There is no plan B

Never fall into a maintenance mindset

Isa 54:2, 1

Commitment gives way to comfort

Comfort leads to complacency

Complacency leads to confusion

Confusion leads to compromise

Compromise leads to catastrophe

How do you know when your church is stuck?

"We've never done it that way before."

"We're not ready"

"We're doing alright now."

"We tried that once and it didn't work."

"It cost too much."

"That's not our responsibility."

In those times when I had to really dig deep within, I know I will always find God, at the core of it all

If love is truly the essence of life. All of us need to make it the core and strategy of all we do

1 John 4:19

Loving God but not others is incomprehensible.
Loving people but not God is unsustainable.

I'm not sorry because I did something wrong, I'm sorry because they don't understand compassion

Love God.
Love people.
Love life.

We need to learn to love the work that we do and not just the success it will bring

Celebrate the journey and not jus the destination

If the way you love isn't consistent with what you believe, it is unsustainable

What's now?

Discipleship ought to be about us engaging and empowering others so that they may discover who they really are so to realize their purpose and cause in life!

Disciple-making = engaging and empowering

Carry a cause for the sake of the cross

We risk being irrelevant

Luke 10:1

Mark 16:15

Go-to-church --> church-to-go

Love always finds a way

Israel is God's chosen people

Remain in him

For union - God-centredness

John 15:1-17

For fruit-bearing - community

Community is not a good idea, it is a God idea

What do you mean by "bearing fruit"?
Keep his commands
Love one another

Experiencing the joy of Jesus

Heb 12:2

James 1:2-3

Acts 5:40b-42

Becoming a witness for Jesus to the world

For pruning - disciple making

Part of remaining in Christ is to experience the momentarily painful but eventually rewarding pruning of God

Fruit-bearing is the infallible evidence of remaining in Jesus which necessitates pruning

Prune = clean (Greek)

The table of connection

Food communicates and receives love

Matt 26:26

The bread signifies the past bread of affliction

This table deals with our past

In the present the bread typifies the body of our new life

v. 27-28

The cup - a celebration of their past rescue

Our future redemption - the blood of a new covenant

This table is the table of our future with Jesus

When Jesus himself wanted to explain to his disciples what his forthcoming death was all about, he didn't give them a theory, he gave them a meal - NT Wright

Blessed, broken and given

The shape of the Eucharist, the shape of the gospel, the shape of the christian life

"Word" = logos (Greek)

The word of God is Good himself in his creative action

Psalm 33:6

It's more of an action than an idea

Jesus shares God's eternity

God is Christlike and in him no unChristlikeness at all - AM Ramsey

Jesus Christ was eternally with God

Jesus Christ is one with God

The limitlessness of God

Matt 19:26

Eph 3:20

John 1:14

The powerlessness of God

One with the Father is now one with humanity

"Was made" and here "became" (egeneto, from ginomai) express that person or thing changes it's property and enters a new condition, becomes something it was not before

Lo, within a manger lies He who built the start skies - Edward caswall

Heb 4:15

Jesus became flesh so that he may dwell among ua

Jesus chose powerlessness though He was limitless to save us

A futurist is someone who finds fulfillment in the future and thus finds ways to secure it

Gen 37:5

1) Joseph began by interpreting small dreams

Too many are hoping for that one big break when God is telling us to take one day at a time

Working smart is a strategy, working hard is an attitude

Gen 41:33-36

In the first 3 installments we focused on God-Centeredness. The subsequent 3 installments we focused on Community, where we learnt that we are part of the universal church, a gospel centered church and the importance for us in being part of a connect group.

This week onwards, we will go back to the basics on God-centredness

Matthew 16:18-20

1 Peter 2:9‭-‬10 (MSG)‬‬

So how do we evangelize? The best way to share our faith is to share our story of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Our story from nothing to something, from nobody to somebody in Christ, from rejected to accepted, from unloved to loved.

