O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

DO YOU KNOW THE PRICE OF UNBELIEF?

   It was reported in the news last week that Singapore’s core inflation remains at 3.1% as overall consumer prices rise faster, and that this city continues to be the most expensive in the world for the rich to live well. It is logical to worry and complain whenever we have to pay a higher price for the things we buy. But there is a price to pay which we should be more concerned about: The price one will have to pay if one does not believe in Jesus Christ. Here are three questions that every person should consider carefully: 

1. Is it worthwhile not to believe in Jesus in order to gain the praise of men but lose the praise of God? 

At the time that Jesus was on earth, there were some who apparently thought that it was worthwhile to do this. John 12:37 – “But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him.” Here, John the apostle expressed his dismay that despite the many miracles Jesus had performed, there were people who still refused to believe in Him. By this time Jesus had turned water into wine at Cana, healed a nobleman’s son without having to visit him, made a man who was paralysed for 38 years walk again, fed 5,000 people with only five loaves and two fishes, opened the eyes of a man who was born blind, and raised up Lazarus after he had been dead for four days. And besides these miracles that were recorded in John’s Gospel, there were also many other miracles that Christ performed. 

         One would think that with such overwhelming evidence in support of His identity as the Son of God, none would hesitate to believe in Him. Unfortunately, the human heart is so sinful that despite such a strong case for Jesus Christ, people still reject Him. And the more they reject Him, the more difficult it becomes for them to believe later on. 

           When a person initially refuses to believe in Jesus, his heart somehow becomes hardened to the gospel. This truth is reinforced by a quotation from the book of Isaiah – “Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.” (John 12:39,40) 

      This truth has very serious implications for us. It means that the attitude of unbelief is extremely dangerous to the soul. When unbelief is allowed to take hold, it tends to grow until the heart eventually becomes impenetrable to the Gospel. If you have not believed in Jesus yet, please do not harden your heart against Him, for if you do that, the door of your heart may one day become totally sealed off to Him. You must be receptive to the truth. Be willing to consider the wonderful offer of salvation from Jesus, and the many miracles which support His claims. Be willing to respond by surrendering your heart to Him. 

       The message of salvation is like fire. Fire has different effects on different objects depending on what they are made of. If the object is a newly made clay pot, fire will harden it until it becomes brittle and breaks to pieces when it falls. But if the object is a candle, fire will cause it to melt and yield itself to the flame and make it burn much brighter. Does the Gospel melt your heart or harden it? Please be careful not to have a heart that is conditioned against the wonderful salvation that Jesus offers. 

    You may ask: “What can possibly condition my heart against being saved?” The answer is found in John 12:43 – “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” These people were the chief rulers. They believed on Jesus, but their faith was not saving faith because they refused to confess their faith in Him out of fear of being ostracized (verse 42). Faith that does not produce a willingness to confess Jesus publicly is not yet saving faith. (Romans 10:10 – “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”) 

             Many people have conditioned their hearts against believing in and confessing Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, because they fear what others will think of them. Some are afraid of being ridiculed or rejected. Others are afraid of losing the respect, friendship and love of their closest peers. Are you afraid that if your family comes to know that you believe in Jesus there will be plenty of heartbreak and strife at home? “Why change things? Why rock the boat? It is not convenient.” 

   Whatever the cause may be, one thing must be made very clear: Those who allow such fear to prevent them from turning to Jesus are more afraid of people than of God. They want to please people, and not God. I hope you can see how foolish this is. What should be more valuable to you – God’s approval or the world’s approval? Isn’t what God thinks of you far more important than what the world thinks of you? What they think of you will only be good for your lifetime on earth. After that it will be completely forgotten. But what God thinks of you will last for all eternity and will never be forgotten. 

2. Is it worthwhile not to believe in Jesus to gain material wealth but lose eternal blessings? 

    Another thing that may condition your heart against receiving Jesus as your Lord and Saviour is the prospect of gaining material wealth. Some will say to themselves: “Why should I live for things in heaven, or for spiritual things which I cannot see at all? There are so many things for me to gain and enjoy in this present life. I want satisfaction, and I want it now.” 

    One of the disciples of Jesus had such thoughts – Judas Iscariot. According to the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke, it was at this time in the life of Jesus that Judas went to make a deal with the chief priests to betray Him for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 12:14-16). 

Why did Judas ‘sell’ his master to the chief priests? Was it not the prospect of making money for himself? Earlier glimpses of Judas show that he was put in charge of finance (John 12:6). Later on, the other disciples discovered that he had stolen from the funds under his care. He was able to cover up his deeds so well that no one suspected him of theft. But after he betrayed Jesus, Judas felt so guilty about what he had done that he eventually killed himself. What was the root cause of all this? It was his love for money. “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10) 

        Do you know that anyone who refuses to turn to Jesus Christ because of material wealth is like Judas? If your pursuit of wealth is the main obstacle preventing you from believing in Jesus, then you are doing what Judas did in valuing the thirty pieces of silver more than his loyalty to Jesus. 

    If you adopt the short-sighted policy of living for what you can gain from this world instead of living for blessings in eternity you will end up the same way that Judas Iscariot did. Jesus said, “What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) 

3. Is it worthwhile not to believe in Jesus, to be free from all obligation to obey God’s Word but gain eternal judgment? 

