Trinitarian Magazine Issue 4/2014

www.trinity.sg

Issue 04/2014

5 TRUTHS ABOUT GOD’S WILL

WHEN THE BROOK RUNS DRY

Real Life Miracle: GOD’S “LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE”

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38

46

WHAT IS

HOW CAN SOLOMON HAVE SO MANY WIVES WHEN GOD CONDEMNS POLYGAMY?

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the Will of God?

Family

Christmas

COM B IN E D S E RV I C ES

F O R AL L AG ES

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A Trinitarian Tradition

Sun, Dec 28, 3 - 7pm Wed, Dec 31, 3 - 7pm Trinity@Paya Lebar

...............................................................

Let us give thanks and partake communion together as a family or carecell.

WATCHNIGHT

Service

2014

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FIRST

PRAYER

MEETING

2015 OF

FRI, JAN 2, 8PM TRINITY@PAYA LEBAR LEVEL 2, SANCTUARY

Start the New Year in Prayer.

Come with your family and carecell to pray as a church.

Contents ENVISION

> WHEN THE BROOK RUNS DRY

WHEN THE

BROOK RUNS

DRY...

by Senior Pastor Dominic Yeo

Issue 04/2014

ENVISION

38 WHEN THE BROOK RUNS DRY God’s divine arrangements

up close

46 GOD’S “LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE” Real-life Miracles 38 38

up close

up close

up close

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TRINITARIAN HERO Serving beyond church walls

CARE COOK CONNECT Recipes from Trinitarians

CAUGHT ON TRINITY’S CAMERA

HEARTBEAT

HEARTBEAT

HEARTBEAT

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MISSIONS AT A GLANCE An overview of Trinity’s Missions from Jan to Sep 2014

TRINITARIANS GO TO THE NATIONS! A photo journal of the MITs this quarter

TRAINING AND CONSULTATion Training and Consultation trips for this quarter

FOCUS

WHAT IS

the Will of God?

FOCUS

FOCUS

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27

WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD?

THE WILL OF GOD – QUOTED

FOCUS

FOCUS

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36

DANGEROUS THEORIES ABOUT Knowing GOD’S WILL

5 TRUTHS ABOUT GOD’S WILL

RECOMMENDED BOOKS Recommended books on the will of God

FOCUS

PULSE

PULSE

PULSE

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MORNING PRAYER Worship before work

A HOLE IN THE WALL Children’s Day event

oted of God - Qu ll 1. The Will ing God’s Wi About Know ll us Theories 2. Dangero out God’s Wi Ab ths Tru 3. Five Will of God e Th on s ad 4. Great Re

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Focus

‘Follow Your Heart’ and Other Potentially Dangerous Theories About Knowing God’s Will Where do we find God’s will? Is it in one of the following theories?

By Scott Attebery

(Acts 2:1441) when months 1 The Tightrope Theory earlier Jesus rebuked him This teaching declares God’s and called Him Satan (Matt. will is like a tightrope where 16:23). It seems God is not one wrong move will ruin wringing His hands worried your life and require you to that imperfect men will mess start all over again or worse, up His will. be eternally out of God’s will.

This view assumes God is 2 The Open Door Theory powerless to work through Many people believe that if the faults of man. a door of opportunity opens in life, it must be from God. The tightrope theory has Quoting Revelation 3:8, “... I a difficult time explaining have set before you an open how Moses could lead the door, which no one is able children of Israel out of Egypt to shut ... “ they take this with first-degree murder on passage totally out of context. his record (Exodus 2:1112) But even if the interpretation or how Peter could preach were correct, it would still powerfully at Pentecost

leave a difficult question: which door? Every situation in life has multiple possibilities for open doors.

Apparently Peter picked the wrong door when he tried to free Jesus by cutting off a Roman soldier’s ear. Jesus rebuked him saying, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels?” (Matt.

26:53) Translation: “I’m going through a different door.”

I wonder how many of us would have chosen the same one.

26

TOUGH QUESTIONS ANSWERED How can Solomon have so many wives when God condemns polygamy?

PULSE

66 CAREFÉ EXPRESS OPENS A new initiative by CCSS

FOCUS

3 The Follow Your Heart Theory Some misguided believers have spiritualized the secular adage to “follow your heart.”

The only problem, according to Jer. 17:9, is “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Samson may be the first to say, “Amen!”)

Sometimes this view comes in the form of the phrase “You’ll just know,” which is code for “I don’t have a clue.”

Other times someone may refer to having a “peace” about a situation. But Jesus wasn’t experiencing emotional peace in Luke 22:4144 when He sweat drops of blood in the garden. And there is no doubt He fulfilled God’s will.

are merely reflections of their circumstances. Jennifer’s attraction to Tim’s guitar skills may be the real reason she thinks God is leading her to date him. The test Craig bombed in his business class could account for his desire to change majors. And Jim’s rough week at the office may have shaped his desire to move to California.

Just like Jonah stumbling upon a boat headed to Tarshish, opportunities can seem providential when we already have a desire for them.

28

4 It Shouldn’t Be Confusing All of the theories about God’s will have caused many to feel anxious about making any decisions without some sort of divine guidance, so they begin to believe that every hunch or feeling must be God’s way of trying to tell them something.

The preceding is an excerpt from Scott Attebery’s book, “Navigate: Understanding & Pursuing God’s Will.”

Scott Attebery is executive director of DiscipleGuide Church Resources, a department of the Baptist Missionary Association of America. You can read his blog at ScottAttebery.com.

All of the stress and strain of trying to stay on the tightrope or in the bull’s-eye of God’s will seems strange for those who have been promised “... my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30) The constant feeling that God’s will is always dangling just out of reach seems at odds with “... ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 9:11) But where do we find God’s will?

Many times, the feelings they interpret as divine revelation

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WE ARE TRINITARIANS! Vision Month 2014

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K N A H T

Dear Children’s M inistry, Since Gloria mov ed up to Discover yLand (DL), we have seen po sitive growth in he r. Every week after DL sh e comes back sin ging a worship song. Du ring the week sh e’d sing worship songs su ch as ‘Our God re igns’ and ‘Great in all the ea rth’ to herself. Th e songs she’s learnt in DL have definitely re placed songs she was pr eviously crazy ab out, like Disney’s ‘Let It Go ’.

!

U O Y Do you have someone to thank?

What has blesse d us as parents is that she wants to be the fir st to pray in our da ily family prayer time. This is a big change in her as she used to be hesitan t in praying.

Gloria loves going DL so much that she once asked me, “why is school 5 days an d DL only 1 day?” When I as ked her how man y days she would want DL to be, she said “10 days!”

We are truly bles sed by the Childre n’s Ministry.

Thank you for pu tting in all the effo rt to engage the children in w orship, in Word an d in prayer.

You have created an environment fo r children to encounter God. We are so proud of our Children’s Minist ry!

Darren and Wai W ai

Send your appreciation notes to connect@trinity.org.sg.

Advisor

Pastor Dominic Yeo

Chief Editor

Pastor Janice Chng

EditorS

Editorial Team

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Diana Lim

Carol Lim Daniel Koh Dawn Li June Teh Lye Hui Xian

Miranda Zhang Rebecca Muthswamy Sharon Lim

Amy Lin Daniel Kolenda Krystle Foo Scott Attebery Pastor Dominic Yeo Pastor Jeffrey Wong Pastor Joseph Tan Pastor Margaret Tay

Designers

EDITORIAL SUPPORT Contributing Photographers

Charlotte Yong Kelvin Low Heng Meng Hee Li Junbin Pufferfish Studio Rachel Li Roland Tan Twenty4Frames

Big Detail Pte Ltd

Sarah Lau

y leaders especially m , A 9 8 9 @ g n pri nt recell Wells courageme ch great en thank my ca su to g e ly in n lik e o b ld r e u fo th I wo Soong, for me. I am and Kristen difficult one their church ry g ve Ethel Chan in a d n n e te e at b d as e h p p ar o st ye ianity. ave to me. This y parents h pen to Christ M o . ry ily m ve t fa o y n m is Christian in my brother ht years and ig e t and as le at for any quarrels m h it w , le ti e vola involving th ways been ation has al is happened is tu as a cr si e s ily u su o m is ri fa se ily My my fam cently a d e R ce s. la e p y su e is r them. cell, th unresolved ed praying fo ith my care as w ce g t in o n ar e sh r hav police. Afte l weeks and a for severa d n e ag carecell for r ye pra praying as a f o n io it ad e a tr d support that we hav cere care an d n e si g e ra u th y co b n d I am very e very touche needs. I am ’ rs me. e s th d o ar h w eac shown to as h ll ce re for services that the ca their church g in d n te at ormations e now many transf y parents ar e m th r at fo th l u le thankf aders to be It is a mirac azing! I am using my le is am e ly H u tr w o is h d again. God e carecell an g through th in o d is d o G nce. godly influe Cindy Ng

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The Trinitarian is published quarterly by Trinity Christian Centre.

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COMING UP IN

2015

Get ready for God to speak powerfully to you through these anointed guest speakers!

MISSIONS CONVENTION 2015 MAR 14 & 15

Dikran Salbashian

Jules Jules

Senior Pastor of New Life Assembly in Jordan.

Senior Pastor of New Life Church in Baghdad, Iraq.

Easter 2015 Apr 3-5

Jason Frenn Evangelist Jason Frenn has held more than 55 international crusades where more than 3 million people have heard the presentation of the Gospel. He has seen more than 300,000 first-time decisions for Christ. Jason is a bestselling author and has a daily live radio program.

May 9 & 10

Samuel Rodriguez Rev Samuel Rodriguez is the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. He was nominated by TIME magazine for its “100 Most Influential People in The World” list in 2013. By God’s Grace, Samuel is one of America’s leading Christian voices to build the Kingdom of God, reconciling a platform of righteousness and justice.

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Jun 11-14

Gary Rucci Rev Gary Rucci is the Director of Mission for the Assemblies of God of Great Britain. Gary is known for his passionate and articulate communication. His preaching is thought-provoking and relevant to real world problems today. Be captivated by God’s missional heart through this man.

Jun 11-14

Glyn Barrett Rev Glyn Barrett is the Senior Pastor of !Audacious Church, a nation-shaking church in Manchester, England and also the author of books ‘If I Was The Devil’ and ‘The Audacious Revolution’. A powerful communicator, Glyn’s motivational teachings from God’s Word have impacted the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world.

Sep 18-20

Wilfredo De Jesús Rev Wilfredo De Jesús is Senior Pastor of New Life Covenant Church (NLC), one of the fastest growing churches in Chicago. A man who believes no one is beyond the transforming power of God’s love, he calls Christians to arise to reach out to those in need and those “that nobody wants,” such as the homeless, gangs, and drug addicts.

Sep 26 & 27

Les Bowling Rev Les Bowling is the founder of Eagle Rock Ministries in Ohio, originating president of Gospel and the Preacher Bible College, and overseer of Eagle Rock Covenant Network. He is dedicated to teaching the truth of the gospel message, and equipping disciples with Biblical truths and the power to proclaim them!

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Dear Trinitarians, We started 2014 with God calling us to His divine alignment for His Kingdom’s assignment. Many of you have shared with me how this year has truly been a season of aligning our families, jobs and ministries to God’s will and plans. As 2015 approaches, may we continue in this posture of aligning our will to His no matter where He leads us.

The journey ahead is always one we do not have sight of. The reality is that as we step into 2015, we don’t have full sight of what might happen or have knowledge of what will happen. This is where we need to respond with bold faith and move forward bravely.

Don’t allow the circumstances and setbacks in 2014 to put a cap on what God is positioning

you for. In my sermon When the Brook Runs Dry (p38), read about how God realigned Elijah for His purposes. When the spiritual brooks in our lives run dry, we need to know and believe that God is up to something good and greater, walk in faith toward Him and confront the uncertainties of 2015 courageously.

Fear has the ability to cripple and hamper the life of a believer. Fear causes us to give excuses and resist by asking “What if…?” Instead, have we ever thought, “What if we don’t step out in faith?”

Can you imagine what would have happened if Abraham, Moses, and Joseph gave in to uncertainty? They could have told God, “What if it does not happen the way You said it will?”, but they did not.

They held on to His Word and stepped out courageously in faith. Abraham stepped out into an unknown land; Moses

The journey ahead is always a journey we do not have sight of. The reality is that as we step into 2015, we do not have full sight of what might happen or have knowledge of what will happen. This is where we need to respond with bold faith.

stepped out to lead God’s people out of slavery; Joseph continued to walk on in faith despite the many curveballs thrown at him in life.

I want to encourage you to read about how Elaine, who was diagnosed with cancer, chose to focus on God’s promises instead of the ‘what ifs’ and rose to a new level of faith in God (p46). Friends, if we don’t walk into 2015 with a spirit of bold faith, we won’t make that journey spiritually.

We will remain behind instead, and miss out on His blessings.

The year 2015 is a significant year for both Singapore as well as the Church in Singapore as we celebrate our Jubilee Year. While the government charts the next phase for the nation, we need to ask ourselves what is God’s will for the church and for our lives? In this issue we look into Five Truths About God’s Will (p30) and some of the Dangerous Theories About Knowing God’s Will (p28) that will help us in understanding the will of God. As God invites us to embark on a journey of bold faith for 2015, I believe this issue will prepare your hearts in embracing His mandate and His promises! God’s mandate will challenge us in our core but be bold, arise in faith and know that God is bringing us to another level!

See you at Watchnight Service 2014 as we cross over into 2015 together as a church!

Senior pastor’s message

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PULSE

Check out how much we love Trinity! #WeAreTrinitarians Here’s a spread of photos in case you missed them.

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PULSE

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PULSE

“

W

e are Trinitarians!” is not just a slogan, it embodies our ‘God-moments’ as well as our relationships with one another. It means standing together as a church and identifying with the vision that God has given Trinity.

Every September, Trinitarians gather to celebrate our vision and identity, as well as give toward our Vision Faith Promise – our building fund.

It’s a commitment to the Lord made in faith by every Trinitarian, young and old!

Why do we give? Borrowing the lines of Pastor David

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Doery, it’s because it’s a “supernatural partnership”.

We build God’s house so that men and women can be planted in our local church and flourish, and be nurtured, discipled and transformed!

At Trinity@Paya Lebar’s main service, nine-year-old Benedict from our DiscoveryLand shared why he gives and the discipline it takes to give, “I save up some money from the allowance my mother gives me for school. Everyday I will save 20 or 40 cents. I also give to church because I want to help build the church and help more people come to know God.”

That is the essence of why we give to the Vision Faith Promise. So that we can build a storehouse for the harvest that God will give to us. Can we believe God for the maximization of the land at Trinity@Adam so that we can build a bigger storehouse for God? Can we believe that God will give us all the finances to fully pay off the redevelopment of Trinity@ Adam without a bank loan?

Can we believe for God to open the doors for us to purchase more land so that we can continue to be a blessing to this nation?

From nomads with no permanent dwelling place to a church with land to call our own – this is our legacy of faith. This is our story to tell for the generations to come.

We are Trinitarians! We give!

This year we thank God that a total of S$ 13,349,242.73 has been committed to the Lord!

“I love the local church, and because I love what God is doing in the local church, I have no problem rising in faith to see it becoming stronger and stronger.”

– Pastor David Doery, Senior Pastor, Bridge Church, Australia

“Worship is the highest motive I give God, it is my honor to give tangibly to your purposes.”

– Dr Kregg Hood, Executive Pastor, Calvary Church, USA 25 25

FOCUS

WHAT IS

the Will of God? God’s will - You’ve probably heard about it. But how do you know what God’s will actually is? Some say it’s mysterious.

Some use it as a reason to do things or to get out of certain situations. Somewhere deep down inside our hearts, we all yearn to know God’s will and how we can align to His plans for our lives, in turn bring a revelation of who we are and what we are here on earth for. Read on to find out more!

1. The Will of God - Quoted 2. Dangerous Theories About Knowing God’s Will 3. Five Truths About God’s Will 4. Great Reads on The Will of God

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Th e Will o f God - Q uo t ed

The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God…or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.

- Elisabeth Elliot

Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.

- Charles Stanley

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not keep you.”

Unknown

In his sufferings, Job has learned that God is greater than his theology.

This is a truth we all need to learn. We tend to think we know how God will act in every situation.

And the moment we have God neatly confined in our little theological box, He does something surprising!

- Ray C. Stedman

The Bible explains the will of God in three parts: His providential will, what God is going to do anyway; His moral will, what He has told us is right and wrong; and His personal will for each of our lives. The more familiar we become with His providential will and the more obedient we are with His moral will,the easier it will be to determine Gods personal will for our lives.

- Andy Stanley

There is only one way of victory over the bitterness and rage that comes naturally to us – To will what God wills brings peace.

- Amy Carmichael

Peace is the umpire for doing the will of God. - Edwin Louis Cole The fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. - Thomas Merton

“It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that He didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace.”

Francis Chen

When the will of man comes across the will of God, one of them has to die.

- Unknown

“Just because you don’t see anything doesn’t mean God isn’t doing something.”

Craig Groeschel

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Focus

‘Follow Your Heart’ and Other Potentially Dangerous Theories About Knowing God’s Will Where do we find God’s will? Is it in one of the following theories?

By Scott Attebery

(Acts 2:14-41) when months 1 The Tightrope Theory earlier Jesus rebuked him This teaching declares God’s and called Him Satan (Matt. will is like a tightrope where 16:23). It seems God is not one wrong move will ruin wringing His hands worried your life and require you to that imperfect men will mess start all over again or worse, up His will. be eternally out of God’s will.

This view assumes God is 2 The Open Door Theory powerless to work through Many people believe that if the faults of man. a door of opportunity opens in life, it must be from God. The tightrope theory has Quoting Revelation 3:8, “... I a difficult time explaining have set before you an open how Moses could lead the door, which no one is able children of Israel out of Egypt to shut ... “ they take this with first-degree murder on passage totally out of context. his record (Exodus 2:11-12) But even if the interpretation or how Peter could preach were correct, it would still powerfully at Pentecost

28 28

leave a difficult question: which door? Every situation in life has multiple possibilities for open doors.

Apparently Peter picked the wrong door when he tried to free Jesus by cutting off a Roman soldier’s ear. Jesus rebuked him saying, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than 12 legions of angels?” (Matt.

