Jesus rewards our obedience

“There is a difference between obeying someone to earn their love or respect and obeying someone because you love them or respect them."

Hey All! Here's the cell notes from 30th Nov 2008! =) Haha, know this took a long time to "hatch", but well, here it is!! I have included some questions that I noted down during our GG that time. There were not much responses during that time and was somewhat left hanging, but still felt that it is good to put it here.. hee... food for thoughts? =)

Best regards,
Yi Xian

Message bible version of John 14:15-24, 23 “Loveless world is a sightless world...” Written by one theologen, but disagreed by many scholars.

Relationship between loving and obeying
Obedience is
· the proof of love.
· the response to love.
· FLG: “love and obedience are proportionally related” Which comes first, is like the chicken and egg?
· Obedience, by definition, is the act to obey or the willingness to obey. The more you love, you understand more why he love and then the more willing you will obey.
· FLG: “Keep his commandment is the basic act in response to love” So love comes first, and because you love him, you will obey.

Some people obey but don’t mean they love, just like they obeying societal expectations or for something that they are after.

Regarding Judas’s question about why the Lord do not intend to show himself to only his disciples, John 14, earlier, he healed and preached to the people so he has shown physically to other people. Probably Judas is asking regarding the spiritual aspect, what is the contrasting part of revealing this to the disciples and the world?
Paul: Is seems that in that he will send the Holy Spirit when he is away, but it is impossible for him to show to the rest, and that he is facing crucifixion. It is like how he commissioned his disciple to preach the gospel. It is the Holy Spirit that he decided to reveal to the world.

Physically, he may not be able to guide them, but the Holy Spirit will remain to help and guide them and to connect them with God. They will continue to work inwardly in them to help them. From scripture, Holy Spirit is supposed to reside in Man to guide and teaching you and tightening the mind with the knowledge of the word. It has the utmost knowledge of whatever that we lack. Verse 17: Everyone experience the works of the Holy Spirit in us. It is different from what Jesus used to do outside of us, that the world will believe through seeing. But his disciples possess the Holy Spirit to experience him from within.

The Holy Spirit is against the flesh and not the personal spirit. Paul, your mind is to connect with the Holy Spirit, and the mind is trying to connect with the Holy Spirit and to obey the flesh, so it is in a constant war. So it is that we have to continue to renew our mind to obey the Holy Spirit. “So does the Holy Spirit replace the spirit man?” “What about the spirit of the flesh?”

Emma: In the past, others can only see Jesus is a physical form. However, now, He given everyone 100% attention and 100% help through the Holy Spirit, everyone of us, and it is a gift from Him.

Why do we so often disobey? Paul: The story that Ps. Matthew shared about the “coats”. People seem to be putting on different masks everyday in fear of rejection, in fear of pride, in fear of man rather than God. Reasons are probably due to our sinful nature, greed. Sometimes, we did not do to the full teaching of Christ. Sometimes, we are ignorant, or due to inconvenience or laziness or we did not see the importance of obeying him totally. 1 Samuel 15 v19. v72, obeying is more important, and rejected the word of God is as good as rebellion.

Emma: Burnt offering is to cleansing and asking for forgiveness. But people may become taking it for granted. However, God may be looking at the attitude for us in doing things.

Emma: What are some of the feelings that we have when we disobey god?
The Holy Spirit may trigger you off, so we may feel guilt. Holy Spirit vs our own conscious?

Emma: Would you condemn yourselves? Paul: would God want us to feel condemned?
Sarah: Whether Satan will use our fear and guilt to attack us? Emma: Rom 8 v1. From Peter’s story, when Jesus tell Peter, the guilt and condemnation when Peter seems to overwhelm Peter. However, all the 3 times that Peter betrays God, everytime God asked him for the 3 times, it is to cleanse him and break down the feeling of guilt.

Emma: Do you think it is your choice of what you feel, and to decide what you want to do after that?
1st is to bring your sins to light to God and only through that, a choice to move, so that you can be forgiven and freed from the guilty feeling. Sarah: If you think that your sin is so big that you cannot forgive yourself even after you repent to God, you seem that you are greater than God!

Paul: Can we “outsin” God’s forgiveness?

Paul: If children sin, how would parents feel?

Kenny: Psalms 30 v4-6: God will get angry but not overnight, but he will still love us.
Serene: Natural for children to feel guilty, not worthy of God’s love, but God is a gracious God, and knowing his character will help us truly repent and it should come with action and to depend on God’s strength to not do it again and be stronger in our walk with God.
Emma: God knows that based on our own strength, it’s difficult for us to overcome. But through his grace, we can do all things. Amen!

Sarah: Knowing how much you are forgiven, the more you will learn to love. The more you sin, the more you will learn about the greatness of his forgiveness and love him more?

Paul: However, do not go into condemnation along the way, if not, you are taking things into your own hands and not trusting God and seeking God’s forgiveness.

Sarah: I really felt the peace of God throughout the Bangkok trip really.
Kenny: there are so many products of HP. And there are so many issues with HP products, but it still manages to arrive at the balance point/ target point. There are many issues with the line, overdrawing, and so on, but it still manage to go back to target point.

Emma: Work was terrible! Realising how others take your credit does not feel good. I’m glad that the Holy Spirit reminded me not to gossip and try to control and not to just walk off so that you don’t get into the mess which you will need to clear up later.

Sarah: It’s may be different to say just share, or to say bad things about the situation. Of course, choice of someone to confide to is also important.
“Ji jiao” boss, God created everyone differently. For some, they may seem over, but it is valuable in some sense, like delivering quality work.

Kenny: Jeremiah 29 v 11-14. Some encouragement.
Mark 14 v20.

1 Samuel 15 v74 – Linked to the fear of Man.

Get into groups of twos. Choose one statement below and finish it:
• Without the love & presence of God in my life, I would…..
· Not be who I am today
· Seek love in the wrong place
· Be nothing
· Be lost
· Sin more
· Not speak with boldness and security
· Be afraid
· Be very afraid
· Not have meaning in my life

• I do not sense God is present in me when…..
· I’m stubborn.
· We are suffering.
· I place other things as higher priority than God
· When I worry.
· When I’m angry.
· Lost faith in times of fear, worry, sickness, and becoming insensitive to God
· Walk away from God
·
• I am struggling to obey the teaching of Jesus because he is asking me to…


• I have renewed confidence in God’s presence in me because…
· He lives
· His grace is sufficient in me
· His strength is made perfect in my weakness
· Of the promise of the Holy Spirit
· Of His unfailing love
· He loves me

Love him and obey His commandments, from the project to reach out to make disciples.
Encourage each other to grow in our walk with God and in our knowledge of the word
Being more transparent with each other, being accountable and to encourage each other to obey.
Blog is helpful to incur spiritual growth, daily bread.
Meet more outside, other than Sundays.

Conclusion

Serene: Through our obedience, there will be more revelation of who God really is, and to allow knowledge to come into reality.
Emma: rewards of our obedience come from obeying commandments.

*FLG: From the LDR Guide

Fireproof Message by Pst David Lim

" Never leave your partner behind"... quote from the movie 

4 points that were preached by Pastor David Lim that night on marriages:

1. Work

- constantly work together in marriage (i.e: as the marriage vows state - for better or for worse, for sickness or in health, for rich or for poor)

- study each other like you do when you first try to win each other's hearts. (it is a constant learning process)

2.Warfare

- always be on a look for each other on spiritual/physical attacks that sabotages marriages.(i.e: verbal attacks during arguments)

3. Worship

- everything lift up in prayers to the Lord together ("couples that pray together rarely fall apart")

- worship the Lord together.

4. Word of God

- build your marriage on the foundation of the word of God

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Hey guys, I can only remember this much from that night.. those who remembers more can add in to the pointers. Thanks! : )

Thanks be to God

Hi all, just an update, the day before we went for our photoshoot, it was thundering and raining, the morning of our photoshoot it was raining, the day after our photoshoot it was super hot outside. I think God is marvellous. The weather on the day of our photoshoot was very good, it wasn't too hot and not rainy.

