This Good Friday, join See Ting’s Watch Party as she shares about her battle with breast cancer – and what kept her going through it all.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is normal for many to feel anxious and afraid. Here’s our invitation to come together – albeit virtually – to remind ourselves that we are never alone. That even in the depths of darkness hope is real, and hope is here.

If you have not heard about See Ting’s story, here are some links for your reference:
tinyurl.com/StraitsTimesSeets
tinyurl.com/MothershipSeets
tinyurl.com/MSNSeets
tinyurl.com/ThirstSeets

The post Trading Crowns first appeared on 3:16 Church.

In 2015, I came to 3:16 Church with the intention of helping to fill the gap, as a Cajonero in the Praise Band. Though I hadn’t expressed my commitment to stay with the church, everyone made me feel like I was already part of the family. There was an atmosphere of authenticity which drew me in, and I found myself looking forward to Sunday services with them.

It has only been less than 2 years, but I have grown to become who God has uniquely purposed me to be. I have a people who journey with me through various seasons in life. More importantly, its culture of vulnerability allowed me to be fully known and accepted for who I really am. I have a voice, and I am heard.

And this is how I know what God’s family feels like.

Eunice Foo

The post What God’s Family Feels Like: Eunice first appeared on 3:16 Church.

We would like to believe that it’s the desire and hope of every Christian parent to know their child is secure in their relationship with Jesus. We are blessed by our kids’ teachable spirit, their sensitivity to His conviction of their need for Him and the tots and kids ministry in church.

Both Sozo and Hannah made their 1st profession of faith when they were just 4-years-old. We thank God for the many instances where we could affirm their respective decisions.

Kudos to Jess, my better half who is always pointing our kids and myself to Christ.

Special mention to all the faithful labourers, who serve the tots and kids every Sunday, week in and out. Thank you for directing and moulding our kids impressionable hearts to Christ our Risen Saviour!

The love and family spirit we have in 3:16 church is what God’s family feels like.

Malcolm & Jessie Tan

The post We Have Decided: Sozo & Hannah first appeared on 3:16 Church.

Wesley, our 9-year-old son, absolutely loves Lego. Given a chance, he would eat, sleep, play with Lego 24/7. You could say he is obsessed with it. So, it was no surprise that God used Lego to teach Wesley about letting go.

The topic of baptism came up when we heard Pastor Ian mention it in church. David and I knew it was time to ask Wesley about baptism.

We’ve always known that Wesley had asked Jesus into his heart when he was younger – we prayed with him several times to confirm it. He often has questions about God:

“If Jesus loves me, how come I can’t see Him and touch Him?”
“If Jesus is in heaven, how can He live in my heart too?”

He also has a heart of empathy:

“Grandma, are you okay? I’ll pray for you to get better soon.”

But when we approached Wesley for baptism, his fears kicked in:

“I’m afraid…”
“Will I drown?” [says the boy who can swim full laps in the pool]

We assured him that baptism was just a public declaration of his faith; a testimony of his belief in Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Our old self dies with Him and our new self rises with Him!

The day came.

Everything was beautifully prepared – the baptismal pool, the cool, balmy air, the row of flower bouquets, the musicians. Wesley’s Ye Ye and Nai Nai and the supportive 3:16 family eagerly looked on.

Then, stage fright. He shied away from his prepared speech. He just uttered these 2 words – “Obey Jesus”.

The fears melted away once he hit the water.

A picture of him emerging together with the roars from the crowd says it all.

This is what God’s family feels like.

Something changed in him that night while playing Lego. His beautiful Lego structure was accidentally destroyed by a toy. Devastation and despair overtook him and he was inconsolable:

“It’s the worst day of my life!”
“Don’t touch it! You don’t understand Lego!!!”
“I don’t want to talk about it!”

We took the chance to work through Wesley’s emotions with him – he had to let go of self-pity, despair and anger at everything and everyone.

“Not everything is destroyed, Wesley,” I assured him. “I’m sorry I let the toy drop. I didn’t fix it properly. It’s mommy’s fault. I’ll help you rebuild the Lego, okay?”

In between sobs and tears, he cried out, “It’s not your fault, mommy. It’s mine. I’m sorry I was angry at you…

I sacrifice myself for you. Uncle ZY taught me this in church. Where is he? Sacrifice is when you take someone’s punishment so that they won’t be punished, just like what Jesus did.”

He kissed me on the shoulder and the crying stopped. Big smiles came back on while we spent the rest of the night recreating the Lego structure, piece by piece.

With Christ in the center, LEt’s GO!

David and Adeline Ong, parents of Wesley Ong

The post I Have Decided: Wesley first appeared on 3:16 Church.

“The place that I went to hide in was pornography”, I shared with my youths one Saturday evening, while they were gathered in my living room. We were having a life group session titled, “Where’s your hiding place?”

We wrestled with such questions: Where do we hide when we are in pain? Do we know where to turn to for comfort and safety?

Then God reminded me that evening – He is my hiding place.

In December last year, I brought to light my “dark” secret in front of a camera, as part of a 3:16 video series on people who experienced God’s redemptive power in their struggles. Pastor Norman had preached a related powerful Christmas message on how our scandal needn’t be our story, because we have a God who redeems. I had volunteered my struggle with pornography (while serving as a Church pastor) as one of the examples of “scandals” which God can redeem.

Mixed feelings of disappointment and relief arose when my “scandal” wasn’t eventually chosen to be aired that Christmas service. Disappointed, as part of me eagerly yearned to see how God would use my story to impact the world through its release, yet relieved, because I didn’t have to confront my fears of how things would actually turn out.

But I know my God.

He always has a perfect timing and plan in mind. Recently, Pastor Ian used my video in his sermon on the topic of sex.

When I agreed to letting my video be used, I cannot say that I wasn’t afraid at all of the way people might look at me after they knew of my dark secret, but I found myself more concerned that the enemy would continue to have his way with my purity and others’.

Let me be honest: between the filming of the video interview and its actual release, I did fall back into pornography a few times. I’m thankful that I managed to confess to someone each time and receive needed prayer, yet I was angry at how I could still lose the same battle.

I found out later that God was waiting to speak life into cracks deep within my soul.

The Holy Spirit gently brought me into a place of repentance and breakthrough with Him during the first week of the 21-day Church-wide fast this February.

“You’ve had bad memories of beauty”, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper.

God spoke to me about how I am created to be a beholder and protector of a woman’s beauty, as a man. Yet every time I was hurt by a lady and felt less than a man, I valued what I was meant to protect less. I began to view beauty not as something to behold and cherish, but as something to fix and control.

Pornography’s secret appeal was a sense of control over beauty. Viewing pornography was my act of rebellion against the beauty I was made to cherish and protect. Instead of becoming a loving guardian of beauty, I turned into an abuser of beauty. I witnessed how a love of beauty, when distorted, can become a lust for beauty.

I felt a significant breakthrough and victory over my sexual sins, when I allowed the Holy Spirit to go through a list of past failed relationships in my memory. I submitted to Him every pain-related encounter that I had with the opposite sex, be it virtual or real-life, from those that were physical and sexual, to those that were emotional and verbal. Allowing myself to acknowledge every sense of rejection and hurt experienced with women in my life, I asked the Holy Spirit to heal and restore every broken piece.

I believe that God’s timing – divinely coinciding my video’s release and the Church-wide fast – was an invitation to journey into deeper healing and restoration of my identity in Him. It meant a lot as the video sealed what God had spoken to me this season with regards to my identity in Him. It is my heartfelt prayer to see God use my testimony to bring people into a vulnerable space, where they can meet the God who heals brokenness and binds up the broken-hearted.

For a lot of us, man or woman, we struggle with sexual brokenness. A distorted view of beauty has often caused purity to become like a city without walls, susceptible to invasion of an originally sacred space. To see healing and restoration in a world that is sexually broken, we need the Holy Spirit to reveal and illuminate to us the true worth of beauty.

