ENGLISH SERVICE
24 May 2026
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Ephesians 6:10-24
Rev Dr Kow Shih Ming
The “storms” in our lives are not only due to living in a broken world awaiting Christ’s return, but also because of ongoing spiritual warfare. Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesian church by commanding believers to “stand firm” in the Lord, emphasising that this is essential for enduring such challenges. He offers three directives to enable us to do so.
1. Acknowledge the reality of the devil
Believers must recognise that their struggle is not against people, but against the powers of darkness (v11-12). The devil is out to sabotage and knock you from your faith. These attacks are often subtle—through doubt, anxiety, pride, or division—rather than obvious. While many believe in the existence of the devil, they often live as though he has no influence. We need to “be sober-minded; be watchful”, for our adversary the devil prowls around, seeking to devour (1Peter 5:8).
2. Arm yourself with God’s armour
To fight these spiritual forces of darkness, believers must put on the full armour of God (v14-17):
• Belt of truth – When believers are grounded in God’s Word, we are able to respond to the devil’s lies with the Truth. Truth comes from a real and intimate relationship with Jesus as well as from being in community with God’s people, the body of Christ.
• Breastplate of righteousness – Because there is no one righteous, believers are to put on the righteousness of Christ. It should lead to living in right relationship with God and others through forgiveness and love.
• Shoes of readiness – Being ready to share the Gospel strengthens believers’ faith and focus, empowering us to stand firm in the Lord.
• Shield of faith – The devil often throws flaming arrows of guilt, shame and doubt at believers. Choose to trust in God’s promises, His goodness and wisdom even in difficult situations we don’t understand.
• Helmet of salvation – Believers need to know with certainty that we are loved, have been forgiven, delivered, set free from sin and darkness, are adopted into God’s family, and be confident that it will be complete one day (Phil 1:6).
• Sword of the Spirit (Word of God) – Read and know the Word of God to resist the devil’s lies and temptation.
3. Ask expressing dependence on God
Since the battle is against spiritual forces, believers need spiritual power through prayer (v18). Paul encourages believers to:
• Pray on all occasions, not just in crises
• Pray all kinds of prayer (requests, praise, thanksgiving, listening)
• Pray in the Spirit, being directed by the Holy Spirit
• Pray for others, especially for boldness to boldly proclaim the Gospel (v19-20)
On this Aldersgate Sunday, may we receive a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit like John Wesley did, as we arm ourselves with the full armour of God, learn to pray at all times with all kinds of prayers and requests, and so stand firm in our faith.
💬 Reflection:
活石华语崇拜
24 May 2026
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以弗所书 6:1-4
讲员: 李沙龙弟兄
24 May 2026
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Ephesians 5:21-33
Mr Joseph Quek
ENGLISH SERVICE
17 May 2026
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Psalm 47
Rev Wendy Tay
We live in changing, difficult, even chaotic times, with brokenness, sickness, financial stress, family struggles, wars and anxiety about the future all around us. In moments like these, it becomes hard to declare, “God is good.”
Psalm 47 reminds us that worship is not only for good days, but for storms. It is a song for people waiting, grieving and facing battles they cannot control, who continue to respond in faith.
King Jehoshaphat modelled this when he placed worshippers in front of his army against vast armies (2 Chronicles 20). Praise was not denial. Instead, it was trust before they saw victory. Worship shifts our focus from fear to faith.
The question for us is this: When life places us in the pit, what song will we sing? Psalm 47 offers three melodies of hope.
1. God is sovereign over all. His presence gives us peace.
“The Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.” (v2).
God is not limited. He rules over every nation, every crisis, every sickness and every fear. Nothing in our lives is outside His authority. Worship declares that God is sovereignly in control over all, including troubling medical reports, family conflict or uncertainty about the future.
Like the elderly lady with dementia who remembered every word of “Jesus Loves Me,” what is planted deeply for Christ remains.
The song we sing is this: God’s rule and reign has no limit and He is with us.
