Paraphrased from Ps Simon’s message for May 2026. For more, click the video above to watch him share his hearts on our YouTube channel.
Do you feel the buzz of excitement whenever you step into church? The energy… something different about the atmosphere? Isn’t it interesting that this seems to be a shared experience across localities, across nations? Believers gathering together as a community seems to create a unique atmosphere, almost immediately filling us with hope, love and joy.
You are intertwined
This week, Ps Simon shares with us his thoughts behind this power of community. He speaks how each and every one of us are a crucial part of the community. For instance, let’s say we are hosting a birthday party. The whole day is spent preparing the decorations and the feast for those coming, and slowly the excitement builds throughout the day. Now, imagine that when the time comes for the party to start, half of your guests are not there! Suddenly it feels like something is missing, and there is a sense of absence, an emptiness in the air.
It is the same with us. We are all a part of a community, whether it be our church, lifegroup or any other social circles. So when we are absent, the community bond gets weaker. On the other hand, if everyone is present, interacting, relating, sharing lives… Suddenly we can feel the energy and excitement again. That is the power of being in a community together. Just like it says in Ecclesiastes 4:12, a threefold cord that is being intertwined together is not easily broken, so it is when we are intertwined as a community.
Show up, be present
So, how can we not just be a part of the community, but also help it spark and light up more? Ps Simon encourages all of us that the simplest way to do this is just by showing up. That is the first step. When there are activities or functions being planned and organized, be as present as you can be. Challenge yourselves to show up and be a part of the community.
He continues to share with us an example where Ps Simon and Ps Lai Eng travelled to Peru and Los Angeles recently, visiting the churches there. The mere fact that they showed up there seems to encourage the community in those churches. In Peru, they visited some of the shanty towns, the poorer communities in the areas, as well as meet up with some of the core leaders who they haven’t been able to meet in almost ten years! And it was evident that their presence brought joy to the people, because they can feel the same love and care that we feel in our communities.
When they continued to minister in Hope LA, Ps Simon found himself encouraging a particular sister. She was at the verge of giving up. She had prayed and trusted God, and yet it felt like nothing seemed to happen. However, with Ps Simon being present in the situation, he was able to offer her some words of encouragement. He told her that she needs to continue to pray and connect with God. That was the encouragement that the sister needed, for she made the decision to not give up hope, but to continue to trust in God.
We do not know if there is anyone around us in our communities who shares a similar situation with this sister. They could be at their wit’s end, desperate for a sign of hope, desperate for support from someone to help them in this time of need. However, when we show up, when we show that we care enough to be present, it could change the circumstances for them. God can be using you to make that difference in their lives. Isn’t that what a truly biblical community is all about, supporting each other?
Strengthening each other
Sometimes, it’s easy to not realise how your presence can impact those around you. When you are part of a community, you can impart life to each other, energising them and leading them into a transformation. This is something that Ps Simon and Ps Lai Eng can testify to with all their hearts, because they have seen it in action. This is why they make it a point to show up when things happen in their local church back in Kuala Lumpur despite being busy and travelling around as well.
Speaking of this, Ps Simon shares about a vulnerable moment during the trip to Peru and Los Angeles. Just as they landed in Peru, they received earth shattering news that Ps Lai Eng’s mother had passed away. She was shaken, and it was time to make a key decision. Do they abandon the trip, given the circumstances, which is a really valid reason… or do they continue?
Despite being broken-hearted, the both of them made the decision to continue with the ministry. They cried in the hotel, trying to console each other, but at the end of the day, they kept on with the ministry, and people were blessed because of it. However, the impact of their presence there was also felt by Ps Lai Eng herself. Seeing the community there being blessed strengthened her, for in her time of grief, the community was there with her.
Be generous
Now knowing how important it is to be a present part of the community, how can we strive to impact the community more? The Bible says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Ps Simon encourages us to go to church with a goal in mind. Ask yourselves who can you talk to today, someone you can encourage perhaps. This could be someone you have prayed for, someone you would like to share a Bible verse with.
When we go forward with that attitude and spirit, we can truly encourage the church. Ps Simon tells about a group of people in Hope Kuala Lumpur, a few of them in their seventies, who share this mindset. Every Sunday, they come to church early, earlier than most young people, and they go around talking and encouraging others. They go around with their infectious positive energy, filling the halls with smile after smile in the morning.
The more we build ourselves around this attitude, the more it can strengthen us as well. You can find yourselves surprisingly feeling less discouraged, less depressed when you learn to give out to the community. For when we learn to give out, God pours back into our hearts. So just having this generous spirit, the heart to touch someone’s life, strengthens all of us and the community as a whole.
The mighty together
Ps Simon reminds us that we are not meant to be alone. We are not meant to be sulking and being discouraged. God made us to be a part of a community, so be a part of it. You could be the spark that someone needs! Share that energy, impart that power to someone else. Let’s grow together and be strengthened together as God’s community.
Until next time, God bless you all.