The Madness of the Christian Faith

The Madness of the Christian Faith

by Pastor Samuel Nesan 

The sermon today was about the Christian faith that may seem foolish or insane to the world, but to us believers it is the most wonderful news and reality in our lives. 

We have the assurance of salvation, we have the groaning for eternity and the hope of God's judgment. These may not sound spectacular at all but with deeper thought, these are the very things that a person need. 

pearlie

How is Christian Living Paradoxical?

How is Christian Living Paradoxical? 2 Cor 4:7-12
Pastor Phillips Koh

Pastor said that our lives as Christians is with suffering and we are not immuned to it because we live in a fallen world and we exist, for now, in a frail and weak body. 

That is so true, particularly when asked why is the world in suffering if we have a loving God. It's not because God is not loving but because we are fallen and weak.

But in Christ we are afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, and struck down but not destroyed. 

This is the mark of a Christian life - the renewal from God through Jesus, that we live our lives in him and through him, carrying the death of Jesus while living a resurrected life through him. 

pearlie

Jesus is both Saviour and Lord

 

The sermon today stressed on our Christian living coming under the Lordship of Jesus and that our lives in God and service for him should be an outflow of a grateful heart.

Our pastor highlighted the impossibility of separating the person of Christ from the work of Christ, that we cannot have him as our Saviour if we don't also have him as our Lord. I have not heard of such a dichotomy before. But apparently some of us, by our own conscious choice, take Jesus as our Saviour but refuse to live in his Lordship, hence a life without obedience and without the Spirit of God in us.

Some of us may not even realize it and do that in our daily living, thinking that we have Jesus as our Saviour but living our lives as we please.  

Is your life a living sacrifice unto God or do you live by the gratification of your own desires?

pearlie

Imitating God and be Sanctified

 

We had a sermon today, one that is seldom preached in churches on Christian Living and on sins that we are to avoid. 

Here in Ephesians 5:1-7, Paul lists six: (1) sexual immorality, (2) greediness and covetousness, (3) uncleanliness of our hearts, (4) filthiness in improper thought, word and deed, (5) foolish talk and (6) crude jesting. 

As it would have been in the first century communities where Paul was, so it is with us now that these acts may sound normal and so what's the big deal. And worse for us, we get sucked into it with the plethora of the media access we have and our ability to get access to almost anything we want. 

But in the end, these are the very things we need to avoid. And our lives will be much more at peace and in harmony with others. 

pearlie

Live Sermon Sketchnotes: one too short, the other too fast

I am getting the hang of making live sketchnotes and I really enjoy it, but the one last week and today was pretty challenging. 

Living in Obedience by Rev Dr Yu Chee Huat

Last week's sermon was only 10 minutes long because of a long church report before that and the pastor had to cut his sermon down to end the service in time for the second service. I thought I did a pretty good job with the header to waste it! And the gist of the message is important in that we must open our ears to the voice of God and not to be confused with our own.

Building Bridges That Last by Rev Mike Constantine

I felt today's sermon was preached very quickly. I suppose it is because the preacher had a 7-point sermon! The one thing that I take home with me is this: when it comes to people that you just do not like, try asking them for help and when they come to you in a big way, you will never not like them ever again. I thought that was a good lesson. 

pearlie

God Tests, God Provides

God Tests, God Provides ~ Genesis 22:1-14

by Rev DS Ling Shiang Ming

I returned to my family church for service today. We have not been here as a family for almost 9 years! It was good to be back.

This is my second attempt at Sermon Sketchnotes. I'm again quite pleased with it. Other than enabling me to view the sermon as a whole in its main points, the best thing for me is that it really helped me listen so much more attentively than before, even better when I was just taking notes. 

pearlie

My First Attempt at Live Sermon SketchNotes

Christianity and Culture: compatible or incongruent? (Colossians 2:6-23)
~ Pastor Phillips Koh

This is my first attempt in sketching sermon notes. It's not great but I really had fun. And contrary to what I thought, it actually helped me keep better attention on the sermon. I did not drift (mentioning it means I usually do!) It also helped me understand and remember it better.

I'll count this as a one up for my Project #3 Take Sketch Notes Though I'm Definitely No Artist.

pearlie