2. God brings order. His Word gives us peace.
“He will subdue the peoples under us.” (v3).
To subdue means to bring things into order under God’s authority. Our battles may be within us – fear, anxiety, bitterness, shame, or disappointment – but God’s Word has power to subdue and bring life. God’s promises speak peace into our disorder.
The song we sing is this: God’s Word is faithful and will surely come to pass.
3. God has chosen us. His grace gives us peace.
“He will choose our inheritance for us” (v4).
Even in crisis, Israel declared they were chosen by God. In Christ, we too are God’s sons and daughters. We are not and never will be abandoned; we are chosen.
Even in suffering, the boundary lines can still fall in pleasant places, as David testified in Psalm 16:6. The pleasant place is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of God in our suffering. His presence brings protection so we can have peace.
The song we sing is this: Even in changing times, God’s peace remains unchanging.
The song we shall sing is not only after victory comes, but while we are still waiting, trusting, and surrendering. Praise is an heartfelt expression of trust before breakthrough.
Because Jesus reigns, we can still sing with faith even in tough times.
💬 Reflection:
1. When life feels uncertain, what would it look like to choose praising God first?
2. What are the anxieties in your life right now? Which promise of God do you need to sing over these situations?
3. When have you believed in God’s good inheritance chosen for you, even when it looked different from what you initially expected? Share to encourage each other.
活石华语崇拜
17 May 2026
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以弗所书 5:21-33
讲员: 韩秋华姐妹
16 May 2026
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Ephesians 5:5-21
Pastor Simon Lam
ENGLISH SERVICE
10 May 2026
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Ephesians 6:5-9
Pastor Simon Lam
For many of us, our lives during the work week is filled with deadlines, targets, stress and sometimes even dread—a complete disconnect from Sunday mornings where we are worshipping, praying and fellowshipping at church. Continuing from his principle of submitting to one another, Paul provides a framework that can change the way we look at work relationships.
The Trap of Eye Service
In speaking to the slaves, or workers in our current context, Paul urged obedience to masters (leaders in our day). To describe the problem, he coined the term opthalmodoulia, which translates into “eye service”, referring to work being done only when someone is watching. They may be ‘people-pleasers’ who peg their worth to their employer’s opinion. Paul then provides the antidote, which is haplotes, ‘singleness of heart’, to describe a person who is the same whether their boss is around. Their heart is not divided between who they perform as and who they actually are. Paul is not asking us to try harder or be more disciplined at work; he is asking us to change our audience.
The Great Shift: Working “As to Christ”
Paul calls for a shift, inserting Christ as the primary audience of our work. While we are to still obey our earthly bosses, we are called to shift our focus to our true Master—the Lord who always sees us.
Paul also called for eunoia or genuine goodwill, a spirit of wanting to do our work well because of who we are doing it for. A pre-occupation with Christ turns our ordinary occupation into a sacred calling, so all work that we do, done in Christ, for Christ, is sacred and the Lord Himself will repay whatever good that is done.
The Level Playing Field
Paul then shifts his focus to those with authority over others, such as employers, managers, team leaders. He calls for a culturally revolutionary concept: “do the same to them” (v8). He also calls them to cease their threatening because they answer to the same impartial Boss who is watching them too.
Our occupation may describe what we do at our workplace, but our pre-occupation is the purpose or person who already occupies our heart before our workday begins and directs why and how we work.
Just as small mis-alignments of the spine can cause great pain in other parts of the body, we are called to re-align our pre-occupation toward Christ and let Him be the centre of all we do.
💬 Reflection:
活石华语崇拜
10 May 2026
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申命记 6:6-7
讲员: 汤才荣牧师
9 May 2026
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Ephesians 4:17-5:4
Rev Emanuel Goh
ENGLISH SERVICE
3 May 2026
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Ephesians 6:1-4
Rev Emanuel Goh
God’s design for the family is not through rigid rules, but is one that is relationship-centered, where children honour with their lives, and parents nurture with the Lord’s heart.
