FERTILITY LEVELS, TRENDS, AND DIFFERENTIALS: 2003 NDHS

III. FERTILITY DIFFERENTIALS

3.1 By Residence

Data in Table 10 indicate that for the country as a whole, the total fertility rate in urban is lower than that of rural. In 1993, the TFR for urban area is 3.53 births per woman, 1.29 less than the rural TFR. In 1998, the TFR for urban area is 1.66 births less than the rural TFR while in 2003, the rural TRF is 1.3 births per woman more than that of the TFR of urban. The age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) among the rural women are higher than among the urban residents, irrespective of age group.

Urban-rural differentials in age-specific fertility rates by age group in 1993 tended to be high in the early (15-24 years) and age 45-49 years. The largest differential by residence was manifested in age 45-49 years. The same pattern is observed in 1998 and 2003. The highest differential by age group is observed in age 45-49 years. The pattern is increasing. From 140 percent in 1993, the difference decreased to 150 percent in 1998 and 167 percent in 2003. The trend is contrary to the previous results where the highest urban-rural differential is noted in the early years (De Guzman, 1980). Substantial differences were observable also for women aged 15-24 years and 40-44 years (1993), 15-24 years and 35-44 years (1998) and 15-19 years and 35-44 years (2003).

High urban-rural differentials may eventually disappear with the growing efforts in successful contraceptive use in both urban and rural areas (United Nations, 1975) but the data presented above does not seem to support this, yet. The percentage difference of births per 1,000 women in urban and rural is quite high on based on the latest three national demographic and health surveys conducted. The figures are 36 percent, 55 percent and 43 percent for 1993, 1998 and 2003, respectively.

and by Age Group, Philippines: 1993, 1998 and 2003
Table 10
Age-Specific Fertility Rates Per 1,000 Women by Residence

Year/ Residence	Births Per 1,000 Women Aged							TFR
	15-19	20-24	25-29	30-34	35-39	40-44	45-49
1993
Urban	36	157	203	161	102	42	5	3.53
Rural	72	239	236	205	140	62	12	4.82
Total	50	190	217	181	120	51	8	4.09
% Difference
(R/U–1.0x100)	100	52	16	27	37	48	140	36
1998
Urban	30	137	182	133	84	32	4	3.01
Rural	69	233	247	183	142	50	10	4.67
Total	46	177	210	155	111	40	7	3.73
% Difference
(R/U–1.0x100)	130	70	36	38	69	56	150	55
2003
Urban	40	157	170	124	77	29	3	3.0
Rural	74	213	219	164	118	61	8	4.3
Total	53	178	191	142	95	43	5	3.5
% Difference
(R/U–1.0x100)	85	36	29	32	53	110	167	43

Sources: 1993, 1998 and 2003 NDHS


3.2 By Education

The negative relationship between fertility and education is present in the Philippines. This is clearly borne out by the data given on Table 11. The decrease in total fertility rates, however, has not changed drastically over time with increasing educational level for the last decade. In 1993 married woman with elementary education have a higher fertility than those who have no education at all. This indicates that acquiring only a modicum of education may not guarantee reductions in fertility. However, the fertility level of married women with no education showed an increasing trend (4.9 in 1993, 5.0 in 1998 and 5.3 in 2003). The depressing effect of education on fertility is best indicated by the difference in fertility rates between women with no education (4.9 children per woman in 1993, 5.0 in 1998 and 5.3 in 2003) and those with college or higher education (2.8 children per woman in 1993, 2.9 in 1998 and 2.7 in 2003). Thus, a Filipino woman without education can be expected to have almost as twice as many children as a highly educated woman.

Philippines: 1993, 1998 and 2003
Table 11

Total Fertility Rates Per Ever-Married Woman by Education,

Education	Total Fertility Rate (TFR)*
	1993	1998	2003
No education	4.9	5.0	5.3
Elementary	5.5	5.0	5.0
High school	3.9	3.6	3.5
College or higher	2.8	2.9	2.7

* Rate for women age 15-49 years

Source: 1993, 1998 and 2003 NDHS

There is also a decreasing pattern in the mean children ever born per ever-married woman with increasing level of education. However, between 1998 and 2003 there is an increase in the mean children ever born among those women who had no education and those with college education or higher in the same period. All of these data imply that there is a need to improve the educational status of the population especially among the females. Different Philippine studies consistently pointed that education per se has a significant role in lowering fertility. Education enables women to be more proactive in addressing their economic well-being and reproductive health.

