TNT-Cell

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

9:28 AM

Hi all!

Below are some points raised during sharing last week. Do read through them in your own time. Lets continue praying that we will continue growing as cell, encouraging and edifying each other as one body of Christ ya! :)

in His love
Rachel

Sharing – Philippians 2:9-18

Do we hold onto an attitude of bitterness and complaint? Or do we hold onto a spirit of joy? How do we hold onto a spirit of joy?

o Trusting in God – in order not to complain but how do we trust? (Felly)
o We know first of all that trusting in God is different and certainly not trusting in man (Sam)
o Trusting in God and (consequently) having joy is a conscious choice on our part (Ivan)
o Note that having a spirit of joy sets us apart from the world – Paul writes that we are not to complain and argue SO THAT we may shine as stars reason being it is so normal for people to complain and argue everyday for reasons either legitimate or not. What differentiates us from the world? It is precisely this assurance and joy we have in Christ that naturally allows us to not begrudge and hold onto a spirit of bitterness and frustration.

How do we work out the gospel in our daily lives?

o Look at ourselves as Christians and at our obedience
o Look at Christ (Phil 2:13)
o This helps us to see that we are without excuse because God is working in us to obey Him. We need to ask ourselves, am I allowing God to work in me? Am I allowing myself to surrender to God? When I surrender and see how God works in me, I am wonderfully surprised (Mel)

o Working out of the gospel is not confined to the act of sharing it with others alone – rather the working out of the gospel takes place throughout our entire lives, right from the start of every waking moment till when we go to sleep (Rachel)

o We must remember that we are called to shine our lights TO THE WORLD – we cannot focus on being a Christian only when we’re in church but work out the gospel in reaching out and being a friend to our non Christian friends.
o Be on the lookout to build platforms with our friends; we could “test water” by for e.g. telling people about our day in cell and check out their response
o As a student, we should maintain a spirit of excellence such that we may be able to help other students – this differentiates us from the competitive herd
o We can also look up to other stronger Christians as motivation to help us work out the gospel better in our lives (Ivan)

+ AMEN

Sunday, August 26, 2007

6:42 PM

Hi all!

Below are some points raised in cell today; do take time to read through and think over it.
it is my prayer that our sharing will continue to strengthen and edify each other as we continue to journey through the book of Phillipians together.

Questions:

Knowing that suffering is temporal, how do we respond to them?

Need to realize our own perspective on pain, how do we view it?
We ought to see that suffering works to expand our capacity and stretches our growth
Being positive, praying and continually trusting in God's deliverance are some ways we can respond in light of suffering.
In our context sometimes however, it is hard for us to speak of suffering especially through the eyes of Paul since most of us do not face any explicit form of persecution. What we can relate to however, might be of pain and disappointment. In these times, it is important for us to perhaps discover certain areas of our spiritual lives that may be incomplete/imperfect and grow from there.
Col 1:10

What have you learnt from today's lesson to be applied in your life? (on Philippians 1)

Mel: (v9) learning to love with wisdom and not be too practical
Sam: (v6) the need for continuous giving
Rachel: (v21) aligning our hearts' desires with Christ to share His truth with those around us
Ivan: (v27) realizing that our conduct and lifestyle are the most powerful witness to this faith we share and ensuring therefore that we lead our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Questions to sit upon in preparation for Phil2:1-8 which we will cover next Sunday:

What does "Christ made Himself nothing" means? (Phil 2:7)
What does "to consider others better than yourself" means? (Phil 2:3)
What is true humility?

Do think about these questions as you go along your study of this book. May we all continue to hunger for more of the Word and its truth in our lives. Have a most blessed week ahead!

In His love

Rachel

"The paradox of prayer is that it asks for a serious effort while it can only be received as a gift. We cannot plan, organize or manipulate God; but without a careful discipline, we cannot receive him either." - Henri J.M. Nouwen

+ AMEN

Friday, August 03, 2007

5:01 PM

Hi guys and girls,
some updates for this coming Sunday.
Cell will go on as per normal! The 'soldiers' programme will only kick in from next month onwards.

So far the people who are interested are:

1. Victoria
2. Patricia
3. Felicia
4. Eugene
5. Marcus
6. Jonathan
7. Samuel

Any others who are interested please let us know!
We want this to be entirely voluntary and for those who are willing, also pledge a commitment to this.

