Home Base | Pr Steven Soon

You're listening to a message to go from at church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

I want to talk about why being part of the

local church is important. I hope that giving one example

with Saul and Barnabas, you will be able to catch this.

They even saw, the greatest, greatest missionary that we've ever known,

was part of a local church. He had a home church.

Even though he was out on the missions field for

a very long time, he still came back to the

local church. He still reported back to the local church.

He still accounted himself to the local church. Even though

he's such a great apostle and disciple, but he still

submitted himself to the local church. I'm going to give

you some points why being part of the local church

is important for you. Number one, the church is where

God will mold you. The church equips you. How do

I know the church? It's a place where God will

mow you. How many of you have gotten hurt in

church before I'll be the first to raise my hand.

How many of you here have stepped on each other

stores before I'll be the first to raise my hand.

Of course, we will step on each other stores. We're

so close. We are family right in church, we are

called to be family, and you know we're family. Sometimes

it hurts the mosa right because we're doing life together.

Things happen. We all have our good days, our bad days.

And this is where I know for a fact that

if you rule yourself down in the church, you definitely

get hurt. Oh what yes, But it's true, the hurting

when we all overcome that God will moral ess this

environment that God put us in, right, it is mandated

by God. It is something that is instructed by the Lord.

Together as believers the seed, know that we will get

We will hurt each other. Of course, Jesus himself was

hurt by his closest but yet he's still robred with

them after he resurrected, even after betrayal, isn't it. But

this is the place, my friends, that God will mold you.

I would even be bold and daring to say this

is where being part of a local church. Being part

of the local church is where God will bring you

closer to His purpose and destiny in your life. If

you're not part of a local church. I'm not saying

it's impossible. God knows, but based on my experience, and

what I've seen usually is in and through the church,

and you find yourself first discovering your purpose, then fulfilling

your purpose. It is in the church that you learn

things like serving right, You learn things like honor, submission, discipleship, leadership.

I think in church you learn this more than you

learn it in school or the marketplace. It's in church

that you learn about humility, really true humility. It's in

church where you learn about, you know, serving one another.

Marketplace can be quite cutrual. Probably there's something that people

don't advise. But yet in church we are told to

put others first, to love our neighbors. We are told

to submit. Ah, this one, this is a very rare,

tough word to swallow. Right, submission. But yeah, it is

in the church that a lot teaches us submission, isn't it,

discipleship and leadership. I can tell you a lot of

I've heard so many testimonies of employment where our fresh

grads go for work, apply jobs. I know some of

you have testimonies like this where the employer, the moment

they found out you're a Christian, they immediately trust you.

I've heard multiple stories and testimonies like this. Why the

employers always say I trust you because you fear godard

they're scared of godlaran sk of doing the wrong thing.

One can trust you. I can trust you more. They

know that believers have more integrity suppose a leader. I

pray that all of us have more credit integrity than

othersta in the way we do business, in the way

we deal with people. They know that Christians have a

deep conscience of right and wrong, stand for why it's right,

and to oppose what is wrong. Even the people in

the marketplace knows this. That we as believers learn all

of this in church. This is the safest place. I

tell you to mess up. This is the safest place

for you to learn leadership. And if you mess up,

I hope not intentionally. But if you mess up, know that.

And I'm not saying if when all of us will

mess up. But this is a safe environment, loving environment

us to grow. It is in church, when I grew

up in church, that I learn how to organize events.

I learned how to MC I learned how to play instruments.

And it is from that that actually when I started

doing corporate stuff in my freelance work, that I could

apply all of this right and the marketplace finds all

these things valuable. But yet it is in the church

in a very interesting way that God equips us the

most rather than outside. So I hope that's the first

point I have for you. Hope you guys know this

and believe in this church is where God will mold

you and where the church, the church is all the

place where God will equip you. Second point, the church

is your golley counsel. Right, this is a place where

the leader's journey with you. And if the leader's journey

with you, they know you, they will be able to

give you godly council. Number three, the church praise for you.

There's a place where we pray really for all your needs.

Every time you guys have a need, we pray, do you, guys,

I don't know if you guys are already part of

the ex church broadcast channel on telegram. Most of the

things that are actually pray your requests and we pray.

The church prays for you and with you. Before the

Church resources you. If you go out to the marketplace

and you're the reach of friend, you go like, how

do I be a sort and lighter in my marketplace?

The Church will equip you, and I believe we have

been equipping, we have been guiding you, We have been

teaching right to tell you how you can actually be

a blessing in your missions field. The Church resources you

whatever materials. You are very blessed. You have a lot

of books to teach us principles and teachers not just

principles but also practical stuff methods. Right, the church provides

covering over you, or this is a church where we

go like, hey, you're under a covering. If your path

all flow, you're under our covering. Therefore we look up

for you. I appreach about this when I shared about

discipleship right, that when you come under the discipleship, you

cannot come under the covering of the discipler. It's almost

like you have the seal. It means that you're not

on your own. You know, if anything happens to you,

we are with you and right, and when there's covering,

that's annoying thing. I preach about this as well. Right,

when you're under the covering of a church, there is

an anointing. The annointing that is upon the church will

also flow to you. This is a kingdom principle. You know,

just that I mentioned the Antioch church was Palls or

Saul's home base. How do I know this? We go

to continue looking X Chapter fourteen, twenty six to twenty seven.

I'm gonna read this this. Finally they returned by ship.

This is after their first mission trip. Okay, finally they

returned by ship to Antioch of Syria. Where is What

is Antioch? Their home church where their journey had begun.

That's where they started. Now they're back. The believers there

had entrusted them. Oh do you notice this? The church

entrusted them to go and be sort light. There was

an assignment. The believers there entrusted them, to the grace

of God to do the work they had now completed.

So once they finished, they come back. Upon arriving in Antioch,

they called the church together and reported everything God had

done through them, and how He had opened the door

faith to the gentiles too. And they stayed there with

the believers for a long time. I won't bring us

for a few points. Number one, Paul returned home to

bring reports testimonies of the work that the Lord had

done through them. In the same way. You know, I'm

sure you guys share at homes as well, wah. Last

week at a workplace, I had a colleague that was

in need. I had an opportunity to pray and something happened.

You guys also bring back reports to the church, and

many times I think for myself, I would say, thank

you for praying for me. Right, Well, thank you for

your prayers. And that's what the church we do. When

you guys go out, we pray for you, right and

when you guys come back, we've good reports, we rejoice

with you. See they saw and Bannombers were accountable to

the church. If your impression of missions is that they

do things on their own, missionaries, this is not biblical.

Missionaries should always tie themselves to the church. That's the

healthy way of doing it. I'm going to share a

little bit more about that. Of course, today there will

be many people who argue that I don't have to

be part of a local church do missions. I go

wherever the spirit leads me. I'm going to share a

few bibilical principles later and maybe a little bit of

my own story to bring across this truth. Okay, next,

are you guys staying with me? I see people yawning,

falling asleep, heay, bear with me. Okay, there's the world

of God, all right. So I talked about how being

part of the local church is important because it is

your home base. It is where you'll be equipped, is

where you be covered, is where we will pray for you,

all right. And just share a little bit of story.

When I went for a three months missions with Logos Hope,

and you guys have heard some of my stories about that.

I did not go on my own account. I heard

from the Lord. Firstly, the Holy Spirit spoke to me

and say, Stephen, I want you to put now, lay

down everything for the next three months, even keep your graduation,

to go for missions. And the moment I had this

one of my criterias with this. For me to go,

I told God, I said, God, for me to go,

the church has to bless me. My local church have

to send me. They have to be the sending church.

I won't go on my own a car because I

know Bible. Bible says it has to be sent from

the church. So I spoke to my pastor. Oh, my

pastor at that time, I lead up, go, no need approval,

already approve we sent you. And of course the church

supported supported me. A little bit financially as well, and

different ones came around me. I got uh, I got

enough missions funds for me to be sent out, and

throughout my time there, it was really comforting to know

that every Sunday in church they were praying for Stevenson

who is now sailing across the ocean, someone who cannot

pray for him more. But they prayed every week, and

I would get my pastor or different leaders would sometimes

send me a mess they saying, hey, by the way,

just to let you know we have been praying for

you every week. I tell you that itself was enough

to feel me to keep going on days, even though

it was just three months. But on days I feel discourage.

I remember, oh, my church is praying for me every week,

some of them even every day. I'm sure my parents

were praying every day out of here, please bring our

son back in one piece. Right. But to know that

the local church is praying for me was such a

strength in my work. And of course what I did

was I also send news letters back every two weeks

to share about press reports. Thank you for praying for me,

and I will share about prayer requests. Please pray for me.

I fallen sick. Please pray for me for this. I

you not I have gotten conflict with someone else in

the same team. That was my prayer request. Oh, pray

that we will reconcile, that our has to be clean

when we do the work of God. And I said,

and the church you would tell me we pray for you.

Your prayer points we pray for you, right, and they would.

And I will send their prayer reposent and sometimes they'll

come back. They will read it and they'll go like, h,

pray Scott for what you have done, what God has

done to you. And that continued to feel me for

the work that the Lord has sat in front of me.

I cannot imagine doing this without a local church on

my own, even though I had fellow missionaries. But I

can tell you the encouragement from the local church was

the one that pushed me forward. And tell you, I'm

telling you this from experience. You may not feel this

with a two day's missions, oh man, but I felt

it with a three month's missions. Anything more than two weeks,

you'll be glad that there's a church praying for you.

It can be very lonely. Sometimes I spent Christmas and

I spent Christmas for the first time away from home.

Oh I felt it. Man, oh man, my first time

I was looking. Oh and this was when I was

back in my uh Penang church. Right when I've said,

I was in my Penang church and I was looking.

And we have like Christmas Eve services and actually we

don't do have that, but there's a countdown, you know.

We start service at nine pm and service and then

we'll pull on some programs. Usually we'll do a musical.

All right. I was part of that, very much part

of that for ten years. I danced for ten years,

was a dancer. But it took me ten years to

realize I can't really dance, okay, but yeah, ten years

and we do that. So when I was on the

on the ship right emissions, I was looking at my time,

you know, and then plus the time difference, I was

going at this time they start worship. Really, I'm here,

ye're there, Well, at this time, this is happening. Now

we are counting down redieve for Christmas. I really felt

it a bit of loneliness because away from family. But

what helped me was that they remember me. They remember

me in prayer. They are constantly praying for me. They

are constantly thinking about me, and that, I tell you

is an encouragement like none other when I'm out in

the missions field. Then the question now to us is

does it have to be just when we are out

literally doing missions that only we have the Church do

that for us. Actually, you know that the leaders pray

for all of us, even in your marketplace ministry. God

puts sometimes names in my heart through the day, and

I'll just take a break and pray for you, and

some of you would know this. I would check in

on you sometimes drop attacks. Hey, how are things going?

I heard about this? You know, God, God put your

name in my heart today. Sometimes that will happen. Pray,

you know that is the Church covering you know, it's

not just the leadership or Passus Stevens covering. That is

the Church covering over you. And as you are out

calling for the Lord in where God has sent you

to in the marketplace. Wow. One encouragement to know that

the Church is praying with you, that you're not alone,

and that you can bring back good reports testimony is

praise God. But if you bring back bad reports, it's okay.

We're with you. We're cheering you on all right, okay,

next point, your mission should not replace the church. Now,

why I'm saying this is because there are many people

who think that Nolah, I just do marketplace ministry church

all It's okay, Lah, are already serving in my marketplace.

Don't need to serve in church. I want to tell

you this biblically speaking, your mission should not replace the church.

