Dear BPCWA worshipper, By the time of this pastoral, I believe most of you would have noticed that the walls of the new sanctuary building are up, with most of the tilt panels having been raised on 22 July. This is another milestone in the church extension, made even more significant with the Camp and Retreat theme song echoing in my mind, “I love Thy church, O God! Her walls before Thee stand, Dear as the apple of Thine eye, And graven on Thy hand.”

The protection. This is common knowledge about walls. While we love the great outdoors, few, if any, would consider building a church without walls, which protect those within from the elements outside. Walls were significant even before Israel became a nation. As wars were largely fought on foot in times past, walls surrounded cities to keep attackers out. Perhaps one of the most famous walls in the Bible’s accounts would be that in Jericho. Some estimate that the walls, including towers and upper walls, were up to 15 meters high and 2 meters wide. It was easily a few times higher and far thicker than our newly erected walls! But they collapsed without the children of Israel pushing against them physically. God gave them the victory, for “it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city” (Jos 6:20). What are high and deep walls before the Almighty God who sets up one nation and puts down another at His will? The lesson is that while man can try their utmost to protect themselves and what they deem as precious and important, it is ultimately God who protects or demolishes. Sadly, it was also in Jericho that Achan “committed a trespass” and “took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel” (Jos 7:1). God can deliver the most secure city to the children of Israel. Still, man can cause the group to weaken.

The significance of walls. When the children of Israel were exiled under God’s chastisement, Jerusalem was left in ruins and its walls dilapidated. The once sovereign nation which stood as God’s witness had fallen into bondage and disrepair because of their repeated idolatries and disobedience. When Nehemiah received news that “the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire” (Neh 1:3), he “sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven” (Neh 1:4). Jerusalem was the Holy City where Solomon’s temple once stood and where prayers were directed. The sad condition of God’s nation and witness was a source of shame to His Name. Its broken walls left the people with no physical protection from their enemies and in constant fear and distress. But what was even more important was the fact that the worship of God was affected by Jerusalem’s fall, as God had commanded the Jews to worship in Jerusalem. God’s nation was no longer the shining testimony it was intended to be for God. What was particularly poignant about this was how Nehemiah was filled with great sorrow. As the Persian king’s royal cupbearer in a high-ranking position, it meant he had a comfortable life and suffered no personal material loss from the fact that Jerusalem lay in ruins. There was no personal benefit to Nehemiah to justify himself “rocking the boat” and putting himself through the inconvenience of rebuilding Jerusalem and facing the taunts of the enemies that we read in the book of Nehemiah. But his heart was so distressed for God’s house that he would rather leave his life of comfort and luxury and risk his life. It was the spiritual love he had toward the place that bore God’s Name and where He is worshipped that obviously pierced his soul. Today, the local church stands for the worship of God and as His testimony. This is what BPCWA is intended to be. Will we, like Nehemiah, feel the same depth of sorrow should, God forbid, BPCWA one day lie helpless, vulnerable to attacks from the enemy, and the pure worship of God is affected? We will certainly feel that for our own family. But we must feel even more so for the house of God. Nehemiah’s grief was intense. Sadly, in Christianity today, we have hardly any who truly love God’s church “even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Eph 5:25) and “hath purchased with his own blood” (Act 20:28).

Our church walls today. Certainly, it brings great excitement to see the walls of our church up. BPCWA, a local church, is God’s witness. The church building stands as a testimony to the place where God is worshipped and to the witness He has placed here. God willing, even when the extension work is complete and the sanctuary is in use, we must never get used to just thinking of BPCWA as an impersonal building. The building must turn our minds to the spiritual house of God, of which we are a part. As we now see the walls upright and held in place, let us remember the account of Jericho and pray that God will continue to uphold BPCWA. God spurred Nehemiah to restore the walls. Where it was within his ability to do so, he would do what he could to restore Jerusalem. Today, we are always in spiritual warfare, and we depend only on God to protect His church against any and every attack. Did you notice that these temporary beams are holding up the walls from the inside? It made me think of how each of us is a beam – either holding up the walls against Satan’s attacks or pushing down the walls from within because of our flippant view of sins and our self-centredness! Each time we drive past Canning Highway or walk in, let us remind ourselves of Nehemiah when we see the walls. Do we have such a strong love for BPCWA, her holy witness, and her protection as Nehemiah had for Jerusalem when he wept at her broken walls? The building bears a testimony not of someone’s name, but of Christ who must be lifted high, worshipped, and glorified so that men will be drawn to Him. Can we truly sing with genuine love the stanza that God’s church is “Beyond my highest joy, I prize her heav’nly ways, Her sweet communion, solemn vows, Her hymns of love and praise”? Let us always have a holy jealousy for BPCWA that she will be the place of worship and godly witness that our Saviour wants for His church.

For her my tears shall fall;
For her my prayers ascend;
To her my cares and toils be giv’n,
Till toils and cares shall end.

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor