Christians some time in the early 1950s.
HIS NAME IS HOLY
HE TAPU IA INGOA
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name” (Exodus 20:7).
there is a very concerning trend in our society and we need to be made aware of it. It is the increasing tendency to use God’s name or the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as swear words. This evil practice has existed for many years, but over more recent times it has become alarmingly worse. In the Ten Commandments God warns against doing so, and there is special judgment for those who disobey. Today, through literature, videos and Tv it is common place, and in some Tv programmes it is staggering to see how prevalent it has become, where it is presented as though it is just a normal part of everyday speech. But it is a serious evil, and a terrible insult to God Himself.
Why do people do this? Why do they pick on God’s name? You never hear people use the name of Mohammed or Buddha, or even Stalin or Hitler for that matter. It is always the name of God or Jesus Christ that is used in this degrading way and sometimes it is combined with other filthy and vile words.
The fact that people pick on the name of God rather than that of someone else is not only evidence of the existence of Satan, but that He hates anything to do with God. He especially hates the name of God because it represents all that He is: It represents His purity, holiness and goodness, and if he can use God’s creatures to degrade His name he will indeed do so. When you hear someone use God’s name or the name of the Lord Jesus as a swear word, that person is being directly used by Satan to insult God. And that person places himself in line for special judgment, for God has said that He “will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name”. Jesus Himself said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36).
What does the name of God or the Lord Jesus Christ mean to you? To the true Christian who has received Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord they are wonderful names – far too precious to be used in the unholy way many people do. The name of God reminds us of the almighty supreme One who created all things by the word of His power and who showed His love for sinful people like you and me by giving His eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die in our place. Jesus Christ loved us to the extent of giving Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and how dare we use His name as a swear word! He now occupies the place of highest authority in Heaven and is able to save you from the penalty and power of your sin.
Perhaps you have been careless in the way you have used His name, and maybe you have not realised the seriousness of doing so. You need to be willing to turn from all your sin and receive the Lord Jesus into your heart and life. Then, you too, will love His name and value it in the way that you should. Allow Him to break the evil habit of profaning His holy name and don’t be Satan’s tool in this way any longer. – Editor. 20
THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST
More than nineteen hundred years ago, there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life. He lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. Only once did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived; that was during His exile in childhood. He possessed neither wealth nor influence. His relatives were inconspicuous and had neither training nor formal education. In infancy He startled a king; in childhood He puzzled religious leaders; in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the waves as pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service. He never wrote a book, and yet perhaps all the libraries of the world could not hold the books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined. He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students. He never marshalled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His orders, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired. He never practiced psychiatry, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near. Once each week multitudes congregate at worshiping centres to pay homage and respect to Him. The names of the past, proud statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone. But the name of this Man multiplies more and more. Though time has spread over nineteen hundred years between the people of this generation and the mockers at His crucifixion, He still lives. His enemies could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him. He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of Heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the risen, personal Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
