Pastor Ernie’s sermon centered on the third chapter of the book of Mark, a passage which grapples with challenging questions and hard truths.
Sharing from various scripture references (John 6:38, Luke 4:18-19, Mark 3:10-11), Pastor Ernie taught that Jesus’ ministry during His three years on earth was to do the will of the Father, and be a model for us. Mark 3:14-15 speaks of how Jesus appointed His twelve disciples, for two purposes: a) to be with Him, and then; 2) to be sent out.
As the passage goes along, we see how Jesus encountered opposition when doing God’s will, such opposition stemmed primarily from two groups-
1. The religious leaders of the day (vs 22): comprising mainly the Pharisees, they represented the group who assumed that they were doing God’s will, but in actuality was hindering His purposes.
2. Jesus’ family (vs 21, 31): they represented a people who thought they were close with God, yet did not truly know Him.
The similarity between both groups is that they did not bear fruits. On the other hand, Jesus’ parables consistently defined a disciple/child of God as one who does the will of God by bearing fruit (see Mark 3:35 and Mark 4:20).
Pastor Ernie then explained the differences between a fan, a follower or a disciple of Christ. If we are to call ourselves true disciples of Christ, we must encounter a change in our fundamental worldview and/or belief systems, in denying ourselves (e.g. discarding the “Me first” mentality), taking up our cross (e.g. choosing “Others first”), and following Him (e.g. walking out this life as Jesus did).
Pastor Ernie went on to share the implications Mark Chapter 3 has for us today-
1. God’s will should likewise matter to us, because it concerns the issue of Lordship:
a. While the world advocates a “Me First” mindset, the gospel calls us to a “You First (Agape)” worldview.
b. It is therefore important to understand what the Lord’s will is (See Ephesians 5:15-17).
2. God’s will is for us to:
a. Love God (the Great Commandment)
b. Love People (the Great Commission).
3. We fall short of God’s will for us, mainly due to the following reasons:
a. Action, not placement- we may feel “’called”, but we may not actually be doing anything about or acting out our calling;
b. Exclusivity- we may be unwilling to move out beyond our social circle;
c. Inconvenience- we may unwilling to sacrifice our personal comforts;
d. Time- we may have other priorities.
Pastor Ernie shared some global and domestic statistics on the wealth distribution in Singapore today:
- Globally, Singapore has the highest concentrations of millionaires in the world. The wealth per adult is the 7th highest in the world.
- That said, there is still a substantial percentage of Singaporean households living in 1-2 bedroom HDB apartments, and/or earn less than $1,250 per month. 10-14% of Singaporeans also live in severe financial difficulty, with less than S$5 per day to spend.
- Closer to home in Pasir Ris, out of its 140,000 population, 8,400 live in poverty.
Pastor Ernie concluded with an exhortation for Riverlife as a church to look outwards, to make a difference to the community and the nations. As we grow in true discipleship, may we be “sent out” to transform society as Christ did!
Discussion Questions
1. In his sharing of Jesus’ calling of His twelve disciples, Pastor Ernie highlighted Jesus’ practice of spending time with his disciples, before sending them out.
Why do you think spending time with Jesus was crucial to disciple-making?
[10 min]
2. Drawing from the two groups who opposed Jesus during His ministry, Pastor Ernie touched briefly on the differences between a fan, follower or disciple of Christ. Which group do you identify best with, in this season of your life? [10 min]
3. Pastor Ernie discussed the main reasons we fall short of God’s will for us:
a, Action, not placement;
b, Exclusivity;
c. Inconvenience; and
d. Time,
Take time to reflect on your personal walk with God. Do you struggle in any of the above-mentioned ways? Share specific incidents in your life, where these mindsets held you back from doing what you knew would please God.
[10 min]
4. Consider the sobering statistics concerning the rich-poor divide in Singapore, and closer to home, in our neighbourhood Pasir Ris.
What are steps we can take to become more effective disciples of Christ, beyond our immediate social circles? Going a step further- as a church, how can we impact the wider community and the nation?
[10 min]
