MARANATHA MESSENGER Weekly Newsletter of Private Circulation Only MARANATHA BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 25 October 2009 “Present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28) Address: 63 Cranwell Road, 509851 Tel: (65) 6545 8627 Fax: (65) 6546 7422 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.maranatha-bpc.com * Sunday School: 9.45 am Worship Service: 10.45 am Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 8.00 pm Pastor: Rev (Dr) Jack Sin ( HP: 9116 0948 )

Grateful Musings on Maranatha BP Church 19 th Anniversary

Introduction

The psalmist says in Psalms 145:1-2, ' I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.' Every anniversary is an opportune time to recollect God's faithfulness and sovereign goodness to His covenant people. By the sovereign hand of God, Maranatha BP Church was incepted on 28 th October 1990 with about 20 members of Life BP Church at the St George's Chapel left behind by the British RAF in the 1970s. By the gracious help of God, it has grown in spiritual influence to many believers and friends in and out of Maranatha BP Church. The Lord has been good to bless us with many opportunities or open doors and an entrance for outreach and service for Him. We were enabled by the Lord to launch out and to minister to the Chinese working community here and to overseas missions in setting up Covenant BP Church India about 4-1/2 years ago with Rev Dr George Skariah and Evangel BP Church with Elder Dr. Lim Yew Cheng in Kuala Lumpur about 3-1/2 years ago as well. Acts 20:24 says, ‘But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.’ So we are all committed also to support Evangel BP Church in the purchase of the church building as the Lord leads.

We thank God for new families and friends who have joined our church this year and we welcome Stephen Teh and Teh Mee Yee, the newly baptized members of Fong Jing Heng, Tan An Yan, Song Hauwen of the Chinese fellowship and Elia Chua, the daughter of Chua Yueh Mann and Kerena Chua as well (read their testimonies). The early church saw many members admitted to the Lord's Supper after they were converted and later baptized into the local church. We encourage those who are not yet baptized (or have not transfered their membership) to do so as soon as possible to be publicity identified with Christ in His local church. This year we also witnessed the expansion of the outreach of the Chinese fellowship to the saving of souls.

By God’s enablement, we can continue as a Church that honours God and to minister to souls by the preaching and the propagation of the gospel of Christ and teaching from the inspired, infallible and inerrant, sufficient Word of God. We need to be steadfast and defend the truth of God's Word against the falsehood and doctrinal errors of our times. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, 'Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.' We are reminded to give of our best to the Lord in our time, talents and treasures in promoting His kingdom on earth and in the defence of the in these last perilous days (Jude 3,4).

Pattern of the Early Church

We followed or patterned after the early first century church which grew steadily and was a healthy and vibrant church. We witnessed in Acts 6:1-7 the following notable priorities or elements of the apostolic church in the midst of a legitimate church concern. There are 4 Ps to be noted.

Prayer for the Saints - Necessary Work of Intercession

The first thing that the apostles were committed to was the intercession for the flock. This is so important that nothing should displace it especially our corporate Wednesday night prayer meeting where the church meets to pray for one another. A prayerless church is a powerless church and we remembered the grave need to go on our knees to beseech the Lord to bless our families and the church. We are exhorted to pray without ceasing and to pray importunately relying in the Lord. Matthew 21:22 says, 'And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.' Let us remember to seek the Lord on our knees as a church and implores His gracious enablement in the performance of spiritual duties. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, ' If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.' There is no revival in the church that is not preceded by believing incessant prayer.

Preaching of the Word - Unashamed Declaration of the Inspired Word of God

The purpose of the church is to proclaim the glorious message of everlasting life and the nurture of the flock through the Word of God. The bible is central to the vitality and health of the church. No matter how busy they were, the apostles gave top priority to the preparation, the unashamed proclamation and expository teaching of the gospel and the Word. The knowledge of the gospel and the Word was such an important matter to them that they will not be distracted from it. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:16, 'For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!' Doctrine is to be paramount and members are to properly grounded, rooted and to know them well through the proper instruction from the pulpit. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, 'Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'

People's Spiritual Needs - Biblical Care of the Flock

The church is not a physical building nor a denomination but it is a gathering of the elect of God bought by the blood of Christ. But when the church grows bigger, it is not easy to minister to every member of the flock effectively. Apparently in the first century church, some of the Greek speaking widows were neglected and the first deacons were appointed or elected to take care of them. We are to remember the sick, senior people, singles, orphans or widows (if any) and to minister to the various needs of the congregation. We are not to neglect any segment of the congregation, whether they be the older members, the youths, the children, the Chinese speaking friends or even our Indonesian maids as well which are taken care of by Wiwin. We also thank God for the faithful and sacrificial deacons, CED teachers, fellowship leaders and other members in our church serving in the CED, Nursery, JWS, NBC, ushering, PA, choir and the resource ministry, church camps, VBS, MLF, MYAF and MYF. We hope by God’s enablement to reach out to spiritual and physical care of the church members.

