Shomerim Retreat Testimony
By Sister Wang Lingqin
Thank God for making a stay-in retreat possible after a 2 1/2 years of break. The Lord has truly
blessed us with a wonderful time listening to His Word, preached to us by Elder John Leong,
on what it means to be, ‘Shomerim – to watch and to guard’.
Shomerim have existed for many years and this retreat is a good reminder on what it means to
be a Watchman for the Lord and our fellow brethren. One of the key lessons which I have
learned was from the first message and namely from Ephesians 3:16, ‘That he would grant you,
according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner
man.’ We often emphasise on the outer man and forgot to nurture the inner man, which needs
building up in the Lord.
Many of us hustle on to what is termed as ‘adulting’, with many responsibilities on our backs
such as family, careers, aged parents etc. We often times neglect or do not have the time to
have in-depth fellowship with one another. This 3-days retreat has provided the platform to do
so and is a great refresher to reflect on our walk with the Lord before we continue sojourning
for the rest of 2022.
I would also like to thank the retreat committee for their labour of love for the many months to
make this retreat possible. Indeed, Covid has made me realise never again to take stay-in
retreats for granted.
Knowing God’s Will and Doing God’s Will
(Message preached by Rev Timothy Tow on November 7, 1999, with editions)
Text: Psalm 40:6-8
In this Psalm, David recalls an unhappy event in the early days of King Saul’s reign. Saul was
instructed of the Lord to fight the Amalekites and to totally exterminate them in just
punishment for what they had done to Israel when they left Egypt on the way to the Promised
Land, Saul carried out the command of the Lord but he did not fulfil all that was required of
him. He exterminated only the “vile and refuse” of the Amalekites but retained “the best of the
sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the lambs, and all that was good” and Agag,
king of the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:9). Part– obedience is tantamount to rebellion. Then came
the word of the Lord unto Samuel saying, “ It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king:
for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments” (1 Sam
15:11). So Samuel confronted Saul, “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
hearken than the fat of rams.” Saul knew God’s will, but he did not do God’s will. He was cast
out from being king of Israel.
We have had seven sermons on the Clock of the Sevenfold Will of God. From the directive to
the cooperative, the punitive, preceptive, permissive, desiderative to the decretive will of God.
We have been instructed in these various aspects of God’s will so that we cannot be excused
for not knowing His will.
Now the throne is passed from Saul to David, because David was a man after God’s own heart.
David loved the Lord and he delighted to do His will. Though he fell in the case of Bathsheba,
yet he shows us true repentance. Do we delight to obey God, in doing His holy will? Do we
love Him, so we will be willing to obey Him? As a little boy, I loved my mother very much.
There was nothing that I would do to displease her. I asked her permission if she would let me
go out of the house, even for small things. Are we careful not to go out of God’s will?
When we are saved and step out of darkness into His marvelous light, we begin a new life. Old
things are passed away, all things are become new (2 Cor 5:7). As explained in Rom 14:7,8
“For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself, For whether we live, we live
unto the Lord;… whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
Let us consider whether we will do His will in our daily life in respect of our time, our talents
and our treasure.
1. As to time. Paul says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5:15-17). Now time is a precious
commodity. Time is money. A Chinese saying, “An inch of time is an inch of gold” is
appropriately stated. Yet, there are the majority of people who have no purpose in life,
who find time heavy on their hands. Let us kill time, i.e. fill it with something to take the
burden of waiting for time to pass. Hence, they go to mahjong parties to while away the
time, or to the cinema, to horse racing, to the T.V. set most conveniently at home. In
Church work, there are the Lord’s servants who have no aim in their work. So, they
gather the ladies of the church to have a “Mahjong Drive for Missions,” partly to provide
fun for the listless, Rev Hong Han Keng, pastor of Telok Ayer Methodist church
which received John Sung to hold Revival Meetings in his church in 1935 was once a
Chinese chess addict. He would play it through day and night. Under the Revival, he
came to himself and testified how he had a new purpose and vision for the Lord’s work. A
missionary whom I met in Perth told me that his work was light. He would play tennis on
Wednesday and golf on Saturday– to kill time.
If you need something more worthy to pass time, let me suggest the Church prayer
meeting. Sad to say the golden hour is supplanted by some T.V. show that comes on at
8.00pm. If you will agree with me, one thing we really need is read the whole Bible in a
year! My son in America told me how he decided at the beginning of the year to read the
Bible through. He enjoyed reading it so much that he finished by October, ahead of
schedule. The reading put fire into his soul, so he began to bring others to Christ. Spend
time with the Lord is the best solution.
2. As to talents. Matthew 25 tells us of the Lord giving talents to his three servants to trade
and gain. The one who received five talents and the second two talents both make 100%.
The third who received one talent buries his in the earth. He who does nothing is heavily
reprimanded.
Let us capitalize on whatever talent God has given us. A Christian doctor who gives free
treatment to the Lord’s people brings profit to the Lord. If he is bent only on enriching
himself, he does nothing to profit God’s kingdom. Our sending of two Medical Missions
to Cambodia has been most profitable in bringing souls to Christ. So does the Beulah
House profit His church through her ministry of hospitality, not only to Christian workers
and missionaries but also to the sick.
3. As to treasure. God loveth a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound
toward you that ye always, having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good
work. Do we know how to respond to God’s call, to give our money to His Cause? In this
matter, I am glad to have a congregation of matured givers. There is no need for me to
urge you, for you know your part.
When we give to God, He will give back to us according to the above promise. I have
experienced this truth since the very beginning of my ministry. I began by riding a
bicycle for nearly two years and our salaries were just enough to tide us over from month
to month. I have many needs settling down as your pastor. One thing I most needed was
housing. When man failed to help, God gave me courage to approach the highest
authority. I called Mr Carter, the manager of SIT (precursor of HDB). I introduced myself
as an American-returned pastor with a family of six needing a flat. He replied, “See me
tomorrow afternoon.” Sure enough, when I called in, he matter-of–factly said, “Come for
your key next week.” The Lord saved me thousands in my hour of greatest need. “The
blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he added no sorrow with it” (Prov 10:22).
Please do not think I’m trying to get your money. If you have faith to receive my word
from the Lord, it will work to your success and prosperity, for God loveth a cheerful
giver. Let us do God’s will in our earthly daily life that he may store up heavenly
blessings for us! Those who serve Him lovingly He blesses with far more than material
things. He adds years to our life. He gives us good health that is true wealth. He prospers
us with a happy home. Amen and amen.