PRECIOUS LESSONS LEARNED MEDITATION. Text: Psalm 63. Rev Dr Charles Tan

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1 Text: Psalm 63 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Meditation 1 Announcements 4 Poetry 12 Worship 13 Bible Memory Work 15 This Worship 16 Bethany III 7 August 2016 Holy Communion Sunday! MICA (P) No.: 030/10/2012 MEDITATION Rev Dr Charles Tan PRECIOUS LESSONS LEARNED LOOKING BACK 43 YEARS Many are the lessons learned as we look back over the past 43 years as a Church. What are some of the lessons that may be highlighted? Psalm 63 is a wonderful Psalm written by King David. (continued on page 2)

2 MEDITATION (Continued from page 1) Though he was a king he faced many tough challenges in his life. In this Psalm he shares what he had learned. 1. O God, You are my God Psalm 63:1 a) David began by establishing that he had faith in God b) On the basis of that faith he built a strong relationship with Him c) How wonderful it is to have a strong and long relationship with the Lord 2. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary Psalm 63:2 a) David sought the Lord b) He sought to see the power of God and His glory c) How wonderful it is to search for God s power and glory with hope in our heart 3. My soul shall be satisfied Psalm 63:3 a) With the lovingkindness of God b) With the knowledge of God s name c) Under the shadow of God s wings d) With the Lord s upholding hand (Continued on page 3) page 2

3 MEDITATION (Continued from page 2) CULTIVATING OUR WALK WITH THE LORD How may we cultivate our walk? How may we ensure we have a close walk with the Lord in the years ahead? Let us learn from the Psalmist David. 1. Seeking the Lord is of great importance a) Early I will seek You b) My soul thirsts for You c) My flesh longs for you Psalm 63:1 2. Praising the Lord is just as important a) My lips shall praise You b) Thus I will bless You c) My mouth shall praise You with joyful lips Psalm 63: Remembering the Lord a) Meditating in the night watches b) Following the Lord closely especially in times of distress GLORYING IN THE LORD The Psalmist David concluded this beautiful Psalm with these words. But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. Psalm 63:11 Write to me at: charlestan@bethanyipc.sg page 3

4 ANNOUNCEMENTS We are glad that you have chosen to worship the Lord Jesus Christ with us today. May your heart be blessed through worship and fellowship! to Bethany III THE LORD S SUPPER THE BREAD Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is My body. Matthew 26:26 THE CUP Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Matthew 26:27-28 BAPTISMAL SERVICE TODAY 1. Mdm. Teo Bee Geok She will be received into our church membership today. 2. Baby Grace He Le En She will be given paedo-baptism this morning CATECHISM CLASS TODAY Time: 1.00pm Venue: 4 th Floor Auditorium page 4

5 ANNOUNCEMENTS SUNDAY SCHOOL (COMBINED) 8.15am Singspiration 8.30am Class 9.15am Class Fellowship Month of August CELEBRATING BETHANY S ANNIVERSARY Date: 28 August 2016 Venue: Shangri La Hotel Time: 10.30am Worship Service Anniversary Lunch: 12.30pm A & A PROJECT This is a critical month. Many things must be completed before we can apply for TOP. Let us pray for the Lord s blessings on the work that will be attempted this month. page 5

6 ANNOUNCEMENTS 40+3 Anniversary Children s Programme Dear Bethany, Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 Can children be taught how to worship and give praise to God? Yes, they can! In fact, Proverbs tells us how important it is for us to teach children from young the importance of worship so that they will continue to have proper regard for worship even as they grow older. At our Children s Programme this Anniversary, we want to help children appreciate God s glory and learn that praise and worship ought to be ascribed to God for His blessings upon our church! The Anniversary Children s Programme will be planned with ages 5-12 in mind. Please indicate to Mrs Chin Lai Heong or Dns Lay Eng at the sign-up booth if your children would like to join us. If you have any queries, please contact me at camilleageorge@gmail.com or In His Grace, Camille page 6

7 WEEKDAY MINISTRIES PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING Monday, 8 August 2016 Time: 7.00pm Venue: 4 th Floor Auditorium PRAYER MEETING Monday, 8 August 2016 Time: 8.00pm Venue: 4 th Floor Auditorium BIBLE STUDY There will be no Bible Study this Tuesday due to the National Day holiday. page 7

