My dear readers,

Answers to Remaining Questions from Calvary Pandan Church Camp 2025 (20)

Question 1: Pastors and Elders are called into the ministry by God. Will that be their lifelong service? Is it all right for them to resign from their service?

Answer 1: In our church constitution, there is no provision for resignation by pastors and elders. They can choose not to stand for re-election. When we examine the qualifications of an elder, the same qualifications apply to the pastor; these qualifications describe the man’s spiritual character rather than the duties. Therefore, if an elder or pastor decides not to stand for re-election, it is solely due to health reasons. There are no biblical reasons why he should not continue to serve the Lord in nurturing and caring for God’s people as long as the Lord gives him strength and a sound mind. He is like a parent watching over his children. He continues to be the parent and care for them. Parenting is a lifelong commitment, and so is the call of the pastor and elder.

Another possible reason is disqualification from the ministry, which differs from a voluntary termination of service. He may have declined in spirituality. Man is very mutable. The moment he stops drawing nigh unto God in unceasing prayer and the daily study of God’s Word, he will retard in his walk with Christ. When he allows the things of their world to dominate his life, carnality increases and spirituality diminishes.

1 Timothy 3:1-7: “¹This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. ²A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; ³Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; ⁴One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; ⁵(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) ⁶Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

All elders and pastors must have all the above qualifications, without exception. If an elder or pastor loses any of the qualifications because of sin, he disqualifies himself from service. For example, if he fails to rule his house well or becomes greedy for filthy lucre, he disqualifies himself. Protecting, nurturing and teaching God’s flock in the church require the highest spiritual qualifications. When we compare these qualifications with the qualifications of the leaders in Moses’ time as they wandered in the wilderness (cf. Exod 18:19-22; Deut 1:17) or those of Israel’s kings (cf. Deut 17:14-20), the qualifications of the pastor and elder are the most stringent. These spiritual qualifications essentially describe mature believers who have been walking closely with the Lord. As long as they continue to walk spiritually with the Lord and the Lord sustains their health, there is no reason to stop serving. Serving the Lord in caring for His children, whom He redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, is the highest form of service bestowed on His children. No child of God should ever get tired of serving Him. The deeper their love for God and for God's people, the greater will their joy be in serving Him.

Question 2: The pastor preached on a Sunday that elders are not to expect to be greeted in church as a matter of their office. Would it also mean that JW and Teenz students should be excused for deliberately not greeting their JW and Teenz teachers when they see the teachers? Respect for teachers should not be expected?

Answer 2: Expectation to be greeted first usually stems from a perceived position of entitlement due to a higher status and standing in society. If the position of an elder or pastor is regarded as a promotion, then this entitled mentality of being greeted first by all becomes a significant problem. The problem is that the office of an elder is not a promotion, but rather to serve the Lord by caring for and protecting God’s children. The list of qualifications for an elder describes a mature Christian’s character. He must possess every spiritual qualification on that list (recorded in 1Timothy 3:1-7) in varying degrees of maturity as he grows in the grace and knowledge of God in Christ. He must never allow any of these Christian virtues to be lost or diminished in his holy walk with God. 

The fear of God ought to be in his heart rather than a desire to be greeted as an elder the moment he sets foot in the church! With the fear of God, he is to wash the disciples’ feet as Jesus did. John 13:12-17: “¹²So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? ¹³Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. ¹⁴If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. ¹⁵For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. ¹⁷If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

However, just because the pastor and elder must not expect to be greeted first does not mean that they should be regarded as only fellow members of the church. Our culture of respecting our elders does not contradict biblical teaching. Therefore, even though elders do not expect to be greeted, greet them sincerely, not out of necessity or grudgingly, but cheerfully and willingly as unto the Lord. For they are our spiritual parents appointed and ordained by God to care for our souls. 1 Timothy 5:17: “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” We honour them for the office’s sake, as the Lord has commanded.

We are grateful and thankful to God for their devotion, dedication and sacrifice as they carry a heavy burden, knowing that they will one day give an account to God of how they have cared for His beloved children.

This principle of honouring those in authority over our souls applies to all who teach us the Word of God. Respect for teachers should not be expected by teachers, but students must respect their teachers as unto the Lord, for there are no authorities over God's children except those whom God has ordained.

Question 3: How do you know if a trial is for chastisement or to strengthen your faith. For example, I feel like I have repented of my sins, but there was this “trial” in my life?

Answer 3: The God of the Bible is omnipotent. He is sovereign over all things, including ageing, sickness, persecution, and all forms of adversities. Calamities that occur in a believer’s life are due to two reasons only. The first is because the believer, a child of God, has sinned, and thus needs to be disciplined by his loving heavenly Father. Hebrews 12:4-7: “⁴Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. ⁵And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: ⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” Jesus taught believers that the moment a sin begins in the inner man, such as a lust, they must repent immediately and seek God's forgiveness in Christ. However, believers may fail to repent immediately and allow sin to appear through their words and actions. A wayward heart and a pride-filled mind may cause them to regard iniquity in their hearts even after admonishment. Then God's painful chastisement will follow until they repent so that they will stop shaming the holy Name of Christ. If they stubbornly refuse to repent, God may take them home.

The second reason is to strengthen the believer’s faith so that he may experience the fullness of salvation when he turns theory into experiential reality. James 1:2-4: “²My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; ³Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. ⁴But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” There is no better way to grow spiritually in faith and trust in the Lord than through adversity. If there is spiritual growth via the way of comfort and luxury, I am sure the Lord would have allowed it.

When believers experience adversity, they need to be honest with themselves. They need to ask God to reveal to them where and what they have done wrong. The Lord will show His children. When repentance is sincere, the Lord will know and His forgiveness will follow. Peace within returns. The believer will experience the blessing of forgiveness repeatedly.

When the believer still feels guilty or there remains a trial in his life even after genuine repentance before God in Christ, the probable cause is a lack of faith. The believer does not truly believe that Christ’s blood alone is all that is needed for God to forgive him and wash away all his sins. Lack of faith is a sin. It is a sin not to trust what God says He will do in a believer’s life and has done in the Bible. Two verses that reveal this important truth are: Romans 14:23: “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” and Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Live less by feeling and more by faith. Faith will increase in strength as knowledge of the Bible grows. As a believer's understanding of the Bible grows, his faith will be more firmly anchored in God's promises than in feelings.