July 27, 2013 To: Household of Faith Community Church (HFCC) - TopicsExpress

July 27, 2013 To: Household of Faith Community Church (HFCC) Elders and Members From: Hazel Crizaldo, Elder, Elected Christian Education Minister, your servant Dear HFCC Elders, Good day. May the Lord grant us wisdom, courage, and peace. I am writing this letter to express my discontent on the actions you are doing towards G12 and the person proposing and implementing it Ptr. B*. I stand on the belief that only the Bible should be the final authority in matters of faith and practice; and as the only inspired written Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I reject the idea that Cesar Castellano’s G12 manuals are “anointed” and should not be modified or questioned. If you however, accept another authority apart from the Word of God, please be warned of the claims for we might be held accountable before God. I stand on the belief that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18) thus, I reject the idea that Cesar Castellano, his ideas, and his supporter Pastor B* should have supreme rule and influence on the church. I believe in the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9), thus I reject the idea of “Government of 12” and that such people hold unquestioned authority. I uphold submitting to one another, building up one another in love, and the fellowship of believers. Such Christian family and community image cannot go well with the vertical structure of G12. I uphold and affirm HFCC Statement of Faith as deemed binding and as written in HFCC By-Laws Article II Doctrinal Statement and Objectives, Section 1 (see complete statement in attached file): A. WE BELIEVE in the Bible as the Word of God, that the Old and New Testament are divinely and verbally inspired in their original writing. It is therefore, the ultimate and final authority in all matters of faith and practices. (II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21) B. WE BELIEVE in one God revealed in Three Persons (Trinity) the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all are equally and eternally co-existing (Matt. 28:19; 3:16-17) …. F. WE BELIEVE in the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His return for His church is eminent, personal and pre-millennial according to His promise. (Matthew 24: 36-51; 1 Thes. 4:16-18) H. WE BELIEVE that salvation is by the divine grace alone, that all who believe in Him is justified on the ground of His shed blood exercise of personal acceptance in Christ through faith is therefore essential for a person to be saved (Eph. 2:8-9, Heb. 9:22, 11:6). J. WE BELIEVE that baptism is by immersion in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit as an evidence that he is dead from sin and had one life in Christ Jesus until He comes. (Rom. 6:3, II Cor. 5:17)” Though Jesus chose, trained, commissioned the twelve disciples to preach the gospel, make disciples, baptize, and teach (Matthew 28:19) nowhere did Jesus says replicate “number 12”. Also, nowhere the Bible stated the apostles did “12x12x12…”. I reject putting emphasis on the “12” and making it a quota and multiplier for discipleship as if the ministry is a networking or pyramiding activity. In reading the materials of G12, highlighted in red is my critique: “G12 Methodology The G12 structure is found in some evangelical, predominantly charismatic churches. Ladder of Success This is broken up into 4 parts with the sole aim of leading people to follow Christ and increasing the size (how about faith) of the church. WIN: new believers are added to the cell through friendships (old and current members of HFCC are pressured to embrace G12, and are taken into “cells” without their own consent) and by utilizing the prayer of 3. CONSOLIDATE: after joining the cell, new believers are consolidated in the Christian faith and sent on an encounter (is it the only place where conversion can take place?) DISCIPLE: once the new believer has experienced an encounter, they are sent to the school of leaders. SEND: after about a year of discipleship (is it a measurement of maturity, a year?), new believers are now called leaders and given authority to form their own 12. ENCOUNTERS These are weekend retreats, usually set away from the city in a conference centre. Encounters generally last two-four days where there is basic Christian teaching, prayer, and deliverance (like Slain in the Spirit? This practice is in conflict with HFCC culture), including the tradition of writing down confessed sins on paper and burning them on camp fire. ______ On G12 emphasis on The Power of Vision … 2. “What is Divine Vision A. It is God’s idea, revealed to the mind of man as a goal to be achieved. Cesar’s? The Bible is where God revealed his will and purpose to man, not on one Cesar. B. It is the divine plan of action that drives every leader to overcome obstacles and shape a destiny. Is it divine? – the only way? This is a cultic way of manipulating people to obedience. C. It is a clear image of who God wants you to be and what He wants you to do. D. It is through faith that we enter the spiritual realm (trance?) and receive God’s vision. We bring it to the natural realm by speaking the Word (tongues). The Holy Spirit will confirm (why does the Holy Spirit need to confirm it, if it belongs to him? the Word that we have spoken. 