Listening to God



Hi guys, we thought we should emphasize that sharing and praying is really important before you guys read the rest of the lesson. So please try to set aside 15-20 minutes for sharing and praying. It’s also highly encouraged that the leaders and youth break up into smaller groups to share.

Okay so today’s lesson’s going to be on listening to God. The main Bible passage is probably one that’s familiar to most of the youth and today’s topic is also probably one that the youth might have come across before. But just like the main verse (Matt 13:9) implies, hearing with our physical ears is something that’s completely different from hearing with the ears of our heart. So we hope that as you go through this lesson, and before you share this lesson with your youth, we will all pray that God will open the eyes and ears of our heart to see and hear what He has in stall for us, and that we will learn to be still and listen to God. And it is our hope that as we listen to Him, we shall respond to Him and we will experience our wonderful God for who He is.

Key Verse
Matthew 13:9
“He who has ears, let him hear.”

Key takeaways
11)     We listen to God because we love Him and because He knows what is best for us
22)     Distractions of this world can keep from listening to God/tuning into Him. Thus it is important to be aware of these and guard our hearts and minds against these.
33)     Be ready to listen to God. Make a conscientious stand that you want to listen to Him.

To start off, listening to God is something that all of us are capable of experiencing if we are TRUE disciples of Christ. God’s voice may not come as an audible sound to most or most of the time, but if we are His sheep, we can all certainly tune in to Him. (& we can tune into Him only because of God’s Grace :D)
He speaks through spontaneous thoughts, feelings or visions too.

John 10:27
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
John 8:47
“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Okay, so…
11)     Why do we want to/should we listen to God?
a)     Because we love God. Firstly, people generally love to listen to someone that they love alot- parents, friends, someone they’re interested in etc. If we truly love God, we’ll want to spend time at His feet daily, listening to what He wants to say to us.
Luke 10:39
“She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.”
b)     Secondly, because then we can know what God wants us to do. The plans and directions He has for our lives.
Psalm 139:16
“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
God has our whole life planned out for each and every one of us even before we were born. He wants to mold us into the best person that we can be; and only He knows how, so lets listen to Him.

God loves us and is the source of our lives. He wants only good things for us and from us.

22)     What prevents us from listening to God?
Matthew 13:1-23
a)     Who does the farmer represent? What do the seeds represent? What does the soil represent?
God; God’s Word, the truths that He is trying to show us; the state of our hearts
b)     What are the differences between the four types of soil?
They were different in their willingness to receive or hear the truth that God was trying to give them.
c)      What is Jesus trying to communicate to His hearers through this parable?
God wants us to listen to Him. God wants us to be open to what He has to say to us and obey Him, so that He can change our hearts.

The key to communicating with God as shown in this parable is removing the things in our lives that prevent us from hearing what He has to say.

Ask the youth to think about the things in their lives that are preventing them from listening to God. (Time of sharing; leaders please share too)

It is important to note that we may not always be one of the types of soil listed, all the time. In different phases or seasons of life, or in different situations, we may respond to God’s word differently.

But at the end of the day, we hope that we all will strive to be the good soil that responds to God’s teaching and yields a bountiful crop, regardless of the season of life we’re in.

(On a side note, I think it helps being honest with God to. True that God is omniscient, but for me, I realized that when I wasn’t being honest with God about the state of my heart, I couldn’t to listen to what He wanted to tell me- what He wanted me to change with my life.)


33)     But how do we listen to God’s voice?

a)     Be open to the fact that God’s voice can come as spontaneous flow of thoughts, feelings or impressions in you, if not an audible sound. (Leaders have to exercise great caution when explaining this part.) For example, you may have a sudden prompting to pray for someone or speak to someone.

Tell your youth that this is possible. That God can speak to us throughout the day, even when we’re busy. But we have to first of all be open to this possibility.

Also, it’s important that we learn to recognize how to discern whether such a thought or emotion is from God or not. How we can do this is by spending time to get to know God, reading His Word. It’s the same with people, when you get to know your best friend so well, you’ll be able to discern his or her voice in a crowd of voices even without turning around.
Hebrews 4:12
“For the world of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

And we know we have the Holy Spirit with us, to guide us at all times.
(Ref John 16:13)

b)    By stilling our hearts before God
True that God can speak to us even when our hearts are not still, but when we’re still, we’ll find it a lot easier to hear His voice. If we’re not still, we won’t be able to hear His voice. We’ll be hearing our own thoughts most of the time.

