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A very good morning to all of you, welcome to Gospel Light and our second English worship service this morning, grateful, you can join us in our second sermon in a five-part series, called the healthy church or health screening for the church.

If you want to know about your physical health, you go for some physical health checks, so you may take your blood pressure, you may take a little bit of blood from a needle prick to check for your sugar levels, you may want to check your urine, you may want to do some more blood tests to check for tumor markers, cancer markers, you may go for x-rays and you do all these things to see what's beneath the surface, to really take a close deeper look at your health and I think it's the same for health screening for the church.

If we want to see the health of the church, we can't just judge it by the building, we can't judge by the number of people to come, we, we are to look at our church in the deeper closer way. So there are some tests you can do and according to this book that we are basing our sermon series roughly or loosely upon, called Nine Marks, we have sort of narrowed it down to five simple tests, you can have for our church. So they are as follows.

The Word, the Gospel, Evangelism, Membership and Discipline. Now, these are not comprehensive, they are not saying that these are the only important things for church life but these are common things that are missing maybe in church today, these are serious issues and these are issues that can be readily addressed I believe.

So we began this screening check last week by looking at, number one, the Word of God. A healthy church teaches the Word of God. A healthy church bothers to and labors to explain what the Bible says. The healthy church is not just teaching about topics, using the Word of God, but a healthy church teaches the Word of God, explains the Word of God, applies the Word of God for what it is. So if you want to find out more, check out the sermon last week. Today we are going to look at mark number two and that is the Gospel.

So, a healthy church is clear about the Gospel. A healthy church is focused on the Gospel. So, let me start with this statement, I, I think this is the statement for this sermon and it is simply, "A healthy church is centered on the Gospel". You might be wondering, what do you mean by centered on the Gospel, it sounds good but practically what does it mean. Well, I'm going to explain that for this sermon, but before I explain what it means to be centered on the Gospel, I don't want to assume that all of you know the meaning of the Gospel, it is important to ask this question, therefore, "What is the Gospel?"

Well, we are called what, our church, we are called, Gospel Light Christian Church so you better be sure about the, the meaning of the word, Gospel. So, what is the Gospel? Anyone, wants to try, alright. So, the word Gospel literally means good news, the Gospel is Good News, good news about what, good news about your 'O' level results just released, good news about your promotion, good news about getting a new boyfriend, is, is that the good news, well that's good news, but that's not the good news of the Bible.

What is the good news, what is the Gospel of the Bible,  it's about yah, it's about God's work, yes and it's and another answer to that maybe, it's about Jesus Christ, alright. The Bible tells us of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to this world, who was born into this world and what did He do, what's so special about Jesus Christ, He, the event that we all focus upon, is that He came to die, but more than that, He also rose from the dead that's right.

So this is the Good News of Jesus Christ dying and rising, now what's the big deal about Him dying and rising, what's that goodness to you, if He should die and rise again, the Good News of Jesus Christ dying and rising to save us from our sins and one more phrase right at the end, to bring it full-circle, anyone wants to add to that, the Good News of Jesus Christ dying and rising to save us from our sins in order to reconcile sinful men to the Holy God.

I have two sons and I make my two sons memorize two things, of course now the older one, Shawn has to memorize his multiplication table, I think he has done that and now he's memorizing Chinese composition, that's terrible. Well, anyway he has to do that now, but both sons, when young, I made them memorize two things, one, my phone number, two, the definition of the Gospel.

One is for them when they are physically lost, the other is for them when they are spiritually lost. The Bible tells us in Romans 1:16 that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. And it is my hope and prayer that my sons would know the Gospel and believe the Gospel that they will be saved, that they will not be spiritually lost.

So, the Gospel is a powerful important message, the Bible says that the Gospel is really Good News, I want to tell you, this is Good News Christians, churches, we have good news, why, because the Bible, first of all, tells us about bad news. Do you know the Bible starts with bad news, the Bible starts in the garden of Eden and how Adam and Eve rebelled against God, how, Adam and Eve sinned against God and as a result, they are cursed, as a result, death comes in, as a result, man is separated from God, as a result man lost in his sins is heading for hell.

So let me tell you the bad news of the Bible, the bad news of the Bible is all men who are sinners and all are sinners by the way, all men are going to hell if God did not do anything about it, because we all are sinners in the eyes of a holy, righteous God and hell is no fun.

