Philippine Church, Arise and Shine for the sake of the Lord's Great Commission

Filipino Local Minister

God’s work has always been accomplished by God’s methods, not by human thoughts. When we look at the history of the early Church, we can be certain of this. Jesus chose fishermen and a tax collector from Galilee to be His disciples, initiating the salvation of all nations and the establishment of God’s new history. After the Holy Spirit descended on Jerusalem, God’s mighty work began through the Church. However, when we examine the history of the early Church, we see that the first martyr was not an apostle but Stephen, and the first evangelist to preach the gospel outside Jerusalem was not an apostle but Philip.

There are about 200 countries in the world. Of these, only two countries are named after great men of faith mentioned in the Bible—Israel and the Philippines.

The name "Philippines" was given in honor of King Philip II of Spain, whose name traces back to Philip, the evangelist in the Book of Acts. Historically, King Philip II pursued the conquest of the Philippines more for the spread of Catholicism rather than economic profit.

The History of the Philippine Church

In 1521, when the first Spanish priest arrived with Magellan and held the first Mass, Catholicism took root in the Philippines. From 1565 to 1898, Spain ruled the Philippines for more than 330 years, and during this period, Catholicism strongly influenced Filipino life. By the end of Spanish rule, most Filipinos were Catholics, making the Philippines the first Catholic nation in Asia.

From 1898 to 1946, during American colonial rule, Protestantism was introduced. The greatest gift the Americans brought to the Philippines was the Bible and religious freedom. Every citizen was free to own and read the Scriptures. Through Western Protestant mission societies, the gospel was preached, and many churches were established. Unlike Spain, which combined politics and religion, the Americans introduced the separation of church and state.

One characteristic of the early Protestant mission was cooperative ministry, through which the gospel and Protestantism spread throughout the Philippine islands. The number of Protestant believers increased from about 4,000 in 1903 to 125,000 in 1918. After the Philippines gained independence from the U.S. in 1946, several Protestant churches gathered in 1948 to form the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), an autonomous Filipino denomination. By 1963, this denomination had become the largest Protestant denomination in the country.

God’s Calling and the Traits of the Philippines

Today, the Philippines is composed of about 7,000 islands, with a population of approximately 100 million. Among these, about 80% are Catholic, 10% are Protestant, 6% are Muslim, and the remaining 4% adhere to other religions. Half of the Filipino population is under 20 years old, with a high level of education. Additionally, about 10 million Filipinos live overseas, which is about 10% of the population. There are more than 182 languages in the Philippines, and most Filipinos speak at least two languages.

As we live in these last days, we recognize that God’s plan involves calling every nation’s church, including the Philippine Church, to help establish God’s kingdom. The first notable characteristic of the Philippine Church is its international leadership. Most Filipino diaspora churches use English, enabling them to collaborate with many nations in accomplishing God’s work. Looking back on the history of the Philippine Church, despite being scattered across more than 7,000 islands, it showed a sense of unity in the gospel during the early Protestant era, managing and exercising leadership over the entire nation. Now, standing at this pivotal moment in God’s vision, it’s time to rise with the leadership to lead all nations.

God’s global purpose is for the gospel of the kingdom to be preached to all nations and for the global Church to carry out the Great Commission to the ends of the earth. Yet millions of Filipino believers are already scattered around the world. In Saudi Arabia, the heartland of Islam, there are one million Filipino brothers and sisters. In Israel—at the center of global spiritual warfare—there are about 50,000 Filipino brothers and sisters. Additionally, there are over 30,000 in Jordan and 40,000 in Lebanon. In places where the gospel is most needed, tens of thousands of Filipino believers are already there. A missionary is someone who preaches the gospel and disciples people of another culture. God, who governs all nations, has already sent Filipino brothers and sisters to many countries to complete His final work. Now, these Filipino brethren must realize that God has sent them as missionaries to various nations, and together with the global Church, stand up with leadership to govern all nations.

More than half of the Filipino population is young, passionate about education. We dream of a day when the young generation of the Philippines will rise with God’s Word and rule with the young generations of all nations.

The gospel that started in Jerusalem has now traveled around the world and approaches its final frontier. The Philippines is located in Southeast Asia, a region with 260 million Indonesians, 100 million Filipinos, 100 million Vietnamese, 70 million Taiwanese, 60 million Burmese, 17 million Cambodians, and 7 million Laotians. Although 85% of Indonesians are Muslim, 10% are Christian, and revival is exploding in Indonesia. Recently, there have also been signs of revival in Vietnam. Now, as the Philippine Church collaborates with the Southeast Asian Church in spiritual leadership, it’s time to rise along the Asian highways and maritime routes, marching toward Jerusalem with the churches of India’s 80 million believers.

God’s historical plan is like when Philip the evangelist left Jerusalem to preach the gospel. Philip’s original task was to manage the church’s finances. Today, Filipino brothers are diligently working overseas as laborers. God does not look at outward appearances but at the heart. In these last days, the Philippine Church, like Philip the evangelist, will be filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit, going to the nations to proclaim Jesus Christ!