PASTORAL CHAT

My Dear Readers

Sunday, the first Day of the week, the Lord’s Day, is the Christian’s happiest Day. Do you know it is Resurrection Sunday? Because Christ arose, all our sins are forgiven. It is He that saves us, not we ourselves.Salvation is of the Lord. The Day we received Him as our Saviour, the Day we were born again, we received everlasting life. Everlasting life means everlasting life. That’s why we are taught “Once saved, always saved!” No more hell, but heaven forever. That is why we sing, “Day of all the week the best, Emblem of eternal rest.”

Besides coming to Church, bring your children to Sunday School and yourself and wife to the Adult Sunday School as well. Bring some unsaved members of your family, parents, brothers, sisters. Buy a King James Bible for each from FEBC Bookroom (inside 9A Gilstead Road). But be sure you read a chapter of it everyday and memorise one or two verses that strike you. And pray for God’s blessings for the day. Underscore the verses you read here in every Lord’s Day’s Sermon. This will encourage you to know you are getting to know your Bible.

For further help the Church will supply you with RPG(Read, Pray, Grow) Bible Reading Notes that last three months.Worshipping with us at RELC you can conveniently eat economically at the Coffee House. For evening worship,we recommend you to Sunset Gospel Hour, Calvary Pandan B-P Church, Jurong, or at Rehoboth, Gilstead Road, both at 6pm.

Your affectionate pastor
TT

 

 

HOW JESUS TAKETH PUNY MEN IN THEIR OWN CRAFTINESS (JOB 5:13)

XVI. Jesus Heals a man which had the dropsy in a Chief Pharisee’s House on the Sabbath Day

“And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things.” (Lk.14:1-6)

Commentary

Jesus again silenced the lawyers and Pharisees by irrefutable logic.

 

XVII. Jesus replied to the murmuring of scribes and Pharisees against His receiving of sinners (Lk. 15:1,2)

“And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (Lk. 15:11-32)

Commentary

A similar situation arose in my administration of hospitality over Beulah House, a property across the street permitted by Government to operate as a Church hostel. The charge against me was the boarders were non-Christians. My defence was Ps. 84:3,4. If unclean birds like sparrows and swallows have found a nest in God’s House, why should we reject non-Christian boarders? Our motive for receiving them was to lead them to Church and to Christ. As a result I won a young lady from Beijing and by witnessing to her parents and brother when they visited her here they believed and were also baptised. Besides I baptised a couple from Communist China and one from Malaysia.

Does this also answer the Pharisees why Jesus received sinners and even ate with them?