O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

SOMETHING PECULIAR, DISTINCT AND DIFFERENT

21st Century Christians have a very rich spiritual heritage. We stand on the shoulders of many spiritual giants, beginning with the list of men and women of Hebrews 11. We are very privileged to have the opportunity to study the lives of these men and women in our Sunday sermons in the third quarter of this year. 

Since GOD continues to raise such men and women, there are other faithful and godly people that we can learn from. The church of Jesus can be blessed by learning how these people lived out the full counsel of GOD. There is also much that we can learn from their works about the LORD our GOD. 

For this week’s chat, we shall learn from the Christian giant J.C. Ryle (1816-1900). In one of his devotions, written over a hundred years ago, he wrote that being born again makes a sinner peculiar, distinct, and different from others. The truths in his devotion are eternal and still applicable today. 

As we read his devotion, let us search our hearts and humble ourselves to apply these truths. The application of these truths will encourage us to persevere in the faith to the glory of GOD. May these ancient and eternal truths also remind us of GOD’s grace and help us to love our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ even more! 

“Conversion - Something peculiar, distinct, and different” by JC Ryle
“The effects of the Spirit's work in conversion will always be seen. Those effects may be weak and feeble at first. But where there is true conversion, some fruit will always be seen. 

Where no effect can be seen--there you may be sure is no grace.
Where no visible fruit can be found--there you may be sure is no true conversion. 

Does anyone ask me what we may expect to see in a true conversion?
I reply: There will always be something seen in a converted man's . . .
   character,
   and feelings,
   and conduct,
   and opinions,
   and daily life. 

You will not see perfection in him--but you will see in him something peculiar, distinct, and different from other people. You will see him . . .

   hating sin,
   loving Christ,
   following after holiness,
   taking pleasure in his Bible,
   persevering in prayer. 

You will see him . . .
   penitent,
   humble,
   believing,
   temperate,
   charitable,
   truthful,
   good-tempered,
   patient,
   upright,
   honourable,
   kind. 

These, at any rate, will be his aims--these are the things which he will follow after, however short he may come of perfection. In some converted people you will see these things more distinctly, in others less. This only I say, wherever there is conversion, something of this kind will be seen. True conversion is a thing that can always be seen. 

Never, never, will I allow that the blessed Spirit can be in a man's heart--when no fruit of the Spirit can be seen in his life! A conversion which allows a man to live in sin, to lie, and drink, and swear--is not the conversion of the Bible. It is a counterfeit conversion, which can only please the devil, and will lead the man who is satisfied with it--not to Heaven, but to Hell!” 

So, do we have the fruits of repentance? If yes, no matter how small they are, let us persevere in the faith. If there is anyone reading this who does not have such desires for holiness nor repentance and change, let them not assume they are a child of GOD. May they learn the fear of GOD first, so that they may be led to cry out, “What must I do to be saved?” 

Where in the Bible do we find these truths that J.C. Ryle wrote about? The answer is in these verses: Hebrews 10:39, 2 Corinthians 4:13, Ephesians 1:17-19 and Ephesians 2:8.  And based on these verses, the Westminster Divines crafted out the salient points of the devotion succinctly. 

Indeed, the Holy Bible teaches that a true convert will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the Christian will turn away from sin. May everyone who reads J.C. Ryle’s devotion here, be encouraged to persevere in the faith. As for others, it is my prayer that in this church, you will discover the fear of GOD and experience what Jesus said in John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” May everyone in our church be a born-again Christian.

– Joel Seah

Shorter Catechism Question 37

37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?

The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Mar 3

        7.30 pm     No ERBL Lecture

Tuesday, Mar 4

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Girls’ Brigade)

Thursday, Mar 6

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     ERBL: The Epistles of Peter (Rev Bendick Ong)

Saturday, Mar 8

      11.00 am     Faith NBC

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM

        4.00 pm     SF Anniversary (MPH)

Sunday, Mar 9

  8.00 am     The Power of the Word Hebrews 4:12-13 (Eld Ng Beng Kiong)

  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 The Power of the Word Hebrews 4:12-13 (Eld Ng Beng Kiong)

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

In-Person Church Prayer Meeting

Date: 2 March 2025 (Today)

Time: 5.00pm

Venue: Beulah Room 2-1

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is back!

