SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Preparing for Worship
- Find a place free from distractions.
- Gather your family (if applicable).
- Refrain from checking messages on your devices.
- Have your Bible ready.
Call To Worship
Psalm 134 : 1 – 3
1 Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. 3 May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.
詩篇 134 : 1 – 3
1 耶和華的僕人，夜間站在耶和華殿中的，你們當稱頌耶和華！2 你們當向聖所舉手，稱頌耶和華！3 願造天地的耶和華，從錫安賜福給你們！
Worship Through Songs
Good day brothers and sisters in Christ, citizens of heaven. May this day find you in the presence of God refreshed, renewed, and joyful in hope.
Many people who are indifferent or hostile to the Christian faith often accuse us, who put our hope in God, as using religion as a crutch. They say that our hope is a ‘pie-in-the-sky’ fantasy invented to alleviate our inability to face a bleak reality. Richard Dawkins, a famous proponent of atheism said, ‘religion is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark’—to which Dr. John Lennox, distinguished professor of Mathematics at Oxford, aptly responded that by a different life-view, ‘atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light’. It all boils down to whether there is a God or not. It all hinges on whether the life and words of our Lord Jesus Christ— prophesied, recorded, and propounded in Scriptures—are true or not. It all hangs on whether Jesus is who He said He is and whether He proved it by rising from the dead—to which the cumulative evidence of forensics, history, theology and human experience proclaim a resounding yes.
Our hope, therefore, is not a fanciful wish, but a firm grasping of the fact that because Jesus lives, we can face our tomorrows without fear. For as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, ‘And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But CHRIST HAS INDEED BEEN RAISED from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.’ [1 Cor 15] Our hope is found in and secured by the risen Son of God.
This hope consequently empowers us to apply ourselves for the expansion of God’s kingdom in every sector of society, every aspect of culture, and every field of endeavor. Wherever God’s mercy, kindness and righteousness are needed, we will live as his ambassadors—bringing his love, truth, and healing to every corner of our broken world. C. S. Lewis, describing Christian hope in his book, MERE CHRISTIANITY, wrote, “Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.”
As we set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated in the heavenlies, we can offer hope to this dark and decaying world—a true hope, and a solid hope. For the hope that dwells within us is none other than the risen Christ himself—the very power and wisdom of God. He is our one true living hope. There is no other. Let us magnify him this day.
‘Gracious God and Loving Heavenly Father, You are the source of all good things. You are the light that dispels the darkness; the joy that fills our lives; and the truth that sets us free. Your holiness humbles us; your greatness overwhelms us; and your grace fills us with utter amazement. You are our shelter in the midst of storms; the anchor for our souls; and our Rock that is higher than us. You are the forgiver of our sins; the healer of our diseases; and the restorer of our broken lives. You are our haven of rest; our help that is ever present; and our hope that never disappoints.
We humbly ask, dear Father that You increase our faith and strengthen our hearts—for we are small, frail, and weak without You. May we never forget the fact that without You, we can do nothing of lasting worth—that without the grace and power that You provide, our own meager abilities and resources can never accomplish much. Help us realize that at every moment, in every day, we are so totally and utterly dependent upon You. Free us from any delusion of self-sufficiency, and from our tendency for self-congratulation—that we may know the joy and freedom of knowing our place as clay in the hands of The Potter. Remind us once more that the good that flows out of our lives are not efforts to gain your love and acceptance, but rather they are the fruit of the love and acceptance we already have in Christ. As You have been gracious and compassionate to us, help us to be the same to others around us—that from our lives may radiate genuine love, supernatural peace, and joyful hope. For the glory of your Name and the delight of your heart. In Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.’
Anthem
Make His Praise Glorious
Scripture Reading
Pastor Rival
Romans 12 : 1 – 2
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
羅 馬 書 12 : 1 – 2
1 所 以 弟 兄 們 ， 我 以 神 的 慈 悲 勸 你 們 ， 將 身 體 獻 上 ， 當 作 活 祭 ， 是 聖 潔 的 ， 是 神 所 喜 悅 的 ； 你 們 如 此 事 奉 乃 是 理 所 當 然 的 。
2 不 要 效 法 這 個 世 界 ， 只 要 心 意 更 新 而 變 化 ， 叫 你 們 察 驗 何 為 神 的 善 良 、 純 全 、 可 喜 悅 的 旨 意 。
Pastor Pecson
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
詩 篇 121
1（ 上 行 之 詩 。 ） 我 要 向 山 舉 目 ； 我 的 幫 助 從 何 而 來 ？
2 我 的 幫 助 從 造 天 地 的 耶 和 華 而 來 。
3 他 必 不 叫 你 的 腳 搖 動 ； 保 護 你 的 必 不 打 盹 ！
4 保 護 以 色 列 的 ， 也 不 打 盹 也 不 睡 覺 。
5 保 護 你 的 是 耶 和 華 ； 耶 和 華 在 你 右 邊 蔭 庇 你 。
6 白 日 ， 太 陽 必 不 傷 你 ； 夜 間 ， 月 亮 必 不 害 你 。
7 耶 和 華 要 保 護 你 ， 免 受 一 切 的 災 害 ； 他 要 保 護 你 的 性 命 。
8 你 出 你 入 ， 耶 和 華 要 保 護 你 ， 從 今 時 直 到 永 遠 。
Sermon
English (Pastor Rival):
中文 (林國安傳道):
Tithes And Offering
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Response Song
