Happy Sabbath, everyone. Good to see all of you on this beautiful Sabbath day. Thank you, Corbin, for that wonderful special music. Certainly appreciate refocusing ourselves and where we're supposed to put our eyes. They certainly are placed right on God himself. No doubt that is where we get our strength, our hope, and everything we look forward to. So appreciate the special music.

You know, Christ came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. When He began His ministry, that was His focus. And so as we think about that good news, we know that means good news, but it certainly reminds us of the future that God has in mind for each and every one of us. The promise that Christ would return, He will establish His kingdom on Earth, there will be peace, and there will be justice on Earth. Can you imagine that time? What an amazing, wonderful picture that that paints for us as we think about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. Because that itself is why Christ began preaching the gospel of the kingdom, because it is the mission of the Church.

It was His mission. And that same message today is what the United Church of God stands for. We stand for preaching that word and teaching that word, that undiluted, crystal clear plan and purpose of God. And that's what we're all about. And Christ began by saying very clearly that was what we need to be doing as His people, as His disciples, the apostles that followed Him. He gave that message to them to continue preaching that word and looking forward to that kingdom right from the very start of the Church. There's an amazing passage in Acts 1. Even before the New Testament Church began, after the crucifixion, Christ is about to have that church begin with the outpouring of His Spirit. And in Acts 1:8, He reminds the disciples, I think He reminds us by extension as well, when He says this:

Acts 1:8 "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Then he went on to say, "You shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."

So Christ gave them those instructions. They pass those same commissions on to us as well. Because certainly every disciple of Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit. And each one of us has to rely on the power of God to accomplish spiritual things. That's the only way that spiritual things can be done. And so Christ gave this work to the Church to be a witness. Not just in Jerusalem. Not just in Cincinnati. But to the uttermost. To the end of the earth. All around the earth. Everywhere. Even the most remote parts of the earth that gospel is to be preached.

Now, is that something that one of us can do? No, I don't think so. Is that something that just a single group of people can do? No, that's not going to happen either. What I'd like to do this afternoon is talk about the mission of the Church and how we, as a collective body, have to advance the mission of the Church. Christ commissioned to the Church. We have to carry out that commission. And of course, when we think about that, oftentimes we think of the great commission that Christ gave. Where would we find that? Well, we can find it a number of places in the New Testament, but most often you might think of Matthew 28. And in Matthew 28:19, here's a specific statement Christ gave when He said:

Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen."

And so Christ, once again, reiterates that twofold concept of this gospel message, this mission that he wants us to advance. He says we've got to preach that gospel to the world. And then what are the results going to be? There will be those that hear, there will be those that understand, there will be those that God calls and will respond to that message. And as they come, we have a responsibility to take care of those individuals who heed that mission. And so, when you think about that mission today and how we advance that mission, it becomes very clear that the mission of the United Church of God is to preach that gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. That's something that is our collective responsibility. But we do it in all the world. Not just in Ohio, not just in the United States, but everywhere around the world. And Christ said, "Make disciples in all nations and care for those disciples."

And I'd like to talk about that today. I'd like to talk about our recent trip that we made to the Philippines, which is why I'm wearing this barang. This is a traditional Philippine dress that they wear very formally on the Sabbath. Many of the men wear kind of an off-white barang on the Sabbath. I was going to get one of those until I saw the price on what those cost. They are very expensive. And so I opted for this version. But I want to share with you the fact that we are a work that spans the globe. And that's an expectation of ours, that God has equipped His church with the power of His Holy Spirit to preach that gospel. And the only way this mission is going to be fulfilled is that everyone does their share. He's given us the ability to accomplish the mission. It's not something that cannot be done. And so, together, it is possible if each one of us take personal responsibility to fulfill that mission of the Church so that in every nation, so that in every nation that that gospel will be preached.

And so we begin to see that goes far beyond just me, just my personal calling, just my personal salvation. You know, no doubt God wants me in His Kingdom, He wants you in His Kingdom, but collectively we have an amazing responsibility. In fact, a joyous one, that we can share the truth of God, the plan of God, what God's purpose is all about, with everyone. And God's given us the means to do that. So beyond just my personal saving, God says, be sure to focus on spreading that gospel that God would call individuals and bring them to the truth. And so we don't ever want to lose that outward focus, because if we do, we've lost our purpose. We've lost the purpose of being a part of the Church.

