MISSIONARY NEWS FEATURE #17

IDF neutralized terror tunnel in northern Gaza:

The IDF has identified and neutralized a terror tunnel with two routes belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization, dug from northern Gaza towards Israeli towns and cities. As such, we praise God to know that IDF has constructed the underground barrier in anticipation of such tunnels aimed at Israeli towns and cities and that southern Israel remains safe and protected from terror tunnels attacks.

(For more info, do click the link https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/358194 – by Yoni Kempinski, 15th August 2022 – inside Israel National News)!

A Test for the Caretaker Government – Threat from Islamic Jihad:

The fighting has erupted at Gaza between Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and a top Islamic Jihad official had threatened to attack around Gaza and that they would bomb Central Israel recently on 4th August (Thu), which had sent IDF on high alert near the border with Gaza causing them to shut the crossings of goods and people along its frontier with Gaza and imposed restrictions on movement in Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip. So, the Israel Defense Forces launched pre–emptive Operation “Breaking Dawn” to attack Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the Gaza Strip the next following day. Taysir al-Jaafari, a military commander in Saraya al-Quds (the military arm of the Islamic Jihad movement) in Palestine, was assassinated by bombing a residential tower in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad fired 100s of rockets towards Southern Israel from Gaza. Iron Dome has been intercepting most of these rockets. In the meantime, Israel has the right to respond to a threat from the Islamic Jihad who had threatened to attack Israel. We pray that this cross–border exchange to not escalate into an all–out war and for President Hamas to remain in the side line and does not join in the fray. 

Today, we praise God that the three–day violence at Gaza between Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has ended with an Egypt–brokered ceasefire as of 8th Aug (Mon). And, we continuously to pray for peace over Jerusalem and all of Israel that both side will have peaceful relations with each other.

(For more info, do click the link – https://foreigndesknews.com/middle-east/islamic-jihad-official-threatens-to-attack-all-of-israel/ – 6th August 2022)

What God is doing in Ukraine: A missionary intercessor shares a recent TV video by The Billy Graham Evangelical Association which shows how God is working through the Churches in Ukraine, the resilience of the people and their hunger for God and His Word.

(For more info, do click the links – https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/ukraine-response/ – 1st August 2022)

Results of Biden’s visit to Israel: 

There were no announcements of any US consulate in East Jerusalem for Palestinians. As such, PLO has not been removed from the list of terrorist organizations. Hence, no financial aid has been given to the Palestinian Authority for terrorist activities. Biden pledged funds for healthcare services to Palestinians during his visit to a hospital in East Jerusalem. And, there was no plan from President Biden for the Palestinian Authority to reject. (Past presidents offered plans to the PA which was typically rejected.). Yet, Biden undermined Israeli sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem when he met Palestinians without any Israeli representation in eastern Jerusalem and had the Israeli flag removed from his limousine before driving to Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives.

 

Earlier last week, there was a trilateral meeting in Iran of the leaders of three nations: Russia, Iran and Turkey, a trio that many prophecy watchers associate with Ezekiel 38. However, Israel was not on their agenda. Russia wanted to sell grains to Iran in exchange for drones for the Ukraine war and Turkey sought to help to resume exports of Ukrainian grain to ease the global food crisis.

 

(For more info, do click the links – 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11014817/Biden-commits-100M-funding-East-Jerusalem-hospital-visit.html, https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/356738, 

https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/biden-removed-israeli-flag-during-east-jerusalem-visit/ 

https://www.euronews.com/2022/07/19/vladimir-putin-visits-tehran-for-talks-with-leaders-of-iran-and-turkey – 22nd July 2022) 

 

Finland: 

Finland has a largely secular society, even though Christians number 84% of the population. 90% look with favour on the Church’s social work, but only 8% consistently attend any kind of religious service. The last revival came in the 1960s. Strong belief in the power of human reason, and rejection of supernatural things, now dominates the society. An ultra-modern country like Finland probably needs both reformation in the existing Church and also new expressions of faith. Do pray for a spiritual breakthrough that will cause people to seek the Lord.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/05-23/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 23rd May 2022)