By still, we mean the state of our hearts. Though it is possible to have stilled hearts even in a noisy external environment, but it’s a lot easier to still our hearts before God when we’re in a quiet environment. When it’s just us and God and we can pour everything that’s on our heart out to Him and listen to Him.
Luke 6:12
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”
Throughout the gospels, it records that Jesus often retired to a quiet place, to pray, to talk to God and to listen to Him.

So encourage the youth to still their hearts before God. Maybe they can do so at home, not rushing through QT, or on the bus or train on the way home. Maybe then, they can plug in to a quiet worship song, and seek God, instead of checking Facebook, twitter or Instagram. (which so many of us tend to do)
Habakkuk 2:1
“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.”
‘I will stand at my watch and station myself’ – implies that Habakkuk readied himself to listen to God

c)     By praying !
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your won understanding; in all your ways ACKNOWLEDGE him, and he will make your paths straight.”
When we pray and acknowledge God in our every endeavor, and every step of the way God supernaturally causes us to be agreeable with Him.
Praying is our communication with God! So when we pray and trust Him with our every step, He does speak!


            Also! Believe that God is willing to lead us and wants to talk to us!


            TIME FOR SHARING!!

http://www.cwgministries.org/Four-Keys-to-Hearing-Gods-Voice
http://www.edenlifemag.com/2012/08/how-to-hear-from-god/

            Done by: Cher, Lish, Noel

Saturday, October 27, 2012 | | 0 Comments  

Worshiping God: Even when you are not singing

I am sorry but blogger has been giving me a lot of problems with formatting font and everything so sorry I hope you guys can actually read it cause I cant seem to do anything about it.


Key verse for today Romans 12:1
Exploring these three Main points of how we worship God:
1) Allowing God to Strengthen your relationship with him
2) Your friendships
3) Through celebration

This lesson can be found on page 97 and 98.

Note that we do not want to disregard the other 2, Worshipping through service and through sharing his love but we thought that we have explored those areas before and we want to look into the other 3 this time J Please feel free to also talk about the other 2 or any other aspects that you believe that God wants you to tell/ explore with your youths.

OK first of all the overview,

Worship, what does this word mean to you?

In the Romans 12:1, Paul gives us a biblical definition of worship: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.
Sooooo its stated very clearly here, in black and white, the definition of worship. That because of God’s mercy, his blood that was shed on the cross for you and I. Our bodies and lives are now worth living and living for him. Your lives belong to him. And God wants you to live a holy life that pleases him!

I do believe that all of us are thankful for that saving grace. Now then where are some areas that we can start to please God? Here are three areas. Please present all three areas first to the kids. Then either ask them which one they would want to explore first. I don’t think we would have time to go in depth to all of them. Soooo maybe just go in depth for two and cover the coral reef areas for the last one.

Worship God: By allowing him to strengthen your relationship with him (The Vertical Relationship)

Aged old question, which came first the chicken or the egg?
-Which came first I our relationship with God? Man’s need for a relationship with God or God’s desire for a relationship with man?
1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:10 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Clearly, it was God’s desire and plan to establish this relationship with us.
-What kind of relationship did he intend to have with us then?

Leviticus 26:12

 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

 

Here these few words summarize that God wants in this relationship.

1. He expresses desire that we acknowledge and accept him as the Supreme being.

2. He proclaims that we belong to him and promises to walk with us.

 

If we understand that we were created to have a relationship with him then we should also recognize that we truly need him for we can do nothing without him.

 

2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

 

While doing my daily stalking on facebook…..hur hur hur… I came across this status update.
“If we come to Jesus with anything more than nothing, we come with too much. All we need is need, because He’s the one who does the work, and He’s reworking all things into good for those who love Him. Even when we’re worn out, worn thin, and feel like we’ve got nothing left to offer Him, all He demands is our nothing. ”
- Mike Donehey
And really that’s the perspective that we have to give our kids. That it doesn’t matter what state we are in good or bad, what kind of things we have done, how we have ran all the way to Antarctica and slept with the penguins. (Emperor penguins scare the living daylights out of me)
All he needs is for us to open that door in our hearts to acknowledge first and foremost that 

1. We love him because he first showed us love and because of that we can begin to ask him to grow our hearts so that we can -


Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

 

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

 

 

2. Recognise this need for him to be Lord over our lives that he should increase and we decrease in this relationship.

Echoing what John the Baptist said

John 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less.”


