Greek philosopher Aristotle once mused, "Misfortune shows those who are not really friends." However, the inverse is also true: "Misfortune shows those who are truly friends."

The Holy Spirit inspired these words in the Holy Scripture: "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Prov. 17:17).

Through the last few difficult months, I have never felt more alone in my life. Yet, I am always reminded that although I may feel alone, in truth I am far from. So it is with utmost gratitude that I would like to appreciate each and every one of you that have stood by me in spirit, in action and in words. Together with the promises of the Word and the presence of God, your support has been the rod and staff that I lean on during these "valley moments" ... the arms that hold me up when the pressure of the situation threatens to break me down.

To the little boy who asks Jesus to protect me each night before he sleeps ...

To the doctor who cares for my family and believes in us unreservedly ...

To the staffs who serve tirelessly for the church through it all ...

To the zone leaders who pray and confess God's goodness for my life unceasingly ...

To the members who cheer up my darkest days with a smile and a note of encouragement ...

To members of the Internet community worldwide for their kind words on Facebook and Twitter that bless and uplift me daily ...

To the local pastors who stand with me unwavering ...

To the overseas ministries, missionaries, disciples, and Bible school graduates who choose to love me, believe in me, and pray for me constantly ...

To my parents, in-laws, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces who have shown so much strength and grace in the midst of our tough times ...

To my little boy Dayan who is the joy of my life ...

And to my darling wife Sun who has been my pillar of strength ...

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I count it my greatest privilege to serve you in and through City Harvest Church, and to be called a friend.

"Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed. Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am so glad you gave." ~ Ray Boltz

The last few weeks have been quite the rollercoaster ride—ups and downs aplenty! I promise that in my next blog post, I will address all the concerns that some of you have raised recently. But for now, I hope that we can all focus on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as we celebrate His sacrifice and victory for us this Easter weekend.

The period from Palm Sunday to Good Friday and Easter Sunday is traditionally known as the Passion Week. It is the holiest week in the Christian Church calendar. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ have been documented extensively in the Holy Scripture. If Jesus is indeed the Son of God, death would never overpower Him. As such, we read of the resurrection in the following passages:

Four Gospels (Matt. 27:62-63; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; John 2:19, 21).      Book of Acts (Acts 1:3, 22; 2:31-32; 3:14-15; 4:33; 13:30-31; 17:18).      Paul’s writings (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:4-8).      Peter’s words (Acts 10:40).

Most importantly, Jesus Himself personally testifies that “I am He who lives, and was dead, and  behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of  Death” (Rev. 1:18). In that resurrection, Jesus’ soul and spirit were  reunited with His body, which was made alive by the Holy Spirit. He physically  rose from the grave, never to die again. Jesus was the first to experience that  because while others were restored to physical life, they didn’t have a new  body. Jarius’ daughter (Mark 5:35-43) and Lazarus (John 11:38-44) were raised  from the dead, but they would ultimately die again. These people would die  because Satan, who had the power of death, had not yet been conquered (Heb.  2:14). Christ became the firstfruits (example) of those whose souls would be redeemed from sin (1 Cor. 15:21-23).

Why is the resurrection important? Because Christianity stands or  falls with it. Paul says, “And if Christ  is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty . . .  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1  Cor. 15:14, 17). In the landmark book Evidence  that Demands a Verdict: Vol. 1, author Josh McDowell writes that “the  resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious,  heartless, hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human beings, or it is the most  remarkable fact of history.”

Throughout the centuries, there have been many theories to explain  away the possibility of a resurrection. The Theory of Substitution claims that  Jesus was never crucified in the first place. Someone else who looked like Him  was forced to take His place. If that is true, then Jesus is guilty of deceit,  dishonesty and heartlessness. He cared little for the death of an innocent  bystander, or for the grief of His closest disciples.

