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LORD’S DAY SERVICE ORDER

ANNOUNCER: Elder Pau Soon Tan
*Silent Prayer
*Confession of Faith
Hymn 56
Responsive Reading: 62. Easter
Prayer by Elder Pau Soon Tan
Scripture Reading:
1 Cor 1:18-24, 1 Pet 1:18-19
Choir Anthem by Sharon Choir (pre-recorded):
Blessed be Your Name
Sermon by Pastor Samuel Kim
The power of Jesus’ blood
Hymn 186
Offering Prayer by Elder Pau Soon Tan
*Announcements
*Hymn 6
Benediction by Pastor Samuel Kim

*Congregation Standing

ANNOUNCEMENTS

  1. Let us continue to pray for the growth of our church and for the work of evangelism.
    1. In line with the new measures given in Singapore to minimize further spread of covid-19, the church encourages all members to stay home. All services and meetings will take place online. Let us spend this time to grow in spirit and come closer to God.
      1. Zion Church website welcomes contribution of ministry update or article, please write in to webmaster@zionchurch.sg.
        1. There will be Wednesday service, special bible studies and dawn services on Zoom and YouTube starting this week.
          1. Wednesday evening 7:40pm
          2. Friday evening 7:45pm special bible studies by Pastor Sam – Jesus’ parables about the end time.
          3. Lord’s day bible studies on Ezekiel cell group books at 2pm by Bible Academy teachers.
          4. Dawn prayer services will be on Saturday at 6:00 am

          Date, time, Zoom meeting ID & YouTube link will be posted on our church website, Instagram, and cell group leaders will notify you via phone message.

        2. There will be Women’s Group meeting right after the service via Zoom. Details of the Zoom ID will be provided via Women’s Group forum.
        3. Finance Team has newly added PayNow facility for making your offering transfer. Please see Offering and Tithe section for more information.

        UPCOMING ANNOUNCER & PRAYER DUTY

        Wednesday 15 April : Deacon Johnny Sek
        LORD’s Day 19 April : Elder Anthony Lim

        OFFERING & TITHE

        Via Internet Banking

        You can give an offering electronically by transferring to the following account:

        1. For regular, tithes, thanksgiving, special, and missions offerings ONLY
        OCBC Bank Account: ZION CHURCH
        Account#: 621835867001
        PayNow UEN#: T00SS0141D

        NOTE: Please specify Name, Purpose and Date (ddmmmyy) of the offering in the MEMO or Bill Reference Number section. See Example 1.

        2. For Building Offerings ONLY
        DBS Bank Account: ZION CHURCH
        Account#: 047-903777-2

        NOTE: Please specify Name, Purpose and Date (ddmmmyy) of the offering in the MEMO or Bill Reference Number section. See Example 2.

        Use the following acronyms to indicate Purpose (offering type):

        • RO = Regular Offering
        • TH = Tithes
        • TG = Thanksgiving
        • SP = Special Offering
        • MO = Missions Offering
        • BO = Building Offering

        By Mail

        You may mail your offering cheques to Zion Church to below address:
        “Finance Department”.
        2 Gambas Crescent, Nordcom 2 Tower 2 #10-13. Siangapore 757044.

        By ATM

        You may transfer via ATM:
        BUT PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO SPECIFY TYPE OF OFFERING if you use this option.
        Please inform any Finance Team member if want your offering to be recorded.

      2. Eldress May Ling
      3. Deaconess Leh Tieng
      4. Elder Steve
      5. Example 1:
        JohnDoe TH 05APR20
        SamMiller TG 05Mar20
        JaneSmith RO 03May20

        Example 2:
        JohnDoe BO 05APR20

        Living Manna

        Sermon Summary

        A Thankful Heart

        Scripture: Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Hebrews 13:15

        Ephesians 5:20 NKJ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

        1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJ Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

        Hebrews 13:15 NKJ Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

        The Bible exhorts us to embrace a lifestyle of thanksgiving. But what is thanksgiving exactly? It is an expression of gratitude to our mighty God, who is the source of all blessings in our lives. Thanksgiving is the heartfelt response to God, for all His goodness and faithfulness. It is the acknowledgement of Him who is the giver of all things.

