Members' Reflections for 2025
As we step into 2025, our EBF members gathered to reflect on foundational questions of faith. Here are some of their heartfelt responses.
How Do We Believe Without Seeing?
For many of us, faith began with a simple step: trusting God's Word. Our founding pastor once offered this advice—believe what is recorded in the Bible, just as you would trust what you read in the Straits Times. For one member, it was even simpler:
"As a teen, I read God's Word in just one gospel tract. Literally, in child-like faith, I believed."
This child-like trust, however, is not blind. Our members shared that their faith is anchored in Scripture—Jesus' divine nature, His sinless life, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, and His resurrection from the dead. As Jesus declared in John 8:58, "Before Abraham was, I am" (还没亚伯拉罕，就有了我). For several members, belief is also grounded in logic and rationality. Through studying apologetics, they have grown confident that Christianity offers a coherent worldview—one that explains sin, the human condition, and God's redemptive solution through Christ. Far from being at odds with faith, science, properly understood, points to the Creator.
Yet faith is not only intellectual—it is deeply relational. One member, who had drifted from regular church attendance, shared how a fellow member walked alongside him through Bible reading.
"God hasn't given up on me, so I want to spend more time with Him this year."
His story reminds us that we come to believe not only through Scripture and reason, but also through the Holy Spirit working in and through one another.
Why "Emmanuel Baptist Fellowship"?
Our name reflects who we are and what we hold dear.
Emmanuel means "God with us." We are an assembly gathered in His presence. Without His presence, love, and preservation, any church—including ours—would be merely a secular organization.
Baptist reflects our conviction of 信而受洗—believe and be baptized.
Fellowship captures the heart of our community. Our founding members came from various church backgrounds—Reformed, Bible-Presbyterian, and Jesus Saves Mission—yet they covenanted together to form one body. Guided by Acts 2:42, we remain "steadfast in the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers." This fellowship extends beyond Sunday gatherings, as members open their homes for Bible study and outreach.
As a small church, we treasure the abundant opportunities to serve and grow together. One member has been part of this community since 1980—a testament to the lasting bonds we share in Christ. From the beginning, our founders envisioned EBF as a place where members walk with God, care for one another, and experience true oneness in Him.
What Does Eternal Life Mean to You?
Eternal life is not merely a future hope—it begins the moment we place our faith in Christ. As John 3:36 reminds us, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life."
For our members, this is a present reality, not a distant promise. One member put it this way:
"Here and now, I have eternal life. I'm able to listen to God's voice when I read the Bible. I can speak to Him, share my worries, my requests. Confess my sins, know I am forgiven."
Because God is not limited by time or space, we enjoy fellowship with Him today—and this fellowship will continue for eternity.
This gift also comes with a responsibility. Members reflected on the importance of mentoring younger Christians, so that they, too, may come to know Christ and walk with Him for generations to come.
May 2026 be a year of deeper faith, stronger fellowship, and greater love for our Lord. Amen!