By Rev Goh Yong Kuang
For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover him with favour as with a shield.
~ Psalm 5:12 ESV ~
The word “favour” appears more than a hundred times throughout the books of the Bible.
Having God’s favour means that we have His divine acceptance and approval, special benefits and blessings. God shows His favour to those who delight in Him, follow and obey Him.
By Rev Goh Yong Kuang
The Psalmist reminds us of the need for sinners to come before God with a "broken and contrite heart." (Ps.51:17) Our sinful pride often gets in the way and prevents us from responding to God and experiencing all His benefits.
The scripture tells of a man who needed to be broken. This proud man had an inflated view of himself and had allowed his heart to be filled with pride. So, God had to teach him a lesson in a most humbling & debilitating way. His name was Nebuchadnezzar, and his story is told in the Book of Daniel chapter 4.
By Pr Nancy Lim
We are stepping into the last quarter of 2023 and so far, we have had a fruitful year in living out our church theme “A HEART FOR SOUL”. In August, we listened to a series of mission-related sermons and sent out 3 teams separately to Thailand, Cambodia and Mongolia. We have also heard and read the testimonies of the mission trippers. At the end of October, we will be sending out a recce team to Taiwan. Another ten adults and two children will also join the English Presbytery Japan Mission (EPJM) teams going out between October to December.
By Rev Henry Hong
Jonathan Edwards, a renowned American preacher and theologian of the 18th century, was deeply influenced by Puritan theology and wrote extensively on topics related to Communion and the spiritual life. Here are some lessons that can be learned from Jonathan Edwards' writings on the Lord's Supper:
1. The Affections: Edwards believed that the Lord's Supper should engage the affections or emotions of believers in a sincere and profound way. He emphasized that the act of partaking should not be a mere ritual but a heartfelt expression of love, gratitude, and devotion to Christ. Edwards often referred to passages like:
By Rev Henry Hong
The Lord's Supper, also known as Communion or the Eucharist, is a significant sacrament in the Reformed tradition. Here are some biblical instructions and key points to consider while preparing for the celebration of the Lord's Supper:
1. Examine One's Heart: Before participating in the Lord's Supper, it is crucial for individuals to examine their hearts and repent of any known sin. This practice is based on the Apostle Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 11:28-29: "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself."
2. Focus on Christ's Sacrifice: The key significance of the Lord's Supper is in the remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. The bread symbolizes His body broken for believers, and the wine (or grape juice) symbolizes His blood shed for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26-28).
By Rev Dr Forest Koh
Praise the Lord, we are going back to normalcy -- the cracking sound we missed when we broke bread together before the pandemic.
I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on why it is so important that the elements are served to you instead of allowing you to take from the communion tray yourself.
The act of elders serving the elements directly to you underscores the concept that Holy Communion is an act of grace from God, freely given to His people. Therefore, it has the following theological significances:
1. Unmerited Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9): God's grace and salvation are freely given to believers without any effort or merit on their part. By having the elders to serve the elements to the partakers, it shows the unmerited nature of God's grace, and that Communion is a gracious gift from God. This aligns with the Reformed theology, Sola Gratia, which emphasizes that salvation is solely by God’s grace and not by human merit.
