Countdown to Jubilee (III)
My Faithful Alma Mater
Rev Dr Park Seung Kyu
By the grace of God, through the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC), I am what I am. It is a tremendous blessing that I became alumnus (foster child or adopted son) of my faithful alma mater (nurturing mother). The FEBC is going on the narrow way faithfully in these last days. The Principal of the Far Eastern Bible College—the Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo—preached on “Faithfulness in His Majesty’s Service” at the 37th Graduation Service of the FEBC, May 6, 2012. This sermon has touched my heart. In his sermon, the Principal said, “Many Bible colleges begin well, but after one or two generations they backslide and even apostatise. How to prevent FEBC from following the same downward spiral? Faithfulness I believe is the key watchword.” And he said the FEBC, if she is to survive and succeed, needs (1) faithful words, (2) faithful teachers, and (3) faithful students. Truly the blessings through my alma mater came upon me in these three ways:
Faithful Words
Before studying at FEBC, I had already completed seven years of theological training. During those years I experienced a terrible crisis in my spiritual life. It was in a Greek Reading class when I read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew that I found something amiss. My Greek Bible did not have the last part of the Lord’s Prayer; “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen,” was missing in The Greek New Testament, 4th revised edition published by Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. I was shocked and asked my Greek professor immediately, “Where is the last part of the Lord’s Prayer? What happened to my Greek Bible?” He smiled at me and told me, “Brother, don’t worry! There is nothing wrong with your Greek Bible. In the original, that portion does not exist.” My second question followed, “Then why do the Korean Bible and the English Bible contain that portion? I think that the Korean and the English Bible must follow the Greek Bible.” But He kept quiet. The class ended. Since then, I have been trying to get the answer to this question. I even taught myself textual criticism. But all my studies brought me more confusion. Finally, I concluded that, “The Bible is not perfect. The interpretation of the text is more important than the text itself.” Alas! I became a philosopher like a Gnostic. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3). How sad it was!
I was the best student in the sight of my professors. Especially those who had studied in the USA kept trying to send me to the USA for my further studies. But the Lord did not allow me to go there. Just one month before the last semester of my seven years of studies, He opened the door for me to go abroad. It was the way to the FEBC. Here I got the answer to the old question in my mind which almost destroyed my fundamental faith. I was introduced by the FEBC lecturers to the Textus Receptus (Received Text). In this text, I found the last portion of the Lord’s Prayer. My soul had rest at last. Furthermore, I learnt the doctrine of the verbal and plenary preservation (VPP) of the Holy Scriptures which is intertwined with the doctrine of the verbal and plenary inspiration (VPI) of the Holy Scriptures. Through the doctrine of VPP, I got to know the real meaning of the doctrine of VPI. How blessed it is!
Faithful Teachers
I am a historian. Whenever I study church history, I feel so sad because church history is none other than the record of her apostasy. As such, it is very hard to find a servant of the Lord who has been faithful to Him and His Word in his entire life. But thank God I at least got to know one spiritual giant in my generation—the Rev Dr Timothy Tow, who was the founder of the FEBC and the Bible- Presbyterian (B-P) Movement in Southeast Asia. He was my teacher as well. It was a great privilege to live at the same time with that kind of person. Everyone who knew him commented that he was a faithful teacher. For me he was more than a teacher; he was more like a father. He taught his students with the heart of a father. I would never forget him. “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Cor 4:15). Even though some of his students became the enemies of the Lord and His Word, the Rev Dr Timothy Tow passed on the torch to the next generation, to faithful teachers who were of same mind, spirit, faith and theology as him. They were tested and have survived in the battlefield for the Word of God. The good doctrine of FEBC has saved the teachers as well as the students. We learn this from the Apostle Paul, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim 4:16). They are still fighting with a burning heart “for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:9). Like the Apostle Paul, they tell the students, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). I know my teachers of the FEBC very well. They are more diligent and humble than their students. They teach students not only with knowledge but also with their lives. I want to be like them because they are faithful to the Lord and to His Word like the Rev Tow. How blessed it is to have such teachers!
