Lent2026: Becoming What We Believe

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling… for it is God who works in you.” — Philippians 2:12–13

“Salvation is of the Lord.” — Jonah 2:9

Most Christians today live with a quiet contradiction:

We say Jesus saved us, but our daily lives don’t look much different from the world around us.

Paul’s words cut through that fog. He isn’t telling us to earn salvation — Jonah already settled that: “Salvation is of the Lord.”

But Paul is telling us to take our spiritual growth seriously.

Dead seriously.

Not casually. Not “when I have time.” Not “when life slows down.” Not “when I feel spiritual again.”

Right now. Today. In the middle of your real life.

What comes in the way is our struggle with so many issues because we live in a world of: constant distraction., emotional exhaustion, spiritual autopilot, endless noise, shallow faith

quick opinions but slow obedience, And into that world, Paul says:

“Work out your salvation.”

Meaning: Let what God did inside you show up outside you.

Not in theory. Not in church only. Not in your Instagram bio.

But in your reactions, your habits, your choices, your relationships.

A Real‑Life Example is "The Scroll vs. The Spirit"

You’re lying in bed at night. You know you should pray.

You know you should open Scripture. But your thumb automatically goes to Instagram or YouTube.

Twenty minutes later, you’re drained, not refreshed. You didn’t sin — but you didn’t grow either.

That moment is where salvation is either “worked out”… or ignored.

Verse 12: You choose discipline over distraction.

Verse 13: God gives you the desire and strength to choose Him.

You’re not fighting alone. But you are fighting. 

Fear and Trembling is the Part we avoid. But Paul isn’t talking about being scared of God. He’s talking about being awake. “Fear and trembling” means taking our spiritual life as seriously as God does.

We must remember that holiness doesn’t happen accidentally

God shapes us for eternity, not convenience.

How to Actually “Work It Out” in Today’s World

1. Choose Scripture over scrolling (even for 5 minutes).

This is where most modern Christians lose the battle. Our phone is discipling us more than our Bible is.

2. Obey the nudge immediately.

When the Spirit prompts you to apologize, forgive, give, or shut your mouth — do it now, not later. Delayed obedience is disobedience dressed politely.

3. Kill the small sins before they become big ones.

The enemy rarely starts with adultery or addiction. He starts with compromise, excuses, and “it’s not a big deal.”

4. Review your day honestly.

Where did you follow God?

Where did you ignore Him?

Growth begins with honesty.

A Prayer for the Modern Christian is to shake us out of our "spiritual autopilot". 

Preparing the Heart: A Lenten Reflection by Pastor Rajiv

                                     

Based on reflections from Leviticus

“Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” 

Leviticus 19:2

The book of Leviticus is often dismissed as a collection of ancient rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonial instructions. But none of these practices were meaningless. God designed every ritual to teach His people something essential — about His holiness, their identity, and the seriousness of walking with Him.

The rituals were meant to shape the heart, not just the hands.

But over time, Israel became indifferent. What was once sacred became routine. What was meant to draw them close to God became something they performed without thought or reverence. And when the rituals lost meaning, their connection with God weakened. Just as it is today. We may have lost the connection - getting carried away by the ritualism. 

Today, Lent invites us to examine our own hearts in the same way.

We may not offer sacrifices or burn incense, but we do have rhythms of worship — prayer, communion, Scripture reading, gathering with the church. These are not empty motions. They are gifts meant to form us, awaken us, and draw us deeper into the presence of God.

Yet if we are honest, there are moments when worship feels dry. Familiar. Mechanical. We stand, sit, sing, and pray — but our hearts are somewhere else.

When that happens, Scripture calls us not to abandon the rituals, but to rediscover their meaning.

During this season, God invites us to slow down and ask:

Why do I worship?

What is the meaning behind the practices I’ve grown accustomed to?

How can I prepare my heart before I step into God’s presence?

Because the true experience of worship is not accidental.

It is the fruit of preparation — a heart that pauses, reflects, repents, and remembers.

When we rediscover the purpose behind our worship, our rituals come alive again. And when our rituals come alive, our relationship with God is revitalized.

During this Lenten season, we need to ask God to awaken our hearts again. We need to ask Him- 

Where worship has become routine, breathe new life.

