The Greatest Place - City Harvest Church

Verse 1

There’s a place where I first find my home
where I first find my freedom, and love
 This is where I found my family, a place that I call my home

Chorus 1

Of all things, the love's undeniable
The Words Impact the hearts of the world
To be world changes and history makers
The greatest place that I've ever known
The greatest place I'will ever know

Verse 2

There's a man
With a Soul full of faith
With a Soul full of love
And One Big Heart
As He stands, with His arms streatched open wide
To every broken heart, they'll never be the same again

Chorus 2

Of all things, his love's undeniable
His Words Impact the hearts of the world
He is a world changer and a history maker
The greatest man that I have ever known
The greatest man that I will ever know 

Brigde

In this time we will stand stronger
Hand in hand we will climb higher
No matter how far we are
we will always keep on crossing over

In this time we will stand stronger
Hand in hand we will climb higher
This is my church
my life

(Repeat Chorus 2)

Song and Lyrics written by Amos Ang

The title of the song is perhaps misleading and should correctly be known as "The greatest man - Pastor Kong Hee".

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Kong Hee‏@konghee Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain ~ Goldie Chong

City Harvest church is the largest non denominational church in Singapore whose size rivals the Anglican and Methodist churches as a whole. The Senior Pastor Kong Hee is one of the most dynamic speakers in Asia with a large following of youths.

It has been an emotional roller coaster at CHC when their Pastor Kong Hee and 5 other key leaders are charged in court for allegedly misappropriating church funds. The trial will start soon.

The song "The Greatest Place - City Harvest Church" was written and produced by the youths in support of CHC and Kong Hee during this most difficult trial of faith.

It is a declaration that whatever happens, CHC will be their  family, their home, their lives for which they will stand together and continue the journey of faith to climb higher in crossing over this mountain of adversity.

The secret for the growth of CHC is the passion of the youths and their heart for God and for their pastor, Kong Hee. They were going all out to "make a difference" for God.

The song that I grew up with was another "City Harvest Song" - "Making a differrence". We sang out loud - Won't you Lord take a look at our hands. We gave all to God everything we had. The youths then worked day and night to bring the people to church and to manned the service.

We didn't worship Pastor Kong as much, and Pastor Sun hasn't crossed over yet. 

We shared in a common vision for a church with a strong spiritual atmosphere of faith and purity where members are released into ministry and undertake the great commandment to obey the great commission to spread the Gospel good news.

CHC was a great place. Many of my best friends for life and my partner I have known there. I still enjoy the great worship there and when I am back in my old CG, I strangely felt at home again and become an obedient gentle lamb.

The church grew because Pastor Kong was one of the greatest evangelist in Singapore. The five fold ministries of the church - the apostles, the prophets, the teachers, the pastors - he brought in as guest speakers.

Month after month, we had world famous speakers such as Benny Hinn, Brian Houston, and Phil Pringle.

The love that the current batch of City Harvest Youths has for the church is amazing. The church became their home, their life, their all - the greatest place.

And synonymous to the church is Pastor Kong Hee - their greatest s'porean idol. Just like the church was the "greatest place", Kong Hee became the "greatest man".

In essence, over the weeks where CHC was adamant that the church was not under any persecution or implicated but only the Pastors, the fervour passion for Pastor Kong by the church members showed that Kong Hee was the soul, the heart and the Spirit of CHC without which it wouldn't become the "greatest place".

The "greatest man" made the church the "greatest place", and "his love's undeniable" became the church's "of all things, the love's undeniable".

The frequent interchange between "church" and "He" reflects the fact that Kong Hee personifies City Harvest Church. If he ever falls, the impact will be very grave.

There is danger in such worship because it takes away the glory from God. When we are exalted so high, we often go beyond the boundary of wisdom and constraint because no one could accuse us of wrong doing. We all have our idol worship - I have seen many a sermons mentioning several progressive theologians as if a quote from them will sanctify their sermons as from God Himself.

When we placed all our hopes in the "greatest man" who is by all accounts mortal as you and me, we may experience the greatest of dissapoinments.

The church was centered on one man, with the danger of the failure in one person causing dissapoinment and disilliusioment of faith to the tens of thousands of youths.

Our natural cynicism increases as we grow older, and  innocence is lost as we see a world with its increasing troubles and challenges.

Our youthful Christian idealism becomes replaced with cold hard facts of having little money and constantly stuggling in relationships and jobs.

A sense of dismay and dissapoinments will take hold of our once passionate outlook to be a world changer for God.

Where is God we asked for we have been so faithful in our youths yet finding little to go on in our later adult years.

We have been waiting for our blessings for we have given so much and given our lives and all in our youths. Where is our hundred fold, we wonder!

My mind wanders off to the old CHC song "Making a difference", when we sang passionately before God and before man.

We wanted to give it all to God, to catch the fire of the Holy Spirit, to bring hope by going outside the church walls to bring salvation of the Lord and to let the glory of God be shown to the nations.

Yet, this is all but a dream of good times for many of my friends are gone. They were more passionate than me and defended City Harvest church and her teachings as if from God. But when they fell, they make the worst cynics of faith.

Where will the 23 youths who created the "the greatest place - City Harvest Church" be in 20 years time. Will they still be as fervent and passionate for God or will the result of the court case takes her toll long  before that.

Our journey of faith and walk with Jesus is a long journey and for many of us who decided by faith to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savious very early in our teens, it will be a journey of faith for the next 80 years.

When our wrinkled face, balding hair, and bellies looking more like spare tires, when our youthful exhuberance is replaced by the tough realities of life, will our faith and love for God stands the test of time.

Will our faith stands when we hardly survive and the dreams of making a difference becomes a youthful delusion of the past.

Our faith will stand the test of time, when our hope and trust is in Jesus Christ for whatever comes, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tommorow.

And our hope will never fail because God in Jesus Christ is faithful even when our love and faith fails us. Life is about dancing in the rain wherever the storms of life takes us.

My prayer today is that as the storm comes in the next few months, the youths in CHC will look upon the Lord as their strenght and hope for the greatest man after all is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

For Christ is the greatest, because He is also God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Christ is the greatest being exalted above all else because He humbled Himself unto nothingness when He chose to die and suffer for us.

Let the us worship Jesus Christ and give Him all the glory, for He alone is worthy. Christ humbled Himself and was resurrected. Let us humble ourselves that we may rise above all our pains and sufferings and be with God one day in heaven.