More than a Song

April 2010

PHOS HMC

It was at a chalet in Sec 1 where I first heard Hillsongs being played. Captivated by their energetic (and rather

noisy) music, I jumped at the opportunity when my friend invited me to follow him to the Hillsongs concert at

the National Indoor Stadium. I confess that I had never been to a rock concert before, and was daunted by the

flashing lights, booming music, and hordes of youths jumping up and down.

But before I knew it, I found myself jumping together with them, perhaps finding emotions within me that had

never been unleashed before. “My Jesus, My Saviour.. Lord there is none like you..” came out from my lips as I

raised my hands and closed my eyes, tears welling up as I realized how near Jesus felt.

Back home, when the adrenalin from the concert had faded, I began to question the whole experience of

worshipping God. Why hadn’t I experienced this before in church? Was it because of the loud, catchy music that

was triggering my emotions?

John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth”.

To worship in spirit, in layman terms, means to worship from the heart. It doesn’t matter what song, what genre

or what style your music is. It means worshipping in a sincere manner, free from distractions and wandering

thoughts.

To worship in truth means to worship in accordance to God’s Word. God’s Word says that we should not

worship any other god (Exodus 34:14). So when we worship, we should not worship the singer, the band

members, or the style of music, but worship God alone.

May God continue to show you how to worship Him.

Love,

The phos team

Nat

Jeremy

Lydia

ConstanceNatalie

Dorothy

More than a Song

I don’t think any of us practice witchcraft or worship idols, but God says that if we rebel, our

sin is as great as those who dabble in the occult or bow down to false gods.

God takes such a serious stance against disobedience and insubordination as He wants His

people to be holy and blameless, set apart for Him.

Sometimes we are very quick to rationalise our rebellious nature. Reasons like “my parents

are restricting my freedom” or “my teacher is being unfair to me” are common excuses to

defy authority. But God puts it plainly that He views all this as sin.

Let us learn to obey the authority that God has placed over us. It’s not going to be easy, but

we can draw strength from Jesus, who himself obeyed the Father’s will to suffer and die on

the cross.

When the music fades…PHOS

When the music fades

HMC

April 2010

1 Samuel 15:22-23

“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and

sacrifices,

As in obeying the voice of the LORD?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

And to heed than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,

And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”

A storm of colours wash over thousands of bodies jam-packed like sardines. The racing

strobe lights outline a middle-aged businessman in a dark blue suit, a fingers breadth away

from where you stand. Both your hands are raised high into the air, waving it in time to the

music. An overhead vent spews a thick cloud of condensed vapour into the crowd, the

moisture refreshingly cool on their skin. You let out a whoop of joy, entranced by the live

band in front of you.

I just described a scene from a concert by Hillsongs United, a contemporary worship band.

Fans of their catchy tunes and God-centred lyrics include Nathanael, our president. He

describes his experience of at one of their live concerts as “a lot of jumping around and very

loud music. But under all of that was an uninhibited passion to worship God.“

Our youth band also plays a mixture of contemporary and age-old worship songs. So what

really is worship, and why does the youth music team prepare so hard for Sunday worship

by practising and jamming on Saturdays? Worship, broadly defined, is when we live our lives

in obedience to God. We worship him when we decide to listen to our parents instead of

playing the computer. It is also an act of worship to do our quiet time every day, no matter

how tired we are. Worshipping God is putting Him first in our lives, and striving to please

Him to the best of our abilities.

Today, we’ll look at worship in the context of praising Him. We spend the first half of our

youth fellowship singing praises to Him, so it is obviously a crucial part of worshipping Him.

Some people sing aloud (or with a really loud and booming voice, like Rev Daniel!), while

others sing in their hearts. God is pleased not by our voices, but by the fact that we are

focusing entirely on Him. The quality of your voice is insignificant compared to your desire

to worship Him.

PHOS HMCWhat is worship and

why do we jam?

April 2010

What is worship and

why do we jam?

PHOS HMCWhat is worship and

why do we jam?

April 2010

What is worship and

why do we jam?

The question of why the worship team practises every Saturday for worship arises. After all,

if God is only concerned with our hearts, why bother to practise? God will be pleased as long

as we focus on Him, and He isn’t concerned about the quality of the music, right?