Where rituals have become empty, restore their meaning.

Teach us to prepare our heart before we come before Him,

so that our worship may be sincere, joyful, and holy.

Here is a suggested Lenten Practice for the Week:

Before each act of worship — whether prayer, Scripture reading, or attending church — pause for one minute and pray:

“Lord, prepare my heart to meet You.”

You’ll be surprised how this simple preparation transforms the entire experience.

Monday Reset: God's Mercies

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV)

Every sunrise is a reminder that yesterday’s failures don’t define today’s possibilities. God’s mercies are not leftovers—they are new, fresh, and tailored for the challenges ahead.

Friends, you don’t have to drag the weight of last week into this week. His mercy is a divine reset, giving you strength to face what comes and grace to begin again. Take time to breathe in this truth: 

if God’s mercy brought you to this day, His faithfulness will carry you through it.

(Based on a KJV devotional)

Bearing Fruit for Jesus: Jen Tan

Lent invites us into a quieter place — a season where Jesus gently calls us to examine the soil of our hearts. It’s a time of pruning, surrender, and returning. And in that sacred process, He reminds us of His words:

John 15:4-5 - "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself: it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing".

It begins with abiding.

During Lent, Jesus often puts His finger on the places in us that have grown wild, distracted, or overgrown. Not to condemn us — but to prune us. And pruning is always a sign of love. A gardener only prunes what he intends to see flourish.

Jen Tan relates her own experience in this when she says -  

"Abide first, fruit will be the result. Fruit can’t grow out of our own willpower and human efforts. Its from the union with God. We need to stay connected to Jesus and the only way is to remain in God as we are the branches and we need to be connected to the vine.

No wonder I have tried so many times to love difficult people and still failed. In Matthew 22:39, we are told to ‘love your neighbour as yourself.’ This is a character trait I deeply long to grow in—to love those I naturally find hard to love. Now I understand why I struggled for so long, I was relying on my own strength and willpower. That kind of effort cannot sustain itself. Even when I seem to succeed for a while, the moment something they do triggers my anger, I find myself right back where I started.

Through these verses, I learnt to actively remain in God, to spend time to be in relationship with God. Being still, being quiet, and let his presence fill me. Because it is in his presence that His life flows in you. And it is his life that produces the fruit. To prioritise time with God, to spend time with God in daily basis. Not rushing through prayer, or reading a verse or go to church once a week".

Lent whispers this truth: You are meant to bear fruit — real, lasting, Christ-shaped fruit.

Lent: Servant Leadership

 

Servant Leadership is the perfect "bridge" between the humility of Ash Wednesday and the active Christian life. It moves the focus from pious feelings to practical feet.

In a Lenten context, Servant Leadership is about choosing to "descend" into greatness, just as Christ did. 

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” — Mark 10:45

Lent invites us into a slower rhythm—a season of reflection, repentance, and realignment. It is a journey toward the cross, but also a journey into the heart of Jesus. And at the center of His heart is a posture that turns every worldly idea of power upside down: servant leadership.
The Way of Jesus Is the Way Down
In a world that celebrates visibility, influence, and recognition, Jesus kneels.
He washes feet.
He touches the untouchable.
He listens to the overlooked.
He chooses the towel over the throne.
Lent reminds us that the path to resurrection always passes through humility. The kingdom is not advanced by those who demand position, but by those who quietly pour themselves out in love.
Servant Leadership Is Not Weakness
It is courage wrapped in compassion.
It is strength expressed through sacrifice.
It is authority anchored in obedience.
When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He wasn’t abandoning His identity—He was revealing it. True leadership is not diminished by service; it is defined by it.
Where Might God Be Calling You to Kneel This Lent?
To forgive someone who has wounded you
To serve without being seen
To listen more than you speak
To give without expecting return
To lead with gentleness instead of pressure
To choose obedience over convenience
Servant leadership is not a strategy—it is a surrender. It is saying, “Lord, make me more like You,” and meaning it.

The Lenten Challenge

This week, identify your "Basin." What is the one task in your home, church, or workplace that "no one wants to do"?

Do it. Not for the credit, but to train your heart to recognize the dignity in the mundane.