  There is one more thing that may condition a person’s heart against receiving Jesus. It is the desire to live one’s life without being bound by anything at all, and especially without being bound by the Word of God. This desire is the outcome of the independent spirit of the world which says, “I want to live my life in my own way. I want to be my own master. I want to be free to do whatever I want with my life, without any interference from outside. So don’t come and tell me what I should do or what I should not do with my life. Just leave me alone.” 

  The truth is that no one is completely free to do whatever they want with their life, because they are already bound by a sinful nature within them. They cannot be their own master because sin is already their real master. The freedom they claim to have is only a freedom to walk in darkness and to abide in darkness. 

  There is only one way to have real freedom. True freedom of the soul comes from believing in Jesus. Jesus said, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46) Believing in Jesus Christ is the only way you can be liberated from the darkness of sin and have true freedom. Those who refuse to have anything to do with the Word of God are only denying themselves this one and only means of being released from the control that sin has on their lives. 

The saddest part of all is that they will eventually have to abide by the Word of God on the Day of Judgment. On that day, there will be no more good news for them but only the bad news of having to suffer the consequences of rejecting Jesus and His Word. “And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:47,48) 

  When a sinner stands before God at the Last Day he can only say to himself. “If only I knew and believed a long time ago that one day I would be standing here before God and experiencing His judgment, I would have listened carefully and would not have rejected Jesus. How could I have been so foolish not to receive Jesus and be saved when I had the opportunity to do so? How blind I was to the things that are of real eternal value. All the wealth and fame and power that I was proud of – Where are they now?  All are gone forever! There is nothing I can do now. There is no one who can help me. The only one with power to help me is God. But since He is now against me there is no one I can turn to for help. What a high price to pay for my foolish unbelief!” 

        Since you know what awaits you now, isn’t time that you believe in Jesus Christ? Please think seriously about these three questions: Is it worthwhile to gain the praise of men, but lose the praise of God? Is it worthwhile to gain material wealth for a short time, but lose eternal blessings? And is it worthwhile to be free from all obligations to obey God’s Word but face eternal judgment by that same Word on the Last Day? 

          If your answer to these questions is ‘No,’ then please come to Jesus Christ right now with no more delay! He has promised – “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) This article appeals to your good sense and shows you the logic of believing in Jesus. And this call to believe is a loving offer of salvation. But it is not just a loving offer. It is also a command from God to all sinners: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) 

If you want to believe in Jesus Christ…

- Accept everything that the Bible says about Jesus and yourself as true.

- Confess to Jesus that you are a sinner in need of His salvation.

- Commit your life to Jesus once and for all.

– Pastor

Shorter Catechism Question 2

Q: What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

A: The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. 

Appointments for the Week

Tuesday, Jul 2

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Dn Alvin Chow)

Thursday, Jul 4

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

Saturday, Jul 6

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM

        4.00 pm     SF Meeting

Sunday, Jul 7

  8.00 am     God’s Kingdom Established Zechariah 14:10-21 (Rev Quek Keng Khwang)

  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 Kingdom Established Zechariah 14:10-21 (Rev Quek Keng Khwang, with Holy Communion)

11.00 am Children’s Ministry

11.00 am Chinese Service (MPH)

12.15 pm Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  2.30 pm Thai Service (LMH)

  4.00 pm Indonesian Service (Rm 1-6)

Announcements

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.

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. 

Senior Fellowship

Quarterly Meeting on Saturday, 6 July 2024, 4pm.

Message: A Glimpse into Heaven and Hell

Speaker: Rev Tan Eng Boo

Dinner follow after. All are welcome. Please register with Bro Ong Beng Hong (96230800) for dinner catering. 

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.

Mailbox Club Bible Correspondence Course (MBCC)

Another Church Outreach Ministry invites Lifers to register their young children, teens, or grandchildren with our MBCC. Those whose loved ones, friends or colleagues who are either young in their faith or being non-believers, are interested to know and explore more of Christianity, are also invited to register with us by filling in the registration forms which are now available at the Church front counter and post them to:

Life B-P Church

No.10, Gilstead Road

Singapore 309064

Attention: Mrs Ong Chuay Ying

Thanksgiving

Jonathan and family would like to thank all the Pastors for their nightly visits and sermons in memory of their mother / grandmother, Martha Ng . In addition, they appreciate the prayers, condolences, words of comfort and care of members of the Session, and fellow Lifers. They are deeply touched and blessed by the love, concern and support shown to them.

Exploring Christianity

7 July – 14 August 2024, 9.30am – 10.45am @ Life B-P Church Beulah Centre.

What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? If there is a good and powerful God, why do we have global pandemics and unrest in this world?  The answers to these questions can be found in the Bible, which is God's word to man.
Exploring Christianity is a course that looks at how the Bible addresses these pertinent questions about life. It is a 5-part series and is suitable for (1) Non-Christians seeking God and (2) Christians who would like to learn how to evangelise
All Lifers are encouraged to bring their non-Christian friends and family members to this introductory course on the Christian faith. Register at https://tinyurl.com/ECJULY24

In-Person Church Prayer Meeting

7 July 2024, 5pm @ Beulah Rm 2-1 

Men’s Ministry

The Life BPC Men’s Ministry would like to invite all our Christian brothers to join us for fortnightly Bible study starting from 12/13 July 2024. To register, please contact the Men's Ministry via our email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dementia: Making Sense, Seeking Support

Speakers: Dn Dr Koh Lip Hoe & Sis Cheung Siew Li

Date: 24 August 2024

Time: 4-6pm (followed by dinner)

Venue: Beulah MPH

Register at https://www.lifebpc.com/sfseminar by 4 August

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