English Service
Why You So Like That?
1 Nov 2026
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Jonah 4
Pastor Simon Lam
Where do you turn when you’re mad at God? Jonah ends with a conversation between God and an angry complaining Jonah, revealing Jonah’s humanness as much as God’s supreme sovereignty.
Heart revealed (v1-4, 9)
Jonah was angry with God for showing mercy — ra’ah — to Nineveh (v1), the same word God had used to refer to Nineveh’s wickedness (1:2) and essentially equating God’s forgiveness with Assyria’s atrocities. That’s how far anger can carry a believing man.
In his complaining about how unjust God’s mercy, he uses the pronoun “I” repeatedly, revealing that in his heart, the issue is his own discomfort with God’s decisions and actions.
Honesty instead of performance (v3, 9)
In his ranting, Jonah even tells God he would rather be dead than watch Him show mercy (v3). God simply asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah repeats his answer. God keeps the conversation going, showing He would rather have your raw honesty than a performance which hides your true emotions.
Engage rather than withdraw (v5)
Dissatisfied, Jonah heads east of the city. Unlike Job and Habakkuk who were both angry but stayed to address God with their complaints, Jonah withdraws and was silent. Anger carried towards God becomes prayer. Anger carried away from God becomes distance, which hardens. The prayer that says, “I’m furious with You and I do not understand”, is a prayer God can work with. Like the psalmists, we can lament and complain to God. Lamenting is not the opposite of faith; it is the form faith takes when it is in pain and refuses to stop speaking.
Care before explanation (v6)
God does not withhold kindness until Jonah is in a better spiritual state, providing for him, before working on his heart.
In the book of Jonah, God appointed a fish, a plant, a worm and a wind. The God who rescued Jonah from the sea is the same God who takes away his shade. Both are his hand and both are mercy. One saved his life while the other went after his heart.
A mirror to ourselves
God asks so that we hear ourselves answer, for the questions are mirrors. God would rather show you what you are rather than leave you as is. It is God’s business to make us uncomfortable so that we become more Christlike. That is His mercy.
Bend the knee
Jonah never says he is sorry, God asks his final question, which points to who He is, the sovereign merciful God who will not stop being merciful to make him comfortable.
Years later, Jesus, the greater Jonah, also lamented to God. He wept over Jerusalem when Jonah would not weep over Nineveh. Jonah sat east of the city hoping it would burn but Jesus went into the city to His certain death, before rising again, offering life to all who would believe.
This is who our God is. He can take your anger. He stood where you are standing. Bend your knee to Him and look to the cross, where anger and mercy met, where wrath and love collide. God will not look away.
💬 Reflection:
1. What anger, disappointment, or unanswered question do you need to speak honestly to God about? Share and pray for one another.
2. Have you quietly “moved east” by withdrawing from God? What might turning back and starting the conversation again with Him look like?
3. Where might God be inviting you to receive—or offer—care before explanation?
活石华语崇拜
你悔改了吗？
1 Nov 2026
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约拿书第三章
William 传道
YOUTH SERVICE
Plenty of Leaves, But No Figs
31 Oct 2026
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Mark 11:12-25
Mr Eugene Cheong
English Service
You Are My Friends
25 Oct 2026
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John 15:12-17
BE Dr Wee Boon Hup
It is commonly mis-assumed that we can call Jesus our friend, and that the loving friendship with Jesus is unconditional. Jesus never said that we can call Him a friend, as in an equal relationship. Rather, He calls us friends. The sermon clarifies the uniqueness of this friendship with Jesus that is not transactional, but relational, highlighting the origin of this friendship, its nature, and the signs of a healthy friendship with Him.
The Origin
Jesus has loved us even before the foundation of the world and He continues to love us now. This is because He is God and God is love. Prompted by His love, He initiated the friendship with us: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (v16).
Jesus made this friendship possible through the cross. By dealing with sin, He opens the way for believers to be forgiven and reconciled to a right relationship with God (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10).
The Conditional Nature
When Jesus said, “You are my friends, if you do what I command you”, He is pointing to obedience as the condition for friendship with the Lord God Himself. It is a relational condition, not a transactional one. It is not a price paid to obtain Jesus’ loving friendship, but an expression of the trust and commitment that belong to a close relationship.
Jesus calls His disciples “friends” to show an intimate relationship beyond that of a master-servant. Jesus calls for loving obedience. Unlike servants who may not know their master’s plans, His friends are told what He heard from the Father (John 15:15).
Such an intimate friendship where one knows the other’s heart requires faith to not only start a relationship with Jesus, but also an ongoing, maturing faith to sustain it. Abraham was declared righteous early on through his initial faith in God and His promises to him (Genesis 15:6). However, he was specifically called a “friend of God” much later, after his faith was tested and proven through his willingness to obey God’s difficult command to sacrifice Isaac (James 2:23).
We may have been justified by faith and made right to start a relationship with God, but developing a true friendship with God requires being sanctified by Him—maturing, growing in holiness, and demonstrating active obedience when tested.
The Signs of a Healthy Friendship
Three signs reveal this growing friendship:
– Having an intimate knowledge of God, knowing Him at a deeper level as Jesus shares all He has heard from the Father with His followers.
– Bearing abiding fruit, which is to love according to His commandment (v.12). And lasting love grows from remaining in Christ, like the branches and the vine. (John 15:4, 9–10, 16).
– Love for one another, which is love in action towards fellow believers. Jesus commands sacrificial love for one another (v12–13, 17) as He has loved us. Hatred towards a fellow believer contradicts love for God (1 John 4:20).
To be called Jesus’ friend is a privilege. His grace begins the relationship; continuing faith, obedience and love reveal its depth. Where do I stand? How is this friendship with Jesus shaping my relationships?
