6 SEPTEMBER 2020

Bedok Methodist Church 86 Bedok Road Singapore 469371

T 6448 4215 E office@bmc.org.sg W www.bmc.org.sg FB Facebook.com/BedokMC

The Epistle of James

9 August - 6 September

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ORDER OF SERVICE 6 SEPTEMBER 2020

THIS WEEK’S MESSAGES Sermon videos are available from Sunday 8am

Sermon (English) - James 5

James 5 Rev David Gwee

Sermon (Mandarin) - 主耶稣教导的祷告

路加福音11:1-13

方友凤 传道

NEXT SUNDAY

Sermon (English) - Rev Timothy Yong

Sermon (Mandarin) - 付意如 传道

STAY CONNECTED

Sunday English Online Service and Chinese Online Service Videos are available from 8am onwards

主日崇拜 (英文和中文)

Wednesday Midweek encouragement letter

MATTERS OF THE HANDS

MIDWEEK ENCOURAGEMENT

Recently, I have been gaining much insight from the writings of the Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton, who wrote about the concept of true selves and false selves. I personally found this insight really helpful and will like to share it with you as an encouragement for your week. In his book, New Seeds of Contemplation, Merton wrote, “Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self.” He identifies the false self as the person that we wish to display to the world, and the person we want the whole world to revolve around. He expounds further, saying: “Thus I use up my life in the desire for pleasures and the thirst for experiences, for power, honour, knowledge and love, to clothe this false self and construct its nothingness into something objectively real. And I wind experiences around myself and cover myself with pleasures and glory like bandages in order to make myself perceptible to myself and to the world, as if I were an invisible body that could only become visible when something visible covered its surface.” I find that what Thomas Merton shared about us being clothed with bandages of the false-self arresting and it struck a deep cord within me. He says that we all have a false-self that we long to present to the world around us. For some, it is the person interested in climbing the corporate ladder, or in always being hip and clever, or to be seen as successful, or in always being in a word “cool”. However, that person is nothing more than a mask we wear and often times, it is something we wear subconsciously. It is not really who we truly are; it is a self we try to project in order to gain love and acceptance in some way. This disguise we wear is not what God desires for us. It is made explicit through the words of the Apostle Paul, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) When we reflect on this passage together with Merton’s idea of the true and false selves, we can see that the old self is the false self, and the new self is the true self. It then becomes clear that the Christian journey is about deconstructing the false self and discovering the true self. Merton describes this journey as “discovering myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself, and if I find my true self I will find Him.”

MIDWEEK ENCOURAGEMENT

In other words, God desires for us to be the persons we were created to be, to be simply and purely ourselves, and in this state to love God and to let ourselves be loved by God. It can be described a double journey: finding God means allowing ourselves to be found by God. And finding our true selves means allowing God to find and reveal our true selves to us. Some of you might be thinking this sounds rather abstract, what does this mean on a practical level? How are we to put this into action? Simply put, as we attempt to move away from those parts of ourselves that prevent us from being closer to God: selfishness, pride, fear, and so on. And as we try as best we can to move toward those part of ourselves that draw us nearer to God, we will gradually find ourselves growing more loving and more generous. In that process, our true selves will be gradually revealed: the self that is created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. My encouragement to you this week is to start the process of moving away from the things that draw you away from God and to move toward those parts that draw you nearer. Spend some time reflecting on the things you struggle with and make a commitment to more away from those things. As we move closer to becoming our true selves, the selves we are meant to be, the selves that God created, the more loving parts of us will be naturally magnified, and the more sinful parts will be naturally diminished and eventually, be put off. Let us seek to be truer than who we were yesterday, and to let God reveal our true selves for His glory! Rev Timothy Yong

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P6 FAMILY PRAYER (ONLINE) Sun • 6, 20 & 27 Sep • 9am-10am Have a child doing PSLE this year? You are not alone! Be part of a community of praying parents/grandparents to receive hope and encouragement in this season. For info, get link from FL class leader or email frontliners@bmc.org.sg

PRAYER FOR MCS 12th GENERAL CONFERENCE (7-11 SEP) Logistics & prep for online meetings Elections of major office-holders: Bishop,

& Chairpersons of various Councils Decisions made on behalf of MCS, eg.

church law and policy Delivery of reports on work done the last

four years and the plans for the coming four years and beyond

Good health, protection & alertness of the delegates and supporting staff, that the proceedings may be carried out smoothly and thoroughly

THE MARRIAGE COURSE (ONLINE) 7 evenings • From 8 Oct The Marriage Course has been revamped and is available online. Over 7 date-nights, you & your spouse will learn from experts on topics such as communication, intimacy, resolving conflicts, and the power of forgiveness. Many couples have benefited from this course, even those who already have a great marriage. To register, visit http://bit.ly/themarriagecourse2020 or email familylife@bmc.org.sg

ANNOUNCEMENTS

RESUMPTION OF SERVICES We are currently working towards live streaming of Sunday services in the near future. Stay tune for the latest update on our website, Facebook and WhatsApp broadcast.

Church office will remain closed during this Covid19 period. But BMC Kindergarten has resumed operations.

PASTORAL CARE For pastoral care & support, call 9630 0677.