John 4:39-41 (NIV)

Galatians 1:13-24 (MSG)

In the 2 passages that we have read (The Samaritan woman and Paul), we will look at how do we tell our story and through that, lead people to a personal encounter with Jesus.

1) Find a theme for our story

2) Jesus must be at the centre of our story

The focus is not on the intensity of your sins.

3) All stories are unique

The tendency is there for us to not tell our story because our story is not as dramatic as somebody else’s story.

Every life-changed story is unique and most importantly it matters to God!

Today’s passage is like the headline of headlines. It gives an idea about Jesus by tackling three important questions about salvation and how each question is related to Jesus.

1) Why has it gone wrong? All have sinned
​
Sin is the rejecting or ignoring of God in the world he created (1:20-21), rebelling against him by living without reference to him (1:22-23; 25), not being or doing what he requires in his law (1:26-28), that results in our death and the disintegration of all creation (1:29-32).

Sin is not just about the act that displeases God; otherwise, the solution would be asceticism and ritualism. But sin is, more importantly, the declaration of Independence from God and the lordship of self, the breaking in relationship that causes a separation between the Source and the creation, that eventually leads to the breakdown in relationship between the creature and other fellow creatures — the disintegration of all of creation.
​
2) How did God make right? God justified us through Christ
​
​In English, “righteousness” (dikaiosynē) and “justification” (dikaioō) may carry two different connotations, ​but in the original language, they are the same word — one is a noun, the other is a verb.

​Justification means to show or produce a performance result that qualifies someone for access.

No matter how hard we try, our justifications fail to show or produce a performance result that ​adequately qualifies us for access to God. The only PERFECT justification is through Jesus Christ, our God-man Redeemer.

HOW DID JESUS BECOME OUR FREE JUSTIFICATION? In Romans 3:25 the term “sacrifice of atonement” or literally translated as the “atonement cover” (hilastērion), refers to the “mercy seat” in the OT ​tabernacle, which is set as a cover/lid above the ark of the covenant. God presented Jesus as that ​“atonement cover” over mankind through the suffering of Jesus on the cross! It is so that the issue of sin ​can be dealt with once and for all, the broken branch is not connected back in union with Christ.
​
3) What should we do now? Repent and believe (Romans 3:27-28)

Unless mankind comes to grasp with this understanding of God giving us his righteousness by faith alone,
the branch cannot continue to live, let alone produce fruit, our works will be meaningless, our lives will
fall short of God’s glory, our preaching will be in vain. The Christian cannot continue to live by faith, let
alone last from faith to faith or even preach the gospel.

“Forgiveness says: ‘You may go: you have been let off the penalty which your sin deserves.’ But ​justification will say: ‘You may come; you are welcome to all my love and my presence.’”
​Sir Marcus Loane, Archbishop of Sydney Australia, 1966-1982

Childlike is not childishness

The way we speak
The way we understand things
The way we think

Luke 2:39-52

Was Jesus being rebellious?

Adults are dependable

Gen 12:1-4

Adults take full responsibilities over their own decisions and actions

A foolish person learns from his mistakes. A wise person learns from other persons mistakes. The wisest person learns from both

Ps 119;9

John 1:1

Rom 8:14

When people try to do something new in their lives, they usually try to just add it on, making small adjustments here and there.

One of the incorrect ways to deal with being overwork is by going faster to do more.

A hurried lifestyle kills relationship.

When we live in a hurried lifestyle, God gets short-changed, shuffled to the back of the deck.

Carving out time to be alone with someone is important but the ability to still your soul and rest in that moment can be a greater challenge.

That future has got to have GOD in it, He has to be the Reason, and the Reward as well.

Hebrews 11:8–10

Hebrews 6:13-20 (NIV)

An anchor belongs to a ship or a boat.

Biblical hope is a confident expectation and desire for something good in the future.

By His promise and by His oath.