💬 Reflection:
1. Jesus called His disciples friends while remaining their Lord. What does this tell us about the intimacy of the relationship He invites us into, and how might it change the way you relate to Him?
2. Is there a specific command of Jesus that you find difficult to obey, and why? What step of trust and obedience can you take this week?
3. Think of someone in your church or Christian community whom you find difficult to love. What practical act of love can you show to him or her this week, in obedience to Jesus?
活石华语崇拜
至死忠心
25 Oct 2026
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约翰福音 12:24-26; 希伯来书 11:32-40
刘光明博士
YOUTH SERVICE
Jesus Encounter
24 Oct 2026
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Mark 7-8
Mr Chan Choon Seng
English Service
CONSUMED
18 Oct 2026
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Jonah 3
Rev Joey Chen
God gave Jonah a second chance to obey His call and this time, Jonah went to Nineveh and proclaimed God’s message, albeit half-heartedly. The Ninevites believed God and repented, and God showed them mercy. Jonah himself had been shown God’s mercy yet struggled to extend the same mercy to his enemies.
How easily we, too, have withheld the message of salvation from others. We have gladly received from God, but have we allowed that mercy to transform our hearts? What are we truly consumed by? The cares of this world, or God and His heart for His Kingdom?
Remember mercy
We might live our lives unknowingly carrying a ‘salvation for me, but not for thee” mindset, withholding from others the very grace we have received ourselves. We were once lost, yet God called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. His mercy was never something we earned, but a gift of grace. None of us deserves God’s mercy more than another.
Give thanks
As we remember God’s extraordinary grace, may our hearts be filled with gratitude and stirred towards joyful obedience. As God’s people, we are each entrusted with the special mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and His coming Kingdom. We have received mercy, and now we are called to make that mercy known.
Trust God
Like Jonah who was consumed by hatred towards the Assyrians, we too may be consumed by other things that quietly consume our time, energy and hearts. We may become so occupied with the things of this world—work, responsibilities, pursuit of enjoyment, comfort, the desire for approval, fear of rejection and bitterness—that we lose sight of what matters for eternity. Yet, we are to be consumed by God, to live for Him and obey His will for our lives, because our identity, joy and purpose are found in Christ alone, not in worldly approval or circumstances.
Surrender ourselves
God calls us beyond the safety of our own “Jerusalem” and into the “Nineveh” around us. These uncomfortable places could be our own families, workplaces, schools and friend groups. The path of obedience may be difficult and the response may be rejection or hostility. Yet, we need not be consumed by the fear of losing what this world offers. God can work even through our imperfect obedience to accomplish what is beyond our imagination, like He did with Jonah and the Ninevites. We are blessed to be a blessing, called to lay down our comforts and ambitions so that others may encounter His mercy and the hope found in Him alone.
💬 Reflection:
May the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
活石华语崇拜
深渊中的祷告：在绝境中遇见神
18 Oct 2026
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约拿书 2:1-10
郑国良博士
YOUTH SERVICE
THE BOOK OF MARK: THE RESTORED REJECT
17 Oct 2026
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Mark 5:1-20
Pastor Caroline Chew
English Service
RETURN TO ME: THE BEGINNING OF REVIVAL
11 Oct 2026
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2 Chronicles 7:14-16
Mr Ian Foo
This Laity Sunday, we are reminded through the Scripture passage that God’s promise to His people begins with humility, prayer, seeking His face, and turning from our ways. Revival starts when we return to God, examine our hearts and allow His Word to guide and transform our lives.
God often brings revival through small and seemingly ordinary steps in our journey, as our speaker Ian shared. From Sunday school and the people who invested in his faith, to joining a cell group, studying God’s Word, serving in ministry and going on mission trips, each step became an opportunity to draw closer to God. What may seem like small acts of obedience to us can become significant milestones when we trust God.
Not journeying alone
Christian community such as cell groups provides a safe place for us to be open about our journey through life, its struggles and joys. In cells, we help keep each other accountable, encourage one another, pray together, and study the Word together. Revival in our lives can begin there in community as we turn to Him, seek His face, and grow in the Lord.
Not on our own strength
We may sometimes feel inadequate or overwhelmed in ministry, but God calls us to take the next step in faith and rely on His strength. We are not responsible for changing lives, but only to be faithful and attentive to where the Holy Spirit is leading. As we serve, we see that God is the one who is working and bringing growth.
One step at a time
Whether in missions, family, work, or ministry, God often does not show us the entire journey ahead. Instead, He invites us to surrender and trust Him with the next step. As Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, when we trust in the Lord rather than leaning on our own understanding, He will make our paths straight.
The Church is all of us
Every act of service matters, whether it is welcoming someone, serving the children and youth, helping with worship and AV, reaching out to others, or simply meeting a need that we see. We may never know the impact of our service, but God sees it. We do not need to be perfect and have everything figured out. God calls each of us, just as we are. We just need to be willing to take the first step and trust God and His good and perfect plans for each of us.
Revival begins when we return to the Lord and say, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” May we become a church that is always ready and willing to serve, encourage, and build up His people, trusting that God will use every act of faithful obedience, however small, for His greater purposes.
💬 Reflection:
1. In what area of your life is God inviting you to return to Him in humility, prayer or repentance?
2. What small step of faith or obedience is God asking you to take this week? Share and pray for one another.
3. As a group, consider how you can better encourage and keep one another accountable to seek God and serve faithfully. Commit your next steps in prayer.
活石华语崇拜
你是神国的器皿
11 Oct 2026
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历代志下 7:14-16
刘丽娜姐妹
YOUTH SERVICE
THE BOOK OF MARK: PEACE, BE STILL
10 Oct 2026
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Mark 4:35-41
Pastor Simon Lam