The Bible talks about hell as a place of eternal torment, as a lake of fire where your torture, your torment will never end. So, the bad news here, I want to say to you is this, you are going to hell if God did not do something about that. But it's because we now see the bad news, that we can really appreciate the good news. And the Good News of the Bible is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to be born into this world, so that He may one day go to the cross, die a terrible death, bear our sins, be our substitute, be our sacrifice and rise again from the dead, proving He is not a victim of sin and death and hell but He's a victor over sin, death and hell and because of Him, man today has a solution for his sin, because of Christ and what He has done, there is hope for humanity that we can be saved from our sins, from a rebellion, from a debt against a Holy God and then we can now have peace with God. We are no more enemies, we are no more separated, but those who believe in Jesus Christ, they are reconciled with God.

This is cosmic good news and this is the news you need to know. You know this word news, it's interesting, because the Gospel is not good advice. It's not good advice, advice is what, advice is people telling you what you should do right. I advise you to do this, I advise you to do that, advice is what you have to do, news is what someone else has already done. That's why it's in the news and the Gospel is not good advice.

The Gospel is not telling you to be a good boy, give money, help the poor, so that you can earn your way to God. That's not good news, that's bad news because I can never do it, good enough for a Holy God, but the Gospel is about news, that there is Someone, God's Son who came and has already died and is already risen, so that you may be saved from your sins and this must be the message of the church, the Good News of Jesus Christ, not the pastor, not any man, not any hero you may have in your mind, but only the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who gave His life on the cross as a substitute, as a sacrifice to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and He did so, so that you can be saved.

Now I want you to pay attention here, to be saved from what, saved from our sins, because I think churches today are not very clear about that. It is sad because when we hear the gospel, so called gospel message all around the world, it seems to be a message about healing or salvation from my sickness, from my difficult job, from having negative thoughts, from having low self-esteem, really if that is what Jesus came to do He need not die, God just sends a doctor, a psychologist, a counselor, God can send anyone like that, God's Son need not die.

But God's Son needs to die because of our sins, the wages of sin is death, the price for rebellion is that there must be a perfect sacrifice. So, let us be clear, the Gospel is about salvation from something way bigger than your job, your negative thoughts or your sickness, it's salvation from rebellion against God and the whole beauty of it is that men may now be reconciled with God, we are back with our Creator, the One who made us and the One who we are made for, the Gospel brings you back to God.

0:13:25.7

Do you understand the Gospel today now? Oh, no, then we've to start all over, do you now understand the Gospel? Okay, would you, number one repeat this statement with me, at the end of the service, if you can repeat this, I'll be very glad, I know that you have the same ability as my two sons, huh, huh, OK. So, let's read this, alright, the Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ dying and rising to save us from our sins, in order to reconcile sinful man to the Holy God, excellent.

I hope you all understand and I'm not going assume that, I'm going to test that. Okay, I'm going to give you a test, see how well you guys do, I'm going to use a whiteboard. I'm going to ask three simple questions and you try to answer for me, alright. So, we say that the Gospel is the Good News of salvation, alright. So, question number one, what are we saved from? What would be your answer, let's put some answers, sin, death, okay to those who have joined me in baptism class, membership class, I've explained this before, don't answer, don't spoil the fun for the rest, but those who have never heard this before you try, alright.

So, we are saved from sin, from death, hell, very good answers, good. Let me ask you a second question, what are we saved by, death, alright. So, death and resurrection, good, grace, saved by God, alright, salvation is of the Lord, yes, you don't save yourself God saves you right, that's very clear. Love okay Christ, wah, how can we miss Christ, right, okay very good.

Let me ask you the third question, what are we saved for, okay very good answers, you guys are excellent theologians, really, good answers, great answers, absolutely spot on. I'm glad no one say save from my depression or negative thoughts, because I think the, the real root cause of humanity, of all our problems is that of sin and that's what Jesus came to save us from, great answers.

But if I were to say, guys I need only one answer that will fit all three questions, what would that be, one single word that answers all three questions. The word would be? Put your thinking caps a little bit on, it's quite easy, it's we are saved from God. Why, because He is holy and we are sinful and the sinful man will be judged and punished by a Holy God and that's why the answer here is, partly here, we are saved from God's wrath, this is a day where most of you will hear a lot about God's love, but few of you would remember God's wrath.

But the way apostle Paul presented the Gospel in the book of Romans is very instructive. He begins with the problem and it is this, that we are sinners and we face the fearsome wrath of a Holy God. So, salvation is salvation from God. Salvation is also salvation by God because it is God, not man who gave His Son, it is God not man who blesses us so that we may repent and believe in Jesus. Salvation is by God's grace, you can say, love, mercy, whichever, but it's really by God and that salvation is for God.

Well, you can look at it in two ways. Number one, we are saved for God, meaning I'm not saved today, just so that I have a ticket to heaven. So often when we share the Gospel with people we say, do you want to go to heaven, do you want to go to heaven, do you want to go to heaven, really the key issue is not whether you want to go to heaven, everyone wants to go to heaven. The key question is do you want God.

Salvation is so that we may be reconciled with God. What makes heaven, heaven is God and so, salvation is for God. This is what we long for, we were separated from Him. Our lives are a mess and now we see, we need God, that's what we come to Jesus Christ. He's the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Him. The other aspect of for God is this, salvation is for the glory of God. We are wonderful beneficiaries of this salvation, we are greatly blessed, that's for sure. We are adopted, we are redeemed, we are justified, propitiation is done on the cross, wonderful. But at the end of it all, Ephesians 1 reminds us, salvation is to the praise of the glory of His grace. So that for all eternity, heaven and earth, the new creation will reverberate with glory to God for His grace, in saving sinful man, salvation is for God.

0:19:37.3

I hope this gives you an understanding of what the Gospel means, okay, can, if cannot also too bad la, too late already, can't move back. So, we, we move on alright, so I've, I've sort of answered what the Gospel is, the question now is Pastor, what do you mean, Jason, what do you mean by a healthy church is centered on the Gospel. I know what's the Gospel, the Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ dying and rising to save us from our sins in order to reconcile sinful man to the Holy God. The Gospel is a message of how we are saved from God, by God, for God. I know that, but what does it mean to be centered. What does it mean to be a Gospel centered church?

Three things, okay, I hope you'll, just three simple words, if you remember the three words and they are quite catchy you, you should do quite alright.  So, number one, I say a centered church, a Gospel centered church, very simply, is a people, a church that believes the Gospel. Simple, a Gospel centered church, a healthy church is a church centered on the Gospel and we believe the Gospel.

What is church, church is people who belong and believe in Jesus Christ. So when you have a people who are believers of Jesus Christ and we are clear that only believers are the church, then the church can be healthy, because if the church does not have this clarity, we, we think as long as you come to services, as long as you wear a cross, as long as you are brought up in a Christian home, you're part of the club, you're part of the gang, you're part of the church, then the church will not be healthy because there is not a clarity between true believers and maybe just attendees, a mixed multitude is not a healthy people, but a healthy church is where people believe the Gospel.

Now the Bible clearly says, I am not, Paul says I'm not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. What's important about church health is that all church members must be believers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like I said, it really doesn't matter how long or how many times you've been to church services, it doesn't matter if your cross here is 24 karat gold or silver or whatever, doesn't matter how thick your Bibles is, the question is do you believe in Jesus Christ. Do you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

We sometimes say this, going to church doesn't make you a Christian, just like going to McDonald's doesn't make you a hamburger, just because you come doesn't make you saved, you need to believe in Jesus Christ. Recently in our church we had some stories of faith from our members and one of that initiative, one of the stories in the initiative is that of our brother Giolo. Giolo, he has been in Gospel Light for I think, 17 years or thereabouts, that's a long time right. If you have been in church for 17 years, surely you have been saved, right. But that's what he also thought, he said, having grown up in church, I automatically assumed I was a believer and had secured a place in heaven, let's hear his story.

I grew up in Gospel Light for about 17, 18 years, ever since I was in kindergarten, grew up knowing all the stories about Moses, Jesus, Isaac and whatever you can name. I knew about Jesus coming down to die for our sins. I knew about a Saviour, but I didn't know Him as my Saviour, even though I was proclaim, proclaiming myself a Christian in social media, to my friends and also proudly but yet my life was anything but that. Behind my parents back, I was smoking, drinking, clubbing, rebellious towards them, you know, finding my joy and my, my, my sustenance, my fulfilment in relationships, in popularity, even in church, sometimes,  serving in places because people will see, oh, this Giolo grew up in church, he's such a holy guy and the real turning point came when I was in Army. I was Exercise Wallaby, in the desert where actually my, my armoured vehicle broke down and there was, in the past there were instances where people actually died in this exercise.