Galatians 3:29

Hebrews 6:18

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

Romans 8:15

Romans 8:23 (NIV)

Luke 24:49

Hebrews 6:17–18

Romans 5:3

“Suffering is a proof not only of the God-forsakenness of creation but of the depths of being. If there were no suffering in a fallen and sinful world, it would be finally severed from being; the depth of being shows itself in it as suffering. The mystery of existence is revealed in suffering… Suffering is a consequence of sin, a sign of sin, and at the same time redemption from sin and liberation from it. This is the meaning of Christ’s suffering on the cross. This is implied in all ideas of a suffering God. Consequently, our attitude to suffering is complex.” – Excerpt from “The Destiny of Man” by Nicholas Berdyaev.

“Pain may be ‘God’s megaphone’ to rouse a deaf world: without suffering we could be careless about ultimate realities, deaf to God’s loving plea to seek him and find life. Then, many of his best saints (including Jesus) were perfected through suffering.” - C.S. Lewis

“Expect great things from God.” – William Carey

The future is not a destination but a process of progress.

We might not always have all the answers but we can always have hope.

Hope is the first sign of progress.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)

Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

Hope lies beneath the surface. Hope when you don’t know how but you know WHO.

Disappointment is the passage to deeper hope.

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.” - Anne Lamott

“Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.” – Mary Kay Ash

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Numbers 23:19

Phil 3:6

Acts 9

You need a supernatural space to interrupt your natural space

How to love to unloved

Luke 19

So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp;
and they commanded the people saying,
‘When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God,
and the priests, the Levites, bearing it,
then you shall set out from your place and go after it.

1) … then you shall set out from your place and go after it

We need to learn to see where God is working, what God is doing and then step up to go after, to pursue the presence of God.

Very often, we ask God what is His will for us. I don’t think that is wrong. But we need to change that a bit and ask God what is He doing so that we can be a part of it.

2) Yet there shall be a space between you and it…

Do we have space between God and us allowing Him to work and convict our hearts?

3) … about two thousand cubits by measure…

To watch what the Levites were doing from a kilometre out requires attention, effort and concentration.

That space created gives us ample time to respond to God. That space allows us to prepare ourselves to move when He moves. We got to be ready.

Where we are right now is a place of preparation.

The distance between us and it (The Ark of the Covenant) is 1km. I want you to know that this space is not comfortable! It is too far for comfort!

It is meant to prepare us to be ready when the Lord moves.

When we were younger someone sowed into us and believed in us and now it is time for us to GIVE BACK!
4) Do not come near it, that you may know by which way you must go, for you have not passed this way before…

The space allows us to follow after God and not to go ahead of Him.

Joshua 3:14-17

The unexpected miracle took place the moment the priests stepped into the river and the miracle remained for as long as the priests were in the middle of the river.

Today, I believe the unexpected miracle will take place the moment you avail yourself and step into the lives of all these young people…

Church, let’s make space in our lives for God!

4 questions to ask a new friend:

How did you like the service?

What did you like about it?

Did you know the God the preacher was talking about? You can get to know him too

I can tell by looking at you that you really wanna know this God

3) People tend to give up when they make mistakes

4) We need to keep on pressing in for the blessings of God

There exist two kinds of games; the finite and the infinite game.

The finite game is the game where there is a start and end to it.

The infinite game is quite a different game because it is a game that has no end. The end game of the infinite game is not to win it but to keep playing.

The infinite player is really someone who knows who he is. That is his/her identity. That is who you are.

It is what I do every day, how I carry myself as a missionary on a regular basis that defines me!

Matthew 28:19​

Mark 16:15

Mission in the most natural manner happens in our own backyard
every day when we meet people who need to meet Jesus and they meet us!

Luke 4:18-19

John 10:10

Let’s not just give because there is a work to do. Let’s give because that is who we are!

Jesus said, “How I wish that you (Pharisees) of all people would understand the way to peace… you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

Pursue God wholeheartedly, not for what He is able to do for us, but for what He has already done for us.

Romans 1:16-17 (NKJV)

Acts 17:16-18 (NIV)

It all started in Acts 17 as Paul engaged in a debate with the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.

Epicureans - modern day Existentialism. “The gods are not to be feared; death cannot be felt; the good can be won; all that we dread can be conquered.”

