O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

VICTORIOUS LIVING

The Scriptures proclaim that ‘if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Corinthians 5:17) This new life is one that pleases God and glorifies Him – a life that grows spiritually and gradually conforms to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

But we all know that it is not easy to live as a Christian. In John Bunyan’s classic work, The Pilgrim’s Progress, the Christian life is portrayed as a long journey that took the pilgrim through all kinds of terrain. There were seasons of feasting on wise instruction, and walking in sweet fellowship with fellow pilgrims. But there were also times when pilgrim fell into the Slough of despond, or was caught in Vanity Fair or imprisoned in the Castle of despair. Once he had to walk through the Valley of the shadow of death and fight with Apollyon, the devil. All this was Bunyan’s way of portraying the Christian’s pathway of spiritual growth, which is strewn with all kinds of dangers and temptations. 

The Enemies That Stand Against Us 

Firstly, the attractions of the world may hinder our spiritual growth. Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to the world. James tells us to keep ourselves unspotted from the world (James 1:27). We cannot be following the latest trends all the time, and just follow blindly what everyone else is doing, because all that the world regards as being of great value has no lasting spiritual value. The writer of Ecclesiastes described the world’s pursuits as “vanity and vexation of spirit.” But to those who belong to the world, these vain pursuits have immense value, and they would consider our pursuit of Christlikeness to be foolish. 

There is also growing permissiveness in the world today. Things that are clearly unethical are considered to be right, as long as the results are pleasing to men. The end justifies the means. This can be seen particularly in the business world, in politics, and in the desire to grab all that you can by any means, lawful or unlawful, without getting caught. 

For example, on 4 March 2024 France became the first country in the world to explicitly include the right to abortion in its constitution. By an overwhelming vote of 780 to 72 and a standing ovation the French parliament proudly enshrined the right to kill unborn children as a fundamental right. This is a gross violation of God’s law which protects prenatal human life (Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13,14) Since we live in a world that is dominated by these things, we must be vigilant to keep ourselves from being conformed to the world. 

The second enemy we have to face is mentioned in Ephesians 6:10 – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” 

According to the apostle Peter, Satan is like “a roaring lion, walking about and seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He will try his best to discourage or deceive you, and will put fear in your heart to slow down your progress. You must be careful of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11), and not allow him to get a hold on you and make you fall. That is why you need to “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11) 

The third enemy that we must face in our spiritual journey is the most dangerous one, because it resides right within us: the flesh. This can be seen in Romans 7:18 – “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” What is the flesh? It is the remnant of the sinful nature that we used to have before we were saved. It is sometimes called “the old man” (Ephesians 4:22). 

When a person is born again, all his sins are removed and he stands fully forgiven before God. Sin no longer has power to rule his life, and so he can now freely choose to be righteous and to do good. When we are in Christ, the tyranny of sin is removed. But the old nature that desires to sin is still present, like a little root or remnant that has been left behind. Thus, there is usually a struggle with this remaining sin. Paul the apostle describes his own struggle with sin in his life: “For the good that I would I do not: but that the evil which I would not, that I do.” (Romans 7:19) And he attributes the cause of this struggle to the remnant of sin that still dwells in him. 

Every believer will experience this struggle to varying degrees. And this is why the Word of God is filled with encouragements, warnings and exhortations to God’s people to deal with sin and overcome it. The Bible also shows how godly men struggled with sins that remained in their lives even though they had attained a high degree of spiritual maturity: men like Noah, Moses, Elijah, David, and the apostles Peter and Paul. 

If we refuse to let the flesh have its way, we can live victoriously and grow spiritually. But if we do nothing at all to subdue the flesh, we will surely start expressing its sinful and selfish desires again. Then the works of the flesh will appear in our life just like weeds in a neglected garden. 

Galatians 5:19 tells us that these works are “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like…” This is a list of all the worst possible sins that can result when believers allow the flesh to have full expression in their lives. So, in whatever ways the flesh expresses itself, we must always view them with great seriousness and concern. We cannot take them lightly because, “to be carnally minded is death” and “they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:6,8) 

We may still have certain sinful habits that hinder our spiritual growth. For some it may be gossiping, backbiting or indulging in unedifying worldly pleasures. Some are habitual liars or irresponsible borrowers. Some have the habit of being vindictive or losing their temper at the slightest provocation. Some are addicted to pornography and sexual lusts, and others to overeating or laziness. 

