ENGLISH SERVICE
26 July 2026
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Acts 2:42-47; Luke 21:1-4
Rev Joey Chen
There are many things one can be devoted to. One can be ardently dedicated to pop stars we adulate, to noble causes we uphold, or even to individuals we love.
Of significance was the devotion demonstrated in Acts 2 where the early church not only committed themselves fervently to God’s word and works but also dedicated themselves to each other in the community.
The Christian disciple’s devotion to God is the best form of ardent dedication and loyalty because it is directed to Someone who is first devoted to us (1 John 4:19). He created us out of love, in His own image. He loves us so passionately that He had even devoted to destroy entire nations that attempted to separate His people from Him, as revealed in the Old Testament. God displayed His ultimate unwavering chesed love for us through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and death on the cross for our sins then and for all time. Scripture reminds us that due to Jesus’ devotion to us, “in Him, we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28); in Him, all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). God’s devotion to us is complete.
How then should we respond to God’s love? In the account of the widow’s offering (Luke 21:1–4), Jesus praised the widow not for the monetary value of her gift but because she surrendered all she had. The true measure of devotion is not what we give to God, but what we do not hold back from Him. Genuine devotion involves trusting God completely, surrendering our possessions, ambitions, relationships, and even cherished idols. Total devotion to God changes our perspective of worldly pursuits and enjoyments. The more we experience and know God, delighting in His beauty and goodness, all competing devotions weaken and lose their grip.
There is no greater love than God’s love for us, and therefore there is no one more worthy of all our love than God. God invites you to more devotion today. How will you respond?
💬 Reflection:
活石华语崇拜
26 July 2026
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马太福音 5:21-24
林建成牧师
25 July 2026
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Professor Robin Lim
ENGLISH SERVICE
19 July 2026
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Revelations 7:9-12
Rev Jacob Lim
In his final message in English at PLMC before starting his new season, Ps Jacob looked back on PLMC’s place in his new life with God, the past 6.5 years of ministry here and the very personal chapter of the birth and loss of his daughter in infancy. He shared how God’s love and faithfulness was experienced through this PLMC family. In seasons of uncertainty and grief, the congregation became a tangible expression of Christ’s love through prayer, presence and steadfast care.
These experiences point to a deeper reality as revealed in the Scripture passage: God’s vision for His Church has always been one of a diverse people united as one family in Christ.
God’s Kingdom is Diverse, Yet United
The Apostle John was given a vision of a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language worshipping before God’s throne. This is not simply a snapshot of the future but it is also God’s vision for His Church today.
Unity in God’s Kingdom is not premised on uniformity. Rather, it is unity in diversity, where different languages, cultures and expressions of worship are welcomed and brought together in Christ. At PLMC, we have the privilege of hosting congregations of different ethnicities, proclaiming the hope we have in Christ in various heart languages, and where the truths of the Gospel become all the more intimate and personal, revealing the one true God who desires to dwell among His people.
Living out this vision requires intentionality. Diversity without unity creates division, while unity without diversity diminishes the fullness of God’s Kingdom.
Guarding Against Division
As we seek to live as citizens of God’s kingdom, let us reflect and review attitudes that might hinder us from living out God’s vision of unity. These are subtle postures that we can unconsciously adopt, even with the best of intentions.
1. Tokenism
Tokenism happens when inclusion is merely superficial. People may be present, but their voices are not genuinely heard or valued. Over time, this often leads to withdrawal, disengagement and broken relationships. The Church is called to be a place where every member is seen, heard and valued as an indispensable part of Christ’s body.
2. Protectionism
Protectionism arises when personal interests and traditions are elevated above God’s Kingdom. A historical example of the Chinese Rites Controversy reminds us that clinging too tightly to our own worldview can hinder the advancement of God’s Kingdom and fracture unity. God’s Kingdom calls His people to humility, expressed by the willingness to listen, learn and serve one another. One practical step we can take is to be mindful of the language we use. For example, referring to the English service as the “main service” may unintentionally imply that other services are secondary. Yet every congregation and language community has a place and is an integral part of the church. Each part of the body of Christ can use their gifts and resources to strengthen and bless the others, as brothers and sisters all serving together in Christ.
From the scattering of the people through various languages at Babel to the gift of tongues at Pentecost, Scripture reveals God’s heart to unite people by His Spirit. This is the vision of the Kingdom: diverse peoples, one Church, worshipping one King.
As we go about our week, how may we continue to honour God and one another?
💬 Reflection:
1. As a small group, how can we intentionally welcome every person in our church and help them feel genuinely heard, valued and included in our community?
2. What assumptions, preferences or habits do I hold that may be preventing me from embracing God’s vision of unity across different cultures, languages or ministries? Share and pray for one another.
3. What is one way my small group and I can use our gifts, influence or resources to strengthen another part of Christ’s body this week?
活石华语崇拜
19 July 2026
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马太福音 5:27-30
李沙龙弟兄
18 July 2026
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Luke 15:1-10
Mr Wayne Sim
COMBINED SERVICES
12 July 2026
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Romans 罗马书 12:1
Speaker 讲员:
Rev Reuben Ng 黄力强牧师
Interpreter 翻译:
Ms Mandy Huang 黄丽雯姐妹
As PLMC celebrates her 94th Anniversary, it is easy to count the years, but it may not be as easy to make every year count. So how can we steward every year that God blesses us with? The answer can be found in today’s passage: Sacrifice.
The term ‘sacrifice’ would be familiar to the people in those days. They would understand that there can be no worship without sacrifice. What would be jarring to them, though, was the call to be a “living” sacrifice. Paul is telling them not to bring an animal sacrifice but instead to bring themselves. Our lives ought to be a sacrifice of worship to God, and there are two areas which we can sacrifice to make the year count, not only as individuals but as a church.
Sacrificing our Time
In Luke 10:2, Jesus sends off his disciples to go before him, observing that the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Jesus instructed His disciples to plead with the Lord of the harvest. There should be a sense of urgency in the prayers that we are to give to God. The pleading here is not for God, but for us.
Prayer should not be perfunctory (careless or mechanical). In Acts 1:14, the disciples gathered in one mind to pray constantly, and it was anything but perfunctory. Jesus had left, and all they could do was wait in prayer.
Jesus calls us to plead with God, to take our prayers seriously as though everything depends on God moving and working things out, even when things are going smoothly for us.
Sacrificing our Comfort
In Luke 10:3, Jesus calls his disciples to go. Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf stated, “Every heart without Christ is a mission field, and every heart with Christ is a missionary”. We do not have to wait for the ideal or perfect situation to go on a mission trip. Wherever God has placed us, there are mission fields all around us and we are to reach out and share Jesus with them, however uncomfortable it may be.
When we lean into the Holy Spirit in obedience and have compassion for these mission fields, it becomes easier to point people to God. We can trust in the Lord that He can take our imperfect efforts and plant them as seeds that will grow and be harvested in His timing. All we have to do is be obedient and willing to sacrifice our personal comfort to bring Christ to people.
May we make our days count and respond like Isaiah did: “Here am I, send me.”
💬 Reflection:
1. In what ways can I sacrifice my time for God?
2. What needs to change in how I pray so it is not perfunctory?
3. Who has God placed in your heart to reach out to? How can I sacrifice my personal comfort to share Christ with them?
ENGLISH SERVICE
5 July 2026
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John 15:1-11
BE Dr Wee Boon Hup
The passage of Jesus as the true Vine is a familiar one. Verse 4 is where Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you.” Often, we place priority on the second half of the statement, “I in you”, where Jesus comes to reside in our hearts. However, Jesus’ welcome is, first and foremost, an invitation to abide in Him, to “come into my life, come into my world”. When we abide in Him and go into His world, we can experience abundance He intends for us in three areas:
1. Abundant Growth
Jesus’ purpose for us when we go to him is luxurious growth. Abundant growth results from unbroken connection to Him. Life in Jesus is not about how active or busy we are for Him. When Jesus invites us to “come home to Me”, He does not mean a house or structure. Jesus Himself is the house, the temple.
Growth sometimes eludes us because we mistake the activity for growth. Abiding with Jesus is where growth takes place.
