34 “你们不要以为我来是带给地上和平，我来并不是带来和平，而是刀剑。 35 因为我来是要叫 ‘ 人与父亲对立，女儿与母亲对立，媳妇与婆婆对立。

　　36 人的仇敌就是自己家里的人。’

　　37 爱父母胜过爱我的，不配作我的门徒；爱儿女胜过爱我的，不配作我的门徒。 38 不背自己的十字架跟从我的，不配作我的门徒。 39 得着性命的，要丧失性命；为我丧失性命的，要得着性命。”

–《太》10:34-39

和平之子 – 耶稣的这番话多么让人震惊啊！尤其是在与特别关注在“五伦” – 就是君臣、父子、夫妇、长幼及朋友关系的传统儒家礼仪之道相比较的时候。

作为像新加坡这样的亚洲社会居民，优先考量这些关系对我们来说并不陌生。我们当中的许多人都认同这种家庭至上的文化。

对于在这种文化下成长的人来说，这当中似乎就有了一种难以言明的对抗和张力。耶稣是在说家庭并不重要吗？这是否意味着家庭对于我们基督徒，不再有任何的道德约束？

不是这样的。圣经中的多处经文都告诉我们耶稣看重家庭。例如在《马可福音》7:9-13 节，耶稣坚定的维护那些因为宗教信仰而被孩子们抛弃的父母。

在《马太福音》22:40，耶稣明确地指出最大的诫命就是要用我们整个生命来爱上帝，也要爱人如己。这两条诫命就是一切律法和先知书的总纲。

《以弗所书》6:1，也再次强调十诫中的第四条诫命：当孝敬父母。作者甚至写道“这是第一条带应许的诫命，可以使得你得福，在世长寿。”

至此，已经非常清楚了：家庭对于我们基督徒而言，是非常重要的。那耶稣到底在说什么呢？

我们生活在一个充满了选择的世界。我们的生活，就犹如身处于一个无休止的超级市场，我们所要做的就是从众多平等的选择当中选择一个。我们被告知：宗教就是一种选择；家庭，也是一样，依此类推。

但基督徒的信仰却并非如此。耶稣并不是众多选择中的普通一个。这也就是这段信息的重点。耶稣告诉我们家庭是美好的，忠诚是重要的，但祂是首要的。祂并不是众多个首要其中的一个。在历史上，祂乃是独一的、无敌的及无与伦比的。除祂以外，其他的都是次要的。

基督徒家庭的权威中心不是家长而是父母，不是长辈，而是上帝。忠心于家庭，并不只是忠心于家庭本身而已，而是忠心于上帝并且带领整个家庭跟随耶稣基督。因此，寻求耶稣就是忠实地顺服上帝 – 有时甚至是超越我们亲人的意愿。耶稣就是我们的全部，包括我们的家庭。

这就是经文的要义。是的，家庭是重要的。它可以是所有次要的当中最重要的。但是与耶稣是谁和耶稣对我们的要求相比的话，家庭就是次要的了。

真正跟随耶稣意味着放下一切，甚至是家庭的益处。选择耶稣还是家庭，并不是一个问题，因为他们不是平等的选择。对基督徒而言，耶稣永远是首位的。但也不必担心，因为耶稣亲切又满有信心地承诺：那些为我丧失生命的，必要得着生命！凡是耶稣要求我们放下的，最终祂必将奇妙地还给我们，这当然也包括我们的家庭。

撰稿 吴俊强 传道

The post 我带来刀剑 appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

– Matthew 10:34-39

What startling words from the Prince of Peace! Contrast them with the Confucian doctrine of 礼, where the Five Bonds of relationship are emphasized: ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder to younger, and friend to friend.

As residents of an Asian society like Singapore, the prioritizing of these relationships is not foreign to us. Many of us can identify with a culture that prizes family relationships as one of the most important commitments in life.

To people raised in this general culture, this is a hard saying that seems confrontational and adversarial. Is Jesus saying that the family unit is unimportant? Does this mean that families no longer hold a moral claim on us as Christians?

No! There are numerous instances in Scripture where Jesus upholds the family. For example, in Mark 7:9-13, Jesus firmly defends parents who have been cast aside by their children on the basis of religious devotion.

In Matthew 22:40, Jesus unequivocally states that the greatest commandments are to love God with our whole being, and also to love our neighbour as ourselves. All of the Law and all of the prophets hang on these two commandments.

