Serving the Lord Jesus Christ Into the Next Millennium

The title of the message assigned to me is Serving the Lord Jesus Christ into the Next Millennium. In speaking about the Prospect of our service, we are constrained to take stock of what we've done in the past. We must survey what have been our strengths and weaknesses, and strengthen those weak points in our prospective ministry.

In Retrospect, I have four things to say in commendation of the Sunday School.

I thank God that you have a vigorous corporate leadership and an equally vigorous cooperative staff. This is reflected in the Sunday School weekly attendance (345 last week) and in the offerings ($633.10).

You have incorporated the Children's Ministry into the Sunday School, especially for the further nurture of the spiritual life of the young in Junior Worship and Young Teens Worship. It is hoped that from the Young Teens Worship a goodly number will join the adults in either the 8.00 am or 10.30 am Service.

Increasing facilities for a growing Sunday School. The recent airconditioning of the Extended Outhouse at Beulah is a boon to bigger groups, and it is open to our Sunday School's use.

In Prospect: Now that you have joined the teaching staff of the Sunday School, you must like it, or it will be a chore. Make Sunday School teaching your number one hobby. What is a hobby? According to the dictionary, it is a favourite leisure-time activity or occupation.

When I was young, I had developed a number of hobbies. I remember the first one, even before I was ten years old, was Chinese Chess. This would take me playing late into the night. The second hobby I got engrossed in was stamp collecting. I would save up my pocket money to buy big albums to display the stamps. Third, when I grew older, it was scouting. O the joy of going to camp at Changi woods by the sea. That led me and my buddies to camp there every weekend. After I was saved in the John Sung Revival, I left scouting to join the Preaching Bands. Now, my only hobby is to advance God's work in every area, above all, the extension of missions.

If you are a Sunday School teacher, I challenge you again to make Sunday School teaching your number one hobby, yea, your life-consuming hobby. How it will thrill your soul when you see the youngsters you teach get saved. There is joy in heaven even over one sinner that repenteth (Lk 15:7).

As a stamp collector I would read books on philately to keep up to date, so you will want to make yourself proficient in the word of God as a Sunday School teacher. You will first of all own a good Study Bible (KJV), not NIV or any other new versions because these are unfaithful translations. You will need a Bible Dictionary and Concordance, so you might get to know the meaning of every difficult word. You will also possess a set of Commentaries. You will have a little theological library of your own.

In Hebrew language, the verbs to learn and to teach are derived from the same root. Now the Hebrew verb has seven stems. Stem I is to learn, but Stem II which is to learn intensively is to teach. So, in order to be a Sunday School teacher, one must learn intensively.

How can we learn intensively? By attending formal classes of learning, eg. by joining the FEBC Evening Classes. These classes offer subjects on theology and books of the Bible. It should be your aim to earn enough credits so as to qualify for a Certificate of Religious Knowledge (20 credits) or of Biblical Studies (40 credits). If you are ambitious, get the Diploma in Theology or the Bachelor of Religious Education! (The more you study the more will you be efficient in teaching.) Now, the mandate to teach is given by Paul to Timothy (II Tim 2:2). Should the Lord call you to preach, then join FEBC's Wednesday morning Homiletics Class ( 8.00 am to 9.00 am ). After attending some months of live preaching (we call it Homiletic Swimming Pool) you will begin to feel your way around. You will begin to know the ropes how you can speak clearly and effectively to a congregation. Two who have made good as preachers by coming to our Wednesday morning Homiletics Classes are Elder Khoo Peng Kiat and Elder Koh Kim Hiang. Others who have learned by their own observation and by the teaching of the Lord are Elder Dr Lim Teck Chye and Deacon Dr Chin Hoong Chor. Deacon Khoo Wah Ann, our Lifer in Brunei , is a regular preacher once a month. Elder Mahadevan preaches regularly in Tamil to the New Life Tamil Service. The strength of our B-P Church movement is not only in ordained but also lay preachers.

Serving the Lord Jesus Christ into the next Millennium reminds us of Peter's exhortation, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation (conduct) and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God. . ." (II Pet 3:10-12).

We are less than four months from the Millennium Bug. Originally, they called it the Millennium Bomb. How serious it will explode or bite is the deep concern of men in high places. Although Japan has about vanquished the Y2K Bug, The East Japan Railway Co., the largest in the Tokyo area, says it will stop all train for 10 minutes at the nearest station around midnight on Dec 31. Professor Takehiko Aoyagi of International University suggested that people should stock up on one week's worth of provision, have ¥1 million cash in hand, forgo their usual overseas holidays and avoid going to hospitals. According to an earlier report dated Aug 16, 99 large swathes of Asia will pull the plug seconds before the dawn of 2000 - stopping planes, trains and even weapon systems - to combat the computer-crippling millennium bug.

For us, we keep looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith while occupying till He comes. To be ready for the Coming is to be born again without which no one can enter into the Kingdom of God . To occupy till He comes is to be busily engaged in our work, the student to study his lessons, the bread earner to go to work, the worshippers not to miss Sunday Service! Maranatha.