2. Abundant Love
Jesus says to abide in His love is to keep His commands. This may lead some to question if this statement as transactional. Do we have to obey His commands in order to obtain His love, then? How do we get to a place where we obey not because we have to but because we want to? Abundant love flourishes amidst loving obedience. Things may not happen the way we want but in obeying Jesus’ commands, we will understand His purpose and plans for us and find that He turns all things for our good, thus experiencing His love.
When we abide in Him, we will know that the depth of Jesus’ love for us is infinite. Beautifully captured in John 17:26, Jesus says, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” This is why the Psalmist can say he stands in awe of God amidst persecution by recalling testimonies kept in his very soul, which fills him with love and sustains him (Psalm 119:161, 167).
3. Abundant Joy
Many times throughout the Bible, the abiding leads to abundant joy. The Psalmist experiences joy in God’s presence (Psalm 16:11). Paul points out an interesting paradox of servants of God experiencing joy amidst sorrow (2 Cor 6:10). Peter recognises that even without seeing Jesus but in experiencing Him, there is joy (1 Peter 1:8). We see that, in spite of the pain and sorrow, there can be joy from the Lord simply by abiding in Him.
As we abide in Christ, may we join the Psalmist to testify:
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
💬 Reflection:
活石华语崇拜
5 July 2026
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路加福音 10:25-37
陈思如牧师
4 July 2026
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James 5:13-20
Mr Eugene Cheong
ENGLISH SERVICE
28 June 2026
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Lamentations 3:19-24
Pastor Simon Lam
What do you do when circumstances keep worsening and there is no reprieve in sight? Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet”, spoke from the ruins of Jerusalem with nothing to show after 40 years of warning Judah except rejection and persecution. Yet, in this darkness, he made five deliberate moves that turn him towards God in hope.
1. Tell God the Truth (Lam 3:19-20)
Jeremiah did not pretend he was fine. He named his affliction and brought his bitterness and downcast soul before God. Lament is not the opposite of faith; it is faith’s honest expression of speaking to the God you still believe is there, listening to our pain.
2. Turn Your Mind Toward Hope (Lam 3:21)
Jeremiah’s situation had not changed; what changed was his focus. We may not be able to choose how we feel, but we can choose what we set our minds on. Like the psalmist, we can speak truth to our own souls: “Put your hope in God” (Ps 42:5).
3. Anchor in God’s Character (Lam 3:22; Isa 49:15; Matt 14:31)
Jeremiah anchors himself not in improving circumstances but in God’s covenant love and compassion. God’s love does not rise and fall with our situation. Even when faith weakens, His grace reaches out: Jesus caught Peter immediately when his faith failed and he began to sink. God’s character remains firm even when our faith feels fragile.
4. Receive Today’s Mercy (Lam 3:23; Matt 6:34)
God’s mercies are new every morning. We are not given grace in advance for every future burden or that depletes, but a daily portion that is sufficient for today. Instead of carrying fears about tomorrow, we receive what God gives now and trust Him for what tomorrow will require.
5. Make the Lord Your Portion (Lam 3:24)
Jeremiah anchored his security on God when he declared, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Health, career and relationships can be shaken, but God Himself is a firm foundation that cannot be taken away. Waiting on Him is not passive resignation; it is steady trust in His faithfulness.
Hope is not denial, nor does it begin with better circumstances. It begins when we make the deliberate choice to keep faith in the One who is not distant from our suffering. In Christ, He entered it fully. The cross proves His steadfast love, Jesus’ resurrection confirms that His mercies are new every morning, and Christ continues to intercede for us (Rom 8:34). Therefore we can say with Jeremiah: “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him” (Lam 3:24).
💬 Reflection:
1. What pain, physical or situational, do I need to identify honestly before God this week rather than hiding or minimising it?
2. What truth about God’s character must I deliberately call to mind this week?
3. What anxieties about tomorrow do I need to surrender so I can receive His mercy for today?
4. As I reflect on my life today, what areas of my thinking, priorities, identity, security, hopes or fears do I need to surrender or re-order so that the Lord is truly my portion?
活石华语崇拜
28 June 2026
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创世记 1:26-27, 哥林多后书 5:18-20
李沙龙弟兄
27 June 2026
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Ephesians 6:10-24
Rev Joey Chen