BEYOND SUNDAY: Heart

Read John 4: 4-24.

“Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” John 4:21-24.

We are created for worship. Our very system points us to worshiping God. If we would just follow the sign, we will live fulfilling lives. But what does it mean to worship God? We have different ways of defining worship but it does not always mean that we are right about it as Abraham Lincoln once said, “If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don’t make it a leg”. Calling something “worship” does not make it worship.

DEFINITION OF WORSHIP.

What is the heart of Worship? Jesus wanted to talk to the woman at the well about true worship but he first drew out the woman’s misconceptions on it.
To understand worship, we must first know what worship is NOT.

*Worship is NOT traditions. The woman at the well referred to their ancestors when she talked about worship. She had the “this is how we do it” mentality. Many people do not want to let go of what they have been used to that they miss out on what God is doing.
*Worship is NOT a place. The woman at the well referred to the mountain as a place of worship. Many people think that worship begins and ends when they go to church. But majority of the time that we worship God happens outside the church facility.
*Worship is NOT an object. Many times worship becomes how we feel or what we do. But worship is NOT about us.

Worship then, is directed to God. Worship is to honor God.
For who He is and for what He has done. We worship Him for who He is in our lives. He has touched our lives in a great and mighty way – we worship in response to this revelation.

“Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he, sir?” the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him” John 9:35-38.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good” Psalm 34:8.

WORSHIP IS NOT ABOUT WHAT WE GET. IT’S WHAT WE GIVE

How do we worship? Jesus said that true worship is to worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 3:3-8; John 9:38). The heart of worship is to worship God with all our hearts. God is not affected by our past or our circumstances. All we need to do is lay it all down at the feet of Jesus and worship Him just like the woman at the well – shamed by her past, considered an outcast by the Samaritans (who themselves are outcast by the Jews), she did not know what to do but decided to worship Jesus because He is in control.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” John 4:23.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” John 17:17.

Jesus speaks about worshiping God in Spirit. The only way we can worship God is if we are born in the spirit. Repentance and faith in God, believing in Him is being born in the Spirit. Being born with God is a relationship and it’s the starting point. For us to be able to worship, we must also be able to worship in truth. The word of God is the only way we will know God more and experience Him each day. And the more we know God, the more we will see His worth and our response will be to worship him.

ABC Series: Resurrection and Eternal Judgment

“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” Hebrews 6:1-2.

It is in the nature of man to have an idea of Eternity, but what is Eternity? There are competing views on eternity: Those who believe in Annihilation do not prepare for eternity because they believe that there is no life after death. People who believe in Reincarnation are careful not to hurt other creatures, including cockroaches in fear that these might be one of their reincarnated ancestors or loved ones. They believe that they can come back in another life-form if they did not perform well in their current life. Those who hold on to the view of Resurrection believe that eternal life is a given, but it is where we will spend eternal life that truly matters – either we live it with God in heaven or be eternally condemned. It is important that we have the right view of eternity because how we view eternity dictates how we live our lives now.

“my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6.

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:31-32.

The book of Revelations state that those who trust in Christ will live (Revelations 20:4-6). The resurrection of Christ is at the center of the Christian faith!

BIBLICAL TRUTHS ABOUT FAITH & ETERNITY:

1. Life is short.
“The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” Psalm 90:10..

What are we living for? Many people prepare only for the temporal future. We need to fix our eyes on the eternal things of God.

2. Death is certain.

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” Hebrews 9:27-28.
We are all destined to die. How we treat Christ in our lifetime will determine what will happen to us on judgment day. It is our sin that separates us from a holy God. The good news is that Jesus died to pay the penalty of our sins. He rose up again to save us and if we call upon the Lord, we will be saved. If we ask him, he will forgive us of our sins. The names of those he saved will be written in the Lamb’s book of life and nothing can blot it out from it.

3. We will all face judgment.

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” John 5:28-29.

On the Day of Judgment, the righteous will be separated from the sinners.

1. Great White Throne judgment (Judgment of the Unbelievers).

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” Revelations 20:12.
“If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” Revelations 20:15.
Those whose names are not found in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. This is the final judgment. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), our works cannot save us.

2. Judgment seat of Christ (Judgment of the believers’ works).

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” 2 Corinthians 5:10.
The judgment for our destination is no longer about our salvation. Our salvation has been given when we put our faith in Christ while we were still here on earth. It is our good works that will be tested. Any way we serve God will go through fire to test if it is built on sticks or if it will stand. Our words, actions and motives as Christians will be judged. Will you receive a reward?

