PASTORAL CHAT

My dear Readers

This is my last Chat with you before I leave for Perth, Monday morning Nov 14, a new way of flying!

What I would say to new members is the matter of Baptism. Baptism is commanded by our Lord Himself. In Mark 16:15, 16, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Baptism in Acts of the Apostles is done without waiting. Acts 2:37, 38 records, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Today there is no such urgency. But we conduct a Catechism Class which takes 12 times, convening before 10.30 worship. Each class takes one hour, from 9.15 to 10.15. We will hold it inside a big room entered from our big  Auditorium. Please delay no further but register with Wendy Teng who is around Sunday morning.

Our Catechism Class will begin second Lord’s Day of January and carry on till Easter, when our Lord rose from the dead. Here’s a comforting verse, “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). “Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9).

So, hurry!

Your affectionate pastor
T T

 

I Will Even Prolong His Life

(Message delivered by Pastor at the True Life Church 10.30 am Service, Nov 6, 05)
Text: Psalm91:9-16

It was Friday night Oct 7, 05 when after the Prayer Meeting we returned back to College. At about 10.45 pm with two students carrying hymn books up my house, and I four or five steps from the ground, for safety’s sake, I should have grasped the hand rail. Alas! I missed the grip which would send me falling backwards to disaster, but somehow I swerved inwards to the staircase and I landed with a severe bump on my left eye.

Thereafter I could not follow what was happening.  I was quickly whisked to Alexandra Hospital where they made a thorough examination of me from head to foot, finishing at about 3 am. Suddenly my wife appeared which made me feel much better. Since I was in the first class ward, she could stay with me all the time. The medical report was I was completely untouched, safe and sound.

I would like to share with you here a Chinese proverb in the light of the Word of God. The Chinese proverb says, “Little children fall and they grow up. Old people fall and they die.” I could have died had I fallen backwards, but in the light of Ps 91:9-16, “Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”

After three days stay in Alexandra Hospital I was discharged. I thought I could be back in church after a week but it has taken three weeks and to be fully recovered exactly one month.

Now God had a higher plan for our lives. We had earlier taken a vacation leave to Perth from Nov 13 to Dec 13 where we would gladly speak at Rev Errol Stone’s pulpit for 3 weeks, for he is one of us believing we have a 100% perfect Bible without any mistake for which reason we have left Life Church for over two years. With the advance of years upon me I admit I am not as all round as before, but I am willing to do my part so I have asked our Saviour to prolong my days that I may live up to 95 years.

How did the Lord prolong my days as I hope to 95 years? Ps 91:11 says, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Remember I told you when I missed gripping the hand rail I would have gone down directly, but how could I turn inwards and land at the steps down not being hurt at all?

You say it was a miracle, but the Bible has much to say about the ministry of angels. Isa 63:9 says, “…and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them.” I cannot go wrong to say the Lord Jesus in His love and pity saved me sending an angel. Now when I landed sideways at the bottom of the staircase it was incumbent on the attending doctor to see if I was hurt from head to foot. But he happily reported there was none. There is a famous picture of a little boy and little girl crossing a stream over several flimsy planks with an angel invisible to them but the angel protected them.

Ps. 91:15, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.” To be honest, this falling down the steps happened so fast I had no time to call upon him. But if we have the habit to pray without ceasing (I Thess. 5:17) we might make it. Yes, later on when I came to my senses, as I have found it calling up the Lord every morning. I have learnt not only to thank the Lord for deliverance but to thank Him for sending an angel out of love and pity.

I have taught Revival Hymns and Choruses to pray every morning before leaving the room, to pray because in safe Singapore we don’t pray but in the Japanese War we prayed, even sweating.

Now God has blessed our Prayer Meeting every Friday night to about 70 people. Seeing children come, as Pastor, I prayed for God’s blessing on them, on their studies in school. More children are coming and behaving better.

I want to thank God for teaching me a further lesson in prayer through falling down the steps. God help me. Amen.

