Pastoral Message (Page 50)

By Not Known une and December are usually the slowest months of each year. These are traditionally the seasons for family and annual leave.  Work desks take turns to be empty.  Incoming email volume almost doubles due to autoreply messages – “Sorry, I’m on leave, etc.…” Hotels are fuller and flights are expensive.  The motivation to work scores 3 out of…

By Not Known Why are we in this place of worship?  Are we here for God?  It certainly seems so.  It’s logical, perhaps even biblical, isn’t it?  We often tell one another that we are here in church to provide a service for God.  We are presenting ourselves as a living…

By Not Known Heb 10.15 says “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage on another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” According to this passage, encouragement is to be given when we meet together. Sure we can send SMSes, write a note or email, but the verse says we should do it when we meet together, as it…

By Not Known Judges 13:24b-25 has an intriguing statement, “[Samson] grew and the LORD blessed him, and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him…” What did this spiritual stirring look like? For Samson, the Spirit of the LORD gave him supernatural physical power to destroy Israel’s enemies (14:19; 15:14). Apart from the Spirit, he was very much a man like anybody else,…

By Not Known Alan Hirsch presented an interesting and thought-provoking video entitled, “Why Evangelism Can’t Be Our Focus.”  In it, he argued that “We must not stop sharing the good news, but here’s the deal, here’s the wonderful thing, it gets done along the way as you do discipleship. The Great Commission is just about going to disciple the nations and…

By Not Known There was an interesting report in the Straits Times last week about family ties. The headline read, “More tucking in to Eat With Your Family Day.”  Some office staff were let off an hour earlier to go home for a family meal, and one school even taught its 1500 pupils how to prepare simple dishes to share together on that day.  This is the…

By Not Known My daughter was given a little Barney soft-toy that sings a song – “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too.” It’s a catchy tune with delightful words good enough for a child. However, we know deep within us that such a notion of love is just too simplistic and insufficient…

By Not Known Studying the Old Testament history of worship is crucial to a fuller understanding of worship today. Even if we do not carry over all old practices to our current worship services, we can gain many valuable lessons that enrich our worship just by studying them.  Andrew Hill’s book “Enter His Courts with Praise: Old Testament Worship For The New…

By Not Known CM seemed like every church’s dream member.  He grew up as a Christian since his youth, active in Bible-study and even led one of the groups.  He gave generously and even led several to Christ.  Most of all, he was a faithful servant serving as a deacon at church. But abruptly, he left the church.  He didn’t switch to another church. …

By Not Known Psalm 102:25-28:   In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will fade away. But you are always the same; your years never end.  The children of your people will…