And so we began our journey back in December with a conference here in the United States in Atlanta, Georgia. We are conducting regional conferences with all of our pastors right here in the United States. And so we started there in Atlanta. I'll bring a picture up here so you can just kind of see...let's see if I can. And maybe Clint can help me out here by advancing...Got it? Okay. Okay. Ah, there we go. We're there. All right, here's just a picture from our Atlanta conference. What we're planning to do is have conferences in each of the regions of the United States. And these aren't vacations. These aren't times just to fellowship. But these are times to teach and to learn and to teach as we've been taught and understand God's purpose and plan so that we can be all on the same page, so that we can move forward with the Word of God in a powerful way, especially as we teach and we train God's people and we all come to the unity of the faith and the unity of the Spirit. And so these conferences are being held for that very purpose.

And so we began in Atlanta, and then immediately after the Atlanta conference, we headed for the Philippines. And so we eventually landed in Manila, where we were going to have our Manila Leadership Conference. It quickly became an all-Asia conference and wasn't just limited to the Philippines. And so as we left Atlanta, we landed in Manila and then tried to recuperate a little bit from jet lag in the process. They're about 13 hours ahead of us here in Cincinnati, so it was a little bit of an adjustment. So we did have a single day that we could recuperate. And so after landing and after beginning to kind of get our bearings just a little bit in Manila, we had one day. And so what we decided to do was to visit the Manila Hotel. The Manila Hotel, for those of you who are historians, is the hotel where MacArthur, General Douglas MacArthur, had his headquarters during World War II. Now, of course, as the Japanese invaded, he had to vacate, and he had to leave the Philippines because the Japanese basically came in and took over. He promised that he would come back. He promised that he would come back.

And it's interesting, as you think about this, it certainly connects with the mission of the Church in the sense that God was pouring out his blessings on his people. God was fulfilling the promises to Abraham that there would be a great nation and there would be a great multitude of nations. And this was part of fulfilling those prophecies. And so visiting the Manila Hotel was an interesting opportunity to be able to remember some of those promises that God fulfilled and really think about the horrors of war. Here we are, we're sitting in the Manila Hotel in MacArthur's apartment, and you can see the McNeelys are there. We have Wes Curlin there, a member that lives in the Philippines now and comes back to the United States occasionally. We have Jolinda Schreiber as well, and we're there in that living area of MacArthur's. And so it just began to remind us of what the Philippines had to go through, as well as the United States, in order to overcome all the tragedy, all the difficulties, and the horrors of war.

And of course, if you remember your history, we were able to go into Douglas MacArthur's office there, and there were various pictures on the wall. And so I tried to do my very best Douglas MacArthur interpretation here, not to be outdone by my wife. And so we got to put on the...it wasn't really his hat, but we got to put that on and kind of rehearse some of those memories of World War II. MacArthur eventually did return to the Philippines and made this statement, which was such a stark reminder of the cost of war and the cost of mankind's rule, and that one day mankind's rule is going to be over. There will be no more war. We will learn the ways of peace, and those weapons of war will be turned to peace.

And so in visiting the Manila Hotel, and then we also had time to visit the military cemetery in the Philippines. Talk about a stark occasion. We forget 56,000 United States citizens are buried right there in Manila at this United States cemetery. And so it brought back all of those things that remind us how desperately we need Jesus Christ to return. We need him to return. Wes was explaining some of the diagrams that were on the memorial there that showed how the United States and how MacArthur was able to retake the Philippines after Japan had overrun them and put so many into concentration camps right there within their own country. And so we got to spend that half a day or so reminding ourselves of the historical side of the United States and the relationship with the Philippines. And I think one of the things that becomes so evident of it is there is a unique relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines. They certainly love us and care about us and really honor us as American citizens. And so it was amazing to see the respect that's still there even after all of these years.

Now, the very next day was the Sabbath, and so we had the wonderful opportunity to meet with the Manila congregation. So here you have a shot of Mr. Shabi giving the sermon that day. So we were able to meet with everyone there. We had well over 100 members were able to come together in Manila and keep the Sabbath. Now, the Sabbath in the Philippines wouldn't be right without music, and so they had a choir of the Philippine members, over 35 members in the choir, so there was a big sound. Music is so critical to them. They are just a joyous, amazing people who express that joy, and it certainly came out during Sabbath services. And what a reminder that all of us have a contribution, that all of us have a part to play. And I'm reminded of that very fact that together, together, all of us, all members across the globe can make a difference. I can't tell you how inspiring it was to see them get up and give special music and really encourage every single one of us. It was so encouraging to hear just the volume of the music, because they weren't just, you know, singing the songs by rote. Even the hymns, even the hymns, it was an amazing sound that certainly was an honor to God. And so I was certainly inspired. I know the rest of us were certainly inspired by that.

