O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

DO WE NEED A REVIVAL?

          The Lord Jesus Christ has foretold that the End times will be characterized by spiritual coldness: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12). Perhaps it has become so common today that many have come to regard it as the norm. Is there a remedy for this? Yes, if God in His sovereignty works a spiritual revival in the midst of His people. The Bible records revivals that took place during the reigns of King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:12-27), King Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:29-33) and after the Jews returned from their Babylonian Captivity (Ezra 10:1-12; Nehemiah 8:1-18).

          Revivals have also happened several times in church history. In September 1857, a man of prayer, Jeremiah Lanphier, started a businessmen’s prayer meeting in the upper room of the Dutch Reformed Church Consistory Building in Manhattan. In response to his advertisement, only six people out of a population of a million showed up. But the following week there were 14, and then 23 when it was decided to meet every day for prayer. By late winter they were filling the Dutch Reformed Church, then the Methodist Church on John Street, then Trinity Episcopal Church on Broadway at Wall Street. In February and March of 1858, every church and public hall in down town New York was filled and when someone did a count, he found there were over 6,000 people attending the prayer meetings.

          People began to be converted, 10,000 a week in New York City alone. The movement spread throughout New England, the church bells bringing people to prayer at 8 in the morning, 12 noon, and 6 in the evening. More than a million people were converted to God in one year out of a population of thirty million. The effects were felt for 40 years. Having begun in a movement of prayer, it was sustained by a movement of prayer.

          Here is another account of Revival – this time from Wales. It started as a prayer movement in 1904. A Presbyterian evangelist named Seth Joshua conducted prayer meetings at Newcastle Emlyn College. The students were so moved that classes were cancelled. At one of these meetings a young man named Evan Roberts, who was a former coal miner but studying for the ministry, came under conviction and he prayed, “O God, bend me.”

          When he returned to the College, he could not concentrate on his studies. He took leave to return to his church at home, where he told the pastor – “I’ve come to preach.” So the pastor told him to come to the church prayer meeting on Monday. At the end of the prayer meeting the pastor told the congregation, “Our young brother, Evan Roberts feels he has a message for you if you care to wait.” Only 17 people stayed back to hear him. By 10 pm all 17 of them had responded. The pastor asked Roberts to preach at all the rest of the church meetings and services for the rest of the week – 60 responded. After that he was asked to stay and preach again for another week. Crowds of people started to attend that church until it was packed with people trying to get in. Shopkeepers closed early to get a seat inside it. The meetings lasted up to 10 hours at a time.

          The movement spread like a tidal wave over Wales. In just five months 100,000 people were converted and lives were changed. Temperance, Bible study and communal hymn singing became the order of the day. The judges had no cases to try, no robberies, no burglaries, no rapes, no murders, no embezzlements – nothing. The police had no work to do except to control the crowds that came for the meetings. As the revival swept Wales, drunkenness was cut in half and nearly all the taverns went bankrupt. Moral standards improved. Within a year the rate of illegitimate births dropped by 44%. There is no explanation of this phenomenon other than God at work.

          Has such a revival ever taken place in Singapore? Yes, in August 1935 over 2,000 souls were saved, over 100 preaching bands organized and over 100 dedicated themselves to fulltime service, including the founding fathers of the Bible-Presbyterian movement in Singapore. This was the result of the ministry of Dr John Sung which also brought fires of revival in Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia, bringing several hundred thousand lives to the Lord. In the wake of this Asian Awakening new churches, Gospel stations, Bible colleges and seminaries have been built and established.

          If you would like to learn more about spiritual revival, please register for the seminar that will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, 14 June 2025 in the Beulah Multi-purpose hall: https://tinyurl.com/LifeBPCSem14Jun2025. In two messages on the theme “Revive Us, O Lord!” Rev Ian Goligher will help us to understand what true revival is, how it comes about, and what hinders it from coming. May our hearts be stirred to pray for spiritual revival in our church and in our lives. – Pastor

Revive Thy work, O Lord,

Thy mighty arm make bare;

Speak with the voice that wakes the dead,

And make Thy people hear!

Revive Thy work, O Lord,

While here to Thee we bow;

Descend, O gracious Lord, descend,

O come and bless us now!

Revive Thy work, O Lord!

Disturb this sleep of death;

Quicken the smold'ring embers now

By Thine almighty breath.

Revive Thy work, O Lord,

Create soulthirst for Thee;

And hung'ring for the Bread of Life,

O may our spirits be!

Revive Thy work, O Lord!

Exalt Thy precious Name;

And, by the Holy Ghost, our love

For Thee and Thine inflame.

