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
ENGLISH SERVICE
12 April 2026
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Jn 20:19-31; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Pet 1:3-9
Dr Low Kwang Meng
For some, Easter last week was the most significant historical event. For others, Jesus’ resurrection represents a future hope of our Lord’s Second Coming. How about the here and now? Does His resurrection not have any impact or relevance to our present lives? According to John 20:19-31, Jesus’ resurrection has unleashed power that can transform our lives right here and now.
Jesus’ resurrection is affirmed as real and foundational to Christian faith, passed down from eyewitnesses through generations. The disciples moved from fear to faith after encountering the risen Christ (v19-20), while Thomas’ story shows that those who believe without having to see physical evidence will be worthy of divine favour (v27-29; 1 Peter 1:8-9).
Believers continue to encounter the risen Jesus through the Church—the community of “resurrected people”. This community lives out the resurrection in three ways:
Jesus is risen indeed! The early church was faithful to demonstrate this truth through their living, through signs and wonders performed and through the retelling of Christ’s resurrection by the faithful early disciples. By this, those who have not seen Jesus believed. We too are to live out the truth of the resurrection by living the new life, demonstrating God’s power, and telling the story of Christ boldly in everyday life.
💬 Reflection Questions:
1. In what specific areas of your life do you still live according to your “old self”? What practical steps can you take this week to live as a new creation in Christ?
2. What fears or doubts hold you back from trusting God’s power? How can you intentionally step out in faith through prayer or action this week?
3. How can your daily life reflect the joy and hope of the resurrection? Who is one person you can share your faith or testimony with this week?
活石华语崇拜
12 April 2026
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以弗所书 3:14-21
讲员: 李沙龙弟兄
11 April 2026
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Hebrews 10:19-25
Mr Eugene Cheong