If you take a look at what we're told over in...I'd like to take a look at Ephesians for just a moment. This one passage in Ephesians, I think, is such a strong passage that is a good reminder for all of us that there is an important aspect that we all have to play in doing our part. And if you take a look over in Chapter 4 of Ephesians, what a great reminder of what this trip was all about for all of us.

Ephesians 4:11-12 It says, "He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers," and it says, "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, or the work of service, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

And that's what we were all about. This was not a vacation or a tour of the Philippines. In fact, that one day was all that we had. That was it. The rest was spent in doing just this, striving to edify those in the Church, those leaders that came to the conference. And why? It was so that the mission can be accomplished, so we can advance the mission of the Church. So each one of us would take personal responsibility. So the Church, the body of Christ, would be built up. It would be edified. As it says in verse 13.

Ephesians 4:13 "Until we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." And that's what it was all about.

And in the Philippines, they have a challenge because it is a nation that is made up of over 7,000 islands, 7,000 islands throughout the Philippines. And we have congregations throughout the different areas, whether it be in Luzon or Mindanao or in Assayas, there are congregations in all of those areas. In fact, we've got 19 congregations that meet every Sabbath. There are also six video groups that meet. And as just about everywhere in the world, we have our challenges with manpower. We have four pastors, we have six that help out as well. And then we also have six other elders that serve in these areas. So you can imagine we're kind of stretched. And so the challenges that we face there are challenges that are found all over, that the field is white unto harvest, but we need to pray and ask God to send more laborers into the field. And the ministry and the members are so excited about the work that God is already doing. And as we think about what God has already accomplished there, we've got over 600 members throughout the Philippines, which is phenomenal when you think about it. And they're excited to find better ways to serve God and spread that gospel message.

And so at the leadership conference, we had 69 that came to attend. And as I had mentioned, it wasn't just a Philippine conference. We had individuals that came from Hong Kong. We had leaders that came from Bangladesh, from Pakistan, from Sri Lanka. And so it more or less became an all-Asian kind of leadership conference where we had many opportunities to talk about the gospel, to talk about speaking the same thing, for training and learning, for that edification that we read about in Ephesians 4. Now, leading the way in the Philippines is our senior pastor, Mr. David Dobson. He and his wife, Denise, serve tirelessly in the Philippines. And he is leading the way there in striving to preach the gospel and make sure that we are growing in grace and knowledge. And so he gave presentations at the conference. You see a little bit of the room that we met in with all the individuals there. We had opportunities to continue to learn and continue to make sure we're all preaching the same thing, striving to follow those guidelines that Jesus Christ himself set, passing on the truth as we've been taught, developing future leaders as well.

And so it was an exciting opportunity in presenting many seminars, not only throughout the day, but we had special meetings in the afternoons. We had question and answer sessions and opportunities just to get together and spend time getting to know each other. This is a photograph of the McNeelys as well as two of our members from Hong Kong. We have Mary and Edwin here who came all the way from Hong Kong to the conference as well. And so between Mr. Dobson, Mr. Shabi, Mr. McNeely, and I, we gave a number of sessions for five days throughout an entire week, really focusing on the importance of being on the same page, making sure we are united. We are a united effort, and every joint has something to supply. Every part has to do its share. In fact, if you're still there in Ephesians 4, take a look at verse 15.

Ephesians 4:15 It says, "Speak the truth in love and grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ."

And so that was certainly a goal, that we're all on the same page as Jesus Christ. That's what it's all about. And then he goes on to say here, this is the Apostle Paul speaking in verse 16.

Ephesians 4:16 "From whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effect of working by which every part does its share and causes the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

So you talk about a purpose for this conference. Well, here it is. And you come to realize there are joints, there are connections all over the world, and these joints have to supply their part. Everyone has to do its share. And it's interesting when you read this particular passage here. Paul doesn't even begin that verse 16 by saying what every member supplies. Do you notice what it says? By what every joint supplies. By what every joint supplies. Well, what is a joint? Well, it's a connection. It's a relationship. It's a bond. I was reminded of that way back when I was in college. I needed some kind of table. I had no table for my dinky little apartment. It was a little efficiency.

