uth chronicle

Issue I 2010
Apr - Jun
 Editor’s Note
Heylo dear reader =)
Welcome to the second issue of
Uth Chronicle for this year! As I
wrote in last issue’s note, you
will only read four of these a
year. It is always a good time,
then, for us to ask ourselves as
we pick up the next issue of the
Uth Chronicle whether we have
been walking close to the Lord
thus far. While we forge
through the second quarter of
2010, may we strive to depend
more on Christ, and to
diligently seek after Him!
In this issue, our theme is
simply ‘cross’, and we will
consider the many things
related to it, whether
symbolically or lexically. But on
a less quirky note, have we
been living up to the Youth
Fellowship’s theme of carrying
our cross daily? Rev Quek pens
an article that serves to remind
us of the importance of doing
so, echoing the message he
delivered to us in March.
While we dwell on the cross of
Christ, we also have a
contribution from our resident
Aussie, Kenny, who shares his
calling to full-time service in
‘Crossing Paths with the Cross’.
On top of that, Bro Eugene has
contributed a piece that
2
touches on the importance of
keeping a good testimony.
Branching off from the image of
the cross of Christ, Sister Molly
has written an article titled
‘Crossed!’ with some practical
tips on how to react and behave
when we meet with situations
that provoke our anger. In the
same vein, we run through the
responses of our survey in
‘YFSpeaks’.
In our regular section
‘Retrospect’, Uncle Thomas
pens a letter to his past self and
gives us a glimpse into how he
found the cross, and turned
from a humanist to a believer.
This issue, we have the
pleasure of welcoming new
members to the Uth team,
namely Dorothy, Jonan and
Joel Quah! (Hopefully with all
the new hands we can break
the ‘tradition’ of publishing late
=P)
We are also glad to reveal that
the Uth Chronicle now has an
online presence at
uthchronicle.wordpress.com,
where we will upload issues as
they are published. The archive
currently contains all issues
dated back to 2009. Do take
this opportunity to spread the
Uth Chronicle to friends from
other churches, or even your
Christian friends in school, that
they may be blessed by the
articles inside. =)
Finally, even as we continue to
labour in our studies or in our
places of work, let us remember
to always place God first, and
set aside time to ‘study to shew
thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to
be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth.’ Timothy
2:15
May God bless your reading!
Yours in Christ,
Brian
P.S.: There is an important
change that is coming to the
Uth Chronicle, and it concerns
a subscription fee. For more
information, please take a look
at the cutout in page 15.
UTH TEAM
Advisor: Bro Henry
Chua
Editor: Brian Lim
Secretar y: Jonathan
Tay
Layouts: Grace Auyo
ng
Photos: Samuel Chia
Chasers: Dorothy Ch
iang &
Joel Quah
Special Ops: Jonan Ta
n,
Michelle Chiang & Ye
da Ko
Take Up His Cross
by Rev Quek Suan Yew

MATTHEW 16:24
‘THEN SAID JESUS UNTO HIS
DISCIPLES, IF ANY MAN WILL COME
AFTER ME, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF,
AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS, AND
FOLLOW ME.’

The cross has been a symbol

of suffering since the time of Christ
when the Romans ‘popularized’ it.
They made the crucifixion one of their
most effective ways of dealing with
common criminals or anyone who
would opposes the Roman Empire. It referred to serious persons with a accolades are to be forgotten as if he
was a most painful, humiliating and strong resolution to follow in His has just come out of his mother’s
slow death. footsteps. If they possess this, then womb! The question the Christian
the steps to true discipleship begin. must ask constantly before he makes
But for the Christians, it has a T h e s e a r e n o n - n e g o t i a b l e a decision is: ‘what is God’s will for me
completely different meaning. Christ’s qualifications. The disciple cannot in this matter?’ This includes treatment
death on the cross was prophesied in bargain with his master. The nature of for sickness, the choices of a job, a life
the Bible (see Isaiah 53). It has taken a disciple is that he is a learner and partner and where to serve God. What
on a noble meaning in the eyes of knows hardly anything, and he is here the Christian wants is of no
every born-again believer. For the to learn from the Master. Whatever the consequence. All he wants now must
Saviour and LORD to die such a Master says he must do, without be to glorify God in Christ Jesus.
shameful, slow and painful death bargaining to ease the requirement of The second is ‘to take up his
because of our sins is something every discipleship. cross.’ Luke has the word ‘daily’
believer can never comprehend. attached to this qualification. Luke

“
They may understand it, but never 9:23 ‘And he said to them all, If any
fully. The deep sense of gratitude
There is no vacation time or man will come after me, let him
that stems from this understanding retirement in cross-carrying. deny himself, and take up his cross
lasts a lifetime and continues into T h e m o m e n t h e b e c o m e s a daily, and follow me.’ The cross
eternity. The cross that Christ Christian, the believer begins was a symbol of suffering and
carried is the example for us to carrying his cross. He does not shame for Christ. This is true for
understand the demand made by every Christian too. When we live

”
carry it alone, for Christ will be
Christ of every genuine disciple for Christ, Satan and his minions
who would follow Him. there to help carry it with him. will harass and persecute and
malign God’s servants. To carry the
cross designed by Christ for each

Thus, when Christ Jesus and every one of His disciples is to be
gave all His disciples this qualification

The first qualification for saved for service. Every individual
(see Matthew 16:24) for discipleship,
discipleship is ‘to deny self.’ This is a believer is given a different cross
He is asking us to do something that
command, not an option. Because it is determined by Christ alone. Christ
He Himself has done. He carried the knows the best way that particular
cross that the Heavenly Father asked written in the middle voice, it means believer can serve Him best. The
every individual disciple must do this
Him to bear. He completed it with total
himself. No one can do it for him. This believer’s duty is to comply by taking
and absolute obedience to His Father
is a personal denial of self. Literally, it up the cross. The cross is not made of
for our sakes. Christ gave this offer to
means ‘to forget and lose sight of iron that will crush him. It is also not
all without discrimination. ‘If any man made of soft silk where luxury
will’ is an act of the will or the mind. one’s self and all interests.’ He has to becomes a way of life. It is made of
die to self. His ambitions, his will, and
Literally, it means ‘to have in mind or
desires are to be set aside as if they wood, although sometimes fear may
to be resolved’. It is an act of the will
do not exist anymore. He becomes a turn it into stone, making it appear too
with strong determination. This is not
non-entity as a slave is to his master. heavy for the believer to carry. Christ
given to people who are half-hearted has carried the cross and set the
or with a fanciful mind, who feel like Whatever the Master’s will is becomes example for all believers to follow. He
his very own. All earthly positions and
3 doing it today but not tomorrow. Christ
 did not put down the cross, and the
believer is to do the same and to carry
it daily. There is no vacation time or
retirement in cross-carrying. The
moment he becomes a Christian, the
believer begins carrying his cross. He
does not carry it alone, for Christ will
be there to help carry it with him. Jesus
says in Matthew 11:29-30 ‘Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I
am meek and lowly in heart: and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
The believer is yoked with Christ.
Everywhere he goes, carrying the
cross, Christ is there with him.
Then he is asked by the Master
t o f o l l o w H i m . I f t h e fi r s t t w o
qualifications are absent, there is no
point in following. He simply is
forbidden by Christ to follow Him on
his own terms. Before the sinner can
follow Christ, he must first die to self,
and then self must be replaced by
Christ and a new life. Following Christ
is a lifelong experience. The believer
never stops following Christ.
C i rc u m s t a n c e s a n d h e a l t h a n d
surroundings do not affect him at all.
Paul the apostle carried the gospel
everywhere the LORD sent him. As a
free man, he went from city to city,
knowing that in some cities he would
have to be persecuted for Christ. He
went, nonetheless. As a prisoner for
Christ he continued to share the gospel
to whomever God brought into his life.
The believer is saved for
service. This service is called the cross.
It is designed and given to every
believer by his Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. He has to take up the cross and
carry it all his life. The only way to do it
is to first deny self and then can he
take up the cross and follow Christ.
There is no other way. This is part and
parcel of salvation and not a matter of
discipleship. There is no separation of
salvation and service. It is a command
and never an option.
•••

