Reflections from a revival meeting

Attending a revival service last night was a blessing

Many in the marketplace about their faith professing

With plenty of time to fellowship, worship and pray

Very timely as well, for it was Maundy Thursday

One person quoted Matthew nine verse seventeen

Pouring new wine into old wineskins is never seen

Jesus did not try to fit His ways into old traditions

As His followers, we must do so without conditions

This triggered a useful reminder in this day and age

From Jimmy Needham’s classic “Clear the Stage”

He sang “Anything I put before my God is an idol"

Doing otherwise would act on my faith as a bridle

Central was the concept of marketplace ministry

Work is a form of worship per Colossians three

So what we do, but also how and why we do so

Doing what is right, not just going with the flow

Influencing others is the definition of leadership

So we can also think of our work as stewardship

Leveraging our God-given talents and opportunities

Our words and actions shining in all communities

Very special was sharing communion at the end

Yet another reason I was so honoured to attend

The fellowship was engaging and far from tiring

Seeing and hearing such faith was very inspiring

30 September 2018 - ENCS

The sermon “The Power of Worship” was delivered by Calvin Hong

Who talked about seeing a waterfall that was scary and very strong

But once Calvin went under the water he felt refreshed completely

Worship also brings refreshment and healing, sometimes discreetly

In Psalm thirty four, David said the Lord he would bless all the time

Both in good times and when challenging obstacles he had to climb

For when we are weakest, God makes us strong via the Holy Ghost

And then in complete humility, we can give thanks and of God boast

Magnifying something means giving it focus and thus highest priority

Seek first the Lord and his righteousness, as per Matthew thirty three

Sacrificing and giving all to our Lord God in heaven is worship’s heart

For what we believe, not what we do, is what in His eyes set us apart

In Matthew six from verse nine Jesus taught His disciples how to pray 

Always starting by giving praise to God the Abba Father, He did say

And when we pray to God, He will hear our call and then will respond

God knows our daily needs because with us He has a special bond

In Mark twenty five, a woman reached out and touched Jesus’ cloak

She immediately recovered due to the faith she had and did invoke

Jesus told the woman to go in peace and from her suffering be freed

The same power is available to each one of us when we are in need

Per Hebrews eleven, faith is what is hoped for with evidence not seen

When we hear the Word of God and act in ways that do not contravene

We reap rewards if we step out of our comfort zone and pay the price

Even if our reputation and some relationships we may have to sacrifice

When we worship earnestly and then in all that we do we give our best

Per Psalm one hundred, with thanksgiving we enter His gates blessed

We should never stop believing in God for breakthroughs and healing

For both individual and corporate prayer God finds extremely appealing

24 December 2017 - ENCS

Calvin Hong delivered the Christmas Eve exhortation

He referred to the Isaiah chapter nine proclamation

As a Wonderful Counsellor Jesus would never cease

And Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

To the shepherds in Luke two the angels did appear

The Saviour was to be born, they should not fear

Before His arrival, there was no hope for the earth

God sent Him to prove that all mankind had worth

Due to His death and resurrection there is now hope

God’s love and mercy help us do more than just cope

It is not just Jesus’ birth that Christmas we celebrate

But also eternal life, peace, and joy which are great

Jesus is the good news and also knows our situation

Like the Magi, we should trust in him for the duration

He can heal us if to Him we turn without expectation

And for us with His Father, He brings reconciliation

Per First John four, perfect love drives out all fear

That Christ offers us that perfect love is quite clear

For Jesus not only healed, but He offered hope too

Per Second Corinthians five, reconciliation anew

So as we continue in this festive Christmas season

Let us remember God’s gift to us, the real reason

Here’s wishing each of you a Christmas blessed

Let us celebrate with our lives full of God’s zest

17 April 2016 - ENCS

Continuing the series on Acts, Calvin Hong spoke on chapter four

He talked about “power, transformation, boldness” and even more

When the high priests heard something different had taken place

They quickly decided they had to get involved and show their face

After the healing, five thousand believers heard and were blessed

Per verse three, Peter and John the priests and guards did arrest

The Pharisees and Sadducees interrogated them the very next day

But Peter and John demonstrated true boldness, Calvin did say

They said that, in Jesus’ name, they had merely done a good deed

Per verse nine, they had helped the cripple who was clearly in need

The priests saw this boldness and could not put up any opposition

Because the Spirit brings about transformative words and action

The twelve disciples were not strong in faith, in Luke we were told

But after the Spirit came in Acts chapter two, they became very bold

Peter was reckless and denied Jesus thrice in one fateful night

But after being transformed, he became salt as well as a light

Every believer requires boldness in the face of unique adversity

Jesus faced adversity too so He sent us the Holy Spirit for free

