Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
-
Upload
jonathan-tay -
Category
Documents
-
view
232 -
download
0
Transcript of Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
1/24
uthchronicleIssue IV 2010
Oct Dec
Mysteries,
Marvels& Much Much More!
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
2/24
Editors Note
Heylo dear readers,
Apologies for the late publication
of this issue! As is often said,
time and tide wait for no man.
Just as our deadline passed
without regard for ourunpreparedness to meet it, so
will 2010 come to a close
whether or not we have spent
the year wisely. Once again you
hold in your hands the final
issue of the Uth Chronicle for
this year, and once again it is
time for us to take a spiritual
stock check.
It is now roughly about a year
since regular readers have gone
through the previous years
issue for the fourth quarter. In
all that time, have we grown in
the grace and the knowledge of
our Lord? Have we obtained a
deeper understanding of at least
some small portion of Scripture?
Let us take care not to always
remain as babes in Christ. By
Gods grace, and in His infinite
wisdom, we have been saved inour youth, a period where we
have more energy, time and
freedom than most working
adults. With this in mind, we
must spare no effort in ensuring
that our spiritual growth
mirrors our physical growth so
that we may be effective
servants for our Lord. Let us
heed the call in 1 Timothy 4:12
to Let no man despise thy
youth; but be thou an example of
the believers, in word, in
conversation, in charity, in
spirit, in faith, in purity.
Which brings us to this issues
theme! It is a continuation of the
previous one as we explore some
of the mysteries and marvels of
the Bible, and here we take a
look at Babylon Through History
and Beyond, a contribution from
Rev Errol Stone that touches on
the significance of Babylon in
the Bible.
Also inside is an article by Rev
Dr Jeffrey Khoo that answers
the question What Happens to
Souls Right After Death, where
we take a look at exactly what it
means to be absent in the body,
present with the Lord.
Some of us may also be
wondering about the difference
between secret things (as inDeut 29:29) and mysteries (as
in Col 1:26). Pr Lek tackles this
in Secret Things vs. Mysteries.
Moving away from these
weighty topics, we have
something a little closer to our
daily life; the presence of
decisions. Ko Lingwei writes
about how we need to Be Wary of
the Open Door.
And as the year draws to a close,
it would also do us well to look
back on the year and reflect howwe have lived out the theme of
the YF, To Know Christ and to
Make Him Known. Jason Liew
has contributed an article that
takes a look at exactly what the
YF theme means.
There is little else for me to
write, except for a final
reminder to continue to study
Gods Word daily. If we have let
the year pass by with little
thought or thirst for the Bible, it
is never too late to repent, never
too late to obey Gods command
in Ephesians 5:15-16, See then
that ye walk circumspectly, not
as fools, but as wise, Redeeming
the time, because the days are
evil. So if the bulk of 2010 has
sped by and seen us walking
foolishly, then let us seize what
time is left and make the changenow, while the Lord still tarries.
God bless your reading! =)
Yours in Christ,
Brian
How the Uth Chronicle gets created.(From left to right) Brian gets the meeting startedwith discussing the theme. Bro Henry provides ameeting place, yummy pastries and ideas! After afruitful meeting, we make our way back to church!2
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
3/24
Man consists of two partsthe body
and the soul. What happens to the soul
when a person dies? According to the
Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter
22, paragraphs 1-3, Of the State of Men
after Death, and of the Resurrection of the
Dead:
(1)!! The bodies of men, after death,return to dust, and see corruption: but
their souls, which neither die nor sleep,
having an immortal subsistence,
immediately return to God who gave
them: the souls of the righteous, being
then made perfect in holiness, are
received into the highest heavens, wherethey behold the face of God, in light and
glory, waiting for the full redemption of
their bodies. And the souls of the
wicked are cast into hell, where they
remain in torments and utter darkness,
reserved to the judgment of the great
day. Beside these two places, for souls
separated from their bodies, the
Scripture acknowledgeth none.
(2)!! At the last day, such as are foundalive shall not die, but be changed: and
all the dead shall be raised up, with the
self-same bodies, and none other
(although with different qualities), which
shall be united again to their souls
forever.
(3)!! The bodies of the unjust shall, bythe power of Christ, be raised to
dishonour: the bodies of the just, by his
Spirit, unto honour; and be made
conformable to his own glorious body.
Clearly, the two parts of man are
separable and they are separated when
man dies. The body is buried and
decomposes, while the soul lives on:
believers in heaven and unbelievers in hell,
waiting for the resurrection to come.
All who have died in Christ will
participate in the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:6 says, Blessed and holy is he
that hath part in the first resurrection: on such
the second death hath no power, but they shall
be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years. The first
resurrection will take place when Jesus
Christ returns to raise His saints from the
grave and rapture all believers who are still
alive on earth. This event is described for us
in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, But I would not
have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not,
even as others which have no hope. For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring
with him. For this we say unto you by the word
of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent
them which are asleep. For the Lord himselfshall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord.
The souls of the unbelieving dead
will participate in the second resurrection.
The second resurrection is a cursed
resurrection because it is a resurrection
unto damnation. All the unbelieving dead
will be raised up to stand before the
Judgement of the Great White Throne and
be condemned to eternal torment in the
lake of fire. This Judgement is described in
Revelation 20:11-15, And I saw a great white
throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away; and there
was found no place for them. And I saw thedead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them: and they were judged
every man according to their works. And death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death. And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of fire.
What Happens to Souls Right after Death?DR JEFFERY KHOO
3
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
4/24
At this point in time, those who have
passed away, be they believers or unbelievers,
are said to be in their intermediate state.
What is the intermediate state? The
intermediate state is that realm or condition
in which souls exist between death and the
resurrection (Boettner). For the Christian, to
be absent from the body is to be present with
the Lord (2 Cor 5:8). The reprobate, on the
other hand, is now in a place of torment till
the judgment day (Luke 13:27-28, 16:23-24,
Jude 6-7, Rev 20:11-15).
The intermediate state is described by
Jesus in the story of the rich man and Lazarus
(Luke 16:19-31). From this true story of what
happened to the rich man (an unbeliever) and
Lazarus (a child of God) after they died, we
find the following description of what theintermediate state is like:
(1) The souls of the departed are truly alive,
and fully conscious.
(2) The wicked are experiencing tremendous
pain, and suffering.
(3) The redeemed are said to be in
Abrahams bosom.
(4) Verbal communication is possible.
(5) Heaven and hell are separated by a great
chasm.
(6) The souls of men are waiting for the
resurrection of the body (Luke 14:13-14, John
5:29, Rev 20:4-6).
(7) The departed cannot return to
communicate with the living (Exod 22:18, Lev
20:6, 27, Deut 18:10-12).
In light of the above, we reject the
following false views of the intermediate state:
(1)!! Soul Sleep: This view held by theSeventh-day Adventists teaches that when
man dies, his soul enters into a state of
unconsciousness. This view certainly
contradicts the story of the rich man and
Lazarus, for the rich man whose soul was
in hell was very conscious of where hewas and what he was going through.
Lazarus himself was very much awake and
comforted by Abraham in heaven.
(2)!! Purgatory: This view says thatthose who die without being thoroughly
cleansed of venial (unforgiveable) sins will
have to undergo a process of purification
in a half-way house before they can enter
heaven. Taught by Roman Catholics, it
contradicts what Jesus said in Luke 23:43
when He told the repentant thief, Verily I
say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with
me in paradise. The Apostle Paul himself
made it very clear that all the purging of
our sins have already been done by our
Saviour, Neither by the blood of goats and
calves, but by his own blood he entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. For if the blood
of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to
the purifying of the flesh: How much moreshall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without spot
to God, purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God? (Heb
9:12-14).
(3)!! Annihilation: This view is taught bythe Jehovahs Witnesses and the liberals.