Paper Work - The Proper Administration of the Church

There are some pertinent and practical matters in the church that needs to be done regularly like completing the church bulletin on time, updating of church records, the notice board, proper upkeep of finances, missions report, minutes of session, ACM meetings, transport for members, the preparation of food for the Chinese Fellowship, printing of pamphlets, tracts and weeklies, physical maintenance and upkeep of the building, visitations to home and to the sick, and others. We need good and responsible stewardship and here is where both the deacons and the lay people can play a vital part to assist the pastor in the practical ministries of the church.

Church Growth - God's Way

In Acts 9:31, it says, 'Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.' The early church grew when the people were edified in the word as they walked in the fear of God and in the comfort and consolation of the Holy Ghost. These are vital ingredients for church growth and each is indispensable.

We are committed to edifying the saints, to preach the pure and unadulterated gospel of Christ, the sharing of the comfort of the believers in the Holy Spirit in Maranatha BP Church and our overseas outreaches. We are living in the last days of great deception with the attacks by the evil one on the finished work of the Lord on Calvary. Today is also 492 nd anniversary of the 16 th Century Protestant Reformation and we need to remember that we are justified by faith alone through Christ alone, by grace alone and not by works. All of us can come to God without any saints or mediatrix but solely through the finished work of Christ alone. Acts 4:12 says, 'Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.' We need to counsel and admonish our people to be kept pure unto the Lord and preserved from the deceptive doctrinal errors and moral wiles of the evil one.

The danger today is that there is a growing interest in the occult, the increase in immorality and the falling away of the church. We need to be vigilant, drawing nigh to Christ and putting on the full armour of God always.

Total Dedication to Christ in His Church

We also need to commit ourselves afresh to a Church where Christ is magnified and exalted and His Great Commission obeyed for the cause of saving souls. The Church encourage all its members to be fully committed and devoted to Christ first, as disciples carrying their crosses and denying themselves. And this is not a one-time commitment, but a daily surrender in every area of life to the glory of His name. If we have a Church with these marks of commitment, we will be more effective in carrying out the Great Commission that God has given us: to reach out to the unsaved in our vicinity with His unconditional love and forgiveness and turn men (by the help of the Holy Spirit) into true disciples for Christ (Matt 28:19-20) as He wills. Mark 1:17 says, ’And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.’ Since we started our Chinese fellowship 2 years ago, we witnessed quite a few Chinese workers coming to the saving knowledge of Christ. Many Chinese bibles and books / pamphlets / tracts are given out to them. May the zeal of the Lord challenge and excite us with a glorious burden and vision for Maranatha BP Church in the days ahead. We encourage all to come for the Chinese fellowship on Saturday and the mid week prayer meeting and unite as a church to fervently intercede for one another (Phil 4:6-7 and Jas 5:14-19) and be committed to pray for the needs of the brethren and the church. Be prayerfully involved and support the church and join the Sunday School classes, NBCs, fellowships and other church activities with greater devotion and fervour.

Every Christian in a church needs to consider and practice the following:

1. Contempt for the world and consecration to Christ. 2. Meaningful employment of our spiritual gifts (talents) to edify one another. 3. Genuine love and concern for one another in giving and sharing. 4. Fervency and diligence in church stewardship and service. 5. Prayerful and hospitable spirit and the meditation of the Word. 6. Witnessing for Christ at home, at work and in the world. 7. Regular Sabbath worship and fellowship among the Saints.

God is glorified and His kingdom advanced when members of the body of Christ are committed to the local Church and witnessing, working, worshipping, watching and waiting for Christ’s coming together in the Lord (Rom 12:9-18). When members in Churches are fully engaged in fulfilling their calling for Christ, the lost are redeemed (by Christ), the spiritually confused find light in Christ and lives are changed for eternity. What other endeavour is worthy of our time than this In the final moments of human history?

