PASTORAL CHAT

My Dear Readers

I reproduce herewith a Statement by Dr Rowan Williams writing in The Telegraph “today” who declares the Asian tsunami should make all Christians question the existence of God. “The Asian tsunami disaster should make all Christians question the existence of God, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, writes in The Telegraph today.

In a deeply personal and candid article, he says, “It would be wrong” if faith were not “upset” by the catastrophe which has already claimed more than 150,000 lives.

Prayer, he admits, provides no “magical solutions” and most of the stock Christian answers to human suffering do not “go very far in helping us, one week on, with the intolerable grief and devastation in front of us.”

Dr Williams, who, as head of the Church of England, represents 70 million Anglicans around the world, writes: “Every single random, accidental death is something that should upset a faith bound up in comfort and ready answers. Faced with the paralysing magnitude of a disaster like this, we naturally feel more deeply outraged – and also more deeply helpless.”

He adds, “The question, ‘How can you believe in a God who permits suffering on this scale?’ Is therefore very much around at the moment, and it would be surprising if it weren’t – indeed It would be wrong If It weren’t.” Dr Williams concludes that, faced with such a terrible challenge to their faith, Christians must focus on “passionate engagement with the lives that are left.”

But Matt. 24:3 refers to the sign of Jesus’ Coming and the end of the world and in v. 7 that there will be earthquakes in divers places. In v. 5 Jesus brings in false Christs.

The Asian tsunami disaster of undersea earthquakes, declares our Lord, should appear before His Second Coming and end of the world but the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams diverts our attention now to doubt God’s existence and our own Christian faith and prayer. This makes him what Jesus says of false Christs.

We believe Jesus is coming very soon by the 150,000 lives lost, which shows God is ruling this world which all the more strengthens our faith and bolters our prayer. St. Paul says, “Pray without ceasing.” (I Thess. 5:17)

Many years ago I heard on the BBC how of the 50 Bishops in England, 45 denied the Virgin Birth of Christ and His Resurrection. And the Archbishop is chosen from these unbelievers. St. Paul says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Rom. 10:9) The Archbishop ends up very concerned that “Christians must focus on passionate engagement with the lives that are left.” This leads to my concern to preach the Gospel about how to be saved and go to heaven because God’s Son paid the penalty of our sins by dying on the cross for us. If those who died in the Asian tsunami were Christians they went to see the Lord. This is what we must do all the time, True Lifers.

Our Bible College Movement Before He Comes

Jesus ends His Olivet Discourse of His Second Coming and the end of the world with Matt. 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” “A witness unto all nations”  brings to mind that through FEBC (Far Eastern Bible College) we have over 15 nationals under training who will return to their countries to evangelise their people. This is the quickest way to reach multinationals.

FEBC has reopened and we received 8 students. A ninth student has just come in and he is none other than Elder Tan Nee Keng to take the MDiv. course. He will serve the Lord fulltime.

But we are helping the Bible College of East Africa to upgrade with over 100 students, at the same time building Tanzania Bible College. The two African Bible Colleges will take in many African nationalities and tribes to fulfil the conditions of Christ’s coming. See the progress of Tanzania Bible College on the back page! It is four hours drive from Nairobi, Kenya. True Life BPC recently received $8,000 to help build the Bible College as we wait for His coming!

Your affectionate pastor
T T

 

THE GOSPEL OF LIFE: Chapter IX

John 9:35-41
Christ and Follow-Up

Though a believer is forcibly separated from his congregation, as in the case of this blind man, he is not homeless. In fact, he should come out of such a foul ecclesiastical system, as commanded in II Cor. 6:14-18 (Here is the doctrine of ecclesiastical separation for the sake of truth and purity). And when he comes out, there is the Father to receive him.

In this case, our Lord who meets with him after the excommunication is the Father. It is a follow-up by the Chief of pastors. What is most important in our follow-up? To ground the new believer in the Faith. Our Lord now reveals Himself to the new believer that He is the Son of God. And with that the whole doctrine of His Person, yea, even of the Trinity and all that is in the Apostles Creed is included. The more we know of Christ, the more will we submit to His benign authority. “And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.” (v 38).

Let Dr. David Smith conclude our remarks on this chapter: “A crowd had gathered, including some of the Pharisees who had pronounced the sentence of excommunication and were jealously watching the offender. And here our Lord found an opportunity for enforcing the lesson of His dealing with the latter. It was, as we have seen, an acted parable, a icturesque appeal to the blinded people of Jerusalem to open their eyes to “the Light of the World.” “It was for judgement,” said He, “that I came into the world, that the unseeing may see and the seeing be made blind.” By their attitude toward Him men passed sentence on themselves. If they did not welcome the light, they proved themselves blind (cf. iii 19). This touched the pride of the Pharisees. “Are we too blind?” they interposed – we, the teachers of Israel? And He retorted with a stinging sentence. “Had ye been blind, ye had not had sin. As it is, ye say ‘We see’: your sin remaineth.” Well for them had they been ignorant as the despised multitude, since they would then have been excusable. They knew better, and that was their condemnation.”

Chapter X

To His own sheep who hear His word Jesus Christ is the Door of Life

This famous chapter on the parable of the Good Shepherd should be studied with Chapter 9 as its background. It is given on one hand as a rebuke to the unbelieving Jews and professional churchmen, and on the other as an assurance to believers, with an appeal to all and sundry who would put their trust in Him, near and far.

Jesus’ claim to deity by referring to the Father working in concert with him and He with the Father became the flash point of contention again. The Jews surrounded Him at Solomon’s porch in the temple precincts. (As mentioned in the last chapter our Lord was now at the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights, about the same time as the Christmas season). They wanted Him to declare once and for all if He was their expected Messiah (Messiah is the Hebrew meaning Anointed, is Christos in Greek and Christ in English). Jesus answered with the same sarcastic logic He had put in the blind man’s answer to the Pharisees earlier (9:27): “I told you, and ye believeth not” (v 25). Then, using the law of evidence again to prove His point, He cited the testimony of His miracles in the Father’s Name as one irrefutable proof of His Messiahship. He also revealed to them the mystery of their unbelief, despite a hundred proofs being given, and that mystery resided in the fact that they were not His sheep. They did not belong to that circle of saved ones whom the Father had elected to give Him the Son (cf. Jn 6:37). But those who are saved, and therefore listen to His Word, are saved forever (v 27, 28). In doubly-assuring His sheep of the everlasting life He offered them, our Lord claimed once again His equality with the Father (v 30). This invited another threat of stoning because the Jews could tolerate His claim to miracles, but not at all His claim to Godhood. To which our Lord had an argument from Scripture according to Ps. 82:6. How wonderful is God’s Holy Word that offers us a ready answer to the assailants of truth.

When Jesus was tempted by Satan three times during forty days in the wilderness did He not vanquish His foe by thrice quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy? (Memorise I Pet. 3:15).