Jennifer Tay - Eternal Life Assembly

SHAPED FOR DESTINY — EL’s Theme of Year 2026

Jennifer Tay — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 03:55:00 +0000

The year 2026 is a significant one for us as we celebrate EL59 and prepare to step into EL60 next year. As the Lead Pastors (LP) Team came together to seek the Lord, we sensed clearly that God is preparing our church for greater influence in the days ahead.

This will not be just another year, but a destiny-shaping season – one where God is not only calling us forward, but forming us deeply.

God is intentionally shaping, positioning, and preparing us for what He has already ordained. Our destiny – both individual and corporate – is not accidental. It is crafted by the Master for a divine purpose.

To be shaped for destiny requires more than awareness; it requires response. As we prayed into Ephesians 2:10, three key truths stood out – truths we must grow in as we step into this next season together:

1. Trusting the Master’s Plan

In every workmanship, the Master’s hand is at work. The Master sees the final product – the blueprint.

He knows the work of art He is shaping EL to become. Nothing is by accident. While we may not be able to comprehend the future, we can trust the One who already sees it.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5–6

Trusting God’s plan often means recognising His hand in moments that seem ordinary but are destiny-marking.

Some of us may be in seasons where the path ahead feels unclear – but clarity has never been the prerequisite for obedience.

God shapes us first by teaching us to trust Him, especially when we don’t have all the answers.

In the many “uproot and shift” seasons of my own life, I often didn’t understand the why. Yet through obedience and trust, I have seen God’s master plan unfold time and again.

Trust is the foundation of destiny. We cannot truly trust God if we do not know Him. Trust is not built on logic, but on knowing in our hearts that He is a good Father who sees our lives in their entirety. God may not reveal the full map, but He invites us to walk with Him step by step.

2. Yielding to the Potter’s Hand

In every workmanship, there is a Master’s hand at work. Trusting God’s plan must be expressed by our willingness to remain on the potter’s wheel.

“Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand.” – Jeremiah 18:6

Clay does not shape itself. It surrenders completely to the potter’s hands. As the potter works, He removes impurities, waters the clay, bends it, and sometimes allows it to rest – but never once takes His eyes off it. Yielding requires full surrender to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to work freely in and through us.

When we yield ourselves to the Potter’s hands, we are declaring, “Lord, You know what You are doing, even when I don’t.”

Every destiny-shaping season involves God reshaping our mindset, refining our motives, and stretching us beyond familiar boundaries. Often, this shaping feels uncomfortable or costly, but it’s always purposeful.

Our journey is not accidental, and our future is intentional. Ephesians 2:10 assures us that God has already prepared the path we are to walk in.

As we yield to the Spirit’s leading, we will emerge with deeper faith, greater humility, and a stronger love for God’s people. What feels uncomfortable today is God increasing our capacity for tomorrow.

3. Be Empowered to Expand

Every work of art involves transformation. Clay becomes vessels. Sand becomes glass. Carbon becomes diamonds. Raw materials in the hands of the Master become something far greater.

God never shapes us just to keep us small. He shapes us so He can expand us. Expansion always begins on the inside before it is seen on the outside.

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back.” – Isaiah 54:2

Think of wineskins in biblical times. New wine could never be poured into an old, rigid wineskin; it would burst. The wine wasn’t the problem; the container was.

The wineskin had to be softened, stretched, and prepared to carry what was coming. In the same way, God is not withholding blessings; He is preparing the vessel.

Expansion happens by divine design, as God stretches us until our capacity matches His calling.

There is a difference between maintenance and movement. Maintenance says, “Let’s protect what we have.” Movement says, “Let’s prepare for where God is bringing us.”

Maintenance clings to comfort. Movement launches out in faith. Maintenance asks, “Is this safe?” Movement asks, “Is this God?”

As a church, God is inviting us to choose movement – to align and enlarge our hearts, vision and faith with where He is leading, not just where we have been.

The year 2026 will be a season of God’s shaping and empowerment for EL’s expansion. This shaping will be seen not only in our gatherings, but in our homes, our ministries, and our witness to the community and the world.

As we step into this new season, may we be a church that trusts the Master’s plan, yields to the Potter’s hand, and moves forward, empowered to expand. God is shaping us – not randomly, but intentionally – for the destiny He has already prepared.

Church, let us move forward in faith and allow God to Shape us for Destiny!

The post SHAPED FOR DESTINY — EL’s Theme of Year 2026 first appeared on Eternal Life Assembly.

