Tag: Ecclesia Reformata

Pilate had no idea that the ordinary instruments surrounding a Roman crucifixion, the hammer, the nails, and even the inscription placed above Jesus, would become enduring symbols associated with the most consequential death in human history.

Above the crucified Christ, Pilate ordered an inscription identifying Him:

Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (INRI).

The sign that was meant as an accusation became an unwitting declaration of His identity and Lordship. And beneath that sign, the King gave Himself for His people.

The King has died in our place!

Sixteen centuries later, another hammer and nails would become part of the traditional image of the Reformation, when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. His goal was not to start a revolution against the Roman Catholic Church, but to call the church back to the truth.

Just as the Roman inscription above Christ unintentionally proclaimed the King, Luther’s protest became one of the sparks of a Reformation that sought to reclaim the true Gospel secured by Christ’s victory. Its central theological convictions would later be summarized in what we now call the Five Solas:

We are saved by Grace Alone (Sola Gratia), through Faith Alone (Sola Fide), in Christ Alone (Solus Christus), according to Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura), all for the Glory of God Alone (Soli Deo Gloria).

Different hammers. Different nails.

Yet the same sovereign God who ruled over those events is still at work today through His providence.

The impact of those hammer and nails reached my own life more than five hundred years later. And I never even thought that, by God’s providence, attending a Reformation Conference would catapult me into opportunities to preach His Word in places I had never imagined.

In 2023, I missed attending Reformation Conference Cebu in person because, typical mistake, I forgot to file my work leave on time. So, I had to settle for watching the livestream from my screen while the speakers broke down the Five Solas.

My former college classmate, Lenli, who happened to be at the host church, BUCCI, would send me photos from the event, which made me super eager to attend the conference someday.

By 2025, God’s timing finally brought me to my first in-person Reformation Conference.

The theme was Ecclesia Reformata, which translates to “The Church Reformed.”

I remember being filled with so much excitement seeing all those passionate pastors and leaders come together, united by their love for Scripture.

As our church’s former Youth President and current Youth Adviser, I have always had a heart for young people. I really wanted to make the most of the conference, not only to grow personally but also to bring what I learned back to our youth leaders.

One of our primary goals this year is to establish biblical church discipline and membership within our youth group, Pure Heart Generation, and possibly extend it to the whole congregation, if the Lord wills and our church leadership agrees.

And with that in mind, it was an easy choice for me to attend the breakout session on church membership led by Pastor Derick Parfan.

But honestly speaking, I never expected my first Reformation Conference experience to be followed by such an arduous struggle.

When I returned to my local church, I started to sense that not everyone understood what I had learned and brought home from the conference. Some responded with what I perceived as unfair judgment and criticism. My beliefs were questioned, my theological stances were challenged, and some of my views were misrepresented.

I come from a Trinitarian Pentecostal-Charismatic church, and I understand that there is sometimes a lack of historical context when it comes to church history and the Reformation. I think many people in our congregation would be surprised to learn how deeply our Protestant and Evangelical heritage in the Philippines connects back to the Reformation and how much of the biblical teaching we inherited was shaped by it.

It hurt because the misunderstandings came from people I considered my own church family.

I’d be lying if I said there weren’t moments when I felt discouraged.

But just as God used the ordinary means surrounding Christ’s crucifixion, and later used ordinary men and circumstances during the Reformation, He also used one of the ordinary tools of my generation, social media, to help me articulate convictions He had been shaping in my heart for such a long time.

As soon as I started speaking more openly about my theological convictions on social media, things escalated quickly.

I suddenly became the epicenter of controversy and misunderstanding within the congregation. Concerned that my views might challenge some of the church’s established doctrines, I was asked to step back from my teaching ministries, which I respectfully complied with.

A series of meetings followed.

Throughout those meetings, I began to notice a recurring pattern. It wasn’t simply that some of my views were being misunderstood, I also became increasingly concerned about the level of doctrinal discernment within the church.

Teachings that sounded encouraging, familiar, or uplifting sometimes seemed to receive greater acceptance than teachings that demanded closer biblical examination. And I became increasingly concerned about the influence of teachings associated with the prosperity gospel, Word of Faith theology, and the New Apostolic Reformation.

For me, the question increasingly became simple:

What does Scripture actually say?

It was exhausting, and for a time, I felt completely on my own.

I had a few people who supported me, but I still longed for fellowship with others who shared these convictions. The constant friction made me resolve at one point that I would stop talking about these things altogether.

But here I am, typing my thoughts anyway.

One thing, however, became certain, I could not knowingly compromise what I had become convinced Scripture taught.

Church history repeatedly shows that calls for biblical reform can produce deep conflict, especially when long-held teachings or practices are challenged by Scripture.

From Peter Waldo and John Wycliffe to Jan Hus and Martin Luther, reform often came at tremendous personal cost.

But I also understand this, opposition itself does not prove that I am right.

I, too, must constantly test my convictions against the Word of God.

That, after all, is part of what Sola Scriptura means.

Scripture stands above the church, above traditions, above teachers, above movements, and above me.

Truth must correct all of us.

And where truth and error genuinely conflict, fidelity to Scripture must ultimately take precedence.

I truly love my church.

My church is where God led me to see the beauty of His Word. My church is where I spent most of my life as a Christian. These are people I have worshiped with, served with, prayed with, and grown with.

That is precisely why all of this has been difficult.

I had no plans to leave, and I still do not desire division for the sake of division. But I also understand where these convictions may ultimately lead if substantial doctrinal differences remain unresolved.

A Christian cannot thrive indefinitely in poor soil.

Unless a church is willing to continually listen, examine itself, and reform according to Scripture, there may eventually come a point when parting ways becomes unavoidable.

Even now, I still pray with everything within me that we would all return again and again to Scripture and allow God’s Word to correct us, shape us, humble us, and reform us.

Not simply that they would see what I see.

But that we would all see what God has actually said.

In the end, my discouragement did not stop me from making Christ known.

The Lord was very gracious in giving me strength to stand on His Word while also guiding me toward fresh opportunities to preach His truth for His glory.

After the Reformation Conference in 2025, by God’s providence, I was invited to speak to youth groups and churches across Leyte, first at King of Glory Church in Ormoc and Christ Alone Gospel Church in Baybay for their Christmas fellowships, then at our company Bible study group’s second anniversary, and eventually back to Leyte to preach again at a youth camp in Tabango.

Even as I write this, the conviction is only growing stronger.

There is an ongoing need for the church to be reformed, our understanding of God, His Word, our worship, and the way we live.

And it must continually be reformed according to the Word of God.

On the final day of the Reformation Conference last year, October 30, 2025, which happened to be my birthday, I woke up with one prayer in my heart:

“O Mighty God, spark a reformation in every local church in Balamban, in Cebu, and in the whole Philippines. Let it spread like wildfire to every corner of the nation, that we may see the light of the Word again. Here we stand in this generation. Help us, God!”

May God raise up a generation that stands for His truth in our time.

And may He equip us with our modern-day hammer and nails, not to exalt ourselves, not merely to win theological arguments, but to keep bringing everything back under the authority of His Word.

Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum Verbum Dei.

The church reformed and always being reformed according to the Word of God.

May we continually be reformed by the Word of Truth, our solid ground.