28 August 2016 - ENCS

Tonight Joy Talavera completed the Generosity Stories series

Focusing on our identity in God, for it is Him we should please

From Second Corinthians chapter nine, she did then quote

God enables us to abound in every good work, Paul wrote

Generosity is the act of being kind, Joy did appropriately say

Determined by security in our identity which we should obey

That our security comes from Jesus Christ is indeed a fact

Importantly, knowing who you are determines how you act

To make her point, from the Bible Joy used examples three

Our identity must hold no matter what circumstances may be

In tough circumstances, David maintained a positive attitude

Per First Samuel sixteen, he was omitted in an act quite rude

King Saul tried to spear him, per Second Samuel eighteen

Yet David praised God, as in Psalm thirty one is clearly seen

David focused on his calling rather than his circumstance

Very famously, he didn’t give Goliath’s size a second glance

From Luke fifteen, Joy then talked about the prodigal son

His father welcomed him back despite what he had done

Despite his good circumstance, he squandered property

For his focus was very wrong and he acted so carefree

The prodigal son’s brother was the third individual named

Upon hearing the party, “unfair" was what he proclaimed

He told his father that for years he had performed like a slave 

Taking this mentality would have burdened him until the grave

Both of the sons were raised in a very blessed circumstance

They had the wrong attitude but were given another chance

In summary, Joy said that before we ask, God knows our need

For if it matters to us, it matters to He who values us indeed

Per Romans eight, for us God treated His son as an outsider

God is Jehovah Jirah, which means that he is our provider

13 August 2016 - ENCS

On a new series Generosity Stories, Pastor Josh did emote

He said that "money is THE root of ALL evil" is a misquote

Regarding money, he took us through the biblical perspective

In other words, how with our money we should all try to live

In Genesis twelve, God told Abram to go and then be blessed

Similarly, God blesses us so we can bless others with zest

God enables us to produce wealth, per Deuteronomy eight

Money is a good tool, but as a god it really should not rate

For we cannot serve two masters, per Matthew chapter six

Clearly God is more important, for only He can our flaws fix

Who we are internally matters more than appearances external

For our priorities not our looks that determine our fates eternal

After survival and then success comes a fork, Josh then said

People and nations can become significant or selfish instead

Per Matthew seven, the gate is narrow and difficult is the way

To be significant is quite hard but doing so is to our God obey

Pastor Josh focused on First Timothy six verses six to nineteen

For in Paul’s letter to his spiritual son many core truths are seen

Godliness and contentment combined are a strong combination

Not being complacent or covetous leads to God’s commendation

We should give thanks for all that God has done, Josh did say

But striving for more in life is not a sin, in fact it is quite okay

And when we are really blessed, good stewards we should be

As falling in love with our money is not what God wants to see

The LOVE OF MONEY is A root of ALL KINDS of evil, Paul said

It turns our hearts away from God and thus leaves our faith dead

Righteousness, love, and gentleness are what we should pursue

For eternal life comes from trusting God in all that we say and do

Do good, be rich in good works, be generous, and ready to share

God will always provide for us; for our needs He will always care

Paul said to take hold of life that it truly life, that is from heaven

Jesus is the resurrection and life, Josh quoted from John eleven

7 August 2016 - ENCS

Pastor Josh said that we should all love Singapore, our nation

Whether we are citizens, residents, or just here on a vacation

Per Jeremiah twenty nine, the Israelites were in forced exile

But were told by God to pray for that city, which did them rile

Josh said that if a nation is blessed, its population will be too

To invest in Singapore is what this should encourage us to do

Christ’s Great Commission, per Matthew chapter twenty eight

Says to make disciples of all nations, no matter how they rate

Helping others follow Jesus, allowing baptism to bring new life

Obey Jesus’ commands to love God and others, avoiding strife

In First Corinthians chapter nine, Paul said not to aimlessly run

For we need a purpose to guide our action until our life is done

Our faith overcomes the world, per First John five verse four

It determines what we see and therefore believe, that’s for sure

Pastor Josh did then refer to King David and his faith so strong

Per First Samuel seventeen, Goliath’s taunts lasted all day long

But David knew that his faith and God would help him overcome

For Goliath was small relative to God, so would have to succumb

But per Second Samuel twenty one, even David did weary grow

A new sword and spearhead Ishbi-Benob the Philistine did show

David was only saved thanks to the intervention of his nephew

Whom David had trained as a youth, part of his life’s legacy too

As Solomon later wrote in Psalm one hundred and twenty seven

Children are a reward and a heritage from the Lord in heaven

