EBENEZER MARCH 2017
Mark 3:14 – 15 (NIV) He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons 14
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Being with Passion, Going with Purpose and Doing with Power Our Church Theme for 2017 is still “Being With Jesus”- Being with Passion, Going with Purpose and Doing with Power, taken from Mark 3:14-15. BEING WITH JESUS – READING THRU THE NEW TESTAMENT 2017 As a Church Family, SSMC has embarked on a faith journey to read through the entire New Testament in 2017, taking bite-size portions everyday. The English congregation including Young Adults, Youth and Children’s Church together with our KBM congregation members have all adopted it and and are using the given daily scripture passages. After one month, the response and feedback has been extremely encouraging and it’s the prayer of the Church Leadership that it will be sustained throughout the year. If you are reading this issue of Ebenezer but have yet to be part of ‘Reading Thru the NT in 2017’, it is not too late to get a copy of the ‘Being With Jesus’ booklet and be part of it. I am very sure you will not regret doing so.
Vision Statement: TRANSFORMATION LIVES, EXPANDING HIS KINGDOM
Mission Statement: We are DISCIPLES, called to make DISCIPLES. We SEEK to bring GOD’S KINGDOM into ALL SPHERES OF LIFE
RE-VISITING SSMC’S VISION & MISSION STATEMENT SSMC’s Vision statement remains the same: TRANSFORMING LIVES, EXPANDING HIS KINGDOM. However, we have revised our Mission Statement to give it greater clarity and focus and it reads as follows: We are DISCIPLES, called to make DISCIPLES and We SEEK to bring GOD’S KINGDOM into ALL SPHERES of LIFE. This means that for Lives to be Transformed and God’s Kingdom Expanding, everyone of us SSMCians, are called first to Be A Disciple of Jesus and at the same time reaching out to be Discipled and / or Making Disciples of another person. It is our hope that this will not be seen as a ‘Church Program’ but instead become a habit and eventually a Lifestyle. If all of us live out each day 24/7 as Disciples of Jesus, we will definitely bring God’s Kingdom wherever we are –at home, at work, where we eat, exercise or even while on holidays. So it’s not enough just to be saved, earn our ticket to heaven and wait to die. We are all saved for the expressed purpose of being a light and salt for Jesus by fulfilling whatever work and ministry God has for each of His Chosen children. So our individual life must have a purpose beyond ourselves, and can only be found in serving God Almighty.
In addition to our Vision and Mission Statements, as a local body of believers, there are some inherent distinctiveness and values that set us apart from any other Church or group. These are our CORE VALUES which serve as our distinguishing marks as a local Church.
They are as follows: • PRAYER & INTERCESSION – Hearing & Obeying God’s Will, that Prayer is talking to God and more. • INTERGENERATIONAL CHURCH – Generations Need One Another. As such there should be No Comparison, No Competition and No Condemnation of each other. • WORSHIPPING – All Of Life Is A Worship Unto God. So Worship should be a Lifestyle and not only an ‘Event’ on Sundays in Church. • DISCIPLING – Disciple Producing Disciples Intentionally • GIVING – Being Stewards of God’s Resources. It is not to be limited only to money and finance. • SENDING – Everyone Send Out On God’s Mission since Every Disciple has a Mission Field. We live in exciting times to be a follower of Christ in this fair land. I so welcome you to take this Journey of Faith on the SSMC Express with God’s Word, the Bible as our Teacher and Guide. Will you? In His Service,
Ps Dr Ng Swee Ming
SSMC Core Values: • • • • • •
WORSHIPPING DISCIPLING GIVING SENDING INTERGENERATIONAL CHURCH PRAYER & INTERCESSION
Grounding our kids on the rock solid foundation of Christ Compiled by Danielle Foo