26:53) Translation: “I’m going through a different door.”

I wonder how many of us would have chosen the same one.

3 The Follow Your Heart Theory Some misguided believers have spiritualized the secular adage to “follow your heart.”

The only problem, according to Jer. 17:9, is “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Samson may be the first to say, “Amen!”)

Sometimes this view comes in the form of the phrase “You’ll just know,” which is code for “I don’t have a clue.”

Other times someone may refer to having a “peace” about a situation. But Jesus wasn’t experiencing emotional peace in Luke 22:41-44 when He sweat drops of blood in the garden. And there is no doubt He fulfilled God’s will.

It Shouldn’t Be Confusing All of the theories about God’s will have caused many to feel anxious about making any decisions without some sort of divine guidance, so they begin to believe that every hunch or feeling must be God’s way of trying to tell them something.

are merely reflections of their circumstances. Jennifer’s attraction to Tim’s guitar skills may be the real reason she thinks God is leading her to date him. The test Craig bombed in his business class could account for his desire to change majors. And Jim’s rough week at the office may have shaped his desire to move to California.

Just like Jonah stumbling upon a boat headed to Tarshish, opportunities can seem providential when we already have a desire for them.

Reprinted with permission.

The preceding is an excerpt from Scott Attebery’s book, “Navigate: Understanding & Pursuing God’s Will.”

Scott Attebery Scott Attebery is the Executive Director of DiscipleGuide Church Resources, a department of the Baptist Missionary Association of America.

You can read his blog at ScottAttebery.com.

All of the stress and strain of trying to stay on the tightrope or in the bull’s-eye of God’s will seems strange for those who have been promised “... my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30) The constant feeling that God’s will is always dangling just out of reach seems at odds with “... ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 9:11) But where do we find God’s will?

Many times, the feelings they interpret as divine revelation

29 29

Focus

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5

Truths about God’s Will

By Daniel Kolenda The will of God can be simultaneously wonderful and confusing to those who seek after Him—which is why recognizing its characteristics is essential to understanding God’s will. Here’s some help.

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Focus

A

farmer in North Carolina lived on a beautiful farm that his family owned for many decades. When he died, his property—after being in the family for more than 200 years—was sold to one of the neighbors.

As the new owner was walking in the field, he saw a large, unusual looking rock just barely sticking out of the dirt. He took it home, washed it and took it to a jewelry store. The jeweler confirmed what the owner already suspected: The old

stone that had been in the field for thousands of years was a large, uncut emerald that has since proved to be worth several million dollars!

This gemstone was in that field all along just waiting for someone to come along and “discover” it.

Undoubtedly, the emerald had been seen thousands of times before, but it was overlooked because it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary rock.

When we “discover” something, we are finding something that already exists, though we were unaware of it previously.

And while many people are desperately seeking God’s will for their lives, the reality is that often what they are looking for is right under their nose—but they continue to look for it because they don’t recognize it.

To recognize a precious stone, one would need to be familiar with its characteristics and know what it should look like. In the same way, if we desire to discover God’s will for our lives, we must learn to recognize the following characteristics of His will.

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1. God has a standard will and a specific will.

As we begin the journey of discovering God’s will for our lives, it may seem like the potential options are endless. This can often feel overwhelming. The good news is that God has already gone to great lengths to reveal to us in His Word what His will is for everyone. I call this the “standard will of God.” In addition to His standard will, God has something tailor-made for each of our lives. I call this the “specific will of God.” It is important, however, to understand that the specific will of God for your life will never go against His standard will—what He has already revealed to us in His Word. This understanding will quickly help us to sort through the plethora of options and instantly eliminate confusion.

There are, in fact, many people who have done appalling things in the name of God. Many of them sincerely believed they were doing God’s will. But there is no need for this confusion because God has clearly revealed His standard will for everyone in His Word if we would only make it our compass and our guide.

Discovering God’s specific will for your life is something that is unique to you as an individual and something that you must discover for yourself. But our quest to discover God’s will for our

lives must begin with the Word of God. By following principles from the Scriptures, we will be able to navigate the ocean of options and opportunities without a shipwreck.

Whatever you do in life, it must line up with God’s Word, and He will never call you to do something that is contrary to it.

2. God has a “good will” but also a “perfect will.”

God has a wonderful plan for our lives. But since He has given us the ability to choose whether we are going to follow His will, it seems that there are actually four possibilities: • We can remain ignorant of God’s will. This is not you; if it were, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. You obviously have a deep desire in your heart to discover God’s will for your life, and you will make that discovery.

• We can know what God wants but still disobey. This is disobedience, and the head on collision of God’s will and the stubborn rebellion of human flesh.

• We can know God’s will but settle for less. It would’ve been far better if we had only been willing to obey. Settling for less than God’s best is often the easy road.

• We can contend for nothing less than God’s best. This is the big challenge, because impatience to get what we

want is a powerful force. But if we really believe God’s will is always better than ours, we will be willing to wait for it and fight for it if necessary.

There is a perpetual conflict in the Christian life between what is “good” and what is “God”. His perfect will, and the blessings that accompany it, are reserved for those who are willing to be radically obedient and to wait when necessary.

There are moments when God’s way will seem so difficult, so prolonged and so unrewarding, while our idea seems much easier, much quicker and so much more enjoyable. But you will always find that God’s plan is better than yours. There will never be an exception to this rule, so you might as well just decide from now on to yield to God’s will, do it God’s way and wait for God’s best.

3. God calls us to do what we can’t accomplish on our own There are many books on the market today about self-improvement and personal success. Many of the principles they teach are actually universal spiritual truths taken from the Word of God and then adapted to fit a wide variety of applications. They are like cheerleaders standing on the side-lines, crying: “You can do it! You can do it!”

If the “You Can Do It” philosophy were true, we 33 33

Focus wouldn’t need God, would we? This mind-set needs to be replaced with another, which essentially says: “I can’t do it on my own, but I can do all things through Christ. With His help and blessing, anything is possible.”

Finding the will of God always requires faith for the impossible and a childlike dependence on Him. The Bible is filled with the accounts of men and women who found their destiny in the perfect will of God by doing things that were impossible for them to do on their own. Think about: Noah and his impossible project: Noah was commissioned to build a ship the size of an aircraft carrier by hand! Yet he did it with God’s help and grace.

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obstacles, Moses submitted to his destiny, obeyed to the best of his ability, and God did the rest!

Mary and her impossible pregnancy: A young girl named Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and told that she had found great favor with God and had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah of Israel. Mary submitted to the will of God, even though she didn’t fully understand it. As a result, she fulfilled her destiny by giving birth to and raising God’s Son.

Abraham and his impossible promise: At an advanced age, God told Abraham that he would have as many descendants as the stars of the sky and the sands of the sea. He did become the “father of many nations” just as the Lord said, even though, from a purely natural biological standpoint, it was impossible.

God has always chosen ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He has used men, women, young, old, educated, illiterate.

But they all had something in common: Every one of them was called to be part of something much bigger than themselves. Because of their willingness to yield themselves to the One who had created them and allow His purposes to be revealed in and through them, God used them in phenomenal ways. Kathryn Kuhlman once said: “God is not looking for golden vessels or silver vessels. But He is looking for yielded vessels.”

Moses and his impossible passage: Moses was 80 years old when God instructed him to bring approximately 2 million people out of Egypt and take them to a land that He had promised Abraham more than 700 years earlier. Moses had plenty of reasons why he was unfit for the job. Yet despite these enormous

It seems that one of the common characteristics of God’s will for our lives is that it is always impossible for us to fulfill in our own strength. But as we yield our lives to Him, He causes His divine plans and dreams to become a reality! God takes great pleasure in doing things through us that only He can do, so that in the end He

receives all the glory, honor and praise.

4.There are times and seasons in God's will.

We can easily become frustrated if we don’t understand that, just as there are times and seasons in nature, there are also times and seasons in our lives and in the process of fulfilling God’s will for our lives. This is what Paul was referring to when he said, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Gal. 6:9).

Years ago a group of senior missionaries came together to discuss life principles they had discovered from several decades of combined ministry experience. Their purpose was to be able to share this wealth of experience with succeeding generations.

As these seasoned leaders talked and shared their life stories, a familiar pattern began to emerge: They all had encountered common stages of transition in their ministries, so they collectively identified a fascinating five step cyclical process God had taken them through.

Here is a brief summary of the stages they identified, steps they all had taken in their journey to know and find God’s will:

Stage 1: Birth of the Vision.

Before anything tangible existed, each leader had a vision that was imparted by the Holy Spirit. In its infancy, the vision might have been general—but also very real— and brought an excitement and abiding awareness that were from the Lord.

Stage 2: Preparation.

Following the impartation came a time of being prepared to pursue the vision. This is the stage where most of God’s dreams for people are aborted because they refuse to do the necessary work.

When God gives a vision, there must be some kind of action from us or that vision will never amount to anything more than a passing daydream.

Stage 3: The Wilderness and Struggle. One of the biggest misconceptions about discovering the will of God is that if something is God’s will, there will be no struggle involved. That is a myth! You can almost be guaranteed a significant amount of struggle will be required. This stage is the proving ground of faithfulness and has no substitute.

Stage 4: Realization of the Vision. With this stage, they attained the vision. This is the place we all are looking forward to, where we can finally enjoy the fruits of our diligent preparation and God’s faithfulness to us.

Stage 5: New Beginnings and Vision. They found themselves being challenged once more with fresh vision from the Holy Spirit, and they concluded that their lives had been a continual cycle of ever-expanding vision. As God entrusted them with more, greater amounts of preparation were required and the intensity of the battles they faced always increased.

5. God is interested in our journey and our destination.

Why are we still here? Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago and completed the work of salvation “once for all.” So why doesn’t He just rapture all of us so that we can be with Him? It seems clear that God is interested not only in our final destination but also in our journey, because along the way He does a work in our lives that has eternal value.

Many of us are impatient when it comes to God’s will for our lives. We just want to get there. But in most cases, there is a great deal of time that elapses between when God calls us and when we have fulfilled His will for our lives. We need to understand that the journey is an important process that matters very much to God. The process of following Him in obedience—through many unknowns, trials and difficulties—is a significant part of our development and preparation.

God uses the journey to teach us faith, refine our character and equip us for the greater challenges that lie ahead and require more strength than we previously had. Even if you’re in the process of seeking God’s will right now, you are already fulfilling a part of it for your life: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Ps. 32:8) is His will.

My friend, don’t make the mistake of thinking even for a moment that because you don’t know today what God’s will is for your life you are not making any progress.

Something is happening right now.

Your faith is being stretched, your patience tried and your doubts confronted.

That struggle is part of the birthing process. God always prepares us in advance for all He has prepared for us.

Though uncomfortable, it is necessary nonetheless. So get ready: Good things are coming for you!

Reprinted with permission from Charisma, August 2012.

Copyright Charisma Media, USA. All rights reserved. www.charismamag.com

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Focus

n o s d a e Great r d o G f o l The Wil

By June Teh

Pursuing The Will Of God

by Jack Hayford

Each of the 10 chapters are power-packed! Through a step-by-step journey of Abraham’s life as an example, Jack reveals how God stretches us till we place our trust in Him wholeheartedly. Journey through the times when Abraham struggled and wrestled with God and learn how we can have a heart that is totally committed and surrendered to the ultimate will of God. 4 books rating 36 36

Living In The Gap Between Promise And Reality

by Iain M. Duguid

Trusting God is a journey.

The will of God for salvation began with a promise to the Old Testament patriarch, Abraham. This book provides a detailed study on Abraham as the man of faith caught between a call and an unseen future. A dramatic unfolding of Abraham’s story unpacks positive and negative examples for us to learn as we walk the tension between a promise and fulfillment.

4 books rating

Decision Making And The Will Of God

by Garry Friesen

A thick book no doubt, but one that provides a profound correlation between God’s will and making life decisions such as who should I marry and where should I work. Garry provokes the readers’ thoughts by showing that God does not have an ideal, detailed, individual life plan uniquely designed for each believer that must be discovered in order to make correct decisions. Instead, we can have a good gauge of the will of God by focusing on His Sovereign will, Moral will and plain wisdom.

3 books rating

Finding The Will Of God In A Crazy, Mixed-up World

Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach To Finding God’s Will

Chances are we have made mistakes in what we thought was the will of God for our lives. However we can still live a fulfilling life in the will of God with the eight factors for sound decision-making shared in this book. We have to follow His road maps, heed the Holy Spirit’s prompting closely and follow the signs He provides along the way. Tim LaHaye shares real-life situations and illustrates biblical techniques to help us in our day-to-day decisions.

An easy and simple read on how we can find God’s will – no more waiting for clear unmistakable signs from God on our next step to take. The truth? It’s neatly summed up in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The author depicts finding God’s will to be as easy as that. There is no specific formula or directions needed for each individual: JUST DO SOMETHING!

3 books rating

3 books rating

by Tim LaHaye

by Kevin DeYoung

37 37

ENVISION

> WHEN THE BROOK RUNS DRY

by Senior Pastor Dominic Yeo

38 38

Elijah’s Journey from the Brook to Zarephath: 1 Kings 17:1-9 The prophet Elijah confronts King Ahab and proclaims that, as the Lord God of Israel lives, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years, except by Elijah’s word from God. After this confrontation, the Lord tells Elijah to leave and hide in the Kerith Ravine. Elijah does as the Lord said. God directs the ravens to supply him with food and they bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, while he drinks from the brook.

God directs the ravens to supply him with food. Elijah does as the Lord said. God directs the ravens to supply him with food and they bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, while he drinks from the brook. The ravens bring Elijah bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he drinks from the brook. Everywhere else experiences drought, but Elijah experiences God’s provision and blessing.

Sometime later, the brook dries up because there had been no rain [as Elijah had proclaimed]. The Lord commands Elijah to go at once to Zarephath and stay there, where the Lord had directed a widow there to supply him with food.

H

ave you committed to a loan for your dream house only to lose your job shortly after? Have you or your family always enjoyed a clean bill of health, only to receive a diagnosis of cancer? Have you had your carecell multiply only to face dismal attendance in the new group? Or have you just experienced great healing or revelation, only to plod through an extended period of spiritual dryness? Such is the journey of life. Despite all our careful planning and charting, life can throw a curve ball onto our paths. What do we do then? Why does life have such twists and turns?

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah had just experienced an extraordinary time of doing God’s work and receiving His provision. He confronted the evil King Ahab and declared God’s Word. A drought came just as Elijah proclaimed. Despite the drought and famine that everyone else was experiencing, Elijah was fed bread and meat by the ravens daily, and he drank from the brook. Suddenly, the brook dried up and the Lord commanded him to go to Zarephath. Why did the brook run dry for Elijah, just when he was enjoying God’s provision?

Why do the brooks of provision in our lives dry up?

39 39

> WHEN THE BROOK RUNS DRY

It’s Time To Realign Ourselves To God’s Purposes We often cruise along as life is going well, not paying God much attention. When everything is going well, we enjoy God’s blessings and tend to forget Him. We run to God only when we are in trouble, whether in our careers, family or health. CS Lewis puts it aptly, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Nonetheless, when bad things happen, it may not be because of sin in our lives – as Job’s friends wrongly accused him of. It may not be that we have taken the wrong paths and made a wrong decision.

Sometimes God is simply trying to get our attention. Sometimes, it is simply time to move into a new season God already has in store for us. If the brook did not run dry, Elijah may well have been content to stay and drink by the brook and be fed bread and meat by the ravens – twice daily! But God had a plan and purpose for his life.

God promises in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has a plan and purpose for our lives, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

“ Sometimes, it is simply

time to move into a new season

God already has in store for us.

40

“

ENVISION

God wanted to move Elijah from his comfort zone into a new season in his life.

God was trying to get Elijah’s attention, and to move him from a “feeding program” (administered through the ravens) to His “supply program” (through the dying widow). God had something greater in store for Elijah, and likewise, He has a greater future in store for us.

“God had something

William G.T. Shedd said, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” Is it time to move from your comfort zone into God’s promises? Have you sought and realigned yourself to God’s promises? When the brook dries up, God has something greater for us, often beyond our comfort zone!

in store for Elijah, and likewise, He has a

Elijah’s encounter with the widow in 1 Kings 17:10-16 In Zaraphath, Elijah approaches a widow for a piece of bread, and the widow replies that she has just a handful of flour and a little olive oil, and was preparing to make the last meal for herself and her son, before they die. Elijah commands her not to be afraid, but to make the meal for herself and her son, and also bread for him – the Lord will provide for them. The widow returns home and does as Elijah says. Her jug of oil and jar of flour do not run dry, as the Lord promised by Elijah.

It’s Time To Reach Those Who Need Hope Who was the widow who provided for Elijah? In Elijah’s time, the widow was viewed by society as one cursed by God. The people would give alms to the poor, the crippled or the outcast, but not to these widows. It would be a bad investment to give anything to the widows

greater future in store for us.

“

But we may wonder – why does God want us to move beyond our comfort zone?

Greater

– it would simply be taken away as part of the curse on the widows! In times of famine and drought, widows did not have their husbands to take care of the family, provide or fend for them. In such time of lack, the widow would be the first to die.

The widow had no hope for the future. She could probably only live one day at a time.

That is why God promises in Psalm 68:5 that He will be the defender of widows and father of the fatherless.

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ENVISION

> WHEN THE BROOK RUNS DRY

Yet God told Elijah that He had directed a widow to provide for Elijah. In Zaraphath, Elijah approached a widow for a piece of bread. Instead of a God-fearing widow who readily agrees – as Elijah may have expected – the widow replied that she was preparing to make the last meal for herself and her son with her last handful of flour and a little olive oil, before they die.

This widow had lost all hope for herself and her son. She was the very poorest of the poor, preparing to die in the drought and famine.

Seeming to ask the impossible, Elijah commanded her to make the meal for herself and her son, and also bread for him – saying the Lord will provide for them and challenged her not to be afraid. Somewhat surprisingly, the widow returned home and did as Elijah said. Perhaps it was a word of hope that she had not heard in a long time.

Perhaps she just had nothing to lose from believing this man of God. The widow - with no future in sight represents the hopeless. God calls us out of our comfort zone, to receive His supply not just for ourselves, but for the people around us who need hope. Very shortly, we will be celebrating Christmas – a time when hope came on earth, in order that we may have life and God’s promises of a hope and future for us.