UPCOMING ONLINE SERVICES 13 September (Sunday) Sermon (English) - Rev Timothy Yong Sermon (Mandarin) -

PRAYER FOR SEPTEMBER N1 Ministries – Children, Youth, YAM Nurturing of the next generation so

that they know God in an intimate way and can do great works for Him

Greater love and fear of the Lord Grow strong in God’s word & the Spirit Discipleship – Care Groups Growth in discipleship in members Be Followers of Christ in their lives BMC Missionaries Creative ways for outreach God’s provision for them & their mission

agencies

PRAYER REQUEST The online altar ministry team will pray with you through Zoom on Sun mornings or by phone during the week. Register at https://bmc.org.sg/prayer-requests/ You can remain anonymous & email your prayer requests to prayer@bmc.org.sg. All requests will be kept strictly confidential.

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FAITH@HOME(ONLINE) Sat • 26 Sep,3 & 10 Oct • 2-4pm •$20/family Equipping course for parents with children who are 6 years old or younger, & want to build a home centered on faith in Jesus. We aim to train & equip parents through practical lessons on spiritual parenting, worship & other foundational skills. Registration closes on 9 Sep. For info, email faithathome@bmc.org.sg.

MASTERLIFE - EXPERIENCING GOD :DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY(ONLINE) Thu (43wks) • From 8 Oct • 7.30pm-10pm Join our small-group discipleship class & make Christ your Master, & master your life by developing a personal life-long relationship with Him. During this life-changing journey, you will experience God in an intimate way, where He will reveal His will, His ways & His works. Cost: $54.80 for a set of 5 workbooks For info, Chiu Ming @ 9455 9263 or Han Yang @ 9827 8764

BB WEEK 2020 (16 AUG-6 SEP) The Boys’ Brigade 40th & 103rd S’pore Companies targets to raise $30,000 during BB Week 2020. Donate to them through: http://www.bb.org.sg/donate-now Internet banking or Paynow Indicate if donation is for 40th or 103rd Company. For info, shiping@bmc.org.sg.

ANGEL TREE 2020 PROJECT We are seeking sponsors for gifts cards, and volunteers to deliver to the inmates’ families the gifts & a hand written card by the inmates. Through the visit and card, we hope to bring joy, hope & restoration of relationship. For info, visit http://cosc.bmc.org.sg/ or Jean @ 9792 2345, Son Chai @ 9108 5870.

PRISON FELLOWSHIP S’PORE - AFTER CARE MINISTRY We are looking for volunteers to journey with our brothers and sisters who were released from prison.

Areas of involvement: Befriend ex-offenders Guide in job selection & resume prep Provide help in submission application

for financial assistance Guide in use of mobile apps & internet

Prayer support and bible sharing

The Aftercare Ministry is about the discipleship journey with fellow believers, equipping and edifying one another. PFS staff will render guidance for this Aftercare Ministry. If keen, call Wei Heen @9633 5111 or Jensen Lee @8444 1896

TITHES & OFFERINGS

IBANKING TO BMC Contributions to BMC via ibanking to BMC current account: DBS Autosave A/C No. 022-001598-2 Please state name and purpose of transfer. After transfer, notify BMC via sms 9112 9866 or email office@bmc.org.sg and indicate if you want a receipt.

QR CODE FOR PAYNOW Open ibanking Apps Scan QR code for

PayNow transfer of tithes & offerings only

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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SERMON NOTES

DATE OF SERMON: 30 August 2020 SERMON TITLE/TEXT: Fights & Quarrels / James 4:1-17 SPEAKER: Rev Khoo Kay Huat As long as we have relationships, there will be fights, quarrels and disagreements. 1. The Root of Quarrels

The 3 things that causes quarrels according to James: Dissatisfaction – we are dissatisfied when we expect more from others

and they fail to live up to that expectation. Lack of dependency on God - We depend too much on human beings

and not enough on God. The lack of dependency on God causes dissension and unhappiness, leading to us becoming quarrelsome. The best way is to walk and abide in God instead of depending on people.

Wrong motive - James 4:3-4 says we do not have because we ask with the wrong motive. We may be driven by carnal desires such as desiring acceptance by the world or ambition and pride. When we do not get want we want, we become quarrelsome.

2. Dealing with Fights & Quarrels

3 ways to deal with fights and quarrels: Humble ourselves – pride and our sense of self-entitlement causes us to

demand rights and privileges because we think we deserve them. When we do not get it, we become offended and quarrelsome. We need to humble ourselves before the Lord, remembering Jesus’s example as the Servant King. The way to true kingdom greatness is through the servant’s door.

Do not slander – keep our tongue in check, exercise self-control (James 3).

Do not boast – boasting comes from pride. Pride is one of the key reasons why we start to quarrel. James 4:6 reminds that God opposes the proud but favors the humble. When we humble ourselves before God, we begin to humble ourselves before others. Humility dampens our sense of self-entitlement, making us less offended and offensive.

If we do not humble ourselves before the Lord, there will come a time when the Lord directly humbles us. Heed when the Lord speaks, turn to God and draw near to Him, humbling ourselves before Him. When we do, God promises to draw near to us, gives us His grace and lift us up.

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