ATTENTION DEFENDERS AND TRUE MEMBERS OF THE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST!!!

Please be informed that as per Article II, Section 2 of the Amended By-Laws of the Iglesia ni Cristo, only the Executive Minister who is also the Presiding Elder of the Church have the power to decide on the expulsion and delistment of any erring minister, officer or member of the Church. 

This will come as a nerve-wracking shock to EVM and the Sanggunian specially Radel Cortez who signs the R2-10 forms accordingly “Sa Atas ng Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan”.  The situation has become so convoluted we are at a quandary where to begin our dissecting probe.  First, allow me to show you the exact verbiage of the said Article and Section of the Amended By-Laws:

Article II

            Section 2.  Executive Minister or Presiding Elder -  the Executive Minister or Presiding Elder shall be the chief overseer of the whole religious flock.  He shall be the administrator of all properties and temporalities of the Church and as such, he shall be the official representative of the corporation, whose right of official representation may, however, be delegated by him to any officer or member of the Church by means of written instrument.  As such Executive Minister or Presiding Elder, he shall have the power to ordain ministers and shall have control and supervisory power over all the ministers and officers of the Church in matters of discipline and regulation of the religious corporation.  He has also the prerogative and power to make assignment and change of assignments of, and suspend and/or remove from office, any or all ministers and other officers of the Church in any manner that he may deem wise, fit and proper under the circumstances; TO DECIDE ON THE EXPULSION AND DELISTMENT OF ANY ERRING MINISTER, OFFICER OR MEMBER OF THE RELIGIOUS CORPORATION,  but the right to reprimand, chastise and punish erring members may be delegated by him to the corresponding District or Resident Ministers having jurisdiction over said minister, officer or member.  (capitalization and underscoring for emphasis mine).

It is clear that expulsion and delistment is a function of and prerogative reserved only to the Executive Minister.  The Church of Christ under the mentorship of the Last Messenger and our late beloved Brother Erano G. Manalo has taken good care of the flock in accordance with what is stated in the Bible.  They follow a very stringent process of expelling an erring member making sure that all available remedies are afforded the candidate for expulsion.  Reports of misconduct are validated and revalidated in all levels in the Church from the group, local, district up to the Central Office in an effort to insure the veracity of the facts presented in the report that are detrimental to one’s membership because delistment from the roster of the Church, as we all know is the equivalent of a death sentence which is eternal condemnation in the Lake of Fire on the day of Judgment.  In the book of Luke 15:4 New Living Translation this is documented:

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?”

Thus; guided by genuine care for the sheep entrusted to him by God, the sole function of expelling a member lies only at the hands of the Executive Minister.

One will readily say that it is the Executive Minister in the person of Brother Eduardo Manalo that decides on the expulsion of erring members so therefore every decision is above board and in accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws of the Church and the well-entrenched discipline that we have been implementing.

We find such argument so hard to swallow for it is a well-known fact that expulsions today by the Sanggunian come in different forms with the report coming only from the Resident Minister or someone close to him, no investigation, no validation of anything because there is nothing to validate.  Below are some very informal way of expulsion;  a complete 360 degree turnaround from the sacred process being done years prior: 

1.       Expulsion by text message

2.       Expulsion through the group overseer

3.       Express tiwalag

4.       Expulsion with a clear threat and intimidation

Another very interesting fact that is a must for everyone to know is that EVM is not the Executive Minister of the Church by virtue of the amendments to the Church’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, of which section 4 states the following:

                Section 4.  Vacancy – In case of vacancy in the office of the Executive Minister or Presiding Elder, the Church Council shall convene and determine by election who shall be the successor.  However, the incumbent Executive Minister or Presiding Elder may convene the Church Council for the purpose of electing or choosing who shall be his successor.

In the history of the INC, whenever the Central Office does something that is of great significance to the Church, it almost always reverberates automatically and reaches the brethren all over the world.   An election to name the successor of Ka Erdy is one very important event for every concerned member of the Iglesia ni Cristo.  While it is true that in 1994 EVM was sworn in as the Deputy Executive Minister and eventually was elected as the successor of Brother Erano G. Manalo as executive minister, the same never created an impact or was unheard of during that time. 

