22 November 2015 - ENCS

To start things off tonight, Joy Talavera made us all wait

Her point was that nobody likes waiting, she then did state

Whether due to uncertainty, fear, or possible disappointment

But waiting is part of life’s journey so might be heaven sent

The title of Joy’s sermon was “Wait for What?”, not surprisingly

Several verses about Joseph throughout Genesis we did see

In chapter thirty seven, Joseph had his first noteworthy dream

His brothers only laughed and resented him more, it did seem

His father sent Joseph to help his brothers despite their feeling

They threw him in a dry pit with no clothes despite his appealing

To a bunch of Egyptian-bound traders Joseph was then sold

Apparently taking him further away from the dream he was told

But God was with Joseph and favour did He continue to show

Nonetheless, into prison Joseph was for no good reason thrown

He must have felt that the distance to his dream has again grown

But in prison, God showed him more favour and steadfast love

Allowing Joseph to interpret dreams with guidance from above

The cupbearer was released and about Joseph did soon forget

For two more long years, about his dream Joseph had to fret

But eventually Pharaoh’s dream Joseph did rightly interpret

And as a result, both power and a new nice robe he did get

After all of that, Joseph’s original dream did come to fruition

For he believed in God and God’s purpose, not just intuition

From Psalm one hundred thirty, Joy did read in conclusion

We should wait on the Lord, of that there is no confusion

8 November 2015 - ENCS

Based on Mark chapter five, Shirley Ong shared about compassion

Her heart is dedicated to serving others, her points she did not ration

Jesus healed a demon-possessed man in verses one to twenty

And then sent him out as the first missionary to share with plenty

In Mark four, Jesus prayed to God when in the morning He did arise

He also heard the man crying out; ergo “Pray and Hear Their Cries”

In a parallel fashion, God hears our prayers and cries of anguish

Per Romans eight, Jesus intercedes and God often grants our wish

It is of course beautiful when God does answer our heartfelt prayer

For it also serves to confirm that about each of us He does care

Jesus left Capernaum and the boat went through a very rough sea

He went despite knowing the challenge; ergo “Take That Journey”

We may go and bless others but God finds ways to bless us too

Just like when the haze messed up the team’s plan to visit the zoo

Jesus then clothed the healed man, although probably not in tweeds

Even small tokens build self-esteem; ergo “Attend To Their Basic Needs”

Shirley then shared about when she to Penang she led a church team

One of the highlights was when they were able to get the kids to dream

In order to help others, Jesus dealt with discomfort and pain immense

Volunteers often do manual work; ergo “Endure The Inconvenience”

Shirley told us about when ten of them cleaned many a wheelchair

They did it to help the disabled centre and to show that they care

The man wanted to join Jesus but to Decapolis, Jesus did him compel

When Jesus has affected our lives we must similarly “Go And Tell”

Shirley said our calling is not just about the gifting that God in us did install

It is about bringing God to the people around us, as did the apostle Paul

We should not become overwhelmed by the community’s needs 

We should instead use our giftings to do God-inspired deeds

Per Jeremiah chapter twenty two verse sixteen, all went well

For he who defended the poor and needy, Shirley did re-tell

1 November 2015 - ENCS

Tonight ENCS Kallang was blessed as Pastor Neli Atiga was back

With him leading worship, energy was something we did not lack

I was a bit surprised he did not launch into a haka like an All-Black

Before he started on his sermon which was as sharp as a tack

Neli read from Matthew chapter seven, verses twenty one to three

Doing things in accordance with God’s will was his earnest plea

If so many people do not like their jobs, why don’t they just flee?

For avoiding our calling and God’s will merely pleases the enemy

The title of Pastor Neli’s sermon was “For The Sake of The Call”

Only God’s will gives us complete fulfilment, be it spring or fall

Our calling is not just about the gifting that God in us did install

It is bringing God to the people around us, as did apostle Paul

It is not just a platform when God calls us to a specific place

But it is for all of the people with whom we begin to interface

And it is of course not our actions that brings God’s grace

Having a servanthood heart is what matters in life’s real race

Neli asked if we are using our platforms or just building profile

God always saves the lost and blesses worshipers all the while

We should serve others in love, utilising our gifts with a smile

As Jesus laid down His life for us, in the face of crowds hostile

In verse twenty two, they called to the Lord not once but twice

If they knew him well and He knew them, once would suffice

That is the Greek ‘ginosko' and ‘oida’ are different to be precise

We must know God and therefore His heart was Neli’s advice

For once we know the Lord, we know what breaks His heart

And our hearts will in turn break for those are broken apart

In Jeremiah twenty nine eleven, a promise God does impart

From wherever we now are, His plan and purpose do start