Ephesians 6:1 reemphasizes the Fourth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.” The author even writes that this is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

So it should be clear to us that the family is very important to the life of the Christian. What could Jesus mean then?

We live in a world pregnant with options. We are sold on a vision of life as a never-ending supermarket of choices, and all we need to do is choose from amongst a variety of equal choices. Religion, we are told, is one such choice. Family is another. And so on.

But this is not true of the Christian faith. Jesus is not simply one choice amongst other equal choices. And that is the point of this passage. Jesus is telling us that as much as family is good, and loyalty is important, He comes first. He is not first among equals. He is unequalled, unrivalled, and unparalleled in history. Everything else is second. Jesus comes first.

The central authority in the Christian family is not the parent but the Parent, not the senior human beings, but God.

To be faithful within the family is not to be faithful to the family unit for its own sake, but to be faithful to God and to follow Christ as a family and within the family. Thus, to pursue Jesus is to seek to obey God more faithfully – sometimes even over the wishes of our relatives. Christ is our all, in all – that includes our families.

Here’s what we can take home from the passage. Your family is important. It might even be the highest of penultimate concerns. But even the family pales in comparison to who Jesus is and what He requires of us.

To truly follow Jesus means to be willing to give up even the good of the family for Him. It is not a matter of choosing Jesus instead of your family – because they aren’t equal choices. For the Christian, Jesus must always come first. But do not fear, because, as Jesus so lovingly and confidently promises: those who give up even their very lives for His sake shall find it in Him. There is nothing that Christ asks us to put down that He will not eventually restore to us marvellously – and that includes our families.

By Pastor Nathanael Goh

The post I Came to Send a Sword appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

回家后我也试着去设立自己的养耕共生系统，所以我就到处向邻居和朋友索取玻璃瓶。

我有两个已成年的孩子。他们见我兴奋地试着在瓶里种植植物，也开始感到兴趣。平时， 我们都各忙各的，也很少交流。

令我惊奇的是，他们也开始主动帮我。有一次，我打破了玻璃瓶，结果我们全家都一起帮忙清理。还有一次，我不小心把鱼掉在地上，我们手忙脚乱的赶紧把鱼抓放回鱼缸内，而且还一起哈哈大笑。作父母的都会明白这句话: 家庭团结的喜乐是言语无法形容的。

我记得，我为着家里的团结向神祈求了好多次。我渴望重新建立家人之间的关系，更常像这样的一起相聚同心。

“当将你的道路交托耶和华， 并倚靠他，他就必成全。” (诗篇37:5)

我把祈求交托给上帝后， 渐渐看到我的家庭又活过来了。我学习把每一天当成最后一天来爱惜。即使这样，我们的生命也还是免不了风风雨雨。每一天都是神的恩赐，我要为我六十年的生命感恩 ， 感谢神所赐的一切。

让我们成为友善、喜乐、知足、顺服、忠诚和一个常常祝福别人的信徒。

撰稿 刘佩卿

The post 上帝的恩典赐予 我家庭：每清晨更新 appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

I was inspired to learn how to do up a few pots of my own, so I started sourcing for glass bottles from neighbors and friends. I have two grown up children at home. Seeing my excitment in growing my bottled plants, they became interested as well.

Usually, the three of us go about our own chores at home, without much interaction. To my surprise, they offered to help out with this new hobby of mine, because of two incidents that happened.

Firstly, I broke a glass vase, and the whole family helped to clean up the shattered glass together. Then there was the time I dropped the fish onto the floor, causing a big laugh amongst the three of us after a panicky recovery of the fish.

Parents will understand when I say this: to see a family united is happiness beyond words.

I remember praying over and over for unity in the family. I desired to rebuild our familial relationship, treasuring the moments when we got together in unity, and clinging onto God’s promises in the Bible:

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this” (Psalms 37:5)

Having committed my desire to God, today my family is alive again. I learned to love each day as if it were the last – after all, it might really be the last.

Sure, life may still be rough and rugged. But each new day spent with my loved ones is a bonus for me.

Everyday, I am learning to be thankful to the Lord for them, even after a long 60 years of my life.

Thank God for whatever is given by Him!