They say that when the impenitent dies, he
will cease to exist. They deny the existence
of hell. Such a view contradicts what God
says in Revelation 19:20, and 20:10, And
the beast was taken, and with him the false
prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them
that worshipped his image. These both
were cast alive into a lake of fire burning
with brimstone. And the devil that
deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast andthe false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and
ever.
Finally, what benefits do believers
receive from Christ at death? The
Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q37) has
this good answer, The souls of believers are
at their death made perfect in holiness, and
do immediately pass into glory; and their
bodies, being still united in Christ, do rest intheir graves, until the resurrection. In light of
this, let us make sure that we are born again,
truly children of God, having the gift of eternal
life which only the Lord Jesus Christ can give
to all who will trust in Him.4
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
5/24
Doing a search in the concordance,
one will find that the name Babylon
is mentioned 299 times in the whole
Bible. Other than Israel and Jerusalem,
Babylon is one of the most mentioned
cities in the Bible (another frequently
mentioned city is Egypt 611 times).
Based on this fact, one realises that
Babylon is not an insignificant city in
the Bible.
Origin of Babylon
This name Babylon comes from
Babel, which means to confound. It
also has the sense of mixing and thus
it can also mean confusion. This
name was first mentioned in the Bible
in Genesis 10:10 where Nimrod, the
son of Cush was described as the
founder of this city (Gen 10:9, 10). The
details of the origin of this city are
found in Genesis 11:1-9. The Biblical
description records that at that time,
the people of the world all spoke the
same language. They travelled eastward
to the land in Shinar and there theydesired to build a tower to reach to
heaven. This building of a tower is not
something small and insignificant. God
is always fair in judgment; therefore
the severity of this sin can be seen in
the severity of the punishment God
meted out. The building of a tower to
reach heaven was in fact an act of
pride and united rebellion against God
as they wanted to build a tower toreach to heaven in order to establish
their name to usurp Gods name.
Because of this act of united rebellion,
God confounded the people through
different languages and scattered these
rebels. This punishment was meted to
reflect the punishment aganst the
sinful unity; they will henceforth not
be able to gather as one united people
to stage a rebellion against God.
Nimrod the founder of this city was
probably the one who instigated the
people to rebel against God. The Bible
described him as a mighty hunter
before the LORD. (Gen 10:9). The
importance and significance of this
phrase is seen in the fact that this
phrase was repeated in the same
verse. What is the significance? Who is
Nimrod and what do we know about
him? The word before found in this
phrase is telling and explains the
significance. This word literally means
at the face of. This means Nimrod
was a mighty hunter against the
LORD. In his might, Nimrod rebelled
against God; through his might,
Nimrod led the people against God.
Based on the founder and the
founding of this city, one realises thatthe history of Babylon was cradled in
sin and steeped in defiance against
God. It began with a desire to
promote a false religion (as seen in the
desire to promote their own name)
that they might replace the worship of
Almighty God. Babylon is, therefore,
the centre of united religious apostasy
as well as the centre of united political
rebellion against God.
Genesis, the book of beginnings, has
given us the origin of Babylon. It is
noteworthy to see the book of
Revelation, the book of the last things,
describing this city again with the
same themes a united rebellion both
in religion and polity against God.
Location of Babylon
Babylon lies on the track of theEuphrates River, with its boundaries
extending to Mesopotamia and Assyria
to the North and to the Persian Gulf
to the south. It is located in modern
day Iraq.
Babylon through history
Subsequent to the founding of Babylon
described in Genesis 11, it came under
the rule of Amraphel (Gen 14:1 kingof Shinar), who was in an alliance with
four other kings of which
Chedolaomer, king of Elam was the
head. This account may be placed at
around 1960 1830 B.C. This was
slightly after Abraham left the Ur of
the Chaldees (also another name used
to describe the land of Babylon) to
journey to Canaan (Gen 11:31).
Babylon was then ruled by various
Chaldean kings in what is known as
the Old Babylonia period (1830
1550 B.C.). The Old Babylonian
Empire lasted several dynasties until it
was occupied by various Arabian
empires (1550 625 B.C.). A few
noteworthy kings who occupied
Babylon during this time were Tiglath-
pileser III (745 - 727 B.C), Sargon II
(722 705 B.C.) and Sennacherib (704
- 681 B.C.). All three kings were kingsof Assyria and we would recall the
northern Kingdom of Israel was
conquered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C
by Shalmaneser V. Babylon was finally
freed from the Assyrians control in
625 B.C., which led to the beginning of
what is now known as the Neo-
Babylonian Empire founded by
Nabopolassar. A coalition of the
Babylonians, Medes and a few otherstates initially conquered by the
Assyrians then attacked Nineveh, the
capital of Assyria, and captured it in
612 B.C. An Egyptian relief force
which had an alliance with the
Assyrians was destroyed and final
resistance ended in 605 B.C. The stage
was then set for Nebuchadnezzar (634
562 B.C.) to bring Babylon to its
heights.
The next significant instance where
Babylon was mentioned in the Bible
was during the reign of Hezekiah the
king of Judah (2 King 20). Isaiah was
the writing prophet who ministered
during Hezekiahs reign and he made
numerous prophecies relating to
Babylon. Most of these prophecies
were regarding the captivity of Judah
by the Babylonians and the subsequent
destruction of Babylon. Isaiah chapters
38 and 39 were prophecies describing
the rise of the Babylonian Empire and
the captivity of Judah. The amazing
thing regarding these prophecies was
Babylon Through History and BeyondREV ERROL STONE
5
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
6/24
the fact that Isaiah made this
prediction regarding the Babylonian
captivity 100 years before the
Babylonian Empire even rose to
power!
There are other passages in Isaiah
which describe the destruction of
Babylon. Some of these refer to thedestruction by the Medes and Persians
(Isa 47), whereas others refer to
destruction in relation to the second
coming of Christ (Isa 14). The
prophet, at times, may also refer to
both the immediate future and in the
following verses, to a distant future.
This is what Rev Tow would call the
prophet-scope. He explained:
Like a man looking out of his window
into the distance, the seer and theprophet, insofar as prophetic history is
concerned, can see a panorama of four
mountain ranges, as illustrated
above. (Timothy Tow, The Gospel
Prophets, [Singapore: Christian Life
Publishers, n.d.], p.11.)
Such an instance is found in Isaiah 13.
In Isaiah 13:17-19, Isaiah looks to the
destruction of the Babylonians by the
Medes and Persians, and in the verynext verse Isaiah 13:20-22, he
switches to the destruction of Babylon
at the second coming of Christ.
The prophet Jeremiah also made
several prophecies regarding Babylon.
In Jeremiah 28:1-17, he prophesised
the defeat of Jerusalem by the
Babylonians. While Jeremiah predicted
the destruction of Jerusalem, there
were false prophets who also gave
their false message that Jerusalem will
defeat Babylon. Jeremiah was proven
true when Babylon defeated Jerusalem
in 605 B.C. Jeremiah witnessed the
destruction of Jerusalem by the
Babylonians. But the most remarkable
thing about the prophecies of Jeremiah
was that Jeremiah also prophesised
the destruction of Babylon while
Babylon was at the height of its
power. These prophecies are found in
Jeremiah 50 and 51. The prophet
Jeremiah also prophesied the exactlength of time Judah will be brought
into captivity 70 years (Jer 25:11;
29:10).
The rise and fall of Babylon was also
prophesised by Daniel. It was through
the interpretation of the dream of
Nebuchadnezzar that Daniel foretold
the rise and the fall of the Babylonian
Empire (Daniel 2:37-45). During the
reign of Nebuchadnezzar, theBabylonian Empire reached the zenith
of its power. During this time, the
walls of Babylon were impregnable; the
city was surrounded by two
concentric sets of walls. The outer
walls were 350 feet high and 87 feet
thick, supposedly wide enough to
allow a four-abreast horse chariot to
turn. There were 150 gates of brass
protecting the entrances; and 250
watchtowers, each 100 feet higher
than the walls, were placed along the
walls. And Babylon stored food which
would be sufficient to last them
through 25 years of any siege! In this
city were palaces and beautiful
gardens, the most famous of which
was the Hanging Gardens one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world.
