The Dead Still Speak
(A Message Delivered by Dr Jeffrey Khoo at True Life BPC on 31 May 2009)
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh” (Heb 11:4).
How we thank God for the saints of past years and ages who had set for us a godly example to follow. Although our supreme example of faith is none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, yet the Scriptures tell us of the faith of many who had followed Christ, and how we ought to follow after their steps as they followed Christ. The Apostle Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). In Hebrews 13:7-8, it is said, “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” In Hebrews 11, we have a wonderful list of the heroes of faith in biblical times. There are of course others who belong to this list as well, even those from the Church age. We think of Wycliffe, Huss, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, Knox, and others of the Reformation age, and in our modern times Machen, McIntire, John Sung, and our beloved founding pastor—the Rev Dr Timothy Tow—who has just been called home to be with the Lord.
Know that it is not just those who perform great exploits for the Lord who will be remembered or commended. If we are truly faithful to the Lord, the Lord will remember and commend us, and He will cause the future generations to remember and commend us as well. Consider Mary of Bethany who anointed the head and feet of Jesus with expensive perfume and wiped His feet with her hair (Matt 26:6-14, Mark 14:3-9, John 12:2-8). It was an act of faith and love, and for this the Lord said, “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).
Abel also was a simple believer who by faith offered a blood sacrifice to the Lord (Gen 4:4) for “without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb 9:22). For this he was honoured for he was the first to obey the gospel preached to him by his parents—Adam and Eve. Like his parents, he understood and believed God’s requirement that his sins would be forgiven only through the blood of the Lamb—the virgin-born Son of God (Gen 3:15).
Will you be remembered and commended by the Lord? How many of you wish for your name to be recorded in the Scriptures? None of our names can ever enter the Holy Scriptures because the Story is already told and the Canon is closed. Actually the important and necessary thing is not for your name to be found in the Scriptures but in the Lamb’s Book of Life! There are many people mentioned in the Scriptures, but they are there because of the wrong reasons like Balaam the false prophet who prophesied for fame and fortune, like Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver. It is more important for us to make sure our names are written in the Book of Life for “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15).
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). The Rev Dr Timothy Tow understood that. He was top boy of Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) in 1937, a Seow Poh Leng medalist. His name is till today etched on the school plaque together with all the other top students of ACS, many of whom have become prominent professionals in Singapore. He was determined to read law in London in 1946, driven by his pride and ambition to become rich and famous. But God had other plans. The Lord turned him around by taking away his beloved mother and baby daughter, both in a matter of weeks. The Lord humbled him to the dust and he surrendered his life to do God’s will. In his autobiography, he wrote, “All the glories of fame and power that I was seeking after became a smouldering rubbish heap to a dying man. ‘For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’ (Mark 8:36). Then began I to pray with faint trembling lips, ‘Lord, save my soul. If you will give me back my life, I will serve you forever. Amen.’” “He being dead, yet speaketh.” Timothy Tow had to die to self before he could live and speak for Christ.
Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24). What a most fruitful life he lived for the Lord. Although our beloved founding pastor has died, he still speaks to us through our memories of him. I remember my first semester at the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) when I took Old Testament History, a compulsory subject, under him. In one of his lessons, he talked about God’s providence and gave an example from World War Two when God saved the city of Kokura from the atomic bomb by a mysterious cloud. The American bombers, not able to locate Kokura because of that mysterious cloud, then sought out the secondary target which was Nagasaki. It was later discovered that a large group of American POWs had been moved to Kokura, only a week before. The Lord knew those who belonged to Him and delivered them from destruction. Although I heard the story, I did not pay attention to it. Big mistake! In his exam, he asked for the name of the city that was spared! I did not know; I forgot. Grade: C! Miserable! After that, I made sure I paid attention not only to the doctrines that he taught but also the testimonies and illustrations he gave to bring to life the doctrines taught. I was taught a valuable lesson.
The dead still speak through their words whether written or spoken. Our beloved founding pastor still speaks through his books and sermons. He had written over 40 books and many more tracts and articles. The Rev Dr Timothy Tow will never be removed from the faculty of the FEBC. He continues to teach us through his books which will be required reading for all future students. Rev Tow had written books dealing with the four main departments of theological education: (1) Biblical Studies, (2) Systematic Theology, (3) Church History, and (4) Pastoral Ministry. I must say that his books reflect not only his life, but his deep thinking and meditation on God’s Word.
Our late founding pastor was a Bible expositor. He wrote commentaries on both Old Testament and New Testament books, and his most significant in my opinion are his books on Daniel (Visions of the Princely Prophet) and Revelation (Coming World Events Unveiled). This is because he made these two very difficult prophetic books easy to read and understand with plenty of practical insights and illustrations. The last commentary he wrote was on the Psalms (Meditations from Psalms) which is a must read, a true balm to salve a hurting heart from a servant of God who had experienced much suffering in life and who knew deeply the grace and love of his Saviour to overcome the trials and testings in life and ministry.
Our beloved founding pastor was a theologian par excellence. In his study and teaching of biblical prophecies, he coined the term “Prophescope” (read his book Prophescope on Israel) to help his students see the unity and harmony that is within the complexities of biblical eschatology. I have come to appreciate the hermeneutical significance of the term “prophescope” in understanding and harmonising the many prophecies of the Bible. His Law of Moses and of Jesus (his Master’s thesis at Faith Theological Seminary) is an excellent refutation of the dispensational view of the law, and argues for the present validity of the Ten Commandments in the light of what the Lord Jesus and His Apostles taught in the New Testament. Having abridged Calvin’s Institutes, he understood well the doctrines of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, and wrote a book on how we might know and discern God’s will in our lives. If you want to know how to discern God’s will in your life, then you will want to read The Clock of the Sevenfold Will of God and its practical companion Has God a Plan for Your Life? Finally, I was privileged to co-author and coedit with him a Systematic Theology textbook made simple (Theology for Every Christian) which is in part an abridgement of J O Buswell’s Theology (Rev Tow studied under Buswell at Faith Seminary). Our Systematic Theology is also a revision of Buswell’s, to make it more readable and understandable, adding many of our own insights and expositions on the Bible-Presbyterian Faith which is the Reformed and Premillennial Faith.
Our beloved founding pastor was a Church historian. He was the authority on the history of the Bible-Presbyterian Church (BPC) in Singapore, Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Bible-resbyterianism was his life. He was the Lord’s anointed for sure. The Lord used him to promote His kingdom in this part of the world. Read his autobiography (Son of a Mother’s Vow), and his recounting of The Singapore B-P Church Story. You will see his humility in his telling of the history of the BPC, not “I did it,” but “God did it.” His books on the John Sung Revival which he personally witnessed and experienced are significant contributions to Asian Church History. John Sung My Teacher, Asian Awakening and his translation of John Sung’s sermons are indispensable books for anyone who wants to do serious research on Dr John Sung and the special days of revival in Singapore and other parts of Asia.
Our late founding pastor was a good pastor. He was a preacher and teacher of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and an earnest defender of the faith (Jude 3). He not only fed God’s flock with the pure milk and meat of God’s Word, He also warned and protected God’s flock from the dangers that abound in this sinful world, and from the wolves in sheep’s clothing. He taught his students how to preach faithfully and effectively and called his FEBC homiletics class, My Homiletic Swimming Pool. He gave wise counsel to his church members who had problems and these he shared in his book Counselling Recipes through 40 Years Pastoring. Aspiring pastors or missionaries who want to learn how to plant and grow a church would do well to learn it from Rev Tow. He is no longer here to teach us personally, but we can learn it through his books Forty Years to Church Growth and Pattern for Church Growth and Missions.
I can go on and on sharing with you what I had learned from my pastor and teacher. I am sure those who had come under his ministry would have their own story to tell. Let us then tell his story, which is really God’s story in the life of His faithful servant—the Rev Dr Timothy Tow. To God be the glory great things He has done!
