Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 42

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Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 42

Mandarin Outreach Service

Thank God for His provision of the William Booth Chapel for our Mandarin Outreach Service from 2 October 2022.

We thank the Lord for bringing Mdm. Lim Chor Kheng to church on 9 October 2022 together with her husband. The Lord provided ambulance transport to facilitate her trip from home to the church and from the church back home.

Mdm. Lim Chor Kheng (centre, seated) with husband Mr Yew (seated) with Mr Yew’s sister June (seated, right) and June’s husband Mr Leong (standing, behind June) together with Pastor Lek.

Mdm. Lim was baptised on 24 March 2022. [Weekly Newsletter, Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 15] We thank the Lord that her husband, Mr Yew, not a believer, agreed to accompany her wife to church. We pray for his salvation. They were accompanied by June, Mr Yew’s sister and June’s husband, Mr Leong.

Missing from the picture is Mrs Rachel Chan and Marianne Diampoc who had to leave immediately after the service, Mr Yap Joo Guan, front row (left) and Mr Daniel Gossage front row (right)

Thank God for bringing the family of Mr Yap Joo Guan to worship with us since the beginning of the year. Thank God also for the blessed fellowship of Bro. Bien Keem and Bro. Daniel Gossage. Daniel reaffirmed his faith on 27 December 2020 [Weekly Newsletter, Lord’s Day, Vol. 8 No. 52] and was enlisted for National Service in January 2021. He shall be completing his National Service in early November. Faith Wong and her son Joel were not present as Joel is undergoing reservist training. Pastor Lek’s mother listens online.

The Work of the Holy Spirit 

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. The triune Godhead consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit indwells the believer at the new birth. 

Titus 3:5 (KJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit Comforter

Our Lord Jesus Christ explains this in John 14:16-18 (KJV) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Our Lord Jesus declared that He will be ascended to heaven and the disciples will be left with their Master therefore the Lord Jesus is telling us the Father giving the Holy Spirit in order to be alongside us.

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter. The word “Comforter” means One is called to come alongside you, be with you, and help you. The word “Comforter” consisted of the preposition “with or alongside” and the verb “to call”. Think of someone coming alongside you, it means, he is with you, just as Jesus as the Master, was with the disciples, the Holy Spirit will be with the disciples of Jesus after His ascension to heaven. The Holy Spirit will come and will be “another” Comforter. The word “another” refers to “another of the same kind” as opposed to another word also translated as “another”, which means “another of a different kind”. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit abiding in the believer is for eternity – that He may abide with you forever (John 14:16).

16 … that He may abide in you 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

The Holy Spirit will be with us and in us. So, Jesus says in v18, “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.” This, the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit will be sent so that the disciples will find God’s presence with them to protect and help them. That is the meaning of the word “Comforter”.

The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf in our time of suffering and spiritual weaknesses and fears to strengthen us. In this sense, He is the Comforter, a present help in times of need – Romans 8:26 (KJV) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

The Holy Spirit will pray for us to help us. Sometimes we do not know how to pray, in our distress, in our affliction, we do not know what to do. 

Romans 8:27 (KJV) And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

What is the mind of the Spirit? The Holy Spirit will teach us, and incline us to know the purpose and will of God for us. Although the Lord Jesus will not be physically speaking with us but He will send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, to be with us, to help us, to comfort us.

The Holy Spirit protects the believer so that no evil spirit can possess him or her – 1 John 4:4 (KJV) 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 that indwells the believer is greater than all the evil spirits in the world. When we come to know God, to be sealed by the Holy Spirit, we are protected by God, the evil spirits of the world cannot possess us. When we have the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit Comforter, not only teaches us but also protects us from all evil spirits. Amen.

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee