“As you are teaching children, know that you are also building God’s Kingdom”: Bishop Philip Lim

Rev Philip Lim, Bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore spoke at the seventh Early Childhood Teachers’ Day Dedication Service 2025 on August 30.

The event, themed “Mini yet Mighty”, saw 450 in attendance from 100 preschools. It was jointly organised by churches across Singapore and the Christian Preschool Alliance.

In celebration of Teacher’s Day, Salt&Light brings you an extract from Bishop Philip’s message.

The theme for our event this year is “Mini yet Mighty”. Our Bible reading is taken from Matthew 13:31-32 – the parable of the mustard seed.

The Bible tells us that the mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds. Later, it will grow to become the largest of all the garden plants. 

Why did Jesus share this parable?

Matthew 13:31 begins with: “The kingdom of heaven is like” and this phrase appears about five times in Matthew 13. So the Kingdom of Heaven is like the mustard seed (v31), the yeast (v33), the man who sow good seeds in the field (v24), like searching for hidden treasures in the field (v44) or looking for fine pearls (v45) and like the net that brings in all kinds of fish (v47). 

Each of these stories shows us different aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven.  

One time people brought their little children to Jesus, and they asked Jesus to place His hands on them and pray for them, but the disciples rebuked them. Jesus then said to the disciples: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) 

Bishop Philip (left) reminded the preschool teachers that they have been entrusted with a very precious group of people.

Teachers, do not forget that you have been entrusted with a very precious group of people, because the Lord Himself said that the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 

As you are teaching them to read and write, as you guide them to know the difference between good and bad, as you watch over them and make sure that they are healthy and growing well, know that you are also building God’s Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to our children, every one of them. 

Mini yet mighty 

What is the main lesson from the parable of the mustard seed? The main lesson from this parable, to put it simply, is: Do not look down on small things. They are mini yet mighty! The seed is small and tiny, but within it lies the potential to grow into something big and significant. 

In our lives there are quite a few small things that impact our lives greatly. For example, if some small bacterial or virus gets into your body you will be very sick for a few days. If you put a little bit of salt into your food, it will enhance the taste of your dish greatly. (And everyone will say you are a good cook!) And as the doctor says, a little bit of exercise daily will benefit your health greatly. 

Our Bible is actually a very small book. I am sure you will come across many books that are bigger in size than the Bible. The Bible is small, yet it contains the answers to life’s most important questions and all the principles we need to live a purposeful and meaningful life. 

Do not despise the days of small beginnings – small things can become tremendous things, as evidenced by the Bible and by Jesus Himself.

The mustard seed is a very small seed, but if you plant it in the ground, it will soon begin to grow. In a few weeks, young shoots will appear. And after a while more, it will grow into a tree. At first, the growth may not be so noticeable. But eventually it will grow into a large tree and offer shelter for all kinds of birds. 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Who could imagine that this one Person would start a movement that would change the world?

Jesus gave his 12 disciples a mission: To go and make disciples of all nations, and so on. They really did, and the Book of Acts traces their endeavours. Acts 2:41 says that after Peter preached his first sermon, people accepted his message and were baptised; 3,000 were added to their number that day and the church has been growing since that day. 

But it was not all plain sailing. There were moments when the Christian movement was in danger of being destroyed. From Acts 6, we see that the movement soon met with persecution. Stephen was martyred. The apostles were thrown into prisons, whipped, stoned and more.

In fact, the movement continued to face opposition in the 1st through 3rd centuries. Some years the opposition was so intense that the movement was on the verge of dying out.  

But the Kingdom of Heaven continues to grow, whether you notice it or not, and today the church continues to grow. Indeed you can find churches everywhere – in big cities and in the countryside. Worship services take place in big cathedrals, as well as, under attap huts or under a tree.

In fact, some people said the church is the largest organisation in the world. (Of course, the large size is only indicative of growth. In the eyes of God, the heart is most important.)

Choose to love

Many of our church-based preschools are undergoing challenging times. We are facing unprecedented obstacles from multiple fronts. To continue as usual will not do. Hence, our leaders are praying and examining how to move forward. 

Regardless of what we decide, there is one ingredient in our preschools that we must continue have and have more of. That ingredient is love.  

Love every student you have been entrusted with, urged the Bishop.

Recently I met the principal of one of our schools for lunch. He had been a principal of a couple of neighbourhood schools, and he had been principal of our top schools. He told me that he has one motto in life: Regardless of whether he is the principal of the top school or other schools, he decides to show love to the students. 

Love motivates us to give our best to Jesus. Love gives us the motivation to carry on. Some children need a little bit of love shown to them, and that will greatly boost their confidence. 

Matthew 17:20 says: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains.”

If we believe more in our children, they can really surprise us with what they can do.

This applies to all of us too. 

In John 4:35, Jesus said: “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” 

But every time we open our eyes, we only see problems, difficulties, our weaknesses, our limitations. We see that the problem is too big and we are too small. 

Let’s open our eyes and see that the Kingdom of Heaven is like the mustard seed, so mini yet mighty. 

This extract was edited for clarity.

Below is the video of the service held on August 30 at Singapore Life Church:

ABOUT TDDS

The Teachers’ Day Dedication Service (TDDS) is an annual inter-denominational worship service and gathering where Christians and Catholics serving in the early childhood ministry come together to be encouraged, encourage each other and re-dedicate their calling to God. It is jointly organised by churches across Singapore and the Christian Preschool Alliance. The cost of the service is co-shared amongst churches. This year’s worship service is the seventh run. The first six services from 2019 to 2024 saw a total of more than 2,100 preschool staff gathering to worship God together. 

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