fcm newsletter 2005_v4 (oct-dec 05)

8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2005_V4 (Oct-Dec 05)

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2005 FCM Newsletter, Oct Dec 1

Rev (Dr) Jeffrey Khoo

The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) states very clearly thatthe inspired Scriptures in the original languages are by Godssingular care and providence, kept pure in all ages (WCF I:8). TheWestminster divines used Matthew 5:18 as a proof text for thisaffirmation of the verbal plenary preservation (VPP) of the Scriptures.This proves that the doctrine of the VPP of Scripture is not just

creedal, but more importantly Biblical.

Definition of Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP)

What does VPP mean? Verbal means every word to the jot andtittle (Ps 12:6-7, Matt 5:18). Plenary means the Scripture as a

whole with all the words intact (Matt 24:35, 1 Pet 1:25). So VPPmeans the whole of Scripture with all its words even to the jot and tittleis perfectly preserved by God without any loss of the original words,prophecies, promises, commandments, doctrines, and truths, not only

in the words of salvation, but also the words of history, geography and science. Everybook, every chapter, every verse, every word, every syllable, every letter is infalliblypreserved by the Lord Himself to the last iota.

What and where are the preserved words of God today? They are the inspired OTHebrew words and NT Greek words the prophets, the apostles, the church fathers, thereformers used which are today found in the long and continuously abiding andpreserved words underlying the Reformation Bibles best represented by the time-testedand time-honoured KJV, and NOT in the corrupted Alexandrian manuscripts and criticalWestcott-Hort texts underlying the liberal, ecumenical, and neo-evangelical modernEnglish versions.

Basically, those who hold to the VPP of Scripture believe and embrace the followingtenets:

(1) God has supernaturally preserved each and every oneof His inspired Hebrew/Aramaic OT words and GreekNT words to the last jot and tittle, so that in every age,Gods people will always have in their possession Hisinfallible and inerrant Word kept intact without the loss ofany word (Ps 12:6-7, Matt 5:18, 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke21:33, John 10:35, 1 Pet 1:23-25).
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(2) The providential preservation of Scriptures is understood as Gods specialandnot general providence. Specialprovidence or providentia extraordinariaspeaksof Gods miraculous intervention in the events of history and in the affairs ofmankind in fulfilment of His sovereign will for the sake of His elect and to theglory of His Name. The divine preservation of the Canon (books) and Text(words) of Scripture comes under Gods specialprovidence.

(3) The Bible is not only infallible and inerrant in the past (in theAutographs), but also infallible and inerrant today (in theApographs).

(4) The infallible and inerrant words of Scripture are found in the faithfully preservedTraditional/Byzantine/Majority manuscripts, and fully represented in the Printedand Received Text (or Textus Receptus) that underlie the Reformation Biblesbest represented by the KJV, and NOT in the corrupted and rejected texts ofWestcott and Hort that underlie the many modern versions of the English Biblelike the NIV, NASV, ESV, RSV, TEV, CEV, etc.

(5) There are no mistakes in the Bible, period. There are no mistakesor errors (scribal or otherwise) in such OT passages as Judges18:30, 1 Samuel 13:1, 1 Kings 4:26, 1 Chronicles 18:3, 2Chronicles 22:2 etc. If there are discrepancies in the Bible, thediscrepancies are only seeming or apparent, NOT real or actual.Any inability to understand or explain such difficult passages in noway negates the infallibility and inerrancy of the Scriptures,applying the faithful Pauline principle of biblical interpretation: letGod be true, but every man a liar (Rom 3:4).

(6) Knowing where the perfect Bible is is a matter of textual recognition and NOT

textual criticism. In the field of textual recognition, Burgon is good, Hills is better,Waite is best.

(7) The Chinese Union Version (CUV) is the Word of God for theChinese people today since it is the best, most faithful, most reliable,

and most accurate version among the Chinese versions presentlyavailable. Great care ought to be taken not to undermine our

Chinese brethrens confidence in the CUV. Nevertheless, versionsor translations are never superior to the inspired and

preserved Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek Scriptures; thusthere is a need to consult these original language

Scriptures for clarity and fullness of meaning, and to

compare Scripture with Scripture.

The VPP of Scripture is a position of faith that is based solely on the Word of God.Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen(Heb 11:1). So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God(Rom 10:17). But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comethto God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligentlyseek him(Heb 11:6). It is a position that we must take if we are to weather and survive
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the onslaughts of postmodernism, pop-modernism, open-theism and neo-deism thatseek to destroy the church today.

Our Perfect Lord and His Perfect Word are the Foundation of Our Faith

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?(Ps 11:3).

