Student Ministry: A great door to share the gospel with students

1. Difficulty in proving truth of gospel is itself only half the truth
- University education ENCOURAGES exploration of different avenues of truth - including religious truth

2. "Now that you have been to university, there must be something universal in your thinking" - Prof A Oppenheim (1956 - 1965) 1st Vice Chancellor U o Malaya

3. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Prov 27:17)

4. Growth of the Christian population by highest qualification attained
- Primary 6%
- Secondary 14.6%
- Post-sec 20.8%
- Uni 33.5%
- (National Average 14.6%)

5. People are encouraged to think for themselves and more open to gospel

Student Ministry equips people to serve in church

- Student ministry is never an end in itself

- Purpose of student work is to benefit the church

- To pass on the blessings of student ministry

- The Right Revd Dr Joshua Chew Wei Ren (ex VCF/NTUCF?)

Student Ministry equips people to serve in society

- Salt and light - graduates will have influence - with this privilege comes the responsibility to use this influence for God

- St. Luke's Hospital was founded by GCF (1952 batch that graduated in 1955)

The Great Commission

Paul did not go back to Corinth - a "great door" had opened to him :

1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?"

"John's baptism," they replied.

4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus."

5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

There were churches in places that Paul never visited (e.g. church at Laodicea). These people could have heard Paul at Ephesus, in the lecture hall.

International students come to Singapore - some from countries that do not have religious freedom. Think of the impact for the gospel when they go back to their home countries. Singaporeans (and Malaysians) will also go abroad!


Student ministry is "forever beginning". Each student coming in to university faces this door of opportunity afresh.

p/s: The sound recording of this session is available under the "Downloads" section.