My dear readers,

Answering Remaining Questions asked during Calvary Pandan Bible Camp 2026 (8)

Question One:

Psalm 61 refers to the many vows David made. Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 warns of the consequences of not keeping a vow. Is God more pleased with us when we make and keep a righteous vow? What is the "benefit"? Why risk God's wrath? Is the vow we take to join a church as a member to ensure compliance?

Answer One:

Making vows is essential in every believer’s life. For example, when a believer obeys the Lord and receives water baptism, he is in fact making a vow before God and God's people that he will be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ all the days of his life. Jesus taught His disciples how to make vows biblically, in a way that is right and pleasing to God. Every believer must keep their word all the time so that when they make vows, they will certainly keep them. Matthew 5:37: “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” Telling the truth is not only the believer’s new habit but clear evidence of salvation, for he is now like his heavenly Father, who is the God who cannot lie!

It is not a matter of God being more or less pleased. Making vows is part and parcel of everyday life. Man cannot live in the world without making vows, such as marriage vows and job acceptance contracts. Other examples of commonly made vows are when one enters the military service and when we find ourselves in a courtroom as a witness. Jesus was teaching His disciples that from henceforth, vows must be made sincerely and with every desire to keep them. No longer were they to make vows with the intention to deceive and break them.

The spiritual benefit is the assurance of one’s salvation. The believer knows he is a new person in Christ, as he possesses a seated conviction to be truthful, to keep his word daily, and to keep his vows faithfully to the glory of God. He knows that this is one of the best spiritual ways to shine for his Saviour Jesus Christ.

In the heart of every believer, there is no fear of the wrath of God that would cast him into hell because of the finished work of Jesus Christ in his life. The fear of God remains in his heart so that he will not sin against God. But when he does sin, he will repent immediately because he fears God and does not want God to be angry with him.

The membership vow is not to instil compliance but to ensure that all who join the local church, i.e. the visible family of God, will do so with a heartfelt responsibility to be a blessing and not a wolf in sheep’s clothing to undermine the faith of God's children and God’s work in the church. God ordained the local church witness in Acts 2. It is not an institution started by man. The local church witness replaced the national witness when the latter rejected Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ. The local church is an integral part of every believer’s life and is never an appendix. It is the place on earth where he can fellowship with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ. It is also a place where he grows in the grace and knowledge of Christ, serves Him, and is a blessing to God's children. That is why the vow is important to all existing members, knowing that they are trusting their spiritual well-being and their children’s salvation in the hands of God-fearing leaders who will protect them and not allow any wolves in sheep’s clothing to infiltrate and hurt them.

Making vows before God and God's people should instil the fear of God into the heart of every born-again believer. With the fear of God in them, they should happily take the membership vows, as well as cheerfully and willingly, to God’s glory. But wolves in sheep’s clothing will fake it and disdain to take the membership vow. By taking the vow falsely, they may deceive God's people, but never the all-knowing, almighty God who is the Protector of His church, the people of God. God will deal with these wolves in His time. They can never deceive Him.

Question Two:

A pastor recently announced his intention to step down, but there is currently no succession plan in place. It appears that he has lost his passion for leading the church and is ready to move on. What should the church do in this situation? As a member, how should I respond?

Answer Two:

The reason for stepping down is more important than the act of stepping down. If he is stepping down for health reasons, then the timing is not up to him. His spirit and heart might still desire to serve, but his body is unable to continue. If he remains in the ministry when his health does not allow him to do so, he may hurt the testimony of Christ that he has manifested in all the years of ministry, as well as God's people, and bring shame to the name of Christ. The pastor’s ministry is a very heavy burden. He is answerable to Jesus Christ, the Head of the church, for every member’s spiritual condition. The pastor’s high calling, like all believers’ calling, must not be compared to the job situation of the people of the world who can go where they please according to their heart’s desires. Their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ orders God’s children’s lives. They go, stay, and leave by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and only for biblical reasons.

But if he is quitting because of greener pastures, then he is a hireling, and the church is better off without him. A hireling will not die for God’s flock. He takes advantage of them for personal gain; that is why, when a better offer comes along, he will leave. A hireling is lazy. He knows that to preach to the same congregation Sunday after Sunday and year after year, he needs to study God’s Word daily and diligently, with much prayer to the Lord to sustain and help him dive deeper into God’s Word to feed and grow with God's people. By leaving for greener pastures and because of laziness, he can reuse his past sermons to minister to a new congregation who has never heard his messages.

The “succession plan” for the church cannot be like what is in the world. A century-old sound and biblical church can be destroyed if the church takes in a derelict pastor, or worse still, a wolf in sheep’s clothing who will devour the flock. It is almost impossible to revive it because these wolves in sheep’s clothing are masters in playing church politics. They surround themselves with “yes” men who will protect their cult leader at all costs. They employ fear tactics like intimidation and bullying. Lives are ruined. The witness of Christ is destroyed.

A God-fearing and Christ-centred pastor is very rare in these last days. His theology must be the same as that of God's people in the church. His philosophy of Christian ministry must also be the same as that of the other leadership members; otherwise, there will be problems. Some church leaders expect and demand that their pastors clock in and clock out from 9 am to 5 pm. But if the pastor’s philosophy is to be a 24-hour on-call pastor with a 24/7 biblical ministry, he will not fit in. Some pastors insist on having control in every ministry, whereby all elders, deacons, and preachers cannot make any decision unless he is first consulted. But some church leaders may desire the pastor to delegate so that he can focus on prayer and the study of God’s Word. These are some of the challenges that make finding a replacement pastor not as simple. The souls of men, women and children whom Jesus has redeemed with His precious blood are at stake.

The Lord Jesus is the Head of the church. He knows the spiritual condition of the church even before the church is formed. He will care for the church. Preachers from sound biblical churches can help as interim or advisory pastors. All lay leaders in the church need to step up and step in to fill the gaps. The spiritual well-being of the church is being tested to see if the people have been trusting in man or in Christ. All men are dispensable. Only Jesus is indispensable in every believer’s life. Every member of the church must come together to seek the Lord in prayer and for His help. In God’s time, He will send the right and godly leader to care for the flock. The pastor with the perfect fit who will care for, nurture and protect God's people is out there. When God sends him after much prayer by God’s people, all parties concerned will know that God’s will has been realised. Then, when the church encounters spiritual battles in the future, which will surely come, they can face these challenges together as one body in Christ.