Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew

Church Camp – The Best Christian Fellowship Time on Earth!

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together"

Camp time is here again. Time flies! Believers are to remain on this earth as God's witnesses. There are two levels of witnessing—Within and Without. The witness "Without" is to sinners who need the Saviour. There are dangers out there to thwart believers from obeying Christ's Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Believers can experience threats of persecution such as bodily harm or loss of jobs or be verbally abused. These persecutions can discourage believers from witnessing for Christ. The witness "Within" is when believers come to church for the weekly prayer meeting, fellowship group meetings, weekly Bible Studies, and Sunday Worship to encourage each others’ hearts and to praise the LORD. They are among brothers and sisters in Christ.

No danger is supposed to be found in a healthy and God honouring church. Believers are spiritually refreshed and renewed in their spirits and hearts to go back into the world again to fulfil the Great Commission of Christ. [Note:-Satan at times would send his minions to infiltrate churches to hurt the church.] This sequence of witnessing within and without is every believer's calling in life so long as he remains on this earth. That is why Christian fellowship is so needful. We need each other to mutually encourage one another in the Lord so that when we witness in the world outside of the church, we will not be devastated but victorious. Many more souls will come to know Christ and be delivered from sin, death and hell, and will be on their way to heaven! This is the impactful blessing that every believer's life is able to do! Let us help one another to accomplish God's will in our lives. Christian fellowship is one of the best ways to accomplish this. Church camp is one of the best ways, if not the best, to deepen our Christian fellowship with one another and with the LORD at the same time.

The best Bible verses to justify and support the importance of Christian fellowship is Hebrews 10:23-25 (KJV), "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 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." These are a few of the many blessings that can be gleaned from attending church camp:-

* Hold Fast the Faith – The faith used here is the Christian Faith. As mentioned above, the faith of the believer is assaulted by the evil one when he goes out into the world to witness for Christ. Persecution could come from the home, the work place and schools. It could also include a devastating illness or loss of loved ones. These are trials that can shake any believer’s faith! To hold fast is to hold on tight and not let go as the use of the present tense emphasizes. It is like holding fast to a tight rope attached to a cliff wall as he is climbing up the cliff to safety. He cannot afford to let go. What is at stake is not his salvation, if he is truly born again in Christ. No one, not even Satan, can take away his salvation form him. What he will lose if he does not hold fast is the witness he has for Christ. If he capitulates and falls into sin because of the trials, his testimony for Christ in his life is compromised. He could be threatened with the loss of his job if he refuses to lie and so he lies in order to keep his job. How then can he witness for Christ when his colleague knows that he is a liar? He did not hold fast his faith but succumbed. He wavered. He did not trust God who promised him that as His loving heavenly Father will take care of him and his loved ones. He took matters into his own hands and sinned against God by tarnishing the witness of Christ in his life. Christ will now be seen as a liar just like Satan who is the father of lies.

Believers, we need to hold fast. We need help from other believers to help us hold fast. In the example above, one of the ways to help him hold fast is his knowledge that other believers who have gone through the same struggle and have passed the test can help him. They can testify that the Lord provided in ways and means that he cannot imagine. The LORD always keeps His promises according to holy Scriptures. The knowledge of God's truth will help him trust his heavenly Father more. The better he knows Him through the study of God's truth, the more he can trust Him. What the believer lost when he sinned was not only the testimony of Christ that he bears, but also the privilege of experiencing the provision of God in his life through standing firm and not lying. His faith in Christ and God would be strengthened in the process as well. The personal pronoun in Heb 10:23 is in the plural tense. It says, "Let us" which means that all of us need to hold fast in the face of trials and severe testing. No one is exempt from this. As long as Satan is still the prince of this world and believers continue to obey God's Great commission, persecution will surely come. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:12 (KJV), "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Let us help each other hold fast our beloved faith.

* Provoking unto Love and Good Works – To accomplish this mutual help, the Bible tells all believers to seriously consider (i.e. to observe fully) one another. The present tense is used again to highlight the continuous action. All believers are to take careful note of one another's spiritual well being. This is their God given duty. This is an obvious conclusion because all believers are in the same army of God wearing the same uniform of holiness. When a soldier of the same army is in the battlefield, as seen by the same uniform, and he is wounded or is in need of help in any way, other soldiers will help. This is also true, if not more so, in the Lord's army. Believers are fewer in numbers. The Lord through His holy Word is commanding all believers to seriously look after each other.

What must they do when they meet fellow believers? They must provoke them "to love and to good works." The word "provoke" (from which we get the English word "paroxysm") is to stir up or incite the emotion of love and good works in the believer's life. When faced with persecution and the desire to give up the faith by sinning against God in a particular circumstance, what the believer needs to do at that moment is to love God and Christ. The love referred to here is Agape Love, which is unconditional and sacrificial. This is what the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is supposed to remind us of. We are to remember the love of God that constrains a believer to obey God with the right motive. Very often, when a believer faces persecution, his motive is under attack first. I still remember the time when I first received the lawyer’s letter informing me that I was being sued. The fear was real. After reading the contents of the letter with all the deadlines and penalties if nothing was done, the fear increased exponentially. Seeking a lawyer for advice was the very next thought. To ask my sister for help was an option that came to mind for a brief moment, but she was not a Christian and I did not want to stumble her. The next step was to pray for a lawyer to help. Then I thought about the enormous lawyer’s fees and that I would probably have to sell my flat to pay for it. My family would have to be greatly inconvenienced. The other alternative was to give in and surrender. Then I realized that the real issue and battle was whether I love the Lord more than my family. This was the spiritual battle where my love for Christ was tested!