YOUR VIEW OF ETERNITY WILL DETERMINE HOW YOU LIVE
“If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” 1 Corinthians 3:12-15.

ABC Series: Baptism & laying on of hands

Read Hebrews 5: 11-Hebrews 6: 2.
“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” Hebrews 6:1-2.

The basic of Christianity is faith in the finished work of Christ. According to the author of Hebrews, we need to move on from the basic teachings of Christianity and move on to maturity.
But what do the Jews believe about baptism? Baptism in the Old Testament means “washing”. Levitical laws required women who just had their monthly discharge to wash themselves as the “unclean” cannot enter the sanctuary to worship. This was what Bathsheba was doing when King David first saw her from his palace. This was done, not only for the hygiene but for ceremonial purposes.

WHAT BAPTISM IS NOT.

1. Baptism is NOT pouring. It means “to immerse.” Christian baptism involves the immersion of the whole body into the water. Pouring is done only when water is not available.

“People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River” Matthew 3:5.

2. Baptism does NOT cleanse sin. It is the perfect blood of Jesus Christ that cleansed us from our sins. Jesus went through baptism as proof of his righteousness. He identified with our sins and became our substitute.

“Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented” Matthew 3:15.

3. Baptism is NOT a formula. Some people think of baptism as something with a right process of doing. Some think they need to be baptized in the “name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”, while some think that it has to be done “in Jesus’ name”.

WHAT IS BAPTISM?

1. Baptism of Repentance.

“And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” Mark 1:4.

Repentance has to precede baptism. Baptism is a public declaration of the Lordship of Christ. An infant cannot choose his eternal destiny. You need to have adequate understanding to decide on this.

2. Baptism celebrates the newness of life.

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Romans 6:3.

Baptism is not a manner of cleansing. For the Jews, it was an acknowledgement of a change of status.
When we go through baptism, we are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ. We identify with his death, burial and resurrection. We bury our “old self”. And when we are dead, there should be no more reaction to the “old sin”. We rise up to a new life.

3. Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us power. He gives us spiritual gifts so that we can be a blessing to others.

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about” Acts 1:4.

We were in a life of sin. God arrested us, changed us and convicted us to turn away from sins. When we receive baptism, we make a public declaration that we are now serving Jesus Christ.

SINCE WE BELONG TO CHRIST, WE MUST BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS

LAYING ON OF HANDS. We lay hands on other people so that we can be a conduit of the blessings of God. There is power transferred from the one who laid hands to the other person. Some of the reasons we lay hands on other people are:
a. To Ordain or Commission pastors. Laying on of hands is a sign or a stamp of approval for the ministry of men.
b. To minister the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus can fill us with the Spirit.
c. To impart spiritual blessings. As Moses transferred the anointing to Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:9) and the elders laid hands on 7 reliable men (Acts 6).
d. To impart family blessings. Fathers have the power to bless their children and their spouses. Jacob blessed his sons (Genesis 49). Our hands are used to nurture and protect our children, not to hurt them. Even in discipline, we use a rod not our own hands.
e. To minister healing. When we pray for the sick people, we lay our hands on them and believe that God will heal them.

Baptism is a celebration of belongingness to the Lord. We no longer belong to the world, we belong to Christ. And our special purpose is to be a blessing to others.

ABC SERIES: Repentance and Faith in God

Read Hebrews 5:11-Hebrews 6:1.

“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God” Hebrews 6:1.

The bible says that as we continue in our walk with God, we are being changed from glory to glory, strength to strength (Psalm 84:7). Change is inevitable. God wants us to change – to grow. But if we are not aware of the foundations of God, our change will not be for the best.

We always want to do something to gain favor from God especially when we do wrong. But the bible says that we can’t earn our salvation.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8-Ephesians 2:9.

Grace means unmerited favor. Something we do not deserve. The bible says that our salvation is a gift from God. It is something we received that we did not earn. We cannot do anything to earn our salvation. We do not deserve it but God, out of His love for us, freely gave us the freedom from our sins.

It is one thing to grow old and another to grow up. One of the signs of a growing Christian is having the discernment of what is good or evil.

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God” Hebrews 6:1.