I had to get a table somewhere. So I went to this rummage sale. I picked up a table, got it home, and the thing was wobbly and falling all over. And I was like, this is a piece of junk. This is no good. I might as well throw it out and start over. Well, then a friend of mine said, "No, I think you could fix that thing. You could fix that table. Look, the legs are fine. The tabletop's fine. All you need to do is re-glue those legs." So he helped me out. We got a vice. We put some glue in there, stuck it together, and after a couple days, took the vice off, and wow, it was solid. So the legs were fine. The tabletop was fine. And it sure reminds me of this particular passage. Clamping that thing and re-gluing is what it took. The joints needed to be solid. And once the joint was solid, the table was solid.

And I think you think about that as it relates to what Paul writes here in Ephesians. When our connections, when our relationships, when our bonds are solid, we're going to be rock solid in the mission of the Church. We will be preaching and teaching as we've been taught. We will be preaching that gospel and the body will be edified. It will be built. Can't help but be built when we do things God's way. And so that joining among us is so critical. And when you think about how we are joined, we are joined to the Philippines. We are joined to Hong Kong. We are joined to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and Pakistan and Singapore. Sometimes we get so U.S.-focused that we forget about those kinds of things, but they don't. And we are in this together. We are in this together. And like Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, two are better than one. Two are better than one. And together, we can accomplish what God has given us to do.

And so a powerful message came across while we were at the leadership conference. And the dedication and the commitment that these individuals illustrated was just so inspiring and just so encouraging. And so you can imagine how serious we were the entire time that we were there. Okay, maybe not. The Filipinos love to take pictures, so we took pictures after pictures. Didn't I get a picture? Yeah, we need another one. So we'd take pictures. We'd take three or four pictures. And then they would say, "Wonky," which means go crazy, do something weird. Well, I guess I'm a little wonkier than most. And so we went wonky, and a number of times went wonky. But it was enjoyable just to recognize the joints and the ligaments and the connections that we have with God's people throughout the world. And that was such a reminder.

If I back up just a little bit, this is a shot of our entire group that was at the...let me go back. I'm going the wrong way. Maybe, Clint, you could back that up for me. See if it goes back a little bit to the entire group there. We had 69 in attendance from throughout Asia. So it reminded me of when Christ called the 70 and sent them out. I mean, in a sense, that's what was going on here, that God called all of us together, and he's sending us out, sending us out with his Word, with the gospel, with that message that needs to go throughout the world. And so they're working hard to preach that gospel in a number of ways. And I think we can keep that in mind as the efforts to get that message out there, to be bonded together, which may look different in different areas of the world.

One of the things that they're doing is they've got the "Beyond Today" program. And here I am speaking Indonesian. Well, not really. They just have it subtitled, fortunately, which is an amazing thing that the word is going out. In fact, one of the attendees at the leadership conference came up to me early on while we were there and said, "Hey, I want to show you something." And he showed me this picture. He was sitting on the bus on a Sunday morning, and this is a public bus in Manila, and the bus driver had the TV on, and on the television, it was "Beyond Today." And so here I am...I think it was the Sunday just before Christmas. And here I am saying, "Don't keep Christmas. Here's God's holy days and holidays, you know, the holidays versus the holy days." And so he had to take a picture of that and show, wow, an amazing thing. Just an amazing thing how the word can go out. And the different ways that they're looking at trying to get the gospel out.

And so we had some wonderful conversations on, how that looks in Sri Lanka? What does that look like? How can you do that in your area? How can you preach the gospel where you are? And so they're looking at it from individual efforts and collective efforts in each of these areas. And so it was such an inspiring opportunity to recognize how we are on the same page. And we realize it's how not just the fact that we've got our building materials, you know, a member here, or a member there, or a two by four there, or two by four over here. No, what is it that makes it work? Joining them together. Yeah, I can have all the materials, but if I don't join them together, well, I got a bunch of two by fours. When I start building that structure, I think that's when we get to being fitly framed together. And that's what God has in mind, that we be fitly framed together. And then what does Scripture say? "It grows into a holy temple in the Lord." And so what a phenomenal calling that we have that opportunity collectively to do just that.

