《诗篇》第100篇是一首称谢诗， 被广泛地用于崇拜中宣召的时刻；呼召会众前来敬拜主。这首诗共有5节。前4节以命令式的语气发出赞美的呼召，第5节揭示出要赞美的原因。

第1节 – 呼召我们尽情地向上帝欢呼

第2节 – 呼召我们欢唱地来到主面前，乐意地事奉耶和华

第3节 – 呼召我们认识并承认上帝是我们的创造者，而我们是祂立约的子民

第4节 – 呼召我们带着赞美和感恩的心，进入上帝的同在

第5节 – 告诉我们上述命令的原因。我们遵行上述命令的原因乃是因着上帝各样仁慈的属性： 祂的良善，祂的慈爱以及祂的信实。

掌握这篇诗歌中所蕴含的真理是重要的。第一，上帝配得我们的赞美，因为祂是全能又全善的。第二，赞美主是一个命令，不应取决于我们自己的感受。就是说我们必须要做一个决定：顺服或者违背这命令。第三，当即便是感觉上不太喜欢但我们依然选择赞美上帝时，那正是感恩和赞美所期待我们应作出的回应 – 牺牲。

愿我们盛港堂无论在顺境或者逆境当中，都能够定意要将感恩和赞美献给我们的上帝，阿们！

撰稿 梅国耀牧师

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The motif of Psalm 100 is thanksgiving and it is widely used as Call to Worship; calling the congregation to come to God and worship him. This psalm has 5 verses. The first 4 verses contain imperative calls to praise and the 5th verse provides the basis for this praise.

Verse 1 – calls us to display uninhibited joy to the LORD
Verse 2- calls us to perform a service to the LORD that is characterized with gladness and joyful songs
Verse 3 – calls us to recognize and acknowledge that God is our Creator and that we are His covenanted people
Verse 4- calls us to enter God’s presence with praise and with thanksgiving in our hearts
Verse 5 – tells us the rationale for the above imperatives. We obey and perform the above commands on the basis of God’s beneficent attributes; His goodness, love and faithfulness.

It is important for us to grasp the truths expressed in this psalm. One, God is worthy of our praise; He is all-powerful and He is good. Two, praising God is a command hence not dependent on our feelings. Rather, it is a decision that we have to make; to obey or not to obey the command. Three, when we praise God despite the fact that we do not feel like doing so, it is a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise expected of us.

May all of us at SKMC determine in our hearts always be it good times or challenging moments to bring an offering of thanksgiving and praise to the LORD our God, Amen.

By Rev Boey Kok Yeow

The post Psalm 100 – A Psalm for Giving Grateful Praise appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

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

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“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.

“…For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7b ESV)

In this narrative, God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse’s house in Bethlehem to anoint the next king of Israel.

Standing in front of Jesse’s sons, Samuel looked on Eliab and thought he (Eliab) would be the one. Samuel was impressed with Eliab because he (Eliab) was a tall and handsome young man, just like Saul, the first king. But, the LORD rejected Eliab just like He rejected Saul who had disobeyed God.

Apparently, there is a disparity between God’s and man’s (that is, Samuel) criteria of a king for Israel. Just like a woman loves diamonds and a man loves cars, humans see the outward visible beauty of a person, such as his height and size. We spend so much to look our best in every social function. We style elaborate hairstyles and wear the most exquisite accessories or fine clothes which call attention to us. Yet, we feel uncomfortable sitting with foreign workers.

Does God judge outward appearance in His divine choice of men? Absolutely not.

By choosing Jesse’s family, it shows that God does not look upon social status, family history, or even wealth in His selection.

God values men and women; Man looks at the appearance, God looks at the heart;

Outward appearances are often deceitful – we may miss the hidden potential. For instance, during job interviews, the interviewee who smiles from ear to ear could be the villain who conceals a false and faithless heart. The silent one could be the greatest employee who embraces loyalty and integrity.

Since God looks at the heart, we must therefore spend more time to build our character and nurture our virtues.

Let this be our prayer that God examines our hearts and minds, and through Bible reading, quiet times with God, fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, may we grow in Christ.

by Ong Bee Keow

The post God Looks At The Heart appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

“因为耶和华不像人看人，人是看外貌，耶和华是看内心。”（撒母耳记上 16：7b 和合本）

在这个叙述中，上帝差遣先知撒母耳往伯利恒人耶西家，为要膏立下一位以色列君王。

撒母耳站在耶西的儿子们面前，看着以利押，并认为他（以利押）就是那耶和华的受膏者。撒母耳对以利押这即高大英俊就像第一位国王扫罗一样的年轻人，留下了深刻的印象。但是，耶和华拒绝了以利押， 就像祂拒绝违背上帝的扫罗一样。

显然，上帝与人类（即撒母耳）对以色列君王的标准存有差异。就像女人喜欢钻石，男人喜欢汽车一样，人总只注重一个人的外在美，例如身高和体型。我们竭尽心力修饰仪容，以便在社交场上突出自己。我们疏剪最时髦的发型，穿着最引人注目的服装、甚至配戴最精致的首饰。但是，对着身旁的外籍劳工，我们却感浑身不自在。