After the death of Nebuchadnezzar!in562 B.C., his son Amel-Mardukassumed the throne but was
assassinated two years later.
Neriglissar then ascended the throne
in 560 B.C., but he died only four
years later. He was succeeded by his
son who was also assassinated.
Nabonidus then assumed power
appointing his son, Belshazzar as co-
regent. It was Belshazzar who held the
feast recorded in Daniel 5. Daniel
prophesised the destruction of the
Babylonian Empire by interpreting the
writing on the wall during the feastheld by Belshazzar (Daniel 5:17-29).
The very same night, the prophecy
was fulfilled. The Medes and the
Persian would rise to destroy the
Babylonian Empire. The Medes had laid
siege to the city of Babylon. Knowing
how impregnable the walls were, they
dug a canal to drain the water that
flowed under the city wall and there
they entered the city through the drychannel underneath the walls. The
feast organised by Belshazzar
lowered the guard of the people
allowing the invaders to enter the
city without much resistance. This
attack would probably have taken
place just as soon as Daniel had given
the interpretation to the handwriting
on the wall. !The Babylonian Empirefell in 539 B.C.
Babylon beyond History
Although the Babylon as an Empire
has fallen, its fall is not complete yet.
The book of Revelation reveals certain
significant truths regarding this city.
The key descriptions of Babylon are
found in Revelation chapters 17 and
18. These descriptions are not to be
spiritualised away. They will refer to
the actual city of Babylon. While it is
an actual city, it is also representative
of a system of religious and political
rebellion against God.
Revelation 17 would particularly
describe the religious aspect of this
city Babylon. This city will be rebuilt
and it will be the centre of religious
apostasy and rebellion against God.
This apostasy will be a global event. Itwill be ecumenical, where all religions
will combine into a one-world church.
This one-world church will rise to
dizzy heights of power, and will seek
to attack and persecute those who6
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
7/24
refuse to take part in their united
rebellion against God (Rev 17:3-13).
This one-world religious system will,
however, be brought to an end (Rev
17:16-18) by the beast which made
use of this one-world religious system
to start his own new world religious
system to worship the beast described
in Revelation 13.
Revelation 18 would however focus
on the political aspect of Babylon. The
emphasis is on the political and
economic nature of Babylon. This
political nature is seen since the very
beginning when Nimrod founded
this city. The city of Babylon will be the
capital of the one world empire of the
Anti-Christ during the great
tribulation. This city will be destroyed
suddenly and completely.
As in Genesis, Revelation describes
Babylon as a city led by one who will
seek to lead a global united rebellion
against God both politically, and
religiously. But this time, God will not
just scatter the people; God will
destroy the empire of the Anti-Christ
totally and completely.
The application for Christians in
knowing these truths about Babylon
are numerous:
The world will continue to seek for
opportunity to rebel against God, and
Christians must be careful that they
are not sucked into the systems of the
world which will ultimately lead toapostasy and a rebellion against God.
Many of the prophecies as described
by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel
regarding Babylon in its capture of
Judah and its destruction were
accurately fulfilled. There are however
many prophecies still unfulfilled. As
some of the prophecies made by Isaiah
and Jeremiah sounded preposterous
then, some of the unfulfilledprophecies today may appear to be so
to some. But take note - as older
prophecies were fulfilled in the past,
so will these be in the future.
Christians must therefore live with
eternitys values in view.
Looking at the signs of the time with
the ecumenical movement, and the
world moving towards a one world
political system we are living in the
last of the last days. We must therefore
be prepared for the coming of the
Lord.
Christians living in the last days will
suffer persecution, but when suffering
for Christs sake there is a promise of
double blessings (Matthew 5:10-12).
Resources used:
John F. Walvoord, Chapter V: The Rise
and Fall of Babylon. http://bible.org/
seriespage/chapter-v-rise-and-fall-
babylon
J. Hampton Keathley III, Babylon as
Seen in Scripture: An Introduction to
Revelation 17-18. http://bible.org/
seriespage/babylon-seen-scripture-
introduction-rev-17-18
International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia
American Tract Society Dictionary
Faussets Bible Dictionary
Naves Topical Bible
To Know Christ and to Make Him KnownJASON L IEW
The Origin
Our Senior Pastor, Dr SH
Tow, with the help of Miss Anna
Swarr, an American missionary,
adopted the motto, To Know Christand to Make Him Known when he
founded Life Church Youth Fellowship
(LCYF) in 1953. It has been the motto
of all B-P Youth Fellowships ever
since. See SH Tow, A Small But
Blessed Beginning: How Life Church
Youth Fellowship Started in Life B-P
Church Youth Fellowship 50th Anniversary
(1953-2003) Magazine (Singapore: Life-
Bible-Presbyterian Church, 2003), 18.Born in Dec 1925, Dr Tow was 27
when he became the first LCYF
President, serving from 1953 to 1954.
Life Church was still located at Prinsep
Street then.
Because it is such a catchy and
meaningful slogan, many churches,
Christian groups and organisationshave also adopted it as their motto.
When searched online, Google
generated a total of 33,600,000 results
in 0.08 seconds. There is no doubt that
this is one of the most popular
dictums in Christendom which
invariably begs the question, Where
did this motto originate from? Having
served in FCM previously, I met
counterparts in The Navigators (aninterdenominational para-church
organisation) who shared with me that
this was their motto too. It might
surprise you that they had identified
To Know Christ and To Make Him
Known,as our 75-year-old slogan.
See !"#$%%&&&'()*+,)-./0'./,%10%
)2.1-10%&!)-3&435. (last accessed
November 1, 2010). Did you notice
the at the back? While it resembles
the emblem of Batmans sidekick, it
actually refers to a registered
trademark. In my opinion, The
Nav iga tors wi l l be one r ich
organisation should they commence
legal proceedings on such widespread
usage but it is unlikely that they will do
so.
The Meaning
! I suppose, to many, To KnowChristand To Make Him Knownmeans
being saved and spreading the gospel.
Well, if that were the case, I should7
http://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-dohttp://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-dohttp://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-dohttp://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-dohttp://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-dohttp://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-dohttp://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-dohttp://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-dohttp://www.navigators.org/us/aboutus/what-we-do -
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
8/24
just end my article here. At first
glance, that may seem all there is to it.
While salvation and evangelism are
important , more emphasis on
sanct ificat ion can be seen in
programmes planned by leadership of
various Youth Fellowships to build up
the body of believers, or in simplerterms, to help YFers know Christ
better. It does appear more weight
has been given to knowing Christ
rather than making Him known.
How many tracting sessions and
gospel rallies does YF organise per
year? Not many. However, I would like
to submit to you that while the above
meanings are included in the motto,
the motto is not limited to that.
The Question: Do You Know?
What does it mean to knowa
person? Johann Kaspar Lavater
(1741-1801), Swiss poet, Protestant
pastor and founder of physiognomies
offered a cynical comment, Say not
you know a man entirely till you have
divided an inheritance with him. In this
world of smoke and mirrors, do you
really know whom you think you
know? This was the question I asked
myself some time ago when I noticed
the scores of people who took the
How well do you know so-and-so?
quizzes on Facebook. 50%? 70%?
Hardly accurate. Even if we are able to
precisely pinpoint the percentage,
people change. Just because you knew
someone in the past does not
guarantee that you know them in the
present. As I was browsing through
some photographs of my ex-
classmates, I was aghast at how much
theyve changed. Friends whom I
once thought were traditionalists,
conservatives and studious have since
turned into revellers, smokers,
alcoholics and fornicators defiled by
and addicted to the vices of this
wicked world. They have no shame
engaging in public displays of affection
and scoffing at those who will live
righteously.
Perhaps the only scarier
possibility is they have been like that
all along and that I was just fooled by
their facade all these years. As the
Chinese adage goes,
. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, The
heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it?
King David understood this.
He did not seek mans heart but
Gods. He was a man after Gods own
heart. Are you?
The Reality: Knowing Christ
No Enough
However the reality is that we
prefer spending time shopping with
friends and getting to know them
better to seeking Gods face and
favour in prayer and the Word.
Perhaps some of us who are drama
serial addicts have greater insights on
which character died in which episode
rather than the Biblical saints of old.
Sometimes we claim we know our
favourite football hero, admired actorsand actresses when we really dont.
We may profess to know them (e.g.
the celebrities) but they do not know
us. Do we transfer this delusion into
Christianity as well? Jesus warned in
Matthew 7:22-23, Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name
done many wonderful works? And thenwill I profess unto them, I never knew
you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. O what a terrifying thought!
Dear friends, do you really know
8
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
9/24
Christ? Are you sure you are saved?
Have you known Christ as you ought?
This reminds me of the timeless word
in the hymn by Thomas Pollock:
We have not known thee as we ought,Nor learned thy wisdom, grace and
power;The things of earth have filled our
thought,And trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us light thy truth to see,And make us wise in knowing thee.
The Quest: Knowing Christ
begins after Knowing Christ
Your quest of seeking God
does not end when you become a
Christian. It is but the beginning. Dr A
W Tozer (1897-1963), in his bookThePursuit of God rightly remarked, To
have found God and still to pursue Him is
the souls paradox of love, scorned indeed
by the too-easily-satisfied religionist but
justified in happy experience by the
children of the burning heart. In other
words, do you still have a genuine
insatiable desire for God that you are
willing to seek Him no matter the
personal cost?
Just think: If a guy loves a girl,
he will think of her every day, yearn to
be in her presence and seek to spend
time together with each other as
much as possible. This could be either
through hours on the phone or
whatever creative ways they can come
up with. Similarly, if one loves God, the
person will meditate on His precepts
day and night, yearn to be found in
Gods presence and commune with
God through much prayer and the
study of His Word. Are you in love
with God? Do you pursue Him? A
person who is in love is driven to
know his beloved. Blaise Pascal
( 1 6 2 3 - 1 6 6 2 ) t h e F r e n c h
Mathematician, Physicist and Religious
Philosopher said it well, Human things
must be known to be loved: but Divine
things must be loved to be known.
The Cost: Knowing Christ
Demands Sacrifice
Consider the words Apostle
Paul penned in Philippians 3:7-10, But
what things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and
I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them
but dung, that I may win Christ, And
be found in him, not having mine own
righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ,
the righteousness which is of God by
faith: That I may know him, and the
power of his resurrection, and the
fellowship of his sufferings, being made
conformable unto his death.
What does it mean to knowChrist? To Paul, it meant counting the
aforementioned advantages (vv 4-6)
such as his Jewish heritage, education
and illustrious track record as a loss
and hindrance to knowing what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and
height (Eph 3:18) of God and His
love. To Dr John Sung, it meant tossing
all academic accolades over the Pacific
Ocean, including all his prestigiousawards, gold medals, keys, decorations
and hard-earned degrees (except for
his PhD to present to his parents in
filial piety) when he dreamt of himself
lying in a coffin, dressed in academic
regalia with his hand clasping on to his
degree. Leslie T Lyall in his biography
of John Sung noted, Like Paul he would
renounce the world and its fame once for
all: he would burn his bridges behindhim.
What about us? What is our
treasure? Because there will our heart
be also. Are they hall activities, CCA
compet it ions/performances, TV
serials, sports, money or computer
games? If we are thus distracted and
allow these things to displace Christ,
then we would have lost what wecould have had with the Lord. That is
not to say that these things are bad or
evil by themselves; but it must be
made clear that compared to Christ,
all these things must pale into
insignificance. Nothing else can fill up
our hearts with the same peace,
satisfaction and love that Christ can.
Why then do we chase after the
material when the greatest treasure is
right there in front of us? As children
of God, we have been bestowed this
treasure freely. It is an eternal
inheritance which we did not do
anything to deserve. Why then are so
many of us blind, seizing the wrong
treasure in our hands? If put next to
knowing Christ, all these things can be
considered as dung compared to
what can be gained in Christ. Be wise!
He is no fool who gives up what he
cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose
says Jim Elliot, the missionary who was
martyred at the young age of 29. Drop
the dung in your hand and grab hold
of the most glorious treasure. Is giving
up 3 hours on Saturday to attend YF
too much? Or putting aside 2 hours
on a weekday to attend FCM too
costly? And 1.5 hours on Tuesday to
a t t e n d P r a y e r M e e t i n g t o o
burdensome? Or carving out 1 hour
on the Lords Day to attend SGBF too
painful? Is devoting 0.5 hour everyday
to do QT also too onerous?
The poem Leftovers can
teach us so much
Leftovers are such humble things,We would not serve them to a guest;Yet we serve them to the Lord, Who
deserves the very best.
We give to Him leftover time,Stray minutes, here and there.
Leftover cash we give to Him, Suchfew coins as we can spare.
We give our youths unto the world,To pleasure, lust and strife;
Then in declining years, we give, ToHim the remnant of our life.
Le f tovers ? God forb id !
Knowing Christ demands sacrifice.
One must, consistently and continually
dedicate and devote time to the
personal study and meditation of
Gods Word. Have you no spiritual
appetite? It is an acquired taste. The
more you eat it, the better it gets.8
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
10/24
Dont let the junk food of the world
choke the Word which is sweeter also
than honey and the honeycomb (Ps
19:10b). To know Christ means we
must give up certain things in our
lives. Paul made it crystal clear.
The Difference: Knowing
Christ in the Head or Heart
It is significant to note that
there are 2 different Greek words
used to translate know in the New
Testament. They are oida (head
knowledge) and ginosko (heart
knowledge). Oida means to see/
perceive, a cognitive knowledge that
comes via observation. Ginosko, on the
other hand, refers to a deeper
comprehension and expresses a
connection to the object that is being
known if any man love God, the
same is known of him(1 Cor 8:3). This
type of knowledge is gained through
experience and results in an intimate
relationship with Christ. When the
Apostle Paul declared that I may knowhim in Philippians 3:10, he used the
word ginosko. To Paul, knowing Christ
meant knowing Him in the heart. It is
an experiential knowledge, not just
something cognitive.
In the book Knowing Christ, McGrath
mentioned,
It is not enough to maintain the
externals of faith. Some faithfullyattend church, yet find it devoidof meaning. Some obedientlybelieve in the truth of theChristian creeds, yet find thatthese make no difference totheir lives whatsoever. Others
repeat the Christian vocabularythey learned as children, knowingin their heart of hearts that ithas ceased to have any realconnection with their lives. Aliving relationship with Christ isthe difference between a faithwhich will grow and a faith whichwi l l d ie through lack of
nourishment.
Tru ly , A man may be
theologically knowing and spiritually
ignorant says Stephen Charnock, a
Puritan divine. To know Christ means
knowing Him experientially. Knowing
Christ in the head is good, but
knowing Christ in the heart is far
better. As sons of the Reformation, as
Bible-Presbyterians, we must have a
good balance of revivalism and
confessionalism. We must worship
God in spirit and in truth. It is possible
and even easy for youths to be puffed
up with knowledge, score well for
BMC quizzes, teach others (JW/teens/
etc) but not live out and experience
God in all that we do. This form of
godliness and denying the power
the re fo re i s d an ge rou s a nd
detrimental to our spiritual life.
