In Cana of Galilee, a neighbouring city of Nazareth, Jesus performed His first miracle— turning water into wine at a wedding dinner (John 2:1-12).

In making wine, is Jesus here teaching that it is alright to drink? Our late founding pastor, Dr Timothy Tow, in his commentary on the Gospel of John, under the heading—“The Wine of Life Not the Whisky of Death”—wrote, “Because of the wine that was made by our Lord in Cana of Galilee, certain Christians have taken to drinking, and to the serving of strong alcoholic drinks at their wedding dinners with loud ‘yam sengs’. This is a misunderstanding and mis- application of the truth.

“The wine that Jesus made, according  to  Hastings  Bible Dictionary, like the Hebrew wines, was light. This is concurred by Dr R L Harris in an article in The Bible Today in which he points out the vast difference in alcoholic content between such wine and the whiskies and brandies of today. Dr Buswell humorously observed that these modern ‘yam seng’ type of ‘wines,’ like gasohol, can be used to run a motor car. But he added, ‘Our stomachs are not combustion engines.’

“Moreover, the Palestinian wine used in the meals of the Hebrews was in diluted form. The wine of Sharon was mixed with two parts of water, being lighter than others. With the other wines, the proportion was one part wine and three parts water.

“The danger of wine to make a person drunk is warned by none other than King Solomon (read Prov 23:29-35). Therefore, it is best for Christians to keep away from intoxicating drinks. Be teetotalers!”

Heed the warning of Proverbs 23:29- 35, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”

Have You Counted the Cost?

E H Eio

Most people like the concept of Democracy but few realise that Democracy and responsibility go together like bread and butter. Men like to enjoy freedom but they do not bother much about responsibility. In like manner, it is great to embrace the Christian faith. You are sure of eternal life if you believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as your personal Saviour but are you aware of the cost to follow Jesus?

Men want the benefits of salvation and at the same time enjoy the sinful pleasures of this life—“eat, drink and be merry”. They want the best of two worlds but is that allowed in God’s Word? The answer is obviously, “No”.

Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matt 16:24). “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15). The apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Rom 12:1, 2).

The acid test is when you can sing “I have decided to follow Jesus. The world behind me, the cross before me. No turning back, no turning back.”

Have you counted the cost?!

Ministry Down Under

There are six Bible-Presbyterian Churches (BPC) in Australia: BPCWA (Perth), Hope BPC (Adelaide), Bethel BPC and Ebenezer BPC (Melbourne), Sydney BPC and Brisbane BPC. Of all the BPCs in Australia, Brisbane is closest to our heart because the Rev Hien Nguyen was adopted as True Life’s missionary preacher in 2004 before he was ordained as Pastor of Brisbane BPC in 2007.

Hien was providentially led by theLord to pursue his theological studies at the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) after he left Trinity Theological College because of its liberalism. In FEBC, he found himself at home and happy for all the truths of Scripture he was learning and receiving. He excelled in his studies and earned his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees with honours. After his graduation, he joined his wife Trang who after graduating from the University of Queensland found employment in Brisbane. They have two children— daughter Hahn and son Timothy.

The Brisbane BPC began as a Bible study in the City Library. It later met in a rented apartment, and then in a house—the home of Hien and his family. In 2006, the Brisbane BPC was registered with the government as a religious society. Besides Hien and his family, Tim and Anne Low (an FEBC alumna) and their son Zac were instrumental in getting the church registered. After registration, the church rented a community hall for their worship services. But shortly after, the Lord provided them with a better place at St John’s Presbyterian Church (King Street, Annerley) for their Lord’s Day service in the afternoon. They continue to use the church hall for their services to this day. The inauguration service was held on 18 March 2007 and the Rev Stephen Khoo was the speaker. He spoke from Acts 1:8, “Ye Shall Be My Witnesses”.

Hien was finally ordained as a minister of the gospel in May 2007. He continues to serve the Lord by preaching His inerrant Word to His people and praying for them. He writes out his sermons in full and publishes them in his church weekly. He is a regular contributor to the daily devotional—RPG (Read, Pray, Grow), and writes Christian articles for a Vietnamese newspaper. The Lord has recently opened the door for him to preach in a number of Vietnamese churches in Brisbane.

I am thankful for the prayer ministry of the Rev Hien. He would call me almost every week to pray with me for True Life BPC and FEBC. I thank the Lord for another opportunity to visit Brisbane BPC to speak in their 5^th anniversary thanksgiving. The last time Jemima and I were there was in 2009. Deborah and Judith who were there as well ministered in song. This time all three will join me again plus Dr and Mrs Chan Kay Heem.

We pray we will be a blessing and an encouragement to the Rev Hien, his family and the brethren in Brisbane. I will conduct a Bible Seminar on the theme “Church Growth God’s Way”, and deliver the message at the anniversary thanksgiving service, 10- 11 March 2012. After the anniversary celebrations, we will spend some time of rest and recreation in the Tambourine Mountains before heading back home on March 14^th, quite on time to conduct a service of blessing for newly married couple Gabriel Koh and Casey Fan. Covet your prayers. JK