PASTORAL CHAT
My Dear Readers
Last Lord’s Day Seah Seow Hock kindly drove Ivy and me, his wife and son to Kelapa Sawit, 43 miles north of Singapore. I was the Lord’s messenger to speak at Kelapa Sawit’s 52nd Anniversary. I was here 52 years ago with Miss Leona Wu and her assistant Miss Ng Peck Loan to preach to a Government Primary School and to establish our Church.
Today I am speaking out of James 1:22-27, 2:14-24. James is brother of Jude and they are half brothers to our Lord Jesus Christ. He is called the Just because he wants a pure religion, Doers of the Word and not hearers only, Faith attested by works and not faith without works. He said, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” Based on these statements, my topic today is Visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.
This concerns Miss Ng Sang Chiew who has until some years ago been your lady preacher for nearly 20 years. She was a most dedicated servant of God, from the pulpit to prayer meeting, to family worship, to visitation. Wherever she went she brightened her surroundings, beaming with cheery words and laughter. Then she fell ill and was sent to Ling Kwang Home. She developed many pains but many thought otherwise. Having fallen ill myself I can vouch for the pains she is suffering from. When she first comes to Ling Kwang she could contribute one sermon a month to her inmates, but now she has stopped. She has to lie down to relieve herself. She is half forgotten except you of Kelapa Sawit.
Pure religion is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. Miss Ng Sang Chiew is in this category. She is so gloomy she no more smiles. Why did you not think of bringing her to this happy 52nd Anniversary? But I am happy you are involved printing her autobiography. Visit her more often and bring her some palatable food.
The Chinese proverb says, “Do good and you will be blessed.” The blessing is mutual. Visiting her brings you joy!
Miss Ng Sang Chiew is now replaced by Mr Tee Chung Seng, another FEBC graduate. Under his ministry many young people are won to the Lord. I was asked to baptise 3 adults, 3 infants, and 3 Nepalese. Shachen, another Nepalese FEBC graduate, conducts a Nepalese service at Kelapa Sawit every fortnight. There are 1000 working at Kelapa Sawit as security guards, etc. and many in Singapore as well.
There were at least 200 who came to the Anniversary Service and all were invited to a sit down lunch.
Your affectionate pastor
TT
THE GOSPEL OF LIFE: A STUDY OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
Chapter I
John 1:6-8
The Herald of the Word
The man sent by God, the herald of the Word of God, was John. This John is not John the apostle, the author of the Fourth Gospel, but John the Baptist. Can you find the many other references to John the Baptist? (The best help to study the Bible is a Concordance. Turn to the word “Baptist” or “John” or “Baptise”. There you will have all references to John the Baptist listed! Like a computer!).
So great was the power of John’s preaching that some thought he was the Messiah (Luke 3:15). Perhaps there were some converts of John who, at the time of the writing of John’s Gospel, were still looking to the Baptist. (Apollos is an example. Acts 18:25. Read also Acts 19:1-4) This would be contrary to the humble spirit of every herald or witness to Christ. Every church member should look beyond his pastor to the Saviour. Every preacher should preach not himself but Christ Jesus the Lord (II Cor 4:5).
There was a modern John the Baptist, John Sung of China. He came to Singapore and SE Asia in the thirties. He was a preacher against sin like John the Baptist. The results of his Revival Meetings are far-reaching like the Baptist’s. So much so that some John Sung followers look to him and not to Christ. Is this right?
John 1:9-13
The Word of Life is the True Light
If John the Baptist, the greatest prophet of God there ever was (Matt 11:11) was not the Light, but only a witness to the Light, how much lesser are the lights supposedly offered by those outside Christ. How misleading are the teachings of modernist and ecumenical theologians that there is light of salvation in other religions. How blind is the Pope who leads men not to Christ but to Mary and to himself!
Jesus is called the true Light, because He stands unique, alone, the one and only Light of salvation. Therefore, the Gospel is unique, the Bible is unique, the Christian Church, the body of Christ, is unique – because the Gospel is the good news of Christ’s work of redemption, the Bible is His written Word, the Christian Church is founded on the Rock, Christ.
But though this true Light shone in the world, even before Christ was manifested in the flesh, the world persisted in voluntary blindness. Calvin says, “For we know that men have this unique quality above the other animals, that they are endowed with reason and intelligence and that they bear the distinction between right and wrong engraven in their conscience. Thus there is no man
to whom some awareness of the eternal Light does not penetrate.”
And though Christ came especially to the Jews, for He was born a Jew of the royal line of David, He became the more rejected by His kinsmen.
God is therefore no respecter of persons. Whoever would receive Him as Saviour, by believing in His Name, is saved. If you can say in your heart that Jesus is your Saviour and Lord, then you are born again. You are become a child of God with all the authority and privilege of sonship. You are indeed born anew by the power of God. It is a supernatural act of God wrought in you when you receive Christ as your Saviour. The True Light has effectively shone into our heart, while others, unbelieving Gentiles and Jews, are resisting Him. Have you received the True Light or are you shut against Him?
FEBC Worship Service Choir
