My Faith Is In Christ’s Resurrection

And after three days he will rise. Mark 10:34b ESV

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for Jesus, my Redeemer, who has risen from the dead for me. My sins are forgiven by Him and He resurrected to give me eternal life to be with Him forever. Lord Jesus, your amazing love and faithfulness is an oasis to my soul every day amid the hustling and bustling of daily activities living in Singapore. May my light continue to glow and direct many to have faith in the Living God and worship you Jesus.  In your mighty name I pray.

God Can Save Anyone Regardless….

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father, there is no hindrance or obstacle for you to reach out to save any lost soul regardless of the circumstance he or she is facing.  Everything is possible with you for any repentant heart to receive forgiveness of sins and the regeneration of his spirit giving him a born-again experience thereby becoming a child of God forever.  I pray that there will be nothing before me that shall become a barrier for me to live a life pleasing to you.  Thank you Father for I have tasted the joy of salvation and am looking for the glorious hope of seeing Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, face to face.  In your blessed name I pray.

What Is One Thing Lacking?

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mark 10:21-22 ESV

Dear Heavenly Father I have many things lacking in me.  Help me to search my heart to be aware of what are my blind spots. Let me learn to be still and hear your voice. May I not be busy with activities and people that I am not conscious of your presence in guiding, correcting and teaching me on walking in your love, holiness and power. Also, help me to submit every inadequacy, weakness and flaw in your trusting arm knowing that you truly care for my growth and health spiritually and physically.  In Jesus’ name I give thanks and pray.  

Jesus’ Consuming Passion Is To Give Me His Life

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Mark 10:17 ESV

Dear Heavenly Father today is another fresh new day and a precious gift from above.  Heaven is a wonderful place, where there is peace, joy, love, perfection, beauty, holiness, and many more which are beyond my imagination. All these are stored up for me in Heaven for I have already received eternal life which is a gift from Jesus.  This is made possible by His death, burial and resurrection, and my part is to “ran up and knelt before him” in repentance of heart and receiving His forgiveness of my sins letting Him to be the Master and Lord of my life. I did this in 1980! Father, let me always be grateful and joyful every new day, and walk in love, holiness and anointing for your glory and pleasure.  May I be led to someone who shall be touched by you today. In Jesus’ blessed name I give thanks.

Resurrection: A Fact

Devotion By A.W. Tozer

Scripture: Be establish in the present truth….2 Peter 2:12

The resurrection of Christ and the fact of the empty tomb are not a part of this world’s complex and continuing mythologies. This is not a Santa Claus tale – it is history and it is reality.

The true Church of Jesus Christ is necessarily founded on the belief and the truth that there was a real death, a real tomb and a real stone!

But, thank God, there was a sovereign Father in Heaven, an angel sent to roll the stone away, and a living Saviour in a resurrected and a glorified body, able to proclaim to His disciples, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

Brethen, He died for us, but ever since the hour of the Resurrection, He has been the mighty Jesus, the might Christ, the mighty Lord.

Our business is to thank God with tearful reverence for the cross, but to go on to the right understanding of what the resurrection meant both to God and to men. We understand and acknowledge that the Resurrection has placed a glorious crown upon all of Christ’s suffering!

Prayer: Lord, I praise you that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact and not a fable. Because He lives, I have real purpose in this life, and I can look forward to the life hereafter.

Marriage Is God's Beautiful Plan And Meaningful Purpose

But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." Mark 10:6-9 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father i thank you for the wonderful idea of putting two different genders together through marriage. It is a beautiful plan and meaningful purpose indeed. In this marital covenant i feel your presence for your unconditonal love is felt every moment between us. We draw closer to you day by day through this relationship especially in prayers, worship, reading your Word, and communion with the Holy Spirit. May our marriage which you had instrumented from the very beginning bring glory and praise to your holy name Father. In Jesus' blessed name i pray.

