My dear readers,

Answering Remaining Questions from Calvary Pandan Church Camp 2024 (12)

Question: How do we approach and have fellowship with brethren who are now attending Calvary Pandan BPC who are known for sowing discord and overthrowing their own pastor in their previous church?

Answer: This question raises the issues of Christian Fellowship and the role of the pastor in the church.

Fellowship is a Christian blessing bestowed on all believers by God. Those who cloister up in their study at home, or disappear immediately after every worship service to avoid fellowship, or do not participate in any ministry of the church to avoid hurting others and being hurt by others are living in disobedience to God because all believers have been saved and left behind by God to witness for Christ, i.e. to touch the lives of others with their redeemed lives.

Christian fellowship is a spiritual experience where like-minded believers share their lives sincerely to get to know one another in Christ. God willing, perfect spiritual fellowship will be experienced in the not-too-distant future. But Christian fellowship (albeit not perfect) begins on earth, i.e. today. When lives are shared with genuine transparency, hearts can be opened to mutual hurt. However, the believer must understand that getting hurt is an integral part of Christian fellowship because he knows he is opening his heart to fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ. When hurt feelings arise, Christ-centred forgiveness becomes a mutual experience. In so doing, he will experience the reality of his own salvation, for one of the best evidence of a forgiven-by-God-in-Christ believer is to forgive others. Christ taught the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35 to teach this crucial truth. Furthermore, he can experience another blessing from obeying God’s Word such as “A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger” (Prov 15:1). He will not experience the power of such a blessed response unless he fellowships with other believers.

Having explained briefly what Christian fellowship should be, no one should have the attitude of “approach and have fellowship with brethren…” by judging anyone’s sins. This is an attitude of high-mindedness where the person has forgotten where he came from before he met Christ. Do not have such an attitude of censorious judgment. If all of us were to begin fellowship with a censorious judgment against one another, we will soon find ourselves out of favour with God and all believers. The church will soon become a hotbed of self-righteous, judgmental professing believers. Have we forgotten our own depraved sinful nature and the innumerable transgressions we had committed against God before He saved us? God has forgiven and washed away our sins with the blood of Christ. Who are we to judge anyone who comes to church to worship God? Why should one particular sin be highlighted as worse than other sins? Where will this attitude of high-mindedness lead to?

All worshippers are welcome to worship God in any local church (including Calvary Pandan), especially to find Christ as Lord and Saviour regardless of their past. The local church does not belong to any man but God. If the worshipper is a believer, he is welcome to come and grow in the grace and knowledge of God in Christ through studying God's holy and precious Word. Every believer must accept all who come to church without an ounce of censorious judgmental spirit to the praise and glory of God. If a sinner comes, we welcome him warmly to help him find Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

A pastor is neither a king nor a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He must not order congregation members around. He is to serve the people of God as a humble servant of Christ and should never lord over them like Gentile leaders. Jesus taught this truth clearly to ensure that elders, especially pastors, do not lord over the flock of Christ. Christ is the example par excellence whom all leaders of God's flock must emulate. Matthew 20:25-28: “²⁵ But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. ²⁶ But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; ²⁷ And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant [slave]: ²⁸ Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” [Note: The phrase, “not to be ministered unto, but to minister” was the theme verse of Calvary Pandan BPC when she was founded.] Jesus washed His disciples' feet; we must also wash one another’s feet.

When the Singapore B-P movement was founded, elected pastors and elders did not remain in office for life, although some Presbyterian churches practise this. The elders and pastors who remained in office for life could not be removed from office unless they died or resigned. If these elders and pastors become derelict in their duties, they will keep on hurting the church with impunity. Thank God the Singapore B-P movement was founded on the belief that all session members, including pastors and elders, should serve a fixed term of office. If they are derelict in their holy duties or sin against God, or both, they can be removed from office by not being re-elected or by church discipline. Did not God remove and protect His church in Calvary Pandan from some elders who believed the Bible has mistakes at the end of their term when they were not re-elected? If these elders were “elders for life” and refused to resign, they would hamper and ultimately destroy the work of the Lord.

Pastors are shepherds, as the meaning of the word teaches. The office of pastors, elders, and deacons are not titles or promoted positions to be sought after, just as Gentiles seek titles in the world. The titles of pastors, elders and deacons describe their respective spiritual duties. They serve God by serving God’s people with an attitude of unprofitable servants like slaves, esteeming others better than themselves. They have to give an account to God for the spiritual well-being of God’s children under their care. They must not forget that the congregation are children of God, redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The congregation are precious and priceless to God. Faithful pastors are not to hurt God's children on purpose. If they do, they are like parents who hurt their own children unjustly.

Godly pastors, elders, and deacons are to willingly set aside their personal rights and preferences to protect God's children, as all godly parents do for their children. Godly undershepherds are worthy of double honour. 1 Timothy 5:17-18: “¹⁷ Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. ¹⁸ For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” The congregation must pray for them to remain faithful as God’s servants because they will face the onslaught of the evil one. Encouragement from the flock will help to lighten the spiritual load they carry every day. They will face and experience temptations and attacks from the evil one in ways that congregation members do not face.

If the pastor is carnal and has transgressed, he must be disciplined like all errant congregation members. Provisions are made in the Bible and the Church’s Constitution for disciplinary measures. Pastors' and elders' transgressions must be judged with a higher standard of holiness, i.e. with greater severity as seen by the requirement of a biblically stipulated public repentance. 1 Timothy 5:19-20: “¹⁹ Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. ²⁰ Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” Pastors and elders are to comprise the Board of Elders (BOE), the local church's highest office since the B-P Synod of Singapore was dissolved in October 1988. It is even more crucial that the Board of Elders (BOE) should be made up of godly men. The pastor is to moderate (oversee and guide) the BOE meetings. He is not above any elder in rank. BOE members are accountable to one another as they serve together, caring for God's people. This is the Presbyterian system, where a plurality of elders governs God's church. As such, all the decisions made within the BOE must be unanimous.

If the pastor is godly, yet members tried to “oust” him, i.e. to remove him from office and failed, they are welcome to worship in any local church. By the grace and mercies of God, may they experience a new beginning through the study of God’s Word, which, with time, may help them see the error of their ways and repent.

But if the pastor was sinful and derelict in his duties and unrepentant, the members try to “oust”, i.e. remove, him as provided for in the Church’s Constitution and Holy Scriptures and failed, they must be heartbroken to have to leave the church they loved. They are welcome to worship and be encouraged by God’s grace and, through studying God's Word, begin a new chapter in their life with Christ.

Regardless of whatever sins anyone has committed before they attend any church, including Calvary Pandan, the church must never reject but receive them without prejudice to help them for Jesus Christ’s sake. All churches are made up of sinners saved by grace or sinners in need of grace. All must be welcomed for the glory of God in Christ. Amen.