Faithful Students
The Principal of the FEBC—Dr Khoo— said in his sermon, “our desire is not so much for many students but for good and faithful students who are truly called by God and sincere to serve the Lord humbly and unconditionally. We pray for students who will become faithful teachers and not traitors of the faith. If we are to be faithful servants, then we must be prepared to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ.” I was trained to be a faithful student by the faithful teachers of the FEBC. Am I a faithful student? Will I be a faithful student of God’s forever infallible and inerrant Words until the end of my life? Only God knows! I just pray unto the Lord that I might be a faithful student of His Word, and a faithful alumnus of my faithful alma mater. It is a great encouragement for me that once upon a time my beloved teachers were faithful students of their faithful teachers.
The Principal concluded his sermon with these words: “Graduands, you have the faithful Words of God taught to you by faithful teachers. May you continue to be faithful students when you leave the College.” Amen!
May the Lord bless my faithful alma mater so that she may have more faithful alumni.
[The Rev Dr Park Seung Kyu has served as Pastor of the Korean Service of True Life BPC since 2006. God willing, at the end of the year, he will return to Korea to help start a fundamental theological seminary in Seoul. The Rev Park has a PhD in Church History from Kyung Hee University, Korea. He is a candidate for the ThD at FEBC. The Bible College movement presses on!]
Can Any Good Come Out of a Small College?
Dr Cho-Kim Jung Nyun
In the year 2000, my husband and I were sent to Singapore by Onnuri Community Church and BEE Korea as missionaries. However, up until that moment, it never crossed my mind that I would become a full- time missionary one day. At the time, I enjoyed teaching piano at a college, and was satisfied with my life. I had never considered the possibility of becoming a missionary in my life. However when I heard God’s call, I could not ignore it. Eventually, I decided to obey and to come to Singapore. When I finally committed to becoming a full-time missionary, I realised that I needed to know more about God to adequately equip myself for ministry, and so I began to look for a Bible college. I found FEBC.
My first semester was rather tough because I had to study the Bible in English which was not my first language. Even though I had already finished my master’s degree in piano performance and had various educational experiences in the States, studying the Bible in English was a totally different story. For example, I could not even recite the Lord’s Prayer in English. In addition, all the classes were burdensome due to the heavy workload as well as the tight schedule. On top of that, while the colleges that I attended up to that point were of high reputation, FEBC was the smallest college that I had ever attended. I judged according to appearance and said to myself, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
However, as time passed, I realised such thoughts were mere misconceptions based on my human thoughts. FEBC became one of the most precious schools that I had ever attended, because at FEBC I learned about Jesus Christ Himself. All the lecturers were not only teaching knowledge but were also sharing their heart for the Kingdom of God. I also had the privilege of learning from the late Rev Timothy Tow and his humble life, and Rev Jeffrey Khoo and his devoted love for God regardless of the circumstances. Also, I have countless sweet and pleasant memories of FEBC. During my school days, I used to enjoy the surroundings of the college, especially the benches near the pond where I memorised my Greek words.
The celestial learning from FEBC became the foundation for my ministry as well as for my life to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Now I can proudly and thankfully say that it was God’s special blessing for me to be part of FEBC.
My sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanksgiving will always remain at FEBC which has been my spiritual hometown. Just as my Saviour Jesus Christ came out of the small town of Nazareth, I believe that precious and divine wisdom will constantly spring out from this small college of FEBC. Yes! Certainly as good things came out of Nazareth, good things will also come out of FEBC.
[Dr Cho-Kim Jung Nyun is a missionary of Biblical Education by Extension (BEE), Korea. She earned her MRE from FEBC in 2002, and went on to earn her PhD from Torch Trinity Graduate University in 2011.]
