Weekly Newsletter of MARANATHA MESSENGER Private Circulation Only MARANATHA BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 4 September 2016 Present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28) Address: 63 Cranwell Road, Singapore 509851 E-mail: maranatha.bpc@pacific.net.sg Sunday School: 9.45 am Sunday English / Chinese Worship Service: 10.45 am Sunday Chinese Worship Service: 7 pm Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 8.00 pm Introduction Maranatha BP Church Chinese Service 9th Thanksgiving Anniversary Praise and thank God for the 9th year of the ministry of Maranatha BP Church Chinese service by the sovereign will of God. We are humbled as we recalled the small beginnings and that by the faithfulness of God and the labour of the brethren, we have a growing Chinese Ministry for His glory today. The initial years were very difficult and the growth for the first two years was slow and many of us struggled to speak Chinese but God gave us wisdom and helped us to learn the language over time. God gave the increase as we did not give up but persevered on with the work by His grace and strength. Every anniversary is a thanksgiving occasions and we praise our Almighty God for leading us in another eventful year of meaningful service and outreach in the Chinese Ministry of Maranatha BP Church since its inception on the first Saturday of September 2007. Though the construction industry is slowing down there are still about half a million Chinese people working or studying in our country and many are in the construction or service industry which is a large harvest field locally. We thank God for His bountiful grace in leading our church with an unwavering vision and courage. We started this gospel ministry with a small group of about 4-5 people, and it is grown to about 55 every week now in our Sunday evening service. The morning Chinese service was also started in May 2013 and now we have about 25 worshippers as led by Dn Chen Ching Hong. God has provided through the willing tithes and offerings of our members and friends for all the needs of His covenant people as we must continue to pray, serve, support and give joyfully to the cause of God s work. His sovereign grace is truly more than sufficient for us for which we are grateful (2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4: 13, 19). It is a joy and privilege to minister to the Chinese brethren who hail from the most populous nation in the world of 1.4 billion people with about 100 million believers. There is a Chinese proverb that describes their dispersion all over the world for economic reasons that the 4 seas serves as their home ( 四海为家 ). Every time I see a Chinese pump attendant, bus driver, cleaner or waiter, I have a burden to reach out to him or her with the gospel. It is always a joy 1
to see the Chinese brethren and new friends coming for the Sunday service and later some of them staying back for the evangelism on Sunday afternoon after the morning service. Many more are joining us for the evening service after evangelism. We have baptised many brethren who came to faith in the Lord and some have studied the shorter catechism with us. Today Wang Zhan Ying will be baptised as he will be going home soon after his recovery from his injury. Over these 9 years over 2000 workers have come through Maranatha BP Church to worship with us and they hail from different provinces of Country X. In June 2016, 5 of us by the will of God, ministered at the Holy Covenant BP Church in a particular province which has a regular Sunday night Bible study and Saturday children programmes of 15 led by Preacher Barnabas Song. The first Bible baptismal Service was held on 10 June 2016 with two persons who were baptised and 20 people were in attendance, where we distributed our MRM Chinese books and given out over 100 bibles free to those who asked. We need to pray and reach out to more souls for Christ. Goals of the Church The preaching of the gospel and deepening our members faith in Christ with in-depth study of the Bible of our members are twin objectives for us. We are glad to have two nights of weekly Bible Studies on Friday and Saturday at Sister Pancy Siam (or our home) and in church led by Brother Timothy Zhu Jia Wei with Sister Angie Sin driving the van faithfully (the Lord provided a new church van in May 2016). This allows for deeper learning of the Word and mutual fellowship and greater bonding among the younger brethren. This year from May to July, we encourage more mature members to share the gospel and reach out to others as well. It is heartening to see many younger Chinese brethren coming forward to