4th Sept Sermon Discussion - You Can! Because God is Faithful

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22nd August Sermon Discussion - Dare to Dream!

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8th August Sermon Discussion - 4th Dimensional Thinking

[TODAY’S SERMON...]

Last week, Pastor Khong shared about the 4th dimension. If you recall, the 4th dimension is the world of the spiritual world. It is where the works of the Holy Spirit of God, the spirit of Satan, and the human spirit of man take place. There are 4 keys to the 4th dimension which are thinking, vision and dreams, faith and words. Today, we will look deeper into the 4th dimension thinking.

Do you know how powerful our mind is? It is said that the state of life is determine by the state of mind. This means that your thinking controls the way you live. And that’s why to enter into the 4th dimension, we can’t have 3rd dimension thinking (worldly thinking). We need to renew our mind to have 4th dimension thinking. Look at Romans 12:2

[HOW DO WE RENEW OUR MIND?]

We need to think in 3 specific ways:

1) Think possibility
Have you heard before the ‘half full or half empty cup theory’? It goes like this. Water is being filled to the half line marker of the cup and you decide whether the cup is half full or half empty. This theory is used to see how people perceive their situation in life. People who see the cup as half empty are normally pessimistic about life. They don’t see any possibilities to their problems. Whereas people who see the cup as half filled, are normally optimistic about life. They see possibilities instead of problems.

You see, when we face challenges in life and we don’t think of the possibility, we are actually saying that our God is the God of impossible. And with that thinking, we can never enter into the 4th dimension.

Today, will you believe with all your mind that ‘with God, all things are possible’ and ‘you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength’ ?

2) Think pure – Matthew 5: 8
There are 3 types of impure thoughts. They are anxiety, sin and inferior thoughts.

Anxiety: In Mat 6: 25-34, God tells us not to worry. But honestly, how many of you worry a lot? Share with your cell what are 3 things that your normally worry about. Do you know that worrying goes no where? It’s like sitting on a rocking chair. You can rock all you want but it goes nowhere. Today, surrender your worries to God and trust Him. Know that He has good plans for you.

Sin: Look at Romans 1:28-31. Are they sinful thoughts in you? It can be thoughts of envy, lust, murder etc. Will you confess to your leader about it? Don’t wait till your thoughts become real. Remember, our mind can control the way we live.

Inferior: Let’s discuss. When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you see a masterpiece or do you not like what you see?

When we do not like ourselves, we are actually criticising God’s creation. Maybe some of you here dislike the way you look because of what people say about you. Write it down on a piece of paper of all those hurtful words that were said about you.

Take the paper, close your eyes, and tear it because these are all lies and you need to let go of it and start to believe that you are a MASTERPIECE! You are SPECIAL!

3) Think Paradise
Read Ephesians 2:6-7

To think paradise, is to think that you are with God in the heavenly realms.

Do you know that you are 4th dimension creature living in 3rd dimension world. Look at Ephesians 2:6. God is seated with us! Now you know this truth, will you start to have 4th dimension thinking? When you start to have 4th dimension thinking, you will see the impossible becoming possible, the supernatural becoming natural, and the victimize becoming victors!

[PRACTICE WHAT YOU LEARNT..]

1. Some of you here might not be leading a group because you think you can’t. Today, will you take a leap of faith to believe that you can? Invite 1 friend to your cell 40DOF group or Teens excite.

2. Have you been reading the bible? To have 4th dimension thinking, you need the word of God. Start reading the bible today!

3. Memorise Romans 12:2

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18th July Sermon Discussion - The Danger of Drifting...

Scripture: Hebrews 2:1-4; 6:11-12

[TODAY'S SERMON]

Imagine that you are on a raft in an open ocean and you are trying to reach an island. To reach the island, you will have to put in effort and paddle towards it. The moment you stop paddling and do nothing, your raft will just float around aimlessly according to current of the ocean – You end up drifting away.

Our Christian walk is very much the same. The moment we do nothing, we end up drifting away (from God). Two important truths we need to learn from today’s message:

1. Spiritual drifting comes from negligence.
2. Spiritual drifting can be overcome by diligence.

[HOW WE SEE IT...]

So what is all this talk about negligence and diligence? Well let’s try to explain it:

Do you remember using a pencil back in primary school? You have to constantly sharpen your pencils to make sure that they are useable. Negligence is when we are irresponsible and do not constantly sharpen and make sure that our pencils are useable. So in the event we need a pencil, we might just find that our pencils are blunt, broken and useless.

Diligence is when we constantly take responsibility to make sure that our pencils are sharpened and useable at all times.

If your Christian walk is a pencil, are you sharpened and useable or are you blunt and broken? The moment you stop sharpening your walk by reading the bible, spending time with God or praying, you end up drifting further and further away from God.

[THE BIBLE SAYS...]

Hebrews 2:1
“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

How is your spiritual walk? Are you spending time with God? Are you reading the word? Are you praying? If your answer is no, then it’s time to listen to what Hebrews 2:1 says!

Pay much closer attention to your spiritual walk. Make it a point to seek God everyday so that you do not drift away!

Remember, what is it that we must do to drift away? – Nothing!
So what are you going to do so you don’t drift away?

[YOUR LIFE...]

Pause and think through your spiritual walk for a moment. What are some areas that you’ve not been sharpening? Write it down below and commit to the Lord that you will start sharpening it today!

Example: Prayer, quiet time, reading bible etc.

[SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT...]

The great thing about God’s plan for our lives is that He didn’t just plan for us to walk through our Christian walk alone! Apart from being there, God has also sent many people to you to minister to you on His behalf. A good example would be your cell group!

Take some time to ask these questions as a cell:
1. What are some things we can do as a cell to ensure that all the members of the cell do not drift away?
2. What can I do during my own daily schedule to ensure that I do not drift away? (Click here to read full post)

20th June Sermon Discussion - Consider the Goodness and Severity of God

Scripture: Romans 11:21, 22

INTRODUCTION

• Take a moment and think through what God is like. Now try and put a picture to what God is to you.

• Is God like an old gentle man floating up on the clouds giving out gifts and love to everyone

OR

• Is God like an angry giant up in the heavens looking down in anger waiting to zap everyone with lightning?