This Christmas, is there anyone around us needing hope who we can reach out to? Are our eyes open to see those who need hope? Even those who always seem happy may actually be feeling empty on the inside. Sometimes, it inconveniences us to step out in faith to reach out to them. We may get rejected. We may get questioned in ways we cannot give an answer. We may get laughed at. But there are many people who need the love and hope of Christ in their lives. Don’t wait until our brook runs dry before we move. Let’s reach out to them today!

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It’s Time To Render People To A Faith In God At this point, we may again question, why didn’t God have Elijah bring the widow bread? Surely the ravens too could have brought them some of the bread and meat in Zaraphath. How impossible God’s promise of provision must have seemed for both Elijah and the widow. In a time of severe drought in Zaraphath, Elijah asked the widow for her last morsel of food. If you were the widow preparing to die in the famine, why should you make Elijah bread from your last drops of oil and last grains of flour? Shouldn’t the man of God be bringing her food?

What more, Zaraphath was the hometown of King Ahab’s wife, Queen Jazebel, who had brought her own gods and idolatry into the nation of Israel and ordered the Lord’s prophets killed. Zaraphath, a non-Jewish town, was unlikely to have kosher (fitting under Jewish law) food for Elijah. Would Elijah find a supply of food in Zaraphath?

Zarephath comes from the Hebrew word “tsaraph”, meaning “to smelt, refine, test”. What a test of faith it was for Elijah!

Likewise, we can arise in faith to invite our friends and family to church for Christmas. Let your faith be challenged to breakthrough to a new level. Be bold and pray for healing. Share your testimony of God’s grace and goodness in your life – and challenge someone to experience the same goodness! Step out and be amazed by what God can do through you!

Furthermore, inviting our friends and family for Christmas challenges them to have faith in God. Will they believe and receive God’s miracles for themselves?

Their hopelessness can be turned around into the joy of salvation and the fulfillment of God’s promises in their lives. They receive not a one-off feeding, but their supply through Christ for a lifetime (and beyond). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This is the priceless gift of God for them to receive this Christmas, far better than any other Christmas gifts we can get them.

It’s Time To Rest In God’s Blessing One of my primary school teachers came to Trinity at one of the Easter presentations and heard my personal life story. After the presentation, my wife met her and asked whether I was really that bad a student.

She replied: “Dominic was really hopeless and useless!” She was surprised to see me as a senior pastor of a church and was also astounded to hear my story of transformation from straight ‘F’s to a GPA of 4.0. Till today, I myself am amazed by what God has done!

A few years back I was on a missions trip and was scheduled to minister at a healing rally. We were invited to share at a carecell meeting the night before. I was hoping to leave early as I was preoccupied with the preparation I needed to do for the healing rally the next day. However I was told that they were expecting me at this meeting.

When the meeting finally started after

“ Through the widow’s

obedience,

Elijah was

Sustained in a time of drought and famine.

“

Yet Elijah stepped out in faith and challenged the widow to have faith in God. The widow too obeyed in faith, and in turn received abundantly. Her jar of flour and jug of oil did not run dry, bringing food not just for her, but also her son and Elijah.

Through the widow’s obedience, Elijah was sustained in a time of drought and famine.

The once-hopeless widow experienced a miracle because Elijah obeyed and challenged her!

43

ENVISION

> WHEN THE BROOK RUNS DRY

After an hour of waiting, the meeting finally started. An old lady who couldn’t walk was brought along and we were asked to pray for her. I was physically tired from waiting but harnessed every ounce of strength and ministered to her. She walked a little but was still very weak. Before she went back, I told her to call the name of Jesus for every step she took.

The next day, while I was preaching at the healing rally, this same lady started walking down the aisle, declaring “Jesus…

Jesus…” as she walked, eventually sitting right in front. Before the altar call, I asked if anyone had a healing testimony to share before we started praying for healing. This woman stood up, and as she walked toward the stage, the entire crowd cheered and applauded for her.

It turns out that she’s the lady who helps clear all the newspapers and empty

cartons in that town and everyone knew who she was. They knew she had been injured and wasn’t able to walk for some time. As she shared how God healed her, the faith of the people grew. Without praying for the sick, people were being healed and many gave their lives to receive Christ into their hearts. Because of this woman who needed hope and took a step of faith, she became a greater blessing to her community and the church.

When we are rendered to faith in God, something happens in our lives. The blessings and miracles of our lives reach out to touch others. This Christmas, there are people you can reach and render to faith in God. When we respond to God and render our friends to faith, something miraculous happens for both our friends and ourselves.

Conclusion

When the brook dries up in our lives, we need to know and believe that God is up to something good and greater, and walk in faith toward Him. We will see the miracle and breakthrough happen – not just in our lives, but in the lives of those around us. This Christmas, it’s time to arise in faith! Remember, when the brook dries up:

• It’s Time To Realign Ourselves To God’s Purposes • It’s Time To Reach Those Who Need Hope • It’s Time To Render People To A Faith In God • It’s Time To Rest In God’s Blessing

Pastor Dominic Yeo is the Senior Pastor of Trinity Christian Centre.

Listen to His sermons at www.trinity.sg/media/sermons

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UP CLOSE

> REAL-LIFE MIRACLE

God’s

“Little Miss Sunshine”

By Koh Zhi Guo Daniel

46

I

” t doesn’t look good, Elaine,” the surgeon said, “It’s a cancerous tumor, and from the size of it, it’s in Stage 2.”

Meet Elaine Low – wife, mother, avid baker, cancer-survivor… and read about her extraordinary journey with God after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

47

UP CLOSE

> REAL-LIFE MIRACLE against Satan for her. I also began to read up on breast cancer, and the more I read on the Internet, the more worried I became. I soon realised that we had to rely on God, and not on man or medical science.” Seeking the Lord, he was assured that Elaine would be healed of her cancer. “Elaine also comforted and assured me that things would be alright.

God must have spoken to her as well.”

“God is Always with Me.”

In this world, you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) Elaine’s first response to her surgeon was not shock, but a smile followed by a nonchalant, almost irreverent, “Ok, so what’s next?” Her surgeon was confounded and proceeded carefully to explain to her what cancer was. “I’m not going to die from this,” Elaine assured her surgeon, “So let’s get this treated.” Unknown to the good doctor, God was singing these words to Elaine while the prognosis was given: “I am the God that healeth thee. I am the Lord Your healer. I sent My word, And healed your disease. I am the Lord Your healer.”

The journey ahead would meander through unknown valleys and shadowed paths, but Elaine was sure of God’s love and certain of His promises.

“God is Faithful.”

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10) Elaine’s husband, Meng Hee shares: “Initially, there was this sense of shock and fear. Everyday, I would read Bible verses on healing and claim them for Elaine, warring 48 48

Elaine realized that when she dwelled on her problems, they seemed to somehow grow bigger. She relates, “When I started to look at God and focus on Him, the cancer began to shrink. Cancer may inflict pain but it does not have the power of death”.

Unquestionably, the mother of two schoolgoing children adds, “And if God were to call me home, I know He will take care of my children better than I could ever do. Because He loves them so much.”

Elaine’s weekly chemotherapy sessions started soon after. The treatments had to be aggressive given the condition of the tumor. Elaine recalls her first visit to the chemotherapy center. “The center was so stuffy and dreary. Everyone seemed so despondent and the medical staff were all so cautious with their speech.” Elaine expressed that she thought she “might actually die”, if she had to endure the suffocating atmosphere at the center week after week. And so in the following week, she decided to waltz into the center and greet each staff with a gigantic smile and a sunny, “How are you today?” Elaine chatted with the staff, told them silly jokes and made them laugh.

Weeks passed, and “Little Miss Sunshine” as Elaine came to be known, started bringing her baked goods to share with the staff and patients. Each chemotherapy session soon became a potluck gathering among friends. Between cookies and conversations, Elaine’s confident assurance of God’s love spilled over and her sheer joy “infected” the entire center. Staff and patients alike were transformed from gloom to blooms of hope bursting forth from every stricken heart. “All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.” (Proverbs 15:15) “I choose feasting anytime!” quips Elaine.

“God is my Healer.”

Give thanks in all circumstances.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18) The hardest part of undergoing chemotherapy for Elaine was needing to stay home most of the time – not meeting people and not doing the things she normally did. Elaine explains, “After each session of chemo, the body just felt lousy; and it took me longer to recover from each progressive treatment. Once I started to feel better, it was time for the next dose of chemo.”

Several of her close friends were burdened to see Elaine healed and started a Whatsapp group chat, aptly named, “Women of Faith”. Shared Joy Khau, a friend from North District, “Through this chat group, we shared words of encouragement with her, sent her songs as God led and kept her in our prayers daily.” Elaine would also send out a weekly update on her treatment, what she needed prayer for and what God had shared with her during her quiet times with Him. Joy Khau continues, “Being very positive, Elaine would often encourage us with her faith and reports of God’s goodness in her life. We were very blessed by her too!”

Elaine’s spiritu al family ho walked with prayed an her throughwhe r journey. d

Elaine realized that when she dwelled on her problems, they seemed to somehow grow bigger.

