To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done

 

“The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Ps 126:3).

On 2 July 2008, Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (LBPC) sent a letter to Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) stating, “As of the date of this letter, FEBC has no lawful status nor any right to remain on the Church Premises and are therefore trespassers. The Church will commence action to recover possession of the part of the Church Premises used by FEBC, if it fails to peaceably vacate the premises forthwith.…the FEBC is not to advertise nor hold any public lectures in our premises from 1 July 2008 onwards. If you ignore this notice, you will be held liable for misleading the public and instigating them to trespass into our premises.”

On 16 September 2008, LBPC commenced Suit 648 to evict FEBC from 9 and 9A Gilstead Road. The High Court on 30 June 2010 ruled in favour of LBPC. We appealed. The Court of Appeal on 26 April 2011 allowed our appeal and dismissed the claims of LBPC. We are grateful. The Lord has protected and preserved the FEBC and her birthplace and home at Gilstead. What LBPC sought to do was against the biblical law of Proverbs 22:28, “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” Not only did the Court of Appeal rule that there is a charitable purpose trust impressed upon 9, 9A and 10 Gilstead Road for FEBC, they also ruled that the doctrine of Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) is not a deviant doctrine but according to the Westminster Confession of Faith. God is faithful to His promise and we His people respond with heartfelt thanks and praise, “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Ps 138:2).

God’s people from all over the world have been praying most fervently for FEBC all these years. They rejoice with us. I would like to read some letters I have received in thanksgiving to God for what He has done:

Hong Hao (Singapore): “Thank God for His precious Word. I thank the Lord that FEBC has stood firm in the midst of all these trials and persecutions. I thank God for FEBC and all the lecturers teaching us God’s Word. I’ve been much blessed by the night classes and it is wonderful to be able to continue to study God’s Word at FEBC. Pray that the Lord will continue to preserve and bless FEBC, and also continue to use you and all other lecturers to teach His people His truths. All praise, honour and glory be to God!”

Dr D A Waite (USA): “Praise God for this victory for FEBC! The Lord has answered all of our prayers and your diligent and documented work in your appeal. Interesting that the three appeal judges could see that the Westminster Confession allowed for both VPI and VPP. Truth has prevailed in FEBC in Singapore in the vital doctrine of Bibliology. Would that God would permit this truth to prevail in the fundamentalist schools in our United States of America as it has in Singapore. As I wrote you a few years ago, because of your clear teaching on the verbal plenary preservation of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Words underlying our King James Bible, at FEBC and at your local church, you are leading the entire world in this important area of Bible truth. May God continue His blessings upon you for honoring His Words and His promised and fulfilled preservation of them.”

Rev Michael Koech (Kenya): “We received the news on FEBC with great joy. We have been praying all along and the Lord has answered our prayers. His will greatly encourages you to be always steadfast and unmovable in the service of the Lord. I read all the 57 pages of the judgement. Their argument about VPP was particularly interesting because it came from an independent observer. The judgement also goes down the annals of history of the judiciary in Singapore and it will be a testimony for generations. We will continue to uphold you in prayer and may the Lord bless all your labours and those of His departed servant Rev Timothy Tow.”

Rev Kiantoro Lie (Indonesia): “I first heard the news through sms, but it was not clear. I called you. Confirmed! I was so excited. I was driving the car. My mind could not concentrate. I stopped and sent out sms to Daniel, Peter, Merlin, Haposan, Leni,Rasmalem, Wiranto, my Session, and church workers. My heart was pumping hard; I was worried my blood pressure shot up. It was such a relief. I have always been thinking if FEBC were to lose, where can we go? Where to find lodging for those students? I always think about your comment, that you have no plan but only to trust the Lord. I believe the Lord helped FEBC because of this statement of faith, which means total dependence upon the Lord.”

Dr George Skariah (India): “Bessy and I rejoice with you and thank the Lord for the latest development at FEBC. Eld Boaz Boon visited us at Covenant on Tuesday (April 26), as he was in Bangalore for business, and shared with us about the court verdict. Yesterday I logged on to the internet and read the entire judgement. We are overwhelmed by this—the Truth of God shall forever stand, and no mortal being can ever prevail against it. All glory to God.We continue praying for you all.”

Rev Dr Mark Kim (writing from London): “I have read the judgment and am amazed that they studied the issues quite thoroughly. Thank God for His grace and mercy upon us. Really thank God for all He has done for us. I’ll pray for you that God may give special wisdom for the future. Thank you for the GOOD NEWS. We’re blessed.”

Bao An and Nha Uyen (Vietnam): “Truly the LORD is preserving FEBC for His own glory and purpose. We are so happy to hear this good news. We and our church will continue to pray for FEBC.”

Sun Sokha and Nam Soon (Cambodia): “I’ve just received the news today that FEBC has won the law case. We’d like to say thanks and glory be to our God and we pray that the Lord continue to bless and use our school to be a training center for the pastors and missionaries to spread His messages of life far and wide.”

Degu Genffe (Ethiopia): “‘The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.’ (Nah 1:7). Indeed God has His own plan and purpose to accomplish His will in due time. For human beings God seems late but He is always on time. In my personal devotion time I commit the FEBC to God, and truly He is faithful not because of me but because of His forever inspired and preserved Word. Today He has delivered FEBC from the evil one. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to say God bless those who have been praying for FEBC. So let us keep on upholding this school of prophets to produce many men and women for the expansion of God’s Kingdom. Amen!”

Indeed, the verdict could not have come at a better time—just before our end-of-term thanksgiving service, our 36th graduation service, right on time for our commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the KJV. We look forward to FEBC’s 50th anniversary—our Golden Jubilee—next year (DV). We thank all those who have prayed for us, who have helped us and encouraged us in word or in kind. The Lord bless you all richly. Truly, “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Ps 126:3).

Daily Vacation Bible College 2011

In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, FEBC conducted a series of lectures on “The History and Legacy of the King James Bible” (Daily Vacation Bible College course, May 2-7, 2011). The main lecturer was Dr Paul Ferguson. Other lecturers were Dr Jeffrey Khoo who spoke on the Bible of the Bible-Presbyterian Church, Dr Phil Stringer on the history of the English Bible (DVD), and Mr D P Rowland, General Secretary of the Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS) on why the KJV is the most faithful and trustworthy translation of the English Bible. Seventy-one students registered for the course. Praise the Lord for a most blessed time of study and fellowship.

 

God is good! More happy news to come!