It was an ordinary garage that could easily fit 20 people. Everyone was seated on loosely-scattered benches and chairs. Some were smoking while listening to the Bible teacher. Most were well-dressed, like executives. They were articulate. They asked intelligent questions.
The curious thing was – there were more men than women in that Bible study.
The Bible teacher was a tall, slim, Chinese-looking man probably in his 30s. He reminded me of Bruce Lee. There was an electric fan beside him – probably to blow the cigarette smoke away. He had a beautiful American wife.
First timers were brought to a sala inside the house, where the Gospel was shared. It was conversational, relaxed, not too theological. A yellow booklet was used – The Four Spiritual Laws. You could bring one home (for free) if you liked.
“If you were to die right now, where do you think you’re going?”
That wasn’t an ice-breaker question. That was the crux of the whole conversation, which lasted maybe 30 minutes.
At the end of it, one had to decide: Do I really believe what the Bible says? Should I commit my life to Jesus Christ? Should I risk walking out of here, maybe get killed in a car crash tonight, or die from something next year – then go to hell because I chose not to commit my life to Jesus?
It was a decision that was as personal as it could get.
Before the Bible studies in that garage, the initial ones were held in Antipolo, in the house of our Bible teacher; then another house in Brookside. These home Bible studies somehow just got bigger and bigger…
Invitations were done by word-of-mouth. There weren’t any flyers or fancy events. No promise of food or drinks. No hoopla, no hype at all. Just simple invitations: “Hey, you want to go to this Bible study with me? It’s interesting. You might like it.”
For some strange reason, you just felt compelled to invite a friend, an office mate, that cousin who can’t say no to you. And yes, you definitely invited your husband or wife. Your boyfriend or girlfriend.
There was this energy, something electric, this indescribable excitement, when the person you invited actually came! Sometimes you bullied, begged, or bribed them to come back. Or made an ex-deal.
Well. That’s what I did. I made an ex-deal with my former boss who asked me a favor – to write his farewell speech. I said yes I’d do it, if he went to a Bible study with my husband and me. By God’s grace, he did!
He came. A four-star general. Every week, he came. He never stopped coming. Weekly Bible studies. Then worship every Sunday. For eight years. Like clockwork, he came. Until Jesus took him home.
He told us, in a phone call from Stanford where he was getting treatment, “I’m not scared to die. I’m going to heaven. Thank you so much for bringing me to Bible studies.”
But that’s getting ahead of my story.
That was how meaningful and exciting it was. And still is! Having that ringside seat to someone studying the Bible. Watching someone commit his life to Christ. Seeing that person change for the better – fast and sure, or “slowly by slowly.”
As more and more people came, we had to move from venue to venue, building to building. Like happy nomads. From the garage, I remember going to Bible studies in the Meralco Lighthouse, then Strata building.
There were more Bible teachers now, not just the first Bible teacher we had in the garage. His name was Peter Tan-chi, a Filipino-Chinese businessman whose passion was to teach Bible studies, and see people commit their lives to Jesus Christ. He invited other Bible teachers to teach other classes, while he taught the Beginners Class.
By God’s grand design, we finally ended up renting classrooms at the Asian Institute of Management or AIM in Makati. The location, and even the building itself, was strategic. Divinely strategic.
Makati is the financial capital of the Philippines. AIM is a prestigious business school that’s known in Southeast Asia. Hence, it became easy to invite executives, professionals, and businessmen. They were initially curious – a Bible study in AIM? Really?!! That was how God brought a lot of them in.
We grew by leaps and bounds in AIM. That was where we officially became “Christ’s Commission Fellowship.” CCF. We had Wednesday Bible studies in the AIM classrooms – the classes, the book studies multiplied as more and more people came.
It was a splendid, singular experience to study the Bible in the semi-circular AIM classrooms which were designed for easy eye contact, excellent acoustics, and just enough teacher-student distance to have a vigorous, lively discussion. People were primed to listen, in that well-designed learning environment.
The energy, the electricity, the air of excitement increased even more. Before and after Bible classes, the AIM lobby and corridors were filled with people conversing happily, intensely, animatedly.
It was like attending a party every Wednesday night. One of my friends – a brilliant but cynical executive – surprisingly told me, one day, that going to Bible studies was the highlight of her week!
Changed lives became a daily phenomenon in CCF.