SSMC’s annual Vacation Bible School (VBS) was held on 1 – 3 Dec and 2016’s theme was CAVE QUEST, an over-the-top underground adventure! Grounding our kids on the rock solid of God’s love, a love that takes us through life’s dark times. There were 158 children cavers aged 6 – 12 years old who spent 3 solid days learning about God and what it means to follow Jesus, the light of the world. Here are some of what the parents of our cavers have to say: "The kids had such a good time! And the child of my friend who's a non-believer also enjoyed it so much. My friend said will send the kids for VBS again in the future." Yoke Mei, Parent of Caver "All the kids enjoyed Cave Quest very much. Will try to make it every year. I'm so impressed with the whole progress!"- Ee Lynn, Parent of Caver When God moves, those impacted were not only the cavers, but also those faithfully serving. Here’s what our Assistant Cave Guides have to say: "I think the children understood the gospel. Especially with the wordless caterpillar, the children are able to share the gospel to their friends and families. Even though some of them had already accepted Christ as their personal Saviour, they rededicated their lives to God. As for me, I enjoyed worshipping the Lord with the kids. I’m happy to know that God loves each and every one of them no matter what the circumstances are!" - Kristy Goh, Assistant Cave Guide
"This was an amazing opportunity for me to draw closer to God. I really enjoyed the worship because I could see the children worship whole-heartedly. During the discussions, everyone was open and encouraged each other. We had a great time getting to know each other and learning more about God together." - Cassandra Loo, Assistant Cave Guide/Worship Team "I was very blessed to have the opportunity to serve the Lord here. I was also able to learn more about God and get closer to Him. I truly enjoyed being with the children – sharing, singing, dancing and worshipping Jesus together. I am glad that the children got to know more about Jesus, the wonderful things He has done and learnt how to share the good news to others." - Sherlyn Soo, Assistant Cave Guide “Cave Quest 2016 was the first time I was involved in different areas than I’m used to and it was a great experience. I was the Game Master for Cave Quest and leading the kids in a time of games was stressful at times… but that didn’t matter very much because everyone had fun despite encountering some hiccups. I also got to act as Jesus!!! I got to appreciate the meaning of the cross to a greater measure when I acted as Him. It is always a privilege to serve God, no matter what we do or how “important” the roles we play. In the grand scheme of things, everything we do, small and big, is important to bringing God’s Kingdom in our lives and in the lives of others. One thing that struck me the most is that THE new generation SHOULD NOT be wasted. I am really glad to have the opportunity to teach the kids, through the game lessons and acting about who God really is. I hope that the seeds sown would bear fruit and with faith, we know that God holds them in His hand and in His time He will do His work. The comfort I gain is that God is moving whether we see it or not. – Joshua Liew, Game Master / AV Crew
"When I first volunteered at VBS 4 years ago, I thought I would be babysitting a bunch of kids for 3 days. Never have I been so wrong. VBS was so much more than that. It was more than making sure they had their meals and had their fair share of fun. I gradually enjoyed myself as the days flew by. We were instilling Godly values and lessons into their lives. As a cave leader this year, the real joy I had wasn't so much in winning or accumulating points; it was the journey of opening up, connecting, and sharing powerful testimonies with them. One can ask whether it makes a difference with kids so young, even at 6 years; but I believe that seeds are sown in their lives which will bear fruit in the future. Regardless of whether there is an instant change or not, we have to prepare to sow seeds that we may not even reap. Watching the children grow to be mature teenagers who have Jesus as their foundation, and to know that you have made an impact in their lives, no matter how small it may be, is enough of a reward to me." - Brandon Lee, Cave Leader “The bible lesson I prepared for was about how Jesus gives us power through His Holy Spirit. What I wanted the kids to know through this lesson was that no matter what situation they are in, if they ever feel helpless, God is always there and there is nothing to fear! As long as they’re connected to God, He will empower them to face any challenge. Fortunately, they seemed to understand the lesson. I just hope that the one thing they take away from this is that they know they can turn to God at any time.” – Ashley Wong, Cave Teacher May our children be anchored on the solid foundation of Christ and know His everlasting love!
