Spontaneous Applause

My first year in Singapore's Trinity Theological College was a honeymoon period. Towards the end of the first Semester of my first year (October 2008), I gave my last lectures on the Introduction to the New Testament which most Christians would know falls on the book of Revelation. I gave a rendition and summary of the book of Revelation, all 22 chapters in about 10 minutes to the class and they broke out in spontaneous applause at the end of it. I was shocked but pleased with the response from 53 students from probably 12 countries including South Korea and most ASEAN countries were represented. In my last year at TTC of about 30 students (24th April 2014), I received applause again but it was somewhat muted compared to the first that happened out of the blue and thundering loud with cheers. So tomorrow I will attempt a similar rendition on the book of the Song of Songs or the Song of Solomon in my first ever weekend Bible Seminar in my 2nd year as pastor.

I was told out of the 70 registered there would be about 10 from non-SIB Christians which I welcome as most of my End-Time Seminars organised by SIB churches were also attended by Christians from other denominations. I re-read the SS for an umpteenth time as preparation and I trust in the Lord that it would be cracker and many shall be blessed and go away with joy and gladness. In some ways, the Song of Songs is even a more difficult book than Revelation as it speaks of love, romance and sex, which the last item is a rather taboo subject in church or among conservative Christians of whom I consider myself as one. But the SS is an antidote to the anti-sex, anti-romance, puritanical and upper-lip culture of the church as a whole. One consequence of our reticence in teaching and training our youths on this topic is that they get information (and often wrong and sinful) from the world rather than from the Word. God has decided to include in His Scripture a love song, a romantic treatise and a guide to sexual fulfilment for His children in marriage and we will suffer much lack if we don't read and study God's Holy Word in Solomon's Song.