• God may or may not be either one but to know God as who He truly is, we need to know God and see Him completely.

MESSAGE

• The truth is that God is good and loving, but at the same time God is severe and fierce.

• God’s goodness is always popular but people usually don’t want to talk about God’s severity.

• In order to truly know God, we need to see every part of Him and not just choose the parts that we want to see.

Question: Based on Romans 11:21-22, what do you think will happen if you only choose to see God’s goodness and not His severity?

• We need to see and understand God’s severity before we can understand God’s goodness.

• If we choose to see God in an incomplete way, then we will end up falling away and rejecting the truth – Look at the book of Jeremiah!

• We need to see God fully and complete! He is not 50% gracious and 50% severe – He is 100% gracious and 100% severe!

How then shall we live?

#1: We need to be overwhelmed by the grace of God

• We are all imperfect and have sinned and because of that we actually deserve to die and not live another second. But take a look at Lamentations 3:22-23.

• God loves us so much that’s why He doesn’t consume us! And He demonstrated that love in Romans 5:8!

• We all actually do not have the right to live and have any form of blessings in our lives. But because of God’s grace and mercy, we can live a life full of blessings.

#2: We must not take His grace for granted

• Hebrews 12:29 tells us that God is a consuming fire.

Question: Take a look at another verse, Hebrews 10:26-27. What do you think will happen if we always say that it’s okay to sin because God will always forgive us?

• Always listen to the voice of God and do not harden your heart (Hebrews 3:15).

• If your heart is hardened, your reject the word of God and because of that you cause yourself to stop receiving God’s grace, mercy and love.

APPLICATION

• The way to always be overwhelmed by the grace of God and not to take it for granted is to walk closely with God.

• The question is, how is your quiet time? Do you spend time with God?

• Choose today to walk with God every day. Do your quiet time every day. As you obey God and spend time with Him, you will learn and see God in His completeness. Don’t choose parts of God that are better for you. Choose God for all that God is.

MEMORY VERSE

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

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13th June Sermon Discussion - "You Can Be A Blessing!"

Introduction:

How many of you want to see yourself leading a group or inviting your friends to the 40 days of faith? If you want, you need to start now! Yeah! Though 40 days of Faith officially starts on 1 August, you need to start praying and planning now. Don’t worry its just a few simple steps☺

Bible verses: Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-8

3 simple steps that we can take in response to this call and experience the miracle of multiplication

1. Go and see the need

Write down the names of your friends/family members that you want to invite for 40 days of Faith.

How many of you here are troubled or stress out on what to do to reach out to them? Let’s look at what Jesus do when He reach out to the multitudes.

In Mark 6:34 states ‘When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke – like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them. Looking at this verse, it says that the crowd was like sheep with no shepherd and what Jesus did was to meet their needs by teaching them. He didn’t spend thousand of dollars nor perform a talent show to reach out. He just met the needs of the people.

Activity 1:

a) How did you come to know Jesus and what makes you believe in Jesus? Write it down. I believe many of you here believe in Jesus because Jesus met your needs. Maybe some of you here a wounded heart and Jesus met your needs by healing it. Maybe some of you here have fears and Jesus met your needs by helping you to overcome your fear.

b) Look at the names of the friends/family members that you have written just now. Do you know their needs? Write it down beside their names and start praying for them. If you don’t, then its time to spend time with them, to know more about them and pray for them. And if their needs are something that you can meet, are you willing to help them meet it? For example, some of them need friends to study with. Are you willing to set up a study club and study together with them? Or maybe some of them need friends to go out with. Are you willing to organize a simple outing for them to spend time with them?

2. Pray and bring them to the Lord

In Mark 6:30-44, we see how God was able to feed the thousands despite having five loaves and 2 fishes. Indeed, with God, all things are possible.

Activity 2:

a) As we are talking about leading a group or inviting friends for 40 days of Faith, how many of you are fearful doing it or think that you can’t lead a group? Write down those fears and reason why you think you can’t.

b) Today, God wants to tell you that you can! In Phil 4:13 ‘ I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’ Just like how Jesus was able to feed the thousands with 5 loaves and 2 fishes, He is able to help you overcome your fears. As long as you tell God that you are willing to lead a group or willing to participate in the 40 days of Faith, God will help you.

c) Make it a commitment to pray to Him daily for the people that you are inviting.

3. Organize and serve them together

Jesus was very detail at His execution. Similarly we need to be organize in our 40 days of faith.

Activity 3:

a) Take this time to think of the venue that you want your 40 days of faith to be held and write it down. Make sure it’s comfortable, convenient and conducive. There will be a short video for them to see. Do ensure that the place is able to show the video.

b) Which day and time do you want it to be held? After school? Sat?

c) From now till 40days of Faith, it’s about 1 month plus. Organise activities that can fellowship with them or meet their needs before the 40 days of Faith officially start. You can have a study club/a once a week movie outing/a bbq gathering/play sports or computer games etc. It will be good if you can work together with a fellow sister/brother in Christ.

Yeah, remember 40 days of Faith don’t start on 1 August. It starts NOW!

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29th May Sermon Discussion - "I CAN!"

Scripture: Philippians 4:13

INTRODUCTION

Did you know...

• You could share the gospel to your entire school?


• You could lead 100 people?


• You could be the top student in your school?


• You could reach your generation for Christ?

God’s word for you today is that YOU CAN do great things!

It doesn’t matter whether you’re smart or rich or how old you are; God can and will use you to do great things if you let Him because God lives in you!

The most ordinary people can do great things through our extraordinary God!

You can be great! (But you need to believe it!)

Activity: Share with one another in the group what is your greatest dream. It could be to become a millionaire, a pilot, own a mansion or even to be the next Apostle Lawrence Khong! Regardless of what it is, do you believe that you can do it? Do you believe that you can do even more than that? End off telling one another “you can!” and then by saying it yourself that “I can!”

- So why do we need to believe that “I can!”? Is to please Pastor Khong? Is it just so that we will feel excited about the 40 days of faith? NO!

- So what is believing that “I CAN!” all about?

MESSAGE

#1: We live with an attitude of FAITH!

• Attitude is important because it is what shapes our lives.

