On this joyous occasion of the 30th Anniversary of Tung Ling Bible School, we celebrate God’s faithfulness and goodness for our work and ministry. Over the past 30 years, we have trained more than 4,000 students through our various courses. Our students have come from more than 40 nations around the world.

The theme, “The Journey – A Life that Bears fruit”, chosen for this issue’s Polished Shaft, is both appropriate and reflective. The school has played its part in impacting and transforming the lives of many students; and these students have in turn, impacted the lives of many others whom they have touched and ministered to.

We thank God for the two very dedicated Deans, the much anointed faculty members and our faithful and capable staff. We are very grateful to God for the supporting churches and individual donors. It is indeed through the support from all of you that has made the expansion and growth of our work possible.

Indeed the Lord is faithful!

Elder Goh Ewe Kheng
Chairman, College Board

Isaiah 49:2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.

The hidden preparatory years of the Lord Jesus helped to lay the foundation for his appointed task. When John the Baptist uttered the words “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”, little was known of Him and certainly few had any idea as to what He was about to become. It took years of hidden, unseen molding under the shaping hand of His heavenly Father to prepare Him for His unique day. The shaft of the arrow was now perfectly formed, the tip sharpened and focused, now ready to be placed into the hands of the Master Archer. At the age of thirty, while coming up out of the water of baptism at Jordan, Jesus was released into the fullness of purpose for which he was called. The cross was the target and on it rested the hope of all mankind. Though the winds and wiles of the enemy sought to misdirect the arrow, it nonetheless found its mark resulting in the salvation and redemption of all who would call upon His name (Revelation 13:8).
The Bible is filled with types and shadows which help to affirm certain truths that are found in Scripture. These patterns give a glimpse of the genuine such as the Passover lamb found in Exodus which points us to the true Passover Lamb who bled and died at Calvary’s cross. It’s ironic therefore that Tung Ling Bible School is now celebrating its 30th year and that this article will appear along side many others in a special edition of the Polished Shaft magazine. I personally feel the history and future of Tung Ling can be somewhat ascertained by observing the example of the formation and sending forth of the true “Polished Shaft”, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Tung Ling has been a blessing to the churches of Singapore for 30 years. Though this is only my 3rd year in being acquainted with Tung Ling, I have come to appreciate the acceptance, recognition, and impact that the school has provided to Singapore and the nations. The seeds sown over the years by seasoned leaders continue to bear tangible fruit to the glory of God. In addition, many of the former students are themselves bringing transformation to their homes, churches, marketplace, and nations due to their respective Tung Ling experience. Truly, there is much to give thanks for in reflecting on the thirty years of the school, but what does the future hold?

The thirty years of formation in the life of Jesus served as the launch pad for His greatest hour. For without it, Jesus would not have been able to fulfill His divine destiny.

I believe Tung Ling’s greatest hour is yet before her. It is appropriate to recognize and commemorate the thirty years of the school’s existence. It would be easy to reflect upon the history of God’s blessing to Tung Ling and take a certain satisfaction from all that the Lord has done. There is a danger however of resting on past glories at the expense of today’s demands. Tung Ling has a designated call and purpose that has yet to be fulfilled. Could it be that Tung Ling is now positioned to be released into a greater purpose?

Consider the make-up and composition of what helps to make Tung Ling unique. First, the school is cited approvingly amongst the leading churches in Singapore.  Many current church leaders have come through Tung Ling’s doors since its inception. Secondly, the school has benefited from quality lecturers represented by varied backgrounds, nations, and expertise. The typical student body consists of members from a wide base of churches both local and foreign. In short, Tung Ling provides a picture of a strong functioning body that is positioned to emerge in an even greater dimension in the days to come. The gathering of the early church saints at Pentecost serves as an example of the potentiality of Tung Ling (I Corinthians 12:20, 27). Those 120 believers were formed, established, and unified, resulting in them being released into an even greater role under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

As Dean of the School of Leadership, I am grateful and humbled to be associated with the ministry of Tung Ling. I pray to be faithful in helping to build upon the foundation and sacrifice of the early pioneers while working alongside today’s staff, lecturers, and students. Celebrating the thirty years of God’s faithfulness to Tung Ling is indeed a special blessing. May we yet take note that the best is still to come. John 2:10, “And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”

Let the words of the apostle Paul serve as the rallying cry for Tung Ling as the school positions itself for the future. “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).”   May Tung Ling prove to be that polished shaft, drawn from the Lord’s quiver at this crucial hour for the purpose of becoming that released arrow which finds its mark and fulfills its course (2 Timothy 4:7).