「从灵媒到传信者」：翁叔的恩典之路

Jennifer Tay — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 04:56:52 +0000

随着《何等恩典》的旋律响起，翁叔心中的情绪也给这水涨船高。他心爱的孙女拨动着木吉他的弦，他则唱着他熟悉的歌词。

这是当年让他眼泪直流的同一首歌——那天，他遇见了主耶稣。如今再次唱起这首歌，他为恩典带领他走了这么远而不胜感恩。

小时候，翁叔常跟着姨妈去教会。那时的他只把主日当作例行出门：诗歌、讲道的流程他都参与，都听，但这一切对他而言没什么特别。

可是，当教会领导层回绝了他姨妈的请求，不愿为她丈夫从中国回国所需的文件背书时，他的中立态度转为失望。在年幼的翁叔眼里，教会显得冷漠又无情。

随着岁月流逝，他与一切有关神的事离得越来越远。少年时期，他结交了不良伙伴，很快卷入帮派活动。打架、暴力，甚至坐牢，逐渐书写成了他的生命故事。

他轻声说：“那些日子让我学会的，是流血，不是流泪。为了生存，我把心硬了起来。”

二十来岁时，他的人生出现了灵性层面的转折。一次他随帮派朋友参加道教仪式，本只打算旁观，却发生了不寻常的事。他感到一种说不清的感觉，仿佛有某种存在进入他里头。从那天起，从那天起，每逢还没走到庙门，他的身体就会不受控制地摇动、跳动，不由自主地舞动。

他因此被视为在生者与灵界之间沟通的“灵媒”。

将近二十年，他做过许多道教仪式，也给人指引；虽然表面看起来颇有意义，可他心深处却感觉越来越空。那些他所事奉的灵并未给她带来安宁，反而只留下深深的疲惫。

尽管如此，日子还是照常往前走。他成了家，育有三名孩子：一女两子。大女儿信了主，他没有阻拦，只是旁观。

他轻声说：“我看见她变了。她变得温柔、善良，也懂得尊重人。若是教会能带来这样的改变，那就让她去吧。”

几年后，小儿子陷入低谷。翁叔照着”过往熟悉的宗教仪式”想帮，却毫无转机。无助之中，他看见大女儿的介入——为弟弟祷告、安慰他，最后还邀请他去教会。

出于好奇，也因着做父亲的那份默默的挂念，翁叔答应星期天跟这一起去教会。他上一次走进教会，已经是几十年前了。他并不期待什么——因为他对教会最后的记忆仍是当年的“冷漠又无情”。他只想看看女儿究竟找到了什么。

敬拜开始，《何等恩典》充满会堂，当敬拜一开始，诗歌《何等恩典》充满整个会堂，他的内心忽然被触动。不一会儿，泪水便止不住地流下来。

他说：“很奇怪，我从没那样哭过。以前打架流血都不掉泪；那天却哭到停不住。”

那一刻的感受，是他从未经历过的。

“过去服事的那些‘灵’，让我心烦、迷失；但这位灵，使我得着平安——这个感觉是温柔的、释放性的、充满喜乐的。”

从那一周起，翁叔一周接一周地回到教会。他渴望更多类似那初次触动的经历。后来，他亲眼看见小儿子把生命交给基督，他的心再次被撼动。同年的圣诞，翁叔也作了决定，接受水礼归向主。

他家人对他的决定感到又惊又喜，他妻子也问他为何这么突然下这个决定。

他只是简单地说：“既然找到了真理，还等什么呢？”

那一刻成了他生命的转折。昔日的道教灵媒，将一切都割舍放在了耶稣脚前。他清理家中之前供奉的神像，抛开了以往的旧习，开始在教会忠心服事。

信主前，翁叔是一位脾气火爆的人；但信主后，他改变了。就算朋友嘲笑他是一个基督徒，他仍学着以平静的心对待，时刻提醒自己要像基督那样。

过去望尘莫及的平安，如今就活在他心里。

今年八十岁的翁叔，身体不比从前，没法亲临教会参加礼拜。可是，他仍持续着一往直前的精神，每个主日都准时上线参加聚会。圣经成了他日常的陪伴。他一天会读上好几次，也常分享圣灵对他是何等真实、何等亲近。

他笑着满脸感恩地说：“我们全家都认识了主。儿女和孙辈中好些人都在教会服事，我的孙女，甚至被呼召成为牧师呢！”

提起主的恩典，他眼里闪着泪光：“我原本破碎、不配，神却给了我新生命。

祂不只救赎了我，还把祝福延续到世世代代，赐给我一个同行信仰的家。这就是恩典——何等恩典。”

所以，当翁叔与孙女合唱《何等恩典》时，这不仅是一首诗歌，更是他的生命见证。

这不仅是一首诗歌，更是他的生命见证。

每个字，都回荡着救赎的旅程，也见证那位从不从未停止向人伸手的神——无论他曾多眼盲、犯了多少错、离了多远、甚至被多坚固的营垒深深的捆住。

翁叔的一生，宣告着一个坚定不移的真理：没有哪段过去破碎到恩典触及不到；没有哪颗心刚硬到恩典软化不了；也没有哪个年纪太迟，迟到恩典来不及给予。

反思：翁叔他没有去找神，是神来找到了他。他昔日追求的“权能”，如今在恩典里得着——基督把他从捆绑中召回，进入新的人生。

他的故事也呼应圣经以西结书 34:16的应许：迷失的，我必寻找；被赶散的，我必领回。确实，没有哪个过去太破碎、哪个人太遥远，到神不能把他呼唤回家的地步。

The post 「从灵媒到传信者」：翁叔的恩典之路 first appeared on Eternal Life Assembly.

