PASTORAL CHAT
My Dear Readers
Spending Our Vacation
When FEBC had a week’s vacation in conjunction with the school holidays and we heard that Dr. Jeffrey Khoo and Beng Lee were taking advantage of a promotional offer of 4 days for only S$348 to Phuket (air ticket and hotel) I was attracted to it. I had Ivy in mind for her hard work, cooking everyday. We were able to make a team of ten.
The air ticket, if it costs S$200, the rest of the 4 days will be S$150 and our hotel is right on the sea with swimming pool attached. I want to thank the Lord for a good rest. I recommend this hotel to you.
Labrador Park
It is by God’s grace that we are given permission to use Labrador Park for Easter Sunrise Service. Others have applied but were not given.
Please watch the coming announcements on bus transportation from Newton Car Park, etc.
Now let the church pray to the Lord to restrain the rain, that He will be merciful to us.
Pray for the sick
And let us earnestly pray for Mr Francis Sng that God will touch his nose cancer and will grant him grace to undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy which begins at the end of this month, for Dr Tow Siang Phang that he will have many more days, for Eunice that the Lord will preserve and protect her eyes from retinal detachment and further deterioration, for Serena Tan that her fracture be completely healed, for Yamima, 9 year old daughter of a Tanjong Pinang Deacon, that she be healed of leukemia, for Eld. Lim Kim Hee of New Life B-P Church, for the Lord to comfort Lucy, grandma of the 4 year old boy.
And for me
After Dr. Jeffrey Khoo this week, I shall speak 4 times, the last week of March, and 3 times during Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter.
April 18 I am called to speak at Kelapa Sawit at their 52th Anniversary. Dr. Jeffrey Khoo will take my place.
Thank God that Kelapa Sawit is now taken over by Tee Chung Seng one of her own sons. Before this it was for 20 years ably ministered to by Sister Ng Sang Chiew, one of FEBC first students. She is now in Ling Kwang Home and we should not neglect to follow her up, she suffering from many pains in her body.
Now you know I am no more driving. If any one would come to Kelapa Sawit and give me and Ivy a lift we will be thankful. They worship at 10 am. We should leave Singapore by 8 am.
Your affectionate pastor
T T
SERMONS FROM THE EIGHTPEAKED MOUNTAIN OF BLESSING VII
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matt 7:1-5
This judgment talks of private judgment upon a fellow believer regarding a little fault in him when you do not recognise what a big fault in yourself. Luke 13:1-5 tells of some who criticised those Galileans who were killed by Pilate when they came (to Jerusalem) to sacrifice. Jesus told them not to judge them but rather to repent lest they suffered the same fate. Nor should they criticise the eighteen crushed by the falling tower of Siloam. Men are to repent and not to judge.
We tend to speak bad of others when they meet with trouble, but Jesus says our judgment really backfires on ourselves. Never judge.
But does Jesus forbid all judgments? When an unjust judgment is made on our Lord for healing on the Sabbath Day Jesus appeals to the Jews making an exception in Sabbath keeping in allowing a male child to be circumcised. “Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man in the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:21-24)
“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” Matt 7:6 Who are the dogs and pigs referred here? None other than the scribes (theologians) and Pharisees who withstood Jesus’ teaching. To expose God’s enemies Jesus calls them even vipers and snakes. “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt 23:33)
Inauguration of YPF, 21 Feb 2004
A Self-built missions church, Tachileik, East Burma, access from Thai Border by Jacob Unguh now applying to study at FEBC