Romans 1:21, Because that, when they
knew God, they glorified him not as God,
neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart
was darkened.Do you know of people
who once served God faithfully, but
are no longer walking with Him today?
May we not be like them. The measure
of divine knowledge should be evident
in our lives and translated into love.
The more knowlegable we are, the
more loving we should be. Beware you
are not swallowed up in books! An ounce
of love is worth a pound of knowledge.
John Wesley
The Mandate: Making Christ
Known
! When we think of makingChrist known, the Great Commission
naturally comes to mind. Matthew28:18-20, And Jesus came and spake
unto them, saying, All power is given unto
me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the
world. Amen.
! Many people believe that it isby evangelism -- Romans 10:14-15,
How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? and how
shall they believe in him of whom they
have not heard? and how shall they hear
without a preacher? And how shall they
preach, except they be sent? as it is
written, How beautiful are the feet ofthem that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!
Suppose you go for evangelism and
you manage to successfully invite
someone to your church but all they
see are apathy, lack of good works, and
a lot of in-fightings here and there.
Whats the point? They may even label
us as hypocrites!
! Some think that it is by goodworks -- Matthew 5:16, Let your light
so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.Other religions also9
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
11/24
do a lot of good works. In fact, they
surpass us by leaps and bounds.
Unbelievers will also look at the good
works that the Buddhists do, and
glorify their Buddha whom they think
is in heaven.
How do you make Christ
known? Many people believe that it isby evangelism, some think that it is by
good works,! few realise that it isvery much by loving one another -- 2
Corinthians 3:2-3, Ye are our epistle
written in our hearts, known and read of
all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly
declared to be the epistle of Christ
ministered by us, written not with ink, but
with the Spirit of the living God; not in
tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the
heart.Non-believers look at our lives.
In John 13:35, our Lord Jesus Christ
Himself qualified AGAPE as the
catalyst for making Himself known, By
this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Unconditional love comes from God
and it is universal among all men that
they have the capability and propensity
to understand that such love is not of
the world, but of God. Nowhere else
in Scripture is such a promise given.
1 Corinthians 13:13, And now
abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;
but the greatest of these is charity.
While we endeavour to share our
faith, inevitably there will be those
who do not believe. While Christian
relief efforts (e.g. Tsunami/earthquake,
mission aid) provide hope for the lost,
it is only temporal and others far
supercede us in good works. But, love
never faileth. Love is everlasting. When
a world of hatred and unbelief see
Christians overcoming evil with good,
dying for their enemies, acts and
expressions of divine love exhibited,
our Lord promised us that all men
shall know that we are the disciples of
Christ. Making Christ known means
loving one another. Making Christ
known is first and foremost by the
way we live for that is how we show
others we have Jesus in us. Then later
via the means of evangelism and good
works, we may make Christ known.
The Conclusion
Earlier on in the article, I
mentioned the How well do youknow so-and-so? Facebook quizes.
My question posed to you is this: How
well do you know Christ? Let us touch
our hearts and ask ourselves honestly.
It is between God and us. Are we
saved? Are we sure? Are we pursuing
God? Are we growing in grace and
knowledge? Are we experiencing God?
Are we loving one another? Are we
actively doing good works and
spreading the gospel?
To know Christ means more
than being saved. To know Christ
demands sacrifice. To know Christ
means we experience Him. He is real.
Making Christ known is more than
evangelism and good works. Making
Christ known is about demonstrating
the love of God in our lives. To know
Christ and to make Him known may
seem like a tall order, but it is not
impossible. Is it just a fancy motto to
all of us? Or is it something that will
characterise us as a CPYFer? Come,
join us every week, as we endeavour
To know Christ and to make Him
known.
See you at CPYF next
Saturday.
10
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
12/24
The secret things are things hidden,
concealed, not to be made known.
Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us there are
those closed doors of knowledge
known only to God and not unlocked
to man. But there is that knowledgethat is revealed to man, these are
providentially written and perfectly
preserved in Gods Word. In a limited
sense, a mystery is a secret. But a
mystery is truth known by divine
revelation. God uncovers the secret
for us in His Word and it is for Gods
children to unravel that mystery by
the deep study of His Word. This term
mystery refers to that which hasbeen kept secret by God in the past,
but which He has now chosen to
make plain.1 Herein is the difference
between secrets and mysteries,
biblically speaking.
Deuteronomy 29:29 is a warning to
Gods children not to rebel against
Gods boundary of revelation, not to
venture beyond. That realm that is
locked and unfathomable, let it remainso, for it is the will of God. It is in His
pleasure, to withhold it for our good.
The secret things refer to things
hidden. Although these things are
secret to us, they are not secret to
God, thus the phrase The secret
things belong unto the Lord our
God.2 And the sequel, but the things
which are revealed belongs to us and
our children forever tells us thatwhat God has revealed to us, in His
Word will not be lost but remains
with Gods children for every
generation to come. The context is
with reference to all the words of
Gods law. What comfort it is for
Gods children that they can be guided
by those same words of Scripture
revealed to their forefathers, available
in every generation by the providential
hand of God.
To illustrate the things secret versus
things revealed, we consult the first
written book of divine revelation, the
book of Job. When Job was undergoing
the afflictions of faith, he did not know
the conversation between God and
Satan for it was a secret to him. God
had allowed Satan to try him. Hecould not understand why these
afflictions were allowed but he
submitted himself to the sovereign
hand of God. It was complete trust in
the Lord. He says in Job 13:15, though
he slays me, yet will I trust in him: but I
will maintain mine own ways before
him. To Job, God is trustworthy come
what may. Even at the close of the
book, even after his trial was lifted, toJob was not revealed the spiritual
realm of Satans wiles. But he had
sufficient knowledge of God to
persevere and help him refute his
friends wrong theology and to
triumph in faith by forgiving them and
praying for God to pardon them (Job
42:8). It fact, Job was the only true
theologian in the book. He talks to
God; his friends talk about God. It
must be the same for us. Jobs friends
attempted to interpret the mind of
God to explain Jobs predicament but
they were erroneous. As Gods
children, we are given Gods Word, it
behoves us to understand it for our
blessing, benefit and well-being.
Then, there are mysteries in the word
of God that we are to diligently seek
after for our spiritual well-being. Theword mystery is best illustrated in
Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery
which hath been hid from ages and
from generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints. This mystery is
explained in the subsequent verse,
Colossians 1:27 To whom God would
make known what is the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the
Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the
hope of glory. This is the gift of
salvation through Jesus Christ and the
riches of life in Christ.
For example, in Romans 11:25, the
Apostle Paul says, For I would not,
brethren, that ye should be ignorant of
this mystery, lest ye should be wise in
your own conceits; that blindness in
part is happened to Israel, until thefulness of the Gentiles be come in.
This verse tells us God has
deliberately blinded the spiritual eyes
of Israel so that salvation comes to
the Gentiles. But Gentiles are advised
by Apostle Paul not to be proud
because of the unbelieving Jews.
Instead, they were instructed that in
His time, God will usher in the last
Gentile to be saved before all Israel is(Romans 11:26a).
To illustrate the task and blessings of
uncovering mysteries in Gods
revelation, a good illustration may be
found in natural science. Consider the
discovery of electricity. Man did not
create electricity but discovered its
uses when God deemed it fit to reveal
them to man in human history. But
there are limits set, and he can go nofurther. Every man who has given
himself to thought and investigation
along any line possible to the human
mind has discovered a point of
limitation. We do not know anything
beyond what has been revealed to us
regarding the glorified body from
Scriptures, but we can by searching
Gods Word discover the mysteries of
the glorified body.
The secret things therefore we will
know when we see our Lord. Until
then, they will remain a secret. The
revealed things include the mysteries
in His Word that we are to discover
for our eternal blessings. May we spare
no effort like the noble Christians in
Berea in that they received the word
with all readiness of mind, and
searched the scriptures daily, whetherthose things were so (Acts 17:11).
Amen.
Secret Things vs. MysteriesPR. LEK AIK WEE
1 Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, Stephen D. Renn, 659.2.Secret and Revealed Things, The Westminster Pulpit, The Preaching of G. Campbell Morgan Volume III, Baker Book House, 25.
11
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
13/24
TEENS THAT TALKex
12
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
14/24
Allow me to go back a number of years
in time, back when I was still Under 25
(as opposed to being Over 25 and
eligible to write here). I was trying to
decide what to do with my life after I
finished serving the nation. I had a place
in a university overseas, and my parents
indicated that they were willing to send
me overseas to study. It seemed that
God had opened the door, and my path
was clear. Or was it?
Inexplicably, I did not feel at peace. I
was not entirely convinced this open
door and clear
pathway was Gods
will for me, and I
prayed long and
hard about it. I
shared my dilemma
with some older brothers and sisters in
Christ, who weighed in with advice.
Then I prayed some more. I eventually
decided to stay in Singapore, and once I
came to a conclusion, I was very much
at peace.
Now of course, Im not suggesting that
going overseas to study is a bad thing.
Far from it. But for myself at that point
in time, it would have been (and in
retrospect, was!) better for my spiritual
growth to continue to stay close to
home, family and church. I wasnt quite
yet ready to face the world on my
own. I did eventually study overseas for
a time on an exchange programme, and
spent a very blessed year worshipping
with a small independent Baptist church
in Canada. But that was not my first
year in the university, but after having
grown much in the grace and
knowledge of Christ. Which concludes
my little reminiscing. But what is the
moral, you may ask?
When is an open door Gods door? I
dont know for sure how I would have
turned out had I gone abroad, but
looking back, God did not want me to
take that open door. God had another
plan for me.
We all know that God opens doors,and that sometimes God shuts them.
When He shuts them, His will for us is
clear. But what about the open door
that may not be the one that God has
chosen? Not all open doors are
indicative of opportunities God wants
us to take. Sometimes the open door
may be a further test for us whether
we are close enough to God to
properly discern His will for us, and to
know that that
seemingly obvious
choice may not be
Gods choice.
On his second
missionary journey
in Acts 16, the Holy Spirit forbade Paul
to preach the gospel in Asia, and the
same thing happened when he tried to
go to Bithynia. Surely, to Paul, the way
to Asia and Bithynia would have seemed
like open doors. And the fact that it was
the Holy Spirit that stopped Paul from
proceeding, and not circumstance,
suggests that the way was clear. Yet he
was prompted by the Holy Spirit not to
go, and was eventually led to Troas and
on to Macedonia. Even though he
desired to preach in Asia and Bithynia,
that was not Gods plan for him.
In the same way, for ourselves, our
hearts may desire one thing which may
not be Gods will for us,
notwithstanding the clear path and the
open door. The open door is not always
Gods door. We always must still be led
by the Holy Spirits prompting in all the
choices we make. We all have sat
through numerous sermons regarding
how to discern Gods will, and as Im
nowhere qualified to expound on that
Ill just leave you with one thought to
be wary of the open door.
Lingwei
Be wary of the open door.
SOMETIMES THE OPEN
DOOR MAY BE A FURTHER
TEST FOR US.....
Over 25
13
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
15/24
How time ies! Just as the apostle James says, our life is like a vapour which appears for a little while and then it
vanishes away (Jas 4:14).
e ravages of time have begun to take its toll on the body, and much of the youthful glory has wasted away, never to
return. Our youth is but for a moment and it is as ower and grass that ourishes for a while and is soon cut down.
Looking back, over 20 years have passed and I have crossed the half way mark of the proverbial fourscore years.
I am excited that I am given this opportunity to write this letter to you. I urge you to take heed to what I have to say
simply because these are things, I realize, that really matter. I wish that certain things could remain unchanged, or if I
turn back the clock, to have more of the same. I wish for certain areas to be avoided altogether or rectied, as I am now
suering the residual eects of them.
As I reect on my life, I am thankful to God for His providence and for the experiences I had as a youth. If I can have
my youth again, I would want to go through the same experiences. I recall the seemingly endless energy I had, the
ventures and exposures to many tough experiences. I realise how important these are now, even though I recall trying toworm myself out of them then. Perhaps there were some precious opportunities I had lost because I was lazy and had
taken the easy way out. On hindsight, I should have faced them squarely if they were for my good, and taken the great
step of faith.ose experiences helped when I had to undergo some similar situations now. Fear is greatly reduced as
experience tells me that God is a very present help in times of need.
If there is an area that needs to be rectied soon, it is self discipline. Up to this day, I struggle not to waste time in trivial
things and stay focused, not to get distracted and leave unnished a good work I have started. How important it is to
nish what you have begun unless providence determines otherwise. Be disciplined, bite the bullet, and move on when
you face diculties. Learn in those times to lean on God and to see His salvation and to prove His strength in your
weakness.
Another piece of advice - dont be too quick to defend yourself when someone points out your mistakes. Be quick to
hear, slow to speak. Ponder those things that are mentioned. Dont be too quick to reply or give an excuse.ese are sent
by God to smoothen the rough edges of your character.ank those who bother to correct you and tell you your wrongs.
Instead, beware of those who condone everything you do and even cheer you on when you are in error. Make true
friends, friends who care enough and who are brave enough to tell you what they see something amiss.
If there is one last thing that I can leave with you, it is to remember your Creator in the days of thy youth. Seek Him
early. A life that is surrendered to the Lord is one of true spiritual liberty and not of bondage or restraint. Gods way is
always the best; His will for you is always good.
Dont ever think that you are too young to be of any good to God. God makes you just as you are and He takes delight
in your vibrancy and zeal and fervour for His glory. Seek Him early; seek Him always through the Word of God and
through prayers. Give yourself to activities where Gods Word will be gloried and to fellowship that will draw you to
God and His people.
Refrain from evil company that draws you to the love of the present world and all that it has to oer.e glory of the
world is nothing in comparison to the glory that God has prepared for them that love Him and serve Him. Lay up for
yourself treasures in heaven. All the glory and accolades of this earth, all the money and power, are vanities and vexation
of the spirit, as Jeremiah concluded in Jeremiah 45:5,And seekest thou great things for thyself ? seek them not..
Take heed, my brother. Hope you can make a dierence to me 20 years later.
RETROSPECT
Dear Chong Kiat,
4
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
16/24
If memory serves, this should be the
first Combined Youth Conference
(CYC) I have attended. Though I was
not a full timer, it was still a refreshing
period of spiritual feasting before
leaving for Australia the very next day
after camp ended. It was also a good
time to get to know other brothers and
sisters in Christ who were also serving
God in their own ways. So the next
time I see them, I will not go, who is
this person... but rather, oh, this
person looks familiar or even better,
hello ____!
So yea! It encourages me to know there
are other saints out there running the
race for Christ. The topic chosen for
this years sixth CYC was Peters
Progress: What About Mine? Rev
Prabhudas Koshy brought us through
the exciting life of Peter, how he was
called into the ministry, how he failed
Christ at times and how he repented
and progressed. When I think of Peter,
the first impression that comes to mind
is a lowly fisherman at work in hisfavourite Sea of Galilee. Ok, maybe not
his favourite, but that was where he was
approached by Christ and called into
ministry. He began as a fisherman and
ended up being an Apostle, a great
progression indeed.
