Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
Reformation/Ordination Service
Order of Worship
Call to Worship Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo
Opening Hymn The Church’s One Foundation (260)
Invocation/Gloria Patri
Responsive Reading Titus 2:1-15
Hymn Take My Life and Let It Be (419)
1) When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder – A Young Girl Is Called Home
A poorly clad fourteen-year old girl, Bessie, the child of a drunkard, was sitting on the steps of a broken-down house in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Professor James Black (1856-1938), a Sunday-school teacher, saw her there and asked, “Would you like to go to Sunday school?” She replied, “Yes, I would like to go but…” Black answered, “I understand.”
The next day he sent a parcel of clothing to the young girl, including a dress and new shoes. Bessie attended Sunday school that week and continued faithfully for many weeks thereafter. As president of the Youth Society, Black would call the names of members to mark attendance. They answered the roll call by repeating Scripture texts. He always looked forward to Bessie answering to her name when the roll was called.
Enoch Walked With God
Genesis 5:22-24 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
If I walk with the world, I can’t walk with God. For the world is like a net; the more we stir in it, the more we are entangled. (DL Moody). How does a Christian live in the world but not be of the world? Was it easier to be a Christian in the pre-flood era? We hope to draw some lessons from Enoch’s life about walking with God in these perilous times that we live in.
Witnesses for Christ (Part 2)
The Apostle Paul wrote to encourage the Colossians to greater service for the Lord by (1) glowing for Jesus (Col. 1:9-14) (2) being grounded in Jesus (Col. 1:15-23).
To glow for Jesus, he encouraged them to grow in knowledge of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:9 cf. 15-23), in fruitfulness (Col. 1:10-11) and in gratitude (Col. 1:12-14).
Verses 15-23 tells us it is critical that we are grounded in Christ for (a) He is God (v15), (b) He is Creator (v16-17), (c) He is the Head of the Church – The Pre-eminence (v18), (d) He is Saviour (v19-22), (e) He is the Good News (v23).
Witnesses for Christ (Part 1)
The Apostle Paul wrote the epistle to the Colossians during his first Roman imprisonment. Epaphras was a faithful minister of Christ to the Colossian church (Col. 1:7). He visited the Apostle Paul and brought him good reports concerning the faith, love and hope of the church at Colosse. The Apostle Paul wrote the epistle to encourage the Colossians to greater service.
Two thoughts – (1) Glowing for Jesus (Col. 1:9-14) (2) Grounded in Jesus (Col. 1:15-23).
(1) Marks of True Faith
Abraham’s faith was characterized by obedience and patience.
(a) Obedience
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Abraham submitted to God’s instruction. He complied and acted upon God’s call. He willingly ventured into the unknown. Despite the uncertainty, he embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage of faith, led by God. Abraham did not go alone. His entire family went with him. He was the spiritual leader of his family and he led his family as God led him. He was already 75 years old at that time. Abraham affirmed his faith by his obedience.
Evangelism at the Beautiful Gate
A lame man above 40 years old sought alms from Peter and John at the gate of the temple called Beautiful (Acts 3:2; 4:22). The man’s limbs were without strength and he could not walk from birth. It was no fault of his. It was sad, but it was for the glory of God.
The Beautiful gate was the main gate at the eastern part of Herod’s Temple. It was the ninth gate and the principal entrance into the Temple. The ascent to the Temple was by 12 easy steps. The gate itself was made of dazzling Corinthian brass, richly ornamented and so massive were its double doors that they needed the united strength of 20 men to open and close them. It was at 3pm, the 9th hour (Acts 3:1). The Jews observed daily three stipulated hours of prayer. These were the 3rd, 6th and 9th hour. It was when Peter and John observed the appointed time of communion with God that they met the lame man.
(1) Stand Up for Jesus
– A Deathbed Challenge
A revival broke out in Philadelphia in 1858 under the powerful preaching of twenty-nine-year old Dudley Tyng. Besides pastoring his own church, he held noonday services at the downtown YMCA that attracted great crowds.
On March 30 of that year, over five thousand men gathered for a meeting during which Rev. Tyng preached from Exodus 10:11, “Ye that are men, now go and serve the Lord.” Over one thousand of those present committed their lives to Christ. At one point in his sermon Rev. Tyng said, “I must tell my Master’s errand, and I would rather that this right arm were amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.”
God’s Best Gift to Man
Man has three problems he cannot solve. They are sin, sorrow and death.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We see that this world is plagued by sin, hatred and violence.
Sorrow is an inevitable result of this fallen world. Broken relationships, broken family bonds, broken marital bonds, and the list goes on. Somehow, we just could not live peaceably and joyfully with one another.
To top it all, none can escape death. 10 out of 10 will die. When death strikes in a family, the entire family sorrows for the departed loved one.
Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
We are awakened to the reality of life. We are awakened to the sad plight of men. Is there no remedy?
The Great Commission
The Great Commission is the last instruction of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to His disciples before His ascension to heaven. It is recorded in all four gospels (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:44-48, John 20:21-23) and a fifth time in Acts 1:8, which essentially is the summary statement of the entire book of Acts. In essence, the book of Acts is a detailed account of how the apostles fulfilled the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20.
The first principle for missions and church growth must be to understand its divine strategy or blueprint as taught in the Great Commission.