Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the Church outing on 9 August 2011, the children were taught about “Worship”. This is a very important subject as we will spend all eternity in worship of our true and living God. We have to constantly strive to improve in our worship of God to be pleasing to Him and worship according to His Word. It is easy to slack to routine and complacency in worship which will not edify our spiritual lives at all.

As the children in our Church learned about “Worship”, they will observe their parents if they set good example in this area. If parents are not good role model in true and sincere worship of God, it is not surprising to find our children growing up to take Church worship for granted and even to forsake it one day.

I would like to share the main points that were taught to the children on “Worship”. You can use these points to refresh with the children what they have learned and also to remind ourselves to be doers of the Word.

Who is the Person that we worship?

A simple question and all of us can give the correct answer: God. However, we often focus on ourselves in worship to want only our needs to be met. Some focus on their children to make sure they are attended to while others focus on friends to talk to. In true worship, we must give our full and wholehearted focus and attention on our Lord.

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” Psalm 29:2.

Why do we worship God?

The word “Worship” has the meaning of “Worth”. We worship God because He is worthy of it. Only God is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Only God gives us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. Only God can forgive our sins. Only God cares and protects our lives.

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power” Revelation 4:11a.

How do we worship God?

We worship God in Spirit and in Truth. In “Spirit” means we worship God from our heart sincerely and fervently. In “Truth” means we worship God according to His Word and not what we think is nice and convenient.

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” John 4:24.

What must we do to worship God acceptably?

1. Preparations

  • Praying throughout the week for the Lord’s Day worship
  • Having sufficient rest on Sat night and Sun morning so as to be alert during our afternoon Sun worship service
  • Come early, at least 15 minutes, before the worship service starts.

Punctuality honours the Lord and gives us ample time to pray and      quieten our spirit for worship. Lateness without a proper reason is a failure on our part to keep our holy appointment with God. Furthermore, we also disrupt other worshippers with our lateness.

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee:” Psalm 63:1a

2. Worship Time

  • Sing unto the Lord from our hearts and let our voices be raised to praise His Name. Understand the meaning of the words of the hymns that we sing.
  • Pray together in your heart with the prayers led by the Chairman and Speaker. Say “Amen” together to show unity as one Body in Christ seeking the Lord.
  • Give our tithes and offerings cheerfully and prepare our gifts early.
  • The Word of God is the highest point in worship and we must give all attention to it and let God speak to us. No one should be sleeping during message as it dishonours God and shows our little regards for His Word.

“I will praise Thee with my whole heart:” Psalm 138:1a

We have many areas to improve in our worship of God. May the Lord forgive our sins in our failure to worship Him acceptably. Let us pray and strive by God’s grace and strength to worship the Lord better and better in each Lord’s Day.

Elder John Leong

Vietnam Mission Trip Testimony

I thank God for the opportunity to go for the Vietnam mission trip and share the gospel to the children over there. I would like to share 2 things which I have learnt from this mission trip.

Firstly, we get to exercise our faith more when we go to mission trip. We did not know exactly what to expect when we were there. We had never been to the place, never seen the church, did not know the conditions and surroundings. Many things were unknown to us, and however well prepared we were, unexpected things still happened. The language barrier also made things harder as we were helpless without an interpreter around. It was in such circumstances that we learned to trust and rely on God. Even though we might not know many things, but God knows and He is in control. We just had to fully depend on Him and seek His help. By His grace, everything went on smoothly despite some inconveniences here and there.

If we always stay in our comfort zone where we are sheltered and provided for, there are little opportunities for us to exercise our faith. Life becomes a routine so much so that we may think that we can manage on our own without God. But in reality, we need God everyday of our lives. We need to pray and commit all things to Him.

Personally, this was the first time that I went to Vietnam to conduct the VBS. This was also the first time that I had to conduct lessons. I was hesitant and apprehensive. I recognized my own inadequacies, especially when interacting with children and teaching, and so I had to pray more. Through prayer, preparing and teaching the lessons, I grew closer to God and He encouraged me through His Word. My faith was strengthened, not only when I put my trust in Him, but also when I saw how God provided for our every needs.

Secondly, we become more mindful of God’s blessings when we go to mission trip. We who live in Singapore have so much material wealth that we often take things for granted. We think that all the luxuries and conveniences that we enjoy are entitlements. We may say that we are contented and thankful, but we grumble and complain when such things are taken away from us, as if we absolutely must have them and as if God is doing us a disservice if He takes them away from us. The children in Vietnam probably had never seen an Xbox or PS3. They invented all sorts of games to occupy their time because they do not have computer games to play in their free time.

We ought to be thankful for our government, that we get to practice our religion freely, that we have good education system to learn and equip ourselves with knowledge and skills. We ought also to be thankful for our church, that we get to listen to sound doctrines and clear teachings from the Word of God. All the things which we have and enjoy, they do not necessarily have. All that we have are blessings from God, let us not forget that.

It is not only during camps that we can draw closer to God through the listening of God’s Word, but also during mission trips that we can draw closer to God by seeing the fruits of God’s work. Even in the remote parts of Vietnam, God is there and God takes care of His children. Going to mission trip we may be a blessing to others, but in return, we will be much more blessed by God.

Brother Bo Hao