49 49

UP CLOSE

> REAL-LIFE MIRACLE

During the times when Elaine felt down, she would play her music on her iPod really loudly, start singing praise and worship songs, and dance around the house. “I would get lost worshipping God, and bask in His love and presence.” That always picked her up, revealed Elaine. Elaine chose to respond in thankfulness to God whatever the circumstance, irrespective of how she felt.

Instead of dwelling in despair, she decidedly declared God’s victory with her lips and limbs!

Meng Hee, Elaine’s husband describes how he felt praying for his wife a few weeks later. “I started asking myself why I stopped feeling anxious and realized it was because I was confident God would heal her. I stopped worrying once I was sure of this fact. I was essentially living out Hebrews 11:1 that “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Time past and after six months, the tumor had shrunk in size and a surgery was scheduled to remove the remnants of the tumor. Prayers abounded before the test results for cancer cells were revealed.

Family, friends and Elaine’s stoic “Women of Faith group” interceded for the cancer cells to clear. Says Linda Ong, Sectional Leader and one of her mighty prayer warriors, “Through praying for Elaine, God impressed upon me that He will be using her as a living testimony of hope and restoration!”

The test results were soon revealed: Elaine was cancer-free! Elaine was healed as God had promised when He sang His healing over her at the doctor’s office.

“God is my All in All.”

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth… Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

(Psalm 34:1,3) When asked how she would describe this chapter of her life, Elaine used “Exciting!” to describe her journey. “I have no control over what crisis or challenges this life may bring, but I do have a choice in how I face it.

During the times when Elaine felt down, she would play her iPod really loudly, start singing praise and worship songs, and dance around the house. “I would get lost worshipping God, and bask in His love and presence.”

50 50

Elaine and he r family – ul is their hope y God in times of tr need.

I can choose to face them on my own: with my own strength and knowledge; or I can choose to face them with God. And I chose to trust God, for my life is in His hands.”

She cites Psalm 34: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears… Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

(Psalm 34:4,8)

When asked what she has learned about God from her sojourn, she revealed triumphantly:

God’s Always with Me He is Faithful He is my Healer, My All in All. Elaine and those around her sought God and He answered. In faith, they trusted God and instead of an emotional roller-coaster ride, Elaine’s cancer journey has become a testimony of God’s unrelenting faithfulness amidst a storm. From pain to blessing those around her, God delivered Elaine from cancer and demonstrated why He is indeed our All in All. Keep shining, God’s “Little Miss Sunshine!”

51 51

Heartbeat

MISSIONs AT A GLANCE

The third quarter of 2014 marked yet another exciting season in Trinity’s Missions.

Statistics for Jan - Sep 2014

GO – Missions Impact Teams (MITs)

9 177 46 11 4 2,022 17

Countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand) Trinitarians Trinitarians going for the first time Evangelistic MITs Humanitarian MITs Decisions

Healings

GO – Training and Consultation Trips

30

Trips

12

Countries (Bulgaria, China, Columbia, Japan, Poland, Romania, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Spain, USA, Vietnam)

GIVE

1,137 23 66 25 52

Destitute children In Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand sponsored Children graduated from home/school Children discontinued from home/school Ministries supported

Note: T&C does not include Preaching & Exploratory Trips

T

he highlight of this quarter was the official opening of our children’s home – The Champions@Chiang Mai City and The Champions@Maerim in Thailand, providing a safe place called home to 55 children.

79 Trinitarians embarked on a total of seven MITs that went to India, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The MITs were involved in a variety of ministries - children, village, healthcare and street evangelism.

Trinity also supported various ministries including SAT7, a ministry that makes God’s love visible through their broadcasts in Arabic, Farsi and Turkish. Using satellite television and social media, they are able to reach millions of viewers in the Middle East and North Africa. We also co-funded five village church buildings in India and contributed to the repair of a school in a slum that had been damaged by the cyclone and flood.

Trinity’s pastors continued to go on Training and Consultation trips to equip churches in Bulgaria, Colombia, Japan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Many have seen the fruit of their labor as they launched their leadership and open carecells. The churches were strengthened in faith and equipped to grow their carecells. Read more about Trinity’s missions in the pages to come!

MISSIONS REPORT FOR JUL TO sep

Be a Partner in Prayer for Trinity Missions!

Pray for: • Partnering Churches and Organizations – Good succession plan: raising up the next generation of leaders for smooth transition.

• Future of Trinity’s Missions – Workers for the harvest field.

• Our Sponsored Children – To have godly caregivers to bring them up in the ways of the Lord.

53

Heartbeat

Trinitarians Go to the Nations This quarter, a total of 7 Missions Impact Teams were sent out to the nations.

Here’s what they did. Dawn Lim reports.

Where: Hyderabad, India When: Jul 1-8 People we blessed: 1,164 lives touched, 272 decisions made for Christ Main activities: 350 children at slum feeding centers received school bags, uniforms, books and shoes;150 blankets given

54

to poor families and widows; 2 medical camps; Village ministry, evangelistic event for children; prayer walk and youth meeting Testimony: “I was greatly impacted by the faith of the local church. The only musical instrument they had in their

church was the clapping of their hands! Even though the electricity went out, and despite the fact that they faced persecution and have many financial needs, they still chose to serve God and declare God’s love to others!”

– Liew Pei Sje

Where: Hyderabad, India When: Jul 21-8 People we blessed: 634 lives touched Main activities: Ministered at 4 orphanages and 4 village churches; Conducted 2 workshops at a church youth

retreat; Ministered at children, youth and main services Testimony: “A 12-year-old orphan boy from the village told me he wanted to build a church. I was touched that he didn’t talk about becoming an engineer or architect but about

building a church for Jesus. I was also moved when he said that he wanted God to be the father and mother to the other children as Jesus was to him.”

– Alvin Lee

Where: Taipei, Taiwan When: Jul 1-8 People we blessed: 367 lives touched, 26 decisions made for Christ Main activities: Prayer walk; Street evangelism; Children’s summer camp; Home visitations Testimony: “I have been blessed by the many first-time experiences during this trip.

It was my first time leading worship in church in Mandarin, first time ministering to the elderly at a home visitation, first time facilitating and teaching the bridge illustration.

I thank God for giving us opportunities to share our testimonies, and encourage them with God’s love.

– Tan Keng Teng

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Heartbeat

Where: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

When: Jul 7-14 People we blessed: 100 lives touched, 44 decisions made for Christ Main activities: Children camp; Street evangelism; Evangelistic meeting Testimony: “Many of us were part of an MIT for the first time. Street evangelism was initially an obstacle that we had to overcome due to personal fear of sharing the gospel with strangers on a street. But everyone eventually led at least one person to salvation and we thank God for that!”

–Goh Wei Khan

Where: Yi Lan, Taiwan When: Aug 5-11 People we blessed: 100 lives touched, 70 decisions made for Christ Main activities: Children’s camp for 80; Home and hospital visitations Testimony: “Through this trip, I increased my reliance on God’s strength instead of my own. This includes big decisions and also small things in daily life. I also learnt about the importance of praying, to build a deeper relationship with God by sharing my heart with Him. My faith also grew with a prepared, devoted heart for serving God. Joy fills me now when I understand that a humble servant’s heart pleases God.” – Alison Li 56

Where: Chiang Mai, Thailand When: Sep 10-16 People we blessed: 300 lives touched ; 60 decisions for Christ; 12 healings Main activities: Painting The Champions@Maerim; Ministry to the children at The Champions@Maerim and The Champions@Chiangmai City; Evangelistic and healing service; Cultural exchange and

sharing gospel with 131 public school students and teachers Testimony: “My eyes have been opened to see that the Champions Home is not just a children’s home but truly it is a place of destiny for each child to grow and walk in the destiny that God has for them. Our giving of time and resources to these children is a privilege and honor in

partnership with God. MIT is indeed a partnership with the Holy Spirit, and I have learnt that it is essential to pray and hear from God on His plans and agenda for every ministry.

We need to exercise faith to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, for God knows what is needed to maximize impact in our ministry.”

– Alana Mah

Where: Singapore (Local MIT)

When: Aug, 3, 10, 17 People we blessed: 90 lives touched, 62 decisions for Christ Main activities: Street evangelism at the Botanical Gardens; Ministered at Filipino Service Testimony: “Throughout all three Sunday’s, God moved powerfully through the team. We saw many salvations over the first two Sunday’s. God’s presence and anointing was also felt by the team as they ministered in the Filipino service.”

– Pastor Carmelo and Pastor Michelle 57

Heartbeat

Cell TRAINING AND CONSULTATION There’s a saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” That’s what Trinity’s Training and Consultation sets out to do – to teach churches how to transform the harvest field into the harvest force, equipping them to impact their community and nation.

In the last quarter, our pastors conducted Spiritual Parenting Training, Nurturing that Transforms Lives, Carecell Leaders Training, and Sectional Leaders Training.

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Here are some testimonies from the training and consultation that took place in Sri Lanka: When I started an open carecell, I only had four members with me. Though I am the youngest in the carecell, I have been equipped to lead and people have been encouraged. Now we have 14 people in our carecell.

The 5-finger prayer is very effective and easy to use in motivating believers to share their faith and practice evangelism.

