In His Presence

'The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His righteousness; every nation sees His glory' Psalm 97:5-6 (NLT)

Ancients watched, often fearful and awestruck, the different phenomena of nature, of lightning storms, whirlwinds, tornados, tsunamis, cloud formations, vivid colours in the night skies. They sense a powerful, supernatural force behind these occurrences and interpret these to manifest the presence of God. These Ancient Ones would acknowledge with reverence and worship the God or gods behind these beautiful, oftentimes fearful but sometimes inspiring sights. Perhaps this was how the concept and worship of God evolved.

Today, understanding the science and nature behind these phenomena, we decry the naivety of these early humans. How wrong can we be? 'All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world.' The wise men of old saw the creator God in all of nature. So should we. 

Even though we now understand the science behind nature does not mean that God is not in the picture; God is making His presence known. The Ancient Ones got it right.

When the Israelites left Egypt and wandered in the Sinai desert towards the Promised Land, God led by way of a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night.

'God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.' Exodus 13:22

Modern folks are so engrossed with our lives that we hardly notice the presence of God. We are oblivious especially when we are so busy with ourselves, our careers and ambitions that we let many years pass us by without appreciating nor enjoying the Lord's presence.

Moses understood that the Lord's presence underpinned their journey through the wilderness. God was with them through many dangers, hardships and crisis. Moses valued the Lord being in the midst of the people of God very much. He once said to the Almighty, to break off the Exodus and not proceed further unless the Lord's presence was always with them.

  

'God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end." Moses said, "If Your presence doesn't take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that You're with me in this, with me and Your people? Are You travelling with us or not? How else will we know that we're special, I and Your people, among all the people of this planet earth.' Exodus 33:14-16 (MSG)

Christians realise rather late in our spiritual journeys that the Lord's presence is vital to our Christian growth, happiness, well being. In fact, we cannot escape God as expressed in the Psalms so eloquently.

'Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? 

To be out of Your sight?

If I climb to the sky you're there!

If I go underground, you're there!

If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon,

You'd find me in a minute -

You are already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, "Oh He even sees me in the dark!

At night I'm immersed in the light!"Psalm 139:7-12  

In time, we learn that our lives go on but always in the presence of God. Nothing is hidden from God. Indeed God is omnipresent we just need to sense and cultivate the habit of enjoying the presence of God.

• One common way is to take a walk through nature, enjoy its sights, smells and sounds and realise that God is with us. This experience was recorded by William Wordsworth in his poem Tintern Abbey (13 July 1798) on revisiting the banks of the River Wye a few miles above the abbey. He wrote,

 "And I have felt 

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts;

A sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,

And the round ocean and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man:

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All thinking things, All objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things.

Therefore am I still

A lover of the meadows and the woods

And mountains; and of all that we behold 

From this green earth."

• Staring quietly at a beautiful scenery as at waterfalls and colourful canyons or sunsets and sunrises, evokes in us that awareness that God exists and He enables us to enjoy His creations. I experienced spontaneous tearing when I first viewed Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon. Both times it evoked positive emotions of joy and awe. It overwhelmed me, engaged my senses; an appreciation of the beauty of the earth and the glory of the skies. ChatGPT used the term 'Awe' for this response and described it as a complex emotion that involves a sense of wonder, amazement and a feeling of being in the presence of something greater than oneself. For me that was the presence of God and I broke into spontaneous prayer, praise and song.

'The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftmanship. Day after day they continue to speak. Night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard, Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, their word to all the world.' Psalms 19:1-4 (NLT)

• Christian Meditation ushers us into the presence of God. The time of meditation is the time of awareness of God. Keep your body still, your mind silent, then in that stillness and silence just focus on being in the presence of God. With time, discipline and practice, our spirits will co-mingle with the Holy Spirit, in 'prayer without words.'   

'May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.' Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

This article was inspired by my niece, Mrs Lynette Teo, who recently recorded her voice and piano accompaniment to Sandi Patti's  'In His Presence.' She sent it to both Pat and I to encourage us. Unfortunately I could not use Lynette's recording in this post; so please use this Sandi Patty's original recording as you reflect in God's presence.

In the quiet of this hour

As we kneel before You now

I believe Your promise to be faithful

I don't always understand

What Your perfect will demands

But I learned to trust You more

In Your presence, Lord

In Your presence, there is comfort

In Your presence, there is peace

When we seek to know Your heart

We will find such blessed assurance

In Your holy presence, Lord

There can be such sweet reward

When we wait upon the Lord

As we take the time

He gives His perfect wisdom

To be found in Him alone

All our deepest secrets known

We're surrounded by His grace

When we seek His face

In Your presence, there is comfort

In Your presence, there is peace

When we seek my fathers heart

We will find such blessed assurance

And ever open door

To know our Savior more

In the presence of my Lord

Lionel

Under The Shade Of His Grace

 

'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it;

I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 

On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it, it will bear fruit and become a splendid cedar.

Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 

All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord will bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. 