Shining For Christ And Reflecting His Peace

For everyone will be salted with fire.  Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:49-50 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father may I be a beautiful channel of your wonderful peace amid human imperfections and craftiness of man’s evil mindset in this manipulative worldly system. May I not be a stumbling block and become insensitive to the feelings of others, especially those who have been hurt, harassed and harshly treated as evidenced by the many permanent scars in their lives. Let the saltiness be preserved in me, as I dwell in your abiding love and minister in your power.  In Jesus’ blessed name I give thanks and pray.   

Showing Brotherly Kindness Is Beautiful In God's Sight

For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. Mark 9:41 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father i thank you for another beautifu day - a precious gift of life. Thy lovingkindness is indeed better than life for truly without which life on earth is a mere existence, meaningless and purposeless. Father, thank you that i am in the Body of Christ in which love, joy and peace amongst others, can be experienced and shared. May i show kindness and generosity to someone needy today. In Jesus' lovely name i give thanks and pray.

God Truly Delights In Simple Obedience

And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father may my walk with you brings delight to you because i choose to obey you with a pure heart and simple faith. Let the joy in you motivate and empower me to trust and obey you in everything i do today. May i hear your unique voice as i make decision, talk with people and when am alone, and be obedient to your leading. I thank you Father for another blessed day walking with you. In Jesus' name i pray.

Children Have A Very Special Place In God's Heart.

And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."  Mark 9:36-37 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for the many wonderful children you bring into my life, and the blessed privilege of knowing them and the joy of seeing in them the simplicity and childlike faith. May i encourage and empower them as well as love and cherish them. May i touch a child today with your great love. In Jesus' name i pray.

I Know Jesus Has Risen!

For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise." Mark 9:31 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father this is what I have believed and already experienced the risen Christ in my heart through the Holy Spirit indwelling in me. A victory for me too because i am redeemed from sins, sickness and satan thereby victory over spiritual death! Father may this week see the increase of intimacy with you, loving you, obeying you and trusting you in all that i say and do. I want to bless someone today and every day. May the joy, peace and your abiding presence in me draw the lost into your wonderful presence. I give you praise and glory Father. In Jesus' victorious name i pray.

Sunday Sermon Title: The Call Of Gideon

Speaker: Pastor Pacer Tan
Church: Lighthouse Evangelism
Date: 20 March 2016

Introduction
God's calling is muted nowaday due to many life distractions. When we come to faith in Christ, we have many terms to define our born again experience like child of God, new creation, newness of life and many others. However we are not saved to have a right relationship with God only, but saved for a purpose which is to fulfill the call of God in our lives.

1. Fundamentally, the call of God comes to our lives to fulfill a need.
A. For example, God's calling upon the life of Abraham is to be the father of many nations, Noah's call is to start a new generation of human race and Moses is called to be the deliverer to God's chosen people, the Israelites. Women are also called. The life of Esther reveals God 's calling for her to deliver a people that is to be extinct.
B. God's call to a person or a group of people is always about fulfilling a need. Have you been called to fulfill a particular need?
C. It is more than a calling to be s a Christian, housewife, mother, worker, engineer, parent, etc. We need to umderstand the nature of God's call before we fall into the trap of apathy or even lose our direction and passion as God's people. Christians are not called to sink our roots by enjoying life in this world or become self-centered.

2. In Judges 6, the Midianites have taken everything from Israel and oppressed them resulting a desperate cry to God for help. Then God brings a deliverer to remind them of God's deliverance in Eygpt. There is a need and God raises up a man to fulfill the need.

Reflection: The call for you may be to deliver someone, a company, a famliy, or a friend from demonic influence.

3. In Judges 6:11ff, it is written that though Gideon knows the history of God's deliverance of Israelites from the bondage in Eygpt, he still questions God why is Israel still suffering?  God replied him by telling him he is the answer to overcome the suffering of His people.