- Albert Midlane –

TRAINING LABOURERS FOR THE LORD’S HARVEST

EMMANUEL REFORMED BIBLE COLLEGE was established in August 2016 as a result of the collaborative efforts of like-minded Bible-Presbyterian Churches with Life B-P Church taking the lead role. Our vision is to train faithful servants of Christ who will disseminate the pure Gospel and defend the faith in order to plant and build up sound, fundamental reformed churches of Christ locally and globally. The biblical basis for this vision can be found in the following passage of Scripture:

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:35-38)

          At this point in His ministry, Jesus was just about to send His disciples out to preach the Gospel, which was the work He was doing. Then Jesus made some important remarks to prepare them to participate in this work. These remarks reveal three great concerns of Jesus that we must share:

1. The Spiritual Condition of the Multitudes

          According to v.36, Jesus was moved with compassion because the multitudes fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. The Lord wants us to look at people like this – lives that have been ruined by sin, and in great need of deliverance and direction. This concern should lead us to do something to meet this need. This leads us to the second great concern.

2. The Shortage of Labourers

          The task of the Church is described by our Lord as a harvest. Farmers have two main concerns at harvest time – Firstly, how big is the crop? When a crop is large, he has good reason to rejoice because this means a bigger income for him. But at the same time, a large crop also means that there is more work for him to do.

          The other thing the farmer is concerned about at harvest time is: How ripe is the crop? That will decide the time frame in which the harvest must be completed. If the crop is ripe, it must be harvested quickly before it becomes overripe and spoiled.

          The Lord brings out the urgency of our task when He said that the harvest of souls is plenteous, but the labourers are few. The supply cannot meet the demand because not many are willing to be involved in the work. It is sad that very few Christians want to give their lives to serve the Lord full-time today. God’s Kingdom is losing too many potential labourers to the world of business, finance and industry. Few are willing to forsake the world and follow Christ.

          The present number of pastors and fulltime workers are already struggling to do so much. They have a limited time left to be involved in the harvest. They cannot go on working forever. The day will come when they will have to retire because of old age or disability. Eventually, new ones have to be recruited to take their place. There are opportunities for outreach and ministry everywhere, but who will go? How can this need for labourers for the harvest be met?

3. Faith in the Lord of the Harvest

          The Lord wants us to rely on Him for the supply of labourers for His harvest. He wants us to keep asking Him to call more men and women to serve Him fulltime. Prayer is something that all of us can be involved in for the Lord’s harvest. And as we pray, He will provide all the labourers that are needed. Then our task is to train and equip them to do the work of bringing God’s Word to the multitudes who need it.

          When ERBC was launched we wondered if there would be any fulltime students for us to train and equip. We started with six students. Now in our ninth year, we have a student body of ten fulltime students from four different countries. By God’s grace, there are now 24 alumni from the first six batches of graduates serving Him in Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. All this is the Lord’s doing, not ours. We thank God for giving the increase as we co-labour with Him.

What Else Can We Do?

          While we trust God to provide many more labourers to be trained for His great harvest, we must also do everything we can to keep running and developing ERBC. In order to do that, financial support is needed. As a not-for-profit institution, ERBC’s tuition fees are kept affordable to make theological education accessible. There are two ways that you can support ERBC:

• One-time gift or monthly contribution: This can be done by PayNow (UEN: T15SS0083JUOB)
• Endowment and Bequests: Name ERBC as a beneficiary in your will or financial plans.

          If you want to build up your knowledge of God’s Word, please enroll as a part-time student in ERBC courses. The details of the courses which will be offered in July to November 2025 can be found at www.erbc.sg.

          But perhaps you should also consider if God wants you to serve Him fulltime. It is a high calling to be serving the Lord – don’t dismiss it in favour of the lucrative career opportunities the world has to offer. Parents, please don’t discourage your children from fulltime service if they sense that God is calling them to serve Him. God gave His only begotten Son to save you. Can you not give yours to serve Him? May the Lord of the harvest hear our prayers for the urgent need for labourers. – Pastor 

Shorter Catechism Question 48

Q. 48. What are we specially taught by these words before me in the first commandment?

A. These words before me in the first commandment teach us that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other god.

Appointments for the Week

Tuesday, May 20

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Eld Chia Ah Lak)

Thursday, May 22

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

Friday, May 23

        7.30 pm     MM Meeting

Saturday, May 24

        2.15 pm     Ladies’ Tea Fellowship (Rm 1-6)

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM / MM

Sunday, May 25

 8.00 am     The Greatness of Melchizedek Hebrews 7:1-10 (Rev Charles Seet)

 8.00 am     Choir Practice

  9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  9.20 am Coffee Corner

  9.40 am Sunday School

10.30 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am The Greatness of Melchizedek Hebrews 7:1-10 (Rev Charles Seet)

11.00 am Children’s Ministry

11.00 am Chinese Service (MPH)

11.00 am Filipina Service (Rm 1-6)

12.15 pm Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  2.00 pm Session Meeting

  2.30 pm Thai Service (LMH)

  4.00 pm Indonesian Service (Rm 1-6)

Announcements

Life BPC Job Vacancy: Finance and Admin Executive

Life B-P Church has vacancy for a full-time Finance and Admin Executive

Responsibilities:
The incumbent reports to the Finance manager and assists in Finance operations and admin functions of the church.