So for this Sunday, we will continue our discussion on Philippians 1:12-20.

Just a brief recap:

Main points to be learned:

Boldness in breaking new ground: Verse 14
- We can learn from Paul's example, that because he was bold enough to be used of God to go into Rome and to spread the Gospel message there, he broke new ground, and because of his example, spurred others into action.
- His action, gave impetus to the inaction of others, that they too gained courage to preach the Gospel.

Principled self-denial anchored in joy for the spread of the Gospel: Verse 15-18
- Tie-in self-denial to joy to spread of Gospel
- A self-less attitude and a conscious decision to place Christ as our top priority and the furtherance of His Kingdom.
- When Paul was perhaps criticized, when his imprisonment was taken advantage of by other preachers, who supposedly had the same mission of spreading the Gospel, Paul responds in joy.
- Not because he had no emotions, undoubtedly he must have felt hurt because he was still very human, but he consciously chose to put his emotions aside to consider the full value of his circumstances and what had resulted because of his imprisonment.
- A conscious decision to rejoice => verse 18
- Joy => an enduring attitude/ perspective because of an unchanging Basis, Christ Jesus.
- My joy in Christ Jesus is because He is my Redeemer, and because of what He has done for me, I have an eternal hope in heaven, and by extension, what matters in life today must be viewed in the light of eternity => the spread of the Gospel both pleases Him and is of direct relevance to eternity.
- Application: Should we suffer for the sake of the Gospel, this is a good example to bear in mind, and joy in Christ gives us strength to carry on; focus on Christ is key to continued self-denial.

We have questions that need to be answered so please do prepare them!

Questions:
What is "new ground" in your life?
How do you share boldly? How do you grow in boldness?
How is self-denial relevant to you in your sharing of the Gospel?

So we look forward to a fruitful time of sharing this coming Sunday, See ya all at the 9 am service!

God bless!
Ivan

+ AMEN

Friday, July 27, 2007

4:26 PM

CELL MATERIALS FOR 290707!

HEROES :: IN US
BACKGROUND
When God is moving in our lives, incredible things will happen. As a Christian, we know that a life of faith pleases Him. The struggle is not in the ‘knowing’ but in the ‘doing’. Gleaning into the life of Samson & Rahab, we will discover that, ultimately, our Father can use anyone for His purposes.

TALK ABOUT IT
1. What are the differences between Samson & Rahab?

2. Read Rahab’s story in Joshua 2. Why did she risk her life to protect the spies?

3. What kind of person does God use to be His hero? List some vital qualities.

REFLECT ON IT
Do you desire to be a hero for God? What aspects of your life do you need changed?

LIVE IT
Stop comparing yourself with others. Stop facing your struggles alone. Stop defining ‘who you are’ by ‘what you do’.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

-king

+ AMEN

Friday, July 20, 2007

11:37 PM

Dear all

Its Friday again! Most certainly hope your week has been good! :)

It was great last Sunday hearing you share your struggles and convictions in prioritizing God in your life and also in sharing the gospel with those around you. below are some meaningful points raised from the 2 groups last week and I hope you’ll take your time reading through it. Indeed it is so cool learning from each other. We realize we are very much the same, albeit in many different ways.

Alright now, I’ll cya all next Sunday. Until then, I trust you to be well in Christ. Most blessed week ahead!

Love

Rachel

Sharing and application

In sharing Christ others – has to begin with action. Our lifestyles are most evident to the people around us and how our actions are by themselves lifestyle evangelism. There is a need to walk the talk – in showing love and encouragement, however hard and futile this may seems at times.

But the gospel has to be verbalized as well. Few ways of sharing Christ with friends:

– Try to talk shop first before slowly easing the conversation towards the Gospel. If the other party wants to share about his religion be open to hearing and finding out about what makes him believe in his religion. (Marcus)
– Share one-on-one. Write cards to encourage her non-Christian friends, putting in Bible verses.(Felly)
– By logical arguments and reasoning.

Observation: Important to order our thoughts. It’s alright even if our friends do not appear too receptive or enthusiastic to hear more, as long they remain open that leaves a door open for us to re-visit the Gospel message with them.

