The City SG Podcast

“Our call as Christians is ultimately to equip & disciple nations, no matter our vocation. Our jobs themselves do not really matter that much; what truly matters is what we are doing our jobs and our tasks unto.” - @soykang_ In week 2 of “Caught Up in God’s Story”, we had one of our very own, So-Young, to share with us on how God moved in her life, turned ashes into beauty, and ultimately led her to her life’s calling with the founding of Awaken Group and Gnowbe. When we consider what our calling is in life, we usually think it is tied to a certain job or vocation. But, So-Young reminded us that each person’s calling is their unique talent that God has given, and how we can use that unique talent and serve together with others as one Body with one shared mission. As she shared her story, she also spoke on how everything that we have been through has been deposited in our lives for a reason. In her life, out of pain, purpose was birthed. God does not waste anything. When we go through painful experiences and difficulties, God does not want us to just go through them, but rather what He does is to redeem our pain and transform it into our gift, turning ashes into beauty. Ultimately, what God is after is us and our hearts. In our lives, may we do every task and job we are given with excellence unto God, seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness in everything we do.

Kicking off the “Caught Up in God’s Story” series, we had the honour of having Heidi Tan share with us on the work she does at Habibi International, a humanitarian organisation in Iraq, and her life story on how she felt called to be in the mission field to serve communities on the margins. In her sharing, she spoke on how as she waited to be out in the mission field, she learnt what it truly meant to “delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give your the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4), where as we spend time with the Lord and delight ourselves with Him, we become more aware of His heart’s desires, and that shapes our heart’s desires to align with His. She also spoke from John 1:35-42, where we read that John’s disciples, Andrew and Simon Peter, followed Jesus. In that passage, the conversation between Jesus, Andrew and Simon Peter captures some key questions that still hold true to this day as we search for a deeper purpose in our lives and our walk with God: 1. What are we looking for when we decide to follow Jesus? 2. Do we know where God is moving, and where His heart is? 3. How can we be a part of what God is showing us? No matter where you are in your walk with God today, we pray that we will be willing vessels, ones who know God’s heart and make all of our lives available for God to move in and through us for His good works.

“We are a visible, tangible reminder to the forces of darkness that their power is broken and their end is near. The church gathered is a prophetic statement that God’s Kingdom is advancing, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” - @andrejosiah In the final sermon of our Immeasurably More series, Ps. Andre spoke on being Immeasurably Strong from Ephesians 6:10-20. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us that we are not merely passive recipients of God’s grace, but active participants in a cosmic struggle. The great lie we have to confront as followers of Jesus is that we are not susceptible to spiritual warfare, or that we remain ignorant of how we are supposed to fight against an unseen realm of deeper spiritual forces. As the church, may we be reminded to live as a light in the darkness, and to continually seek the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment - wisdom to navigate the complexity of this unseen reality and discernment to see beyond the surface of our everyday struggles.

“The mark of a spirit-filled life is the ability to submit to one another.” - @pehhan82 Pst Peh Han continued our sermon series with a sharing on how we are Immeasurably Filled to live a spirit-filled life. This influences the dynamics of our relationships, especially in the household when we relate to our spouses, parents and children. Christ’s love for the church is to be our model of authority - lordship that is expressed in meekness and self-sacrificial humility. Likewise, we are to adopt the model of honour that serves with sincerity of heart and goodwill when we submit to others in authority. As we reflect on the word, let it be our prayer that God transforms us and shapes us to be the spirit-filled community He has intended, that we will be able to submit to each other in the fear of the Lord.

“Now made alive in Christ, we are called to live out our new identity transformed by God’s Spirit, engaging in the process of whole-person discipleship that is personal, embodied, and relational.” - @janicechinchern Janice continued our sermon series, Immeasurably More, with teachings anchored in Ephesians 4:25-5:21 where Paul called the Ephesian church to be immeasurably transformed by the Spirit in these manner: 1. Put off the old, put on the new (4:25-32) 2. Imitate Christ’s love and holiness (5:1-7) 3. Shine as children of light (5:8-14) 4. Walk in wisdom and Spirit-filled freedom (5:15-21) She invited us to spend time examining our hearts and ponder over this in the upcoming week, “In what area of our lives is God inviting us to experience deeper transformation, and how can we intentionally partner with the Holy Spirit?” As children of God and imitators of the light, may we pray for grace to engage in our transformation process to be more Christlike for the sake of others to the glory of God.

“We are a family and we are to embrace God’s desire for us to be one.” Dr Tan Soo Inn shared an encouraging word on God‘s call to unity as the body of Christ. We live in a unique time in history with five generations coexisting in society and in the church. In the face of differences, Dr Tan reminded us of God’s desire for us to be one. Even as we comprise of many parts, we can be united in our mission to pursue God. And in unity to celebrate diversity and learn to love and serve one another. May our unity across the generations be a testimony to our world of God’s redeeming love, and His desire to reconcile all to Himself.

“We get to participate in God’s eternal purpose by growing and helping others grow in discipleship to Jesus.” - @timothyshaun Continuing with our series “Immeasurably More” where we explore the book of Ephesians, Tim spoke from Ephesians 4 today and how we are immeasurably called by God to do good works in His redemptive plan. Despite knowing this truth, sometimes we feel it’s hard for us to grasp or experience that glorious reality because everything outside of Christ is and can be influenced by the powers. But the good news is that Christ has paid the price for us to be free, and given us grace to walk worthy of our calling. Where church has been marked by programmatic consumption, God has given us the grace to overcome it by maturing in relationship through truth in love. Where there is performative burnout, God has given us grace to be secure in who we are as we grow into our gifts. Where there is purposeless stagnation, God has given us grace to live on mission for others. And with God’s grace, may we be a people that will make disciples of all nations, until we attain the fullness of Christ.

“God’s redemptive plan is never about us - it is all about His glory revealed in and through us.” - @jasonchua.sg Jason continues our sermon series, Immeasurably More, and study of Ephesians with a sharing on God’s eternal purpose and redemptive plan. God has always desired to dwell with humanity and to make Himself known to creation. When sin separated God and His people, Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross to restore us, and remove the divide that separated us from God and each other. Living in response to God’s eternal purpose means embracing God’s desire for unity by putting aside offences and unforgiveness. May we desire God’s purposes above our own, that we may enter full maturity as His church and be a dwelling place for His glory.

“We were hopelessly sinful, but God made us a new creation in Christ to walk with Him in good works” - @timothyshaun In week four of our sermon series, Immeasurably More, Tim taught from Ephesians 2:1-10, how God intervened when we were in hopeless condition — dead to sin, influenced by power, slave to the flesh and saved us immeasurably by making us a new creation. With the revelation that we now have been made alive and seated with Christ, we are reminded to walk with God in good works, as we share in Jesus’ life, authority and dominion. Tim challenged us to ponder on what it means to be saved and how our lives in the here and now ought to experience a complete reorientation and radical shift that propels us to labour for God’s kingdom with joy and zeal. As we go about our new week, may we reflect on our inheritance as co-heirs with Jesus with thanksgiving and joyfully use what we are given to serve God and others. Let’s meditate on the Lordship prayer further as we spend unhurried time in the loving presence of God to grow in fruitful friendship with Him.

“We are immeasurably empowered to be the means and embodiment of the fullness of Christ.” - @janicechinchern In week 3 of our series Immeasurably More, Janice brought us a word based on Ephesians 1:15-23, where Paul prays for the Ephesian church to grow in wisdom and revelation of God, and for the following three points to be realities for them: 1. The hope of God’s calling - the knowledge that their hope in God is an eternal one, and it is a living, blessed and sure hope 2. The riches of God’s inheritance - the knowledge that they have received spiritual blessings which are not earned, but that they were given access to. They are God’s possession, and are thus of immense value. 3. The greatness of God's power toward them - the knowledge that they are immeasurably empowered to be the means and embodiment of the fullness of Christ. It is our prayer that the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened to see Jesus for who He really is, so that we know God not just in our heads but in our hearts. As we pray to increase in the knowledge of God, may we live out our identity of being a people who are immeasurably empowered with the hope, riches and power we receive from Him.

