Disclaimer: This is the testimony of a Christian student who was almost deceived by the Metro Manila International Christian Church‘s (MMICC) false teachings. I deleted the name of her local church to protect her privacy.

Last 2021, after a few months reading the Bible, out of nowhere, I suddenly asked God through prayer if he can lead me through a church in our town. The next weeks of August I didn’t get what I prayed for, but I was so desperate to connect because I want to have a deeper relationship with God. Until November 2021 happened, while sharing a conversation with a close friend of mine who introduce me to a local Christian church in our provincial region.

Before I could even join the worship service, one afternoon, I was scrolling through a social media app and I encountered a video of this girl asking if maybe, I am interested in joining Bible studies online. My desperation in building a deeper relationship with God pushed me to message her, after exchanging chats with her, she created a group chat with me and four people in their church. That time, I was so happy ‘cause finally this can be a start of knowing who God is.

After that, we set time for our Bible studies, they told me to set it during my free time. The studies were about honesty, purity, humility, and righteousness. Which they call as “Character Study”. My experience was filled with comfort because of how nice, caring, and loving they are. It made me feel like I am in a safe place: that I am heard, I am worth it, and I am loved. However, while doing Bible studies, I was also attending a church in our town. My experience with my local church in in our provincial region is always the best, I sometimes share conversations about the church I’m attending virtually.

The studies then went on till December, little by little the members of the church multiplied into two. So there were eight people doing Bible studies with me. They talked about “Word of God” and in one study, confusion got me during the “Kingdom of God” which correlate to “Seeking God” study. They taught me about baptism. How it is important because as they said, I am not a Christian if I am not a disciple. Teaching me how in the Bible, the word “Christian” only appeared thrice while the word “Disciple” appears like two hundred thirty times. Baptism wasn’t new to me because they always use Matthew 28 verse 19 as a reference. They send me links for their worship services and in those services, I witnessed people who are getting baptized. Their doctrine was that those who are baptized are called the Kingdom of God. Using Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:38-47. Meaning Kingdom of God isn’t a place, it is the people. They are the Kingdom of God. My mind argued with what they say as I know disciple means someone who takes part in sharing or preaching the Word of God.

After building relationship with them, I started noticing baptisms are that actively required in their church compared to the church in our town. Then one time, I was talking to a member in that church and I mentioned about the church I’m attending personally. She then asked me, this question, “What do you think about your church now, is it God’s Kingdom which the Bible is referring to? According to Jesus’ standards. Since a church is filled with disciples” She also used Matthew 6:33, telling me I must know what the True Kingdom is.  She called me and talked about a lot of things then before we end our call she asked me if I would still join. Because of the things she said, I made the decision not to join the local church in our area. I told the people in my local church in our provincial region how I won’t be joining and decided to join the virtually church instead. My local church family leaders didn’t gave up on reaching out to me, but my heart was into MMICC so I stopped communicating with them. That was last February.

In January 2022, they put my Bible studies on hold because I live miles away from them. They can’t baptize me. I remember them asking me if where will I enroll for the next school year? They told me maybe I can transfer on Manila or in Baguio just so I can connect with their church physically. I asked my parents about it without mentioning the plan to join a church and they refused to send me in those places. One time, they also encourage me to invite people to do Bible studies with them so we can baptize each other if I’m unable to go to their planted churches. I invited people but they weren’t consistent with the Bible studies, so they stopped. One leader from the MMICC, even showed me a calculation of an individual inviting people in their church. My relationship with God at that time was good, I was consistent with my devotions or what they call “quiet time”. People from that church choose to put aside not just their academics but works, families, relationship with people outside that church and solely focus on them. I had a willing heart do it, also. By choosing God over my studies, which was good but right now, it was manipulation because you can do your studies with God. You can have a bond with your family and still honor God. You can have a communication with people and still give out reverence to the Lord. Apparently, it was what they’ve given up just so they could focus in their movement as church in MMICC.

While our Bible studies were on hold, the members didn’t stop communicating with me. With encouragements, quiet times, Bible talks, and Sunday services. I kept on praying and praying to God if he allows our Bible studies to continue, if my parents can allow me to transfer, and all. All I knew at that time is this is where my life is going.

Until one afternoon, God being a gracious and loving father, he opened my eyes to a revelation I couldn’t fathom on my own. This move is always on my mind, which was to research about MMICC or ICOC.¹ I explored different social media platforms to see if it’s true that they are a cult,² then, that’s when it hit me to message the Campus Missionary of my provincial local church. God used Ate Aida (not her real name), to help me look at MMICC, we found various articles, Facebook posts, testimonies in YouTube, and a lot more. Dots were also revealed to me one by one, I remember one time, this girl told me, when they reach out to people, they don’t reveal themselves to be from “MMICC.” The breaking point happened; the past few months was a complete lie. I thought I was at the right church but wasn’t. The MMICC made me believed that they are the only true church, aside from that, I noticed how strict they are with their members.

While finding out about those, I wanted to discern it also happened that my parents disagree with it, by God’s Grace I left. I unfriended them before they could even come and “encourage” me. As they said, truth hurts, and it did. All along I thought I was having a deeper relationship with God. I thought I know God. But I didn’t. Because knowing God means it’s not you who’s going to save yourself by being baptize. It’s not you setting other important things aside for God, but it is doing everything with and for God. I had a story to tell, a revelation to share, and it is how we must know our foundation. By knowing our foundation, we can’t be fooled by false doctrines, instead we are reminded on how impactful God’s grace for protecting me from being corrupted. It was by His Grace I was called to go home, I also went back to my old local church in our town. It turned out another Ate of mine has been praying for me to go back. The work God has done in my life took me to take a huge leap in putting my whole trust in Jesus, the rock whom I can be secured in having the truest wisdom, lately He has been showing me who he really is, I can say by His Grace I am redeemed.

Endnote

¹ The International Churches of Christ (ICOC), founded by Kip McKean in the 1990s, has its origins in the baptismal regenerationist Church of Christ founded by Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell. They believed that water baptism is a prerequisite for salvation.

² In this article, the term “cult” is defined theologically rather than by any other means.