The Power of Prayer: Pastor Rajiv

Lent is often associated with giving things up, but, as we wrote yesterday, the true heart of this season is about taking things in. Specifically, it is about the power of prayer.

Prayer is not a religious chore or a last resort for the desperate; it is the "oxygen of the soul." It is the bridge between our earthly struggles and Heavenly strength. During these forty days, prayer becomes our primary tool for transformation. It is how we align our wandering hearts with the steady heartbeat of God.

Today, Pastor Rajiv explores how a simple "Amen" can unlock a power that changes not just your circumstances, but your very character.

Lent: Fresh Oil for a New Season

“But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.” Psalm 92:10 (KJV)

As we step into Lent, many of us carry the quiet weight of expectations — spiritual goals, personal commitments, responsibilities that don’t pause just because the season has begun. Lent often invites reflection, but it can also reveal how tired we truly are.

Yet Psalm 92:10 gives us a promise that meets us right where we are:

God never asks you to walk into a new season with yesterday’s strength. He offers fresh oil — a fresh anointing, fresh wisdom, fresh empowerment for today.

In Scripture, oil represents the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not something we strive for or earn. It’s something God pours out.

And that changes everything.

Because Lent is not a season of spiritual performance.

It’s a season of spiritual renewal.

It’s not about proving your devotion.

It’s about receiving His grace.

It's not about sacrificing something in our life. 

It's about adding Jesus to our life. 

Whatever is your objective this lent - remember this: 

God has fresh oil for you.

So as this season begins, pause and ask Him:

“Lord, anoint me with fresh oil.

Not just to get through the day,

but to walk in my calling with joy and excellence.”

His anointing renews what feels worn, restores what feels broken, and equips you for what He has prepared.

This Lent, may you experience not the pressure to do more —

but the invitation to receive more.

More grace.

More strength.

More presence.

More of Him.

Monday Reset: The Sacred Pause

 

Reflect and Reset.

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. Psalm 26:2 (KJV)

Before you step into a new week, take time to reflect. What did God teach you last week? What do you want to carry forward—and what must you leave behind?
Today, let this be a sacred pause, a time of evaluation and renewal. Invite God to examine your heart and align you afresh with His will. This week brings a new chapter. Reset your soul in His presence.
Father, examine me and renew me. Thank You for all You’ve done last week. Prepare my heart for the future. Let me walk closer with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sabbath Prayers

                                          

Come near to God and he will come near to you.... James 4:8

As we enter this sacred rest, may the peace of God settle over every weary place in our hearts.

“Lord, as this Sabbath begins, we pause to breathe in Your presence. Still our minds, renew our spirits, and remind us that our identity is rooted not in our striving, but in Your unfailing love. Let this day be a sanctuary—filled with quiet joy, deep gratitude, and the gentle whisper of Your voice.

Refresh us, restore us, and realign us with Your purpose.

Amen.”

“Father, we lift Jan into Your hands today. Surround her with Your healing, Your strength, and Your comfort as she goes for her tests on Monday the 16th. May the tests be productive and qualify her for the clinical trials he doctors reccomend. You know her needs so we leave the healing method in our hands. Let Your peace guard her heart, Your presence steady her steps, and Your grace meet her in every need. May this Sabbath be a covering over her—bringing rest to her body, hope to her spirit, and assurance that she is held by You.

We also want to give you thanks and praise for the continued healing of Joan as she has tested negative. We also give you thanks for Samira who has started the follow up treatment and has been able to overcome the side effects with your help and grace. 

We pray for the restoration of Brandons health and family. For Ben to get a job. We pray for Lisa's daughter, Lindsey's mother, Haleen and Laurika.
We thank you for the seniors with us who have got through a harsh winter and polluted conditions. We pray for Pastor Ben and his family in India.
May this Sabbath bring:
Rest that restores. Peace that settles the soul. Joy that rises from gratitude. Faith that grows deeper. Light that guides every step.
Amen

Please join us every week in our Sabbath Prayer for the week. We request your support in adopting prayer points for people mentioned, in your own prayers this week and become vessels of His healing. 