This can mean to read his love letter to you, quiet time, solitude, prayer walk, making a list of things he has given you to be thankful for.
It is right to say that God does all the heavy lifting in this relationship. But he will never force open the door of your heart because that’s as good as mind control and that isn’t love. So part of being that living sacrifice unlike a dead one we have the choice to remain on the alter and submit to him in this relationship. :)


2. Worship God: Through our friendships with others (Horizontal Relationships)

When I first read that part about how one could worship God by choosing his friends wisely, and then be wise about the ways that you spend the time together. It came to me as a fresh perspective of looking at friendships. Maybe its cause the usual way of looking at friendships is how we as Christians impact others be it non-Christians or Christians. Yet I think I forget sometimes that it is an act of worship to God, on how I spend my time with my friends.

With that this topic can branch out into two parts. Christian friends and non-Christian friends. The main general thing to take note of is that friends can either help or hurt you in your relationship with God. If they help you, worship will come more easily. This part I feel applies more to the Christian friends you have. We can have many friends but we should have a close inner circle of Christian friends who spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  (Hebrews 10:24) 

So I decided to do more research more on this topic of how friends can help our relationship with God. This is about small groups but I feel that there are many parts which applies to our relationships with our other christian friends whom we have. Also some of the youths and even us leaders may not know the purpose of small groups.
Ok this is taken from desiring God.com, Ill highlight the important main points that we should bring across to our kids, and the rest, we should definitely read to understand munch and break it down into small bits for our youths.

Small Groups Stirring Up Love and Good Works
For those who have eyes to see and for those who are willing to engage, you know that we are in a warfare just that serious right here in Minneapolis. Jesus said, "The love of many will grow cold. And those who persevere to the end will be saved." And our text sees this coming and says in verse 24, "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love [how to keep it from becoming cold] and to good works [the expression of love] . . . " How? "Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

This is our biblical foundation for the ministry of small groups at Bethlehem. Just think of it. Love is the premier fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Love is the first and great commandment, and the second commandment (Matthew 22:37–39). Love fulfills the whole law (Romans 13:8). Love is the greatest of faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Yet God has ordained that this love—this all important reality—rise and fall in the church with our willingness to meet with each other and encourage each other and stir each other up. The purpose of every small group—whatever else it is—is to keep the love of its members warm.
We really need to let this grip us. If Jesus said that in the last Day the love of many would grow cold, and if he counsels us how to triumph over that coldness, namely, by not neglecting to meet together but rather meeting and encouraging each other and stirring each other up to love, then we should listen to him. We should follow his counsel. Not to follow his counsel here is very presumptuous and foolish and dangerous (cf. Matthew 24:13).

A Mandate for Regular Gatherings of Small Groups 
This text is not so much a mandate for big corporate worship services as it is a mandate for regular small groups of Christians to get together for mutual encouragement. We know this because verse 25 says that the meeting together is for "encouraging one another." It's not just for a pastor to encourage you; that's important and I believe preaching is God's will in the church. But something more than that is implied here in this phrase "one another."
I don't mean to say it only happens in small groups. The fire of love can be ignited with the kindling of encouragement and the match of the Holy Spirit any time and any place that two Christians communicate with each other. But the point of small groups is that this utterly crucial kindling of love ought not to be left to chance. Isn't that why this writer in verse 25 does NOT say, "Hope that you run into a brother or sister to encourage this week," but instead says, "Don't neglect to meet together, but encourage one another"—that is, meet, meet to encourage each other?

So, if we just took these two verses—24 and 25—we could say that the biblical rationale for small groups is that they are meant to stir Christians up to love and good works. The way this stirring up happens is by encouraging each other. And the practical way of insuring this kind of mutual encouragement that stirs up love is meeting together.

The Basic Agenda for Small Groups 
But the text has even more to say about small groups. The basic agenda is here also. Suppose you ask: What is the content of this mutual encouraging that is supposed to go on in these groups? What sorts of things do you say to each other that comfort and encourage and send people out fired up to be loving to others and do ministry with good deeds? Is there any difference between this kind of group and secular groups that would say their goal too is encouragement? What does God want us to say to encourage each other? How does God mean for us to stir up love and good deeds?