• Attitude will either liberate us (free us to do great things) or limit us (push us down to never do great things).

• If we always tell ourselves that we can’t do it then we will end up not being able to do it. But if we tell ourselves that we can do it then we will end up being able to do it.

• Romans 8:31 (NIV) “If God is for us, who can be against us?” – God is for you! So step out in this attitude of faith to believe that God can and will use you to do great things!

#2: We choose to act in OBEDIENCE!

• We cannot just believe that we can do great things. We must actually start doing it!

• James 1:22 (NKJV) “But be DOERS of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

• A true attitude of faith that believes God can and will use you will lead to action.

• Philippians 4:13 doesn’t just say “I can”. It says “I can DO”.

• Don’t just believe that you can do great things. Great things don’t just happen. Great things happen through doing something.

#3: We allow God’s POWER to come!

• We can believe that we will do great things. We can start to work on great things. But only when God’s power comes and empower us can we fully do great things.

• Philippians 4:13 doesn’t just say “I can do”. It says “I can do all things THROUGH Him who strengthens me”.

• We can easily say “I can pray and heal the sick!” We can believe that we can do it. We can do something by praying. But only when we allow God’s power to come and empower us can any healing take place.

• 2 Corinthians 3:5 (Amplified Bible) “Not that we are fit (qualified and sufficient in ability) of ourselves to form personal judgments or to claim or count anything as coming from us, but our power and ability and sufficiency are from God.”

APPLICATION

• 40 Days of faiths is just around the corner. In fact it starts now.
• Do you believe that you can lead a group?
• When you believe it and step out to start doing it, God will empower you and you will see great things being done through you.

Activity: Spend some time seeking the Lord and asking Him to help you lead a group through the 40 days of faith. If you are serious and believe that God can and will use you, tell your leader that you want to lead a group. You may not know how, but take that step of faith and obedience and allow God’s power to come and use you!

Memory Verse:
Philippians 4:13 (NIV) “I CAN do ALL THINGS through Christ who STRENGTHENS me.”

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13th March Sermon Discussion - "Quick Feet"

Bible Scripture: 1 Chronicles 12:8

Ice-breaker: Cat & Mouse

Sit around in a circle of at least 8 people; prepare 2 objects (e.g. water bottle or bible). One object will represent a ‘Cat’, and the other a ‘Mouse’. Moving in a clockwise direction, the ‘Cat’ will be passed from person to person by having the object go 1 round around the waist of the person, before passing on to the next person. The ‘Mouse’ will be passed in a similar fashion except that it needs to go 2 rounds around the waist of the person. The objective of this game is for the ‘Cat’ to catch the ‘Mouse’. Start the game with the ‘Cat’ and ‘Mouse’ at opposite sides of the circle and you will see the ‘Cat’ catching the ‘Mouse’ soon!

Introduction:

In the ice-breaker, why was the ‘Cat’ always able to catch the ‘Mouse’? The answer is simple; it moves from person to person faster. In short, it has quicker feet!

God has destined great things for our lives and our church, represented by the ‘Mouse’. For us to claim them, we need to be just like the ‘Cat’, we need to have quicker feet. Just like in the ice-breaker, when we chase God’s purposes for our lives wholeheartedly, we will always be able to catch them. That is God’s divine will!

1 Chronicles 12:8 (NASB) “From the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.” Just like David’s mighty men had quick feet, God calls us to be well-trained and have quick feet too.

How To Have Quick Feet:

1. We Must Have The Right Spirit

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that our hearts can deceive us. What this means is that we can easily harden our hearts and not even realize it! The only way we can always be in the right spirit is to always be in the presence of God, Philippians 4:8-9 shows us how – our daily devotion of reading God’s word will bring His presence into our lives!

Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV) “8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

One sign of a hardened heart/wrong spirit is the unwillingness to learn or grow anymore. Check our hearts: are you someone who would choose to do things the easy way, laze around, find some excuse to do less for God or are you someone who pays attention to the things of God and pay the price to obey Him?

Will you make a choice today to put God in the highest place in your life? You can do so by stepping out of your comfort zone and joining in the 24/7 prayer at TC Chapel this week or joining in the G12 conference looking forward to hearing God speak to you.

2. We Must Guard Our Hearts

Proverbs 4:23 (MSG) “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.” When need to guard our hearts because issues of life flows from our hearts. If we do not guard our hearts, we get wounded easily. ‘Injuries’ in our hearts such as resentment, un-forgiveness, pain, anger or bitterness, weighs us down and can create insecurities. King Saul became envious of David’s success in battle instead of being proud of his fellow man’s victory, 1 Samuel 21:11.

Paul and Silas showed us an example of guarding their hearts in the midst of imprisonment in Acts 16:22-26. They experienced spiritual attack in their relationship with God when they were caught, emotional hurt when they were put to shame when their robes were torn off and physical pain of being beaten. Yet at about 12 midnight, they were praying and singing hymns to God. Evidently, they guarded their hearts and did not allow circumstances to cause them to focus on their hurt. Like Paul, we can stay focused on God and His calling to win the unsaved instead of the hurt and pain suffered. Don’t live with the victim mentality but rather, have a secure, victorious mentality!

What are some negative emotions that affect you usually? Envy, anger, resentment, worries? Identify and learn to be on your guard against these emotions.

3. We Must Renew Our Minds

Our minds can receive the truths and revelations of God because we have the mind of Christ, 1 Cor 2:16 (NIV) "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.” God also pours new wine (His revelations) into new wineskins (our renewed minds), Luke 5:37.

To have Quick Feet for God, we need to let God transform us by the constant renewing of our mind, Romans 12:2 (NIV) “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

One way to be transformed by the renewing of our mind is to have the positive attitude of wanting to learn and staying teachable. Your feet will become quicker when you want to learn. God will pour into you His fresh anointing and revelation. Let us make an effort to learn new things every day, so that we are trained to run faster for God.

What are some new truths / revelations God has shown you recently?

4. We Must Have Vision

God always completes what He has begun, Psalms 138:8 & Philippians 1:6 (NIV) “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God’s plans for your life will be completed if you know the vision and choose to follow after it.

Bartimaeus was blind and begging before he received sight from Jesus, Mark 10:46, 51-52. When God gives you vision, you will have passion because you have a reason to live.