Putting into practice

Ouch! what I learn in anger
Why did you hit me? management class…

!
CROSSED! by Sister Molly
Most of us have been at the
giving or receiving end of anger. The
world tells us that anger is neither ‘bad’
nor ‘good’— it is an emotion that we
must learn how to express positively
and healthily. There are classes and
therapies that help people to deal with
the emotion by talking, journaling,
exercising and meditating. Although
some of the anger management
techniques are useful, Christians must
know that their understanding and
What does the Bible teach us
management of anger need to be
different from the world. As Apostle
4
Paul taught the Ephesians (4:20-24),
now that we are in Christ, we must lay
aside the old life and put on the “new
man”, which is to follow a certain
pattern laid out by Christ and model
our lives after His. In short, anger is to
be dealt with in God’s way, as we live
lives in God’s way. As such, we need to
look at His Word for guidance.
the wicked every day.” But God knows
about anger? It is something that is
inside of us and is from God. In many
instances of anger mentioned in
Scripture, anger is a negative response
to a real or perceived injustice, arising
from a sense of fairness or
righteousness. The Bible teaches us
that God has anger; He has a nature
and character that is righteous, holy
and good; and that He hates those
things that are there after the Fall. In
Psalm 7:11, we read that “God judgeth
the righteous, and God is angry with
how to be angry - it is perfectly
balanced and is equal to the
wrongness of something. A good
example of this is Exodus 34:6-7,
where in spite of their stiff-necked,
rebellious and idolatrous spirits, God
was merciful towards the Israelites -
“The LORD God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for
thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by
no means clear the guilty; visiting the
Take another example. When
iniquity of the fathers upon the children,
and upon the children’s children, unto
the third and to the fourth generation”.
However, anger in people is
another thing altogether. We tend to
think: if I have love in my heart, that is
good; but if I have anger in my heart,
that is bad. However, it is not as clear-
cut as that. The Bible teaches that we
are ‘out of whack’— we do not know
how to love right, we love out of kilter,
we have compassion the wrong way -
In verse 27 of Ephesians 4,
either too much or too little. That is why
Jesus had to model it for us. In Mark
3:1-6, the Pharisees were watching
Jesus in the synagogue, to see if He
would heal the man with a withered
hand on a Sabbath day. The Pharisees
were looking for evidence to accuse
Jesus of breaking the Sabbath law.
Although Jesus was angry and grieved
over the hardness of their hearts, He
showed compassion and performed
the miracle of healing the man’s
withered hand.
Hence, anger can be justified
as it comes from God, when it is a
response to perceived
unrighteousness. But because of the
Fall, anger, along with love and the
other rest of the emotions, oftentimes
tends to be manifested in an
unrighteous way. Benjamin Franklin
once said that anger is never without a
purpose, but seldom is that purpose a
good one!
In verse 22 of Ephesians 4, Paul listed
anger as part of this corruption
resulting from deceitful lusts. James
wrote about this as well (4:1-3). The
reason why we quarrel and fight with
each other is because we desire these
things and we think we deserve them;
when we do not get them, we get
angry. Note that Paul also listed anger
as being “deceitful”. Why? When we
In verse 29 of Ephesians 4,
are angry, unjustly angry, beyond the
measure that we are supposed to be
5
angry, we tend to lie. We lie to
ourselves, to other people, and to God.
Suppose you get angry with something
or someone. Somebody sees you
seething with anger, drumming your
fingers on the table and asks, “Are you
angry?” 9 times out of ten, your
response would be, “No!” Why is that?
in awe, and sin not: commune with
you get hurt and want to narrate the
pain to someone, would you embellish
or leave out some information so as to
present yourself in a more ‘pitiful light’?
I know I am guilty of that! Hence, anger
is quite often tied up with deception.
We also see this in Scripture too. In 2
Kings 11, we read of Athaliah
murdering her grandchildren to get on
the throne. She was successful in her
treachery and reigned for about six
years. However, one child was stashed
away safely and survived. His name
was Joash. In the seventh year, when
Joash was anointed as rightful king of
Judah in the temple, Athaliah rent her
clothes and shouted in anger, “Treason,
treason”. How absurd and ridiculous an
accusation Athaliah had made! In the
end, she died a dishonourable death
like the rest of her family.
In verse 26 of Ephesians 4, Paul wrote
“Be ye angry, and sin not”. Is anger
ever justifiable? Well, Jesus was angry
in that incident where He healed a man
with a withered hand. Note that He was
angry about a real injustice, that
somebody weaker was being
oppressed, and that His Father’s name
and honour was being vilified. Hence,
the lesson we are to learn about
managing anger in this incident is to
recognize that there is an injustice
being done; the next step it to take the
matter to God immediately and pray to
Him about it. In Psalm 4, David wrote
how he was slandered unjustly and if
anyone of us were in his position, anger
would definitely be one of our
emotional responses! However, instead
of anger, David encouraged to “Stand
your own heart upon your bed, and be
still. Selah”. Hence, instead of thinking
about ways to get back at someone,
we are told to commune our
frustrations and burdens to God before
we turn in for the night. And in our
prayers to do His will, He will give us
the peace that surpasses all
understanding and a restful night of
sleep will enable us to do what is right
the next day.
Paul wrote, “Neither give place to the
devil”. We are told not to give a place in
our lives to the devil, as this can
happen when we do not deal with
anger the way God wants us to (see
verse 26b). One Chinese proverb
teaches that when you go seeking
revenge, dig two graves. Hence, when
you deal with anger in ungodly ways, it
will destroy you. Think back to Cain
and Abel (Gen 4:1-8). Imagine: one
generation away from Creation and
there was murder in the family! Cain
and Abel brought offerings to God. God
gave blessings to Abel for his offering
and not to Cain. Cain becomes very
angry, downcast… God speaks to Cain,
“Why art thou wroth?” God is not only
asking about Cain’s feelings but also
telling him that he has no right to be
angry in this situation. But Cain does
not engage in the dialogue with God;
he turns his back on God and commits
murder out of anger. In verse 7 of that
same chapter, God also tells Cain that
anger crouches like a lion or leopard at
one’s door. Hence, he can have
dominion over anger or anger can
consume him. The choice was in Cain’s
hands. Sadly, Cain chose the latter.
Jesus wrote about this in Matthew
5:21-22, explaining anger as a form of
murder. Hence, if we choose to speak
angrily, then, at that point, we are
deserving of God’s judgment.
Paul wrote that anger can affect our
communication. You know that your
words will affect how people feel
In verse 32 of Ephesians 4, was ‘ok’ for the person to hurt me;
towards you, how a gentle word can
actually turn away wrath. Hence, we
have to learn to listen, use our voice to
not speak harshly, nor talk slanderously
about other people behind their backs.
As James advised, “Wherefore, my
beloved brethren, let every man be swift
to hear, slow to speak, slow to
wrath” (1:19). Paul further explained
that if we do not deal with our anger in
a godly way, it will pain and grieve the
Holy Spirit, whom God has caused to
Believers must recognize that
dwell in us as believers (Eph 4:30).
In verse 31 of Ephesians 4,
Paul listed the various forms of anger.
Anger and wrath tend to connote the
idea of retribution and most action-
movies have this similar revenge idea.
Typically, the hero or heroine shows
restraint in the face of adversity that is
almost virtuous… until his or her button
gets pushed! Then, bloody shootings
and huge explosions result, insinuating
that such violence is justified! The Bible
has a similar example as well for us to
learn. In Genesis 34, when Dinah,
daughter of Jacob, was violated by
Shechem, Simeon and Levi (two of
Dinah’s brothers) were really offended.
They decided to avenge the matter in
their own way using deception and
deceit. The result? Matthew Henry
commented on this incident in chapter
34, “Wrath thirsts for revenge; the thirst
of revenge has recourse to treachery;
treachery issues in murder; and murder
Instead, what we should do is
is followed by other lawless actions.
Were we to trace the history of unlawful
commerce between the sexes, we
should find it, more than any other sin,
ending in blood”.
Further, do not argue about
6
Paul wrote that our resentment and
wrath have to give way to kindness and
forgiveness, since God had forgiven us.
No matter what problems we have, we
have to go back to the Cross. The
Cross and all that it represents, is what
defines a Christian — it is at the cross
we see the righteousness of God and
His holiness; it is at the Cross that we
see the immense gravity of sin and
judgment. It is at the Cross that we see
the forgiveness and substitution of
Christ on our behalf to take away all our
wickedness upon Himself. And it is at
the Cross we can be forgiven and it is
at the Cross that we can start to forgive
God’s way. The world cannot tell us to
do this; the world can only tell us to
pound something, attend anger
management classes and talk about
our feelings. It is only the Bible and
what Christ has done on the cross that
can help us take a realistic view of
anger and how to deal with it in godly
ways. When God forgives us, Scripture
tells us that He takes our sins and
blocks them out; He does not keep an
account, of things He can hold against
us; it is paid off fully by Christ
(Jeremiah 31:34; Isaiah 43:25; 44:22).
What about us? We keep a list of things
people have done against us and it is
taken off provisionally only when they
behave well toward us. But the things
get back on the list when they mess up!
to burn our lists and go to God directly
with our frustrations and burdens, and
let Him be the judge instead. James
Dobson once wrote that to forgive
someone means that I am giving up my
right to get back at the other person for
hurting me. It does not mean that the
other person did not hurt me, nor that it
! •••
rather I recognize that I have been hurt,
and that I am giving it up to God, to let
Him, not me, be judge and executioner
of the matter.
In sum, dealing with anger in God’s
way means:
1. Being different from the world
they are going to deal with anger
differently from the world. Although we
agree in part with the world about the
techniques involved in anger
management, believers must recognize
that the world does not go far enough
because it does not deal with the heart,
soul, righteousness and what is right or
wrong from God’s point of view. There
is no ultimate reconciliation because
the world only deals with anger as an
emotion - only the Christian knows that
resolving anger in a godly way can lead
to something better, a peace that
surpasses all man’s understanding.
2. Replacing sinful anger with
briefly-held righteous indignation
Remember also to replace
sinful anger with briefly- held righteous
indignation, so that the Devil may not
be given opportunity. When you get
hurt or angry, say how you feel; do not
deny or lie about it. However, do say it
with kindness. Perhaps delaying your
talk might help, so that you have some
time-out for cooling off and communing
with God to search your heart for the
truth about the matter that is frustrating
you, making you angry.
3. Arguing about the problem and
not about absolutes
absolutes. You know how when one
person says, “You ALWAYS …..” and
the other typically responds, “No, I
don’t …”? Such are hopeless
arguments! Instead, take a tip from
James, “…be swift to hear, slow to
speak, slow to wrath” (1:19). Provide
information to the other person that is
helpful to the other person and helpful
in resolving the problem. And when you
are wrong, please apologise. Never let
pride stand in the way of 10 words that
can heal your relationship: I’m sorry, I
was wrong, will you forgive me?
 "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?": Isaac Watts Am I a soldier of the cross,

