MARANATHA BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Transcription

1 Weekly Newsletter of MARANATHA MESSENGER Private Circulation Only MARANATHA BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 25 December 2016 Present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28) Address: 63 Cranwell Road, Singapore Sunday School: 9.45 am Sunday English / Chinese Worship Service: am Sunday Chinese Worship Service: 7 pm Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 8.00 pm The Incarnation of Christ Christmas is the season to remember the incarnation of Christ. Christ s incarnation was not an afterthought by God the Father, but planned in eternity past, prophesied by the prophets of the Old Testament, and fulfilled when the fullness of time came. The Apostle Paul puts it in the following way, But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons (Galatians 4:4-5). What is the Incarnation? The word incarnation is derived from the Latin word meaning in flesh. When it is applied to Jesus Christ it means that His divine nature was united to a true human nature at the time of His conception. The eternal God was enfleshed ; He became the God-man. Incarnation is, in the words of John Calvin, Son of God became Son of Man, so that sons of men became sons of God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism question 22 asks, How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man? And it replies, Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin. Incarnation was an act whereby the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, without ceasing to be what He is, God the Son, took into Himself a human nature, born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit. J Oswald Sanders explains, Man has always craved a God who is tangible and visible. As he bows to stone and trees, the idolater is mutely expressing the desire of the human heart for a god who can be seen. Job lamented that although he sought for God, he could not see Him. Behold, I go forward, but He is not there.... I cannot behold him (Job 23:8-9). Philip shared the same longing when he asked, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us (John 14:8). God s answer to this universal longing, the incarnation of His Son, was implied in Jesus answer to Philip, He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (John 14:9). The clear implication is that in the acts and attitudes of the Son we have a revelation of the activities and attitudes of the 1

2 Father. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him (John 1:18). Jesus is fully God, and also fully man. His birth combined a true but sinless humanity with all the attributes of His deity resulting in a single person with both divine and human natures. To do this, the Lord Jesus Christ condescended to leave all the glories and privileges of His preexistent state, and become a servant and sacrifice. The Incarnation of Christ Mentioned in the Scriptures The following Scriptures teach that the pre-existent Christ became man : 1. The Word became flesh, and dwelt among men (John 1:14); 2. Forasmuch then as the children share in flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise partook of the same (Hebrews 2:14); 3. When the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman (Galatians 4:4; cf. Romans 8:3); and Who, being in the form of God... emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6f). The Gospels (Matthew 1, 2; Luke 1, 2) give the historical record of the incarnation and trace it to the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. That the historical Jesus was in fact the eternal Son of God, whose coming was predicted in the Old Testament, was the theme of apostolic preaching (Acts 17:3; 18:5, 28). Prophecies Related to Incarnation The Old Testament, written over a period of 1000 years and several hundred years before the birth of Christ, contains several prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. Concerning Christ s lineage, it was predicted that He would be of the : 1. Son of God (compare Isaiah 9:6 with Matthew 1:23; 16:16; Luke 1:35); 2. Seed of the woman - i.e. virgin birth (compare Genesis 3:15 with Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:26-38); 3. Seed of Abraham (compare Genesis 22:18 with Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 3:34); 4. Tribe of Judah (compare Genesis 49:10 with Matthew 1:1-3; Luke 3:33); 5. Family of Jesse (compare 1 Samuel 16:1; Isaiah 11:1, 10 with Matthew 1:6; Luke 3:32); 6. House of David (compare 1 Samuel 16:12-13; 2 Samuel 7:12-17; Isaiah 9:6-7 with Matthew 1:1, 6-7; Luke 1:32-33; 3:23-38); and 7. The royal line cut off and cursed, yet the promise preserved (Jeremiah 22:28-30; Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:17-38). Jeremiah 22:28-30 clearly shows the royal line was to be cursed and cut off. Included in the royal line of David through Solomon was Jeconiah (or Coniah) (Compare Jeremiah 22:28-30 with Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:17-38). The curse clearly states that no physical seed of Coniah could ever occupy the throne of David. This means the royal line of David through Solomon was cut off. 2

