The Cross is a symbol that evokes the extreme of emotions, love and hate. Yet, it is undoubtedly a symbol that has the power to transform lives, from brokenness to wholeness. That was the main focus for our brothers and sisters from Hope Singapore during their Easter special services in April this year.
The Easter services started off with an introductory video with the words of those who were once dismissive of the Cross but have since been transformed by it.
This was followed by an energetic dance performance by our very own dance ministry, which managed to wow the audience with their skillful dance moves and energy!
Our very first short documentary film, The Cross, was up next, which showed us the testimonies of two broken individuals, whose lives have been transformed and are still going through the process of transformation by the power of the Cross.
The first was that of a man who had a strong addiction to drugs and an extremely short temper. He committed crimes, hurt people, consumed and trafficked drugs, and ended up in jail many times.
The second was that of a lady who had a deep secret, she had been exposed and addicted to pornography since young. She became insecure of herself and lived in fear that the people around her would find out about her true self one day. Guilty and ashamed, she felt like she was alone in this battle, and that she can never gain victory.
In both of their cases, their addiction and shortcomings caused them a lot of grief.
But in their grief, they chose to believe in the power of the Cross, the power of the One who died for them. As they believed, God did His transforming work on the both of them and is still doing His work right at this moment. The man even set up his own business selling pork rib soup, hiring ex-convicts and those who are homeless while contributing part of their profits back to society each month. Meanwhile, the girl continues her spiritual battle with pornography but this time, knowing she has the support of her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as well as Jesus, free from shame.
Pastor Jeff then came up to the stage to share that all of us were supposed to be on that Cross, where Jesus died for our wrongdoings. He shared that the Cross will only become significant to us when we understand how far God went to save us. Jesus did not only die on the Cross for our sins but three days later, He rose up from the dead to show all of us who He truly is.
The worship team came up right after the sharing to present the song, Man of Sorrows, to remind us of the death and then, the resurrection of Jesus, to remind us that Jesus has the final victory.
Praise the Lord for the souls who chose to believe and converted during the Easter services!