To download our mobile app Click here 

The Empathy Pillar: Jen Tan

One of the pillars of Christianity - an important one, is Empathy. Without empathy we continue to judge and as we judge we cannot love as we are commanded to do . Empathy and the command “Thou shalt not judge” are deeply connected—almost two sides of the same Christian posture. When you look closely, empathy is actually what makes obedience to that command possible. In fact, Empathy mirrors the way Jesus approached people. Jesus never excused sin, but He always understood the person. He saw the woman at the well, the tax collector in the tree, the thief on the cross—not as problems to condemn, but as people to redeem.

Empathy doesn’t deny truth; it delivers truth with compassion.

Today, Jen Tan talks about discovery of "empathy" and forgiveness in her own life.

Reading John Chapter 8 - 21/1/2026

John 8:3-11 … “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “ Go now and leave your life of sins”

Application study Bible: Jesus knows your worst sins, yet he offers you compassion and mercy. Let his mercy give you courage to face your guilt. His love will overcome your shame. Don’t deny it or despair. Be sorry for your sins, seek the Lord, and receive his forgiveness. Jesus stands ready to forgive any sin in your life, but confession and repentance mean a change of heart. With God’s help we can accept Jesus forgiveness and stop our wrongdoing.

"As human being, I have my fair share of sins and guilts. Yet, throughout my life, I also have my fair share of pinpointing others’ faults and complaining about things they have done that do not please me.

As I read this chapter, I asked myself, “Who am I to judge others when Jesus is so merciful and forgiving to everyone?” Ultimately, it is God’s role to judge, not mine. My first response should be to show forgiveness and compassion.

This chapter has challenged me to extend mercy to those who are struggling with sin, just as I am. Instead of criticising or condemning, I want to learn to walk alongside them—to help, encourage, and restore rather than to hurt them.

After being diagnosed, God has continually reassured me that my sins have already been forgiven at the cross. I am called to leave my old life of sin behind and walk in the new life He has given me".

Tempting the Devil

“Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” — Luke 11:4

There is a quiet danger in the Christian life that we often underestimate—not the danger of being tempted, but the danger of inviting temptation. Jesus teaches us to pray against it, yet many of us walk straight toward the very things we ask God to keep us from. What we pray for in the secret place must be matched by the choices we make in the open.

Temptation is not something we are called to explore, test, or flirt with. Scripture never asks us to prove our strength; it asks us to guard our steps. We are not lion hunters. The enemy is described as a roaring lion, but nowhere are we told to go looking for him. Presumption is expensive. Curiosity can be costly. And spiritual pride—“I can handle this”—has toppled many who once thought they stood firm.

Jesus Himself warned His disciples, “Pray that you enter not into temptation.” He spoke as One who had walked through the wilderness, felt the sting of Satan’s whispers, and understood the weight of spiritual warfare. If the sinless Son of God urged His followers to pray this way, how much more should we?

Yet even with our best efforts, temptation will come. Not because God is unkind, but because we live in a world where evil is real and the enemy is relentless. God has one Son without sin, but none without temptation. Sparks fly upward, and temptations rise just as naturally. This is why Jesus pairs the first request with a second: “Deliver us from evil.”

We are not helpless. We are not alone. But we must be watchful.

There are seasons when the enemy presses harder—moments of weariness, loneliness, success, disappointment, or spiritual dryness. Just as cold winds return in their season, so do certain temptations. The wise believer learns to recognize these patterns, or triggers, and prepares accordingly. Prevention is better than cure; it is better to be so spiritually guarded that the enemy hesitates to attack than to fight a battle we could have avoided.

So today, let your prayer be twofold:

Lord, keep me from the paths where temptation waits.

And if temptation must come, deliver me from the evil one.

May God give you discernment to avoid looking for the lion in the thicket!

The Possibility of the Impossible: Pastor Rajiv's Reflections

Read: Exodus 2 Verses 1 to 10.

Most times familiarity breeds a state of mindless recitation leading to zero consciousness. The story of Moses in the Bible has been heard so many times we probably cease to think about it anymore. But pause here to examine the scenario:

Moses is born in a situation where the king has passed a judgment to kill every male Jewish child. He is therefore destined to be put to death. He is floated into the river as a desperate attempt by his mother to save him. She probably thought it was better for the river to take him than the violent death he faced. The river, instead of swallowing him as it should have, floats him to the kings' daughter swimming nearby, and who is attracted to the baby. She protects him and brings him up and finally Moses saves and leads his people, according to Gods will and wish, out of Egypt to a new land.