The priests told them to be quiet about Jesus, per verse eighteen

But Peter and John had to share what they had heard and seen

Daniel and his friends were similarly bold with the Babylonian king

Despite threats, they refused to bow down to any mere earthling

In the same way, when we receive Jesus it changes our heart

And that enables us to be bold as we each do our unique part

When Peter and John returned to the rest, per verse twenty nine

The Holy Spirit filled the room and men, all the way down the line

All the disciples went and spoke the word of God with boldness

The Holy Spirit can likewise help us in situations filled with stress

We should know that boldness comes when we exercise our faith

Christians must act and speak consistently, Calvin did then sayeth

Excellence vs Perfectionism

The topic of “Excellence vs Perfectionism” was last night discussed

At Awaken Generation, where participation by students was a must

Excellence is of course a core kingdom principle

Whereas living a perfect life is somewhat mythical

Something on which we should all reflect

Is that only God and His Son are perfect

This of course is consistent with from the Old Testament we learn

That nobody can follow all of God’s commandments at every turn

Most scholars would agree that this set the stage for Jesus’ birth

Which was proof of God’s love and His view of our immense worth

So living our lives excellently is something to which we can strive

Even if perfection is a place that we can on this earth never arrive

For excellence relates to our heart, our effort, and our approach

We should do the right things right, and do all above reproach

This applies to our home, our friendships, and our workplace

This is what God expects and to others presents a good face

For others will see that we put in effort honest and complete

Thus influencing them as well as helping to the enemy defeat

12 July 2015 - ENCS

The ‘Building Momentum’ series was continued by Calvin Hong

On the topic ‘Do It Again’ he spoke very passionately and long

His core text was John four, about the woman at the well

Our once-filled wells can also get dried up too, he did tell

Jesus approached the Samaritan woman, for He did care

He will similarly ask something of us, assuming that we dare

Jesus talked of living water which refreshes people forever

Of course listening to His many words of truth is also clever

There are limits to everything we can obtain on this earth

Which is why the perpetual living water has so much worth

For if our wells are dry or our passion is running quite low

In Jesus’ direction, our thoughts and prayers should go

For God knows our names and wants a personal relationship

After meeting Him, change occurs as our priorities soon flip

So we should study His Word and worship our God above

And we should to others try to emulate His awesome love

So when we are thirsty and desperate, available is salvation

That is infinitely better than staying in a state of consternation

For God, through His Holy Spirit, can help us again and again

All is takes is for us to repent and earnestly express our yen

28 June 2015 - ENCS

At Kallang, Calvin Hong spoke on “Building Momentum”

From the start of Hebrews twelve, the core text did come

To “a great cloud of witnesses” the author did refer

This covers three groups of people, Calvin did infer

Those who came before us and those with us now

And those who come after us, whom we will endow

Ninety year olds look back at the ladders they did climb

Wishing they did more that would outlast their lifetime

Anything that hinders our lifetime race, we must throw off

We are accountable to God, a fact at which we must not scoff

Refusing to recognise this important fact is of course a sin

Like hoarders, accumulating distractions causes chagrin

Sin is a distraction that gets in the way of our dreams

All sin has consequences, no matter how small it seems

In regards our life’s race, we must run with perseverance

For the journey is long and we must cover great distance

Focusing our eyes on Jesus helps our trials to endure

For He is the perfecter of our faith, Calvin did assure

James chapter one talks about a testing of our faith

This testing produces perseverance, the text does saith

And out of such suffering, we realise God’s grace

If towards the solution, not the problem, we do face

For bigger than any problem is Jesus’ awesome strength

A point the authors of the Bible made at such great length

As a practical matter, with God’s Word we should start each day

Instead of looking at Facebook to see what others might say

And even if our steps of faith may appear to be small

That is of course far better than taking none at all

For as long as on Jesus we try to focus our eyes

The fact that miracles occur should not surprise

2 March 2015 - Stardom vs. servanthood

Calvin Hong spoke on a topic near and dear to my heart

How to excel like a star and yet always servitude impart

We are told to try to excel in all that we do all the time

And succeeding with passion is of course not a crime

But we must guard against having an air of superiority

And from self-centered ulterior motives we must flee

Calvin said that one way to do this is to start out small

Because as things grow, pride can cause us to fall

Calvin said to remember that all gifts come from God above

If He takes them away, God we should still worship and love

Because of this, we should not let talents get above character

For character remains whereas talent may over time blur

Servanthood is not about ourselves but empowering others

So they can do a better job even if it is not our natural druthers

 

From Jeremiah seventeen verse nine Calvin did then quote

"The heart is deceitful above all things" the prophet wrote

Second Corinthians ten seventeen should not be ignored

This passage warns us not to boast, except about the Lord

"Humility is not thinking less about yourself", CS Lewis said

"But thinking of yourself less" and affirming others instead

For no matter who others praise, God sees our good deed

His affirmation provides all the security we will ever need

But if we say that we are not good enough in any given space

We are doubting God's ability and effectively slapping his face

For God has given each of us a set of gifts and talents unique

We should be good stewards of them throughout each week

 

In summary, Calvin shared Jesus' words from Mark ten forty five

Jesus Himself came to serve, not to be served, when He was alive

And He gave His life as a ransom for many, despite being divine

Surely His heart of servitude is something to which we can align

18 January 2015 - ENCS

The discipleship series was continued by Calvin Hong (with the flu)

Matthew chapter twenty eight commissions all disciples what to do

Per verse nineteen, we are to "go and make disciples of all nations"

After encountering God, we are changed from our core foundations

He allows us to change the world while on earth we are alive

To be lights and salt for the world, per Matthew chapter five

Per Ephesians chapter two, we were only saved by faith and grace

Not by works, but to do good works until we reach the eternal place

Calvin said that people are looking for joy, hope, and peace

Even in dark times, we can be a light that does not cease

Per Second Corinthians five, anyone in Christ is a new creation

Reconciled to God, who gives us the ministry of reconciliation

God wants us to be ambassadors, bringing people together

Restoring and reconciling relationships in all types of weather

In Matthew eighteen, Jesus shared the parable of the lost sheep

God does not want anyone to perish, all of our souls His to keep

Calvin then read out verse forty six from Luke chapter six

If we call Jesus "Savior", then all parts of our life He can fix

Then discipleship is being an example, not just mere duplication

We should use our unique talents for Him, through life's duration

Mark chapter twelve tells the story of the demon-possessed man

Doing miracles for large crowds or individuals, Jesus clearly can

About a big storm on the sea, the previous verses did tell

Sometimes God takes us through storms to prepare us well

Jesus clothed the possessed man after setting him free

Everything in the Bible has a purpose, as we oft do see

After the possessed man was healed, Jesus he wanted to follow

But Jesus told him instead to tell his story to all those he did know

God knows our situation, all of our needs, and all of our pain

He cares about each one of us for His love will never wane

There is no such thing as a closet Christian, Calvin did say

We must let God be visibly with us every hour of every day

We witness for God with our actions and words, Calvin did state

For with Jesus, the works we can do will be mighty and great

28 September 2014 - ENCS

The "Go" series was today continued by Calvin Hong

About witnessing to the "Community" to which we belong

The core text Calvin used was Acts chapter one verse eight

His disciples were to witness in Judea, Jesus did state

To witness is to share with others something we have seen

From our passion, our belief in the message others can glean

 

In Romans one verse sixteen, Paul says he is not ashamed

Sharing the gospel with both Jew and Gentile, he proclaimed

Remember that Jesus died a public death, Calvin did point out

So about our own faith we should not be afraid to loudly shout

We have nothing to fear, which comes from unbelief and sin

Besides, fear is the opposite of faith, which we have within

 

Faith comes from hearing the message, per Romans ten seventeen

And faith results from surrendering to the Lord God, who is unseen

Often our greatest battle is between our brain and our heart

God speaks to our heart, so from His path we do not depart

He promises that He will always meet us on the other side

For even without understanding we must surrender and abide

 

Per Matthew five verses thirteen to sixteen, we are salt and light

For others in the world, we can act as a beacon in the dark night

Calvin said that he uses sports to reach out to the community

His 'preaching' is done via his actions that the others can see

We can each make a difference by changing the atmosphere

Hour by hour, day by day, month by month, and year by year

 

To preach the Word, Timothy four verse two gives the reason

Paul says we should "be prepared in season and out of season"

Remember we are in places of influence in our communities

We can use our own experiences to each opportunity seize

Sometimes there is a reason God puts us through a tough trial

If nothing else, it makes our knowledge much more versatile

 

Ephesians two verses eight to ten say we are God's workmanship

We are created to do good works, for which God did us equip

Unless we submit completely to Him, we can not complete His plan

That is a true statement whether we are young or old, woman or man

And in whatever we do, we should not boast about our own works

By grace, through faith, we are saved so gifts from God are perks

 

In conclusion, Calvin said that each of us can make a difference

And then challenged us not to wait but to immediately commence

With friends and colleagues we are given opportunities each day

To influence others by what we do and the words that we say

That is how we can be good witnesses to our community

It will be challenging but rewarding, Calvin did guarantee