On 30 August 2024, I attended a memorial service of one of our alumni and former SOTE lecturer – Rev Dr David Tan Mui Kok, (8/9/1953 – 28/3/2024).
He was stricken with cancer sometime last year and underwent very rigorous treatment. Just when it seemed like the cancer was in remission, he took a bad turn and was promoted to glory on 28 March 2024, leaving behind his beloved wife Florence, son Jedidiah and wife Carol, 3 grandchildren, and his daughter Jana.
The family organized a service to celebrate the life of David Tan, at Bartley Christian Church. I was honored to deliver a eulogy at the service. It was in every way a celebration of a life well lived for Christ and his kingdom. I came away feeling so blessed and filled with a deep sense of gratitude to the Lord for this alumnus. Today I want to share some thoughts about this servant of God.
David came to know the Lord at the age of 14, and from that time on he was consumed with passion for the lost. One of the first people he shared the gospel with was his family and one by one they came to know Jesus as Lord. First, his elder sister came to faith. Later his parents, and eventually the rest of his 5 siblings! I was amazed when I realized how faithfully and earnestly David prayed, lived out his faith, and led his entire family to know Jesus as their Savior. There were several people at the service who came because of David’s
impact on their lives, including an early convert who is 65 years old today, and is still walking faithfully with the Lord. Another, was his first disciple who is still serving the Lord in a church plant!
David studied in SBC and graduated with a Bachelor of Theology in 1979. His wife Florence, completed courses in the Evening School while she took care of the children. She later served as administrator in the School of Theology, English when David was invited to teach at his alma mater for a period. The Lord later redirected his ministry to discipleship, mentoring and spiritual direction.
He and Florence served the Lord for over 4 decades, pastoring in churches, teaching and training in cross-cultural contexts in Singapore, USA, Ethiopia, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Japan and Vietnam. In the past 15 years, David focused more on Member Care, Spiritual Direction and Leadership. He started the Asia Member Care Network and started many other networks holding conferences in many parts of Southeast Asia. Throughout his life, he was sensitive to the call of God and served the Lord with deep love and passion, even in the midst of his cancer treatment. Such was David’s commitment to his faithful God and Master.
His son Jed shared in his eulogy that his dad was truly a man of God who lived an authentic life as he was the same person both in the public arena as well as at home! To me that speaks volumes! Pastors kids and missionary kids often turn away from the faith because of the pressure on them and also because they see a lot of hypocrisy growing up and struggle to find answers to their troubled and fragile minds. Jed went on to share that his dad loved to have Men’s Breakfast Fellowship where he did lots of his one-on-one mentoring
and spiritual direction. He extended this Men’s Breakfast time also to his son and his young grandsons! According to Jed, his sons looked forward to bonding with grandpa on these special occasions!
His daughter Jana who saw her father suffer much from the cancer, shared that one of the lessons her dad taught her growing up, was that God will provide for their every need. She couldn’t make sense of this when he was going through such deep pain but she is still processing and learning its truths day by day.
What a great legacy of faith! David Tan has most recently joined the great cloud of witnesses and is cheering us on to finish well!
In the Book of Hebrews chapter 12, the writer reminds us of this very truth:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Let us run this race with intentionality and purpose…
Let us run, and not be weary, let us walk and not faint because He, the everlasting God, who pours his strength into our weak and frail bodies, he will cheer us on and will be with us till the very end! (Isaiah 40:31)