        1. Thankfulness is a command, not an option (Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

        The scriptures remind us that being thankful is not an option. True thankfulness goes beyond just feelings. Instead, it invites us to focus on God’s constant presence, His faithfulness and promises in our lives.

        The word “thankful” has its root in the word “thoughtful”. It means taking time to reflect thoughtfully on our blessings, which in turn produces gratitude. When we consciously stop, pause and reflect on God’s greatness, gratitude arises automatically. There are great examples in the Bible we can take encouragement from.

        In Daniel 6, we read of Daniel who when faced with death, continued his life of prayer and thanksgiving to God.

        Psalm 119:62 NKJ At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

        The 4 living creatures in Revelation 4:8 did not cease to praise God, day and night, saying “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty”. This posture of gratitude must be woven into our prayers, our praise, our daily lives (Philippians 4:6).

        The Hebrew word for “thanksgiving” in Psalm 100:4 is towdah. It means an extension of hands in adoration, confession and sacrifice of praise. Thanksgiving is an intentional, outward expression of our hearts to acknowledge and to celebrate God’s goodness. Moses reminded the Israelites in the wilderness to be thankful for they had lacked nothing because God was with them (Deuteronomy 2:7). Today as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us remember that God has been faithful, so let us be grateful. The hymn by Johnson Oatman tells us to count our blessings, to name them one by one. Let us develop a habit to pause and to reflect on God’s goodness daily (Psalm 92:2).

        Being thankful to God helps us to keep our focus on God, and thus honours and magnifies Him, as it acknowledges God’s Lordship over our life. Being thankful helps us to see our problems in the right perspective. “Give thanks to the Lord His mercy endures forever” is repeated 26 times in Psalm 126. Thankfulness strengthens and reinforces our faith in God.

        What are the possible reasons for not being thankful in our lives:

        • We have an ungrateful heart (2 Timothy 3:2-3)
        • We become negative and discontent (1 Timothy 6:6)

        2. Thankfulness is to be continual in our lives (Ephesians 5:20)

        How do we have constant unwavering thankfulness?

        a. Thanksgiving must be unceasing (Numbers 28:24) 

        As children of God, we are called to give daily dedication of praise (1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 13:15). Therefore, thanksgiving is a spiritual sacrifice. Did we remember our offering of thanksgiving to the Lord as we came to church this morning?

        b. Uninhibited thanksgiving (Psalm 108:3)

        It is acknowledging our gratitude to God for all circumstances and all people, whether believers or unbelievers.

        3. Thankfulness that is comprehensive

        a. Thankfulness for all things (Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

        This includes not just during happy, joyful, easy times, but also during times of difficulty and sorrow (Leviticus 23:40). On the Feast of Tabernacles, the Israelites were commanded to rejoice before the Lord waving palm branches. Palms symbolise victory and good times. Willows symbolise difficulties and difficult times. We are commanded to wave both palm branches and willows, being confident that God is in control of all things.

        We see this clearly in Corrie ten Boom’s testimony in her book The Hiding Place. When she and her sister Betsy were transferred to a prison camp in Germany, it was one of the worst camps – over-crowded and infested with fleas and bugs. Betsy reminded Corey to give thanks in all circumstances. But Corey questioned, “How can I give thanks to the Lord for such a terrible place?” But in obedience, Corey began to wake daily and thanked God for everything. Over time, the sisters realized the prison guards did not visit their barracks often. Because of that they were able to hold bible studies, prayer meetings, and many people were turning to the Lord. The fleas and bugs stopped the guards so that God’s work could continue. In our natural eyes we see things differently, but God has His purpose!

        b. Thankfulness in all things

        One thing that remains absolutely constant in every situation is that God is always with us (Hebrews 13:5). God’s assisting presence is with us. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. God’s presence allows us to lift up our hands to Him in gratitude even in the most difficult times. Nothing pleases God more than when His children remain grateful and thankful in all circumstances. Given all that God has done for us, we must learn to cultivate and posture our hearts to have a heart of gratitude for every day in our lives. May God help us to become a people of thanks!

        A thankful heart is a happy heart. Let us allow God to remove the blockages in our lives through thanksgiving.

        AMEN.

        Dean Guek Joo Ong

        2020-04-25T11:01:48+00:00

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