Another theory is the Swoon Theory that states that Jesus never  really died on the cross. After hanging for six hours, unknown to the public,  He managed to come down in a “swoon.” He was then laid in a cool cave and was  later revived by the application of healing ointment and strongly-scented  spices. The Swoon Theory suggests that Jesus didn’t want to die, which is  evident by Him “hiding” in Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal. His prayer  for God to pass the cup from Him also showed His reluctance to die (cf. Matt.  26:39). Besides, there were no witnesses to actually see the crucifixion. The  fact that Mary mistakenly took Jesus to be a gardener confirms that He was in  disguise to hide from the authorities!

Is the resurrection a hoax or an actual historical event? Josh McDowell, a lawyer by training, puts forth the following ten evidences:

1. Jesus was not afraid to die. In fact, He predicted His own death (Matt. 17:22-23; 20:18-19). 2. Jesus was willing to die. When the Roman soldiers came to arrest Him, He didn’t cower in fear, instead He  boldly “went forward” to talk to them  (John 18:4). 3. Jesus was definitely sentenced to death. To be sure He remained dead and buried, He was put through six trials to prove His “guilt.” He first appeared before Annas and Caiaphas the high priest, who felt that Jesus was worthy of death (John 18:13-14). He then stood before the highest religious court in the land, the Sanhedrin, who sought charges against Him to put Him to death (Matt. 26:57-59). He  was then taken to Pilate and Herod, and the former sentenced Him to death by crucifixion (Luke 23:1-25). 4. There were political motives for His death. To the Romans, Jesus was a rebel by affirming that He was “the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:3). Pilate could face the wrath of  Tiberius Caesar for not dealing with a potential menace to the empire. To the  Jews, failure to bring a radical troublemaker to the authority could lead to  reprisals and stricter oversights from the Romans in the long run. 5. There were economical motives for His death. Jesus upset the commercialization inside the temple (Matt. 21:12-16). Temple service required provision to be made for getting what was needed for the sacrifices—animals, wood, oil, etc.—especially for pilgrims from afar. The great feasts provided opportunities for extortion to abound. Jesus drove the lot out. The chief priest and the temple elders were upset. 6. There were religious motives for His death. Jesus was getting more popular than the established religious leaders. The Pharisees were saying among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!” (John 12:19). 7. Crucifixion ensured the certainty of death. The Persians used it. Alexander the Great used it. In Israel,  crucifixion was usually reserved for idolaters and blasphemers. It was the most  degrading and cruel form of death sentence. And it was the surest way to  guarantee a criminal dies. For Jesus, the pre-crucifixion torture included the  whipping using long leather strips with sharp jagged pieces of bones and lead.  Most people would have simply died by the end of the whipping. Jesus was then  made to wear a crown of thorns and carry the cross up Calvary hill. A seven  inch spike was then driven through His wrist nailing Him onto the cross. It was  a custom to speed up the death of a criminal on the cross by breaking his legs.  But in the case of Jesus, it wasn’t necessary because He had already died (John  19:33). To ensure His death, “one of the  soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came  out” (v. 34). Medically speaking, this implies that Jesus died of a heart  failure due to exhaustion and shock. The Romans would never allow the body of a  criminal to be taken down from a cross unless they are absolutely sure he is  dead. The death must be certified by four executioners. When Jesus was taken  down, there was no question that He had truly died. 8. The solid rock tomb made certain there was no possibility of getting the body out. As a Jew, Jesus was buried according to Jewish custom, which will never allow a dead body to be left overnight without embalming. The body of Jesus was covered with 100 pounds of spices and then wrapped in embalming cloth that was sewn by women using three separate garments (John 19:39-40). There was absolutely no possibility of Jesus waking up naturally and freeing Himself from the cloth and the spices. The very large stone against the door of the tomb (Matt. 27:60) weighed 1.5 to 2 tons. Twenty men couldn’t have moved it. To further secure the tomb, the authorities put a Roman seal on the stone to ensure that the tombstone was not tampered with (Matt. 27:66). The Roman seal came with a warning sign that grave robbers would be severely punished. Finally, there was a Roman guard unit of four to 16 men watching over the tomb to make certain that no one stole Jesus’ body away (Matt. 28:11). 9. Yet, the tomb was empty. This could only mean one of two things: (a) the dead body of Jesus was stolen. This by itself would be a miracle considering all the precautions already taken by the Roman and Jewish authorities to prevent anyone from doing that. Besides His dead body was never produced. (b) Jesus Christ really did resurrect from the grave! 10. The immediate psychological and social impact attest to a resurrection. On Easter Sunday, Jesus Christ made at least 15 appearances after His crucifixion and burial:

