ACTS of the Philippines: A Modern Missionary's Journey Planting Churches in the Remote Villages of the Philippines and Discovering a Powerful, Awesome God along the Way

By Pastor Steven Ray Bragg

Why Did I Write This Book?

Pastor and missionary Steven Ray Bragg once fell from the ministry, and God picked him up and restored him to serve in the Philippines.

This book is the story of God working in Pastor Steve's life to accomplish His will of starting new Christian churches in the Philippines. He currently has thirty-five churches in remote, isolated communities. These communities have no other churches, and many are hearing the gospel for the first time.

Pastor Steve writes about his amazement that God would use someone like him. He shares his story about his privilege to walk with God, starting new churches, changing communities and lives, and saving souls.

"My Visit In 2019 to See this Dynamic Work Was One of the Highlights of My Life."

-Danny Harrod

"Very Transparent in the Spread of the Gospel"

-Terry Stein

"A Powerful Story"

-Michael Edwards

"This Will Encourage You"

-David Davolt

"It Is an Inspiring Read"

-Ken Barnes

"In this journey of planting churches in the mission field, God has taught me so many things about Himself and my relationship with Him. I want to share the God I have come to know."

-Pastor Steven Ray Bragg

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890610218

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: An Anointing of the Holy Spirit

Chapter 2: Sugnod: Pile of Dead Bodies

Chapter 3: Learning to Walk with the Lord

Chapter 4: Called to the Philippines

Chapter 5: Man of God—Woman of God—Man of Prayer

Chapter 6: Do It Like the Apostles: An Apostolic Ministry

Chapter 7: Satan versus the Church

Chapter 8: Running on Empty, Full of God

Chapter 9: Leading from the Second Chair

Chapter 10: Counting the Cost

Afterword: From My Heart

Photo Gallery of Visitors and Churches

About the Author

Notes

cover.jpg

ACTS of the Philippines

A Modern Missionary's Journey Planting Churches in the Remote Villages of the Philippines and Discovering a Powerful, Awesome God along the Way

Pastor Steven Ray Bragg

Copyright © 2023 Pastor Steven Ray Bragg

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2023

Unless otherwise noted all scripture quotations are from the English Standard Vision (ESV).

Highlight or underlines are emphases by the author.

The ESV Global Study Bible®, ESV® Bible

Copyright © 2012 by Crossway.

All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®)

Copyright © 2001 by Crossway,

a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016

ISBN 979-8-89061-020-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89061-382-0 (Hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89061-021-8 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Reviews

This book reminds us to praise God for His sovereign hand in the gospel going out to all nations. Not only did God restore Steve to faithful ministry after some years of wandering, but He had also used him and his family to take Christ to places often forgotten by church planters in the Philippines. My visit in 2019 to see this dynamic work was one of the highlights of my life. The stories show us in vivid terms that the gates of hades will not prevail against the Lord's church.

—Danny Harrod

Professor of Intercultural Studies, Boise Bible College

Profitable As a Devotion Guide

Your book is well written and would be very profitable as a devotion guide. The chapter Running on empty, Full of God sums up the book in a good way, showing how things are not always the way we plan but always the way God plans. Steven is very transparent in the spread of the gospel in the Philippines through his ministry WITH God!

Terry E. Stine

Former President at Boise Bible College, Former President at St. Louis Christian College

A Powerful Story

Pastor Steven Bragg has written a powerful story of his walk of faith with God. It is a story that inspired me to keep the faith no matter what, knowing that God loves us and can and will use us no matter our past failures and rebellion. His work in the Philippines is filled with examples of God's power and provision that are available to a person dedicated to God's will.

—Michael Edwards, FaithWriters.com

It Is an Inspiring Read

This book illustrates powerfully that our Lord is the God of the second chance. Arriving in the Philippines with a wing and prayer, he chronicles God's faithfulness in evangelism, missions, and church planting in the rural villages of that nation. The author has left an enduring legacy in the church in the Philippines.

