The letter has been modified to enable publication in the Lively Hope.

Greetings in the name of the Lord,

I read your email a few days ago. I apologize for my delay to reply you. I was busy around with works here, and today I find some time to sit down to write. If I understand correctly, am I supposed to write about my service in this mission field? If so, it goes as the following.
My service in this field began from 2008 January. I serve as a teaching staff in the Bible College of East Africa. I teach mainly subjects related to Christian Education. I also serve in the area of bookkeeping of the college. This work makes me busy around with calculation, recording, keeping of receipts, banking and so on. Only this year, the number of students in the college is about 80. The number dropped in comparison with the previous years which usually go beyond 100+. It is our prayer that next year we will have more new comers in the first year class.

During the weekend I serve in the campus church within the college compound. There I am with the junior youth fellowship. It is this fellowship that I learned the needs and challenges of the junior youth from slum areas. On the last Sunday about 15 of them were present.  But the attendance is not so consistent. Three weeks ago when I came back from Korea for a medical check up, only two of them were found in the main service. Family background, living environment together with the life stage (puberty) that they are going through should be the reasons. One of my strategy to keep them in the fellowship was cooking lunch for them. While two teachers teach them, I am there to cook for them. I observe children here like to eat fried food.

There is a kindergarten within the college compound. I serve there as a supervisor. This work includes arrangement of activity schedule, bookkeeping, curriculum, shopping for kindergarten and so on. The main setting of the school has been already well established, so the work of supervisor is not so demanding as long as one is in a good communication with teachers teaching in each class.  Yet it requires consistent attention on a daily basis to check and meet the needs of the school. The Bible College has an attached kindergarten in a place called Ngomongo. It takes about 30 minutes by foot. Every Wednesday when BCEA students go out for evangelism, I also walk with them to visit the kindergarten and check the work in the school.
Well, I write this much to introduce my service in the Bible College of East Africa. I hope this will be a useful report about my service in this field. Well, I am not a native speaker of the English language. Please go ahead with correction of my English in the report when needed. Thank you.

In Christ,
Bai, Eun Young
(Sis Eun Young is a missionary under the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions)

 

The Hope BP Church Missions Committee has been approached to contribute a few articles for the Lively Hope. We plan to use this opportunity to provide answers to some key questions regarding Missions work in our church. Firstly, why does our church need to be involved in Missions? Secondly, what has our church been doing for Missions so far? Thirdly, how can we serve in Missions in the future? By addressing these points, we aim to encourage the congregation to be more involved with Missions, both at a personal level and as a church body.

This article will address the first question: why? To begin, what does the term Missions refer to? Matt 28:19-20 gives us its meaning, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

This passage is widely known as the Great Commission. Here, the risen Christ rallied his followers to “Go”. Indeed, Christianity is not meant to be a stagnant or complacent conviction which is content to only stay still in one spot. Rather, it is an active faith that demands movement and a practical response. The instructions to “teach all nations”, “baptizing them” and “teaching them to observe” can be summarized as making Disciples of the Triune God. Thus essentially, the purpose of Missions is two-fold: Evangelism and Discipleship. Christ wants us to spread His gospel of redemption to all people, including those near us and others far away - local and overseas Missions. 

So why must we, as members and friends of Hope Church, participate actively in Missions work? Here are four important reasons.

Christ’s Power
Christ instructs us to “Go ye therefore”, which brings our attention to the preceding verse in Matt 28:18 in which he proclaims, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Christ declares that He possesses absolute power and authority. As the eternal divine Son of God, Christ has complete sovereignty and dominion over all creation. John Calvin comments, “He expressly calls himself the Lord and King of heaven and earth, because, by constraining men to obey him in the preaching of the gospel, he establishes his throne on the earth; and, by regenerating his people to a new life, and inviting them to the hope of salvation, he opens heaven to admit to a blessed immortality”. Because of who Christ is, we as His followers, can have full confidence in going forth to the lost world in His name. While it is our duty to share the gospel with the lost, we ourselves do not have any power to convert souls. It is God Himself who possesses the divine power to convict the sinner of his sin and turn his heart to repentance and faith.  

Christ’s Command
Matt 28:19-20 is called the Great Commission, not the Great Option. The Lord has appointed us to be the witnesses of His redeeming grace to the unbelieving world. He has ordained that we are the means with which He uses to bring sinners to repentance and faith.  Christ did not grant us a choice or leave it up to us to decide if we should do Missions or not. Rather, it is His clear preceptive will that all of us be part of the ministry of Missions. There is no believer who can claim exemption. No excuses will be accepted. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s direct commandment to us means that we must not ignore or neglect Missions. If we do so, we display disobedience to our Lord. If we fail to be partakers in Missions, then we will be guilty of the Great Omission.

Christ’s Love
But my dear brethren, please do not be mistaken. Observing God’s commands is not meant to be an onerous burden. God is not like an Egyptian slave-driver who whips the Israelites slaves into submission. We do not obey simply because we fear retribution. Instead, we obey Him because of His divine love for us. 2 Cor 5:14 expresses it most elegantly, “For the love of Christ constraineth us”. It is because Christ first loved us with an everlasting love. He not only loves us in word, but has also demonstrated His great love in the ultimate sacrifice of His own life on Calvary’s cross. When we truly experience Christ’s love for us, our natural response is that of gratitude which generates love and obedience. When we receive Christ’s love, we would also want to share His love with our unsaved loved ones and friends. After all, what can be more important than knowing Christ’s love?

Christ’s Promise
After issuing the Great Commission, our Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t just sign off abruptly. He doesn’t just leave us to our own devices to fulfil his edict. Instead, in his mercy and compassion, He ends with a great promise to encourage His believers, “and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28:20b). He assures us that as we serve Him, He is faithful to be with us at all times. What a blessing it is to know that the Lord of Lords and King of Kings is always by our side! We are never alone in ministry. The great Creator God Himself is always with us to comfort, strengthen and enable. 

As we reflect and meditate on these four points: Christ’s power, command, love and promise, may all our hearts be convicted of the importance of doing Missions. May we consecrate our lives to be a witness and testimony for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so we can be a shining beacon of God’s saving grace to the lost world around us.

By Bro Jason Tan

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