Stoics – Pantheism. “The goal of life is living in agreement with Nature.” ― Zeno of Citium

Epictetus - "Only the educated are free."

Acts 17:24-31 (MSG)

As Paul stood before the intellectual giants of ancient Athens, he faced men who were in precisely that situation:

1) Religiosity vs Spirituality

Acts 17:22-23 (MSG)

Religion denotes "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe, usually involving devotional and ritual observances and a moral code."

Spiritual can be defined as "the quality of being spiritual.”

Ritual Observance versus Being

Healthy spirituality is defined or reflected through our intimacy with God.

Religion is Outside-In; the Gospel is Inside-Out

Without the gospel, we can restrain the human heart but not change the human heart.

2)​God is Unconfined but Here

Space and time were created so that we might seek Him and experience Him.

Acts 17:24-28 (MSG)

i – In Him we live

James 4:14

ii – In Him we move

We move because He first moves in us

iii – We have our being

“The more I study science, the more I believe in God.”- Albert Einstein

True living is found in Jesus reconciling us back to the Father so that we can find our identity, our purpose and our reason for existence.

God is in control - of everything!

3)​Repentance and Not Ignorance.

Acts 17:30-31 (MSG)

God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster jar that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever. - Vance Havner

Acts 17:32-34

To them:
Moral observance = results oriented
Strong sense of superiority
Self-righteousness
Joyless and duty bound obedience
Lack of assurance of the fathers love

i) Community: Everyone Belongs

Constantly ask ourselves the “why” and “what” we do? Otherwise it would only be a matter of time before we blow up and burn out.

True honesty and integrity is when you do it for God’s sake, for truth’s sake, and for the love of people around us

When you do good, is it out of delight in the deeds, for the love of people, and for the pleasure of God?

ii) Generosity: Beyond Self

Perhaps the clearest symptom of this lack of assurance is a dry prayer life.

Are our prayers mostly “Your will be done” or “My will be done”?

Learn to listen to your own prayers. What kind of content dominates? Is it more of “asking and more asking”, OR “waiting, hearing and obeying”?

God Centered: Christ at the Core

Consumption must come with Conviction and Commitment in the kingdom of God.

Servanthood: Give up your seat – it’s the spirit of it

Sustainability

The parable of the lost son is really about the parable of two lost sons.

Dreams don’t change lives. Our habits do!

What we repeatedly do become our habits or lifestyle.

What a group of people repeatedly does is called a culture.

WHAT IS CULTURE?

The self-sustaining pattern of behaviour that determines how things are done.
​ Strategy & Business Magazine

COLLECTIVE & CONSISTENT BEHAVIOR

WHY CULTURE?
It is because we all want to grow and do better in life. But we cannot create results.

We can only work on factors that increase the probability of achieving desired results.

Acts 2:40-47

The most important factor in increasing the probability of achieving desired results in our personal lives is our lifestyle.

And the change of lifestyle requires time and discipline.

The most important factor in increasing the probability of achieving desired results in our church is our culture.

Building a strong Bible-believing, Spirit-filled city church where every member is trained to love God with passion according to the Great Commandment and equipped to think others with compassion to fulfil the Great Commission, to realize the Cultural Mandate in our generation.

LOVE GOD, THINK OTHERS

Our Culture.

Whether we like it or not, culture exists. Having a culture is not optional. However, being intentional about creating it, is.

HOW DO WE BUILD CULTURE?

I. Values put into action practically become behaviors.
II. Behaviors carried out consistently become habits.
III. Habits practiced collectively become culture.

There are three questions we need to ask:

i) WHAT DO WE VALUE?

God-centeredness, Community, Discipleship, Excellence, Creativity, Generosity, Boldness, Servanthood!

ii) HOW DO WE CULTIVATE HABITS OUT OF OUR BEHAVIORS?

Discipleship:​Replicate ourselves.
Excellence:​Minimize mistakes by practicing hard and well.
Creativity:​We take risks. We also create a safety net to enable people to take risks.

