O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

TRUE RICHES

“Huat ah!” This popular refrain of getting more wealth is heard throughout Chinese New Year celebrations.  The world views money as the be all and end all of life. Sadly, pastors are preaching the prosperity gospel to the same tune as the world.  The Lord has this to say about prosperity gospel preachers: “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things” (Philippians 3:19).

Lest we too are sucked into the worldly obsession with wealth, God’s Word would help us to re-focus our thoughts and attitudes towards riches. A wise man named Agur wrote these words in Proverbs, “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity (falsehood) and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient (that is needful) for me:  Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Proverbs 30:7-9).

Agur’s Attitude to Riches

Agur views life from God’s perspective. There are two requests that he made to God. The first is that before he dies, he wishes to live a life accountable to Him.

He asks God to remove vanity and lies from him.  He does not wish to be a man known for falsehood and lying to get his way around in the world. As he sees the allurements of the world, he is aware of his heart’s evil inclinations to covet what God has not willed or given to him.

Therefore, his second request is to live a life of faith and godly contentment, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient (needful) for me.” The portion that is needful for him is just what he is fully satisfied in.  There is a Japanese proverb that says, “Even if you sleep in a thousand mat rooms, you can only sleep on one mat.”

We should note that God is not against anyone who is rich. The Patriarchs in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Jacob and Job were considered rich at that time. God is the one who gives us the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Therefore, there is nothing wrong in possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men. Agur is cautious not to fall into the trap of riches at the expense of his relationship with God, “Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, who is the LORD?”   Jesus warns us, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

The Perils of Coveting Riches

The world teaches us that having more is better and greed is good! However, Jesus says otherwise, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). The apostle Paul warns Timothy on the perils of covetousness, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1Timothy 6:10). Instead, he reminded Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).

The carnal pursuit of wealth can easily become a distraction and a hindrance to our relationship with God. When we set our affections on things below rather than on things above, God is no more our Master. We fail to realize the reality of the truth that we brought nothing into this world, and certainly we can carry nothing out (1 Timothy 6:7; cf Job 1:21). I know of an elderly man who, when he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer, was still monitoring the stock market index with his remaining ounce of energy. Jesus said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37)

Our Spiritual Riches

As followers of Jesus Christ, we do not chorus “Huat ah!” like the world does. The world’s material riches pale in comparison to the spiritual riches we have in Christ. The Word of God says, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Let us lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, “where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matthew 6:20).

– Rev Quek Keng Khwang

Appointments for the Week

Monday, February 6

        7.30 pm     ERBL: OT Historical Books (Rev Charles Seet)

Tuesday, February 7

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Eld Roger Lim)

Wednesday, February 8

      10.00 am     GAF Meeting

        3.00 pm     Gardeners’ Hangout

Thursday, February 9

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     ERBL: History of Presbyterian & B-P Churches (Rev Lee Hock Chin)

Friday, February 10

        7.30 pm     MM BS

        8.00 pm     LF Meeting

Saturday, February 11

  3.00 pm YAF / MM BS

Sunday, February 12

  8.00 am Have You Suffered for Christ? (Acts 4:1-23) Rev Charles Seet

  8.00 am Choir Practice

  9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  9.40 am Sunday School / Catechism Class

10.15 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am Have You Suffered for Christ? (Acts 4:1-23) Rev Charles Seet

11.00 am Children’s Ministry

11.00 am Chinese Service

11.00 am Filipina Service (Rm 1-6)

12.15 pm Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  2.30 pm Thai Service (LMH)

  4.00 pm Indonesian Service (Rm 1-6)

Announcements

Church Camp 2023

13-16 June 2023

Anchoring Our Faith In A Postmodern World

Speaker: Pastor Tan Soon Yong

Radisson Golf & Convention Center, Batam

Door to Door Evangelism

5 February 2023 (Today)

Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30 pm

Golden Age Fellowship Meeting

Wednesday, 8 Feb 2023, 10.00 am

“What is God’s definition of love?” by Rev Yeo Seow Phong.

Ladies’ Friday Fellowship

10 Feb 2023, 8.00 pm

“A Study on the missionary journeys of Paul: Session 2” by Rev Quek .

All ladies are welcome.

Job Vacancies

a) Assistant Finance Officer (AFO)

Assists in the finance operations of the organization, and HR administrative/operational functions of the Church. https://www.lifebpc.com/index.php/component/k2/job-opportunities-afo

b) Assistant Media & Technology Officer (AMTO)

Assists in the Audio-Visual (AV) functions of the church. https://www.lifebpc.com/index.php/component/k2/job-opportunities-amto

Candidates with relevant qualifications and experience may submit your application and CV to the Church Operations Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Far Eastern Kindergarten Online Registration 2024 Intake

Pre-Nursery (for children born in 2021) to K1

Priority registration for church members: 

1 February to 14 February 2023

Nursery and K1: Vacancies in the afternoon session only.

Register online at: http://www.lifebpc.com/fekedu/registration.html

It will be on a first-come-first-serve basis after 14 February 2023.

Please visit our website http://www.lifebpc.com/fekedu/ or call 6251 3676 for more information.

Traffic Wardens

Lifers are invited to serve our Lord as Traffic Wardens on Sunday.

GAF 23^rd Anniversary

4 Mar 2023, 4pm, Beulah MPH

“Old is Gold” by Eld Chia Ah Lak

Buffet dinner provided.

Participating in upcoming Mission Trips in 2023 

We would like to encourage Life B-P Church members to participate actively in missions both in support and involvement (short-term or otherwise), including medical and dental (MaD) missions, with the hope that some may be called to be full-time missionaries. If you are interested to participate in the upcoming mission trips being planned for 2023, please register your interest by filling in this form: https://forms.gle/Cc4Q22b8csiFmqEY6

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