Lord’s Day, Vol. 3 No. 18

Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2015, May 2015 Tagged with , ,

(1) Precepts of Prayer

We would begin a new series on the ‘Precepts of Prayer’ for our Wednesday night prayer meetings from 6 May 2015. We shall study the biblical principles of prayer – How we ought to pray! Set aside time for this appointment with God in corporate prayer for His kingdom’s sake.

Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

(2) Spiritual Life Thermometer

Wang Ming Tao, the Chinese theologian encouraged believers to make measurement using the spiritual life thermometer, citing fervency in prayer and lethargic in prayer as the first sign of a healthy or unhealthy spiritual life.

He gave the following assessment for our spiritual benefit:

  • Bible-reading tasteful or Bible-reading insipid.
  • Fully trusting or anxious and doubting.
  • Loving God more than everything else or loving worldly things more than the Lord.
  • Resisting and hating sin or compromising with sin.
  • Giving God the glory in all things or seeking self-glory in everything.
  • Fully at peace or much worrying.
  • Giving thanks in all or much murmuring.
  • Always happy and singing or always sad and sighing.
  • Peaceful and patient in trials or easily provoked to anger.
  • Much consideration of others or much consideration of self.
  • Seeking God’s pleasure first or seeking men’s pleasure in all things.
  • Yearning for spiritual things in the heart or coveting earthly things in the heart.
  • Speaking words that edify others or speaking words that criticise others.
  • Happy to witness for Christ or no power to witness. 
  • Cheerful to give to the Lord’s work or stingy and unwilling to give.
  • Rejoicing in other’s good success or jealous of other’s good success.
  • A helping hand to those in trouble or nonchalant at others’ misfortune.
  • Willing to forgive others or not willing to forgive others.
  • Character first or clothing first.
  • Happy to keep close to devout Christians or happy in the company of worldly friends.
  • Happy to hear faithful admonition or happy to hear words of flattery.
  • Eagerly hoping for the Lord’s return or no thought of things touching the Lord’s return.

[Extracted from “Wang Ming Tao & Charismatism” by Timothy Tow, 1989]

(3) The Call to Reapers

John 4:35-36 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

Our Lord Jesus showed His disciples the ripe harvest field and urged them to spare no effort in witnessing and bringing men and women to the saving truth of salvation through the gospel.

Jesus taught His disciples not to be unduly encumbered with temporal needs but to give priority to fulfil the Great Commission. Jesus set for them the example. The disciples saw the Lord witnessed to the Samaritan woman at the well who came to believe. Consider our Lord’s response of commitment to the work entrusted to Him by God, the Father.

John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Jesus showed to the disciples in doing the gospel work, there is a need for some personal sacrifices. The woman at the well in Samaritan was receptive to the gospel and Jesus followed through to lead her to salvation. Jesus took time to answer her questions and showed her the way to eternal life. This episode opened the way for others to be saved.

John 4:39-41 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word;

We have printed invitation cards. Please take as many as you would to invite your friends and loved ones to go to church. May His will be fulfilled through us. Amen.

 

Yours lovingly,

Pr. Lek Aik Wee