The Youth Ministry returned to our Bible Studies for Life programme after the June break, with our first session focussing on God’s name and what that reveals about Him. In Exodus 3:1-6, 9-15, we see the account of Moses encountering God in the form of a burning bush. Moses did not really know God personally, having only heard of the stories of the God of his people. However, in that encounter, we see the start of Moses’s relationship with God, and his subsequent role in guiding God’s people through the times follows. Indeed, as Elder Joshua Quek said last Sunday during his message, the book of Exodus details the human experience of encountering God, whether we acknowledge Him or not.
As a Brethren church, there is a strong focus on the Word. But do we only know of God without knowing God personally? Are we simply padding our brains with theological knowledge and the testimonies of others without allowing God’s Word and leading to permeate our hearts? Just as when we try to maintain a friendship by being intentional about connecting and meeting up with a friend, so must we continually seek encounters with God. If simply ‘connecting’ with a friend through Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms, or even through hearsay with other friends, cannot count as having a personal relationship with that friend, then similarly, just learning about God without seeking Him cannot count as knowing God personally.
Let us continue to strive to seek God every day in the midst of our busy lives, amid the noise and strife of the world. And let us, through fellowship with one another, share in this striving to know God more by encouraging one another in our personal walks with God!
Deacon Amos Ghui