Table 12
Philippines: 1993, 1998 and 2003


Children Ever Born Per Ever-Married Woman by Education,

Education	Children Ever Born (CEB)*
	1993	1998	2003
No education	6.07	5.42	6.10
Elementary	5.93	5.46	5.30
High school	4.40	4.24	4.20
College or higher	3.10	2.86	2.90

* Refers to women age 40-49 years

Source: 1993, 1998 and 2003 NDHS

Age has been considered as the most basic characteristic of a population. It has a considerable impact on its demographic and socio-economic behavior. For instance, older women produce greater number of children. The cumulative fertility or the mean children ever born per married woman by age in three different periods are displayed in Table 14. It can be observed from the table above that there is a pattern of a rising cumulative fertility with increasing age in three sources of data. Current parity as a measure of fertility makes no reference to the timing of fertility of individual women but refers merely to the cross-sectional view at the time of the interview. The average CEB of women who are nearing the end of their childbearing, that is, aged 45-49 years, is used as an indicator of completed fertility. This measure of completed fertility is commonly used in fertility differential analysis provided the data for these women are not subject to errors of age-misreporting and omission of births. All age groups exhibited a declining pattern in the average CEB from 1993 to 2003. Women belonging to age group 25-29 exhibited the biggest percentage of decline among the childbearing age groups from 1993 to 2003 (2.58 children and 2.15 children, respectively) which is 17 percent. Age group 15-19 declined by 12 percent which is the lowest decrease among the childbearing age groups. Age of woman is positively related to fertility.

Table 14

Average Number of Children Ever Born Per Ever-Married Woman

by Age, Philippines: 1993, 1998 and 2003

Age Group	1993	1998	2003
15-19	0.83	0.79	0.73
20-24	1.62	1.53	1.36
25-29	2.58	2.35	2.15
30-34	3.55	3.25	3.05
35-39	4.40	4.11	3.84
40-44	5.09	4.58	4.42
45-49	5.67	5.14	4.86

Sources: 1993, 1998 and 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey

Attitudes Relating to Family Size Structure and Formation/ Knowledge of and Attitudes Towards Contraception

The effects of this group of explanatory variables on fertility may be more indirect through the intermediate variables, namely: age at marriage, voluntary abstinence, use or non-use of contraception, induced abortion, and fecundity or infecundity. Some Philippines studies are cited for a better understanding of the complicated causal mechanism of the fertility determinants.

The very high level of contraceptive knowledge (above 90 percent) at national or regional levels implies that if there is consistency between preferences and behavior, knowledge of contraception is a strong factor affecting fertility indirectly via use and non-use of contraception. However, as yielded by the 1978 RPFS, only 60.3 percent of women at risk of pregnancy who do not want another child used some method of family planning. Of them, less than one-half (29 percent) used a modern method – pill, IUD, condom, male or female sterilization (Pullum, Immerwar, and Cabigon, 1982). The same authors discovered that actual family size, i.e., the number of living children including any current pregnancy, played the greatest role in explaining the desire to stop childbearing but was slightly associated with current use. Moreover, it was found that the likelihood of use did not increase with the number of unwanted children already born t the woman. It will be recalled that ethnicity, religion and education emerged as strong determinants of the desired family size. A related study by Palmore and Concepcion (1981) found that only 5 percent of the variance in current use was accounted for by the desire for another child, after the inclusion of other life cycle and socio-economic variables. Whether the women are rationalizing achieved family size or implementing family size desired leads one to question the data on desired family size.

