MARANATHA MESSENGER. Mission Impossible Turned Possible by God : Operation Andrew

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1 MARANATHA MESSENGER Weekly Newsletter of Private Circulation Only MARANATHA BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 13 November 2011 Present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28) Address: 63 Cranwell Road, Singapore Tel: (65) Fax: (65) Website: Sunday School: 9.45 am Sunday English Worship Service: am Sunday Chinese Worship Service: 6.30 pm Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 8.00 pm Pastor: Rev. Dr. Jack Sin (HP: ) Mission Impossible Turned Possible by God : Operation Andrew John 1:40-42, One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. Introduction After one of the prayer meetings on Wednesday, we sent Andrew Lai home (as he had scrapped his car). He shared with us that he is now a familiar face with the Chinese workers at the Tampines dorm. When he gives out tracts and witnesses to them, some of them respond to him and he waits for them to come down and brings them to the van to come for the Chinese service. When I think of his actions (and Song Xi Hai, Seow Zi Fa and Li Fang, Hum Kee Hong, Dn. Royce Yeo, Calvin Chow and others), my mind goes to the scriptures in John 1 as I remember the biblical Andrew who went out of the way in his day and brought his brother, Simon Peter to Christ and the latter was saved by the Lord. Often, we prayed about and thought of how to launch an overt spiritual military operation in the dorms to penetrate enemy territory and gain ground for the Lord. Short of a better phrase, we will called it Operation Andrew and it is a like spiritual battle plan that will go on for months to come. The army commander normally plans strategic or tactical moves and executes with great effort and coordination with the air force or navy and troops on the ground in offensive operation (preaching or sharing the gospel or tracting) often calling for air cover (i.e. from heaven in prayer for us) from the enemy s bombardment in entrenched positions (it is like a spiritual warfare). To all who are serving Christ, we are to put on the full armour of God as your full battle order for immediate protection and military action (Eph 6:10-18). So every Sunday, we have our members witnessing at the Kaki Bukit, Tampines, Tanah Merah Dorms, giving MBPC gospel tracts to the workers. Consider the following as proposed below : Prayerfully Look Around where you live, work or go to school and identify people. This could be your mission field. Make a list of names of individuals you know who do not know Jesus Christ, and commit to pray for the people on your list regularly. Look Up to God as only he can change people s hearts through the Holy Spirit and prayer. Pray each day for those on your list, that God will give you opportunities to share His love with them and let Him work in His own good time. Look Out for practical ways to cultivate friendships with each person on your list. If possible, pray for wisdom from God and spend quality time with them. Build sound relationships, which can open the way to talk about Christ and help them to seek a saving relationship in the Lord as the Lord leads. Look Forward to an occasion like gospel meetings, Christmas Eve, Sabbath services, Children Christmas Gathering, MYF gospel outreach in church. Carefully choose a specific date, pray and invite them to come. Look After those who are coming and are positive and respond to Christ or even begin to show interest in the Gospel, for they need biblical follow up and guidance. We need to continue to reach 1

2 out and pray for those who have not responded to the gospel that one day they will be saved from the bondage of sin as the Lord wills. Conclusion Elder Su Ching Chun asked us one night, How did you manage to reach out to so many Chinese workers? Answer : It is the leading of the Holy Spirit and the obedience of God s people, willing to launch out into the deep and bring the fishes in. Pray for us and serve with us as we continue to witness faithfully the pure gospel to lost souls for Christ till He comes. Remember, salvation is of the Lord only and not men. We are only feeble instruments as He uses us. Jack Sin Introduction Beware of Satan, Our Adversary (Job 1:6-12) In Christian life and ministry we need to face a common adversary who comes to us with deceptive and cunning ways, and he is none other than Satan. He is known a different names. The Apostle Peter calls him, the devil (1 Pet 5:8). Other names include, the adversary, deceiver, the Old Serpent, the Great Dragon, the Tempter, the Wicked One, Beelzebub, Apollyon, the Prince and god of this world, the accuser of the brethren, etc. He, a created spirit, though originally holy, fell apparently through pride (1 Tim 3:6; Jude 6). He became the tempter and accuser of men, especially of the good (Rev 12:10). He wanted to do the same to Job. However, in Job s case, he could not do it of himself, but only with the permission of God. God knew His servant Job and had confidence in him that he would be victorious, hence God s permission for Satan to test Job. This is an important passage in which we can learn the ways in which we are targeted by the devil, and the protection assured by the Lord for His loving children. 1. Satan Eyes God s Children (vv 6-7) The scenario in verse 6 is God on His throne before the heavenly court, and the sons of God came to present themselves before God. The term sons of God literally means the sons of Elohim or divine beings. In this context they are the angels who serve God s court in heaven and also act as His messengers. Satan, the fallen angel, also came along with them before God. When the Lord asked Satan, Whence comest thou?, Satan s answer was, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. This reveals the character and work of Satan. He was the agent in Adam s fall. Ever since then, he continues his deceptive and cunning ways. He blinds men s minds against the light of the Gospel (2 Cor 4:4); seeks to catch away the seed of the Word from the hearts of the hearers (Matt 13:19). Satan did not even spare the Lord Jesus Christ. He sought to overthrow Christ and draw Him into sin (Matt 4). Christ s whole life was in conflict with him, according to the promise in Genesis 3:15. The life of ever believer is in similar conflict as the Apostle Paul mentions in Ephesians 6: In 1 Peter 5:8, the Apostle Peter depicted him as a roaring lion roaming about seeking his prey. 2. Satan Accuses God s Children (vv 9-11) In theses verses we see Satan true in his name, the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). He accuses Job by saying that Job only fears God in order to gain something in return. He is saying that God has made a protective cover around Job, and has blessed him in everything, and that is the reason why Job loves God. Satan challenges God and Job by saying if God removes His favor toward Job, he will not continue loving God. He was unable to deny Job s religious piety, but questioned the motive behind it. Here we come to the crux of the matter, the central theme of the book of Job, the nerve of the drama that provoked the series of trials and sufferings that brought Job to near despair. The main question being dealt with then is not really why people suffer, but rather why people serve God or why people 2

