| Life B-P Church Weekly - 10 February
2008
Scripture Memory: Giving to God.
VERSE : Proverbs 3:9-10 "Honour the LORD with thy substance, and
with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled
with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine."
* * *
O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness
10 February 2008
8.00 am Worship Service:
Rev Charles Seet (The Supernatural Supper), Lord's Supper
10.45 am Worship Service:
Quek Keng Khwang (Honour The Lord With Our Substance)
6:00 pm Rehoboth Evening Service:
Quek Keng Khwang (Red Packet, Scarlet Thread, Crimson Blood)
17 February 2008
8.00 am Worship Service:
Rev Frank Low (How Shall They Hear?)
10.45 am Worship Service:
Calvin Loh (Labouring For The Harvest of Souls)
6:00 pm Rehoboth Evening Service:
Ho Chee Lai (Brussels Sprouts or Angry Shouts?)
* * *
My dear Reader,
SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER
King Hezekiah was seriously ill at the point of
death. We are told it was a pestilential boil (Isaiah 38:21). The
pestilence progressed fast and it could terminate life almost
immediately. No one ever recovered from it unless the boil of the
pestilence came out upon him, and even then, he could not always be
cured (Biblical Antiquities, Section 190). He was troubled and worried.
He was going to die soon. Who would succeed him? He had no children.
Consequently, he had reason to be apprehensive that his kingdom would be
thrown into contention by conflicting strife for the crown.
While he was pondering on the future of his kingdom,
the LORD sent Isaiah to summon him to "set his house in order"
(Isaiah 38:1). To be commanded by the LORD to put one’s house in order
is something that cannot be taken lightly. The king knew the seriousness
of it. That is why he prayed so earnestly to the Lord and wept so
bitterly before Him (Isaiah 38:2, 3).
When the LORD said to the king these words, He meant
to say, "If you have any directions to give in regard to the
succession to the crown (for he had then no son), or in regard to
domestic and private arrangements, let it be done now." There was a
sense of urgency here. The king must make haste. He must act fast. It is
like a dying man writing a wish list before he passes from the scene –
fly on Concorde, go on a World Cruise, run a marathon or see his
children achieve their dreams.
My dear Lifer, is your life in a mess? If it is, then
you need to do something about it now (I think the Lunar New Year is an
appropriate time to do it) lest Satan gets the upper hand over you. He
is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Therefore, act now. Do not give him an opportunity or be ignorant of his
schemes (Eph 4:27; 2 Cor 2:11).
Set Your Faith in Order
Someone says, "I have been a Christian since 1970,
but it is only recently that I have begun to think like one." This
is tragic but at least this person woke up before he further tarnishes
the Name of Christ. Some of us may be in this sad spiritual state. Let
us do something about it immediately before it gets deeper. It’s time to
wake up!
I had the privilege to minister to a dear dying soul
before the Lord called him back to his eternal home. He called for me. I
visited him a couple of times. In his struggling moment, he shared with
me his inner thoughts. He told me succinctly that he has forgiven all
people, has made right with God, and now he is ready to meet his
Creator. My heart was so blessed by his testimony. This man woke up and
put his faith in order. And he left behind a wonderful Christian legacy.
Praise the Lord!
My dear Lifer, what is your chief concern in life? As
far as I am concerned, my relationship with God is my primary concern.
This is the most important relationship in my life because a good
relationship with my God will determine a good relationship with others.
Proverbs 16:7 says, "When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh
even his enemies to be at peace with him."
What this verse means is that when a child of God
walks according to the Word; when he walks as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6);
when he walks after the Spirit and not after the flesh (Galatians 5:16);
when he walks by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), for without
which it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and when all his
ways and actions are pleasing to the Lord and directed to the glory of
God, even his enemies will be at peace with him. That’s what the Bible
teaches. And I believe it wholeheartedly.
Is your Christian life in a mess? The answer to your
messy faith is to get right with God immediately. Do something about it
now! Do not procrastinate!
