Bible-Presbyterianism and Church Growth
Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo
The Bible-Presbyterian Church is a growing church because it is patterned after the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Head of the Church: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt 28:18-20).
“The Power that is Forgotten”
The Rev Dr Timothy Tow, founder of the Bible-Presbyterian Church and Movement in Southeast Asia, has rightly noted that when the Great Commission is quoted today, it is often quoted without the power behind it. “All power is given unto me …” is unwittingly forgotten. The Church ought to be reminded that the Great Commission does not begin with man but with God; it does not begin with “Go ye therefore …” (v19), but with “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (v18). Evangelism would fail if not for the power of Christ.
This power of Christ and of His Spirit was clearly demonstrated in the days of revival under Dr John Sung. The Rev Dr Timothy Tow who was born again at the Singapore Pentecost of 1935 through the preaching of Dr John Sung testified,
Through the John Sung Campaign, a great revival came to many lethargic and sleepy churches in Singapore. That was church growth sent down from heaven by the outpoured power of the Holy Spirit. The results of the Singapore Pentecost were born of God. By contrast, the results of the Billy Graham and Luis Palau crusades were born chiefly of man. While Billy Graham and Luis Palau spent $1 million and $1.45 million respectively during one full-year’s advance preparation to bring in the crowds, John Sung spent not one single dollar in any kind of advertisement. Like Elijah he came, and like Elijah he went.
The Bible-Presbyterian Church grew because it did not forget the power of Christ as manifested in the days of the John Sung revival and Spirit-empowered evangelism. Dr John Sung would organise evangelistic bands during his Gospel campaigns. The Rev Dr Timothy Tow recounts,
Half-way through the campaign, the preacher began to call for volunteers to his Preaching Bands. Now that we were saved, we were saved for a purpose—to witness Jesus Christ to those who had never heard. Dr Sung lamented the fact that Chinese pastors were consigned by an unconscionable congregation to every chore, big or small, in the church. The pastor was treated like an old amah, he said. Unless members would go out evangelizing, the prospect of church growth was dim. With these admonitions he drew in batch after batch of volunteer preachers. Thus the Singapore Christian Evangelistic League was born.
In the spirit of John Sung, students of the Far Eastern Bible College spread out to different parts of the island every Wednesday afternoon to distribute gospel tracts and preach the good news to those who would listen. Every semester, at least 10,000 tracts would be printed and given out. True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church and other evangelistic Bible-Presbyterian churches organise evangelistic bands to go out to share the gospel either weekly or monthly, especially on Sunday afternoons led by the deacons following the example of the first New Testament deacons, Stephen and Philip (Acts 6-8).
The Holy Spirit power that accompanies Biblical missions and evangelism will result in true and lasting conversions and fruits, and not the superficiality and temporariness of humanly engineered “conversions” that take no deep root nor bear real fruit. True evangelism will bring forth good and true spiritual fruit, “some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matt 13:23). The John Sung revival was such a phenomenon as observed by Dr Keith Hinton, author of Growing Churches Singapore Style,
Any discussion of the movement of people from China in the context of church growth must mention evangelist John Sung. … No person has made a greater spiritual impact on the city than Sung in those brief, few-day visits. He not only won thousands to Christ but more significantly, he organized the converts into witness bands of three and sent them out into the streets, and he effectively challenged Christians to win the lost world to Christ. … [T]hroughout Singapore today one finds key Christian leaders and influential lay people who attribute not only their conversion but their model of devotion and commitment to service to the ministry of John Sung.
One such key Christian leader must be the Rev Dr Timothy Tow, a John Sung convert who became the founding father of the Bible-Presbyterian Church and Movement by God’s appointment and anointing.
May the Church and the Bible College hasten the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by means of accelerated missions and evangelism into all the world. “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” (Matt 24:14).
(For further study, read Forty Years on the Road to Church Growth, and Born Again in the Singapore Pentecost written by our pastor, the Rev Dr Timothy Tow. Both books are on sale at the book table.)
A Truly Blessed Experience
(A testimony from Mrs Irene Lim after taking the DVBC course on “What is Bible-Presbyterianism” at FEBC, Apr 30-May 5, 2007)
Although I have been spiritually born and brought up in an independent, nondenominational evangelical church for more than 40 years, my knowledge of many issues relating to Christianity (outside the Bible itself) was practically zero. I was completely ignorant of the relevance and implications of the Reformation and the ecumenical movements or of the differences between the KJV and the NIV which I had used for more than 20 years. Neither did I know about the Westminster Catechism, Covenantalism, Dispensationalism, Calvinism, Biblical Separation, and a host of other subjects. I was given the impression that the Bible-Presbyterian (B-P) churches in Singapore are very legalistic and judgemental, “condemning” most if not all para-church groups and churches.
Since worshipping in Calvary Pandan two to three years ago, some of these preconceived ideas have been challenged and I have sought to keep abreast with the subjects frequently discussed here. I saw the Daily Vacation Bible College (DVBC) course as an opportunity to learn in greater depth what B-Pism is all about. I must say the one week has been most informative, inspiring, enriching, and edifying. It was a truly blessed experience for me.
I was inspired by the life and work of B-P’s founding father, Rev Dr Timothy Tow. His very presence was most encouraging and challenging for though frail and weak he was still determined to testify and be associated with the work of God. I said a silent prayer to the Lord to enable me to have that same spirit. I was also awed to know how the Lord had so miraculously revived him spiritually and enabled him to achieve what he did in the last 50-60 years. His steadfastness and untiring determination to keep the faith was amazing and I enjoyed reading what he so carefully and passionately chronicled in The Story of My Bible-Presbyterian Faith. The rich heritage of the B-P Movement is indeed a great blessing from the Lord.
I was much enlightened by the lectures. It never occurred to me that Biblical separation, which I had frowned upon, is actually a catalyst for church growth. Truly I saw how, with the power of Christ and sustained by the life-line of the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC), the B-P Church had been used by God to evangelise and plant churches in the uttermost parts of the world. Praise His Name!
The other issue which I was rather apprehensive about when I joined Calvary Pandan was that of child baptism but thank God, the study of Calvinism and Covenant Theology enabled me to see things in a totally different light. I learnt that God’s grace embraces our household, including the little ones. What a privilege!
The topics were carefully selected and very well-balanced. All in all, I have got an excellent overview of the hallmarks of B-Pism. I pray that this will whet my appetite and challenge me to delve deeper into God’s Word. Thank God for a blessed, meaningful and enlightening week of soaking in the things of God.