serve like Brothers Zhu Man Xin, Li Fa Ern, Shi Bao Jin and Li Liang Liang. Brother Timothy Zhu Jia Wei our pastoral intern has been faithfully preaching and teaching the word and co-ordinating the evangelism as well. There is a Chinese Pro-tem Committee comprising Dns Chen Ching Hong, Royce Yeo, Brothers Fong Jing Heng, Timothy Zhu Jia Wei, Sisters Pancy Siam, Angie Sin and Pastor. The 3-day Chinese New Year Retreat which was attended by about 25 was an important learning and bonding time for many of the Chinese brethren with many practical lessons learnt and ended with a BBQ and sharing. The recent Combined Family Day led by Dns Shaun Ng and Hong Che Hwee, saw about 40 English and about 20 Chinese brethren who joined us at Henderson Park for a blessed time of hearing the Word, games, healthy exercise and mutual interaction and fellowship ending with a lunch together. This notable Chinese outreach ministry has born spiritual fruits in the hearts of men as many have returned to their country and continued to worship God in spirit and in truth and some even serve God faithfully as a family. Some of them shared of how their spouses and children in Country X were converted and came to know the Lord too and are worshipping in their village or city house churches with them. Let us persevere to build up faith and the holiness of God and to encourage them to walk worthy of our calling where the Lord has called us. I was touched by two Chinese workers called Zhan Rong and Zhang Yong who came three months ago to our service and heard the Word and they accepted the Lord as their Saviour. They asked for a Bible 2
and are planning to be baptised in October. Another brother called Zhu Man Xin travelled one and a half hours every Sunday from Tuas to come for the evening service and is transferring his membership to Maranatha BP Church. This Chinese ministry is an effectual gospel lighthouse with the propagation of the gospel and a spiritual rest house to the Chinese workers hearts with this sound teaching of the word, a spiritual refuge and a place of comfort, bonding and exhortation to one another to love and serve God as we await His soon return. We noted that this Chinese gospel work has 4 relevant precepts given below : 1. Conversion and Comfort of Souls Acts 1:8 says, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth! The church must be committed to the sharing of the pure gospel to the saving of souls. Paul in Romans 1:16 says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. There is to be a regular effective witnessing outreach to the workers constantly at the dormitories as their mobility or turnover is high. Every Sunday afternoon, without fail, 8 to 12 of us will be giving out gospel tracts at the entrance of 4 to 5 workers dorms, sharing the gospel and inviting them to come to our services. Last few Sundays, an average of 6 new friends came from the different dorms in Punggol, Tampines and Tanah Merah and Seng Kang. The buses would bring them in as coordinated by Brothers Timothy Zhu Jia Wei, Seow Zhi Fa and Sister Angie Sin (driving the van) and they will contact them to follow up as well. For we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). When one of our regulars went home to be with the Lord, the church contributed a condolence gift to the family with much prayer. 2. Knowledge and Systematic Application of the Word Jeremiah 15:16 says, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. Before the service, there is a Bible Study class or singing session at 6.30pm led by Brothers Seow Zi Fa or Andrew Lai. After the service, there is a simple dinner prepared for all and after the fellowship dinner, there are 3 classes, namely : a believers class taught by Brother Paul Kong Li Tong, non-believers evangelistic class by Brother Fong Jing Heng and the catechism class by Dn Chen Ching Hong or Pastor Jack as well for those seeking baptism. Three who are undergoing the catechism class now will be baptised next month at the 26th Anniversary of Maranatha BP Church, God willing. The Chinese service believes in the foundation of the Word and further exposes many to the gospel which is vital to strengthen faith in the Lord. Do pray for their salvation and their faith to be grounded as they return to Country X to work and to continue to worship the Lord faithfully. Bibles are given freely to those who want them and other tracts and pamphlets too. Today, we give out our latest Maranatha Resource Ministry tract entitled The Gospel Founded in the Supreme Sacrifice of Christ at Calvary s Cross for all to read and we pray that it will edify hearts unto the Lord and save souls as He wills. 3
