2. The Church of Christ in Last
Days
THE ACTS 20:28
โTake 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 has
purchased with his blood. โ
3. The Church of Christ in Last
DaysBRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
๏ถThe INC began with a handful of followers on July 27, 1914 in
Punta, Santa Ana, Manila; with Manalo as its head minister.
๏ถ Manalo propagated his message within his local area, growing
the iglesia ni cristo and converting members of other religions.
๏ถAs membership increased, he delegated others to spread the
teachings of the INC and it eventually spread throughout the
Philippines and to other countries.
๏ถAfter Felix Manalo's death in 1963, his son Erano took over
duties as executive minister and Eduardo V. Manalo is the
deputy executive minister.
4. The Church of Christ in Last
Days๏ถ By 1988, INC has grown to about 2,635 congregations called
locales, in which 220 of them cover sixty-seven countries outside
the Philippines.
๏ถ According to various sources, including the 1997 Britannica Book of
the Year, INC had a worldwide population of over one million
members by the early 1980s.
๏ถ According the 2000 census of the Philippine National Statistics
Office, 2.3 percent of the population in the Philippines are affiliated
with the Iglesia ni Cristo.
5. CHURCH COMMUNITY
Missionary Activities:
๏ถINC members are instructed by their administration to invite
people to Bible Studies and evangelical missions (known as
Pamamahayag in Filipino), and to distribute magazines and
pamphlets which are given to them by the administration.
๏ถIn the Philippines, radio and television programs are
produced, and they are broadcast on 1062 kHz DZEC-AM radio,
DZEM 954kHz, the Net 25 television station operated by Eagle
Broadcasting Corporation, the broadcast division of the iglesia
ni cristo and GEM TV, the sister station to
NET 25, also owned by the INC and iglesia ni cristo TV
broadcast on cable.
The Church of Christ in Last
Days
6. The Church of Christ in Last
Days
โข Worldwide, the INC maintains an hour long time slot on The
Filipino Channel and airs two among many of its programs
including the INC Chronicles and Ang Tamang Daan.
โข More recently, GEM-TV began broadcasting on DirecTV
channel 2068. The official INC magazine available to INC
congregations worldwide is entitled God's Message or Pasugo.
โข In January 2004, the administration of the INC began to
publish only one magazine both in the Philippines and abroad
bearing the name God's Message. The magazine consists of
letters to the editor, news from locales worldwide, religious
poetry, articles relating to INC beliefs, a directory of locales
outside the Philippines and would also feature a schedule of
worship services until recently.
7. The Church of Christ in Last
Days
Membership and doctrines
๏ถMembership in the INC is conferred through baptism.
People who wish to be baptized in the INC must first submit
to a formal process taking at least six months.
๏ถOnce someone officially registers with their locale, the person
is given the status of Doctrinal Instructee (DI), as they are called
within the iglesia ni cristo, and taught the twenty-six lessons
concerning fundamental doctrines of the INC.
8. The Church of Christ in Last
Days
Fundamental Beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo:
1.The words of God are written only in the Bible. The Bible
should be the only basis of service to God. This is the truth
which will teach man salvation from punishment on Judgment
Day.
2.The Father who created all things is the only true God. There
is no Trinity, no three persons in one God.
3.The belief that all churches belong to God is false. Christ
founded only one true Church - the Church of Christ (iglesia ni
cristo).
9. The Church of Christ in Last
Days4.The Church of Christ is the Church that Jesus will save (Acts 20:28
Lamsa) because he made this Church His body and heads it Himself -
before God, the Church and Christ are one new man (Eph.2:15 NKJV;
Col.1:18 NKJV).
5.The Church built by Christ during the first century has apostatized
(Acts 20:29). It was led away by false prophets which arose in the
Church after the time of the Apostles (Mt.24:11 RSV), and those who
remained firm in the faith were slain by ravenous wolves (Mt.7:15).
6.The Church of Christ which emerged in the Philippines in these last
days was established by virtue of the fulfillment of the prophecies of
God (Isa.43:5 Moffatt) and of Christ (Jn.10:16;Acts 20:28 Lamsa). This
is the third group (Acts 2:39) of people in the Church established by
Christ. Even the spread of this Church in the Far West (Isa.43:4-
6;59:19 NKJV) is a fulfillment of God's prophecy written in the Bible.
10. The Church of Christ in Last Days
7.The Church of Christ believes that God has determined the Day of Judgment
which will take place at the second coming of Christ. This is the great day when
the Church of Christ will receive the reward promised by God -- the everlasting
home for God's chosen people.
8.The members of the Church of Christ believe that it is God who forbids the
eating of blood and prohibits marriage with those of other faiths. Elopement is
an act of disrespect for parents and this is a sin in the eyes of God.
9.Each member of the Church of Christ believes that constant attendance in
worship services is one of his obligations. Great blessings accrue to those who
constantly attend worship services while great sins are committed by those
who disregard this responsibility.
15.The clear distinctions of Christ from God are proofs that the true God is not
Christ. Jesus possesses attributes surpassing the ordinary man, but this does not
mean that he is God. God has attributes which we do not find in Christ. If Christ
can do wonders such as miracles, all these are done by God, through Him as
God's instrument. On his own powers alone, Christ cannot do anything. Christ
Himself states, "I can of my own do nothing."
11. The Church of Christ in Last
Days
๏ถThese are just some of the doctrines of Iglesia Ni Cristo. As
said there are 26 doctrines which will be taught in Doctrinal
Instructee (DI).
๏ถWe maintain that the set of beliefs upheld by a religious
organization is of vital importance in determining its
genuineness and truthfulness. Certainly, any religion that
preaches the doctrines of the devil could not be of God. To
be of God the least one can do is uphold the doctrines of
God written in the Holy Scriptures.
๏ถAnd here lies the uniqueness of the Iglesia ni Cristo: it
upholds the pristine teachings of the Bible.
12. The Church of Christ in Last
Days
๏ถIglesia ni cristo Central Temple in New Era, Quezon City,
Philippines The INC's Central Administration is the iglesia ni
cristo Central Office;(as seen in the first slide) a large,
secured complex located on Commonwealth Avenue, New
Era, Quezon City, Philippines.
๏ถPhilippine Panorama Magazine described the complex as
including: the six-story Central Office Building; the 7,000-
seat Central Temple; the Tabernacle, a multi-purpose hall;
the 30,000 seating-capacity Central Pavilion; the College of
Evangelical Ministry; the New Era General Hospital; and the
New Era University.
13. You donโt need religion to love your neighbor
By Ramon Tulfo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a local religious sect, has won for the
Philippines three Guinness world records: largest dental health check
for one day, the biggest number of blood pressure readings taken in
eight hours and the most numerous blood glucose level tests, also
within eight hours.Guinness recorded the three events during the
churchโs medical-dental mission in Tondo, one of Manilaโs poorest
sections.
That the INC would break all records in medical-dental
missions is hardly surprising since it is a church that serves the welfare
of its members, the majority of whom are poor.
The โlove your neighborโ enjoinder is very much practiced
within this religious sect.
At the New Era Hospital in Quezon City, where many of its
doctors are US-trained, poor members of the INC are given medical
treatment for a minimal fee, if not for free.
Thatโs why itโs not surprising that the entire INC membership
votes as one block during elections.