In studying the value of children to Filipino parents, Bulatao (1975) found a poor association between contraceptive use and child values. This finding suggests that many couples do not attempt to control family size to maximize child values. The link between social interaction values and family size desires suggests that a change in the quality of social relations could reduce preferences. What is probably involved here is a modernization of the value system which is a long drawn-out process, difficult to achieve and massive in scale. The connection found between the financial burden of children and the desire for fewer children was taken as an indication that the burden should be increased particularly for higher-order children. A few positive values, for example, children as incentive to succeed, sometimes have negative consequences on number preference and positive influences on family planning practice. Since these values seem to be generally related to education, Bulatao proposed that if these could be pinned down with greater precision “it might be useful to emphasize such values at the expense of other values that lead to large families”.

Intermediate Variables

The variables falling this group are only those through which modernization an other processes can affect fertility in any society. Davis and Blake (1956) identified eleven “intermediate” variables:

1. Factors Affecting Exposure to Intercourse
1. Formation and dissolution of unions

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. Age at entry into sexual unions<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. Permanent celibacy<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. Amount of reproductive period spent after or between unions<!--[endif]-->

2. Exposure to intercourse within unions

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. Voluntary abstinence<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. Involuntary abstinence<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6. Coital frequency<!--[endif]-->

2. Factors Affecting Exposure to Conception

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7. Fecundity or infecundity as affected by involuntary causes<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8. Use or non-use of contraception<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportLists]-->9. Fecundity a affected by involuntary causes<!--[endif]-->

3. Factors Affecting Gestation and Successful Parturition

<!--[if !supportLists]-->10. Fetal mortality from involuntary causes<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportLists]-->11. Fetal mortality from voluntary causes<!--[endif]-->

Only four of these variables are examined in detail here using Philippine data. These are: a) age-at-first marriage or age at entry into sexual unions, b) contraceptive use, c) breastfeeding, and d) fetal mortality.

Table 15

Mean Number of Children Ever Born to Ever-Married Women Who are Near the Childbearing by Occupation

Occupation	1993 NDHS	1998 NDHS	2003 NDHS
Not working		3.8
Farmers		4.4
Blue Collar		2.1
White Collar		2.0

Table 16

Mean Number of Children Ever Born to Ever-Married Women Who are Near the Childbearing by Labor Force Status

Labor Force Status	1993 NDHS	1998 NDHS	2003 NDHS
In the labor force	2.7
Not in the labor force	2.6

Age-at-Marriage. It can be seen from Table 17 that the average number of children per woman decreased systematically with increasing age at first marriage in three surveys. It has been repeatedly asserted that the fertility decline in the Philippines in the sixties was attributed to delayed marriage or to an increase in the average age at first marriage.

Given the important role of nuptiality in directly affecting fertility, the role of the socio-economic structure, environment and cultural characteristics in affecting fertility via age at first marriage is worth including. In his analysis of the determinants of age at marriage, de Guzman (1982) fixed upon the region of residence and education as the most important determinants.

The average age at first marriage in the Philippines currently falls between that of countries to the north (China, Korea, Japan – average age 25 years or older) and countries to the south (Indonesia, Vietnam – average age 21 years or younger). The average age at first marriage has been relatively stable in the Philippines for several decades. It is usually assumed that age at first marriage is especially sensitive to changes in school participation rates, but in the Philippines female educational attainment has been relatively high for some time and there seems little room for substantial increase on average. In short, it is difficult to evaluate the prospects for an increase in the age at first marriage – a two- or three-year increase to East Asia n patterns is conceivable, but there is at present no evidence of a shift in this direction. Were such marriage postponement to occur, it seems likely that there would be attendant increases in pre-marital conceptions and births that would at least partially offset the fertility depressing effect of marriage delay (Costello, Casterline).

Table 17

Mean Number of Children Ever Born to Ever-Married Women Who are Near the Childbearing by Age at First Marriage

Age at First Marriage	1993 NDHS	1998 NDHS	2003 NDHS
15-19	4.5	4.0	5.2
20-24	3.6	3.9	4.5
25-29	2.8	3.5	4.4

Contraceptive Use. One of the challenges facing the Philippines during the next 25 years derives in part from the future growth in the number of women of reproductive ages (15-49) – the number rises from 18 million in 1995 to 30 million in the year 2020 (Population Trends in the Philippines: U.S. Bureau of the Census). The level of contraceptive use is a very important variable in the study of fertility. Contraceptive use has the significant role in effecting changes in marital fertility as shown in all existing findings. Estimates of the percentage reduction in conceptions by Laing (1981) indicated that use of even the least effective methods, rhythm, withdrawal and condoms, reduced the conception rate by 50 percent or more. The use of pills, combinations, and abstinence reduced the likelihood of conception by about four-fifths. The IUD reduced the probability of conception by about 95 percent. Sterilization, as expected, virtually eliminated the possibility of conception.