4. Gideon needs a sign to be sure he is called. God shows him a sign of fire to convince him. However faith is believing what God says about you before it happens.
A. In Paul's writings, he clearly affirms the readers of who they are in God's sight.
B. Similarly, in God's sight Gideon is a mighty man of valor despite what he says of himself as the least in his household and his clan being the weakest.

5. Faith is NOT what you receive. It is what you become.
A. In Ephesians 3:20, Paul says that the power WITHIN US enables us to become what God wants us to be.
B. There is nothing coincidental in the life of a Christian. There is no place for luck for our destiny is planned by God.
C. It is important to know that God's call is not for self-improvement or self-aggrandization.
D. You don't have to think that you should be rich now. You are already rich in God's eternal kingdom now and throughout eternity. To the contrary, our motivation should be like Jesus who says that He has come to seek that which was lost.

6. God can use the 'weakest' person to do His Will.
A. Man sees only human frailty. The emphasis is about God's strength upon us.
B. If anyone wants to be rich and wealthy, the cross is not for him.
C. The wisdom of God is foolishness to the world. Our worldly mindset contradicts the ways of God.
Reflection: What is it right now that you dont believe you have a call from God?

7. Ministry is not frightening if we have the right biblical perspective in that it is God who empowers us. He empowers us to pray, teach, help, serve and minister.

8. God always calls His people to peace. In Judges 6:23, Gideon says the Lord is peace.
A. In order to have lasting peace, we need to "war" on the things that are destroying our peace.
B. What are the things that are destroying your peace? Is it unforgiveness, bitterness, greed, or fear?
C. In 2 Thessalonians 3:16, God wants to give us peace all the times. Therefore we should ask for peace not only when we are at war but also when we are in good times.

9. God is faithful even when we are not for God changes not.
A. God does not change His calling for us. Many times we change our call because we cannot take the heat.
B. In Judges 6:38-40, Gideon receives a third sign to be assured of his calling. Once he is affirmed, Gideon fulfills his calling.
C. God is faithful even though we can be faithless for He is committed to love us with His mercy and grace. He changes not!

Application: God has a call for you. Do you say like Isaiah "Here am I. Send me".

Take a moment to talk with God on His calling for you personally amd uniquely.

Is there anything that is taking away your peace and paralyses you from fulfilling God's call for your life?

Remember: God is faithful and He is able to destroy every barrier that hinders you from fulfilling your divine call from above.

Note: This is a personal sermon note-taking. To have a complete sermon, you may want to purchase the DVD at the church counter.

Prayer Enters Into The Supernatural Things Of God

And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer." Mark 9:28-29 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father teach me to understand this grace you have given me. I desire to learn this important spiritual truth so that i can go deeper in fellowshipping with you. I also desire to be led to see what you want me to see in order to have victory over demonic influences on the lives of many lost souls. May my prayer life be the source of strength to live a victorious spiritual life. In Jesus' name i pray.

Simply Believe For God Is Able

And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:23-24 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father what a joy to know that you are able to meet all my needs all the times, and i only need to believe wholeheartedly and sincerely. I commit the salvation of family members and loved ones in your loving hand. Help me to touch them with your wonderful love. I believe they will be saved by your great love and divine forgiveness. In Jesus' powerful name i pray.

God Desires To Communicate All The Times

And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." Mark 9:7 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father i know you speak to me always through the Holy Spirit. May i learn to be sensitve to your still small voice and listen to you for guidance, correction and encouragement daily. Thank you Father for the blessed things in life, and may i keep being a blessing to lives that need your divine touch. In Jesus' wonderful name i give thanks and pray.

I Have Because He Gives

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? Mark 8:36-37 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father i know that this is the most solemn question to ask and reflect on what kind of life am i  living on this temporal earth, now that i am saved by the precious blood of Jesus. i thank  you Father for keeping my soul safe in your loving and eternal arm. May i always be grateful to you, and let my life shine so that the spiritually blind may receive sight to be saved. In Jesus' name i pray.