Turning pain into prayers Editor’s Pick Has anyone ever been unkind, untrue, or hurtful to you? Your answer would probably be… of course. In this fallen world, we cannot escape such experiences, try as we might. While sometimes it’s easy to overlook an offense, and “let it go”, other times the pain of mistreatment is too difficult to ignore and we just can’t seem to forget it and move on. The reality is that unkind words sting. Rejection wounds. Betrayal cuts deeply. Whether it’s racial discrimination, an unfair misjudgement of our character, words unkindly spoken, or another shameful wrong done against us, it can be difficult to shake negative thoughts (and bitterness) about the people whom we feel have mistreated us. So, what do we do when we just can’t seem to let it go? The world’s way to respond is to take revenge, to take control of the situation however we can. To dismiss the offender from our lives or to shame them, telling everyone we can about the injustices they’ve committed against us (even though we cannot truly know another’s intention). The world tells us to punish and make them pay for their mistakes. In Jesus, our way is so different when we are not treated as we want to be. Jesus, who endured the worst from even the ‘best’ of us, shows us a better way. I’m learning, as the Father faithfully brings His kingdom about in response to obedience to Jesus, His Word, that this way is an amazing, beautiful, and lifegiving way. As followers of Jesus, we’re not called to pretend that we haven’t endured injury, but rather to let our suffering be a vehicle for what the Lord may want to accomplish in us and through us. Our way is not to take revenge, but to allow God to reign over the situation. We let God be the judge and Lord, knowing that He wants to accomplish good inside of us (because we are as His dwelling place), and He wants to accomplish good through us as we are His ambassadors of peace and reconciliation. We were created for good works that He’d already planned for us before we were even a thought in our earthly parents’ minds. When we hear that Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you," and we apply it in our lives, it becomes an opportunity to enter into a better way of dealing with life’s disappointments. What if we considered the hurts brought upon us by others as a call to prayer and intercession that we offer in faith up to our perfect God and Father (Luke 6:35-37)? What if we took our thoughts and energies that have turned against a person, and instead “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5)”?
I have seen God accomplish great things that could only be attributed to Him, through obedience to Jesus’ principle of praying in this way. I’ve seen Him deliver an unkind coworker from the chains of alcohol addiction and fear as I stopped harbouring bitterness toward them and began to pray that they would receive the blessings of freedom in Christ and His perfect love that drives out fear instead. In another experience, I know it was no coincidence that as the love of God and power of His spirit turned my sadness and resentment toward a fellow believer into a private request to the Lord for her joy and fulfilment and that she would use her gifts & talents again. This sister in Christ chose to unbury a gift she’d been given for ministry that very next day and invest it again in the Kingdom. I’ve seen God bring peace to a sister’s anxious and troubled heart as the Lord took the anxiety in my own heart toward her and caused me to intercede for her peace of mind and heart instead. Imagine if we allowed God to step in and turn the hurts we receive from others into the working out of His greater purpose — where we turn our pain into prayers — for God’s blessing on the ones who have caused us pain. What if instead of focusing on the wound and the offense, we focus on the kingdom of God and His greater plans and purposes for our lives instead? It’s not easy, for sure, but He is able to change our minds and help us to obey, by the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead.
When we obey, we sometimes get to see our glorious God do things we had never thought could happen. It means we get to taste and see more of the goodness of the Lord. He helps us to remember that He treats us with that same kindness, love, and mercy. We get to see Him bring freedom into situations otherwise deemed hopeless. God’s economy is awesome and unfathomable. Even as I write this, I know that I haven’t mastered this better way, but by His grace, I’m learning little-by-little and day-by-day to see conflicts and mistreatment as opportunities to “Glorify God, serve others, and grow to be like Christ” – Ken Sande, The Peacemaker. Think about how (even as we pray privately in our prayer closets) God is glorified by these types of prayers. Can you imagine the angels standing by watching in amazement at the power of God’s Spirit and Jesus’ life at work as we pray in a way that is so contrary to the sinful nature? It’s not by our own doing, but by God’s power at work within us to will and to work for His good pleasure. Jesus is worth it! Don’t just take my word for it though… Brothers and Sisters, Let’s pray for one another that the Lord would accomplish this in and through us!
