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What Grace Is Mine

“What grace is mine that He who dwells in endless light Called through the night to find my distant soul

And from his scars poured mercy that would plead for me That I might live and in his name be known

So I will go wherever He is calling me I lose my life to find my life in Him

I give my all to gain the hope that never dies I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him

What grace is mine to know His breath alive in me Beneath his wings my wakened soul may soar

All fear can flee for death’s dark night is overcome My Saviour lives and reigns forevermore

So I will go wherever He is calling me I lose my life to find my life in Him

I give my all to gain the hope that never dies I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him ”

WORDS: KRISTYN GETTY TRADITIONAL MELODY ARRANGED ROB MATHES

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BCBA/BCC Church Camp 2017Welcome Message

Welcome to our BCBA/BCC Church Camp 2017. It’s that time of the year I always look forward to. With the daily hustle and bustle of work and ministry, our annual Church Camp is an excellent opportunity to ‘switch gear’ for 4 days and 3 nights and gather as a community of God’s people to learn from God’s Word and to get to know one another better.

We have the largest contingent this year comprising 402 campers of all ages. We especially welcome our camp speakers Bishop Emeritus Robert Solomon (English section), Quah Cheok Hooi (Chinese section) and our brothers and sisters from Bethesda Christian Centre (BCC) for joining us again.

Our Camp Theme is “Following Jesus” (based on Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7) and the speaker will take us through 5 talks on the various aspects of following Jesus. A disciple is a follower of Jesus and I trust that we will leave camp with a greater sense of commitment to take up our cross daily and follow Him.

I wish to encourage everyone to be very intentional to do three things:

1. Open your Mind and Heart to receive His enduring WordWe know that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness, but we need to open our minds and hearts to receive it. Pray the prayer of the Psalmist: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18).

2. Be Doers of the Word, not just HearersThe Bible tells us that everyone who hears the Word of God and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. I pray that there would be the clear evidence of us acting on what we hear, just like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27).

3. Get to know at least 5 new people, encourage one anotherChurch camp is the perfect platform to get to know people whom you have not met or talked with before. Be intentional to sit with someone new over meals. Pray that the Lord would use your conversations to be an encouragement and blessing to someone – echo the words of the hymn: “Make me a blessing to someone today.”

Let’s look forward with great anticipation of what the Lord will do and accomplish during these few days of learning and fellowshipping together.

William LeeSenior Pastor/BCBA 3

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[Camp Speaker]Bishop Emeritus Robert

Solomon

[Adviser]Chow Ivan

Lee William

[Core]Ching JacksonThang Timothy

Wong Chen GuanLiew Tian En (Adviser)Ngoh Heston (Adviser)

[Secretariat]Chan Cassie (Head)

Wong AdelineLim Sherman

Chong Charles (BCC)Lee Jayne (BCC)

[Programme]Raditia Kenny (Head)

Ren Dong DongLiew SamanthaPhang Yew Wai Tye Geraldine

Lye Jee Leng (BCC)Ng Shem

[Logistics]Koh Kwang Khiang (Head)

Koh DominicChan Eugene

[Photographers]Lee Arthur (Head)

Khoe Jony (Adviser)Halim Andriyanto

Jonathan Chong (Jono)

[Finance]Soon Cynthia (Head)

Goh Gavin

[Worship Leader]Loh Daniel (Head)Yap Wei Jin (BCC)

Cheong ColleenLee Cheryl

Choo DanielChong Gabriel

Phua Janice

[Musicians]Lim Sherman

Liu JiaminWong Jonathan

Tan SamuelSng Han Jie

Teo AlanNg Benjamin

[Publicity]Thang Timothy (Head)Dawson Amelia (BCC)

Chen Wenjing FionaHoong Sarah

[PA]Ngoh Heston (Head)

Liew Tian EnSow Spencer

[Visuals]Foo Winsome (Head)

Chan Jocelyn

[Kids’ Programme]Moa Lincoln (Head)

Lim GraceChen Jiayun

Kwan Yan WeiChan Lois

Chan EugeneNeo IvaneHan Isabel

2017 CHURCH CAMPWORKING COMMITTEE

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10 CAMP COMMANDMENTS

Please read through the rules and abide by them so that everyone will have a blessed time together.