Fiji: British colonial greed left Fiji ethnically divided. The British imported Indians as indentured labourers from 1870 onward. Fijians lived as a minority in their own country at times. Indians worked hard to build new lives in Fiji, but they cannot own land. They face resentment and racial prejudice. Poor treatment by the British and Fijians, both considered Christian, discredited the gospel for most Indians. We pray for a spirit of repentance and reconciliation, and a society known for freedom and equality.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/05-22/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 22nd May 2022)

Ethiopia:  The nation struggles through social, political, and economic crises. The major ethnic groups (Amhara, Tigrinya, Oromo, Somali, Afar) divide themselves largely by geographic region, which gives each more independence at the expense of national unity. As a result, Ethiopia's stability and power balances are precarious. Corruption increased with economic growth, and a wide gap now exists between the few who are rich and the many who are poor. From 2020, devastating civil conflict - along ethnic lines - erased much of the progress of recent years. The Tigray region - the centre of the previous ruling party's power - has been attacked by both Ethiopia and Eritrea. The governments blame separatists (or the convenient label of "terrorists"), but many accounts from the region indicate that the local Tigrinya people are subject to atrocities, war crimes, or even genocide. We pray for an end to the terrible violence, and a peace that offers esteem to every region and ethnic group while also enabling a genuine national unity.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/05-19/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 19th May 2022)

Estonia: Estonia found political and economic success after the time of Soviet domination (1940-1988). Poverty remains a problem, and greed for material possessions grows as the economy grows. Estonia faces a crisis of values as the people become more and more secular in their attitudes. We pray for a wise and upright government to model righteousness and biblical values.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/05-18/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 18th May 2022)

Equatorial Guinea:
Equatorial Guinea faces an unusual political and economic situation. Large oil reserves made a small minority very rich. Western oil companies work with a regime whose human rights record is poor, in order to increase profits. Corruption means that most of the people do not benefit from such wealth.

(Do click onto this link – https://operationworld.org/prayer-calendar/05-15/ to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 15th May 2022)

The Breath of Life

One Sunday morning, I was assisting with Communion. As people were served, I looked out the window at the back of the sanctuary and saw the wind blowing the trees and the snow around. I thought of the wind as the breath of God, who gives breath to all. God formed Adam from the dust, but Adam was not a living being until God breathed into him the breath of life, as the Scriptures said, “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7, NRSV).

In Genesis 1:2 (NRSV), we read about a “wind from God.” The Hebrew word for wind is often translated as “spirit” or “breath.” So we can understand the breath of life as God's spirit breathed into Adam to give him life. We live not only by our physical bodies – organs and tissues – but also by God's spirit dwelling within us. By God's power, the breath of life remains in our lives as the wind of life blows over us. God has given us life, and God continues to give us life. We live because God lives within us.

Life is a miracle in which God sustains us. Breathe in and breathe out the breath of God.

Thank God for a breath of LIFE!

Prayer Response to this featured article:
We thank God that He is the Great Creator and that the world and all that in it was created by the Lord and we’re in His hands. And, we believe in and trust our lives to Christ, knowing that our destiny for eternity is also safely in His hands.

Profile Background:
(Written by Matthew J. Van Maastricht – (Michigan, U.S.A), from the Upper Room Ministries except the unrecalled date/year of published time)

The Lord is righteous

As I reflected upon Psalm 94:14-23 (NIV), I saw how the Lord sustained the Psalmist by His mercy despite having him surrounded by evildoers that caused him to have anxieties and doubts in his mind as he nearly fell before onslaughts of men – being ushered into the silence of the cemetery. In reference to Christ in my life, I am thankful that He fills me up with His wisdom and power to help me live out this resurrected life through my daily Christian living for the gospel to be preached out through my outreach efforts to win souls for the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:30, NIV).

Hence, I reflected upon how God’s Word could be internalized in me to become a practical reflection for others to see Christ through my life once the Word Of God is kept in my heart, mind and spirit (Psalm 119:97–99, NIV).

Let’s have God’s Word internalized in us to become a practical reflection for others to see Christ through us today!

Prayer Response to this featured article:
Thank you, Lord, for showing ‘Your’ faithfulness to ‘us’ as we stay faithful in serving God all the days of our life. Thank you for allowing us to meditate on your Word of God daily.

