1

22 April 2018

Speaker Rev Tan Soo Inn

For internal circulation only

2

I was recently asked to share my

testimony. A friend wanted me to share

the relevant parts to flesh out what she

was teaching. Immediately my thoughts

ran amok: “But I’m still struggling. Even

today, I struggled. Even now. Especially

now. How will my story even be credible

like this? It’s embarrassing. Shameful,

even. There are still so many loose

ends! Maybe I should just say no.” Even

in my most immediate response, my

struggles with procrastination and

perfectionism were showing. Sharing my

testimony felt like an impossible task!

Typically, testimonies one might hear are

those of having overcome a particular

sin, temptation, or area of brokenness.

We have a tendency to prefer telling

dramatic stories about dark, reckless

pasts turned around at a sudden moment

to grab the attention of the crowd and

stir their emotions. The more dramatic

the story, the better! As eager as we are

(and should be) to showcase the victo-

ries that Christ has given us in our lives,

the danger of telling only such stories is

that those who are still in the midst of

their struggles may feel that their stories

cannot be shared—not until they have

tasted some recognizable victory. The

ebb and flow of real-life faith is lost to

desire for a neat, linear narrative.

Getting Real

This is the problem with the

sensationalized, past-tense testimony.

There is no room for everything that is

not alright now. There is no room for

real failures. It is hard enough to talk

about our past brokenness. But this

makes it nearly impossible to talk about

current brokenness. We act like our

struggles magically disappeared once

we accepted Christ. The struggle is real.

Temptation is real. Failure is real. Pain

is real. Even for those who are actively

walking with Christ. Anything less than

the truth does a disservice to ourselves,

to truth, and to each other. It sets up

unrealistic expectations that none of us

can fulfil. It attunes us to dismiss or

minimise our current struggles.

Broken but Faithful

Wesley Hill is a theologian; he also

describes himself as a gay, celibate

Christian. Zondervan (who published

his book, Washed and Waiting)

describes his journey in the book’s

blurb as “faithfulness in the midst of

brokenness”. That phrase has stuck

with me ever since I first read it. Until

we see God face-to-face and experience

glorification, we are all still imperfect

creatures who live in a sin-stained

world. Whether we are same or

opposite sex attracted, single or

married, young or old, our Christian

journeys are all stories of “faithfulness

in the midst of brokenness”.

Vulnerable Authenticity

I wanted to share my testimony in order

to foster vulnerability and authenticity in

the group. When someone goes first, it

gives others the permission to go

second. It opens a safe space for others

to share. But what is challenging about

being vulnerable is that to do so, we

3

first need to confront those areas of

brokenness in our own lives—issues we

would rather deny, ignore or downplay. I

did not want to think about the ways I was

currently procrastinating and pursuing

perfection. I wanted the vulnerability and

authenticity without the cost of my

embarrassment and shame. But we need

to admit that we all struggle with

brokenness; and in that shared space,

we find we are in good company.

Life-giving Spiritual Friendships

The context for grappling with our

brokenness is Christian community. The

practice of spiritual friendship has been

neglected in our highly individualistic

Christian culture. We need to reclaim this

practice of deep, sacrificial relationships

in the Body of Christ. In my ministry with

young adults, I have observed that many

do not know how to be genuine friends

with one another—they may have grown

up in church with one another, but

friendships remain at a superficial social

level. Several have confided in me that

they find it difficult to struggle in Carmel.

Some find it easier to be real with

non-Christian friends than to share with

Christian brothers and sisters the raw

mess of their everyday realities. The

United Kingdom has appointed a Minister

for Loneliness, an acknowledgement of

how pervasive loneliness is in society.

Yet loneliness is rarely acknowledged by

the faithful. To be lonely when alone

seems acceptable. But to be lonely when

surrounded by many feels even more

isolating. We need friends who can

struggle towards Christ together. I was

eventually able to share my testimony

because of friends who have been willing

to journey with me as I wrestled with

God and with myself, and who still

continue to walk with me in the same

direction.

