Scripture:
1 Corinthians 3:10-23; Matthew 28:18-20
Sat, 4 September 2021

Rebuilding Our Church

Observation:

What does it mean to have Jesus Christ as our foundation when we build the church?

Deeper Reflection
WITH THE COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC, the forms of “doing church” have drastically changed. Nonetheless, the foundation of the Church must remain the right one. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the foundation of the Church is Jesus Christ. The Church must embody and represent the Lord Jesus, continually preaching about Him who died, is risen and will come again. The Church must keep pointing people to Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. Christ must remain the unchanging foundation of the Church throughout all generations. Succeeding generations must carefully build on that sure foundation, relying not on the world’s wisdom, but on divine wisdom. The Church is the holy dwelling place of God. We are God’s people, called to be holy because He is holy. The COVID-19 situation has changed the way we congregate for worship and how we run children and youth ministries, equipping sessions, and other programmes and events. In some sense, we are “rebuilding” the church as we adapt to an uncertain and evolving situation. Christ remains our unchanging foundation. Our church mission also has not changed, nor our underlying and visible values, because they are founded on God’s Word. But the Church today not only has to contend with a prolonged pandemic and all sorts of resultant problems, but also the powerful challenges posed by digital technology-enabled distribution and amplification of opposing worldviews and angry voices accusing Christians of bigotry, ignorance, abuse and hypocrisy. In response, the Church must unite under Christ and forge ahead with His love, compassion, wisdom, humility and sacrificial service to build His Church by making disciples of all nations.
Application:

In what ways can I contribute to the rebuilding of the church?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise:
  • Pray for Church Board: To have godly wisdom and strong unity in rebuilding the church during these challenging times
  • Pray for significant people:
  • Pray for those in need:
  • Pray for self:

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Daily Devo
Daily Devotional Journal
Scripture:
Daniel 10:11-12, 14-19
Tue, 26 September 2023

A Man of High Esteem

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about Daniel being called “man of high esteem” (vv.11, 19)?

Deeper Reflection
One of the heavenly beings called Daniel “man of high esteem” (v.11). This honour was bestowed on Daniel emphatically, in that it was repeated twice (v.19). This “high esteem” did not come from man, but from God Himself. God gave this honour to Daniel toward the end of his life when God called him to “enter into rest” (Dan 12:13). As a youth, Daniel “made up his mind not to defile himself with the king’s choice food” (Dan 1:8), and as an old man, he was faithful to God in spending time with Him in his “three times a day” devotion, even if it means to be thrown into the lions’ den (Dan 6:10). Daniel was finishing well in his life with “humbling yourself before your God” (v.12). When we think of finishing well in terms of successful accomplishments, we must be careful that we are not exalting ourselves.It is not for us to see ourselves in any way as a person of high esteem before God. It is for God to say that to us (2 Cor 10:17-18). Daniel never saw himself as a “man of high esteem”. A key emphasis in Daniel 10 is Daniel being greatly overwhelmed by the holiness and glory of God represented by the heavenly being with an awesome appearance (Dan 10:5-10, 15-18). And it was in this encounter with God when he was called “man of high esteem” that Daniel said, “How can such a servant of my Lord talk with such as my Lord?”50 (v.17). The man highly esteemed by God saw his unworthiness before God.
50 I have theologically translated “my lord” to “my Lord”, since the heavenly being is a representation of God.
Application:

What does being highly esteemed by God mean to me?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for pastors and staff: To be able to see oneself as God sees
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

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