22nd Nov Sermon Discussion - “The Voice of Truth”

Today’s message is entitled “The Voice of Truth” and the question of the day is “What does the voice of truth say?”

The voice of truth tells us that the Greatest FEAR of the devil is for us to know the truth.

1. The LIE

First things first. Let us see what the lie is. Read through Exodus 1:8-10 and compare these verses with other versions:

Exodus 1:9 (NKJV) “... “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;”

Exodus 1:10 (MSG) “We’ve got to devise a plan to contain them...”

Pharaoh was a powerful man. Whatever he said was done, whatever he wanted was given to him. However he was afraid of one thing. He was afraid that the Israelites would someday overpower the Egyptians. Can you imagine that? Now the Israelites had no army and were just farmers and shepherds but yet the pharaoh, one of the most powerful men on earth who was almost god-like was afraid of this group of farmers and shepherds! Why? Because he knew that God was with them and that they were mightier. So, he had to find a way to contain them.

The same thing can be said about us. The devil knows that we are mightier and he is afraid and so he tries to contain us. How does he contain us? By lying to us. We need to be free of the devil’s lies!

2. The TRUTH

But how can we be free from the lies? John 8:32 tells us “..you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”! So what is the truth?

a. 1 John 4:4 - “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

b. Romans 8:37 - “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

c. Philippians 4:13 - “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

d. Isaiah 54:17 - “no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute (overthrow) every tongue that accuses you.”

e. 2 Corinthians 2:14 - “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ...”

f. 1 John 5:4 - “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

So you see, we are mightier and stronger than the devil. The question is, do you believe it?

Ask the group to share whether they have been living out God’s truth in their lives. Have they been overcomers or have they been overcome? Have they allowed God’s truth to set them free or the devil’s lies to contain them?

Minister to one another and end off with every cell member making a declaration to rise up to the strength and might that God has given them to be overcomers.

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15th Nov Sermon Discussion - “There’s No Plan B, There’s a B Plan”

Ice-breakers – “People to People”

1. Pair the people up. Cell leader to shout instructions for the pairs to “connect”. Examples – “nose to finger”, “feet to feet” etc (Note: No indecent body parts or instructions allowed).
2. Whenever you shout “people to people”, they must change partners.
3. Do a few rounds. Transition: “Today we are going to talk about body life (cell life)…”

Key Scripture – John 13:31-38

31When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Discussion Questions

1. Pastor Eugene shared at the start of the sermon, how many times Jesus gave us the Great Commission (reaching others, making disciples)? Who can tell me where these verses are?
Answer: Five times and found in Matt 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 14:47-49, John 20:21 & Acts 1:8.

2. If God wants us all to be messengers of His love, what should be our response?
Answers:
i. See it as our great privilege.
ii. Have a sense of urgency to tell our friends about Jesus.
iii. Show God that He can depend on us.

3. What is God’s “B” plan? Go round and allow the teens to share with their own words.
Keywords:
i. To love one another.
ii. B stands for body.
iii. Relation evangelism.
iv. Not a single fishing rod, but a net.
v. Returning and staying in community.

4. How do we be part of God B Plans?

i. Step Out in Obedience to Love – Follow His Commands. (vs 34 “a new command I give you”).

a. Ask the teens, “What does this mean for us as a cell group”?
Answers:
• Grow in love for one another.
• Doing it together as a body.
• It is a command from God. We need God’s help.
• It requires obedience and discipline to follow.

ii. Sacrificially Serve One Another – Follow His Way. (vs 34 “as I have loved you”).

a. When Jesus sacrificed His life for us on the cross, what did He reconcile (joined back or bring together again)?
Answers:
• He demonstrated grace by bringing Man to God.
• He reconciled Man to Man. Since we are all sinners saved by grace, we can forgive those who wronged us.

b. Ask the teens, “What are some suggestions you can share how we could serve one another in this cell group”?

iii. Stay In Community – Follow His Love. (vs 35 “by this all men will know that you are my disciples”).

Read also 1 John 4:7-12 - 7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[a] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[b] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

a. These verses help explain what Jesus spoke to His disciples about in John 13. What are some key points you can remember from Ps Eugene’s sharing on this?

Answers:
• Stay in community, don’t run away.
• Don’t hop from church to church.
• No loyalty, no stick-ability = no community for the world to see.
• If we want to know God, we must love another. If we love another, we will know God.
• Can only experience love in a community (cell).
• To grow in love, God may send the unlovely into our lives e.g. people we can’t stand.

Remember the decisions we make are not just life and death. They concern eternal life and eternal death.

b. What is the best test to check if our cell groups Is vibrant and exciting?
Answers:
• Will we invite our friends here???
This cell belongs to ALL of us. Let’s share some ideas how we can make our cell attractive to our friends….Remember next year is Project X – Cell Multiplication. Experience It!