Already but Not Yet

Our goal as Christians is to pursue God

and grow more in His image and

likeness. So our eschatology must be

balanced—we live in the tension

between what theologians call the

“already but not yet”. Because Christ has

already come, we have victory over sin,

disease and death. But because the

kingdom has not yet come in its fullness,

we will still sin, suffer, and die. While we

have already been justified, we are still

in the process of being sanctified and we

are certainly not yet glorified! Our faith

journey is most often gradual. Spiritual

progress is won day by day and moment

by moment. Although there is an

“already” in Christ, there is much that is

still “not yet” in our lives. One day, there

will be no more death or mourning or

crying or pain, a day when the old order

of things will have passed away, a time

when He will have made all things new!

We are all waiting for the end of this

most spectacular story.

Until then, our real-life faith is not just

rainbows, sunshine and unicorns. So

let’s stop giving our testimonies like it is.

Until then, we labour, live, and journey in

hope.

Marianne Wong

4

Come, join our prayer warriors in Room

#03-06 on Wednesday, 7.45pm!

REGIONAL CONCERNS

Next Wednesday (25 April) Chairperson/Devotion: Ang Lee Luang

CHURCH CONCERNS

OASIS Getaway at Muar: Our Older Adults will be away from 25 – 27 April. Ask for God’s blessings for safety in travel, bonding and fellowship with each other, and learning from the Desert Fathers.

Equipping Sessions: Thank God for many opportunities and courses available to equip us for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up. Pray for these sessions: -- 1) Education for Christian Foundation (ECF)/BGST course, “Biblical Archaeology and the New Testament” (21, 28 Apr); 2) CG Leaders Equipping Session on “Discipleship of Young Adults” (28 Apr); 3) “Creative and Experiential Worship” training/workshop – for speakers Dr Lim Kar Yong, Dr Danny Ng & Rev Tan Soo Inn, and Ps Flora Chew respectively.

Mandarin Worship Service: Next Sunday, 29 April is designated as Evangelistic Sunday. Pray that members and regular worshippers will bring their non-believing loved ones, neighbours and friends to hear the gospel. Pray for God’s Spirit to draw people, including new visitors who have yet to believe, to Himself and to convict them of the need for the Saviour. Pray for the upcoming Parents’ Day Celebration on 7 July, that many non-believers will attend. Pray for wisdom and understanding in preparing for the event.

OMM: 1) Ps Lim Kheng Hai and Gek Lang thank God for leading them to serve in SIM (Serving in Missions) East Asia and for the support given by Church Missions Board. Pray that during the phasing-in period, they would get to know their fellow co-workers well and the missionaries whom they are ministering to. Pray for good health and wisdom to "Serve the Lord with gladness" (Ps 100:2). 2) Good Kids Preschool Teachers’ Visit (4 – 11 May): Thank God for Carmelites who will host the team from Nongwai, Thailand. Some of the teachers are non-believers. Pray that this trip will open their minds and hearts to the love of God. Pray for meaningful and enjoyable week-long stay in Singapore. 3) Pray for Heir the pastor of San Patong Community Church in Nongwai Village. He has started a cell group on Wed nights with 3 families in the village. Pray also for Tom and Am who lead a cell group for young couples at their home.

“Prayer is not an exercise,

it is the life.” (Oswald Chambers)

Pray for the complex situation in Syria with many countries involved in the conflict. Pray especially for the victims of the chemical weapon attacks and their families. Pray for the families of the 400,000 people who have died so far and for the 12 million people who have been displaced from their homes, including 5 million who now live outside Syria. The silver lining is that some of these people displaced to Iraq and Lebanon have become Christians. Pray that their faith will be strengthened.

Pray for the elections in Malaysia that it will be a violence-free and smooth one. Pray that whichever party wins will govern Malaysia well so that the people will benefit from good governance.

5

ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPDATES

“God’s Purpose for His World: Christians, Creation and the Renewal of All Things” A BGST Conference feat. Professor Rikk Watts … and much more!

Date: Fri 15 June - Public Holiday (9am to 5pm) @ Zion Bishan B-P Church

4-DAY FLASH SALE (Apr 20 - 23): $45/person (For 2 or more tickets only. Online payment required when registering).

