“Anger is not the problem; it tells us something is wrong under the emotional, spiritual, or relational hood of our lives. We use anger to express our hurt or frustration, and to protect and preserve ourselves.” - @andrejosiah

In week seven of our sermon series, The Freedom You Long For, Pastor Andre shared about Anger and Patience. A common fallacy in our approach to anger is thinking that we should never ever be angry as Christians, and that it is an emotion that we should repress. Yet, to be human is to feel, just as Jesus Himself felt the full extent of human emotions. While the feelings of anger are not a sin, what we do with anger can become dysfunctional and destructive.

Where then can we take our anger? When we go to God in repentance, He restores us, and we can seek His strength for divine patience as we abide in His love.

As we go about the week, may we seek God’s grace for the areas of unresolved anger and bitterness in our lives, and trust that He can transform us as we surrender to Him.

“God longs for us to bring our need for approval to Him, for Him to satisfy our desire and to free us from approval addiction to truly live pleasing to Him and others in secure identity.” - @janicechinchern

Janice continues our current sermon series, The Freedom You Long For with a sharing on Approval Addiction & Secure Identity. Deep within all of us is a desire for approval, which originates from God’s original design for us to desire righteousness and a life of good, and the ultimate aim of be pleasing in God’s eyes.

Where we often end up disillusioned and disappointed is when we seek the approval of others and not God himself. In rediscovering the revelation of the Father’s acceptance of us, we are able to grow into the freedom that God has called us to, and into the identity that He has given us by grace.

“When we release bitter judgement, it brings death. But when we release forgiveness, it brings life.” - @chrisvonne

In week 5 of “The Freedom You Long For”, Christine spoke on the topic of Bitterness & Forgiveness. In Hebrews 12:15, we learn of how we should not allow any bitter root to grow, as it will bring trouble to us and defile those around us. Many of us live unaware of our bitter root system, which are a result of our own sinful reactions to our circumstances. When we feed these bitter root judgements and place bitter expectations on people, they reinforce the sinful structures in our lives that eventually manifest into bitter fruits. These bitter fruits isolate us and prevent us from building healthy relationships with the people around us, and ultimately forms a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

So how do we find freedom from these bitter roots?

1. By acknowledging that only God, the one who is perfectly holy and good, can be the rightful Judge.

2. By acknowledging the bitter roots in our lives, repenting of our sins, forgiving the people that have hurt us and caused our bitter roots to grow, and extending grace to others.

If you are seeking pastoral care and support, please check out www.thecity.sg/resources for more information.

“Envy exposes the idols of your heart, the sources of your identity, and where you derive your sense of worth; learn what you envy and you will know who you are.” - @andrejosiah

We are on week 4 of our sermon series “The Freedom You Long For”, Ps. Andre spoke on the topic of Envy & Contentment. We often hear the saying that “comparison is the thief of joy”, and envy sets in when we compare others’ blessings with our own and it makes us feel inadequate.

But as followers of Christ, we can find contentment in God by abdicating the throne of our own lives and letting God take His rightful place. Christian contentment is not about minimalism or simplicity - it is about contentment in Christ, because of Christ, and empowered by Christ.

May we take some time to reflect on the following 3 questions, and invite God in to free us from the sin of envy:

1. Is there a disappointing or even painful situation in my life that’s leading to feelings of grief or injustice or longing?

2. Is there anyone whose happiness brings me sadness because I want the happiness they are receiving?

3. Is there anyone I’ve allowed to harbour feelings of bitterness or anger towards?

“If Eden represents a loving relationship with God and others, then hell is helpless isolation, and the church is where we find connection and acceptance.” - @timothyshaun

Timothy continued our sermon series “The Freedom We Long For”, with a sharing on Shame and Vulnerability, where he discussed the destructive cycle of shame.

Sharing from Genesis 3, The Garden of Eden and Luke 8, the parable of the woman with the issue of blood, Tim shared how the wounds we pick up form the narrative of a shameful identity. This is reinforced by our helpless isolation, but when we encounter Christ who dignifies us, we can find healing.

God is our pursuer, who asks us “where are you?” when we hide away in shame, and invites us to come to Him vulnerably and experience this reality through embodied acts in community.

“Living the way of freedom that Jesus teaches is incompatible with the overconsumption prevalent in our society; the two are mutually exclusive. You must choose between God and Mammon.” - @andrejosiah

In week 2 of our sermon series “The Freedom You Long For”, Ps. Andre spoke on Greed & Generosity, and how there is a war over generosity in our lives.

In scripture, Jesus constantly warns us against all kinds of greed, because greed leads us into an insatiable desire and pursuit of wealth that comes at the expense of our health, relationships, and devotion to him. As humans, we have a tendency to hoard because we never remain contented with what we have, but God reminds us that life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. Instead, we can find freedom from a spirit of greed through living the way of Jesus, one that’s fully dependent on God being our provider.

May we live lives of generosity by living rooted in the assurance of God’s abundant love for us.

“In contrast to our culture’s view of freedom as liberation from constraints, biblical freedom is obtaining God’s supernatural power to overcome our desires for self-gratification and fulfill our deepest desire for love.” - @andrejosiah

Pastor Andre kicked off a new sermon series, The Freedom You Long For, with a sharing on life by the Spirit.

Through Jesus’ victory over death, He purchased our liberty to choose between freedom and the yoke of slavery. Freedom is thus how we ought to live in light of the resurrection, where we choose, with God’s help, a life free from sin and one that embraces the right desires that God has for our lives.

May we desire to live befitting of the freedom that Jesus has purchased for us at a great price - by turning away from sin and its temptations with the help of the Holy Spirit.

“One of the great strategies of the enemy is to take the promises of God designed to set us free, and through the worship of self, turn them into shackles that exhaust and bind us.” - @andrew_gardener

Pastor Andrew ministered at our service today and shared a sobering word on Falling Into Forgetfulness, and how idolatry has made its way into our individual lives and as the body of Christ.

Sharing from Exodus 32, and how the Israelites created an idol to worship in their impatience to hear from God, Pastor Andrew asked us to similarly consider the times we’ve turned away from the intangible things of God to embrace what is tangible, due to our lack of understanding of what God is doing in and amongst us.

As we enter Holy Week, may this be our reminder to yield to God, surrender the areas of idolatry in our lives, and to be open to God’s move as the bride that He is returning for.

"Sometimes Jesus just needs us to go, pray and trust. Jesus will do the rest." - @dpma

Derek Ma challenged us by sharing his testimony of what God has done in his life over the years through the story of Ananias in Acts 9

He expounds from the view of Ananias, who might not have understood God’s assignment initially, but acted in faith and trusted in God command and was used as an instrument in Saul’s conversion.

May we all enter our week learning to trust in God and availing ourselves as instruments of God!

“Obedience is not just one aspect of a believer’s life. It is the central guiding principle that shapes our identity, purpose and relationship with God.” - @chrisvonne

Christine shared on The Priority Of Obedience, gleaning from the lives of Saul and Abraham, one whose selective obedience ultimately led to his demise, and another who demonstrated wholehearted obedience, without question, despite the personal sacrifice he was called to make.

Complete obedience to God may seem like the antithesis to today’s prevailing culture that champions self determination and personal freedom. Within this tension, Christine encouraged us to rediscover the importance of complete obedience to God as a response to His love, a pathway to our freedom and fulfilment, and ultimately, to be His counter-cultural witnesses here on earth.

May we desire to walk in a deeper level of wholehearted surrender and obedience to God, and take heart that we can ultimately do so by leaning on His empowerment and grace as we continue to walk with Him.