Sunday Worship Service| 9 February 2025| 10:00AM

The worship service began with a reading of Scripture portion from Ephesians 1:7-10 by the worship leader. With the advent of spring the congregation was also led into a lively worship session. Upa K Jamchinthang dedicated the offerings to the Almighty.

Pastor T Lamkhanthang warmly greeted the congregation, and welcomed the first time visitors to the church. He announced the Weekday Worship Service timing, and urged the congregation to participate in great number. Thereafter, Pastor Thang read out Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and dedicated baby Zoey Mawinunhoih, d/o of Thangkhanlal and Lydia Sangkim to the Lord. Upa K Jamchinthang gave a thanksgiving speech.

Upa H Kam Suanthang read out Daniel 2:21, Job 12:23, and spoke on how privileged we are that God initiated His love to us so that we can call Him “Abba, Father” even when we are undeserving, and took His ‘Grace’ for granted. He then led the congregation in mass prayer.

The Sunday School class on Lesson 2–Ephesians 1:1-2, was taken up by Pastor T Lamkhanthang. He read out Ephesians 1:1-2, and made an invocation of the Lord. Pastor Thang then expounded the Sunday school lessons:

• Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God (Ephesians 1:1): We learn for the first time from Acts 13:9 that Saul of Tarsus was also known as “Paul”; and is known as Paul thereafter. As a Jewish man who was a Roman citizen, he had a Jewish name -Saul, and a Roman name – Paul; he did not have a name change but went by a different name depending on the community he was ministering to –he was referred to as Saul among the Jewish community in Jerusalem, and as Paul among the Gentiles. Drawing out Scripture portion from Mark 3:13-15, Acts 1:21-26, 1 Corinthians 15:6-9, and 1 Corinthians 9:1-2, Pastor Thang made a study on the credibility of Paul’s apostleship; Apostle meaning ‘one sent by Jesus with authority’ –commissioned by Jesus Christ with His authority, who granted the authority to speak for and represent Him. We learn from Galatians 1:15-17 that Paul was chosen by Jesus on the road to Damascus when he once persecuted believers, which made him one of the many witnesses of the resurrected Jesus Christ. Pastor Thang further cemented the credibility of Paul’s apostleship by reading Scripture portion from John 7:17, John 9:31, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 1:5-11, and explaining the concept of ‘Wills of God’: Will of Command –which we obeyed because God commanded to happen, and Will of Decree –which God purposed and will by His sovereign power to happen. Quoting from Galatians 1:15-16, Pastor Thang substantiated that it is by God’s will of decree that Paul was chosen to be an apostle.
• Saints (Ephesians 1:1): Pastor read out Ephesians 4:11-12, and pointed out how Paul described Christians in the church as “saints” or “holy” not because they were holy like God. Instead we can see from Ephesians 4:24, and 1 Peter 1:16 that Christians were declared “saints” or “holy” by God, who consecrated us through Jesus, so we must take on God’s moral character and live out our identity –saints or holy.
• • Faithful in Christ (Ephesians 1:1): Reading from Ephesians 6:21, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, 2 Timothy 2:12-13, Pastor highlighted that God’s faithfulness attribute cannot contradict itself, so we must be consistent and faithful with our walk in Christ because we are set apart to be holy by our God, who is faithful.
• Grace and Peace (Ephesians 1:2): Paul extends his greeting to the church of Ephesus with the grace and peace –which he filled with deeper significance equivalent to the traditional Jewish greetings “Shalom”. Pastor said that this greetings is only exclusive to Christians who received grace and peace through Jesus Christ.

Pastor concluded his teaching by saying that we are called saints and faithful servant of God because Jesus made it possible for us to put on His holiness. We must live in perpetual willingness to be holy and faithful just as he called us –saints.

Led by the worship team, the congregation sang the last hymn, and the service concluded with a prayer by Upa H Kam Suanthang.