16 August 2015 - ENCS

Pastor Josh continued the “Honour” series today

On “Honouring Women” he had quite a lot to say

Our experiences provide a lens through which we view

in the same way, our intentions can be misinterpreted too

To talk of honour, we must also consider submission

In the Old Testament, there were laws and permission

But we are no longer under the law, per Galatians three

For we are “all one in Christ Jesus” we can clearly see

To God, we now all have complete and open access

In that we are all equal so nobody is worth any less

Of course there are differences we can not ignore

But we should only care in cases God would honour

Still having different toilets for women and men

Is very different than segregated ones back then

In other words, if a difference we choose to highlight

It needs to be to honour others, by doing things right

A careful reading of Genesis one verse twenty seven

Says both man and woman came from God in heaven

Since in His image both sexes were actually created

The obvious differences should not be underestimated

For if the intention was that all humans were the same

There would be no need for individuals, or even a name

1 Peter three refers to woman as the “weaker vessel”

This is obviously true physically, Pastor Josh did tell

The passage says that God will answer a man’s petition

If the man honours his wife without any precondition

Josh said that women tend to be more perceptive

That shows in how men and women tend to live

God intended for us all to exist in partnerships

Genesis three tells of the first of man’s many slips

Covenants are serious, per Malachi chapter two

Marriage is a sacred covenant, that is not new

In terms of how man should honour woman therefore

Josh focused on two important points, nothing more

Man should not rebuke, per 1 Timothy chapter five

With purity, he should view all woman while alive

And per Ephesians four, speak all things in love

For we all belong to the body of Christ from above

9 August 2015 - ENCS

This National Day sermon was shared by Dr Lee Suan Yew

He talked about history, the present, and the future too

The history of the Bible and Judaism are important to know

Understanding their language and culture help us to grow

Relative to twenty five hundred years, Jesus’ story was short

But his three ministry years were impactful, Dr Lee did report

We should also make good use of our limited time on earth

Building up treasures in heaven is the only true store of worth

While money is important to have, Dr Lee warned about greed

During the war years, resourcefulness was what they did need

Thanks to God’s Word, the colonialists Dr Lee eventually forgave

Proverbs chapter three verses five and six tells us how to behave

For it says that if we trust in the Lord with all of our heart

God will then make our paths straight, Solomon did impart

At present, Singapore has diversity, global presence, and green

But when independence came, the Singapore River was unclean

Ephesians five tells us to make the most of every opportunity

It also says we should understand what the Lord’s will may be

To Philippians chapter four verse six, Dr Lee did then refer

We should not worry about anything, from Paul we do infer

Instead, with thanksgiving, to God we should petition and pray

We succeed by setting appropriate priorities, Dr Lee did say

For the nation, hardwork and honesty have led to success

For our leaders, we should of course expect nothing less

In future, we should all aim to learn from our collective past

Through integrity and education, our success can long last

“Mens sana in corpore sano” in Latin Dr Lee did then quote

The English “a sound mind in a sound body” gets my vote

This will help us to help fulfill God’s purpose in our lives

Matthew six states that only eternal treasure survives

Our eyes should have a cross instead of a dollar sign

In this way, our path forward with God’s plan will align

Dr Lee then shared from this morning’s Daily Bread

Reading what Psalm number forty six verse ten said

We should be still and exalt God always, everywhere

And remember that our foundation should be prayer

Per Isaiah forty, even young men tire, stumble, and fall

But the Holy Spirit can renew and is there for us all

In summary, God providence is with us Dr Lee did saith

Miracles can still happen if we just have a strong faith

2 August 2015 - ENCS

A new series on 'Honor', Pastor Josh did today start
To truly honor God, it must come from the heart

With First Peter chapter one, Josh then began
God offers hope and abundant life to all man
An imperishable eternal inheritance, we can get
God builds for the long term, we should not forget
Trials make us stronger and precious like gold
They also serve to purify us, we were then told
In this way, we can more brightly shine
And thus reflect Jesus and His ways divine

No matter what, we can shine for God above
Instead of being a victim, treat things with love
This led Josh to refer to Romans chapter five
About persevering as long as we may be alive
Suffering leads to persevering, character, and hope
Only with God’s love can we persevere and cope
If we have a vision, we will of course make a sacrifice
About our race, First Corinthians nine gives advice