And so our conference was really one that I think everyone left inspired and were looking for ways to continue to grow together, continue to build those bonds, and continue to contribute as a whole. That collectively, we're not just a home office ministry. No, we are the United Church of God. We are an international association, and we all collectively together have to be about preaching and teaching and bringing that gospel message to the world, not just a warning message. Yes, that has to take place. But God's calling people. I believe God's opening doors throughout Asia, something that we can pray about, that God is moving there. In the Philippines, for example, they are a much more religious country than we are in the United States. In many ways, we Americans have turned our back on God. There still is a basic belief in God there. Of course, they're basically a Catholic country and have...yeah, there's some tough influences there, no doubt about that. But they seem, as a whole, to have a basic belief in God. And that's a good start. That's better than starting with a total position that you are against God or there is no God or you hate God. And so it seems God is opening doors there.

Now, after the conference, each of us here from America went different directions. The McNeelys went to Singapore to spend time there. Mr. Shaby and his wife Deborah went to Hong Kong and spent time there with the brethren. And then we went with the Dobsons to the South Island, to Mindanao in the south of the Philippines. And so this is a little picture that we took there as we got to Davao. Let's see if we can take this. One of the things they were trying to teach me is that those from the Philippines could very easily take selfies. And for some reason, I'm never good at it. I'm always flipping and flopping. And so they would say, "No, this is how you have to hold the camera. Hold it like this, and then you're going to be able to..." Because I can never press the take the picture button, right? And so they were trying to teach me how to do that. So this was a weak attempt at that very thing, trying to take a selfie there.

Of course, the driving, the city there is a little bit different. I thought you might be interested. I forgot to do this while we were in Manila. Manila was amazing when you looked at the traffic and the number of people. I mean, just think of the number of people there. In metro Manila, almost 25 million people, 25 million people, one of the greatest centers of population in all the world. I think it's in the top three of metro areas throughout the entire world. Well, we went to Davao. And then I remembered, oh, I should take a picture or take a little video of some of the traffic there. Let's see if we can get this to play. There we go. They've got a lot of these little...they're like taxis that pick up people and can take them to various locations. Somehow they don't have a lot of crashes there, and I haven't figured out why, because they just seem to go and turn where they need to turn. And people seem to just kind of be nice and let them go or kind of give them a nod. Or sometimes they'll beep their horn, not raising a fist at the guy, but telling them, okay, I see you, go ahead. So that was just kind of interesting to see how that all worked, especially that the lines on the road don't really mean much. That's what it seemed to bring. Not a whole lot of meaning there.

But began to see, all right, it's different, but the message when it comes to the Church was the same. We had the opportunity to attend the Davao congregation. This is Roy Helos, our pastor there. It reminded me that none of us as U.S. pastors have any reason to complain because Roy pastors seven congregations throughout Mindanao. He does have some help from some elders, which is great. Fortunately, there's an elder in most of the congregations, but Roy's overseeing those various congregations. And boy, down in Davao, they were joyous just as well as those in Manila. Here's a little bit of the song service that day. I had to take out my.. [music].And so here you get a little bit of a flavor, but it was loud. It doesn't really come across at how loud this was. For those of you in Cincinnati, I think I could maybe give you an idea of how loud it was. It would be like the entire congregation was a whole group of Katherine Rowlands. All of them. Now, Catherine, you know I love you.

And it was so joyous and so uplifting. And so, and every song was, they were just singing away. And it was so inspiring, so encouraging. And I think, oh, sometimes I'm just kind of lackadaisical and I'm not really singing out joyously. And I'm not even sometimes thinking of the words. Just to refocus, just to be in another locale and refocus and see the energy and the enthusiasm for God's way, it was so encouraging. And to see the dedication of God's people, not just those in the ministry, not just the deacons and the deaconesses and the elders, but every single member, they were so excited. And they came many hours to Davao for Sabbath services. So we had over 80 people there for Sabbath services, which was really an amazing blessing. And of course, not to be outdone by Manila, Davao also had...let's see, I'll go back. See if I can get this one to play. Also had a choir that sang. And you kind of see they've got a lot of people in this choir as well. So Cincinnati doesn't have anything on Manila or Davao congregation. Can we get that one to play? Let's see if it will. All right. Nope. Let's see if it'll play.

