1

MARANATHA MESSENGER Weekly Newsletter of Private Circulation Only

MARANATHA BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 4 August 2013 “Present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28)

Address: 63 Cranwell Road, Singapore 509851 Tel: (65) 6545 8627 Fax: (65) 6546 7422 E-mail: maranatha.bpc@pacific.net.sg Website: www.maranatha-bpc.com

Sunday School: 9.45 am Sunday English / Chinese Worship Service: 10.45 am Sunday Chinese Worship Service: 7 pm

Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 8.00 pm Pastor: Rev. Dr. Jack Sin (HP: 9116 0948)

Words of Encouragement

Introduction First Thessalonians was the first epistle addressed to the churches; one of the earliest documents of the New Testament. It was written in AD 50-51. Paul’s second missionary journey brought him to Thessalonica, where he founded a church, but he soon faced opposition from the unbelieving Jews. He therefore had to leave Thessalonica prematurely. Although he was not able to return there, God provided someone in Paul’s place, in the person of Timothy. He went there and later brought a very encouraging report, which warmed Paul’s heart, and which moved Paul to write this epistle to encourage the Thessalonians to stand fast and walk worthy of the Lord, despite persecution. He also comforted them concerning those Christians who had died earlier by reminding them of the blessed hope of the Lord’s return (4:13-18). Nehemiah also faced much opposition (Nehemiah 4-6) He was ridiculed when he was given the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:1-3); the work of the Lord was hindered (vv.7-9); he faced discouragement from the discouraged Jews (vv.10-23); he faced opposition from within (5:1-19). Did he give up and "throw in the towel"? No, he never did. Instead he looked to God in prayer, and his prayer was wonderfully heard and answered! (See also Psalm 34:4; 91:15; Isaiah 65:24; Jeremiah 33:3) Life’s Application The same is true with us in our work for the Lord. Let’s face it, there is bound to be opposition even from our own brethren! But we should never ever be discouraged because God has promised us that He will not fail us (Joshua 1:5); He will not forget us (Isaiah 49:15); and He will not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) Like Paul, let us move on and press on, not looking back! Paul’s Words of Encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) 1. Be joyful (v.16) 2. Be prayerful (v.17) 3. Be thankful (v.18) 4. Be Always Joyful regardless of circum-stances (2 Corinthians 6:10; Philippians 3:1; 4:4). Examples of Joy in Suffering Paul wrote the epistle to the Philippians, the epistle of joy, while he was in a Roman prison! One can be joyful even in times of suffering. • The Apostles suffered for Christ’s sake. They were jailed, but they rejoiced because they counted it worthy to suffer (Acts 5:41; see also 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; 2 Corinthians 11:23-28).

2

• James said, "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations" i.e. various trials (James 1:2). This is the proper attitude to adopt when we, as Christians, are faced with trials to test our faith. • Jesus said that in this world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer because I have overcome the world (John 16:33). The word ‘tribulation’ is used of crushing grapes or olives in a press. • Rejoice if you are facing fiery trials for your faith in Christ (1 Peter 4:12-13). It is to be expected that the people of the world will hate you because you are a Christian (John15:21). • Blessed are you if you are "mocked and persecuted and lied about" because you are Christ’s disciples (Matthew 5:10-12). • The Apostle Paul was imprisoned for preaching the gospel, yet while he was in prison he was able to encourage the Christians in Philippi to rejoice always whatever the circumstances. • Job went through much suffering, yet he was able to say "though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." (Job 13:15; see also Ps.23:4). Joy is one of the graces of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). He is the Source and Author of Joy. The Joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Christian joy is not temporal, not external; it is internal and abiding. The joy of the world is temporal, external and fluctuating. It is based on circumstances. Why Be Joyful Always? Reasons :

• We are a redeemed people (1 Peter 1:18; Revelation 5:9; 14:3).

• Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Luke 10:20; see also Philippians 4:3;

Revelation 21:27).

• We have the blessed hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13).

• We have the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16).

