The Philippines Spiritual Background

The dominant religion in the Philippines is Catholicism and this has a major impact on how people live their lives in the Philippines. Almost everyone there has heard of Jesus but few have a relationship with him their faith is in works and of their own power. This makes it easier and harder at the same time to explain Christ with them on one hand they have a fundamental understanding of who Jesus is and what he did; on the other the idea of earning your way to heaven and eternity with God is so much a part of their life that even after they start to develop their relationship with God they can still be caught up in the works. I personally met a few people in my age group who told me how it was just them or just them and their sibling who believe in having a relational experience God and that he has already redeemed us and that the rest of their family did not believe their faith was in the works of man still. They expressed how difficult it is for them and it breaks my heart that they are forced to fight that much harder in their homes to love God where it should be the easiest they must struggle the hardest; it is saddening that they cannot worship God the way they were made to worship him because their family is against it. one of my biggest prayers for the people in the Philippines is a movement in the hearts of the people to shift them from the works of man to the work God has already done.