The worship team sacrifices a portion of their Saturday afternoons to allow for us to better

worship God. By playing all the right notes and singing well, they provide a conducive

environment for us to focus on God. Without the distraction of wrong notes and off-key

voices, we find it easier to praise God with all our heart.

God created music for our enjoyment, and we should feel joy while praising Him. He listens

to each and every one of us as we sing our praises to Him. All genres of music are

acceptable to Him as long as they direct the attention of the listener to Him. From

traditional hymns to Christian rap, all music that is meant to praise Him is good.

However, it is important to note that not all songs that carry the “Christian” label are

pleasing to God. It is important to scan the lyrics to ensure that you are not tricked into

listening to songs that go against God’s word. Also, there is a real danger that we end up

worshipping the singer and not God. It is the duty of the Christian bands to channel our

admiration to God, and not themselves. Failing that, we should be wary and remind

ourselves that we are worshipping God and not men.

As long as we keep our focus on God and strive to obey Him, God will be pleased with our

worship. And at the end of the day, pleasing Him is our sole objective when we sing praises

to His name. As the song goes, “When the music fades/And all is stripped away/And I simply

come/...You’re looking into my heart.”

Core values

April 2010

PHOS HMC

Core values

Huh? What are core values???Huh? What are core values???Huh? What are core values???Huh? What are core values???

Have you heard about

Jesus?

Core values

April 2010

PHOS HMC

Core values

D’Joy Children’s Centre

You’re Special!

April 2010

PHOS HMCTo all SS Students

Daniel 3

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves

before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it,

and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we

will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Context : Dan 3:1-5

Nebuchadnezzar had built a golden image of himself to be worshipped and summoned all officials in his

consolidated empire to come and fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up

as soon as they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not give in to external pressure, but held on steadfastly to their internal

principles which were the fruit of their Godly upbringing in their early childhood in Judah prior to their

Babylonian captivity.

1. The Teachers

Those responsible for teaching the precepts of God to these young men (between 14-17 yrs old) prior to their

exile to Babylon, although not mentioned in the passage must have done a great job. Whether it was their

parents, teachers of the Law, etc. The time that they invested in ensuring a foundational education in the

knowledge of God resulted in the 3 young Jewish boys' steadfastness, see v. 16-18, even during the times of their

Babylonian brainwashing throughout their training to be courtiers.

2. The Students

They loved God and this was evident in their deep convictions about who God is and what He deserves. All that

they had learned about God transformed into internal principles that no external pressure could bring into

submission... not even death... even death by fire.

3. The Exhortation

The Sunday School Ministry is important in moulding the lives of young men and women who will one day have to

rise above all the perversion and corruption of the world and stand tall for the Glory of God. And believe me, that

day WILL come. The day of temptation, to compromise Godly values for earthly pleasure or simply to conform to

worldly conventions, to be "in".

Stay close to Jesus by studying the Word. John 15: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me

and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

We pray that you will develop a love for Divine things through the convictions of the Holy Spirit as you learn

God's Word. That you will become men like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who steadfastly stand on the Rock

even in the face of fatal consequences.

May the peace of God rest on you, Amen.

Uncle Blond

To all SS Students

April 2010

PHOS HMCFun in the Sun / Lightbulb

Fun in the Sun

/ Lightbulb

During the March school holidays, the Torchbearers gathered in church for 3 action-packed days of fun and games.

On Day 1, the Torchbearers grabbed their popcorn and watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian in the morning

before watching Facing the Giants in the afternoon. The exhilarating fight scenes from Prince Caspian and the touching

scenes from Facing the Giants were enhanced by watching the show together.

Day 2 was sports day, and we used our church car park to play football, ultimate frisbee and other games. We not only had a

lot of fun, but also helped event organizer Edwin get fit for army!

Day 3 was a jam session where all the youths gathered to combine their musical talents in praising God. We surprisingly

managed to tackle some difficult songs like “Better than Life” by Hillsongs, and even had a special guest performer!

Thank God for this great opportunity to bond with our brothers and sisters in Christ!

HAKKA!HAKKA!HAKKA!HAKKA!

