FEBC’S 4^TH REFORMATION PILGRIMAGE

Indeed the Word of God is unstoppable and indestructible. This was what we learned in FEBC’s 4^th Reformation pilgrimage from May 10^th to 22^nd, 2017. The Lord opened the way for 30 pilgrims from seven churches to revisit His work of reformation in England, Scotland and Holland.

This year, many are flocking to Germany to commemorate the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation. But let it be known that the Reformation actually began in England in the 14^th century with Oxford theologian John Wycliffe who is rightly called “The Morning Star of the Reformation”. Wycliffe’s teaching on salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone based on Scripture alone eventually influenced Martin Luther who nailed the coffin to church corruption with his 95 theses in Wittenberg on October 31^st, 1517.

The Reformation in Germany soon spread throughout Europe and Great Britain. England finally broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, Scotland in 1560, and Holland in 1578. Indeed, “the word of God is not bound” (2 Tim 2:9). We in Singapore eventually received the Reformation and Protestant Faith when we came under British rule in the 19^th century. English missionaries set up churches and mission schools, viz St Andrew’s School and Anglo-Chinese School. When I was in Primary One in St Andrew’s I heard the Gospel and got saved.

Oxford and Cambridge

In England, the Lord used Oxford and Cambridge Universities to do the work of Reformation. Besides Wycliffe (Balliol College), Oxford produced such bright luminaries as William Tyndale (Magdalen College) who translated the English Bible from the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, John and Charles Wesley (Christ Church and Lincoln Colleges) the founders of Methodism, and John William Burgon who defended the Traditional Text underlying the Reformation Bible versions like the KJV. He said, “Either with the best and wisest of all ages, you must believe the whole of Scripture or with the narrow-minded infidel you must disbelieve the whole. There is no middle course open to you.” The Bible is either 100% perfect or not at all. There is no such thing as a 99% Bible, perfect only in the past but not today, perfect in its thoughts but not in its words. Jesus said, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matt 5:18). Verbal Plenary Preservation no less!

Dean Burgon graduated from Worcester College and was Vicar of the University Church. He was later appointed Gresham Professor of Divinity in London and then Dean of Chichester in Sussex. He authored no less than five books in defence of the Traditional Text over against the corrupt text of Westcott and Hort which underlies most of the modern versions today. It is also interesting to know that Burgon designed an academic hood still used by Oxford University. FEBC uses the Burgon hood.

Cambridge University is the cradle of the British Reformation. Cambridge scholars Thomas Bilney, Hugh Latimer, Robert Barnes, Nicholas Ridley, Matthew Parker, Myles Coverdale, Stephen Gardiner, John Rogers, and others formed a fellowship which met at the White Horse Inn in Cambridge to discuss Reformation doctrines and practices. These scholars felt it was important to go back to the source—to Scripture itself—to test all the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church to see if they were biblical or not. The great Renaissance scholar Erasmus was then teaching at Cambridge and had just translated a new Latin Bible from the Greek New Testament. Using Erasmus’ Greek NT, these Cambridge scholars studied the writings of Luther and checked them against the Scriptures to see if they were true. They were convicted by God’s Truth and became convinced that Reformation was needed in England as well. And so Cambridge became known as “Little Germany”.

In 1525, in the Church of St Edward’s King and Martyr in Cambridge, Robert Barnes delivered the first evangelical sermon to be preached in any church in England, proclaiming salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone and exposed the falsehoods of the Roman Catholic Church. Barnes, Bilney and Latimer were put to death for their biblical beliefs and evangelical preaching. Latimer told Ridley as they were about to be burned, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

In Oxford today, near the site where they were executed, stands the Martyrs’ Memorial with this inscription, “To the Glory of God, and in grateful commemoration of His servants, Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, Prelates of the Church of England, who near this spot yielded their bodies to be burned, bearing witness to the sacred truths which they had affirmed and maintained against the errors of the Church of Rome, and rejoicing that to them it was given not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for His sake; this monument was erected by public subscription in the year of our Lord God, MDCCCXLI.” “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” (Heb 13:3).

St Andrew’s and Edinburgh

Scotland yielded martyrs Patrick Hamilton and George Wishart. They and others who paid the ultimate price paved the way for John Knox to preach against Catholic tyranny and idolatry and introduce the Presbyterian form of church government in place of the Episcopal.

Hamilton studied in Wittenberg under Luther and when he returned to Scotland, preached the Gospel of pure grace and sole faith. Wishart a schoolmaster was influenced by both Luther and Calvin, and he preached in the open and many were convicted by the truth of the Gospel. Both Hamilton and Wishart were imprisoned in the bottle dungeon in St Andrew’s before being burned at the stake.

John Knox studied in Glasgow and later in Geneva. He said that the four years he spent in Geneva studying under Calvin were his happiest. When he returned to Scotland, he earnestly contended for the Reformed Faith. He was a minister of St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh and held a powerful pulpit for 13 years until he died in 1572.
By this time, the Reformed Faith and Presbyterianism had become firmly entrenched in Scotland.

Lord’s Day Worship

Despite the apostasy we see in England and Scotland today, God has preserved a remnant to bear witness to the Gospel and the Reformed Faith there. In England, we worshipped at New Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (morning) and the Metropolitan Tabernacle (evening). At New Life, we heard Dr Carl Martin preach on “Life and Labour” (1 Cor 3:8–15). He shared how the Rev Dr Timothy Tow taught him never to retire from ministry, like an old faithful horse he would plod on until his last breath, “clop, clop, clop…plop”. In Spurgeon’s Tabernacle, we heard Dr Peter Masters preach Christ and His saving grace from Psalm 72. Back in 1986, Dr Masters had Dr Timothy Tow lecture on China’s greatest revivalist John Sung and the Asian Awakening. On behalf of True Life BPC and FEBC, we presented to Dr Martin and Dr Masters a complimentary copy of Timothy Tow’s Heavenly Melodies recently published. Jemima had a photo op with Mrs Masters.

In Scotland, we worshipped at the Edinburgh Free Church Continuing. This was the church our sister Jennifer Lim (Wei Zhen) joined when she was an exchange student in Edinburgh. The church is strictly psalm-singing and KJV. The Rev Robert McCurley was the Lord’s messenger. We thank the Rev James Gracie and his church members for their kind hospitality, and the Rev and Mrs William Scott for being Wei Zhen’s spiritual guardians in Edinburgh.

Three-in-One

During the trip, we had evening devotions when we read and meditate on God’s Word, and share our thanksgiving and testimonies on the lessons learned after a day of historical sightseeing. We are thankful to the Lord for providing us with an excellent Blue Badge guide—Miss Fiona Cater—who is a committed Christian herself. Fiona gave the historical information on the Reformation sites we visited and I would give the theology behind them.

Sister Beng Kheng (Mrs Lim Hong Kim) was very thankful she could join the pilgrimage. She shared how the pilgrimage was such a blessing to her and so enriching like a “three-in-one”—Bible study, Christian fellowship, sightseeing all in one. It is for this reason we call our trip a “pilgrimage” rather than a “tour”. By “pilgrimage” we do not mean to earn merits for heaven for this is impossible—salvation is God’s free gift. We participate as Reformation pilgrims to remember God’s providential hand in Church history, to learn from the testimony and ministry of the faithful saints and martyrs of bygone days, and to search God’s Word and seek His will for our lives today. We are hereby enjoined, “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Heb 13:7–8). We are grateful to the Lord for yet another rewarding pilgrimage. All glory to God alone! JK