Also, when it comes to sharing logical arguments, there is a need to understand that logic can only help a person see and understand up to a certain extent. Logical arguments strengthen our faith but we should never depend on them as a sole mean for sharing the gospel. Prayer and intercession are essential in reaching out to those yet unsaved.

What is/are the most difficult thing/s about showing love in your life now?

– Don't feel like showing love at that moment in time, i.e. feeling tired, etc.
– Having the expectation that you will be loved in return or see some change in the other party you are trying to love
– Difficult to make the first move. Some friends care too much about your appearance first, before they even bother about receiving or appreciating the things you do for them.

Observation: Feeding on the Word constantly helps us with our desire to show love; God works in us even in our will. We will come to that later in Philippains.
The part about appearance is very true, and there is no easy way around it but to keep in mind that what we do, we do for God.

+ AMEN

Saturday, July 14, 2007

3:12 PM

Hi guys and girls,
I hope it has been a good week for all of you, and while many of us are having our holidays, lets continue to encourage those who are in school( Vic) and the guys who are faithfully serving our nation.

We covered Philippians 1:1-11 two weeks ago, with the intention to major on the application portion for that passage. However, due to the lower than expected cell attendance last week, we decided that in order for the full value of Scripture application to be appreciated by everyone, the discussion shall take place the following week instead, i.e. tomorrow.

It must be emphasized again that it is our hope that through this Bible study, everyone grows deeper in the Word, and reflect such growth through lifestyle changes. It is not easy to live for God in this day and age, apart from the internal tensions we face living in the flesh, our environment makes it no easier to be Christ-like. Through application and discussion, we can learn through the struggles, difficulties and, more importantly, victories of others that we ourselves may grow both in knowledge and discernment.

Some key-points we covered from Philippains 1:1-11 :

1. Mindset:
From Paul’s use of the word bondservant in verse 1, we learn why he does what he does. He sees himself obligated to the service of Christ and hence the advancement of the Gospel. From verse 7, we see that Paul has such a heart, because he describes his life fully in two aspects, when he is in chains, and when he is defending and confirming the Gospel. Therefore we understand in essence, that he fully advancing the Gospel at all times, just that he happens to be in chains now. So we understand his heartbeat.

From the same word bondservant, we also understand how Paul does what he does, the mental perspective that he adopts that arms him for suffering. Paul has this mentality therefore that he expects to receive nothing, at least on this earth, for his efforts and advancement of the Gospel, allowing him to fully focus and cling unto Jesus Christ as his basis for joy, even in suffering.

The way we view ourselves is extremely important, because this affects our life priorities and therefore is instrumental in shaping our lives.

2. Gospel focus:
Whether or not you view yourself like Paul did, as a bondservant of Christ, nonetheless our focus on advancing the Gospel must not be diluted.

Key to learn from Paul’s Gospel focus: first aspect is the defense of the Gospel, second is the confirmation/sharing of the Gospel.

Are you equipped to defend the Gospel? Are you ready at all times to share the Gospel? If not, what are you doing about it?

Are you actively searching out the obstacles that hinder our friends from coming to the faith and addressing them whether by prayer or by sharing with the Word of God?

3. Love:
It must be a natural sign of our growth in Christ.
It is a vital aspect of our lifestyle that gives us the platform to affect the lives of others.
we are held responsible for the way we love, and therefore we are also responsible to grow in love; from verse 10 we see that it is necessary to grow in love such that we remain without offense until the day of Christ.

Why then must love grow in knowledge and in discernment?

Knowledge: of who God is, of His principles and ways, to know right from wrong, to know the model of love

Discernment: for the practical outworking of love in our own lives; in order to love effectively, we need to know the needs of others, and the nature of others that we approach them in a manner that demonstrates love in order to help and to change.

4. Lifestyle Purpose:
How we live our lives, how we speak, act, think and feel must be anchored in this purpose, that is to bring glory and praise to God. (V11)

Some of us live with misguided motivations, to fulfill the expectations of others upon us, or to derive an intrinsic sense of satisfaction by attaining to holiness ( even as Christians), but our sole purpose must be to bring glory to God.

Living right, having a successful life as a Christian and in the secular place, does not bring glory to God, it instead brings glory to ourselves.

