29 July 2012 - PLMC

Today Pastor Reuben finished five years at PLMC
Into Luke chapter ten verses 38-42 we did see
The sermon was titled "One Thing Needful"
Pastor gave us several things over which to mull
As Jesus entered Bethany, Martha invited him in
She loved the Lord, that is obviously no sin
But sister Mary listened, sitting at Jesus' feet
Her focus on Him was utterly complete
Martha's preparatory tasks did her distract
Her complaint to Jesus was valid, that's a fact
"Martha, Martha" in response Jesus did say
This highlighted His very compassionate way
Only two other times did Jesus repeat names in the Bible
To Jerusalem and also to Simon Peter the disciple
Mary chose the good part, which will not be taken away
Communing with Jesus should be a priority every day
For this is time that cannot be replaced or bettered
True fellowship with Jesus is best if it is unfettered

With herself, Martha was seemingly preoccupied
Whilst Mary focused on Jesus who she sat beside
For Jesus, Martha was trying to do something
But Mary focused on the words of Jesus the king
To please Jesus, Martha tried and tried
Mary listened to Jesus could be her guide
For "the good part" is the living word from Him
Allowing the worldly lights to go strangely dim

Was Mary heavenly minded but not earthly good
In reply, read John 12:1-2 Pastor said we should
For washing Jesus' feet with oil and her hair
Was a prophetic act, Jesus did later declare
For when on Jesus our thoughts do fixate
Our earthly deeds will follow and be great
The more time with Jesus that we do spend
The more we love Him and comprehend

Looking at Hebrews 12:1-2, Pastor then did sayeth
We should fix our eyes on the perfector of our faith
Turning to Revelation twenty two verse thirteen
Jesus is the beginning and the end, it is seen
And if John chapter fourteen verse six we do read
He is also the way, the truth, and the life we need
"Christ is all" says Colossians three verse eleven
The truth that will set us free comes from heaven

Pastor said to have this focus, there are things to do
One key is sitting for more than just a minute or two
For sitting is really a picture of rest
That is when our focus can be best
It is never our strength, smarts, or saintliness
Without Jesus, we would achieve far less
Pastor referred to Colossians 2 verses nine and ten
In Jesus we are made complete, it says again
Interestingly, the root word for shalom is wholeness
Implying we want peace from Jesus, nothing less

Be seated and focused on Jesus, Pastor did tell
This was the key message in his sermon farewell

8 July 2012 - PLMC

Today as Paya Lebar Methodist Church turned eighty
Pastor Wee Boon Hup's sermon was simply titled "See"
The passage that was first flashed upon the screen
Was First Corinthians chapter two verses six to sixteen
It talked about imparting wisdom that is real
Through the Spirit, the truth God does reveal
Pastor spoke about three types of sight
On the third he shed much more light

The first is with our naked eyes, which can mislead
Therefore sometimes our eyesight we should not heed
The second is what we see with our mind and heart
Put another way, this is called insight on our part
This goes beyond the physical and leads to understanding
This is a good thing, but often far from outstanding

For the third type of sight, Pastor invented a new word
About "pneu-sight" several perspectives we then heard
"Pneu" is Hebrew for wind, air, spirit, breath, or revelation
Which means that seeing by God-given insight is no aberration
This discernment is ready for us to receive
For it is available to all who in God believe

To understand what God is doing requires special insight
On a variety of topics, our God can shed much light
Whether it be medical, economic, social, or political
Getting answers and guidance from God is critical

We should understand what God has to us freely given
This is God's grace, for it means our sins are forgiven
Note that this is written in the past tense
We don't have to wait for God to dispense
To us, there are many things God wants to reveal
His grace is waiting for us to receive and to feel

Receiving His grace calls for a response and action
We must accept this for it to have any traction
From Ephesians 2 verse 8 Pastor then read
We have been saved by faith, the passage said
And as 2 Corinthians 8 verses 6 and 7 do tell
We should excel in the grace of giving as well

We tend to focus on the best, ignoring all the facts
But we need the full picture so we can do good acts
So along with prosperity, healing, and good health
We should see failure, sickness, and lack of wealth
In this way, as seen in Matthew nine verses 35-38
Having compassion for others is a Jesus-like trait

Pastor said that it is not natural to have pneu-sight
We need the Holy Spirit to provide that special light
When looking at crowds, he asked what do we see
Can we identify an individual who needs to be set free?
Are we able to help struggling and insecure people?
Or do we just focus on those already under the steeple?

To see what God wants, pneu-sight is what we need
Then both power and love are required to succeed
Social services imply compassion with love
Miracles however rely on power from above
Pastor implored us to go and a difference make
We should do that for our Lord Jesus' sake

1 July 2012 - ENCS

Today the "Encounter" series did at ENCS start
Talking about prayer, Pastor Larry did his part
With God, routine is never the way
He performs miracles every single day
Encountering God should make us transformed
Look to Elijah and Moses, we can be reformed
The text today was taken from Exodus 3:1-4
Moses and the burning bush are the story's core
Moses saw the flames and then from God heard
Pastor Larry shared three insights about the Word

First is that God reveals himself in a supernatural way
This often occurs when we stop and earnestly pray
Pastor referred to Acts two verses three and four
The Holy Spirit filled all those who walked in the door
For they had prayed from deep in their lungs
So the Spirit came to them in fiery tongues
Similarly, we should let the Spirit in us burn
For we should never away from God turn
Within us, God and the Spirit always dwell
That is why at all times we know "all is well"
Often we don't listen when God does speak
But we really need to if His path we do seek
Pastor mentioned Moses, Elijah, and Paul
Humans like us, they prayed through it all

Second is that God wants for us to look
That is what Moses did in the Exodus book
To the burning bush, he went over to see
That was much better than turning to flee
From seeking God, nothing should us distract
Distractions are from the enemy, that's a fact
Being too busy is often used as a reason
But putting it mildly, that is akin to treason
He wants for us to look to Him in prayer
He will then respond, do not despair
After Moses went to the bush, God did speak
With God's strength, Moses became unique
To the Lord, the people Moses did draw
Focusing on himself would have been a flaw
Pastor also referred to Daniel nine verse three
Daniel fasted and prayed to God, we did see
In chapter ten, to Daniel an angel did appear
Saying that all of Daniel's words God did hear
We don't have all the answers but should not grieve
For God tells us to pray to Him and in Him believe

Third is that God sees and speaks when we pray
God knows our names and destinies, Pastor did say
And for every child, woman, and man
God has in mind a very specific plan
From verse nine of 2 Chronicles chapter sixteen
God looks for "fully committed hearts", it is seen
Good things will happen when we fervently pray
"Pray incessantly", 1 Thessalonians 5:17 does say
For God will hear us and so often astound
He is able to turn lives and nations around

In summary, Pastor referred to Acts 4 verse 31
The place was shaken after the praying was done
In the same way, he wants our lives to be shaken
When we allow the Spirit within us to awaken