Monday, November 9, 2009

Session 9: The Hope of Christ’s return (1Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Hey my dearest ROR..
sorry for my lateness.. yup this is the notes for Session 9.. thousand apologies!! -- (Rachel)
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Set down individual short term (ST) goal and long term (LT) goal before the start of discussion.


1) What is our perception of death before receiving Christ:
- Influenced by Taoist beliefs:
o People go to hell after death
o the concept of reincarnation
o spiritual bondages
- influenced by other false teaching
- current system: to earn their way towards good life (heaven) after death (similar to the Jewish Sadducees)

2) Then how Christianity differs from the current world system in viewing death?
- There is hope after death ( eternity)
- And this hope is assured in Christ

3) How can we then share this assurance and hope with non Christians?
- Take the initiative to share and invite them to find out about God (to have the personal experience with God)

4) How do you live a life that is in the hope of Christ return daily?
- It’s always a struggle; we must set our vision on God daily
- Is’t necessary must be in the circumstances of suffering?
- To die to ourselves daily – to be still and to be in His presence; it does not need to be a session of conversation but rather we can always be quiet in His presence.
- If we know Jesus is coming in a later time we will plan life according to our way, seeking earthly treasures before His coming.

We should look back at Jesus’ life, his close intimacy with God allows Him to have the hope and drives him in his ministry. He sets His vision on things that are eternal not that of temporal.
2 Cor 5:1
2 Cor 5:9-10

The true reward of heaven itself is the true intimate relationship with God, the restored kingship and worshipper relationship.

Philippians 3: 13
We may be crippled in the past or let things cloud our vision towards God’s true calling. We need to have an upward perspective in our life. So we then should set our goal in perspective of Christ return.

5) Look back at the ST and LT goals we set ; how then should the hope of Christ’s return affect the way we measure opportunities, set priorities and use our resources?

For example: to bless children that are suffering
Realign our goal from God's perspective.

6) Reflection: Is our goal more self centered rather than God-centered?

There could be increased ‘worldly appetite’ in people, especially Christians and it has become a distraction to live a life for God. It is then only through God can He reveal to us how we can realign back to Him.

We agreed that material things cannot satisfy our heart desire. If we used the resources that God bless us with for God’s glory and ministry, then the void in our heart can only be fulfilled by God.

7)Reflection: Is it wrong to have worldly craving? Or should we ask rather what is the intention behind these craving?

We should then come in humility to lift our goals into God’s hands and ask Him to help us re-align ourselves to His purpose.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Session 12: Spiritual Boy Scouts

1 Nov 2009 Cell group meeting (Leader: Serene)
Last lesson of 1 Thessalonians Part 2 book!


Recap of last 5 lessons:
YX, Paul & Sarah (Lesson 7 & 8)
Lesson 7 (1 Thess 4:1-8):
- Recognizing that our body belongs to God
- Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which dwells in us
- 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20 “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
- Decide who we are going to live for
- Decide against any kind of sexual immorality
- Decide to learn self-control
- Decide it’s not worth the price
Lesson 8 (1 Thess 4:9-12):
- Lead a quiet life, MYOB, Work with your hands
- Application: Upcoming Mission Trip to Karimun!
- Reach the dying world for Christ!

Wilson, Jon, James & Derrick (Lesson 9)
Lesson 9 (1 Thess 4:13-18):
- Jesus will come back!!!
- Re-evaluate life’s priorities: Put God first!
- Do not be sucked into the world so much… (Satan’s ploy to distract us from God!)
- Re-affirm our faith about God that He will come back for us!
- We have HOPE in Christ

Susan, Emma & Kenny (Lesson 10 & 11)
Lesson 10 (1 Thess 5:1-11):
- Live like Sons of the Light & become more Christ-like
- Our purpose & calling are different when we become reborn in Christ
Lesson 11 (1 Thess 5:12-15):
- Pay for cell leaders to go for Hawaii trip! Juz kidding!
- Follow our leaders!
- Cell group is just like family life: Need to get along with each other.