SRI LANKA SINGAPORE

My wife and I started a new carecell in a new village and since then, 3 families have joined us and people are learning about God

The Bridge illustration actually gets people saved!

It’s amazing how God works through the carecells. There’s a stronger sense of community and family in the church. Members have grown in their understanding of what it means to be a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God. We are seeing members grow in their relationship with God through their Time Alone with God. There is much talk about answered prayers; new people are being added to the church and new believers have gone through water baptism! Praise God! 59

Organized by Trinity Christian Centre

MAR 12-16 Attend the Conference that will transform you and your church!

WHY ATTEND? • Hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the Church today • Break spiritual barrenness in your life and in your church • Discover keys to effective evangelism, discipleship and leadership development • Learn how to expand your leadership base and raise homegrown pastors • Touch lives and transform your community through carecells.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? ✔ Senior pastors ✔ Pastoral staff ✔ Lay leaders ✔ Carecell leaders and spiritual parents

Sign up online at www.trinity.sg before January 15, 2015 and enjoy an early bird registration fee*! *Registration is confirmed only upon receipt of full payment. Conference fees include training manuals and meals during conference hours.

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CONFERENCE SPEAKERS Rev Dominic Yeo is the Senior Pastor of Trinity Christian Centre, a church of over 7,000 in weekly attendance. He is also the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Singapore, the Executive Council Member of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship and an Advisory Council Member of the Pentecostal World Fellowship.

Known for his visionary and strategic leadership, Rev Dominic is passionate about building pastors, leaders and churches. He trains and provides consultation to churches around the world, helping them experience transformation and break into new levels of growth .

Rev Naomi Dowdy is the Resident Apostle to Trinity Christian Centre and the President-Founder of the Naomi Dowdy Ministries.

She was the former Senior Pastor of Trinity before handing over the leadership to Rev Dominic Yeo. God has gifted her with an apostolic ability to bring paradigm shifts in churches and the marketplace.

With over 40 years of experience in revitalizing organizations, she travels extensively to mentor and equip pastors, leaders and churches to fulfi ll their calling and destiny in God.

Rev Ong Sek Leang is the Senior Pastor of Metro Tabernacle in Kuala Lumpur and the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Malaysia. An anointed speaker and recognized prophet, Rev Ong ministers to churches both locally and internationally, activating and releasing God’s prophetic unction and anointing. Throughout his ministry, God has used him to deliver life-changing messages, calling churches and leaders to align to the will of God for their church, nation and generation.

Rev Gerald Tan is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Assembly of God, Singapore, a thriving congregation with a strong missional and discipleship emphasis. He is a passionate preacher with an apostolic-prophetic anointing and carries a heartfelt desire to raise and release people to fulfi ll their God-given destinies.

Rev Gerald has a strong anointing in the prophetic, healing and deliverance ministries. He has spoken at church camps, seminars and conferences globally, and provides consultation and leadership training to churches and ministries.

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PULSE

“Call unto me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” Jeremiah 33:3

From November 10 to 14, 2014 more than 300 Trinitarians woke up early to seek the Lord every morning at 7am.

T

he Bible records for us how our Lord Jesus would wake up early in the morning, head out to a solitary place and pray. While we could pray on the way to work or while brushing our teeth, Christ modeled for us how he dedicated time to pray and seek the face of God before taking on the day.

As Matthew 6:33 puts it, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Many Trinitarians sacrificed extra time in bed,

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traveled to Trinity@Paya Leber to worship and seek the Lord in prayer. Ho Yi Xin, a student who was able to attend all five mornings shares, “I felt the joy and peace of coming into His presence, spending the morning with God before I head to school.

My faith is renewed and I have also gained a deeper understanding of God’s greater purpose in my life. I was feeling inadequate but through the morning prayer, I learnt how to surrender and trust in Him fully.”

Sakina Grace, a counselor, who came for four mornings was seeking God about various aspects of her life. She was shocked that God answered all of her questions clearly.

In her words, she says, “It was a divine appointment!”

Daryl Sung, a teacher who was only able to make it down for prayer on Friday, testifies, “I’m glad I made it for the last day of morning prayer! God assured me of the need to put faith into action when He speaks and His ‘strange arrangements’ for my life are part of His glorious plans for my life.”

More than receiving direction and revelation, the presence of God was strongly felt by everyone present. Student Pamela Tan, shares how she was refreshed and felt her personal brook flowing with life again. In fact many who felt that their personal brooks had run dry shared how they experienced God’s river of life flowing through them once again.

“Though it was physically tiring to wake up earlier than usual, I was refreshed in spirit”, says Samuel Tay, service manager, who sums up the week of prayer with this, “Truly as we seek Him, we will find Him. The time of prayer has deepened my faith and trust in God. And my spiritual man is nourished!”

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PULSE

N I E L O H A !

L L A W E H T

It was time for fun, games and adventure at DiscoveryLand’s Children’s Day Event ‘A Hole in the Wall’ on October 11 and 12. A total of 998 children, including 59 first-timers, had a great time watching the antics of a mischievous mole which tried to create chaos in the Kingdom of Shapes. Would she succeed? Our little ones watched the drama unfold with rapt attention. More importantly, they learnt that they should never fear but be strong and courageous in Christ. There were 89 salvations and two re-dedications.

By Rebecca Muthuswamy

A small warm-up before the real action!

Looking to Jesus for strength.

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Subjects of the Kingdom of Shapes, and a not-sowelcomed Mole!

Gotcha! The mischievous Miss Mole finally caught!

The lively praise and worship had kids singing and moving to the beat.

“I like the princess because she is very brave. I enjoyed the program and will be back.” Chan Wei En (FTV)

“The drama was funny and interesting.”

Phoebe Chan

“God has made me special.”” Yu Han

“I learnt that God believes in us and we can do great things even though we are small.” Tenessa Chua

“I learnt not to be scared because God did not give us power to be timid.” Jadyn Chee

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PULSE

Carefé Express Opens!

Launched on September 6, 2014, Carefé Express is a new initiative by Care Community Services Society. Find out more!

FACTS ABOUT CAREFÉ EXPRESS The volunteer-run café serves light meals and beverages for a freewill donation.

Carefé Express has brought families and friends closer as they share a meal and spend time together.

The café also serves as a platform to connect CCSS to new partners and supporters.

The café has increased awareness for CCSS as volunteers talk about CCSS to visitors.

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The display of paintings and craft done by beneficiaries further informs patrons of the programs and services in CCSS. CCSS has also seen a boost of generosity as Carefé Express patrons make donations for the food served and to take home the crafts they like.

Carefé Express serves varying lunch specials every Sunday, from Nasi Lemak to Sloppy Dawg (Carefé Express’ Hotdog Special).

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Focus

How can Solomon have so many wives when God condemns polygamy?

By Rev Joseph Tan

TOUGH 68

H

ow can Solomon have so many wives when God condemns polygamy?

God’s ideal marriage relationship is monogamous, i.e. one man for one woman, one woman for one man. This is set forth in the beginning pages of the Bible; that the man is to forsake his mother and father and cleave to his wife (not wives). (Genesis 2:24) Polygamy was first mentioned in Genesis 4:23 when Lamech broke the marriage covenant. He married two wives. Several others would follow suit: Abraham, Jacob and Esau had more than one wife (Genesis 16; 25:1-2; 29:15-30; 26:34; 36:2; 28:9) and King David had at least seven wives (1 Samuel 18:17-30; 25:3843; 2 Samuel 3:2-5). It may be noteworthy to recognize that these individuals were men of leadership positions and wealthy enough to support more than one wife and family.

Nevertheless, polygamy is a clear violation of the Law of Moses.

The Law sets out quite clearly in a number of passages in support of a monogamous marriage e.g. Exodus 20:17; 21:5; Leviticus 18:8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 20; 20:10; 21:13; Numbers 5:12; Deuteronomy 5:21; 22:22. Thus, what was meant to be the ideal as set out in the Law was not practiced by the above polygamists. They are held in high regard

as exemplars of faith, but it is clear that the Bible does not hide their weaknesses and sins.

Christians can learn about their faith in God, but should reject their immoral ways, which do not measure up to the righteousness of God. King Solomon was a classic example. Although God had given to him great wisdom and enabled him to become very rich and powerful (1 Kings 10:24-29), Solomon’s downfall was a result of his sin of polygamy. 1 Kings 11:1-4 records, “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter--Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.

They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God.” Solomon thought that by marrying foreign wives of royal birth, Israel’s relations with her neighbors would further be strengthened. These “marriage alliances” could bring peace and prosperity to the land. He was wrong. As the oft-quoted aphorism goes, “not every good idea is a God idea.”

Solomon’s great wisdom did not stop him from disobeying God. There is a specific prohibition of polygamy for the kings of Israel, recorded in the Law. In Deuteronomy 17:14-17, God instructed that the Israelite king “must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.” If godly wisdom comes from fearing God and obeying God’s Word (Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 9:10), then Solomon at this juncture did not possess it.

uestions answered

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Focus The result of Solomon’s polygamous relationships caused him to turn to worship other gods. Since he loved these foreign wives more than he loved God, he gave in to their requests to build temples for their gods (1 Kings 11:78). What is more, he himself worshipped the gods of the other nations. This was clearly an abomination to God and Solomon was judged to have done evil in the eyes of God (1 Kings 11:6, 10). The phrase “did evil in the eyes of God” also appears in the account when his father David committed sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:27).