1. The Child’s Calling: Honour is more than obedience
In urging children to obey their parents (v1), Paul adds a critical qualifier: ‘in the Lord’. Obedience is to flow from one’s identity in Christ and is ultimately an act of worship directed toward God. When a Christian child obeys godly parents, they are not merely following house rules but expressing their devotion to Christ.
Paul then quotes the fifth commandment to honour our father and mother (Exodus 20:12). He is urging believers to go beyond obedience to honour the family structure that God ordained, where families are built on honour, respect and godly wisdom. Such a foundation produces people and communities that are stable, rooted and life-giving.
In families where relationships are complicated or where wounds run deep, honour does not mean we pretend the pain did not happen. But it does mean choosing to forgive, to care and to respect their place. Honour is not earned by the parent but is an act of grace given by the child in obedience to God.
2. The Parent’s Warning: Do not exasperate! (v4)
Paul next cautions parents: “Do not exasperate your children.”
Parents may exasperate children through having unrealistic expectations or giving constant criticism without affirmation.
While there is nothing wrong with wanting the best for our children, parents should not cause their children to feel that love from their family or their worth is conditional on their performance, rather than in who they are.
Where correction is plentiful and encouragement rare, children will internalise that critical inner voice over time into adulthood.
We need to ask ourselves honestly: Am I building up my children or wearing them down? Am I filling their tank or draining it?
3. The Family’s Instruction: Raise them in the Lord (v4)
Paul goes on to urge parents to ‘bring them up’, that is, to nourish or tenderly raise. Paul then gives two specific tools for this nurturing: training and instruction. Training refers to discipline and guidance, and includes purposeful and loving correction and support through experience.
Instruction is directed at the mind and heart, and involves verbally warning and guiding through stories told, wisdom shared and prayers uttered together.
The training and instruction are to be “of the Lord”, because God is the structure within which family life takes place.
If you are struggling as a parent today, the answer is not to try harder but to receive more deeply the parenting of your Heavenly Father. You cannot give what you have not received. The more you know how deeply you are loved by God, the more naturally that love will flow toward your children.
If you are a child who carries wounds from your earthly parents, turn to your Heavenly Father who has never stopped seeing you, never stopped calling your name, and never stopped running toward you. He is your loving Father. And in Jesus, you can always come home.
💬 Reflection Questions:
1. How are you actively creating space in your home for the ‘training and instruction of the Lord’? What is one practical step you can take this week to bring God’s Word and presence more intentionally into your family life?
2. Reflect on your understanding of God as your Heavenly Father. Listen to the song of response, Good Good Father, and receive His love today. In receiving His love more deeply, how can you change the way you relate to your own family?
(Link for Good Good Father: https://youtu.be/-ak0OoFBw3c?si=ohmmc6MlqM6pPWDH)
活石华语崇拜
3 May 2026
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以弗所书 5:1-22
讲员: 林建成牧师
2 May 2026
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Ephesians 4:1-16
Rev Joey Chen
ENGLISH SERVICE
26 April 2026
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Ephesians 5:21-33
Rev Joey Chen
Marriage is designed by God, and the passage in Ephesians 5 is important not only for married couples or singles planning to get married, but also for communities. Marriages are not just between husband and wife; they are meant to be nurtured in community.
Paul sets out in Ephesians 5:21 that spouses are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, before urging wives to submit to their husbands as to the Lord (v22). Submission in the biblical context does not mean to unquestioningly following your husband. When examining God’s design for marriage, God calls woman ‘a suitable helper’ (Genesis 2:18) which in Hebrew is ezer kenegdo. The phrase means God’s help and similar, yet opposite. Both husband and wife are equals in dignity, but different in roles that are meant to complement one another.
Submission does not mean obeying the husband when it would mean disobeying God, because wives are to submit to husbands as to God. God is the ultimate authority we submit to. Rather, submission is about respecting your husband (v33), and respecting his role as the leader of your household.
