My dear readers,
1. and Best Christian Composer at SGBF TONIGHT
There is no better start to the New Year than with the Shepherd Psalm sung to the tune “On wings of song” composed by Felix Mendelssohn, the great Christian Jewish composer. Psalmist David wrote the famous “Twenty-third” for the blessing and comfort of God’s people under any and all circumstances of life from the cradle to the grave. The portrayal of Christians as sheep under the care of their Good Shepherd paints a picture of complete and perfect care for all who come into God’s fold. With Jesus as our Shepherd we have no lack, no fear and no discontentment. He is our complete Shepherd who only can lead us safely Home to the Father’s House.
Felix Mendolssohn was a child prodigy, performing on the piano at nine, composing music at ten and did his great work (overture to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) at seventeen. Besides playing the piano and organ, he also played the violin and was a gifted conductor. But his best testimony was his musical contributions to the glory of God. Psalm 23 “My Wonderful Shepherd” is set to Mendelssohn’s beautiful melody. Come and be blessed tonight at SGBF.
2. Year-end Sri Lanka Newsletter (from Dr Paul Hoole)
Christmas has been a demanding but fruitful time of enjoying God’s goodness. On the 24th Sunday, though many regular worshippers were away, we had new visitors coming in, and in the evening we had the year end service for the Sunday School. We had about 250 Sunday school children singing many meaningful songs of praise and thanksgiving to God, with non-Christian parents participating. The message was about the name Jesus: who He is and why He came into this world. The children were very attentive, God has given us a greater urgency of presenting the Gospel of Christ to our fellow men.
On Christmas day I preached to a good gathering from all walks of life and from many different parts of Sri Lanka. The family had planned a simple lunch since in the evening we had invited the Geneva Institute students home for dinner. It was extra exciting for the children when Chrishanthy’s brother called from Canada and said that he had ordered a special Pizza lunch for the family, a lunch containing many surprising items so that one of the children asked whether it had come from Canada! It was enjoyable having the students with us for dinner, with much singing and the students giving their testimonies of God’s blessings in what they had experienced over the past year. One testified to coming to a saving faith in the Lord; others of what they had benefited from overseas teachers who visited us, and another of the call to serve God in Jaffna, etc. We have students from Nuwera Eliya, Jaffna, and Batticaloa districts. In closing after I prayed, Chrishanthy (who also has to be a mother figure to them) sang a Christian hymn to encourage them in the LORD (1 Sam 30:6 )
3. More Chapel News
Church family. We now have Elder VJ back from Singapore, serving at Calvary Reformed Presbyterian Chapel (still working to complete his thesis for FEBC on “The Church in Acts and Missions” in the Third World.) On Christmas day two of our men were in Trincomalee (Life Reformed Presbyterian Chapel) to preach and to evangelize. We have Gospel and educational work in three villages. At the worship service in Trincomalee there were about 80 adults and 40 children. The work grows and a repeated call is made to come over and help in grounding the people in Christian doctrine and life. The men hope to move on to Batticaloa for December 31.
The Batticaloa work (Achor Reformed Presbyterian Chapel) is growing faster than Trincomalee, where the Chapel men work in four villages including one where we are seeking to establish a Chapel center. Both these districts are severely affected by the war and damaged by the tsunami. We recently offered help to some refugee families that have moved close to one of our meeting places after the military attacks in Vaharai. Two of our men there with their families are gradually moving into making their homes as places for bereaved children and we are trying to help them as much as we can- not to establish boys or girls home but to seek to place children with Christian families. At the village they recently had a meeting where about 300 people heard the Gospel of Christ proclaimed publicly. We were glad that the people welcome the presence of the Chapel; indeed more calls are made to come and help, including educational programs and smaller churches seeking association. (To be continued)
4. “Purpose Driven Wolf in sheep’s clothing”
Rick Warren of Purpose Driven Life fame says that Christian fundamentalism will be “one of the big enemies of the 21st century.”
