We praise the Lord that we are able to commemorate the 34th Anniversary
of Tabernacle Bible Presbyterian Church today. This is also the second
church anniversary held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Who would
have thought that the pandemic would last this long? It has taken a toll on
many. How we wish that the pandemic would end soon.
Nevertheless, we have much to thank the Lord for. He has kept all of us in
good health and strength despite the plague. The situation in Singapore is
also better than many countries in the world. We thank the Lord for a
government who is trying her best to manage the state of affairs. The fact
that some of us are able to meet physically this year, rather than have a
wholly online service is testimony of the Lord’s goodness. We can only
pray that the full expression of worship can be expressed the soonest.
In view of the Lord’s goodness towards us, it is most appropriate that we
meditate on the theme, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” for this year’s
anniversary. “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. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I
hope in him.” (Lam. 3:22-24) We will learn more in the sermon later
today. May the Lord bless us richly with His precious Word.
How then should we respond to the faithfulness of the Lord? Firstly, let us
resolve in our hearts to do our best for our Master. We must be faithful to
Christ, just as Christ has been faithful to us. Secondly, let us be watchful
and sober unto the coming of the Lord. The Lord was faithful in all His
promises concerning Christ’s first coming. Surely He will be faithful to all
His promises concerning His Second Coming. We can thus rest assured in
the care of our Saviour.
We should also take the opportunity to study the faithful Word of God
more during this pandemic. Since we will not be able to have our usual
church outing this year, we will be having an online National Day Bible
Seminar on the morning of 9th August 2021. The messages in the seminar
will be interpreted in Mandarin. We will be surveying the Hall of Faith as
found in the Book of Hebrews. I hope to see both the English and Chinese
congregation at the seminar. The more we study God’s Faithful Word, the
more we can be ready for the soon return of Christ.
May the Lord continue to keep you in His love and care.
Yours affectionately,
Pastor Clement Chew
WHY CALLED OLD FAITHFUL
(Taken from Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations by Paul Lee Tan)
Dr. W. Morris Ford speaks of the famous geyser called “Old Faithful” in
Yellowstone National Park. It gets its name from the fact that, unlike
other geysers, it follows a dependable schedule. Once every 65 minutes, it
shoots a stream of boiling water more than 170 feet into the air. No one
knows when it began or how many times it has erupted. With amazing
regularity of a geyser, it continues to spout.
Editor’s Note:
Consider how God is even more faithful than “Old Faithful”. His love
never faileth. Great is His faithfulness.