Looking at the husband’s role, when Paul instructs spouses to “submit to one another” before instructing husbands to love their wives, he is saying that husbands loving their wives is a form of submission. The husband is called to love his wife as Christ does, to the extent of laying down His life for her. He is also to nurture his wife spiritually, and care for her.
Unfortunately, sin can twist that strength and authority into a desire to dominate and abuse, but husbands are to use their strength and authority to protect, love and serve their families.
Submission is part of God’s good order. There is unity when husbands and wives submit to one another, and where there is unity, blessings flow. These blessings are not just for the couple, but also for their children and their community.
The instruction from Paul is a tall order that may not come naturally to many. But it is possible with God’s help, by being filled with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit can help spouses love and submit to imperfect partners; He can transform strained or broken marriages.
A united marriage is our witness to God; it is how we point people to Christ and His power to transform and unite us as new creations in Christ. Marriage unity is part of Christian unity. God’s purpose for marriage is to help spouses grow in Christlike love, and bring blessings to others, to their children, as a witness of His power and love.
💬 Reflection Questions:
1. What areas of your marriage will you choose to submit to each other out of love for your spouse and reverence for Christ?
2. Pray for your spouse or a married couple you know, for the Lord to strengthen their relationship and unite the couple in His love.
3. How can you use this passage to encourage, bless or exhort married couples whom you know?
There are marriage resources available through the Family Life Ministry (familylife@plmc.org), including the Art of Marriage retreat and marriage mentors to journey with you. If you would like to speak to a pastor on your marital issues, please email pastors@plmc.org.
活石华语崇拜
26 April 2026
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以弗所书 4:17-5:4
讲员: 郑国良博士
25 April 2026
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Ephesians 3:14-21
Rev Dr Kow Shih Ming
ENGLISH SERVICE
19 April 2026
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Matthew 13:12
Rev Dr Isaac Lim
In 2026, our church is being invited to seek “more”—more of God’s presence, more spiritual depth, and more growth in what truly matters to God in our lives and ministry to the community and the nations. To seek for more is to align with God’s desire to reveal Himself more fully to those who seek Him wholeheartedly (Jeremiah 29:13).
All of us are already seeking more – more success, more time, more security. The question: are we just hungry for what the world offers or are we also hungry for more of God?
Check what you’re hungry for
It’s easy to hunger for things that are temporary and within our control. But what if our hunger is directed towards God, towards knowing Him more deeply, being transformed from within and living a life that makes an eternal difference? When what we hunger for shifts, everything else begins to fall into its rightful place.
Don’t just hear. Truly listen and respond
Jesus shows us that growth depends on how we receive His Word. He talks about different kinds of soil in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23). The key difference is not the seed but the heart that receives it.
It is possible to attend services, read the Bible and hear sermons regularly, yet not truly listen. Real growth happens when we intentionally pay attention to God’s voice and respond in obedience. When that happens, our lives are transformed and that change becomes visible, like a tree bearing fruit. A life shaped by God will naturally reflect Him to others, like a light in the darkness.
Use what God has already given you
Many of us are waiting for “more”– more clarity, more confidence, more gifting – before we step out. However, through the parables of the talents and the minas, Jesus reminds us that God is the starting point. He is the one who gives.
Each servant was entrusted with something and what mattered was not how much they received, but what they did with it. Some multiplied what was given, while others hid it. The call is clear: We have each been given different talents and resources, but it is a trust from God and is meant to be used.
Each person plays a part in building up the church and serving others. When we use our gifts faithfully in ministry, it will grow and multiply. Often, as we step out, God provides even more such as new and complementary gifts to accomplish the work He calls us to do.
Seeking “more” is not about waiting for something new, but stewarding what we have already been given. We are accountable to God for how we have used what He has entrusted to us. May we be a people who seek more, not for ourselves, but for His glory.
💬 Reflection Questions:
18 April 2026
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Ephesians 3:1-13
Rev Joey Chen