To find out more about God’s vision for your life, come to the G12 conference ready to receive God’s Word. Don’t think of yourself as being too young and cannot relate to God’s plans for your life. Prepare your heart and ask God speak to you! The G12 vision has transformed so many lives all around the world, it can change yours too!

If you have not already done so in response to the sermon from last Sat / Sun, would you decide right now to have Quick Feet?

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6th March Sermon Discussion - "From Victory to Victory: The Painful Lessons from Ai"

Bible Scriptures: Joshua 7 & 8

How to have Victory to Victory Despite Failures

1. Corporate Commitment to Holiness

Activity 1: Games Time

I. Split yourself into 2 groups
II. In your group, take out a pen and a piece of paper
III. In order to win, the group that finishes the given task in the fastest time wins the game.
IV. This is the task: Every member in the group has to use both their thumb and their second finger to hold the pen and use that pen to write the word ‘UNITY’ on the piece of paper. If any member’s thumb or finger leaves the pen, the group has to redo.
V. As you played the game, do you realized that in order to win, everyone has to play their part? If one stops, there will be great difficulty in moving the pen. If one decided to disobey the rules, the group can’t complete the game. Everyone’s action affects one another.
VI. Similarly, if one sins, the body of Christ will be affected. Let’s look at the book of Joshua.

In Joshua 6:18, God told the Israelites to keep away from the devoted things. The devoted things refer to the gold and silver of Jericho. However one man decided to disobey what God has commanded.

In Joshua 7: 1 it states, ‘ But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.’ The Lord didn’t just punish Achan. The Lord punished Israel. They lost the battle in Ai and 36 men lost their lives.

VII. Do you know when we sin and choose to be ignorant of it, it affects the body of Christ? Maybe your fellow sister in Christ need God to heal her from a disease, but because of your sin, God’s hand can’t move. Today, if you have a sin in your life, are you willing to repent?

2. Communal Circumcision for Cleansing

In Joshua 7:13, it states ‘ Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says; That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.’ The reason why the Israelites lost Ai was because of sin. Thus, in order to win, they need to remove the sins in their lives. They need to set apart themselves for God.

i. Do you want to experience victory in your life? If you want, consecrate yourself daily. True freedom comes when we choose to obey Christ and live like Christ.

3. Courage to Fight on Again

Joshua 8:1. When Joshua was about to fight against Ai again, he was afraid as he had lost to Ai before. He was afraid that history will repeat itself. But God told him to not be discourage or afraid as God will help him.

Activity 2:

I. What does courage means to you?
II. Courage is simply letting go of the past and letting God take you into His plan.
III. Break into groups of 2 .Is there any areas in your life that you have given up and need courage to fight again? Share and pray for one another.

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28th Feb Sermon Discussion - “Taking Cities for God- Overcoming Insurmountable Obstacles”

Have you been joining in the 40 days of prayer? Believe that as you draw near to Him, you will experience inner victory. With that, you can experience outer victory.

Bible text: Joshua 6.

3 Strategies in Overcoming Insurmountable Obstacles:

1. Divine Plan

In Joshua 6:2-5, the Lord gave Joshua a divine plan in tearing down Jericho. Jericho signifies the obstacles in our lives. As a Christian, our obstacles are not just about our needs in our lives. It includes a bigger plan in transforming your school, transforming Singapore.

Activity 1: Sharing

i. Is there an obstacle (a Jericho) in your life right now that you find it hard to overcome? Share and pray for one another.
ii. Just like how the Lord gave Joshua a divine plan, God has also given Pastor Khong a divine plan in transforming Singapore. One of the 7 gates of culture influences is Education and Schools. As a student, you have a part to play to transform your school. However, do you want to? Do you believe that your school can be transformed? Do you believe that there will be salvations happening in your school everyday?
iii. You can make it a habit to pray for your school everyday. Also set up a prayer group in your school. On top of that, plan ways to be a blessing to your school and execute your plans. For example, you and your friends can help to clean the classroom every day.

2. Divine Presence

The reason why Jericho fell was because the presence of the Lord was with them. In Joshua 6:8, it states that the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. The Ark of the Covenant represents the presence of Lord.

Activity 2: Sharing

i. Do you know when we only ask God for His power/blessings rather than His presence, our relationship with Him will not be too strong? The reason is because you only know Him for what He can do rather than who He is. Thus, when you don’t get what you ask for, you will feel disappointed and leave Him.
ii. Are you willing to desire God’s presence and not just His power? When we desire God’s presence, we can overcome the obstacles in our life.

3. Divine People

All of you are God’s chosen people. You can overcome. You are special. You can win the nation. You can be strong. You can do great things. You can dream. You can be happy. Out of all these, which is the one that you find it hard to believe you can do? Share with your partner and pray that you will experience breakthroughs.

Activity 3: Memorise a verse

John 15:16 ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.’

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Baptism Testimony - "The Greatest Gift Anyone Can Ever Have!"

I was born into a Buddhist family. I grew up following my parents to temples to pray and perform the different rituals that Buddhists usually do. Eg. burn paper money, drink the ash water, hold joss sticks. Before I knew Christ, I was a very wild person. I used to say words that hurt others’ feelings, especially those rough Hokkien words such as ‘Wa Lao, Wa Kao’, ‘Siam la’.

I was not sensitive to my friends’ emotions and said whatever I felt like saying. I was very immature and can even be impolite at times. I used to be very impatient too and often lose my temper over small things. I remembered one time when I shouted at my grandmother just because she had forgotten to do something for me. But above all these, I felt that my life was meaningless. Going to school was meaningless, doing homework was meaningless. I did not have a sense of purpose and even felt lousy about myself.

The time when I began to realize that I needed God was when I came to Secondary school. I was from Fairfield Methodist Secondary. We had daily devotion every morning before the start of lessons. A teacher would come up and share a word from the bible as well as pray for the whole school. We also had chapel once a week. It is like a service with worship and a short message. Though I’ve heard about Jesus from my grandmother when I young, but it was in Secondary school that I slowly began to understand who He really is.