So, my men were asking me, Sgt. how are we going to be able to get through this. I myself was fearful for my own life. I always thought that because I grew up in church, I was saved and I was secured a spot in heaven. It was then I realized my hypocrisy and how much I really needed Jesus to really give me a changed life, to really make me a child of God and in that moment I pleaded for forgiveness and 2017 has just been the greatest year of my life and old habits, old addictions that I thought I could never give up now victories that Christ has been able to do through me. I pray that as a church, we will be able to not be complacent with the youth and the children growing up in church.

We have many of you who grew up in church environments and I hope as a church we will never assume that simply because someone grew up in church environment they must be Christians, because this is something of the heart and I pray our ministry here in this church will be regularly, telling, reminding people about the need to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you're here today and you’ve been sitting on false assurances, simply because you have been in church, simply because you carry a Bible, or your parents are Christians, I hope you remember the words of the Scriptures. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. I pray you'll repent and believe, like Giolo did that you may really experience a changed life.

And as a church, I think a healthy church therefore regularly helps people understand and believe the Gospel. The apostle Paul said, and I when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. He's not there to give them Greek philosophy or eloquent words, that's not what he's interested in, he decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If I may say he was determined to centre on the Gospel and I think that's what makes a church healthy.

You know, if you're not careful in Gospel Light, we are now 30 years old and many of you would be the second generation churchgoers or second generation Christians and we have this assumption that because we are such an old church, everybody here should know the Gospel and if you're not boldly, regularly, faithfully teaching the Gospel, it doesn't take long before the church loses the Gospel and we become just a religious shell. I think the Gospel is the centre of the church and a true healthy church will believe the Gospel, okay.

Number two, guess what else, if, if, if a healthy church is centered on the Gospel, the church believes the Gospel and number two, the church, very good, lives the Gospel. Now I was just told by pastor Paul how we got our name Gospel Light Christian Church. He said when he was starting a church, there were many possibilities for our name. So, he had options like Go Forth Christian church, you know, like Jonathan Goforth, Goforth missional and so on and so on and then he was not quite decided, but he went to a to the Philippines. He saw a church that has Gospel Light Baptist Church, he says, that, that, sounds good, he asked for permission from the pastor to use it here in Singapore and that's how we get Gospel Light Christian Church.

Now for many years, I looked at our church name and I thought that's not very cool name because I thought the Gospel is very important I agree, the Gospel is very important for unbelievers but for Christians, I don't need the Gospel, I'm already what, saved. So, I thought the name Gospel Light is not so helpful for Christians, I didn't think it was very cool. But then, as I studied the Bible, as I grew in the understanding of God's Word, I, I realized, no I was absolutely wrong.

The Gospel is important not just for the unsaved, the Gospel is vital for the Christian, for the believer. Why, because the Christian needs to know what it means to live the Gospel. Ah, you say, what do you mean by live the Gospel, how do you live out this message that Jesus Christ came to die and rise again to save man from their sins in order to reconcile sinful man to the Holy God, how do you live this life.

Now, I think the Bible is the answer. Romans chapter 12 again, it says, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Now what does the Bible demand, what does the Bible set forth?

The Bible says, God says we are all to present our bodies a living sacrifice. In other words, we are to worship God not just on Sunday morning at 11 AM, we are to worship God every day of our lives, a living sacrifice, all that we do, say, think, let it be for the glory of God. Now you say, why should I live my life as a sacrifice unto God. Paul says because of the mercies of God, because of His love for you, because of His grace towards you.

You say, when did God show me His mercy and grace, that's why the word therefore is there for. The word therefore connects Romans 12:1 with Romans chapters 1 to 11 and Romans chapters 1 to 11 displays the glory of God, the grace of God in the Gospel, how Christ came to die for our sins and so, in the light of what God has done in Jesus Christ, because of that mercy, I urge you, I beg you, give yourself to God.