1. Observe the rules and regulations set down by the management of the hotel.

2. Parents/Guardians should be responsible for the safety of their children/wards at all times.

3. Feel free to approach any of the camp committee, church leaders or group leaders if you need assistance, prayer or counselling.

4. Be punctual for all activities and meals as indicated in the camp programme.

5. Be present at all camp meetings and activities. Participate actively in the discussions and other activities, as this will be a blessing to you and those you interact with.

6. Seek the permission of the camp ICs and keep your group leaders informed if you need to leave the hotel during the camp.

7. Ensure your valuables are kept safely at all times.

8. Personal bills (e.g. Telephone bills, mini-bar consumption, laundry, etc) must be settled with the hotel upon checking out.

9. Proverbs 18:20 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly”. The camp is a great opportunity to make new friends and build on existing ones. Make full use of your time there.

10. Come with an expectant heart – to be touched and blessed by Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

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Daily DevotionalsThese devotionals have been taken from gotherefor.com, the internet platform of the evangelical publisher Matthias Media.

The Christian Calling

Mention the idea of ‘being called’ to a group of Christians and many will jump to the conclusion that you are about to sign up for Bible College, dive into paid ministry, or be recruited to an overseas mission organization. But when we open our Bibles, we find that quite a different emphasis is placed on our ‘calling’. The emphasis is not so much on what we do job-wise, but rather on what God has called us to be and how we are to live. What God calls us to defines who we are as Christians. God’s calling shapes our relationships, beliefs, attitudes and future; it’s fundamental to the Christian life. In these devotionals, we are going to look at some specific ways in which the Bible says we are ‘called’.

You might like to use this prayer before each of the next 3 devotionals:

Gracious Father,

Thank you for calling me to you in Christ. Help me to understand from your word what you call me to be, do, enjoy, endure and look forward to, so that I will grow to be more like the person you want me to be.Amen.

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16 June (Friday) - Called to Freedom: Galations 5:13-26

In the earlier chapters of Galatians, Paul emphasizes that there is one gospel—one way to be right with God. He warns his readers that they are in danger of losing their freedom in Christ. He says to them, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1).

1. What are Christians not to use their freedom for? Give examples of this wrong understanding of freedom.

2. What are Christians to use their freedom for? Give examples of this right understanding of freedom.

3. If Christians are not under law (v. 18), why is it so important to live a righteous life (vv. 24-25)?

PONDER: Christians whose actions are called into question may justify what they are doing on the basis of their ‘freedom’. “I’m free to do what I want”, they may assert. How would you respond to such a statement?

PRAYER IDEAS: Thank God that you have been freed to love and serve. Ask God to show you how you could do this better.

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17 June (Saturday) - Called to Holiness: Ephesians 4:17-32

Being holy, God’s people are to live as people ‘set apart’, showing the changes brought by the Holy Spirit in the way we live. But what is our model for this changed life?

1. Whom should Christians imitate? In whose likeness have you been recreated (v. 24)?2. What behaviour and attitudes are you told to “put off”/”put away”? What are you to “put on”?3. What role does your mind have in bringing about these changes (vv. 17, 23)?

PONDER: What are the consequences of wilfully engaging in the wrong behaviour mentioned in this passage?

PRAYER IDEAS: Thank God for clear guidelines for your life and behaviour. Pray for self-control, and commitment to living that way.

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18 June (Sunday) - Called to Witness: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

We often think of ‘witnessing’ as speaking to people about the gospel, and living a lifestyle that lends credibility to our verbal witness. Our passage today looks at the example of an ordinary group of Christians and their witness to Jesus.

1. Who is this passage referring to: the leaders at Thessalonica, a special evangelistic team, or everyone in the Thessalonian church?