I the Lord have spoken and I will do it' Ezekiel 17:22-24

The Charis Methodist Church's new sanctuary, building and renovated premises was consecrated and dedicated today, 21 January 2024, to the Glory of God. The theme of the worship service and the topic of the sermon delivered by Methodist Bishop, Rev(Dr) Gordon Wong was, 'Under The Shade of His Grace.'

The Bishop was quick to point out that the topic was well chosen because the name Charis comes from the Greek word Χάρις meaning grace and kindness. It is a prayer, said the Bishop, that Charis will be a church where many people will find comfort, salvation and fulfillment with the ministry of the church - under the shade of God's grace.

'Under the Shade of His Grace' used during the dedication service of the church, will likewise, be the theme of Charis Methodist Church's witness and ministry. In a world of trouble and tribulation, the church will reach out and welcome the community to enjoy the comfort and shelter of God's grace.

The Charis Congregation @ Dedication Service

Bishop Gordon Wong based his sermon on the passage Ezekiel 17:22-24. There are several lessons to be drawn from this bible passage:

• Charis Methodist Church is Established by the Design and Initiative of God. Pay attention to the positive actions of God's will,
• I myself will a take a shoot from the top of the cedar. 
• I will break off a tender sprig.
• I will plant it.

• Charis Methodist Church shall (will) Establish a Fruitful Ministry
• It will produce branches
• It will bear fruit
• It will become a splendid cedar

• Charis Methodist Church will Serve the Community and Needy
• Birds of every kind will nest in it
• Birds will shelter in it.

• Charis Methodist Church will Thrive but Only by God's Grace
• I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall
• I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish
• I the Lord have spoken and I will do it

We celebrated the 35th Anniversary of the church today. This is because we count our age from the day we became independent of the mother church, on 1 January 1989, and became a local conference of the Methodist Church in Singapore. 

In reality the congregation of Charis Methodist Church started way back in 1966 when several of our pioneers started an English Worship Service at 4.30 pm at the Geylang Chinese Methodist Church in Aljunied Road. It was inaugurated by Bishop Robert F Lundy, the Bishop of the Malaysia-Singapore Methodist General Conference. 

The English Worship Service was managed autonomously by a English Working Committee. The Chairpersons of the Working Committees were Goh Say Hong (1968 to 1975), Victor Koh (1976), Lim Eng Chong (1977), Lionel Lee (1978 to 1982), Lim Eng Chong (1982/83), Lionel Lee (1983-1988) until the first Local Church Executive Committee was formed on 1 Jan 1989 with Lionel Lee as the Chairman. The LCEC chairpersons of Charis Methodist Church were Quek Koh Eng, Koh Hai Theng, Charles Loh, Khoong Hock Yun, Too Shiun Jye. In 2024, LCEC leadership transferred to the third generation under Gabriel Tham. 

That English Service included two worship services, Sunday School, two Methodist Youth Fellowships, the 17th Company Boys Brigade, Young Adult Fellowship, Adult Fellowship, Young Adult Bible Class, Children's Ministry called the Charis King's Army, Adult Choir, Children's Choir, Evangelism, Social Concerns and Missions Ministries. 

Thus, Charis Methodist Church existed as a congregation for 57 years since 1966.  For 37 years, from 1966-1993 when we acquired the present property upon which the new buildings were dedicated today, we were a Church without a Home. But it did not really matter to us, because we always knew that the Lord God will provide shelter and nest.

'Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.' Ezekiel 17:23b

The Bishop pointed out that these two words nest and shelter are translated same in Mandarin as 'Home.' We are reminded that God has provided Charis Methodist Church with a home just as Christ said, 

'Upon this rock, I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it' Matthew 16:18b (NLT)

The Charis Methodist Church Choir sang the song, 'Upon This Rock' at the dedication service. The Choir sang the same anthem on the 3 Apr 1993 at the inaugural service at our newly acquired property. It sang again on the 20 Jan 2019 celebrating our 30th Anniversary as a independent local conference.

 

When others see with earthly eyes

Just what they want to see

You will see the things that never die

You will know and recognize

By simple child-like faith

The priceless truth that

Others will deny.

When others say I'm just a man

Who likes to dream His dreams

When others call a miracle a myth

You'll listen for eternity

In moments as they pass

And see with spirit eyes

What others miss.

Upon this rock I'll build My kingdom

And on this rock forever and ever it shall stand

And all the powers of Hell itself

Shall never more prevail against it

For Satan's thrones are built on sinking sand

Upon this rock I'll build My kingdom

And on this rock forever and ever it shall stand

Upon this rock of revelation

I'll build a strong and mighty nation

And it shall stand the storms of time

Upon this rock.

If in a simple carpenter

You see the Son of God

If you would chose to lose

When you could win

If you would give your life away

For nothing in return

Then you are where

My kingdom will begin.

Upon this rock I'll build My kingdom

And on this rock forever and ever it shall stand

Upon this rock of revelation

I'll build a strong and mighty nation

And it shall stand the storms of time

Upon this rock

I'll Build My church

Upon this rock

I'll Build My church

Upon this Rock

Upon this Rock

The clarion message, is that Christ alone will build Charis Methodist, His Church.

