May 6 Message: Instruction on worship

In May and June, we are going to study the book of 1 and 2 Timothy.  These two letters are written by Paul to Timothy.  They are instructions on building up the church.  Here is a brief outline of the message from 1 Timothy 2.


What is worship? Prayer for all people (v.1-4)
Why worship? Jesus is mediator between God and man (v.5-6)
How to worship? Order in the family of God (v.7-15)

What is worship?

To worship means to pray.  Prayer is conversation with God.  We can confidently and freely approach God because we belong to God.  The local church is a family of believers gathering together.  This is your spiritual home.  Worship service is like a family gathering where we all engage in worship to God.  Prayer is to be made for all people, especially for kings and all those in authority.  God is sovereign over the government, the corporations, the social media, etc, we pray for the Gospel to be shared in those in authority.

Why worship?

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.  This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.  We can approach God solely because of Jesus Christ.  As child of God, we received Jesus by repentance from sin. We accept what Christ has done on the cross, he was a ransom for all people.  By having this faith, we submit to Jesus Christ as lord over our lives.  

How to worship?

We are going to touch on some sensitive issues in today's passage.  It is important for everyone to be on a solid ground regarding the theology of human being.

Theology of human being:

-Humans are made in the image of God.  

-Male and female are equally valuable before God.

-God created male and female for different roles. (Man = head, Woman = helper)

-Men and women living out God’s design gives glory to God. 

Exposition of verse7-15

v.7 God appointed Paul to be an apostle.  

And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle —I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.

Why did God choose Moses, Samuel, David, Peter, John, Paul… Francis Chan, David Platt, Rick Warren, Rev. Siu to be his special servants?  We will never know, we may find out in heaven.  But nonetheless, they are called by God to teach the Word of God with God’s authority.  We are called to submit to their teachings because they are speaking on behalf of God’s authority.

v8. I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 

If you call yourself man after God’s heart, or man on a mission, do not be ashamed in lifting up hands to pray and worship God.  We are to pray everywhere: in your school, work place, family, amongst your friends.  The attitude is important, not with anger and disputing, be in peace with God and people.  If you want to be a real man, you are to be unashamed in your worship to God.  You worship God by leading under Christ’s guidance and authority.

v9-10 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

What you dress communicates a message of who you are.  If you dress with elaborate hairstyles, fancy jewelry, sexy clothing, and expensive clothes, what kind of message are you trying to tell people around you?  If you dress modestly and appropriately, how would people look at you.  Your good deeds will set a good witness as a follower of Christ.  Immodest clothing is a stumbling block and a poor witness for Christ.

v.11-12 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.

In ancient culture, women were not allowed to learn as they were labelled as inferior.  Biblical based Christianity actually treats women with dignity as they are encouraged to learn.  The attitude of learning is important.  A student who learn with a humble attitude will reap benefits, whereas a prideful student who dispute his/her teacher would not reap much benefits.  A woman according to God’s design is to be the helper in the church.   

v.13-14 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.  15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

We know that Adam was with Eve in the garden.  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Adam failed by not taking up leadership in protecting Eve against temptation, and he gave in to Eve’s temptation.  There is positive light for women in this passage.  Women find fulfillment as wife and mother, as they are saved through the good news of Christ.  The calling of nurturing the next generation is a high calling.

Conclusion and reflections:

1. Pray for all people. Crossroad is a house of prayer!

Is prayer is central to everything in Crossroad: worship, fellowship, lessons, discipleship…? 

2. Jesus Christ is mediator between God and human

Is Christ in the center of all your relationships (God, family, friends, coworkers)?

3. Do you respect leaders with God’s authority?

4. Are you clear on God’s design on manhood and womanhood for God’s glory?

5. Young men: Are you taking up God’s call to lead and accept responsibility?

6. Young women: Are you taking up God’s call as a helper by submitting to leadership?

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. 

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.

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.

            

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