We thank God that we are able to have service through the internet. Our topic this morning is Facing the Challenges of our Faith. In whatever we do we will face challenges. What’s the challenge? It means trouble. Usually when something is meaningful and something that is significantly worthwhile, we will face a lot of challenges. If you are able to overcome these challenges then you will succeed. However, if you retract or if you fail to overcome these challenges then you will not achieve your goals. For example, in our careers we will face challenges, in our family we will face challenges. Similarly, the most important thing in our life is also the challenges to our belief. Because faith is our relationship with God and it pertains to our eternal life and salvation. During this pandemic, we tend to value our lives. Nothing is more precious than life itself. We have to protect ourselves from the virus and we have to preserve our lives. More importantly, we have to preserve our spiritual life. The Bible tells us that we will face many challenges in our belief.

If we look objectively at the preaching situation in Singapore, about 40-50 people receive baptism every year. The number of people who come to seek the truth in a year adds up to about 100. Even though there’re people who come to hear and believe, objectively, our preaching levels are not up to standard.

Because of the spread of the virus, the skies are very quiet in Changi. Even the busiest airport in the whole world is quiet now. We no longer hear the sounds of plane engines in the sky. The streets are quieter. Carbon emissions have dropped significant. The reduction of human activities has resulted in much quiet. Likely, many of us have quietened ourselves down and reflected because we start to feel uncertain about our future, jobs and businesses. This is a change none of us hoped for. No one would think this a good thing. It’s as if the whole world has paused. The air is much cleaner. The carbon emissions of 7 billion people in the world is frightening. As human activities are reduced, the earth has the opportunity to rest. Some people say the carbon emissions of human beings are a pollution to the lungs of the earth. Its now able to have a breath of fresh air. And COVID-19 has stopped the pollution of the lungs of the earth. Even though the virus is bad, the air today is much cleaner according to satellite images. The earth is cleansed by the stopping of human activities.

Acts 19:1-3
And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

2 Kings 4:1-7
A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “ There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”