Mary Magdalene (John 20:14; Mark 16:9)      Women returning from tomb (Matt. 28:9-10)      Simon Peter, later that day (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5)      Emmaus disciples (Luke 24:13-33)      Disciples with Thomas absent (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-24)      Disciples with Thomas present (John 20:26-29)      Seven by the Lake of Tiberias (John 21:1-23)      500-over believers in Galilee   (1  Cor. 15:6)      James the brother of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:7)      Eleven disciples (Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:33-52)      Ascension day (Acts 1:3-12)      Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:3-6; 1 Cor. 15:8)      Stephen the Martyr (Acts 7:55)      Paul in the temple (Acts 22:17-21; 23:11)      John on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:10-19)

The enemies could have easily disproved the resurrection with a  corpse from the grave, but no body was ever produced. Instead the religious  leaders resorted to bribery to concoct a story that Jesus’ disciples had stolen  the body by night (Matt. 28:12-13). Yet, there is no historical record of a  search for Jesus’ body because too many people at that time had witnessed the  resurrection.

The psychological impact among Jesus’ followers was so tangible  that they moved from disillusionment, fear and unbelief into courageous faith.  What could have precipitated such transformation? Only one thing—an actual  resurrection appearance by Jesus Christ! More than just the early apostles,  millions of Christians over the last 2,000 years were willing to suffer  persecution and death for their faith in a resurrected Savior.

Josh McDowell is right: the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either a  terrible hoax or indisputable history. McDowell says that the promise of the  resurrection is this: what happened to Christ can happen for us. Like Him, we  will die, but His resurrection is a promise that death is not the end. His  resurrection is the prototype for our own.

Jesus is our example: if we follow Him, He can make a way when there  seems to be no way.   He can raise our dreams when they seem to have died.   He can resurrect marriages that seem to have failed.   He can bring divine health to our broken bodies.   He can lift you up when you feel like you've fallen.

This Easter, let's put our trust and hope in the One who died and  rose again. Because through His sacrifice, we can all do the same.

In the Holy Scripture, Jacob encountered the Lord in a dream. When he awoke, he proclaimed, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Gen. 28:17) He called the name of that place Bethel, which means “the house of God.” What a beautiful description of the church—an awesome place, the gate of heaven. Jesus Christ Himself says, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

After five years of seemingly endless property searches, City Harvest Church has finally purchased a new property to serve our next phase of growth and development. Our members have been giving faithfully and sacrificially, seeking to own a venue where God’s people can gather to worship, pray and serve His kingdom purpose. Next weekend, we will make that location known.

While CHC members (and I suspect, some in the public) sit on the edge of their seats in suspense, awaiting the release of this vital piece of information, I too, am anticipating the various reactions that may arise after the location is known. As such, I have generated a list of Frequently Asked Questions for those whom may have some queries weighing in their minds.

Whatever the case, I hope that we will share the same conviction as King David that the house “for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all the lands” (1 Chr. 22:5).

1. Why is there a need for CHC to secure such a huge facility?

We need a facility that will be able to accommodate the congregations from our English Services, Children’s Church, Chinese Church, Dialect Church, JAMs (Jesus for All Minds) Church, Indonesian Service, Tamil Service, and Filipino Service. By God’s grace, we have been growing steadily and our database name list currently stands at 32,731.


