Pastoral Message (Page 53)

By Not Known Decorations are up along Orchard Road, carols are played at the malls, and shoppers are busy picking up their gifts for the joyous season.  Churches too are busy preparing their celebrations with services and programmes for Christmas.  We are thankful that we have no disruptions at this blessed time of year. In a beautiful little place nestled in…

By Not Known It is the most wonderful thing to put our trust in Jesus Christ.  From our perspective it means forgiveness of all sins, adoption into God’s family, reception of the Holy Spirit and the certainty of heaven.  From God’s perspective, it is the moment when He justifies us, ie, an instantaneous legal act by which He 1) regards our sins forgiven and…

By Not Known Many Christians believe they must be 100% certain of God’s Will before they make a decision. After all, if you are facing a life-changing decision, wouldn’t you like to know if you are doing what God wants you to do? If only angels would appear and sing us God’s answer. The truth is, there will never be 100% certainty about decisions we make. While we…

By Not Known One internet source entitled “World’s 10 Most Divorced Nations” cited Belgium on the top of the list with 71% of all marriages ending in a divorce.  One of the most common grounds that the Belgian courts grant for divorce is ADULTERY.  In Singapore, one in four marriages end up in a divorce.  The top reason again… ADULTERY!  A study on…

By Not Known One of the most poignant scenes in Acts 2 is when the listeners of Peter’s sermon were described as being “cut to the heart”.  They then responded to the apostles: “Brothers, what should we do?”  Peter’s reply was: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins,…” (vv37-38).   We are all familiar…

By Not Known (1) that a man’s heart is larger than a woman’s heart?  (2) that the younger you are, the faster your heart beats?   (3) that the average heart beats 100,000 times, pumping about 2,000 gallons of blood everyday? (4) that if the heart does not pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, you may feel tired or dizzy?  Although the physical…

By Not Known In a world that is filled with so much hate, sorrow, disappointment and uncertainty, it is so easy to be discouraged, and to feel a sense of utter despair.  Where can we find hope and cheer?  So often, we have heard of people who claim to be “running on an empty tank” and cannot contribute since they have nothing left.   How can we…

By Not Known This year Singapore marks 30 years of “Total Defence” which was initiated to remind us that there are 5 pillars which support Total Defence: military, social, civil, economic and psychological.  On the TD logo which is shaped like a hand with 5 fingers, there is a handwritten tagline: “It’s personal.  Play your part.”  It is a…

By Not Known Recently I found an old video of our eldest daughter.  She was a year old, sitting on her baby chair, singing “Itsy, bitsy spider climb the water spout.”  Watching that clip brought a smile to my face and the realisation that I have been a parent for five years and eight months. Parenthood has been a most rewarding yet terrifying journey,…

By Not Known “Excuse me, are you a leader?”  When somebody inquires of you in this manner, it can mean one of several things: (1) You have exhibited what it takes to be a leader; (2) You are unbecoming of a leader; (3) I’m looking for a leader.  Similarly, when people privately ponder about us or publicly probe us about our religious identity, they could also…