One issue that the Singapore church will face is apostasy. Now what is apostasy? Simply put, it is the departure of the heart from the one and true God (Pink, n.d.). It is the falling away of members from the church. An apostate is represented in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:5-6) as seed that falls on rocky ground and springs up immediately. However when the sun rose, it withered away as it had no root. Matthew 13:20-21 then explains that those who heard the word received it initially with joy, but fell away when tribulations came.
In Revelation 3, the issue of apostasy is represented in the Laodicean period, which is the final period of the church age, also known as the ‘last days’ (Ice, n.d.; Verse by Verse Ministry International, 2015). In the letter to the angel of the church of Laodicea, Jesus had no commendation for the church and refers to the unbelievers as ‘lukewarm’ (Rev 3:15-16), whom He will spit out of His mouth. This shows that Christ has no tolerance for a false believer in His church. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 further supports the fact that there will be godlessness in the last days. Paul explained to Timothy that people will be lovers of self, money and pride rather than lovers of God.
What are some reasons for an individual to fall away? One reason is due to the arrival of persecution (Riley, n.d.). 2 Timothy 3:12 already mentions that those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. All Christians should be prepared to face persecution as a result of their faith in Jesus, which can result in discrimination or even death in certain countries. In Singapore, the current ruling government, known as the People’s Action Party(PAP) allows citizens to freely practice their own religion. However, if there were to be a change in government leadership and Christianity is banned, how then should Christians respond? Should Christians renounce their faith or continue preaching the Gospel as the Lord commanded (Matthew 28:19)? On a less extreme view, let’s consider persecution of Christians not to the point of death, but discrimination. Many jobs are secular in nature and majority of employees can be non-believers. For the Christian, maintaining a godly character will likely to result in ridicule from colleagues, for example in avoiding gossips and drinking parties out of love for the Lord. Jesus said in John 15:18-19 that the world hates Christians because they are not of the world and are chosen out of it by Him. Therefore, we should expect persecution for the faith and pray to God for perseverance and strength to run the race.
Thus, it is of absolute essential for the church to guard against apostasy. One way of doing so is for the church and its members have to remain united during this period in the last days. Unity as a body of Christ is written by Paul in Ephesians 4:1-6. As one body, we ought to have a humble attitude and to treat one another with gentleness (Deffinbaugh, 2004), professing our faith to one God and Father. Philippians 2:3-4 also states that we should look to the interests of others besides our own, and to count others as more important than ourselves. According to Krell (2010), humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. With humility, we can lift others up. Besides having humility, we also need to prioritize the interests of others above ours, but we must also take care of our spiritual walk and relationships, lest we burn out from ministry or develop resentment against the church (Krell, 2010). In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul makes the analogy of the church as a body made up of many parts working together. Different members have different spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-11), but no gift is greater than the other, for they are all equally important (1 Corinthians 12:19-20). Hence, the church must not become divided over the differences in gifts, but embrace every unique member in unity.
Another issue that the Singapore church will face is the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender(LGBT) movement. In the United States(US), Christians are pressured to give their stand on accepting homosexual Christians (Mohler, 2014). To remain silent is to give a thumbs-up for the movement in the world’s perspective. In Singapore, the government feels that the Republic is currently not ready to legalize same-sex marriage as society is still rather conservative, although it is important to note that this is gradually changing (The Straits Times, 2015). This means that it is only a matter of time before same-sex marriage becomes legalized and the Singapore church will have to make its stand on the issue.
What does the Bible say concerning same-sex behavior and marriage? In Romans 1:26-27, Paul condemned the shameless same-sex acts of men and women, which are dishonorable passions in the eyes of God. Homosexuals have attempted to counter scripture by claiming that Paul was only condemning pederasty, which is a sexual relationship between a man and a younger boy. However, if Paul were to only condemn pederasty, there would be no reason for him to condemn same-sex acts committed by women. Marriage is created by God as a union between man and woman. In Genesis 1 and 2, God created male and female in His own image, and then He blessed them with fertility to fill the earth (Genesis 1:27-28). God also created woman as a suitable helper for man and they become one flesh in marriage (Genesis 2:18, 2:21-25). The homosexual’s standpoint is that marriage need not be between two persons of opposite gender and having children is not a necessity. Firstly, God created Eve, not Steve, as a helper for Adam. One gift from God within marriage is sex, which is to be enjoyed between male and female only, as how God created our bodies for so (Edminston, 2002). Children are a gift from God and though it is not a commandment in Genesis 1:28 to have children (Leeuwen, 2001), we should not reject this gift through sex that God has blessed us with. For a same-sex couple, this gift would not be received as God did not design our bodies to allow reproduction through persons of the same sex. Furthermore, adopting children or using artificial means of fertilization would have undesirable effects on the child, such as confusion over one’s gender and dysfunctional family structure. Especially if the couple is Christian, the same-sex marriage would become a stumbling block to the child’s spiritual growth in Christ.