As for our hdb balloting, we got 2284 out of 10,000+ applicants, but for only 438 flats, so we don't think we'll get it. But it's ok, because God already has the best flat in mind and arranged for us. So we'll just keep looking around for resale flats. Keep praying for us. Thanks!

-Sarah and Paul

We need your prayers

Hi all,

Please pray for Paul and myself as we go for our photoshoot this Thursday. It's raining and thundering outside now as I write this, so please pray for good weather for us!

Also, our hdb balloting results will be out this Wednesday. There were more than 10,000 applicants for 438 flats all over Singapore. Out of the 438, there is only 1 in CCK that we are looking at. So please pray for favour and God's will to be done.

If you're reading this after these have passed, no worries, because God works beyond the boundaries of time!

Thanks in advance!!

-Sarah

Please pray for my cousin

Hi guys, my mum just informed me that one of my cousins (her brother's son) got an overdose on panadol and was admitted to hospital. They suspect that he is having depression because he's still waiting for university results and some of his friends already have been accepted. He took 35 tablets of panadol. His parents might refer him to a psychiatrist. His family is Buddhist.

I was very disturbed and upset upon hearing this, not only because he's my cousin. Actually we aren't close at all, because of some family problems earlier, so the extended family isn't as close. But even if we're not close, it is still upsetting to hear that my cousin is in depression. But more disturbing is because I don't see why he should be in depression. Is it that society places too much pressure on all of us, that there is no room for failure at all? Is it his parents that have been pressurizing him too much? Or is it simply just a lost boy without God, without any meaning in life or achievement to place his identity with, and without his possible university education, life has no meaning for him?

It's so depressing. It's probably a combination of reasons. Low self esteem, lack of family support or encouragement, too much pressure, and others. But all rooted in the fact that God is not in his life. And it's so sad. That when I compare my life in God, I feel so immensely blessed. It's not that I have found God, but that God has chosen me. My blessings are many and countless. But yet, there are people out there who are lost and without hope in their life. And they need God.

It may be easy to say, what is a university education in Singapore? At most don't study university lor. Just start work or do a diploma. But then it's different for everyone, people with different circumstances and pressures and expectations.

Anyway, just want to share this, hope that when you read this you could also pray for my cousin and his family, that they will get to know God and be saved, and hope that God will use my family and also bring other people to reach out to them.

-Sarah

Online Spiritual Gift test

Thanks Jonathan for sharing with us the powerful sermon on spiritual gifts. Indeed God created us each uniquely and has given us gifts and talents to help us fulfil our purpose and destiny in Christ. I must say that I have been encouraged by the sharing yesterday to always reflect on my heart condition when serving God because it's all about the heart of service. It is not how much you can offer but how much are you willing to offer. I hope you were touched by God too in some way or another yesterday. :)

Thanks Emma too for posting up the notes too! Haha, the comic so cute!

Anyway, I have found a free online spiritual gift test which I feel gives a better evaluation in terms of highlighting the area of service we can look into after knowing what our gifts are and also cautioning us of areas we might overlook and hence resulting in us misusing our gifts. Check it out! You can send me a soft copy after you do it and I can help consolidate everyone's analysis. :) http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

Not forgetting the...

5 basic steps to discover your gifts:
I. Be open and explore all possibilities. Break out from all self impose limitations.
II. Experiment with all the gifts (Never know till you try)
III. After trying, examine your feeling (If it is something God wired you to do, you will enjoy it. It will not be a duty but an enjoyment/fulfillment doing it)
IV. Evaluate the effectiveness of what you doing. (What you enjoy doing may not be what others enjoy it – ensured others are ministered)
V. Expect confirmation; God’s confirmation. [(1) Feedback from people (2) Prophetic exhortation]

*Courtesy of Emma's notes. :)

Cheers,
Serene

SQUARE PEGS IN SQUARE HOLES

Audio preaching by Pastor Benny Ho

Story: Pastor at a dining event and the lady that dish out chicken. (1 piece per person)

Let he/she whom God has given the gifts to do what he/she knows best at.

