Pastoral Message (Page 35)

By Not Known If you were granted a wish before the throne of the richest and most powerful monarch on earth, what would you ask for? To ask for something too small will not commensurate with the ability of the king to grant your request. To ask for something big but trivial will show your lack of forethought and depth in character. So what would you ask for? How about…

By Not Known As parents, we desire to leave an inheritance for our children, and we try our best to fulfil it. We buy an education-cum-insurance plan so that we may send our child/children to university. With a degree or post-graduate degree, we hope that they can earn a living and secure their future. We open bank accounts for them. We hope to pass on something for them,…

By Not Known Last week, Pastor Clive Chin reminded us about the importance of prayer in the Pastoral Message.  A small group started to gather for prayer for the worship service before the service started.  Pastor Edward Goh in his sermon challenged us to live with a sense of urgency because the Lord’s return is near though we do not know when. Through them, I…

By Not Known Many Christians are reluctant to pray for various reasons. We stumble over our words and feel a bit self-conscious at times, especially praying in public. The problem is compounded when we compare our prayers with others, who sound more articulate than us. But prayer, in the Christian life, is as important and natural as breathing. Think about it for a…

By Not Known For those unaware, earlier this week, apocalyptic news sites reported a claim by numerologist David Meade that the end of the world was going to be ushered in tomorrow (23 April) by the appearance of a mysterious Planet X. In case you might assume this is part of a comic-book superhero movie plotline (check out the related banner outside our church today),…

By Not Known “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9). As I grow…

By Not Known Living in a fast-paced country like Singapore with easy access to so many instantaneous forms of communication, waiting has become something unpopular. I must confess I have not gotten a lot better about waiting. I am now writing this pastoral message on a reasonably fast laptop. Whenever my husband and I want to buy a new laptop, the first thing that we…

By Not Known Mark’s Gospel ended not just abruptly, but negatively! Why? Its last words in Mark 16:8 is but a depiction of the failure of the woman disciples to obey the angel’s instructions. It seems verses 9 to 20 are later scribal additions to smoothen out this ending with a positive note. These…

By Not Known Every time you attend a Christmas or Easter church service, perhaps you have been challenged or encouraged to share the gospel with your loved ones or friends. It could have been in the past or even during a time like this coming weekend, as we spend more time reflecting or focusing on the gospel and the message of the cross. Paul writes about this in Phil.…

By Not Known “Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.” Ps. 55:17 How do we persevere through trials by trusting and drawing close to the Lord? It could be a hard blow to lose a stable job, or to see a child going wayward, or when a long term relationship end or when one receives the news of a terminal illness. It can be heart-breaking to…