If you look at soul and bundables, they came back,

they gathered the church. They recognize that their missions were

not replacements to their service to the church, or even

as a replacement to This is my home right. Missions

field is where you are constantly giving, But the home

church is where you'll be fed and you'll be refreshed. Now,

to your pre believing friends, this may be true that

you as a person are the church to them, But

to all of us who are believing, this is the church,

the gathering of believers. Your friends were believing friends. Of course,

they may not come to church, lives not that THINGMA.

So they see you as a church. So that I

hope we can separate that. That is true, you are

the church to them, but for you, you are not

the church to yourself. Church for you is a gathering

of believers. I hope we can separate that. Okay, to

your pre believing friends, that may remain true, But for us,

this is church. They're coming together, all right. So let's remember,

let's not be so occupied with evangelism outreach missions that

it becomes an excuse not to be a church. Will

there be periods of time where you may need to

excuse yourself from just because you're on a mission field.

Of course, that was what Saul and vanna Us were doing.

They're out planting churches. But they still came back. You see,

they still came back. So remember, your mission should not

replace your church. Your mission is not your church. Two

different things. Lastly, the church is God's plan. The church

is designed and ordained by God. When you serve the church,

you serve God's plan. When we recognize that the church

is established by God, when we start to remember that,

we will not argue about the place of the church. Really,

because Christ himself is the head of the church. Christ

is the bridegroom to the Church, which is his bride. Therefore,

the church has always been God's plan. I had people

who tell me I don't even go to church life,

just be to me and God only my relationship. Right.

I can oh globalization, I can attend church everywhere online.

I've heard this many times, but there has never been

God's intention and design. God's intention is for us to

be rooted down in one and to grow the church,

to build the church. When you start serving the church,

you serve God's plan. When you serve the church, you

serve Jesus the heat of the church. Route down in

the church, serve the church, be discipled and disciple others.

This my encouragement and this is a plan. Can I

say this for all of us to route down to serve,

to be discippled and disap others for instand right now,

I just want to do a call out to say,

if you're not serving yet, Serf, build the house together?

Will you join us to build this house? I also

want to share this. We are now very lean at

the moment. We have leaders now having to wear multiple

hats to serve multiple roles per Sunday. Are we complaining?

I can tell you none of the leaders are complaining.

Actually they even offer. But I want to say this,

when we do it together, when we share the Lord,

there's such beauty in building the house together all right.

I also want to say this they self a bit stronger.

Don't wait for us to invite you personally, come and

talk to us. There's so many people to talk to

for us. I can tell you my leaders know this.

Every Sunday, I'm like, I'm trying to catch different ones

to catch up for a short time, and I'm thankful

for my leaders for releasing me do that. I used

to have to be involved in different things after service

to help, but the leaders have released me to allow

me to go and connect different ones, to catch as

many of you, to catch up with you, check in

on you as much as I can. All right. So

if you're waiting for a personal invitation and he has

not come yet, please forgive me, Please forgive me. But

I do hope, I do hope that you will offer

yourself to sow into the house of the Lord. Whichever area,

all right, I can tell you every area we are

looking for people. All right. You're even seeing leaders stepping

up to do things that are not comfortable with, like sharing.

See the two ladies laughing very loud in France, because

I can tell you this, this is very out of

the comfort zone for them. Yeah, very right. But they're

doing it. They're setting an example. Right, So let's do this.

Let's build the house of the lot together. Let's serve

and know that when you serve the House of the latter,

you're not serving a corporation. You're serving Jesus. You're serving

the apple of his eye. You know, the church, all right,

So come on, I want to employ and encourage all

of us. Let's serve the house. Let's serve the house.

I'm just gonna show you a little graph when you

go out for it, and we teach this to missionaries

in the same way when you go out to your

marketplace as a missionary. This is a healthy cycle. The

church prepares you, then the church sends you out. You

are the laborer. The laborers will then labor, and then

the laborers will come back and the process repeats. Remember

I talk about the rescue board. It having to come back.

