PASTORAL CHAT

My Dear Readers

Last week I told you a secret. If you want to be happy you must make others happy. Now that Elder Leong Yin Chu and his wife whom I invited to our Bible Camp June 7 – 10 are able to come it makes me doubly happy. He will bring along some copies that tell of his wife. If you are wise to get the book and read it, you will be trebly happy.

What are the signs of Christ’s Coming and the end of the world? Read Matt. 24:2-14. Do you know since the great  sunami of Dec 26, 04 till May 15, 05, 4½ months, there have been eight earthquakes, i.e. to say, Jesus is reminding us His Coming is very, very near and we should be winning souls of all nations before He comes. That FEBC has 15 nationals in her school is just doing that. With an upgrading programme of other Bible Colleges we touch other nationals and do the same.

As a Church we can do likewise by reaching out to new groups of believers. One good news about this is Tee Chung Seng of Kelapa Sawit, who graduated from FEBC three years ago. Not only pastoring Kelapa Sawit he is heading a Worship Service of young people every fourth week at Jemaluang, 13 miles south of Mersing. When Kelapa Sawit celebrated her 54th Anniversary, young members of Jemaluang came to sing to the mother church.

Now June 26th is a fourth week and Dr. Wu who attends True Life would come with me but now I discover I cannot  because I have to speak at Tabernacle BPC at her Anniversary. I would advise Dr. Wu to go yourself to Jemaluang by making your own arrangement with Tee Chung Seng. Please phone him at Kelapa Sawit B-P Church, 020-7-652-2811 before 12 noon on a Sunday.

Coming third Sunday we have another happy event. Rev Tan Kian Sing who shifted Berean BPC from Changi to Mt. Emily has to shift again. We have visited his new place in the vicinity of Lavender St. and only a mile or so from Mt. Emily. I think this is a better location. I will be speaking on Thanksgiving and Deborah and Judith will come and sing. The worship time is 10.30 am.

Your affectionate pastor
T. T.

 

THE GOSPEL OF LIFE: Chapter XII

John 12:1-11
Mary’s Loving Fragrance

As we have noted earlier Bethany was our Lord’s House of Rest on His way from upcountry to Jerusalem. As this was Christ’s last visit to Bethany, Simon the Leper whom Jesus had obviously healed before this, opened his house to receive him, and the disciples. According to John Sung, it was a job to feed, apart from the Lord, twelve hungry young men. Hence the enlistment of Martha into the Simon kitchen. Lazarus, to show his gratitude to the Lord for raising him, came over to keep company.

While the disciples had eaten their fill, some quite oblivious of approaching storm, our Lord pondered in deep  meditation. Nobody followed His thoughts, but Mary. Nobody knew how heavy a load our Lord was carrying, but Mary. Only Mary had fathomed the innermost feelings of our Lord, because she loved Him dearly. And loving is always expressed by giving. Much loving, much giving. Little loving, little giving (cf. Luke 7:14-43). Mary loved Jesus because she had experienced forgiveness as no other had.

The pound of very precious spikenard ointment, costing 300 pence or denarii was equivalent to a year’s wages. Mark says Mary first broke the alabaster box before she anointed Him. (Alabaster is a white stone, semi-transparent).  Immediately a shot was fired from Judas Iscariot’s sniping post. He who rarely spoke a kind word to anybody, least of all to our Lord. What a picture of those members in Church who say bad of others, but it only reveals their own badness. There was no love lost by Judas in the remark, even when he pretended concern for the poor, for John tells us he was a thief. The taking of public funds for one’s own use is a serious crime! Criminal breach of trust, to use a legal term.

But Jesus accepted Mary’s love offering. Jesus commended her, but rebuked Judas with a retort: “Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but Me ye have not always” (v. 8). Jesus appreciates our love gifts.

Here’s another verse of the Bethany Song translated from Hong Kong Rev John E Su’s Heavenly People’s Choruses: And our Lord would say to us, as we sing, think of Mary too! “Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matt. 26:13).

My Home Sweet Home, by Olivet
Finds grace in Emmanuel’s eyes.
Where joined in one are heart and heart,
Then soar our souls to the skies.
I pour on Him my ointment sweet,
Little token of my love.
O Bethany, my Home Sweet Home –
Endless blessings from above.

John 12:12-19
The Significance of Palm Sunday

While the Jews plotted Jesus’ death, Sunday dawned bright and clear! “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world” (Jn. 10:9). “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24).

The significance of Jesus riding a young donkey into Jerusalem was not understood by the disciples until Jesus rose from the dead when they remembered the Scriptures that foretold His benign kingship (Zech. 9:9).

The multitudes, wave after wave, rallied their king, palm leaves swinging to the chanting of Hosanna, Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna is another Hebrew compound word which literally means, “Make safe, I pray you”. It is now adopted by all languages through the Church. It is an exclamation of praise to God and prayer for blessing.

As Holy Week comes round each year, we have found it an especial blessing to celebrate it, beginning from Palm Sunday. Some churches decorate the occasion with palm fronds, or even make a procession round the church grounds before entering the sanctuary to worship. The celebrating of Palm Sunday subdues us to Christ the King and honours Him with praise. The celebration of Palm Sunday is to prepare the hearts of the devout for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Let’s not forget, Christ is not only Saviour, but Lord and King! And He is coming soon to earth again as King, not over the Church only, but also over every nation, kindred and tongue.

The singing of Hosanna exalted Christ as King of the Jews. The Pharisees being ever jealous of their high powers  resented this more than ever before. Matthew 21:15 says they were “sore displeased”. They resolved to turn the Hosannas into “Crucify Him”. Before the hour arrived, however, our Lord was kept safe by His Father. The crowds who had witnessed Christ raising Lazarus and who now came in force were a wall of defence around Him. “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.” Where do you stand in the crowd?

The Good Word

by John Tow

Here is life’s instruction manual.
And God’s promises perennial.
They show the way to blessings real.
Reveal to all God’s judgment scale;
Life eternal, or death’s dark vale.
Both grave concerns! No mythic tale!

Search then this treasure trove today.
Seek out God’s promises I say.
They are like signposts on life’s way –
And so well-placed by God that they
Will be at hand whene’er you stray –
If to Him you will call and pray.

Ah, is this not all God’s doing?
It’s marvellous how everything
About His Holy Word’s keeping
Points to its miraculous being!
Therefore, as God is all-knowing,
All-seeing, and everlasting
His Word will be for-evering.

From everlasting like the Lord,
To everlasting, will the Word
Go forth ‘til all the world have heard
About God’s love! So praise the Lord!
This Book of Books will go forward
From strength to strength in full concord.