Here's our Care Circle "Continuing the Conversation" guide for January 1, 2023.
Opening [Pambungad]
Napakahalaga to build a genuine relationship with your members. Ang Care Circle ay hindi lang para sa attendance o pang-sesermon kundi pagkakaroon ng relasyon sa isa’t isa at sama-samang pagtahak sa buhay.
Mga bagay na makakatulong:
1. I-welcome ang grupo.
2. Kung kayang magkaroon ng ice breaker, mas mainam!
3. Kamustahin ang kanilang mga naging nakaraang lingo – any highlights or challenges.
4. Kamustahin kung nagawa ba nila ang application last week
5. Kamustahin kung meron bang answered prayers mula sa inyong mga ipinanalangin.
Rewind [Balikan ang Napakinggan]
Purpose: GOD FIRST AND GOD BEING ALL IN ALL! According to His Word FIRST COMMANDMENT
Intro for Sermon Series Rationale: I once heard the tale of a talented and gifted bloodhound in England that started a hunt by chasing a full-grown male deer to be offered to his master. During the chase a fox (alamid, soro) crossed his path, so he began now to chase the fox. A rabbit (kuneho) crossed his hunting path, so he began to chase the rabbit. After chasing the rabbit for a while, a tiny field mouse (dagang bubwit) crossed his path, and he chased the mouse to the corner of a farmer’s barn.
The bloodhound had begun the hunt chasing a prized male deer for his master and wound-up barking at a tiny mouse.
Mula sa paghahanap sa napakaganda at napakatinding usa, bumagsak sa hindi-kapakipakinabang at napakaliit na bubwit.
JANUARY being the first month of the year, nanaisin natin na tama ang hahanapin natin, tama ang hinahabol natin. Baka sa huli, walang magandang huli! We usually plan and make promises and vows, sometimes to God, or most of the time, to ourselves, to where you want to go or want to do for the next 365 days. In the light of this, God had prompted that we shall have our first 2023 SERMONSERYE by putting GOD: FIRST AND FOREMOST as it will dictate how we live our lives later.
Intro for Part 1
Have you heard of the phrase: ‘FIRST AMONG EQUALS’? Primus inter pares is a Latin phrase
This means:
- the leader of a group of people who is officially considered equal in rights and status to the other members of the group)
- a member of a group who is officially on the same level as the other members but who in fact has slightly more responsibility or power
Ex. “We have entered a period of historical transition in which the United States will become first among equals, rather than […] simply top dog, hyperpower and unquestioned hegemon,” said Timothy Garton Ash, a professor of…
Ex. Statistics show that tennis player Djokovic has now claimed 20 grand slams, taking him level with Federer and Rafael Nadal, he is surely now primus inter pares: first among equals.
Let us go back to where it all started!! And to get the absolute truth on how all things started, we need, FIRST AND FOREMOST, to GO BACK TO THE WORD OF GOD! Whether you like it or not, whether you believe it or not. Whether you ignore it or not, THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WORD OF GOD!!! It is infallible- incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.
The Foursquare Organization, first and foremost in its 22 tenets is:
We believe that the
Holy Bible is the Word of the living God;
true
1 immutable, steadfast, unchangeable, as its author, the Lord Jehovah; that it was written by holy men of old as they were moved upon and
2 inspired by the Holy Spirit; that it is a
3 lighted lamp to guide the feet of a lost world from the depths of sin and sorrow to the heights of righteousness and glory;
an unclouded mirror that reveals the face of a crucified Savior;
a plumb line to make straight the life of each individual and community;
a sharp two-edged sword to convict of sin and evil doing;
a strong cord of love and tenderness to draw the penitent to Christ Jesus;
a balm of Gilead,
4 inbreathed by the Holy Spirit, that can heal and quicken each drooping heart;
the only true ground of Christian fellowship and unity;
the 5 loving call of an infinitely loving God;
the solemn warning,
the distant thunder of the storm of wrath and retribution that shall overtake the unheeding;
a sign post that points to Heaven;
a danger signal that warns from Hell;
6 the divine, supreme and eternal tribunal by whose standards all men, nations, creeds, and motives shall be tried.
Kung sa mga bago pa lamang, maaari nating masabi, na paano mangyayari ang napakaraming bagay na ito dahil sa isang ‘libro lang’. Ngunit sa mga matagal-tagal na ring nagbabasa ng Bibliya, nakikita na nila ang mga bagay na ito.