Set Your Relationships in Order
What is your experience with relationships? Doubtless
to say, some of us have had bad relationship experiences. Relationships
are important. Having a good relationship with people with whom you
interact is absolutely necessary. Relationships needs to be managed
properly especially with someone you might not feel comfortable.
I have begun to do a little counseling work in the
church that I am ministering to now. I do not see anything new or unique
in the people’s problems. What they have here is what I see back in my
home church. Perhaps the problems which the people face vary in their
degree of intensity.
One of the most difficult, time consuming, energy
sapping tasks of the pastor is to help mend broken relationships. I have
cases going back to a couple of years, and they still cannot be
resolved. Some can be resolved in a matter of seconds but somehow these
cases take a little longer than expected. Will I throw in the towel? God
forbid!
My dear Lifer, do you have a relationship problem?
Parents, do you have a loving relationship with your children? Husbands,
have you been faithful to your wife? Wives, have you been submissive to
your husband? God’s people, have you been dissociating yourselves from
certain brothers and sisters in the church? You say, "The hurt is too
deep to mend. I can’t get over it." But I say, "Is your problem of
relationship too difficult for God to solve?" (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah
32:17; Luke 1:37) I plead with you to put your house (relationships) in
order before the soon coming of the Lord.
Set Your Goals in Order
What are your goals and dreams in life? Someone says,
"Get a second class upper bachelors degree at the age of 24, and
become a millionaire at the age of 35, retire and appear on the
entrepreneur magazine front page at the age of 40."
This is a very ambitious goal and dream, and it is
most commendable provided he gives his millions to the Lord and
spends his retirement in doing the Lord’s work. And he will appear on
the Mission Focus front page preaching the Word to the needy in
Kenya at the age of 40.
Needless to say, you and I have goals and dreams. But
the problem with many of us is that our goals and dreams do not have a
map to help us get there. What is that map? The map for the people of
the world is the philosophy of men. But the map for the people of God is
none other than the Bible.
The goals and dreams of the people of the world are
different from the people of God. The former seeks self-glorification
but the latter seeks God’s glory. The former wants his will to be done
but the latter desires God’s will to be done. There is a vast difference
between the two. There is no compromise.
God says, "Set your goals in order." What He means is
that you must examine yourself to make sure that your goals and dreams
are according to the will of God. How can I know whether my goals and
dreams are pleasing to the Lord? There is only one answer, and that is
the Bible.
The Psalmist says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my
feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). The Word is our
Guide. More so, the Word reveals God’s will because His will is found in
the Word. Therefore, if you want to know whether your goals and dreams
are of God or of men, then you need to read the Word. Isaiah says,
"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way,
walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the
left" (Isaiah 30:21). God will do His part to guide you each step of
the way when you do your part in reading the Word diligently.
My dear Lifer, no matter how old you are now, it is
never too late to order your goals and dreams to the glory of God. Will
you say to the Lord, "Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt?"
(Matthew 26:39b)
"Set your house in order" is a command, not an option
from the LORD. Will you obey it unreservedly? May God help us! Amen.
A Blessed and Prosperous Lunar New Year to You!
—Lovingly in Christ, Pastor Colin
* * *
A Testimony to Glorify God and to
Encourage the Saints
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the
LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy
the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before
the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 3:10-11)
As God’s children, we are instructed to offer our
tithes and offerings unto the Lord regularly. The prophet Malachi
follows the commandment and practice that has continued since the time
of Abraham. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, king of Salem; and Jacob
vowed unto the Lord and said, "Of all that thou shalt give me I will
surely give the tenth unto thee." (Gen. 28:22) Besides reminding the
children of Israel to offer their tithes back to God, Malachi presented
the message of blessings to those who would faithfully carry out their
tithing – and he wrote about how the "windows of heaven" will be opened
and that God will "pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be
room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3:10). What a wonderful God is our
Lord God Jehovah Jireh!