God-Based Hope as the Freeing Power to love
The answer is given in verse 23. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." So what this is saying is that God has made promises to his people, and that he will keep those promises, and that we should therefore hold fast to hope and be confident in the future that God controls.
Now there is a direct link between that kind of God-based hope and the love and good works that get stirred up in small groups. Look at verses 34–35:
You had compassion on the prisoners [there's the love and good works that got stirred up in a small group], and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property [there's the proof that the love was not legalistic or forced or coerced, it was joyful], since you know that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one [there's the source of the love: confidence or hope in God's promise of reward]. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
That's just another way of saying verse 23, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."
So what's clear is that the freeing power to love and do good deeds of compassion even when they are inconvenient and costly—and even do them joyfully—the freeing power to love like that is hope. It's the confidence that God is for you and that if you trust him and follow his way of love, he will meet every need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Speaking the Promises of God to Each Other
And if that hope is the freeing power to love, then what do you suppose the encouraging things are that we are to say to each other to stir each other up to love and good works?
Answer: we are to speak the promises of God to each other, and tell each other stories from the Bible and from experience that bolster our faith that God will indeed keep his promises to us. 

So, for example, you may want to stir someone up to express his love in working with the boys clubs on Wednesday night. You don't just tell him to do it because it needs to be done. You speak the truth of God's promises to him.Pastor John's last three sermons tell me that God would not let you down. His eyes run to and fro to find people to whom he can show off his strength—he'll do that for you. He sees in secret all our humble efforts and will reward them. Nothing is wasted. If there's opposition or criticism, you can hand it over to him, because he promises to be a just judge. And you can be sure he will make your mouth a fountain of life to feed and heal and protect those boys, because Jesus promises to be your food and your physician and your fortress.

Or you might just say, "My God will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

From this whole passage, another misconception that I had and that wasn’t corrected for quite some time was that your main source of feeding should not come from small groups. Small groups are like the ones who fan the fire? But prayer and reading of his word are the gasoline and source of fuel of the fire. Another thing I don’t think one should cut of ties or disown a friend if he or she doesn’t help you in your relationship with God. But shouldn’t spend so much time with him or her. Bottom line we need to have so much discernment and this comes from spending time with God and reading his word so that we know the Father’s heart. Also remind them that we as their leaders are always here to try and help them in figuring out all this too.

Worship God: Through celebration in everything that you do !!!
God sent his son Jesus Christ down on earth so that we can have an abundant life

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 

1. We Celebrate because of where we are today.

- We have not made it yet, Christians are not perfect just forgiven
- God is still working on the sin in our lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

 

Philippians 1:6  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.


 Philippians 3:12 "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."

- We are so blessed to be where are.
a. We are part of God's family.
b. We belong to a church.
c. We have His Spirit within us.
d. We have His Word before us.
e. We have His people around us.
f. No matter what happens, we are richly blessed.
2. We Celebrate because of where we will be tomorrow.
1. Being a Christian is not just about the here and now.
2. It is about the there and then, eternity.

John 14:2-3 "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

  1 John 3:2  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

 3. Ours is an eternity of joy in God's presence.

Do we have cause to celebrate in worship? Think about our yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Is there not a reason for us to celebrate and worship Him? If not, perhaps we need to be caught in his saving grace again. If we are living life as a routine Christian, perhaps we just need to draw closer to Him in our relationship with him. Are the relationships in our lives spurring us to celebrate everyday and in every circumstance?

Whatever the need why not come today and spend time with the Lord and ask him to help us make it right so that we can fulfill the greatest purpose of our lives: sacrificing worship that is pleasing and worthy unto him!

 

Done by Alex & Pet


Saturday, October 20, 2012 | | 0 Comments  

Session 6: Telling it like it is



The big idea: Telling the story of all God has done in your own life can have a tremendous impact on others.

Intro: Ok guys and girls and everything in between (Kenn and Alex), today’s lesson is about how the most simplistic of our life stories can be used as a testimony. This is a good preparation lesson for our mission trip (most likely next year). Furthermore this is a good chance for us to challenge the youths to recall when they first accepted Christ and how it has changed their lives. 

Tuner: The Price Is Right!
Charades (salesman version)
Ok so the group splits into 2 groups like a normal charades game.
One representative will come up to collect the “product” that they will be promoting to their group. The objective is to describe their personal experience with the product and to make the group guess what the item is.  They will not be able to speak a few words describing the product.  They will have 1 minute to describe the item.
The team that gets the most correct items wins.
We have asked Pet to bring down some Taboo cards with items as the words. But as a contingency plan here are some products we could ask the youths.
Products:
Dettol Soap
Shirt from Cotton On
Running shoes from Nike
Koi bubble tea
Iphone
Wii
Beatz Headphones
Microwave Oven
Washing Machine
Panadol Extra
Ikea Sofa
Sun Block

Learning Point: When we share our personal experience with the products, we are able to communicate better with the other party we are trying to share with. Personal experiences are real and thus much more impactful, furthermore it gives another perspective of the story we are trying to tell.