• We are serving the King of kings and the Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15; see also Revelation

17:14). Pray Without Ceasing This means to keep on praying; never to give up; be persistent and consistent in praying. (Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; 1Peter 4:7). Be always prayerful and be steadfast in attitude. Watch and pray. Prayer is the best weapon we have in keeping in touch with God to protect us from evil temptations. Prayer is God’s ordained way of communicating with Him. What is Prayer? Prayer is "a communication between God and us whereby we expound to Him our desires, our joys, our sighs, in a word, all the thoughts of our hearts." (John Calvin) "Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God hath promised, or according to the Word, for the good of the Church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God." (John Bunyan) Prayer is "heaven’s greatest weapon...One-half of our calling as ministers and elders is prayer (Acts 6:4), but in reality we spend no more than 5 percent of our time in prayer...All Christians are called to pray (Colossians 4:2). Is anything more essential, yet more neglected, among us than prayer? " (Joel R. Beeke) "Prayer...moves the hand that moves the world." (J.A. Wallace)

3

The Apostle Paul : A Great Intercessor Paul Prayed For His Co-Workers and His Flock : In almost all his epistles, Paul mentioned his remembrance of his flock in prayer: "I thank God.... that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day." (2 Timothy 1:3; Romans 1:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:3-4; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3; Philemon 4) Give Thanks Always Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians (and to us) is not to be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we are to make our requests known to Him (Philippians 4:6). "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17; see also Philippians 4:6; Hebrews 13:15) We ought always to give thanks to God in all circumstances of life because all things work together for the good of those who love God, and those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). His grace will always be sufficient for us when facing adverse circumstances (2 Corinthians 12:9). "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Colossians 3:17; see also Psalm 92:1; Ephesians 5:20). You ought always to give thanks because "this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." The will of God is always good, and acceptable and perfect (Romans12:2). And so whatever befalls you as children of God cannot work against your good but for your good (Romans 8:28). Conclusion Thank God for Paul’s words of encouragement to the Thessalonians (and to us). What is the will of God? It is to: 1. Rejoice evermore. 2. Pray without ceasing. 3. Give thanks always in everything. Elder Khoo Peng Kiat Life BP Church +++++++++++

4

Biblical Prudent Precepts for Managing Failure and Disappointment

“Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ sake: for when I am weak,

then I am strong “ 2 Corinthians 12: 10 Definitions (source : wiktionary / wikipedia)

Disappointment (plural disappointments) 1 The emotion felt when a strongly held expectation is not met (uncountable). 2 A circumstance in which a strongly held expectation is not met. (countable)

Disappointment is the feeling of dissatisfaction that follows the failure of expectations or hopes to be manifest.

Similar to regret, it differs in that a person feeling regret focuses primarily on the personal choices that contributed to a poor outcome, while a person feeling disappointment focuses on the outcome itself.

Failure (plural failures) 1 State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.

2 An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure or incapable of success.

3 Termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function, breakdown.

Often failures and disappointments produce psychological and emotional stress on a person.

GENERAL PERSPECTIVES Job 14:1, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of troubles”.

• We live in a fallen and depraved world. Our lives are often ruled by Success or Failure.

• We experience failures and disappointments all the time and for various reasons

• None of us is immune from “troubles”.

• In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus told his disciples to expect failures and disappointments. Even Christians

are not shielded.

• In the eyes of man, Jesus is a “failure” as well. He did not establish the “earthy” kingdom that he

spoke about.

• As such we are to expect it.

EXAMPLES OF FAILURES & DISAPPOINTMENTS At Work :

• Job satisfaction (e.g. promotion, transfer, increments)

• Work place relationship with superiors and subordinates (e.g. gossiping, back stabbing)

• Work culture (e.g. Christian stand in a non-Christian work place)

At Home :

• Upbringing of children (education, relationship, CCAs, life-style, etc)

• Parent / children relationship & expectation (e.g. communications )

• Spiritual health of family members

• Witnessing to loved ones

• Inter-personal relationship at home (e.g. in-laws and aged parents or in-laws)

Personal :

• Sins ( incontinent to the lust of the eyes , lust of the flesh & pride of life)

• Obedience to God’s Commandments (back sliding)

• Health (long term sickness)

• Finances (job, retrenchment, retirement)

5

• Missing a good grade ( high expectation / over confidence)

• Relationship (single or marriage)

CAUSES OF FAILURES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS

• Expectations not met or standards that we set are not achieved

• Covetousness from our depraved nature ( Jas 4:1-3 / 1 Tim 6:10)

• Pride / Jealousy (1 Sam 18:5-15) – an account of Saul being so jealous of David’s success

that he wanted to kill David.

