Pastor’s Commendation
Church Camp June 12–16, 2006 at Bukit Tinggi, Malaysia. I am well pleased to commend it to our campers.
There will be a Camp Briefing today after the Worship Service. All campers please take note.
The first thing I’m happy about is the subject. Christ is soon coming! What a warning to us sleepy ones.
The second thing is the speakers. Rev Stephen Khoo and Rev Errol Stone will speak vitally so we will not miss the point. When Jesus comes will we follow Him to Heaven or not you must make sure yourself. So must I.
Your affectionate pastor
T. T.
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Letter from Rev Dr Mark Kim of BCEA
Dear Co-labourers in the Lord,
Greetings from Nairobi in His most precious Name. I pray and trust that this letter finds you well in the Lord.
The ministry of the Bible College of East Africa (BCEA) continues in His grace.
Praise the Lord for the 35th graduation of BCEA, which took place on February 4 and produced 29 servants of God who have left for ministries in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and the Congo. Over a thousand were in attendance, with the overflow outnumbering those who could witness this blessed occasion in Glory Hall, our main chapel. We thank God for these soldiers of Christ, equipped with a firm belief and confidence in His preserved Word. It is our prayer that the graduates will be used as effective instruments of God. Join us in prayer for 24 new students (15 Kenyans, 4 Congolese, 1 Sudanese, 1 Tanzanian, 1 Ethiopian, 1 Rwandan, and 1 Burundian) who enrolled at the start of this academic year in January. May all remain diligent in the study of His Word, to be equipped as faithful servants.
We praise God for the service of Brother Richard Tiu, a graduate of FEBC, whom many of you know and are praying for. He has been serving as visiting lecturer since January. His dedication and firm stand on the Word of God have been a blessing to the students and faculty alike. We hope and pray that the Lord will guide him back for a long term of service.
Preparations for the opening of BCEA-Tanzania are ongoing.
It has been years since you have shared our burdens and prayers for the ministry of BCEA-Tanzania. God willing, the College will finally commence classes at the end of August. The sacrificial support of True Life enabled the construction and completion of the very first building project (main administration building), as well as ongoing projects. This ministry covets your continued and fervent prayers, for the Lord’s guidance and wisdom during this important preparation phase. Three buildings (chapel, dining hall, guest house) are currently under simultaneous construction. Please be in prayer for the construction of buildings, and more importantly, that He will send faithful students as well as dedicated and capable teachers of His Word. Enclosed here are some pictures of the current construction. Praise God with us for this beautiful campus!
The rains have come after a long period of severe drought.
The rainy season has finally begun after a long wait. Problems of food shortage and inflation will continue, however, until the current rains produce harvest in later months. Surely God is the only One who can mend this “national disaster” declared by the president. During my Book of Acts class, I recently had a chance to discuss the concept of “prayer and fasting.” A big shock to all came when an Ethiopian student asked, “How does fasting have meaning, when most days go by without any food?” My plain reply was to explain the distinction between “praying and not eating, while there is food” and “desiring to eat but not having food,” to a student who could not have been unaware of the difference between fasting and starving. The physical needs of this nation are great, and we must also pray for the spiritual needs of God’s people here.
Thank you for your faithful prayers, which enable us to press on. True Life remains in our thoughts and prayers. God bless.
In the Bond of Christ,
K. Kim
THE GOSPEL OF LIFE: Chapter XX
John 20:24-31
The Second Lord’s Day with Thomas
Why Thomas was not present with the others on the first Lord’s Day evening we are not told. But his reaction to the resurrection reports is told in no uncertain terms. Thomas doubted. Thomas preached his doctrine, “Seeing is believing, and touching is doubly believing.” His faith, inexperienced faith, under such doubting, was smothered. Calvin says such obstinacy of not taking the other apostles at their word is evidence that this wickedness is innate in almost all men. Are you of the doubting type? Very intellectual? That will be assessed in the light of what the Risen Christ says later on.
To help Thomas out of this unbelief, Christ came the second Lord’s Day. He accommodates Himself many a time to our human stupidity. What saving feature Thomas manifested was that when His Lord and His God appeared there was no more argument. Immediately, he must have fallen on his knees to kow-tow to the One who is forever acknowledged as His Saviour. Let there be no more doubt in your heart, you who have followed in Thomas’ tradition!
Out of Thomas’ unbelief is drawn a great principle for our learning and benediction. It is ordinary blessing to believe after seeing. It is extraordinary blessing to believe without seeing. Thus we who have not seen the Lord with eyes of flesh but have believed are no less, yea more, blessed than those who have seen. For to take Him at His Word, we do Him double honour, and receive a corresponding benediction. O Lord, grant us more faith, to believe in Thyself and in Thy Almighty Power. With Thee nothing is impossible. Let’s hear again Peter’s blessing to Christians under trial but who stand steadfast because they are trusting in a living Saviour: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Pet 1:8).
As to doubting Thomas, he became Thomas the Doughty, Apostle to India. According to tradition, he established seven churches in South India and was martyred near Madras. Another tradition said he went even to China. The great numbers of Thomas Christians in India substantiate the tradition.