Stop living for self, per Second Corinthians five

To live for Jesus, who died for us, we should strive

For God works for our good, says Romans eight

Being called, justified, and glorified is our fate

Trying to change ourselves is a disaster recipe

Either pride appears, as in Proverbs six we see

Or we quit, as we are unable to get everything done

So only boast in the Lord, per 1 Corinthians one

Not by might or power, per Zechariah four

But by His Spirit, which can do so much more

In John fifteen, Jesus says that he is the vine

If we abide in God, we can most surely shine

Perseverance, power, and presence are key

Because honouring God is meant to be

26 July 2015 - ENCS

At ENCS Momentum, Steve Murrell did tonight speak

Into Luke chapter ten, we did more than just peek

Steve said the chapter spoke of three core activities

All three of which into our lives we should seize

The first shared about Jesus sending out seventy two

Which tells us that a mission from God we should all do

The second was the parable of the Good Samaritan

Compassion we should show even if not in our plan

The third was about Mary and Martha and worship

Something we can all do whether at home or on a trip

Steve focused on compassion as part of our growth

Knowledge and its application, we need to reflect both

And then there was the kicker, in verse twenty nine

When someone asked Jesus which neighbour is mine

Using the parable, Jesus did tell somewhat shockingly

Because heroes Samaritans were not supposed to be

On three key takeaways, Pastor did then elaborate

Leaving us plenty on which to later contemplate

The Samaritan had compassion as the beaten man he did see

This applies whether one is hurting physically or spiritually

It also doesn’t matter why someone is where they are

Or whether they are nearby or somewhere very far

The Samaritan then put his compassion into action

Taking care of the man was his immediate reaction

What do we do when faced with the same, Steve did ask

Too often we stay comfortable, he subtly took us to task

The Samaritan spent money on the man affected by crime

For compassion often costs money, in addition to time

Compassion is expensive while selfishness is free

This is why the Samaritan was the best of the three

God’s Word is like a mirror, per the book of James

If something doesn’t look right, don’t play games

We should instead fix what is wrong as soon as we can

So we too can show compassion, like the Samaritan man

In summary, Steve told all of us sisters and brothers

We should share this and show compassion to others

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

19 July 2015 - ENCS

About personalising revivals, Pastor Larry did today talk

We can’t bring revivals to others unless we do the walk

A revival happens when there is an urgent hunger for God

To Acts chapter two verse seventeen, Pastor gave a nod

For the Holy Spirit is available to everyone on this earth

Proving that in God’s eyes, we all have the same worth

The story of Jonah, in Matthew twelve Jesus did use

Jonah’s personal revival followed a change in his views

But what caused Jonah to turn from rebellion to right

In the whale’s dark belly, he repented and saw the light

In Jonah chapter two, his transformation we clearly see

On the topic “Faith Is Rising”, Larry shared lessons three

The first lesson is that our situation we must RECOGNISE

As Jonah did, seeing his hellish existence with his own eyes

For this recognition forces a change in our perspective

Which brings about a revival, a change in how we live

The Bible is full of such instances, Pastor Larry did tell

Referring to Isaiah fifty nine and Acts chapter two as well

He said that God sometimes puts us through times tough

So that we can be ready and be armed with the right stuff

The second lesson is that we must REPENT of our sin

To do this, we must first hate our sin from deep within

Otherwise, we will continue to give in to temptation

Dulling our sensitivity to God, leading to separation

No temptation is too great for Jesus to overcome

When we resist the devil, from us he will flee from

The third lesson is that we must RESPOND to our Lord

Salvation comes from Him, a fact that cannot be ignored

If we do not know the Bible, many problems can arise

For it is full of the absolute truth, and contains no lies

Very importantly, on the cross Jesus did die for our sake

Our words can also a big impact on many others make

In summary, revival starts with us, and is never fully done

Pastor closed by reading Romans eight verse thirty one

5 July 2015 - ENCS

The “Building Momentum” series Joy Talavera did continue

About “God’s Brilliance” she did to all of us get through

For although momentum is movement over many a day

God’s light shines even when a situation is bleak and grey

She said that in the presence of God’s light, darkness must flee

His light shines brighter and fills the earth, in Scripture we see

We were created to worship, but that is not something to misuse

Whether to worship Jesus or something else, we must choose

We can know Jesus but with Him not have a true relationship

Or per Isaiah six verse three, we can join the angels in worship

To Isaiah chapter forty nine verse sixteen, Joy did then refer

We are like diamonds, on His palms our names God did confer

When our identity seems to be foggy, obscured by a cloud

We should turn to and trust God, not listen to the crowd

By llowing the Holy Spirit to blow the fog and clouds away

Things being clear and darkness must flee, Joy did again say

She then highlighted that all of us are God’s workmanship

Per Ephesians two verse ten, that means He does us equip

We are actually all poems, if we look at the root word in Greek

To shine His light around us must then be the purpose we seek

And in order for our lives to be a good reflection of God’s love

Our hearts must be filled with desires from Him who lives above

If in darkness we tend to cower, then darkness is what we see

Far better to live in His light, so that others can see our glee

Returning to Isaiah six, “the whole world is full of His glory”

So God’s light and might should be central in our life story