• Impatience (Jas 1:19)

• Miscommunication or presumption (Gen 32:7).

RESULTS OF FAILURES & DISAPPOINTMENTS Failures and disappointments can lead to:

• distress,

• despairs

• depression

• desperation

• destruction (suicidal / homicidal)

Note > the first murder was the result of failure & disappointment! (Gen 4)

BIBLICAL PRECEPTS What should be our response be?

• In overcoming failures & disappointments, it is important to keep them in perspective. It can

become less daunting when viewed from a human understanding. For example: Could we see from a different view? Are there contributing factors?

• We must examine ourselves and try to see things from a biblical perspective. Very often, we

are the one to be blamed due to our own expectations or our past experiences. Example: Will God approve of the event if it had gone through? Does it glorify God in our “depressed” state?

• We must also consider the spiritual lessons that we get out of such situations. Perhaps, it’s

also God’s way of leading or correcting us and hence making us a better person for his glory .

In all circumstances, we can also draw biblical precepts that will help us to overcome failures and disappointments.

1. Test of our Faith “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, night be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

• We need to consider our failures and disappointments in the context of our faith.

• In many ways, God moulds and tests us. Some of these tests are in the form of failures and

disappointments.

• It is faith that allows us to see the unseen. We walk by faith and not by sight. That’s why faith

is such an indispensable element of the Christian life.

• Even as followers of Christ, we will experience disappointment and endure trials when our

faith is indeed put to the test. James tells us we should “consider it pure joy” when we face these trials, as this is how our faith strengthens and we mature as Christians (James 1:2-4).

2. Keep Trusting Despite the circumstances “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov 3:5-6)

• We must continue to wait and trust in the Lord for our understanding is often hindered by the

distracting things of this fallen world.

6

• We are often drawn away from God either by our self-centredness or own erroneous

perceptions.

• Let us learn to trust God completely, acknowledge Him in all our ways so that He can direct

our path. 3. Heavenly and Earthly Encouragement “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12 :1-2)

• Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Peter and many others have gone through failures and

disappointments. Despite their various set-backs, they always came back to God who strengthened their faith even further.

• They were able to do this because they recognized that God is the author and finisher of their

faith.

• So, let us be encouraged knowing we have a great cloud of witnesses that we can emulate in

this life; let us also look unto Jesus as our author and finisher of our faith.

• While we are here, we have live “witnesses” from whom we can also draw encouragement

and guidance on how to handle failures and disappointments in this life

• In Hebrews 10:24-25, we are told to provoke one another unto love and good works and to

exhort one another.

• Failures and disappointments should encourage us to look forward and upward to Christ

4. Heavenly Journey “While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor 4: 18)

• It is important that our life journey draws us to look forward to our eternal destination - heaven.

Our life on earth is but “four scores and ten”. We are but just strangers and pilgrims of the earth.

• The apostle Paul considered his “persecutions”, “distresses”, “troubles” and “despairs” as light

afflictions (2 Cor 4:8, 9 & 17) because he fixed his eyes on the unseen (2 Cor 4:18).

• We should not let disappointments or failures distract us from the word and will of God .

• There will be no more tears, sufferings, disappointments and failures in heaven.

• So, even failures and disappointments are temporal

5. God’s Sovereignty in everything “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess 5:18)

• Nothing occurs by chance.

• Not all failures and disappointments are caused by ourselves or by circumstances we are in.

• God is in control of every aspect of our lives. Our failures and disappointments fit perfectly

with His sovereign purposes (Romans 8:28).

• Joseph recognised that it is God who was behind everything that happened to him. (Gen 45:5-

8)

• Everything that happens to us has a purpose and a plan under the sovereign will of God.

• It fits into His ultimate master plan for us and is perfectly timed.

