Brethren,
In the last church weekly, I have briefly written on how we should maintain solemnity in our worship services. It is unfortunate that there are some among us who tend to become negligent of the need for reverential conduct in the worship of God.
What truth is in us if we say that we believe in the supremacy and holiness of God, and yet act irreverently before Him? Should not our faith concerning our God make a difference in our attitude when we come before Him in worship? Can our mannerism be unworthy of God’s greatness and grandeur, especially as we gather to worship Him? Are we acting indifferently to the doctrine of God that we have confessed?
It is an unspeakable tragedy if anyone acts irreverently amidst the congregation that gather to call on the great God as the object of their worship. Let us not be oblivious towards God when we come into His presence.
There is no worship until and unless our whole being is fully focused on the praise and glory of God. Our body and soul must be wholly fixated on God. No part of our being should wander from God when we worship Him. Neither should our conduct be a distraction to others. If anything distracts us, we must turn our attention back to God at once. We must make conscious efforts to yield ourselves fully to God to praise Him and to hear His voice in faith and submission.
It must also be said that if we participate in the elements of worship without being wholly fixated on God, we are not truly worshipping. True worship is not merely being present in the worship service, or clasping our hands and closing our eyes during prayer while our thoughts are directed elsewhere. Enjoying the singing without our thoughts being directed towards God, cannot be considered worship! Jesus and the Scriptures condemn such frivolous involvement in worship of God - "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:7-9; cf. Isaiah 29:13; Mark 7:6).
If we come to God to worship Him as He has taught us in His Word, great spiritual richness and joy will fill our hearts. When God becomes our hearts’ main fixation, worship becomes a wonderfully exhilarating and blessed experience. Sunday after Sunday, we will find Him to be inexhaustible! Our desire to know and worship Him will further increase. So, let us sing with Robert Robinson:
Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it - mount of Thy redeeming love.
Kelvin Lim (on behalf of the GCM Committee)
The Gethsemane Children’s Ministry (GCM) thanks the LORD for bringing last year’s DVBS to pass. We thank the LORD for watching over the various aspects of the planning and execution of last year’s DVBS, which is special as this is the first time we have online registration for DVBS.
Last year’s theme – "The Bible" – was formulated to remind the children and us of the significance of God’s Word. The participants were taught six lessons from various passages in the Scriptures. One of which was John 3:16, whereby the love of God was taught with the hope that one or more souls may be added unto the kingdom of God!
The LORD has been good to GCM in providing a venue in the premises of Berean Bible-Presbyterian Church. This is our first time using the premises of another church for our DVBS. We used the worship hall for the combined activities, such as singspiration, indoor games and lunch; it also doubled up as the classroom for the Nursery-Kindergarten Class. An upper-room was used for the Primary 1-3 Class while the office was used for the Primary 4-6 Class. As such, we want to thank God for the kindness of Rev. Tan Kian Sing and the Session of Berean B-P Church for allowing us to use their premises.
The LORD sent us 41 children, of whom 14 were from outside our church! While heartened by this outside group, we nonetheless hope that more of our members would be encouraged to send their children to receive God’s blessings through our annual DVBS! Among those 14 "outside" children who came, some were invited by our members while others came as a result of their parents’ online search for school vacation children’s activities. May the children be blessed with memories of the truths learned during the DVBS last year!
During the three-day event, we managed to have two days of outdoor games despite the wet weather forecast by National Environment Agency. More importantly, we also thank God for granting us safety, especially when crossing the roads to the park where the games were organised.
Lastly, thank God for moving the hearts of 17 brethren who serve as volunteers together with us in the committee, as well as 5 brothers who serve as teachers. Furthermore, praise God that Pastor was able to come daily to exhort the children and adults from the Bible, particularly from Psalm 19:7 – "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."