外貌是否也是神对人的鉴察的原则? 绝对不是。

神选择了耶西这家，就表示社会地位,家庭背景,甚至财富都不在神的选择范围里。

神重视每一个人, 无论男或女。

人注重外貌，神注重内心。

以貌取人会忽略了有潜质的人材，這些人可能沒有令人羡慕的仪表，却含有实质和内涵。例如，在面试过程中，能畅谈无比的面试者， 心里可能隐藏着虚假和不诚实。相反的，沉默的却可能是最忠诚、最有诚信的员工。

既然神注重内心，我们就必须花更多的时间改進我们內在的性格，培养德行。

求主鉴察我们的心思意念， 让我们通过阅读圣经，灵修，与弟兄姐妹的团契，谦卑地在基督里成长。

撰稿 王美娇

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“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. – Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV)

At the turn of each year, many of us would look backwards to review the year. Many times, this process of looking backwards forces each of us to examine our past. Everyone has a past. Our past often contain regrets, hurts and disappointments that have failed us again and again. Yet, why do we still hold on to it?

Israel had tried for almost 1500 years (before Christ came) to keep the Mosaic law; they tried to gain righteousness by the works of their flesh. No one succeeded. The best of them failed. Israel went into cycles of failure. Their failures eventually made them go into exile. Jerusalem was sacked, the temple was destroyed. By God’s grace they returned as a nation through His servant Nehemiah. The temple was rebuilt. Still Israel continued their old ways.

The law was given through Moses, but Jesus Emmanuel came in-person to bring grace and truth (John 1:17). Yet Israel rejected Him. They refused to let go of their old ways. In AD 70, Jerusalem was razed, the nation of Israel gone, the temple was again destroyed.

The Mosaic law failed because men attempted to fulfil it through human effort; Christ became flesh and through his death on the cross, sin is once and for all put away in the flesh (Romans 8:3). Through his atonement, the Holy Spirit can now dwell in us. We can now fulfil the righteous requirement of the law not through the flesh but by the Spirit (Romans 8:4). We receive the Spirit simply by faith and through the means of grace, each one experiences God’s strengthening and empowerment.

Christ came to put away the old through the cross. The flesh can be considered as the old, the Spirit as the new. Are we still trying to hold on to the old? Jesus told us to not put new wine into old wine skin (Mathew 9:17), otherwise we will lose everything.

Paul in Galatians 4:21-31 explains “Cast out Hagar and her son Ishmael”. They do not have anything to do with the promise of God to Abraham (the promise eventually is also to us through Christ Jesus). Hagar the slave and her son Ishmael who was born of human works (i.e. the flesh) represent the old. Sarah was a free person and Isaac was born by God’s promise through spiritual means. Like Isaac, we are all children of the promise born of the Spirit.

God by his grace and promise will pursue and rescue Israel again. As indicated in the Scriptures, Israel will finally call out to Jesus. Christ will come again, and Israel will recognize him as their King. Peace will finally come and stay forevermore.

The new year is here, let us not hold on the old anymore. Cast out the old, throw the failed past out. Through the Holy Spirit in us, we can put away bitterness and unforgiveness and rid ourselves of fleshly arrogance.

Stop believing that our past failures will define our future. In Christ we have new beginnings. God declared that he will make new road and rivers to appear even in the wilderness and the desert (Isaiah 43:19).

Believe in the Spirit and do not go back to our fleshly efforts. Christ does not live in the old rituals and man-made monuments; Christ lives inside us.

By Keith Khor

The post A New Creation in Christ appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

耶和华如此说：“你们不要记念从前的事，也不要思想古时的事。看哪，我要做一件新事，如今要发现，你们岂不知道吗？我必在旷野开道路，在沙漠开江河。” 以赛亚书 43:18-19

每到年终， 我们都会回顾过去的一年。很多时候， “ 向后看“ 的整个过程会迫使我们审视自己的过去。

每个人都有一个“ 不舒服” 的过去。往往含有遗憾， 创伤和失望。但为什么仍然紧紧握着不放开呢？

以色列人在基督降生之前的将近1500年尽力地遵守摩西律法。他们尝试用有限的方式使自己称义, 成圣，最终还是失败。以色列人进入了失败的恶性循环，最终使他们流亡。耶路撒冷被彻底摧毁， 圣殿被毁坏。靠着上帝的恩典，他们通过祂的仆人尼希米归回成为一个民族，重建圣殿。但以色列人仍然继续着古式的 “靠自己” 方法。

上帝的律法是通过摩西传的, 但以马内利的耶稣亲自带来恩典和真理( 约翰福音1 : 1 7 ) 。然而, 以色列人拒绝了祂, 因为拒绝放弃他们的旧方法。公元7 0 , 耶路撒冷被夷为平地, 以色列的国家消失了, 圣殿再次被摧毁。

