Written by Annabelle Yau

“I imagine that this lectureship is a little glimpse of heaven… minus the Singapore heat.”

These words from Zelda Quek during her 2025 lesson on “Balancing Homemaking, Career and Technology” perfectly capture how I feel about Four Seas Lectureship. Every year, Four Seas Bible College of Bible & Missions holds this annual event at Jurong Church of Christ in Singapore—a four-day gathering featuring 22 in-depth lessons, field reports, daily chapel devotions by Four Seas students, Children’s Bible Classes, special congregational singing, engaging Q&A forums, and nightly gospel meetings. My family and I try to attend every year, and I want to share why this event has become so meaningful to us.

I Get to Experience the Love of God

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” – Ephesians 2:19, NKJV

Attending Four Seas Lectureship feels like visiting relatives. When my family travels to Singapore for the event, brethren often host us in their homes. “You let me know if you need accommodation—I can definitely find a place for you,” one member told us.

The love and hospitality of brethren is truly remarkable. People who didn’t grow up with you, who aren’t bonded by blood, shower you with love as though you are their own family—through meals, home-cooked food, car rides, gifts, or simply the joy they express at your presence. I’m especially grateful for the teachers in the Children’s Bible Classes who care for my daughter as if she were their own, taking her to the toilet, cleaning up her accidents, hugging and comforting her when she cries (which happens often).

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’. – Matthew 25:40, NKJV

These people treat us with such love not because we’ve earned it, but because God first showed us His sacrificial love, and we are simply partakers of it. Scripture speaks of the church as “the house of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:15, NKJV) and calls us to do good “especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10, NKJV). We are a family.

I Remember That I’m Part of Something Bigger

Coming from a small congregation of about 50 people, I rarely have the opportunity to meet and speak with brethren from the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Australia, and beyond. Each year as I walk into the lectureship, I’m struck by the sight of believers gathered from around the world.

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” – 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, NKJV

I am but one piece—one body part of Christ’s larger body. The lectureship reminds me of an important truth: the church is not a building but people. It’s a representation of Christ’s body where people from different walks of life and cultures sing in unity, believe the same values, and fight the same spiritual warfare.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” – 1 Corinthians 12:27, NKJV

The mission reports particularly move me. Our brothers and sisters in Christ demonstrate such fervent faith—even when they have little, when they struggle to meet basic necessities, or when they face persecution, they continue fighting for the gospel, sharing and teaching their faith, and showering others with love. These moments allow me to truly “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15, NKJV). Their fight is my fight. As they press on to spread the gospel, I’m reminded to do the same.

I Am Spiritually Revitalized and Renewed

Of course, one of the biggest reasons I love attending Four Seas Lectureship is the opportunity to feast on rich spiritual content. The lectureship typically addresses current topics, events, and cultural issues that are directly applicable to our lives. This year’s theme—”Truth and Tech: Listening to God Amid the Digital Noise”—is a perfect example.

“ Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.” – Jeremiah 15:16, NKJV

Because the lectureship spans several days, the lessons can explore topics in incredible detail and spiritual depth. I particularly appreciate the separate ladies’ and men’s classes, which allow us to examine what the Bible specifically says about our respective roles—and it’s always refreshing to hear from women themselves. I cherish the opportunity for older women to teach younger women, as outlined in Scripture:

“the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” – Titus 2:3-5, NKJV

Beyond the formal lessons, the fellowship time allows me to speak with other believers, gain their counsel, and seek their advice on my spiritual walk with God.

“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” – Proverbs 27:17

I have never left a lectureship without discovering some way to improve my spiritual walk with God and better serve Him.

Come Experience It Yourself

These are the three biggest reasons I love attending Four Seas Lectureship and why I try to go every year. If you haven’t attended, I highly encourage you to come— I hope you’ll gain the same benefits I do. I’d love to see you at the next one!