In other words, let all that you do be because of the Gospel. That's what it means to be Gospel centered, that the motivation, the fuel, the passion of my life is not because I'm such a great guy or because God will give me many things if I do this, but because God has already given me His Son in Jesus Christ. That's how you live the Gospel, that's where you find grace to forgive the unforgivable, that's where you find grace to be generous with your time, talents, resources, that's how you can overcome the problem of bitterness, how we can fight the lust of the flesh, how you can dispel the love for the world because you have an overwhelming understanding of God's love for you and cherish grateful love to Him, do you get that, obviously not. So, so let me again use the whiteboard.

0:32:18.6

I want to contrast two things, one is bad religion, now, I don't want you to walk away thinking all religion is bad. I, I don't think it is because James 1:27 tells us that there is a good kind of religion, pure religion and undefiled is this, so on and so forth, religion is really what man would do because of devotion to God, that's not a bad thing. But there is something called bad religion, bad religion is what you do to try to earn favour with God and that's bad, why, because you always fail, because your works are never acceptable before a Holy God, your self-righteous works are never acceptable before a Holy God. So, I will call that bad religion.

So, what is bad religion, bad religion is man trying to reach God in his own strength. This is self-righteousness, right, bad religion is I can do something so that God will like me, that's self-righteousness. It doesn't work, because Scripture has already declared all our, all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags before the Holy God. But when you are self-righteous, when you practise bad religion what it produces in you is what ? Very good, pride. You remember the story of the Pharisee and the publican, the Pharisee goes to the temple to pray and he says, oh God, look at me, I thank you that I am not like those dirty fellas, I don't commit adultery and stuff like that, like them and I give tithes and I fast every week, surely, you will accept me.

That's in effect what the Pharisee thought, self-righteousness produces pride, that's bad religion, okay. But the contrast to that is what, alright the Gospel. By the way there's only one good religion, according to Scriptures because there's only one way to God, Christ and what He's done, the Gospel, alright.

So, what is the Gospel, the Gospel doesn't begin with men, the Gospel begins with God. The Gospel is not about what we have come up with, what we can do, the Gospel begins with God and in His eternal mind, He has determined to give His Son. So, the Gospel is about God and what did He do, He showed, just to help you, He showed, grace, thank you. Grace is God's goodness to men when we don't deserve it, He gave Jesus Christ when we don't deserve Christ, we deserve hell, He didn't give us hell, He gave us Jesus, that's grace.

When someone receives, genuinely receives this grace in his heart, it produces something, in his soul, what is that, thank you, gratitude. The Bible says we love Him because He first loved us. The Bible says the love of Christ constrains us, compels us to live for Him. I think that's Gospel centered gratitude and this gratitude is not just a feeling we have. But, this gratitude will be manifested in, that's right, godliness. Well, maybe a little bit before godliness, what you mean by manifest in godliness. It means you will treat people differently because of the Gospel, you will love your enemies.

Now you say, how do you do that, he's your enemy, yes, but I treat my enemy with goodness and grace not because my enemy deserves it, but because I am loved by my God and I love Him and this is His command. I'm generous, even to those who offend me because of God and what He has done in Jesus Christ for me, because of God's grace in the Gospel, because I'm grateful to Him, I do not want to live for the things of this world, but I want to live for His Kingdom and His righteousness, that's Gospel centered living, because of the Gospel, I can suffer, go through adversities and trials in life, maintaining that testimony and joy before God, not because the trials are easy, but because God is worthy.

And because of the Gospel, I'm a different father, different wife, different colleague, different student, different neighbour, it changes me from the inside out because everything I do now is not conditioned on external environments, not because of how people treat me but because how God has loved me in Jesus Christ, your godliness is powered by the Gospel and because you live such a distinct life, different life, godly life, this godliness brings glory back to God, you get that. I think that's what it means to live the Gospel.

The Gospel is not just a message we throw out to the world, it's a message I need every day in my life, because every day there will be people who offend me, every day there will be lusts and temptations that surround me, every day, there will be the world that calls out to me every day, I'm challenged as to my roles as a father, as a husband and it's only the Gospel that can keep me right in the centre of God's will.

So what's a healthy church, healthy church is one where the people of God is centered on the Gospel and that means, number one they believe the Gospel, number two, they live the Gospel. Number three the last one if you want to go home early, you believe, you live and you, catchy a bit lah, believe, live and give, it's a simple word, alright you give the Gospel. Hey, very simple alright, I mean, it's not complex, I'm not, I, I, I did check the dictionary for other words, especially for the first one to believe, but okay you can say it very fast, believe, then it will be same. Alright, believe the Gospel, live the Gospel and give the Gospel.