Can you see the possibilities of the impossible? That Moses should have escaped Pharaoh's diktat: Impossible.

That he was not drowned: next to impossible.

That of all people, Pharaoh's daughter finds him. Incredible.

That the king's daughter goes against her father and protects an adopts him: Impossible.

Yet, out of all these impossible situations, God brought Moses to finally achieve the purpose God had for him. The appearance of Pharaoh’s daughter and her discovery of the baby were not mere coincidences; they were acts of God, part of an amazing plan to save Moses.

It's the same God who is working in our lives today. He chose us before we were born (Isiaah 49:1) so we are not an accident. He has a purpose for us and will make the seemingly impossible, to be possible to achieve that purpose.

We can never be in a worse position than Moses, yet in every adverse situation we find ourselves in, be sure God will use that same situation to turn our life around.

Moses’ story encourages us to think of all the acts of God in our own lives. It invites us to ponder if and how we show appreciation for God’s saving grace upon our lives and the lives of our loved ones. How do we explain God’s love for us and God’s work of salvation through Jesus Christ? The amazing acts of God are limitless in the Bible but more importantly, in our own lives.

So, no matter how impossible it may seem, pray foolishly for God to turn it around, and in our foolishness God will listen. He will act. And He will make the impossible to become possible.

Undeserved Hardhip

"Undeserved Hardship Bears Fruit When Borne with Christ" - Pastor Vikram

"For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God... To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." — 1 Peter 2:19, 21

There is a specific kind of ache that comes from suffering you didn’t ask for and didn't cause.

It’s the "undeserved hardship"—the layoff despite your hard work, the illness despite your health, or the betrayal despite your loyalty. Our natural instinct is to protest: "This isn't right."

And you’re right. It isn’t. But in the Kingdom of God, the "unfair" is often the soil for the supernatural.

When we face hardship we've earned (consequences of our own mistakes), we learn repentance. But when we face hardship we haven't earned, we are invited into a unique intimacy with Jesus because Jesus was the only person in history who suffered perfectly undeserved hardship. When we "bear up" under unjust pain while keeping our eyes on Him, we aren't just enduring; we are participating in the "fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 3:10). We begin to look, act, and love more like Him because we are walking the exact path He trod.

But the key is we need to bear it WITH Him. Not on our own.

If we bear that pressure alone, we often find bitterness, resentment, or exhaustion. But when we bear it with Christ, the pressure produces a different kind of vintage:

A Refined Character: Like gold in the fire, the "unjust" parts of life burn away our pride and self-reliance, leaving behind a soul that shines with God’s peace.

Supernatural Resilience & Strength : You discover a strength that isn't yours. It is $Strength_{Total} = Strength_{Self} + Grace_{God}$. When your strength hits zero, His grace remains constant.

A Harvest for Others: The most powerful testimony is not the person who is blessed when everything goes right; it is the person who is joyful when everything goes wrong. Your endurance becomes a "map" for others lost in their own dark valleys.

Today maybe a good time to reflect - 

Am I currently trying to "solve" my hardship through my own strength, or am I "bearing up" under it with a consciousness of God's presence?

Can I trust that even if the situation is unfair, God is still a just God?

If you are unsure - do reach out to us and we can share some more or connect you to someone who can help support. 

Monday Reset: Consulting the Divine

 

Read: 2 Samuel 5 :23

When we read the Bible, or recollect the various writings, do not look on them as mere stories. They are a lighthouse to guide us.

One of the primary characters of the Bible is King David. While his personal life maybe what it was, professionally he made a very successful king and a great warrior and leader.

But what can we learn from him?

Recall David and the Philistines. He had just beaten them hollow in war and yet they rise again against them. In that situation what would you or I have done? Filled with the confidence and joy of victory, would we not have rushed back again to fight them?

Not so David. 

He stepped back, consulted God and only after receiving the go ahead, did he go and fight and win again.

In our own lives, how many times do we consult God? Do we do it before every action? Or do we do it only when we feel unsure and not confident.

Usually, we take action first then pray for its success. Wrong.

Pray and consult God first and then wait for success.

