The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)
I received a piece of good news from one of our community outreach residents recently that he has secured a suitable job! He gave God the glory for being able to meet the salary requirements for his new flat bank loan approval and move his family out of their subsidised rental unit. It has been quite a journey since we led him in the salvation prayer at his home back in 2022, joined our church services in 2023, and got water baptised in 2024. It is through such testimonies that God has been shaping our community outreach initiatives, and I like to take this devotional to encapsulate this using 5 “shapes.”
1. The “Heart”“
We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
The theme for our church this year is “Reviving Hearts” and above all, the Agape love of our Father God must be the motivation and source to bring about this revival from the inside out. We are in this for the long term, and only God’s unfailing, unending love can fuel and refuel our passion for the lost. Whether you are in our community outreach activities or not, we are all called to love God by loving our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). In practical terms, it does mean going to them instead of waiting for them to come to us. That is why we have continued and expanded the food distribution initiatives, as well as stepped up our befriender visits. In the past, we conducted English literacy classes every Saturday morning for children of all races and religion, and this June once again, we will be conducting free PSLE preparation workshops to bless Primary 5 and 6 students from the low-income families, as well as benefit those already in our church. As we pour out, we must look to God to keep pouring into us daily. His love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
2. The “Cross”
“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
Through God’s love, we are empowered not to “drag our Cross” but to “take up our Cross” – it is an attitude shift from an obligation to a conviction that this is our Christian responsibility; to care for others the way God cares for us. We therefore started the Outreach Befriender teams to follow-up especially with the residents most open to the Gospel. We may think we know the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), but it often becomes the “Great Ommission” when we fail in our follow-up of new believers. The Great Commission does not stop at soul-winning, but goes on to make disciples, baptising them, and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded us in the Bible.
3. The “Diamond”
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25
Our meetings in church help us habitually focus on Jesus as our Lord, our King and our Maker. At our Vision Sunday Service in January, SP Pacer shared with us the Mission Statement of our church whereby Lighthouse Evangelism exists to 1) Love the Lord, 2) Connect to Community, 3) Discover our Destiny, 4) Be a Blessing. They are akin to four sides of the “Diamond” that God is shaping and sharpening us to fulfil our church Vision to be the Light of Christ Everywhere. We will still have our unique callings, preferences and personalities, but it is with the biblical basis of uniting together as a church, that we get to spur one another on and be mobilized by Christ to do the greater works (John 14:12) in partnership with the Holy Spirit. Through this “Diamond”, we learn to grow and mature as a community of believers to encourage one another towards love and good deeds. All with the end goal of hastening His Return.
4. The “Wings”
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Luke 4:18-19
I once joined a discussion where we were divided into two groups, to debate which is more important: Gospel Proclamation VS Societal Transformation. Which group do you think won? Christ’s own mission statement for his life in Luke 4:18-19 clearly calls for a bold mandate to proclaim the good news, and combine faith with action to overcome injustice and oppression. Christians often make the mistake of over-emphasizing one over the other. Yet we need to do equally the sharing of the Gospel, with accompaniment of good works to benefit others. The early missionaries in Singapore understood this well, and built not only churches, but also many schools and hospitals. The proclamation of the Gospel in the church, must translate to a societal impact that reveals the love of Jesus to the rest of the world. The Good News of Jesus preached, and the Good Works for Christ obeyed are like two “wings” needed to balance and carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the furthest ends of the earth.
5. The “Crown”
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 1 Peter 5:4
We began and will continue with this eternal perspective in mind – to receive the unfading crown of glory from our Chief Shepherd. At His return, Jesus exercises His role as Shepherd by dividing the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-33). He knows exactly when to be gentle, and when more severe guidance should be used. When He returns, there will be a reward for those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). There will also be consequences for those who saw the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and did nothing. They would “go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46). Let us take heed to both the blessings as well as His warnings. Let us bring joy to our Chief Shepherd together!
Daily Meditation
Monday: 1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
Tuesday: Luke 9:23
“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Wednesday: Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Thursday: Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Friday: 1 Peter 5:4
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
Saturday: Matthew 25:31-33
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Sunday: Matthew 25:34-36
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
All scriptures are quoted from the New International Version.
By David Jeremiah Mok