by Amos R. Wells    A follower of the Lamb?

Isaac Watts, who wrote this hymn, was the father of hymn- And shall I fear to own His cause
writing in the English language, and the author of many of    Or blush to speak His name?
our greatest hymns.
He was born in Southampton, England, July 17, 1674. His
Must I be carried to the skies
father was not a member of the state church, and was
twice thrown into jail for opposing it, so that when he was    On flowery beds of ease?
a baby his mother often carried him in her arms to visit his While others fought to win the prize,
father in prison.
   And sailed through bloody seas?
There are remarkable stories of young Isaac's boyhood,
one of them declaring that he begged for books before he
could talk plainly, and others asserting that he began Latin Are there no foes for me to face?
at the age of four and wrote poetry at the age of seven!
   Must I not stem the flood?
He became a minister in London. He was a little man, only
about five feet tall. His health was very poor all his life, but Is this vile world a friend to grace,
his church took loving care of him, for he was greatly liked.    To help me on to God?
One day, when Watts was sick, Sir Thomas Abney invited
him to his splendid home for a week. He became so dear
to the household that they kept him there for the rest of his Sure I must fight, if I would reign
life,— thirty-six years!    Increase my courage, Lord!
Besides his preaching, Dr. Watts wrote much. He was a I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
most zealous student of geography, astronomy,
philosophy, and theology, and he wrote books on all these    Supported by Thy word.
themes. His great life-work, however, as he himself saw,
was his hymn-writing.
Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Early in life he became wearied with the versified Psalms
   Shall conquer, though they die;
which the churches used and set out to compose hymns
of his own. This was a new departure and met with They view the triumph from afar,
persistent opposition, but his hymns soon became widely    And seize it with their eye.
popular in nearly all the churches. In 1707 Watts published
his famous collection of original hymns, which he entitled
"Hymns and Spiritual Songs." Only two or three copies are When that illustrious day shall rise,
now in existence, and one of these sold in 1901 for $700.
There were 210 hymns in this first edition, and 144 were    And all Thy armies shine
added to the second edition. In robes of victory through the skies,
The greatest of Watts's hymns is probably "When I survey    The glory shall be Thine.
the wondrous Cross," and many — Matthew Arnold Copied by Stephen Ross for WholesomeWords.org from A
among them — have called it the greatest hymn in the Treasure of Hymns ... by Amos R. Wells. Boston: United Society
English language. Among the other great hymns of this of Christian Endeavor, ©1914.
splendid Christian poet are "Jesus shall reign where'er the
sun," "Before Jehovah's awful throne," "From all that dwell
below the skies," "Come, let us join our cheerful songs,"
"There is a land of pure delight," "Our God! our help in
ages past," "Alas! and did my Saviour bleed," "Come, Holy
Spirit, heavenly Dove," "Give me the wings of faith to rise."
Many of Watts's children's hymns have become famous,
such as "Let dogs delight to bark and bite," "How doth the
little busy bee," and the sweet cradle-song, "Hush, my
dear, lie still and slumber." Watts had no children of his
own, but well did he know the child's heart.
The poet died November 25, 1748, and was buried at
Bunhill Fields, London, near the graves of John Bunyan
and Daniel Defoe. He is to be ranked with Charles Wesley,
the two standing together at the summit of English sacred
verse.
The noble hymn that we are to commit to memory was
written by Dr. Watts in 1709, to follow a sermon on 1
Corinthians 16:13, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit
you like men, be strong." It is sometimes condensed to
four stanzas, but surely we shall not wish to lose the last
two. Here it is:—