Pastor Stephen Brown taught swimming and diving for a number of years. He tells about a young boy named Billy. Billy had watched so many professional divers and wanted so much to dive like them that he refused to take time to learn the basics.
Time after time Brown tried to help Billy see that the most important thing about diving was to keep his head in the proper position. If his head entered the water properly, Brown explained, the rest of his body would enter the water properly–at least, more properly than it had been.
Billy would dive into the pool, do a belly flop, and come up grinning, “Mr. Brown,” he would shout, “were my feet together?”
“Billy, I don’t care whether your feet were together or not,” Brown shouted back.
“Make sure your head is straight, then everything else will work out.”
The next time Billy would stand on the edge of the pool and really concentrate. Then he would dive and, once again, make a mess of it. “Mr.Brown, were my hands together?”
“Billy,” Brown would groan in frustration, “I’m going to get you a neck brace and weld it onto your head. For the hundredth time, if your head is right the rest of you will be right.
If your head is wrong, the rest of you will be wrong.”
.
Stephen Brown, When Being Good Isn’t Good Enough, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Adapted by King Duncan
Kailangan magkaroon ng tamang mindset, hindi dictated lang ng pakiramdam, nang nakikita sa social media, ng sinsabi ng ibang tao o kamag-anak, o nang personal selfish desires. Otherwise, walang magbabago!!! Magbabago man ito ayon sa pinlano mo, pero sa huli, ang makukuha mo ay bubwit!
Hayaan po ninyong dalhin ko kayo sa Salita ng Dios upang makita natin kung paano tayo makakapagsimula at makakatapos nang may katugmpayan ayon sa kaharian ng Dios!
I. GENESIS 1:1 THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS NOT EQUAL WITH THE CREATION
In the beginning God created the sky and the earth. 2 The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit was moving over the water. (picture of void and empty)
ü From this, ugly, void, dark, empty….gumanda ang lahat! (picture of beautiful creation)
ü when all was empty and void, only the God of the Bible made things beautiful
He used the word ‘tov’ in Hebrew. The first use of this word is in Genesis chapter one where Elohim calls his handiwork "good" It should always be remembered that the Hebrews often relate descriptions to functionality. When Elohim looked at his handiwork, he did not see that it was "good," he saw that it was functional-"like a well-oiled and tuned machine."
ü He completed everything!
ü when He prepared everything for His creation of man, only the God of the Bible created man on which He said: “very good”
Application: FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE GOD OF THE BIBLE!
Siya ang nagpaganda at nag-ayos ng lahat, Jesus as the Master Craftsman!!
Kung ganoon pala, kung gusto mong umayaos, gumanda, at magkaroon ng layunin ang iyong buhay, sa Dios tayo magpaayos!
Hindi basta basta nagtitiwala sa mga nagsasabing: ‘YOU COMPLETE ME!”
(Susungkit ng buwan? Yayaman ka? Pakakasalan kita? Aahon ka?? Kapag nakiala mo yung taong ito, susuwertehen ka? Itong numerong ito, susi mo sa pag-asenso?)
Pansinin po ninyo, na pang-sarili, pang-layunin dito lang sa mundo, at hindi ayon sa plano ng Dios! Kaya kapag nabulilyaso, lalong lumalayo at napapalayo sa Dios.
Siya ang Simula, Siya ang Wakas (at pati mga gitna!). Saan ka pa pupunta?
Babalik ka rin sa Kanya, bakit ka pa magpapakalayo!!!
Piliin mo nang manatili sa BUHAY NA DIOS na sinasabi sa Bibliya!
II. EXODUS 20:1-3 THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS NOT EQUAL WITH ANY GOD WE MAKE
ü And God spoke all these words:
ü “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
ü “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Aminim man natin o hindi, tanggapin man natin o hindi, WE MAKE OUR OWN GODS (sad emoji)
Ang Dios mismo! Siya mismo ang nagsabi!!! “I am a JEALOUS GOD” !
Is this an evil point? God is telling us this because He is pursing us, but it seems that His creation is pursuing ‘other creation’ ‘made’ by his own imperfect hands.
Bible says, my paraphrase: ‘NOTHING or no one should be made EQUAL TO ME!”
Application: FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE GOD OF THE BIBLE!
Illus. In Thomas Moore’s book Meditations, he tells of a pilgrim (manlalakbay, peregrino) walking along a road.