It is only when we have a 100% perfect, infallible and inerrantBible can we say the Bible is our only and final authority, andfoundation of faith. If there is no such an infallible and inerrantBible today, then the so-called scholar becomes the supremeauthority, and we have to kowtow to his subjective andspeculative judgements on and corrections of the Bible. Somemay want to trust the words of men, but we trust only thewords of our Lord who died for our sins according to theScriptures was buried [and] rose again the third dayaccording to the Scriptures(1 Cor 15:3-4).

The Bible itself which is our supreme and final authority of faith and practice clearlyteaches its plenary inspiration, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,and itsverbal preservation, For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jotor one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Matt 5:18),Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matt24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33). The doctrine of the 100% inspiration (VPI) and 100%preservation (VPP) of each and every word of the Bible is as old as the Bible itself. It iscertainly NOT a new teaching or theory, and definitely NOT a false doctrine.

The twin doctrines of VPI and VPP must be received by faith(Rom 10:17, Heb 11:6).Our faith must be according to the Scriptures, and NOTaccording to the scholars.Let God be true, but every man a liar(Rom 3:4). For we can do nothing against

the truth, but for the truth(2 Cor 13:8). Soli Deo Gloria!

Rev (Dr) Jeffrey Khoo is academic dean of Far Eastern Bible College and Elder of True LifeBible Presbyterian Church.


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I grew up in the church and in a Christian home. However, the thought ofentering into the full-time service had never once entered my mind. As ateen, I used to sit around talking with others about our ambitions andaspirations. I remember clearly one incident where a few youths fromchurch were resting after a jog. One of them brought up the topic ofanswering Gods call to the ministry. I was about secondary four then,and that discussion made me actually realize that pastors, missionariesand other full time workers are actually normal people like me. Howeveras any normal Singaporean student, I continued on with the flow ofacademics and CCA, aspiring for the distinctions and medals, and soon

forgot about that incident.

It wasnt until the second year of my national service, during the annual Church familycamp in Kuala Lumpur, that I first felt the call to take up the cross and serve God full-time. It was during one of the night messages by Dr Tow, where he once again pleadedto the congregation for a few young men to stand up and bear the cross for Jesus, torepay our Gospel debt. I did not know why but it felt that he was speaking directly to me!Ridiculous! I thought to myself. How could one like me whose testimony is soblemished with sin, whose knowledge of Gods word is woefully lacking, ever be able topreach to others? What more, I had yet to pursue my degree! Scholarships and

overseas education still await me. There was still much in life I have yet to experience.True, I love God, and I want to be as faithful as possible, but full-time ministry? Itseemed such a huge step to take, and too much of a change in mindset for me.

However, this burden was not so easily pushed aside. It stayed on my mind throughoutthe camp and also on the bus ride home. Multiple excuses came up in my mind as towhy I was unsuitable to serve the Lord in such a high calling. But God in Hisgraciousness and patience answered each one of them in a most loving manner.

I did not feel apt to teach. Often in front of a crowd, when talking orpraying, I would stumble over my words, or lose my train of thoughtin mid-sentence and thereafter give a paltry conclusion to what Ihad in my mind. During a daily devotion some weeks later, I readthe account in Exodus of Moses calling, and he had the very sameexcuses! Gods answer came directly to me, And the LORD saidunto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb,

or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I willbe with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. (Exo 4:11-12). There and then,the first excuse was answered.


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Another major hindrance I had in my life was thenumerous sins that I was indulging in. I felt my testimonywas far too blemished to be of any use to God. While Goddefinitely was working in my life to change me day by day,I felt there was still a long way to go before I could say I

was ready. However, this too was answered during myreading of Isaiahs calling in Isaiah 6, where he too felt soinadequate to face God, saying Woe is me! for I am

undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people ofunclean lips (Isa 6:5). However, seraphim descended upon him, and cleansed his lips,instantly purging his sin. And his response to Gods call: Here am I; send me. (Isa 6:8).I did not, at that point of time, echo the same words as Isaiah, but the phrase still hungvery heavy in my heart. I still felt very inadequate.

A few months after Church camp that year, having fallen back into the monotonous

routine of army life, I was listening to a tape of a YF message that I missed. Dn Lek wasspeaking on Pauls missionary journeys. The message that struck me at that point oftime was that of submitting to Gods will. He sang a song on asking God to have hisown way in our lives. At that point of listening, I could do nothing else but stop the tapeand sink into my pillow in tears. I remembered the calling, and Gods patient answers. Iwanted to serve the Lord! But I still had some doubts unanswered. Have I really beencalled? Was I ready to submit my life fully for the Lords use? That Saturday afternoon Iwent to church early to search for books to answer my questions.

