Thank you, Ps Edmund

We warmly welcome Pastor Edmund Chan to the pulpit this morning!

We are deeply indebted to him and to Covenant Evangelical Free Church for inspiring so many churches — including MPCC — to take discipleship seriously. This influence has also been deeply felt in every parish I have had the privilege to serve.

The lasting fruits of this movement go far beyond a programme, important as the process may be. It has become a culture— one where members care for their own spiritual growth and also that of others. This care shapes our relationships and conversations. Accountability groups meet regularly. Members grow more open about their private struggles. Deeper conversations and mutual counsel become common. Cell life is enriched, and this culture naturally spreads to marriage, family, and parenting ministries, where new couples find willing and caring mentors.

Members take their daily devotions and Scripture reading more seriously. Some begin to develop the habit of reading good Christian books. Others go on spiritual retreats or practise the classical Christian disciplines.

We sometimes imagine that success means the church has perfect disciples. But this side of eternity, that will never be the case. In fact, a church that takes following Jesus seriously can often look messy. There will be disappointments. Members’ personal lives are always more complicated than the public fronts they present — and that is only natural. We all know how our living rooms (only!) look different when guests are coming!

True discipleship helps us become more open, cultivating an attitude of humility and brokenness. From time to time, we give one another permission to enter each other’s “closets and storerooms.” By His love and grace, we help one another to spring clean and be restored.

One of the greatest outcomes of a church where discipleship is taking root is the impact on the younger generations. They are not looking for perfection, but for authenticity — a sincere and honest walk with God. A culture of discipleship nurtures that kind of openness, where we can all be more real and more present with one another.

Is MPCC there yet? Of course not. And perhaps we never will be — not until we see Him face to face. The journey of discipleship is lifelong. But what matters most is that we are a church on the way, walking together toward Christ.

So, thank you, Pastor Edmund, for sowing these seeds of discipleship all across Singapore and beyond.

We trust God — the Lord of the harvest — to make them grow.