Passage of the day: John 9:13-34
This is the passage of the Pharisees investigating the healing of the blind man.
11)    Can sin pass down from generation to generation?
·         Read Deu 28:15, 21-22.  Yes according to the old testament a sin committed by the parents can actually be passed down to the generations below. Was that the reason why the man was born blind? 
·         John 9:3 Jesus did not deny the Old Testament scriptures but instead explained that the blindness was part of God’s plan.
·         John 9:34 The Pharisees however believed that the man was born blind due to the sins of his ancestors and therefore believed themselves to be superior to the blind man.
·         In conclusion the Pharisees were extremely unhappy that Jesus healed the man that was deemed sinful and was of a lower social class than them. However what they did not realise was that healing of the man was going to bring God’s glory through the man’s testimony and sharing of his account.   

God places each one of us in different circumstances and different paths to make an impact on the different people we meet. Our lives may be challenging and demanding at times, however we must always hold firm to God’s promise in 2Cor 12:9.
The blind man lived a rather miserable life before he met Jesus. It was by God’s grace that the man was healed from blindness and thus God’s power and glory was shown through the blind man’s weakness.
The blind man then went on to testify that it was Jesus who healed him. (John 9:9-12) God used the man who was blind from birth to testify the healing of his sight.
Like the blind man we all have a weakness or an area which we might need God’s healing in. (remember last week lesson about healing??) Let us lay down these weaknesses at the foot of the cross and allow God to heal them and strengthen us so that we can use whatever we have for the glory of God.
22)    Our own testimonies
So now that we have seen how God can use the past of a blind man to testify God’s love, let us look at ourselves and discuss how God’s has made an impact on our lives.
Below is a list of questions from the leaders book that we can ask the youths to think about and maybe you could print or photocopy the questions and get them to write it down. (HG: or maybe not)
13)    Where were you when you asked Jesus to take over your life and be your saviour?

24)    Who were you with?

35)    What do you remember about it?

46)    Why did you do it?

57)    When and How has it made a difference in your life?
Additional questions
68)    Have you encountered the presence of God?

79)    What happened during the encounter? Was your life affected after the encounter?

810)    Have you clearly heard God speaking to you? And what was it about?


Note: It would be good if you leaders could share your own testimony with the youths as an example of how they could share theirs.
You could also go one round and share about how they encountered Christ and affirm their sharing.

33)    Sharing our Testimonies
Finally, after confirming our experience with God and how he has changed our lives, we have to share it with others!!!!!!!!!!  (HG: because ! R Cool)
Heb13:15-16
The Bible tells us that we should share the good news with others and one way to do that is to share our very own personal journey with God.
Scenario 1: Imagine you are trying to convince your friend to buy go for a holiday at a country you have visited before. You would convince you friend to visit the place by telling your friend about the experience you have there.
-       In the same way we should be sharing with other our own personal experience with God as it comes directly from how we feel and what we have experienced and is therefore very real to us.

Remember we wrote down the names of some friends that we would like to share the good news with?  Let us pray that we can share our testimonies with them one day.


Done by: Alden & Heng Guang

Saturday, September 29, 2012 | | 0 Comments  


The Big Idea
You must truly desire help and healing before you can receive them.
1. Acknowledging the need/hurts
2. Desire for help
3. Receiving this help and how they can also ask for help for others
I believe all of us have our daily needs but beyond that on a deeper level I sense that many of them are hurting now or know of people who desperately need help so I pray that we will truly let the Spirit guide us through this lesson and let it not be our words but his because only he can help us recognize this need and desire to heal or seek help.
Father Lord, we acknowledge that you alone are King of our lives and that we are nothing at all without you but often as we live in this world Father we become fooled into thinking we got to do things on our own, we have to stand up for ourselves because no one else will. So Father God we try to hide our needs and bury our pains but Lord you see into the depths of our hearts so please reveal to us the areas in our own lives that we require help and healing. I pray for the desire to relinquish control especially in those areas so that Lord you can do your good work. Father grant us this boldness and faith to receive in your son’s most precious name amen!
Helping the Helpless
Tuning questions:
1. Are there people in your lives that need help? Do you need help? (try to get them to reflect and think deeper, 5mins)
2. Do you think the people who smoke/ think they need help?
Okays this isn’t a compelling story or anything but it is to illustrate this point.
So I recently met up with my mum’s friend and her daughter(my friend too J). Her daughter is currently studying in UK and the next time she returns she is going to be staying in an apartment on her own so it means she would have to do her own cooking and all. Her mum being a typical Singaporean mother (haha but really Thank God for them!) told my mum that she was going to buy all sorts of pots and pans like HAPPYCALL J and instruments like the apple dicer for her so that it would be easier for her. Immediately when she heard that she shot back and said I don’t need all of that! I am not going to use l it! I will eat the apple as it is and just cook my meals with whatever I have there. I know my friend all too well haha she is what the Canto peeps call tee kee the more she does not see the need for something the more she would refuse its use.
I believe in that it is like this for most of us, especially because we are all vying to prove ourselves as being independent. We do not want people to identify our needs much less offer help and solutions to our supposed needs.
The saying goes (in a Hong Kong accent): “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” So even before we look into anything else we must focus on the pertinent need to acknowledge and desire for help.

