Missions At Our Front Door
21 NOVEMBER 2021 | PRAYER & PRAISE SERVICEs
Mr Jonathan Kong & Mrs Phoebe Kong
Scripture Passage: James 1:27 (NIV)
WATCH | SERMON (VIDEO)
READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary | Singapore may look prosperous on the outside, but there are many who struggle with poverty, fractured families, or a lack of opportunities. God calls us to care for them. Therefore, missions is not just about going overseas, it can be done right at our front door.
God’s heart for the poor
In Singapore there are almost 62,000 households who do not have enough financial resources to purchase their own homes, have to rent 1 or 2-room flats with a family income of less than $1,500 per month. In the Bible, the impoverished and marginalised have a special place in God’s heart.
God’s heart for the foreigner
In addition, there are approximately 1.13 million foreign workers in Singapore (or 20% of our population). God also calls us to treat them with love and care as if they were one of us (Leviticus 19:33-34).
God’s heart for the oppressed, widow and orphan
In biblical times, widows and orphans were extremely vulnerable. In Singapore today, while we may not have widows and orphans begging on the street, there are many women and/or children who are subjected to family violence – an average of 14 cases a day. God is asking us to extend a helping hand to them. He is not satisfied with passivity on our parts (Isaiah 1:17).
Real holiness
The poor, the foreigner, the widow and orphan exist all around us today and we will see them if we open our eyes. James 1:27 equates looking after them as a form of holiness, i.e. you can’t seek holiness if you ignore the plight of those who are suffering. Jesus himself not only healed people physically, but spiritually and emotionally. Not only that, He did so, lovingly and tenderly (Matthew 8:1-3).
Opportunities to serve – so what is our response?
There are many opportunities for us to reach out in love. For example, giving tuition to a child from a lower income family, visiting an isolated elderly, befriending a migrant worker who is recovering from Covid, reaching out to the deaf community, or journeying with prison inmates and their families. We can find different ways to bless, fellowship, minister and proclaim God’s love for them. For more information, email cosc@wesleymc.org
Our prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, move us into action for you. Give us the heart and the hands to love and welcome those you have placed at our front door. Use us as salt and light for your Kingdom’s purpose.
(Sermon notes by Desley Khew)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Which of the Bible verses spoke to you most with regards to missions at our front door? How and why did it speak to you?
2. "Poverty is not a lack of resources but deprivation of relationships" Do you agree with this statement? How do you see it around you today?
3. What is one practical way you can apply missions at your front door?