Dear BPCWA worshipper, A question was asked at the end of the previous presentation regarding the risk if anything should happen to the builder we had shortlisted. At that point in time, we simply continued to pray as we always had done, that God would lead and make His will clear. In answer to prayers, God directed events such that the builder, CZ, eventually declined the project due to the ill health of the owner. This was truly a testimony to the fact that we serve the living God who hears prayers and watches over His church. The most recent update conducted on 15 June was to provide worshippers with the project progress after that. It is important that we

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, In our first pastoral of this series, we saw that the church must feed her worshippers as God intended, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).  A Bible college is not a church. It must not perform this aspect on the church’s behalf. God’s purpose is for worshippers to learn through their local church. When the Bible college and/or the church lose their primary focus and mission, it is a lose-lose situation for both. Bible colleges focus on training those called into full-time ministry so that pastors and

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, Last week, we saw the difference between the church and the Bible College. The local church is God’s design in the New Testament age. How then should we view the pamphlet sent from a local Bible College that promotes its “lay biblical and theological” courses to teach God’s Word at basic levels to help lay people be confident to understand and share the gospel?  These courses are also designed and targeted for lay Christians who want to volunteer in church and serve as children or youth group leaders. Bible Colleges train full-time ministerial students for the church. Writing in “40 years of Church Growth”, Rev Timothy Tow documented why he founded the Far Eastern Bible College. Following

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, We received a brochure mailed from a Bible College in Perth a few months ago. It was a leaflet promoting their Certificate Studies, “designed to be easily accessible to people from all walks of life with a desire to dig deeper into God’s Word.” This leaflet made me sit up and think a bit more about it. This trend, which certainly isn’t new to us, has become very popular and is intended to attract the casual Christian “from all walks of life”. How should we view it? The church’s role in teaching. As we saw in last week’s pastoral, BPCWA is a local church, which is a gathering of saints. The church is not man’s invention, but

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, We have thus far understood the importance of ensuring there is a common basis of faith when one joins as a member of the church. I will cover in this pastoral about the mutual duties of the church and her members. Today, some Christians are beginning to feel that attending a church is not essential since online means are available. If so, they would deem it unimportant to have a sense of responsibility and duty to a particular church. The thinking may be that with so many online resources, why “tie yourself down” to a single church in membership and have duties and responsibilities to a church? Hence, Christians must understand what God expects of both the

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, Last week, I explained why interviews are required before acceptance into membership. We welcome all to worship with us. Every church has worshippers who are members and non-members at any instance of time. Some are students who are just passing through, for example. Worshippers typically stay in a church because they have found the teaching sound and wish to remain and grow there. There may be some aspects that they are coming to terms with and are still learning about, but they are generally not disagreeable with the church’s doctrines and practices. Since they don’t go against the church’s efforts and directions nor spread dissent, we have extended our welcome to many such ones to worship and

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, On Easter Sunday, we had a membership intake where some took their membership vows. Those wishing to take up membership had to finish attending our Basic Bible Knowledge Class before submitting their applications and thereafter be interviewed by the Board of Elders. I thought it would be a good opportunity to use this pastoral to explain the rationale for this practice. Some churches do not require attendance of any classes before taking up membership. Is attending BBK and interviewing those taking up membership important? Why does BPCWA do so and stringently insist that it be so? Our Basic Bible Knowledge class. In our church history, minimal classes covering how to be saved were required before acceptance into

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, There have been several events happening in the global arena over the past months.  In the news, we have read several commentaries on liberals, progressives, and conservatives.  The church should not be involved in politics, and BPCWA certainly doesn’t intend to be giving political advice.  Every party and every country are different.  This pastoral will not cover fiscal, economic, or immigration policies, nor endorse any political ideology or party.  We will, instead, be focussing on how such ideologies impact the lives of Christians.  Opposing ideologies.  No one definition covers all the bases on the differences between these ideologies.  However, one would generally associate Liberals and Progressives with a greater emphasis on social justice, individual rights, and equality. 

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, News of the death of the Roman Catholic Pope has been in the news over the past weeks. As is typical of the deaths of international personalities, news outlets scanned every nook and cranny to find snippets and testimonies to acknowledge their work posthumously. Many articles applaud him for being a loving and compassionate man. In reading many articles from different news stations, he was missed and well-liked by many, within and outside of Roman Catholic world. What can we learn from how popularity as a person can be gained? Liked by the masses. Some of the reasons for this were because he was actively involved in what the world prizes highly: 1) Supporting the poor and

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Dear BPCWA worshipper, It has been 21 days since we commemorated Easter Sunday. Good Friday and Easter are periods of Christian celebration. However, the Word God gives us is not just “for that moment” as part of the “seasonal mood”. God’s Word is always to change our hearts and hence our lives. Therefore, while I have not done so previously, I thought it would be a good reminder to recap the messages this year, especially when they are about our Lord’s sufferings for us and His glorious Resurrection.  I do pray that singles and families would recount the key lessons.  Good Friday: “I Know Not the Man!”. We were reminded of Peter’s betrayal of his Master, whom he had vehemently

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