O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

	9:00 am
Call to Worship	Eld Michael Ong
Opening Hymn	Now Thank We All Our God (HGG 5)
Invocation-Gloria Patri
Scripture Reading	1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Hymn	A Charge to Keep I Have
Offertory Hymn	I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord (HGG 224)
Doxology & Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Sermon	Leadership Matters (Hebrews 13:7-9; 17.25) by Eld Chia Ah Lak
Closing Hymn	Rise Up, O Men of God (TSMS 205)
Benediction
Announcements

 

WHAT ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS CHURCH MEMBERS? 

          As we will have our Annual Congregational Meeting today, it is good to focus our thoughts on our responsibilities as church members. These responsibilities ought to be taken seriously because biblically, the church is the primary means through which God accomplishes His plan in the world. It is His ordained instrument for calling the lost to Himself and the context within which He sanctifies those who are born into His family. Therefore, God expects and even demands commitment to the church from all its members.

          In Matthew 16:18 our Lord Jesus proclaimed that He would build His church. Then He invested the church with the authority to act on His behalf (see 18:17-20). While this passage speaks about the universal church which consists of all believers in Christ worldwide, we should not think that local churches are less important. Most of the epistles in the New Testament were written to local churches, and three other epistles were written to individuals to instruct them on the proper function of the local church. The second and third chapters of Revelation (which will be expounded at our coming church camp) consist of epistles from Christ Himself to seven local churches which existed in Asia Minor at that time.

          The importance of the local church is highlighted in 1 Timothy 3:15 – “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” The term ‘house of God’ here does not refer to the church building, but the church family. It is God’s will that all believers should serve Him not only as individuals, but also together as a family. We can therefore say that each local church is a family unit of God.

          Just as your family plays an important part in your life, the church plays an indispensable role in the life of all believers – it enables them to develop skills to do their part for the overall work of God in the world, and for the truth of God. The local church is ordained by God to provide the necessary structure that believers need in order to build up one another, to have proper accountability to one another, to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, and also to proclaim the Word of God to the world.

          With all this, we now understand why we should take our responsibilities as church members seriously. Here are three responsibilities of church members:

Regular Attendance

          Hebrews 10:24,25 tells us – “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” In the early church, there were already some who habitually failed to turn up in church. The writer of Hebrews tells his readers that they are not to do this. In fact, they ought to be more diligent about church attendance as the day of Christ’s return draws nearer.

          We are now much nearer to the day of Christ’s return than those early Christians were. It is therefore more needful for us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. You have a weekly appointment to keep in God’s House and you should not miss it. Attending worship online may be fine for those who are on travel overseas, sick or infirmed with age. But it is not the same as being physically present in the house of the LORD where a proper ambience of worship is maintained and there are no household distractions around us. May our attitude be like that of the psalmist who said, “For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand…” (Psalm 84:10a)

Responsive Participation 

          It is one thing to be physically present in church, but another to be actively participating in what goes on in church. At the very least, all members ought to participate in the worship service. Worship is the most basic duty of every believer (cf. Psalm 100:2,3) but it becomes futile when one’s heart is not in it (cf. Matthew 15:8). When hymns are sung, be sure to sing them outwardly with your voice as well as inwardly with your heart. When the Scripture text is read, be sure to follow along by reading it. When the sermon is preached, be ready to listen and jot down the salient points.

          The worship service is not all that church members ought to participate in. You should keep growing spiritually by building up your own knowledge of God’s Word, and by engaging in meaningful fellowship with other Christians. You can do this by participating regularly in a Sunday School class, in a Fellowship group or in a Neighbourhood Bible Community (NBC). Whenever we organise Bible seminars, please make every effort to arrange your schedule so that you can attend them and gain spiritual blessings from them.