“In a world where culture tries to define us, or we struggle to carve out our own identity amid chaos and confusion, we have a gift—a God-given identity.” - @andrejosiah Ps. Andre continues our sermon series, Immeasurably More, with a sharing on how we are Immeasurably Rich in Christ. Our identity is deeply connected to what we believe gives our life meaning and significance. When we fall short of our ideal selves that we aspire to live up to, we feel guilt and shame. Yet, we can find hope in our God given identity through the gift of salvation we receive through Christ. As the One who fashioned humanity, God alone holds the key to our true identity and purpose. Without the light of His revelation, we are left stumbling through the darkness of confusion, unsure of who we are or why we exist. We can take heart in knowing that God has chosen and redeemed us - an irrefutable truth no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in.

“Ephesians, more than any other epistle, demonstrates how important and central the church is to God’s plan and His purpose for mankind.” - @pehhan82 We are starting a new sermon series titled “Immeasurably More”, which aims to uncover a biblical vision for the Church through the book of Ephesians. Over the next 10 weeks, we will dive into what God has designed and intended for the church in our world, and how it is immeasurably more than what we can conceive or imagine. Kicking off week 1 of the series, Ps. Peh Han brought us through a historical background of the founding of the Ephesian church, as well as Paul and the Lord’s heart for the Ephesian church through the letters written to them. In Acts 20:17-35, Paul wrote his parting words to the elders of the Ephesians church, which included his instructions to them like serving the Lord with all humility, telling the body of Christ everything that is helpful, shepherding the church of God, and finally reminding them of the words of Jesus, that “it is more blessed to give than to receive”. Revelations 2:1-7 is the second letter addressed to the Ephesians in the Bible, which is Jesus’ letter to the Ephesians through John the Apostle. In particular, in Revelations 2:5, Jesus writes “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” - in our lives, in areas where we may have fallen away from God, we pray that God will help us remember our history with Him, and keep in mind that true repentance is always accompanied by corresponding actions.

“The greatest resources in the family is what’s in the hearts and spirits of its sons and daughters.” Ps. Peh Han continued our sermon series on “Family”, with a sermon on The Original Story, where we discovered God’s original intention for family. Designed to be the optimal environment for growth, Eden was a garden of delight and pleasure for the first family to intimately relate with God and others. When Man fell into sin, instead of abundance and intimacy with the Father, they lived in lack and strife. Part of restoring the family lies in restoring our individual inner brokenness. Secondly, in remembering who we are in Christ - as individuals and as a community, to reflect God’s blessings and joy. As we go about the new week, may we seek to cultivate the gardens of our home life, and come to a new revelation of who we are as a family in Christ.

“When we are covenanted in marriage, we are to die to our old selves, taking on the new identity of “we”, where all that we have and all that we are now belong to each other. And as we begin to operate as one in prayer, there is power and synergy because we are one in the Spirit.” - Tim & Patsy Continuing on with our series on ‘Family’, Tim & Patsy spoke on the topic of “Unleashing the Power of Marriage”. They reminded us that when God wants to bless us, He cuts a covenant, and the covenantal love of God is a love that is unconditional, that never fails, and never leaves us. In covenant, couples are yoked together, to walk together in humility and work together to fulfil God’s purpose that does not just bless the couple themselves, but for the generations to come.

“God’s view over our lives is the most important and critical because unlike other people’s views that change based on different factors, His view is stable, accurate and life-giving. if we want to know the truth of our lives, we need to know His perspective of us.” - @jennihohuan Ps. Jenni shares about the importance of knowing our core identity as God’s beloved children, because His perspective is the most powerful perspective. With each season we step into and each role we take on in our lives, we develop identities related to them, which God uses to grow deeper roots of security, confidence and purpose in us. Speaking from Exodus 25:31-40, Ps. Jenni shares how God revealed two important truths about who we are through the detailed instructions of how Moses was to build the lampstand. The first is that like the lampstand God has designed each of us to display His glorious beauty, and the second is that God has a purpose for each of us - to shine forth His truth. May we learn to rest in our core identity as God’s beloved and embrace our season, and allow God’s vision to transform how we feel and act so that we may know how to carry and conduct ourselves in our daily lives.

“The truth is that we desperately need others to lead us closer to Christ. The call to honour leaders isn’t about inflating their pride, but diminishing our own.” - @andrejosiah Today, Ps. Andre shared on Rediscovering Spiritual Leadership, and unpacked what the Bible intended for spiritual leadership, as well as how we should respond as a community. The prevailing culture of our day resists and rejects the concept of submission, especially given widespread disillusionment concerning church leadership. Yet, Ps. Andre reminded us that the response to failures in leadership shouldn’t be to dismantle the entire structure or for the people of God to be left to their own devices. Instead, we are to pray for our leaders as they are given a charge to shepherd God’s people, and are accountable to God to see souls prosper under their care. Let us continue to pray for the leaders of our church, including the new Elders we commissioned as a community today. May our testimony as a faith community be that of joy, as leaders and as a congregation.

“Our hearts should be the source of our expression of our love for God and not the source of what leads us. We can’t depend or be led by our feelings.” - @jonathantwl Jonathan shared about having An Undivided Heart and how this is God’s ultimate desire for our lives. Oftentimes we find ourselves with a divided heart because we are led by our feelings, and our affections and desires are not wholly toward God, but toward self gratifying goals and aims apart from God alone. By consciously choosing and desiring to walk in the Spirit, God can reorient our lives that our affections towards Him may be whole, we truly desire Him, and our spirit is sensitive to His leading. As we reflect on the sermon, may we prayerfully Invite God to examine the condition of our hearts, especially the areas in our affections and desires that we need to surrender before Him, that He may be our sole pursuit.

“In the face of rampant immaturity, God calls us to conduct ourselves for unity and serve one another with our gifts — building up the Body in Love, unto the fullness of Christ” - @timothyshaun Speaking from Ephesians 4:1-13, Tim brought us a word titled “Built Up In Love”, encouraging us to walk in the manner worthy of God’s calling on our lives to fulfil His mission. In Ephesians 4:7, Paul mentions that each one of us has been given grace, as Christ apportioned it, which refers to the ways that God has gifted each of us unique callings and abilities for His mission. What is the unique grace or gifting that God has gifted you for His mission through the church? As we discover what our giftings are, we pray that God will also reveal how you can come fully alive in the way you serve with your gifts, allowing God to mature it so that as a church and a community, we can build one another up in love and help others mature too.

“Life was always meant to be walked with God, close to God and where we regard Him in everything. Life was meant to be in Christ.” - David Tan David shared the word and asked us to consider how we view success as Christians. He reminded us that the goal of our lives is knowing God intimately, and for our lives to reflect our closeness to God, in our work, worship, and service. As followers of Christ, everything that we do can be an opportunity for intimacy with Him, even the times of disappointment and anxiety that we face. We hope that you were blessed by the word. May we enter this new week with a renewed awareness of God’s presence and desire to abide in Him, even as He longs to meet us in the moments we are in.

“Speaking the truth in love to one another, while difficult to do, is essential for our growth as individuals and collectively as the body of Christ, as we grow to become the mature church under the headship of Christ.” - @xianyi Xianyi shared on “Speaking (and Hearing) the Truth in Love”, focusing on the verses in Ephesians 4:1-6 and 11-16. It’s important for us to speak the truth with love, because if either one is missing, we could fall into being too critical or being condoning. The most loving thing we can do for others is not to prescribe our opinions or to use our human wisdom, but to point them to the truth that is in Christ Jesus. In order for us to speak the truth in love, we have to start with letting the Lord speak the truth in love into our hearts first - that He would heal our hurts and our brokenness, and that we would be transformed into His likeness.