(Written by Jeremy Koh, 5th February 2014)

Profile Background:
Jeremy Koh is a disabled graduate from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore – formerly known as Spastic Children Association (1987-1997). He graduated with Certificates in Microsoft Office Skills. Jeremy has worked in ServeHope Pte Ltd – Project Assistant/Email Marketing Consultant for 5 years (March 2008 – August 2013). And, Jeremy did a research work for the keyguard at (these)abilites Pte Ltd handling all KeyGuard Operations for 10 months in World United College South East Asia (Tampines Branch). He was Executive Assistant with Vision Strategy Storytelling (3 months, Aug to Oct 2017). Jeremy worked as GB Connector in GrowthBeans Team in Savior-Asia Consulting Pte Ltd (October 2018 to December 2019). Today, he continues to be in GB Youth Organizing Team/as a GB Youth Facilitator in YouthCorps Singapore, a former member of the Special Needs Cluster in YCS, and a Founder in the ground up initiative project called – Project Story for LIFE (Affiliated with Youth Corps Singapore) that serves the Special Needs Community at–large in society today.

Down, not out

As I meditated upon Psalm 129:1–2 (NIV) during my devotional reading, I understood how the Psalmist felt distressed like how Jacob did when he saw how the enemies surrounded Israel who came from Egypt and they had afflicted the Israelites for four hundred years since the time when a prophecy given to Abraham their ancestor, and where their lives were made bitter with hard bondage; and in the times of the Judges, by several neighbouring nations in the time of their youth. Yet, the Psalmist expressed his affection of distress to show how he was overwhelmed by the enemies that surrounded Israel but he was not knocked out by them as he had God by his side to help them defeat their enemies. Indeed, God delivered the Israelites from their captivity while they were being oppressed by the Egyptians and how they went through suffering as a youthful nation; truly, I believe that God has given Christ the authority to deal with all insubordination and rebellion. From then on, Christ will rule with a rod of iron and punish rebellion whenever it raises its ugly head (Psalm 2:9, NIV).

In reference to New Testament, I noted how God allowed the apostle Paul to go through all kinds of persecution such as sickness, sorrow, afflictions, difficulties and distress to have him raised up again to present the glorious news of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:9, NIV).

Hence, this prompts me to let my faith speak out the gospel to others through my transformed life in Jesus Christ despite of the challenges and the obstacles that I have to go through when I am being oppressed by tough circumstances surrounding me today.

Does your faith speak out the gospel to others through your transformed life in Jesus Christ in view of tough circumstances surrounding you today?

Prayer Response to this featured article:
Lord, would you let ‘Your’ perseverance help us move on with our lives by the strength of God.

(Written by Jeremy Koh, 4th February 2014)

Profile Background:
Jeremy Koh is a disabled graduate from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore – formerly known as Spastic Children Association (1987-1997). He graduated with Certificates in Microsoft Office Skills. Jeremy has worked in ServeHope Pte Ltd – Project Assistant/Email Marketing Consultant for 5 years (March 2008 – August 2013). And, Jeremy did a research work for the keyguard at (these)abilites Pte Ltd handling all KeyGuard Operations for 10 months in World United College South East Asia (Tampines Branch). He was Executive Assistant with Vision Strategy Storytelling (3 months, Aug to Oct 2017). Jeremy worked as GB Connector in GrowthBeans Team in Savior-Asia Consulting Pte Ltd (October 2018 to December 2019). Today, he continues to be in GB Youth Organizing Team/as a GB Youth Facilitator in YouthCorps Singapore, a former member of the Special Needs Cluster in YCS, and a Founder in the ground up initiative project called – Project Story for LIFE (Affiliated with Youth Corps Singapore) that serves the Special Needs Community at–large in society today.

Majulah Singapura!

 

As I celebrate 57th National Day today and meditated upon how the apostle Paul said to the early church’s believers and exhorted them saying, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1–4, ESV), I give thanks to God for our Government and pray that they would live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness which seems good, and how this pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. I pray for the LORD to bless and keep them as He makes His face shine upon them and be gracious to our government leaders and for the Lord to lift up His countenance upon them and give them peace (Numbers 6:24 – 26, ESV – Paraphrased). I give thanks to God for His gifts of peace, prosperity, and progress all these 57 years of nationhood knowing that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:17, ESV).