I realized that Christians are happy people. They tend to do things more effectively than me. Also, I can see that they have a lot more motivation and purpose in the things that they do in their everyday lives. As time passes, I realized that deep down inside I wanted to believe in this God but I was not totally convicted yet.

My turning point came when my grandmother had a heart attack in 2004. I was in secondary 3 then.

The doctor said that she needed to go for an operation but there was only a 50-50 percent survival chance. It is possible that she’ll slip into a coma or even pass away during the operation. I was terrified. I realised that I needed a miracle to save my grandmother’s life. My grandmother was the one who brought me up and I was very close to her. Losing her would be too unbearable for me. So I made a deal with God. I told God that if He’s really real, He would save my grandmother’s life. In the end, my grandmother’s operation was successful. God came true to me. He saved my grandmother’s life and she’s living with me up till today. That was the time that made me confirmed that God is real. However, I didn’t knew how or what to do to accept Christ.

How I accepted Christ was when my physics teacher then, Joanna invited me for a Good Friday concert in April 2005. It was a harvest event organised by FCBC called ‘Starlight’. I agreed to go since it was a school holiday and I had nothing to do. After the performance, Ps Eugene gave a short sharing and that really touched my heart. Thus, during the alter call, I said the sinner’s prayer and gave my life to God. That was how my journey as a child of God began. Soon, I started coming to church and cell and continued to learn more and more about Jesus.

To me being a Christian is to have the Holy Spirit inside of me. It means having God everywhere I go and everything I do. Right now, I’m living a life that seeks to do the will of God. My life is meaningful and purposeful. I understand that God has a perfect plan for my life and all I have to do is to obey Him. I’m now more conscious of my own actions. I also have better control over my emotions. I begin to have more patience to the people around me especially towards my parents.

My aim now is to live a life that is righteous before God. Furthermore, I’m learning to practice this unconditional love to others just as God has showed His unconditional love to me. I’m starting to have more confidence in what I do. I’m a much happier person, knowing that I have a God who loves me and will see me through every single situation of my life. It is the greatest gift anyone can ever have.

Written by Michelle Ho Jia Yee, baptised on 26 Feb 2010 (Click here to read full post)

21st Feb Sermon Discussion - “Victory before the Battle”

Introduction:
This year is the year of breakthroughs. FCBC will see miracles happening, healing taking place, families restored and cell multiplication. Yes we will. However, we need to do a very simple yet powerful thing – PRAY. When we pray, it will move God’s hands. There will be victory even before the battle starts. Isn’t that amazing? So are you ready to enter into the 40 days of prayer?

Bible verses: Joshua 5:1-12

2 Key Strategies to Have Victory before the Battle:

1. Circumcision – Establish your faithfulness
In Joshua 4, Joshua led the Israelites to cross the Jordan River on dry ground. This caused the Amorite Kings and all the Canaanite kings to lose their courage in facing the Israelites. This is seen in Joshua 5:1. Since the kings had lost their courage in facing the Israelites, Joshua could had brought his people to tear down Jericho immediately. However, he didn’t. He obeyed what God had commanded him to do. God asked him to circumcise his people.

In the Old Testament circumcision was an act by an Israelite family to remove the foreskin from the penis, the male sexual organ, shortly after a baby boy is born. It is believed that circumcision also brings health and hygiene benefits. Today, circumcision is still being practiced by both the Jews and Muslims.

The significance of circumcision is to cleanse by removing that which is unclean. In today’s context, there isn’t a need to undergo physical circumcision as the blood of Christ has already cleansed our sins i.e. our hearts are circumcised by His blood.

Activity 1: Sharing
i. The reason why the Israelites won the battle was because they had undergone circumcision. This shows that outer victory can only be won when there is inner victory. Examine your life. Go round and share what is one area of unfaithfulness the Lord convicted your heart about and you need his cleansing? (E.g. devotion life, late for church etc).

ii. Do you believe in the power of prayer ? When we pray, we move the hand of God. The breakthroughs that you have been waiting for, be it in your personal life or for your cell group, can be experienced only if we start to pray. On top of that, as we rise up to be a Joshua generation, the devil will attack us even more. In Ephesians 6: 12 ‘ For our struggle is not against the flesh and blood(man), but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’ Thus, it’s important to pray to fight against the devil.

iii. Today, are you willing to rise up to be a prayer warrior and be part of the 40 days of prayer and fasting? Are you willing to pray for Pastor Khong and his family too? He and his family need your prayer. Take out the 40 days prayer schedule. Go round and decide as a cell the slots you will come and pray e.g. 6am before going to school etc.

2. Celebrate God’s Victory – Empower your faith
Even before Joshua and the Israelites took over Jericho, they celebrated the Passover. The Passover is the Old Testament version of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper we partake every month reminds us of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. The wafer represents His body, the grape juice, His blood. Jesus won for us the victory on the cross through His sacrifice. We can visualize our victory through the cross. The gate of faith is visualization – Seeing clearly and specifically by faith the results and outcome we want.

Activity 2: Pray
i. The 40 days of prayer and fasting will end just before Good Friday. This year, our cell believes that we can organize three Good Friday events to win our friends. Let’s now pray together for this to happen.

ii. Also in the 40 days of faith, everyone will lead a cell group. I want you to close your eyes and visualize yourself leading a cell group. How many members do you have? Can you see your members’ faces? It can be your friends, your family members. Put the Cross in the middle of your cell. Start praying for your new cell group.

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14th Feb Sermon Discussion - “What A Blessing... The Family”

Bible verses: Ephesians 5:31- 6:4

How Can We Celebrate The Family?

#1 - BY RETURNING TO GOD’S COMMAND FOR THE FAMILY – HONOUR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Take a moment to share about a special family time that you enjoyed with your family and what made it so meaningful?

2. Take a moment to share about how your parents care for and look out for you? It could be simple things like making the bed, cooking or spending time with you!

3. What does it mean to honour someone? Have you been showing your love for your parents?

4. Is there something that the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do today to honour your parents? It could be a simple “Thanks mum/dad”, a hug or even giving them a gift!

Application:
As a cell group, let’s commit ourselves to honour our parents in everything we do. Let’s always show them our love for them as well as give them due respect. Get into groups of 2 or 3 and take some time to pray and thank God for our fathers and mothers.