When a Christian commits the same sin habitually, he will lose the sense of its seriousness in God’s sight. After some time he will no longer feel guilty after committing it. He will become tired of resisting it any longer. And when he is confronted about this sinful habit, he will take it lightly and excuse himself by saying, “I can’t help it. That’s just me. It’s part of my character and I can’t get rid of it.” The Word of God tells us that these sinful habits do matter – we cannot take them lightly. Whatever comes from our old behaviour cannot remain unchanged. After salvation, our behaviour should be different from the old one. 

And so, if you see any works of the flesh in your own life you must hate them enough to keep on striving to get rid of them. You should never say, “I cannot help it. I cannot kick these old sinful habits.” To say that is to deny that you have been released from the power of sin. Therefore, the flesh must be subdued. And even though it is a daily struggle to do this and you may at times be discouraged and defeated by the flesh, you must never give up. This cannot be done in your own strength. You need God’s help to overcome the flesh. 

God’s Provision for Victorious Living 

God’s help is available through the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:1 Paul shows God’s wonderful provision for dealing with the flesh – “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” When we walk after the Spirit we can overcome the desires of the flesh. We must thank the Lord for giving us the Holy Spirit as He is indispensable for living the Christian life victoriously. 

There are two ways in which the Holy Spirit helps us in our war against the flesh. The first is by dwelling in us: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” (Romans 8:9) This means that we are not alone when we face our spiritual struggles. The Holy Spirit is right there with us and in us. And this indwelling of the Spirit is permanent. Everyone who belongs to Christ is indwelt by the Spirit, and none can ever lose the Spirit’s indwelling. At the very least, this truth should give us a sense of moral support and encouragement – knowing that we are not facing our enemies alone, but with God’s presence. 

What makes His presence in us even more encouraging is the fact that He is the all-powerful God: “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:11) If the Spirit of God has power to bring mortal bodies to life, then putting something to death would be most easy for to Him to do. And that is the kind of power that He gives to us now: “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans 8:12,13) This tells us that through the Holy Spirit we can mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body. How wonderful it is to know that in our spiritual struggle we have the divine power of the Holy Spirit on our side to enable us! 

1 John 4:4 puts it this way – “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” The Holy Spirit who is in us can be fully relied on for strength, courage, faith, and power to face the world, to face the devil and also to deal with the flesh. 

What we need to learn then, is how to appropriate this power. Paul wrote about this in Galatians 5:16 – “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” When a person is walking in the Spirit his life will manifest the fruit of the Spirit – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.” (Galatians 5:22-23)  

Walking in the Spirit is also referred to as being filled with the Spirit: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) The filling of the Spirit is not permanent. This makes it quite different from the indwelling of the Spirit which we had seen earlier. It can be lost and must be renewed regularly. This requires initiative on our part. This is why we are commanded to walk in the Spirit and to be filled with the Spirit. 

It is not difficult to be filled with the Spirit. All you need to do is to yield yourself to God and ask Him to empower and lead you through the Holy Spirit. God has given us the assurance that when we ask Him for this, He will grant it to us: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13) 

Walking in the Spirit is a conscious process that must go on as you go about your daily activities. It means following the leading of the Holy Spirit, depending on Him to guide you and lead you. It is an ongoing effort to keep in step with the Spirit. It is only by doing this that you can experience the divine power that you need to live a life that is pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ. 

John Bunyan, who wrote the book The Pilgrim’s Progress had his own struggles against the flesh. Before he was saved, Bunyan was the most foul-mouthed tinker at Bedford and became notorious for his terrible cursing and swearing. But after he was saved, his speech gradually but surely changed to become wholesome and edifying to those who heard him. And soon he was even able to preach the Word of God and bring sinners to Christ! 

