Jesus’ instructions for those who follow Him seem very strange sometimes. Before He returns to the Father, He tells His immediate followers to go everywhere and make disciples. That is, gather people together and help people know what it means to follow Jesus, and then help them receive the life He promised. But then baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and pass on everything He taught them. We understand ‘gather’ and we understand ‘teach’… but dunk people in water in front of others? Why? That’s actually a great question! The answer is the best news!  

Jesus told us to be IN the world but NOT be of it — that is, don't take on its value system. And that’s why Jesus came... God became one of us. He didn’t have to do that; He could’ve just said, "Figure it out on your own!" But, He didn’t.

The first narratives of history in Genesis tell us that God created everything we see. God is the ultimate Giver; we are the managers. But, if there is no accountability and we blow through our time and money thinking that if it comes to us then it must belong to us... Does it though?⁠

The Olive Branch welcomes Dr. Peter Chu to share God's Word with us. Pastor Ken first came to hear Dr. Peter at a Markham Prayer Breakfast meeting, he got to know him and knew that we would so enjoy hearing him too! He’ll be sharing with us thoughts about God’s unconditional and unfailing love.

Recording courtesy of our friends at  Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church
https://www.youtube.com/@scbcem

We live in a culture that seems obsessed with helping children be successful, competent, smart, and well-educated... and somehow miss⁠ the fact that it’s NOT this stuff that helps them make it, in the ultimate⁠ sense of the word. As parents, we need to know what that is!⁠

There are times when we need to see beyond what is possible, attainable, or even logical – and pursue a bigger plan that takes more love, more money, more grace and more insight than we have available. Jesus asks us to lean in!

There’s a center line down most highways – to save lives and to stop unnecessary destruction. What the Bible says about life was breathed by the Creator and Giver of life. That’s where the authority comes from. There's a center line in our hearts, too – the one that tells us that we’re off track. Parents, particularly Mom’s, have a tough job teaching children where that center line is – and helping their children learn to walk it.

Week 2 of Good News Give Back! We celebrate the stories of God working in and through our church to bless others in our community and in our world. This week we're going to be focusing on how we use our blessings that we have received from God to bless others around us.

Good News Give Back 2025, Week 1

What Does it Mean to be Blessed?

We often think of "blessing" as success, comfort, or material gain. The real question is ‘What would it take for YOU to feel blessed?’ See, the truth of the idea of “Blessing” is not just a noun—it’s a verb, a calling. We’ll be talking about “What does it TRULY mean to be blessed?”

The guards around Jesus' tomb dozed off here and there, confident that nothing was going on in that grave. Dead people don’t usually create any problems. But no one had a clue that what was really going on there was about to change the world. Jesus' death and resurrection didn’t just split this planet's history. When we believe in Him, it splits our history too. From dead to ALIVE, FOREVER!