Let us die to self and endeavour to do more for the Lord and serve the Lord with greater fear, fervour and gladness in the new year in Maranatha while there is yet breath in our nostrils as the Lord tarries.

Conclusion

Finally, it is with grateful hearts that we praise and thank God for prospering and preserving His gospel work in Maranatha BP Church all these 19 years. We pray for a continued fervent and committed spirit among all of us to grow in the knowledge of the Word, to share the everlasting gospel and to edify one another in the fear of God. Let us persevere in our outreach to others in the vicinity and beyond and let the love of God be seen in us as we seek to witness for Him to the saving of souls in these last perilous days. Our church motto is found in the inspired words in Colossians 1:28 which says, ' Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.'

Let every leader, member and friend be faithful, responsible stewards soldiers and ambassadors for Christ. Let us be renewed today in our personal consecration to Christ and to His church that we are worshipping. We witnessed momentous events in the signs of the end times, in the dramatic natural calamities in recent floods, typhoons and earthquakes in Asia, killing thousands (and there is apparently more to come). Let us live for eternity and not for self nor for this fleeting world. In about two months time, we will begin a new year, Let us rededicate ourselves today to serve Him faithfully till He comes again which will be very soon.

Jack Sin

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Adult Baptism

Dear brethren, greetings in the Name of our Blessed Saviour. Thank God for the privilege of sharing my testimony with you. It is the very nature of man to seek for something to rely upon when he encounters problems. When I first came to Singapore, I do not have anything with me, and I am unfamiliar with the society and the culture. I felt very helpless and have no other alternative.

It could be a source of pressure that compelled me to press on and walk strongly through these 2 years. Somehow there is an urge within me to lean on God to walk the path He wants me to, committing all anxieties and everything to Him. I believe God will map out everything for me, including my future. How did I have such point of view? I could have been affected by my mother's influence on me. My mother is a Christian and I know that she belongs to the Kingdom of God. Though I may have been several times to a local Church in China that was out of sheer curiosity, just to be there to satisfy my curiosity. As China's social outlook and the Holy Scripture is vast different, in a way I felt an inadequacy to seek spiritual understanding wholeheartedly, much less to seek this True and living God with tangible action.

Perhaps it is the will of God that I could come to Singapore. One day, pastor came to my working place (Esso station) and found me, and as he talked to me and gave me a tract, God opened my heart to the Gospel and thereafter the blessings of God starts bestowed from on high, I started to seek and pursue the Way of God repenting of my sins. From now on I thank God that I can know, study and learn the Word of God peacefully without hindrances systematically. This, to me is a great joy, and I find that the Disciples of Christ are more like brothers and sisters, so cordial and caring, it is entirely different from the reality of this secular world, this is in itself a paradise on earth! I thank God for choosing me, I am confident that God will lead me all the way as I trod on this earth, and that He is the only One who can change my destiny and give me hope. I believe that I am going to a beautiful heaven one day where God will lead me.

Song Hua Wen



Although I did not come from a Christian family, I first attended church at an early age. I remembered visiting various churches, before settling at a church in Pasir Ris. Although I enjoyed attending church when I was young, I did not fully comprehend the meaning of knowing Christ and being a Christian then. Church was more for games, friends, and singing than growing a personal relationship with God.

Around 1997, we moved to Maranatha BP Church, although I only started coming to church regularly with my father and brother about 2 years later. Attending the main service was a great change from the junior worship I was used to. I had trouble paying attention during the service and felt lonely because I did not really know anyone my age. During this time, my father put in a lot of effort to encourage me. He bought me my own Bible, regularly read devotional books with me, encouraged me to practice hymns on the piano, as well as inculcated the importance of preparing for worship on Sunday. I gradually became accustomed to attending church regularly, becoming more involved in activities such as the youth fellowship (MYF) and the choir.

Despite this, I continued to be in spiritual slumber. Although sometimes I experienced stints of increased zeal, this disappeared quickly as I was easily discouraged by setbacks. The problem was that I still continued to do things by my own strength, putting Christ on the periphery. Although I knew the reason life often felt hollow was because my priorities were wrong, I did little to rectify the situation.