Repentance is a change of one’s mind, direction and ways. When we are fully committed to growing up in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we need to adjust our perspective.

Dead works are any works or useless rituals that have no bearing in God’s eyes. Men have the tendency to start from faith and go back to dead works, thinking that we need to add up to our faith to remain saved. This false burden is lifted off from us when we realize that despite our imperfections and our failures, God sees Jesus in us.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9.

WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE ARE DOING?
We do what we do out of the overflow of our love for God. It is our response to His love for us. Anything that we do outside of love will bear us down.

Regardless of how we feel and what we do, we are still God’s children. His love for us is the same. He still sent us His only begotten son.

NO AMOUNT OF WORK CAN EARN YOUR WORTH

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” 2 Corinthians 5:21.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.

ABC SERIES: The Basics of Christianity

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” Hebrews 5:11-Hebrews 6:2.

Foundations are very important. Landslides occur and buildings crash because of faulty foundations. Foundations are important in all areas of life. An Accountant must at least have an appreciation for numbers and Musicians need to distinguish the difference in Do-Re-Mi. Life is temporary by we go through so much training. How much more must we train in the eternal things in life?

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn” Hebrews 5:11.

2 MYTHS ON SPIRITUAL MATURITY:

1. Myth of Time Element.
Many Christians base their spiritual maturity is based on the length of time they have been with the church. They think that years of attendance make them more mature than others who have only been in church for a shorter time.

2. Myth of Association.
Some Christians gauge their spiritual maturity based on who they hang out with. They treat their friendships with the pastors and staff as they would an elite club or an inner circle.

PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY:

Principle #1: Spiritually mature Christians know the elementary truths of God’s word.
“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” Hebrews 5:12.

We live in a time when people are into “Consumer Christianity”. We expect to be amazed, entertained and served. We have so many criticisms, finding fault in the church. So-called Christians have been attending church for so long but never take part in the purposes of God for the church. They are there for the religious purpose of attending the weekly worship services only.

Principle #2: Spiritually mature Christians are acquainted with the teachings about righteousness.

“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness” Hebrews 5:13.

Are we acting like babies? Whining about the smallest of things? There is no distinction between worldly Christians and the worldly people except that the Christians go to church every Sunday. The worldly Christians are as unfamiliar with the teachings of righteousness.

Principle #3: Spiritually mature Christians can distinguish between good and evil.
“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” Hebrews 5:14.

How does a Christian train? We read the bible and put into practice what we have learned. We learn the basics and train ourselves with it. Do we really know the standards of integrity? Can we distinguish between good and evil?

Principle #4: Spiritually mature Christians can move on from the basic tenets of Christianity.

“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” Hebrews 6:1-2.

Repentance, faith in God, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection and eternal judgement these are the basic tenets of our faith. In order for us to understand the more advanced teachings, we must first have a solid foundation of the basics of our faith.

IT’S TIME TO GROW

Growing old is not the same as growing up. We all need the grace of God to grow up in our faith in Him. Which areas of our lives is the grace of God evident in? Which areas in our lives do we need more knowledge of Him?

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” 2 Peter 3:18.

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 3:11.

Jesus is the main foundation of our faith.

PASSION SERIES: Our Part.

The ultimate purpose of the church is to disciple the nations. But World Missions is not just about going. There is a purpose that comes with it. When we miss the purpose, we miss the blessings that come with obeying and fulfilling the great commission.

“The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." ”
Genesis 12:1.

It all starts with understanding that it is the will of God to bless us abundantly. We need to embrace the blessings of God in our lives as individuals, as a ministry and as a nation before we can begin to be a blessing to the nations. We cannot be a blessing to somebody else if we have nothing.

GOD’S BLESSINGS = SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS + MATERIAL BLESSINGS
“Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold” Genesis 13:2.

GOD’S BLESSINGS EXTEND FROM ABRAHAM TO US.
“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” Galatians 3:29.

We are co-inheritors of God’s promise to Abraham. God sealed His promise with a covenant that cannot be broken. The proper response to the promise of God is to believe, receive, thank the LORD and be a blessing to others.

GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE CHURCH IS TO DISCIPLE ALL NATIONS.

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you”
Psalm 67:1-3.