I believe Brother Joseph Poon brought
home an important message during the
morning devotion. In order to progress,we must first understand and be honest
with our present state of spiritual
health. He brought up the analogy of a
mountain climber who wants to ascend
to the top of a mountain. In order to
progress, he must first prevent himself
from sliding down. It is the same for a
Christian soldier. In order to push
forward, he must first ensure that he is
not backsliding. Thus, the first step toprogression is to be honest with
yourself. Check your own heart, and ask
if you are backsliding in any way. He
exhorted us not to be filled with our
own ways, but to acknowledge any sin
or backslidden nature in us. (Proverbs
14:14- The backslider in heart shall be
filled with his own ways: and a good
man shall be satisfied from himself.) The
view at the top of this mountain is
assured to be most beautiful and will be
worth it!
Is something dragging you down? Or
have you packed in excess baggage that
slows down your progression?
Remember, backsliding is a hindrance to
progression.
I believe Peter understood this very
well. When Peter first met Christ, he
was called Simon and fishing was still his
line. He was totally unaware that Christ
had already set him a mountain to
climb. That must have been a similar
experience for you. Before you came to
know Christ, you too would have been
like Simon, going about your daily dutiesor routines. I remember trying to work
hard to achieve whatever was
important to me. For Simon, it may have
been his fishing. Christ understood it
well for He told Simon: Follow me, and
I will make you fishers of
men. (Matthew 4:19) We too were
sought by God, for without Him first
seeking and saving us, we would never
have gone to Him in our depravity.
Once the call of salvation was heeded,
our Christian journey began. God has
His plan for each individual Christian.
Here begins Peters journey with
Christ : No more fishing for fishes; start
fishing for men.
Like Peter, many of us might have been
very fervent upon conversion. To use
the phrase in the account of Peter, weimmediately left our nets, and followed
Christ. However, this same net which
Peter left behind became a constant
temptation
he had to struggle with. At times, when
he took his eyes away from Christ, this
net will ensnare. It became a cause of
backsliding and Simon eventually
returned to his fishing. This was in spite
his initial fervency. Once again, Christ
came personally to remind him of the
plan He had for his life. After a long anduneventful day at the Galilee Sea, Christ
came specifically to Simons ship and
said: Launch out into the deep, and let
down your nets for a draught. (Luke
5:4) Many fishes were caught and the
weight broke the net! When Simon
Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus'
knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am
a sinful man, O Lord. For he was
astonished, and all that were with him,
at the draught of the fishes which they
had taken Luke 5:8-9. Peter was
reminded of Gods plan for His life
through this event. Abundant blessings
HUIMINS REPORT OF BLESSINGS FROM THE COMBI NED YOUTH CONF ERENCE
15
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
17/24
will only come if a life is lived in
accordance to Gods plan. Recognising his
backslidden state, he repented.
Of course, there were other occasions
when he went back to his fishing business.
The most significant one was after the
crucifixion of Christ. The experienced
fisherman that he was, he caught nothing
despite having spent the whole night in the
sea. (John 21:3) Yet again, Christ came
personally to Simon to remind him of his
calling. To me, this was like history
repeating itself. After casting their nets to
the right side of the ship as instructed by
Christ, they were not able to draw the net
due to the multitude of fishes. With one
difference, this was similar to whathappened in Luke 5:4. This time, Simon
Peter failed to recognise his Lord. So
engrossed was he that he could not even
recognise the voice of Christ. Neither did
he realise that Christ was using the same
incident to teach him that one important
lesson: to forsake his net and to become a
fisher of men.
Have we too become like a Simon Peter,
too engrossed in that something or somethings which we ought to set away the
moment we believe in Christ? Has this
something robbed our attention and our
focus from Christ, whom we call dearly our
Lord and Master? Once again, Christ told
Simon Peter: Follow me. (John 21:19b) If
you are backsliding, Christ is calling out to
you too. In the very same way He called
out to Simon Peter. Of course, each of us
will have a different story to tell, as God
deals with each of us differently and
personally. However, His mercy, grace and
patience will always be with His dealing
with each one of us.
If we follow Him, we can be sure He will
see to our every need. This is very evident
in this account, where at the instruction of
Christ to cast their nets at starboard, a
great draught of fishes was caught. Thething that hit me most was that Christ
needed none of fishes caught by the
disciples. Before the disciples brought in
the catch, there was already a fire of coals,
fish and bread, all ready for the hungry
disciples. (John 21:9) This knowledge that
God will take care of His children brings
much assurance and comfort to me.
We know that Peter finished his Christianjourney well. He was said to have died for
his faith by being crucified, upside down.
Also, he dedicated his life for Gods service
and was instrumental in the Pentecost
where about 3,000 souls were saved. When
we allow ourselves to be used by God,
God can transform our lives and make it an
instrument to bless others. What will our
story be? Of course, we do not have to
model our lives exactly like Peters. God
has His specific plan for each one of us. The
question is, have we really forsook our
nets and followed Christ? We once
started as a Simon, but do we end up like a
Peter? Is there a progression in our walk?
Once again, the topic for this years CYC is
Peters Progress: What About Mine?
Allow me to add in another question. Peter
Progressed, What About You?
JOYCE HUANG
On 31st July 2010, YF celebrated this
annual event in honour of our parents!
The evening started with a praise item
by members of the YF, singing the hymn
A Christian Home.
Rev Queks message was on Showing
Love to our parents. Preaching from
Exodus 20: 1-17, Rev Quek reminded us
not to miss the window of opportunity
to appreciate our parents while they are
still alive, as well as to not take our
parents for granted. Looking at the Ten
Commandments, two commandments
are positive imperatives: to honour our
parents and to keep the Sabbath day
holy. The other eight of them start with a
negative imperative - Thou shalt not
Why is this so?
This is because we are predisposed to
dishonour our parents, and therefore
must always make a conscious effort to
show love to them. For this, we have to
constantly seek Gods help in prayer,
remembering that we are not perfect
and cannot overcome this sin without
His strength. At the end of each day,
reflect on how we have treated our
parents. Have we been rude to them?
Have we talked behind their backs,
complaining about their nagginess to
our siblings or friends? We must bear in
mind that we are a testimony to our
16
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
18/24
parents (especially if they are unbelievers)
as much as they are a testimony to us.
Rev Quek also shared with us 3 practical
steps on showing love to our parents:
1. Be wise in Gods word
Prov 10:1 A wise son maketh a glad
father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of
his mother. It will not please our parents
if we are knowledgeable, but not wise. We
need to learn to apply Gods word, to be
patterned after Christ.
2. Dont waste
Prov 19:26 He that wasteth his father, and
chaseth away his mother, is a son thatcauseth shame, and bringeth reproach. Do
not follow after the Prodigal Son, wasting
the material blessings that our parents
have worked so hard for us to enjoy.
3. Be Obedient
Prov 23:22 Hearken unto thy father that
begat thee, and despise not thy mother
when she is old. We may be more highly
educated than our parents, but that does
not give us the right to dishonour, despise
or disobey them. The Lord chose our
parents for us, and we should obey them
simply because they ARE our parents. Our
parents have no qualms showering
unconditional, sacrificial love on us. Should
we not reciprocate?
Remember, our testimony starts at home!
After the message, the group video by
Keepers was screened (view it along with
the other YF group videos at http://
www.youtube.com/user/minotaur235). This
was followed by a game played by YFers
and parents! A YFer would draw about
things I appreciate my parents for, while
his/her parent would draw famous parent
sayings. It was a time when hidden artistic
talents were revealed.
According to the short tradition we have,
dinner was prepared by us youths! There
were homemade cream puffs, udon, sushi,
finger-licking good chicken wings and
refreshing yoghurt dessert. Of course, not
forgetting the famous custom-made egg
omelettes personally cooked on the spot
by experienced youth chefs.
The turnout by parents was very
encouraging and it was a great family
bonding time. Looking forward to more
exciting dishes whipped up by YFers next
year!
