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