Sunday Re Cap (24th Feb 2008)

NO MORE DELAY by David Lai

Text: John 5: 1-9

This man had a “lifetime” membership of sickness. We need to get out of our “lifetime” membership of failures, sickness, poverty, etc. The LORD desires NEW BEGINNINGS for us. Jesus has made it possible for us to withdraw our membership from our past so that we can enter NEW BEGINNINGS.

1. We must move from being a “give me” Christian to a “make me” Christian.
1. The 9 lepers had a touch of God (give me) but one leper had an encounter with God (make me). Luke 17:12-19
2. The prodigal son started with “give me my portion” and ended up defeated. When he became a “make me” son, he had abundance. Luke 15:12, 19
3. OT: Israelites always demanded “give me, give me, and give me”. God still gave but it was not His perfect will.

2. If we give excuses, we will never experience breakthroughs.
1. John 5:7 “No one helps me, others get in before me..”
2. Abraham and Sarah made excuses that they were too old to bear children. Only when they believed, breakthrough came! Gen 16, 17

3. Do not complain or question God’s work in our lives.
1. Phil 2:13 Our WILL involves the MIND and DO involves ACTION and OBEDIENCE.
2. How can the world see a difference if we are complaining just like they are? Rom 12:1-2
3. We are a chosen generation called out to PRAISE HIM (NOT COMPLAIN) 1 Pet 2:9

4. We are a covenant people. Rev 10:1-7
1. Rev 10:6 That there will be delay no longer!
2. Rev 10:1 The rainbow speaks of the covenant that the OT saints had with God after the flood. For the NT believer, the rainbow speaks of Jesus our New Covenant.
3. The rainbow now becomes a powerful reminder of our justification in Jesus.
4. Even though Noah was exposed, yet he was justified by the covenant.
5. Abraham lied about Sarah but God never found fault with him because he was covenanted with God. Gen 12:13
6. Heb 11:39-40 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (40) God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
7. The promise is not just healing, blessing, prosperity, its JESUS and His finished work on the cross that guarantees us the covenant relationship.

So delay no longer. Let’s enter our New Beginnings!

Sunday Re Cap (17th Feb 2008)

OUR COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD Part II

At the core of every relationship is the dynamic tension that can lead to growth and maturity. Elements of take control and surrender.

How to identify when to surrender and when to take charge?

As we study Bible characters we would notice some very general patterns that most of them followed in seeking God’s will in entering into New Beginnings.

The STOP Method

1. Surrender

• Do not remember the former things nor consider the things of old (surrender) Is 43:18-19; forgetting what is behind (Phil 3:13)
• Luke 9:23 deny himself (surrender) and follow me.
• Abraham surrendered (Gen 11:31 & 12:1-3; Gen 22 sacrifice Isaac; Luke 9:59,61
• Many remain in surrender and don’t move on to the next part. What do we do after surrender?
  

2. Trust

• Abraham trusted that God would provide the sacrifice.
• Joseph trusted God to bring to pass the destiny. That God has New Beginnings for him. Do we?
• Trusting God’s grace (His unmerited favor) instead of our self efforts. Devil’s ploy to tire us out, burn out, strive
• Jesus trusted; Paul trusted (2 Tim 1:12)
  

3. Obey

• 1 Sam 15:22, Is 1:19
• Children of Israel in the wilderness-obedience issue-manna to be collected day to day (still an issue today? Word?
• Nation of Israel-Judges 2-3: apostasy, oppression, repentance, restoration.
• Many give up at OBEY.
  

4. Persevere, Patience

• (Heb 6:12) That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Jas 1:3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
• Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
  

Conclusion

• We need to understand that this is a dynamic relationship and it through the understanding and living this relationship that we are launched into the New Beginnings with God.
• In the end, it is not so much what we achieve or the goals that we attain but the richness of the relationship we have grown with God.
• God’s ultimate aim in giving us New Beginnings is not goals but to draw us closer to Him!

Sunday Re Cap (10th Feb 2008)

Communication Skills by Christopher K

Quick To Listen, Slow To Speak; “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

The Challenges Of Communication

• Speaking too much
• Different backgrounds (paradigms)
• Speaking before thinking
• Wrong attitudes
• Poor listening skills ; “He who answers before listening that is his folly and shame.” (Proverbs 18:13)

Basic Styles Of Listening

1. The JUDGMENTAL listener
2. The INTERROGATIVE listener
3. The ADVICE-GIVING listener
4. The EMPATHIC listener

Barriers To Listening

• Preoccupied with something else
• Mind is already made up
• Interruptions and distractions
• Mind wanders (daydreaming)
• Lack of interest
• Defensive reaction to criticism

Overcoming Barriers To Listening

• Become active:
  
• Get involved in the discussion;
  
• Ask questions;
  
• Seek clarification ;
  
• Reflect feelings
• Use ‘alert’ body language: Erect posture (if seated, lean forward slightly);
  
• Maintain eye contact

Overcoming Barriers To Listening

• Periodically summarize: “So what you’re saying is that…”
• Acknowledge criticism, but don’t react

Levels Of Listening

• Ignoring
• Pretend Listening
• Selective Listening
• Attentive Listening
• Empathic Listening; Everyone’s life is so singular, so unique. Who will listen to understand that uniqueness?

Empathic Listening

• Interpreter
• Listening with your ears, eyes, and heart
• Caring attitude
• Sincere desire to understand
• Not agreeing, disagreeing, or offering solutions simply seeking to understand

“The one who listens does the most work, not the one who speaks.”

Sunday Re Cap (3rd Feb 2008)

OUR COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Click Here to listen

At the core of every relationship is the dynamic tension that can lead to growth and maturity. Elements of take control and surrender. Dying to self centered desires and surrendering to God’s will, take charge of God’s call on your life, courageously overcoming the challenges and fulfilling our destiny.

2 Tim 2:20-21

There are 2 processes at work.

The Surrender Posture
Shedding-ego, fears, control. Submission to God. God in first place. Honor, respect and deference (reverence) to God.
Prepares us to communicate with God. (Keep meditating on who we are right now…don’t hear the old voices any more, reject it!).
A Posture of Peace. A place of trust, assurance and confidence that God is with us. It isn’t an event but a daily process.

The Take Charge Posture
Personal responsibility (Peter release from prison Acts 12:7-8)
God has given us a free will and the ability to make choices. (Adam and Eve).
A posture of power, courage, personal initiative, leadership, integrity, accountability, discipline, perseverance, action and follow through It is in this posture that our partnership with God manifests in our lives and at work.
When God asked Nehemiah to build the wall, he did not ask God to build it for him but asked God for strength to build it. Same thing with Solomon. All through the Bible we find such examples.

The Surrender Posture actually prompts the Take Charge Posture.

Our New Beginnings in whatever area is determined by both our posture of surrender and taking charge. The KEY is to understand when to surrender and when to take charge. Our tendency is normally to try to control things we have to surrender and surrender things that we have to take charge.

Serenity Prayer
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Oswald Chambers
“Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does not.”