Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. - Habakkuk 3v17-19

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. - Luke 24:50-53

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Daily, a podcast of The City.

This is our humble attempt to bring a compelling alternative story to the endless barrage of information and news that we are exposed to. As you begin your day at home or on the commute to work or go about your day, plug in as we dive into scripture, reflect and posture ourselves in prayer. Our hope is that through this resource, you will be centered in God, His truth and peace.

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. - Psalm 40:1

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Daily, a podcast of The City.

This is our humble attempt to bring a compelling alternative story to the endless barrage of information and news that we are exposed to. As you begin your day at home or on the commute to work or go about your day, plug in as we dive into scripture, reflect and posture ourselves in prayer. Our hope is that through this resource, you will be centered in God, His truth and peace.

Psalm 131 (NKJV)- Lord, my heart is not [a]haughty,

Nor my eyes lofty.

Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

Nor with things too profound for me.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with his mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

From this time forth and forever.

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Daily, a podcast of The City.

This is our humble attempt to bring a compelling alternative story to the endless barrage of information and news that we are exposed to. As you begin your day at home or on the commute to work or go about your day, plug in as we dive into scripture, reflect and posture ourselves in prayer. Our hope is that through this resource, you will be centered in God, His truth and peace.

“Faith above all else is trusting God. It doesn’t mean we’ll have answers to all our questions, it is ultimately a courageous fidelity to the way of Jesus.” - @andrejosiah

As part of our Enduring Faith series, Ps Andre shared part two of his message on Doubt & Deconstruction. Deconstruction is a systematic dismantling and in-depth review of our belief system, with the goal of re-examining and coming to deeper obedience and faithfulness to Christ. In navigating through this process, Ps. Andre cautioned that instead of using the way of the world to critique scripture’s authority in the church, we ought to use scripture to critique the world’s corruption of the church and weed out beliefs that are opposed to the ways of Jesus.

As we seek to build a more unyielding faith, may we lean on Him, destroying any belief that runs contrary to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, who is truth Himself and the perfecter of our faith.

“The antidote for a spirit of control is a spirit of surrender.” - @andrejosiah

Ps. Andre shared on Living in Holy Uncertainty. Drawing from Jesus’ last words on the cross - He highlighted that even at the very brink of stepping into the unknown, Christ’s posture of surrender and trust in God that was demonstrated in His final act is one that we should embody and learn from.

Ps. Andre then encouraged and reminded us to live lives of surrender - placing the full weight of our trust in God and to look to His presence, as opposed to leaning on maps, schedules and formulas. Having faith in the certainty of His character and His will in us is crucial in helping us let go of the things we hold so dearly - especially in the midst of uncertainty and fear.

Let us as a church commit to living lives of surrender, fully trusting the Lord to guide our every thought and step, especially as we navigate through these tough times.

"The biblical vision for life is not that we would live with either comfort or exhaustion, but that we would follow Jesus’ direction in pouring our lives out for what really matters in the kingdom.” @andrejosiah

We had our Vision Sunday services, and Pst Andre preached a compelling word about the role of the church, as a place for revival. Gleaning from the example of the early church in Acts, he reminded of our call and vision as The City - to be a place of God’s tangible presence, resilient discipleship, and the raising of missionary communities.

May we seek to make room in our lives and our community for change in the way that we see God and practice our faith - making the pursuit of God’s kingdom the focus of our lives: to be with Jesus, become like Jesus and do the works of Jesus in our city.

“What if on the other side of doubt isn’t the abandonment of faith, but a renewed trust and radical commitment to Jesus?” - @andrejosiah

In a continuation of our series on Enduring Faith, Ps. Andre spoke on Doubt & Deconstruction and posed the question of whether it is possible to question one’s faith without losing it. He explained how doubts in life are necessary for us to persevere in the faith.

When we have doubts, let us view it as invitations to have a deeper understanding, to embrace a holy uncertainty, to community, and to an encounter with God.

“Our spiritual aliveness is not seen in our ability to suppress grief, but our ability to bring our grieves to God.” - Andre Tan

In our new sermon series on Enduring Faith, Ps. Andre Tan kickstarted our series with a message titled An Invitation To A Journey, reminding us that the way to deal with trials is not to avoid them, but to face them head on. He highlighted that the challenges we face in life are never the end of the story, and that there is always the possibility of coming out of it with a more enduring, and mature faith. He reminded us that the testing of our faith produces perseverance, and examines our ability to abide in our maker when we are put under fire.

If you’re in the midst of a trial, be encouraged to let God in, to go on a journey with Him and allow for the trial to produce meaning, purpose & a steadfast faith in you.

“Jesus didn’t just rescue us from sin, but he redeemed us for life.” - @janicechinchern

Pastor Janice shared from the story of Zacchaeus, and invited us to examine the parallels in our walk with Jesus - if we have, at deeper levels, allowed His grace to capture and captivate our hearts.

We hope you were blessed by the word and received a fresh revelation of God’s grace and redemption in our lives. As we enter a brand new week, may we remember that we are deeply loved by God, and receive His grace with joy. Be blessed!