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.

Recently, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the coronavirus outbreak (Covid-19) will continue for some time – a year, and maybe longer. ^[1]

Quite a few things have happened in this past week.

1. 1. Malaysia has issued a nationwide lock-down, restricting entries and exits until 31 March.
   2. Singapore saw our highest number of confirmed daily infected cases.
   3. There are also a few more local churches with reported cases of Covid-19.

In light of all these, what should 3:16 Church do?

While we will work on the precautionary measures, we do not want to miss the prophetic message that God wants 3:16 Church to carry in such times.

Before I share on 3:16 Church’s new precautionary measure, there are 2 things I would like you to understand:

1. 1. Practising good personal hygiene, temperature taking, cancelling large group gatherings, and practising of social distancing are important. We must do our part to help our nation’s leaders fight the Covid-19. Many doctors, nurses and front-line workers are working hard do their part and like them, we too have a part to play. We cannot let them down.
   2. The gathering of believers is a basic necessity for our faith. We do not check-in on Sundays just to listen a sermon. We do not want to be sermon-centric but Saviour-centric.

      As written in Hebrews 10:25, we must not forsake the assembly of believers. This is especially true in times of crisis.

      Regardless the measures 3:16 Church adopts, we do not want to forgo this. Social distancing cannot and must not lead to spiritual distancing. In times like these, we should redeem it into a movement for spiritual discipleship.

So, what would 3:16 Church do?

1. 1. Despite 3:16 Church’s average attendance being lower than 250 people – 250 is the maximum capacity allowed for all events by the Ministry of Health ^[2] – We will be reducing our gathering capacity through decentralising our weekly Sunday Worship Services into 12 smaller satellite locations for 5 weeks starting from 29 March 2020. This will help us to be Covid-19 ready for the long haul.
   2. In the event any person or family is unable to join us at one of these gatherings, we will be streaming our sermons online to serve you and your family better.

I will be sharing more this Sunday at Capital Tower.

We are not only understanding these precautionary measures but also the prophetic message that God had for 3:16 Church in this season. Come and be a part of this redemptive move in this national health crisis.

Pastor Ian

^[1] Full text of speech by PM Lee Hsien Loong on the Covid-19 outbreak
^[2] New measures added by Ministry of Health on 20 March

The post 3:16 Church Decentralised first appeared on 3:16 Church.

We waited 22 years for our baby.

Pastors Shane and Susan Comiskey thought that getting married and having kids was the most natural thing in the world. They never gave conceiving much thought after witnessing friends get pregnant with such little effort.

Their first few years were fun and they worked hard together as missionaries but soon got a sense that starting a family may not have been as easy as they once thought.

Days stretched into months, months into years, then decades…

They never gave up expecting. Even after a devastating miscarriage and Susan’s pregnancy-killing battle with thyroid cancer, they continued to hold onto hope for that miracle baby.

Watch this story of never-ending hope.

#BelieveInLife

If you know of anyone who is struggling to find support with a pregnancy, please contact Safe Place at 6265-6522 or email them at safeplace@lakeside.org.sg.

The post Believe In Life first appeared on 3:16 Church.

This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating our #MiracleMums! For fighting for us when we couldn’t fight for ourselves. For conquering your fears so that we can conquer ours, thank you Mum!

After 2 heartbreaking miscarriages, Doctors told the Reyes that their 3rd pregnancy only had 50% chance of survival. Their baby had holes in his heart and fluid in his brain, lungs and kidney…

If you’re someone or know of someone who’s struggling with a pregnancy, find hope in this miraculous story of overcoming love.

#BelieveInLife

If you know of anyone who is struggling to find support with their pregnancy, please contact Safe Place at 6265-6522 or email them at safeplace@lakeside.org.sg.

The post Caleb The Conquerer first appeared on 3:16 Church.

“and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” – Matthew 5:45

I am so thankful that God pour out His grace and sends His rain of love on someone like me. My baptism of love happened in the evening at a particular Church camp. I had walked over to the auditorium early to avoid those dinner small talk. As I sat at the back, surveying the praise band as they did a soundcheck, suddenly, in that space, Jesus embraced me. Not physically, but real enough to almost feel the warmth of His skin, the wrapping of his hands. That enveloping symphony rippled through sinews in my being. I began to tear.

Sporadic tears quickly turned to streams down my cheeks, running along my jawline and blossoming into dark patches on my sleeves as they fell. He had noticed me, even when I desperately tried to remain guarded and inconspicuous. Jesus had met me in the stillness of my auditorium seat. He wasn’t finished with me yet, though. “Follow me,” He whispered on the final day of camp. Perhaps it is no coincidence that I love to fish. My seat became the seaside. Jesus had asked the same thing of Simon Peter and Andrew the fishermen, who were at the seaside and they responded to His invitation of love.

Jesus wanted to use me despite me: a man ensnared in the miry nets of a broken, world. “Follow me” wasn’t a stern command but an invitation to walk with the lover of my soul. I exchanged my PHD for His PHD. A Poly-Halfway Dropout to a Privileged-Happy Disciple. A Redeemed Rebel.

After 12 years of walking in the showers of blessings, God amazingly led the birth 3:16 Church in 2013! Many probably could guessed that the name “3:16” was based on the iconic verse in the Gospel of John. But fewer knew that “3:16” also releases the passionate, mad love of God the Son. For that you need to turn to the First Epistle of John, Chapter 3 Verse 16. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

Jesus was the Rain of Love that came down from our Heavenly Father and now He wants to flood the nations with the love of the Son through you and I. We are both a receiver and releaser of this passionate, crazy love to people around! After 4 years of pastoring 3:16 with my wife Lilis, and the team of pastors, God brought all of us to the place of Revival, Tung Ling Bible School （Tung Ling means – Eastern Mountain. We could all feel in our spirits that God took us into the ridges of the Eastern Mountain to be strengthened in the LORD. Our hearts were never to merely be a Church within four walls, but an open movement of love creating Grace-ripples in society.

When Dean Guek Ju revealed on the first week of the term that the theme was Revival, my thirsty soul cried out, “More rain, more rain! Soak us and send us, Lord!” God indeed has used the team at Tung Ling to pour out His grace. Dean Guek Ju, Dean Philip and the out-of-the-world class (better than world class) lecturers were truly endued with wisdom and grace and we benefitted so much in this learning journey.

I want to take this opportunity to give a special shout-out to Dr. Joseph Umidi for coaching us on Leadership Coaching and Resolving Leadership Conflict. He gave our team much to think about and incite much rigorous discussion amongst us. A big THANK YOU to our class monitors and all the course-mates! You guys are truly God-sent. We have grown so much because of all of you!

Keep walking with the Holy Spirit.

Keep walking in the rain.

Pastor Ian Toh
Lead Pastor, 3:16 Church

The post Walking in the Rain of Love first appeared on 3:16 Church.

The struggle with same sex attraction is real. But you don’t have to struggle alone or in silence.

You’ve heard my story. Now, on behalf of my dear friend, Vincent, we are unashamed to share his (LGBT) story with you too.

God has been so good to free Vincent from 29 years of sexual bondage which started from a childhood incident when he was 5 years old. Vincent has chosen to share his story in hope to be a voice of encouragement to others who may find themselves in a similar situation.

If you are a victim of sexual abuse or inappropriate advances, you need to know that you have a voice to change your situation.

It is possible to break out of the shadows of shame and addictions. You don’t have to feel hopeless or powerless.

Take the small step to share your story with someone you trust and let the healing process begin.

Come Out. Come Home.

Pastor Ian

The post The Struggle Is Real first appeared on 3:16 Church.

I believe shame dies when stories are told in safe places.

When I shared my story to my church and Dad, I found myself freed from the bondage and repercussions of being sexually abused when I was 5 years old.

Today I choose to share my story with you. My hope is that it will help many others to experience the freedom and love as I did.

I believe every story counts. It counts to know that you are not alone.

If you are a victim of sexual abuse. If you are wounded and silenced, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to share your story with someone you trust and let them journey with you.

Shame has no place in our purpose, plan and destiny. Be unashamed to speak.

Pastor Ian

The post Come Out. Come Home. first appeared on 3:16 Church.

In school, there were 250 of us from 30 nations serving, worshiping and seeking the Lord. We had the privilege to hear from amazing speakers including the founders and missionaries from other nations. Besides soaking and listening to the miraculous stories, we too had a chance to minister. We went to at least 10 different villages to preach the Gospel and heal the sick. We witnessed instant healing before our eyes – blind eyes seeing; backaches and headaches healed; even a growth of a leg that was 2 inches shorter than the other. The Lord also used my sister in Singapore to help set a woman free from spiritual attacks and nightmares. I remember meeting a lady who had been experiencing chest pains, and after praying for her she was healed and she danced and praise God for the first time.

I was blessed to be able to bless the people and and see how God moves through His people. Currently, I am waiting on the next step/direction. Instead of just bumming around, I am taking bible courses, working part-time and praying for the sick. I have been joining a group of brothers and sisters in Christ to reach out and pray for the sick. I believe that in this season God has called me to prepare, to wait and continue to exercise the gift while waiting. Missions is not just limited to overseas but includes local ministry too. I get to pray for the sick and release words of knowledge to bless and encourage the people I meet. For those who have a desire to serve in missions but are wary of the financial and cultural differences, you can start from where you are now. We live in a strategically-placed country where we have access to many nations!

You are free to join me or you can join our outreach efforts in the Church’s Sports Ministry or other missions organisations.

Alisa

The post Alisa’s Mission Story 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.

Photographed by: RY, Tay Yi En, Austen Chua & Harry Derkenne

The post Easter Weekend 2017 first appeared on 3:16 Church.