The pilgrim sees some men working on a stone building. Pataas nang pataas, nagpapatong ng mga brickstones.
“You look like a monk,” (monghe, isang tao galing sa isang religious group na fully devoted sa paglilingkod sa kanilang dios)
the pilgrim said. “I am that,” said the monk.
“Who is that working on the abbey?” (kumbento, katedral)
“My monks. I’m the abbot.” (pinuno ng mga monghe)
“It’s good to see a monastery going up,” said the pilgrim. (Ang galing na nagpapataas kayo ng mga bakod dito sa inyong katedral)
(Ah, hindi, binabagsak nila yan) “They’re tearing it down,” said the abbot. “Whatever for?” asked the pilgrim. “So we can see the sun rise at dawn,”
(Para makita naman ang ganda ng pagsikat at paglubog ng araw) said the abbot.
Application: Kailangang may tanggalin tayo, tigilan na ginagawa ng ating kamay na humaharang para makita natin ang ganda ng plano ng Dios, hindi lang ang plano mong mag-build. The best handiwork are in the hands of The God Who created you!
Siya ang Tanging Lumikha kaya Siya lang ang dapat alayan ng pagsamba!
Bakit mo pinapantay ang pera at pangarap mo sa Kanya? Huwag ka nang mag-molde na gawa ng sarili mong mga kamay. Marupok yun, hindi pangmatagalan, hindi pangmalakasan, hindi panghabambuhay!
Piliin mo nang gawin pangunahin sa BUHAY MO ANG DIOS NA BUHAY na sinasabi sa Bibliya!
The Creator, rather the creation!
Priority 1: It must be GOD, FIRST AND FOREMOST!
Priority 2: GOD, second
Priority 3 : GOD, third, and so on and so forth
Until your life is continually face to face with God – Oswald Chambers
NO EQUAL!!! (no amount of money, no jowa, nor asawa nor pamilya, no house or car, or business, or career…can ever take God’s place!)
III. Romans 11:36 THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS ONE AND CO-EQUAL
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
I Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
We can rely on God the Father Who does not withhold good gifts to His children!
We can call on God the Son Who is our all in all and Who delights in us!
We can rest in God the Holy Spirit Who comforts and directs us!
Anumang dispensation: a system of order, government, or organization of a nation, community, etc., especially as existing at a particular time: INNOCENCE, CONSCIENCE, GOVERNMENT , ISRAEL, EARLY CHURCH, HOLY SPIRIT, SECOND COMING….
ONE GOD!!!! THREE PERSONS!!!
Conclusion:
The BIBLE shows us the ONLY TRUE GOD WHO IS NOT FIRST AMONG EQUALS BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST! THE GOD WITH NO EQUAL!!!
Matthew 6:33 But SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all these things will be added to you.
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS (basic and expanded)
We will still be in need, we will still get sick. We will still frustrated, we will still lack
When you put GOD FIRST AND FOREMOST, everything else falls into their proper places.
When I put God first, God takes care of me and energizes me to do what really is to be done – David Jeremiah
As God is exalted to the right place in our lives, a thousand problems are solved all at once – A.W. Tozer
Reflection [Magnilay-nilay]
Challenge: Ikaw, katulad ng alamid, ano ba talaga ang hinahanap mo? Sino o ano ang hinahabol mo? Ano ang ipupursue mo ngayong 2023? JOWA? NEW JOB? JOB PROMOTION? TRAVEL ABROAD? MONEY AND MORE MONEY????
The open secret to all these is to PURSUE GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and GIVING YOURSELF TO THE LORD FIRST! This should be our response!
II COR. 8:5 (niv) And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. (ncv) They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants.
Practice [I-apply ang Natutunan]
· Maglaan ng oras araw-araw upang basahin ang Salita ng Diyos at humingi ng tulong sa Banal na Espiritu upang magkaroon ng pang-unawa at pananampalataya upang i-apply ito sa iyong buhay.
Prayer [Panalangin]
Closing [Pangwakas]
I-remind ang grupo tungkol sa mg ito:
- Kanilang daily Bible reading and devotion
- Pagdalo sa church
- Pagbibigay (tithes and offering)
- Pananalangin (kasama ang Prayer Cell)
- Pag-care sa iba
- Pag-seserve sa ministry – baka wala pa silang ministry, marami pong available!
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