Truly, I praise God that Singapore has ranked third in the world and first in Asia for the effectiveness of government (Chandler Institute of Governance | The Straits Times, 28th April 2022) according to the global index today. I pray for the Multi–Ministry Taskforce, medical experts, scientific community, key consultants, chief decision-makers, doctors, and healthcare workers as they battle Covid–19 and for many individuals of them to encounter God and experience a double portion of rest and rejuvenation, faith and foresight, clarity and courage, wisdom and wonder, shalom and success. I also pray that Government would continue to protect and preserve the right of the Church to profess, practice and propagate our biblical convictions regarding gender, sexual morality, heterosexual marriage, traditional family structure and parenting – without harassment from any third party.

Truly, I praise God and rejoice in the LORD for our 4G Team Leader, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, whom God has positioned to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in due time and how he had made his  public statements so clearly that reflected the values of the Kingdom of God saying that...

“Throughout my life, I’ve never hankered for post, position or power. I’ve always been realistic about my own abilities and strengths. My philosophy in life, instilled by my parents from young – is that whatever task I’m assigned, I will give of my best. And if my best falls short –  as it surely will from time to time – I try to learn, and I strive to improve, and do better.

“So I have never gone out looking for additional work, but somehow the work finds me. Over the last 25 years in public service, my duties and responsibilities have kept on growing …

“Now I will be taking on what would possibly be the biggest responsibility of my life. I am under no illusions about the demands of the job …

“Knowing full well that we will have to earn the right of leadership, I will continue with the same principles that have guided me all these years, which is to give of my best, to engage and listen, and to learn and improve continually.

“And as I have repeatedly emphasized, leadership, and political leadership is never about one person, it’s always about the entire team. Even a giant like Mr Lee Kuan Yew had a team. The same was true for Mr Goh Chok Tong, and now PM Lee. He has SM (Senior Minister) Teo, SM Tharman, and many others. So much more the case will be with me.” (Press conference | 16th April 2022)

Through this, I give thanks to God for having DPM Lawrence Wong’s life chosen to represent as David as His servant … to be the shepherd of His people … And David shepherded them with integrity of heart, with skilful hands he led them (Psalm 78:70–72, NIV) as His work of grace had been evidently shown in his life – for humility comes before honour (Proverbs 18:12, ESV) and that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6, ESV). I pray that DPM will continue to clothe himself with humility towards all (1 Peter 5:5, ESV).

Indeed, DPM Lawrence Wong “puts his heart and soul into what he is doing and is never a seeker of credit or fanfare” and that he is “patient, listens hard, connects well with people and is intellectually honest while welcoming of vigorous debate … he’s calm under pressure, listens and consults widely … he is prepared to make tough, sometimes unpopular, judgment calls. And if those calls turn out to be wrong, he’s humble enough to admit the missteps and quick to learn from them” (Minister Ong Ye Kung | Professor Donald Low – The Straits Times, 16th/23rd April 2022).

Above all, I thank God for DPM’s sound thinking on faith at work when he said: “I suppose in the Methodist tradition, you would say your work is your worship, right? You don’t delink faith from day to day. Whatever you do on a day-to-day basis, if you do it well, if you take responsibility, that in itself is a testimony of how you as a person are an example, you know, a light for the world.” (‘Lunch With Sumiko’ | The Straits Times, 1st November 2020)

Indeed, public servants who are like DPM Lawerence Wong are “serious, reliable, thorough, questioning, imaginative, always looking out for Singapore” (Lim Siong Guan) as mentioned inside the 40 Days (2022) devotional text.  Indeed, I pray for exceptional grace, wisdom, courage, and unity as DPM Lawrence Wong and the 4G Team to plot the road map for the next decade and beyond as I pondered upon my today’s reading..

(Adapted Text the 40 Days (2022) devotional text, 8th August 2022)

I pray for Section 377A to be governed by legislation and policy, uphold and strengthen the sanctity of heterosexual marriage, establishing this core moral value as the norm – the model for natural procreation, and the stable foundation to bring up the next generation for the long term good and continuity of our nation as our Government is considering how to proceed without “causing a sudden, destabilizing change in social norms or public expectations” (Today, 3rd March 2022) and for God to protect Singapore and keep her safe (Psalm 140:6– 7, ESV) in the days of messy geopolitics ahead.

Indeed, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will”. (Proverbs 21:1, ESV) for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10, ESV) and for the “Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power” (Proverbs 8:14, ESV); as such, I pray for our Government to take effective measures to protect the young and vulnerable in our society.