3 want to follow Christ. Here in these verses, Satan is again up to his old tricks: he denies what God affirms, as he did in the Garden of Eden, he sees evil where God sees good, and acknowledges no love towards God in the world that is not rooted in self-love. This is the true nature of Satan: sarcastic, cynical, negative, critical, and suspicious over all things he says and does. Satan accuses Job of serving God because it pays. A true servant of the Lord does not sell himself to God, but rather, he gives himself to God, and that he does without any condition. Why men follow God, then, is the issue here: (1) Some people follow God out of fear. They reason by saying if they do not, something bad will happen to them. (2) Some others follow God to cash in on the promises of peace, joy, material blessings, and earthly rewards of various kinds. (3) Some people think, by following Christ, they have all the earthly blessings as well as blessings in the future, i.e., stars in their crown. If we love God and serve Him only for these things, then we have got something fundamentally wrong. We must not treat our relationship with God in such a cheap manner. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not such a cheap gospel. Christian discipleship matters much more than following Christ and receiving some rewards in return. Sad to say that Satan gets some of us pretty cheaply, but not so Job. We are to love and serve God simply because He is God. We must love Him for who He is, not what He gives us now or later. A true religion loves God without any condition. Do we follow Christ or want to serve God for gaining something from Him? Is our piety selfish? But at the same time, we need to add that Satan s words were true as a fact, though false as motive: no man serves God for nought! Godliness is profitable unto all things (1 Tim 4:8; 6:6). In keeping God s commandments is great reward (Ps 19:11). True godliness is consistent with respect to the recompense of the reward (Heb 11:26). Past and present mercies are also not excluded from the motives to godliness (Rom 12:1). Yet true religion is more than gratitude for past or regard to future good. True religion is giving our all to Christ. 3. God Limits Satan s Power (vv 8, 12) God has His control over His children, and His protection covers them. He considers His children as His very own, and Satan can touch them, if only God allows him. This is the truth that we have in verses 8,10, 12. God considers Job as His servant. It was quite a compliment and put Job in a very select company along with Moses, Caleb, David, Isaiah, Zerubbabel, the prophets, etc. Moreover, as Satan himself noticed, God had a hedge of protection over Job and Satan needed God s permission to touch him. And finally, when God gave him permission, in verse 12, God said that he should not put forth his hand upon Job s life. Satan is a chained lion, and the chain is in our Father s hand. Ways to overcome Satan and his Ploys : 1 Peter 5:8-11; Ephesians 6:10-18 Conclusion We Christians need to be aware of the tactics of the devil and withstand his various ploys so that our lives would be fashioned in accordance with the will of God for our lives. Rev. Dr. George Skariah Covenant BP Church Bangalore, India

4 EMMANUEL REFORMED BIBLE LECTURES 2012 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). The Emmanuel Reformed Bible Lectures (ERBL) is a joint project of several like-minded Bible- Presbyterian Churches in Singapore designed to help equip Christians for God s service through Biblebased, Reformed theological teaching. The lectures are conducted 2 nights each week in Beulah House at 10 Gilstead Road, Life Bible-Presbyterian Church. January to May 2012 Mondays : Biblical Defence for a Reasonable Faith by Rev. Dr. Jack Sin, M. Div, D. Min (Pastor of Maranatha BP Church) 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm. CHRISTIAN Apologetics is the branch of biblical studies in Christianity that is committed to the intelligent propagation and the reasonable defence and establishment of the Christian faith. Christian Apologetics is for every committed believer who loves the Lord and who wants to know what and why we believe and be equipped to persuade others too. The apostle Peter says, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (1 Pet 3:15). In the 21st century, we are to be knowledge-based Christians who should be equipped to give a reasonable response concerning our faith. There is a biblical basis for the belief in the deity and humanity of Christ, His work and His resurrection, the existence of God, creationism, the authenticity of the Bible, the Trinity, and other important concerns of the Christian faith. We need to be able to give biblically sound and relevant explanations of the Christian religion to those who would seek to understand the teachings of our Lord Jesus. (2 Credits). Thursdays : The Unfolding Drama of Redemption by Rev. Ho Chee Lai, M. Div (Assistant Pastor of Sharon BP Church) 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm. This course is an inductive study on God s plan of redemption in both the Old and New Testaments. In this course of study, the students will be doing a survey of all the books in the Bible, through both synthetical and analytical approaches. The focus of the survey will be on Christ and the theme of redemption, and the progressive revelation and finality of God s plan throughout the whole Bible. (2 Credits). For more information please write to erbl@lifebpc.com or call Brothers Chen Ching Hong and Song Xi Hai teaching the follow up class for Chinese workers. 4

5 Theme for the Quarter : Biblical Directions for Worship, Warfare, Work and Wealth for A Christian Rev. Dr. Jack Sin The Protection Of The Christian (Eph 6:10-18) [End of MM] 5