          Another important area of participation is prayer. Take time to read the Prayer Bulletin in the church weekly and pray for the needs of the various missions and ministries of the church. Charles Spurgeon once said, “The prayer meeting is the powerhouse of the church. If the engine room is out of action, then the whole mill will grind to a halt.” Make it a point to join our weekly Tuesday night prayer meeting which is online, or attend our onsite church prayer meeting on every first Sunday of the month. The church needs more intercessors in order to make an impact on the world (cf. Acts 4:31).

          Participation may also take the form of service to others. God has designed the church to function like a human body (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). In order for the body to be healthy and strong, all its parts must fulfil their specific roles. Thus each church member needs to identify his or her role within the church and strive to do it well. Every believer has a spiritual gift that should be put to good use for the benefit of others (1 Corinthians 12:7).

          The Annual Congregational Meeting which we are having today is a unique event where all church members participate together to discuss church matters, approve reports and budgets and appoint some of its members to carry out certain tasks. This is required not only for good administration but also to follow the biblical pattern that was set by the early church. Acts 1:15-26 records the proceedings of a congregational meeting in which Matthias was chosen to join the eleven apostles in the ministry of the church. In Acts 6:1-7 we see a congregational meeting conducted to resolve a logistical problem that had developed as a result of the rapid growth of the church.

          Each of us should therefore make it a point to participate in every congregational meeting, so that the Lord can direct the church to accomplish His purposes through the collective will of its members. It is quite different from the annual general meetings of secular organisations or institutions where the main consideration is to do whatever is most convenient and pleasing to everyone at the meeting, and performance is measured in terms of profit margins and visible development. When we meet together as a congregation, our primary consideration is on what pleases God and on doing God’s will, not ours.

Ready Submission 

          God has instituted office-bearers within the church to ensure its smooth running and orderly administration. He has defined the roles and responsibilities of the pastors, elders and deacons of the church in His Word. God has also given specific instructions to church members to submit to their church leaders, e.g. Hebrews 13:17 – “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

          Submission is easy when you feel like submitting. However, there are times when you may not feel like submitting yourself to them. It may be that you are unhappy with a decision that was made by the leadership with the concurrence of the majority of members just because it is not exactly in line with your own personal preference. Then you need to lay aside your own personal preference and submit to the leadership’s decision.

          Submission is also required when you receive pastoral counsel from church leaders concerning some sin or spiritual deficiency they have observed in your life. Instead of getting upset and leaving the church, you should discern that God is speaking through them and take their counsel to heart by repenting of your sins. Such submission may not always be easy but it is absolutely needful, and it glorifies the Lord.

          This however does not mean that you should comply blindly with everything that church leaders tell you to do. In his third epistle, John the apostle instructed Gaius not to obey a church leader named Diotrephes because he was corrupted by his own pride and had opposed John’s apostolic authority (3 John 9-11). If any church leader attempts to dictate things that are clearly contrary to God’s Word, you cannot submit to his authority, because you must always obey God rather than men (cf. Acts 5:29).

          This reminds us that church leaders are fallible men. They need your prayers because they are strategic targets for Satan. Satan knows that if he can make church leaders take a wrong course and fall, the whole church will probably fall along with them.

          May God help us all to know how we ought to behave in “…the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” Let us take our responsibilities as church members seriously, so that we may fulfil our mission and vision of building a united church family that is committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ through salvation, sanctification and service, to the glory of God.

 

The LORD’s Day

Before the dawn subdues the night

And darkness melts away,

The song of birds in full delight

Precede the break of day.

As beams of radiant ruddy glow

Swell on the eastern sky,

And dew upon the grass below

Their tiny drops apply,

All nature seems to greet the morn

And all her praises save

For this, the day the earth was born,

And Christ rose from the grave!

As light, to full expression grows,

The lines and shapes appear.

The morning sunlight starkly shows

The porch and steeple clear.

In tall and stately silence, stands

The sanctuary of God;

A testimony of the hands

Which laboured for the Lord

Then come the people, one by one

To worship and to pray;

To bring their off’rings to the Son

On this appointed Day.