摩西律法之所以失败,是因

为人们试图通过人类的努力来实现它。基督成了肉身,在十字架上死了,罪就一劳永逸地从肉体里被除去(罗马书8:3)。通过耶稣的赎罪,圣灵现在可以住在我们里面。现在，我们不用通过软弱无力肉体遵守律法而是靠圣灵(罗马书8:4) 来实现律法的正义要求。我们只是凭信心领受圣灵， 并通过恩典的途径， 操练和经历其中的大能。

基督来借着十字架把破旧的拿掉。肉体可以被认为是旧的, 灵命是新的。我们还在努力抓住不合适的老方法吗？ 耶稣告诉我们不要把新酒放进旧酒的皮中(马太福音9:17),否则我们会失去一切。

保罗在加拉太书4 : 2 1 – 3 1 解释“ 驱逐夏甲和她的儿子以实玛利” 。他们与神对亚伯拉罕的应许没有任何联系( 最终的应许也是通过基督耶稣给我们的) 。

奴隶夏甲和她的儿子以实玛利是由人为( 即肉体) 所生的, 代表着旧人。撒拉是一个自由的人, 以撒是由上帝的应许, 通过灵性的工作诞生的。像以撒一样,我们都是圣灵的应许所生的儿女。

上帝藉着祂的恩典和应许, 将再次追逐和拯救以色列人。正如经文所示, 以色列最终会呼喊耶稣。基督必再来, 以色列人也必认出祂为他们的王。和平终将到来，并永远长存。

在新的一年,我们不要再老古董了。抛弃旧的,把失败的过去扔掉。通过圣灵,我们可以把痛苦和饶恕交给祂掌管,并摆脱肉体的傲慢。

不要相信过去的失败就决定我们的未来。在基督里,我们有新的开端。上帝宣告, 他将开启新的道路和河流, 即使在无望的旷野和沙漠(以赛亚书43:19) 。

相信圣灵,不要再靠肉体努力。基督不活在古老仪式和人为的破旧纪念碑里; 基督活在我们里面。

撰稿 许智信

The post 在基督里成为真正的新人 appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

King Solomon was one of the greatest of such pit-falls God had used to teach us life’s lessons.

King Solomon started off very well, showing his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David. When he ascended the throne, God granted him wisdom to rule, plus immense wealth, solidly grounding his position in God and life.

Solomon’s writings in Song of Songs, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and his contributions to the Psalms astounded us with his in-depth wisdom as collated in the Bible. He ruled wisely and extended God’s Promised Land with stability; flourishing in trade, peace and prosperity. Soon he was renowned as the wisest man in the world. Kings and queens from afar were dazzled by his genius and Jerusalem’s architectural marvels and civilized cosmopolitan.

Despite all these, Solomon took a dramatic downturn in mid-life: his extravagant love of luxury and exquisite led him to exotic treasures, frolics, songs, wines and women.

His turning-point came as he lavishly constructed God’s Temple, but way overly lavish and exquisitely, his own Palace. He inter-married foreign princesses of different religious beliefs for military alliances, betraying his trust in God. Overwhelmed with great multiple wives and concubines, he compensated them by building altars and even bowing to their idols.

King Solomon, in his follies had distanced, disobeyed and sinned against God and His Commandments.

Fortunately, at long last, almost on his death bed, he awakened to lament:

“…the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man…God will bring every deed into judgment. “ (Eccl. 12:13-14)

Let us, therefore, hang on fast to God to safeguard ourselves against sins and failures that success can invariably bring upon us.

By Ron Chan

The post The Failures of Success appeared first on Sengkang Methodist Church.

所罗门王就是陷入此陷阱的其中一位国王。这也是上帝用来教导我们有关生命的宝贵一课。

一开始，所罗门王爱耶和华，遵行他父亲大卫的律例。当他登基时，上帝赐给他智慧统治国家，也加添给他钜大的财富，巩固了他在上帝和生命中的地位。

所罗门在“雅歌”，“箴言”，“传道书”以及 “诗篇”中的贡献，都展现了他那深入的智慧,确是让人震惊。他明智地统治，稳定了上帝的应许之地；贸易蓬勃发展，和平与繁荣。不久，他的智慧闻名于世，是王国时代空前绝后的。来自远方的国王和王后都被他的天赋, 耶路撒冷那奇迹般的建筑，和文明的大都会所迷。

尽管如此，所罗门在中年时，人生却戏剧化的向下垂落：他生活奢华，热爱精致品，导致他寻求异国情调的宝物，嬉戏，歌曲，美酒丽人。

他的转折点在于他奢华地建造上帝的圣殿，但却过于奢华而精致地构建了自己的宫殿。他与不同宗教信仰的外邦公主结婚, 背叛了对上帝的信任。围绕在众多妻子和妃嫔中，他建造祭坛甚至向她们的偶像跪拜。

所罗门王在他的愚昧之中，远离和违背了上帝和祂的诫命，

所幸的是，在他临终前，躺在病床上，他惊醒过来并哀叹：

“。。。总意就是敬畏神， 谨守他的诫命，这是人所当尽的本分。。。无论是善是恶，神都必审问。” (传道书 12：13-14)

因此，让我们紧紧握住上帝，以便保护自己免受罪恶与成功所带来的失败。

撰稿: 陈锦峰

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