Only Through Christ Alone Is My Salvation

And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” Mark 8:29 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me how I am saved and the joy of salvation. Thank you Jesus for coming from Heaven and exchanged my sinful life with your sinless life so that I need not face eternal damnation but receive the divine life on earth and in Heaven. Gracious Father, what a great comfort and gladness to know and experience this truth personally. I thank you that I am who I am because I belong to Christ, my Saviour, Lord and Messiah!  May my heart be prepared at all times for your glorious return. Any opportunity to tell someone this wonderful truth daily is my  truly a privilege and joy.  In Jesus' name I give thanks.

May I Be A Channel Of Healing For The Sick

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. Mark 8:22 ESV.

Dear Heavenly Father i pray that i may be a channel of your love, mercy, blessings and healing to the sick, the suffering and the struggling. It is a divine touch from Heaven that will bring true transformation in their lives, physically, mentally and, most importantly, spiritually. May this fresh new week be filled with your wonderful blessings flowing out from your throne of grace and mercy. I thank you Father. In Jesus' blessed name i give thanks.

Sunday Sermon Title: 3 Stages of Spiritual Growth

Speaker: Senior Pastor Rony Tan
Date: 13 March 2016
Venue: Lighthouse Evangelism

1.     Introduction
What constitutes a human being? What comprises a man?  In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Apostle Paul tells us that God Himself sanctifies us wholly, that is, our  body, soul and spirit.  Every human has a spiritual dimension, not just a physical one. The soul of a man is a bridge between his spirit and the body.  The soul consists of mind, emotion and will of a person. The soul can decide what he wants to focus on.  He can focus on the body and grow strong physically, and to have a strong mind mentally. By doing this alone, his spirit would be underdeveloped. Such a person will impact nothing in this life for there is no eternal value, because the spirit remains untouched and underdeveloped. 

2.     “I am a spirit. I have a soul and I live in the body”. 

a.     This understanding will give us a right perspective of our personhood.  Body contacts the physical world. Mind contacts the mental world. Spirit contacts the spiritual world.

b.    When a person is born again. He is sensitive to the spiritual world, both to God and the devil.

3.     Satan comes as an angel of light because he wants to deceive. Our society of all levels is influenced by the spirit of deception because Satan appears as an angel of light.

a.     Christians who are not anchored in God's Word, they will be deceived. This is because many simply just hear the Word.  Soon, they will develop an itchy ear to hear more and more.

b.    These people build their houses on a sandy foundation. They think they are saved just by hearing, without doing.  So called biblical teaching without having self-discipline and taking responsibility is a clear indication that the angel of light has infiltrated into the church.

4.     There are many churchgoers who talk about Christ but never behave like Him.

a.     There are two ways to show that we are hearer and doer of the Word.  One is character building, which is about becoming more like Christ each day.  The second is the Great Commission, which is about evangelising the lost through our life and lifestyle.

b.    False teaching is like “closing down sales teaching” for there is no need to exercise discipline and responsibility, just keep hearing the Word.

5.     How to have the assurance of salvation? The answer is:

Right Bible interpretation leads to right doctrine
Right doctrine leads to right believing
Right believing leads to right living
Right living leads to assurance of salvation

a.     Knowing God's part and man's part is a good balance teaching. Assurance of salvation comes from discipline. It is about walking the narrow way. One needs to work out his salvation with fear and trembling.

b.    A disciplined Christian life has no issue or question about the assurance of salvation because he is assured daily as a hearer and doer of God’s Word.

c.     Like the Israelites, assurance of salvation is about discipline. They stayed within the boundary God set for them, and was saved when the angel of death passed over them.

d.    There is a similarity between the garden of Eden and the modern day teaching in that wrong beliefs bring “enlightenment”.  It is this kind of enlightenment that leads many to spiritual death.