(This is alex butting in)
Or…. We could use the tuner in the book. The one where by its like a combination of tug of war and dog and bone. We could have a few rounds of it on the acjc field. Just thinking it would be nice to get out of the classrooms once in a while.
Ill bring down all the necessary materials for the games tmr.
The questions would be from the book.
1)      How did they feel knowing that there was someone to help them when they need it the most?
Let us read John 5:1-15
The book suggests reading these verses in a popcorn style seems pretty funn you can try it out J So basically choose someone to begin reading the first verse and then after the person finishes reading he or she must immediately call someone else to continue and so on. You can impose the rule that whoever is slow in calling or continuing in terms of reading the verses would need to (do a forfeit later or something)
Into the Word:
Healing at the pool
To understand why people gathered at the pool to be healed you can read John 5:4 it is not in one of the verses that you just read refer to the footnotes below and you will find it there.
John 5:4 Some manuscripts include here, wholly or in part, paralyzed—and they waited for the moving of the waters. 4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.
Note that it is not completely certain whether it was a belief of the people at that time or that God really sent down angels to stir the waters.
But besides that point, let us look to the story of this man.
Do you think the man wanted to get well?
Many of them including us at first glance it seemed as though yeah definitely he wanted to be well lah I mean he has already been invalid for 38 years and he is there at the pool (probably quite often) because he wants to be healed right?
But then when we think about it again if so… then why when Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed why didn’t he reach out for help to be carried into the pool but he just continued to wallow in the fact that he has been lying on the side lines not being able to do anything about his problem.
The question then is whether it is the case of he couldn’t get in or didn’t want to get in?
How would you describe the man’s attitude before Jesus healed him?
We see that in his reply in v7 shows his is pessimistic attitude, the “I cannot because of my circumstances attitude”
If so why do you think he was like that? What was he focused on?
He was probably focused on his own limitations and thoughts that no one wanted or could help him.
So was he healed because of his faith?
If Jesus did not come along to heal him, perhaps he would still be wallowing in self pity. So no unlike so many others whom Jesus healed, was not healed through his faith. Here is the evidence: First, the man was not seeking Jesus, rather, Jesus found him. Second, Jesus said nothing to him about his faith healing him as He often did with others when he healed them. (Matt 9:2,29, 15:28, Mark 1:40-42, 2:5,10:52 .. many others)  And third, the lame man had no idea who Jesus was, even after he'd been healed. When he first conversed with Jesus, he wasn't looking to Him as someone who could heal him. In his mind, Jesus was no different than any other person present.
Besides the fact that he was lame do you think that there are other areas in his life that he also required healing?
Yes, probably also why Jesus came back in v14-15 and told him to “stop sinning or something worse may happen to you”. So the man definitely had a problem on a deeper level besides his physical handicap his soul was also handicapped.
Often in the study of psychology they do not take physiological symptoms lightly because often these presenting symptoms are just a way in which the body alerts a person that there is a deeper problem. So in the same way the reason why this man may be invalid could have been because he was sinning in some way or another and Jesus knew that he also required spiritual healing for that. (He came to meet him a second time!) Also what is worse than being invalid is being separated from God for all of eternity!