It needs to come back to reveal. The rescuers have

to sleep and rest because if not, they put themselves

at rice. And not only they can't rescue people, they

can't rescue themselves. Then they become a heavier burden. Not

another rescue board has to be sent to go and

save them it has happened, so in the same way

for us when we come back, know that it's This

is the healthy cycle. The church preparees ues, the church

encourages us that we go, we be sortid light, and

we labor for the Lord, and then we come back

with reports, We come back with prayer requests. We come

back saying, oh Josiah, I'm so tired and my workplace,

I tried to share the gospel, but I got prosecuted.

Come back and then we comfort we men your wounds,

and then we encourage you, we equip you again, and

then you feel refresh your strengthened. Okay, I'm okay, now

I'm ready now, and then we send you out again,

and the cycle repeats. That is the proper way of

being sent out to reach out. We don't just send

you out and leave you Okay, bye bye, Go be

a blessing in your missions field, and then we just

don't care about you anymore. No, that's why it's so

important to be part of the local church. Right, you

will have to call the local church your church, because

unless until you say that, there will be no covering. Amen.

We can try. But then it's very important that it

is yourself, ourselves recognize that the local church is important.

Coming to the end now, I want to talk about

a tree. When a seed is planted in the soil,

it will grow roots. Right in the same manner, when

we are planted in a church, you grow to become

a healthy tree. If you're not rooted in a church,

you'll find your face stunted. You'll find your ministry ineffective,

you'll find your outreach after a certain level, we'll start

to stagnate and not bad food. That's why the church

is where you should plant yourself in to grow your roots.

The church is a good ground. That means you can

grow roots deep. But first you got to plant yourself in.

That means it's going to be uncomfortable. You got to

root yourself in instead of being free as a sea

to fly wherever, right, But you have to be rooted down.

But it is out of this that you grow. Recently,

I had a plant. I didn't prepare the picture. I

have a plan that has been surviving with me for

four years now, about four years now, but recently, as

I was pruning it, I accidentally snacked on one of

the roots. It had multiple multiple How do I say

there are multiple of the same plants in one part

that I have, but for one way I accidentally snagged,

and the leaves are all very green and lush. It's

like a fresh what do you call that branch that

came out. I accidentally snacked on it, right, And then

week by week I see the green lash leaves with

the way and I felt like, oh no, I've lost

this particular branch alreally and I'll have to uproot that

one soon. In the same way, the longer we are

out of church, it's almost like a plant that's uprooted.

You won't survive long and you start finding yourself falling away,

not from church but from the faith. I've seen so

many of my friends going through that, and for them

to come back it's difficult, not impossible, it's difficult because

they have uprooted themselves. That's why my encouragement to campus

students every time they come to study is or they

go away overseas, is within three months grouped down in

a church, take time to find look around churches, right,

but don't take too long, because anything longer than three

months you find yourself falling away. I've seen this in

my own life. Statistically, my friends. Right, so very important

to keep yourself rooted the same way as I shared

rescue boat out of sea for too long risks loss

of feel for tike of crew. It not only becomes

ineffective in saving others, it puts the rescuer at risk.

If you're not planted in your local church, you'll run

out of field, you will burn out. You have no

one to mend your injuries and your heart. Right in

the church, you get that, all right. In the church,

you get reminders of remember the rest, remember not to

make serving and ministry your idol. You get reminders like this,

and these are things that will help continue to feel

you to move forward and to be effective in the

calling that God has given you. All right, So here's

my encouragement to you. Don't just be part of a

local church. Be part of building the church. It doesn't

take you don't have to be a leader to build

the house. All of us can play a part in

building the house by doing what we can. I love

it that when we have our new new partners, welcome tee,

one of our new partners of our name, who say it,

what's next? But of course we lave lah right, But

that person say this, no, honestly, what's next? I really

want to know. And I say, remember the answer that

we gave. Whatever you're able to do, whatever your capacity,

do it for the house. That's what's next. And I

pray that will be our spirit for all of us here.

And I tell you, if all of us plow the

ground build this church together, I can tell you this,

We're going to be a blessing to so many people,

so many God will open your eyes and bless you

in so many ways. True, you're calling the church. Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as church org. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless