FAR EASTERN BIBLE COLLEGE

FEBC started its new semester with a day of prayer on July 15, 2019. The Rev Dr Haposan Siregar was the Lord’s messenger and he spoke from Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He reminded all to come to the Lord Jesus who is fully God and fully Man for salvation. He shared how the Lord had not only saved him spiritually but also physically—he almost died from a broken skull in a motorcycle accident but the Lord healed him. Haposan graduated from FEBC with his BTh in 1987. He later went on to earn his DMin from the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Indonesia. His son Martin has just enrolled into FEBC for his BTh.

FEBC is in the process of faculty upgrading. Lecturers and tutors are encouraged to pursue their doctorate. With effect from this semester, Samuel Joseph who had just graduated with his ThM is appointed Greek tutor. He together with the Rev Clement Chew has commenced doctoral studies at FEBC. FEBC’s doctoral programmes (DRE/ThD) are also offered to our foreign graduates especially those involved in the Bible College movement. Two Kenyans Nelson Were and Jonathan Langat are in their final stages of the DRE programme.

Eileen Chee (Matron’s Assistant) will be heading to Haifa University in the Holy Land to pursue an MA in Israel Studies (one-year programme starting in October). We bid her Godspeed.

Ten new full-time students joined the College this semester: (1) Eol Jeon (Korea), (2) Gracia Lee (Singapore), (3) Hadassah Chew (Singapore), (4) Go Hyeon Been (Korea), (5) Kharis Yonatan (Indonesia), (6) Kim Sangkwon (Korea), (7) Kim Semi (Korea), (8) Martin Eliezer Siregar (Indonesia), (9) Um Jinsun (Korea), (10) Roel de Gusman Requireme (Philippines).

Total enrolment this semester (Jul-Nov 2019) is 619: 86 day students (fulltime: 48, part-time: 38), 278 students in the Basic Theology for Everyone (BTFE) night classes, and 255 distance learning students. Students enrolled from these 14 countries: Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The lecturers/tutors and courses offered this semester are: Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo: Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology, Hebrews, Jude, Greek Exegesis I; Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew: Homiletics, Minor Prophets II, Contemporary Theology III, Hebrew Reading I; Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy: Systematic Theology I, Ezekiel; Rev Stephen Khoo: Church History I; Rev Dr Koa Keng Woo: Bible Geography II, Church Music IV; Rev Tan Kian Sing: Ephesians; Mrs Ivy Tow: Greek Elementary I; Mrs Jemima Khoo: Introduction to Christian Education, Pianoforte; Miss Carol Lee: Sunday School Curriculum Development, Jesus the Master Teacher; Dr Jose Lagapa: Westminster Confession of Faith; Rev Clement Chew: Hebrew Elementary I; Mr Samuel Joseph: Greek Reading I; Mrs Anne Lim: English Intensive I; Mrs Irene Lim: English Intermediate I; and Eld Han Soon Juan: English Advanced I.

Alumni Greetings

From China

Greeting you in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Tomorrow will be the start of another new semester. I have prayed for all of you (FEBC is always in my prayers). The Lord bless all of your labours for Him. I also pray that all of the students will learn much and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and be well prepared for His work.

Please also pray for me that the Lord will make His will clear concerning where to restart the Mustard Seed BPC. Thank God that in the past month, I visited brother Xinkai, sisters Sufang and Conghui. Thank God for opportunities to serve Him both in preaching and teaching His Word in the hometown church and in other places (youth conference, fellowship, and church services).

In Christ
Li Yahui (14 July 2019)

From Brisbane, Australia

We truly give thanks and praise to the Lord for His grace, protection, guidance and blessings upon FEBC over the years. We thank God for His grace that the new semester can start today with a Day of Prayer.

We join with you in your prayer. May the Lord our God, who is always faithful and the same, sovereign, almighty, all-knowing, gracious, holy and true, be with you, strengthen you, preserve you, and richly bless you and your teaching, training and studying based on the firm foundation of His divinely inspired and providentially preserved Word, even the eternal Truth.

May the Lord use you as His faithful Witness and Lighthouse in our days of spiritual darkness full of compromise, confusion, deception, worldliness, ungodliness and apostasy.

Yours faithfully in Christ,
Hien Nguyen (15 July 2019)

From Perth, Australia

Praise God for the FEBC “Day of Prayer” and the commencement of the first semester of the 2019/20 Academic Year.

The sermon of the Good Shepherd occurred during the Festival of Dedication (John 10:22), which commemorated the rededication and cleansing of the Temple following its defilement by Antiochus Epiphanes.

Jesus Christ said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27) KJV

Those who have been to the Holy Land will have noticed many shepherds. During early Biblical times, instead of the sheep following the sheep, the sheep followed the shepherd. Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations in the world.

Jesus Christ used two verbs to describe His sheep. Firstly, He said that His sheep hear His voice and secondly, His sheep would follow Him. Therefore, they both heard (listened) and followed (obeyed) their Shepherd. This is an obedient response which was in contradistinction to that of the Jews.

In His majestic authority, Jesus Christ said, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) KJV

Jesus Christ promised that His sheep (true believers) shall never perish and further emphasized their security by adding eternal life unto them. Therefore, they shall never perish and no one can take them out of the Lord’s hand.

As students at FEBC, may you hear the voice of Jesus Christ (through His inspired and perfectly preserved Word) and follow Him, as the sheep follow the Shepherd.

In His Service,
Rev Errol D Stone (15 July 2019)

From India

Thank God for the beginning of another new semester in FEBC. May God help the new students to benefit from the sound teachings offered in FEBC.

In India last year, we started offering Bible courses to local pastors and students under Gethsemane Bible Institute. The recorded lectures of Rev Koshy were offered and I am also teaching some subjects. We currently have 10 students. Out of that, 7 students are enrolled full-time. Among the students, there are 5 local pastors.

We currently don’t have many recorded lessons in GBI. Many subjects available were already offered. I talked to Rev Koshy about this and he said he had a discussion about this with you and suggested enrolling the students in FEBC online classes. Thank you so much for extending this opportunity of learning to the students here.

I checked the website and found that courses on Lamentations, NT Survey and OT History are available. It will be good if students here can be enrolled for Lamentations and NT Survey.

For GBI classes, we use recorded lectures and play it on a TV (it’s not live). Playing live courses will pose some challenges because of internet connectivity. But we will try and see whether we can conduct the lessons smoothly.

May the Lord bless the teaching ministry of FEBC to equip many more men in different parts of the world.

In Christ,
Sujith Samuel (16 July 2019)

From Kenya

Shermaine and myself are rejoicing together with FEBC for the start of another academic year. Our prayers are with the faculty and the student body. May the Lord continually grant grace unto our lecturers as they fight the good fight of faith in their teaching ministry, and that God may train and raise up more faithful servants for the harvest field.

We pray continually for the Lord’s keeping of FEBC, that her light may shine forth brightly even when colleges and seminaries around the world are sadly turning secular. Even in Nairobi, Kenya, a supposedly Christian state, theological departments are either shutting down or shrinking. Therefore, though we may be away in the mission field, our hearts are encouraged always to know that at home, our alma mater stands strong and we pray for her continually.

Here in BCEA Kenya, we are 1 week to the final examinations (Term 2). Thereafter, the 3-week BMin programme will commence during the term-break. Pray for us, that the students may also take their training seriously and learn the good doctrines that we have been so taught in FEBC.

We greet also all our teachers, especially Mrs Tow that God may continue to keep her in good health and strength for the term ahead. It is our prayer that God may bless all richly for His glory.

In Christ,
James and Shermaine (16 July 2019)

Celebrating the Rev Dr Koa Keng Woo’s (3^rd from left) 90^th birthday at FEBC’s annual retreat in Mersing.