A Servant of Jesus Christ 27 March 2011 Elder Frederick Lan

I have been thinking of the description of the apostle Paul about himself as a servant of Jesus Christ in Romans 1:1. This expression a servant of Jesus Christ is full of meaning. First, the phrase a servant of Jesus Christ is a very special title given to everyone who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and received Him into his or her heart as Saviour and Lord. It signifies that he or she belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has purchased our salvation with His own precious blood that was shed on the cross of Calvary some 2,000 years ago, yet remains efficacious today and in the ages to come while He tarries. Think of it. That Jesus Christ, the Son of God, should come down from heavens glory into this sinful world to die for wretched sinners such as you and I and shedding His blood for our redemption is simply amazing. The Bible tells us that forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19) Yes, He came to redeem wretched sinners and we are the wretched sinners who once upon a time like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him (Christ) the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) The Bible declares, The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 14:2-3) Except for Gods mercy, we would have been consumed and condemned to eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Indeed, it is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. (Lamentations 3:22) Consider this, But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-6) Yes, He has purchased our salvation with His own blood and now we belong to Him. Consider the words of the hymn-writer, Norman J. Clayton in his hymn, Now I belong to Jesus and I quote thus: Once I was lost in sins degradation, Jesus came down to bring me salvation; He gave His life to ransom my soul, Now I belong to Him! Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me; Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity. Our purpose in life should henceforth be to glorify God for so says the scriptures that ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20) Secondly, we are reminded that we are His servants. This servanthood is not imposed upon us but should be exercised as an expression of our love toward God .because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:5) Therefore, we willingly volunteer ourselves in consecration to Him to serve Him in whatever capacity, and to follow His bidding wherever He leads. A servant constantly waits upon his master and is ready to go forth in obeying his commandments and to carry out his instructions, unconditionally and sacrificially, only to please him who is his master.

Do you conscientiously remind yourself that you belong to the Lord? Are you His servant? Are you waiting upon Him daily in His Word and seeking to know His will for you and to do it? And the apostle Paul adds, Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the Word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. (Philippians 2:14-16) Camp 2011 Camp time is a wonderful time to wait upon the Lord so as to be enriched spiritually. A week away from work (at school and in the office) for us to pause and ponder on the things of God as we listen to the instructions of the Lord through the faithful exposition and exhortation of His Word by His servants. Our theme this year is Toward Biblical Disciple-making with an exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. The Lord has provided Rev (Dr) Prabhudas Koshy, pastor of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church to be the theme speaker to expound on eight theme messages. He will also be answering your questions during the Since You Asked sessions. Please submit your questions to church@mytengah.com early so that he may have sufficient time to prepare. However, questions relating to Calvary Tengah BPC will be answered by our Pastor-Designate, Dr Paul Ferguson. The children will be in the charge of Mrs Carolyn Koshy and her team. The camp will commence on Monday evening with an opening message by Elder William Seah with Dr Paul Ferguson giving the daily morning devotion. The camp will be held at the all-suites Cinta Ayu Hotel at Pulai Springs Resort. Located away from the hustle and bustle of city life, and yet not so far from Singapore, this resort is conducive for our quiet meditation of Gods Word, sweet communion with Him, and wonderful fellowship with one another. This year the camp fees is higher compared to that of last year (held at the Golden View Hotel in Batam, Indonesia) as this resort is rated as a 5-star hotel. However, there will be a 40% subsidy across the board. There could be some in our midst who may need a little more financial help. Do feel free to approach me or any of the elders if you do need more financial help. It is the desire of the church leadership that all of you can attend the camp. From past experience, it will be spiritually as well as physically enriching for you and your family. Notwithstanding there are also some in our midst whom the Lord has blessed financially and do not need the subsidy. To these, we would encourage you to return the subsidy to the Lord through the offering bag and designate or mark it Camp 2011. Some of you may consider as the Lord has prospered you to give above the subsidy so that the amount will go towards those who need higher subsidies. May the Lord bless you as we are reminded that we are to distribute to the necessity of saints (Romans 12:13a). Registration has commenced.so do sign up as soon as possible as this will help the camp committee in working out the various logistics. In the meanwhile, pray for one another to be spiritually prepared to receive the Lords blessings at camp and do keep the speakers in much prayer that all who attend may come away spiritually enriched for greater service to the Lord. Will you be coming for the camp? See you there!