Current Singapore’s Cabinet:

Madam Halimah Yacob – President of Singapore

Mr Tan Chuan Jin – Speaker of Parliament  

Lee Hsien Loong – Prime Minister

Mr Lawrence Wong – Deputy Prime Minister / Minister for Finance

Mr Heng Swee Keat – Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister + Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies.

Mr Teo Chee Hean – Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam – Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan – Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister-in-charge of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

Mr K Shanmugam – Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Mr Chan Chun Sing –Minister for Education/Minister in–Charge for Public Service

Mr Ong Ye Kung – Minister for Health – Minister in–charge for ageing issues

Mr Gan Kim Yong – Minister for Trade and Industry.

Dr Tan See Leng – Minister for Manpower/Second Minister for Trade and Industry & 2nd NTUC secretary-general as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mr S Iswaran – Minister for Transport/ Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations in the Ministry of Trade and Industry

Mrs Josephine Teo – Minister for Communications and Information/Second Minister for Home Affairs & Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative & Cyber–Security

Ms Grace Fu – Minister for Sustainability and Environment.

Prayer Response to this featured article:

We pray for God to enlighten our Cabinet Ministers with wisdom, discernment, depth of insight, foresight, courage and strength to govern this nation in His ways and for His glory. We bless Singapore today

(Written by Jeremy Koh, 9th August 2022, SG National Day)

Profile Background: 

Jeremy Koh is a disabled graduate from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore – formerly known as Spastic Children Association (1987-1997). He graduated with Certificates in Microsoft Office Skills. Jeremy has worked in ServeHope Pte Ltd – Project Assistant/Email Marketing Consultant for 5 years (March 2008 – August 2013). And, Jeremy did a research work for the keyguard at (these)abilites Pte Ltd handling all KeyGuard Operations for 10 months in World United College South East Asia (Tampines Branch). He was Executive Assistant with Vision Strategy Storytelling (3 months, Aug to Oct 2017). Jeremy worked as GB Connector in GrowthBeans Team in Savior-Asia Consulting Pte Ltd (October 2018 to December 2019). Today, he continues to be in GB Youth Organizing Team/as a GB Youth Facilitator in YouthCorps Singapore, a former member of the Special Needs Cluster in YCS, and a Founder in the ground up initiative project called – Project Story for LIFE (Affiliated with Youth Corps Singapore) that serves the Special Needs Community at-large in society today.

CHRISTIAN VIEWPOINT FEATURE #6

A crazy little thing called trust: Max Jeganathan on the cries of his motherland, Sri Lanka:
Thirty-seven years earlier, a different unruly mob stormed my family’s home just a few kilometres away. Back then, it was a government-sanctioned gang that tried to kill me and my father and burn down our home. Today it’s an anti-government mob that chased the country’s former leader out of office and out of the country. Sadly, for the country of my birth, not much has changed since my family was thrown out of it in 1983. Today’s crisis in Sri Lanka is simply the latest chapter of suffering in a sad history of genocide, war, war crimes, false starts and government ineptitude. These are no new problems. These are the same old problems with new victims. “When sorrows come, they come not as single spies but in battalions.” Shakespeare’s words summarise Sri Lanka’s lamentable history perfectly.

(For more info, do click the link https://saltandlight.sg/news/a-crazy-little-thing-called-trust-max-jeganathan-on-the-cries-of-his-motherland-sri-lanka/ – by Max Jeganathan; 22nd July 2022 – inside Salt & Light)

Tenacious Grace – How We Become and Stay One?
“In this era, our status as redeemed saints is complete, but our experience of redemption is partial”; It’s the participatory dimension of our inherited gift of salvation (and countless facets of this gift, like Christian unity) that explains the New Testament’s teaching on grace and works. The New Testament teaches that we are saved by God’s grace alone (Ephesians 2:8–9), and that works are necessary to our salvation (James 2:24).

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/tenacious-grace – by Jon Bloom; Staff Writer 17th July 2022 – inside Desiring God)

Our Old/Young Earth – Arguments for Billions of Years:
“I do not think the Bible tells us or intends to tell us the age of the earth or the age of the universe.”