Lionel

Blessing and Benediction

'May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favour and give you His peace' Numbers 6:24-26

Many of us, simply disregard and perfunctorily dismiss the benediction performed at the end of the church worship services; we can't wait to get out of church. We fail to appreciate the wonderful words of assurance, how much the Lord God intends to enrich our lives and bless us. We fail to realise that as we leave after a time of worshipping God, the benediction is like a parting gift to sustain us for the week during which the presence of God will no doubt wane within us as we become distracted by our many chores and to-do lists.

The Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26 is the most commonly used Benediction. God instructed Aaron at the time of the Exodus to bless the Israelites. It was given at a time of uncertainty, dangers, concerns as the Israelites realised that the dry and arid desert had nothing to offer. They were completely reliant on God and God did not leave them destitute, God delivered.

• The Lord bless you and keep you. This is a promise of God's protection bestowed as a blessing on His people, the Israelites then and now on all Christians too.

• The Lord make His face to shine upon you. This is a promise of God's presence not just casually but deeply, intimately and close up as if face to face.

• The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. This is the promise of God's peace. 

The end of the a church service is not just a return to society after having worshipped God. It is also God sending us into the world, commissioned for ministry and mission empowered by the Holy Spirit. We receive the blessing of God so that we will have the strength and ability to live lives of blessing to others. Having received the benediction we are sent out as Jesus Christ's witnesses and ambassadors.

The Benediction is both a prayer and pronouncement. The apostles and early church leaders pronounced the benediction as a signature conclusion to their messages using  

• The Benediction as an Encouragement
• The Benediction as a Blessing
• The Benediction as a pronouncement of Grace

Examples are:

Hope 'May the God of hope Fill you with all joy and peace in believing, So that you may abound in hope By the power of the Holy Spirit.' Romans 15:13

Service 'Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory forever and ever.' Hebrews 13:20-21

Endurance 'May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Romans 15:5-6

Love 'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all'. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Glory 'Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen' Ephesians:20-21

Peace 'The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Philippians 4:7

Success 'Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen'  Jude 24-25

Sanctification 'Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.' 1 Thessalonians 5:23

One of the modern benedictions was written and put to music in 1998 by John Rutter, the Clare Benediction. John Rutter has a long association with Clare College, Cambridge University. He read music at Clare in the 1960s and subsequently returned as its director of music and director of the chapel choir.

The Clare Benediction is a set to soothing melody and harmony. Beginning with 'May the Lord show His mercy upon you...' it is a prayer for protection and guidance, when asleep or awake, in this life and the next. 

May the Lord show his mercy upon you;

May the light of his presence be your guide:

May he guard you and uphold you;

May his spirit be ever by your side.

When you sleep may his angels watch over you;

When you wake may he fill you with his grace:

May you love him and serve him all your days

Then in heaven may you see his face.

May the Lord's loving kindness surround you;

Keep you safe as you journey on your way:

May he lead you and inspire you

As he grants you the gift of each new day.

May he bless all your loved ones and cherish them;

Ev'ry friend, ev'ry stranger at your door:

In the name of his Son our Saviour Christ

May God bless you now and evermore

Next time don't just rush out at the end of the worship service. Take time to let the blessings of the Benediction sink in. Then, let us learn to bless each other. We are blessed to be a blessing.

May God bless you now and evermore.

Lionel

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Tsunami by Hokusai 19th Century

'Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God and I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.' Psalm 91:1-3 (NLT)

A tsunami of crisis aptly described 2023; it was a most challenging year for the Lee family. Pat started treatment for T-cell Lymphoma which has lasted for more than a year. It was one relentless cycle of different chemotherapy drugs after another. It took a toll on Pat's health, immune system, weight and energy. Debbie and Becky, our two daughter, were tested as potential donors for a allogenic stem cell transplant for Pat on 22 February 2024. Debbie has been selected to be the donor and she is back in Singapore for medical examinations, tests and mobilisation of stem cells. 

We hope and pray that Pat will achieve remission and be cured of the Lymphoma. Family members and many friends from around the world are joining us in prayer. Above these prayers, we know that we are at God's disposal entirely and His will shall prevail in our lives.

At such times of prayers and seeking assistance from God, we are reminded that God will protect those He loves. Martin Luther wrote the hymn of 'A Mighty Fortress is our God' declaring this assurance.

Described as the Battle Hymn of the Reformation, Martin Luther wrote it to rally the reformation against the onslaught of persecutions and opposition. One can imagine the numerous times when the singing of this hymn assisted Martin Luther through many a difficult year, as the reformation took on the might and influence of the Roman Catholic Church

The lyrics are inspired by Psalm 46. This Psalm described 3 different scenes indicating the presence of God in all circumstances.

• The Raging Seas - Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:2-3

• The Peaceful Stream - There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Psalm 46:4-5

• The Mighty Fortress - Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice and the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46: 6-7

A mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His Kingdom is forever.

When one is buffeted with life’s difficulties and challenges, it can be a very frightening experience. One problem follows another much like the relentless waves of a raging storm. Yet, Psalms 46:1 resonates across the waves, 

'God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in times of trouble.'

So, despite a difficult year past, looking ahead, this hymn will be our anthem for 2024 - A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

Lionel