REVIVE THY CHURCH, O LORD!
The church theme this year is “Revive Thy Church, O LORD!” It is taken from Psalm 85:6 – “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?”

This Psalm was written when the Jews returned from seventy years of captivity because of their wickedness and rebellion (Ps. 85:1-2). The LORD has been faithful to His covenant with Israel, and have forgiven the sins of His people. But what about God’s people? Will they be faithful to Him in return?

We praise God that the returning Jews did not take the LORD’s deliverance and goodness for granted. Instead, they saw their return to the land as a clarion call to examine whether their ways are pleasing before the LORD. Thus, the people cried in Psalm 85:5-6, “Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?”

The term “revive” is translated from the Hebrew word shuv. The idea behind shuv is not that of a dead person being made alive. Rather, the picture is that of a person being turned around and returning to where he was in the first place. The same word is used in verses 4 and 8 of this psalm and translated as “turn”. Thus, when the Jews asked the Lord to “revive” them again, they are asking the Lord to work in their lives, to forsake the way of sin and iniquity, and return to the path of holiness and righteousness.

The same applies to us today. Have we not received from the good hand of the Lord? Has he not delivered us from our sins? Has he not helped us through the various circumstances of life? Then we must not take the Lord’s goodness for granted. We must instead examine our ways and see if they are pleasing in God’s eyes. Where we have fallen short, we must quickly repent and return unto the Lord. There must also be a commitment to heed the Lord’s correction and not return to wicked ways. “I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.” (Ps. 85:8 KJV)

For the year 2018, let us beseech the LORD to revive us in the following areas:

Revive us in our testimony! Have we been bearing a good testimony at home, in school, at work or in church? Let us beseech the LORD to help us be Christ-like in our conduct wherever we are.
Revive us in our love for His Word! Have we been reading and meditating upon God’s Word? And have we been diligent to obey His commandments, statutes and precepts? May the Lord cause us to turn again to His Word with relish!
Revive us in our service! Have we been fervent in our labour for Christ? Or have we been slothful? May the LORD grant us a desire to serve Him with all that we have.
Revive us in our prayer life! Have we been praying without ceasing? May the Lord help us always to pray and not to faint (Luke 18:1).
Revive us in evangelism and missions! Every Christian’s mission field begins at home. Have we been faithfully witnessing to our loved ones, friends and colleagues? Have we been active in our support of faithful missionaries in their time of need? May the LORD help us not to turn the Great Commission into the Great Omission!

The LORD will grant us a great rejoicing when we turn unto Him in all truth and sincerity. May 2018 be a year of fruitful labour for the LORD. Revive Thy Church, O LORD!

Lovingly in Christ,
Preacher Clement Chew

 

 

THE LORD HELP ME TO GROW!
A Testimony by Daniel Khan

Hello brothers and sisters in Christ. I am Daniel Khan. Firstly, I want to thank the Lord for seeing me through Little Ark. When I first came to Little Ark, I did not know what was the use of it. As the years went by, I started to understand that it is to learn about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

After learning more of His Word, I became more matured in my faith. I was involved in an accident, and I want to thank the Lord for saving me. I also want to thank the LORD for seeing me through my primary school life. I want to thank all the teachers who have taught me during my 3 years in Little Ark, despite giving them a lot of trouble.

Next year, I will be joining the youths in Discipleship Class. I pray that I will not skip church, learn more in Discipleship Class, and be baptised. I also pray that as I move on to Secondary School, I will be a good testimony to my friends. God bless.