As soon the bell has ceased to ring

And echoes die away

Then hearts in worship start to sing

And grateful homage, pay

The mighty Word of God is read

Its message is explained,

Till hungry minds and souls are fed

And precious gems retained.

How beautiful a sight to see

The children of the Lord

Give up their lives in love to be

An off’ring unto God!

And when the blessed meeting ends

Then fellowship begins,

When members, sharing needs as friends

Forgive each other’s sins

Then joyfully, they start to leave

Refreshed within their soul;

Another week for Him, to live

With promises to hold.

So ends the holy Day of God,

The Day which He has giv’n

A foretaste of life with the Lord,

With Jesus Christ in Heav’n!

– Pastor 

 

Shorter Catechism Question 45

Q. 45. Which is the first commandment?

A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

 

 

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Apr 28

        7.30 pm     No ERBL Lecture

Tuesday, Apr 29

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Dn Surya Kusuma)

Thursday, May 1

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     No ERBL Lecture

Saturday, May 3

      11.00 am     Faith NBC

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM

Sunday, May 4

  8.00 am Christ, the Anchor of Our Soul Hebrews 6:9-20 (Rev Charles Seet)

  8.00 am Choir Practice

  9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  9.20 am Coffee Corner

  9.40 am Sunday School / Catechism Class

10.30 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am Christ, the Anchor of Our Soul Hebrews 6:9-20 (Rev Charles Seet 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

Annual Congregational Meeting at 10.45am.

Please bring along the “Voting Member’s Record Verification Form” (VMRVF) or the “Non-Voting Member’s Record Verification Form” (NVMRVF) and submit at the front porch of the Sanctuary.

 

Parking (ACM)

On ACM (27 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).

Please note that parking is permitted along single yellow lines on Sundays and Public Holidays.

Appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation and we will do our best to find parking space for all.

Parking is also available at Revenue House (RH).

Please contact Bro Kelvin  or Dn Chan Yong if you need ferry service from RH to church.

 

Catechism Class for Anniversary Baptism on 19 October 2025

commences on 13 July 2025. 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: 6 July 2025.

 

Church Camp 2025

Collection of Church Camp fees will take place on 4 and 11 May at the Church Office during the following timings: Sunday School (9.30am-10.45am) and immediately after second service.

Campers will be receiving an email on the payment details closer towards the collection dates.

Please do contact Josiah Seah @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any queries.

 

Coffee Corner will be closed on ACM Sunday (Today)

 

Door to Door Evangelism 4 May 2025 (Next Sunday)

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

 

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

 

Young Adult Talk Series 2025

Join us for the third part of our Young Adult Talk series on Romance and Marriage!

Topic: God’s Rules for Romance
Date: 4th May 2025
Time: 9:40 AM
Venue: Beulah Room 2-1

We warmly welcome all youths and young adults to join us in listening to God's word together, to understand the biblical principles behind courtship, romance and marriage. Let us explore how we can honour Him in this important aspect of our lives. See you there!

 

Exploring Christianity

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. 

The first session will be held on a Saturday, 10 May 2025, from 9-1pm at Beulah Centre. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Kindly note that the other 3 sessions will be held on Sunday mornings. 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/ECMay2025 

 

Life Bible-Presbyterian Church Seminar: Revive Us, O Lord!

Speaker: Rev Ian Goligher

Date: Saturday 14 June 2025

Time: 3-6pm (followed by dinner)

Venue: Beulah MPH

Register by 1 June 2025 at https://tinyurl.com/LifeBPCSem14Jun2025 

 

The Chinese Choir welcomes members of both congregations (Eng & Chi) to learn singing techniques with us. Beulah House, Sunday 11, 18, 25 May (8-930am)

 

75^th Anniversary Praise Service

Date: 11 Oct 2025 (Saturday)

Time: 7:30pm

Venue: Life B-P Church Sanctuary

 

YF Camp (for youths aged 17-25)

Date: 15-19 December 2025

Venue: Life B-P Church

Save the dates!