TREASURY OF SERMONS
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Persecution of and Apostasy Within the Church Should
Accelerate
the
Gospel to the Ends of the World
By Rev (Dr) Timothy Tow
(Preached at Life BPC Chinese Service, 12 Mar 2000 )
This is a restatement of our Scripture text, Matt 24:9-14. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake... And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many... And this gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come."
The recent burning of the Church on Lombak Island , near Bali , is a fulfilment of Jesus' prophecy on persecutions we must face in the end-times. The burning alive of an Australian missionary in India by Hindus is another case in point. The Church is faced not only with attacks from outside but is imperilled with rebellion from inside.
Some years ago I heard on the BBC the denial of the Virgin Birth of Christ by the Bishop of Durham. This aroused the indignation of not only faithful Anglicans but Christians by-and-large. The irony of it all was at a Synod not long after, 45 Anglican Bishops out of a total of 50 supported the Bishop of Durham . Ninety percent of the leadership of the Church of England are false prophets if not Antichrists.
The signing of the ECT Document, Evangelicals and Catholics Together, 1994 and 1997, in the concurrence of the Doctrine of Salvation is another denial of the Truth. The doctrine of the Just Shall Live by Faith of Protestantism is now declared the same as the Roman Doctrine of Salvation by Faith Plus Works. The leaders of American Evangelicalism are false prophets when they yield to Roman Catholicism. And so we can go right down the line. The result of such deep apostasy from the Truth is the emptying of Churches. In Australia which I have visited many times, I have noticed classic Protestant Churches now turned into restaurants, Pizza huts, furniture stores, but worst of all, one in Melbourne turned into a mosque.
But, the power of God is still the old fashioned Gospel. President Clinton can bring no peace to the world. Nor UN. Nor all the king's horses and the king's men. Over this world of darkness and apostasy the Gospel of Jesus Christ shines resplendent. We are not to save the whole world either. It is reserved for judgment that will lead to WWIII. Dr Walvoord of Dallas Seminary, USA opines this will lead to Armageddon, and I agree with him. The task of the Church is like a life-saving boat. Men are sinking everywhere and the command to us is to go and snatch them up, as many as we can.
This is what Life Bible-Presbyterian Church in Singapore is doing in Cambodia , where crowds are responding to the Lord Jesus Christ. In obedience to His command that we should remember the poor, we have in the last two years sent Ten Containers of food and clothing to alleviate their sufferings, whose recent past under Pol Pot was the smothering of literally two million souls. Now their children at least can hear the Gospel.
Persecution without, apostasy within, the way to break out of this impasse is to hasten with the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The Great Commission is an unchanging commission. Amen.
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