Last week, a brother from our church kept the
commandment of tithing and offered unto the Lord $150,000 for the Beulah
Project. Quoting what he learnt from Sunday school lessons in Acts 5
about Ananias and Sapphira, he made it clear that this is not every
thing that he has but only a portion of what God has blessed him with.
Another verse he shared with me was Malachi 1:14,
"But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth,
and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King,
saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen."
Hence, he wants to offer to the Lord from the abundance of the blessings
that he has received from the Lord cheerfully. Let this testimony bless
your heart.
This brother told me that he wanted to glorify God
and to encourage fellow Lifers but do not want to be identified,
applying Matthew 6: 3-4, "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left
hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret:
and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."
I am moved by the Holy Spirit to write this testimony
on his behalf to glorify God and to encourage the saints.
In my personal view, when a person comes from a
Christian family and is blessed with good education and favourable
environment to mature, it is quite natural for this person to be
attending church, and regularly offering his tithes and offerings unto
the Lord. Even under such circumstances, many a saint may still not do
that which is pleasing before the Lord. But this brother was a Primary
School dropout! He was terminated from his first job, and even MINDEF
did not think that he was suitable for Full-Time National Service! The
world may reject him, but God never forsake His own.
In God’s good time, he was soundly converted and
saved by the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ while
he was a factory worker. When he became a Christian, he learnt from the
church about tithing and it was quite a challenge for he was only
earning about $200 a month; but through child-like faith in obedience,
he tithed accordingly and regularly.
As he offers his tithes regularly through thick and
thin, the Lord continues to open the windows of heaven and pour out his
blessings upon him and his family. In his early days as a young
Christian, he also learned to trust in God’s providence and went through
two economic crises (one in 1986 and the other in 1998). God pointed him
to Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and
he shall direct your paths." Despite economic down turn, he received
promotion and was given very good increment. The Lord’s faithfulness
continues to strengthen him as he learns to put his entire faith in the
Sovereign God.
In 1989, he saved a sum of money ready to change his
old car when he heard that our church was acquiring the piece of land
from the Eye Clinic (the current Beulah House). He decided not to change
his car and instead gave that sum of money to the Lord for the church to
buy this property.
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel
of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the
seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in
his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper." (Ps. 1:1-3)
As we witness the current sub-prime mortgage crisis
in the United States of America that may potentially trigger a worldwide
recession, this brother is not overly concerned and he shared the
following verses with me:
"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give
thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust
also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." (Ps. 37:4-5)
"They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in
the days of famine they shall be satisfied." (Ps. 37:19)
Of such, is real believing-faith! The Lord has been
faithful to this brother all these years and He will continue to be
faithful to him for the rest of his life. God has blessed his life and
he now wants his life to be a blessing to others as well. He considers
his tithing and offerings as part of his worship unto the Lord. He wants
to encourage us to live a life of believing-faith and be blessed by the
Lord as much as the Good Lord has blessed him all these years.
Glory to His name! Amen. ~ Elder Sherman Ong ~
* * *
1) Wednesday Night Bible Class commencing 5
March 08 (4 weeks). Theology and Practice of Evangelism by Rev
Charles Seet. 7:30 to 9:30 pm at the Chinese Service Hall. Registration
forms are available at the reception counter.
2) Life BPC Bible Camp: 9-13 Jun 08 at
Awana Genting Highlands, Malaysia. Theme: "Living Like Citizens
of Heaven on Earth" by Prof William Harding. To register, please submit
one camp registration form and one photocopy of passport details per
person to the Camp Registration Office.
3) Our condolences to Mr Lim Jew Hoe and
family on the homegoing of his wife, Lily, on 3 Feb 08.
Preaching appointment: Rev Seet at Kebaktian
Indonesia, 4.00 pm.
* * *
A DVD Screening
This Saturday 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm; Life B-P Church
Sanctuary
(1) UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF LIFE
(2) Story behind: HOW GREAT THOU ART
Please invite your friends to come!
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