Theme: A Whale of a Time
Date: 4-6 June 2025 (Wed-Fri)
Lifers needed for the available areas of service: Teaching, Craft, F&B, Games, Logistics and Traffic/Security.

To register, visit https://lifebpc.com/vbs/  

Note: Children's registration (4-12 years old [N2-P6]) will commence at the end of March.

Door to Door Evangelism

2 March 2025 (Today)

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.

Library Ministry

Members are invited to serve in the Library Ministry. If you are available on Sunday, please contact Sis. Mimi or Bro. Paul for more details.

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.

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

Bro Joseph Tan  and his family wish to thank Lifers for their condolences, prayers and words of comfort during the bereavement of his mother, Mdm Sim Chew Lan. 

Senior Fellowship 25^th Anniversary

Date: 8 March 2025

Time: 4-6pm

Venue: Beulah MPH

“How can I cope with any situation in life” by Rev Charles Seet.

Please register with Beng Hong or Chee Weng. 

Gospel Sunday

English service:
Topic: Is there more to life that I'm missing? (Luke 15:11-32)
Date: Sunday, 30 March 2025
Time: 8:00 am & 11:00 am
Speaker: Dn Lim Chien Chong
Venue: Life B-P Church Sanctuary, 9A Gilstead Road, Singapore 309063

Combined YAF – MM – LF

Date: 29 March 2025

Time: 4-6pm

Venue: Beulah MPH

“God-ordained Roles of Man & Woman” by Bro Mok Chee Cheong

Join us for a time of fellowship in God’s life-giving Word as we learn how we may honor Him in our roles as men and women and live them out in daily life. ALL are welcome! 

Register at: https://tinyurl.com/menwomenroles 

Gospel Sunday Choir Presentation

The Life Church Service Choir will be presenting the song “Grace of God” for Gospel Sunday on 30 March 2025. The practices will be held at Beulah 4-2 from 0830 – 0930 hrs on Sundays 9, 15 and 23 March

We welcome all church members to join us for this presentation! Please contact Yoong Chiang for more details. 

Senior Fellowship Medical Seminar: Coping with Critical Illnesses

Date: 26 April 2025

Time: 4-6pm

Venue: Beulah MPH

Speaker: Dr Loh Keh Chuan 

We all have to face ageing, sickness and death as we pass through life’s journey on earth. The majority of us will encounter critical illness at some point in our lives. We do not ponder on the prospect of imminent death until critical illness strikes.

This Seminar will:

1. provide an overview and conceptual understanding on the biology of ageing, sickness and death that God programmed in our DNA since the fall of man.
2. focus on cancer as example of critical illness. This is pertinent because one in three people will develop cancer in their lifetime.
3. explore both the biblical perspective on coping with terminal illness and the medical perspective on diagnosis and treatment of cancers. 

Register by 13 April https://www.lifebpc.com/sfseminar 

Church Camp 2025

Save the date! Please mark your calendars for our upcoming church camp!

Theme: Are We Prepared to Meet Christ?

Dates: 17-20 June 2025

Venue: Radisson Hotel, Batam, Indonesia

Speaker: Rev Ian Goligher, Retired Pastor of Free Presbyterian Church in Cloverdale, BC Canada.

Join us for a blessed time of spiritual growth and fellowship as we explore the messages from the letters of Christ to the seven churches in Revelation.

Camp registration will start from today, 19 January 2025. You may go to the church's website at https://www.lifebpc.com/church-camp-2025 to register online. Availability will be on a first come first serve basis. Please do register early to avoid disappointment. If you require any assistance with registration, please contact Josiah Seah at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For any questions about camp, please contact Dn Chen Wei'an .

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