3. B. Our work is to take the vision and reproduce it in the lives by sharing the message of salvation. Why focus on transfer from the leader, why not focus on Jesus? • Make every believer a leader Not all are leaders; some are given spiritual gift in giving, compassion, serving, etc. … 5. The Government of Twelve (G12) … C. For three and a half years (G12 is 1 year) Jesus worked on their character and ministry. He won them through prayer, and He consolidated them (Jesus never did a mandatory “EGR”- like event), He trained and discipled them then finally sent them. … 6. The G12 Group Meetings (Seek 12 people you will invest your life) A. It’s about relationship (mentoring) … • Our priority is to build relationships (G12 tears relationships, requiring members to leave current associations and embrace G12 entirely, those who do not adhere to this idea are dismissed from the group, which Ptr. B* told me to leave if I cannot accept G12 and disown my CBAP doctrines, beliefs, and practices, and even seminary trainings during the Elders’ meeting at Bro. J* residence in Meadowood, Bacoor on July 27, 2013) • Everyone must be trained and ministered to in order to minister … 8. G12 Core Principles (The heart of G12) A. G12 focus is cell multiplication (how about faithfulness? service? compassion?) ________ “G12 TEACHING ON THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Material on “Consolidation Process” p. 11 Full text: TEACHING ON THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Fifth Visit) (This lesson needs to be taught right before they go to the Encounter) OBJECTIVE- To show the new believer their need for more power in their walk and a deeper intimacy with the Lord. 1. The Promise a. Jesus promise the Holy Spirit to His disciples (Jn. 7:37-39) b. The disciples received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4) c. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to us (Acts 2:39) 2. What difference does the Holy Spirit make in my life? a. The Holy Spirit communicates to us and through us (1 Cor. 14:2, Rom. 8:26) b. Courage- you will receive power to reach others (Acts 1:8) 3. How can I have this gift? a. Thirst: you have to want it (John 7:37-39) b. Believe: the Lord will give you the promised gift (Luke 11:10-13) c. Ask (Luke 11:10-13) d. Receive (John 20:22) e. Keep being filled (Eph. 5:18) The Holy Spirit will not take control of your mouth, your vocal chords, or your diaphragm. The Holy Spirit will give you utterance (words to speak). You must receive these words and speak them in faith. You must be expecting to receive the power of God. My critique: Why G12 teaches and persuades people to the idea of “How can I have this gift”? I believe that the Holy Spirit enters the person at the time he/she receives Jesus as Lord and Savior. Why need a special or second time (“Encounter/ EGR”) for this. “The Holy Spirit will give you utterance (words to speak). You must receive these words and speak them in faith. You must be expecting to receive the power of God.” I have the same belief and stand as with CBAP on the matter of speaking in tongues. As stated in the CBAP Affirmations and Denials approved at the National Council and Biennial Conference, CBAP Statement of Distinction: CBAP holds an historic, biblical position concerning baptism and the gifts of the Holy Spirit and stands distinct from those movements that are characterized as Pentecostal, neo-Pentecostal or charismatic. Baptism of the Spirit happens the moment a person trusts in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. Conservative Baptists reject the view that speaking in tongues is evidence of conversion. On the contrary, they regard speaking in tongues as least among the spiritual gifts. They do not subscribe to public healing meetings and excessive body movements in worship service. Convinced of the pre-eminence of Scripture in shaping the theology and practice of the Church, the Conservative Baptists do way with biblically questionable practices like being Slain in the Spirit, prophetic visioning, and holy laughter. THE PHENOMENA AT PENTECOST “We affirm, furthermore, the uniqueness of the historical event of Pentecost and the phenomena associated with it (Acts 2, 10, 19) “We deny, on the basis of Biblical precedents, the claim that such phenomena need to be repeated as the sign of genuine faith as the standard for Christian experience.” BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT “We deny, on the basis of biblical precedent and the testimony of history, that baptism with the Holy Spirit is an experience subsequent to salvation or as a “second blessing”, and that speaking in tongues is concomitant with spiritual baptism.” ___ I affirm and uphold to this stand, hence I reject G12’s teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will give you utterance (words to speak). You must receive these words and speak them in faith. You must be expecting to receive the power of God.” I cannot teach to HFCC members this kind of doctrine, and I cannot compel them to speak in tongues as evidence of conversion. If Ptr. B* really respects HFCC culture, its doctrines, beliefs, practices, and current established church, he should not have insisted G12 and should have stopped invading HFCC with G12 new denominational teachings. But his actions really show he disregarded all of these, and instead pursued G12’s intentional invasion of churches. ________ PEPSOL (This replaces Christian Education? Focusing on evangelism and discipleship, where are the other elements like service?, virtues of faith?, fellowship with other believers? (only G12 people are allowed to mingle with each other, those who are not are shun, that is why association with CBAP Disipulous is prohibited and withdrawal from CBAP membership is influenced. G12 establishes itself as another and exclusive denomination with its own set and structure of erroneous teachings) I cannot succumb and embrace G12 PEPSOL teachings. I cannot teach errors and I cannot teach them to young souls who deserve correct teachings in scripture and right faith. I cannot overlook errors in the name of multiplication “success”. Numerical growth is not the measure of “success”, nor should success be included in the emphasis, but faithfulness in the Lord Jesus is what matters more. Genuine faith and testimony and service to the faith community, which are molded through correct teachings and Christian life, are what produces