Church Weekly for 6 January 2008
My dear readers,
1. New Year “Family Worship DIY”
The New Year 2008 dawns on Planet Earth, in the grips of Satan’s domination and oppression. Against him we have no power except power from our Lord. “FAMILY WORSHIP” in every home is the key to a happy and stable home. To each and every believer, God’s Word gives the solution to your family’s future: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh 24:15 ). This resolve of Joshua is the best New Year Resolution for the believer.
“FAMILY WORSHIP” is given to each worshipper at our Year End Service. Additional copies are obtainable at a “give away price of 4 for $1.00.” If you want God’s blessing, equip your home with copies of FAMILY WORSHIP and start DIY (DO IT YOURSELF) tonight, and every night.
2. Family worship – The way of Blessing
Following is a reprint from BP Banner (Vol 1 No 1 Mar/Apr 1975) from 32 years ago! Read and be blessed. A Believer’s faith is a living faith. It must be “lived out” everyday – in our lives, in our places of work and most important of all, in our homes. Worshipping God once a week in Church is not enough. Having personal devotions and “Quiet Time” is not enough. The Believer’s Household must worship God as a family everyday. This is Family Worship. It is an act of Faith, and without Faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6 ).
How often shall we have Family Worship? The Psalmist says, “Evening, and morning, and at noon will I pray and cry out loud: and He shall hear my voice,” (Psalm 55:17 ). God commanded Israel in this manner: “These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deut 6:6-7 ).
Family worship brings blessings
“What do I get from having Family Worship daily?” This is a good question. Let me reply with a scriptural answer. Firstly, the Act of Worship of a household is pleasing unto God. When we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8 ). Where two or three gather together in His name, the Lord will be in their midst (Matt 18:20 ). This is His promise. The home where His holy presence is felt often is a truly blessed home!
Secondly, Family Worship establishes the authority of the Lord over the home, and the authority of the parents over their children. When such correct relationships have been established, there will be no generation gap between parents and children, and between us and God. Rather there will be close bonds of love and respect.
Thirdly, Family Worship strengthens our faith against every kind of evil - the evil influences in society, in places of work and play, in places of entertainment, and in the media. The Devil and his wicked angels are active in the world twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Can you withstand their onslaughts? Without Family Worship there will be many casualties, especially among our young people. Many of them will depart from the Faith.
Let me ask you a question. Are you having Family Worship everyday? If you are, why not share your blessing with someone who has not started, by helping him or her to make a start. If you have not experienced the joy of Family Worship in your home, say to the Lord right now: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, everyday in Family Worship.” You will never regret this step.
Don’t find excuses. Excuses cannot please God. They only please the Devil when Christians say “NO” to Family Worship. “No time, no experience, no place, no piano, no hymn books, no music, children too small, children too big, too many meetings, too much work, etc, etc.”
3. Our nightly blessing
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20 )
How wonderful it is to know that the Lord is in our midst whenever we have family worship! We have been having family worship for almost a year, and the Lord has indeed blessed us in many ways. Family worship is a time when our children are not only learning more about the Lord Jesus Christ, but it is also a time when they can freely tell each other how they are blessed for the day, or the time when they really need the Lord to be with them. It is through Bible story-telling that interest in God’s Word is increased and faith strengthened. The children enjoy the stories so much that they often are anxious to know the title of the next story.
We begin by singing a few hymns, and this is followed by the recitation of memory verses for the week. We make sure that they know and understand the verse. Next comes the story-telling session, and lastly we take turns to say a short prayer. Before prayer time, our children request for special prayer to help them in many personal things and guidance for everyday living. Does family worship take a long time? The answer is no. Once you get into the habit, the twenty minutes become short and enjoyable. It is worthwhile because we get much closer to God through our prayers, and by reading the scriptures our knowledge of God’s Word is constantly refreshed. The children even tell their school friends the following day what they had learnt the night before. Thus, in their small way they are able to witness to others. (Mrs Cheng Wei Nien.)
Family Worship restores harmony
I was brought up in a non Christian family before my marriage. Therefore I had never heard of the importance of family worship even though I had attended a Catholic School. In school one of the rules was that we must kneel down to pray as soon as we reached classroom, before lunch, after lunch and before the class was dismissed. We used to pray as fast as we could in order that we could rush to the school canteen to enjoy our lunch and also to get a better seat in the bus when school was over. One day we were caught rushing through our prayers by the teacher. We were punished by having to repeat our prayers several times until we were the last class to be dismissed. Prayer had no meaning for me then.
In our home we have family worship every night after dinner when the washing up is finished. We do most of the house-work ourselves. During family worship every member of the family spends time together to read God’s Word and to pray. As we read the Word, God speaks to us and this helps to remove any misunderstandings between family members. Problems are solved and family harmony is restored. I often find that family worship helps to take away my sadness and frustration, and gives the home a happier atmosphere.
The Lord also answers our prayers at family worship. This strengthens my faith and helps me in my Christian life. Why not start family worship now and the Lord will bless you also. (Mrs Siriwan Lim) (End of article)
Lovingly in the Lord
Dr SH Tow, Senior Pastor