8 TESTIMONY 1. Siyu and Yiyong (parents of baby Grace) Testimony of Ho Le En Grace Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" Our hearts are filled with joy as we present Grace to be baptized. We thank God for this wonderful gift of another child and we are deeply grateful for His wonderful grace in our lives. Baby Grace is yet another reminder of God's great love for us-- that even in the challenges of life, God can bring us moments of great joy. We are also grateful to Pastor and the Session who graciously allowed Grace to be baptized today. We thank God for Bethany where Grace will be able to grow up learning about the Lord through His word taught by our Pastoral team. We are committed to bring Grace up in the fear of the Lord. This is also why we have named her Grace He Le En-- that she may discover the grace and joy of the Lord herself. page 8

9 TESTIMONY 2. Mdm. Teo Bee Geok Dear Pastor Charlie, My name is Bee Geok, Pat Lim s mother. I am deeply grateful to God for leading me to worship in Bethany Church. I had on many occasions been to Easter and Christmas concerts here from which I received spiritual help and encouragement. Thus, Bethany is not in any way new to me. Then, I only came whenever I could as I was worshipping and serving in my own Church, namely, Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church. Time passes very quickly, in a wink of an eye, I am already eighty-two years old. Upon reflection, there are numerous memories. However amidst all, God s presence is the most precious! Before I came into this world, He already loved me deeply. My father was a Christian. He brought me to Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church when I was an infant. It was there, in later years, that I received Him to be my Lord and Savior. Through the years, I learned how God is full of grace and abounding in goodness. Having experienced His matchless love, the only apt response that I could think of was to use whatever He had in His grace given to me to serve Him. Last year was an exceptionally challenging year to me. On 27 th September, 2015, I had to undergo a major heart surgery. The Almighty God graciously saw me through it. After three weeks of stay in the hospital, I left for home with the hope to be fully restored to health again. But about a week after, other health issues arose. I have been admitted several times to the hospital for long periods of stay. (Continued on page 10) page 9

10 TESTIMONY (Continued from page 9) Thank God that even as I faced those challenges, He was always present with me, granting to me the strength and all that I needed. Hereby, I would like to thank Prof. Tan Huay Cheem for all the years of medical assistance, the care and prayers of Pastor Charlie, the Pastoral Team and Session Members, the frequent visits of Joanna, Mrs Ho and Li Hong and the care of brothers and sisters of Bethany that brought great encouragement. On February this year, after being discharged from hospital, my children were concerned about my going back to my own Church for worship as I am weak in health. Thus, Pat arranged for me to come to Bethany to worship instead. Within this short period of time spent listening to the preaching and teaching of the Word through Morning Worship Services and Mandarin Bible classes, I learned many spiritual lessons. I am glad that I can become a part of Bethany. All glory and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ! Madam Teo Bee Geok page 10

11 Dear Bethany, LETTERS THAT WARM THE HEART The Chan Family would want to express our deepest thanks and appreciation for showing support for our beloved mother/grandmother by coming down for the wake and the funeral. Your presence during this period has meant much to us. Personally, the family of God has become so much more real to me as I see how Bethany has shown support, physically, through your presence, texts and messages of concern and condolences during the period, and also in much prayer. As I move on from here, it is with much joy and giving of glory to God for the life that He has given her, the faith that my grandmother has found in the evening years of her life, the hope of eternal life that He promises each of us, and the blessings that He has given my family. Thank you. With Love, Jerry and the Chan Family. page 11

12 POETRY CORNER WEPT BITTERLY The Lord Jesus had given a serious word of warning, They would be tested; they would be found wanting. But the disciples shrugged and pledged their loyalty, Peter especially said he would be with Him faithfully! Jesus warned that Satan had asked if he could test Peter, Would this stalwart disciple remain strong and never falter? Peter was sure of himself and declared that he would be true, Those were words that reflected a proud spirit that he would rue! Jesus was arrested and great was the crowd that had gathered, The enemies had looked for followers, but all had scattered. Peter was outside in the courtyard when he was confronted, Fear filled his heart, he mumbled and swore and spluttered! Again and again he denied his Master - as it was foretold, Peter s heart was stricken, it had become dark and cold. Then Jesus looked at him with eyes of pain and sorrow, He recalled and wept bitterly as if there was no tomorrow! How could he have denied his Master who loved him so dearly? Yet he did just that and he was now filled with shame utterly. Could the Master ever forgive a heinous sin such as denial? Only a great Saviour could fully forgive and offer true revival! Inspiration: Luke 22:31-62 Charles Tan page 12