Education, religion, ethnicity, and region of residence emerged as important determinants of use (Pullum, Immerwahar and Cabigon, 1982). Other multivariate analyses done by the author suggest that field workers acting as source of supplies had a greater impact on current use than when they are served only to disseminate family planning knowledge and access. With the analyses of determinants of some related methods, it was seen that in urban areas, the closer the perceived distance to obtain a supply of condoms and the less expensive it is, the more likely it will be used.

Survey data on unwanted fertility show that the fraction of births that were unwanted increased during the 1990s, from 15.9 per cent in 1993 to 18.2 per cent in 1998. According to the 1998 NDHS, a further 27 per cent of births in the three years prior to the survey were mistimed (wanted later), resulting in a total of 45 per cent of births unplanned. The key component for this discussion is unwanted fertility.

If these were eliminated and other aspects of reproduction were held constant, the TFR would have been about one birth less in the mid 1990s—yet still well above replacement—at 2.7 births per woman. Unless this substantial amount of unwanted fertility is largely eliminated, it is difficult to imagine how fertility in Philippines could fall to replacement-level during the next few decades.

Contraceptive prevalence increased from 40.0 per cent in 1993 to 46.5 per cent in 1998 and to 48.9 percent in 2003 (see Table 18), and during the same period unmet need declined from 26.2 per cent to 19.8 per cent. The increase in prevalence occurred in both urban and rural areas, although the increase was larger in urban areas. These figures indicate important progress towards contraceptive protection for those couples who do not want to conceive.

Nevertheless, there are significant programmatic, social, cultural, and economic barriers to contraceptive use. In the first place, problems of inaccessible services continue to plague the Philippine population program. The shift in the management of the family planning program from the national Department of Health to the local government, as mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991, has created discontinuities in political commitment and localized weaknesses in the financial and technical support for the program. Compounding the management problems created by devolution is the already noted Catholic Church opposition to contraceptive practice. One consequence of this opposition is a shortfall in the allocation of funds by some local government officials to family planning, compounded by declines in external donor support. For this and other reasons, problems of sustainability and logistics continue to plague the program. There are reports of absence of contraceptive supplies, for example in remote areas of Mindanao. Finally, due to the bias of service providers, contraceptive services are largely unavailable to the young and unmarried.

One expression of these shortcomings in the provision of family planning supplies and services is that contraceptive discontinuation rates remain high, in fact increasing from 1993 to 1998. The major reasons for discontinuation cited in the 1998 NDHS are method failure and fear of side effects. In fact the fraction of contraceptive discontinuations due to method failure remained constant between 1993 and 1998, and this might be taken as a sign of greater attention to quality of care in the provision of family planning. Among the efforts in this direction is the recent development of the Sentrong Sigla (Centers of Wellness) program of the Department of Health. Nevertheless, method failure remains among the most common causes of discontinuation, and this in turn directs attention to the problem of low contraceptive efficacy. Contraceptive practice in the Philippines is characterized by a method mix of modern and “traditional” (and less effective) methods, with traditional methods constituting a far higher portion of the mix than is found in most countries, on the order of forty percent according to the 1998 NDHS (see Table 18). The two main traditional methods are periodic abstinence and withdrawal, both of which have relatively low use-effectiveness. The rising price of contraceptives and the decreased provision of contraceptives free of charge are incentives for continued heavy reliance on these two cost-free methods.