A high-end call girl quit her night job after committing her life to Christ. A married couple who used to smuggle firearms (and who knows what else) eventually became Bible teachers. One of my most-loved gay friends quit being gay, had a few rough setbacks, then led a celibate life. A woman who was serially dating married men – just for the thrill of it – stopped and didn’t date for a long, long time. Well, God gave her a man who was handsome, godly and single! Then there was this husband who was cheating on his wife who, he didn’t know, was having a revenge-affair. I was stupefied when she told me! But God did the unbelievable – He slowly but surely restored their marriage.
These were just a few of God’s success stories. Absolute jaw-droppers. We were totally awed and amazed! Restoration wasn’t always seamless and smooth-sailing, but with God at the helm, restoration and renewal became the new normal.
Sunday worship in AIM started small. Really small. Maybe only six families came at first. Less than 40, in just one classroom. The lyrics of our praise songs were painstakingly written (in chalk) on the big AIM blackboards that you could pull up and down.
Our background music was a boombox that the song leader brought from home. Sometimes, family members would lead the singing. Sometimes, Deonna, the wife of Peter, would sing. It was like a family thing. We knew each other’s children. And our children had fun together – at church and anywhere.
As CCF continued to grow, we had our first batch of elders – only three. Then in the second batch, there were six, then seven.
We called each other by our first names. No one was called a pastor. The early CCF elders were either corporate executives or businessmen. Everyone who was helping out was a volunteer – except for the regular CCF staff who manned our office.
The elders and wives and our children all knew each other well. We were one, big, extended family.
We’d meet in each other’s homes, have lunch or dinners together. Our children would play somewhere in the house, while we adults had Bible study. Then we discussed church matters.
But before that, we always asked each other how things were at home. At work. Were there answered prayers? Was there anything we’d like to share and ask advice about? Right there, we prayed for each other. This went on for decades.
We shared intimately about our lives. Our highs and lows. What God was teaching us. We had peer counseling which came from deep friendships.
It’s now called “life-on-life discipleship.” That time, we didn’t even call it “discipleship. “ The term might’ve freaked us out, frightened us away. We were just close friends who wanted to share about Jesus to as many people as we could.
We had family retreats out of town – just the elders and wives, and our children. These intimate retreats strengthened our trust in each other, created mutual love and respect. So much laughter, fun, and easy camaraderie.
What we did in our small group of elders and wives, we also did – on a larger scale – in the lives of those who became part of CCF. We encouraged them to have small Bible study groups that we called cell groups, then care groups, which met weekly in homes, offices, schools, restaurants, etc. These small groups were eventually called Discipleship Groups.
We had bigger and bigger retreats in Baguio, Tagaytay, Caliraya, etc – for families, couples, singles, and even our Golden Girls (senior ladies).
But one thing we hugely invested in was our children. We, parents, planned and organized our children’s church activities. Our older children helped us run our youth camps. We made our own materials, and personally taught our children in Sunday School and our youth camps.
From these early CCF Youth Camps came some of our strong CCF leaders today. They proceeded to teach Bible studies in the schools they went to for college.
So from AIM, we moved to PICC, then to other venues, as CCF planted more and more churches – beyond what we ever imagined!
Hindsight is just as important as foresight.
What made CCF what it is today? Actually, it’s not a “what.” It’s a “Who.”
It is, first and foremost, God, Who made CCF what it is today. That’s the only logical, irrefutable conclusion one can make.
For how could an ordinary businessman and his wife, and a motley group of men and their wives – all volunteers, all self-supporting, none of whom went to seminary (except for Pastor Peter who went to Bible school many years later) – how could they have taught these small, itinerant Bible studies that eventually became a church?
Whenever I remember the small Bible study in that garage, I absolutely marvel at what God has done – and continues to do – with such small, humble beginnings. In these last 40 years.
Now, in 2024, the Lord has grown CCF into a church that has 17,000 discipleship groups in 83 CCF satellite churches all over the Philippines; plus 48 satellite churches and 78 house churches in four continents – including North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.
God has also used CCF to help start over 40,000 house churches and small Bible study groups (through partnerships with local laymen and women) in countries where Jesus Christ is not openly shared about.
Also, in partnership with a Christian organization, CCF has trained 12,000 pastors from marginalized areas in Visayas and Mindanao. Around 8,000 new house churches were formed, with over 130,000 people attending. This is a continuing effort of CCF.
Jesus was born in a manger. CCF started in a garage. There are many great men and women of faith who also had small, humble beginnings.
2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
It’s as if God wants to remind us, each day, that He alone deserves the credit for all that we have been allowed to accomplish.
Only God.
Indeed – to Him alone be all the glory, honor, and praise!
