Every Christian student must enter his secondary and tertiary institution as an ardent witness of Christ. In order to fulfil that goal, he must, primarily, be spiritually prepared. An ill-prepared and unresolved youth who enters the campus will quickly fall prey to the many spiritual and moral evils that lurk in the modern educational institutions. This situation will undoubtedly render him utterly unfruitful as a Christian. What a colossal waste of 3 (or 4) years of opportunity to live for Christ! Why waste your time on the campus by sinning and causing others to sin, without testifying for Christ?
Dear youths, take heed to the exhortation of God’s Word: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Every Christian’s life principle must be that he conducts himself as a wise child of God because of the limited opportunity to bear fruit for the Lord due to the hostility and snares of the evil one around him. Therefore, my young friend, consecrate yourself in prayerfulness and take a resolute stand for Christ. Make the most of your time on the campus to be a good witness for Christ.
To support the students of our church, our preachers have come forward to meet with them at least once a week, wherever possible. We have special campus ministries for youths of various institutions. This effort is apart from the Gethsemane Youth Fellowship held fortnightly. There is also the Fundamental Christian Ministry led by Calvary Pandan B-P Church in several campuses. We thank God for many of our students who join these ministries to enhance their spiritual growth and witness for the Lord. But a stern word of caution from Scripture to those who neglect these ministries made available to you - Be “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
Stephanie Ow Jia Min
My name is Stephanie. I am 22 years old and currently a student at NAFA (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) School of Music. I was born and raised in a non-Christian family. Most of my family members are Buddhists/Taoists or free-thinkers. Yet I did not believe in the existence of any Supreme Being who created the universe and everything that dwell in it. To me, everything existed on its own. I followed my family to the temple to worship whatever they believe to be gods or to worship our ancestors during the Qing Ming festival, Hungry Ghost festival and death anniversaries of any of our late relatives. I heard bits and pieces about Jesus Christ from friends who are Christians, and also from some of my family members who spoke of Him as a “god” of the Western religion. Therefore, I did not really take this to heart. I was raised with this concept that I am a Chinese, so I must worship the Chinese gods and not the Western “god”. But deep down inside, I craved to know more about Jesus. Who is He? Why is everyone telling me that Jesus loves us?
Thank God that when I started my secondary school education, one of my teachers shared the Gospel with me. I decided that maybe I should open my heart to let Christ in to be my Lord and Saviour, though I knew not what I was doing at that time. I did not fully surrender to Him and His will. I called myself a Christian but I still wanted to be in control of my own life. I clung to the concept of most people today: “No one controls my destiny except me.” For the past 7 years, I drew further and further away from God after I began to be more recognised by people as a musician who plays the erhu, a Chinese two-stringed fiddle. Opportunities for me to perform began to knock at my door. I was subsequently accepted as a musician of the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra, granted a scholarship by Deutsche Bank to pursue my music studies, and I became one of the first musicians to join the Purple Symphony when it first started in 2015.
Yes, I know God has given me all these, and I am truly grateful and feel really blessed to be given such opportunities. Yet I never thought to acknowledge Him. The people I acknowledged were my family (who brought me to music lessons when I started learning music at the age of 14), my conductor, my music teachers, and my friends who stood by me and who never ceased to encourage me. I forgot about Him in the midst of the so-called peaks of my life. But the Lord has never let His sheep wander off far or long. He reached out to me whenever I hit my lowest points in my studies or in my personal life. He has sent Dorcas Koshy, my senior in NAFA, into my life and she invited me to attend Bible study with her, together with a few other Christians and Pastor Koshy. (I have never been to a church as my family is concerned about me going to the wrong church with the wrong people, especially since what had happened in City Harvest Church.) Without hesitation, I took this opportunity to go as I felt this is what I need – to learn about God’s Word and pray for one another.
I have actually read about campus ministries in other schools and wondered if NAFA has one. After joining the Bible study this semester, which was my first time ever being in one, I have learnt a lot in the process about what true Christian faith really is. I realised it is not just believing in a God who created the heavens and the earth. It is also about knowing and accepting what Jesus did for us on the cross in Calvary, which thereby opened the way for us to go to the Father through Him; as well as overcoming the world, sin and temptation. Frankly, I have not really read the Bible properly before I joined the Bible study; I did not see the significance of it. Fortunately, God touched my heart and opened my eyes, allowing me to see the beauty of His Word while we were studying it together as a group, especially when Dorcas found a soft copy Bible so that I can read on my device Braille Sense U2, which works like the computer. I believe it is the Holy Spirit’s work within me, for I started to pray and read the Bible more frequently and earnestly now. I feel that nothing else matters as long as I am in Christ and follow Him with all my being!
My mindset about the world has changed. I have been holding the world in one hand and God in the other. Now I understand the concept of “no man can serve two masters”. I will continue to pray for Christ’s salvation upon my family, and to be a good testimony for Christ. I truly thank Pastor Koshy and Dorcas for teaching me and being examples for me to follow. May the Lord bless them and keep them always. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Timothy Tan
I thank God for the Tuesday Bible Study, which was introduced to me through Dorcas. It has been much of a blessing to me. I have benefited much from the faithful teachings by Pastor Koshy, and the fellowship with like-minded sisters (no other brothers in the group yet) in Christ, which are of great encouragement to me. Being a new student in the school, I am grateful for this ministry in that even in a school full of worldly influences, there is this “lifeline” which reminds us to push away the things of the world, and to hold fast to God and His truths. I thank all who have been praying for us in the campus ministry and pray that God may continue to use it powerfully, for the furtherance of His kingdom.