[music]

Now, they practiced this separately and then came together and sang this. Nice. Just a beautiful sound. Absolutely beautiful. I kept trying to peek around to see who's leading this thing, and no one was. They didn't even have a director. They were singing the song and did such a beautiful job. I really appreciated the music that they brought. And it really inspired, I think, everyone. And just the uplifting nature of the whole day was just absolutely phenomenal. And so you began to see this connection. You talk about the joints between us that, yes, we are on the same page. We are striving to learn God's way and put God's way into practice. And this goes everywhere. And so the connections that are made were ones that I think really, really build that frame together in such a powerful way.

My friend, my new friend, Elijah, came up after services. And you can see I'm holding...it's a little bit difficult to see on the screen here, but I'm holding a little...what would you call it, a little drawing that he did. And it's a drawing of me. And so he gave me this drawing of me. It's a pencil drawing. Beautiful. I mean, it's absolutely beautiful. And I was talking to him, "Wow, you should probably get into art or graphics or something like this." He said, "No, I just kind of do it on the side." I said, "Well, you really like doing this?" He said, "Yeah, I do like it." So I asked him, "Well, what do you like to draw most?" And after presenting me this picture, he said, "Old people." I said, "Oh, great, thanks." Of course, then I had to make it worse. "Why? Why do you like it?" "Well, because there's lots of lines and wrinkles." And I said, "Oh, you mean character, don't you?" And so really talented young man and just an inspiring day overall.

Here was a...let's go back. I guess it got ahead of me here. Can you go back? I don't know why it wants to jump ahead. Just had a shot of the entire group. We have to take pictures, you know. And so this was the...they took serious pictures, and then I ran out from the group, got up on the chair in front of them, and I said, "Wonky." And so they all had to be wonky on this particular picture. So it was a great occasion. Now, this was also interesting where we had a little buffet one of the days. We were very thankful they marked the food and it said...can you read that? It says pork station. Now, we were really joyous because they also had a non-pork station. It's like, well, all right, this makes it nice and easy. So we got a kick out of that.

And then, of course, that kind of wrapped up the Sabbath. We spent all day with everyone and just built those bonds and those connections and heard their stories, heard some of the challenges that they face. We think of the struggles and the difficulties we face here. You think about getting to church, you know, in seven hours, taking three or four buses to get there. And that's just the challenge to come and worship together and keep the Sabbath and be together. They recognize the fact that keeping the Sabbath is not just staying home and not working. They know the Sabbath is a holy convocation. It is a time you come together. And whatever it takes, that's what you do because you build those joints. You build those bonds. You build those connections. And so that was such a powerful example for us to see the dedication and the commitment of God's people there and willing to go the extra mile to worship and praise God together and to be the body, to come together as the body.

Now, one of the things that they were very excited about is they have a new church building in Mindanao in Santo Tomas. So this is a little away from Davao. This is not where we met for Sabbath services, but this is a church-owned church building. And so they are so very excited to have their own building. Of course, this is also one of Roy's congregations, Roy Kilo's congregations. And here he is. We were there the day after the Sabbath. So the congregation wasn't meeting that day, but I had to practice my best impression of taking pictures as well. So we got pictures of Roy.

And then that was on our way to go and see the youth camp. They have their own youth camp in the Philippines where people come, teens come, and members come from all over to keep the camp. And they do an amazing job. They have this beautiful facility. And it's up in the, I guess you could say the mountains down in the south of Mindanao. And it's called Eden Park. And it's probably I think appropriately called. As we went there, they were not only showing us the camp, but looking at how things would work for this coming year. It certainly reminded me of Ecclesiastes 12:1, where it talks about, "'Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.'" Because I think this is part of the open door that God has put before us, that we have the open door of our youth, that we need to pass on the truth of God, that we need to continue to make sure that we are teaching our youth, because it is about family. God's ultimate purpose, when we really think about the gospel of the kingdom of God, is God is creating a spiritual family. And it's about family.

And so getting an opportunity to take a look at this facility where our youth meet, beautiful, park-like setting, it's up in the mountains, it's cool. They were very excited about the fact that, even when we were there in December and the beginning of January, it was 90 degrees every day at that time of the year. So you can imagine when it gets to be summertime and they have their summer camp, wow, it's going to be hot. But they have it up in the hills and it was very cool there. It was very nice. And so the campers are not ready to go back home after spending a week together. And in many ways, it's similar to the way we run our youth camps here in the United States. They have activities throughout the week. They start with their compass checks. They also have Christian living classes. So the emphasis is on God and His way and His word, teaching the young people. And so there are just many beautiful activities that were inherent. In fact, this particular one, as we were getting this tour of the facility, they came out in this Philippine, kind of a traditional Philippine house from the past. And the people that work at the park put on a mini show for us. And so this is just a little clip of the little short presentation they did for us.