3 But what about God s promises to David concerning his throne and kingdom? Are they abrogated and thus fulfilled in the spiritual reign of God in the church as many teach today? Is God finished with the nation of Israel? Will there be then no millennial reign? The answer is an emphatic NO! God is not finished with Israel. And YES, there will be a millennial reign! God s promises to David are not abrogated and the reason they are not is because of the Immanuel promise and its fulfillment in the birth of Jesus Christ. How does the virgin birth accomplish this? Through the virgin birth Jesus became the legal son of Joseph by adoption, but the physical son of David through Mary. Joseph, who was in the royal line of David through Solomon, gave Jesus legal title to the throne by adoption (Matthew 1:1-17). Mary, by the Spirit-wrought miracle of the virgin birth, made Jesus a literal son of David through Nathan another one of David s sons (Luke 3:23-38). The incarnation of Christ is one of the great mysteries, by which the God of eternity came to this sinful world, dwelt among us, died for our sins on Calvary Cross, resurrected on the third day and ascended to glory again. Our response to this great miracle should be wonder and worship for man s salvation. We, with all humility of heart, accept Him as our only Saviour, and honour Him through our obedient life. Rev Dr George Skariah Covenant BP Church Bangalore, India Introduction A Visionary Trip to Strengthen the Brethren of India From 5 to 13 December 2016, by the will of God, a mission team of 9 in Brothers Timothy Zhu, Victor Lee, Andrew Chiang, Dn Chen Ching Hong, Sisters Han Kin Kheng, Alice Wong, Chen Kai Ling, Angie Sin and Pastor Jack Sin went for the strengthening of the saints in Covenant Bible Presbyterian Church, India. This is a memorable trip as we dedicated the new parsonage in the newly renovated building of CBPCI, a mission of Maranatha Bible Presbyterian Church as Rev Dr George Skariah gave a testimony of God s sovereign grace in the construction process. 3

4 There was a dedicatory prayer for the new parsonage of the church building as more than 30 of us made our way to the second floor. The pastoral family will shift in by today. This new building will be ready by 2017 and will be used as Reformed Bible College in due time, God willing. We shared from 1 Chronicles 16 and emphasized the need to remember the goodness of God and our need for thanks giving and trust in His covenant with much prayer and hard work. The Lord graciously leads us and provides for our every need and we need to do our part and work diligently as well. The next session was held in Vathor Village where Dn Chen Ching Hong gave a good gospel message and Sister Alice Wong shared her testimony. This session was attended by almost 40 people and chaired by Pastor Babu with a delicious dinner cooked by his wife. In the night, we visited the home of Brother Shinjo and his family and Brother Timothy Zhu shared the Word to encourage their family and testimony by Brother Andrew Chiang. This is a faithful family that reaches out to university students in the vicinity. The next day, Sister Alice and Andrew shared the Bible story with the Elim Childcare children in the morning and thank God that Elim Childcare led by Sisters Bessy, Shelia and Velda and others has grown to about 120 children. This is a marvellous way to share Christ with the young ones and to reach out to their parents too as some came for the Vacation Bible School. On Friday morning, we were invited by Rev Mathai, the principal to teach at the Maranatha Bible College to the 120 students from 4 countries on the theme, The Propagation and Defence of the Gospel. He gave us a tour of the Bible college which the Lord helped him to build over these 2 4

5 decades (despite some opposition) and a fellowship lunch together with his family. We gave to the students our MRM materials and books and the Reformation Now magazine produced by CBPCI which was gratefully received. On Saturday, we had the VBS where 82 children came from two villages and Elim Childcare attended. Brother Victor Lee gave the Bible lessons, and Sister Han Kin Kheng led the games on The Meaning of Christmas (interpreted by Pastor Lazarus), singing led by Dn Chen Ching Hong and craft by Sister Alice Wong and supported by all the team members. The children got lovely goodie bags prepared by Brothers Victor Lee and Andrew Chiang. It is our prayer that the gospel seed sown in their hearts will bear forth spiritual fruit in due season (1 Corinthians 15:58). The night lecture was given by Pastor on The Being and Well-Being of the Reformed Church as the church prepares to ground the members in sound doctrine chaired by Elder Belin. Good questions were asked after the seminar to understand how we can apply this lesson in the church in a practical manner. 5