• God’s thoughts and ways are different from ours (Isa 55:8 & 9)

• We are the clay and God is the potter and as such we must let God mould and shape us

under His hand (Isa 64:8).

• Most of the time, we need to be refined in the furnace before we can be like pure gold. Isaiah

48:10 “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction”

• It is through these “refinements” that we learn patience and humility, endurance and trust—

these are virtues that will strengthen us and develop our godly character.

7

• God’s power is at its strongest when we are at our weakest (2 Cor 12:9).

6. Keep on praying and building “altars” “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.” (2 Chr 7:14)

• In the midst of our failures and disappointments, we must examine ourselves and see if there

are any open or hidden sins and repent of them and He will restore us.

• Prayer to God draws us close to His prompting and gives us strength to move on.

• Philippians 4:6-7 reminded us to make all our requests to God through prayers and He will

grant us peace. In Genesis 35:1-3, “And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.’ This is an account of Jacob who had gone through a lot of “distresses” in his life. Despite all the set-backs, Jacob continues to make altars to remember the faithfulness of God. We too must, put away strange gods and idols , be clean and change our garments before we can build our own altars to honour God for it is He who answers us in the day of our distress. Finally, if we know what is failure & disappointment, then what is “success”? Joshua 1:8, ”This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous , and then thou shalt have good success” Ecclesiastes 12:13, 4, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing , whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Let us strive to obey, meditate, observe and to do His commandment (the book of the law), then will our way be prosperous and we will have good success.. The formula for Success is simple but yet profound. CONCLUSION

• While we will not be able to avoid failures and disappointment we also know that we are

never alone in our failures and disappointments (Hebrews 13:5).

• We must learn to accept failures and disappointments graciously and to know that there are

always lessons that we can learn from them from the Lord .

• God moulds us even in our failures and disappointments for our own ultimate good .

• God has not promised a life full of roses but He promises to give us the strength to overcome

all things (Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”)

• We must not let Satan bog us down with the past and live with bitterness, vengeance, hatred

and anger but forge and move forward with the Lord, forgetting what lies behind, to press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14 )

Elder Steven Ng +++++++++++

8

Another Fruitful Ministry at Evangel BP Church, Malaysia

Thank God for a fruitful trip to Evangel BP Church where the word was shared to exhort the saints with a seminar on Depression : Causes and Cures. It is meaningful to share at a family worship of Jeff and Sooky with about 20 present and we need to continue to uphold the ministry of EBPC in prayer and in the preaching of the word to build up the saints. It is good to see the unity of the

brethren as they serve the Lord together and for new friends who came and for Esther Ho, Rev Ho Chee Lai’s sister who have come to faith in Christ recently. We must not forget our calling to be gospel witnesses for Christ in these last days.

The latest MRM book on How to Study the Bible Profitably and Read Edifying Christian Books was well received in EBPC with a brother Guan Kiat from Melbourne who bought multiple copies for his family and friends and other MRM tracts and the MBPC weeklies were given to all. An elder of another church is considering buying them for his Sunday school. Those who are interested to get more copies, may see Dn Ng Thiam Koon or Doris or visit any of the 5 Christian bookstores in Singapore.

Do uphold the MBPC missions team of 5 who will leave this Thursday to minister the word at the Evangelical Presbyterian Churches in Yangon in 2 services with 8 baptisms in the churches, lectures from the book of Acts of in a bible college on Church Growth, conduct a family worship and VBS cum visit to 2 orphanages of more than 50 children as invited by Rev Salai for a week. We go with the leading and strength of the Lord and seeking His will as to how we may be used of God to help reformed churches in other developing countries with our limited talents and resources to the extension of His kingdom and to the glory of God. Jack Sin

++++++++++++

Ministering the word at both service and seminar in

Evangel BP Church, Petaling Jaya Malaysia.

Family worship at the home of Jeff and Sooky in

Shah Alam with Evangel BP Church members.

Edifying ladies

fellowship over a

birthday lunch.

9

Theme for the Quarter : Life Changing Moments with the Master

Rev Dr Jack Sin A Didactic Moment

Matt 5:13-24

[End of MM]