Kota Kinabalu : From Penang dark world to glory in the Lord Jesus Christ, ex-police officer cum elder Charles Albert and his faithful wife of 34 years, Binika, saw their entire church came together to appreciate them at a ceremony on Sunday near here.
Romans 8 :30 states :
Moreover whom He (God) predestined, these He also called, whom He called, these He also justified, whom He justified, these He also glorified “.
Over 200 members of the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) Putatan Ministry Centre (PMC), comprising of children and youths and a mixture of three generations from aged grandparents to little infants carried by their parents, lined up patiently happy to hug, kiss and congratulate their beloved shepherd and shepherdess at the marking of 17 years of PMC’s inception from a tiny cell group to a full-fledged church.
A few received quick precious prayers of blessings and encouragements from the teary-eyed couple after the closing of their three- day World Youths and Childrens Camp, held at the Pace Bane Franciscan Sisters Of The Immaculate Conception (FSIC) Sabah, Malaysia, a catholic spiritual retreat centre at Papar, about 41 km from the capital city.
Guest speaker was Reverend Omrinus Buril, the SIB Keningau Branch Chief, who was accompanied by his wife Jennifer Melusin.
Omrinus said SIB has a typical policy to pay year-end bonus to appreciate pastors of their flocks.
“It is important to acknowledge pastors because we depend a lot on God for wisdom to manage His sheep. It is not always an easy task,” he said.
Sharing from 25 years experience pastoring in the interior of Sabah which SIB dominates among the indigenous Kadazandusuns, Rungus and Muruts, he said apart from seeking daily bread from the Lord Jesus to feed His flock, he and his wife had on several occasions resolved differences between believing husbands and wives.
“One particular case involved a couple who quarrelled on conflicting political ideologies and even slept in separate bedrooms,” he said.
In tough situations, even the government-authorised village head could not match the pastor’s ministry of love in the Lord, he testified.
Omrinus who told the congregation that “laughter is my hobby” said in another case a church member asked him to pray for his sick dog which had a “such a barking that caused wild animals to tremble”.
“I have never prayed for animals, but because I didn’t want to disappoint him, I just asked God to do something good for the dog, which actually recovered,” he said laughing joyfully.
When another man asked him to pray for his animal trap, it caught a tiger!
“He told others this pastor’s prayers were extraordinary!”, he said, his laughters echoed by the audience.
He confessed he was touched by the elaborate showcases of talented PMC children, youths and deacons and their wives to honour Charles and Binika.
Pastor Charles told Christianity Malaysia that PMC began after a prophecy released by Pastor Paul Ang on him in 1998, while he was with the Polis Diraja Malaysia PDRM.
“God is going to give you wisdom to expound the Word with accuracy and new revelations.
God is going to use you in a bigger range. He is going to raise you up as a shepherd.
So prepare yourself in the Word of God.”
He added that he had also pressed God to use him and Binika as they humbled themselves before the Lord Jesus.
Charles said at that time he was not very proficient in the Holy Bible.
Four years later he graduated from an online Bible course from Australia.
Three months after the prophecy, Charles begun his ministry with only five – himself, Binika and sons Sanjay, Simon and Stephen in Daniel Boilil’s house (Daniel is now a Deacon at PMC) at Kampung Lok Loh, a small beachfront Kadazan village at Pasir Putih Putatan.
Many demons were evicted from the people who attended the meeting, and “they even saw many devils fleeing,” he said.
Senior Pastor Jerry Dusing of the SIB English church Likas, who is now Datuk Jerry Dusing the President of SIB Sabah, the mother church, had asked Charles and Binika to lead a house fellowship for a year where new believers were taught the Scriptures.
The group later rented a building for three years with the help of the mother church which saw a growing church of 20 members.
They later with 80 went to a transit church at Pasir Putih for two years after the owner of the building took it back for his own use.
PMC, which current location was prophesied of by an intercessor, now occupies two units of shops in a fast developing new Putatan township built on reclaimed swamp, within minutes from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
It now has nine cell groups in the Putatan vicinity, made up of four to five families in a cell each headed by a deacon.
Charles said they waited many months to get a bank loan and used five guarantors.
He never gave up pursuing it despite getting pressed by doubters.
“I always work through for breakthroughs. I worked as God led and gave me strength. I never faint”.
“Binika knocked on the doors of five local banks. Finally we met a Public Bank manager in a revival meeting at SIB Skyline (in the city).
The manager Adrian said .. pray for the loan but I said we have already prayed..you (make your) move.”
Amazingly after the loan was approved, Adrian was promoted as the bank’s Beaufort branch manager.
“Few months later he resigned and went to a Bible school and is now a pastor of a church in Kuala Lumpur,” he said excitedly.
To a question, Charles said his deep desire to start a church begun in 1995 after he was powerfully converted by the Lord.
Next, PMC is envisioning a seven acre land within Putatan township prophesied as a school and residence complex where children are taught the Word in syllabi.
“I don’t know how much it will cost, I just know that the land is nearby. I can feel it in my spirit.
“We are preparing ourselves for it,” said Charles with a signature smile.
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Samuel Nijjar
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