Reverend Tim O’Connell
Principal

A boxing coach was instructing his assistant on how to identify and recruit a winning boxer. The coach said, “Some boxers get knocked down and they don’t want to get up. Some boxers get knocked down once and get up quickly; but when they get knocked down the second time, they don’t get up. Then, there are some who, no matter how many times they get knocked down, get up each and every time.”

“So you want me to find and recruit that third type of guy who always gets back up again?” the assistant asked.

The coach said, “No! I want you to find the guy who is knocking down the other boxers each and every time!”

The coach was obviously looking for a productive boxer who would always emerge as the winner.

God may not find a boxing champ in all of us, but He is looking for a productive and fruitful Christian in each one of us.

Some believers excuse themselves from the need to be fruitful by weighing faithfulness above fruitfulness. But it is important for us to be both faithful and fruitful. ‘Bearing fruit’ is mentioned 106 times in the Old Testament and 70 times in the New Testament. The Bible exhorts us to bear fruit.

Fruitfulness is important because it is:

1) The MARK of our authenticity in Christ

“By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” Matthew 7:16-17

Jesus himself says that you will recognise them by their fruit. We, who are in Christ, must bear the fruit of Christ and His likeness.

There is a phrase which says – “No fruit? No root!” That’s true. But when we are rooted in Christ, there will be fruit. When we receive the salvation of God, we are a new creation. Salvation is not a reformation. It is a transformation and when there is transformation, there is fruit! Those who claim to be in Christ, yet remain unchanged, place a question mark on the authenticity of their faith.

As stated in Matthew 12:33, we are the tree and whether we bear good fruit or not will demonstrate the genuineness of our faith in Christ.

2) The MEASURE of our obedience to Christ

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

The more we abide in Christ and dwell in His sufficiency, the more fruitful we will become. How much we abide in Him will determine the measure of our fruitfulness.

The process of abiding in Christ is to obey Him. There are several reasons people obey Christ:
(i) Some obey because they have to. This is the obedience of fear.
(ii) Some obey because they need to for they want their prayers answered.   This is the obedience of selfishness (Matthew 19:27).
(iii) Some obey because they want to. This is the obedience of love.

We obey Christ because we love Him. The depth of our love will define the level of our obedience to Him. When we obey, we will bear much fruit.

3) The MOTIVATION behind God’s pruning

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:2

Like the gardener or vinedresser who prunes his vineyard, God will prune us. The pruning process for us as Christians may come in various forms of testing. God does not prune indiscriminately or carelessly. He prunes with the purpose that we might bear fruit (John 15:4), or that we might bear more fruit (John 15:5) and even much more fruit (John 15:8). The reason one goes through times of testing is for fruit-bearing.

The pruning process may be the conviction to remove a bad habit, an undesirable attitude or wrong goals we have adopted. It may come through the loss of some material comfort, a broken relationship, or some other test. Testing can be painful and traumatic, but it helps us learn and remember that God brings or allows testing for the purpose of making us more like Christ. Consequently, we become more productive and fruitful.

4) The MEANS of glorifying God

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:8

When we manifest Christ-likeness and demonstrate discipleship, we bring glory to God. When we show fruitfulness in our lives, we glorify God.

God expects fruitfulness and this is accomplished through abiding and pruning.

Your three months in Tung Ling Bible School will provide much opportunity to abide in His presence. Some of you may go through times of testing or a period of pruning. Take heart, the ultimate goal is that you will bear more fruit and eventually much more fruit. This process takes time. It does not happen overnight.

God desires that you bear fruit. Jesus summarises it by stating this in John 15:16 – “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”

On this occasion of the 30th Anniversary of Tung Ling Bible School, I want to thank the Board members, the staff and the many supporters for their faithfulness. Your faithfulness to the vision of Tung Ling has resulted in the lives of many students being transformed to bear good fruit. Fruitfulness matters!

Ju Ong
Dean