7
Crossing Paths with the Cross

My Salvation by Kenny Cheong

Today, as I reflect on my life, I sincerely showed me His mercy and grace. I Christ was something that I had never
thank the Lord for His mercy and grace needed to realise my unrighteousness considered. It scared me, especially
that He has shown by saving a in His sight in order to be born again. knowing that my dreams were not in
wretched sinner like me. line with the will of God.
I thank the Lord that now with His help,
When I was at the tender age of four, mercy and grace I have been able to In my heart, I started to bargain with
my family started to attend church after flee from the worldly desires in life and God, proposing that if He would make
migrating to Melbourne (Australia). It have taken heed of the words in John me a multi-millionaire I would retire at
was through this that I was exposed to 3:30 speaking to me that ‘[Jesus] must the age of forty and then spend my
the Word of God and with child-like increase, but I must decrease.’ When I time serving Him. I tried to plead with
faith I accepted practically everything was once a professing Christian who him, giving Him a list of all that I wanted
taught to me. But only many years lived a life for myself and sought for all to achieve in life, and reasoned how I
later did I realise that the lessons that I that the world could offer, the Lord could be more ready and effective if
learnt through Sunday school was, for helped me to understand Matthew this and that first occurred in my life. I
me, just head knowledge; I was not 6:24, ‘no man can serve two masters: even prayed ‘earnestly’ that He would
born again. for either he will hate the one, and love reconsider and to even take away His
the other; or else he will hold to one calling for me, hoping that I could delay
Many wonderful stories in the Bible and despise the other. Ye cannot serve or run away from it as I loved the world
were told in Sunday school, and I had God and mammon.’ I thank the Lord too much and hoped that He wouldn’t
also heard many times of all that Christ that despite losing many friends, I have call me, at least not just yet, as I
had done me on the cross, yet having now found so real a friend in Jesus, wanted many mansions on this earth.
all this head knowledge was still not who loves me so dearly and will never
enough for me to be genuinely born leave my side. I thank the Lord for As time went by, I continued struggling
again. I was just a seat-warmer on saving my soul. with my love of the world, but soon I
Sunday, and for the rest of the week I started to realise that God always
lived a life that was lacking in prayer, My Calling knows what is best for me and there
devotion and reliance on the Lord – was no running away. My life started to
things that a true Christian should have. Since my salvation, I can truly say that change. Slowly He worked in my life,
the Lord has led and guided my life so preparing me and showing me that
Like the people in the time of ‘Judges’, meticulously in every aspect. He has there is no greater joy than to deny
I did that which was right in my own a l s o s h o w n t o m e b e y o n d a n y myself, take up His cross daily, and
eyes. I also took pride in professing to reasonable doubt that nothing in life follow Him. (Luke 9:23) By His grace,
be a Christian, but in reality I was only has happened by chance, but through my faith started to grow by leaps and
t a k i n g p r i d e i n m y o w n s e l f - the divine will of God for ‘we know that bounds as I spent quality time with the
righteousness. I strived for fame, power all things work together for good to
and prosperity and lived different lives them that love God, to
by putting on façades for different them who are the called
groups of people I knew. Desiring to be a c c o r d i n g t o h i s
the best in all things, I also became purpose.’ (Romans 8:28)
extremely competitive in a very
unhealthy way. It has been nearly six years
since I first heard God’s
These goals and values consumed me calling for me to go into full
and led me to live a very sinful life with time ministry through the
much arrogance and pride. It took me testimony of a full time
a long time to realise that after minister who shared the
committing sin after sin, I was on a words of Matthew 9:37
downward spiral of doom. As a saying that ‘the harvest
professing Christian, I brought shame truly is plenteous, but the
to Christ and even those who were not labourers are few.’
Christians did not want to be
associated with me as I was so I had heard and read this
conceited. My world, as I knew it, verse many times before in
started to fall apart and it was only my life, but hearing it again
then, at the lowest point of my life, this time was different for I
when it seemed like the whole world was struck with fear in a
was against me and I had practically way that I never knew
lost all my friends, the Holy Spirit before. I had always been
convicted me of my sins and I finally so certain about my life
realised the depth of my sins and came and what I was going to
to the Lord. I repented. I was so deep do, but a calling from God
in my sins, but I thank God that He to be a full time minister of
8
Lord regularly. God had begun to refine my international holiday the Lord was teaching God’s Word and the thought
m e a n d e v e n g a v e m e m o r e going to drop a boulder into my sea of that I could spend the rest of my life
opportunities to serve Him in greater tranquillity. doing that was priceless.
capacities.
Christmas Day 2008 and while Just days before, my heart was still
Then one day I was reminded of attending a Church service my life plagued with doubts and fears. But that
another minister’s testimony that one changed. From the singing of praises, I Christmas day, the calling to serve God
cannot run away from the Lord’s started to deeply reflect on what God full time was definitely confirmed and
calling. By this time, my reaction was meant to me. I remembered the millions established in me. And until that day, I
no longer a deep sense of fear or of blessings He provided, while leading had never felt such perfect peace in my
uncertainty as I had already thought and guiding my whole life till that very life, knowing that the Lord had called
and prayed much about it, and I knew day. The Lord’s messenger then shared me.
the Lord had been continuously how through his struggles and testings
prompting me with the same calling, of faith in life, he was always able to I thank God that over a year has
telling me that I too could not run away, rely on the Lord for He had never failed passed and since then the Lord had
and sooner rather than later, my time him. These words comforted and paved the way for me and removed
would come. But the question was every obstacle in my path showing
when? me His will exceptionally clearly. I
also praise God for I am now in the
My life had changed so much and I middle of my second semester
had committed to serve the Lord studying a Master of Divinity at the
with as much of my time as Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC).
possible – doing my best to put Him Truly the Lord has been gracious
first in my life – but the Lord still unto me for I heard His many calls to
wanted more. I was now faced with ‘follow [Him]’, but unlike the
the reality of giving up all my disciples of Christ found in Matthew
ambitions in life and to start 4:18-22 who ‘straightway’ and
questioning myself whether I truly ‘immediately’ followed Him, I
had the faith to rely entirely on God continuously gave excuses similar to
to provide for all my needs. But that of Luke 9:59-62 and lacked
thank God that He encouraged me faith. But now the Lord has given
in the 2007 (Bethel Bible- and shown me the meaning of
Presbyterian Church) family camp F.A.I.T.H. – to Forsake All, I Take
and my heart was moved as I Him.
reflected on the testimony of a
pastor who lives a life of simplicity, I also testify that since I took my
where at many points of his life, he small step of faith (Matthew 17:20)
knew that he could not even and left my life completely in the
provide food on the table for his hands of my omniscient, omnipotent
family and how through his trials he and omnipresent God, I need not to
learnt to have full dependence on ever worry for I can truly say that MY
the Lord. During that camp I broke encouraged me, but then finally the GOD IS REAL and ‘[He] will never leave
down and shared with others, testifying peak of the Lord’s moving came to me [me], nor forsake [me].’ My God has
that I believed the Lord had been when he started sharing that for him, also been the provided of ‘all [my] need
calling me and had placed a desire in there was no greater love in life than to according to his riches in glory by
my heart to serve him full time. I had teach the God’s Word. From this the Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:19)
finally come to accept that the Lord Lord reminded me of how I was also
was calling me now rather later, but the experiencing such love over the past It is really a blessing and privilege to
problem was I still lacked faith. few years through teaching Bible have the opportunity to be here in
Studies at youth group and the Singapore to study the Word of God at
Another year passed and life just teaching of children in Sunday school FEBC, to be a regular worshiper at
seemed so smooth and peaceful. I was and this became the icing on the cake. Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian
finally graduating from university and I I was so overwhelmed, that despite Church, and be involved in the Youth
no longer had the many voices telling having a concept of trying to appear Fellowship. I have been thoroughly
me that I should or needed to finish my manly, I could not withhold from blessed ever so abundantly in every
degree before making a major life tearing. aspect of life and I definitely have no
decision. I also had a highly regrets. Certain I have made the best
prospective business advisory For many years I struggled greatly with decision in my life to take up my cross
consulting role lined for me to letting go of all that the world was and follow Him, I will press on despite
commence after a long international trying to offer to me and to live a life of hardships and struggles faced, and to
holiday that was partially funded by the simplicity. Slowly the Lord removed come.
company. I started to even think that it these struggles and at that very
was God’s will that I ought to work for a moment during that service, from the All glory unto God and may He
few years before I entered Bible bottom of my heart, I was convicted. I continue to mould and make me into
college, but little did I know that during knew then that there had been no His faithful servant for His glory.
greater joy in my life than sharing and
9
 My Bloo
/var/log
…a snapshot of my life in Imperial College London, UK
‘Hello world!’ Warmest greetings
to you all in the blessed name of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. How’s
everything back in Singapore? I
trust my writing finds all of you in
the best of health.
I’d just like to share and update
all of you CPYFers on the goings-on
from the time we last met till this
point in time. I’m in the second year,
which commenced Oct ’09 and ends
in Jun ’10, of my four-year Masters
of Engineering Computing degree
programme at Imperial College
London.
I clearly recall the night I left mid-
Oct last year on an approximately
13-hour flight bound for the land of
the original ‘Monopoly’, 6761 miles
away. It was such a great feeling to be
back in London, although it was so
disappointing to miss the snowfall a
week prior to my arrival.
Nevertheless, the flight was
enjoyable and I managed to arrive in
time for lectures that morning.
snow!
Looking
back, my memories of this year are
distinct from that of the previous
year. I thank God for everything
that’s happened to me, for His grace
in even preserving and sustaining
me, granting me such a precious
opportunity to study overseas, for
bestowing me with innumerable
blessings I hardly deserve and
unspeakable gifts, for family and
friends, and a church in the vicinity.
The list is endless.
10
Over time, I’ve started trying my
hand at cooking some things such as
chicken fajitas, pasta, vegetable soup
and potatoes etc. I live about 10
minutes’ walking distance from
college, opposite a supermarket, near
two tube stations and near Sophia’s
residence, and I pay close to nothing
for an excellent place in a relatively
expensive area. I share my room
with a roommate David, and share
the flat with 2 others, my secondary
school friend Jack, and my other
course-mate Lu. My flat-mates in
general are compassionate and
sincere. We’ve got a washing
machine, dryer, oven, dishwasher, as
well as a 40-inch Samsung TV and
Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. We’ve
also got some friends who come over
ever so often. It’s been a wonderful
experience in becoming independent.
I go ice-skating most weeks, but
nothing much really apart from that
worth mentioning.
Whilst my fellow Singaporean
friends stay together, I decide to
hang out with my course-mates,
all younger than me, of whom I’m
the only Malaysian-turned-
Singaporean. I don’t regret this
at all because I believe the
overseas experience is all about
interacting with people from
everywhere. Only my church
friends are Singaporean/
Malaysian – Joshua, Sophia,
Grace, Joy, Rachael, Brian to
name a few. We do meet to
celebrate birthdays for one
another.
College life this year has been
really awesome. My schedule is such
that my year is broken down into
three 2.5-month-terms, where the
start of the third is my finals exams.
A typical week consists of two full
days of lessons on Tue & Thu, so I
would spend the other days mainly
at home (took so long but we’ve got
pretty decent Internet set up now) or
in college computer labs helping my
friends out with their coursework.
However, my weekends are mostly
dedicated to church (I worship at
New Life BPC) – Fri YAF, Sat Prayer
Meeting, Sun worship. Pastor Ki is
the resident minister now and he’s
been ministering faithfully week
after week.
This year, I’ve tried joining
Imperial College Ice Hockey, I’ve
gone for the CNY dinner and
paintballing organized by DoCSoc
(Dept of Computing Society). I’m also
going to visit a church friend in
Belgium, and I will be attending
Easter Camp. There was also Free
Brownie Day courtesy of Starbucks.
Work is purely an extension from
last year and comparatively, there’s
more independent study this year.
There’s also more group work this
term. Major projects include writing
a Pico C-subset compiler, modifying
the Linux kernel to load an out-of-
memory killer, and a compressed
memory swap ramdisk. Modules
range from math-based Statistics,
Computational Techniques to
computing/logic-based Software
Engineering Design & Algorithms,
Networks and Communications,
Concurrency, AI, OS, Models of
Computation, with 3 out of 4 options
this term.
Thanks for upholding me in your
prayers. Hope to meet up with you all
real soon!
Lee Wei Yeong |
Address: Flat 9, 37 Courtfield Gardens,
SW5 0PJ | mobile +44 7850 077 128 |
email: evandrix@gmail.com
(by the way, my iPhone is stolen, but I
managed to keep my number stated
above, so don’t be surprised to find me
without one)
 >25
What does the cross means to you,
dear reader? To most Christians, we
recognise it as the symbol of
Christianity, particularly related to
Good Friday where our Lord and
Saviour was nailed on the cross for our
sins, repaying our blood debt with His
death on the cross. To some, it is an
ornament or piece of jewellery that we
place on our desk or wear round our
neck. To the atheistic history buff, it is
one of the primitive means of capital
punishment endorsed by some
civilizations of the ancient world. It is
interesting to note that the cross would
not have been well known as a means
of capital punishment if not for the fact
that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified
on a cross in AD 33.
The crosses that we have nowadays
are perfectly symmetrical and made of
precious metals or some exquisite
varnished wood. Hence, we may forget
that the crosses of the past were a far
cry from what we have today, as it was
after all a tool for execution. History
tells us that the crosses then were
made of easily available wood secured
with either ropes or nails. Unlike the
modern aesthetic cross, the cross
used for execution consisted of two
parts. The vertical portion was a long
sturdy piece of wood fixed on the
ground while the condemned person
was required to carry the horizontal
portion of the cross that weighed
about 35-60 kg. Once he arrived at the
execution site, he was simply lifted up
together with the
horizontal portion of
the wood and nailed or
tied to the vertical
portion. You can
imagine this was not a
pleasant sight. Let us
not forget this original
image of the cross, for
it was on such a cross
that our Saviour
suffered and died.
In my area of work, I do
come across prisoners
on death row and one
of the most difficult
things to accept about
execution is that life
will be forcefully taken
away from you. In one
moment you are fine
and well, and in
another, a noose will
11
be around your neck, the trap door
underneath your feet will open a few
seconds later and you will embrace
eternity. In this land, the mode of
judicial execution is by hanging and
this method is almost instantaneous as
it utilises the weight of the body to
snap the neck of the person. It is not a
case of slow suffocation, which is often
the misconception about execution by
hanging. The cross, on the other hand,
was not designed for a person to die
quickly. Its purpose was to give a slow,
painful, very public and humiliating
view of the execution. History states
that most of the time, the condemned
person was not allowed any clothes.
This was the case for our beloved
Saviuor as well.
The whole process takes a very long
time, and you are actually a witness to
your own death as you grow weaker
and weaker. Your loved ones will be
there to witness it and it will be an
emotional struggle for both your loved
ones and yourself. In fact, the whole
process is so torturous and cruel that
the cause of death can range from the
loss of blood to asphyxiation or
dehydration. Yet our Lord Jesus with
His omniscience and omnipotence still
was willing to go through it for our
sakes. Therefore, may the Lord's
Supper always remind us of His body
broken for our sake and His blood
shed to cleanse us from our sins.  that Jesus was the Son of God. He
Though we were not present at
Golgotha when Jesus hung on the
cross, we are no less guilty than those
who witnessed the public execution
and shouted in front of Pilate's hall to
crucify Him; it is our sins that require a
perfect sacrifice. It is only through His
blood that we can be redeemed. It was
His love for us that made Him willingly
allow sinners like you and me to falsely
accuse Him, and lead Him to die on
the cross and yet, He asked the Father
to 'forgive them for they know not what
they do’.
Let us now consider three characters
in the Gospels revolving around the
cross. Firstly, the Roman governor
Pontius Pilate. He symbolically washed
his hands and said that he was not
guilty of the blood of Christ. This is a
false declaration. This outward
physical cleansing and verbal
declaration is not sufficient to leave
him blameless as he had the power to
declare that Jesus was innocent and
set Him free, but he chose to give in to
the pressure of the Jews and he
eventually handed Jesus, an innocent
man, to the Jews who wanted blood.
The lesson we can learn then is not to
succumb to pressure and make
decisions based on what is popular
instead of what is right.
The next two characters are the two
dying thieves. One of them recognised
knew that he himself was guilty of the
offence charged against him and in

