O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

WITH GOD, IT IS POSSIBLE

We pray to the LORD GOD because He is a covenant-keeping and prayer-answering GOD. And underpinning this motivation to pray may be the truths that are taught about Him in Matthew 19:26b, “....With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

This verse tells us that our LORD GOD is all powerful. That which is impossible with man, is possible with our covenant-keeping GOD. There are no circumstances or things and plans of man that can stop Him from doing what He has said. GOD will do that which He wants to do and how He wants to do it.

These truths about our LORD GOD truly motivate us to pray. We pray whenever we join a prayer group or the church prayer meeting not because of the format of the meeting. We attend these prayer meetings because we know that our LORD GOD whom we pray to, hears us and helps us. Our LORD GOD is the same wherever we are. We could be away from home or be meeting virtually. This practise of praying virtually is not new as I am sure that we are already praying over the phone, especially with loved ones living overseas. The type of prayer meeting, be it virtual, hybrid or on-site must never be our reason for praying or not praying.

We pray because our LORD GOD is a covenant-keeping and prayer-answering heavenly Father who is never limited by us nor the circumstances.

With GOD all things are possible

There is a dark side to these very important words, and that comes from our misapplication of this Biblical truth. This error happens when we have misunderstood its meaning and apply it wrongly. Such a wrong application of GOD’s word can lead to being disillusioned with GOD.

This portion of Scripture should not be used to teach that GOD will do anything we ask for just because we pray to Him. These words of our LORD Jesus - that with GOD all things are possible -were not uttered in the context of praying.

When Jesus told His disciples that all things are possible with GOD, He was not saying that they will get whatever they pray for. This statement of our LORD Jesus was given in the context of a rich young man who was religious and yet could not save himself. The LORD Jesus illustrated how difficult it was for the rich young man to save himself, and that sent the signal to the disciples that it is impossible to save oneself. It was in this context that the LORD Jesus gave these words to assure His disciples that no matter how difficult it may be, GOD can save and transform a person.

These words of assurance – “with GOD all things are possible” - came after they saw their inability and hopelessness to save themselves. So, the right application of these words is when we are praying for our unsaved loved ones, friends, neighbours etc. We are to go forward with great confidence and continue to reach out to them because we have prayed for them and have GOD’s assurance that He has the power to save them!

Will GOD save?

Yes, GOD will save!

Jesus said that He came to save sinners: “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  (Matthew 9:13) Jesus came to save because our religious sacrifices are grossly insufficient. Only the mercies of GOD in Christ will save us, and that is why in obedience to GOD the Father, Jesus came to die on the cross.

When we see our attempts to save ourselves as nothing but hopeless efforts, the LORD Jesus says to us in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

The words, “with GOD, all things are possible” were meant to assure the disciples that GOD will do the impossible task of saving sinners and that He will save anyone who comes to Him: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

The teaching that GOD will do the impossible by saving us also comes from us acknowledging our helplessness.

Praying to the Almighty GOD

So, is there a right way to apply Matthew 19:26 to all our prayer requests?

The extended application for the words, “with GOD all things are possible” is that we are praying to an almighty personal GOD. He is almighty, good and wise and He knows us. He also wants us to seek Him in prayer (Jeremiah 33:3). GOD knows how to give us what is best, according to His wisdom and what He has decided. No one can stop Him.

Our duty when praying is to believe in Him, submit to Him and trust Him. In our prayers, we are not to expect Him to give us whatever we want. Rather, we are to plead with Him while believing that only the best will be done for us, even when GOD answers at a different time and not according to what we asked.

We pray according to His will, believing that nothing can stop Him from showing His care and love for us, and trusting that He will be with us.

Conclusion

The church building is meant for prayer, but it is not the only place where we can gather as children of GOD to pray. Whether the format is on-site, hybrid or virtual, we can still pray to the almighty faithful GOD. He is the reason why we pray and gather to pray.

When praying for our loved ones and anyone we care about who are outside the kingdom of GOD, we have the great confidence that GOD hears our prayers and can save them. We can make earnest pleas to GOD for them with great expectations of GOD saving them.

Finally, in prayer, the right posture is submission, obedience and trust, and that could mean we kneel down or even stand up when we pray. The right posture of the heart will make our physical posture before GOD acceptable.

Let us keep praying and be known as a praying church.

– Joel Seah

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Sep 11

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

Tuesday, Sep 12

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Eld Heng Shao Sheng)

Thursday, Sep 14

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     ERBL: The Theology of Prayer (Pastor Tan Soon Yong)

Saturday, Sep 16

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM

        5.00 pm     MM Fellowship Day & Dinner

Sunday, Sep 17

  8.00 am     When It’s Wrong to turn the Other Cheek, Acts 16:35-40 (Rev Calvin Loh, with Holy Communion)

  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 When It’s Wrong to turn the Other Cheek, Acts 16:35-40 (Rev Calvin Loh)

11.00 am Children’s Ministry

11.00 am Chinese Service (MPH)

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

Social Media Seminar by YLM

30 Sep 2023 (Sat), 3pm to 6pm, Onsite @ Beulah MPH

Registration at https://tinyurl.com/ylmsocialmediasem2023

Infant Baptism on Church Anniversary, 15 Oct 2023.

Parents, please email the church office, with your full names, contact numbers, and your child's name and date of birth by 24 Sep 2023.

Door to Door Evangelism 17 Sep 2023 (Next Sunday)

Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30 pm Contact: Desmond  or Amos  

Traffic Wardens

Lifers are invited to serve our Lord as Traffic Wardens on Sunday. Kindly contact Bro Yeo HS if you are available.

Thanksgiving

1) The Phang and Heng families would like to thank Pastors and brethren for the condolence gifts and presence at the wakes of Mrs Phang-Heng GI and Mr Edward Heng SB. 

2) Joan and Ronald Tan would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Rev C Loh, Rev C Seet, Rev Quek K K and church members for their loving support and condolences on their recent bereavement (3-6 Sep) on the homegoing of Joan’s mother, Mdm Loo FH. 

With One Voice – An Evening of Praise 

Sat 7 Oct 2023, 7-9 pm, Life B-P Church Sanctuary.

Join us for an evening of praise as we gather and celebrate unity as a church together. Come with your family and friends to be edified with praise items from our church choir, ministries and outreaches.

Senior Fellowship Talk on Hearing Health in Seniors

“Listening to Life’s Melodies: The Vital Role of Hearing Health in Seniors” by Mr Luke Tan, Co-founder of The Hearing Room. 

Wed, 4 Oct 2023, 10am-12.30pm, Beulah MPH. Lunch is provided. Register by 20 Sep 2023, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

Strengthening Marital Relationships in the Church 

Speaker: Rev Gabriel Gan

Date: 4 & 18 Nov 2023

Time: 2.00pm to 6.00pm (followed by dinner)

Venue: Beulah MPH

Registration deadline: 20 Oct 

A nursery programme will run concurrently with the seminar for children 3-8 years old.

https://forms.gle/RrXU9nGYJ2VPjnmz6

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