I left the church, and rediscovered my identity in Christ Contributed by Low Win Li
During a period after that, I went on a ‘fast’ from the church – I needed to be away from that “Christian environment” I was all too familiar with. That happened two years ago. Since then, I started to question what my faith meant to me. A majority of my faith growing up was actually formed based on opinions of others, rather than my own personal journey. Slowly and surely, I realized that I was in the constant stage where I was depending on going to church on Sundays to justify my relationship with God. It was no longer something for Him - it was for my own conscience. When I ‘left’ the church, I became closer to God. It sounds ironic. But it became from just ‘feeling God’ on Sundays or at youth groups or camp; to seeing God’s work in everyday life.
Growing up, I was brought up in a strictly “Christian” home. My dad had firmly believed in not having materialistic needs – and he constantly taught me that all I needed in life was God. Although his dependency on God was not exactly incorrect, for a girl who’s trying to fit in her school – knowing the Bible like the back of your hand isn’t exactly a useful conversational starter to a bunch of 10 year olds. I struggled a lot with my own identity through school, I had little to no confidence and was just an average student scraping through to not be ranked bottom of her class. I had not realized, but for a long time I was believing in my faith out of pure convenience rather than truly believing in what I proclaimed to be. A good friend of mine had asked me once: “Will I always not be good enough in the eyes of your friends just because I’m not a believer?” I couldn’t answer him. In my head I thought, “yet another person being hurt by my faith – was there something wrong with what I believed in? Why was it hurting the people I cared for the most?”.
I started turning to God for clarity and dedicating a portion of my time to Him daily – learning to understand things from my perspective and His perspective, rather than what people tell me I should believe. I had also started to take steps to decipher my struggle with my own identity. One of my struggles growing up was my addiction for approval – this subsequently formed into my anxious personality. If you asked me 5 years ago to speak in front of crowds, take up several leadership positions, and getting on the Dean’s Honor Roll list – I (and even my family) would say that you were crazy. Through my current journey in university, I started to prove my younger self wrong. God helped to replace my anger and frustration with positivity and love – I started striving to put a smile on others’ face although I struggled to muster one on my own. I found beauty and joy in my experiences, and the pain fueled my passions – such as my love for writing. I did eventually return back to the “Christian environment” later on – but this time I truly understood its purpose.
My father had discovered the true heart of Christianity, but for years I judged him for it due to the way he executed things – and didn’t bother understanding the reasoning behind what he believed so strongly about. Being away from the church made me realize that the heart of Christianity isn’t housed in a building, or among a group of “good people”. The church can be a wonderful community no doubt, but truly, the heart of Christianity is within us. It is within our relationship with Christ, it is between us and God, and no one else should stand in the way of our relationship with Him. I encourage all of us to not be afraid to question what we believe in – and take a step back to reassess our faith, because sometimes being brave can strengthen the foundation of your faith. There was an analogy that opened my eyes that I would like to share: “If you left the Church to get away from hypocritical people, you should also quit your job, drop out of school, disconnect yourself from all of your friends and family, lock yourself in your room while you’re at it. There will be flaws wherever there are humans. We need to start seeing church for what it is: it is a hospital with wounded and hurt people. You will find messed up, conniving, calculating, imperfect individuals – including yourself. As much as you want to deny it, we all go for healing. So if you felt betrayed by a fellow Church member, put your Nursing cap on, and treat them with care, love and kindness regardless.” A mantra I’ve incorporated into my daily life is to spread love always – for we never know what another person may be going through.