However, for the sake of clarity, we want to inform the brethren that Brother Eduardo Manalo executed an Affidavit of Accession to Office immediately following the passing away of Brother Erano G. Manalo.  Below is the portion of his affidavit that was notarized by Atty. Restituto Lazaro on the 7^th of September 2009 and this is what is written in paragraph 3:

3.  On 6 May 1994, at the meeting of the Church Council and during the lifetime of then Executive Minister Erano G. Manalo, I was nominated and unanimously elected to the office of Deputy Executive Minister and Successor to the Executive Minister which is embodied in the Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Church Council, specifically under Section G, on the “Nomination and Election of Successor”, pages five (5) to six (6), as certified by the IGLESIA NI CRISTO (Church of Christ) General Secretary as per Secretary’s Certificate, the copies of which are hereto attached and made integral parts hereof as Annexes “A” to “A-5” and “B” to “B-1” respectively.

And again, to make matters clear to all and to cut the story short, below is the exact verbiage of the portions of the Secretary’s Certificate being referred to in the said Affidavit of Accession to Office including all pertinent annexes thereto:

                G.  Nomination and Election of Successor:

The nomination was then opened by the Presiding Officer.  Minister Arnel A. Tumanan took to the floor and nominated Minister Eduardo V. Manalo and gave his reasons for the nomination.

Minister Bienvenido C. Santiago, Secretary for the Propagation of the Faith and at the same time representing the District Minister for Eastern Seabord then moved that the nomination be closed, seconded by Minister Homer Timico of Batangas.

Minister Richard Rodas, Secretary for Foreign Missions, and representing Ministers from Northern California, Southern California and Pacific Northwest, moved, duly seconded by Minister Vivencio M. Pineda, Secretary for Evangelical Studies to submit the election of Eduardo V. Manalo as Successor to the Executive minister to a vote.

The Presiding Officer then asked for objections to the motion and finding none, opted to submit the issue of naming Minister Eduardo V. Manalo as successor to the Executive Minister to a vote.

By the unanimous vote of all the members of the Church Council, Eduardo V. Manalo was elected as successor of the Executive Minister/Presiding Elder.

There you have it brethren, for the sake of transparency, I have laid everything to you.  It is correct, based on records that EVM was elected to succeed as Executive Minister.   However, it is worth mentioning that there were events and happenings that took place from the time of EVM’s election up until the time when Brother Erano G. Manalo introduced certain amendments to the INC’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws that are material to the expressed invalidation of EVM as successor.   What events transpired that were enough compelling reasons for the then Executive Minister to do such amendments considering that his successor has already been named?  Consider the following:

1.    EGM’s discovery of an organization in the Church called STF (Special Task Force) which he said will turn the Church away or lead us to an Apostasy.

2.    EGM’s instruction to EVM to dismantle the said organization but was not followed.

3.    EGM’s instruction not to allow Jojo de Guzman, one of the brains behind the formation of the STF to be part of the family was not followed.

4.    EGM’s discovery of fraudulent reports by so many ministers concerning propagation.

5.    Sister Babylin’s continued and unabated meddling in the internal affairs of the Church.

Brother Erano G. Manalo, the corporation sole of the Church of Christ is clothed with power and authority to undo whatever the Church Council has done.  The Council might have elected EVM to succeed him but the events described above are more than enough for the Executive Minister to invalidate such election.  We have from unimpeachable sources that EVM was to be expelled for what he has done but the Father in our beloved Brother Erano G. Manalo as well as the scandal that it will bring to the Church prevailed upon him.  Ministers who are privy to all that EVM did were of the opinion that perhaps his expulsion had it pushed through would have placed the whole Church at a better state. 

How did Bro. Eduardo react or take the amendments?   In his defiant self, barely a week after the death of Bro. Erano G. Manalo, it was then that he executed that Affidavit of Accession To Office in an absolute and total disregard of the amendments from his deceased father.  Instead of following the provisions of the By-Laws, he, in an utter show of arrogance ignored it.  This is the reason we know that Bro. Eduardo Manalo is not the legitimate Executive Minister of the INC and that since the demise of Ka Erdy, the Iglesia ni Cristo has no anointed leader from God to lead His nation toward salvation.  Likewise, we are of the opinion that the Church Council who was given the task of electing an Executive Minister did not do the duty that is mandated by the Church’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws for them to do and have therefore abdicated their duty and position to remain as the Church Council. 

We believe in our heart that Brother Erano G. Manalo is a leader from God as evidenced by how well he managed the Church during his tenure. Not once did we hear of stories from illustrious and well respected ministers of the gift of wisdom that our beloved brother possesses.  We are one in our conclusion that Ka Erdy is indeed inspired by the Holy Spirit the whole time he was our Executive Minister.  In fact we believe it was the Holy Spirit that showed him this cataclysmic event that is happening now in our dear holy Church. Everything he said came into fruition like:

a.       Ititiwalang nila kayo (referring to his family and they were indeed  expelled)

b.       Aapihin nila kayo (referring to his family again and oppression is still ongoing)

c.       Uumang ang pagtalikod (the true Church of Christ members saw this and are remaining vigilant so as a full blown apostasy will not happen).

