PASTORAL LETTER RESOURCE FOR THE STATE ELECTION

1.     All authorities are ordained by God with the mandate of governing a nation for the common good. [Romans 13:1]

2.     The Bible does not prescribe the form of government but states what are the indicia of good government. A good government is one that is just, not tyrannical and oppressive; fair, impartial and equitable; incorruptible, not open to bribes; honest and open; and righteous and careful to legislate just laws.

3.     Malaysia’s political system is based on parliamentary democracy. A democratic government is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is elected by the people through the process of free, fair and open elections held regularly.

4.     In Malaysia we have an elected federal government as well as elected state governments. We elect representatives to the federal Parliament and the State legislative body. In the 10^th Sarawak State Elections we are electing State Assemblymen to the Council Negeri. The Council Negeri makes laws. From these elected representatives a Cabinet is formed to administer the state of Sarawak in accordance with the Federal and State Constitutions and the Rule of Law.

5.     We are instructed to Honour all people, Love the brethren; Fear the Lord and Honour the king[ 1 Peter 2: 17] . In a democracy like Malaysia, the government comes from the will of the people as expressed through regular elections. Therefore, in the same way as we honour all people we also honour the authorities which come from the people; and authorities are not to be feared, only God is to be feared.

6.     In this forthcoming 10^th Sarawak State Election, Christians are called to seek the welfare and good of Sarawak and the people of Sarawak. We are to pray for a good government that will fulfill the mandate which God had placed on all authorities. We are to exercise the responsible  the right to vote and to ensure that such a good government is voted into power.

7.     We are to pray that the right to vote can be exercised free from intimidation, undue influence and bribery and corruption. We are to exercise our vote free from such intimidation, undue influence and bribery and corruption.

8.     We must vote freely secure in the knowledge that whichever party is voted into government will be vested with all the powers, authority and financial resources of the state to bring development and good governance to Sarawak and the peoples of Sarawak.

9.     So as Priests, Pastors and Elders of this congregation, we call upon all members of this congregation to actively exercise our rights and responsibility as citizens of our beloved nation and state and to ensure that a good government which will ensure that there will be good governance is voted into power.

10.            May God bless Sarawak and Malaysia and her citizens.

The Bible is God's Precious Gift to Christians

 WHY WE NEED THE BIBLE

The Bible is described as the most loved, most translated, most sold and also the most feared book on planet earth. Down through the ages kings, rulers, government and even some authorities within the church have tried to ban, abolish, restrict and curtail the use and accessibility to the Word of God. But God kept and preserved it. Why such intensity and focus on this ancient book? It is because other than the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and the precious indwelling  presence of the Holy Spirit, the Bible is probably the most essential gift to Christians. It is described as:

1.Food. ‘Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,’ 1 Peter 2:2. Just as in the natural, our spiritual health and growth are dependent on a regular and consistent intake of the Word.

2.A Sword. ‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’ Hebrews 4:12  Like a skillful surgeon the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to operate with precision for our spiritual well being. ‘Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ Ephesians 6:17 We are in a spiritual warfare with demonic forces which can only be countered with the authority of the Word.

3.A Lamp. ‘Your word is a lamp for my feet,
   a light on my path.’ Psalm 119:105  The Bible provides clarity and directions for the Christian daily walk and serves as a road map through the journey of life.

4.A Seed. ‘For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.’ 1 Peter 1:23 Life and hope come from receiving and believing the promises of Bible.

5.A Mirror. ‘ ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.’     James 1:22-25  The Bible is like a mirror which helps us to see a true reflection of our conditions from God’s perspective.

The Bible is crucial for the building of a strong church ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’ 2 Timothy 3:16 The Bible is paramount for the continual strengthening and building of the church and to be light and salt of the earth. 

We give thanks to the Lord for the release of the Bibles in our nation recently. Let us pray for a continual freedom of access to the Bible. May we treasure, read, study, share and diligently apply the precious gift of His Word.

God bless Malaysia!

Pastor David Kueh

KMF PRESS STATEMENT

Sarawak Ministers Fellowship

No.45, Lorong Keranji 4F, Tabuan Desa, 93550 Kuching. Telephone: 082-364099. Email: kmf.kch@gmail.com

Media Statement On

Restriction of Religious and Civil Rights of Christians In Sarawak

14^th March 2011, Kingwood  Inn Hotel, Kuching

The Sarawak Ministers Fellowship, consisting of Kuching Ministers Fellowship, Miri Pastors Fellowship, Sibu Pastors Fellowship, Bintulu Pastors Fellowship, and Gempuru Besai Raban Jaku Iban Malaysia (an alliance of Iban churches), fully stands with the Christian Federation of Malaysia on their 10th March official media statement regarding the detentions of the Bahasa Malaysia Bibles in Malaysia.

We view the detention of the latest batch of 30,000 copies of  "Perjanjian Baru, Mazmur dan Amsal" (New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs) at the Kuching Port by Kementerian Dalam Negeri on 12th January as another blunt violation and unconstitutional curtailment of the religious liberty of the Christians in our Nation and the State of Sarawak.  

The Bible detentions are not the only difficulties which our churches face in resolving key religious liberty issues with government authorities. We have repeatedly encountered restrictions that ran contrary to the guarantee of religious freedom provided in the Federal Constitution.

Article 8 of the Federal Constitution states that “All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law”, and “there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent, place of birth or gender in any law “

Article 11 provides for every person to have “the right to profess and practice his religion”, and that every religious group has the right (a) to manage its own religious affairs, (b) to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes, and (c) to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with the law.

Furthermore, under the 18 Point Agreement for Sarawak in the formation of Malaysia, it is clearly stated that there is no official religion for Sarawak. Therefore the detention of the Bibles at the Kuching Port is not only unconstitutional but it also violates the spirit of the agreement for Sarawak to participate in the formation of Malaysia.

We are deeply disappointed and want to register our strong protest on how these continuous problems have impeded our Christian rights to practise our faith. Therefore, we call upon our Government to diligently uphold the rights of the Christian community in our State as enshrined in our Federal Constitution.

We acknowledge the biblical teaching to accord respect to the Government and to dialogue and work with those in authority to uphold peace and harmony in our land.