PASTORAL MESSAGES (Page 83)

By Not Known Our church family includes men and women who struggle with homosexuality, along with such heterosexual issues as premarital sex and adultery. It also includes people who struggle with greed, selfishness, hatred and such like. That should not surprise us, for Paul saw the same struggles when he looked at the early church (see 1 Cor 6:9- 1O for a fuller list).…

By Not Known A friend was so excited that he kept telling everyone he met after a church service, how inspiring, how full of zing and how ‘anointed’ the sermon was. His jaw however dropped and was at a loss for words when a fellow congregant asked him what had he learnt from the sermon. A similar mindset was reflected during the recent financial crisis when…

By Not Known Our Sunshine fellowship recently had a talk on Dementia – a degeneration of brain function due to damage or disease with numerous symptoms. ‘Do you remember locking your car dȯor just now?‘ It is easy for younger folks to simply dismiss the topic as one for the aged and to worry about it at later times. But this illness creeps silently and…

By Not Known This is the last Sunday in our month-long focus on congregational care. Slide shows, interviews, a CC booth, a mystery meal, Bible studies and Sunday messages have all informed us about different aspects of care in the Bible and here at ORPC. Let’s review: Christian care arises as a response to God’s care for us in Jesus and that we should love…

By Not Known God made us as people with multiple aspects. These different aspects are on view when we are told to love God with all our heart, soul and strength (Dt. 6:4; latter exanded to include ‘mind’ Mt 22:37) Heart, soul, mind and body all matter to God because he made them. Further, they are all linked rather than being separated. For example, a sikness…

By Not Known Our theme this month is ‘People Helping People‘. Jesus challenges all of us to a deeper engagement with one another through his teaching (Mat 5:38 – 6:4). His words are sharp and demanding. For a start, people helping means going beyond our obligations and it may even take us against our instincts (5:38-42). Thus the insulting slap of an…

By Not Known Singapore has a strong charitable sector. A growing body of charitable groups cares for more groups of needy. This is goad, for our society relies heavily on family and community to care for the vulnerable. Christians are prominent in this chantable sector. God’s people often…

By Not Known It’s sometimes said that one of life’s great cruelties is to be born short. There are greater numbers of tall people in the higher ranks of political and corporate life. And in an added cruelty, those few extra kilos look worse on a less-tall person. Israel’s first king was the tallest man of his day. That earned him the label ‘an…