A little boy’s story Ethan was born on August 5, 2010. When he came out on that beautiful Thursday morning, he was lovely in all ways. All was well until he had to be readmitted to hospital on the 5 th day for jaundice. The doctor heard a murmur in his heart. I was advised to take him to see a pediatric cardiologist immediately. My dad took Ethan and I to visit the recommended pediatric cardiologist. While in the waiting room, we met a couple whose one year old girl was diagnosed with 2 holes in her heart and had just gone through surgery. Only then, it sunk in that Ethan may have a major heart problem. An echo scan was performed and he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, 2 holes in his heart. The cardiologist said that one of the holes will eventually close naturally, but the other was medium large in size and could cause a problem. Ethan could suffer from breathing and feeding difficulties. The news was heartbreaking. We tried not to ask the Lord why. But just as Job questioned his calamities – I questioned God and asked Him what was His purpose for this to happen. I had doubts in my mind about God’s goodness. My faith was shaken and I couldn’t figure out the reason or purpose. I was going through spiritual pain. Human pride expresses oneself to have a reason for everything that happens. I made God answerable for what we were going through and what happened to Ethan. I expected him to tell us WHY. I found myself placing "I" above the Creator.
In Job 30, he said “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer”. I believe many of us have had the same Job experience in our lives. Some of us wrestle with questions that we can only direct to our Creator. We sought the Lord as a family and He slowly opened up my eyes to see our circumstance in a fresh new way and a fresh revelation of who He is. God allowed me to walk this journey so that I could UNDERSTAND & EXPERIENCE who He is, not just KNOW who He is. The knowledge I had of God was put to the test and had to travel six inches down from my head to my heart. My faith needed a lot of refining. It was like a grinding wheel that as the wheel turns, it was truly painful. It pained me to think that my son’s heart was not whole and there was no way I could FIX the situation. I had to make the choice to trust the Lord completely – that He knows best for Ethan. I began to understand the deep meaning of Psalm 121 as I meditated upon it during this season. The Psalmist proclaimed – “Where does my help
come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth”. I understood and experienced the LORD as my Helper, our family’s Helper. Ethan’s help will come from the Lord, His maker.
Contributed by Rosalind Chong
God helped saw us through the many dreaded echo scan & checkups at the hospital. He helped sustain Ethan through the first six months of his life - the most crucial period. He helped comfort our emotions, when it was in turmoil. The Lord sent help financially and He sent people to pray alongside us. We truly experienced Him as our helper just as the psalmist proclaimed. The Word of God came alive and I experienced Him. Before his 1st birthday – his scan showed that his smaller hole has closed completely and his larger hole has closed by almost 2/3 (What a miracle!). He was never admitted to hospital for breathing or feeding difficulties. In July 2012, we were told that it was unlikely for the remaining hole to close naturally anymore.
The doctor recommended we prepare him for surgery before he turns 3. Shian and I felt that we would wait, pray and prepare ourselves to put him for surgery. Our family stood with us fervently in prayer. Our Pastors, DGS & DG encouraged us. Our friends were praying for him. Even Eunice, his toddler’s children church friend was praying for him. I experienced the wonderful support & love of the Christian community. Ethan went for quarterly check-ups throughout 2013 and 2014 and the remaining hole was not closing. It was causing other complications that may occur in the long run if not treated. We knew that we had to make a decision on the surgery soon and decided to put in his name at IJN on the long waiting list. 2 weeks later, unexpectedly a surgeon from IJN called and said there was an open date for Ethan’s surgery in Oct. God provided for us financially to have the surgery at a government funded hospital – how else could it be? Ethan was pushed into a 4 hour surgery in 2014. The first word he spoke when he woke up was “Sakit”. It was painful for him and for us but it was for the better. Sometimes the circumstances we face are difficult but because of them, we realize that we need Him – He’s our only help and hope. We made a choice to completely trust the Lord to see Ethan through and His purposes supersedes our senses. Seeing how far He has led us and Ethan, there’s no denying that God’s handprints are all over our situation. This little boy is blessed with a story to tell of God’s grace upon his life. One night in 2013 before the surgery, I remember praying with Ethan, he said…. “Jesus, please heal the hole in my heart”. He repeated it and then said … “Jesus, please heal the hole in mommy’s heart”. I laughed at his sense of humor but realized there’s an element of truth in his prayer. Many of us have holes in our hearts… holes of pain, bitterness, hurts, loneliness, disappointments, unforgiveness, pride… that only Jesus can heal. Will we surrender those to Jesus and ask Him for complete restoration of our hearts? Psalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
Ethan with his big brother, Issac.
