Compelled by His Love
By Steve & Ros Baird
Where do you begin when talking about the ripple effects in the story of God's church at Buyongon on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines? In reality, the story began before the foundation of the world, when God chose the church to be a Bride for his Son, then continued through creation to redemption at the cross of Christ, and on through history… but that would make a very long article!
So, we begin in 1983, when a young, recently married couple attended a missions conference and were challenged by the words of the apostle Paul, through veteran missionary, Dr. Helen Roseveare, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again." We were that young couple. That missions conference was the beginning of a long journey, with years of planning, turning back, counsel, Bible Study and missions training before even leaving Australia to launch into our missionary career.
Once arriving in the Philippines, by this time with a young family, there was further training, language and culture learning, discouragement and upheaval, and finally settling in the village of Buyongon, central Mindanao, in 2008. Then came yet more years of learning, disappointments, encouragements and, ultimately, salvation stories leading to Christian growth. Now, there is a vibrant church of maturing believers who are reaching out to others in their community with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Before the gospel came to the believers in Buyongon, their lives were filled with fear. Fear of evil spirits, fear of sickness and fear of death controlled the way they lived and interacted with each other. They were religious, believing in a creator god, but thinking that he had given control of all things to the spirits, who must be appeased in order for life to be trouble-free.
When we arrived in Buyongon, we were accompanied by a team of national missionaries who worked with us to build relationships and teach the word of God. Beginning at creation, we taught about God and his character, laying a foundation for people to understand that He alone reigns over all things and is worthy of our praise. Working through the Old Testament, the people came to see that God provides a way for guilty sinners to be made right with him, with the story culminating in the death, burial and resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel has brought true peace, taking away the fears of the past. It is so encouraging to hear men and women say they are no longer afraid of spirits, sickness or death, "Jesus is the most powerful of all, more powerful than the spirits.” "Even if we do get sick and die, we will be with Jesus.”
Yayan is one of the believers in Buyongon. Earlier this year, his 18-year-old son unexplainedly became sick and died. Sickness and death are still rampant in the community. But what makes the difference? Yayan speaks of hope, "We now have hope in Jesus. We know that we will be with him when we die. I know my son is with him." The light in Yayan's eyes as he speaks of his Saviour affirms that hope!
Em, a local man, who is now our main Bible teacher, testifies that on hearing the gospel, he was convicted about his sin, particularly the sin of gambling. He knew from his religious background that Jesus had died for the sins of man, but did not really understand how that applied to him. His conviction brought him to repentance and belief in the gospel message. His wife has also shared that her only concern when she was unsaved was pleasures like disco dancing. Both their lives have been changed by the gospel, and now they are busy sharing the good news with others, as well as caring for and helping their children and grandchildren.
Faithful teaching of the Word has a ripple effect as it reaches outwards to others. Our desire, though, is that unlike a ripple that fades, the believers will continue to evangelise their relatives and friends, and they in turn will reach others also. Just as the gospel was preached at Pentecost, the gospel continues to spread around the world through the lives of the followers of Jesus. We pray that many more lives will be changed as a result of the testimony and gospel teaching of believers in Buyongon. We're trusting God to continue to work and bring not just ripples, but tidal waves of change!
Often we're not aware of the effect of God's word on the children of the first believers, but in recent months, Steve has been teaching a teenage Bible study group on Saturdays and has been surprised at the knowledge of these teenagers. No doubt some of them have been encouraged by their parents' faith, some were taught by Scripture teachers at school, and some have been personally taught by Em, Yayan and other Bible teachers. These teens have been working in our agriculture project. which was started as a means of generating finances for the church. It has been a useful tool in bringing young men to us, giving opportunity to teach them, as well as providing a way for them to help with their school fees and other needs. The studies with the young men have led to some of them volunteering to train as Bible teachers.
Another ripple effect is that Steve no longer teaches. In the past, he accompanied the teachers, helping them with outreaches as well as teaching on Sundays. Now all of the teaching on Sundays and at outreaches in other villages is handled by the Buyongon Bible Teachers. We have been praying for some years now that more men would join the leadership team. It's been encouraging to see several men begin to take part in the worship and teaching service on Sundays.
Growing up on the mission field has also impacted our four children. Three are now married to believing spouses and involved in their local churches. One is studying theology in order to take on full time ministry. Our youngest is serving the Lord as a teacher to missionary children in Mexico. We pray that the ripples will continue through their lives and their own families.
An additional spillover effect has been the ministry of Australian work teams that have been helping us for over 18 years. Some of the members of a recent team in September 2024 have returned three, seven and eight times. Not only has this resulted in physical work done in our local schools and our local area, but these men and women have become part of the "mission team" of Buyongon as they pray regularly for fellow believers they have met and financially support us as well as workers here. Perhaps the most important effect of all has been to show the love of Christ and the unity that we have as believers, despite being unable to clearly communicate in a common language. Their actions have truly spoken loudly and continue to affect the local community.
May the ripples of Christ's love continue to compel and convince us that He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.