It’s time for us to rebuild walls, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and make God our constant hiding place. I promise that the Creator of beauty will heal unpleasant memories and show us who we really are in Him.

Pastor Joel Peh

The post Memories Of Beauty first appeared on 3:16 Church.

“I see a light ahead of me
Behind the misty veil
Lit against the weary sky
Lonely as I sailed
It glows and swells in between
Heaving rock and waves
But unmistakeable was it
Its glimmer bright as day
And as I try my best to see
Through the thrashing wind
In the mirrors of the seas
All along that light was me”

Unpacking the poem a little, it truly is a picture of our Christian journey. Sometimes it is filled with uncertainty and fear—just as how sailing a ship in a storm can be. We know that there are light and hope at the very end, and we strain towards it. Eventually, we discover that this light we see is actually the light that we are giving off, reflected in the waters around us.

For the longest time, I found it very hard to believe that I am a shining light. I know it in theory, but along the way—especially last year—I lost the fighting spirit and confidence in my identity. Yet, God says in Philippians 2:15 that we, as children of God, are like shining stars in the sky.

A month ago, Shinan and I started this one-year bible reading plan alongside with Jeremy and Eishen. Hence, we started reading Genesis 1, Matthew 1, Psalm 1… Matthew 1 records the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Who begot whom, and the list goes on for a while. Most of us only remember the key patriarchs: Abraham, David, and so on. Those men and women in between, whom we have forgotten, God remembered and honoured by having their names written down: those men and women were still used by God to fulfil His purposes. In fact, those men and women were very broken and sinful people. Rehab was a prostitute; David was an adulterer and murderer; etc.

In spite of that, they were still lights.

Like constellations in the sky, some of us are called to play a role in the foreground, like big stars, while some of us are called to play a role in the background, like smaller stars. Even so, every star is as important as the other, and every star is called to shine. Some of us have very different dreams and passions from one another, and we all have our individual callings. Be that as it may, they all should collide in the house of God. All of us play a part in the bigger picture, in building God’s Kingdom on earth. It’s only when two or more stars cross paths and collide, a supernova can come forth.

When I was young, I used to think that stars only exist at night because I could only see them at night. The truth is, they are always in the sky. They shine just as bright in the day as they do at night, but only in darkness do we appreciate them. Even when a star dies, there is an incredible explosion of light. However, unlike real stars, our light will never go out. We will never lose our precious salvation because God sustains us with His amazing grace. And in His grace, He has blessed us with free will: the choice to believe in Him or not. And if we say we believe in Jesus as our saviour and redeemer, then we need to take Him at His word. He says that truth is the light and truth will set us free. He calls us to live in this light in Ephesians 5:8-9: “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.”

We were one full with darkness. Now we have light. Maybe we still have darkness in us, since we are still sinners. But now we have light!

And whatever darkness there is in our lives, God wants us to face it with courage. Some of you may not know this, but I experienced the darkest period of my Christian journey last year: I found myself in this pit of depression, not seeing a way out at all; believing at one point of time, that the darkness had consumed me. But God spoke to me through a passage in Exodus 20:18-21. Verse 21 reads, “So the people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.” What Moses did was so counterintuitive! Yes, we are called to live according to the light. But… if you find yourself in the darkness, God is still there. And that deeply comforted me—to know that my God is truly with me wherever I go, even when I walk through the valleys of the shadows of death.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” We are already standing on higher ground—on the hill that is our Lord. He is our firm foundation, and when we plant ourselves in God, we will light up the world. – Matthew 5:14

Bianca 

The post This Little Light Of Mine first appeared on 3:16 Church.

The wart was located in the heel of my foot, known in medical terms as a plantar wart. Each time I walked I was in extreme pain and the only way I could have any mobility was through the constant consumption of painkillers. To add to my frustration, no matter how much I peeled the skin, it regenerated in a blink of an eye as my body repaired itself. It became impossible for me to walk normally.

After suffering for over 2 months, I heeded a friend’s advice to do laser treatment around Chinese New Year 2016. According to the doctor, the wart had grown too deep and an intensive beam was necessary. The estimated recovery time was 4 days. Even 2 weeks post-treatment, the agony persisted.

I cried out to the Lord as I longed for supernatural healing. I held on to the Word in Isaiah “by His stripes you are healed”. I believed that Jesus, the Messiah and chosen one, who healed the sick, cleansed the leper and raised the dead, could heal me.

I am not anti-medical treatment, I believe that medical and technological advances are also a gift from Him. But deep down, I felt that trusting what the doctor told me rather than what the Scriptures say about divine healing would be taking the easy way out (in my case). For a long time, I struggled to accept that this miraculous healing was only exclusive to those who lived in biblical times. Jesus said that we would do even greater things than He, and even our modern medical treatment surely pales in comparison to the miracles we see in the Bible.

Close to giving up, I looked for a third opinion – a podiatrist advised that the virus location was beyond the laser treatment and the only option was surgery. This would cost me at least 6,000 SGD. He tried to convince me that this was the only solution, and that the pain would be unbearable as long as I put off surgery. I met yet another podiatrist who also recommended treatment but at a lower price. Knowing that I would be covered by insurance, I was so close to going ahead with the treatment. All I wanted was my life back.

But there was no peace. A voice kept telling me to wait upon the Lord if I really wanted to experience the power of healing prayer. I was torn between surgery and the desire to experience supernatural healing.

I made an appointment for my surgery. The day I went to the clinic, my soul stirred up a great sorrow of how I was about to give up my faith in divine healing. Though the pain persisted, I decided to remain steadfast in my trust in our healing Father. It was a Thursday when I cancelled the appointment and the excruciating pain remained with no sign of letting up. On Friday and Saturday, the situation was no better.

I cried out to the Lord during this time of affliction and He reminded me of the story of Sadrakh, Mesakh and Abednego, three Hebrews who put their trust in the Lord even at the risk of Him not saving their lives. A voice asked, “Will you still love me even if you are not healed?” It was a tough question, but I answered “Lord you know my heart, my desire is to love you through the good and the bad.” On Sunday night, I had no idea how, but I managed to do household chores without experiencing any pain. Finding it hard to believe, I went to work the next day without any painkillers and the excruciating pain was no more.

I have a long way to go when it comes to exercising my faith in the Lord, but for the very first time in my life I see the verse “by His stripes you are healed” to be so real.

Back then I always thought Raphael was a Latin or Spanish name even though I was familiar with Jehovah Rafa (God/The Lord who heals). To my surprise, Raphael is Hebrew. Rapha, derived from the same Rapha used in Jehovah Rafa, and El for Elohim. I named my second child Raphael Emmanuel Lee, born 28 January 2017, because I have a great hope that we will experience healing, revival and the Lord’s greatness.

Francis 

The post My Messianic Miracle: Francis first appeared on 3:16 Church.

“Elmo’s here! Elmo’s here!”

One by one, Barney, Rilakkuma and Sharkie mascots (“monsters”) suited up and trooped out from the shade, which sent the crowd into further peals of laughter. Never mind the sweltering heat of the afternoon, youths and young adults had gathered at *SCAPE on 29 October for a romp of gargantuan proportions: dodgeball, with a monstrously funny twist. We wanted to celebrate Halloween in a merry-not-scary way.

We were divided into 4 teams, each team tasked to protect their mascot from getting hit by flying balls, while trying to hit other teams’ mascots. What ensued the moment the starting whistle was blown was ebullient energy: leaping limbs, people who discovered their inner Flash, incredulous screams as their own mascots got hit, and joyful bellows as opposing teams’ mascots cowered behind human defense lines.

One of the day’s highlights was a mascot dance-off during half time. Imagine this: a breakdancing Barney, a shark who played a mean air guitar, an Elmo who boogied his furry way to a funky tune, and a Rilakkuma who was bear-y good at doing the one-two step. Passerbys even paused in their tracks from afar, laughing along to this comical spectacle unfolding in the unlikeliest (and perhaps hottest) of places.

We wanted to take the fun and cheer beyond the basketball court too. Off we went, arm-in-arm with the mascots, to stroll down Orchard Road and wave hello to evening weekenders. Public response was overwhelming as families, friends and couples swarmed around these familiar childhood figures to snap photos. We fondly recall a toddler who had been licking ice-cream from behind the glass window of a McDonalds, before jumping up excitedly when she spotted Barney ambling past on the pavement outside.

It was a compelling juxtaposition to see people dressed up as bloodied zombies or clad in ghoulish masks passing by, amid some “haunted houses” set up in the vicinity, while the mascots pranced about merrily on the streets. 31 October thrives on the scare factor, but we’d honestly rather draw out laughter than fearful screams. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine for a bad day, a heavy heart, or a broken soul. Our church community is founded on love – John 3:16 – and to love the larger community would be to inspire smiles across their faces.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We think that’s worth a grin from ear to ear. Don’t you?

Stephanie Yow

You may also like: Monster Dodgeball Photo Gallery
 

The post Monster Dodgeball first appeared on 3:16 Church.

Q: How did you feel?
A: I thought I would feel nervous, but when that day came, I felt really excited, thankful and so much love from God and my 3:16 Church family!

Q: What does baptism mean to you?
A: To me, baptism is a public confession, acknowledging that I am a sinner; I need Jesus; I have accepted Him in my life and am now “born again” by grace through faith. I also picture baptism like a marriage vow: we are His bride and He is our bridegroom.

Q: Why did you decide to get baptised?
A: I came back to Christ only a year ago. So many things have happened, and I’m truly amazed at how He has been with me through this year, in both good and bad times. In my heart, I didn’t feel ready to be baptised, but He opened the door so wide that I couldn’t ignore it. Then I finally understood that He wanted me to take that step of faith and obedience.

The post I Have Decided: Sheralyn first appeared on 3:16 Church.

I am thankful to Rei, to Marc, who sat me down one Sunday and asked, “Would you like to play the acoustic guitar for the Conference?” My heart leapt. The initial response that surfaced in my mind was, oh, good Lord, no. The subsequent response as they peered intently at me was, perhaps… maybe… yes. I can’t bear to say no to their sincerity. The heavens must have a purpose. This feels like a call to action.

Saying yes was akin to wearing my heart on strings in the public eye. I grew up a reclusive and shy child, where I carefully stored my inner world behind a fortress of storybooks, dollhouses, writing and piano; if you realise, they are solitary activities. Teachers often wrote in my report card, “Stephanie needs to speak up”, or “Stephanie needs to come out of her shell”. To tie this back to my journey as a musician, this followed me in part to adulthood, and I had spent 6 prior years in the closet (or quiet time) singing into space. Bible, guitar and I. I was supremely comfortable and it was my fortress. Quite suddenly, however, my closet’s door was flung wide open by a single question on a balmy Sunday afternoon.

It felt as if Heaven’s hotline rang, and I picked up the phone. It was Christ calling me to serve His people with all my heart on display, no less, for He does not like half-baked love.

I will not go into minute details of my Conference experience, though know this: Jesus showed up, and the praise band had a whirlwind of a time sustained by prayer, kopi, grace towards each other, and Subway sandwiches hurriedly devoured for lunch. When He walked into the room and sat down at the front row each time, it was enough to redeem bleary eyes and calloused fingertips.

I will be first to admit that the post-Conference journey is an ongoing mind(e)-field of apprehension and insecurity as a musician. What sustains me though? The fact that He will walk into the room. The fact that He delights in using unqualified people. The fact that brokenness is a sweet sound to His ears. The fact that the praise band’s music is only an entry point to ushering His presence, while the congregation’s collective voice carries it to fruition.

From this unqualified person to another who may feel the same – join the club, and take the road less travelled with Jesus Christ. I love how Matthew 7:14 so aptly reads, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” The journey will be a squeeze and our feet may slip; yet once we find Life, our doors will stay wide open to all He has to offer, the author and finisher of our faith.

Stephanie
Stephanie serves in the 3:16 Praise band as an acoustic guitarist.

The post Heart on Strings first appeared on 3:16 Church.