6 The next day was the climax of the trip which was the Sabbath Day of holy worship attended by almost 50 people chaired by Rev Dr George Skariah. We interviewed Brother Bappa Mondal the day before and also before the service who was due to be baptized. He shared of how he gave up his idols, smoking and drinking alcohol and trusted in the Lord Jesus as his Saviour and Lord. This was followed by the various song items by CBPCI, MBPC and the children and Brother Timothy Zhu gave his testimony of praise to God as well. God has raised up faithful stewards in the leaders over the years and in the fullness of time, CBPCI has their own session with Brother Praven serving and other committed servants like brother Shin Jo to co-labour in the work of the Lord. The message was preached from 2 Chronicles 22 and 23 on The Marks of an Authentic Biblical Awakening and to challenge and exhort the members to continue to worship and serve God together with a grateful, careful, mindful, joyful and faithful spirit. This was followed by the serving of the Lord s Supper and later a lunch fellowship together. In the Sunday afternoon, we had a session meeting with Rev Dr George, Elder Belin and Dn Libin and Pastor George gave a progress report of the church ministry for 2016 and the overall status and we thank God for every remembrance of this work and we encourage the leaders to press on advance God s Kingdom together. The evening Kannada service was led by Pastor Lazarus and the message preached by Dn Chen and testimony by Brother Victor Lee and Kannada song item by the mission team. Conclusion We praise and thank God for an eventful and profitable trip as we continue to intercede for this growing and glowing MBPC mission station as the Lord guides and leads us. God willing, the whole construction will be completed by mid October of 2017 and there will be a dedication 6

7 7 service with a team from MBPC to dovetail with 500th anniversary of the 16th Century Reformation. Let us pray, give and join the MBPC mission team the next time as we persevere with the work of the Lord till He comes and let us work while it is day for night comes, when no man can work. Revelation 14:6, 7 says, And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. To God be the Glory. Jack and Angie Sin Indian Mission Trip Sharing 1 It is a privilege and a joy that I could be part of the team on the mission trip to Bangalore, India from 5 th to 13 th December Though having been to mission trips, this trip to Bangalore is somewhat different. Having read and heard of the work in Covenant BP Church, in the midst of a non-christian environment, I have the opportunity to be there in flesh and blood witnessing how the Lord has protected, guided, blessed and provided the need of His children. Indeed, what we saw during our trip is not the work, the strength and wisdom of men, but solely the work of faith of His people in the One, True and Living God. For without faith in Him all efforts will be in vain. I thank Rev Dr George Skariah for bringing us around to view the premises. The structure of the church building stands beautifully, although the interior is yet to be completed. Every floor is so well planned, serving its purpose. When we were in the sanctuary on the upper floor, I was overwhelmed by the spaciousness and brightness of God s house. I can imagine the beauty of the sanctuary when all the fittings and settings are in place. The sanctuary

8 is the citadel of God s house, where there is peace and serenity to all who come for worship. Thank God for Rev Dr George and his team in overseeing the work and the construction of the church and also for the Elim Childcare Centre run by Sister Bessy and the staff. The childcare centre is an avenue in reaching out to parents and guardians of the children. What we saw is truly the labour of love of God s people. The evening worship in the New Covenant Church at Varthur village was an experience. In spite of the power failure, Dn Chen Ching Hong continued with his clear exhortation on Christmas and the reason for Christ to come and to save us, based on the text taken from Luke 2:8-20. Sister Alice Wong also gave her testimony. Thank God for Pastor Babu and his family serving the Lord in this village. The tour around Bangalore and we visited some places of interest and to a high hill where we had a beautiful view and fresh air, away from the noise and the dusty roads below. We also visited the Maranatha Baptist College, where Pastor Jack preached to the students. In one of the evenings we visited the Shijo s home and Brother Timothy Zhu spoke from Acts 18:5-11, while I shared my testimony. We visited the OM Bookstore and the books are indeed very inexpensive. Every morning, the brothers took turns leading the devotion. As this was my first visit to India, I find travelling on the roads was a challenge. Every day was by God s mercy and grace that we were kept safe in our coming in and going out. Literally, we gave the oohs and the aahs whenever we saw vehicles coming to an abrupt halt to avoid a collision or seeing vehicles almost colliding with each other. It was a joy to see the zest and the enthusiasm in the children and being able to be a part of this ministry. As recorded in Luke 18:6, suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God. This was what we saw in Elim Childcare Centre. Every child is precious in God s sight and I had a good time with the children. I believe the team had it too. All of us took on various responsibilities covering from singing, story-telling to craftwork and games. The children s simple responsiveness and praises in songs made my day. On the Lord s Day, Pastor Jack conducted the Lord s Supper and spoke on the subject : Marks of a Genuine Biblical Awakening. A brother, Bappa Mondal, was baptised. Thank God for this meaningful and fulfilling trip and for Pastor Jack s guidance and Sister Angie s arrangements and planning, especially with the applications of visa. All thanks and praise be to God for enabling the team to have a part in His service with our brethren in India. Andrew Chiang