This week let us practise consulting God in every action or decision we need to take - personally or professionally.

Heavenly Father- as we start the week, we bring to you every situation, action and decision we will face this week. We do not know what will make or break us. But you know Father, so we put it to you for your direction. Show us what you would have us do. Amen.

Have a great week.

Sabbath Prayers

                                         

“He restores my soul.” — 

Psalm 23:3

Gracious God,

As this Sabbath begins, we come before You with hearts and bodies that long to be restored.
We bring the pieces of our week — the weary parts, the wounded parts, the forgotten parts — and we place them gently in Your hands.
Restore us, O Lord. Restore the joy that has faded, the strength that has been stretched thin, the hope that feels distant. Let Your Sabbath rest become a healing river, washing over every place in us that needs renewal.

We thank you Lord for restoring Samira, Jen and Joan. We pray for them as they continue with their therapy. Please pray for Sharon. Please pray that the lump on her leg is not her cancer spreading. Pray for her cancer to be healed. Pray for good health.
We pray for the healing of Pastor Jordan from pneumonia and high blood pressure. Also for Pastor Vikram and Pastor Ben in India for healing and recovery. We pray for the healing and restoration of Amber.

Lord , Where relationships are strained, bring reconciliation. Where dreams have dimmed, breathe life again. Where our spirits feel burdened, lift the weight we cannot carry alone. 
On this holy day, remind us that nothing is beyond Your mending. You restore what is broken, You revive what is tired, You rebuild what has been torn down.
May Your peace settle over us like a gentle covering. May Your presence steady our hearts. May Your love make us whole again.
Restore our minds with clarity, our bodies with rest, our souls with Your unfailing grace.
As we enter this Sabbath,
renew us so that we may rise again — rooted in Your peace, strengthened by Your Spirit, and ready to walk in the fullness of Your purpose.

Amen.

Please join us every week in our Sabbath Prayer for the week. We request your support in adopting prayer points for people mentioned, in your own prayers this week and become vessels of His healing. 

To download our mobile app Click here 

When Hope Finds a Voice: Jen Tan

John 7:13

“But no one spoke openly about Him for fear of the Jewish leaders.”

Fear has a way of silencing even the sincerest believer. In John 7:13, the crowds' believed Jesus was extraordinary—yet they kept quiet. They admired Him privately but hid their faith publicly. Their silence wasn’t due to lack of conviction, but fear of rejection.

Jen’s testimony mirrors this tension so honestly. Today she shares her experience of John 7:13

"This verse calls me to be courageous. It reminds me to speak up for Jesus and for all that He has done for me—because this is what God intends for us to do.

There was a period in my life when I believed that God is real, yet out of a desire to conform and be accepted by non-believers, I told people that I was a free thinker. In doing so, I distanced myself from God and, in a way, disowned Him.

Even today, I must constantly remind myself not to feel shy about speaking up for Jesus, especially to those who do not believe. I am learning that my faith is not something to hide, but something to live out with courage.

There was a time when I thought I might die. After being diagnosed with cancer and its subsequent treatments, I became very frail, and in my desperation I bargained with God—asking Him for a second chance at life and promising to do whatever He wanted me to do. Yet in my heart, I worried whether I could fulfil those promises because of my limited knowledge of God and my weakness in expressing my thoughts openly.

But God reassured me that He would provide the resources needed to fulfil what He has called me to do".

God reminded Jen that courage doesn’t come from personality, confidence, or eloquence—it comes from Him.

Today Jen is A Living Testimony!

Jen continues to learn what it means to speak openly about Jesus. Not perfectly. Not fearlessly every moment. But faithfully.

Her story reminds us that:

Faith is not meant to be hidden.

Courage grows when we step out, even trembling.

God provides every resource we need to fulfil what He calls us to do.

Our testimony—especially the imperfect parts—can awaken faith in others.

________________________________________________

We request our readers to faithfully pray for Jen as she goes through her treatment and lives life by the day. 

Why Did Christ Have to Die

Without the shedding of blood is no remission. — Hebrews 9:22

As we draw near to the Lenten season, a familiar question rises again—one so foundational that it deserves fresh reflection every year: 

Why did Christ have to die?