By Juliet Low

The post Grace for the Family: New Every Morning appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

在我陷入低谷到完全不能祷告时，丽卿我这位性格安静畏畏诺诺的姐妹来到家里为我祷告。我们两人同时经历了上帝奇妙的恩典也得着极大的安慰。

而丽卿经历了从未有过的就是从信主之后，从来没有发生过的事情，她被圣灵催逼来到我家为我祷告。这不是她的性格，而是圣灵的工作。在圣灵的带领下上帝透过丽卿来帮助我重新振作我的精神。

过去两年来，虽然不明白上帝在我的身体健康上出状况时， 更允许我的父亲中风，感谢主是轻微的中风。但虽是如此父亲是急需照顾与帮助的。因此，医院就成了我常驻脚的地方。在父亲出院后的两个月，在帮助父亲慢慢调适中风后的生活当儿，想不到的是，作为父亲的照顾者的妈妈也突然中风。妈妈的中风让我和家人措手不及，

在服事照顾母亲的过程当中，帮助她处理个人卫生种种琐碎的事情，以我这样的人是绝对不能完成的。但是，上帝却帮助我就这样的很自然的应对也不会觉得噁心。在照顾母亲住院期间，孩子和先生常让我无后顾之忧，帮忙把家务事处理掉。

母亲出院之后，父 神又允许我弟弟的妻子，就是我的弟媳得癌症。几番重大事情发生在我个人及家人里，使我无言问上帝。就在陷入身体及灵命及其低谷时，上帝更通过姐妹们为我祷告，让我不致于陷入自怜却还能够关怀关心有需要的姐妹，其实说是关心，但在彼此互动的同时，上帝让我在对方的身上看到天父的爱与恩待，她战斗的力量源自于爱我们的天父，她的勇气等等使我经历天父上帝实实在在的同在。

因甚愿弟媳也能经历到我的天父是何等的美好、满有能力，满有慈爱又真又活的上帝。几次邀请并姐妹们的代祷下来教会。在 神大能慈爱里，向 神认罪悔改相信福音，接受主耶稣基督为弟弟与弟媳个人的生命之主。

这一切都是父上帝的时间。主耶稣垂听姐妹在小组里提名为未信家人的祷告。荣耀归给我们的上帝。

甚愿，父 神差派祂的圣洁敬畏 神的弟兄姐妹来帮助我的家人在主里渐渐长大以致得救。

阿们。

撰稿 陈梅娟

The post 一家人一起体验 上帝的美好 appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

Take for instance, in the past two years, God has allowed me to experience some health issues. It was during this period as I earnestly sought God’s presence and help, that I witnessed God’s mighty power and amazing plan in action, and experienced His love and grace.

When I reached one of the lowest points in my life where I could not even pray, God sent a quiet and fearless sister-in-Christ, Cindy, to come to my house to pray for me. Through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, Cindy did something that was totally out of her own character, by coming to my house to pray with me. God used her to encourage me and to build me up. Both of us experienced God’s amazing grace and we were both encouraged by this experience.

Many other things happened in these two years. While I was managing my own health issues, my father had a mild stroke which required constant medical care and frequent visits to the hospital. My mother, who was my father’s main caregiver, had a stroke two months after my father was discharged from hospital. Our family was at a loss when my mother fell ill.

Taking care of my mother and caring for her personal hygiene was a humbling experience which I never thought I would be able to do. It was God who helped me to overcome my personal discomfort to care for my mother. With my husband and children stepping in to help me with the household chores, I was able to focus on caring for my mother without any worries.

After my mother was discharged from hospital, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. With all these things happening to my family one after another, I found myself questioning why God allowed all these things to happen.

Once again, I reached a low point in my spiritual life. During this time, I received a lot of support from the brothers and sisters in Christ. They prayed for me, showed care and concern for me. It was through them that I once again experienced God’s love and presence.

My sister-in-law also came to experience our true and living God – His goodness, power, love and grace. After a few visits to our church and prayer by some of the sisters in Christ, my sister-in-law accepted Jesus as her personal savior. All glory and thanks be to God.

In His perfect timing, and with the prayer support from the sisters in the cell group, our pre-believing family members can receive salvation. May God continue to send God-fearing brothers and sisters to help my family grow spiritually and lead those who have yet to know Him into a personal relationship with Him.

By Yvonne Tan

The post Experiencing God’s Goodness As a Family appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.