MANILA, Philippines – The second Facebook Live streaming of Ang Dating Daan Worldwide Bible Exposition (ADDWBE) on July 8, 2016, has reached more than half a million people in the social networking site, reflecting the massive popularity of the evangelization effort among netizens.
As of this writing, the Ang Dating Daan Facebook page showed that the three-hour Facebook Live streaming of Bro Eli Soriano’s question-and-answer event reached 832,978 people with 7,305 live viewers. The live streaming was fed via Ang Dating Daan’s Facebook page.
The Ang Dating Daan Worldwide Bible Exposition was also live streamed through the program’s Ang Dating Daan YouTube channel. A total of 957 viewed the event real time.
Moreover, the event was beamed through Ang Dating Daan’s 1,360 satellite monitoring centers all over the country and around the world.
The ADDWBE Highlights
During his opening remarks, Bro. Eli Soriano, the Overall Servant to the Members Church of God International (MCGI) and the main host of the Worldwide Bible Exposition, reiterated the main intention and the relevance of the night’s gathering.
“Ang amin pong layunin sa pag-aanyaya sa inyo ay maibahagi sa inyo ang mga kaalaman sa Biblia na maaaring hindi ninyo alam. Hindi naman po sa pangungunang bait, kundi, kaya tinatawag natin itong Bible Exposition, what is expected is for us to expose things which are not being exposed by other religious groups,” Bro. Eli explained.
(The objective of our invitation is to share with you biblical knowledge that you might not know. Not to brag, the reason we call this Bible Exposition is because what is expected is for us to expose things, which are not being exposed by other religious groups.)
“And as a Christian, the teachings in the Bible, which was written by the Apostles, must be the sole basis of our learnings. Nothing must be added or diminished from it,” the International Evangelist added, citing 1 Corinthians 4:6.
I CORINTHIANS 4:6
Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.
Accommodated to ask Bro Eli about their confusions, doubts and queries in the Bible were nine guests from the following respective venues: Eastern Samar, Cavite, Bataan, Pampanga, Manila, Davao, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai.
TOP Queries
Here is a summary of some of the inquiries of the guests with Bro. Eli.
The first inquirer is a Catholic member from Dubai, UAE who then asked Bro. Eli: “Bakit kailangang baustismuhan ang tao?”
[Why is there a need for a man to be baptized?]
According to Bro. Eli, baptism is one of the commandments of God that we must obey if we are of God. Baptism is for the sinners, to cleanse them from evil spirits. And baptism is not for children; children are bound to heaven, there’s no such thing as “original sin” in the Bible so that a child must be baptized, it’s just an invention of the Catholic Church.
JAMES 2:10-11
10 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
11 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
LUKE 8:1-2
1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils.
MATTHEW 19:14
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
As the program got more informative and exciting, a guest from Limay, Bataan asked: Alin ang dapat aniban na samahan? Kinakailangan ba na umanib para maligtas?
[Which religious group should we join? And is it necessary to join to be saved?]
Bro. Eli answered that cleaving to what is good is a must because it is a commandment of God. And the group wherein we must cleave is the body or Church of God where the first-century Christians were members.
ROME 12:9
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
EPHESIANS 3:6
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-2
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
Meanwhile, a Hindu guest from Singapore asked if it is a sin to eat non-vegetarian food. Bro. Eli answered that there’s no such law of God that prohibits us to eat meat. In fact, God created every beast of the earth, and every fowl of the air, and everything that creepeth upon the earth for our own benefits.
GENESIS 1:28-30
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Generally, each visitor was satisfied by Bro. Eli’s Bible-based answers.
The Overwhelming Support from Netizens
Alongside with it, netizens flooded Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag, #BiblicalForumWithBroEli, expressing their thoughts before and until the end of the Bible Exposition. This hashtag became the most talked about topic on Twitter in the Philippines, reaching No. 1 in the Philippine Trends list.
As the program ends, Bro. Eli took the opportunity of inviting visitors to attend the upcoming Ang Dating Daan Mass Indoctrination, which is to be held in all Ang Dating Daan coordinating centers on Monday, 11 July 2016, at 7 pm.
Ang Dating Daan Mass Indoctrination is a series of free Bible studies on Christ’s doctrines. Bro. Eli Soriano and Bro. Daniel Razon personally preside and conduct these sessions.
For more information, you can send your queries to addcentral@gmail.com or visit any Ang Dating Daan Coordinating Center in your place.
(Written by Gauden Joe Sumayod)