6.     Reverend Moon and the Unification Church

a.     His background.  He was a pastor's son. He read the Bible and prayed regularly. However he started to twist the Bible slowly and subtlely.  Initially, the deviation was minor but later he got more blatant in his teaching.

b.    He wrote a theology book called the divine principles. He started to claim that God revealed to him in a special way. He began to teach that Jesus is one body with God and not God. He taught his members that they can be one body with God.

c.     He declared that even Moses and Jesus have to submit to him. To him, Jesus did not complete his mission. Thus Jesus came back again through him to complete God’s mission.

d.    He got married in 1960. Later he went to Japan and it was recorded that his converts were more than all the churches combined in Japan.

e.     When he went to the United States, he took the nation by storm.  Many professionals like lawyers left their jobs and homes to follow him. Parents of teenagers were upset with him because they left them to follow him. It was recorded that 300 hundred thousands flocked to hear him speak at the Washington Memorial Service. At its peak, the movement has one millions followers.

7.     There is always demonic power behind false teaching, like in the case of Rev Moon.  Therefore, Christians need to know what they believe.

a.     Do you study the Bible carefully? Or, do you just read the Bible casually once a week?

b.    It is sad that Christians, like other faiths, do not really know what they believe. Apostle Paul warns us in 1Timothy 4:1 that in the last day some shall depart from the faith. In other words, these people have believed the right teachings before, but began to believe the wrong teachings which led them astray.

8.     Is it true that once saved always saved? Yes and no. Yes if I keep walking in the narrow way.  No, if I walk the broad way.  By simply believed that once saved always saved regardless of what I do with my life, is a false doctrine.

a.     In the last days some shall depart from the faith for they are entering into the devil’s same old trap, which is being “enlightened” without discipline and responsibility.

b.    Rev Moon always quoted the Bible, but he was a wolf in sheep clothing. Similarly, many modern day preachers can quote the Bible, but do it out of context.

c.     Like Rev Moon, many will teach many good stuff which are baits to lure them to swallow the poison later. No wonder we are seeing many Christians today being deceived and led astray after taking the poison of false teaching.

d.    Every cultic leader can say ten good things and he needs only one of these things diluted with poison to blind the gullible and ignorant from seeing the true light.

9.     In Act 16:6, it is recorded that this possessed slave girl kept saying that Apostle Paul and his men were the servants of the most High God. It might sound like a good introduction, but the Bible says that Paul was grieved in the spirit.  Though it is true that they are servants of God and the devil knows it, but the devil’s hidden agenda is always to deceive and destroy the soul of man ultimately.  

a.     A dog does not take in pioson straightaway.  It is always a little bit at a time before it breathes its last.

b.    The deceived would say, “Rev Moon has the majority, so it must be true”.  Majority is not necessary always right.  Moses sent out 12 spies and 10 of them, which are the majority, gave wrong advice. The ten were wrong.

Conclusion

Jesus said to us that we need to beware of false prophets with sheep clothing for they are ravenous wolves.  We must work hard for the world is set on the path towards hell.

Reflection: Would we be able to say to Jesus that we have done our best?  Can we tell Him that we read the Bible daily and carefully?

Mother Teresa once said, “I know I cannot help all, but I can help some”.  Who are the “some” that you can help?

We need to be busy for the Lord.  In the Book of Acts, what are the disciples busy about? Their consuming passion is two-fold. One is to build right character in them so that they can be more like Christ. Two is to obey the Great Commission to share Christ with others particularly their loved ones.

Two questions to ask ourselves when the world ceases: Are you saved? Are your loved ones saved?

Application:

Let us examine our heart and ask God to help us to have this yearning to be more and more like Christ each day.  Ask Him to increase our desire to pray for our loved ones and share Christ with them.  Intercede for them so that their heart shall be open to God’s love through Jesus Christ’s forgiveness of sins.  May we be the light and salt for Christ at home, in the place of work, and in the community we live in.

Note: This is a personal sermon note-taking. To get a complete sermon, you may want to purchase the DVD from the church counter.