This changed in the months before entering university. I was blessed to be involved in more church activities than previously. Visiting Covenant Bible Presbyterian Church India gave a greater awareness of the work undertaken in furthering God's kingdom. Serving in the choir and MYF made me realise more intently how essential it was to trust in Him rather than myself. I was also able to spend more time reading the Bible than before, learning how important to hold fast to the Bible for instruction, reassurance, and as a testimony to others. My prayer life changed as the need to look to God in prayer in all matters became more keenly felt. I began to experience more closely of God's inevitable calling of his child to Him, along with the struggles and blessings of leading a life in accordance to His will.

More so than any other time, this was a time of growth, taking place in challenges and transitions (an example being starting my university studies). The sense of the need to deny self, pick up the cross, and follow Christ daily grew stronger, as I began to grasp the implications of my previous complacent and sinful attitude.

Titus 3:11-14 summarises a perspective of life rediscovered: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteous, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

I pray that this testimony will encourage fellow believers, and that any reader outside the kingdom of God may be touched to seek Him. I pray also that my faith will continue to grow. May the Lord help us.

Fong Jing Heng



God has blessed me to be born into a Christian family, and thus I have been going to Maranatha BP Church since I was born. I grew up learning about the Bible from church, my parents, and my Christian kindergarten.

Ever since I was young, I always liked to think I was close to God, refusing to do all the things my non-Christian friends did that was against what the church taught us, like reading Harry Potter or playing with Pokemon cards. Unfortunately, while I kept His word and commandments in some ways, I ignored them in others, like not doing quiet time every day. This was because I mostly thought of God during church, or when someone told me to do something bad and I would tell myself that God would be displeased.

When I reached secondary school, I found it to be my most difficult time ever. I would be lying if I said life in RGS was easy and I am not merely talking about studies. There were more terrors and horrific forms of sin than I had ever encountered. In RGS, the majority of the girls in my class came from RGPS, which is a girls' school. For the first time in my life I truly encountered homosexuality. In my primary school when we wanted to tease someone, we just threw the word around as without much thought, but when it was real and clearly seen around me, it was scarier than I thought. It soon became that every word I uttered became a source of debate. My atheist friend mocked and debated on every aspect of that my other Christian friends and I showed. When one tried to explain things to her, she could easily come up with something that would contradict the statements we said.

My classmates introduced me to new things that I wished I had never known. It made the most corrupt people in primary school look like a bunch of angels in comparison to these new devils that ran rampant in RGS. Alone, the temptation to succumb to being addicted to these things were too much for me, so I can only thank God that I have not fallen so deep into sin as my other friends have now. I have watched my friend who goes to church start writing about gays and talking excitedly about gay pairings, and my other friend who had always stood firmly in her Islamic teachings being obsessed with Japanese related things and writing about homosexuality; which seems to be the craze of people my age and older. It is really scarier than you think.

In addition to the battle of morals, it seemed as if the school was purposefully trying to purposely try to separate me from God. Philosophy lessons that challenged everything I once stood for forced me to rethink about God and to justify my faith against what the people around me tried to teach me. Schoolwork demanded more time and effort than ever that it made going to church every Sunday a chore. It was difficult to keep committed to God, but I now try to pray every day and every moment I need Him.

By getting baptised at this relatively early age when I am still close to God, I hope to maintain a consistent walk with Him and to remember to keep close to God.

Tan An Yan

Infant Baptism

We thank the Lord for His wonderful grace for blessing us with an addition to our family. Our Lord, the Almighty, has never forsaken us and has always been guiding us every step of our lives. As parents, we want our children to experience the same love, guidance and salvation. We pray that God will grant us the wisdom, strength and faith to bring up Elia in the fear of the Lord. May the words of God always remind us of our parental duties.

‘And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’ Deuteronomy 6:7

Chua Yuen Mann & Kerena Chua

Transfer of Membership

I was born into a Buddhist family, the fifth of six children. From a young age my parents involved me in the family rites like praying to idols with joss sticks, going to temples and even going to mediums.

I grew up like many boys in my neighbourhood; playing football, climbing trees, making and flying my own kites, etc. With the fun of childhood, I was also melancholic. I thought of life and what it meant and what would death do. Even at a young age of about 12, I was interested in the spiritual side of life. I read books on astral travelling and wondered if it was true. I like science fiction and wondered if there was life outside of our planet. I thought about my parents' Buddhists' beliefs. What about Islam? What is the true religion?

At the age of 14, my parents asked if I would be interested in going to a boarding school in Malacca that my one of my cousins was going to attend. I said sure. Why not try something new? It was at boarding school that I was first exposed to Christianity. The boarding school was owned by the Methodist church and one of the rules of attending the boarding school was that I had to attend church on Sunday. At the later part of the year, the church had a Religious Emphasis Week where special guests were invited to speak at the church. That particular year, it was a group called "The Redeemed Ones". The group from Singapore was led by a man call Neville Tan, an ex-convict. Neville Tan shared his testimony about how he was a gang member, was involved in a fight in which he stabbed someone who died from his stab wound. He was subsequently arrested and sent to prison. In prison, he caused trouble and was put into solitary confinement. Neville Tan then shared how he received a Bible in solitary confinement and came to Christ in solitary confinement. Through the sharing of his testimony, I was touched by the power of God to change lives.

When I went home at the end of that year for holidays, my third brother asked me if I would like to go to Penang. Thinking that it would be a nice holiday, I accepted. Little did I realize that I was attending a church camp. In that church camp I heard further testimonies and again was confronted by a personal God who changes lives.

One December night not long after the church camp, I was in my room going through some tracts and thinking about the testimonies that I have heard. I came to the conclusion that I must do something about my relationship with God. That night I was alone before God in my bedroom and told God that I am a sinner and asked for His forgiveness for my sins through Jesus Christ. I told God I would follow Him.

Following that decision, I attended an Assembly of God church in Kuala Lumpur which my third brother was attending at that time. When I was at the boarding school, I attended the Wesley Methodist Church. I read my first Christian biography book early on in my Christian walk. The book was on the life of . I also began to read other biographies. I wondered if God would do for me what He did for these people whose lives I am reading about. So began my journey of faith.

Whenever I was outdoor without an umbrella, I remembered learning to trust God to stop the rain or to slow it to a drizzle and I learnt to see the reality and power of God in my life. Once when I was at university in USA, I remembered not asking my father to send me money immediately but rather to learn to trust God to provide. At one stage, I had no money in the bank account and was left with only bread and jam. Would God provide? Thankfully the next day, an American brother-in-Christ came to visit me and took me out for dinner. I had not shared with him my experiment to trust God but God wonderfully provided for me through him. As Andrae Crouch wrote in his song, "Through it all, through it all I have learned to trust in Jesus, I have learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I have learned to depend upon His Word."

My journey of faith took me from Malaysia to USA to to China. It was in China that I first met my wife, Mee Yee. We were seated at the same table at the Singapore National Day celebration in Shanghai. It was not love at first sight but the Lord brought both of us together in His time. I relocated from Sydney to Singapore in mid-1998. Mee Yee and I were married in 1999.

We have been greatly blessed with Deborah, Josiah and another one on the way, God willing. The Lord has also called us to home-school our children, which is another blessing to our family.

In 2008, I was sent to Shanghai for about four months for a short term business assignment. Upon our return to Singapore from Shanghai, our Lord led us to Maranatha BP Church. We had heard Pastor Jack preached at Moriah BP Church before and had been touched by the way he preached from the Word of God. We have been glad that God has led us to Maranatha BP Church and look forward to what the Lord has for us here with the Church family at Maranatha BP Church.

Stephen Teh Liap Sin



I grew up in a Buddhist family and followed my parents in idolatry and ancestral worship.

In junior college, Christianity began to fascinate me as I had several close friends who were Christians. At age 19, I was invited by my University mate to attend a Christian evangelistic rally meeting. When the altar call was given, I felt led to step forward and accept Jesus Christ into my life. I did not understand the implications what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Thereafter, I did not care much to follow up on my spiritual walk and growth.

In 1993, at age 23, I left home for the first time to work and train as a Chartered Accountant in London. The initial many challenges that I faced living, working and studying alone in a foreign land far away from the support of family and friends, drove me to cry out to the God I professed to know. God in His mercy, magnified His reality to me through many answered prayers, be it important or the least trivial requests. My trust in the Lord grew as I learnt to develop a lifestyle of frequent communication with my Father God through prayer.

A brief encounter with 2 Jehovah Witnesses led me to the harsh realisation to the perils of not knowing the Word of God well in the face of counterfeit religions. I started to read the Bible regularly and Christian literature to better understand the basic tenets of my faith. It was also during this time I began to attend church regularly after joining the Alpha Course run by Holy Brompton Trinity Church near my London home.

After London, I worked as an auditor in Shanghai and Beijing for about a year. God provided me with Christian fellowship and continued to nurture my interest in His word through the expatriates' Bible Study groups there. It was also in Shanghai I first met my husband-to-be, Stephen.