The Church is now in disarray all because of what EVM and the corrupt Church Council did.  They are the ones who drag the Church into becoming the laughing stock of the world and as the Bible puts it, they have time and again been crucifying our Lord Jesus Christ.  But fear not my beloved brethren.  It was also our departed Executive Minister who declared that God Himself will put all things in order for us.   There’s light at the end of the tunnel because as promised by God in the book of the prophet Isaiah Chapter 1 :26

“I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”

Yes, brethren, God will restore the Church and give us new leaders.   It was God who promised and His promises are true. Meanwhile, let’s remain firm, hold on to our election for we are the remnants of the seed.  In God’s time we will reap the fruits of our labor.

May this humble piece enlighten and strengthen us. 

                  

inc

How did the Sanggunian successfully plant fear in the hearts and minds of the brethren leading to so many believing out of fear and ignorance of the scriptures?
In the book of Matthew chapter 10:22 this is documented:

“But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

This verse could very well be the foundation of some other verses that tell us we must remain in the Church until the end to be saved.  This is where the belief that there is no salvation outside the Church of Christ is concretely premised upon.  Other passages are:

Acts 20:28,  Take heed, therefore to yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which He purchased with His  blood”

1 Corinthians 5:13,  “But those who are outside God judges.”

John 10:9,   “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved,….”


There certainly is nothing wrong with the passages taught to us and neither is the application of the said verses. The general rule is that we know as we have been taught is that there is no salvation for those outside the Church and to those who refuse to join the Church in spite of numerous attempts at enlightenment that this is the Church that our Lord Jesus Christ will save on Judgement Day.  But as they say, “in every rule there is an exception” so let’s dig in for some exceptional circumstances.  Are there cases or instances where those outside the Church are saved?  We could probably get some headway from the Book of Revelation.

We were taught that the Book of Revelation is like a summary of the past, present and future of the Church.  In chapter 18:1-4 we can read the following:

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily[a] with a loud voice, saying.

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 

As we already know since our indoctrination, these verses points to the Roman Catholic Church following the Apostasy.  But prior to the falling away from the faith, this Church used to be the first century Church of Christ, the same Church where Apostle Paul prophesied the falling away that is about to take place after his death. This is the very precise reason why God said “Come out of her, my people” because the brethren that were in the Church when the Apostasy took place are God’s people; the Jews and Gentiles that were product of the preaching function of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

It is worth mentioning that the Book of Revelation, last book of the Bible containing the visions of Apostle John was written at around circa 95 AD and the author also mentioned the presence of the Antichrist during his time.  In the second letter of Apostle John verses 7 to 11 he even forewarned the brethren about these deceivers:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an Antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we[b] do not lose those things we worked for, but that we[c] may receive a full reward.

9 Whoever transgresses[d] and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

We now learned that the deceivers have gone out into the world known as the Antichrist and are mainly responsible in corrupting the doctrine about the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This is what came out at the Council of Nicaea in 375 AD where a man-made doctrine became an article of faith in the first century Church of Christ declaring that Jesus Christ is God.

To substantiate, here are among the notable quotes from the early Church fathers that replaced the Apostles of our Lord Jesus:

• Clement of Rome was believed to be the fourth Pope and Bishop of Rome.  His epistle written in circa 96 was the earliest epistle written “outside” of the New Testament.  To quote one of the passages in his writings are the following: "It is fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God."

• Ignatius of Antioch (Circa 35-110) was the third Bishop or Patriarch of Antioch and a student of the Apostle John.  He was the first to write that "God Himself was manifested in human form" (A.D. 105).

• Irenaeus: "He is God, for the name Emmanuel indicates this" (A.D. 180). He maintained that the bishops of the Church provided the only safe guide to the interpretation of Scripture. He emphasised the unique position of authority of the bishop of Rome.

• Justin Martyr: "The Father of the universe has a Son. And He...is even God" (A.D. 160). 

• Tertullian: "...Christ our God" (A.D. 200). 

• Origen: "No one should be offended that the Savior is also God..." (A.D. 225). 

• Cyprian: "Jesus Christ, our Lord and God" (A.D. 250). 

• Methodius: "...He truly was and is...with God, and being God..." (A.D.290). 

• Lactantius: "We believe Him to be God" (A.D. 304). 