Hence, apart from the duty to live right, it is also our responsibility to constantly redirect the focus of others from ourselves to God. We need to prevent others from thinking that we are good, but rather that we are good BECAUSE of CHRIST.

This can be achieved by our verbal witness; the constant communication that our source of hope, joy, strength, success and sufficiency is Christ Jesus. We need to constantly point to Him.

Questions for discussion:
1. What are your priorities in your life and how do you factor God in?
2. What approach do you adopt when you share Christ with others?
3. What is/are the most difficult thing/s about showing love in your life now?
4. How is your love to abound in discernment in your own life?
5. Which areas in your life are glorifying to God?

Please do come prepared to share your lives with one another because that is how anyone can grow in fellowship and in Christ.

May Jesus be real to you everyday of your life!

God bless!
Ivan

+ AMEN

Sunday, May 13, 2007

10:50 PM

http://www.zooni.org/insp47.html
~ felicia here... nobody posted in a long time...

There was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared.

The Lord told the man He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.
So push the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain, for the rock had not budged an inch.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture, placing thoughts into the man's mind such as; "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it? etc." Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.

These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of Prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord" he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock a half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

To this the Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was simply to push."

"And now you come to me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back brown, your hands are calloused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard."

"Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock.BUT YOUR CALLING WAS TO BE OBEDIENT, TO PUSH AND TO EXERCISE YOUR FAITH AND TRUST IN MY WISDOM, and this you have done.

I, my friend, will now move the rock."

+ AMEN

10:42 PM

here's a thanksgiving to God. I thought it'll be good to share it here.

I wanted to trust God for the full support. I heard of stories of how God provides for missions. I had a few encouragement when I first started out. Then it become really stagnant. I wasn't willing to ask after a while. I also lost the perspective of asking. I don't see how asking can become a ministry to people. I don't see that I can make it clear to people that it is to partner with them blah blah blah as they had taught us to. And if this is the case, why am I asking. It's bacause I got no money. Ha. If I have no money, why sign uo for all this? Because... I trusted that God will provide. But halfway through I found it so difficult to trust suddenly. I trusted and doubted at the same time. And in James 1:6-8, "when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea,blown and tossed by the wind."

It was like that for me. To the point where I couldn't sleep one night. But in the end I woke up to read my bible. The first passage I flipped to was matthew 7:24-27 " Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practise is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not out them into practise is like a foolish man who builts his house on the sand. The rain came down, the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

I didn't really digest it la. But after that I was able to sleep, feeling that my trust should lie on the rock and not collaspe just because the wind blows. Then I read another story on the internet about rocks. And this story, together with the talks I attended on obedience and humility, all seems to speak to me that it was the process that God wants to bring me through. To just keep asking even when it seems so difficult. And to not allow satan to take God's glory away through pride and unbelief. But its really very difficult. And somemore, I got no one to ask anymore. I thought very hard who I can asked liao... but my christian circle is so small... But I also had more trust somehow.

Then my miracle came. Janice(my friend) called. She had her own amazing story to tell =) She's like finished raising hers, and she still has many supporters from her church who had promised to give her. And so when she wanted to help me and another friend to raise our support.

To janice, she saw how God has indirectly blessed another two of her friends through her supporters.

To me, its like God showing me it doesn't matter how small my circle is. He's definitely bigger. I keep dwelling in my problem from my own perspective, but he has again shown me that his ways are above my ways. And my support fund suddenly jumped so much today... I was really really stunned. ( Plus I added in Ivan's fund and received another of my sister's friend fund only today also ) And when I realised I have only $198 more to raise for myself. (If I can manage to raise beyond then can go to others) I'm just so amazed!

God's grace is just so amazing. Just as the grace that I so undeserved which redeemed me from my sin. This experience has given me the trust I think I need for Beggar's mission... to just go empty-handed to spread the good news to villagers (That requires a lot of faith and trust I think )... which is the main reason why I wanted to go CM. And I saw how he really placed people to give and to provide, and even surprise me, as my SM tells me. And I realised also he place a lot of people beside me to encourage me also.

I don't know if I can thank him enough. Also thank you to all who have prayed for me. Continue praying. He answers.

+ AMEN