faith, he requested to be remembered
when Jesus reigned in the Kingdom of
God. The other thief cared only about
his current state and hence his
immediate need - which was the painful
experience of dying on the cross. He
requested that he be saved from his
current predicament with no eternal
view and approached Jesus with a big
IF by doubting that Jesus is the Son of
God. The question we need to ask
ourselves is - which thief reflects your
attitude? 
In my University days there was a
female classmate who declared that
she was a Christian. She capitalised
on her looks and generated a lot of
attention with her dressing. There were
times when she would wear something
with a low neckline, clearly revealing the
cross on her neck. I was pretty sure her
intention was not to draw attention to
the cross she was wearing, but it
inevitably did and I was disturbed about
it as I thought she was bearing a very
bad testimony with her immodest
dressing despite the symbol of
Christianity she bore. I shared my
frustration with fellow FCMers during
one of our meetings and a mature
brother simply told me, ‘Let him with no
sin, cast the first stone’. Immediately I
was rebuked as I seemed to be the first
one to pick the biggest stone to throw
though I am no better than her. I was
also known as a Christian in the class
but more often that not, I was late for
class and I sometimes dozed off in
lectures, which was a bad testimony as
well. From that incident, I learned
always to be worthy of the cross I carry
as I need to be a good testimony, and
also not to be a judge of others. Are you
wearing a cross round your neck? If you
are not wearing a cross, it doesn’t mean
that you are not a testimony of Christ.
What I am saying is if you wear a cross,
you have to be very mindful as it is an
outward declaration that you are a
Christian and hence an ambassador of
Christ. Your every word and action
matters and ought to be worthy of
Christ.
Dear reader, may the symbol of the
cross remind you of the suffering that
Jesus had to endure for your sake, and
may the symbol of the cross also remind
you to always bear a good testimony,
especially when you are wearing or
displaying one. With these reminders,
the symbol of the cross will be able to
help us to become better Christians.
Bro. Eugene
Cottage Meeting by Ruth Ng
23rd January signalled the first Youth Fellowship cottage meeting of
2010. Held at the Ngs’ house (the one with three sisters), a healthy
number of around fifty people gathered for a heart-warming time of
fellowship. The age range stretched from our newest batch of 17-year-
olds to a really old 28-year-old lawyer. At this point, it’s worth noting that
we welcomed the largest batch of fresh youths-out-of-teenz since the
dragon batch; this due to the burger lunch that was held for them earlier
that day. Regardless, it was a pretty heartening sight to see our ranks
replenished by younger blood.
Most of us arrived by 5.30pm, with the
exception of the MRT gang who had to wait an
eternity for the bus (hmmm), and kicked off
the meeting with a round of singspiration.
Soon enough, the time was handed over to Brother Henry Chua who gave
a message on the YF theme for the year, Take Up Thy Cross Daily. He gave
a provoking message, challenging our understanding of Christ and what
He means to us. Breaking down the phrase, he expounded on what it
mean to deny one’s self and to daily carry the cross we have as
Christians. Directing us to Luke 9:11-23, Brother Henry spoke of how
many of the people thought that Jesus was John the Baptist, Elias or one
of the prophets of old. Although I believe it’s safe to say that none of us
would think that way, it did beg the question of who Jesus truly was to
me. Was He was just a figurine on a cross? A man who died for a noble
cause? Or was He a powerful figure fixed in ages past? Even if I knew He
was God and man, the Messiah, did I understand that? Was it real to me
or just a bunch of words strung together? To add to that, Brother Henry
also pointed out that many people these days are so fixated with the idea
of an awesome, almighty Saviour that they tend to forget He was a “man
of sorrow, of anguish”, “the suffering servant”. I was truly provoked to
examine my understanding and reverence towards God. On a whole, it
was an important time of reflection. How else can we follow Christ if we
do not know Him as He truly is? Thank God for the edifying message.
It was a pretty long message,
ending at around 7.30pm as
Brother Henry shyly asked if
he had overstepped the time
(despite the fact that no one
was complaining (: ). Either
way, a sweet time of makaning, chit-chatting and song singing was to
follow. The buffet spread (which did not follow the menu that
accompanied it [: ) served us all well and several clusters of friends
formed. You’d find a bunch of youths in one corner doing a photoshoot for
the FCM gospel rally and another trying desperately to sing through the
entire youth song book. Yes, you’d most probably find one relaxing in one
corner too (ha ha ha, sorry I have a sad sense of humour). In a sense, we
ate, drank and were merry (: But in a good way right? So much so that
the exco had trouble getting us to leave and go home (: Pray that we’ll
continue to enjoy the sweet fellowship with each other and that God will
continue to bless us with such meetings.
 Retrospect
Uncle Thom
a s pens a lett
younger self er to his
, nicknamed
‘Sam’
Dear Sam,

Just learned that there’s a group in Singapore called ‘The Singapore Humanist
Meet-Up Group’. This struck a chord. You were proud to be labeled as a ‘humanist’.

