What would you like to have written on your tombstone? I believe that many pastors would consider the following to be a ‘dream’ epitaph:
Church-A served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Pastor X and of the church elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Church-A.
These were precisely the words written on Joshua’s tombstone’!
Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.
(Joshua 24:31)
The touchstone of a pastor’s ministry is often the quality of the life of the church after the pastor has left church. What is the legacy of his ministry?
Joshua’s ministry stands in sharp contrast to Gideon’s.
No sooner had Gideon died then the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith (Lord of the covenant!) as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. (Judges 8:33, 34)
A look at the source of Joshua’s "theological education" would explain the contrast. Joshua did his apprenticeship under Moses and was privileged to have Moses as his seminary lecturer and tutor!
Then Moses set out with Joshua his assistant and Moses went up on the mountain of God. (Exodus 24:13)
Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting (with God)". The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua, son of Num, did not leave the tent. (Exodus 33:7-11)
How could one fail with Moses as a master?
An epitaph that none of us would want probably reads as follows:
Pastor Y did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
Yet these were precisely the words written on Solomon’s ‘tombstone’!
So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely as David his father had done. (1 Kings 11:6)
Solomon achieved more in life than most of us could ever dream of, so what went wrong?
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. (1 Kings 11:4, 5)
Solomon had a weakness for women and this weakness eventually led his heart away from the worship the Lord his God. From whom did Solomon ‘learn’ this weakness for women? His father tutored him! David’s weakness for women was clearly shown in the fact that he married two more wives while he was a fugitive from Saul (1 Sam 25:39-44). His sin with Bathsheba was a result of this weakness which overcame him later in his life.
Another epitaph that none of us would want reads:
When Pastor Z grew old, he appointed his son as pastors for the church .But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
Yet these were the sad words recorded of Samuel’s inability to bring up his children in the love and fear of God.
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. ( 1 Sam 8:1-3)
Samuel grew up in the household of Eli. He saw the brokenness in Eli’s home. Yet he could do no better because he had no model to follow from. He had no one to ‘teach’ him to be a good father.
The Bible records its characters with their successes as well as failures. Joshua learned to be a good leader from Moses. Solomon picked-up his father’s weakness even though David had no intention of passing it on. Samuel had no one to teach him to be a good father.
Similarly, the legacies of our ministries are passed on. We have no choice. Our only choice is whether to pass on something beautiful or something ugly before God. Good modelling is, therefore, an absolutely essential element of a successful ministry.
This is a reality that must challenge today’s churches. Young men and women with little working experience, graduating from seminaries are simply not ready to be CEO’s of churches. Yet that is often the role that many find themselves in soon after leaving seminary. If the secular world were to follow a similar model, it would be a sure recipe for setting up companies which fail!
Two types of relationships found in the life of Moses can serve as models for today’s churches:
The Moses-Joshua Relationship This is often referred to as a Paul-Timothy relationship. It develops when an older person takes on a younger person to prepare the person for the task ahead. In the Bible, we see Moses taking on Joshua, Elijah taking on Elisha, Paul taking on Timothy and Jesus taking on the 12 disciples. The older person does not only tutor the younger person for the task, but also acts as a ‘guarantor’ for the younger person if or when he fails. This was clearly the case when Barnabas took Paul and brought him to the apostles (Acts 9:26-31).
The Jethro-Moses Relationship This is an example of ‘spiritual direction.’ Spiritual direction differs from counselling. Counselling is closely akin to providing good hospitals for the sick while spiritual direction is similar to providing fitness contres for the healthy to keep healthy. In general, when we speak of spiritual direction, we are talking of the need for most full-time workers to have a ‘guide’ to turn to on a regular basis for help in discerning God’s direction and trimming, so that they may be better persons and better ministers.
As a child grows up, the child needs parents to act as guides while the child learns to make decisions for himself. This is a God-given role that most parents accept. The parent-child relationship has mutual benefits. A healthy parent-child relationship not only shapes the child, but it also transforms the parents into wiser, not just older, persons. The Malaysian Church urgently needs to develop healthy Moses-Joshua and Jethro-Moses relationships, to nurture the next generation of ministers and also to enhance the ministry of the generation that is ‘passing on.’ To quote John Mallison, the author of Mentoring, to Make Disciples and Leaders "Many seniors who mentor regularly are growing older as participants rather than spectators!"
The need exists. The way to go has to be defined. It is partly with the goal of defining the way to go that we offered the module ‘Spiritual Direction’ in the recent November Institute. There is yet much more work to be done. We invite you to work with MBS as we seek to define the way that should be taken.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & MINI REPORTS
CONGRATULATIONS
Eden Usat Emang (B. Th. 1998) and Senorita Ting (B. Min. 1997) on the birth of their twin sons, Ephraim Eng and Elishua Evung on 14 November 1998.
Stephen Upai (B. Th. 1998) and Nancy Maran on the birth of their daughter, Sherynna Sophia Stephen on 11 November 1998.
