MUSTARD SEED B-P CHURCH

Praise God for the founding of a new Bible-Presbyterian Church in Henan, China. Here is a report by our brother Li Yahui, a BRE and MRE graduate of FEBC, dated 11 November 2016:

“Time flies! In the past few months, I did experience the faithfulness and grace of God toward me in many ways especially in the ministry which He has led me to. At the point of graduation, I really did not know where and how I can serve the Lord in China. After I returned home, I went to some places to see whether the Lord would open the door for me or not. But He did not. So I spent almost two months at home to pray and wait upon the Lord for guidance. And amazingly, through the higher hand of our Lord, I got to know the College students’ fellowship which I now serve. It was started by a sister in Christ two years ago, but because of the poor health of that sister, she could not take care of the brethren in this fellowship well, and she prayed for a full-time minister to come to take over and serve in it. And the Lord led her to meet with my father in a preachers’ conference. With much prayer, I went to this fellowship.

“Thank God for His grace and help in my life, I have served in this fellowship for two months plus. In the ministry, I appreciated the teachings and training in FEBC very much. Every week I preach and teach four times. On Friday and Saturday nights, I teach them Systematic Theology (part 1) and the Theology of Prayer, and the brethren have been much blessed. I thank God for FEBC to teach me the wrong teachings and practices of the Ecumenical movement as well as the Charismatic movement, so that we can keep ourselves from all of these wrong movements.

“By His grace, this fellowship has turned into a house-church. The regular attendance for the Sunday service is about 15 brethren. Even though it is a small church without any support, we do see the good hand of the Lord on it, it suffers no lack. After I shared with them the faith of Bible-Presbyterianism, they are much enlightened and convinced about what B-P stands for. As a result, we have named our church ‘Mustard Seed Bible-Presbyterian Church’.

“I always remember what you have told us in the class as well as encouraged me to start a church by saying that ‘the church of God is like a mustard seed, not a mushroom. The mustard seed is small yet it grows steadily, not like the mushroom which grows big overnight, but withers very soon after’. Indeed, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof’ (Matt 13:31–32).”

The mustard seed analogy in reference to church planting and growth came from the Rev Dr Timothy Tow, founding pastor of the Bible-Presbyterian movement in Southeast Asia and founding principal of the Far Eastern Bible College. We are thankful for our graduates who step out in faith to serve God unconditionally and faithfully. Yahui was supported by Tabernacle BPC when he was a student at FEBC. Do pray for Yahui and the newly planted Mustard Seed BPC. JK

 

THANK GOD FOR ALL HIS PROVISIONS

Testimony of Mrs Leanne Joseph at FEBC’s End-of-Semester Thanksgiving Service,
11 November 2016

Good evening, my name is Wong Shan Yi Leanne Joy, now also Leanne Joseph. I am 30 years old from Singapore.

As today marks the end of my fulltime studies in the Far Eastern Bible College and I think about my thesis still in the process of being written, and much less developed than the baby girl steadily growing in my womb, I am a flurry of emotions. Has it already been two and a half years? I thank God for five semesters being trained in FEBC, for True Life which supported me, for my friends, family, I am thankful that my grandfather is here tonight to give thanks to God, and I thank God for my FEBC family. Thank God for He has provided abundantly for all our physical needs especially a beautiful campus, student accommodation and all the facilities we need to study here. Thank God for all that I have learned and for those who have taught me. As Paul reminds Timothy, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Tim 3:14).

Thank God for all our lecturers, each one of them loves the students wholeheartedly and puts in the time and effort to train us. We hang on to their every word and learn much from their exemplary godly lives, especially those who continue to labour for the Lord well into their golden years, forgoing retirement to train us fledglings. Specifically, I thank God for the most special teacher, Mrs Ivy Tow. Not just our Greek lecturer, she also has the hardest task of teaching us every day, every semester. She dishes out good food for our bellies and good advice for our souls, particular to each student’s folly. Sometimes, that advice comes with a shell, or rather a shelling. But it is all for our good because she loves us deeply like a wise grandmother who has been through the struggles of life and ministry, and who also happens to be a drill sergeant.

There have been so many blessed moments in FEBC, my sisters in the girls’ dorm have witnessed much of it as we share our sorrows and our joys, I am thankful for them—for their tender encouragement through song, Scripture and mutual intercession. My time in FEBC has taught me more of God’s Word, more of how to rightly divide the Word of God and many much needed life lessons. I came to FEBC from a life of escaping—escaping reading, writing, research papers, theses and examinations. But I got caught, for the training in FEBC consists of all of the above. Thankfully, my fears have since been eased as I now see the benefits and enjoy the challenge. I learned discipline and I also learned to scrub the toilet on my hands and knees. Through FEBC, my life has been whipped and shaped, I have gone through intense pressure and pain that I might be less like the world and a little more like Christ.

Of the many unforgettable lessons, please let me share with you four of the more memorable moments:

Beginning with my first semester, I failed my first research paper in our Old Testament History class. This is not an anomaly, except that mine was an exemplary failure. The lecturer announced to the class, not my name, but the title of my paper and my error and then he said, “Fail or not? Sure fail!” But it was good, for when I crumbled then was I humbled! I meekly retreated to my room and woefully sang, “O Jesus I have promised to serve thee to the end.” From this failure I learned humility and perseverance.

In my second semester, the Lord sent an eye disease the day before the exams. I went to our deacon, Dr Chan, and then the Eye Centre at SGH. This totally disrupted my study plan! Not to mention the painful swelling, dizziness and headache that forced me to rest and I could not study for the Greek Elementary Part II examination. This chastisement was because I had trusted more in my study plan than in God. God’s Word says, “Be not wise in thine own eyes…Cease from thine own wisdom!” From this chastisement I learned to fully, not partially, trust in God. But the best thing is that all things do work together for good! For this was one of the significant events for my husband, Sam, for his heart was moved when he saw my pitiful state! And by God’s leading, we got married last year! But that is a story for another time.

In another recollection, I was shocked and appalled to realise that I had prepared harder for a mock Sunday School lesson assignment in FEBC than for an actual Sunday School lesson in church. I realised what a hypocrite and a fool I had been. I sorely, bitterly repented. From this I learned to guard my motives, to be careful to do all things as unto the Lord.

Finally, last semester, we had a miscarriage, this too was according to God’s will, and even in this God was so gracious. It was a silent miscarriage, so it was only during our mid-term break that our obstetrician discovered that it had occurred two weeks earlier! I had the operation on Monday and could rest and recover for the whole week. Our faithful and gracious God saw both Sam and me peacefully through our semester, strengthening our trust in His will. From this we learned that God’s ways are higher than ours, we experienced the love and comfort of the Christian family, and in the process our marriage was greatly strengthened through our loss.

Through it all, as He has promised (Josh 1:8–9), God has been with me withersoever I went. In every trial, struggle, failure—both big and small, He has forgiven, comforted, and strengthened me to press on. As I look back over the past two and a half years, I see how I have changed: I started out with a great desire to serve God, but it plunged to doubt, defeat and despondency as the difficulties and sufferings came. Thankfully, now at the end of my studies I am happy, content and thankful to be found within God’s will, determined to dutifully and diligently serve God no matter the cost. Thank God for this last semester as I had a lighter study load in view of the heavier, wrigglier load in my womb, allowing time to ease into motherhood. As our principal and pastor said at our wedding, “The home becomes a mini Bible College where the mother is the Bible professor, to teach the children Scripture and theology.” Now, as I delightedly prepare to give birth in February and serve God by being a Wife and Mom, I thank God for the marvelous time I have had in FEBC, the all-rounded training received here is second to none.

FEBC fulfills her divine purpose to train and equip hardy fulltime workers for God. It is a loving yet no-nonsense college, a small but strong defender of the Truth. We, who have the privilege of sitting within these walls, have no excuse but to be better, more useful Christians for it. May the Lord help me to continue in all that I have learned and been assured of here and truly live by faith, to serve Him by faith, and to finish the race in faith.

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:28–29). May the Lord preserve FEBC, that she will remain faithful and fervent until our Lord’s return. All glory be to God, amen.