My Papa in Heaven that NEVER fails Romans 8:37-39
This was indeed God's defining moment for me as I turn 45 this year. Over the past 1 year God has planned and placed all the pieces for me even though I have been a believer for 18 years. For the first time in my life - I no longer feel any apprehension of reconnecting with my past and the people I knew from my days of childhood up, through my working life and after I became a believer. For the first time I could finally embrace my unique identity as God has created me special, perfect and wonderful in His sight according to His perfect will and plan for Him. The Lord has done a deeper work in refining me, not that He hasn't been over the years but He has something new in store for me and another ride of adventure with Him. In the past year, God has slowly connected me back with people I haven't met over 20-28 years as a process of healing, restoration and redemption of my past to the present to reconcile what I was in the past to the new creation that I am in His eyes. It was a double edged sword because the blessings were tangible in both ways. I was challenged by God to face my past fear of people especially the rich and those of status. It was also a good self-check to see if I was completely healed. At the same time the Lord has something for the person He brought to my life - it was like the illustration of the video of Pastor's sermon where fishes were jumping to the boat by themselves. That was exactly how My Abba Father draws people to our midst. I had my first reunion after 20 years with my ex-colleagues. It was also a historical moment as I received salvation at the time I was in that company. I recalled how God tore down my false glory of success, my false securities built on shaky ground, my wrongly developed world view from mentors whom I used to think highly of and respected, the rat race materialism which deemed so important and the popular identity which I have carried since young. Looking back, I am eternally grateful that Jesus allowed me to fall into a bottomless pit while I was enjoying the rat race and was at the peak of my career in the corporate world. The kind of mental and emotional suffering, unfairness, humiliation, coming from so called Christians while I was seeking. Although my walk to knowing Jesus was a rough and thorny journey, it was also here where God destined me to meet my life partner and God said it was for my good. Where did Jesus meet me? He had to strip me off everything until I am completely cornered. Everything meant it was as if I was a nobody, where my whole "great identity" was actually a "lost identity“.
Contributed by Green Apple (Pseudonym)
It had to fall apart to completely break me down. The feeling was like one had almost choked to death. It was only then I could admit defeat to a great God having left with no choice but to test if what my “then” boyfriend thought of Jesus is real and if the existence of God is truly real. The bible says: If you truly seek Me, you will find Me. In my desperate moment I was pushed to call upon the name of Jesus and He spoke to me in an audible voice calling me "His daughter" while I was in the high places of the enemy in Ayutthaya (Buddhist place of worship in Thailand) seeking for the truth. I grew up in an environment where I had a constant fear and phobia of my father. My papa used to slap me so many times that I no longer feel the pain because whether I was right or wrong I was punished. I still recall one of our long journeys traveling back to Penang for Chinese New Year. My papa was speeding and I just said “Pa, be careful, we may get into an accident” and within 5 minutes our car got into an accident. Many bad things coincidentally happened each time after I speak so by the age of 8, I started to learn to shut up because that was how I was brought up. The 3 “S” words used to rule my life was shutup, stupid and "soay". I started to bottle up and kept to myself because no one would understand. While girls my age play with dolls and enjoy plenty of family love, hugs and all the pretty things, I was a loner in my own world. Over the years I have often wondered how it was like to have been born and raised in a different family, one that is showered with love where I did not have to carry the burdens of an adult, being the go-between for my parents and being my mother's protector or sponge. I understood divorce at 7 years old. I constantly had wishful thoughts of a fairy tale and I longed for a happy ending. Interestingly, without realising I often had conversations with God in my own little ways. I was an inquisitive child who questioned and was curious