#2 - BY RECEIVING GOD’S MANDATE FOR THE FAMILY – RAISING A GENERATION FOR GOD.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. God’s command for the family is to raise a Generation for God. Do you think you are part of this generation? Do you want to be part of this generation?

2. Do you believe that your generation can do great things for God? Not when you grow up, not in ten years time but right now!

3. God doesn’t just give us a physical family but a spiritual one as well. Are you part of one? Are you working with your spiritual family to rise up as a Generation for God?

Application:
1 Timothy 4:12 tells us “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Have you been scared to do things for God because you are young? Well don’t be! You can be part of a Generation for God doing great things for God! As a cell group, link hands and pray, committing to God that the entire group will grow together and rise up as a Generation for God.

Cell leaders, claim the word in 1 Timothy 4:12 that each and every one of your members will be an example in speech, life, love, faith and purity.

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7th Feb Sermon Discussion - “Offensive Offering and Worthless Worship”

Bible verses: Malachi 1:6-2:9

2 key areas that cause the Israelites’ worship to be unacceptable to the Lord:
1. They were worshipping without a fear and reverence for the Lord (Malachi 1: 6-9)

Activity: You are given a scenario. There is a list of questions for you to answer relating to the scenario. Please choose one answer only.

Imagine your Principal has asked to see you at 9am at the school canteen.

Question 1: What time will you come? (Give a reason to your answer)
A. 9.00am
B. 8.45am
C. 9.15am

Question 2: Will you make sure your uniform is in place?(Give a reason to your answer)
A. Yes
B. No

Question 3: When the Principal is talking to you, will you be using your phone or daydream?
A. Of course
B. No, I better listen

Many of us will definitely come earlier or on time, will definitely make sure our uniform is ok and will definitely pay full attention to what the Principal says as we are afraid that we might get punished or even get expelled. Let me ask you another set of questions.

1. How many of you come on time or earlier for service?
2. How many of you sms your friend, talk to your friend or sleep during service?
3. How many of you actually listen and apply what Pastor teaches on Sunday?
4. How about our dressing? Is there a need for change ?

Do you agree that some of our attitudes show a lack of fear and respect for the Lord ?
What are some actions we can take to correct our behaviour ?

Application: As a cell group, let’s commit ourselves to give God our best every week when we come to worship. Let’s hold each other accountable for positive change. Choose one teen to lead a prayer of commitment for the cell group.

2. They worship in a wearisome and tiresome manner (Malachi 1:12-13)

1. We grow tired of God and merely go through the motions when we have lost the fire in our hearts for Him.

2. Someone once said that worry and worship cannot exist together. Our worries can also become “gods” that is bigger than God that robs our joy in worshipping Him. Are there burdens in our hearts that hinder our worship?

Application: Minister to the teens in the areas of their worries and cares. All read Psalms 23 together and be refreshed in his presence.

**Cell leaders, please emphasize the two points below to wrap up:

How to Remove “Offensive Offering & Worthless Worship” from Our Lives?

1. We must fall in love with God so that like someone in love, we can’t wait to be in His presence to worship and spend time with Him. We give Him our BEST.

2. We must see how much He loves us and be renewed in our love and honor for Him. We are His BELOVED.

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31st Jan Sermon Discussion - “Triumph over temptation”

Pastor shared with us 3 key areas on how to have triumph over temptation

Bible verses: Luke 4:1-13, Matthew 4:1-11

1. Dump self-significance – REALISE OUR WORTH

In the 3rd temptation of Jesus, we saw the devil tempting Jesus to jump from the highest point of the temple to prove that He is protected... But Jesus answered “Do not put the Lord your God to test.” We need to never doubt our position in Christ as children of God and realise that we are precious to Him. There is no need to prove ourselves and fall into the Performance Trap of the World. We are the princes & princesses of God because we are His children & not because of what we can do or did not do...

2. Dethrone self-service – REVIEW OUR WORSHIP

In Luke 4:5-7, we see how the devil tempted Jesus by offering to Jesus all the authority & splendour that belong to the kingdoms of the world. This time, Jesus overcame by quoting the scripture, “ Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” One of human’s weaknesses that the devil can use to attack us is our hunger for power & fame. The only way for us not to fall into such temptations is to constantly check our hearts to ensure that we worship God & God alone.

Activity 2: Reflection & Sharing

i. Let’s take some time to reflect if there are areas in our lives where we too are struggling with the hunger for “Fame & Power”?

a. For example, in our CCAs, are we upset when we are not appointed for certain roles that we want very much?

b. For those who are in uniform groups, we struggle that we are promoted slower than others...

c. Or jealous of someone doing better than us in schools... etc...

ii. Let’s share with one another our struggles in this area so that as a family, we can help to guard one another. As one body, let’s help one another to overcome such temptations... of being too caught up with fame & power...

3. Drive out self-satisfaction – RELY ON GOD’S WORD

One area that satan will tempt us it’s our needs. In Luke 4: 3, ‘ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ In this verse, we can see that the devil started by attacking the needs of Jesus as he knew Jesus was hungry. Jesus overcame the attack by quoting God’s Word, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” That is why it is so important for us to know God’s Word through reading the bible in our daily devotion. Only when we know the Word of God, can we overcome the devil’s attack like what Jesus did.

Activity 3: Sharing & Praying for One Another

i. What are some needs in your life? Let’s share with one another and..

ii. Let’s close the word discussion by praying for one another that the Lord will satisfy the needs in our lives. Allow the Lord to speak through you as you pray for one another. If the Lord give you a verse or two to share with the person you are praying for, be bold to use that verse(s) to pray for your friend.

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24th Jan Sermon Discussion - “Influencing Our Community through the Transformation Principle”

Introduction

For the past few weeks, we have learnt that God can use us to do great things for Him. We just need to have Faith.

Do you know what does F.A.I.T.H stands for? Forsaking All, I Trust Him.


Yes, we just need to surrender every of our fears, our shame, our thoughts and to walk in His way. When we are all willing to walk in His ways, our schools, our families, our nation can be transform.

Look at Pastor Brian Burton’s life. Are you inspired by his life? He is an ordinary man yet he does extraordinary things simply because of the Great God he worship. The God that he worships is the same as ours.

Thus, if God can use him, God CAN USE YOU TO DO EXTRAORIDNARY THINGS!!! Yeah!

2 Principles on how do we influence the community:

Principle #1: Act Righteously

In order to influence our community, we first need to a live a life that is pleasing to God. This means making a stand for God – saying no to sin and yes to His calling.

When we dare to not conform to the world, and stand up for what is right in God’s eyes, people will be drawn to us. Take for example, school bullying. Do you know that 1 out of 4 students are being bullied in Singapore? Are you wiling to stop this by loving your classmates and not gossiping about them? When you see your classmates being bullied, are you willing to protect them?

When we live a life that is pleasing to God, God will give us a winning strategy to win our family, friends, school and the nation.

Activity 1: Sharing - Have we been living a life that is pleasing to God? If not, do share 3 things that you want to change?

Principle #2: Be a Blessing

Activity 2: Time to pen it down

1. Do you believe that God has given you the power and authority to bless the community? If you believe, write down 3 things that you can do to serve your family and 3 things to serve your school.

Next, identify 3 problems that you see in your family and school. For example, your parents have no time to do housework. Write down how you can help and do it this week. When we start to serve and meet the needs, people will see God’s love.

2. Be committed to pray. Pair in groups of 3 to pray for your family, school and Singapore. Let’s have faith to see transformation.

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17th Jan Sermon Discussion - “Making The First Move with God”

Bible Passage: Joshua 3

Activity 1:

Title of Activity – Crocodile, Crocodile, please can we cross the River?

Instructions of the Activity:

Mission of the Activity – Cross the River without being caught by the crocodile

Step 1 – Choose a person to be the crocodile

Step 2 – Form the banks of the river with 2 lines, this side of the line known as “near bank”, and the other side of the 2nd line known as the “far bank”.

Step 3 – Have the crocodile position in the middle of the River

Step 4 – Have the rest of the Cell Members position themselves in the “near bank of the river”

Step 5 – Everyone ask the crocodile: “Crocodile, crocodile, please can we cross the River?”

Crocodile will answer: “Only those with …..” and everyone one will try to run across the “River” to the “far bank of the river” without being caught by the river.

For example, after the crocodile says, “Only those with shoe laces”, then everyone will run across the river to the “far bank”… But the crocodile can only catch those without shoe laces…

Step 6 – Whoever that is caught becomes the new crocodile

Step 7 – Re-run this activity for a few rounds until someone get caught 3 times.

Introduction of the Word Discussion:

Joshua chapter 3 shows us how the people of God chose to take a step of faith in laying hold of God’s promises. After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, Joshua and the new generation has decided to take that step of faith to cross River Jordan and moved into the Promised Land.

2 weeks ago, we talked about rising up as a Joshua Generation. Previous week, we talked about how anyone of us can be part of the Joshua Generation. This week, we want to answer the question of “Where and how do I start to be part of this Joshua Generation?”

3 THINGS WE NEED TO DO TO START OUR JOURNEY OF CONQUEST


#1: SURRENDER your life to God – This helps us to overcome FEAR

QUESTION: Have you really been living a surrendered life? Is God just a part of your life? If He is, then our lives will be apart from God. What are some areas that you have not surrendered to God? Let’s share with the group some of these things and commit ourselves to live a surrendered life.

#2: SEEK God’s glory – This helps us to overcome SHAME

QUESTION: Have you invited a friend to church in the last month? If yes, share how you found the courage to ask them. If no, share what are some of the things that hinder you. Are you afraid of rejection or what your friends might think of you? As a group, commit yourselves to seek God’s glory in all that you do so that you may no longer be self-conscious but God-conscious.

#3: STEP out in faith – This helps us to overcome INERTIA

QUESTION: Do you want to see miracles? Do you want to see God working miracles in your life and through your life? Take that step of faith! Share with the group what are some areas where you need to take a step of faith. What sort of inertia is preventing you from taking that step? Pray that God will help you to overcome this inertia.

CLOSING: Come together as a group and declare that you:

1. Receive the call to be a Joshua Generation

2. Know that you can be part of the Joshua Generation

3. Will make a choice and start to become part of the Joshua Generation

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10th Jan Sermon Discussion - “Only By Grace - The Scarlett Thread”

Bible Passage: Joshua 2

Looking at Joshua’s life, we think that God used him because he is a great man. But in Joshua 2, we see how God used a woman called Rahab. Rahab was a prostitute. She was unlike Joshua. However, God used her to be part of the group that brought the people into the Promised Land. On top of that, she was part of the genealogy of Jesus!! ( Matthew 1: 5 )

Isn't that amazing! Though Rahab was a sinner, God still used her. If God could use a person like her, God can definitely use you.

3 Truths about God which allow us to put our Trust in God and KNOW that He can use us:

1. God is Great

Joshua 2: 8-11
Rahab knew that God is great. She heard about the miracles that God did and understood the power of God. Because she knew this truth, she tapped into the power of God.

Activity:
Split yourself into 2 groups. Take out a piece of paper. Each group has to write down 3 stories that are found in the Bible that speaks about God’s power. The group that finishes the fastest wins the game.

Do you know how powerful our God is? He is more powerful than any superheroes you ever knew. When you are willing to be used by God, He will display His power through you.

Sometimes we doubt if God can use us and display His power through us because we are too self-conscious, focussing on ourselves. In order to be used by God, BE CONSCIOUS of the power of God and stop focusing on our inadequacy.

2. God is Gracious

Deut 9:6; Romans 5:20; Eph 2:8

The Devil is constantly trying to accuse us and make many of us think that we are not worthy to be used by Him. God is Gracious. Rahab has no right to inherit the promise of God as she is not even an Israelite. The fact is, Rahab was a prostitute which was despised by even her own community. But God was gracious to Rahab.

Activity:
Write down 3 weaknesses that you have. Do you know that God can still use you despite your sins & weaknesses?

2 Corinthians 12: 9,10 ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’

The Devil will say to you, ‘You are not good enough, you have sinned against the Lord and the Lord will never forgive you’. He will tell you many lies that will pull you away from God. If God will never forgive you, why would He send His Son, Jesus, to die for you? Why would He bother to send His only Son just to clear our sin?