sharing of faith to others and bringing them up in the Lord Jesus. Overall and afterall, the Lord Jesus will reward us and measure us according to our faithfulness, not with how much we have multiplied 12 by 12 by 12 in compensate for overlooking errors in the teachings and use of erroneous materials. And if G12 acts like an exclusive denomination, where is its statement of faith? In line with the teachings contain the materials, G12 is clearly Pentecostal. How can Ptr. B* say he is respecting HFCC’s CBAP denomination formerly in my interview with him around June 16, 2013, 1-2:00pm at HFCC sanctuary, when he is now clearly imposing Pentecostal teachings from G12. How can he say he is retaining his personal Baptist beliefs, when he is embracing the entirety of G12 Pentecostalism (as he said last Saturday, July 25, 2013 around 6-9:00 pm at Bro. J* residence in Meadowood, Elders’ Meeting). And how can Ptr. B* prove his words, when he allowed, even influenced, HFCC some elders to withdraw from CBAP membership. Such action even didn’t have my knowledge or consent, and even was done by purpose to ensure the success of signing the invalid and without due process “Withdrawal Letter of HFCC from CBAP membership” document. Even the church members were not informed and were not given chance to speak on the matter as HFCC is technically congregational by the time such action was executed as per CBAP form of government, and by legality HFCC SEC Registration under the umbrella of Conservative Baptist Association of the Phiilippines. And such action violates Article V Section 4 of HFCC By-Laws. “The right to express his opinion within the limit of Christian principles” I am also questioning the authority of Sis. P*, as she has not been elected congregationally in any church ministerial office. As per the authority of the decision among some of the Elders concerning the invalid document, as stated in the minutes of meeting January 6, 2013 at HFCC sanctuary (attached is the document): To clarify, Bro. J* is not an Elder, he is a proposed Chairman of Council awaiting official election from the congregation. Hence, his duties are within tentative administration and without final authority from the rest of the Elders and whole council. Also to clarify, Sis. C*, is an OIC Secretary (to write minutes of meeting only), to attend Elder’s meeting but without voting power. (See attached Minutes of Meeting, as I serve as Secretary within Elders by that time) Also, Bro. Be* S* and Bro. Bo* S* are proposed Deacons and not Elders. On the same argument on the “proposed”, the rest of the proposed Deacons are not informed nor was summoned to decide and meet on the major issue of withdrawing membership from CBAP. The names are as follows: Bro. R* A* Sis. C* J* Sis. B* L* Sis. P* C* Sis. L* S* Sis. L* D* Including ministerial head in Men’s Fellowship, Bro. R* J* was not consulted nor was there in the abrupt meeting of Thursday morning July 25, 2013 at King James Academy Imus, Re: their intention to withdraw membership from CBAP. Same as with the Women’s Fellowship Head Sis. C* J*. I, Hazel Crizaldo, duly installed three times as Elder, and elected Christian Education Head, was not informed properly and was not summoned to be there in the meeting at King James. Ptr. D* F* witnessed Sis. P*/ Sis. L*’s remark during the meeting at CBAP Cavite office on July 25, 2013 at 3-5:00 pm “Eh, alam na naman namin na hindi siya papayag e (to withdraw from CBAP membership), kaya hindi namin na siya sinama sa meeting at pirmahan (of document).” All these showed that the three women, Sis. P*, Sis. L*, and Sis. R* are manipulating the church and recruiting members into the Council who can be their allies. Thus, influencing abrupt decision on major matter to pursue their own agenda without observing due process and respect for the other leaders in the church as well as the church legal proceedings. Take note that Pastor B*’s claim as pastor of HFCC is not valid, as he didn’t have yet the official Endorsement letter from the Cavite Provincial Council, and he has not yet passed nor there was yet a legal and valid “Final Interview of the Church Council”. Also, he does not have yet the majority vote of the congregation through referendum by secret balloting. All these are clearly stated in HFCC By Laws Article VII Section 3 Hiring of a Pastor. All these shows that Ptr. B* has no respect for HFCC culture, denominational heritage, and even due process. It is clearly he is intentionally invading HFCC and implementing G12 dictatorially. Because of these I cannot honor and regard Ptr. B* as HFCC Pastor, and I am rejecting him to pastorate in HFCC. I will not and cannot install him nor join in the installation of Ptr. B*. I am asserting the authenticity of my eldership at HFCC as confirmed three times by unanimous elders decision and congregation; and I have been installed at HFCC from years 2011 to 2013 by the whole HFCC congregation and CBAP pastors. I am fully executing this letter and will be circulating this letter to the whole congregation of HFCC as part of my duty and ministry of elected Christian Education since year 2010. I am asserting my calling as Christian Education minister since 2002 and my calling to serve HFCC since 2005, and I am fully executing my duties to this HFCC church. I am not honouring any G12 command to discharge my office of ministry and I am fully rejecting G12 in invading HFCC. I am standing on this statement and am fully circulating this letter to the whole CBAP churches locally and globally as well as other denominations and even publicly. I am formally bringing this matter to formal church legal proceeding, and is summoning the intervention of Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines Main and Cavite Region as well as government legal process. I am signing this letter this July 27, 2013. So help me God. __(Signed)___ Hazel Crizaldo