Yet David’s own son Absalom conspired to take over the throne

Per Second Samuel fifteen, his devious behaviour was shown

David then fled the palace and went up the mountain to pray

His friend Hushai the Arkite finally helped him save the day

This reminds us of the value of having even one good friend

And challenges us to be such a friend for others until the end

In Psalm sixty eight, David praised God with an apt quote

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows” he wrote

Reminding us God reveals himself whenever we feel alone

For every one of us is His child, whom He will never disown

If anyone mistreats a widow or orphan, per Exodus twenty two

God will certainly hear their cry and His anger will then ensue

So we need a purpose to life and faith to guide us through

We also rely on our family, friends, and of course God too

31 July 2016 - ENCS

The 5Cs of Leadership series Pastor Josh did complete

Leaders help others at home, the office, or on the street

He summarised the confidence and connections content

Add competence and character and finally commitment

In Second Timothy chapter four, in apostle Paul's last letter

How to finish life’s journey well could not be said any better

To his spiritual son he did in verses three to five summarise

Be sober minded, endure suffering, and always evangelise

Paul was near his own life's end, having fought the good fight

He wanted to make sure Timothy kept the end goal in sight

The first of four keys is to look to heaven, Josh did say

For what echoes in eternity is what we do on earth today

Per Matthew six, our hearts will be where our treasure is

So we cannot retire from life even when we retire from biz

In Second Corinthians five, Paul advises us on how to live

Our aim is to please God, so we should love and forgive

To look to Jesus was the second point Pastor Josh did make

He is the perfecter of our faith, from Hebrews twelve we take

Using Jesus’ example, we should not be weary or faint of heart

Remembering his sacrifice on the cross can help us do our part

Per Romans twelve, we present our bodies as living sacrifices

To persevere, we must listen to God instead of our own devices

The third point raised by Pastor Josh was to look to others

For we are all one body of Christ, both sisters and brothers

We need other people as we each have a different talent

Trying to do everything by yourself is quite far from gallant

Importantly, we must think of others in order to finish well

Unlike Hezekiah, as Isaiah in chapter thirty nine did tell

The fourth and final point is to look to the next generation

Our destiny is about who we invest in, per Josh's summation

Teary received a very short mention in Genesis chapter eleven

But it was his son Abraham received a covenant from heaven

Josh concluded by referring to Proverbs thirteen twenty two

Leaving an inheritance for the future is what we should do

24 July 2016 - ENCS

Pastor Josh continued the series on leadership’s 5Cs

Moving from success to significance is one of the keys

Character is what will be known for at our life’s end

It's how we live our life, the result of a long term trend

From Romans five there is a lesson on how to cope

Suffering leads to endurance, then character and hope

Josh said that character is important, per First Kings ten

Although a great leader, Solomon has too many women

He ignored God’s very clear warnings in chapter eleven

And his wives turned his heart away from God in heaven

Josh then said character is a journey, not a destination

David’s sin was a blip that caused much consternation

But his response per Psalm fifty one showed his heart

Unlike son Solomon who from God his heart did depart

Repentance is actually a restoration of true character

In fellowship with each of us, God really does prefer

He knows all of our thoughts, our deeds, and our sin

Per First John one, God’s light over darkness will win

To renounce worldly passions, God’s grace trains us to do

As was written in Paul’s letter to pastor Titus chapter two

Those with good character are zealous to do good works

Leaving no time for bad things is just one of the perks

In conclusion, every great leader has a godly character

Enabling him or her to help others in their walk for sure

17 July 2016 - ENCS

As part of the Leadership series, I was asked to speak today

Talking about "Competence : Not a Laughing Matter” I did say

All of us are leaders, Pastor Josh said a couple of weeks ago

As we influence others, the Oxford dictionary also does show

Leadership is stewardship of every God-given competency

It is a process, not just bossing people around, we did see

Competence is doing something successfully and efficiently

Paul shared another definition in his second letter to Timothy

Doing our best, being proud of our work, and the truth to tell

So in addition to being leaders, we can be competent as well

God wants us all to be competent leaders, make no mistake

And like Christ, that means a servant attitude we should take

But per a Joey Bonifacio post, serving is not always leadership

Although true leadership is always serving, he did aptly quip

Books on competent leadership, there is clearly an excess

Four attributes competent leaders must biblically possess

The first attribute of competent leaders is heartfelt humility

