1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

Volume 40
Issue No. 15
5 April 2015
Grace Bible-Presbyterian Church
5 Jalan Haji Salam, Singapore 468745
Tel: 6442-2440 Fax: 6876-0346
URL: www.gracebpc.org.sg/home
email: [email protected]
Grace to you and Peace from God
Our Mission:
“Passion for Christ, Heart for the Lost”
(Phil. 1 : 21; Matt. 28 : 18—20)
Combined (English/Mandarin) Easter Service
ORDER OF WORSHIP
Prelude
Bro Edwin Lian & Sis Joanna Hor
Silent Meditation
Call to Worship
Opening Hymn
Rev Tan Eng Boo/Elder Seah Soon Huat
PPT
“Thine is the Glory”
Hymn
PPT
“Welcome Happy Morning”
Responsive Reading
Psalm 5
“Seeing Jesus in the Morning”
*Gloria Patri
Offerings
** Doxology
Scripture Reading
Matthew 28:1-20
Special Item
Hymn
PPT
“I Know That My Redeemer Liveth”
Baptism
Pastoral Prayer
Message
“COME AND SEE”
Holy Communion
PPT
“Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross”
REV HO CHEE LAI
Closing Hymn
PPT
“Seeking For Me”
Benediction
Threefold Amen
Welcome & Announcements
* Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost, As it was in the
beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, Amen
** Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
5 RESURRECTION REALITIES
THAT REORIENT
OUR EVANGELISM
Evangelism rises or falls based upon the
reality of the resurrection. If Jesus did
not rise from the dead, there is no good
news to share: sin and death still reign,
we worship a dead and decomposing
deity, and Christians should be pitied
because we are deceived and pathetic.
On the other hand, if the resurrection is
true, every Christian should be compelled to share this good news liberally
and with great joy.
In 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Paul argues
that for the Christian, everything hinges
upon the reality of the resurrection.
Here is what that means specifically for
your evangelism.
1. Because the resurrection is true,
proclaiming the gospel bears fruit
and gives birth to faith that leads to
life.
Because of the resurrection, dead people
get raised to life with words. Such is the
miracle of preaching the gospel. Not
only is gospel proclamation a fruitbearing activity, it gives birth to faith
that leads to eternal life. Evangelism is
not vain, unproductive, empty, and fruitless. Why? Because Jesus rose from the
dead, sits at the right hand of the Father,
and is calling people himself right now
through our verbal witness.
Share the good news of Jesus because
God will use it to bring about new life.
2. Because the resurrection is true, we
can rightly represent God.
Christians are false witnesses if Christ is
not raised from the dead: “We are even
found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he
raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it
is true that the dead are not raised” (1
Cor. 15:15). Because of the resurrection. we can rightly present and represent God to a lost and dying world.
You are not some snake-oil salesman or
ponzi scheme shill. You bear the approval and commission of the Creator of
the universe. You can and should speak
with conviction, love, and earnestness,
pleading with the lost to believe. You
can be winsome and kind in your evangelism, but also deeply sincere because
God has sent you as a witness to his lost
sheep.
3. Because the resurrection is true,
your sins have been forgiven.
If the resurrection is false, then you are
condemned to hell forever: “And if
Christ has not been raised, your faith is
futile and you are still in your sins” (1
Cor. 15:17). Because of the resurrection, your sins have been forgiven at the
cross. It was accomplished, sealed, and
confirmed. Nothing can undo what
Christ has done at the cross.
How does this promise reorient our
evangelism? We share the good news
with freedom and gratitude. You can
joyfully witness about Jesus because
your terminal disease—sin—has been
cured, forever. You have the privilege
of sharing the cure with all who will
hear. No more guilt or shame. You have
been forgiven. Jesus’s blood is greater
than any sin. Your sins have been paid.
4. Because the resurrection is true, all
who die in Christ live forever.
P a ul wr i t es i n 1 C o r i nt hi a n s
15:18, “Then those also who have fallen
asleep in Christ have perished.” There is
no hope for anyone if Christ did not
rise. All will die, perish, and suffer eternal torment away from God. Because of
the resurrection, all who die in Christ
live forever. All who believed in and
followed Christ are with Jesus forever.
No lasting death. “O death, where is
your victory? O death, where is your
sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55).
So we can proclaim this eternal hope:
trust in Christ and be with him for all
eternity. You can speak frankly at the
bedside of the dying. You can have
great confidence that deceased loved
ones no longer suffer. Those who belong to Christ live forever.