Our struggles against the flesh may become very difficult. At times they may abound beyond measure, making us wonder how we will be able to live victoriously all the way to the end of life’s journey. But we have seen that God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us. Let us therefore do our part well: Be consistent in walking in the Spirit. May the Lord help us to keep doing this throughout our earthly journey.

– Pastor 

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Apr 15

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

Tuesday, Apr 16

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Eld Lim Teck Chye)

Thursday, Apr 18

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     ERBL: Bible Geography (Ms Lilian Lee)

Saturday, Apr 20

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM

Sunday, Apr 21

  8.00 am     God’s Zeal for His People Zechariah 8:1-23 (Rev Quek Keng Khwang, with Holy Communion)

  8.00 am Choir Practice

  9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  9.40 am Sunday School

10.15 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am God’s Zeal for His People Zechariah 8:1-23 (Rev Quek Keng Khwang)

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

SUNDAY, 28 APRIL

Combined English Service, 9:00 am

Annual Congregational Meeting, 10:45 am  

Life BPC Job Vacancies

1. Church Operations Manager (COM)

Responsibilities:

The COM provides active oversight and support in the mission, administrative affairs and general operations of the Church including Financial Management, HR, MIS Technology, Media Technology, Facilities and General Administration.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor degree or higher
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in operations or managerial positions
• Good interpersonal and communications skills

2. Estate Management Officer (EMO)

Responsibilities:

EMO plans, oversees and coordinates all property management and preventive maintenance activities associated for the church premises. Coordinates facilities usage for a range of Church activities and Church’s authorized users using the premises. The EMO reports to the Church Operation Manager.

Qualifications:

• Diploma or equivalent
• 5 years’ experience in real estate management and maintenance
• Certification in real estate management and maintenance is an added advantage
• Lifers are preferred 

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

Holy Communion Elements Preparation

Lifers are invited to serve in the Holy Communion elements preparation, clean-up and washing.

Those interested may contact Jenny or Wendy.

Catechism Class for Anniversary Baptism on 20 October 2024

commences on 14 July 2024. Please pre-register by emailing to Church Office. Those seeking baptism, reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership must attend the catechism class. Closing date: 7 July 2024.

Parking on 28 April 2024 (ACM)

On ACM 28 April, all parking lots at Sanctuary and Beulah sides are designated for those staying for ACM. For those not staying for ACM, please park at Kai Suites, along public roads with single yellow line or Revenue House (RH). Ferry service from RH pickup point (near to pedestrian overhead bridge entrance/exit) to Church will run from 0840 to 0910. When church service or ACM ends, ferry service back to RH will commence outside Beulah House gate entrance.

Door to Door Evangelism

21 Apr 2024 (Next Sunday) Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30pm Contact: Desmond or Amos

Traffic Warden Service

We welcome all church members to join in this work. Our TW’s role is to provide godly service to facilitate worship. We need help in following time slots for Sunday: 7.30-8am or 10.30-11am with a frequency of once or twice a month. Please contact Dn Chan Yong or Bro Kelvin.

Birth

Congratulations to Dr & Mrs Koh NJ on the birth of a baby boy, Caleb, on 24 March 2024.

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is back!

Theme: Champions for God
Date: 29 May - 31 May 2024 

Calling all children aged 4-12 years old (N2-P6)! Registration for Vacation Bible School is now open! Registration deadline: 14 April 2024, Today. 

Lifers needed for the available areas of service: Teaching, Logistics, Craft, Games, F&B and Traffic/Security.  

Register now at lifebpc.com/vbs  

For further enquiries, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Ladies’ Tea Fellowship: Book of Habakkuk by Bro Mok Chee Cheong

Date: 27 Apr, 25 May, 22 Jun

Time: 3.30 pm

Venue: Beulah Rm 1-6

Please contact sis Sally for more information

Church Camp 2024 will be held from 10 June to 14 June (Mon to Fri) at Resorts World Awana, Malaysia. 

Speaker: Pastor Tan Soon Yong

Theme: Truth Matters

Registration for Church Camp 2024 is now open. You may go to the church's website at www.lifebpc.com/church-camp-2024 to register online. Availability will be on a first come first served basis. Please do register early! If you require assistance, please contact Josiah Seah at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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