“Understanding that we are known deepens our grasp of our identity. Only God satisfies the innate desire we all have to be known.” - @janicechinchern Janice brought a sermon titled “Known by God” where she spoke life into the area of our identity as children of God. In a time of much uncertainty and instability concerning this matter, there is utmost importance for the revelation that we are deeply loved and known by God. She illustrated with the faith accounts woven throughout the Bible that God knows us personally and intimately and how paramount that is for our spiritual formation. She invited us to gently ponder “Would we allow ourselves to be known?” As we contemplate and reflect on His relentless love for us that is not contingent on what we can or cannot do, may we be deeply rooted in our identities as children of God and confident that He shall surely be faithful to perfect what He started in us.

In the final week of our series “The Freedom We Long For”, Ps. Andre spoke on a heavy yet relevant topic of Lust & Love. In a culture where lust is prevalent, causing us to dehumanise and objectify others for our sexual pleasure, how can we cultivate a community that promotes healthy sexuality? In the New Testament, by the grace of God, we are enabled to live in the freedom that Christ has to offer. By asking for a new heart, capturing a biblical vision of sex, and taking active steps to fight lust, we can be spiritually transformed to be more like Christ. Ultimately, the freedom we long for is the vision that Christ has for our lives. More than a depth of conviction, this freedom is now a possibility because of Christ’s redeeming work on the cross.

“Anger is not the problem; it tells us something is wrong under the emotional, spiritual, or relational hood of our lives. We use anger to express our hurt or frustration, and to protect and preserve ourselves.” - @andrejosiah In week seven of our sermon series, The Freedom You Long For, Pastor Andre shared about Anger and Patience. A common fallacy in our approach to anger is thinking that we should never ever be angry as Christians, and that it is an emotion that we should repress. Yet, to be human is to feel, just as Jesus Himself felt the full extent of human emotions. While the feelings of anger are not a sin, what we do with anger can become dysfunctional and destructive. Where then can we take our anger? When we go to God in repentance, He restores us, and we can seek His strength for divine patience as we abide in His love. As we go about the week, may we seek God’s grace for the areas of unresolved anger and bitterness in our lives, and trust that He can transform us as we surrender to Him.

“God longs for us to bring our need for approval to Him, for Him to satisfy our desire and to free us from approval addiction to truly live pleasing to Him and others in secure identity.” - @janicechinchern Janice continues our current sermon series, The Freedom You Long For with a sharing on Approval Addiction & Secure Identity. Deep within all of us is a desire for approval, which originates from God’s original design for us to desire righteousness and a life of good, and the ultimate aim of be pleasing in God’s eyes. Where we often end up disillusioned and disappointed is when we seek the approval of others and not God himself. In rediscovering the revelation of the Father’s acceptance of us, we are able to grow into the freedom that God has called us to, and into the identity that He has given us by grace.

“When we release bitter judgement, it brings death. But when we release forgiveness, it brings life.” - @chrisvonne In week 5 of “The Freedom You Long For”, Christine spoke on the topic of Bitterness & Forgiveness. In Hebrews 12:15, we learn of how we should not allow any bitter root to grow, as it will bring trouble to us and defile those around us. Many of us live unaware of our bitter root system, which are a result of our own sinful reactions to our circumstances. When we feed these bitter root judgements and place bitter expectations on people, they reinforce the sinful structures in our lives that eventually manifest into bitter fruits. These bitter fruits isolate us and prevent us from building healthy relationships with the people around us, and ultimately forms a vicious cycle that is hard to break. So how do we find freedom from these bitter roots? 1. By acknowledging that only God, the one who is perfectly holy and good, can be the rightful Judge. 2. By acknowledging the bitter roots in our lives, repenting of our sins, forgiving the people that have hurt us and caused our bitter roots to grow, and extending grace to others. If you are seeking pastoral care and support, please check out www.thecity.sg/resources for more information.

“Envy exposes the idols of your heart, the sources of your identity, and where you derive your sense of worth; learn what you envy and you will know who you are.” - @andrejosiah We are on week 4 of our sermon series “The Freedom You Long For”, Ps. Andre spoke on the topic of Envy & Contentment. We often hear the saying that “comparison is the thief of joy”, and envy sets in when we compare others’ blessings with our own and it makes us feel inadequate. But as followers of Christ, we can find contentment in God by abdicating the throne of our own lives and letting God take His rightful place. Christian contentment is not about minimalism or simplicity - it is about contentment in Christ, because of Christ, and empowered by Christ. May we take some time to reflect on the following 3 questions, and invite God in to free us from the sin of envy: 1. Is there a disappointing or even painful situation in my life that’s leading to feelings of grief or injustice or longing? 2. Is there anyone whose happiness brings me sadness because I want the happiness they are receiving? 3. Is there anyone I’ve allowed to harbour feelings of bitterness or anger towards?

“If Eden represents a loving relationship with God and others, then hell is helpless isolation, and the church is where we find connection and acceptance.” - @timothyshaun Timothy continued our sermon series “The Freedom We Long For”, with a sharing on Shame and Vulnerability, where he discussed the destructive cycle of shame. Sharing from Genesis 3, The Garden of Eden and Luke 8, the parable of the woman with the issue of blood, Tim shared how the wounds we pick up form the narrative of a shameful identity. This is reinforced by our helpless isolation, but when we encounter Christ who dignifies us, we can find healing. God is our pursuer, who asks us “where are you?” when we hide away in shame, and invites us to come to Him vulnerably and experience this reality through embodied acts in community.

“Living the way of freedom that Jesus teaches is incompatible with the overconsumption prevalent in our society; the two are mutually exclusive. You must choose between God and Mammon.” - @andrejosiah In week 2 of our sermon series “The Freedom You Long For”, Ps. Andre spoke on Greed & Generosity, and how there is a war over generosity in our lives. In scripture, Jesus constantly warns us against all kinds of greed, because greed leads us into an insatiable desire and pursuit of wealth that comes at the expense of our health, relationships, and devotion to him. As humans, we have a tendency to hoard because we never remain contented with what we have, but God reminds us that life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. Instead, we can find freedom from a spirit of greed through living the way of Jesus, one that’s fully dependent on God being our provider. May we live lives of generosity by living rooted in the assurance of God’s abundant love for us.

“In contrast to our culture’s view of freedom as liberation from constraints, biblical freedom is obtaining God’s supernatural power to overcome our desires for self-gratification and fulfill our deepest desire for love.” - @andrejosiah Pastor Andre kicked off a new sermon series, The Freedom You Long For, with a sharing on life by the Spirit. Through Jesus’ victory over death, He purchased our liberty to choose between freedom and the yoke of slavery. Freedom is thus how we ought to live in light of the resurrection, where we choose, with God’s help, a life free from sin and one that embraces the right desires that God has for our lives. May we desire to live befitting of the freedom that Jesus has purchased for us at a great price - by turning away from sin and its temptations with the help of the Holy Spirit.

“One of the great strategies of the enemy is to take the promises of God designed to set us free, and through the worship of self, turn them into shackles that exhaust and bind us.” - @andrew_gardener Pastor Andrew ministered at our service today and shared a sobering word on Falling Into Forgetfulness, and how idolatry has made its way into our individual lives and as the body of Christ. Sharing from Exodus 32, and how the Israelites created an idol to worship in their impatience to hear from God, Pastor Andrew asked us to similarly consider the times we’ve turned away from the intangible things of God to embrace what is tangible, due to our lack of understanding of what God is doing in and amongst us. As we enter Holy Week, may this be our reminder to yield to God, surrender the areas of idolatry in our lives, and to be open to God’s move as the bride that He is returning for.

"Sometimes Jesus just needs us to go, pray and trust. Jesus will do the rest." - @dpma Derek Ma challenged us by sharing his testimony of what God has done in his life over the years through the story of Ananias in Acts 9 He expounds from the view of Ananias, who might not have understood God’s assignment initially, but acted in faith and trusted in God command and was used as an instrument in Saul’s conversion. May we all enter our week learning to trust in God and availing ourselves as instruments of God!

