FEBC’S BLESSED OPENING DAY OF PRAYER

The Far Eastern Bible College had a blessed opening day of prayer on Monday 20 July 2015. Faculty, Board, alumni, and students gathered together in the church sanctuary to seek the Lord’s blessing upon the College at the start of a new academic term. We are thankful for our newly renovated campus at Gilstead Road with improved facilities especially the library. FEBC will hold a thanksgiving service and an open house in due time after things are more settled.

God’s Mandate

The Principal led in worship and spoke from Psalm 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” The Rev Dr Timothy Tow, our late founding Principal, had said, “To build a Bible College, you must have God’s mandate.” Without God’s mandate, those who attempt to start a Bible College are doomed to fail, and their labour to build one would be in vain.

FEBC was founded with God’s mandate in 1962. His good hand was upon His anointed servant, our founding Principal. It was not without hardships, but God was with him. Now into the second generation, the College by the grace of God has not departed from her original moorings on the infallible and inerrant Scriptures. In fact, we have strengthened our original position of faith by upholding and defending not just the Verbal Plenary Inspiration but also the Verbal Plenary Preservation of the Holy Scriptures (Ps 12:6-7, Matt 5:18). This good old conviction that God has preserved His words to the jot and tittle (literally) was held by the Reformation saints and our Reformed fathers. The Rev Isaac Watts, the father of Christian hymnody, believed this. In his hymn on Psalm 12 he wrote, “Thy Word, like silver sev’n times tried, through ages shall endure; the men that in thy truth confide shall find the promise sure.” We as a College have indeed found His promise sure. We believe it and have experienced it. Praise the Lord that the Lord not only preserves His saints but also His words.

Bible-Defending College

FEBC as a Bible College is first and foremost called to defend the Bible. In our defence of Faith and Scripture, it is vital that God be with us and for us. Psalm 127:1b says, “except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” Unless we defend the Faith according to God’s word, God’s will and God’s way, our efforts would be in vain, it would amount to nothing. Those who are too clever for their own good and seek to defend Christianity through their own human intellect and reasoning will find themselves powerless and ineffective in fulfilling the Great Commission. The Lord is not glorified and the people are not blessed. But if the glory of God fills our hearts and minds, and we are completely faithful and true to Him, then the Lord will be with us and He will be for us and will use us. The world will hate us, and the wicked will seek to destroy us. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30).

Falling of Seminaries in USA

Many fundamental Bible colleges and theological seminaries in the USA are failing and falling today. All began well but many today are compromising in doctrine and practice. Many are doubting, even denying the present infallibility and inerrancy of God’s Word, saying that the Bible today is somewhat corrupt and thus imperfect. In so doing, they belittle the God of the Bible whom they claim to believe, and undermine the very foundations of the Christian Faith.

Lately a number of fundamental seminaries have closed down: Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary closed down in August 2013, Temple Baptist Seminary in March 2015, Northland International University in April 2015, and Clearwater Christian College in June 2015. The closing of Clearwater was especially heartbreaking because we knew well the founding President—the late Dr Arthur Steele—who was a godly and faithful servant of the Lord. Dr Steele taught at FEBC in the years 1987-93 after he retired from Clearwater. When FEBC defended the doctrine of Verbal Plenary Preservation, he stood with FEBC. He said to me, “It is the truth”. You will be encouraged to read Dr Steele’s memoirs in FEBC’s journal The Burning Bush (2008): “The Iron Did Swim” (www.febc.edu.sg/ BBVol14_1.htm).

When seminaries are falling one by one, capitulating to the worldly philosophies and methods of this apostate generation, may FEBC remain stedfast and unmovable on the divinely inspired and perfectly preserved Word without compromise.

Encouragement from the Faculty

The lecturers encouraged the students with these verses: Matron Mrs Ivy Tow: “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” (Ps 34:10), “Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.” (Deut 3:22); Academic Dean Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew: “Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.” (Ps 99:9); Dean of Students Rev Dr Das Koshy: “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (Luke 10:27); Rev Stephen Khoo: “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.” (Ps 15:1-2); Rev Tan Kian Sing: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1 Tim 4:12); Miss Carol Lee: “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” (Ps 37:4-5).

We are happy that Clement Chew has joined the faculty as tutor in Elementary Hebrew. He took the Dean Burgon oath before all. Other lecturers in the faculty are the Rev Dr Koa Keng Woo and Mrs Jemima Khoo, and English tutors Mrs Anne Lim, Mrs Irene Lim and Elder Han Soon Juan. College directors Elder Dr Boaz Boon and Mr Wee Hian Kok were also present to encourage the students.

New Students and Alumni

We welcome the following new students: (1) Raggi Pabiona Aungon (Philippines), (2) Jung Heenam (Korea), (3) Kim Ju Sung (Korea), (4) Benjamin Lim Seh Beng (Malaysia), (5) Aprilaiza Saldivar Sible (Philippines), (6) Shermaine Tan Pek Suan (Singapore), (7) Lukas Tram (Sarawak), (8) Van Sin Piang (Myanmar), and (9) Zhu Xinkai (China).

We appreciate our alumni who remember and pray for us. Esther Chew (MRE 2003) wrote, “Thank God for sustaining my beloved alma mater. Surely looking real handsome now! May the students appreciate the improved facilities and study well. Praying unceasingly for FEBC, True Life and you. Our Lord will bless and keep His school of prophets this new semester (20 July 2015) as He has all the past semesters. Very thankful for the much Bible knowledge from the 2 church camps…. Thank God for His never-ending mercies & providence. God bless.” (Email, 17 July 2015).

The Rev Errol Stone (BTh 1998, MMin 2008) of Faith Presbyterian Church (Perth, Australia) also sent his greetings: “Praying that the FEBC Day of Prayer be a blessed time as the commencement of the new semester and Academic Year of 2015/16.” (Email, 20 July 2015. His letter of encouragement is pinned on the college notice board.)

The Lord says, “Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.” (Isa 62:4). “If God delight in us, He’ll bring us by His Hand, to this land flowing milk and honey, to this our Land, our Beulah Land.” (T Tow). Amen. JK

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