Works
1. Remind teens to sign up for Transformers Camp and also to invite their friends.
2. Lead them in a time of prayer for their friends they hope to bring for the camp and also Christmas Stomp on 24 Dec.

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8th Nov Sermon Discussion - "Moving Into God's Destiny"

Scripture Reference: Joshua 1:1-9 (Message by Rev Rick Seaward)

Introduction:
God has a Destiny for every single one of us… The question is, are you entering into the Destiny God has for you?

Similarly, God has a Destiny for Joshua and for the Nation of Israel, individually & collectively. God told Joshua to get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them.” (Joshua 1:2)

From Joshua chapters 2 to11, we read how Joshua led Israel to conquer and took possession of much of the Promised Land. But…, it was at least several months or 2-3 years before Joshua led the people to conquer the Promised Land.

Why had they never got the land before? What was holding them back? God? the Land? the Enemy? No, it was They, THEMSELVES...

There are 2 major reasons that hindered Joshua from fulfilling God’s Destiny to lead the nation of Israel to Conquer the Promised Land

1. Things of the Past
A. Things People Have Said To Us
B. Living in Our Past Consequences
C. Living in the Failure Of Others
D. Settling For the Status Quo
E. The Same Methods

Question for Discussion: What are some things of the Past that may hinder you from believing that you will fulfill God’s Destiny?

2. Things Right Now
A. Forgetting the Promise (Our Destiny)
B. Fear
C. Not Wanting to Take Responsibility
D. Not Completely Believing God's Word
E. Lack of Commitment to Obeying God's Word
F. Many Distractions from God's Plan

Question for Discussion: Is there anything that is happening now in your life that may cause you to think that you are NOT able to do what you think God is calling you to do?

Reminder: Our Destiny is to Conquer, Not just To Win!
A. Joshua 11:16, “Joshua took all the land …”
B. He won many battles, but kept going until He conquered
C. Joshua would not stop until He had conquered!

Conclusion: Will you move into your God-given Destiny? Will you be a part of God’s Destiny for FCBC?
Let’s pray for God to restore a Conquering Spirit in us! Pray that we will not be just satisfied with WINNING, but we want to CONQUER as what God has intended for us to do! Pray that we will fulfill God’s Destiny for our lives. Pray that FCBC will fulfill God’s Destiny for our church.
Let’s commit our YouthNet Goals for 2010 to the Lord in prayer too that we will EXPERIENCE MULTIPLICATION & SEND everyone out for a Mission Trip next year!!!

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1st Nov Sermon Discussion - "Dead Man Walking"

Scripture Reference: John 11:38-44

Ice-Breaker:
To start today’s cell meeting, we like to play a game called, “Guess the Murderer”. This is how we play the game:

Step 1: Have everyone sit in a circle

Step 2: Bow our heads and close our eyes and the cell leader will walk behind everyone in circle to choose the “murderer” by tapping on someone’s head without anyone knowing whom he has chosen

Step 3: Everyone can open their eyes now and just talk and joke and have fun normally while the “murderer” tries to kill the rest of you one by one by winking at you without anyone noticing….

Step 4: If someone winks at you, you must make a loud noise as though you are in pain being killed by someone. After you “die”, you remain in the circle as before but you cannot tell anyone who murdered you.

Step 5: At any time, anyone who is not murdered can guess who the murderer is. But if he guesses wrongly, he “dies” too.

Step 6: The murderer wins if he can “kill” the last 2nd last person in the circle.

(NOTE: Cell leader, you can play this game a couple of rounds depending on the time that you have…)

I hope you have fun playing this game… being dead after you are “murdered”… :)

Let us now discuss Pastor Melvyn’s Sermon entitled, “Dead Man Walking”

Scripture Passage: John 11:38-44 (Cell Leaders can get the members to role play this passage as an introduction to the discussion)

Introductory Questions:
- What was the “Hopeless Situation” in this story?
- How did Lazarus “come alive” or “ break free” ?

The Question of Today’s Message is: How can we live in True Freedom?

1. Remove Hopelessness – Walk in Faith
Are there situations around you that you feel hopeless about ? Have you given up praying or believing something can happen to change the situation ? Share with one another & minister to each other…

2. Reject Bad Habits & Bondages – Wake Up to Freedom
Are there Bad Habits that you are holding on to? Are you caught in any bondage that you would like to share with us so that we can pray for you?

Conclusion:
The only way that we can truly be set free & live in Freedom is to WALK in FAITH. Only by walking in Faith can we overcome the struggles that we face which make us feel that we are living in the “prisons” of our minds, in the “jails” of our lives… We need to WAKE UP from our “tombs” that tries to make us think that we are like “Dead Man Walking”…

Dear friends, let’s ask God to impart a NEW FAITH unto us so that we can live in TRUE FREEDOM…

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