Joel dribblingJoel dribblingJoel dribblingJoel dribblingMarch March March March HolsHolsHolsHolsRock!Rock!Rock!Rock!

As we walked along the dull, narrow-looking aisle on one of the floors of a Whampoa HDB flat, the

mid-afternoon sunlight reflected upon the wall. My heart was feeling half-excited yet half-anxious.

My mind was racing, trying to picture how the elderly would look like and how they would react once

they receive the “blessing” from us.

One of the units that we visited was an old Hainanese lady who was in her 60s. She turned up at the

door to greet us. From the doorstep, we peered into her unit and saw that it was really small. She

had her refrigerator in the living room, and judging from that, I could infer that her kitchen was small

too. We then wished her “xin nian kuai le” with a smile as she gratefully received her share of food

from us.

The whole experience was really an eye-opener; it taught me how to appreciate what I have now.

For example, my own room is probably the size of their living rooms.

But after everything, this food distribution experience has taught me that it only takes a spark to

bless someone. It could be as simple as smiling or writing an encouraging note to someone. Just like

when a butterfly flaps its wings; it creates a hurricane on the other side of the world.

So can a small act of love.

Food from the heart

April 2010

PHOS HMC

Food from the heart

Caroling for Food for the Heart (Spot the Torchbearers!)

April 2010

PHOS HMCInterview with Constance

Interview with

Constance

Phos Team: Hi Constance! Tell us more about yourself! How old are you and where

are you studying?

Constance: I'm 14, studying in Fairfield Methodist Secondary School. Oh wait, I’m 15!

(this year) HAHAHA

Phos Team: So are you involved in anything in school?

Constance: Yes, as a Student Councillor and a Squad Leader in the Girl’s Brigade.

Phos Team: Nice. Heard you're the youngest member in the youth committee. How

is it like serving in the youth com? Have you learnt anything from the older com

people?

Constance: Yes I am the rose among the thorns =P It's really been a joy to serve in the

youth com. I got a chance to see how the older youths work, and eventually, I want to

grow spiritually together with them and to learn something from them too =)

Phos Team: Wow, sounds like you got a lot to do, serving God in school and church.

And you still have your homework to do on top of that! How do you balance doing

all that at the same time?

Constance: I pray and ask God for a good time management, and also not to forget

about Him (Quiet Time) for we cannot do things with our own strength. I do what's

important first like homework and school stuff, and I keep reminding myself not to go

onto the computer unnecessarily, etc. But sometimes I do fail in doing so, but I just

have to keep praying for God's guidance =)

Phos Team: Heard you helped organize the youth participation for Food for the

Heart. Can you describe that experience to us?

Constance says: When I tried asking the youths to sign up for the distribution, it

taught me how to encourage them. I told them that they should do this to serve God,

not for men. Also, doing this would show love towards the less fortunate people in

Whampoa. It felt good to see the people's faces painted with a smile after they

received the food package from us. It was good to bring a small blessing into

somebody's life. When we do something unto somebody, we're doing it unto Jesus, it

was really a heart-warming experience =)

Phos Team: How do you think the Torchbearers can make a difference in the lives of

those around them?

Constance: We can make a difference by first of all, praying. We can reach out and

pray for friends around us who are non-believers, and lend a listening ear to those

who need someone to listen to their problems. To learn to love others, not just by

our words, but actions too, this way we can shine for Christ! We should do all things

with no strings attached!

Phos Team: So what do you hope God will do in your life in 2010?

Constance says: First of all, I want to know Him more! Sometimes the things in this

world distract me from Him, I'm sure many people are in the same boat as me. It isn't

easy, that's why as a church we must support one another. I want to be a blessing to

the others around me and to serve Him wholeheartedly in every way this year =)

The Phos Team caught up with Torchbearer Treasurer Constance Neo to find out whether she balances her time as well as she balances the books!

which which which which israeliteisraeliteisraeliteisraelite clan was clan was clan was clan was

the most patient?the most patient?the most patient?the most patient?

the the the the tahantahantahantahan----iteiteiteite tribe tribe tribe tribe

(numbers 26:35)(numbers 26:35)(numbers 26:35)(numbers 26:35)

PHOS HMC

A Typical tahan−ite

tribe toilet queue