Values of our cell group:
1. Clear Purpose – fellowship & spiritual growth
2. Group Attendance – give priority for cell group
3. Safe Environment – where ppl can be heard & feel loved
4. Be Confidential – keep anything shared strictly confidential within the group
5. Spiritual Health – give each other permission to help us lead a healthy spiritual life
6. Welcome Newcomers – invite others & warmly welcome them
7. Building Relationships – get to know each other & pray for each other regularly

Lesson 12 (1 Thess 5:16-24):

Spiritual Partnership between us & God
1. Our Part (v. 16-20) – we have the free will to choose and the responsibility to do so
2. God’s Part (v. 23-24)

My Part in Preparing for Christ’s Return (v.16-20)
1. Be joyful always – remember that we do not deserve anything, but view everything as a gift from God.
(Paul: Also manage our expectations, because we are nothing apart from Christ, we are all sinners. Who are we to treat others with contempt when they don’t meet our expectations? Susan: So should we have expectations of others? Paul: Nothing wrong in having expectations, but must learn to be ready to forgive & accept when they fall. Serene: Have expectations but leave everything to God, and accept God’s will & plan for us & whatever He decides to give us. Paul: We can expect things from God, but we must learn to trust in Him & learn to hear from Him before we expect, not expect out of what we think)
2. Pray continually – carry a running conversation with God like you would a friend. Tell Him everything, there is nothing too small for Him. Be specific & tell God exactly what you want. Learn to be silent at times.
(Emma: Being aware of God & can pray at any moment. Paul: Can be in the context of speaking in tongues. Live a life of speaking in tongues. Attune your spirit & won’t be limited by English vocabulary.)
3. Give thanks in all circumstances – not for all circumstances, when we have gratitude & thanking spirits, people will listen! Believe, claim & embrace Romans 8:28 in order to have a spirit of gratitude!
4. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire – by being rebellious against God, self-centredness vs. God-centred life.
(Serene: Any other things that we can quench the Spirit’s fire? Or what does it mean to quench? Emma: Impedes His work in & thru’ us. Being unteachable. Serene: One way is to reflect on how we have been leading our life. Doing things according to our own plans or spending time to listen from God to what He wants to do in us. Jon: 2 examples to “pssst” the Holy Spirit. One is to fail to be disciplined to do QT by choosing to do something else eg. Play computer games. End up feeling dry. Second is to take care of your health, because it affects the spirit & soul. Emma: We do things with purpose. But we need to qn ourselves what is this purpose. Jon: Know the purpose but don’t hv discipline. Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.)
5. Do not treat prophecies with contempt – be open & have a teachable heart to what God wants to do in & thru’ you
6. Test everything – we need to discern what we hear by examining their teachings & lifestyle with scripture & if it aligns with the Word of God, check if what he say is what he does
(Serene: From today’s sermon, look at the fruits. But first thing is that we must know the Word of God to know if what others teach is aligned with the Word. Emma: media is scary because it propagates such things. Jon: Even false prophets can use the bible to quote. Every verse has to have another verse to support in line with it. Serene: Taking things out of context. Jon: Does fruit always mean the fruit of the spirit or also the by-product eg. their actions? Paul: We are the fruit of the spirit & good fruit will point & draw ppl to Jesus and not anything else and not even themselves. James: We need to spend a lot of time with others to know their fruit. Paul: Tele-evangelists in the past preached about God but drew ppl to themselves. Kenny: Purpose of fruit is to propagate more trees with fruit.)
7. Hold on (aggressively) to that which is good – love, purity, grace, etc.
8. Avoid every kind of evil – fend them off every day with the power of the Holy Spirit, not by our own power

God’s Part in Preparing Me for Christ’s Return
1. God’s power to sanctify us & set us apart for His purposes
2. He has fashioned us and shaped us for His purposes
3. God is faithful & will do it (v.23)

Power verses:
1. Deut 7:9 - God keeps his covenant to a thousand generations.
2. Lamentations 3:22-23 - His compassions never fail. His mercy is new each day.
3. 2 Tim 2 - God remains faithful (because of His character) even when we are unfaithful
4. Philippians 1:6 - God who started a good work & will sustain us & see it through to the very end.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Group Life

Notes for Cell 25th Oct 2009-10-25
Group Life. (road map)