13 Psalm 66:16-20 Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, The LORD will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me! 1. An invitation to all who fear the Lord a) A testimony is offered b) Those who fear the Lord comprehend its significance 2. A testimony of how God hears and answers prayer a) If there is iniquity in the heart b) The Lord will not hear 3. Praise to the Lord a) For hearing prayer b) For not turning away prayer c) For His mercy WORSHIP page 13

14 BIBLE MEMORY WORK Today, 7 August 2016 Isaiah 28: 5 A Crown Of Glory In that day the LORD of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people. 1. The LORD of Hosts a) One of the names of God b) A glorious title that reflects the might of God 2. What He will be to His people a) He will be a crown of glory b) He will be a diadem of beauty 3. The significance a) Our glory is to be found in the Lord b) Our beauty is to be found in Him Next Sunday, 14 August 2016 Isaiah 29:23 The work of My hands But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they will hallow My name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and fear the God of Israel. page 14

15 THEME : CREATED FOR MY GLORY This Worship COMBINED WORSHIP SERVICE AM. FELLOWSHIP HALL Created for My glory Isaiah 43 Chairman Mr Lai Chung Han Speaker Rev Dr Charles Tan Pianist Mrs Sally Tan Interpreter Mr Foo Yit San TEENS WORSHIP SERVICE NO TEENS WORSHIP SERVICE CHILDREN S CHURCH AM Treasures Matthew 6:19-21 COMBINED CC (P1 P6) Speaker Mr Jonathan Jacob 4th Floor Auditorium COMBINED EVENING-BILINGUAL WORSHIP SERVICE NO COMBINED EVENING-BILINGUAL WORSHIP SERVICE BREAKFAST : Roots! LUNCH : Mitch & Stephanie page 15

16 Bethany Independent-Presbyterian Church 301 Upper Paya Lebar Road. Singapore tel : fax : website URL : bethanyipc.sg page 16

17 COMBINED WORSHIP SERVICE 7 August 2016 Order of Worship PREPARATION Pre-Worship Singing Century Praise 53 Prelude Call to Worship Great Is Thy Faithfulness Pianist : Mrs Sally Tan Mr Lai Chung Han PRAISE Invocation Hymns Century Praise 218 Century Praise 458 Century Praise 114 Rejoice, The Lord Is King The Church s One Foundation Crown Him With Many Crowns PRAYER Pastoral Prayer SPECIAL BAPTISM SPECIAL SONG ITEM Before You I Kneel The Crossroads PREACH THE WORD Message: Created for My glory 是我为自己的荣耀创造的 Text : Isaiah 43 以赛亚书 43 Speaker: Rev Dr Charles Tan THE LORD S SUPPER Hymn HWC No. 201 Grace Greater Than Our Sin Partaking of the Bread Hymn HWC No. 186 The Old Rugged Cross RESPONSE Partaking of the Cup Offering

18 Hymn HWC No. 354 Leaning On The Everlasting Arms Prayerful Meditation Benediction Postlude

19 PASTORAL LETTER Senior Pastor : Rev Dr Charles Tan Anniversary Series Dear Brethren, 7 August 2016 CELEBRATING OUR 40+3 ANNIVERSARY We celebrate Bethany s Anniversary this month. Let us take time to ponder how the Lord has blessed us for yet another year! Mailing Address : 301, Upper Paya Lebar Road. Singapore Tel : (65) Fax : (65) Website : 1. God s works Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:5 a) They are indeed many b) They are also wonderful 2. God s thoughts toward us a) They cannot be recounted b) They are more than can be numbered How very true! Here is an additional word that may be included. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number Than the sand Psalm 139: The preciousness of God s thoughts The Psalmist David was right in describing the thoughts of God as precious! Let us take time to thank God for His wonderful works and words given to us! a) Words of comfort b) Words of hope c) Words of loving assurance Prayerfully, Pastor Charlie God s kind of Church where God is touching lives and people care for people