—Ken Barnes

Missionary (retired)

Member, Board of Directors, Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Richmond, Virginia

This Will Encourage You

Steve Bragg has written from his heart the experiences he has had following God in the Philippines. He gives credit to the power of prayer and the miraculous working of the Spirit in providing both healing and safety. He is open and transparent about how God has restored him from a self-centered life to one of total dependence on God. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever doubted that God will or could use them because of something they had done. This will encourage you to trust and obey in the power of God's name.

—David Davolt

Vice President (retired), Institutional Advancement, Boise Bible College

Elder, Hill City Church, Boise, Idaho

An Encouraging Reminder of God's Purpose and Grace

Pastor Steve's book is an encouraging reminder of God's purpose and grace in our lives. Whether you are already involved in a church ministry or considering it for the first time, this book provides great stories of how God moves and how He can keep you going even when you are unsure or struggling.

—Steve Davis

CEO, Genesis Community Health

This book is dedicated to the many who support this ministry. To our partners who support us with financial donations, prayers, and the pastors, teachers, and professors who came to the Philippines to teach God's Word and encourage the church.

Foreword

As the present president of the River Rock Church Philippines, I would like to give credit to our beloved pastor Steve Bragg for having his third book, entitled ACTS of the Philippines. All the stories and references are true and based on his experiences as a missionary.

The good pastor has been my good friend since I joined the River Rock Church Philippines in 2012. I am instrumental in the registration of River Rock Church Philippines Incorporated, which was formally registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Philippines on August 8, 2012, to have a lawful entity with the government. By such move, Ptr. Steve Bragg could now move elsewhere in the Philippines without restrictions in preaching and teaching the Word of God. However, he was already years ahead of his mission to the Philippines by establishing Grace Chapel in 2006. Thanks to the one hundred dollars he received and the challenge he took. Thank You, Lord Jesus.

Intense as the first and second books, the author truly pours out his heart about his mission and his relationship with God the Father. Walking with God every day will transform you more naturally as with each movement you do, you acknowledged God as a partner. Knowing God by trusting in Him will definitely bring you peace in life. Moreover, the life of Pastor Steve will give an inspiring message to would-be American missionaries to the Philippines. By reading this book, you will have an overall view of how God will bless not only the missionary but also the mission itself and the people and the place. God will pour out His blessings. The whole organization is very thankful that we have such a very committed missionary.

As I end, thank you for Sister Juliana, his wife, as she serves as our interpreter to Pastor Steve when sometimes our English is not so much understood or vice versa. And thank you for Dodong, Pastor Steve's son Steven Edward, with whom our youth is more attached.

—Alejandro D. Dongon

Pastor/Elder, President

River Rock Church Philippines Incorporated

Preface

Why did I call this book ACTS of the Philippines?

I am a missionary to the Philippines. I went there with a calling from the Lord. My local church commissioned me by the laying on of hands from the eldership and sent my family and me out to start new churches in the Philippines. Even before we left, the Lord was doing a work in my life that was obviously from Him and preparing me for the ministry that He would have me do. This work of God was driving me—no, pushing me—closer and closer to the Philippine ministry.

So many times, I saw parallels of what God was doing through me in the Philippines to what He did through the men and women in the book of Acts. People I shared stories with about what was going on in the Philippines would also comment that those stories remind them of the book of Acts in the Bible.

This book is the story of God working in my life to accomplish His will of starting new Christian churches in the Philippines. We currently have thirty-five churches in remote, isolated communities. These communities have no other churches, and many are hearing the gospel for the first time.

I am not writing this book to give attention to myself but to God. I am amazed that God would use someone like me. I also want to share the story of my privilege to walk with God, starting new churches, changing communities and lives, and saving souls.

Why am I writing this account?

In this journey of planting churches in the mission field, God has taught me so many things about Himself and my relationship with Him. I want to share the God I have come to know.

I fell from the ministry many years ago. I was for thirteen years wandering in sin and thirteen years of God restoring my life. You can read more about that in my book Get Up!: God Is Not Finished with You! My point is I had fallen from ministry because of drugs and alcohol addiction, which led to divorce.

To my amazement, God restored my life to an awesome ministry that I could never have imagined. The ministry God gave me