Why not? The label ‘humanist’ has a nice ring to it, conjuring up the image of being ‘humane’,
among other things. You were a great fan of Dr Julian Huxley, the great promoter of
evolutionism and humanism, and identified with his ideas. It doesn’t hurt that Dr Huxley was
the son of Thomas Huxley (who was famed as ‘Darwin’s bulldog’).

It’s nice believing that we don’t have to look outside ourselves for guidance, and we are free to
make our own rules. To you, Buddhism is also a form of humanism – a religion without God, with
the additional bonus of the stress on compassion – not the folk version of Buddhism, with its
temples and incense and prayers, but the barebones Buddhism with its fourfold truths and
eightfold paths – simple, and yet profound.

You read the Bible only as literature. You were a great fan of Western culture, and how could
anybody understand Western culture if he didn’t know about Adam and Eve, Abraham and
Moses, Jesus and Paul? You read your Bible, but you crossed whole passages off, and put
myriads of question marks all over the Bible that your sister gave you – why does God have to
punish Adam and Eve so severely – they just told a simple lie! Anyway, is there a Garden of
Eden? Doesn’t science tell us that the universe is billions of years old -- and man came from
monkeys?

But then you met a pretty young lady, and you had to go to church with her. Every Sunday was a
struggle – go to church again? What for? You didn’t believe what came from the pulpit anyway.

You fought tool and nail against it.

Jesus – His teaching is too idealistic! Who can believe it? ‘Blessed are the poor’. ‘Blessed are the
meek’. Come on, it’s the real world.

It’s easier for you to have your own ethical standards and live by them.

He said, ‘whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart.’

Wow – then every man in the world is an adulterer!

It’s easier to be a humanist who believes that as long as you don’t harm anybody else, you can
think whatever you like.

Dare you approach a God who tells you ‘be ye holy’? His standards are too high for you (or
anybody else, for that matter).

Yes, I’m glad you were serious about the faith – being a true Christian means believing
everything that God says in His Bible, and not be a ‘pick-and-choose’ Christian.

Yes, God wants you to be holy. His expectations are impossible to meet – unless you have the
Holy Spirit in you.

He wants a new man. He wants you to die to yourself. Are you willing to do that?

TC

13
 Ex-Teen (now YFer) that talks
Anchor – attending YF has
strengthened my faith through the
various messages that pertain to our
current schooling life, rooting me in
CPYF 29th Anniversary the doctrines of God’s Word. I am
By Ivan Ting sure that YF has helped many to
build up a strong foundation on God
‘Blessed is the man whose
and the Bible.
strength is in thee; in
whose heart are the ways Lasso – going to YF has helped
of them’ Psalm 84:5 me to remind myself where I have
sinned during the week, and convicts
Thank God for seeing the
Youth Fellowship through me of them, that I might seek
29 years of praise, repentance for things I have done
service and fellowship. wrong from God. Hence YF is sort of
We must realise it has
a lasso for me, bringing me back to
all been by God’s
strength, not our own. God after every school week.
Our hearts should be Supplements – the messages in
filled with thankful
YF augment the teachings during
remembrance of God’s
strength in our lives, church service on Sunday, just like
and in the life of the people take vitamins / supplements
YF. to maintain their health. I feel that YF
If the LORD tarries, our helps in strengthening a Christian’s
30th Anniversary will walk with God.
come, but when it knocks Besides, YF also has occasional
at our door, will we ‘be
cottage meetings and outings, so it
strong in the Lord, and
in the power of his isn’t just messages all the time. Of
might’, or will our course, the activities planned have
hearts in comfortable
spiritual lessons that I can take away.
times be ‘lifted up’ and
wax cold? However, I like YF camps best
because it really helps in building up
‘Most men will proclaim our Christian faith, without the cares
every one his own
goodness: but a faithful of schoolwork or worldly friends. I
man who can find?’ highly encourage everyone reading
Proverbs 20:6 this to come for YF. =)

14
 YF+YAF Combined Meeting by Adrian Ho
YF/YAF combined meetings are a long-standing tradition in our church - I can remember such meetings held as
far back as 12 years ago. This year on 6 Feb, we had the privilege of having Dn Ko share with both fellowship
groups on “the place of leisure in a Christian’s life”. To quote the speaker, it is a topic that is not only timely, but
also timeless; YFers, YAFers and even AFers need to be reminded of the necessity to exercise godly wisdom in the
choice of the leisure activities they engage in and the amount of time and monetary resources committed to these
pursuits. The session of games immediately following the sermon was really great. Well, not because I organised it,
but kudos to the spontaneity, creativeness and competitiveness of both fellowship groups. I must say that I
underestimated the artistic calibre and ingenuity of both groups when planning the Pictionary clues. You would
imagine that things such as “coup d’état” and ”gladiator” would be extremely hard to draw, but our talented
artists made it almost too easy to guess. And for the finale, we had an interesting blend of Italian and local
delights for dinner – pizzas, pastas, durian puffs and sago with gula melaka.
I thought that I should append some of my personal thoughts to this brief summary of the event, especially since
I’ve attended both fellowship groups. A while ago when I was still a young YFer, my main impression of YAFers
was that they were folks who were difficult to relate to by reason of the vast age difference. As far as I was
concerned back then, the YAFers were a bunch of folk I couldn’t identify with. Though barely a decade apart in
terms of age, the divide was apparently very wide, at least from my perspective. I was still schooling whereas
some of them were already parents. In my mind, YAF was stigmatised as a group for those who are either getting
married or with kids, and not for the carefree and young-at-heart. Even when I graduated from YF and transited
into YAF, for a year or so I continued to harbour the notion that YAFers were so “different” from YFers.
Now, why am I writing all this? It’s because I’m almost certain that not a few YFers at the recent combined
meeting have had similar thoughts to those I used to have. I hope that my sharing here will help to set the right
perspective on this issue.
On hindsight, I realised that no two fellowship groups are the same and one should not attempt to compare them
nor expect them to have the same dynamics - YAF is different from YF because YAFers and YFers are at a
different stage of life. Doubtless, transiting from one fellowship group to another is not an easy affair. You have to
leave the comfort zone of familiar faces and close buddies to join a group where most are strangers and you’re one
of the youngest. Admittedly, I found attending YAF a little unsettling at first for these reasons, but I persisted in
attending. With time, strangers became friends, even close friends, and I steadily grew accustomed to the fact that
YAFers were simply folks with a set of responsibilities that came with age. In fact it is from these older brethren
that I’ve been the beneficiary of countless advice, tips and encouragement when it came to my turn to get married
and have a kid.
And so to conclude, I hope that those soon to graduate from YF will not be afraid to take the plunge and make the
transition to YAF. In the meantime, do use such combined meetings as bridging opportunities to get to know what
your next fellowship group will be like. That’s essentially the aim of the meeting. Hope you enjoyed it.

Uth chronicle subscription fees

Dear Readers
TIME PERIOD AMOUNT
You would’ve noticed that Uth now comes
to you printed in full colour. 1 year $4.10
While we’ve always been able to keep Uth
running within cost, because of the 2 years $9.99
increased readership and rising printing
costs, this is no longer possible. 3 years $19.99
This is why from next issue onwards,
Lifetime Membership Please include blank
you’ll be able to subscribe to Uth Chronicle
for a nominal sum. This money will help us cheque
buy materials to continue producing Uth.
Subscribe by sending “UTH SUBSCRIPTION” to
(This also means that Uth Chronicle will Uth.chronicle@gmail.com. Please indicate your
no longer be available free. However, a
preferred subscription duration.
electronic version will be made available
online at uthchronicle.wordpress.com,)
Early bird special –
Thank you for reading Uth Chronicle for so
20% off for the first 10 subscribers!
many years. Hopefully with your support,
we’ll be able to continue producing the Uth
you love and enjoy for many more years! Subscribe by 14 April
and receive a mystery free gift!
Uth Chronicle Team All proceeds will not go to charity.

15
 Outing
Running the Race — Combined YF
by Christopher Cheong

bined English and Mandarin

On the 30th of January, the com for an
ps gathered at Pasir Ris Park
Congregation Youth Fellowshi Ko
ons and fellowship. Preacher
afternoon of games, object less link ing the
ation after the games,
Lingkang gave a short exhort e
ipture passage which they wer
afternoon’s activities to the scr
conceptualized on.

