SERVING THE LORD WITH GLADNESS – OUR THEME FOR THIS YEAR

Dear Members in Christ,

Serving the Lord with gladness – Our theme for this year

You may have noticed at the top of the weekly bulletin is a theme verse for the year. In the past four years, we have embarked on a series of biblical themes for each year. Starting from the theme of “Love for God” taken from Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Some of the other themes in the following years includes “Joy of the Lord” from Nehemiah 8:10, with an emphasis on knowing the word of God. In 2022, the theme was “Walking worthy of the Lord” from Colossian 2:6, centering on spiritual maturity and the spiritual growth of the Christian. And last year, the theme was “The Pleasantness of the Unity of the Brethren” from Psalm 133.  

These last four years have been focused upon building up the faith of the believer, and growing the maturity of the relationship between the Christian and the Lord Jesus Christ. But the question often asked is this, “What is the purpose of a theme and the Bible verse for each year?” What is the difference whether sermons are planned on a monthly, weekly, or on a monthly theme? Well, for those enquiring, this is the answer. The purpose for a yearly theme is to ensure a systematic teaching of God’s Word over a period of several years. We know it takes years to give a child a proper education from elementary to tertiary schooling to equip the person from childhood to adulthood. A proper developmental curriculum has to be constructed to teach every student to prepare them for life. Similarly, the teaching of God’s Word takes time and planning. Year upon year, theme upon theme, to teach and to build up the lives of the believer one scripture passage at time.  

A. The yearly theme and what God’s Word teach us about learning the Scriptures

If there is one lesson from God’s Word about teaching the Word of God, it is that the learning of the Scripture is meant to be a continuous and lifelong process. This process begins for the child of God from the very beginning. Therefore, we read in Deuteronomy 6:7 that,

“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:7  

The learning of Scriptures is to commence even from early childhood. Even in adulthood and senior years, the learning of God’s Word is not to be forsaken. We read that the psalmist constantly meditated upon God’s Word in order that he may retain his peace in most dire circumstances, “Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.” Psalm 119:23. Whether from childhood to adulthood, learning and meditation upon God’s Word ought to be a lifelong practice for the believer.

Dearly beloved, we know that the learning of any branch of science takes years, sometimes decades. Therefore, it is no surprise to us that the learning and mastery of God’s Word is no different, it takes diligence and determination. It takes systematic learning, starting upon first principles of salvation, and building upon it to cultivate a mature spiritual life, and further development in maturity and devotion in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us encourage one another to engage in the systematic study of God’s Word. Join a bible study group, embark upon your own “read through the Bible” program. And may God bless and strengthen your faith through this exercise.  

B. Our theme for 2024 “Serving the Lord with gladness”

This year, 2024, we embark upon the theme “Serving the Lord with Gladness” from psalm 100:2

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:1-3

Our attention will be focused upon returning our love and service for God with gladness. Every born again, child of God should be filled with love and gratitude to the Lord Jesus for His finished work on the cross for us. Therefore, we come serving Him gladly, we come voluntarily pledging our dutiful and faithful service for Him. This is a kind of gladness that only those redeemed by Christ can truly know and experience.

Dearly beloved, lets us look to God and give our time, our effort and service for His great work in our lives. We remember His pardon for our sins, His free gift of eternal life for us, and His gracious gift of the Holy Spirit in us, the earnest of our redemption. So, let us, like the psalmist, sings “Serve the Lord with gladness… Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” And may God bless every willing heart and willing hand committed to labour for the Lord Jesus Christ. May His name be praised. Amen. 

In His Service,
Rev. Lim Seh Beng, Pastor