LAST WORDS FOR LAST DAYS

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified itby his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed ishe that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time isat hand.”(Rev 1:1–3).

These are the first few words from the last book of the Bible. The last book of the Bible gives us the last words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. These last words are for us to know what will happen in the last days so that we might be prepared to meet the Lord when He comes.

The Bible tells us that the last days will not be good days. The world is not getting better as we know and can see; as a matter of fact it is getting from bad to worse.

Our Lord had warned that in the last days, “iniquity shall abound, [and] the love of many shall wax cold.”(Matt 24:12). The last days are described as “perilous” days, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”(2 Tim 3:1–5).

The question for us is: How can we prevent ourselves from being influenced and affected by this sin-laden and sin-cursed world in these last days? Is it possible for us to live joyful and peaceful lives in the midst of oppressing and depressing times? The Lord in His letters to the seven churches of Revelation says we can. The Lord wants us to be “overcomers” (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). In Revelation 21:7, the Lord promised, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”This is a great encouragement for us to live for Him in these last days.

Hence, the theme for our church camp is “Last Words for Last Days”. We are going to study Jesus’ words to the seven churches of Asia (Rev 2–3)—His word to Ephesus: Charity (Rev 2:1–7), to Smyrna: Faithfulness (Rev 2:8–11), to Pergamos: Doctrinal Purity (Rev 2:12–17), to Thyatira: Moral Purity (Rev 2:18–29), to Sardis: Watchfulness (Rev 3:1–6), to Philadelphia: Evangelism (Rev 3:7–13), to Laodicea: Commitment (Rev 3:14–22).

Why do we go to camp? It is so that we might “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”(Heb 10:25). The day of our Lord’s return is indeed approaching. I am glad we have a record number of 308 going to camp this year. Surely, this is one way of getting ready for our Lord’s return.

Let me share with you one good example of being ready for the Lord’s return:

POLYCARP OF SMYRNA

Polycarp was the greatest pastor and martyr of the 2^ndcentury. He was a personal disciple of the Apostle John.

Polycarp was a man of simple faith, full of love for God and His people. He finally died a martyr’s death in AD 156 during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius. How did Polycarp die for his faith?

The Roman emperor demanded worship from his subjects. When Christians refused to worship the emperor, they were accused of atheism. Polycarp taught that there is only one living and true God, and Jesus Christ is the only Saviour. Christians must worship only the living and true God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one else.

An order was issued for Polycarp’s arrest and trial. His disciples told him to hide, but Polycarp said, “I am not afraid of death. It is a privilege to die for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” But his disciples said that he must try to keep himself alive because if he died they would be left without a pastor. So, he relented and they hid him in the countryside, in a farmhouse. But he was betrayed by an unfaithful servant and the soldiers came looking for him. When the soldiers arrived in the house, he went down to meet them and greeted them. And they saw that he was a very old man, frail and hunchbacked. He told them there was no need for violence. He would go with them willingly, but on condition that they stayed for dinner first. The soldiers agreed for they were tired and hungry. While they ate, he prayed. The captain was touched by the kindness and prayer of Polycarp. He allowed Polycarp to ride on his carriage. The captain tried to persuade Polycarp to renounce his faith, bow down to the emperor’s statue and he would be freed.

Polycarp was brought to the stadium and the crowds were drunk and shouting, waiting for the next show. The governor Quadratus called the bishop to be brought before him. He then interrogated him:

Quadratus:Are you Polycarp, the Christian teacher?

Polycarp:I am.

Q:Sir, have respect for your age. This is no place for an old man. Just tell them what they want to hear so I can let you go. Just say ‘away with the atheists’ and you can leave in peace.

P (looking straight into the governor’s eye); You want to me say ‘away with the atheists’? These are the atheists (pointing to the bloodthirsty crowd).

Q:I am trying to make it easy for you. Worship the emperor and I will let you go.

P:I will only worship Christ and not the emperor. For 86 years I have been the servant of Christ and he has done me no wrong. How can I deny the king who saved me?

Q:I have wild beasts and I will deliver you to them if you do not change your mind.

P:Bring them in then. I was a sinner, but Christ saved me. I do not want to go back to my sin.

Q:If the lions do not scare you, maybe fire will! I will burn you at the stake unless you do what I say.

P:You threaten me with fire that burns temporarily because you do not understand the fire of hell which will burn eternally and punish the wicked. Do what you want to do.

Crowd shouted: Burn him, burn him.

Polycarp told them there is no need to nail him to the wood for he has no plan to escape. He said, “My God will give me strength to endure the flames and to stay in the flames until I am dead.”

Jesus said to the Church in Smyrna: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”(Rev 2:10).

MEN’S FELLOWSHIP
Aw Beng Teck

The Men’s Fellowship (MF)is an extension and sub-group of the Family Bible Fellowship(FBF), where like-minded brothers come together to study God’s Word, pray and strengthen themselves and one another in the Lord. (Note that this is a separate meeting from the regular monthly FBF meeting.)

The group, which was set up in 2017, is guided by Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” The underlying motivation is love for God, family and church. The call is for men to be actively involved in doing “good works” in the context of family, church and community. 

In the context of the family, the group’s goal is to provide a dedicated platform in which the man, as head of the family unit, can come together to learn and share on how to provide spiritual leadership to their family. 

In the church, the MFaims to reach out to brothers who are seeking for a group in the church to belong to where they can find encouragement and mutual support in their Christian walk, that each may be edified and built up in their faith. 

Ultimately, as we seek the Lord’s guidance and direction, we pray that the group will be actively involved in supporting the church in our evangelistic outreach, mission or activities that will advance the kingdom of God. Please pray for and with us.

In our upcoming meeting, we would like to invite brothers in True Life BPC to join us.

True Life BPC Camp Arnoma Grand Bangkok
10–15 June 2018