3. Reformed Worship and Edifying Fellowship Our Lord says in John 4:23, 24, But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. We are a reformed church and we believe in a God honouring reverential christocentric worship and not a worldly contemporary style of man centred worship. The reverential worship of God with conservative hymns singing, fervent intercessory prayer and the expository preaching of the word of God are paramount. Expository gospel preaching of the pure Word is needful to the conviction of hearts by the Holy Spirit with different BP Pastors, preachers and elders (which we appreciate especially Elder Su Ching Chun of Calvary BP Church and others) building up their faith in the fear of God. (Acts 9:31). We believe in building our members on the foundation of the inspired word of God through the Spirit as the bedrock of our ministry. 4. Growth and Relationship Bonding among the Brethren The Chinese service provides a simple free dinner fellowship for all our workers as a means to get to know them during the meal. The mutual fellowship among them is helpful and profitable and often there is a need for follow up classes or leading of new songs and testimonies by the brethren and others to teach and reinforce the Sunday message preached as well. We want to thank all those who cooked (ushers, Bible Study leaders, PA crew, pianists, evangelism, chairmen and drivers too) and those who selflessly serve for the love of Christ. Some of the senior ladies served by preparing and buttering the bread as led by Sisters Chiang Mui Leng, Amy Tau, Becky Lum, Lily Oh and Jenny Heng for the Chinese brethren for their refreshment before the service. The ladies of the church help to prepare a dish each time to supplement our simple dinner box and we thank God for willing chefs in Sisters Chin Pit Yuen s mother, Julia Chen, Jane Jin, Han Kin Hoong, Seow Li Fang, Angie Sin and Pancy Siam and others who helped with the washing and cleaning up. Over the past 4 years, we have involved some mature Chinese brethren in the ministry. They had been asked to chair the worship service, to read the scriptures, others help to take the offerings, and some are ushers and others help with the washing of the dishes and evangelism. This will help them to discover, develop and demonstrate their God-given gifts and talents as they grow and serve the Lord more effectively (Romans 12:4-8). Conclusion Acts 16:31 says, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. We are beholden to God s sovereign grace and mercy for this continuing ministry. We need the Spirit of the Lord and the fervent partnership of His people in this gospel work (Zechariah 4:6). For without Him, we can do nothing. We need to persevere and to continue with this work to the spiritual enrichment of the souls of our Chinese workers in the fear of God. We need to live for eternity sake and to put God first in our lives (Matthew 6:33). We are all spiritual athletes and the race of life is to be run well, looking to Christ as the Author 4
and Finisher of our faith. There are still many who have not heard the gospel and we need to go on gospel missions both locally and to the different parts of the world to spread the glorious gospel of Christ to save souls. We need to continue to boldly declare to preach the gospel and teach the Word effectively and to provide sound theological training and write resource materials for the Chinese Pastors and Preachers of the growing reformed churches(remember Pr Barnabas Song ) in the wide harvest fields of Country X and beyond as we await the Lord s imminent return. Jack Sin ++++++++++ Teaching at Evangel Reformed Seminary and Evangel BP Church, Malaysia Thank God for a fruitful time of teaching at Evangel Reformed Seminary (ERS) to the 11 full and part time students on How to Study and Interpret the Bible with the Right Hermeneutical Principles and Practices. Some of the brethren from Evangel BPC also joined us. Victor Lee came with me and Rev Dr Lim Yew Cheng were there with Mrs Lim together with Elder Jeff Foo and his wife, Christina, Sister Teng Yu Yuet and Rev Kim from Tangkak BPC, Hean and also there were 4 attentive students in Phong from Vietnam, Jeremy, Peter and Rotha from Myanmar. It is our prayers that they will be equipped for the full time ministry in due time as the Lord leads. The morning service was attended by about 50 as we shared on the summon from Heaven from Exodus 3 followed by a seminar on The Spiritual Perils of Playing Pokemon Go with some good questions asked by a few youths as we be warned of the dangers of this current diabolical craze that is affecting many all over the world. 5