5. Because the resurrection is true, we
live enviable lives.
The Christian life is a sad and pitiful life
if the resurrection is false: “If in Christ
we have hope in this life only, we are of
all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor.
15:19). Because of the resurrection, Christians live enviable lives.
Knowing Jesus Christ—in his death and
resurrection—far surpasses anything
else in the entire universe. Yes, even in
suffering. Yes, even if beheaded or oppressed or marginalized. Yes, even if we
are considered close-minded, weird, or
religious freaks. Like Paul, we can say,
“I count everything as loss because of
the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). We can
heartily sing, “Hallelujah, all I have is
Christ. Hallelujah, Jesus is my life!”
You can have all the confidence in the
world that the words you speak bring
abundant and everlasting life. You have
an answer that makes sense of all the
questions about life. You can rejoice in
your eternal hope reserved by God for
you in heaven right now. You can promise that life may not get easier in the
short-term—it may even come with
great cost and suffering—but that Christ
gives us a living hope, a future inheritance, joy inexpressible, and ultimately
the salvation of your soul (1 Pet. 1:3-9).
It will be worth it.
Therefore, as Easter approaches, consider 1 Corinthians 15:58—“Therefore,
my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord
your labor is not in vain.” Your prayers
for the lost, your intentional spiritual
conversations, and your labor in building a relationship of love with those
who don’t know Jesus are not in vain.
Be steadfast. Nothing done for God is in
vain. Therefore, abound in the work of
evangelism.
Let the reality of the resurrection reorient, motivate, and encourage your evangelistic zeal and love. May God be
pleased to give you to joy of introducing
someone to Jesus for the first time this
Easter.
Steven Lee serves as the pastor of small
groups and community outreach at College
Church in Wheaton, Illinois
Prayer Page
“Men Ought Always To Pray and Not To Faint” (Luke 18: 1)
Praise and Prayer Items
in Brief
Pulpit
Ministry– 12 Apr 2015.
Pray for the Lord’s anointing on the
Lord’s messenger - Pastor. Chairman: Dn Richard Tan. Pray for our
instrumentalists: Sis Chea Ruei
Jean and Sis Joanna Hor. Pray for
the Lord’s blessings upon the pulpit ministry.
Usher
Ministry– 12 Apr 2015.
Pray for Sis Lydia Lee, Sis Naomi
Neoh and Bro Daniel Tan. Pray for
their safety in the Lord’s work.
Our Missions
Batam, Indonesia
Filadelfia - Shelter Home
and Kindergarten: Pray for the
dedication of the Primary school in
April.
Our Missionary
Catherine Ng: Pray for opportunity to share Christ over the Good
Friday and Easter occasions.
Our Nation
We have seen how the Lord has
blessed our nation these 50 years.
Thank God for using the late Mr
Lee Kuan Yew. Pray for the Government as they lead the nation in
the years ahead that we may continue to have peace and prosperity, and the freedom of worship.
5 Tavistock Avenue Singapore 555108
ROS 259/56, Charity Re. No: 48-000293311
28 March, 2015
The Honourable Prime Minister
TRIBUTE TO THE LATE MR LEE KUAN YEW
The SINGAPORE COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES is pleased to
join the swelling chorus of individuals and organizations, including religious
bodies like ourselves, in paying tribute to the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. In our
own Faith we are reminded that we must “Render … to all … tribute to
whom tribute is due ... honour to whom honour [is due]” (Romans 13:7).
Our Founding Prime Minister was a giant of immense proportions. He demonstrated an exemplary selflessness. He was a quintessential example of one
who could be both a tough leader when dealing with hard issues, while at the
same time showing warmth, consideration and love to the helpless and underprivileged segments of Singapore society, especially during the early days
of our short history. He has nurtured not just a few but a great many leaders
to whom he has passed the baton of leadership. Nonetheless his death leaves
a large, gaping hole that will be hard to fill.
We join others in praying for his family and for our leaders in Government.
We will do our part in our churches and network of social services which we
are doing to continue the good work that our dear leader, the late Mr. Lee,
has left behind.
Yours sincerely,
Rev Tan Eng Boo,
President, Singapore Council of Christian Churches
TESTIMONY
I have been working in the
church office as IT Admin from
23 February to 27 March 2015.
These past 5 weeks, my job is to
handle the church internet, Network Access
Storage (NAS), church
camera & sorting out any
staff with computer issue
either with their hardware or software.