• Arnobius: "Christ performed all those miracles...the...duty of Divinity" (A.D. 305). 

• Novation: "...He is not only man, but God also..." (A.D. 235). 

• Clement: "It is fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God" (A.D. 150). 

• Athanasius: “The Son of God became man so that we might become God. (A.D. 325).

This is what led to the Apostasy, an entirely different teaching than what was taught by our Lord Jesus and the Apostles.  This prompted the call from God to His people to “come out of her” so that they may not share in her sins and receive any of her plagues.”

We now return to the topic of our discussion. Are there instances where those who are outside the Church are saved?  Yes, there are.  As it was God himself who called on His nation to come out of the Church that has turned away from the true Christian faith, it is safe to assume, therefore that there were those who most definitely heeded the call.  What had become of those brethren who heeded God’s call?  Let us go back to the words of Apostle Paul’s prophecy:

29“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

Apostle Paul mentioned very clearly that the flock will not be spared.  What was the similar pronouncement from our Lord Jesus Christ prior to his ascent to heaven that could shed light on what Apostle Paul mentioned?  In the book of Matthew 24:9-11 this is what we can read:

9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 At that time many will [d]fall away and will [e]betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.”

It is clear from the foregoing that those in the flock that will not be spared will be killed.  These were the brethren who heeded the call of our Lord God and came out of the Apostate Church.  This is the answer to the nagging question of many why the Apostasy was a resounding success in the first century Church of Christ.   Because the would-be defenders of the faith who stood up for what is true and stood up on the side of God and our Lord Jesus were not spared and ultimately killed.  The question now is “Can anyone in the Church of Christ today have the courage to say that those brethren who were no longer in the Church for heeding God’s call will not be saved?

This humble piece has just effectively negated the traditional belief that one is not saved if he is outside the Church of Christ.  It depends on the events and the attending circumstances that led one to get out of the Church.  In the case of the defenders today, what are the compelling reasons that led to our departure from the Church of Christ voluntarily or by expulsion?  There are so many; in fact, too many to enumerate but let us zoom in only to one of the most important commandment that our Lord Jesus Christ gave us prior to his crucifixion.   From the words of our Lord Jesus himself this is written in John 13:34-35;

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Said commandment was echoed 20 times in the New Testament by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. The same commandment we hear time and time again in our worship services and has been the backbone and pillar of the Church’s teachings from the time of the Last Messenger up until the demise of Ka Erdy. This is where we were molded, every action we do and every decision we make is anchored in this teaching which is the love of the brotherhood.  Sad to say, however, that this is the same teaching that Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo violated blatantly when he deliberately refused to talk to his mother and siblings after which he himself orchestrated their expulsion from the Church.  All because of their honest refusal to acknowledge him as the Executive Minister because he is not. The family is very much aware of the amendments introduced by the late Executive Minister Erano G. Manalo on the process by which his successor will be named.  Yes, dear brethren, we can go on and on and have a laundry list of this Church’s doctrinal and human rights violations until we ran out of space.  This is it, the bone of contention, the compelling reasons why we decided to step up on the side of the truth; to be one with God and with our Lord Jesus Christ.  This is us heeding the call once again of our God to “Come out of her so we don’t share in her sins and we don’t receive her plagues”. We did it in obedience to God, to defend the Church, defend the doctrines and above all to insure that a complete falling away will not succeed in this Church that we so love.  Many were blinded by the god of this world just as Lucifer was able to gather a throng of angels of his own.  Angels who were with God from the beginning, witnesses as God’s creation unfolded before their very eyes yet still managed to side with the devil.  Just like the brethren who at the wink of an eye so easily and expeditiously switched loyalty from God in favor of a man and in the process totally negating the teachings they received from God Himself through the Last Messenger.  The battle is far from over but God in His time will restore this Church just as He promised in the book of the prophet Isaiah.  This is what we have been waiting and longing for; a ray of light at the end of the tunnel.  The God who promised is faithful and true, His words will surely come to pass:

How the faithful city has become a harlot!

It was full of justice;

Righteousness lodged in it,

But now murderers.

22 Your silver has become dross,

Your wine mixed with water.

23 Your princes are rebellious,

And companions of thieves;

Everyone loves bribes,

And follows after rewards.

They do not defend the fatherless,

Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

24 Therefore the Lord says,

The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,

“Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,

And take vengeance on My enemies.

25 I will turn My hand against you,

And thoroughly purge away your dross,

And take away all your alloy.

26 I will restore your judges as at the first,

And your counsellors as at the beginning.

Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”

27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,

And her penitents with righteousness.

28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,

And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.