Church Weekly
05 Sep 2021

CHURCH WEEKLY

37th ANNIVERSARY THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION

Dear Members in Christ,

37th Anniversary Thanksgiving Celebration.

 

So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations. Psalms 79:13

This morning we rejoice and praise God, with thanksgiving, in celebrating the 37th Anniversary of Calvary Jaya BP Fellowship (CJBPF). It is God’s Will that this Fellowship was established in 1984. God ordained godly man in the person of the late Rev (Dr) Tow Siang Hwa and the Chew family to plant and do His work here in Petaling Jaya.

We praise and thank God for His faithfulness in preserving CJBPF though there were moments where our faith was tested from within and without. God is faithful as we look to Him for deliverance. We emerge stronger in doctrine, faith and practice. Today, CJBPF continues to hold fast onto the Word of God which is kept pure through all ages. We believe that the original texts, the Masoretic Hebrew/Aramaic and the Greek Textus Receptus are preserved of which, the KJV Bible is translated from. We continue to hold fast to the major doctrines of VPI, VPP and Biblical Separation.

For readers who are not familiar with our Belief/Statement of Faith, kindly access the website at http://www.calvaryjaya.org

It is also appropriate to mention here that when we celebrate the Anniversary of CJBPF, we are not celebrating the physical building itself but the faith and preservation of His people. True believers are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

It is also time to examine ourselves, as a believer, whether we had grown spiritually in our walk, service and witnessing for Christ. I pray that we had and will grow more in the years ahead. If anyone has doubt, please pray that God in His mercy and grace will wake and revive such a one from his/her slumber. May such a one pray for forgiveness and return unto Him to love, obey, trust, walk and serve Him faithfully and fervently. We must not be negligent in practising the faith but to abound more each day.    

Please find herewith an abridged exhortation by Deacon Chong Yee Wah recalling the early days of CJBPF and his testimony of salvation.

 

Deacon Chong Yee Wah:

(Note: He is currently serving in the Session as a Deacon, Choir and Offering Steward Ministry. He is praying for God’s Will as he offers himself to be an Elder in CJBPF).

“In remembrance of this historical outreach, the first English service was conducted on 2 September 1984 by the late Rev (Dr) Timothy Tow and the first Lord’s Supper was conducted by the late Rev (Dr) Tow Siang Hwa on 16 September 1984, who was our Senior Pastor. God provided faithful stewards and visiting pastors to meet the needs of our pulpit ministry so that the flock is continuously fed with much spiritual food from the Holy Scriptures “which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus 2 Timothy 3:15b.

I thank the Lord for the faithful preaching and teaching of the Word of God at Calvary Jaya which is central to our worship. The Doctrines of Verbal Plenary Inspiration (VPI) and Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) that the Church firmly embraces and subscribes to is dear to me ”for the words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever Psalm 12:6-7. With such sure Word of God, may the Holy Spirit work and unite the hearts of our Church leaders and members on this uncompromising and affirmative biblical doctrines to forearm and forewarn us against the attacks on the Bible by the evil ones, “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places Ephesians 6:12.

On this note, may the Lord raise many God-fearing and faithful born-again Christians in our Church for the defence and against the undermining of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith and the Word of God during this end time.       

I was first introduced to Calvary Jaya soon after I left college in early 1985 by my aunt from Calvary BP Jurong, Singapore. I thank God for His goodness and faithfulness as Calvary Jaya stands faithful to the teaching and preaching of the Word of Truth, John 17:17. Having attended the Baptist Church for many years since my childhood, I do not have a clear understanding of any biblical doctrines neither was I convicted of my transgressions and the need for a Saviour for my wretched sins. But the LORD is good and gracious for which I acknowledge and give thanks for Christ’s love for me, and the seed of His salvation that was sown in my heart. As I grew and seek the Lord in meekness and in humbleness of spirit, I surrendered to Him by believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. I was finally convicted of my transgressions and in repentance, I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and my Master who is able to cleanse and purge away my sins “in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace Ephesians 1:7. I was baptized in Calvary Jaya on 8th October 1989 “herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins I John 4:10. By His strength, I am grateful and blessed to serve as a Deacon in supporting the work and activity of the Church under the leadership and guidance of the Board of Elders. Here I urge members of Calvary Jaya to come forward to serve and co-labour together in the service and the work of the Lord “know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts I Chronicles 28:9b.

During these past years, I was able to witness and experience the mighty hand of God at work and His mercy towards His Church when saddled or faced with trials and testings. I learnt to wait, trust and seek God first in every circumstances in life, personally and in matters of the Church “for thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live (Amos 5:4) and indeed “the LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him Lamentations 3:25. Henceforth, come trusting in the Lord, while man proposes, God disposes in accordance to His sovereign Will and purpose for us.

By drawing close to our God in prayer is always reassuring and a comfort. The late Rev (Dr) Timothy Tow used to say more prayers, more power! The Lord has taught me to trust in Him alone for His grace is immeasurable in that my love may abound yet more and more for Him, who is a pillar of my strength in times of need and in weakness. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Let us all be encouraged by this exhortation. May our great and loving God be praised. To God be the glory. Amen.                             

In Christ,

Eld. Choe Tong Seng