In Deuteronomy, Moses said that God gives us the ability

Do not think too highly of self, in Romans twelve Paul wrote 

Second Corinthians twelve has the “thorn in the flesh” quote

We should be humble because from God, all talents come

Without humility, being a servant leader would be very glum

Biblical leaders were Moses, young David, Jesus, and Paul

Humility is one word that can be used to describe them all

In practical terms, better results humble leaders generate

As a team working as one, individual skills will amalgamate

I tried to give credit to the team while shouldering any blame

And got in a fight with my boss for refusing to provide a name

In conclusion, competent leadership often requires humility

And effective leadership benefits from humility, we often see

In Philippians chapter two, Paul added more perspective

With Christ-like humility and without conceit is how to live

Remember the Proverbs adage that pride precedes the fall

This has been seen both in business circles and in football

Samson and the older David both fell into the trap of pride

Fortunately, they were redeemed for God was on their side

Unlike false humility, true humility comes from one's heart

From a balanced perspective, we should try not to depart

Honesty is the best policy should be used in both directions

Both over and understating reality should elicit objections

The second attribute is that competent leaders are aware

Of their talents and competencies, honestly to compare

In Deuteronomy, Moses said choose wise, respected men

Boast of unique talents, in Second Corinthians, Paul did pen

Knowing one’s strength, as per the Sun Tzu classic quote

Allows your team to build a sustainable competitive moat

Knowing your talents also enables you to others best serve

Sometimes what matters is where you sit on the bell curve

Being aware of resulting talent gaps is at least as important

Per Exodus four, Moses’ speech impediment was not a stunt

Paul said we have different roles in First Corinthians twelve

Comparing to a body’s unique functions, he did then delve

For whenever you veer away from your core competencies

Odds of success decrease and the stress will not please

Competent leaders therefore try to hire to fill talent gaps

Hiring top tier talent allows the leader to take more naps

Honing their talent is the third competent leader attribute

Per First Timothy six, with our gifts we should be resolute

For there is always more to learn and knowledge to expand

Luckily for us, the Bible and prayer are far from contraband

The fourth attribute is that competent leaders must apply

Joseph and Paul used their talents to successfully glorify

Paul said he was an expert builder in First Corinthians three

In that one sentence, he expressed awareness and humility

Of course, leadership is not confined to Christians alone

But Christian leaders must act in line with God’s throne

So the why and the how are as important as the what

Because a competent Christian leader is not just a robot

To be respected more than liked, leaders should choose

When faced with the choice, Biblical leaders did not refuse

Making faith visible, competent Christian leaders should

This helps their leadership and marketplace ministry good

In conclusion, we are all leaders and competent ones too

Thus a servant leadership mentality we should all imbue

Humility, awareness, honing, and applying are attributes

For stewardship of leadership, there are no substitutes

3 July 2016 - ENCS

Tonight Pastor Josh started a new series on leadership

He said we are all influencers so we all need to equip

Our position matters far less than our attitude and action

Leaders help others achieve their goals with satisfaction

5Cs of leadership, starting with confidence is the intent

Then connection, competence, character, and commitment

Confidence, Josh said, is different from arrogance or pride

The main difference is in believing that God is on your side

Hebrews ten says that confidence will be richly rewarded

We must persevere with God’s will even in times sordid

The word confidence translates as “bold resolve” in Greek

Which we need as following God’s plan is not for the weak

And the meanest people are the ones needing God’s light

So in such situations we must allow His love to shine bright

Confidence can come from three places, Josh then did say

Believing in self, in our earthly situation, or in God every day

By believing in ourselves, per Jeremiah seventeen five and six

Our hearts will depart away from the Lord, leaving us in a fix

More practically, we will either be unwilling to admit mistakes

Or when we make one, our whole world collapses and breaks

By believing in our situation, in Luke twelve Jesus did warn

When the situation changes, we will feel empty and mourn

There is nothing wrong with storing surpluses as a decision

But we must worship the provider rather than the provision

The optimal route therefore is believing in God in heaven

We will be blessed, as per Jeremiah seventeen verse seven

Jesus loved, sacrificed, and forgave more than we ever can

Which is why He was the best leader ever since time began

King Abijah demonstrated this in Second Chronicles thirteen

Despite facing a bigger army, his confidence in God was seen

He cried to the Lord and the enemy was thoroughly defeated

We should also ask for help so our mission can be completed