After declaring to his disciples that those who respond to his invitation into the kingdom are blessed—in what is commonly known as the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12)—Jesus told his disciples, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a…
Being afraid to face the future is normal, especially after going through difficult challenges of the past year. We are afraid how much more difficult the challenges in this current year will be. I shared with my best friend about my fears and she answered me with just one word; Ebenezer. That encouraged and strengthened…
As we make our new year resolutions, consider how we can best invest our time and resources; consider what is the main task God has assigned to us and how we can be faithful to this task. Advent reminds us how God used a star to lead wise men from the east over hundreds of…
Discipleship is often thought of in one-on-one or small group settings, but God’s design is for the church to be the primary discipling community (Eph 4:11-16). The church exists not only to disciple its members but also to equip them to become disciple-makers themselves. Only the church, with its structure and spiritual gifts, is fully…
“The essence of the Christian faith is to obey Jesus unconditionally.” Do you agree? As Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.” And further in John 14:23, he says, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” Why does Jesus want us to obey him? And how will we be…
“Why do I need to be part of a discipleship group?” “Why do people keep trying to talk to me? I just want to be left alone to worship!” “Aiyah I don’t understand how they think lah, just let them be by themselves and do their own thing lor.” “We just need to know the Word, don’t…
Philippians 4:6 calls us to be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and thanksgiving to bring everything to God and God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. Robert Leighton suggests that we are lying to God in prayer if we don’t rely on him afterwards. Prayer is thus putting our faith in God. Paul…
Saint Augustine of Hippo (13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a church father whose life was transformed by the Word of God. Augustine used to be a womaniser, a rowdy drunk, an occasional thief, and an unbeliever; he made a mess of his life. At the age of 31, however, Augustine repented because…
Whenever we put up announcements calling for mission trippers or outreach volunteers, the response can be rather slow and sometimes, we have no response at all. In my initial years, I was told that a general call is not enough; we must approach people individually and talk to them on a personal basis. Then there…