Ecclesiastes 9: 10-11
for there is no
Wh ats oever thy han d find eth to do, do it with thy might;
10. whither thou
dge, nor wisdom, in the grave,
work, nor device, nor knowle
goest.
the swift, nor
the sun, that the race is not to
11. I returned, and saw under riches to men
r yet bread to the wise, nor yet
the battle to the strong, neithe chance
our to men of skill; but time and
of understanding, nor yet fav
happeneth to them all.
ng, who was
ups had to search for Lingka
Based on the above verses, gro flipped. This
and stop him. A coin would be
circling the park on a bicycle, able to use
ld have the ‘blessing’ of being
determined if the group wou s lan dmarks,
and take photos of variou
his bicycle to circle the park Park.
entire length of the Pasir Ris
which were scattered along the
k to find
to walk to one end of the par
At the same time, groups had k she lter, and
ly entrenched under a par
Dorothy, who was comfortab were
matical equations. ‘Blessings’
solve a series of tedious mathe being allowed
which included aids such as
drawn in a lucky draw style, -questions, or
free answer to one of the sub
to use a calculator, getting a
given extra working paper.
number
ation, the group had to pick a
Subsequently, at a separate loc wed to
ber of members who were allo
that would determine the num ssing’ of
a mini-garden. Again, the ‘ble
participate and to run around l running
an alternative to pure physica
being able to use a bicycle as
coin toss.
was left up to the chance of a
e of life,
to how one might run the rac
Lingkang linked this activity lesson/
me of the afternoon. The object
which was the overarching the nce
to point out that ‘time and cha
game station’s objective was ter in life
t many things that we encoun
happeneth to them all’ and tha tria ls
nt people encounter different
are out of our control – differe some
times. Some encounter more,
and tribulations at different of us.
them all to each and every one
encounter less, but God gives we run
interested in the process, how
God is definitely much more at the end – which is
n the result we achieve
our various races, rather tha
in God’s hands.

1 Corinthians 9:24
receiveth the
run in a race run all, but one
Know ye not that they which
ain.
prize? So run, that ye may obt
cuit’ of sorts.
oth er station tha t gro ups had to complete involved a ‘cir
An to pick up a
b through a pyramid of wires
Firstly, one member had to clim osit the ball
le ten nis bal l from the oth er side. The member had to dep
16 tab
 in a folded piec
e of cardboard,
had to carry up which all the ot
a small hill, to her members of
another obstac the group
the group had le , where all mem
to clamber to th bers of
up another hill, e top and take
and take the sl a slide down th
ide on that hill e kn oll, run
starting point, down, run back
and try to repe to the
within 10 minut at the cycle as
es. Naturally, th many times as
e group with th po ssible
cycles was decl e highest numbe
ared the 'winne r of
r' of the station.
Once again, the
youths were re
race together – minded that al
a race that wou l were in a long
ld last as long as distance
isn’t a tangible one's life, where
prize to be won there
the Ancient Olym . Lingkang also
pics, the winne pointed out that
r of a race wou du ring
laurels, which ld receive a crow
is a corruptible n of
after a few days crown, and wou
. ld wither and fa
de away
Each and every
one of us has di
the race. Lingka fferent abilities
ng reminded th that we can utili
e youths that on ze to run
interested in th ce again, the Lo
e process, how rd is
and significant one runs the ra
effort has to be ce, and that pe
pu t in to overcom rs ev er ance
come one's way e whatever obst
. One of the obst ac le s might
was that of othe acles encounte
r children usin red by the vari
g th e obstacles and ou s gr ou ps
ways of cajolin slides. They ha
g or literally ge d to find
parents), to allo tting around th
w them to use th e kids, (and disa
e facilities first, so pp ro vi ng
the circuit as m as to be able to
any times as po finish
response, attitu ss ib le. Lingkang em
de and reaction ph asized that one'
importance to to such obstacle s
the Lord. s is of paramou
nt
Hebrews 12:1

Wherefore seei
ng we also are
witnesses, let us compassed abou
lay aside every t with so great
weight, and the a cloud of
beset us, and le sin which doth
t us run with pa so easily
tience the race
that is set befo
The last of the re us . 
three stations
involved half th that groups wer
e group being as e required to co
signed seemingl mplete
as textbooks, co y random item
mputer CPUs, m s, such
guitar. The grou any tennis balls
p had to run al , goggles, luggag
ong a predeter e and a
included tasks mined route, w
such as duck w hi ch
stories worth of alking and runn
stairs, whilst ca ing up and dow
rrying their item n three
vast number of s. This resulted
young people w in the
to the handrails ith severely stra
and grimacing ined quadriceps
stairs in church in pa in as they walke gr as ping on
the next day. d up and down
the
The various item
s represented th
Travelling and ings such as St
Music. Taken in udies, Gaming,
di vi dually, they're Sports,
places too muc harmless, unle
h emphasis on ss one
significant burd the activity an
en or personal d allows it to be
weight. Everyo co m ea
burdens to bear ne will have diffe
, and these will re nt
race. One has to af fect how each pe
face different si rson runs his or
personal weigh tuations and ci her
ts will come into rcumstances, w
play and have to here one's
detriment to on be managed wit
e's spiritual wal hout any
his/her race, an k. Sin will also
d personal will plague one dow
power can only n as one runs
to rely on God, get one so far. Th
through prayer us one has
Lingkang also to be able to su
pointed out that stain to the end
everyone's in th of th e race.
that likeminde e same race toge
d brethren shou th er, and
ld help to prop
each other up th
All in all, it was ro ugh it.
a fruitful and sp
the participants iritually enrich
coming away fr ing experience
om the outing w s, with all
spiritually), wel ell fed, (physica
l exercised, (alb lly and
baked (but not eit with aching
sun burnt). quadriceps), an
d well
17
FCM Combined
Meeting 2010 by Joy Ng
Why are we Bible-Presbyterian? The many who
attended the FCM Combined Meeting held in
February were blessed and reminded of what
constitutes the very heart and soul of the BP
movement, and that is biblical separation.

The topic for the evening was ‘The Reason for

Being Bible-Presbyterian’ (2 Corinthians
6:14-18) and the speaker was Rev (Dr) Quek
Suan Yew. We first briefly traced our
fundamentalist roots to Dr Carl McIntire who
founded the BP Church and Faith Theological Seminary in
the USA to guard against the infiltration of modernism, ecumenism and neo-
evangelicalism. Having been providentially led by God to study theology at Faith Seminary, Rev Timothy Tow
began the BP movement in Singapore to separate from the liberal Presbyterian Church that had an affiliation with
the ecumenical World Council of Churches.

Continuing the same crucial tenet of biblical separation, the Fundamental Christian Ministry (FCM), formally
known as the Fundamental Christian Fellowship (FCF), was formed to guard against the falling away of the BP
youth in tertiary institutions. Many had begun imbibing modernist teachings in joining other non-separatist
Christian fellowship groups such as Campus Crusade for Christ, Navigators and Varsity Christian Fellowship.

While there are fundamental doctrines such as a Calvinistic understanding of salvation that make us BP, to
disregard the doctrine of biblical separation is to open the floodgate of Satanic attacks. It is the reason why we are
Bible-Presbyterian; the Word of God must be upheld as our supreme and final authority in the life of every believer.
The dissolution of the BP Synod in 1988 was in fact caused by the permissive and non-separatist stance of the BP
leadership.

Thank God for the faithful preaching of His Word. We were warned and reminded that biblical separation is
originally not a denominational distinctive but an ecclesiastical command for the local church and believers to
abide by. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 clearly teaches how we, as living temples of God, bring shame to the name of Christ
when we do not practise separation from the world. Personal holiness is a practice of doctrinal purity; it is a
command, not an option.

After the message, we were blessed by a song item by FCM NTU and the testimony shared by Brother Joseph, an
FEBC student, of how he was led to Christ through an English teacher while he was still studying in Communist
China. He shared his experience of having taken a non-separatist stand for more than 10 years before he was
convicted of the need to separate himself from the support of ecumenical mission work in China. Thankful to God
for the conviction to return to the Bible and its doctrines, Bro Joseph encouraged us to befriend and share the
gospel with our schoolmates from China who are generally more accepting to religion, having not been exposed to
it for most part of their lives, and to bring them to a church of sound doctrinal teachings.

The large turnout for the FCM Combined Meeting bore testament of how the Lord has been faithful in sustaining
the various FCM groups from the respective tertiary institutions. Truly, may we not waste our youth nor
compromise the standards of holy living. Pray that we will remain faithful in the doctrinal persuasion of biblical
separation as well as daily separate from sin that we may be effective personal witnesses for our Lord Jesus Christ.

