28. MINISTER MENTOR BROTHER

When our parents left China for Nanyang they brought with them four children and four thousand years of Chinese tradition — the respect of rank and age. In our family Father was “C-in-C” or “Commander-in-Chief. ” Among the siblings, respect for rank was paramount, and rank came with age.

Timothy was “Big Brother, ” eldest among five boys and two girls. “Big Sister” (Siew Ai) was eldest of the eight. Through all our years the younger sibling addressed the elder by rank, never by name.

Today, Chinese families westernised by emigration and assimilations into western society, are losing the respect of rank and age. Slowly but surely, tradition gives way to change of culture.

Big Brother’s pre-eminence among the siblings received a boost when we left home in Malaysia to live with Grandfather in Singapore. In the absence of Father, Big Brother was “C-in-C” with authority over the younger siblings.

In school Big Brother was always “Top Boy” in class. This achievement added aura to his status. His brilliant school record was crowned by his winning the coveted “Seow Poh Leng Medal, ” coming top in his school leaving year.

During the days of the John Sung Revival, Big Brother was among the first to offer his life for fulltime ministry. Soon he became heavily engaged and committed to “holy things” (Evangelistic Band, Prayer Meeting, Sunday Service, etc). Being five years my senior, he naturally moved with his own peers in higher circles.

When the call finally came in 1946, Big Brother left for theological studies in Nanking under Dr Chia Yu Ming, then later on to Faith Theological Seminary in America.

In my simple mind, I thought that when Big Brother returned from America, the revival days of Dr John Sung would return, not appreciating that John Sung was God’s exceptional gift to China, one in a hundred years.

During his years at Faith Seminary, we kept up a regular correspondence for spiritual counsel and direction from Big Brother.

The one great thing he did was to enlighten me with the doctrine of Biblical Separation and the deception of false Christianity masquerading as “Liberalism” and “Modernism. ” Out of this came the formation of the “Varsity Christian Fellowship” in the University in Singapore (which in due time was swept into the Ecumenical tide).

When Big Brother finally returned with the Bachelor of Theology from Faith Seminary, our own separatist movement began. On 18 October 1950, the Bible-Presbyterian Church Movement was born, named the “Life Church English Service” in Prinsep Street.

The young pastor, recently returned from America, was a great attraction to the youths of Mother Life Church which worshipped in the Teochew dialect, while many of our youths, being brought up in English schools, were unable to cope with their parents’ native Teochew: hence the exodus to the English Service.

Thus the B-P Movement was inaugurated, mustard seed fashion, which today has grown into a global Church Movement, like a great tree, “... so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof”   (Matt 13:32 ).

Under the mentorship of Big Brother my spiritual growth and Christian service began to grow and develop. Those “initial days” were memorable “first time experiences. ”

To sustain an afternoon service at 4 pm in borrowed premises was a real challenge, to keep up interest and ward off drowsiness in those hot and humid Sunday afternoons, when air conditioning was generally unknown.

Nevertheless, by God’s grace, the congregation grew. Big Brother was faithful in Visitation, Prayer Meeting, and Family Worship. Those monthly meetings held in homes of members proved to be a most popular event in the life of the Church. It afforded an opportunity for informal get-together and getting to know one another.

In 1953, when I graduated from medical school, seven young people came together to start a “Youth Fellowship” the first “B-P Youth Fellowship” of which I became president. The next year I was elected Superintendent of the Sunday School. Both Youth Fellowship and Sunday School were great instruments for the development of Christian leadership skills, under Big Brother’s watchful eye. About 1955 I was elected Deacon. Big Brother assigned me to teach the Basic Bible Knowledge Class. This set me to serious self study of God’s Word and the classic works pertaining to the Christian faith such as the Westminster Confession of Faith and Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhoff.

In the sixties I was elected to the Eldership and continued to labour together with the Session and Pastor. Those were years of “learning by serving, ” 1950-1972, thereafter the Lord opened a new door of Gospel outreach, Calvary B-P Church, Jurong.

Looking back I thank God for precious lessons learnt under Big Brother, pastor and founder of the Bible-Presbyterian Church Movement. True to his calling, he proved to be a faithful witness for the word of God and the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Indefatigable in the service of Life Church for fifty three years he was “Pastor Available, ” 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, “at your service” to all who had a legitimate need. From the earliest days, a burning zeal for souls sent him with Elder Hsu Chiang Tai on numerous missions to Malaysia’s “New Villages” to evangelise the Chinese who were resettled by Gen Sir Harold Templer in the war against Communism. I had the joy of accompanying Big Brother on a few of those trips, to have a first-hand taste of practical evangelism.

In those villages, his knowledge of Chinese dialects was put to excellent use. He spoke fluent Teochew, Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese and Mandarin, to convey the Gospel message to the villagers.

Life Church, true to its name, was full of life, like a fruitful vine bearing much fruit for the Lord. In quick session Life Church brought forth many daughter churches: Sembawang, Zion, Kelapa Sawit, Kulai, etc.

While a student at Faith Theological Seminary he first heard the call to Biblical Separation from Dr Carl McIntire Big Brother testified that his heart was strangely warmed, gripped by the clarion call, to “... earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3 ).

While many of those who started out well, apparently striving together with us, have defected or fallen by the wayside, Big Brother has remained faithful and steadfast, still abounding in the work of the Lord, in the fifty-seventh year from the year of his ordination in 1948 in Amsterdam.

The motto “... for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:9 ) has kept Big Brother faithful and steadfast; “holding forth the word of life” (Phil 2:16 ) without wavering in his stand on the King James Bible, the Bible of the Reformation, the only Bible whose translators suffered the fires of Rome. While many BPs have defected from the KJV to embrace the NIV and other Modern English Versions, Big Brother holds fast to the end.

In money matters, Big Brother was completely unselfish. During my years sitting with Life Church Session, it was always a difficult thing to persuade him to accept a raise in salary, which he maintained was enough. His chief concern was, and still is, for the House of God. During the purchase of Beulah House at a cost of about six million dollars, his entire salary went toward the building fund: he led by example and the people followed.

A man of prophetic vision, he founded Far Eastern Bible College. In his words: “Without a college to train our own workers, the BP Church will die. ” Founded in 1962, the FEBC to date has turned out almost 500 graduates, workers for God’s vineyard in all parts of the world.

Not only does FEBC keep on enlarging its training programme, but it has helped to found Bible Institutes and Colleges in Myanmar, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Cambodia.

Amazingly, in his eighty-third year, he left Life Church to found True Life BP Church. While men may wonder, we are persuaded that the thing is of the Lord for the words of Romans 8:28 still apply.

Physical slowing down notwithstanding, the spirit is willing even though the flesh is weak. Minister Mentor Big Brother continues faithful in the Lord’s Service 55 years, steadfast, unmoveable. Amen.