( ALEX BUTTING IN WITH HIS BIG BUTT again…..)
Another thing is also what struck me in cell today, about ken saying how God is more concerned about our growth rather than things of this earth like whether we get that good job we always wanted or the girl of our dreams. I mean he is concerned about all those things as well, and definitely he wants us to be happy. His main focus is our inner man, to be more changed each day to look like Christ.  (Romans 8:29). Must reemphasize to our youths what God is primarily concerned about.
What are you waiting for?
Let’s say if you knew a good friend who could help you fix a problem you had what would you do?
Try to fix it yourself? Google for a remedy? Ignore it? Ask your friend to help you?  It seems so easy to just ask your friend for help because you trust him/her and you know that he/ she would definitely try to help you.
Luke 5:12-16 (The Man with leprosy)
God wants to help us but are we willing to admit to needing help?  Can we trust in this friend our savior to help us with whatever we need?
Just knock on the door
How would you get your friend’s attention when you are at his/her doorstep?
Stand outside and just wait? Try all keys that you have to unlock the door? Make super annoying noises?  Or just ring the bell? (knock)
Matt 7:7-11
Split up into groups (as small as possible to facilitate deep sharing)
Are there areas in your life that you feel you have been trying to cover up hurts/needs with physical excuses or any other type of excuses? (For eg. Telling people and yourself that you are just tired but in fact your soul is the one that is actually numbed)
Do you have friends that you know of that are in need of physical/ spiritual healing?
If you are not able to draw them into a deeper level at least get them to think about what God has blessed them with when they needed help and how in turn we should help others too.
John 4:14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
-note that this water: is the spirit that we have in us John 7:37-39 and it is enough to satisfy us beyond that it is supposed to well up and in other versions it describes it to be like a fountain so we too must let it overflow into the lives of others! Perhaps it is a perfect gateway to sharing this gift of living water too:D
Pray for one another.

Saturday, September 22, 2012 | | 0 Comments  

The Life of Jesus: Session 4 The big idea


The Life of Jesus: Session 4

The big idea
Your faith is often part of the healing process.

Key passage
Mark 5:25-34
The woman had been bleeding for twelve years, no doubt an affliction that was painful and caused her to be weak. She had spent all that she had, but no physician could cure her. According to Leviticus 12:1-8 and 15:19-30, she was ceremonially unclean due to her bleeding and for as long as she was bleeding. This meant that no one could touch her, or they would be unclean as well. Everything she touched would become unclean. Like a leper, she was like an outcast in her community. What is extraordinary about this passage is the faith of the woman.
v28 “For she said, ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.’”
So she went up behind Jesus, probably hoping to go unnoticed in the crowd, and “touched His garment.” (v27)
v29 “Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.”
The result was healing, and immediate healing at that. She was healed even before the rest of the story, when Jesus, knowing that “the power had gone out of Him” (v30), looked around to ask who had touched Him and called the woman “daughter” after she presented herself to Him. (v34)
What exactly are we talking about here? That’s right! Faith.

What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
“Evidence”?
v3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”
We were not there to see the act of creation, and even if we were, we would not have physically seen creation by the Word of God, which is not visible. So, then, faith is the spiritual perceiving, seeing, understanding of God’s works in creation. By faith, you clearly see His invisible attributes in what is visible. Though not all see God in creation, it does not discount the fact that you see it when you do. This then is evidence. Your believing does not bring anything in existence, as some might believe faith to be. You do not see because you believe, but you believe because you see. This is a matter of wishful thinking versus faith based on truth. This is important to note.
“Substance”?

Whilst this could and probably does mean that faith is confidence in God’s fulfilment of His promises, “things hoped for”, I think it also refers to something deeper, especially if you look at the woman in Mark 5, to whom no explicit promise of healing was made. In fact, Hebrews 11 goes on to describe men and women, who “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (v13, emphasis mine)
If these people of faith had faith while they had not received the promises of God, it begs the question: what is the object of their faith? What is the object of our faith?
The object of our faith is Jesus Christ, and Christ alone. Our faith is in Him, fully God, fully man, having died, been dead, and is risen, in Him who is fully righteous and fulfilling the law for us. In the words of Charles Haddon Spurgeon:

Mark that your faith has nothing to do with anything within yourself. The object of your faith is nothing within you, but something outside of you. Then believe on Him who, on that tree, with nailed hands and feet, poured out His life for sinners. There is the object of your faith for justification: not in yourself, nor in anything that the Holy Spirit has done in you, or anything He has promised to do for you. You are to look to Christ and to Christ alone.(Charles Spurgeon’s Faith, p11)
“But Jesus had not yet died and risen while this woman was healed, while those people lived,” you say.
Bear with me.