As a result of that sin, David suffered severe consequences for his moment of folly.

God became angry and raised up three adversaries (Hadad, Rezon and Jeroboam) against Solomon. Within a short period of time, Solomon’s kingdom collapsed into two and wars broke out in the land of Israel. All that Solomon hoped to achieve through the marriage alliances came to naught. Sin does have severe consequences. Solomon may have started well in his early years, but sadly, he finished poorly and became a negative example of faith.

You might ask: how can someone so wise still commit such a foolish act? Solomon’s folly just proved the point that none of us are invulnerable to temptations. Or you might ask: if the wisest man could not hold off such temptations, what about us?

We do not have to be the wisest person to resist temptations. The key lies in our devotion to God. Solomon failed because “his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God.” The word “devoted” in the Hebrew is the word “shalom” which means peace, perfection, or wholeness.

God expects us to have a whole-hearted devotion to Him. He is a jealous God and will not tolerate any form of idolatry (Exodus 20:3-5).

No Christian in the right frame of mind decides to commit the sin of polygamy. It usually begins with the failure to be totally devoted to God or the one you love. Total devotion demands time and energy. Whether you are single or married, devote a significant amount of time to spend in the presence of God. Channel your energy towards knowing His will and serving Him. Guard your relationship with God resolutely and refuse to let anyone or anything rob your love for Him. Seek to obey His Word rather than follow your own wisdom and be led by your selfish desires.

If you are married, learn to apply these principles in your marriage and be completely devoted to your spouse. Accordingly, you will enjoy the blessings of God in your life and marriage.

Source consulted: Hamilton, Victor P. “Marriage: Old Testament and Ancient Near East,” in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, edited by David Noel Freedman.

New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Rev Joseph Tan a Faculty of the School of Theology (English) in TCA College. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (studies) and teaches Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament books. Rev Joseph has a powerful teaching anointing and shares the Word of God with clarity and great insights.

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UPPULSE CLOSE

> TRINITARIAN HERO

HELP IS A PRAYER AWAY

By Sharon Lim

Nothing strengthens our faith like the sincere prayers of fellow Christians, when a loved one is hospitalized or nearing the end of life. Lucy Lim, 63, Jeffrey Koh, 59, and Tan Keng Tiong, 29, shares with Sharon Lim how our some of our 40 volunteers at Pastoral Support Ministry have journeyed with some families through their valley seasons, and connected newcomers to Trinity.

Meet Lim Geok Lay, Lucy (L): 63, Freelancer, South, Telok Blangah Cell, Jeffrey Koh (J): 59, Teacher, Tan Keng Tiong (KT): 29, Civil Servant, West, Rooted in God

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Tell us a little more about what serving in the Pastoral Support (PS) involves. How long have you been serving?

L: Pastoral support involves accompanying the pastors on hospital and home visits, funerals and wakes; praying for the sick and elderly; sharing the gospel in dialects and comforting the bereaved family members. I have been serving in PS for almost two years.

J: We also reach out to First Time Visitors (FTVs) within 48 hours and follow up with them within a week after the first contact. I have been serving in PS for over three years now. Â What were some of the challenges you faced when you first started?

L: Initially, I felt fearful and stressed about praying in public for people, as I did not know what to pray for and how to pray. I also lacked confidence.

KT: When I first started serving one and a half years ago, I thought it would just be a five-minute phone call to the FTVs. But gradually I discovered that many of the FTVs I called had needs and requests that we needed to look into, such as answering questions about the church and Christianity, and helping them find a suitable carecell.

J: The initial challenges were trying to engage the FTVs and sometimes, to pray for some with specific needs for a breakthrough.

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UP CLOSE

> TRINITARIAN HERO

Describe one most memorable moment from your serving in PS? L: It was when a friend and I visited a fourth stage cancer patient in hospital, whose leg and body were swollen. He was of a different faith. We shared 74

the love of Jesus and praise the Lord, he accepted Jesus as his personal savior! We prayed for Jesus to heal him and to raise his blood count so that he could undergo chemotherapy. Our prayer was answered and his blood count miraculously increased.

Eventually, his condition improved and he put on some weight. This was an amazing recovery from a hopeless fourth stage cancer situation. It really gave me confidence that Jesus was working in me to bring hope to the lost. I am reminded

what Jesus said in John 14:12 – “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these...”

J: I recall one funeral when the deceased family was very thankful that we were there to provide the support when the deceased’s church was not able to provide the funeral support. It reminded me that we are all one big family of God. KT: One memorable moment was the time God provided the words to say. There was one FTV from another Christian denomination who asked tough questions about the differences among the various denominations and our church. We ended up

talking for almost 1.5 hours!

I thank God that the FTV’s questions were answered in the end and he was happy to visit Trinity again.

What are some traits or qualities you think a person serving in Pastoral Support would need?

L: I believe when you are available, God will grant you the ability. Personally, availability and obedience are important to have. Whenever the Pastor calls to visit and pray for a person, we must be prepared to put aside our personal agendas and plans, and serve when called.

J: I think that anyone can serve in PS as long as you are willing to serve those who are in need, be it connecting with FTVs

or rendering your time in hospital visits or funeral support. We want to connect with families and nonChristians by showing that we are a church that is willing to serve them out of God’s love, without strings attached.

KT: I think connecting with FTVs require patience and passion — patience to listen to their needs, and passion to help them and pray with them.

Find out more about being a volunteer with Pastoral Support Ministry at www.trinity.sg/meet

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UPPULSE CLOSE

CARE

COOK

CONNECT!

Here are two recipes you can use to be a blessing to your family and friends. Care and Connect with someone today!

“A simple recipe for both the young and old. These cookies were served at the 2008 Island-wide Christmas Party and were such a hit that I packaged and presented them as Christmas gifts to my carecell members and oikos. Have a baking session as a bridging event!”

Contributor: Dora Tsoi Carecell: JB Sectional Cell

Shortbread Cookies Serves 5 people • Preparation time: 60 minutes • Cooking time: 15 minutes, baked at 180˚ -200g Self-Raising Flour -100g Flour -200g Butter (softened) -100g Sugar -Pinch of Salt

1 Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Cut up the butter and rub it into the sifted flour with your fingertips. Add the sugar, and draw the ingredients together to form a firm dough.

2 Place the dough on a smooth work surface and roll it out to 5cm thickness.

3 Cut the dough using a cookie cutter. Arrange the cookies evenly on a baking tray until it is full.

4 Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes. Cool thoroughly before storing or serving. When ready to serve, dust the cookies generously with sifted icing sugar and trace out alphabets, words or names for a spot of fun!

TIP: To appeal to the young, use cookie cutters with Disney characters familiar to them.

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“This 3-step recipe is typical of what ‘express’ means to this working mum – throw the marinade and chicken together in a bag, throw the bag into the fridge, and throw the marinated chicken into the oven.

Once done, she brings her delicacy to the carecell on an oven tray with kitchen towel in tow!” Cell Leader Contributer: Shonna Lee Carecell: Eden

-1 Whole Chicken For the Marinade -2 tbsp Abalone Sauce -1 or 2 tbsp Rice Wine -1 tbsp Sesame Oil -4 tbsp Chicken Marinade (Lee Kee soya sauce for chicken used here) -Salt and Pepper to taste -4 tbsp Vanilla Flavoured Castor Sugar or Honey -Juice of 1 Lemon or Orange -Ginger, sliced -5 Cloves of Garlic, smashed -Onions, Carrots, Celery sliced (As much as you like)

Tuesday Express Roast Chicken

Serves 12 people • Preparation time: 6-8 hours overnight • Cooking time: 60-95 minutes, baked at 180˚

1 Place the whole chicken in a large Ziploc bag and pour all the marinating ingredients into the bag. Flatten the bag to remove air before zipping it up. • Massage the chicken until every part is coated with the marinade. Refrigerate overnight or for 6-8 hours.

2 When you are ready to cook, place the chicken over a bed of the sliced onions, carrots and celery in an oven dish. Bake at 180°C for 30-45 minutes on each side.

3 Serve whole or carved.

TIP: Store a fresh vanilla bean, slit lengthwise with seeds removed, in your sugar canister to get vanilla flavored sugar!

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UPPULSE CLOSE

trinity’s Look out for us at The Light of Christmas!

Camera

To serve or not to serve, that’s never the question!

Blessed birthday Pastor Dominic!

Jyra reaching for the Trina-tay-rian

Share your Trinity moments with us.

Send them to connect@trinity.sg 78

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A Christmas Presentation by Trinity Christian Centre

Experience the magical story of Christmas

TRINITY@PAYA LEBAR LEVEL 2, SANCTUARY

FEATURING CHOREOGRAPHED LIGHT & MULTIMEDIA SHOW DRAMATIC SHADOW DANCE 120-CHILDREN CHOIR ADMISSION IS FREE

E L B I S S IMPO E!!

L B I S S PO 1700. 1800. 1900. 2000.

Concurrent Children Presentation For Ages 4-12

Travel back in time and discover how Christmas was almost impossible!

DEC 20 & 24, 8PM Trinity@Paya Lebar Level 4, Summit

www.trinity.sg | 6468 4444 | connect@trinity.sg