How then should the church respond to the rise of same-sex marriage and behavior? Firstly, the church has to recognize that the Bible clearly condemns dishonorable acts by persons of the same sex and that it is a sin. Like any other sin, be it anger, jealousy or drunkenness, it is an offense against God but not the greatest of all sins (Dallas, 2006). Secondly, the church should also treat homosexuals with respect that every single person deserves. As Colossians 4:5-6 puts it, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of your time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” We ought to welcome them with open arms like any other newcomer in church, and through developing relationships and prayer, help them to see the need for a Savior in Jesus Christ, who has paid the penalty of our sins as an act of propitiation on the cross. May they come to repentance and turn to the Lord for mercy and grace (Slick, n.d.). That being said, it is important that the church does not misinterpret showing love to the homosexual as showing tolerance to their sin. Although compromise makes Christianity easier and less counter-cultural, it is something God will not tolerate (DeYoung, 2015). It perverts the church and ultimately God’s holiness. Therefore, the church needs to be firm in loving what God loves and hating what God hates.
In conclusion, the church is the bride of Christ saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). We are called to be ambassadors of Christ and to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. However, the enemy will do what he can to disrupt the spiritual growth of the church and turn people away from Christ. Hence, the church must always be on guard against issues that distract her from her mission till Christ returns to claim His bride.
References:
Deffinbaugh, R. L. (2004) Christian Unity (Ephesians 4:1-16). Bible.org [Online] Available from: https://bible.org/seriespage/2-christian-unity-ephesians-41-16
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DeYoung, K. (2015) The Tolerance Jesus Will Not Tolerate. The Gospel Coalition [Online] Available from: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/2015/10/13/the- tolerance-jesus-will-not-tolerate/
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Department of Statistics (2010) Census of Population 2010 Statistical Release 1 [Online] Available from: https://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document- library/publications/publications_and_papers/cop2010/census_2010_release1/cop2010sr1. pdf [Accessed: 29 May, 2016]
Edmiston, J. (2002) What does the Bible say about same sex marriage? [Online] Available from: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-f018.html
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Ice, T. (n.d.) End Time Apostasy [Online] Available from: http://www.pre- trib.org/data/pdf/Ice-TheEnd-TimeApostasy.pdf
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Krell, K. (2010) The United Way (Philippians 2:1-4). Bible.org [Online] Available from: https://bible.org/seriespage/5-united-way-philippians-21-4
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Leeuwen, R. C. V. (2001) ‘Be Fruitful and Multiply’ Is this a command, or a blessing? Christianity Today [Online] Available from: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/november12/4.58.html?start=3 [Accessed: 29 May 2016]
Mohler, R. A. (Eds.) (2014) God and the Gay Christian? A Response to Matthew Vines. Kentucky, USA: SBTS Press [Online] Available from: http://126df895942e26f6b8a0- 6b5d65e17b10129dda21364daca4e1f0.r8.cf1.rackcdn.com/GGC-Book.pdf
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Pink, A. (n.d.) What Is Apostasy? [Online] Available from:
http://www.chapellibrary.org/files/2513/7643/2881/aposfg.pdf
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Riley, M. (n.d.) Some Causes Of Apostasy [Online] Available from:
http://gewatkins.net/some-causes-of-apostasy/
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Slick, M. (n.d.) Christianity and Homosexuality. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry [Online] Available from: https://carm.org/christianity-and-homosexuality
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Wong, S. Y. (2015, June 5) Singapore not ready for same-sex marriage as society is still conservative: PM Lee. The Straits Times [Online] Available from: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-not-ready-for-same-sex-marriage-as- society-is-still-conservative-pm-lee
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