Qualifications:

• Diploma in Accounting or equivalent
• 2 years’ experience in relevant fields
• Attention to details
• Prepare and maintain financial records
• Manage accounts payable, expense claims and receivable
• Should be able to handle full set of accounts
• Knowledge of GST, Quick Book Systems and computer applications is an added advantage

Candidates with relevant qualifications and experience may submit your application to the Church Operations Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Catechism Class for Anniversary Baptism on 19 October 2025 will commence on 13 July 2025.

Please pre-register by emailing to Church Office. Those seeking baptism, reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership must attend the catechism class.

Closing date: 6 July 2025.

Door to Door Evangelism

18 May 2025 (Today) Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30pm Contact: Desmond or Amos 

Traffic Warden Service

We welcome all church members to join in this work. Our TW’s role is to provide godly service to facilitate worship. We need help in following time slots for Sunday: 7.30-8am or 10.30-11am with a frequency of once or twice a month. Please contact Dn Chan Yong or Bro Kelvin.

Mailbox Club Bible Correspondence Course (MBCC)

Another Church Outreach Ministry invites Lifers to register their young children, teens, or grandchildren with our MBCC. Those whose loved ones, friends or colleagues who are either young in their faith or being non-believers, are interested to know and explore more of Christianity, are also invited to register with us by filling in the registration forms which are now available at the Church front counter and post them to:

Life B-P Church

No.10, Gilstead Road

Singapore 309064

Attention: Mrs Ong Chuay Ying

The Evangelism-Discipleship Department (E-DD) is running the 4th edition of our Evangelism Survey. This is a follow up survey first carried out in 2015 and later in 2018 and 2021. This anonymous survey will help the church leadership better understand our members' experiences, challenges and suggestions relating to evangelism.

Please take a minute or two to complete this short survey which will help the church to plan for its evangelism initiatives as well as an evangelism conference in Q3 this year. You may scan the QR code below or go to https://tinyurl.com/eddsurvey2025

Thank you for your time in participating in this survey. God bless!

Prayerfully in Christ,
Evangelism-Discipleship Department (E-DD)

Life Bible-Presbyterian Church Seminar: Revive Us, O Lord!

Speaker: Rev Ian Goligher

Date: Saturday 14 June 2025

Time: 3-6pm (followed by dinner)

Venue: Beulah MPH

Register by 1 June 2025 at https://tinyurl.com/LifeBPCSem14Jun2025

Gospel Sunday “The Promise of True Rest” by Rev Ian Goligher

Date: 22 June 2025

Time: 8am & 11am

Venue: Life B-P Church Sanctuary

YF Camp 2025 (for youths aged 17-25)

Date: 15-19 December 2025

Venue: Life B-P Church

Save the dates!

Emmanuel Reformed Bible Lectures

https://www.lifebpc.com/erbl

The Intertestamental Period

By Ms Lilian Lee, M.B.S. (Adjunct faculty member of ERBC)

Monday, 7:30pm - 9:30 pm (Beginning on 14 July)

To fully grasp the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, it is essential to understand both the Old Testament and the Intertestamental Period. This course will explore the history of the Persian and Hellenistic Periods, spanning the 400 years between the last Old Testament writings and Jesus' birth. By examining this pivotal time, we will gain insight into the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament, enriching our understanding of the biblical narrative. (2 credits)

**Note: Those who take this course as Credit Students are required to obtain a copy of the book: Charles F. Pfeiffer, Between the Testaments (Michigan, Baker Book House, 1959)

The Book of Judges and Reading Hebrew Meta-Narratives

By Pastor Tan Soon Yong M.Div., Th.M., D.Div. (Pastor of ‘The Fisherman of Christ’ Fellowship)

Thursday, 7:30pm - 9:30 pm (Beginning on 17 July)

Few think of Judges as their favourite book. It starts disconcerting and disturbing, but ends with vile stories that modern sensitivities can barely stomach. Many hope that by studying the New Testament long enough, Judges will simply go away! But this is one book we need to heed, for the Canaanisation of Israel it describes mirrors the alarming worldliness we see in churches today.

To come to grips with the message of Judges, one must learn the basics of reading Hebrew meta-narratives. There is a literary structure the writer employs, there are times he deviates from it, and other times he seems to abandon it altogether – all under the Spirit’s inspiration. All this is not random, but instead contributes directly to the central purpose the book.

Has it ever bewildered you that Gedeon, Barak and Jephthae are included in the Hall of Faith (Heb 11:32) alongside Abraham, Moses and David? It would not, if you understand the message of the book of Judges. Come, let us learn its sobering truths together. (2 credits)

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