A program to introduce the standard days approach for the practice of natural family planning, which might serve to increase its use-effectiveness, has recently been implemented in pilot areas in the country. It is hoped that this new approach enjoys some success. Otherwise, significant reliance on natural family planning without an increase in its effectiveness means either a continued relatively high level of unwanted fertility and/or recourse to clandestine abortion, with the attendant risks to the health and wellbeing of women. If desired fertility were indeed to fall to replacement level (or even further), then couples in the Philippines would be subjected to even longer periods of risk of unwanted pregnancies than is the case at present (provided that sexual exposure does not decline). While some unwanted pregnancies in the Philippines are intentionally aborted, this remains an inconvenient and health-threatening option for most women. We believe that it is highly unlikely that induced abortion will become a common means of avoiding unwanted births in the near future. Hence, the prevention of unwanted births depends on the use of effective means of family planning by couples who wish to avoid pregnancies. As briefly reviewed here, there are a variety of barriers – programmatic, social, cultural, economic – to effective contraceptive practice. Most of these barriers, moreover, have been widely-known features of the contraceptive decision-making environment in the Philippines for decades. If unwanted fertility is fall to a level consistent with the attainment of replacement-level fertility, there will need to be radical changes in contraceptive practice. And these in turn will depend on sharp reduction in the current barriers to effective contraceptive practice.

Table 18

Trends in Age at First Marriage and Contraceptive Use: Philippines, 1983-2003
Survey	Age at	Contraceptive Prevalence
	First Marriage	Modern Methods	Traditional Methods	Total
1983 NDHS	23.3	18.9	13.1	32
1988 NDHS	23.8	21.6	14.5	36.1
1993 NDHS	23.4	24.9	15.1	40
1998 NDHS	23.5	28.2	18.3	46.5
2003 NDHS	22	33.4	15.5.	48.9

Source: 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey

REFERENCES:

Cabigon, Josefina V. “Trends and Differentials in Fertility”. In MB. Conception (ed.) Population of the Philippines: Current Perspectives and Future Prospects, PDPR/NEDA. 1983.

Cabigon, Josefina V. “Why is Philippines Lagging Behind her Southeast Asian Neighbors in Fertility. Decline?” www.populationasia.org/Events/2002/Event_100402/PaperList_Workshop10Apr02.pdf

Costello, Marilou P. and John B. Casterline. “Fertility Decline in the Philippines: Current Status, Future Prospects.” www.un.org/esa/population/publications/completingfertility/RevisedCOSTELLO-CASTERLINEpaper.PDF

De Bruijn, Bart J. “Fertility: Theories, Frameworks, Models, Concepts.” Demography: Analysis and Synthesis. Copyright 2006. Netherlands.

De Guzman, Eliseo A. (1994). “Fertility and mortality in the Philippines: estimates from recent data.” In Population, Human Resources, and Development, A.H. Herrin, ed. Quezon City: University of Philippines Center of Integrative and Development Studies,

De Guzman, Eliseo A. “Fertility, Nuptiality, and Contraceptive Prevalence in the Philippines,” in Herrin, Alejandro (ed.). Population, Human Resources, and Development, U.P. Press. Quezon City, 1994.

“Explaining Regional Fertility Variations in the Philippines.” Asia-Pacific Population and Policy. January 1996, Number 36. East-West Center: Program on Population. Hawaii, U.S.A.

National Statistics Office. Manila, Philippines. http://www.census.gov.ph

National Demographic Survey 1993, 1998, and 2003. Maryland, U.S.A.: NSO and MI, 1994. National Statistics Office (NSO), Department of Health (DOH) [Philippines] and Macro International Incorporated (MI) (1999).

Population Trends: Philippines . Issued February 1996. U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration. Bureau of the Census. U.S.A.

Shryock, H.S., J.S. Siegel and Associates. “The Methods and Materials of Demography.” U.S. Bureau of the Census.

United Nations (2001). “World Population Prospects: The 2000 Revision, Volume l. I, Comprehensive Tables.”

======================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

CHRISTMAS PARTY 2006 AT UP POPULATION INSTITUTE

CHRISTMAS PARTY 2006 AT UP POPULATION INSTITUTE

The audience clapped their hands as we entered the
hall of fame of the Population Institute, juk! Hehehe..

Pose for a pic shot... Hmmm, what's my mood today??
Seems like i'm happy and sad, lol...
Or I just wanted to appear cute? Hehehehe

Mary and the Three Wise Men... Nawawala si Joseph..
We don't know where did he go, hehehe

Instant presentation, as in Surprise Number talaga!
The audience was really surprised, wahehehehehe...