[music]

So we were surprised and encouraged by that as well. One of the things that I think is so interesting is how you recognize how God works and how He works even among our youth. They put a video together. I wasn't able to download the one from this last year, but the year before they put their own youth camp video together. So I thought I'd just show you just a little bit of that particular video just to get a little flavor of what youth camp is like in the Philippines. Oh, before I do, here's one of their activities that they have. Oh, yeah, I forgot this one. A squirrel cage. So I asked Mr. Dobson to go up and demonstrate it, but he didn't want to do that. I think I have to go back and see if I can get this video to play. All right, not that one. Might need a little bit of help to get that next one to play. It's not going to play? Okay. All right. Well, we'll try to come back to it. Yeah, I tried to put a little bit of their camp video together so that you can get a flavor for what the teen camp was like, and it was held at this particular facility.

And so you can see here they've got...Oh, there I am, yeah. They got a water buffalo, and they said, "Hey, hop up on that thing." It's like, oh, yeah, sure, why not? That is not an official camp activity, though. So, no, not really. All right, so this may be that camp video, Clint. Let's see if we can get that one to play. It is.

[music]

Yeah, how exciting. So anybody want to do high ropes, or would you rather do the little bikes crossing the path? Yeah, absolutely amazing. And you see the enthusiasm that they have. They are so excited about the future and the coming year at camp as well. They're trying to sort out how can we include more individuals. And for those youth among us, they certainly could use some help in some of their activities as well. And so it certainly helps to bring us all together as we serve our teenagers as well.

Now, we were able to also visit our national office in the Philippines. So from Mindanao, we had to go back to Manila, and that's where our national office is. And so I think I have a picture of the outside of that office. There it is. Outside of the national office in the Philippines. So from the national office, they take care of all of the literature requests that come in through the program, through the literature, all of that is taken care of. Their member files, all of those kinds of things are right here at the Philippine National Office. I took a couple of shots of those that work here. We have Bong and Grace Remo. He's kind of the office manager, also associate pastor for the congregations in Luzon area. We also have Richard Macareg, he's...Mr. IT, I was calling him. So he's their master technician. There's Bong's office area. Here's Mr. Dobson, our senior pastor for the Philippines, working with Richard Macareg.

We can also see the area where they have all their literature. You can see all the various "Beyond Today" magazines across the top and their literature. They receive files from the United States, and they actually print their own literature in the Philippines, and that saves quite a bit of money in order to send out the requests that come in. Of course, most everyone speaks English there. Almost everyone speaks English. They have their different dialects for their tribal languages throughout the various islands. But fortunately, they speak some version of English. I had sometimes challenges communicating because I tell them, "I don't speak English, I speak American," so they would understand they might have some trouble understanding what I was trying to say as well.

So we have a wonderful office there in the Philippines that is striving to carry out the work of God in getting that word out. We had an opportunity to have a lunch together. This is Dr. Ray Avasco in the front, taking the selfie with the rest of us here. And you can see the rest of the gang in the background. They actually catered a meal for...well, it wasn't really a catered meal. They said, we should just go get some fast food over here. So we had...what was the name of the place? Now I lost it. It was...I'm going to think of it. It was an American fast food place. And so it was just Kenny...what was it? Do you remember? Kenny Rogers, yeah, there it is. Kenny Rogers, thank you. It was Kenny Rogers Restaurant. So it was just kind of...it was great food. Really appreciated the fact we could spend some time together. And it was just kind of interesting that that's the way that ended up.

Of course, that pretty much ended then our opportunity to spend time in the Philippines. Certainly, there are beautiful areas throughout the Philippines. And more important than that, beautiful people. Amazing people who are dedicated to God's way of life. And I hope that we can begin to maybe expand our thinking. It reminded me of a passage in Philippians 1. Philippians 1, when we think about our reactions to this, when we think about our connections, what every joint supplies, when we think about the unity that God expects us to have throughout the Church, this is a section that comes to my mind. Philippians 1:3, it's a powerful passage where Paul is writing to the Philippians. And notice what he says. He says at the beginning of this letter, verse 3, Philippians 1.

Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

Do we keep in mind those that aren't right here? Or are we so focused on our own life, our own problems, our own issues, that we don't see the big picture? Or we don't even understand the big picture? Here's Paul writing about remembering those in Philippi. And of course, if you remember the circumstances, Paul was preaching and teaching throughout the Roman Empire. When he was in Troas, he had a vision. He had a vision in Troas, and that vision was of a man who said, "Come over here." And so what did Paul do? Paul felt that was a word, a vision from God, and he came over there. He went across to Europe. Doesn't seem like he was necessarily planning to do that. But he went over to Europe. And where did he visit? Philippi. He visited Philippi. And so here he is now, writing this letter, while he's in prison in Rome. And what's on his mind? He remembers them. He remembers those in Philippi.

Philippians 1:4 He says, "Always, in every prayer of mine, making requests for you with all joy."

So even though Paul was in difficult circumstances, he remembered them. He prayed for them. He made petitions to God on their behalf. And so this is something we can do. And we don't have to be complacent. We don't have to be distracted. We don't have to be self-absorbed. All too often, yeah, I am. We can't be like that. We have to see the big picture of what God's doing around the world. Paul walked through that open door to Europe, to Philippi, throughout the rest of that journey. God has this open door, I believe, in Asia. Have we prayed about it? Will we pray about it? We ask God to lead what is happening there and build and help those people to do his work there. That's what Paul was doing for those in Philippi. In fact, he even tells them. Look at the rest of this verse.

Philippians 1:4 He says he remembers them in every prayer, and he says, "For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now."

Boy, that fact became very evident as we went teaching and preaching and having opportunities to have a conference and be together. There is a fellowship of the gospel between us. This fellowship, this koinonia of the gospel, sharing of the gospel. We are partners together with all of those that God's calling around the world. Paul felt that in Philippi.

Certainly when you look throughout the world, and it's not just the Philippines, not just Asia, but when we look throughout South America, when we look to Mexico, when we look to Africa, when we look to Europe, same thing, that there is a fellowship of the gospel, that God is doing a new thing. God is doing a great work. And here Paul remembers this, "And together we can accomplish that mission that Jesus Christ has given us." He says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." And I don't think that's just an individual work that He's doing in us. I think that's true. But collectively, there is a work to do. There is a gospel to preach. There is a warning to give. There is discipleship that must happen as God calls people. And those disciples then must be taken care of as well. And so he tells them.

Philippians 1:7 He says, "I have you in my heart in as much as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel that you all are partakers with me of grace."

And so hopefully what we can take away is that we're in this together. There is an amazing work that God is doing throughout the world. And we live in dangerous times. We live in difficult times. We should feel the urgency of the times to preach the gospel, to be united in our effort to do the will of God all around the world, to fulfill the mission that God's given us. And what's it going to take? The power of God's Holy Spirit, no doubt. And that means it's going to take every one of us, each member in every congregation, wherever God has called, wherever He has placed his spiritual family. We need to come together and be joined and connected and have unbreakable relationships so we can have the unity of the faith and the unity of the Spirit. And when we do that, I think amazing things will happen. No doubt, the mission that Jesus Christ Himself gave us will be fulfilled and can be fulfilled. And so let's put our heart in the mission of the Church. Let's put our heart in tune with God's heart.

Let's be sure we're asking ourselves, am I really allowing myself to be led by God's Spirit every single day? Am I really zealous to strengthen the joints between us? Am I zealous to pray for those that are far away, that God is using, that God needs to bless and continue to lead? And what does God expect me to do to build up myself, my family, my relationships, our congregation? We have that opportunity. And what a blessing it is to see that we, as God's congregation right here in Cincinnati, can shine that example. And we have. We have. And we can do even better. We can even be more focused. We can even be that much more committed to fulfill the calling that God has given us, to see that big picture and really step into that vision. Step into that vision and take personal responsibility for your part in fulfilling this great commission that God's given us.

And so let's shine our light. Let's shine that light before men so they see the good work. So they then will come to glorify God. And we can then build together. And we can nurture those relationships. And they're not just temporary relationships. They're just not momentary relationships. What kind of relationships are we talking about? These are eternal relationships. These are relationships with the people of God that will last through eternity. And that certainly shows that we are speaking the same thing, that we are not only on the same page, but we are truly living in one accord. And when we catch that vision, there is no doubt that with the help and grace of God, we will...as the body of Christ, as the Church, we will advance the mission.