FROM THE ARCHIVES

Prayer Works Miracles

Testimony of Mr William Teo in Life Weekly,
23 January 1983

Last Lord’s Day, I came to Church with a heart heavier than I could carry and tears flowing inwards. Nevertheless, I was able to play “Matthew” at the Church entrance with a “sparkle”, as a member flattered me. He asked me repeatedly, “What is the secret of staying so bright every week?” He added, “You must have peace of mind all the time.” He is right; when you serve the Lord, He will bless you with His peace abundantly.

The whole of last week, that peace was replaced by sorrow. I wondered how Abraham felt when he delivered his son to the mountain top for sacrifice. Praise God, he was faithful to Him and he set us an example to follow—never question the Lord!

When the result of Kelvin’s head scan was made known to me, it was the end of the world to me. The result was conveyed by a well-known Consultant Neurologist based on the findings of a radiologist through their $2.5 million computer in a private hospital. I couldn’t understand how Kelvin was diagnosed “born with abnormal blood vessels.” In dismay I prayed: “Lord, why did you allow this to happen to my son, why Lord, why?” Obviously there was no answer as the Lord would not hear unless one humbled oneself and spoke to Him with respect and adoration. I was reminded, however, by the recent lectures that what we had received from the Lord was by His grace, and not what we deserved. In fact, the good that we don’t get, or the bad that we get, are what we rightly deserve because of our pride, arrogance and self-righteousness. When Pastor prayed for us last Lord’s Day, tears of comfort were shed.

On Monday we went to see the Neurologist for the letter to TTSH for admission for “inevitable surgery”. He asked me, “Are you a Christian?” “Yes” I replied. He looked at me with a smile and said, “God must be on your side. That is why nothing had happened to your boy during the three attacks.” These words lifted me to new heights and I responded, “Praise the Lord.” From there I drove Kelvin to TTSH with feeling of assurance. It is great to have God on our side. When we arrived at the ward, I was pleasantly surprised to meet the ward doctor who was Kelvin’s former Sunday School teacher. God must have put her there to help us. With the moving of the Holy Spirit on higher authorities, she managed to help us get a two-bed room for Kelvin. This is by no means a coincidence or luck as earlier checks confirmed that no rooms were available. Indeed the Lord must have gone ahead of us to prepare for our needs. This reminds me of how God prepared the stable at Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph.

After admission, the Neurosurgeon examined Kelvin and told me that Kelvin should go for an angiogram to confirm the head scan findings before he decided on the surgery. Thank God that earlier cries on bended knees had given me the strength to accept the advice. Nevertheless, the thought of surgery was unbearable and I would gladly take it over from Kelvin. Having experienced what a father’s love for a son is, I began to realise how much more my Heavenly Father loved me.

I came to last Tuesday’s prayer meeting to share my sorrows in tears and appealed for prayer that God might give wisdom to the doctors and give us strength to take what came along the way.

The next morning, my faith was strengthened when the senior doctor, an old Lifer, agreed to administer the angiogram for Kelvin. I had great confidence that God would guide the skilful hands of Christian doctors to eliminate all risks. I waited anxiously outside the Neurosurgical Theatre while he administered the test under GA. After 1½ hours, the doctor came out. He said, “I couldn’t find anything wrong with your son during the test, but I’ll study in detail when the X-ray films are out.” “Hallelujah! Praise His Name! He worked a miracle” was my immediate response. Before long, the Neurosurgeon greeted me with a cheerful smile to confirm the good news. After all details had been studied carefully, Kelvin was pronounced fit for discharge the next day because God had healed him miraculously without surgery.

I reminded Kelvin he must never forget the goodness and mercy of the Lord and all who prayed for him. My duty now is to teach Kelvin to serve Him throughout his life. Thank you for your earnest prayers, love, concern, encouragement and visitation. Praise His Name. Our God is a God who hears our cries, and He heals. Amen.

[Ed: Uncle William and his wife Jessie worship with us at True Life. Their son Kelvin for whom they prayed is now an Elder of a BP Church. Uncle William was a deacon and treasurer of Life BPC in the days of Rev Timothy Tow. Thank God for His special providence. “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Ps 103:1–5)]

MISSIONS REPORT

Grow in Grace and in Knowledge
Pr Park Jungil, Covenant BPC, Korea

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Pet 3:18)

In Grace

We purchased a new place for our ministry in December 2020. The previous place where we used to be was small. On top of that, the rental charges were high. So, we decided to get a new place for our ministry. We had prayed earnestly for the Lord to provide a new place for us. He answered our prayer. One day a real estate agent called us, and he showed us a place. The place was used by a heretical church previously. A lot of money is needed to purchase a shop lot in Korea. That is why we were not able to get a new place sooner. The place that was shown to us was cheap and was within our budget.Therefore, we quickly signed the contract to purchase the place.

Soon after the purchase, there was a serious leakage problem at the place. The leakage problem gave us a lot of headache and we regretted to purchase the place. However, we eventually found out the cause of the leak and got it fixed. In retrospect, we realise that without the problem we could not have gotten the place. The place was not even listed on the market because of the condition of the place. The Lord helped us to get the place for our ministry. The Lord answered our prayer in an unexpected way. We can now enjoy worship service at the new place. May God be praised.

Covenant BP Church in Korea was established in 2017. Since then, there was no other regular attendee except for the preacher’s family. Last year, the Lord brought us one regular attendee. Preacher’s wife had been sharing the gospel with him for a long time. However, he refused to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. Later on, he lost his job due to Covid-19. He was on the verge of bankruptcy. This incident humbled him. When we knew his situation, we started to pray together with him for his situation. The Lord heard and answered our prayer for him. He succeeded in getting a new job. The Lord also answered his other prayer requests. With these experiences, he started to open his heart to the Lord. Now, he has a new life. He attends our worship service regularly. He is happy to share his experience of God’s grace with others.

We are praying for his marriage and his growth in his spiritual life. We pray that the Lord will provide him with a helpmeet.

In Knowledge

We finished the study of the Gospel of John at the end of last year. Starting from this year, we have been studying the book of Hebrews. Now we have arrived at Chapter 7. It is a privilege for me as a preacher to expound God’s words on a weekly basis. I really thank FEBC for equipping me with theological and biblical knowledge, and also biblical languages for me to do biblical exposition.

I post Psalms with explanation on my church’s homepage for the morning devotion. It is a challenge for me, but God gives much grace for me to be able to do it consistently.

I have translated the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) into Korean. There are actually many versions of the WCF in Korean. Nevertheless, I translated it for my own study, and posted my translation on the church homepage. I have learned a lot through this translation about the Confession. I pray that I will be a good theological and biblical teacher in our church as we need to know God’s Word in depth.

We are grateful that True Life BPC is supporting us with love gifts and also in prayer. We are comforted and encourage because of your support. We promise that we will do our best for our Lord. May we all grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord, and Saviour Jesus Christ.

DAILY VACATION BIBLE COLLEGE

May 2–7, 8.30am–12pm, One Credit
On Campus and Livestream
Lecturer: Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo

The doctrine of biblical separation is life-saving; it is a doctrine for church purification and preservation. Come and study why and how this is the case in the light of Holy Scripture. Register tomorrow at FEBC Hall, 9A Gilstead Road, or online at www.febc.edu.sg.

Rev & Mrs Zhu Jianwei with daughters Lisa & Cherish