“From Medium to Messenger”: A Journey of Grace

Jennifer Tay — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 03:50:00 +0000

As the melody of 何等恩典 (Such Grace) filled the room, emotion welled up within Uncle Oon. He sang the familiar words as his beloved granddaughter gently strummed the acoustic guitar.

It was the same song that had once brought him to tears – the day he first encountered Jesus. Singing it again, he was overwhelmed by how far grace had carried him.

As a little boy, Uncle Oon would tag along with his aunt to church. At that age, church wasn’t something he took seriously – it was simply a weekly outing. He sat through the hymns and sermons, but none of it meant much to him then.

Yet that neutral view shifted to disappointment when the leadership turned down his aunt’s request for help to endorse documents needed for her husband’s return from China. To young Oon, the church appeared cold and heartless.

As the years passed, he drifted further away from anything to do with God. As a teenager, he associated with the wrong crowd and soon became entangled in gangsterism. Street fights, violence, and even time behind bars became part of his story.

“Those days taught me to shed blood, not tears,” he said quietly. “I hardened my heart to survive.”

In his twenties, his life took a spiritual turn. During a Taoist ceremony he had gone to with his gangster friends, only as a spectator, something out of the ordinary happened.

He felt a strange sensation – as if something had entered him. From that day on, before he even reached the temple gates, his body would begin to move on its own, dancing involuntarily.

He became known as a medium, a bridge between the living and the spirits.

For nearly twenty years, he performed rituals and offered counsel. Outwardly, it seemed meaningful. But deep inside, he was empty. The spirits he served never gave him peace, only weariness.

Nonetheless, life went on. He got married and became a father to three – a daughter and two sons. When his eldest daughter became a Christian, he didn’t stop her. He simply watched.

“I saw how she changed,” he said. “She became gentle, kind, and respectful. If the church could do that, then let her be.”

Years later, his youngest son went through a crisis. Uncle Oon tried to help him through familiar Taoist rituals, but nothing seemed to change.

Helpless, he watched as his eldest daughter stepped in – praying for her brother, comforting him, and eventually inviting him to church.

Out of curiosity and perhaps a father’s quiet concern, Uncle Oon agreed to go along that Sunday. It had been decades since he last stepped into a church.

He wasn’t expecting much, as his last memories of church were cold and heartless. He only wanted to see what his daughter had found there.

When worship began and the song 何等恩典 (Such Grace) filled the sanctuary, something stirred within him, and the next thing he knew, tears began to flow uncontrollably.

“It was strange,” he said. “I’d never cried like that before.

During my gang days, I could fight, bleed, and never shed a tear. But that day, I couldn’t stop.”

What he felt that morning was unlike anything he had ever known.

“The spirits I served before made me restless and lost. But this Spirit brought peace. It was gentle, liberating and full of joy.”

Uncle Oon returned to church the week after that, and the week after, and the week after. He was hungry for more of what he had first experienced.

When he witnessed his youngest son give his life to Christ, something moved within him. That very Christmas, Uncle Oon made his own decision to be baptised.

His family was pleasantly surprised by his response and his wife even asked why he decided so suddenly.

Uncle Oon simply replied, “Once you’ve found the truth, why wait?”

It became the turning point of his life. The man who had once been a Taoist medium laid everything down at the feet of Jesus. He cleared the idols from his home, left all his old practices behind and began serving faithfully in church.

Before knowing Christ, Uncle Oon was easily angered and quick to erupt. But after his encounter with Jesus, he became a different man. Even when friends ridiculed him for becoming a Christian, he stayed calm, constantly reminding himself to be Christlike.

Now, he lives with a peace that once felt impossible.

Now at 80, it is physically more challenging for Uncle Oon to go to church in person. But every Sunday without fail, he joins the service on Youtube.

The Bible has become his daily companion. He reads it a few times a day and often shares how real and close the Holy Spirit feels to him.

Beaming with gratitude, he says, “My whole family has come to know Christ. Many of my children and grandchildren are actively serving in the church, and my granddaughter is now a pastor!”

His eyes glisten as he speaks of God’s goodness.

“I was a broken man, so undeserving, but God gave me a new life”, he says with tears in his eyes.

“He didn’t just redeem me – He blessed me through the generations, with a family that walks in faith. That’s grace. Such Grace.”

And so, when Uncle Oon sings 何等恩典 (Such Grace) with his granddaughter, it’s more than a song; it’s his story.

it’s more than a song; it’s his story.

Every word echoes the journey of redemption and the God who never stopped reaching out – no matter how blind he was, how wrong he had been, how far he had gone, or how deeply he had been entrenched in other strongholds.

Reflections:

Uncle Oon’s life declares one unshakable truth: No past is too broken, no heart too hard, and no age too late for grace to reach.

Is there an area of your life you’re believing for God to bring breakthrough?
Is there a loved one whom you’re interceding for?

Uncle Oon’s story echoes Ezekiel 34:16: “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.” Indeed, no one is ever too far for God to call home.

The post “From Medium to Messenger”: A Journey of Grace first appeared on Eternal Life Assembly.