The people died without receiving the promises, but while they lived they nevertheless had every assurance that the promises would be fulfilled. In order to answer the question, “What is the object of their faith?”, let us look at...
2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

In who? In Christ!
Astonishingly, the object of their faith was also Christ. Yes, they did not see Him (though neither have we), but we must remember who Jesus is. He is the Incarnate, Son of God.
John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
Colossians 1:15-17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

Hebrews 1:1-4 “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”
John 8:56-58 “’Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’”

Indeed, the people of old believed the promises of God, that Christ the Messiah would come. But more than that, I think, is their faith in Christ Himself.
Perhaps this commentary by Matthew Henry on Romans 4:13-22 might help:
The promise was made to Abraham long before the law. It points at Christ, and it refers to the promise, Genesis 12:3. “In Thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” The law worketh wrath, by showing that every transgressor is exposed to the Divine displeasure. As God intended to give men a title to the promised blessings, so he appointed it to be by faith, that it might be wholly of grace, to make it sure to all who were of the like precious faith with Abraham, whether Jews or Gentiles, in all ages. The justification and salvation of sinners, the taking to himself the Gentiles who had not been a people, were a gracious calling of things which are not, as though they were; and this giving a being to things that were not, proves the almighty power of God. The nature and power of Abraham's faith are shown. He believed God's testimony, and looked for the performance of his promise, firmly hoping when the case seemed hopeless. It is weakness of faith, that makes a man lie poring on the difficulties in the way of a promise. Abraham took it not for a point that would admit of argument or debate. Unbelief is at the bottom of all our staggerings at God's promises. The strength of faith appeared in its victory over fears. God honours faith; and great faith honours God. It was imputed to him for righteousness. Faith is a grace that of all others gives glory to God. Faith clearly is the instrument by which we receive the righteousness of God, the redemption which is by Christ; and that which is the instrument whereby we take or receive it, cannot be the thing itself, nor can it be the gift thereby taken and received. Abraham's faith did not justify him by its own merit or value, but as giving him a part in Christ

Hebrews 11:27 “By faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” (emphasis mine)
This, is what I believe “faith is the substance of things hoped for” means. Faith, being seeing and believing, not only in God’s fulfilment of God’s promises, but in Christ Himself, His character, everlasting, never changing. The focus is therefore not on the promise, but on the Promiser.
What exactly did the woman have faith in? Not a promise, but in Jesus the Healer.

Why is faith important?
Matthew 13:58 “Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Certainly, it does not honour our Lord if we do not believe in Him, and surely, He has not a reason to do mighty works in our lives if we are unbelieving.

Often, we have some faith, but not as much as we’d like. What can we do?
Mark 9:14-29
Pray the prayer of the father of the child, as in v24. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
Luke 22:32 “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Hebrews 12:2 describes Jesus as “the author and finisher of our faith”. Indeed, we can rely on Him for everything, including the strengthening and refining of our faith.

What happens when a promise is, at best, partially fulfilled?
For example, you might have a loved one who is sick, perhaps a terminal illness. You, and many others, pray and pray and believe that God can heal her. (There is an example in the book, page 65.) Maybe, she gets better. Maybe, she lives longer than the doctors said she would. Then, maybe, she dies.
Did Jesus not promise to answer our prayers? Is God not the Healer?
Yes, and yes. Remember what we have discussed. Faith is not seeing because you believe, but believing because you see. In other words, you are not the healer. God is. Your faith is not (or should not be) in your faith, but in Christ. Remember that not our will, but His be done. He answers prayer, but is not our genie.
1 John 5:14-15 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (emphasis mine)
Remember also that our God is a generational God. What He promises to Abraham, He fulfills in Isaac; what He promises in Moses, He fulfills in Joshua. Remember the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11, who died not having received the promises, but nevertheless believed the Promiser: “but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (v13)

Questions
How trustworthy do we believe God to be?
How much do we actually trust God? (Faith without works is dead. See James 2:20-22)
What are the areas in our lives that we are not surrendering to Him? Why? (This indicates a lack of trust, lack of faith, irrational fears, irrational because God said do not fear, etc) What are we going to do about it?

Thank God for His Word through John Piper (http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/what-faith-knows-and-hopes-for), Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry (http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=45&c=4&com=mhc) and Judah Smith that helped me with this lesson plan. Praise God for such men of faith!

May our Lord Jesus strengthen all of our faiths in Him. Amen.

Saturday, September 15, 2012 | | 0 Comments  

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