Sip. Drink. Be Blessed

Pastor Francis Ng from the Tabernacle of Christ gave me a complimentary book that celebrated the church’s 30th anniversary. I was surprised at the book’s quality when I took it out of the brown envelope. My wife took it and read it. Later, my wife and I could not remember where it was placed until I searched a bookshelf for something else and found it stuck on top of other books.

I opened the book, began reading and could not put it down. I finished reading it in a day. What is it about the book that kept my eyes glued to it?

The design is superb: the size, the colours, the typography, the paper, the size of the book and the lovely portraits of the members whose stories were told. The book looks classy and expensive.

I also liked the subtle and smart presence of coffee and teacups in many pictures – an allusion to the theme: “Sip. Drink. Be Blessed.”

The book is square (reminds me of Instagram) and the way its content was arranged and the length of each faith story is directed at a modern audience with an increasingly shorter attention span. I wish they had an electronic version for digital natives, and for members to forward the e-book version to friends and colleagues.

I liked how the church’s history was limited to eight pages. It described the few changes in location that the church made: from a Horne Road warehouse to its final building in Yishun, its present location.

The bulk of the book was devoted to faith stories and testimonies of thirty members. This is the real history of what God has done for the church: stories of healing, salvation, God’s provision, life transformation, and acts of kindness. Each story inspired my faith, hope and love for the Lord. God is good. God is faithful.

It would make the book complete if it had a gospel presentation at the end but I am sure they have some reasons not to do so. Other than this, I would warmly recommend this book to Christians and non-Christians. It inspires hope at a time when all around us we see broken lives, marriages, families and nations.

If you wish to know more about this church go HERE. If you want to read more about my visit as a guest preacher to the Tabernacle of Christ, go HERE.

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Tabernacle of Christ: A Church That Inspires Faith in God

My wife and I received a warm welcome after being ushered into the office of Pastors Francis and Peggy Ng, the husband and wife that founded the church and continue to lead it. 

We were thrilled to be invited there as I have heard about this church and met the Senior Pastor in Covenant Pastors fellowship, and also heard him speak in a panel at a recent MFIS Equip Conference. Even in that short answer to a question, I noted his eloquence and his story-telling skills. The prophetic mantle is expressed differently through different personalities, and his is one that is winsome, inspirational and persuasive. Therefore, I was not surprised when he took the church stage after the song set had been sung, that he was able to lift the atmosphere and get the congregation on their feet, praising the Lord. 

Pentecost Sunday

It was Pentecost Sunday, and I gave a teaching on “Following the Lead of the Spirit” to honour the presence and person of the Holy Spirit, remembering how He came on the Day of Pentecost to unify and empower the body of waiting and praying believers 2,000 years ago. The positive energizing worship really made it easier for me to teach the Word, and the message ended with a call for prayer and ministry. As I was praying for people in the front, I passed by a “catcher” with a familiar face that resembled an actor, but I thought this could not be. Later, I found out he is the famous actor, Charlie Goh, from Ah Boys to Men movies. There were members taking selfies with him and of course I took one too. Very pleasant person, and as it turned out, he is with Fly Entertainment, the same agency as new actor Paul Lee Wen Por, my nephew. 

We were invited to lunch at nearby Northpoint where we got to know the pastors better. I must say their journey was inspiring and colorful enough for a book to be written. They left their jobs in their 20s to live by faith and join the church in full time ministry – without a salary. They experienced God’s miraculous provision in the midst of suffering hardship. The pastor of the church they had served told them then, “I did not call you and the church did not call you. God called you, so you have to trust God for finance”.  That was the period that vital foundations were laid that shaped the trajectory of their life and ministry – faith in God and God alone would be a hallmark of their service. It distinguished them in all their endeavors in the church and in the marketplace. This positive faith in God has also been imparted the members, Sunday after Sunday, year on year with sermons and stories of healings, answers to prayer and prophetic encounters and breakthroughs. 

A Remarkable Miracle

One of the most remarkable miracles the church witnessed was the healing of their son Samuel from autism. Not mild autism but serious autism. Peggy shared about their struggles with their son: the challenge of getting a school to accept him; reading books to him while he runs around the room; trying to handle him as he screams in public; and teaching a dyslexic son basic English and Math. In their helplessness, what can they do but to look to God in faith and pray? Indeed, the breakthrough they were looking for came in his secondary school years as marked improvements accompanied his advancement till he received scholarships from NTU university, and he is currently in a PhD program. This is nothing short of a miracle and I could see how their faces lit up when they shared this story. After all they were direct participants in the miracle! You can access the miracle story HERE.

We went home with our stomachs filled and our hearts infused with faith and warmed by their hospitality. Tabernacle of Christ is a church that God would be pleased with for “without faith it is impossible to please God.”

To view more stories of my visits/ministry in other churches go HERE.

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