Chairman Mao Tse Tung of China is the 20th century’s greatest evangelist next to Billy Graham. He didn’t have to be a Christian. In the 1950s, he kicked out every single missionary in China. In those days, it would take 7 months of traveling on a mule to get to places in China. Mao Tse Tung had a road system built for trams and buses to travel on, making it easier for our missionaries to travel from one place to another. What took 7 months before became only 7 days of travel! Mao Tse Tung issued a decree that required businesses to use only one dialect in their transactions, Mandarin. He also reduced more than 4,000 Chinese characters to 1,500 making the bible easier to translate using only one dialect that is understood by every single Chinese, and with only 1,500 characters to use. Mao Tse Tung’s greatest contribution was when he pulled out the high achieving scholarly Christians from the universities and sent them to the most remote islands of China. Unwittingly, Mao Tse Tung sent off an army of intelligent, young Christians to places that was difficult for missionaries to reach, allowing the gospel to be preached in the farthest corners of China! The greatest revival is now happening in the rural areas that these students were sent to. Mao Tse Tung was very instrumental in spreading the faith that he sought to destroy 60 years ago.

OUR PART.

1.GO.
9 out of 10 people still need to hear the gospel and 4 out of those 9 people have not even heard of the name of Jesus Christ.

2. SEND.
We are called to pray individually and corporately for the nations and for the safety of our missionaries.

“And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” Mark 11:17.

3. GIVE.
In the early beginnings of Victory Church in the Philippines, it decided to raise a mission fund from among the few, unwealthy student members of the congregation. It was able to raise a staggering amount (at that time) of Php10,000 a month and was able to send out their first missionary. Victory Church has not looked back since then and it has never been in lack. Thus is the principle of sowing and reaping. It is in the going and the sending that the local church becomes a global church.

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” Revelations 7:9.

Revelations 7:9 is our assurance that God commissioned us because He knew precisely that we can do it and that we will not fail. It is our assurance that His promise to Abraham will come to pass. He has already given the provisions and the victory to us through the blood of Jesus Christ. All we need to do is to respond and to obey to make disciples of all nations.

Once every people is represented in heaven, Jesus Christ will have received the full reward for his suffering, bringing glory and honor to His Name.

PASSION SERIES: God’s Heart.

“and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” Revelations 5:9b.

What is Passion? Passion is defined as a strong, barely uncontrollable emotion or an intense desire for something. All of us have our own passions. We may discover people’s passions by the words that they speak, from the overflow of their hearts (Luke 6:45b). But what is God passionate about? What moves His heart?

WHAT IS THE PASSION OF GOD?

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” 1 Corinthians 10:26.

Everything is God’s and because He owns us, He is passionate that His plans and purposes are fulfilled. He is committed to take care of us.

WHAT IS THE PASSION OF GOD?

“and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” Revelations 5:9b.

Jesus purchased us with His blood. He died for the unbelievers of the world. God sacrificed His Son to gain us whom He loves. God is so passionate that He wants to reveal His plans and purpose for our lives.

WHAT IS THE PASSION OF GOD?

“that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nation”
Psalm 67:2.

“for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”
Isaiah 56:7.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”
Matthew 24:14.

“and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” Luke 24:47.

“but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him”
Romans 16:26.

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands”
Revelations 7:9.

God is passionate about seeing every person in every tribe serving Him. His heart is for every people group to be represented in heaven. He wants every nation to be saved.

THE GREAT COMMISSION
(Also read Genesis 1:28; Genesis 9:7; Matthew 28:19).

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" Genesis 12:3.

“I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham" Genesis 26:24.

“Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring” Genesis 28:14.

God’s covenant with Abraham extends to us. God wants to bless us so that we can be a blessing to others. The brand Coca Cola is known throughout the world, even in the remotest of villages, but many nations have not heard of the Name of Jesus Christ. By the year 2010, the world is estimated to have 7 Billion in population. Only 2.1 Billion are considered “Christians” and only .7 are bible-believing Christians. God has envisioned the earth to be filled with His own people. 2.8 billion people are beyond reach, belonging to hostile nations.
GOD’S ULTIMATE PASSION IS TO DISCIPLE THE NATIONS.

The Great Commission to go out and make disciples of all nations is for all of us, not just for full time ministers. There are 3 ways to participate in the world missions:

1.Go.
Join short-term or long-term mission trips and church planting.
2. Pray.
We are called to pray for the nations of the world. God has different ways of reminding us to
pray for the other nations.
3. Give.
We can support missions and church planting through pledges and financial support.