At the same time, the cost of hall rentals in Singapore has been increasing. It therefore makes financial sense to have our own facility in the long run. What’s more, our ability to rent halls for worship depends on their availability and other contractual terms. Having our own property means we will no longer subject our congregations to the risk of not being able to rent a facility for use, or having to move from time to time to different venues.

2. Why does the project cost S$310 million?

There are three factors to consider regarding the cost of a project:

a. The size of the property: the land size of the property is large enough to contain a 12,000-seater
auditorium to accommodate the needs of our growing congregation.

b. The location of the property: CHC has members coming from all over the island. Centrality and ease of access via public transportation is important to us.

c. The facilities of the property: The building will have many meeting rooms and restaurants, with sufficient car parking space for our congregants and the general public.

3. What type of building will the facility be housed in? Integrated mall? Or purely a place of worship?

It is not purely a place of worship. This property has a 12,000-seater auditorium, and many other meeting rooms and F&B outlets.

4. Why does the church need to be in the CBD area?

We already have an existing church building at Jurong West. But our members come from all over the island. Proximity and accessibility by public transportation is the key factor behind our decision to find another facility that is in the central district of Singapore.


5. How does CHC plan to finance the project?

We will finance the project from the free-will contributions of our members.

6. CHC is planning to spend S$310 million on their building, shouldn’t CHC take care of the poor and needy instead?

CHC spends 20 percent of its annual budget on local community and overseas humanitarian work to help the poor and needy. This work has been ongoing since the church began in 1989. For example, in the aftermath of the Aceh tsunami and Haiti earthquake, CHC volunteered teams of doctors and disaster relief workers with medical supplies, tents and water filters to help the victims. In addition, CHC has been actively giving to missions work and supporting its network of churches all over Asia. With a facility to house the church’s growing congregation and multifaceted ministries, we can serve the needs of the community in an even greater way.

7. Economically, wouldn’t the church save more money if its facility is outside of CBD or in the suburbs of Singapore?

Properties are scarce and property prices are generally high throughout Singapore. The key consideration behind our choice of location is proximity and accessibility for our members.

8. What does CHC plan to achieve in undertaking this massive project?

The facility is meant to meet the needs of our growing congregation for a place of worship. It also allows CHC to move from its present expensive rental model to a more financially sustainable ownership model for the long term.

9. Since majority of the activities of the church are on weekends, how will the building be used during the weekdays? Isn’t it a waste of space?

The facilities of the property and F&B outlets are open to the public daily. During the weekdays, the auditorium will be used from time-to-time as a venue for seminars, conferences, arts and cultural performances.

10. According to the laws of Singapore, can worship services be held within the Central Business District?

There is no legal restriction against conducting worship services in the CBD area, provided zoning and other legal requirements are met. Currently there are more than 30 places of worship in downtown Singapore. These include churches, temples and mosques such as St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Wesley Methodist Church, Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, Sri Mariamman Temple, Masjid Jamae Chulia, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, Maghain Aboth Synagogue; just to name a few. We will ensure that use of our new facility does not breach zoning restrictions or other legal restrictions applicable to the facility.

11. Since CHC already owns a property in Jurong West, why does it need another facility?

CHC has long outgrown the facility at Jurong West as its capacity is limited to 2,300 people. Our present congregation is more than 14 times the maximum capacity of our Jurong West building. Since 2005 we have had to rent premises at Singapore Expo to accommodate our congregations.

It should also be noted that the new facility does not mean the Jurong West church building will be redundant. Activities such as outreach to the elderly and children living in the Jurong area will continue. The property in Jurong West will still be utilized for training, counseling, prayers, etc.

12. Should CHC elect to have its facility in the downtown area, would there be a potential for crowds and traffic jams in the already crowded CBD?

This is an important consideration which we factored into our planning for the new facility. There is ample car parking space, and the roads surrounding the property are wide enough to ensure smooth traffic.