Monday, April 23, 2012

April 22 Message: Power of the resurrection of Christ

The message is taken from the passage in Mark 16:1-8 and Acts 1:6-11.

In the first half of the message, the resurrection account is preached.  The resurrection of Jesus was testified by the empty tomb, the angels, and eye witnesses.

There are people who challenges the validity of the resurrection of Christ.  Some may say that the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb!  Seriously?  would you go to the wrong grave of someone you loved?  Some people say because women were the eyewitnesses, their testimonies were invalid because they were women.  Well, I leave it for those people to defend themselves.  Some people say the disciples stole the body of Jesus and claimed that he resurrected.  What did the disciples gain for proclaiming this news? Wealth? Power? Popularity?  Well, some of them got to be crucified and then burned.  Jesus Christ is a real person, not a legend, and he was raised from the dead.

Before Jesus was taken up back to heaven, He told us that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us; and we will be His witness in our local setting and then to the rest of the world.

What is this power through the Holy Spirit?


This power opened the eyes of the blind and the hearts of unbelievers. This is the power that is promised to those who wait on God and to follow Him.  The power of the Holy Spirit lives in you and can abide upon you.  God’s power is totally different than the power of this world.

What do we do with the power? Seeing sin and repenting of it, Understanding and speaking the Word of God, Experiencing God in intimate ways, Hearing God’s voice, Living out the good news of Christ.




How do you get this power?

Prayer: In Acts 4:31, after prayer, the Holy Spirit filled the room that the apostles were praying in.

Obedience: "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him," (Acts 5:32)

When do you receive this power? 

You must first be cleansed by Jesus before you can be indwelt by the Spirit.  Before you fill a cup you clean it, otherwise it is not suitable for use.

I use the analogy of avid COD players as an illustration to applying this verse.

Conclusion:

We are using God's power through the Holy Spirit only when we are an active witness for him.  The application is directly related to the theme of Crossroad.

Being filled with God's power = Grow deeper in the love for God

Actions and words guided by the Holy Spirit = Love by shepherding one another

Witness Jesus Christ to friends = Proclaim Christ to friends. 




Tuesday, April 17, 2012

April 15 Message: Christ will come again

Rev. Siu preached the message for us last Sunday.  The theme is "Jesus Christ will come again".  He taught on how we should live our lives as followers of Christ waiting for his return.  This hope of his return is certain.  Because of this hope, we can have strength to persevere.

He taught us to pray always.  He introduced four short prayers call breathe prayers.  We are to pray unceasingly and to pray in all circumstances.  The four short prayers are:

1. God, I belong to you.
2. Jesus, have mercy on me.
3. God, save me!
4. Lord, thank you for today.

When we keep ourselves alert and awake by prayer, we would be able to face the pressure and temptation of this world.  As a result, we would be able to love God, love others, and make disciples.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

April 8 Message: Death of Christ

I began the message by asking the question "What makes you think you can approach a holy God?".  My systematic theology professor repeatedly asked this question in his class.  There are many ways to phrase this question, but there is only ONE answer to this question.

We believe that the death of our Lord Jesus Christ satisfied all the demands of God’s law, redeeming us by shedding His blood and assuming our curse, men and women can have a just standing before God.



We then read the whole chapter of Mark 15.  Here is a summary of what happened:

Jesus before Pilate: sinless and innocent
Soldiers mocked Jesus: tortured and humiliated
Crucifixion: further insults and punishment
Death of Jesus: darkness and forsakenness from God


Total Depravity:   “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).   Sin is not just big things like murder or blasphemy but also includes lying, lusting, and stealing. Even the love of money or hatred of enemies is sin, according to the Bible. Good works cannot make up for wrongs against the holy God.

God is Holy:  Having sinned against God, we deserve His punishment. A judge who pardons lawbreakers isn’t a good judge.  God is justice.  Likewise, God will not overlook sin. He pours out His righteous wrath against sinners.

Atonement for sin:  In the Old Testament, innocent lambs were sacrificed as a substitute for the punishment men deserved.  Sacrificing an animal acknowledges that sin required death.  Only a sinless person can sacrifice once and for all.  Jesus finished paying the punishment for sin as the perfect Lamb of God.


Authenticity of God's witness:  The prophets foretold Jesus’ death.  From Adam to Jesus, God sent prophets to mankind, warning them of sin’s punishment and foretelling the coming Savior. Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah described Him: The prophet compared the coming Saviour to a lamb, slaughtered for the sins of others.

Conclusion: We hope that with a deeper understanding and conviction.  You can confidently approach God because of what Jesus Christ has done for you.

The take away is:  How are you responding to the love of God?









Structure of Crossroad


Structure and committed disciples are absolutely necessary for obeying the great commission of making disciples.  The following are an outline of the roles and responsibilities of leaders in Crossroad.

Planning committee: Setting the direction of PGC
(Expectation: Multiplying Disciple)

Coaches: Providing spiritual direction to student leaders
(Expectation: Growing Disciple)


Parent Relation: Communicating and caring for parents (Expectation: Growing Disciple)

Worship Leaders: Leading brothers and sisters to praise God through music and God’s Words.
Fellowship captain: Overseeing Crossroad so that Crossroad remains faithful to the vision of PGC
Outreach Assistance: Reaching out through personal visits and volunteering initiatives.
Small Group captain: Pastoring/shepherding a small group

Expectations of student leaders
Goal: Moving  from being a connecting disciple towards a growing disciple
-Declares faith in Jesus Christ to friends and family
-Faithful participation in PGC Worship, Crossroad, and equipping classes 
-Monthly leader’s prayer/planning meeting
-Bi-weekly discipleship with a coach (In small groups or individually, various setting: worship practice, visits, fun activities)

Vision and Strategy of Crossroad


Peoples Gospel Church exists to glorify God as a cell-based church by passionately multiplying disciples locally and worldwide.

What does this mean?


Glorify God: A person repents from worshipping idols to worshipping Jesus Christ.

Cell based church: Sharing of Gospel and mutual building up take place in cell groups.

Passion: Deep love for God -> Deep love for one another -> Burden to win friends to Christ

Multiplying Disciples: Equipping leaders to lead more people to become disciples of Jesus Christ.


Being a missional church, we equip disciples when we gather.  Members in the church are all missionaries who bring the Gospel to wherever they go.  We bring to Gospel to our schools, to our work place, and to our community.


How are we doing it?


We do so by the slogan. 
"We Grow.  We Love.  We Proclaim"


We Grow to love God and His Words deeper through personal prayer & devotion, worshipping God together, and learning more about God through equipping classes.


We love one another by pastoring one another.  We do so by encouraging each other to do God’s will, praying with one another, and caring for one another.



We proclaim the good news of Christ to friends and family.  We do so by praying for friends and family member's salvation.  We are witnessing Christ in school.  We are inviting friends to Crossroad and Worship.  Last but not least, we are sharing the Gospel with our friends.











            

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Spiritual Growth Path

Jesus Christ calls all believers to make disciples.  All followers of Jesus Christ are on the journey of spiritual growth.  How does a person who is away from God journey to become a passionate disciple of Jesus Christ?  Is getting spiritual high at conferences enough for a person to become disciple of Christ?  Obviously NOT!  The following is a process of how an interested seeker grows to become a multiplying disciple.

The process begins with interested seekers.  People who used to be hostile towards Christ or indifferent towards Christ become interested through the friendship of believers.

An interested seeker drops into fellowship and worship occasionally.  He/she may attend special conferences or camps.  They may make their first time decision for Christ through one on one evangelism with his/her friend.  They may make a decision through conferences and/or camps.

Once a person makes a decision for Christ, he/she becomes a connecting disciple.  The following describes the behaviour of a connecting disciple:
-Declare to friends and family of his/her faith
-Attend Worship and Fellowship Regularly
-Personally followed up
-Plan to be baptised
-Pray 5 times a day (morning, 3x meal, bedtime)
-Engage in basic personal devotion

As a person matures spiritually, he/she grows in the love for God.  The person's love for God is reflected through how he/she relate to brothers and sisters in Christ.  Also, the passion to witness Christ to friends and family grows stronger.  The following describes the behaviour of a growing disciple.


In addition to the behaviours of a connecting Disciples:
-Training in Biblical foundations, evangelism and follow-up
-Praying and caring for brothers and sisters
-Consistent in personal devotion
-Able to personal follow up and Gospel sharing
-Engage in discipleship initiatives


It is true that a person's life change can impact many.  The impact for the Gospel is multiplied when growing disciples are willing to sacrifice more of themselves for the glory of God.  The following describes the behaviour of a multiplying disciple.


In addition to the behaviours of a growing Disciples:
-Leading discipleship initiatives
-Advanced Biblical Training
-Praying and caring for ministry
-Engage in strict spiritual discipline
-Actively engaging in personal follow up
-Actively seeking to sharing of the Gospel






April 1 Message Mark 14:12-26

Here is the summary from Cecil's message on the Lord's supper.  The message is based on Mark 14:12-26 as this month's theme is the passion of Christ.

Passover and the Fest of Unleavened Bread became a festival celebrates the escape of the Jews from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. At Passover, the Jews celebrated their ancestors’ escape from Egyptian bondage (salvation).  Jesus, with bread and wine, instructed the disciples that these elements would serve to remind them of the significance of His death (which would bring salvation to ALL of us).


The blood of covenant is an unconditional covenant God has made promised to forgive sin because of the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Jesus has done all that is necessary for the forgiveness of sins by His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. The bread and the cup are symbols and reminders of Jesus in His death and resurrection.  It remind God’s new covenant to us as we anticipate of the Second Coming of Jesus.

Why do Jesus ask us to remember him with the Lord’s supper?

Jesus Christ desired fellowship and bonding with us and fellow disciples.
Jesus is teaching us that he is the ultimate sacrifice for the world.
Jesus Christ made the Lord's supper as remembrance of His work for many for the forgiveness of sins.


As we approach the passion week of Jesus, reflect on the love that Jesus has for you.

Upon reflection, if you are living in a way that falls short of Jesus' love for you, pray and ask Him for forgiveness. (Note: the sacrifice of Christ is effective for all past, present, future sins).

We are to come to Christ continually for cleansing.