over everything. I never experienced peace in all my growing up years until I met my husband. Insomnia was my best friend, my dog was my best listener because I felt she was the only living thing that I was safe with and she will look back at me with understanding and would lick up my tears with love. My rabbits were my toys and my diaries were my best outlets to avoid be called a "soay" child (Hokkien means bad luck) to the family. Knowing Jesus was not just receiving a gift of salvation and a promised heaven but more than that a 180 degree life transformed. God took me from one healing after another. He took my brokenness and gave me wholesomeness. From timidity to being courageous, having low self-esteem to being confident, being in despair to having full of hopefulness, from living in fear to living with boldness,
From being unloved and a good for nothing wreck to being His most precious and valued daughter! And finally from being called cursed to being blessed. I have always ask the Lord why He gave my other friends spiritual parents but not me. Am I that oddball that no one likes? Then one day, I experienced a father figure love and care. I thought it was real but God's kind of Agape or Phileo love that is godly must be sincere and genuine, open and tangible and in the light above the ground and not a shadow of darkness. Tangible Agape is tested when the rubber hits the road where you see how people truly are in their vulnerable state or are they just your fair-weathered friends. The Lord, in His funny ways, nudged me and reminded me that I actually have the best because I've been a survivor over the years despite whatever adverse circumstances, that I have been enjoying my heavenly Father's love all this while without realising it. It was since the day when He called me "my daughter" the very moment I cry out to Him in 1998. Later, the Lord revealed to me in 2004 when we first stepped into SSMC during Pastor Jean Lim's healing rally. There was an altar call for women who wanted to conceive and I went forward. She raised her hand on stage and I just fell. In that state I saw a vision and God gave me Jeremiah 1:5. It was God who first chose to save me while I was crying in my mother's womb and not that I chose God. What a privilege and honor. I realised that my God has been with me all this entire time. Jesus restored everything of what the enemy has stolen from me in my childhood days and has since blessed me in many folds in return. How wonderful and amazing an Abba Father we have. Today, God has reconciled, redeemed and fully restored me as the person He intended me to be. God also used all that we have overcome victoriously as a channel of blessings to reconnect with our past so we can feel and have His kind of compassion for the lost, the unloved, the overlooked, the rejected and the oddballs. In a nutshell the whole book of John for me - reflected so much of how personal Jesus is to every individual. I can identify Jesus being so personal and gentle walking with me. So is this CNY, is not just another reunion but one with my past, one with my schoolmates, one with my colleagues and to top it all an assurance of my complete freedom of fear and phobias of my earthly papa. I no longer feel condemned, scared, chained or responsible for his life anymore. I know my papa and my mummy is more precious in my Heavenly Papa's heart. My Papa in heaven will take care of them when His perfect timing comes for them. I only have to continue to live a life of tangible testimony for my Jesus.
From the Editorial Team Hi there! Thank you for picking up a copy of Ebenezer. We hope that you’ve been blessed and encouraged by the articles that have been included in this issue. This issue has a variety of stories - the church's vision for 2017, some happenings in 2016, the power of prayer, a youth rediscovering her identity in Christ, a little boy's story and a testament of a Heavenly Father that never fails. All of which has a common focus - being with our great God! As we read through the New Testament this year, we believe that God's Word will, or already has, spoken to you and transformed you everyday. Those are the stories we want to invite YOU to share with the church family; to encourage, inspire, and impact others as we allow God's goodness to come alive through this newsletter. If you have a story that you would like to share, write to us and we’ll contact you to hear all about it. Email us at editorial.ssmc@gmail.com. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this newsletter and we pray that you rejoice in the Word God has given to us this season. Stay tuned for the next issue!