He lumped Christian fundamentalism with “Muslim fundamentalism” and “secular fundamentalism” (“The Purpose-Driven Pastor,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan 8 2006). The Christian fundamentalist who seeks to take God’s Word seriously and to live it and to preach it faithfully before his Heavenly Master was made out to be as dangerous as a Muslim terrorist or a radical atheist. Warren said that Christian fundamentalism is motivated by fear. One of the many great problems with this statement is that the Bible often speaks of fear in a positive manner. Paul was afraid that the devil would deceive the believers through false gospels, false christs, and false spirits (2 Cor 11:1-4 ). We should therefore follow the apostle’s example and fear spiritual deception, both for ourselves and for others. The Bible says pastors who sin should be rebuked before all “that others also may fear” (1 Tim 5:20 ). Would that Saddleback Church would take that verse seriously and rebuke their heresy-preaching pastor publicly! Noah is commended because he feared at God’s warning (Heb 11:7 ). We are to pass this earthly sojourn with fear (1 Pet 1:17 ). We are to save some by fear (Jude 23 ). May God’s men today fear God enough to obey His Word and to preach the whole counsel of God, to “reprove, rebuke, exhort,” to warn the people of false teachers like Rick Warren (Source: from David Cloud)
Lovingly in the Lord
Dr SH Tow, Senior Pastor
Weekly Supplement
Letter from Pastor Dignadice, Philippines
Tuesday, 2 January 2007
Dear Pastors and Members, Calvary Pandan BP Church,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Thank you very much for your help. We recevied the money you sent us in the amount of PhP246,500.00. The exchange rate is PhP 49.30 to a US dollar.
We gave relief assistance to our church members, like food and medicines. We also gave them some cash since most of them are farmers who rely only to the sale of their produce for food and other needs. Sadly, the typhoon and floods completely destroyed their farms. They needed some cash to buy seedlings and fertilizers. So besides their immediate needs like food, your support also helped them rise up again from the calamity and start their farming again. For Christmas we had a small gathering of church members over candlelight and shared some food. We also gave toys to the small and traumatized children for Christmas. We gave a total of 200 toys.
Right now, the roof of the church was also damaged. However, we will repair it this January or February since until now, the prices of Galvanized Iron Sheets for roofing is expensive. Some traders in Albay Province sell these materials at double the price. Before each piece costs PhP400 only, now it costs PhP800. The parsonage also need repairs.
Please also pray that we will not be included in those that needed to be relocated. Until now there are about 6 million metric tons of sand and boulders at the foot of Mayon Volcano, and anytime there is heavy rains our place is threatened to be covered by these materials.
The rest of the money is still in the bank for purchase of musical instruments in the church like the piano and the organ. We already requested some used hymnals from other church in the United States.
Enclosed are pictures of the relief we had after the worship service.
Thank you very mcuh for your help. May God continue to bless you and the Calvary Pandan Chirch this coming new year.
Pastor Leoncio Dignadice
Weekly Supplement
Invitation to Serve
“For ye serve the Lord Christ” Col 3:23
From the earliest founding days of the BP Church, we had adopted “Saved to Serve” as our slogan to encourage our members to engage in some active Christian service, even like our Lord. Remember, He said, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45 ).
“Invitation to Serve” is a loving call to those who have experienced the free grace of salvation in the Lord to be a part of the greatest “Community Service” in the world, which is the Church of truly saved believers. We who belong to the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us, can do no less than to follow in His steps, that “... henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom 6:6 ), but “... by love serve one another” (Gal 5:13 ).
Special Call to the “Visitation Ministry”
There is a special appeal, from our Lord’s own words, for men and women of tender heart, to join the “Visitation Ministry.” Recall what our Lord said in commending those who visited and ministered to Him: “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in ... Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt25:35, 40)
Doctors, nurses, and hospital / medical personnel are specially urged to join in the Visitation Ministry. “Your presence will be like angels of God bringing joy and relief to our members on sick beds.
“Invitation to Serve” is to join the greatest and most enduring “Community Service” in the world, for this service is free and endures unto eternity. God bless all who joyfully offer themselves, “for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
Dr SH Tow
Sr Pastor
7 January 2007