Where are we now? Behaviors and Habits

A STRONGER church starts from a STRONGER you.

iii) WHO IS A PART OF THIS CULTURE?

All of us!

The starting point is our values.

And the end game is our culture.

Matthew 6:6

“What do we use to mask unwanted emotions?”

An unhealthy emotional life will see that we build weak relationships.

Matthew 5:3-10

What are the unwanted emotions that we sometimes avoid dealing with?

1) Fear

2) Anger & Resentment

3) Disappointment

4) Anxiety

5) Loneliness

6) Inadequacy

7) Sorrow

8) Pain

Silence is deafening. It can make people go crazy.

Psalm 46:10

The best form of gift to any relationship is a healthy you!

Matthew 6:5

1 Kings 19:11-13

1 Kings 19:18

Acts 14:18-22 (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

“ALWAYS, CONTINUALLY, WITHOUT CEASING and IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES…”

The ability to spring back after being stretched or out of shape

A sense of mission

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

Resilience means you can be bent but not broken. I think we need a RESILIENT or a ROBUST FAITH if we want to fulfil God’s calling in our lives!

How do we develop resilience in life? How can we be more resilient in our faith?

1) Developing Your Resilience by Having a Sense of Mission

Philippians 1:12-14 (NKJV)

2) Developing Resilience through a Healthy Community

Relationship, having friends or even getting married essentially is not to ease our loneliness but to curb our selfishness.

Acts 9:20-27 (NKJV)
2 Corinthians 11:32-33 (NKJV)

3) Developing Resilience through Failing Forward

When we fail, we can erect a tombstone or we can use failure as a stepping stone to success.

1 Timothy 1:12-16 (NIV)

4) Developing Resilience through having Faith in a loving God

Romans 8:18 (NIV)

Romans 8:26-28 (NIV)

Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)

Acts 14:19b-20 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 11:23-30 (NIV)

1 Chronicles 16:1-36

It seems matter-of-fact that they just brought the ark of God into the tabernacle that David had erected. Truth-be-told it wasn’t that simple.

If you want your life to be stronger this year, your body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit, cannot be hollow or empty. You need to have God’s presence as well.

You and I cannot afford to have a form of godliness but without real power.

Hebrews 9:4​

There are three very significant elements inside the ark, the presence of God.

There is manna which represents God’s provision, Aaron’s rod that budded which represents deliverance and the two tablets of covenant, which represents the law of God, the foundation of life.

True strength comes from what you have within you.

So, if you want to be stronger in the LORD, learn to always give thanks, learn to always have a heart of gratitude.

1 Chronicles 16:8

There are four elements of true thanksgiving found in this psalm:

i. Remember what He has done
ii. Tell others about it
iii. Show His glory to others
iiii. Bring an offering

It is for you to pray, and for God's provision to play

1 Chronicles 16:11

Seek the LORD and His strength! Seek His face forevermore!

If we focus on the presence of God in our lives, giving thanks to Him at all times and seeking Him and His strength, I believe we will build…

1 Chronicles 16:34-36

When God breathes into us, our physical, mental and spiritual being comes to life in all its totality!

Yes, we may create all kinds of things in life but God’s primary desire is for us to work on the condition of our soul.

3 John 1

If our soul is healthy, our words are life giving!
If our soul is prosperous, our actions are generous!

What is the condition of your soul today?

Last week, we took a closer look at the Holy Spirit.

A) The Inward Workings of the Holy Spirit
1. The indwelling, redeeming work of the Holy Spirit.
2. The transforming work of the Holy Spirit

B) The Outward Focus of the Holy Spirit
1. The unique gifting of the Holy Spirit
2. The sending empowerment of the Holy Spirit

This week, let’s take a closer look at the Word of God.

John 1:1-5, 14

In the beginning, the Spirit (ruach) of God was hovering over the face of the water.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Matthew 12:34

What comes out of our mouth is pretty much determined by what we fill our minds with.

2 Timothy 3

Given by inspiration of God means God inspired human hands to write. God did not write it himself.