 

 

 

 

GENESIS

Notes From A Weekly Study Conducted by Pastor Quek
(Taken from Newsletter of Cherith Fellowship, Vol. 1 Issue 4, Nov 2005, edited by J.T. Joseph)

CHAPTER 5
Verses 1, 2
The very first use of ‘book’ in the OT –compare ‘book’ first used in the NT in Mt. 1:1. The first book speaks of the origin of man; the first book of the NT addresses the ‘origin’ of the Last Adam.

‘.. and called their name Adam ..’ Thus, Eve’s name is subsumed under her husband’s. Though wives are joint heirs, with their husbands, of God’s promises and gifts, their role in marriage is not to assert ‘equality’ (their God-given status anyway) but to practice ‘submission’ per God’s definitions of the respective roles of the ‘goodman’ and his helpmeet.

Verses 5-31
The refrain repeated: ‘and he died’. Such is the consequence of the Fall – Enoch and Elijah excepted.

Such a repetition may be seen in the use of the word ‘rest’, in Heb. 4:1-11. (In the latter reference, ‘rest’ has three meanings: ‘promised land’; ‘7th day’; ‘Heaven’.)

The inevitability of death reinforced in men the consciousness of sin and judgment, well before the giving of the  Decalogue.

The rest of Chap. 5 is a summary of the antediluvian patriarchs. There were ten in all, from Adam through Noah.
(year of birth / .. of death)
Adam (1/930); Seth (130/1042); Enos (235/1140); Cainan (325/1235); Mahalaleel (395/1290); Zared (460/1422); Enoch (622/987); Methuselah (687/1656); Lamech (874/1651); Noah (1056/2006).

If indeed the oldest of the living patriarchs had the primary responsibility for preserving and teaching the Word of God, then in view of the fact that Enoch and Lamech were outlived by their respective fathers, there would have been seven such men before Noah. This would explain the Apostle Peter’s reference to Noah as the ‘eighth preacher of  righteousness’.

The meaning of the name of each patriarch after Adam, is significant:
Seth – appointed one; Enos – mortal frailty; Cainan – smith; Mahalaleel – God be praised; Jared – descent; Enoch – dedication; Methuselah – when he dies, judgement [in the form of the Flood?]; Lamech – conqueror; Noah – rest.

The comparatively vast ages of these antediluvian patriarchs stand in sharp contrast to human life-span in the post-Flood world. This is hardly surprising, however: the world was never to be the same again. The names of these ancient men are repeated in I Chron. 1:1-4 and in Luke 3:36-38, confirming their acceptance as ‘historical/factual’ by the later inspired writers of Holy Scripture.

Verses 21-24
Enoch, the 7th from Adam in the godly line [Seth’s], had the same name as Cain’s son. What a difference in character, however!

Godly Enoch thundered against his blasphemous and godless generation in words to be echoed by Jude [Jude, verses 14-15]. It is remarkable, is it not, that Enoch should have prophesied of the 2nd coming of Christ whilst the Flood was still in the future!

Enoch’s walk with God was a walk of (daily) faith and obedience – cf. Heb.11:5-6 –rather than a literal daily encounter with theophanic revelation. Such close fellowship with the one, true and living God is a privilege made available even to us in these last days.

The climax of Enoch’s living testimony was an event all but unique in the annals of recorded history: his translation, in the flesh, to Heaven – cf. Heb. 11:5. The only other such event happened to Elijah, about 25 centuries later. Note that Enoch prophesied about midway between Adam and Abraham – Elijah, about mid-way between Abraham and Christ; and that both prophesied during times of rampant apostasy.

The ‘translation’ of these two saints can hardly be regarded as ‘rapture’, for I Cor. 15: 20, 23, 51-52 makes it plain that Jesus must be the first to have a glorified body; then, all of us saints (each at the appointed time, of course).

That God ‘took’ Enoch demonstrated clearly to his contemporaries (and does so to us) that life continues beyond the grave. Where God took him is not stated, but we may safely surmise that it was where God’s literal presence may be found – cf. John 14:3.

Were Enoch and Elijah translated bodily to Heaven because of a unique ministry God reserved for them in the future? If so, these men may be the Two Anointed Ones of Zech. 4:14 and the Two Witnesses of Rev. 11:7-12.