=================================

NEXT ARTICLE:

ARE YOU UNLOVABLE?

ARE YOU UNLOVABLE?

Some people are lovable
while others are not.
And one possibility exists:
I may not be a lovable person to you.

--The King's Rebel--

When can we say that a particular person is unlovable, and when can say that s/he is not? Is there any standard in which we could base our measurement? Or is there such a thing as measuring the extent of "un/lovable-ness" of a person? These are just some questions many of us would want to ponder especially by those people who are emotionally charged at almost all times.

It is my personal perception that some people are simply not lovable in relation to the people around them. Sometimes, we just wander why we don't feel good towards other people even if they haven't done wrong against us. We may be selective in friends whom we want to hang out with. I am saying this because I have experienced it and sometimes, you know, history repeats itself.

Perhaps, this is just a matter of self-perception. From the viewpoint of person who sees himself/herself as 'unlovable', focusing on other things and making ourselves busy will somehow shift his/her way of thinking from the issue. This may be temporary but it can be of help.

==============================================

NEXT ARTICLE:

HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?

How do you see yourself? This is a question many of us would not want to answer. How we see ourself affects the whole aspect of our life, thus, our self-image is very vital in our development as a person. It is the portrait that we carry around in our heart and in our head. Many times I went around thinking that God was not pleased with me. The thought that I would never overcome my past stick to my mind. I often felt like I am a losser, a failure, unlovable, and not as good as other persons around me. I always compared myself to others. Hurtful words that were thrown at me by people always seemed to create paragraphs on my mind and if written on a piece of paper, it could fill the whole sheet of paper making up a short story of how ugly I am, how weak I am, how "unholy" I am, how foolish I am. In short, I had a very poor self-image.


I want to share with you the story of David and Mephibosheth recorded in 2 Samuel 9. Jonathan, son of King Saul, loved David very much and was probably one of his closest friends. After Jonathan and Saul were killed in the battle, God promoted David to be the king over all Israel. Deeply moved with sorrow at the loss of Saul and Jonathan, David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"


David soon discovered that Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who had become crippled as a child but was still alive. So King David had him brought before him, David said to him, "Don't be afraid, for I will surely show kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." And Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?" In other words, Mephibosheth was saying, "Why do you want to help me? All I deserve is to crawl around on the floor and lick up the crumbs that fall to the ground. " Mephibosheth compared himself to a dead dog!


Obviously, Mephibosheth had a very poor self-image because he was crippled. As a result, he didn't feel worthy of King David's kindness. For many times, I am like Mephibosheth. I think like Mephibosheth. I act like Mephibosheth. I am not physically crippled but because of my own weaknesses, failures, and shortcomings, I see myself as crippled (or perhaps I am just a foolish person). Because of this condition, I am afraid to start new relationships and venture on new opportunities. I am contained in a box - stagnant and not progressing.


It is so much an encouragement to me that God would want to bless me just as He has blessed for others. But just as David was good to Mephibosheth for Jonathan's sake, God is good to us for Jesus' sake. I realize that God doesn't want us to look everything that is wrong with us or the sins of our past. The more we focus on our failures, the more likely are we to repeat them. I often failed in this area. I just pray to God that He will help me focus unto Jesus Who is the Author and the Finisher of my faith, and not to my past which only hinders my relationship with Him.
======================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH: THE FLAG

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH: THE FLAG

THE FOURSQUARE GOSPEL is compared to a jewel of unusual beauty and uses the symbolism in different colors:

Violet stands for the resplendent purple of the coming of the king (Jesus Christ).
Light blue stands for the divine cure.
Yellow stands for the sparkling gold of the baptism in the Holy Ghost.
Red stands for bright scarlet of salvation of the soul.


Charged with a red cross: the historical Christian symbol for Christ's sacrificial death.