But are these continents actually moving apart at that rate? Long-term precise satellite “measurements of the relative positions of North America and North Africa document a current spreading rate of approximately 1 inch per year, a value in remarkable agreement with the radiometrically determined rates.”

“The most natural reading of the Bible’s introduction points to a young earth.” The use of Hebrew yôm (meaning day) with the refrain “there was evening and there was morning” (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31), along with the mention of light and darkness, day and night, and the one-week structure strongly, suggests that the communicator of this revelation was portraying the equivalent of 24-hour

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/our-old-earth & https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/our-young-earth – by Wayne Grudem, Professor, Phoenix Seminary & Jason DeRouchie, Professor, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; 7th July 2022 – inside Desiring God)

‘In Faithfulness You Have Afflicted Me’
But can we derive hope, as the author of Lamentations did, not merely from God’s promise to faithfully deliver us from our afflictions, but from what God will faithfully accomplish for us through our afflictions?

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/in-faithfulness-you-have-afflicted-me – by Jon Bloom, Staff writer, 29th June – inside Desiring God)

5 Stages of Building a Successful Team:
In this place, we literally can learn to play and plan and work and enjoy each other all at the same time. Why? Because whether we’re talking about companies, sports teams or families, each group is functioning at a much higher and more effective level. Here, we’re making good, hard decisions that have to be made to be able to make the company more functional and more profitable, to be able to make the sports team better winners and more successful or to make the family not dysfunctional, but more functional. 

(For more info, do click the link https://charismamag.com/relationships-life/446788/ by Ford Taylor on Relationships 27th June 2022 – inside Charisma Magazine)

Is Discipleship More Challenging Today? Five Modern Hurdles to Ministry:
“The only doorway to the kingdom of Christ is through acknowledgment of personal villainy.” Life–on–life discipleship takes hours, days, months, and even years of commitment. It requires sustained scriptural focus. It takes single-mindedness and intentional relationships – qualities more easily attained without a constant barrage of stimuli, whether for entertainment (Netflix, YouTube, TikTok), human connection (Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook), or information (podcasts, TED talks, articles – yes, I see the irony).

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/is-discipleship-more-challenging-today – by Matt Reagan; Guest Contributor, 24th June 2022 – inside Desiring God)

“Spirit of God, fall afresh on us”: Rev Edmund Chan on the demystification of revival:
The defining mark of the church is not size. It is the spirit of the living God falling on them! We cannot engineer revival. We can only respond in faith to the promise of God.

(For more info, do click the link https://saltandlight.sg/faith/spirit-of-god-fall-afresh-on-us-rev-edmund-chan-on-the-demystification-of-revival/ – by Rev Edmund Chan 22nd June 2022– inside Salt & Light)

Do Not Fear to Leave This World:
Perhaps you will feel the same discomfort I felt overhearing saints of old speak of death. “He who does not prepare for death is more than an ordinary fool. He is a madman,” began Charles Spurgeon. “Agreed,” said the good Doctor Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Men seem to ignore the plain fact that “the moment you come into this world you are beginning to go out of it.”

But this fact need not spell doom and gloom for the Christian, Spurgeon responded. “The best moment of a Christian’s life is his last one, because it is the one that is nearest heaven.”

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/do-not-fear-to-leave-this-world – by Greg Morse 15th June 2022 – Staff Writer, inside Desiring God)

Find a Storm to Stir You:
The Greek for “stir up” means “to provoke” or “to agitate;” The same word is used just one other time in the New Testament, and it’s used (surprisingly) to describe the “sharp disagreement” that arose between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark (Acts 15:39). There’s a kind of sharpness in the imagery. Shake one another, unsettle one another, upsets one another – with a holy interruption – until love spills over and good works spring to life.

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/find-a-storm-to-stir-you – by Marshall Segal 12th June 2022 – inside Desiring God)

How Did Jesus ‘Make Disciples’?
Making good fishermen is a long, involved process, as they knew all too well. It requires teaching and training over time. Not only hearing, and internalizing, clear words of instruction and direction but also watching a master fisherman at work – and catching the unspoken rhythms and patterns of his craft.

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-did-jesus-make-disciples – by David Mathis (2nd June, inside Desiring God)

When Your Marriage Hurts – Healing the wounds and travelling light:
Ponder the various hurts you may have accumulated in your marriage life. She criticised you in front of your family members. He forgot your wedding anniversary. She neglected your needs in favour of your newborn child. She compared you with her colleague’s husband. He did not help with chores around the house.