The message is sacred not the book.

So, the Word of God is profitable for forming our belief system (knowing why and what we believe in), for rebuking us, for correction (ordering our ways of life) and for instruction in righteousness (on morality issues) so that we may be trained for every good work under heaven.

Hebrews 4:12

The Word of God is living and powerful. It is also so sharp that it pierces into the division of the soul and the spirit.

Head knowledge forms opinions. But the Word of God with the ability to cut into the core of our being is the source of our convictions in life.

Conviction leads to action. Conviction guides commitment.

James 1:22

Psalm 119:9

Isaiah 40:8

Matthew 24:35

Two things stand out in this verse – the message/preaching and the Spirit’s power. Paul warns the church in Corinth that his purpose was not for our faith to rest on human wisdom or persuasion but on God’s power.

Just the Word without the Spirit, we will dry up.
Just the Spirit without the Word, we will blow up.
With both the Word and the Spirit, we will grow up!

A balance of the Spirit and the Word!

The word Spirit in Hebrew is “ruach” which means spirit, breath or wind. In the New Testament, the uttered word in Greek is called “rhema”.

Having the Spirit of God gives us the edge in life and having the Word of God gives us the correct perspective in life. When we have both in our armoury, we can be sharp yet balance at the same time. And that is very powerful!

Romans 8:12-17​

Radical holiness, fearless freedom, filial prayerfulness and hope of glory are four characteristics of the children of God who are indwelt and led by the Spirit of God.
​ John Stott

Ask
i) Is my life pleasing to God?
ii) am I living in fear?
iii) am I drawing closer to Abba Father?
iv) is it leading others and me home to the hope of glory?

This week I want us to take a closer look at God.

Genesis 1, 2

In Genesis 1, God is introduced as Elohim.

In the traditional Hebrew view, Elohim is the name of God as the creator and judge of the universe.

What dominates your conversation today?

Hebrews 11:3​

No, we are not God though we are made in the image of God. So we do not create something out of nothing but we can create something out of something and we can turn something into something better.

Use all the creative spirit of God that is in you to create a better world, a better living.

Remember, creativity is not reserved for a selected few but it is problem solving with flair.

It takes years to build something but an instant to destroy. So, please be careful with how we use our words and our actions.

Genesis 2:7​

YHVH - God's closeness to humans

God is not just mighty. He is intimate as well.

The word breath here in Hebrew is the word “nshamah” which means wind, vital breath, divine inspiration and intellect.

Yes, we may create all kinds of things in life but God’s primary desire is for us to work on the condition of our soul.

3 John 1

The condition of soul shapes everything we see and do.

If our soul is healthy, our words are life giving!
If our soul is prosperous, our actions are generous!

Pneuma - the second breath

The first breath gives us life.
The second breath gives us life forevermore.

Essenes - ultra-charismatics

Pharisees - conservative fundamentalists

One of the greatest ironies of scripture is the rejection of Christ by the stewards of God

They do not capture the heart of God, but the form of God

Luke (parable of the prodigal son)

You can be lost out there, or lost in your own house

Luke 18:9-14

They made their tradition necessary for godliness

Matt 23:23

They thought godliness was about one's outward religious practices

1 Sam 9:2

2 Sam 14:25

It is scary when we begin to think that we have got it and that our position in Christ is more right than others

1 cor 10:11-13

Phil 3:4-11, 12-17

The good Pharisee is Paul

2 cor 11:30-31
12:7-10

Phil 1:21

You are made in the image of God!

You are beautifully and wonderfully made!

You are loved by Jesus!

You are the best specimen there is

You are more than able

You are you - celebrate!

Forsake your fear
Do not forget your fear
Disown it

v. 13

We blame God

Faith is not the absence of fear
Faith is the overcoming of fear

Fear limits God

In the middle of the night, if you don't know what to do, just sleep

v. 14-15

We blame ourselves

v. 17-22

Face your fear | face your father

v. 23

Peace be with you

Live fearlessly