While working in the
church office, I learnt
quite a number of things
from the church staff. I
saw how they managed their
time and work load in the church
equally e.g. preparing weekly
bulletins, doing visiting to church
members at their home and/or
hospitals & also attend the
weekly staff devotion every Friday.
I would like to encourage the
youth to come forward to assist/
work in the church during their
school holidays or after your exams. To learn more about GOD’s
word, learn from the staff what
they do daily in the church office
& also learn from them how to
manage their time from visitation,
sharing
GOD’s words to
the younger kids in
the children ministry & sharing the
gospel to the elderly.
I thank God for this
opportunity.
Ben
Devotion For Kids
Why don’t bones break as easily
while you’re young?
Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them!
For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those
who are like these children. Matt 19:14
There are 206 bones in the human body. The thigh bone,
called the femur, is our biggest bone. The smallest bone is the
stapes. It is one of the three tiny bones located in each of the
middle ear sections of our ears. When we are very young, our
bones are mostly made of cartilage, which is flexible and pliable and not usually involved in breaks to the bones. As we
grow older, our bones get more minerals in them and become
harder. This means adult bones are much more likely to break.
The heavenly Father loves children a lot. One of the
ways he shows it is by designing their bones to be flexible
when they are little so that their bodies can be protected from
harm. Jesus invites you to come to him, no matter how old you
are. The Bible tells us what Jesus said to the adults nearby:
“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom
of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children” (Matthew 19:14). Ask Jesus to come into your heart, and
that’s where he will stay.
~ Nancy S. Hill
CHURCH ACTIVITIES
WED
SAT
SUN
Prayer Meeting
8.00 p.m.
Adult Fellowship
5.30 p.m.
(Last Saturday of every month)
Worship Service
9.30 a.m.
Junior Worship
9.30 a.m.
Bible Class
11.30 a.m.
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kindly turn off your mobile phones or
put them on silent mode!
“The Lord is in His holy temple:
let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
LAST WEEK’S COLLECTIONS
A warm welcome to Rev Ho Chee Lai,
Associate Pastor of Sharon BPC to our
Offerings
$ 1,286.75
Tithes
$12,000.00 pulpit this morning.
Building Fund
$ 500.00 A warm welcome to all worshippers this
morning. Please stay for fellowship and
APPOINTMENTS
refreshment after the Service. No Bible
Prayer Meeting — Wednesday
class today.
Attendance on 1 Apr: 10
Hannah Yeo takes devotion on 8 Apr.
Adult Baptism from the MS - Sis Chai
Jiamin.
Speaker
: Rev Tan Eng Boo
Vacation Bible School Sign at the
Chairman : Dn Richard Tan
Pianist
: Sis Chea Ruei Jean
church notice board and get involved in
Organist
: Sis Joanna Hor
this outreach in December.
Good News Club Thank God for this
Ushers
This Week : Dr Tan Teck Shi / Bro James Chen regular outreach in the home of Dn &
Bro Augustine Tham/Bro John Chen Mrs Richard Tan. You may want to consider opening your home for this outNext Week : Sis Lydia Lee / Sis Naomi Neoh
reach nearer to church. Please pray and
Bro Daniel Tan
speak to Sis Hannah Yeo.
PA
Grace church Sunday message is reThis Week : Bro John Tang
corded and you can access it. Call the
Next Week : Bro Nathanael Goh
church for the password.
Junior Worship (7—10 years old)
Church Visitation April Schedule:
This Week : Sis Lim Sue San
22 Apr visiting Sis. Yu Sin's Mum. 29
Next Week : Bro Lee Min Sen
Apr visiting Sis. Ley Hong. If you are
Pre-Primary Worship (3-6 years old)
interested to join in the visitation or
This Week : Sis Hannah Yeo
would like the church visitation team to
Next Week : Sis Ruth Wong
visit you and family/non-believing famFlowers and Refreshment
ily members, please contact the church
This Week : Dn/M Richard Tan
office.
Next Week : M/M George & Susan Kwek
Adult Fellowship on Sat 25 April in
Refreshment Duty
church at 5.30 pm. Rev (Dr) William
This Week : Sis Betty Tham / Sis Mary Pang
Wan will share on the topic: “Kindness.”
Next Week
: Sis Hannah Tan / Sis Lai Ngoh
Pastor: Rev. Tan Eng Boo : 9784-2761 (Hp) email: [email protected]
Elder: Seah Soon Huat : 9835-2178 (Hp) email: [email protected]