The final proverbial straw that broke the camels back came

during the recent sharing of Rev. Queks testimony of his call tothe full-time ministry during the Sunset Gospel Bible Fellowship inMarch this year. A song item by the FEBC choir before thesermon was the hymn Channels Only. It was upon hearing thelyrics of this song that stripped me of my pride, and made merealize that it is not any of my own talents or abilities that God wants of me, but for meto be a willing channel for Him, from which His blessings will pour forth. The third stanzaespecially struck me deeply: Emptied that Thou shouldst fill me, a clean vessel in Thyhand. With no powr but as Thou givest, graciously with each command. Many thingsshared during the subsequent message also weighed down on me, prodding me closerand closer to yielding my life to do His will. Finally, after the closing prayer, I bowed

down, and in silent prayer with tears in my eyes, I prayed for repentance, and promisedmy life to service for the Lord.

A large burden immediately rolled off my back! I was now free to consecrate my life fullyto his service. Free once again to serve Him joyously. Through my study of Gods wordand service in various ministries I am more and more convinced each day of thepressing need to fulfill his command to go out to preach the Gospel and save souls. Ithank God also for loving parents who encouraged me to be very sure of my calling, andthereafter supported me wholeheartedly with their prayers. Constrained by the love of


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God, I pray that the Lord will use me till my life burns out for Him. For The harvest trulyis plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, thathe will send forth labourers into his harvest (Matt 9:37-38).

13 June 2005

Ko Ling Kang

FCM Science

Calvary Pandan BP Church

Quiz yourself!!

1. What was the sign of Gods covenant with Noah that He will notuse a flood to destroy all flesh again? (Gen 9:15)

2. What was Pharaohs response when he heard Joseph had invited hisfamily to Egypt?

3. Why did Joseph become displeased with his father, Israel, just prior to his (Israels)death?

4. How old was Moses and Aaron when he was sent to confront Pharaoh?5. Who is the grandfather of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar?6. What is the name of John Marks mother?7. Where did John the Baptist baptise those who are willing to confess their sins?8. What did Jesus say to His disciples concerning the poor widow who had cast her two mites

into the treasury? (Mk 12:41 - 42)9. How many pigs (swine) were drown when the Legion of demons possessed them? (Mk 5:13)10. What was the last charge that Jesus gave Peter in John 21?

Ans on page 8..


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Testimonies

David

FCM is a place where like-minded Christians can come togetherto worship God, study His word, share our academicaccomplishments and difficulties, and pray for one another. Itprovides an environment where fellow brethren from variouschurches sharing the same faith can help one another in their

daily walk, both as a student and as a child of God. We are ableto draw close to God even in school! It is also a place, where wecan bring our non-believing friends to know more aboutChristianity and our beliefs. FCM has been a blessing to me asthe weekly interaction has allowed me to voice my queries andopinions regarding certain issues. I am certain that everyone whoparticipates in the meetings is edified too. The experiences that Ihave had in FCM provided me the ability to advise others on thedifficulties they face. It has also enabled me to tackle the issues

faced by my family members. I pray that as we continue to live in these last days, FCMmay remain untainted by the influences of the world, so that others may benefit from her

as well.

David Poon

FCM Science

Calvary Pandan BP Church (Chinese)

Wendy

FCM, to me is a time where I can be with my Christian friendswho share the same beliefs as me about Christianity. It is also atime for me to listen and learn about God and His word fromBrother Nelson. My first impression of FCM was that it was unlikethe charismatic cell groups that I used to attend in the past, withits noisy hand-clapping, loud prayers in tongues,commercialized Gospel messages that have caused me many


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headaches and much confusion. I feel more at home here in FCM than at those cellgroups.

I always look forward to the weekly FCM meetings. Its the highlight ofmy week as I feel that I can take comfort in Gods Word and the people

whom I love, away from the everyday stress that I am facing. Themessages refresh me so that I can continue with the toils that I have todo for the rest of the week. Being with like-minded brethren compels meto leave behind my old sinful self and be slowly transformed into theperson that God wants me to be. I do appreciate the prayers that weutter for one another during the weekly meeting, especially wheneveryone shares their burdens with one another and then pray for each other. I thinkthat God really is true to His Word when He said in the Bible that when two or three aregathered in His name, He will be there in the midst of us (Matt 18:20). FCM has blessedme in terms of its meaty messages as well as the fellowship among the brethren and Istrongly encourage everyone to attend it regularly.

Its definitely not a waste of time.

Wendy Danubrata

FCM Science

Calvary Pandan BP Church

Answers:

1. The rainbow (Gen 9:11-16)2. Pharaoh was pleased and he treated them very well (Gen 45:16-20)3. Because his father, Israel blessed his younger son, Ephraim over the older one, Manasseh

(Gen 48:17 - 19).4. Moses - 80 years old; Aaron - 83 years old (Ex 7:7)

5. Aaron, the brother of Moses (Ex 6:25)6. Mary (Acts 12:12).7. River Jordan (Mk 1:4 - 5)8. Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast

into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in allthat she had, even all her living. (Mk 12:43 - 44). May we learn to give our all to the Lordsincerely as well!

9. 2000 (Mk 5:13)10. Follow me (Jn 21:19, 22))
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SMS broadcast is a service provided by MyTengah IT ministry to enable members and friends toreceive news and updates via Short Messages through their handphones.

To subscribe to the service, please follow the instructions below:

For Fundamental Christian Ministry News, type "FCM" and send to 96341214.It is FREE OF CHARGE.

1. How do I unsubscribe from the SMS Service?To unsubscribe, simply type Quit and send to 96341214. Your handphone number will be removed

from all the above Broadcast groups.

2. Will my handphone be spammed by junk messages?This will not happen since the access code is only accessible by responsible people designated by church

Elders. In any case, you can always unsubscribe from the service by following the instructions above.

For more updates and announcements, log on to

http://www.mytengah.com/FCM now!

Overall FCM Coordinator:Elder Boaz Boon (Calvary Tengah BP Church)

Tel: 9824 7681 (HP)

E-mail: [email protected]

Nanyang Technological University/ National Institute of Education

1. NTU/NIE Group

Comprising students in all the faculties of NTU & NIE

Bible Study Leader : Rev Wee Eng Moh (Pastor of Berith B-P Church)

E-mail:[email protected] Coordinator : Liang Yao Lin [9117 2846 (HP)]

E-mail:[email protected] Place : North Spine, N3, Level 5, TR 1-10 (any of the rooms)

Meeting Time : Every Wednesday, 6.30pm

Dinner : Canteen A, 5.30pm
http://www.mytengah.com/FCMmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.mytengah.com/FCM


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National University of Singapore

2. Science Group

Comprising students of the Science, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Information & Computer Science

Faculties

Bible Study Leader : Bro. Nelson (Gospel Light BP Church)

Student Coordinator : Lee Yujie [9107 7470 (HP)]E-mail:[email protected]

Meeting Place : Science Block 13, 5th

Floor, Room 03/04, NUS Science Faculty

Meeting Time : Every Wednesday, 5.00pm

3. Arts/ Engineering Group

Comprising students from the Arts, Engineering, Architecture, Building & Real Estate, Law &

Business Administration Faculties

Bible Study Leader : Rev Ronny Khoo [9411 1120 (PG)]

Student Coordinator : Charmaine [9762 2735 (HP)]

E-mail:[email protected]

Meeting Place : Engineering Block 1, 6

th

Floor, NUS Eng. Faculty (E1-06 tut room)Meeting Time : Every Friday, 6.00pm 9.00pm

Polytechnics

4. Comprising students from Ngee Ann, Singapore, Nanyang and Temasek Polytechnics

Bible Study Leaders : Pr. Ho Chee Lai (Gospel Light B-P Church)


Dn Peter Phoa (Calvary Tengah B-P Church)


Student Coordinator : Clarice Lim [9363 6276 (HP)]E-mail: [email protected]

Meeting Place : Life B-P Church

Meeting Time : Every Thursday, 7.00pm

Dinner : 6.30pm

Singapore Management University

5. Comprising students from Accounting, Business Administration & Arts Faculties

Bible Study Leaders : Bro. Wee Hian Kok (Berean B-P Church)

E-mail:[email protected] Coordinator : Esther Huang [92383015 (HP)]

E-mail: [email protected]

Lee Yu Wei [98370607 (HP)]E-mail: [email protected]

Meeting Place : Venue to be confirmed though Email

Meeting Time : Every Friday 6.45pm, Supper thereafter

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that

believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from

faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.Romans 1:16-17
http://sg.f526.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]://sg.f526.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://sg.f526.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]&YY=56322&order=down&sort=date&pos=0http://sg.f526.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]&YY=56322&order=down&sort=date&pos=0mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://sg.f526.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]&YY=56322&order=down&sort=date&pos=0mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://sg.f526.mail.yahoo.com/ym/[email protected]

fcm newsletter 2005_v4 (oct-dec 05)

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