Most of us instinctively answer, “For our sins.” And that is true. But if God is all-powerful, couldn’t forgiveness have come another way? Couldn’t He have simply declared us pardoned?

Scripture gives us a sobering and beautiful answer:

The Unalterable Truth of God’s Way

From the earliest pages of the Old Testament, God established a pattern: sin cannot be removed without the shedding of blood.

This wasn’t a symbolic idea—it was a divine decree.

Think back to Egypt, when a spotless lamb was slain and its blood brushed on the doorposts. That blood didn’t just mark a home; it marked a covenant. God Himself set the terms, and He does not break His own word.

If forgiveness requires atonement, then humanity stands hopeless—unless Someone steps in.

If God’s law demands blood, then only one question matters:

Whose blood will speak for me?

No moral life, no generosity, no patriotism, no admirable personality can bend the rule.

We are all equal at the foot of the cross—equally needy, equally unable to save ourselves.

There is only one blood that carries the power to atone:

the blood of Jesus, whom God set forth as the perfect sacrifice.

So we must ask ourselves honestly:

Am I trusting in Him alone? Has His atonement been applied to my heart?

Those who rely on rituals, good works, or religious performance often struggle to understand the joy believers have when they say, “My sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.”

Their ceremonies give them little comfort because they are trying to find remission without blood, peace without Christ, salvation without surrender.

But There is only one place to run.

Fly to Jesus. 

As Lent approaches, may this truth settle deeply within us:

Christ did not die because God lacked power.

Christ died because God keeps His word—and because His love would not leave us without a way home.

Life Happens

                                           

John Lennon once wrote - 

"Life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans".

As a follower of Christ - life can be defined as God's will, persecution through spiritual or physical attacks, sickness, enmity, fraud, failure etc.  Look at Job. He was in the best of places. God was happy with him, and he was happy in God. God loved Him and he loved God. And that was the very reason he came under a severe spiritual attack and "life happened".

In such times what does one do? 

Love and worship God with as much, if not double the intensity. Seek shelter in His shadow. Only He has the solution to defending you as well as healing the situation.

Many turn away in panic and seek healing in alcohol or drugs or druids or astrologers. We make them our God's hoping they can help us. They cannot.

Today, if life has happened to you, go to Him who made life.

Standard Operating Procedure of Church: Pastor Rajiv

 

Is Church going such a habit that we become desensitized to worship? Today Pastor Rajiv talks about the core of worshipping God. 

Let My Heart Be Broken: Pastor Noom

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The Great Commission. 

"In 1947, a young American minister named Bob Pierce traveled to China. What he encountered there shattered him. Orphaned children wandering streets bombed into rubble. Families torn apart by war and famine. The overwhelming suffering of a nation in chaos. But one moment changed everything.

A Chinese schoolteacher brought a little girl to him—a child she could no longer feed. With tears streaming down her face, she placed the girl in Bob’s arms. That night, overcome with grief and conviction, Bob Pierce wrote in his Bible words that would become the foundation of World Vision, one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations:

“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God"

This was not sentimentality. This was not emotion for emotion’s sake. This was a man aligning his spirit with the very heart of the Almighty—a God who sees the suffering, who hears the cries of the oppressed, who acts on behalf of the helpless.

The question thundering from heaven today is this: Has your heart been broken lately?

Or have you become so comfortable, so insulated, so self-absorbed that the suffering of millions passes by your eyes like background noise on a television screen you’ve learned to ignore?"

The Great Commission given to every Christian is His or her mission.

Bob Pierce understood something that much of the modern church has forgotten: A Mission doesn’t start with a program. It starts with a broken heart.

When God looks upon this world, what does He see?

- He sees 8 million children who die every year from preventable diseases.

- He sees hundreds of millions living in crushing poverty, without clean water, without basic medical care.

- He sees the lonely elderly forgotten in nursing homes, yearning for a kind word.

- He sees teenagers contemplating suicide because they feel worthless and alone.

- He sees families torn apart by addiction, abuse, and abandonment.

- He sees the unreached peoples who have never once heard the name of Jesus.

And His heart breaks

When was the last time your heart was broken?

(Rev Noom Pastors the Christ Church, Bangkok. This is an excerpt from his power message. We will share more excerpts from this powerful message on Thursday. Contributed by a reader)