A Gospel centered church is not a group of people, who every Sunday just huddles together and says what a great church we have, that's a bad church by the way, if that's all we do. I think a good church, a healthy church is where we gather together to worship, to hear God's Word and then we are scattered to share the Gospel. I don't think there's a greater joy in the Christian life than this, that God would use you to give the Gospel to someone else, because when you hear someone really understand and grasp the Gospel, it is a great joy.

I had the privilege of meeting a lady this past Sunday in our baptism class, I, I, I sit down and hear their salvation stories one by one and I met Sarah, she, she's from Indonesia, she's been with us for maybe one or two years and when I heard her share her testimony I was blessed to know how God has given her a wonderful understanding of the Gospel. So, I thought I should share it with you and here's a video clip.

I was born in a Catholic family, I attended Catholic Sunday school, Catholic church, mass and all the way and Catholic school also. So, all the way we grew up, we actually know how about the Bible a bit, about God, about the faith, but we don't actually understand the Bible. I don't even read the Bible itself. There's no desire to read the Bible because if I read alone, I don't understand, I just give up.

After I grew up, I started to like, live like normal people live, like, I think I sin a lot maybe and then I feel like, until that point, I think I feel so depressed and I'm like I started to think will God still, can forgive me of all my sins. I feel so unworthy and filthy, am I going to hell. I really want to know the truth about the, the God that in the Scriptures. So, moving forward to Singapore, I somehow started to questioning myself, like why I keep sinning like this, am I a fake Christian, I called myself a believer, but actually I don't know what I believe in, I have no strong foundation of my faith, but there is one time, at one night, I feel like confessing my sins to, my sins to God and I beg for His forgiveness.

I asked God for a new heart that can love him and can fear him like, know the truth of the His Word. I somehow step-by-step I was led to, that's how I found GLCC, I found actually on YouTube. I was amazed that in this GLCC actually like explain the, the Bible, verse by verse. So, after attending the GLCC then I start to learn a bit, a bit, I feel like now my heart, I want to study more about the Bible, I want to read, I want to know, there's somehow there's a desire to know more. I think it's really that, the matter that the heart already changed. So, I feel like, I think I was maybe a new, I would have been born again, so I, I think I'm now sure of my salvation. After I received my salvation and I'm sure about it, I can feel the joy and peace beyond my understanding.

I don't think there's a greater joy than to hear someone really get the Gospel and I think it's a privilege God has given to you, all of us to share the Gospel. A healthy church is not one where your, where only the preacher is giving the Gospel, that's very unhealthy, a healthy church is when all of us are giving the Gospel. Francis Chan he said this, I, I think it's quite witty, he says, Christians are like manure, you know what's manure, cow dung. He says Christians are like manure, spread them out and they help everything to grow, but gather them together as a pile and they stink horribly.

I think the church needs to understand, we should be the salt and light that is scattered out. Salt that is stuck in the salt shaker is quite frankly, useless, but salt that is dispersed and spread out, exerts its beautiful influence on which it gets in contact. And God wants you to be in contact, God wants you to be in contact with the world, so that they may hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Folks, we have Good News to tell the world, I'm not asking you to tell bad news, there are people today who give doomsday news, eh, you are going to die, the world is coming to an end, I mean, what's the use, tell them and they get depressed. But we have a great news to say, Jesus came to save you from your sins, repent and believe in Him, what an amazing message. I think Gospel Light can do better in these areas, and more of us would be clear that a healthy church is one whereby the people believe the Gospel, where the people are regularly living the Gospel and regularly giving the Gospel.

So, let me ask you today, do you, we can all say, ah, it's about the church, it's about the church, it's about others. But let me ask you today are you healthy. Do you personally believe the Gospel or do you say, I must be fine, like Giolo, I’ve secured a place in heaven because I grew up in church, doesn't matter if I don't love the Bible, doesn't matter if I don't love God, doesn't matter if I'm not obeying Him in anyway at all, as long as I was born in church, I was raised in church, I should be okay. No, salvation is only for those who believe the Gospel and when you believe the Gospel, there will be grace, there will be gratitude, there will be the marks of salvation in your life. Not that you do these things to be saved, but these are the evidences that God has changed your heart.