2. The gospel came to the Thessalonians with “full conviction” (v. 5). What do you think they were convicted of, given their circumstances in verse 6?

3. How does your life show that you have been fully convicted by the gospel?

4. What changes had taken place in the lives of the Thessalonian Christians (vv. 9-10)?

PONDER: Paul says that the gospel message “sounded forth” from the Thessalonians (v. 8). What can you do to ‘sound forth’ the gospel?

PRAYER IDEAS: Pray that God would give you the courage, sensitivity and wisdom to be a faithful and clear witness to the saving power of the Lord Jesus.

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SERMON 1

FOLLOWING JESUS IN A DARWINIAN WORLD

The Sermon begins with eight “Blessed” statements (Beatitudes)

What it Means to be Blessed

• Greeks: state of mind > material circumstances.

• Adam Clarke: “the person whom Christ terms happy is one who is not under the influence of fate or chance, but is governed by an all-wise providence”

• We are blessed not because we feel it but because Jesus says so.

The Survival of the Fittest?

• Charles Darwin and natural selection.

• Richard Dawkins’ claims: “We are survival machines.

• Helmut Thielicke and Frederick Neumann. The way of Jesus as redeeming light in the thick Darwinian jungle.

Light from the Old Testament

• “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all” (Eccl 9:11).

• Jacob

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Wisdom from the New Testament Preacher

1. “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:31-32).

2. The Beatitudes and the character of Jesus.

• He “humbled Himself” (Phil 2:8).

• He was a man of sorrows (Isa 53:3)

• He was meek and gentle (2 Cor 10:1).

• His deepest longings were for His Father and His righteousness.

• He extended mercy to many. He saw the crowds with deep compassion (Matt 9:36).

• He was perfectly pure (Heb 4:15).

• He was the ultimate peacemaker who sacrificed Himself (Eph 2:14-18).

And He was the Suffering Servant, grossly misunderstood, maligned, abused

(Isa 53:3) and persecuted. The need to surrender ourselves to Jesus so that His life is lived in us.

The Disciple’s Character in a Darwinian Jungle

Jacob the Darwinian survivor.

Christian counter-culture.

Those who follow Jesus are blessed because God says so.

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SERMON 1Questions for Reflection and Discussion 1. What is ‘blessedness’? What is required to be blessed? How far do you agree

that blessedness is not about how we feel but what God says of us? How does this translate into how we feel about ourselves and our circumstances?

2. Make a list of differences between the kingdom of God and the Darwinian jungle. How much of each do you carry in your world view and perspective?

3. How does your everyday world reflect the Darwinian jungle? What pressures and temptations do you face in this jungle? What truths would help you overcome these?

4. ‘The Beatitudes are not a set of criteria for entering the kingdom of God, but a description of the blessings of those who have entered the kingdom.’ Discuss this point, focusing on what its implications are for the way we should interpret the Sermon and the way we should live.

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SERMON 2

FOLLOWING JESUS IN RADICAL DISCIPLESHIP

Introduction

A different way.

The Lex Talionis: Eye for Eye

Judicial instructions.

How to Respond to Evil Persons

1. “Do not resist an evil person” (Mt 5:39).

2. “Do not repay evil for evil” (Rom 12:17).

Some Examples of Non-Resistance

1. When slapped.

2. When sued.

3. When forced to serve.

4. When asked for help.

Love your enemies

1. Often our enemies are also our neighbours.

2. Jesus is our Model.

Loving those who bully or hate us

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SERMON 2Questions for Reflection and Discussion 1. How does Jesus challenge the way the law of retribution was misapplied to

legitimise personal revenge? How do people take revenge for the injury and insult received from the hands of others? What should a Christian response look like?

2. Consider the case studies used by Jesus of evil people taking advantage of His disciples. List modern examples of the same and consider how you have personally reacted or responded to such abuse and humiliation. How far have you been able to live by the teaching of Jesus? What has been helpful to you?

3. What are the situations in which evil has to be challenged? Discuss Stott’s point that the Christian response taught by Jesus that we should not resist evil persons should not be confused with ‘temperamental weakness, or moral compromise or political anarchy or even total pacifism.’ List some principles arising from your reflections.

