I was invited to what the inviters’ terms “Bible Study” inside their home in the condominium where we are also living. At first I was glad and very excited for I am still very hungry and thirsty for more God’s wisdom, though I already made two and a half rounds of the whole Bible – cover to cover – within about three years.

The introduction written in the slide presentation with additional elaboration was okay saying that neither religion nor good works can save anyone. Little by little, I had noticed that what I was attending was not a Bible study I was expecting, but rather, a kind of presentation of one’s religious affiliation which the presenter wants to convince people that his religion and his church is the true and real Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Kristo) – others like Catholic Church, Protestant Church, etc., are not.

Later, after presenting all supporting verses of his claim about his church from his Bible, the presenter insisted that Christ died for the church he is affiliated with. That’s why people should join his church otherwise, they will not be saved. Apart from noticing this inconsistency from the point of view in his introduction, I immediately interrupted him (of course asking first his permission to speak) because I noticed that it’s not what I had read and learned from the Bible. The Bible says that Christ was crucified and died on the cross because of our sins – to save all the sinners – not because of the church he is presenting. I said further, well, Church or Temple can be interpreted as people. That’s why we are commanded to be holy for we are the temple of God and God will dwell in us. Jesus once said, “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”. Of course, Jesus was referring to His body which similarly was misinterpreted by the people in the past. I also told him that Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me” and I said further, Jesus did not say that you cannot come to the Father if you are not in this Church. Feeling frustrated, he then suggested that he should finish his presentation first before anybody could interrupt him. I felt that he was not happy with my interruptions.

Anyway, somewhere along the way on his presentation, he mentioned that the next part is a very big controversy among the churches. He said that only his Church does not believe that Jesus Christ is God. He is only the Son of God. Without any hesitation and without asking permission first, I asked him what did Jesus means when He said “when you see me, you see the Father” and on the other part of the Bible Jesus also said that “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”. Perhaps not sure of what to answer, he opened his Bible and read passages about the sheep and the shepherd saying that the sheep recognizes his shepherd’s voice and then end up with the sentence “I and the Father are one”. Then I asked him why then you don’t believe Jesus is God if the Father and Jesus are one? He answered “we should not use the last part as the conclusion, and then he became very chaotic after knowing that he was already trapped. I did not care anymore what he said further on the topic for I had noticed that he was already lost and was trying to repeat over and over again the passage containing “I and the Father are one” perhaps trying to find a way how to get out of it.

On the last part of his presentation we were arguing about the commandments, and I told him that Jesus was emphasizing on the commandment of loving one another. I then recited to him the following verses which I told him I can’t remember which part of the Bible it’s from for I am not memorizing Bible Chapters and its verses. It said, “If you remain in me and words in you, you may ask whatever you want and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit: it is then that you become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; remain in my love. You will remain in my love if you keep my commandments, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you all this that my own joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. There’s no greater love than this than to give one’s life for one’s friend; and you are my friends if you do what I command you. It is by loving one another that people will know that you are my disciples”.

He then insisted of the other commandments that seem to convince people to join him in his church saying that we should not neglect the other commandments. He’s argument was that, quoting from the Bible he said, “not all who call me “Lord, Lord” in the judgment day will enter the His kingdom” which I agreed. However, when he added that only those within his church will enter the kingdom because it’s the true church, I told him that it’s not what the Bible says. I said further, that the continuation of that verse says differently, it’s all about doing what is right in the eyes of God: about feeding those who needs foods to eat, giving water to those who are thirsty and clothing those who are naked and welcoming a stranger who needs shelter and extending helps to those who need it.

I told him that for me, loving one another is the most important commandment. I give him example like this: In this condominium, we, three families are in three different religious affiliations (one is like yours), but we are living in harmony and in peace and we love one another. There’s no problem existed among us.

Finally, I asked him my last question with an answer I already anticipated as this, “Of all the commandments, which of them is the most important?” He answered, “Love the Lord your God, with all your heart,.., then he paused, maybe forgot it, then leading him saying, with all your mind, and joining together saying, with all your strength,…. etc.

We then had our dinner together, and left them and went to the airport to receive my mother-in-law and her two relatives coming from the Philippines.