This Sunday it is a privilege to welcome Rev. Silas Chan to the pulpit. Pastor Silas is the Charge Pastor of our Mandarin congregation, a position he has held for the last 10 years. Altogether, he has faithfully served SCBC for 25 years. He was born in Hong Kong, grew up in the Philippines and Singapore and then immigrated to Canada in 1977. He is an alumnus of Tyndale Seminary. Along with his dear wife Esther they have two adult children, Nicholas and Ruth.
It is an honour to serve alongside Pastor Silas in ministry and we are blessed to have him as part of our pastoral team. He has proven himself to be much like the Silas we meet in Scripture, a man of prayer and praise (see Acts 16:25). He is a “faithful brother” (see 1 Peter 5:12) with a humble, Christ like spirit. His demeanour brings a sense of calm to any crisis.
He has chosen as his text 1 Peter 3:13-18 which addresses the question, “What do you do when you suffer for doing good?” At the heart of Peter’s instruction are the words, “… in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.” (verse 15) That’s a great word of encouragement for us because we often slip into thinking that the Lord has abandoned us when we suffer for doing good. We complain about the unfairness of it all. We wonder if God is paying attention to the good that we are doing for the kingdom. We are tempted to turn away from God and say, “I’m not putting up with this – I should be rewarded for doing good, not slandered.” (see 1 Peter 3:16)
But instead of turning away from God during such times Peter encourages us to “revere Christ as Lord.” That is, we are to trust that even in the midst of maliciousness, slander and suffering Jesus is Lord. He is in control. His kingdom will prevail and his name will be honoured. How do we know? Scripture gives us this assurance, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18) When you are slandered for doing good – remember that your Lord also suffered for doing good and God miraculously used it to bring us to himself. The suffering you face for doing good will be used by God for his glory.
May God be praised and the Lord Jesus Christ revered in our hearts above all, Pastor Tom.