“Obedience is not just one aspect of a believer’s life. It is the central guiding principle that shapes our identity, purpose and relationship with God.” - @chrisvonne Christine shared on The Priority Of Obedience, gleaning from the lives of Saul and Abraham, one whose selective obedience ultimately led to his demise, and another who demonstrated wholehearted obedience, without question, despite the personal sacrifice he was called to make. Complete obedience to God may seem like the antithesis to today’s prevailing culture that champions self determination and personal freedom. Within this tension, Christine encouraged us to rediscover the importance of complete obedience to God as a response to His love, a pathway to our freedom and fulfilment, and ultimately, to be His counter-cultural witnesses here on earth. May we desire to walk in a deeper level of wholehearted surrender and obedience to God, and take heart that we can ultimately do so by leaning on His empowerment and grace as we continue to walk with Him.

The brokenness we see in our world today has a common root system, and that is the wickedness of the human heart. Sin does not just have a personal effect; it has a corporate effect and ripples out through the land. Do we carry in our hearts a sense of responsibility for the brokenness in our world? - @andrejosiah Pastor Andre continued our Vision Series with a sharing from Ezekiel 22 - in a time of great spiritual decline, God sought for a man to stand in the gap as an advocate for the land—but He found no one. As we reflect on the state of our world and church today, are we similarly missing God’s call? In modelling after Jesus, our perfect advocate, the church can live out the calling of God to to stand in the gap for the brokeness of our world. As we reflect on God’s word today, may we resist indifference and rekindle our heart’s desire for God and the outpouring of His spirit.

“In a world devoid of absolute moral truths, we, as Christians, assert that the gospel embodies the utmost truth—that life in its fullness can only be found in Jesus and His kingdom. Any other attempt to find life is destined to fail.” - @andrejosiah Pst Andre continued our Vision Series, with a sharing on Recovering Gospel Urgency. While many Christians today struggle with embracing evangelism, with some deeming it unacceptable to share the gospel with others, Pst Andre called for us to reflect on how we define the gospel and if this aligns with the gospel that Jesus called us to believe in. Specifically, the good news that God, in His great love for us, has rescued us from sin, death and hell, through the works of Jesus on our behalf, with the ultimate aim of establishing His kingdom through His people and in the power of the Holy Spirit. May we desire to say Yes to God’s call of evangelism by first rediscovering the good news of the gospel in our own lives, with trust that God is able to work through our acts of obedience, no matter how small they may be.

“The message of Jesus is not to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses; rather, it is in your weakness that God’s strength is made perfect within you.“ - @andrejosiah We started on our Vision Series, with an overarching theme of A Holy Discontent, challenging us to confront the shallowness of our spiritual discontent in a culture that craves immediacy and the temporary. Ps. Andre spoke on the very heart of discipleship today, which is to take our spiritual formation seriously. A dangerous fallacy in our approach to life with God occurs when we believe that being strong in one area will somehow compensate for weakness in another, but God wants us be like Christ in all aspects of our lives. Let us take some time to reflect on this question: “Where am I unlike Jesus?”Our formation must address the areas where we are not formed in Christ. We pray that we will approach our spiritual growth with intention, taking active steps to be molded into the image of Christ and live out our faith daily.

“The call to live into a more mature and resilient discipleship is in the wilderness where God longs to lead us to experiences that bring revelation and intimacy which is just not possible any other way.” - @janicechinchern Janice brought a sermon titled “In the Wilderness” where she taught from Mark 1 and Luke 4. Using Jesus’ example of testings yet deep reliance on God’s provision and mercies, how Jesus retreated to solitude repeatedly to seek God’s face in His time of ministry, he modelled for us a life of not resisting that seemingly desolate place. She invited us to abide in the place of wilderness, where silence is the ultimate furnace of transformation, allowing God to cut through the noise of our lives and lead us gently to a place where we can heal in greater depths, where in His presence our joy is found. The question for us to reflect on this week is “What is God speaking to you about?”. As we contemplate and reflect on our wilderness, may we remain in that place with Him, inclining our ears towards His voice and abiding with greater surrender and trust.

“As we approach the end times, God wants us to reconnect with two realities - the gospel of the Kingdom proclaimed to all nations, and Israel embracing Jesus as their Messiah.’ - @jasonchua.sg Jason’s sermon on The Antioch Community expounds on God’s desire for His people to be a royal priesthood unto Him, that we may be a sign of His glory and dominion here on earth as we await His return. As we continue to walk with God in these tumultuous times, may we remember to live in sobriety, and with intentionality to behold God and know the desires of His heart.

“Between wasting our gifts and burning ourselves out, Jesus calls us to a more excellent way: a joyful life of service fuelled by His abundant love” - @timothyshaun This morning, Tim brought us a sermon titled “A More Excellent Way”, where he spoke on how we can best steward the gifts of the Spirit that we’ve been given by God to serve others. He reminded us that serving & loving the body of Christ come hand in hand - when we abide in and are filled with God’s love for us and for His Church, the overflow of that love looks like serving His people. To serve is to love; and to love is to serve. As we continue on this journey of spiritual formation, we pray that we will mature both in love and service, where the spiritual gifts that God has given us are neither wasted, nor will we feel burnt out serving the body of Christ.

“A large part of our discipleship rests on fending off cynicism and pursuing wonder; keeping our hearts anchored in hope, joy, and faith in God despite life’s setbacks.“ - @andrejosiah Pst Andre shared about Small Beginnings at our first service of 2024, where we celebrated a new milestone in our journey as a church family with our official move to Nexus. Sharing from the life of Caleb, and his different response, in contrast to the doubt, despair and contempt that others had for God’s promised land, Pst Andre reminded us that God often chooses the small, weak, and unseen for His purposes. Insignificant as they may appear to us, they often are how God shows His power and goodness in our lives. As we enter into a new week, may we think about how we may see as God sees, and how we may rejoice in the small beginnings that He wants to use in our lives. Be blessed!

“The joy that God calls us to is one that is bold and courageous - one that is able to look at death and suffering as temporary.” - @timothyshaun Tim concluded our Advent series, Rumours of God, with a sermon on Joy. A condition of the heart and a posture of the soul, Tim shared about how the eternal joy that we have because of the good news of the gospel: Jesus’ birth, and the promise of His second coming. Even in the midst of sorrow and disappointments that we navigate in this life, may we seek to cultivate the fruit of Joy through drawing from God’s presence, plugging into community and embracing the discipline of celebration.

“Hope is the confident expectation of good based on the person and promises of God.” - @andrejosiah Ps Andre continued our Advent series, Rumours of God, with a sermon on Hope. Sharing from Luke 1:5-7 and the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah who waited in long-suffering, resilience and obedience for a child, Pst Andre shared about the disappointment and unfulfilled longings we experience on this side of eternity, and how this can become our meeting point with Jesus when we bring our desires and longings to Him. In our waiting, will we be righteous and holy, or will our hearts be bitter and lead us to sin? And if our desires are not fulfilled, will we still trust in God? Even in the face of disappointment, may we remember that God is faithful, and remembers every prayer we utter. We can have a defiant and unwavering hope in Him.

“Seeking to act in our own time, rather than waiting on God’s, doesn’t accelerate the work of God in our lives; it corrupts it. Rather than seizing our destiny, we sabotage it.” - @andrejosiah Pst Andre kicked off our Advent series today with examining the contrasting responses of Joseph and Herod to the impending birth of Jesus. He invited us to reflect and ask ourselves: how do we respond to uncertainties in our lives? Do we gravitate toward seeking control like Herod did, or do we submit our outcomes to God, and to His will, like Joseph? In disruption, we learn that we are not in control of our lives, but that we can relinquish this burden to God who gives us peace as we surrender and trust in Christ, our true King. As we journey toward Christmas, may we prayerfully reflect on areas in our lives where we can enter greater surrender to Jesus through acts of obedience and trust.

“The most criticized aspect of Jesus’ ministry was who he ate with. He often shared meals with tax collectors and prostitutes, individuals considered the most reprehensible in society.” - @andrejosiah This morning, Ps. Andre shared about how Jesus has modelled a radical culture of hospitality, and challenges us to allow the Gospel to reconfigure our perception differently. By allowing the Word to work within us, we can reprogramme and reshape how we perceive others so that we can view the least of us as genuinely lost, separated from God and in need of Him. We hope this inspires #thecityfam to think about hospitality and people in a deeper light.

“Being saturated in the Word, and being led by the Spirit, are large parts of, and critical to growing, as disciples of Jesus.” - Jonathan Tong In week 3 of our Resilient Discipleship sermon series, Jonathan taught about the importance of being led by the Spirit and living that out daily in our lives is first and foremost rooted in the Word of God and how that is a critical aspect in forging a godly perspective towards money, sex and power. May we be encouraged that the Spirit indwelling within us enables us to cease labouring in our human effort and propels us to live for His glory with grace.

“The identifying mark of a resilient disciple is to have love for one another. How can we be offended with others if we have love?” - David Tan In week 2 of our sermon series on being Resilient Disciples, David brought us a word on being unoffendable, speaking from Matthew 18:15-17, and Galatians 5:16-17. In life, there are many opportunities for us to be offended, but David reminded us that when people offend others intentionally, it’s because they feel hurt. In those situations, as disciples of God, our response shouldn’t be to be hurt by the person causing offence, but to hurt for them, knowing and seeing the hurt that the person carries. Scripture also tells us that receiving offence is inevitable in life. However, to be offended is a choice that we make. May we instead make the decision to live our lives fixing our eyes on what is unseen and on Jesus, to remain unoffended and live with eternity and love for one another in mind.

“In the midst of the unresolved tensions in our lives, God invites us into deeper relationship and reliance on Him.” - @xianyi Kicking off our latest sermon series, Resilient Discipleship: following Jesus in Modern Babylon, Xianyi shared about how we can learn from the example of Jesus, to lean on God even as we live in the tension between representing God and His kingdom well in the present reality while awaiting God’s promised future. Our points of questioning can be avenues for us to seek God and grow deeper in our relationship with Him. Just as Jesus looked to the Father and did as the Father did, may we desire to hear His voice and do His will even as we are in the world, but not of it.

“The appropriate response to God’s revelation of His Son, His plan and purposes is a response from His church & His people to be missional.” - @timothyshaun In this sermon teaching, Tim spoke on what it means to be missional as individuals, and collectively as a church. As God’s people, we not only have the privilege of receiving revelation of God’s will and plans for the Earth, He also invites us to partner with Him to do His work - that is our mission. As we mature and grow in revelation, we gain further understanding of how to live for Jesus in our world. We pray that we would be a people that are not just content on being with Jesus and becoming like Jesus, but that the revelation we receive from God will create a response in us to do the works of Jesus in our city, to give our lives for the desires of God’s heart and be part of His story.

“We are to be anchoring our lives on the revelation of the mystery of godliness, as that gives us the strength and the ability to withstand what’s coming: the mystery of ungodliness.” - @andoryuutam Andrew wrapped up our 3-week series on the book of Daniel by expounding on Daniel 8 to 12. He expounded on the Abomination of Desolation, and provided more detail on the mystery of godliness in contrast with the mystery of lawlessness because at the end of the age, we would need to make a choice between either serving the Son of Man as king, or his alternative, the Antichrist. In Daniel 9 and 10, we are told how we are to respond - to intercede and come into agreement with God’s will. When we intercede, we drive the divine timeline by releasing angelic activity. We pray that as we have gone through the book of Daniel over the past 3 weeks, that it has helped to shed more light and bring more understanding on the topic of the end time church. May we remain faithful in worship, anchored on the hope of the eternal kingdom.

“Isa 63:9 tells us the Lord is afflicted when his people are suffering. He also chose to identify with our suffering in the most tangible way - by bearing our judgement on the cross. But why does he allow us to suffer in this age? Suffering purifies our heart in order for Jesus to be our great reward. It is God’s way to mature love that makes us compatible to rule with Him for eternity..” - @andoryuutam Andrew dived into the Gospel of the Kingdom in week two of The Daniel Series today, putting in perspective the present conflict in the Middle East and the church’s response that is found in Daniel 7 where signs of the end of age and eternal kingdom are revealed. It points to the Lord’s leadership in bringing salvation through perfect judgement and prepares the church to be a compatible bride for His Son. In the midst of uncertain times, may we be people whose hearts long for and gaze fixed on the day of the triumph return of Jesus where our eternal hope is found.

“The most valuable thing we can give to God isn’t our ability to influence culture, but it is our worship and devotion.” - @andoryuutam Andrew kicked off week one of The Daniel Series, with a sharing on the early chapters of the book of Daniel, and what it means for us as believers to emulate Daniel’s faithfulness in worship and prayer amid testings of offence, comfort and persecution that we face in our world today. Our worship and devotion is the ultimate prize to God, and one that we sustain with the revelation of His affection for us. May we stay faithful in developing a rhythm of devotion in our daily lives, as we anchor our hope on His eternal kingdom.

“Whatever has your attention, not only possesses your mind, but will also possess your heart” - @andrejosiah Ps. Andre spoke on the very timely subject of attention, in particular highlighting how it’s getting increasingly harder to be present in the moment with ourselves, with others, and with God. Ps. Andre reminded us once again that prayer, at its root, is simply paying attention to God. But when we’re so easily distracted by the things around us and our thoughts drift, even spending time with God is difficult, and that distraction can lead to disillusionment and disobedience. Let us thus pay attention to what we pay attention to, and be conscious of taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ - when we’re able to be fully present with God, it leads to adoration and ultimately a deeper spiritual relationship with Him.

“Jesus opened a door for Philadelphia because their steadfast faith was significant. His authority gave them access and confidence to persevere in the work of the gospel.” - @janicechinchern Pst Janice concluded our sermon series, Let Them Hear with a sharing on Jesus’ letter to the church of Philadelphia, whom He commended for keeping the faith, witnessed in their obedience, courage and perseverance amid the tribulations and trials they faced. Yet, Pst Janice encouraged us that persevering in our faith is not something we need to labour into with our own strength or stamina, but the result of God’s faithfulness in keeping and holding us as His people. With a hope that overwhelms our trials, we can be assured of God’s protection through adversity and remain confident in His eternal reward. We hope you were blessed by the word, and the exhortation from Jesus to remain steadfast in Him, the hope of our salvation.

“Laodicea saw themselves as rich, but were actually spiritually poor. This is in contrast to Smyrna where they were poor, but spiritually rich. The Laodicean church suffered from self-sufficiency, and were deluded in thinking they had it all.” - @janicechinchern Ps. Janice continued our sermon series, Let Them Hear, with a study on Jesus letter to the church of Laodicea, a church that although was prosperous and rich, was spiritually poor and unaware of their poverty. May our response be to live dependent on God for sustenance and righteousness, so that we do not become ineffective, but effective witnesses for Him; putting our hope and trust not in money, enjoyment of the world or creature comforts but to live in dependency of God.

“Is a good reputation enough to compensate for a compromised heart? You can have all the external measurements of life, and yet be spiritually dead within.” - @andrejosiah Pst Andre continued our sermon series, Let Them Hear, and shared from Jesus’ letter to the church of Sardis in Revelation 3. In understanding the characteristics of death, according to Jesus - hypocrisy, rebellion, and legalism - we are given a sobering reminder that God looks beyond the outside appearance of performative works, but at our hearts; as He desires a people that are spiritually alive in Him. Yet, as with the church of Sardis, death is not without hope, if we repent, and endeavour to finish our race well. May we heed the words of Jesus, and desire to come back to a place of deep intimacy with Him, as we embrace His call to live for Him and His purposes in our world.

“The Church in Smyrna is commended for staying faithful in sacrificial witness despite facing poverty, slander and persecution. We too are called to live costly lives for Jesus, unafraid of suffering even unto death.” - @timothyshaun Tim continued our sermon series, Let Them Hear, with a study on Jesus’ letter to the Church of Smyrna, a vision of a spiritually mature community that chose poverty, even death, to follow Jesus. May our response be to strengthen each other in God through prayer, and bear each others burdens as a community. In our individual lives, may we prayerfully examine our lifestyles, decisions and relationships for areas that we can deepen our devotion, express our faith, and ultimately, desire to live lives of consequence for Jesus.

“Jesus calls us to live in overcoming faith that is holy, humble and hopeful amidst the pressures we face to compromise, for He is the ultimate authority who provides for and preserves us to the end.” - @janicechinchern In week 4 of our sermon series Let Them Hear, we take a look at the letter John the Apostle wrote to the church in Pergamum. Ps. Janice shares how the call to the Pergamum church was ultimately a call to render themselves fully to God, to be loyal to Him and His Kingdom instead of living a life of duplicity of held beliefs and lifestyles. Where does your allegiance lie? Are we holding fast to our faith, while holding on to the things of this world at the same time? May we repent for the small, subtle concessions we’ve allowed to creep in, and reorientate our lives to centre around God first and foremost.

“The wrath of God is not to be dismissed or diminished; it embodies one of the purest forms of God's love: discipline. God's wrath is His love in action against sin.” - @andrejosiah Ps Andre continues his sharing on the church of Thyatira, and how they faced the wrath of God as a result of their lifestyle and embrace of worldly compromise. Yet, God’s wrath is borne from a place of zealous love for us, and desire to purify His church, by destroying anything that hinders this purity in our lives. The only response to God’s zealous love for us is a life of wholehearted consecration. By consciously rejecting worldliness, breaking off the fear of confrontation and ceasing our delay of repentance, may we rediscover Jesus in His fullness, and follow Him well by His grace.

“God calls us to holiness not harlotry, spiritual purity not spiritual prostitution, fidelity not adultery, devotion not duplicity. He calls us to follow Him and not follow the world.” - @andrejosiah Ps. Andre expounded on the letter John the Apostle wrote to the Church of Thyratira, who had tolerated sin and made compromises in their lives. From that letter, we learn that no amount of good deeds, faithful service, sacrificial love, perseverance and hardship can cover for gross unrepentant sin and worldliness. As Christians, we are called to follow God wholeheartedly, enthroning God above all our desires, and allowing the values and priorities of the Lord of Life to take precedence over everything else. May we lead lives that are uncompromising and aligned to God, so that we may be known and called faithful disciples.

“To be ‘fallen’ in the economy of God's kingdom is to be about good deeds without great love. It is sacrificing intimacy with God in exchange for productivity for God.” - @andrejosiah Pst Andre kicked off our new sermon series, Let Them Hear, where we will prayerfully examine and respond to the words of Jesus as He addresses the church. Sharing from Revelation 2, and the story of the church of Ephesus, Pst Andre asked us to consider: are we doing the right things as a community, but labour without a fervent love for Christ? Our hope for recovering our first love is Jesus himself - the One who will seek, find and restore us. May we prayerfully seek God as we remember His grace, repent by turning away from forgetting Him, and re-do the first works as we recommit our lives and hearts to Him, individually and as a church family.

“The practice of discernment is to practice a preference for God in all aspects of our lives.” - @janicechinchern Ps. Janice brought us a word on discernment, and explored what it means, and how we can go about practicing it. Being able to discern is crucial for being faithful disciples, and thus plays a vital role in our lives as a community. When there are moments in our lives when we need to be discerning, may we be open to the Spirit, listening to what the Spirit of God has to say, and be willing to be led by the Spirit. Through this practice, we start to grow in awareness of God, of others and of ourselves, training ourselves to stay faithful, steadfast and true to God.

“We can persevere through the trials of life with God’s grace that empowers us to press on towards the ultimate prize - Christ Jesus.” - @xianyi Xianyi shared about Persevering in our Purpose. Expounding on 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, and the life of Joseph, he reminded us that perseverance through life’s trials and being a good steward of the talents and gifts that God has given us is not a matter of striving in our own strength. Instead, God gives us His unfailing grace to press on toward His purpose for our lives, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We hope that you were blessed by the word, and the reminder to fix our eyes on God, our great prize, and not the temporal things of this world.

“Jesus defines true leadership as loving, sacrificial service of others.” - @jedibaba We had the honour of having Dr. Tan Soo Inn share God’s word with us. Speaking from John 13:1-17, he expounded on servant leadership, and how Jesus challenged the mindset and structure of the disciples by washing their feet, a task that was usually done by the youngest or most junior member of the household in those days. With this act, he demonstrated what leaders of the kingdom look like - ones that humble themselves to serve the Lord and also others. May we learn to be feet-washing people, ones who would stoop down to serve others and wash their feet, and have a humble heart that’s open to receiving ministry from God and from the people around us.

“You prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” @chrisvonne dives into Psalm 23 and expounded on God as a Great Host who cares for and meets the needs of His people. He has laid before us a bountiful feast and beckons us to turn away from the enemies to come to His table and partake of all He is offering. May we take comfort that even amidst our struggles, God is with us and invites us to a seat at the table.

377. The Way of Courage (Camp Assemble Session 4) // Andrew Gardener by The City, Singapore

376. Do Not Be Afraid (Camp Assemble Session 3) // Andrew Gardener by The City, Singapore

375. A Different Spirit (Camp Assemble Session 2) // Andrew Gardener by The City, Singapore

374. A Different Spirit (Camp Assemble Session 1) // Andrew Gardener by The City, Singapore

“Listening is paying full attention to others. Ultimately, helping them feel accepted and free to be their whole selves.“ - @janicechinchern Pst. Janice preached on the Crisis of Listening today, and asked: do we listen to the people around us well? The practice of listening, while a lost art that requires intentional effort, is transformative - what opens the doors to healing when one feels safe to be open and their whole selves. May we prayerfully desire to listen well to God, to others, and to our own hearts.

“When we encourage people, we live out the ministry of the Trinity. Part of our sanctification and spiritual maturity is to grow in encouraging others the same way that God encourages us.” - @andrejosiah Pst. Andre spoke about A Culture of Encouragement, and how we may be a biblical community that upholds the spiritual discipline of encouraging others in an increasingly cynical and critical world. As we grow in our knowledge of the nature of God and His character, having a spirit of encouragement is how we may become more like the God we serve. May we actively look to encourage the people around us. This means noticing, spurring on, and building them up, that we may support them in their journey of faith and pursuit of God.

“While not all of us will be called to lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel, we will all face moments of decision -where will have to choose between the way of Jesus and the ideologies of our world.” - @andrejosiah Pst Andre concluded our current sermon series today, Christ Is Risen: Faith In Light of the Resurrection, with a word on enduring persecution. While the gospel invites resistance as it opposes what most of our modern societies are built upon, Pst Andre shared about how persecution can be an opportunity for greater spiritual formation, and we grow to be more like Jesus. May this be our hope and joy to persevere for the sake of the gospel, that we may know Him more, become more like Him and reflect Christ in our world.

“Our anxiety need not be antithetical to joy and hope but God’s invitation to relinquish control and experience hope and rest in Christ.” - @janicechinchern In week 3 of our sermon series — Christ is Risen, Ps Janice leads us to look at a moment in John 20 where we find Mary Magdalene weeping outside the tomb of Jesus. In her anxiousness, she fails to recognise the angels, and even Jesus. It was when Jesus calls out to her the second time that she recognises Jesus. Do we sometime find ourselves like Mary? We might not realise our anxiousness, amidst shifting circumstances and sudden changes, yet we find trying to find something to have certainty and control over. But Jesus call us like how He calls to Mary, from anxious seeking to faithful witness. Jesus gave her not only His presence, and assurance but a direction to go. As we enter our week, may we bring our anxiousness to Jesus. Declaring our faith in Him rather than ourselves and allowing him to bring His presence, His assurance and His direction.

In his message, Christ is Risen: For All Who Fail, Ps. Andre shares on the work of Jesus - how He lovingly confronts us, and graciously restores us. We are often afraid of being confronted with our weaknesses, but God, in His grace, is the only one who can meet & confront us in our failure, and restore us when His strength is made perfect in us. While the enemy aims to destroy our lives through little bits of sin and compromise that rob us of our confidence to be God’s witnesses, may we live open and willing to God’s confrontation, placing our faith in Jesus’ faithfulness to seeking us in our failure and through His grace, restoring us.

“Our spiritual aliveness is not seen in our ability to suppress our doubts, our spiritual aliveness is seen in our ability to carry our doubts to God. “ - @andrejosiah Ps Andre opened our brand new sermon series this week — Christ Is Risen: Faith In Light Of The Resurrection. We look at the passage from John 20, famously known as “Doubting Thomas”. As Christians we might often feel that doubt is incompatible with our faith, and not allowed to be found in a mature Christian. But the path of doubt is inevitable for anyone who wants to follow Jesus and grow into a mature Christian. Perhaps doubt isn’t the sign of the end of faith but the beginning of a deeper richer version of faith. Ps Andre encourage us to continue to live by faith in times of doubt. Like sowing seeds into the ground of a dry and harsh season, not losing heart. And as the the rain of God comes, our faith will begin to bloom to life, a spiritual aliveness and growth never seen.

“All of us are leaders - deep inside us, a dormant force awaits its awakening, driven by a desire to bring glory to God.” Ps. Daniel encouraged us to be a People of Imitable Influence & Impact. He reminded us of the origins of The City, and our call to be “the city on a hill”, before sharing with us on how we are all called to be leaders in our lives, and a framework of how to a good spiritual Christian leader. May we take some time to ponder on the following questions as we work to becoming spiritual Christian leaders: 1. Pursuit - Who/what is your vision? 2. Process - What do you value? 3. Passion - What is your vocation? what is it you fighting for? 4. People - Who can you be vulnerable with?

“May we not let our intellect limit what God can do in our lives.” - @joyshuo Ps. Joy shared from Luke 2 about how we may Make Room for God in our lives. This starts with having an open heart and mind, and consciously making space by surrendering our time to God. Lastly, actively saying yes to God, even when we may not fully understand where, why and how God is moving. We pray that you were blessed by the word. May we open the doors of our lives to God afresh and commit our ways to Him as we prepare for a new week.

“God’s intervention in our lives is purely the gracious, full initiative and sovereign action of His alone.” - @janicechinchern Pst Janice asked us to ponder about the But God moments in our life- our need for His rescue, God’s motivation for intervening in His love for us, and the reality of this, now that we are made alive in Christ. May we desire a deepened knowledge of how His grace has saved us, so that we may walk in the resurrected life we now have in Christ, as a witness to our world.

“The resurrection matters because the issue of our sin and our souls longing for a story that helps make sense of all of the painful realities of life, find its fulfilment in the resurrection.” - @andrejosiah Ps. Andre brought us a powerful message on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, expounding on how it is intellectually credible and existentially satisfying. When Jesus died and resurrected from the grave, 3 things were revealed: God’s radical welcome into the Kingdom, His plan for radical restoration and His invitation to radical mission. As we celebrate this glorious day of Jesus’ resurrection, we invite you take some time this week to ponder about what it means to you personally. Have a blessed week ahead.

“Between our desire for God to move how we want Him to, and our struggle to let go of what we have, we miss out on how King Jesus truly wants to work in our lives and through us.” - @timothyshaun In Week 5 of our Lenten Series, Timothy shared from the Gospel of Mark of how the Jewish people who wanted a King that would bring restoration, freedom from oppression and fulfilment of promises but failed to know Him in the way He wanted them to. When we recognise Him and His presence, we actively live out the things that He emulates through these 3 aspects: 1. Calling, 2. Confidence, and 3. Charity. It is so easy to miss the visitation and the work that He’s doing in our midst. What is He doing in our community, in our hearts that we should make an effort to not miss out on? Let us pray for us to not miss His visitation and to not lose sight of who He is.

“Our submission to God, when based on God’s affection toward us, is the kind of submission that Jesus exemplified.” - @janicechinchern Pst Janice continued our Lent series, Christ Our Example, with a sermon on Following in His Submission. Unpacking Jesus’ experience in the garden of gethsemane, Pst Janice reminded us of how Jesus embraced the anguish of His impending crucifixion, and yet, ultimately chose to submit to the will of the Father, with his absolute trust in God’s faithfulness. As we reflect on our own lives, do we submit to God from a place of trust, and dependence on His mercy and power? As we continue to journey toward Easter, may we pray for God to lead us into a deeper level of surrender and submission, that we may walk in the steps of Jesus and be formed into His likeness.

361. Christ Our Example: Following in His Forgiveness // Timothy Seow by The City, Singapore

“The way we follow in Jesus’s suffering is to allow God to redeem our suffering, transforming it to fully live into, with and through the pains of life.” - @janicechinchern In week 2 of our Lenten series, Ps. Janice gave a word on following in Jesus’ suffering, and brought us through scripture that teaches us how to view suffering and its place in our lives. When we follow in Jesus’ suffering, we are formed and transformed, and in that process we partner with Him in 3 aspects: 1. formation, 2, intervention, and 3. redemption. Is there a pain or trial you carry that you want to bring to God today? If you do, have a conversation with God about it instead of suppressing, denying or asking God to rid you of those pains. We also pray that God will redeem your suffering, and release healing into you and those areas of your life.

“The call to discipleship is the call to imitate Christ. When we imitate Christ, it cultivates intimacy with Him, to know him and who he is.” - @janicechinchern In week 1 of our Lenten series, Christ Our Example, Ps. Janice brought us a word on The Call to Follow. When we make the decision to claim Jesus as lord & saviour of our lives, we are also deciding to die to ourselves, living a new life in Christ, taking up our cross and following Him. And in Jesus - our way, our truth and life - we have the perfect example to imitate, by following him in not just our actions, but also our thoughts and attitudes, which draw us closer to Him and Him to us. In this season, let us spend some time to ponder in what it means to follow Christ, and have a conversation with Jesus on how He’s calling us to follow Him.

“God’s presence among his people has always been his heart. God’s vision was not a building to belong in, but a people to walk among.” @andrejosiah Pst Andre concluded our vision series with sharing from 1 Chronicles 13, and the life of Obed Edom, on how we may become “A Resting Place for the Presence”. More than hunger and desire, God is looking for a people who would acknowledge that He is Holy – by setting apart themselves with clean hands and a pure heart. As we prayed during our anointing service and time of response, may God find a home in us; and may we be a community from which the light of His presence may shine forth.

“Parents are to be the primary disciplers of their children. One of the primary functions of the home is to facilitate an environment of discipleship for our children.” - @andrejosiah In week 2 of our Vision series, Ps Andre brought us a word on “The Revival of Domestic Discipleship”. In today’s society, a child’s spiritual growth isn’t usually a parent’s key priority. However, through examples in scripture, we learn that if parents are not intentional in disciplining their children in the ways of the Lord, a spiritual decline can occur very quickly. So how does one become an intentional parent? By viewing their role as a parent as sacred, dealing with their own brokenness so they do not pass it on to their children, and building a plan and pathway for the raising of their children.

“God doesn’t just want a people for Himself; He wants the hearts of His people.” - @andrejosiah Pst Andre started our 2023 vision series with a sermon on the pursuit of wholeheartedness. While the fallen state of our hearts are desperately wicked, as described in Jeremiah 17:9, Pst Andre reminded us of the good news - that in Jesus we have received a new heart in a divine act of grace. For us to be aligned with God’s purpose and walk in the way of Jesus, we need to continuously guard this new heart that God has given us and seek after God even as He desires for our surrender and devotion. In the new week, may we ponder upon and immerse ourselves in the revelation of God’s love, even as we seek to live wholeheartedly for Him.

“Where is that place that you can be rooted in, where God delights in you the most? What does that look like for you on a daily basis?" We had the honour of hearing Xianyi speak on “To Know the Love that Surpasses Knowledge”. Drawing from Ephesians 3:14-19, Xianyi shared his story on how he came to start understanding the love of God, and how God, through His Spirit, wants to expand our capacity to know His love by strengthening us with power. So how are we supposed to know the love that surpasses all knowledge? It’s to know that it’s not dependent on us, but that God wants to come and impart this love to us. As impossible as it seems to know the full depth and width and height of God’s love for us, may we tend towards Him as we mature in our walk with God and He continues to fill us up with His Spirit, transforming us into His likeness.

“God calls us to turn to Him. When we confess our sins and commit our hearts to Him, He surely hears us, because of His unfailing love.” - @janicechinchern . In our very first service of the year, Ps Janice opened with a sermon titled “Turning”, sharing out of Nehemiah 9. As we look through the text, we are reminded that despite of the repeated sin and disobedience of the God’s people, we see God’s long suffering mercy, His character, and covenant love for His people. Whenever the people turn back in confession, committing our hearts back to Him, God hears us. We are reminded that as we start the year, there is an invitation to live a new surrender — a surrendered life, a devoted life. May you live a life of surrender to God.

“His light is precisely what we see most clearly in the darkness. It is in our dark world, that the Messiah shines.” - @janicechinchern We celebrated Christmas as a church family, and Pst Janice called on us to remember how Jesus has changed our lives. As we celebrate, we remember that in darkness, has come a great light; one of hope and rescue because of God’s great love for us. This festive season, may we proclaim the light of Jesus, and desire to walk as His lights in our world. Be blessed, #thecityfamily !

“Like the Magi, we must go out of our way to come before Jesus, on bended knee. He alone is our hope in the darkness we face before the Second Advent.” - @timothyshaun On week 3 of our series “Postures of Advent”, we had Tim bring us a word on being on bended knees before Jesus, like the wise men who bowed down and worshipped Him in Matthew 2:11. Tim then spoke on what each of the 3 gifts the Magi brought to Jesus represent in terms of our worship to God - to worship in trust, holiness and suffering. As we go on bended knees before Jesus, may we do it with a heart of submission to Him, knowing that in Him we have everything we need, and that He’s drawing us deeper to be more like Him.

“God reveals Himself to ordinary people and meets them where they are.” - @janicechinchern Ps Janice brought us a word titled “Lifted Heads” for week two of the Posture of Advent series. Sharing from Luke 2, we learned that the shepherds lifted their gaze in seemingly ordinary moments and was bestowed with the wonderful news of Christ’s birth. In faith, they responded with haste and enthusiasm, bearing witness to the revelation of Christ to others. As we enter a new week, may we posture ourselves with renewed wonder and open hearts towards God, confident that He wishes to encounter us at exactly where we are and may we not miss it when He shows up.

“God cannot give Himself to us unless our hands are ready to receive Him” - @janicechinchern In Week One of the Posture of Advent Series, Ps Janice spoke on the posture of “Open Hands”. Guiding us through the advent story in Luke 1:26-34, we glean into the life of Mary as she receives the promise of the Messiah, Jesus. The posture that Mary took as she encountered the angel. - with open hands, in acceptance and faith. Open hands signify a posture of letting go, of surrendering instead grasping for ourselves. In our own lives, how is the Lord guiding us to a yielded faith in this advent season? How much of our life are we grasping for ourselves? Do we struggle to wholly trust God, living a naked defense less, and glad surrender like Mary. May we come with open hands as we approach our week, trusting and surrendering to God.

“Remembering who God is and what he has done for us is central to our faith whereas forgetting God and what He has done is one of the enemy's greatest plan to destroy your faith.” - @andrejosiah Ps Andre brought an inspiring and provoking message titled, “Year In Review: Remembering Your Baptism”. As followers of Jesus, we too can fall into a spiral of forgetfulness, being careless and distracted about what God has done in our lives, spiralling into disobedience, hardened hearts and abandoning God. Ps Andre pointed us to the scripture to remind ourselves to have practises of reminding ourselves of Jesus, our salvation and God’s mission for our lives. May we walk in the newness of life, remembering our allegiance to Christ; communing in the unity of the body that we are part of, and walking in a life surrendered to Jesus.

“No task is too small or insignificant to be used by God for the purposes of cultivating the earth in the image of His Kingdom.” - @yeosx Xuan brought us a word on why Our Work Matters. Sharing from Genesis 2, Xuan reminded us that work is fundamental to how God has made us, and that it is essential to our emotional and spiritual well being. As we continue to navigate the constant cycle of work and rest, may we glorify God and bear witness to His kingdom even as we stay faithful in the work we have been called to do. We hope you were blessed and encouraged by the word this morning. Have a good new week, #thecityfamily!

“Righteousness is to live according to the original intent of God, and be in right standing with God. Righteousness is right living with God.” - David Tan We had the privilege of having one of our members, David Tan, bring us a word on “Crave Righteousness” and what it means as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. He summarised craving righteousness into 3 points: to be whole, secure in who we are in Christ; to be one with God; and to be a blessing to others. May we be open and allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and lives convict us of areas where we may not be living tightly with God, as we continue to pursue and crave righteousness.

"If we are to take the idea of following Jesus seriously, then we also need to take the idea of an adversary seriously as well." -@andrejosiah Pst. Andre shared about Spiritual Conflict and how we wrestle with the reality of a presence of evil in our world as believers today. Yet, we have a great hope in Jesus who has overcome death, hell and the grave. By remembering who our enemy is, resisting the evil one and remaining in Christ, we can have spiritual victory in our lives. We hope that you were encouraged by the word. May we prayerfully desire to experience the freedom that Jesus has purchased for uys, by embracing His truth and presence in our lives, that we may overcome with His power.

“As People of the Way, we point people to Jesus, call them to repentance and teach all that Jesus has commanded and made known to us.” - @janicechinchern Ps. Janice brought us a word on being People of the Way, in line with our passion statement: to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do the works of Jesus in this city. She spoke on how we need all 3 aspects to be compelling, whole-life disciples of Christ, and how we are to disciple others - by helping others to learn the way of the Lord, and teaching them how to obey and abide by God’s commandments.

“God wants to bring us to a place where we realise that our own hope is God. Not scheming but surrendering, not bargaining but begging.” - @danielchua Ps Daniel Chua brought a fiery word titled “A Duel with God.” Reading out of Genesis 32:22-31, Ps Daniel encouraged us from the life of Jacob, moving from Jabbok to Peniel. From being on the run, to wrestling the angel we see Jacob’s transformation when he came to the end of self-sufficiency. From being crippled to being crowned, from broken to being blessed, from disgraced to the hall of glory. What a life we have when we begin to put our hope and trust in God. May we be like Jacob, come to the end of our self-sufficiency, and enter a life of hoping on God and standing on His word.

“Our ability to love God and people is tied to our revelation of God’s love towards us.” - @jasonchua.sg Speaking out of John 17, Jason brought a passionate exposition this morning titled “John 17: Jesus’s Desire”. As we explore further into the language of oneness in Jesus’s prayer in John 17, we discover a 2-fold desire that Jesus desires - a resting place among a people and a bridal union with a people. We see Jesus’s desire revealed through his love for us on the cross, and His desire for us fulfilled in the second coming? Do we have a revelation of God’s love towards us? How will we carry the desire of Jesus through the life we live? May we accept the invitation to co-labour with God until Jesus desire is fulfilled, that Jesus may be loved by every people as the Father loves Him.

“We are called to dream with God for our role in the flourishing of humanity.” - @andrejosiah Concluding our Life Together series, Ps. Andre encouraged us with a sermon titled “It’s Time To Dream Again”. Dreams function like a map for the road of life. Without dreams, we just wander in circles. We get sucked into the tyranny of the urgent, always reacting to the present never envisioning a future with God. All through scripture we see God speaking to His people through dreams, planting in them a seed form of their destiny in His unfolding story. God’s people have always been dreamers. As we turn the page in this season and move forward into a new chapter as a church, may we dream again; to ask God for grace and courage to open our hearts, minds and life to what’s possible through the Spirit.