3. God is Faithful

Joshua 2:12-14; 17-19; 2 Timothy 2:13

It is not enough to know that God is Great & Gracious, we need to know that God is Faithful. Only when we know that God is faithful, then we can trust God fully! God always remembers His promises and will never forget because He is faithful. 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us, “ if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” He will be great and gracious forever because of His Word to us.

God can use you as long as you believe it because…
He is a God who is Great, a God who is Gracious and a God who is Faithful !

QUESTION:
Do you want to be a part of the Joshua generation? And believe that God can and will use you this year in the 40 days of faith? Will you choose to believe in God and not yourself?

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3rd Jan Sermon Discussion - “Rising Up As A New Generation”

Bible Passage: Joshua 1:1-9

2010 is not only the beginning of a New Year but a New Decade. God wants to raise a new Joshua Generation to fulfil what God has intended for us... We do not want to be like the Moses Generation which did not experience all the blessings that God has given to them and did not enter the Promised Land.

We want to be a Joshua Generation so that we will not be afraid of the giants in the Promised Land. We want to fulfil the Purpose of God in our Lives and ENTER the Promised Land!

SP is going to start the year 2010 by preaching through a series of messages using the book of Joshua. God has great plans for FCBC, for YouthNet, for the Teens Congregation... but we need to move out of the Occupation Mode and move into the Conquest Mode!

How do we rise up as a Joshua Generation?

3 Principles to Follow :

DIVINE APPOINTMENT – BE COURAGEOUS

Activity 1: Sharing

i. On the scale of 1 -10, how much do you believe that God can use you? (1 - Don’t believe at all; 10 - Believe wholeheartedly )
Do not say 5 because we can’t be lukewarm in our decisions. If you are below 10, what’s stopping you from believing?

John 15: 16, ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.’

Jeremiah 1: 5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’

God can use YOU!! (At this point, it will be good if the cell leader can share personally how God uses them)

ii. Now as you believe that God can use you, are you willing to start a cell group in your school? If you are, take this time to think on how you are going to start a cell in your school and write a faith goal. For example, “ By faith, I will have 5 members by the end of March.” Remember, with God, all things are possible! Have faith!

iii. Pray for your school!


INWARD AUTHENTICITY – BE COMMITTED IN HOLINESS

Activity 2:

i. Have you been a good student/good daughter/son? If not, what can you do this year to become a better student and child ?

ii. Have you been doing your quiet time daily? Do you know that in order to walk in holiness, it’s important to spend more time with God. When you spend more time with God, you will understand His heartbeat. This will help you to walk in holiness. Today, will you decide to walk in holiness? Write a letter to God.


CORPORATE ALIGNMENT – BE IN COMMUNITY

A Joshua generation is one that thinks about others. As you know, PROJECT X is our project as a family of Christ. Project X is about cell MULTIPLICATION. Are you willing to be part of this project? If you are, let’s join hands as a cell to pray!

Let’s end off with this song of faith. You know the song, “OLD MACDONALD had a farm” ? To the same tune, let’s sing this song:

FCBC planting cell, Ha-lle-lu---jah
FCBC planting cell, Ha–lle–lu–jah
Here cell, there cell, everywhere cell cell,
FCBC planting cell, Ha–lle–lu—jah!!!!

Yeah, let’s have faith to believe that there will be a cell in every part of Singapore!

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27th Dec Sermon Discussion - “Thank You Lord for 2009”

Scripture Reference: Psalm 100 (A Psalm. For giving thanks.)

This is the final weekend of 2009. In a matter of days we will all be celebrating and ushering in the new year, 2010! Take a moment and think through what you’ve done for the year 2009 and as you do that declare Psalms 100, a psalm of thanksgiving together as a group.

Question of the Message: Why we are to be Thankful to the Lord for 2009?

1. Because the Lord is God - Avoiding the Sin of Forgetfulness

Psalm 100:1-3 … Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us…

Honestly, how many of us give thanks to God every day? How many of us remember to thank God when He blesses us with good grades/ family harmony/good friends, etc? Do you know when we stop giving thanks to God for His blessings or forget about how He blesses us, we are allowing pride to blind us?

Deut 6:10-12 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, … – a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ... olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

· Let’s take some time now to remember & reflect on some of the significant things that happen in our lives in 2009 and give thanks to God. Let’s take time to Count our Blessings! Let’s share with one another what are some of these Thanksgivings…

· Is there any way you can share your Blessings with Someone you know…, where you can bless someone with the same blessing that you have received? Let’s share with one another what we can do to share God’s blessing for us with someone else…

2. Because the Lord is Good - Avoiding the Sin of Grumbling and Complaining

Psalm 100:4-5; Num 23:19; Exodus 15:22-24; Exodus 16:1-3; Num 20:1-5; Num 11:1-6

Maybe in the year 2009, it’s had been tough year for you and you kept asking God why, why must this happen? At times we don’t understand why God allow certain things in life to happen. Indeed, life is never easy. But are you willing to trust God in good and bad times? Are we willing to stop grumbling when things are bad and trust God that He has good plans for us.

In Exodus 16:1-3, we see how the Israelites were comparing, complaining and grumbling about their situation. They had been set free from their slavery in Egypt but now because of a little hardship they were unhappy and said that they were better off in Egypt! Oh, how they’ve forgotten where they came from. They had forgotten the worse life that they had before which is why they were comparing, complaining and grumbling.

There was once a man who always complained about how he did not have shoes. He kept grumbling about his pitiful state until one day when he saw a man without feet to enjoy the comfort of shoes. Only then did he remember to count his blessings.

· Are there difficult moments that you have gone through in 2009? Let’s share with one another so that we can pray for one another… okie?

· Does anyone have an example of how we have complained about our situation but the Lord showed us someone else who was going through much worse situation than we were in?

· What is the difference between sharing with one another our struggles and grumbling / complaining about all the difficult situations that we are in?

It is all about whether we have a Heart of Gratefulness…

Let’s Pray: “O God, remove from me the spirit of grumbling & complaining… and Replace it with a Spirit of Gratefulness, of Thankfulness…”

Let’s take time to pray for one another that God will help us overcome our struggles as we end off singing the song “Give Thanks” as a group.

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