Small black square with "4": "Foursquare" was a common term in Canada in the 19th Century, denoting solidity and stability, trustworthiness. The "4" within a square symbolises the four cardinal doctrines of the denomination: "Foursquare Gospel = that Christ Jesus is the Saviour, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Soon Coming King." On printed materials the square is usually white with a black 4. Alternately, the four liturgical symbols [Cross, Dove, Eucharist Cup, and Crown] for the cardinal Christological doctrine is placed in a square with no "4".

================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH LOGO: THE CUP

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH LOGO: THE CUP

JESUS CHRIST: THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

We believe that divine healing is the power of the Lord Jesus Christ 1to heal the sick and the afflicted in answer to believing prayer; that He who is the same 2yesterday, today and forever has never changed but is 3still an all-sufficient help in the time of trouble, able to meet the needs of, and quicken the body into newness of life, as well 61 as the soul and spirit in answer to the 4faith of them who ever 5pray with submission to His divine and sovereign will.

Scripture References:

1. “‘He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.’” (Mt. 8:17)


2. “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’”? (Mt.9:5)


3. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk. 16:17,18)


4. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29,30)


5. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed...” (James 5:14-16)
=============================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH: MISSION AND VISION

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH: MISSION AND VISION

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Foursquare Church exists to glorify God and advance His kingdom. Jesus Christ's command is to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19). Therefore, we are "Dedicated unto the cause of inter-denominational and worldwide evangelism."* These words express our spirit and our focus.

Our call is to preach Jesus Christ, God's Son, as the Savior, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and coming King. Our assignment is to develop healthy, growing churches. Our commitment is to plant national churches around the world led by loving servants of Jesus Christ. Churches developed in this manner will reproduce again and again. This makes possible the spread of the gospel to those who have not heard or accepted the message of God's Son.

VISION STATEMENT:

The vision of The Foursquare Church is to present Jesus Christ, God's Son, to every person in every culture and nation as The Savior, The Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, The Healer and The Soon-Coming King. Since the founding of The Foursquare Church in 1923, that vision has been realized through evangelizing the lost and establishing local congregations in the United States and abroad, through the nurturing and training of believers into leadership on all levels of church life, and in cooperation with other members of the body of Christ at large in the fellowship of the Gospel and the fulfillment of the biblical mandate to be "light" and "salt" on the earth.

Reference:
http://foursquare.org/

======================================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH LOGO: THE DOVE

JESUS CHRIST: THE BAPTIZER WITH THE HOLY GHOST

We believe that the baptism of (1)the Holy Spirit is the incoming of the promised Comforter in mighty and glorious fullness (2)to endue the believer with power from on high; to glorify and exalt the Lord Jesus; to give inspired utterance in witnessing of Him; to foster the spirit of prayer, holiness, sobriety; to equip the individual and the Church for practical, efficient, joyous, Spirit-filled soul-winning in the fields of life; and that this being still the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, the believer may have every reason to expect His incoming to be after the same (3)manner as that in which He came upon (4)Jew and Gentile alike in Bible days, and (5)as recorded in the Word, that it may be truly said of us as of the house of Cornelius: (6)the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning.


Scripture References:


1. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (Jn.14:16,17)


2. “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:5,8)


3. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)


4. “Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:17)


5. “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” (Acts 10:44-46)


6. “And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” (Acts 19:6) “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)
==========================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

ANG BUHAY AY PARANG ISANG LANSANGAN

ANG BUHAY AY ISANG LANSANGAN

Tanaw na tanaw ko
ang mga sasakyan mula sa
kinatatayuan ko ngayon.
Humahagibis ang karamihan
na tila baga sila lang
ang nasa lansangan.
Ang iba naman ay
parang mga pagong na sa wari ko
ay naghahanap ng biyaya sa madaraanan.
Ang mga tao ay tulad ng mga
sasakyang ito sa lansangan
na kung tawagin ay buhay.

--Excerpt from "The Open Book"
by King's Rebel--

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH: RALLY BEHIND THE FAMILY

RALLY BEHIND
THE FAMILY

"Foursquare" is a Biblical term used of the tabernacle in the Book of Exodus, of the Temple of the Lord in Ezekiel 40:47, and of Heaven, as described in the book of the Revelation. The term "Foursquare Gospel" was given in the inspiration of revival to the denomination's founder, Aimee Semple McPherson, during an evangelistic campaign in Oakland, Calif., in 1922. It represents that which is equally balanced on all sides, established and enduring. Such confidence in the power of the Gospel is also expressed by the verse, Hebrews 13:8, displayed in Foursquare churches proclaiming, "Jesus Christ the Same, Yesterday and Today and Forever."