I am sure this is an experience other believers can identify with. Those times when we fall into sin and succumb are the times when our agape love for Christ has been replaced by some other love. Do I love Christ more than my job or family or freedom or my life? Believers, we are to incite agape love in each other's heart so that we may learn to hold fast the faith and not fall into sin.

Not only must we not fall into sin, but we must continue to do good works. The agape love of Christ when stirred in the believer's heart is so powerful that we will not retaliate in sinful behaviour but will continue to do good works. This is a supernatural ability that demonstrates the potency of the salvific work of Christ. A sinner will immediately retaliate in vengeful spite. But this must not be the case for the child of God. Good works are defined by the Word of God. They will include what Jesus says in Matthew 5:44-48 (KJV), "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." These enemies of the believer, as mentioned by Christ here, who persecute him are dead in sin. They do not know Christ as Lord and Saviour. What they need is to see Christ in the believer’s life. To continue to do good is the way to let them see Christ so that when the believer shares the gospel of Christ with these persecutors, the impact of God's love through Christ will be powerful to save. This was the case of Stephen who was stoned to death for sharing the gospel with his enemies. He "kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:60) Saul was present and witnessed the entire event. A few days later, the Lord appeared and saved him from his sin when he was on his way to Damascus. The Lord Jesus asked him "why persecutest thou me?" Saul persecuted Stephen but the Lord said that He was being persecuted instead. This must have shocked Saul to the very core of his darkened soul until the light of the gospel shone in his heart.

When the believer is persecuted for his faith, it is Christ who is being persecuted too. When the believer continues to do good works, it is also Christ who continues to do good works!

* Assemble Together – The act of "holding fast, provoking one another unto love and good works" cannot materialize if believers do not assemble together! Thus the injunction is, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." To forsake is to "leave something behind in some place." The believer is reminded not to leave Christian fellowship behind as he goes on his way in life. Salvation is personal but the Christian walk is never personal and individualistic. When a believer forsakes Christian fellowship once or twice, the subsequent times become easier. Then it becomes a habit. The Bible calls it "as the manner of some is." This word "manner" is from the English word "ethos." It becomes part of his character not to have Christian fellowship. Is this a description of you, dear believer? This is a very sad and dangerous state to be in. Is your conscience numb to your need for Christian fellowship? Do you realize how precarious a state you are in? Your life that is supposed to impact other believers to help them grow spiritually has become spiritually lifeless and useless because of your absence. Has the still small voice of the Holy Spirit that convicts and speaks to you been consistently ignored? Your soul will soon grow cold to this need. You are in jeopardy as you will be living your life of holiness alone, without any encouragement from loving brothers and sisters in Christ who are your eternal spiritual family on earth. What a lonely and sad Christian life to live.

If believers fellowship with other like minded believers in Christ, there is comfort that goes both ways. This is what the word "exhorting" means. Literally, the word means to "draw near." We bring comfort by our presence. Sometimes it is not so much what we say but simply being present, like attending a vigil service to comfort bereaved family members. We do not necessarily have to say some wise words, but our presence makes a big difference. As believers, our lives can impact other believers’ lives in ways that the world cannot understand or do. Only believers can because of Christ. When we stay away and do not assemble together with other believers, we have forfeited ourselves of any spiritual blessing that our short lives can bring to others on the earth.

There is an urgency that all believers must realize. Time is running out. There are not many more opportunities whereby we can assemble together with other believers. While there is opportunity, take advantage of it. Break away from this "manner" of not assembling together. The "day" is approaching fast. What is this day? It is the day of judgement - the judgement day of the Lord when everything on this earth will come to a standstill! Wicked ones will remain wicked for eternity. Holy ones will remain holy forever. The believer’s impact for Christ will also be over! Our time on earth to provoke one another unto love and good works will become a thing of the past forever! This knowledge alone ought to shake all believers out of their stupor in not wanting to assemble together! It is a sin to not want to assemble together! It speaks of a self-centred and uncaring attitude. There are many believers serving the Lord faithfully as God's witness who are facing trials out in the world who need your presence in their lives! Your life can be a blessing more than you can ever imagine if only you would get out of this "manner" of not assembling with brethren in Christ! Will you get out of this manner, dear reader, for Christ's sake and your spiritual family's sake?

CONCLUSION -- Going to church camp is the best way to assemble together. Other assemblies are important and very beneficial as well. When we come together for worship on Sunday, we worship God and those who stay back after the service enjoy a little bit of fellowship. During after worship classes there is not much fellowship as we sit in the class learning God's Word. There is fellowship time as well during church Bible Study and other fellowship/contact group meetings. However, at the church camp there are five nights and six days of fellowshipping together. We stay in the same hotel. We eat together at breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. We learn God's Word and have fellowship in the mornings and evenings, with more fellowship in the afternoons. We "live" together as it were, as if we are in heaven in the presence of our heavenly Father! That is why church camp is the best Christian fellowship time on earth!

To those who have not attended camp before, do seriously consider. If a lack of funds is the issue, please see the Camp Master or any of the camp committee members who will be happy to help. All you need is a desire to go; let the Lord take care of the rest. And to those who have been going and love to go to camp, let’s be in much prayer and expect great things from the Lord. God bless all readers and campers. AMEN.