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Number two then, do you live the Gospel or the way you treat people is often an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, tit-for-tat or do you treat people because of God in Jesus Christ. Do you live the Gospel, are you growing as a Christian, are you different today as a husband, as a wife, has the Gospel changed you, are you living it out actively and number, number three, are we, are you giving out the Gospel?

One of the great joys we have in Wednesday night prayer meetings, not many people come, sadly, we hope more would come. But one of the joys we have in Wednesday night prayer meetings, is where we get to hear the people who gather in prayer regularly praying for the lost, not just praying for the lost but they are regularly giving out the Gospel amongst the lost, they are regularly reaching out to people, they are thinking of ways and means to get them to church, to hear the Gospel, to share with them, it thrills our hearts to hear all these things going on. I think that is really beautiful and healthy and I pray, many more would do that.

Sometimes I have this mental image of Gospel Light Christian Church building. I think we right now are tucked in the corner of Singapore, right, Punggol is in a corner of Singapore, it's not right in the middle and this building is actually frankly at the corner of the corner of Singapore. I mean, we are not like beside the MRT station, we are like where, at the, at the corner of Flo Residence and so many people think that, so many people have missed this building. They thought this is a clubhouse of Flo Residence or they thought this is the car park of Flo Residence, we are not very obvious.

So, I've always thought maybe we should just put a lot of lightbulbs all around the building and light it very brightly so that everyone can see, wah, what's the bright light, not Marina Bay Sands but Gospel Light Christian Church and then all the pilots who have to fly over this area, say wah, what's that ah, Gospel Light Christian Church.

I thought that but I thought that's quite useless frankly, but what's more important, I thought is that when someone comes to this country, someone comes to this neighbourhood, they would hear of a group of people, a group of people who clearly believe a certain message, about a certain Saviour who walked upon this earth, a people who treats people and goes around their daily activities on a very different level, based on a very different motivation and the people who are always actively trying to witness to people, the Good News of this Saviour who once walked on this earth.

I pray that when people come and they say, there's someone, there are some people here, who are just very different, they're like lights shining in a dark place. I hope that would be all of us here. What a beautiful day it will be and how a church centered in the Good News of Jesus Christ will bring glory to our God above. I think that's God's will and may that be your prayer, a healthy church is centered on the Gospel.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. I just want to ask you to consider these three questions for yourself. It doesn't matter whether you have been to church for decades, doesn't matter whether this is the first time you're in church, this first question applies to you, do you believe the Gospel because the bad news is that all sinners go to hell, but the good news is that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.

This morning, you can believe, you can come to God today and say, Lord, I repent of my sins, I want to be saved. I look to Jesus Christ, Your Son who has died for me on the cross, I believe in Him, I trust in Him, He's my all, He's my hope. You today can be saved and this is my answer or my urge to you please consider, please do think this through. Don't throw this away, ask God today to grant to you repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, don't be satisfied being a church attendee, don't play a hypocrite because one day it will show up. Today is the day of salvation, you can be saved.

Maybe this morning, you are already a Christian, but you are struggling in your life and you are saying, I, I, I just can't seem to forgive him, I just can't seem to break free from covetousness, I just can't seem to get out of worldliness, what can I do. Well, be Gospel centered, look to Christ on the cross and what He has done for you. Ask God to fill your heart afresh and renew with a passion for Him, ask the Holy Spirit to establish this Gospel deep in your heart and experience what Thomas Chalmers say, the expulsive power of a new affection, because you love God, it pushes out the love for the world.

Gospel Light, let us not be a group of people who are satisfied just with gathering on Sunday mornings, the Gospel centered church gives the Gospel. Would you ask God today in your life maybe in 2018, to be able to give the Gospel to someone today. I'm excited to hear of how the Gospeliters are regularly reaching people in the markets, on cyberspace, in the classrooms, inviting them to church, personally journeying with them in the Gospel, studying the Bible with them, it's such a joy and I pray every one of you would do this. I think if you do that, you are quite healthy and I pray if all of us would do that, we would be quite healthy and we would truly be a light in this neighbourhood, to a world lost in darkness, grappling for hope in God. So, Father thank You for this morning, bless Your Word to all our hearts. May we respond to it worthily and may You be praised as we believe, live and give the Gospel, Jesus keep us near the cross. We ask this in Jesus Name, amen.

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