Regular Ticket Price: $70/person OR $50/ student or NSF* (*undergraduate students and below)

Registration and Details: bit.ly/bgstcreationcare

Date Speakers Topic Text

29 Apr Rev Oh Boon Leong “Strong Faith in Turbulent Times:

Habakkuk” - “How Long, O Lord?”

Hab 1:1-11

6 May Rev Daniel Chua God’s Answers to Our Questions Hab 1:12-25

13 May Rev Peter Teo Making Wise Choices Hab 2:6-20

20 May Rev Oh Boon Leong Strong Faith in Turbulent Times Hab 3:1-19

Sincere condolences to Samuel, Shireen and Shandon Chen. Samuel’s mother was

called home on Wednesday, 18 April 2018.

Thank God for the 21 brothers/sisters of different ages (a good number) who have signed up so far. We are praying for 7-8 more persons to join us, Spouses are welcomed too. We will take turns to canoe from 9.15 to 10.15 am on idyllic water. Non-canoeists can enjoy fellowship over coffee/tea and snacks sitting on mats onshore. At 10.30 am, we will set off for an easy and scenic 3.5 km boardwalk-forest trail jaunt, chit-chatting along the way. Optional lunch at 12.15 pm follows after that to round off a morning of needful exercise and wet fellowship.

Please let Jeffrey Hong know if you plan to come.

What do you do with the first 15 minutes directly after formal worship service?

Join fellow brothers and sisters after the service to begin an informal time of worship.

What to expect: Discuss the sermon, connect about your week, get to know others, eat delicious cookies, drink coffee or tea

Details: Today (22 Apr), meet directly after each service in the fellowship hall.

Look for friendly faces to show you the tables! Best part: All are welcome!

6

Please make all cheques, including those for the Development Fund, payable to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd (payee name must be stated on the cheque).

Please note that NO receipts will be issued for cheques received by the Church below $5,000 except upon request.

All Offerings and Pledges to Mount Carmel BP Church Ltd are not tax-deductible.

NEXT SUNDAY 29 April 2018

MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 1ST SERVICE

MINISTRY INVOLVEMENT 2ND SERVICE

Ushers Men’s Group Tsame CG

Refreshment Legacy CG

Worship Leader Dn Jerry Ng

Congregational Prayer Eld Bruce Lockhart

Musicians Week 5b Band

Welcome Corner Tan Mun Kiat Dn Jonathan Lum/Sunny Yap

Scripture Readers Cynthia Wee Tan Gek Kee

AVA Crew Michael Teo/Alan Tan Low Ek Yong/Tan Chay Hoon/Andrew Ong

7

Luke 9:21-36

1. The call to follow Christ is not an easy one.

2. That is why there are times that the Lord has to endorse who Jesus really is.

3. Jesus is truly the God’s Messiah sent to rescue us from sin, Satan and death.

4. Our primary response to Jesus is not to enjoy spiritual experiences with Him.

5. Our primary response to Jesus is to hear and obey Him.

8

Welcome! A warm welcome to all

newcomers and visitors with us

today. We hope that you will

have a meaningful time of

worship this morning. Do join us

for tea at the fellowship hall

after the service

Worship Leader Dn Adrian Wong Speaker Rev Tan Soo Inn Prayer Rev Oh Boon Leong Scripture Readers Cynthia Wee Goh Swee Hong Ushers Suyen & friends Grace CG Refreshment Bt Batok CG AVA Timothy Chiam Fiona Chee Daryl Tan Loh Kum Hoe

All hail the power of Jesus’ name

How great is our God

Gloria Patri

Colossians 2:6-15; 3:1-11

Amazing Love

One Day (When we all get to heaven)

There is a higher throne

Choir Presentation: “Sing Unto the Lord Medley”

Doxology

Luke 9:21-36

The Transfiguration

Jesus is Lord

Three-Fold Amen

For a digital copy of this bulletin:

http://www.carmel.sg/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Weekly-042218.pdf For recording of past sermons, visit www.carmel.sg

Worshippers are invited to come forward to the front

pew for personal prayer with our elders/pastors.