Romans 12:6-8: Then having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, if prophecy, according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, in the ministry; or he who teaches, in the teaching; or he who exhorts, in the encouragement; or he who shares, in simplicity; or he who takes the lead, in diligence; or he who shows mercy, in cheerfulness.

(1) We have different gifts as …
- God has design everyone differently
- To have less friction. God creates square pegs to be placed in square holes and not square pegs in round holes.
- Our gifts that are given by God compliment each other to fulfil our potential inChrist bringing the church and community to greater heights.

Sadly we live in our self impose limitations and never live to our potential, above and beyond.

Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..

(2) Purpose determines potential.
- Purpose always begins in the mind of the creator.
- Purpose precedes production.
- Purpose creates the design.
- Everything begins with purpose in the mind of the creator and ends with purpose fulfilling its destiny.
- Everyone is created with a purpose. Hence if you and I are not living to our potential, not fulfilling our purpose, we are abusing it.

If we are the child of the most high, then our potential is most high.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

(3) We need to get to our fullest potential by being in your STRENGTH zone. (Do less for more)
Acts 6:1-6
- in the early church the apostles are the one taking care of everything in a church as there is no blueprint for them to follow.
- the apostles discovered they are called to teach the word, they realized they should not spend too much time on the widows. (Verse 1)
- they focus on their calling and the Word of God is increasing and the number of disciples multiple exceedingly, resulting in a breakthrough in the church (Verse 7)
Therefore:
- Take note of your strengths and deploy them accordingly to edify others
- Focus on your strengths and not shortcomings
- Always remember that God will not call you to do something that He did not giveyou the talents to do it.

5 basic steps to discover your gifts:
I. Be open and explore all possibilities. Break out from all self impose limitations.
II. Experiment with all the gifts (Never know till you try)
III. After trying, examine your feeling (If it is something God wired you to do, you will enjoy it. It will not be a duty but an enjoyment/fulfillment doing it)
IV. Evaluate the effectiveness of what you doing. (What you enjoy doing may not be what others enjoy it – ensured others are ministered)
V. Expect confirmation; God’s confirmation. [(1) Feedback from people (2) Prophetic exhortation]

Remember: GOD WILL ONLY ASK OF YOU WHAT HE HAS GIVEN YOU.

Battleship versus Cruise ship
Everyone in the battleship has a purpose/ duty. They each have a function to perform. Unlike a battleship, a cruise ship has 500 people lazing on the ship.

1 Peter 4:10: each one as he received a gift, ministering it to yourselves as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

(4) God is pleased if we use our gifts with the right heart and motive.
- God looks into the heart.
- Note that a ministry is a platform to glorify God not to glorify self.
- Is not for the world to see and for God to see.
- Do not give God a mediocre half hearted effort, do it with heart.
- It is not the size of the task but the size of the heart we put in the task
- Striving excellence with simplicity

Discussion - Our take home ...

(a) Everyone should be given an opportunity to discover their gifts. Every one of us can give opportunities to people around us. (Yi Xian)
(b) 5 steps to discover your gifting (Sarah)
(c) Purpose determines potential. It takes close walk with God to discover God’s purpose in you and obedience to fulfil the destiny. (Paul)
(d) Confirmation from others takes a lot of humility to accept feedback from others. (James)
(e) Everyone has their purposes and potential and everyone compliments one another. (Serene)
(f) The great white shark story putting it in an aquarium instead of putting in the sea - Self impose limitation. Pushing yourself to the limits (Kenny)
(g) Every greatest potential that is brought out, comes with a great mentor and humility to accept people’s feedback. Every service requires the heart to edify others. God looks at our heart when we serve. (Emma)
(h) If not from the heart is not worth doing it. Do less for more (Jonathan)