18
 Poll Results
YF Speaks Complied by Yeda Ko
Of 40 responses, we
For this issue, the Uth Team decided to ask the question – ‘What do go t the following:
you do when you are cross?’, a pun on the YF Theme of this year
Get sad, complain,
‘Take Up Your Cross Daily’. The first round of the survey was rant, cry, outbursts
swea rin g, be co m e ,
conducted at the cottage meeting at Joy’s home, after Brother Henry an ta go ni st ic, bl am
e
others, find faults

gave the theme message. Sadly, the results were lost. Apologies for
14
that! Thus here, we present to you the breakdown of the 40 responses Engage in activity lik
e indulging in comfo
we got from the second round of the survey! foods (ice cream, rt
chocs, buffets?!), m
usic,
brisk walking/exerc
ising, watch tv

35% of the responses, the highest percentage, involved antagonistic 8
reactions towards the people or event that made them cross. They Pray, count to 10
, sigh, silent mov
include blaming others, complaining, swearing and muttering under es,
breathing in and ou
t

their breath, and getting sad and crying about the situation. 7
Keep to oneself, sle
ep it over, walk aw
The next highest group related to physical activities and indulgences, ay


or distractions, and made up 20% of the responses. Activities in this 7
category included eating comfort food (ice cream, chocolates, even Tell somebody

going for buffets!), immersing in music, exercising, and watching TV. 2
Cannot remember
the last time he
Interestingly, the abovementioned reactions to one being cross made was
cross

up more than half of the results, and are seen as more active and 1
aggressive in nature. The following results show the remaining half of
Attack the root of
the problem

responses, that reflected more passive responses. 1
Tick

17.5% of respondents indicated prayer, sighing, and regulating
breathing in and out, as their response to being cross. Another 17.5%
1
would choose to keep things to themselves, sleep it over, or just walk
away and ignore whatever made them cross.

A small 5% said they would confide in someone when they find

themselves cross.

There were a couple of interesting responses, like ‘I cannot remember

the last time I was cross’, and ‘Attack root of problem! …calmly…’, but
a personal favourite has got to be…

‘I’ll Tick.’

March Retreat
GREETINGS TO ALL!
First of all, I would like to thank God for giving us this opportunity to serve him. It was really a blessed, enjoyable and fruitful
retreat. The theme on confessions helped me realize we are indeed living in the end days. Have we ever denied Christ in our
life? It is foolish of us to do so, as Jesus Christ came down to earth to do the will of God, to die for our sins – it is the most
wonderful thing. ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved’ Romans 10:9.

May we also earnestly contend for the faith that is delivered unto us. May we hold on to this faith, keep it deep in our hearts,
learn to discern between the truth and false teachings, and bring others to Christ. It is dangerously easy for us to compromise
with others, but we must strive to never compromise when it comes to our faith! Let us not live in self-denial of our sin but
always ready to repent and seek the Lord for forgiveness. Sin is always around us, but we have the liberty of not sinning, so
let us focus on the Lord and hold His name in reverence. ‘And let us focus on Christ and strive for things above, for earthly
things will soon be gone.’

How true indeed that our fame on this earth will pass away, but the Word of the Lord will remain forever! Let us not be
hearers only but doers as well, eager to do things that are pleasant in the eyes of the Lord! Let us guard ourselves with the
Word of the Lord so that we may teach others the truth. Let us continue to press on for the Lord as we sojourn on this earth.
God bless!

In Christ,
Gabriel Teo
19
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Name: Joel Woo Jun Jie
April
Age: 17
The Last Seven Sayings of
School: Ngee Ann Poly
Christ on the Cross
Rev Jeffrey Khoo Course of Study:
Mechanical Engineering
3rd: Part 1 (Discussion)
Hobbies: soccer/cycling/
10th: Part 2 (Group Time) guitar-ing and lots more

17th: Part 3 (Discussion)

24th: Fellowship — Bro Henry Name: Bernita Woo Mun

(Cottage Meeting) Yee
Age: 16 going on 17
Birthdays: 4th Shu-lin School: Singapore Poly
5th Jonjon and Debbie 13th Course of
Alanna and Samuel 27th Yong Study: Creative Writing
Hwee 28th Joyce Auyong in Television and New
Media
May Hobbies:
swimming,running,
Book Study on Colossians shopping,thinking
Bro Joshua Yong

1st: No YF (Church AGM) Name: Debbie Grace Tay

8th: Part 1
Age : 16 going on 17

School : Catholic Junior

15th: Part 2
College
22nd: BGR... the Cold, Hard Course of Study : Arts!
Truth — Dn & Mrs James Fu (Lit, Geog, Econs)

29th: Part 3 Hobbies : I used to enjoy

reading until I entered
Birthday: 2nd Phoebe and Elliot JC, hahah! 
5th Ruth 18th Serena Ng
25th Dn Chia

17th — 22nd: FCM Camp

PERSONAL POINTS

June
Name: Serena Lok Yi-En
5th: YF Outing Age: 17
12th: No YF (Church Camp) School: Ngee Ann Poly
Course of Study:
19th: Midyr Remembrance Advertising and Public
Night Relations

26th: No YF (Comb Youth Conf)

Hobbies: Facebooking,
Msn-ing,Sleeping
Birthdays: 24th Grace
Short and Broad
JANUARY
31st Dec 09 – 3rd: Joanne Khor and family have a short trip to Cambodia.

23rd: Elliot Chin and Ivan Ting sit for their SATs.

25th – 30th: FEBC trial week.

27th: Yeda Ko performs the harp in a trio with two flutes. The concert is attended by a small group of YF-ers.

28th: Lisa Ang returns from her studies in Australia. She flies off to India on the 3rd of February.

30th: YF has a combined outing to Pasir Ris Park.

31st: Jason Liew conducts an evangelism workshop for Pandan FCMers.

Also on the 31st, Jonathan Poon’s sister-in-law, Cindy, learns about her
pregnancy.

•••
FEBRUARY
Sometime in February, Joel Woo helps out in an
orientation camp for secondary ones in his former secondary school.

Also in the 3rd week: Jeremy Chan completes his three-year course in the polytechnic.

4th: Ivan Ting enlists for 22 months of National Service.

5th: Gabriel Teo successfully concludes his industrial Attachment.

10th: FCM NUS holds gospel rally. Dr Paul Ferguson speaks on the topic “Eat,
drink and be merry?” FCM NTU also held a gospel rally. Pr Ko Ling Kang speaks on
the topic “Eternity and you.”

10th - 25th: Phoebe returns from China for CNY holidays.

11th: Esther Huang returns from China for a short visit.

14th - 17th: Deacon Chia spends his Lunar New Year in Malaysia with family and relatives for the first time ever.

18th: Pr Ko Ling Kang heads back to BPCWA, Perth, for another three months.

26th: FCM holds a combined meeting in Calvary Pandan B-P Church. Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew speaks on the topic
“The reason for being Bible-Presbyterian” .

•••
MARCH
3rd: Raphael Ko goes off on a month long study trip to China.

5th – 7th: Jon Jon goes on a 3-day CIP trip to a secret location…

Also on the 5th, J2s from 2009 receive their A level results

14th – 20th: Kenny Cheong returns to Melbourne for a friend’s wedding.

13th – 17th: Kai Shuin, Abby, Alanna, Serena Lok, Ruth and Daniel Lim travel to BDC, Chiang Rai for a 5-day
mission trip.

18th - 20th: CPBPC’s session retreat is held. On the 20th, Joyce Huang completes a first aid course and receives a
first aid license.

21st: Christopher Cheong performs Tchaikovsky with the Orchestra of the Music Makers in Yong Siew Toh
Conservatory Hall.
 get it? Crossword
2 Corinthians 5:20
Now then we are (__2__) for Christ, as though God
did (__4__) you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead,
be ye reconciled to God.
John 17:22-23
And the (__14__) which thou gavest me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in
them, and thou in me, that they may be made
(__5__) in one; and that the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou
hast loved me.
1 Peter 2:5
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a (__6__)
house, an holy (__17__), to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
James 4:4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that
the (__9__) of the world is (__7__) with God?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is
the enemy of God.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Be ye therefore (__11__) of God, as dear children;
22 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and
hath given himself for us an (__13__) and a (__8__)
to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Acts 14:22
(__10__) the souls of the disciples, and exhorting
them to continue in the faith, and that we must
through much (__1__) enter into the kingdom of
God
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I (__12__) unto you first of all that which I also
(__15__), how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures; And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to
the scriptures:
Deuteronomy 15:15a
And thou shalt remember that thou wast a (__16__)
in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God (__15__)
thee:
I Cor 2:11, 16
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save
the (__18__) of man which is in him? even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
For who hath known the (__3__) of the Lord, that he
may (__19__) him? But we have the mind of Christ.
 A Publication of

Calvary Pandan Youth Fellowship

Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church

201 Pandan Gardens
Singapore 609337

Email: uth.chronicle@gmail.com
“Edify, Educate, Engage”