USING THE BIBLE: HARDCOPY OR SMARTPHONE?

More and more are reading their Bible from smartphones. I am not against smartphones, but I would discourage the reading and studying of the Bible in smartphones. Why? Let me give you three reasons:

(1) Distracting: In a church worship service, it may distract you from paying attention to the Bible because the temptation to multitask is there. Yes, you may be reading the Bible, listening to the sermon, but at the same time you may be tempted to think, “I can quickly check my email, SMS, Whatsapp, Facebook or Twitter to see what’s up—it’s only for a minute or two”. Since it is only a click away—the temptation to do so is very real. Worse, some may be reading the news or playing games. “Nobody will know. Everyone is on their smartphones anyway I can get away with it.” No one may know, but God knows.

(2) Damaging: It may do damage to the way you read the Bible. Wittingly or unwittingly you may cultivate a bad habit of reading the Bible outside of its context. Since the screen is small, you may develop a “tunnel vision” of the biblical text; you only see one verse or just a couple of verses and thus fail to see the context. It is important to read and understand a text in its immediate and wider context. The open pages of a book with the text and its context spread out allow you to do that more clearly and effectively.

(3) Deluding: It may subtly delude you into thinking that when you read the Bible you are dealing with a virtual instead of the real world. It may cause you to think that the Bible is like Facebook—it is something casual, not serious. A browse is enough, no need to dig in. Or worse, the Bible is equated with fake news and gossip, and not Gospel Truth or Sacred Scripture.

My pastoral plea is: Please bring your Bible to Church, and when I say Bible, I mean the good old-fashioned Book (ink, paper, pages), not your smartphone. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” (1 Cor 10:23). JK

MISSIONS NEWS & UPDATE

Brisbane/Vietnamese BPCs

Dear Pastor Jeffrey Khoo, Elder Joseph, Elder Mern Yee Tai, and the Session of True Life BPC,

My warmest greetings to you in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’s blessed Name.

I truly thank God and True Life BPC for your kind prayer and support for my ministry in Brisbane over the years. I also thank God for Brisbane BPC and Vietnamese BPC for their kind prayer and support as well. The financial support (a total of A$1,500.00/month) for my ministry last year is as follows:

• From True Life BPC: S$165.00/month
• From Brisbane BPC: A$900.00/month
• From Vietnamese BPC: $435.00/month

We really thank God for His grace and Word that our brethren have known the church’s duties and responsibilities to take care of God’s servants (Deut 18:1–8; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor 9:7–14; 2 Cor 11:8; Phil 4:15–19; 1 Tim 5:17–18; etc.). Thus, at our recent ACM, Brisbane BPC has kindly increased my stipend from $900.00 to $1,100.00 per month, so my total stipends from the brethren in Brisbane are as follows:

• From Brisbane BPC: A$1,100.00/month
• From Vietnamese BPC: A$435.00/month

Learning from our Lord Jesus Christ, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and from our late beloved Principal, Rev Dr Timothy Tow, who usually taught his students, “Self help with God’s help is the best help,” we shall trust in the Lord to support ourselves financially and humbly request True Life BPC to use my monthly financial support for other ministries as True Life is supporting several missionaries, FEBC students and the church building fund. Thank you very much.

How grateful I am when I recall God’s loving care for my ministry in Brisbane through True Life BPC’s financial support for over 11 years! How thankful I am that by God’s grace the monthly financial support from True Life from A$1,000.00/month has been slowly reduced until we can support ourselves from now onward! It is by God’s grace alone that I am enabled to serve the Lord not as an hireling over the years, even with more work to do for the two churches as well as the revision of the Vietnamese Bible! All thanks, praise and glory must be to the Lord our God alone!

It is my privilege to be still a missionary of True Life BPC with your kind prayer support, encouragement, and advice as well as the spiritual retreat and fellowship with True Lifers at your Church Camp every year. I am so much encouraged to pray with Pastor Jeffrey Khoo for each other’s ministries and churches over the phone almost every week! How I am so blessed and grateful!

True Life BPC and FEBC are always in my heart and prayer with much gratitude. May the Lord strengthen you and richly bless you and your ministry.

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Hien Nguyen

New Life Student Centre, Yangon

Here’s an email from NLSC (28 July 2017):

By the grace of God and your prayers and love gift support, all the children and I and my family are fine and doing well.

Yesterday I have received amount Ks 4400000 (Myanmar Kyat) that True Life BPC sent: designated love gifts S$3490, and half-yearly support S$960. Total is S$4450. Thanks to God and to True Life BPC.

This time is rainy season and many people are sick (flu) but by the grace of God and your prayers we all (NLSC) are fine and healthy. The students are studying hard for their school lessons and they did well in their monthly examination this week. All their daily activities are smooth and they are happy in the Lord.

I am very happy and thankful to the Lord and to True Life BPC for your prayers and support for our spiritual and physical daily needs. To God be the glory.

We (NLSC) always pray to God that He may bless, take care, prosper and increase True Life BPC and your daily life for His glory and for His kingdom’s sake.

Again we always give thanks to the Lord and to True Life BPC for your love and love gift support for NLSC for His glory. To God be the glory. Thanks.

We all here pray for you and for True Life BPC and FEBC always.

Yours in Christ,

Bro Thangno

New Life Student Centre

Philippine Missions

True Life BPC is supporting missions in the Philippines under Dr Jose Lagapa. The various Philippine ministries are as follows:

(1) Bible Equipping Seminar and Training (once every four months): Systematic Theology class to 25–30 village pastors for 4 days.

(2) Bible Conference for Pastors (once in every 2 years): A conference with a Singaporean B-P minister as the speaker for a 3 days/2 nights conference attended by around 100–150 pastors.

(3) Young People’s Bible Conference (once in every 2 years): A 3 days/2 nights conference attended by around 75–100 Christian youth leaders.

(4) Church Worker’s Workshop (annual, every May): A workshop with invited facilitators to help Christian workers in serving the church e.g. Sunday School Teachers’ Workshop, estimated attendance is 150–200 workers.

(5) Vacation Bible School (annual, every May): A joint ministry with Gingoog Fundamental Baptist Church in conducting their VBS for 3 days in currently 6 stations attended by around 400–450 children.

(6) Teens Bible Day Camp (annual, every May): A camp for 75–100 youths of Gingoog Fundamental Baptist Church, outreaches and invited unbelievers.

(7) Bible Class for Every Christian (annual, every May): A class of 40–50 adults of Gingoog Fundamental Baptist Church and outreaches from a book of the Bible.

Baraka BPC, Bethlehem

The Baraka Bible-Presbyterian Church in Bethlehem is in need of a missionary who can play the piano. Accommodations are available for one or two in the
church house at Shepherds Field. If interested, please contact Rev Danny Awad, Baraka B-P Church, PO Box 11665, Jerusalem 9111601, Israel. Website: www.barakachurch.com.

Word of Life, Siem Reap

Pray for Pastor & Mrs Khoo and 12 others (Bee Heng & Yee Fong, Bun Kouy, Dn Charles & Jenny, Janelle, Joycelyn, Judy, Katherine, Priscilla, Qiaoyan, Sok Sin) who will be in Siem Reap to conduct a VBS for the Word of Life BPC (Pr Tann Heng), September 5–10. Pastor will conduct the Sacraments on the Lord’s Day.