In 1997 I returned home to Singapore. I was baptised and joined as a member of a Charismatic church in the east. Its loud expressive worship style coupled with the emphasis for one "to experience God's presence" led my relationship with God to an emotionally charged tone during this period.

The following year, pain and numbness in my right leg led to the discovery of a hairline crack on my spine; a result of injuries from inline skating in London. A spinal fusion surgery was required. I wanted badly for God to heal me miraculously because I did not want to go for the operation. My Charismatic background taught me erroneously that if I could just muster up enough faith, God would heal me. In the end, God chose to heal me through the operation. Through this episode, I learnt that it was not about how much faith I have, but the object of my faith. I had to learn to trust and submit in obedience to His will and way because He is God and He knows best. During this time Stephen also relocated from Sydney to Singapore to look after me; we learnt what it is to love in health and sickness.

Stephen and I were married in mid 1999, and we were blessed with Deborah on Easter Sunday 2000. Career wise, I was then a Risk Manager with Singapore Government Investment Corporation (GIC). While the job was rewarding, motherhood made me realise that while no one is truly indispensable at the workplace, I am the one and only mother to my daughter. What then does motherhood entail? God's Word when I sought Him was from Matthew 6:24 "that ye cannot serve God and mammon." I knew what God wanted me to do. The money from GIC was good; a six- figure annual sum not including bonus. Give all that up? I struggled really hard to make a decision. Thanks to the support of a loving husband, when Deborah was just over one year old, I answered God's call to stay home with her.

The first few months at home were not easy. God put me in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) so that He could encourage me through the study of His Word. He taught me that my identity is not to be derived from my job title or my earning capabilities. My identity and my worth is who I am as a child of God in Christ alone. Staying home to nurture my children may not equate success in the world's eyes, but it has vital and eternal value to my God and my family. Success has to do with succession, the passing of my legacy of faith to the next generation. I learnt that in all I do, it is what my Father God thinks and approves that matter, not what man thinks.

When Deborah was two, a cell member shared about home education and showed me some preschool curriculum. I remembered my heart skipping a beat when I first saw how God's Word was interspersed and taught throughout the curriculum. I caught the vision of home education and God gave Stephen and I are in one accord on this- We wanted to train our children up in the Word of God and to impart a Biblical Worldview to them. God who calls our family to home school is faithful (2 Thess 5:24). All these years He has been leading and guiding us each step along the way on this challenging yet rewarding journey.

In early 2006, our family left the Charismatic church. On hindsight, we see God's sovereign hand in leading us out. As I grow in my walk with the Lord, our relationship transformed into one of quiet trust in His Word and the confidence in knowing who God is. No longer do I need the quick fixes or emotional experiences the Charismatics emphasize, which proved to be wearisome and distracting. We attended Moriah BP Church for 2 years.

In mid 2008, our family went to live in Shanghai for 4 months when Stephen had a special assignment. Upon our return, we felt led to visit Maranatha BP Church, since we had benefitted much from Pastor Jack Sin's messages when he preached at Moriah BP Church. We have been with the church since and are glad to be part of the Maranatha BP family today.

Teh Mee Yee

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Greetings from Bangalore

Greetings in the blessed name of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Covenant BP Church, the daughter church of Maranatha BP Church, joins with you all in praising and thanking the Almighty God for His bountiful mercies and blessings upon our mother church.

The Lord has indeed used Maranatha BP Church the last 19 years for the faithful preaching of God's infallible and inerrant Word, for the proclamation and defence of the Reformed faith, and for the establishment of faithful Bible witnesses in different parts of the world. It is the faithfulness of the Lord towards us that preserved us all these years and we thank the Lord for that.

We thank the Lord for the God-honoring leadership of Maranatha, Pastor and the Session, for their prudence and faithfulness in leading the congregation and guiding the church forward as the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:11, 'Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.'

We trust in the Lord and pray that in the days to come the Lord would continue to lead you for the great and mighty things He has for the church as the Lord reminded the Israelites through His prophet Isaiah in 55:8-9, 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.'

Rev. Dr. George Skariah Covenant Bible-Presbyterian Church India, Bangalore

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At the Pulpit Theme for the Quarter: “Living in Spiritual Intimacy with God” Rev Dr Jack Sin “Maturity in Christ” Col 1:28

[End of MM ]