17th GRADUATION SERVICE
Congratulations to the following ED Graduates:
Master of Christian Studies
Elisha Anyie Eng
Master of Ministry
Lawrence Chen Keng Hing
Peter Chin May Take
Derrick Chong YuLin
Ron Hee Yoon Choy
Jenny Parameshvara Deva
Kong Man Chuan
Edmung Ng Heng Cheong
Diploma in Christian Studies
Goh Chee Beng
Johnson Aarons Rajahser
Bachelor of Theology
Bina Agong
Eden Usat Emang
James Ravindaren
Francis Low Szu Yuan
Maduis Jalidin
Stephen Upai @ Rining
Certificate in Theology
Waylon Jayatissa
MASTER OF MINISTRY PROGRAM, KUCHING
(Tentative schedule for 1999)
Jan 15-19
Hermaneutics
Rev Hwa Chih
Apr 30- May 3
Pastoral Theology
Rev Loh Soon Choy
Aug 27-31
Pastoral Counselling
Mr Anthony Yeo (?)
Nov 5-9
(course not confirmed)
Rev Eddy Ho
BACHELOR OF MINISTRY PROGRAM, MIRI
(Tentative schedule for 1999)
Apr 12-16
Theology
Mr Tan Kong Beng
Aug 2-6
O T History
Rev Eddy Ho
Early Oct
(course not confirmed)
Pas Winston Edip
MASTER OF MINISTRY PROGRAM,KLANG
(Tentative schedule for 1999)
(10 courses of 3 credits each plus a Thesis/Project Paper with credit transfers from other accredited programs also considered.)
Diploma in Christian Studies/Master of Christian Studies students may also take these for their practical electives. Also recommended for mature Christians to audit. The tentative dates for the M. Min. program for 1999 are as follows. The modules and other details will be announced later when confirmed.
Mar 29-Apr 2,1999
Aug 30-Sep 3,1999
Jan 8-11,1999
Oct 18-22,1999
1999: M. Min. candidates (especially in the Klang Valley) are also encouraged to join the appropriate day courses/modules at MBS.
EAST MALAYSIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Our East Malaysian Scholarship Fund is to help needy students from East Malaysia (mostly from the Sidang Injil Borneo or SIB) at MBS. We thank the various churches and individuals who responded to our appeal for support. We look forward to your continual partnership.
COMING COURSES/EVENTS
Announcement for new/prospective students: The first term for 1999 begins on Monday, Jan 4. The events in conjunction with the opening include the following:
Jan 4 : Opening Service
Jan 4-5 : Orientation for new intake
Jan 13-15 : Annual Retreat at Golden Sands Baptist Centre, Port Dickson
I. TERM 1/1999 EVENING CLASSES
Christian workers & active lay people are welcome to our Evening and Day classes on a credit or audit basis (1 credit = an hour period per week for a term of 9 or 10 weeks)
(i) ELEMENTARY GREEK (2x)
Lecturer: Rev Hwa Chih
Date: To commence w.e.f. Jan 11, 1999
Time: 7.45 - 9.30 p.m. (Every Monday)
Venue: PJEFC
8-10, Jalan SS24/13
Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya
Fee: RM50.00 (RM45.00 for full-time workers) excluding library fee
PASTORAL THEOLOGY & MINISTRY (3x/2x)
- Master of Ministry/Open to Public
Lecturer: Rev Loh Soon Choy
Date: To commence w.e.f. Jan 12, 1999
Time: 7.45 – 9.30 p.m. (Every Tuesday)
Venue: MBS, Klang
Fee: RM105.00 (for M. Min. students) excluding library fee;
RM 50.00 (others) excluding library fee
; RM 45.00 (for full-time workers) excluding library fee
II. TERM 1/1999 DAY CLASSES (lectures from 11 January 1999)
(All classes are combined for B. Th./Dip. C. S./M. C. S./M. Min. students and open to public)
(i) CHURCH HISTORY I [3x] (Early & Medieval Christianity)
by Mr Tan Kong Beng
Mon, 9.00 a.m. - 12.35 p.m.
ii) MALAYSIAN RELIGIONS I [2x]
by Rev Loh Soon Choy
Tue, 10.50 a.m. - 12.35 p.m.
(iii) ETHICS (3x)
by Mr Tan Kong Beng
Wed, 8.55 a.m. - 12.35 p.m.
(iv) BIBLE STUDY METHODS (3x)
by Rev Eddy Ho
Thu, 8.55 a.m. - 12.35 p.m.
(v) I CORINTHIANS (3x)
by Rev Hwa Chih
Fri, 8.55 a.m. - 12.35 p.m.
SPECIAL MODULES
(vi) PENTATEUCH (3x),br>
by Mr Low Chai Hok
Jan 25-29; 8.55 a.m. - 12.35 p.m.
(vii) WRITING & RESEARCH (1x)
by Mr Tan Kong Beng
Jan 5-8
Fees: Undergraduate level credits charged at RM15.00 per credit hour.
Graduate level credits charged at RM35.00 per credit hour.
SHORT-TERM THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (STEP)
"STEP" is a new program for those who are waiting for their SPM/STPM results. If you are seeking God’s will for your life, why not enroll in this one-term program, commencing on 4 January, 1999.
Enquiries for 1999
We welcome enquiries/applications for our 2-yr Cert. Th. & Cert. Th. (Ext.), Dip. Th. (3 yrs); B. Min./B. Th. (4 yrs); Dip. C. S. (1 yr); M. C. S. (2 yrs); M. Min. programs.
Admissions are also considered at the beginning of
each academic term for suitable candidates.
The graduate programs, Dip. C. S., M. C. S. can also be taken part-time but is offered to those with a degree or equivalent only.
The M. Min. is also offered part-time on a modular basis (min. 2 yrs). in combination with appropriate day or evening classes/special modules for B. Th., Dip. C. S. & M. C. S. programs w.e.f. 4/1/99.