4. How can we love our enemies? Where do you think we can find the strength and motivation to do so? Make a list of your ‘enemies’ – and pray for them and see what difference that makes. Share your experience with others.

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SERMON 3FOLLOWING JESUS WITHOUT THEATRICAL RELIGION Almsgiving (Matt 6:1-4); Prayer (Matt 6:5-15); Fasting (Matt 6:16-18).

The Religion of Hypocrisy • hypocritēs

• The religion of masks

Almsgiving

• The hypocrites did their religious acts “before men, to be seen by them” (Matt 6:1).

• theathēnai

• “to be honored by men” (Matt 6:2).

• Mark 12:41-44.

• Antidote - “not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt 6:3).

• Frederick Neumann: “For the worst and the most dangerous theatre is the one where the same person is actor and spectator at once.”

Prayer

• Prayer as theatre.

• The Pharisee and tax collector (Lk 18:9-14).

Fasting

• Fasting to show off one’s spirituality.

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The Audience of One “Your Father”

The Father is unseen

The Father “sees what is done in secret”

The Father knows your needs

The Father knows your heart and your actions

It is the Father who rewards

The Secret Roots of True Spirituality • The righteousness of the Pharisees was inadequate for life in the kingdom of God.

• True spirituality has inner unseen roots that are nurtured in the secret places.

• The example of Jesus.

• Today’s practices are so different from that of Jesus.

• Kingdom dwellers know the secret places where true spiritual life is nurtured.

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SERMON 3Questions for Reflection and Discussion 1. What factors in church promote religious hypocrisy in the practice of religious

life? How can we have less hypocrisy and more authenticity in church?

2. Reflect on modern examples of not letting one hand know what the other is doing. Why is it important that there should be an underlying secret depth in our devotion and piety that sustains what we do in public?

3. What can be done in church to reduce the stage phenomenon? How can public worship be less performance-based and hypocritical?

4. What parts of your religious life do you note to be hypocritical and an attempt to impress others? How can you deepen your love for God and others by nurturing it in secret? What are some practical skills you can think of to help you in this process?

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SERMON 4FOLOWING JESUS WITH SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT Mt 7:1-12

Introduction • How do we relate to others?

To Judge or Not to Judge? • “Do not judge” (Mt 7:1) – what it is and is not.

Spiritual Discernment 1. Why “dogs” and “pigs”?

2. Discernment and judgmentalism.

The Speck and the Plank 1. Our sinful tendency.

2. We will be judged by our own judgments. The Golden Rule 1. The focus is on “do to others” and the measure is “what you would have them

do to you”.

2. The deep motive for moving away from a life of judgmentalism is love.

3. We need God’s grace to live in this way. Just ask.

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SERMON 4Questions for Reflection and Discussion 1. Do you agree that we tend to judge others more severely than we judge ourselves?

Is it possible to be severely critical of some specific people? Can you think of some reasons for this?

2. John Stott points out that Jesus is not saying that we should suspend judgement altogether. What is the difference between being judgemental and being discerning? How would you know when you are being judgemental and when you are being discerning?

3. James points out that when we give preferential treatment to the rich at the expense of the poor in a simple matter such as seating in church, we have become ‘judges with evil thoughts’ (James 2:1-4). How do we discriminate against certain people in church? Why is this connected to judgementalism?

4. Why is the Golden Rule the ‘fundamental principle of kingdom life’? How can you more consciously and intentionally use the Golden Rule in your attitudes, interactions and relationships with others?

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SERMON 5

FOLLOWING JESUS WHOLEHEARTEDLY

Matt 7:21-23

Introduction

• Warning for the religious who are on the wrong road.

• “That Day”

Speaking the Correct Language

• ‘Lord, Lord.’

• The lordship of Jesus must not only be professed but, more importantly, practised.

An Impressive List of Religious Achievements

• “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22-23).

• It is possible to do remarkable religious acts and perform sensational feats – without having a vital relationship with Jesus Christ.

