Lord’s Day, Vol. 3 No. 36

(1) Stand Up for Jesus

– A Deathbed Challenge 

A revival broke out in Philadelphia in 1858 under the powerful preaching of twenty-nine-year old Dudley Tyng. Besides pastoring his own church, he held noonday services at the downtown YMCA that attracted great crowds.

On March 30 of that year, over five thousand men gathered for a meeting during which Rev. Tyng preached from Exodus 10:11, “Ye that are men, now go and serve the Lord.” Over one thousand of those present committed their lives to Christ. At one point in his sermon Rev. Tyng said, “I must tell my Master’s errand, and I would rather that this right arm were amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.”

The next week, while visiting in the country, he was watching the operation of a corn-threshing machine in a barn. In those days donkeys were used to pull a long pole around in a circle, the pole attached to wheels that would grind the grain.

Raising his hand to pet the head of one of the animals, a large cog caught his loose sleeve. In a moment, his right arm was drawn into the cog, lacterating it severely and severing the main artery. Four days later, gangrene set in and the arm was amputated close to the shoulder. Not long after, the shock to his system proved fatal, the young preacher went home to be with the Lord.

A reporter recorded that on Tyng’s death bed, Tyng took his father’s hand and said with much earnestness, “Stand up for Jesus, and tell all you meet to stand up for Jesus.”

The next Sunday, Tyng’s close friend and fellow worker, Rev. George Duffield, preached the morning sermon as a tribute to his departed friend. His text was from Ephesian 6:14, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” He concluded by reading a poem he had been inspired to write using the dying words of his co-worker. These words, later set to music, have been sung around the world as a hymn of challenge to Christians everywhere.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

            Ye soldiers of the cross!

Lift high His royal banner,

            It must not suffer loss.

From victory unto victory

His army shall He lead

Till every foe is vanquished,

            And Christ is Lord indeed.

 

Stand up, stand for Jesus,

            The trumpet call obey;

Forth to the mighty conflict

            In this His glorious day.

Ye that are men now serve Him

            Against unnumbered foes;

Let courage rise with danger

            And strength to strength oppose.

 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus!

            Stand in His strength alone;

The arm of flesh will fail you,

            Ye dare not trust your own.

Put on salvation armour,

            And watching unto prayer.

Where duty calls or danger,

            Be never wanting there.

 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus!

            The strife will not be long;

This day the noise of battle,

            The next the victor’s song.

To him that overcometh

            A crown of life shall be,

He with the King of glory

            Shall reign eternally.

 

Courageous people stand up for that which is important to them. They stand up for their rights. They stand up for their families. Soldiers stand up for their country, even being ready to sacrifice their lives in war.

A Christian is called upon to stand up for Jesus. May we with courage and unfaltering commitment in times of testings, stand up and be counted for Jesus.

[Extracted and edited from Songs in the Night by Henry Gariepy].

 

(2) Blessed Gospel Rally

Thank God for BHBPC’s first gospel rally held last Lord’s Day. There were 8 new visitors, three individuals who are friends of our members and a family of 5. One visitor received the Lord as His personal Saviour that day when he was wiling to pray the sinner’s prayer after the gospel was shared with him. May God grant us wisdom to disciple this new convert in the Lord as he comes into fellowship with God’s people in the church. Truly, the Lord is good.

We have visitors who are believers seeking for a place of worship and yet another attending service after one year of absence from church.

Psalm 84:3-4 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

May our hearts be encouraged to be faithful witnesses for the Lord to the honour and glory of His Name!

  

Yours lovingly,

Pr. Lek Aik Wee