1) Follow the Leader (lesson of submission, Hebrews 13:17)
2) Get along (Thess 5:13B, promoting harmony)
3) Do your part (warn those who are idle, Epn 4:16 as each part does its work)
4) Help each other (Before i can help you, i must know you)
5) No payback (make sure nobody pay back wrong for wrong but repay with blessing)

Small Group = Family
1) Group agreement
2) Common ground rules

Relationship
1) How well we manage
2) Consist high and lows (we need each other and we needle each other)

Discussion
1) Sense of responsibility for everyone
2) Meet up more often
3) Being humble and sensitive to each other
4) Right mix right click

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Your Body Belongs to God

John 17 contains the longest report of Jesus.
As we live our lives, we will be in tension: there are different set of values that we have in conflict with the values around us.

James 4:4: Friendship with this world become enemies of God
Living in this world is counter cultural. We don’t take cue from polls, but from his word. To obey, not negotiate.

Christian life: practical. You life will please and glorify God.

Good Life: Not how happy or healthy we are, but the measurement of good is how well we live for God’s purposes, not our own.

4 decisions that lead to sexual purity:

1. Decide who you are going to live for. You belong to God, now live like it. Do not be “out of control sexually”. Not just “Don’t do it”, but “You belong to God”. Spiritual and Sexual purity are some things that you don’t need to ask or pray for. God already made it very clear.
2. Decide against any kind of sexual immorality – a sin to your own body.
3. Decide to learn self control: “God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
4. Decide it’s not worth the price. 1 Thessalonians 4:6. You cannot afford the price, walk away from it. One night can lead to years of pain in you and your family’s life. It will grieve God’s name, lose self respect, form memories and flashbacks that will impact your spouse, children...

More thoughts.
1. Every single one of us is susceptible.
2. There is forgiveness and restoration.

At a greater picture, God is looking for obedience.

What is counter-cultural? Counter the norms. 20 yrs ago: Sex was a hush hush thing. How should we educate our youths? What are the norms for them?

Practical ways in everyday life:
1. Feed on the word of God
2. Surround yourself with believers who have the same beliefs – encourage you and keep you accountable
3. Having people who you are accountable to: Mentors, disciples
4. Make the right choices – avoid pornography, don’t temp ourselves (e.g. movies, music, advertisement, newspaper)
5. Letting people know that you are Christians

What ought to distinguish Christians in our generation as being “set apart for God”? The norms nowadays can change and “evolve”. Culture around us will change and people compromise. It is not clear what is right and what is wrong. It is more difficult for them. Hence, it is important for us to know what the truth is. Truth from the bible does not change. Face confrontation and “false” accusation. As the world grows darker, we should shine brighter.

Sexual education now has become different from the past: Must have safe sex instead of cannot have sex?! Homosexuality?

Warn people about the wrath against God. One should not preach as people hear what they want to hear.

Listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, be sensitive to it and obey in it. Don’t just hear our own voices.


Related verses:
Micah 2:6
Proverbs 16:9
Matthew 28:20
2 Corinthians 7:1
1 Samuel 21:5
Hebrews 13:4
Romans 1:18
Romans 8:13

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Session 8: Loving insiders & reaching outsiders

1 Thess 4:9-12
- They love those inside the family.
Holy Spirit dwell in us when we receive Christ into our life and part of the Holy Spirit’s job is to inject love in our hearts.
Jesus commands us to love each other.Cell group should be a place where you can be the real you.
Fellowship: being committed to each other just as you are committed to Jesus.

-They cared about those outside the family.
Live in such a way that will draw people to Christ.
There should be a balance to grow those in the family and reach out to those outside the family.
Assignment for this week: Read Luke 15

Lead a quiet life: Be reliable, simple and pure life
Mind your own business: Do with commitment
Work with your hands: Idleness -Don’t be idle, lazy and leave job half done
=> RESPONSIBILITY

Win the respect of outsiders – Setting a role and be an example to other Christians
No need to depend on others – Not being a burden to others

How do we love unlovable people?
· Speak the truth with love.
· Be willing to resolve conflict.
· Reconcile and close the chapter
· We love because Jesus first loves us.
· Draw from God’s love pool not your own.
· Don’t let Satan sow discord among fellow Christians.
· Remind ourselves that Christ wants us to love each other.
· Avoid being in situation where Satan can amplify the dislike.
· You can love the person but doesn’t mean you like the person???
· Be emotionally responsible: Have enough rest so that you won’t have outburst of rage.