It was an edifying time of fellowship and learning from the Word of God as we exhorted one another in the knowledge of the Word. Do pray for God s guidance for ERS and Evangel BP Church as they continue steadfastly in the work of the Lord. Let us continue to pray and exhort one another in the work of the Lord till He comes. Jack Sin +++++++++ Thanksgiving Thank you for distributing your church's weeklies to me every week. I like reading them and have learnt a lot every week. They are very helpful. A Visitor to Kulai BP Church Malaysia (NB. Anyone who wants a copy of the weekly may request from Sister Doris Sim of the church office.) +++++++++ Thanksgiving I have been encouraged by the work you and your team are doing with the mainland Chinese workers. I think many of them have been blessed by this ministry and I trust such meaningful worship times are a true sanctuary for their tired bodies after a hard days' slog in searing heat. Press on and I am glad to continue my support by way of playing the piano starting January 2017. Daniel Hoo MBPC Evening Chinese Service, Pianist +++++++++ 6
My Testimony of Seeking God s Grace My name is Wang Zhan Ying, born on 4 th of January, 1974 in the province of Henan, city of Luoyang. Before I come to know Christ, I know I am a sinner, I indulged in smoking, drinking alcohol and gambling. My parents in law have been believers for many years, my mother-in-law often ask me to accept Christ, but I do not know who He is and I did not, so I have not been to Church when I was in China. After I came to Singapore to work, my hand was badly injured in an industrial accident. One Sunday about 6 o clock in the late afternoon, I saw a lady distributing tracts, she handed me one and I read it. She told me many things about Jesus Christ, I decided to follow her to Maranatha Bible Presbyterian Church. Henceforth I worship there and seek to know more about this God, I continue to worship there till I really know Him and finally I believe Him. Given my old personality, I have many bad habits, but now I have changed my ways by the grace of God, now I am willing to accept whatever He has instore for me in the future, I truly acknowledge that I am a sinner, and I asked for His forgiveness, knowing that I am not worthy even to talk to Him. Now that I am a believer, He takes all my guilt and sins away, even my gambling, drinking and smoking habits,i resolved never to get addicted with it again, and I made up my mind never to quarrel with my wife when I go home. I can see the love of the brethren and help one another in the Church, every Lord s Day I even get to listen to the precious Word of God by the various speakers, and that is one of the many reasons for my thanksgiving! Amen, praise the Lord! Wang Zhan Ying +++++++++ 7
Email from Bangalore This is a brief update of the ministry in Bangalore. The Lord has been gracious unto us this far and thank the Lord for His providential ways by which He has been leading us. 1) We had our gospel rally on August 15 (Mon), our independence day holiday, attended by a good number of people both from the English and Kannada speaking community. Some students from a nearby Engineering college attend the meeting and heard the gospel, preached from Romans 8. 2) We are planning for the church family retreat that will be held on October 10-11 at a retreat centre nearby. There will be thematic messages and topical seminars, along with an evening of open discussion and sharing about the ministry at Covenant. 3) Reformation Seminar will be held on October 29 (Sat). We will have two sessions this time, one on Reformation and Its Impact on Missions, and another on the urgency in carrying the Reformation legacy forward. 4) The building work is progressing, and God willing the parsonage will be ready for occupancy by end of November. The flooring work is going on right now, and the next major work is the wood work. Thank the Lord for His wonderful provision this far. 5) We have started a new neighbourhood Bible study in Brother Susheel and Sister Christina's house in Marathahall area. 6) Venky and Shammi are back from the US. The RP denomination has ordained him and they are looking into the possibility of starting a Reformed church in Bangalore. 8
Thank you for you prayers and support. Remembering you all in our prayers. Rev George Skariah Covenant BP Church Bangalore, India ++++++++ Theme for the Quarter : Extraordinary Spiritual Examples in the Old Testament for our Emulation English Worship Service Rev Dr Jack Sin speaks on The Sober Challenge of Samuel (Scripture Text : 1 Samuel 12:14-24; Responsive Reading : Isaiah 45:1-25) [End of MM] 9