9 Indian Mission Trip Sharing 2 Thank God for the privilege, allowing me to join the team on Mission to Bangalore. It is always a joy to serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Thank God for keeping every team member safe under His watchful eye and the opportunity for brethren to fellowship one with another. There are several lessons that we could pick up but I would like to share some of them for our learning from this trip. These are the source of the Lord s encouragement for me. 1. Expressing our gratitude to God. Bappa Mondal is from West Bengal, a new believer was baptized on 11 December by Pastor Jack Sin. He is proud of his newfound faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The same night, he invited us over to his restaurant where he works. He said he wanted to personally serve us with the pizza and the lamb he cooked. He confesses Christ to his colleagues and his supervisor and introduced them to us to let them know he has many brothers and sisters in Christ. He then treated us, a team of 15 people to desserts. The course of desserts may have costs him a month or two of his salary but he does not mind as he was more than willing to pay for it, all for Jesus. His expression of gratitude to God went beyond what most ordinary Christian would do his cup runneth over with joy declaring he is very happy that Jesus has given him the new life. 2. Trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ at times is perfunctorily spoken. But we learned it from Rev Dr George Skariah the practical way of trust and faith. In an earlier purchase of the piece of land, a fair sum of deposit was paid to the landowner. The transaction did not go through and Pastor George asked for the return of the deposit that was paid. The owner was not willing to return the sum of money. In James 1:5 said, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. With much faith and courage in the Lord Jesus Christ, he went to the owner to declare that the deposit he was holding is God s money he ought to return. True indeed the deposit money was returned. The second attempt to purchase land for church building was met with threats and opposition to Rev Dr George s family members by the Hindu neighbour. The matter was committed to God with much prayer even together with brethren from Maranatha BP Church. God literally removed the source of the threats. With faith and trust in the Lord and with much perseverance by the grace and mercies of God, Covenant BP Church building programme went on unhindered. 9

10 Today, the church stood four-storey high. The building is by no means completed. We learned patience to wait upon the Lord. The building program was carried out over a period of 11 years. As and when the church has sufficient funds for the building project, Rev Dr George would buy the materials for the building extension. Thank God the church is self-sufficient today in her day to day operations. 3. Learning to trim our lamps We are reminded of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. The five foolish virgins who took no extra oil with them were unable to trim their lamps upon the bridegroom s arrival. We took for granted that we have electricity as when we need it. But not so in Varthur village where the New Covenant BP Church is. In the midst of Dn Chen Ching Hong s preaching, there was power outage plunging the sanctuary into pitch dark. There was no panic at all. Everyone remained calmly seated. Soon electric touch lights were on and the candles were lighted and the preaching continued. Even sis Alice had to deliver her testimony in darkness. It was no the darkness at all because the people saw the light of Jesus and were very thankful for her testimony. 4. Faith of Children Sometimes we have forgotten how it is like to put on the mind and faith of a child as we cluttered our minds with the complications of the world. Thank God that we can once again learn from the children from our interactions with them, taking precaution not to stumble their faith. Children are God s gift to us. In Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2, say, whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in the Lord, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Hence the Lord takes a serious view on how we are to teach the young children. The children will take in wholly what you taught them. Pray that the lessons taught will not returned to the Lord in vain. The children of Bangalore were responsive to the questions asked. They speak their minds freely unhindered. To the less boisterous child, they found ways to be heard by coming up to you to whisper their answers. As teachers, I reckoned we have received our rewards by their responsiveness. 5. Crossing the road the Indian way Crossing the streets of Bangalore is no trivial matter. It requires the skill and the guts to make the first step to cross over safely. The first thing that struck me about the streets of Bangalore is that there are few traffic lights in our commute between hotel and the church, and to Varthur Village and to Maranatha Baptist Bible College to aid pedestrians in road crossing. Although I have been to other parts of India before, but I did not remember the traffic was as chaotic as Bangalore. It dawned upon me, how privilege we are to have God s Word and 10

11 His Laws in us to order our lives. A lawless life is one without the rule of traffic where you can cross lanes as you wish without any regard to lives. At times, the team had to cross the road the Indian way or else, you will never be able to get to the opposite side of the road. Hence we are thankful to God for watching over us throughout our stay there. There is much work to be done in Bangalore. Pray for more labourers for the Lord s harvest. Victor Lee Christmas Outing with friends in our ministry in Country X. Theme for the Quarter : Christian Resources in Facing the Terrible Ds English & Chinese Combined Worship Service Brother Timothy Zhu speaks on Necessity of Incarnation of Christ (Scripture Text : 1 Timothy 1:15, 3:16; Philippians 2:6-8, John 3:16; Responsive Reading : Micah 5:1-14) Interpreter : Dn Chen Ching Hong. [End of MM] 11