In order for a group to grow, it is necessary to go through conflict reconciliation.

Live a spirit filled life!!!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Crying Out for God's Presence (CG on 13 Sep 09)

Dear all,

Sorry for the late upload of the notes :P

Be blessed and see u all on sunday!

In Christ always,
Paul

Crying out for God's presence
2 possible reasons for spiritual dryness
  1. Not spending time to cultivate His presence
  2. God allowed us to go through time of testing and growth

Seeking God's presence = Seeking His face = Setting of mind & Heart on God (Psalms 105:4)

8 Challenges to help you draw near to God

Challenge 1: Admit your needs & cry out to Him

Challenge 2: Make a date with God

  • Assign a fixed time and venue to meet up with Him privately

Challenge 3: Public Worship

  • To fulfill His will
  • To see unity in His children
  • To see the body of Christ manifest His power (Heb10:25)

Challenge 4: Build your faith & place your hope in God

  • Heb 11:1, Rom 10:7, 1 Cor 15:18-20
  • When we have hope, we will do more having eternity in mind.

Challenge 5: Remember God's goodness and faithfulness

  • Give thanks to God continually is communicating with Him
  • Diary your testimonies
  • Matt 28:20

Challenge 6: Remove distractions

  • TV, Laptop, ipod, etc

Challenge 7: Mutual Encouragement

  • Join a cellgroup!
  • Be accountable to each other
  • Spending time in godly fellowship
  • Seeking godly advice from leaders and siblings-in-Christ

Challenge 8: Praying in the Spirit

  • Speaking and singing in tongues will stir up rivers of living water and faith
  • Jude 1:20-21

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Session 5: Developing God's Heart for People

16 August 2009

ROR Cell: Session Five – Developing God’s heart for people

1 Thessalonians 2:13 – 20

Three lessons about developing God’s heart for people:

  1. Look for ways to encourage and praise people.
    1. Have to be observant in order to encourage people; challenge: praise 5 ppl per day for the next 7 days
  2. Tenaciously protect those you love from spiritual harm.
  3. Develop a personal passion for people.
    1. Intimacy and relationship

Questions/take-away from video:

What are the barriers that stop the group from developing the relationships deeper?

What are the steps we can take to deepen the relationship?

It is in relationship that we experience the richness of life

What is the difference between authentic praise and flattery?

Discussion:

  1. Are we an encourager? > spiritual
  2. Serene: is there difference between encouragement and praise?
    1. Encouragement > is something for the person to move forward/and make something happen
    2. Praise can serve as an encouragement and is two-ways. (Encouragement may not be praise)
  3. Sharon: What is spiritual encouragement?
    1. Serene: To grow in our walk with God.. comes with a deep relationship.
    2. Emma: cannot categorise what is spiritual encouragement, but it is the values that we hold that encourages others.
    3. James: help to turn people’s attention to God
    4. Sets the environment > ref previous cell material: how to create a safe environment for sharing.
  4. Belle: Encouraging non-christian friends may sometimes be harder because the relationship may not be as deep, Emma: it takes time to invest in the friendship and before they trust and be willing to open up for us.
  5. What are the barriers/fear that keeps us from opening up?

a) Level of relationship

b) With non-christian friends – afraid that we may give the wrong impression and cause them to stumble.

c) Trust – abused trust and will not believe again.

d) James: When you share openly, it makes you vulnerable, if the group doesn’t have openness or vulnerability then we don’t share, Emma: but we should also have some courage. Rachel: sometimes the vulnerability is necessary. Emma: sometimes it’s a pride issue.

  1. How is our cell doing? Serene: we’re doing good, growing. (multiplying?)
  2. How can we improve?
    1. More organised activity outside of weekly cell. Ladies’ night? Men’s night?
    2. Commit to our prayer partners.