============================================

NEXT ARTICLE:

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH LOGO: THE CROWN

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH LOGO: THE CROWN

JESUS CHRIST: THE SOON-COMING KING

We believe that the second coming of Christ is personal and imminent; that He will descend from Heaven (1)in the clouds of glory with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God; and that at this hour, which no man knoweth beforehand, the dead in Christ shall rise, then the (2)redeemed that are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and that so shall they ever be with the Lord; that also seeing that a thousand years is as a day with the Lord, and (3)that no man knoweth the hour of His appearance, which we believe to be near at hand, each day should be lived as though He were (4)expected to appear at even, yet that in obedience to His explicit command, (5)“Occupy till I come,” the work of spreading the gospel, the sending forth of missionaries, and the general duties for the upbuilding of the church (6)should be carried on as diligently, and thoroughly, as though neither ours nor the next generation should live in the flesh to see the glorious day.


Scripture References:


1. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1Thess. 4:16,17)


2. “...denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:12,13)


3. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Mt. 24:36,42,44)


4. “...so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” (Heb. 9:28)


5. “ ...‘Do business till I come.’” (Lk. 19:13)


6. “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that hewill gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.”(Lk. 12:35-37)

===================================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH LOGO: THE CROSS

JESUS CHRIST: THE SAVIOR


We believe that (1)while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, the Just for the unjust; (2)freely, and by divine appointment of the Father, taking the sinner's place, bearing his sins, receiving his condemnation, dying his death, (3)fully paying his penalty, and signing with His life's blood, the pardon of every one who should believe upon Him; (4)that upon simple faith and acceptance of the atonement purchased on Mount Calvary, (5)the vilest sinner may be cleansed of his iniquities and made whiter than driven snow.


Scripture References:


1. “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Is. 53:5)


2. “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14)


3. “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” (Is. 55:7)


4. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25)


5. “”Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.’” (Is. 1:18)
=========================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

NEW BEGINNINGS

NEW BEGINNINGS

One of my photo shots in Subic Bay beach in Olongapo City

Each day is a new opportunity to close the door of the past and experience a brand-new start. Each day is a chance for everyone to change from not-so-good person into a better one. The fact that God divided the days into twenty-four-segments is an evidence that we need to start over on a regular basis. This is how how God demonstrates His love towards His people. There is always a new day, a new month, and a new year. But of course, even if these new beginnings are there, they cannot work themselves without our cooperation. We must make good use of these by making wise decisons in life each day. What better time to decide than the first month of the new year, right? So I think this is why many people enlist their resolutions on a sheet of paper during new year.


I do not know exactly what's happening inside you today. Maybe you've been struggling with depression, anger, hatred, or bitterness. Or perhaps you are just like I was (and sometimes, I am) - you've been burned by past relationships and circumstances, and you are still carrying around the ashes. These are the deep hurts from old wounds that have never been healed. Even if we believe that God is there to help us, we couldn't help ourselves but to doubt. We keep on battling with different kinds of emotions deep inside our hearts.


No matter how much time had gone in the past is still the past. What had been done had already been done. We could not change the circumstances anymore. We could not alter things the way we want them to be. Only God can take care of it now. Remorse and condemnation bear no good fruit. We should acknowledge our sins, accept God's forgiveness, get on with living for His glory and honor. In Lamentations 3:22-23, it says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Here, the Prophet Jeremiah assures us that God's mercy is new every morning. I remember when I was still in my hometown that every Monday morning, we had this so called "Dawn Prayer" in the church. We sung the hymnal song 'The Steadfast Love" before we proceed in prayers. Here's the lyrics: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercy is never come to an end. They are new morning, new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord. Great is Thy faithfulness." I am so glad that God provides a new batch of mercy daily, so we can decide to have a new beginning every day.
=================================================
NEXT ARTICLE:

OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST