Lord’s Day, Vol. 3 No. 44

Posted on Posted in Weekly 2015 Tagged with , ,

(1) Ordination Service

Thank God for a blessed ordination service on Reformation Sunday (25 October 2015). We had well over 200 in attendance to witness the special occasion.

The four-member ordination council comprises Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo (Pastor of True Life BP Church), Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy (Pastor of Gethsemane BP Church), Rev Tan Kian Sing (Pastor of Berean BP Church) and Rev Dr Tow Siang Hwa (Senior Pastor of Calvary Pandan BP Church). However, Rev Dr Tow was not able to be with us as he was still recuperating in the hospital after a surgery.

Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo chaired the ordination service whilst Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy gave the message entitled “The Power and Prospect of the Ministry” taken from 2 Timothy 1:6-18.

Two other pastors, Rev Kiantoro Lie (Pastor of Calvary Batam BP Church) and Rev Wee Eng Moh (Pastor of Berith BP Church) joined in the laying of hands during the ordination.

Rev Tan Kian Sing gave the charge from 1 Timothy 4:12-16; Titus 2:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:1-5. The ordained minister is to make foolproof of the ministry by endeavouring to serve the living and true God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by:

  1. Fervently preaching the gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.
  2. Faithfully preaching the whole counsel of God which is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
  3. Fearlessly defending the truth which is His inspired and inerrant Word, to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.EO1_0066

Three items of thanksgiving:

  1. Thank God for the assistance of MRT foreman James, to open a temporary road which allowed a 2-way traffic to facilitate movement of vehicles and worshippers in and out of the Salvation Army premises from 12pm-6pm on 25 Oct.

                                                                                Two Way Road

  1. Thank God for the kindness of the Salvation Army staff in providing table cloths for 13 tables in the Fellowship Hall where members and friends had a wonderful time of fellowship and refreshments after the service.
  1. Thank God for the service of all welcomers, ushers, PA crew, musician, those who help in the refreshments, and the attendance of members and friends.

All praise and glory to His Name!

 

(2) Reformation Sunday

Last Lord’s Day, we also remembered the 498th year of the Protestant Reformation since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the castle door of Wittenberg on 31 October 1517.

Our theology traces its root to the 16th century Protestant Reformation, a clarion call by the Reformers to go back to the pure and unadulterated teachings of the Bible as represented by the Five “Solas”. “Sola” is Latin meaning “alone” or “only” and the phrases are (1) Sola Fide, by faith alone (2) Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone (3) Solus Christus, through Christ alone (4) Sola Gratia, by grace alone (5) Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone.

The Bible-Presbyterian Church imbibed the spirit of the 16th century movement to go back to the authority of the Bible for faith and practice. In the Bible-Presbyterian Church’s constitution, reformed theology is that system of theology commonly called “the Reformed Faith”, best expressed in the Confession of Faith as set forth by the historic Westminster Assembly together with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1643-1648).

Reformed theology is traditionally also Calvinistic, according to the teaching of the great French Reformer, John Calvin (1509-1564), the theologian of the Protestant Reformation. Calvin summarised Biblical Christianity in his “Institutes of Christian Religion” (1536) that was translated into the English language and later abridged by the late Rev. Dr. Timothy Tow, founder of the Bible-Presbyterian Movement in South-East Asia.

May God’s unfailing grace help us to love and serve Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength as we remain faithful to the call of the Reformers! Amen.

 

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee