“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

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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.

“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.

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. – John 12:9–11

Killing A Miracle

There is a price on Lazarus’ head! The enemies wanted to kill him! Why? Because Lazarus was a walking, talking messianic miracle! And many were coming to know Jesus through Lazarus’ account! And that is freaking out the people with the religious spirit!

Read John 11 to find out more about the story of Lazarus. [Click here to Bible Gateway]

It is invigorating to me that the name of ‘Lazarus’ means ‘God has helped’. In a way, we are all Lazarus. God has helped us from a destiny of eternal damnation to everlasting bliss in heaven. We are walking and talking miracles just like Lazarus. For in Him, we live and move and have our being! We are create to bring Him praise!

In the name of Jesus and by the blood of the Lamb, we silence the silencer, who is Satan. He seeks to take away our vitality and our voice! We cannot remain silent after receiving such great love from Jesus Christ, for if we do, even the stones will cry out.

Today, have you forgotten that you are a walking, talking miracle?

You are God’s rainbow!

A reminder to the world that He is still faithful and wonderful!

Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit,

“For God so loved the world that He gave His son…”

Pastor Ian Toh
Lead Pastor, 3:16 Church

The post Killing A Miracle first appeared on 3:16 Church.

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.” – John 11:5-6

Love is patient – 1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV

Love never gives up – 1 Corinthians 13:4 MSG

When Waiting = Winning!

Some miracles are more glorious because Jesus Christ moves instantly and suddenly. Time bends her knees and bow down to Jesus. One example was when Jesus and the disciples were teleported immediately from the middle of the sea to the place they were supposed to go in John 6.

Other miracles are more glorious because Jesus waited. In the powerful story of the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus did what no one had ever witness! The resurrection of someone who has been dead for four days! There were numerous accounts of resurrection in the Old Testament but none beat this account because they were all resurrected shortly after death and certainly not more than three days. In fact, this miracle is received as a messianic miracle because no one could have done it except the Messiah.

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.”

I was particularly struck by the words Love and So. Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus so much that he waited for two more days. Why? Because He did not want them to miss the greater glory.

I want to tell you that God loves you no less today! Don’t miss the greater glory!

Are we tired of waiting? Are we impatient?

Can we continue to trust the goodness of God in our lives?

Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit,

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. – John 3:16

Pastor Ian Toh
Lead Pastor, 3:16 Church

The post When Waiting = Winning! first appeared on 3:16 Church.

“I am the good shepherd; I know (ginōskō) my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” – John 10:14–15

“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know (eidō) that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.” – Matthew 28:5

Ginōskō > Eidō

I was led to recap on a word study that i had done before. It is like the Holy Spirit wanted me to remember how precious it was to know Jesus Christ intimately and experientially. There is something deeply dissatisfying to my soul about just having head-knowledge about the person of Jesus Christ. It is like drinking warm Coca Cola to me! Ewwwww!

I learnt that there were at least 8 different Greek words for the word ‘know’ and the 2 more common occurrences in the New Testament is ‘ginosko’ and ‘eido’.

What struck me the most in my study was that the word ‘ginōskō’ was used to depict of the act of love-making between a man and his wife.

What struck me the most in my study was that the word ‘ginōskō’ was used to depict of the act of love-making between a man and his wife. Deeper in the river of God!

“The man who would truly know God must give time to Him.” ― A.W. Tozer

This 21-day fast is really about having more time to know Him. We can make Him known as we first take time to know (ginōskō) Him.

Let’s know Him and make Him known!

Pastor Ian Toh
Lead Pastor, 3:16 Church

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God said to Moses: “Stretch your hand to the skies. Let darkness descend on the land of Egypt—a darkness so dark you can touch it.” Moses stretched out his hand to the skies. Thick darkness descended on the land of Egypt for three days. Nobody could see anybody. For three days no one could so much as move. Except for the Israelites: they had light where they were living. – Exodus 10:21-23

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12

Torch-able Light. Touchable Darkness.

“Forgive and forget? Forget it, I will never forgive …”

“When I get angry, I am like a animal that runs wild… I break everything that my hands can touch.”

“I am so addicted to pornography that I cannot imagine ever not needing it.”

Those were just some of the chains of darkness that have suffocated me for years. A darkness so dark that I can touch it! Or should I say it was touched me! It’s undying grip on me is killing me and my destiny! I thought that this darkness will be permanent… until I hear these words of love, “Ian, I love you and I am not done with you.” says the Holy Spirit. “I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus Dispels Darkness

Jesus is my Light that dispels the Darkness that once had me. And there is no fight. The victory is overwhelming! A preacher once said that Jesus is the lighthouse that throws its beams across the dark waters of human guilt and misery and eternity dawned on His hearers while He spake. What was even most amazing to me was that Jesus is saying to us, “You are the light of the world! Go and set others free!” You and I are lights shining in a dark world!

What chains of darkness are we holding on to?

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you today?

Come hear the voice of the Spirit,

“You are the light of the world! Go shine!”

Pastor Ian Toh
Lead Pastor, 3:16 Church

The post Torch-able Lights. Touchable Darkness. first appeared on 3:16 Church.

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. – John 5:19-20

Watching Your Heavenly Father Work

“It’s Jo Jo! I want to see Jo Jo!”

Isaias, my youngest son and I love to log on to the RingsTV app to watch Jo-Rei-Mi. Jo-Rei-Mi is a live program hosted by Rei Or Ray and Mimi Lucinda giving viewers a real-time and real life insight into their family. With so much fake news, fake food, fake goods around, it is absolutely refreshing and inspiring to watch a real life account of a loving family.

The program is done ‘live’ with no rehearsals and you will be able to see how the family relate to one another. It is totally fascinating! Plus – Rei and Mimi are my cousins and I know that what we see is truly real!

With so much fake news, fake food, fake goods around, it is absolutely refreshing and inspiring to watch real life account of a loving family.

It is great to see Josiah watching his parents and following them in all the family activities. I see the reality of John 5:19-20 in the family setting through this family. It was like Rei is watching the Heavenly Father and doing what the Heavenly Father is doing for his family.

What is the Father doing in and for our families?

What is the Father doing in His family, the church?

Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit,

For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

Pastor Ian Toh
Lead Pastor, 3:16 Church

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“Don’t compare yourself to other people. If you do so you are just insulting yourself.” – Taylor Swift

“When we are being critical in ministry, or pick on other people, it’s often not because of something they said —it’s because of envy.” – Dr. Lance Wallnau

They came to John and said, “Rabbi, you know the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan? The one you authorized with your witness? Well, he’s now competing with us. He’s baptizing, too, and everyone’s going to him instead of us.” – John 3:26

The disciples of John were full of jealousy.

The disciples of John were jealous! They were distressed that the disciples of Jesus were more successful than they were. We are told of many ‘one another’s in the scriptures.

But we were never told to compete with one another. Interestingly, while the disciples of John see it as a competition, John saw as a completion.

John the Baptist was full of joy.

I love John the Baptist’s reply here: “No one can have anything unless God gives it. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ The bridegroom is the one to whom the bride belongs; but the bridegroom’s friend, who stands by and listens, is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This is how my own happiness is made complete. He must become more important while I become less important.”

I love it that John the Baptist found so much joy in the voice of God! The voice of God helps me to shut up the noise of envy and jealousy.

Hear the voice of the Spirit-filled John the Baptist,

“He must become more important while I become less important.”

Pastor Ian Toh
Lead Pastor, 3:16 Church

The post Winning the War on Envy first appeared on 3:16 Church.

After such a powerful Christmas worship session, Pastor Ian and myself tag teamed to reveal the Scandal of Christmas.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. – Matthew 1:18-19

Don’t miss the scandal. Because the greatest love can be found within our deepest shame. But don’t let the scandal be your story. If you stop at the scene of the scandal, you might just miss the significance of your story.

Jospeh didn’t stop at the scandal. He wasn’t ashamed to take Mary home. He didn’t let what people said or what people thought stop him and he got to father the son of God.

You might not get to father the son of God. But you’re a very important person to someone. Your son, your daughter. Your wife, your husband. Your parent, your friend. Don’t underestimate what you mean to someone. Today, you get to make the same decision that Joseph made. Are you going to stop at the Scandal? Or are you going to let God continue writing your story.

Have a great week and see you on Vision Sunday! It’s going to be another day of celebration and salvation. Invite someone! That more and more people can know what being in God’s family feels like.

Pastor Norman Ng
Assistant Pastor, 3:16 Church

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