17
http://www.youtube.com/user/minotaur235http://www.youtube.com/user/minotaur235http://www.youtube.com/user/minotaur235http://www.youtube.com/user/minotaur235 -
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
19/24
This years retreat was held in church from
3-4 Sept 2010, subsequently continuing into
the regular YF session. Approximately 36
youths attended.
The theme was on Singleness of heart,
with the theme song Where your heart
is and verse Servants, obey in all things
[your] masters according to the flesh; not
with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in
singleness of heart, fearing God: (Col
3:22) and speaker Br Henry Chua.
Preparations
If I recall correctly, I believe the planningphase leading up to the retreat itself
commenced at least a month in advance,
comprising around three meetings and
several emails to decide on pertinent
matters, so this can be considered to have
gone smoothly.
Logistics, on my part, entailed mainly the
booking of venues and equipment for the
activities. I also prepared the morning
devotion Bearing fruit (Jn 15:2).
Day One
The first message was Singleness of heart
towards God (Psa 57:7). After the
message, we adjourned for supper (which
was served during ice-breakers, along with
a re-cap of the message) and the day ended
with dorm fellowship.
Day Two
The second message was the retreat theme
Singleness of heart in service (Col 3:22),
followed by a group discussion of issues
related to this message on the topic of
service.
In the afternoon, Dn James & Angeline Fu
conducted a meaningful and productive
workshop entitled Service as a Christian.
A striking point highlighted during the
workshop was that service permeates
through every aspect of our daily life, not
just limited to the church context.
Thereafter was the final message in the
series, Singleness of heart towards
unity (Acts 2:42-47).
ConclusionIn retrospect, this has been a fruitful retreat
particularly for me, with many take-away
lessons from the faithful preaching of the
word of God through these messages, to
even incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and]
apply thine heart to understanding (Pro
2:2), to live out the lessons learnt.
I sincerely thank God for this time of
spiritual refreshment, a timely reminder topause and reflect on my personal spiritual
journey thus far, especially concerning
single-heartedness in relation to Christ, to
rechart the course of my life moving
forward in view of this.
I have been richly blessed by this retreat, as
Im sure many others who attended also
are. This encompassed both in my area of
service to the Lord in managing the
logistics, as well as the opportunity to
fellowship with other partakers of
Christ (Heb 3:14). It is truly my honour
and privilege to be enabled to accomplish
these things for the Lord.
It is my hope that you have also been
greatly blessed through our service, to
grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Pe
3:18). Perhaps more may be burdened to
do likewise by coming forward to serve in
future retreats. For we are labourers
together with God: ye are God's
husbandry, ye are God's building. (1Co
3:9). We are fellow servants in Gods
service, serving one another, to the end
that we may all be well established in the
faith, and be better equipped to withstand
the many temptations the world presents
endlessly.
May the Lord help each one of us.
*****
Lee Wei
LEE WEIS REPORT OF BL ESSINGS
FROM THE SEPTEMBER RETREAT
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
November
Apparent Paradoxes
6th: Follish Intelligentsia
Prof. Tan Yock Lin
10th: Rich Poor; Poor Rich
Bro Henry Chua
17th: Servanthood Leadership
(Neh 5) Rev Wee Eng Moh
24th: Strongest When Weakest
(2 Cor 12:9) Dr Colin Tey
Birthdays: 1st Shanice16th William 17th Joy
22nd Zach 24th Joel Woo
30thYeda
December
4th: Seminar on The Life of
John Calvin @ Tengah
11th: Follow Me Dn Chia
18th:YF Remembrance Night
25th: No YF (Christmas Day)
20th24th:YF year-end Camp
Birthdays: 7th Dorothy, Evan &
Matthew Chiang10th Kai Shuin
& Yi Jie 14th Zhang
19thWanping31stAbby
8
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
20/24
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
21/24
TRUE LIFE YF CAME FOR A
VISIT ON THE 16TH OCT! :)
Full name: Loh De-hou Joshua
Age: 19
School: Catholic Junior College
Hobbies: Computer games
Hopes: Havent really thought about it
Full name: Serlina Sim Li Yu
Age: 19
School: Nanyang Technological University
Hobbies: Reading, watching Korean dramas
Hopes:To be honest I actually havent
thought about it yet!
PERSONAL POINTS
20
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
22/24
What is the most difficult part of
the Bible to understand for you?The poll was taken via msn and quoted verbatim.
trinityhow three persons are all equally God and areone God?
proverbscos no matter how many times we read it, overand over again, we still can learn more thingsfrom itendless
and no matter what i'll still find something thati'm unsure of
the levitical lawand the prophesies I suppose, like revelationsbasically stuff which requires a wholecomprehensive understanding of the bible,without which you can't really understandlike minor prophets as well
revelations
YF SPEAKS!
wanping
zhongyan
ruth
haha a lot mangot mcq?hmmmmmhuman responsibility and God's
sovereignty
like how they work together
song ofsolomonthat's one book i don't get Romans i guess
the england verri cheemi mean the phrasing or communication of ideas
zechariahlikesome of the visionsthe meaning and significanceas well as the messianic prophecies
mervyn
jason L
alanna
joanne
elliot
hmmm i havnt read through the whole bible,dont know which is the most difficult. Haha!
in the understanding of the mind of
God, what He is trying to tell me, behind everyevent, every book, every verse no matter howinsignificant it may behaha i havnt really studied OT books which ithink are difficult
suling
Whats happening?
Our Editor did a twitter interview with Elliot...and this is what they said.
My Bloo
Orloxian Brian Lim
@tweet_eLt Greetings Elliot! Uth Chronicle would like to conduct aTwitterview with you for My Brethren Lies Over the Ocean
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xen@Orloxian oh haha yea dude, heard abt it, so what's going on?
Orloxian Brian Lim@tweet_eLt Tell us how you've been settling down in the US! Have yougotten use to life over there?
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xenhaha wow i'm supposed to answer that within 140 characters? well, ithink i've settled down just enough to survive, i still get lost but I get by.
Orloxian Brian Lim@tweet_eLt you can use multiple tweets :p Have you found a goodchurch to settle into yet?
21
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
23/24
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xen
@Orloxian why yes! its the Santa Monica Bible Baptist Church, wouldlike to make a special mention of @jasonliewyf for helping me look forone.
Orloxian Brian Lim@tweet_eLt Thank God. :) Have you gotten to know the people there?Is there a fellowship group you attend?
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xen@Orloxian they've just started a college fellowship group and its prettyyoung so we'll see where that goes haha if you're wondering I make up30% of the youth demographic if tht's what you're asking
Orloxian Brian Lim@tweet_eLt haha, wow. So the church is mostly adults? Does it feel verydifferent from Pandan?
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xen@Orloxian well definitely, every church is unique in its own right. but yeathere's nothing like home. mostly grandparents? did you say
grandparents? yeah.
Orloxian Brian Lim@tweet_eLt :p Well, hope you won't feel too disconnected despite age,since we all share a common bond in Christ :) How's school then?
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xen@Orloxian its killing me. haha my friends say i took too many heavycourses this quarter and as a freshman. I agree.
Orloxian Brian Lim
@tweet_eLt Ouch. Are you somehow coping, though?
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xen@Orloxian haha yea, have to right? Singaporean mah..
Orloxian Brian Lim@tweet_eLt haha, pray for sustenance! Any words for those back inSingapore?
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xen@Orloxian miss you guys like i miss satay. but hey, i'll be back next yearso don't play play..
tweet_eLt Elliot Chin Xen@Orloxian what?!! I know I'm going to regret this in the morning..
Orloxian Brian Lim@tweet_eLt Haha, thanks Elliot. Take care! We'll keep you in prayer. =)
22
-
8/6/2019 Uth Chronicle 2010-IV
24/24
A Publication of
Calvary Pandan Youth Fellowship
Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church
201 Pandan Gardens
Singapore 609337
Email: [email protected], Educate, Engage
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]