For Private Circulation Only
Vol. 2 No. 2 (May, 1998)
http://www.berita-bethel-ung.com



My faithful prayer partners in the Faith and in the Defense of the Gospel (Phil. 1:5, 7),
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:1)

Text for the Term (May to August): Psa. 121:8

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

The LORD my God is GOD Psa. 100:3

– and He Guides my Goings in.

The first four months of the year saw me going the rounds among the assemblies at home. Apart from the Chinese New Year Message on the Year of the Tiger, the overall teaching ministry was centred on Worship. It was a real testimony to God’s Guidance that the assemblies concerned asked me to teach on this important theme at their own requests – prompted by the Spirit, of course.

Sungei Nibong Gospel Hall was doing a study on the Book of Exodus and suggested that I followed up with Exo. chs. 25-40 on The Tabernacle from mid-Feb. to mid-March and - the main topic was Worship.

Butterworth Gospel Hall dealt with the theme of Worship from Jan. to March in all its various aspects. They requested me to teach on "Worship in the Tabernacle"(!) following the meetings at SNGH. I am sure they did not know what I was doing with SNGH then. But God was Guiding!

When I received the speakers’ roster from my home assembly (Burmah Road Gospel Hall) I was surprised to see me put down for "Worship – in the context of the Christian’s Devotions" for Easter Sunday – and what a day it was to worship the Lord. Like Thomas, I just bowed in Worship, and cried out, "My Lord, and my God " and that was what I spoke on – "Hands and Feet In Worship at Easter". Truly the Lord my God is God and He Guides all my Goings. I followed this up with the same topic the week after Easter at Island Glades Gospel Centre.

The LORD my God is GOOD Psa. 100:5

– and He Guides the Giving.

Giving my time to the Lord’s Work and His Workers is something God has laid heavily on my heart. Since last year September, the Elders at BRGH have graciously given me a regular slot for Missions – Mission Night on the 3rd Wed. of each even month.

With a Missions Committee set up, we have been able to produce a regular bi-monthly Prayer Bulletin known as The ECHOS (pronounced ee-kos, based on I Thes. 1:8) listing prayer items for Missions and Missionaries for one’s Daily Devotions. You can write in to me for a copy to be sent to you regularly if you want one.

In the past four Mission Nights since last September, two were special - with Mr. Loh Ah Asiau speaking on assembly work in Cambodia, and Mr. Chuck Harrison reporting on the same in Indonesia. And what an eye-opener it was for the five assemblies in Penang that came together on those two nights. So touched were they that when special collections were taken up they amounted to RM1700.00 for the work in Cambodia and RM3491.10 for Indonesia. Truly God is Good.

Regularly a few members at BRGH have put in gifts anonymously for me. I have channeled them all to the Lord’s work. This term such gifts have been channeled to Leong Lai Yen (of GLO Malaysia), Lim Yoong Kee (OA Ministry in Temerloh), BRGH Sunday School for Children’s Ministry Seminar, Lim Sau Gaik for her Xinjiang ministry in China and Ricky Goh for his youth ministry in Cheras. I praise the Lord for this "anonymous" fellowship in missions.

God is Good to Guide His people in Giving.

The LORD my God is GREAT Psa. 104:1

– and He Guides my Goings Out.

From 1855 missionaries from England and New Zealand went out of their homes to come to Penang to commence assembly work here. This made the Penang Farquhar Street Chapel and Mission the first assembly to be established in Malaysia and Singapore. The broken-down premises still stands today – 143 years later at 35 Farquhar Street.

On May 25, 1938 the Chapel moved out to its present premises at Burmah Road Gospel Hall. On 10th and 17th May I have been requested to trace Assembly History in Penang in general and that of BRGH in particular, culminating in the 60th Anniversary Celebration of BRGH on 24th May. This may be the last time we celebrate its anniversary if the proposal to demolish it to give place to a new building is passed.

Earlier I have committed myself to Kledang Community Centre from 22nd - 24th May, unconscious of this important day. I would have preferred a change of dates, but then all the other week-ends have been "booked."

Still, I would have the opportunity to speak of "God’s Greatness in our Work, in our Home and in our Church" when we study the Book of Nehemiah together over there. After all, it was Nehemiah who said, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Neh. 4:14b, NIV

God’s Guidance in my Goings Out includes Stopping me from going out – these were my Disappointments.

Earlier in the year, I had intention to go with GLO for a Mission Tour to the Philippines to visit Ron and Sharon and later to Indonesia to see assembly work there. But because of the economic slow down and the associated unrest, these trips were cancelled by GLO. Their next proposed mission to Thailand in June 22-26 will not allow me to join them because of my heavy schedule; besides I was on the same mission last year. I am also not able to join our own assembly mission to the OA settlements in May for the same reasons.

However, my Disappointments have resulted in His Appointments even as He arranges my Goings out.

They will begin on the 1st day of May itself. I shall be at De Rhu Beach Resort in Kuantan with the dear folks of Temerloh Chapel (incidentally my first real "mission field" in my young days) for their Church Camp until 3rd May. We shall be studying together the prophetic visions of Daniel in chapters 7-12.

I shall extend my stay in Kuantan at Kuantan Chapel on the day when the Camp breaks till the 5th. In the three night sessions we shall study The Antichrist and the End Times. It will be a good opportunity to renew my fellowship with the saints there and also make up for the cancellation of an East Coast teaching tour arranged for me by them last September.

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As stated earlier from 22nd to 24th May I shall be at Kledang Community Centre. This is the outreach work of Elim Gospel Hall.

A week later (on 29th May), my wife will accompany me to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah where I shall take the Grace Chapel Family Camp from 30th May to 2nd June at the foot of Mt. Kinabalu. We hope to learn as many devotional lessons as we can from a Study of the Tabernacle – its Concept and Ceremonies. On June 4th we shall return to Penang after a holiday visit to the world-famous Sepilok Orang Hutan Sanctuary – thus, we go, from a Study of God’s Sanctuary earlier to a visit of His creatures’ Sanctuary!

We have to hurry back after this for me to get ready for my Lectures on Eschatology at GLO Training School in Taiping from 15th to 19th June. I have a respite after this before I am called upon to perform two speaking duties at the Malaysian Leaders’ and Workers’ Conference from 16th to 18th July. It will be a great occasion for me to renew fellowship with the leaders of these assemblies.

The next week-end Kampar Gospel Hall has invited me to study with them The End Times on 25th and 26th.

During the other free Sundays in July and August, DV I shall do a study on Church Ordinances (3 Sundays) at Bukit Mertajam Gospel Centre and on The Survey and Strategy of Missions in Butterworth Gospel Hall.

I shall end the term with a visit to Singapore on 29th August to 2nd Sept. with ministry at Bethesda Ang Mo Kio Gospel Hall speaking to their young people on Saturday on The Importance of Prophecy, the assembly on Sunday morning and those at the Prayer Meeting on Tuesday.

After this I hope to have a complete rest for the rest of September.

Prayer Points:

Thank you again for your Prayerful and Practical Fellowship in the Preaching of the Word,

Ever yours in His Service and Love,