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Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.”

    We give all the glory to God for his amazing work in Malaysia in 2016. It was another year of witnessing how the almighty and sovereign Lord have done things that are impossible with men. Truly, unless the Lord builds his church and watches over the nation, nothing good can happen in the churches in Malaysia and the whole nation. As for UBF Malaysia thank God for his grace for an exciting year by the Lord's hands, particularly in these three areas: sound doctrine, inclusive outreach and fellowship with the body of Christ.

I. Sound doctrine

    As we are living in the last days and in light of the various worldviews around the world it is important to keep watch of our doctrines closely. Some who are joining our fellowship came from Christian backgrounds and have their own interpretation on certain things. We felt that doctrine is important to avoid any confusion and division within the body of Christ. After completing Matthew’s gospel in the middle of the year God led us to the letter of James and we were eagerly encouraged in light of the gospel and Biblical application of the gospel. By October we completed the study of James and currently we are having a series on Biblical theology from Genesis to Revelation. Other than Sunday worship services, since the beginning of the year we have started Monday night topical studies, covering the Bible characters every second week of each month and Biblical views on marriage at the fourth week of the month. We thank God for the privilege of having Dr. Ben Toh from West Loop UBF to lead Isaiah Bible studies while he came to visit Malaysia. Pray that God may continue to sustain UBF Malaysia on the solid foundation of his Gospel truth.  

II. Inclusive outreach  

    While deepening our understanding in the word is important the application of the word is equally important. In 2016, we wanted to preach gospel to different groups of people not just campus students. We also wanted to preach it with the creative gifts that God has graciously given to the church. First, we made use of the Bible house to hold birthday celebrations, movie nights, as well as to accommodate church members and campus students for a few months and for elderly women’s meetings for a few weeks. Through that, some attended our church services and other church activities. Apart from activities in the Bible house we also organized retreats to travel and at the same time, spend time listening to the word of God. We had two retreats this year, one at the beach in March and another in the mountains in October. Students, colleagues from work and friends attended. We also had a few gospel events with pre-university college students as well as one at a nursing home for the elderly. Ministering to the elderly was something new and challenging for us. One of our church members had been staying with an elderly woman whose daughter had cancer. Both of them were believers. They struggled with their conditions and passed away towards the end of 2016. Pray that God may continue to sanctify us as faithful witnesses in his name to many more people in this dying world.   

III. Fellowship with the body of Christ

    UBF Malaysia focuses not only on proclaiming the word and outreach but also desires to with other Christian organizations in Malaysia for the kingdom of God, based on his will and desire for the church as a whole to move forward as one body in Malaysia. We had the privilege of having a combined conference with Philippines UBF in May, focusing on a few passages from the book of Isaiah. Some of us also got a chance to attend the world mission report in Korea in June, witnessing the great work of God worldwide. Outside of UBF God led us to the Christian Drug Addict Rehabilitation Center also known as  green pasture and we have fellowship together with the brothers there whenever we have time. Also, in November, some of us were able to attend this conference organized by the Southeast Asia region to encourage and pray for each other. It was great to find out for the first time, that there are other people who are serving Muslims in Malaysia like us. Pray that God may continue to use us as a part of the wider body of Christ, to grow together for gospel mission. In conclusion we give  thanks and glory to God for his amazing work in Malaysia in 2016 for maintaining sound doctrine, ensuring inclusive outreach and fellowship with the body of Christ.