It is a laundry list of hurts – intentional or unintentional.

(For more info, do click the link https://family.org.sg/FOTFS/Blog/Marriage/when-your-marriage-hurts.aspx by Chan Swee Fen, 25th May 2022– inside FAMILY FOCUS/BLOG)

How to Have Healthy Expectations in Marriage – Communicating well and showing grace:
Let’s not be shy about admitting it. Marriage is hard. Often, it’s made even harder by the one thing that floats beneath the surface, only surfacing in the midst of quarrels.

Expectations.
 

Whether said or unsaid, expectations, when unmet, can leave couples feeling dissatisfied, disillusioned, and disappointed with marriage life. Expectations allow you to uphold certain standards, but grace allows for flexibility when one party doesn’t meet them.

(For more info, do click the link https://family.org.sg/FOTFS/Blog/Marriage/how-to-have-healthy-expectations-in-marriage.aspx by John Lim, 20th April 2022 – inside FAMILY FOCUS/BLOG)

Retired Pentecostal Pastor: Will Jesus Return in This Decade?
Much of the time, when people think of biblical prophecy they are most concerned with the personal and practical implications of the “mystery” (a previously undisclosed truth or reality) of the “snatching away” or “gathering together” of the saints of God (living and dead) in what is popularly called the “rapture.” Rather than worrying more about being “left behind,” committed disciples can rest in this future hope and holy assurance.

Could Jesus Return to Earth this Decade?
In a previous article, I asked the question of whether or not Jesus will return in this decade. We affirmed that we do not know and we cannot even be sure that this definite, future event will occur in our lifetimes—let alone in this decade (Matthew 25:13, NIV).

(For more info, do click the link https://www.charismamag.com/spirit/revival/52170-retired-pentecostal-pastor-will-jesus-return-in-this-decade & https://www.charismamag.com/spirit/supernatural/52197-could-jesus-return-to-earth-this-decade – by Gary Curtis (16th & 19th May 2022, inside Charisma Magazine)

The Pillar in the Pews – How the Church Upholds the Truth:
God wants men and women everywhere to hear, believe, and enjoy the truth — the truth about God, about grace, about the cross. And under that truth, he has placed a chosen pillar, a buttress he himself designed and constructed for this global and eternal purpose: the church.

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-word-of-god-is-worth-the-work – by Marshall Segal (13th May 2022), Staff writer, inside Desiring God)

The Word of God Is Worth the Work:
In Bible reading as well as mountaineering, many would like the experience of heart-skipping beauty without working their quadriceps to jelly. We often would prefer, say, to drive to the summit of Romans 8 without traversing the rocky fields of reasoning, and climbing the alpine slopes of argumentation, and patiently tracing the winding paths of logic in Romans 1–7. We want the thrill of spiritual feeling without the labor of spiritual thought.

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-word-of-god-is-worth-the-work – by Scott Hubbard {Editor} – 5th May 2022, inside Desiring God)

The Sees Family – Part 1 & 2:
When the Sees were featured by The Straits Times about how they feed 8 kids on $300 a week, some netizens commented that the children were so “deprived" and "poor thing”. The Sees family shared their stories of how they can find the joy in life really that doesn’t cost much.

The netizens found it “very impressive” how the parents raised their children to be independent.

(For more info, do click the link https://saltandlight.sg/family/were-not-poor-were-rich-in-family-time-eight-kid-single-income-family-has-no-tuition-helper-or-car & https://saltandlight.sg/family/our-family-relies-on-god-parents-of-eight-kids-were-once-at-risk-of-being-childless/ by Priscilla Goy – 22nd & 29th Apr 2022)

“Come, Holy Spirit:”
For many Christians today, that brief prayer is often connected with heightened emotions, unguided –spontaneous experiences, and an intense expectation of God’s nearness. Something unusual and powerful is about to happen.

Inviting the Spirit to come, however, is no new phenomenon. Christians of all persuasions have sincerely spoken or sung these words for centuries. Which raises a few questions –

If God is present everywhere, isn’t the Spirit already here?

Should we even be praying to the Holy Spirit?

And what exactly are we asking the Spirit to come and do?

We’re going to seek to answer those questions, specifically as it relates to the gatherings of the church. How are we to think about the Holy Spirit’s presence and our engagement with him?

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/come-holy-spirit – by Bob Kauflin {Pastor, Louisville, Kentucky} – 23rd Apr 2022, inside Desiring God)

The Love in His Grief – How the Spirit Respond to our sin:
You’ve done it again. Your conscience begins to stain. Here it is: that sin you vowed – you prayed – never to repeat. You feel the desperate urge to flee from yourself. You wonder, Does God feel the same?

(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-love-in-his-grief – by Greg Morse {Staff Writer} – 18th Apr 2022, inside Desiring God)

Joel News International:
UK and India: Oceans apart a mother and son pray for a miracle:
People often talk about the power of prayer, from the mundane to the magnificent. Patrick Gilbert’s story definitely falls on the side of magnificent. It reads like a film-script and what lies at its heart are two people, oceans apart, who prayed for a miracle.

(For more info, do click the link https://mailchi.mp/joelnews/jni-1143?e=947657d957 by Joel News International – 10th Oct 2019)

South Asia: Buddhist monks turn to Christ:
Global Disciples has a big vision - to see the least reached and unreached people groups of the world have the chance to encounter the Gospel. One way the ministry works towards this vision is by training national leaders in how to share the Gospel.

Algeria: Woman's healing brings village to Christ;
A woman in a village in Algeria had been very sick for quite some time. Her husband had taken her to many doctors and specialists and had even tried witchcraft and sorcery, but she remained unchanged.

(For more info, do click the link https://mailchi.mp/joelnews/jni-1132?e=947657d957 – by Joel News International – 7th Feb 2019)

One Long Search for God

Notice:
On 9th August (Tues), your National Day Feature will be posted up from 3.00pm onwards.

 

As I meditated upon how Jesus said, “For it is from within, out of a person's heart, those evil thoughts come-sexual immorality, theft, murder” (Mark 7:21, NIV), I examined how Jesus referred to the evil things as false witness and blasphemy, murder, theft, adultery, lust & deceit that are committed by the action of deeds and through faculty of speech by mouth. As such, I saw how the men had changed God when they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles resulting in the sin of their disobedience (Romans 1:23, NIV). By this, I also see how the people on earth had been corrupted in their ways because of the sin of their humanity (Genesis 6:12b, NIV).

Indeed, I read how Herbert Spencer in Natural Law in the Spiritual World defines physical life as “inward correspondence with the outward environment” and through this, I see how we can be out of touch with God where we’ll be out of touch with ourselves and with others unless we know how to have “one long search for God” as one historian puts it, as their points were mentioned inside the Every Day Light online devotional text. And, I agree with two writers to say how our search for God must be found through the only way of the cross.

Hence, this encourages me to repent my sinful nature as I call out Jesus as my God today and draw myself away from being a self-lover, lover of money, boastful, proud, abusive, and disobedient to my parents while living an ungrateful and unholy life (2 Timothy 3:2, NIV) as I pondered through my today’s reading.

Who are you searching out as your God today?

Prayer Response to this featured article:
Thank you Jesus for setting us free from sin & death by the flames of Calvary;

(Written by Jeremy Koh, 5th January 2021)

Profile Background:
Jeremy Koh is a disabled graduate from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore – formerly known as Spastic Children Association (1987-1997). He graduated with Certificates in Microsoft Office Skills. Jeremy has worked in ServeHope Pte Ltd – Project Assistant/Email Marketing Consultant for 5 years (March 2008 – August 2013). And, Jeremy did a research work for the keyguard at (these)abilites Pte Ltd handling all KeyGuard Operations for 10 months in World United College South East Asia (Tampines Branch). He was Executive Assistant with Vision Strategy Storytelling (3 months, Aug to Oct 2017). Jeremy worked as GB Connector in GrowthBeans Team in Savior-Asia Consulting Pte Ltd (October 2018 to December 2019). Today, he continues to be in GB Youth Organizing Team/as a GB Youth Facilitator in YouthCorps Singapore, a former member of the Special Needs Cluster in YCS, and a Founder in the ground up initiative project called – Project Story for LIFE (Affiliated with Youth Corps Singapore) that serves the Special Needs Community at–large in society today.