• Self-deception. Martyn Lloyd Jones: “things that are good in themselves, unless we are careful, may be the very things that will deceive us about the state of our souls.”

• “I never knew you”.

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What then is Jesus looking for? The Ones who Do the Will of the Father

• “but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

• Jesus is our Model.

• Jesus and Obedience.

• “walk as Jesus did” (1 Jn 1:6) and “follow in his steps” (1 Pet 2:21).

Why is Obeying God and Doing His will so Important?

• Firstly, it shows that we understand why we are saved by God’s grace. Beware “the trap of the devil”.

• Secondly, such obedience is a sign that we love Jesus.

• Thirdly, doing the will of God demonstrates that the grace and power of God have been at work in our lives.

How to Enter the Kingdom of God

• Beware blind guides.

• The final judgment will not hinge on our verbal prowess or religious achievements.

• Whether we have done the will of God will show whether we are saved. Faith, love and God’s power.

• How can we be sure that God knows us? “

• If Jesus knows us, it means that we are following Him.

• Only those who are like Jesus will enter the kingdom of God.

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SERMON 5Questions for Reflection and Discussion 1. In what sense will the Day of the Lord be dreadful? What will determine whether

one stands with ‘the sheep’ or ‘the goats’ (Matthew 25:31-46)?

2. In what ways are Christians depending on linguistic correctness or an impressive list of religious achievements to save them on the Day of the Lord? What does Jesus say about this, and what implications are there for us in our Christian beliefs and practice?

3. How would you explain or describe what God’s will is for you? What does it mean to do God’s will? Why is God particularly pleased when we do His will; what does it do to us?

4. What changes would you make in your life in the light of what Jesus has said about the way we will be judged on that Day? Share this with others.

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Emergency Contact:

[Ambulance]24 Hour Ambulance & Emergency: +60 7 560 1111

[Hospital]Gleneagles Medini Hospital (Private Hospital)

Jalan Utara 4, Medini, 79250 Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia

Telephone: +60 7 560 1000

[Clinic]Klinik Mediviron Bukit Indah

87 Jalan Indah 15/2, Taman Bukit Indah 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Telephone: +60 17-764 9993

Opening Hours: 9am – 9pm (Sunday Closed)

[Hotel Jen First Aid Kit]1. Banquet Office, near to Iskandar Ballroom

2. Automated External Defibrillators (AED) Located in Security Office.

Duty Manager +60 12 703 0279

Duty Security +6012 635 7384

Time Thursday,15thJune Friday,16thJune Saturday,17thJune Sunday,18thJune

7:00-8:00am

8:00-8:30am

8:30-9:00am

9:00-9:30am

9:30-10:30am Session2 Session4

10:30-11:15am

11:15am-12:30pm Session3 Session511:30am–12:30pm

Check-out

12:30-1:30pm

1:30-3:00pm GroupDiscussion

3:00-3:30pm

3:30-4:00pm

4:00-5:00pm GroupPhoto

5:00-6:00pm

6:00–6:30pm Registration

6:30-7:30pm

7:30-8:00pmWorshipinSongs/

SpeakerIntro

8:00-9:00pm Session1

9:00-10:00pm GroupDiscussion Chill

11.00pm

Break

MeetatChurch@1.30pm(forthosetakingcoach,it

willleaveat2.00pm)(Lunchnotprovided)

HomeSweetHome

Breakfasttill9.00am

LightsOut

Intro&Icebreakers

FamilySession(ALL)

Dinner

HangoutActivity

FamilyNight(ALL)

GroupDiscussion(WrapUpReflection)

Lunch

CoachDepartsforSingapore@1.30pm

BCC/BCBAChurchCamp2017–FollowingJesus

Breakfasttill9.00am

8:00–8:30amMorningDevotionandPrayer

WorshipinSongs/Q&A 9:30am–11:30am

FamilyWorship,HolyCommunion&Offertory

Sermon----------------------------

OpenSharing

FreeTime

FreeTime