ORIENTATION TALK CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAM Orientation talk Why should we take time and effort to participate in a program such as this? To answer that, we have to consider first why Jesus himself come into the world. Jesus proclaims His mission. Then Jesus went to Nazareth , where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures, and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has chosen me to preach the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set free the oppressed, and announce the year when the Lord will save His people. Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on Him. He began speaking to them, This passage of the Scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read. The salvation promised by God was to be fulfilled in and through Him. He was to announce the good news of Gods reign. His mission is for all. His proclamation is timeless. The promise applies to us too.
JESUS REFERS TO FOUR KINDS
OF PEOPLE. DO WE RECOGNIZE OURSELVES AMONG THEM? THE POOR These are those who live lives apart from God. JESUS REFERS TO FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE. DO WE RECOGNIZE OURSELVES AMONG THEM? THE CAPTIVES We can be in captivity to things, desires and ideas of no real worth. We can be slaves to money, power, work and achievements, those things the world values. JESUS REFERS TO FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE. DO WE RECOGNIZE OURSELVES AMONG THEM? THE BLIND We can be blinded by prejudices, pride, wrong self image, false ideals and ideologies. We often do not recognize the things that are of real value. JESUS REFERS TO FOUR KINDS OF PEOPLE. DO WE RECOGNIZE OURSELVES AMONG THEM? THE OPPRESSED We can be oppressed by our bondages to unrighteous relationships; to hatred or intolerance, to greed and immorality in business; to fears, worries, anxieties, insecurities; to alcohol, drugs and illicit sex. But Jesus came precisely to bring salvation to us in all these areas. He brings glad tidings to the poor. What is real value is the good news of salvation and a real relationship with God. He proclaims liberty to captives. Jesus can free us from our captivity to worldly things that are of no true and lasting worth. He gives sight to the blind. With Jesus we can never be in darkness and unable to see. He lets the oppressed free. Only Jesus can truly set us free from our bondages. But are we experiencing today the salvation that Jesus offers? Do we have spiritual abundance? Are we living in freedom?
Do we see with Gods eyes? What do we see in the world today? Moral degeneration in all levels of society. a) Upsurge in sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, perversity. b) Rampant greed and dishonesty. c) Workaholics leaving no room for God. d) Alarming break up of families due to lack of commitment of spouses e) Spiritual blindness, giving rise to man made religions and cults. Why are Christians behaving like this in a modern world? Superficially, one may point to economic hard times as the reason. When times are hard, people look for concrete thing which can help them. Bribing in order to win a contract. Alcohol, drugs and illicit sex to cover up difficulties. Turning to the occult for good luck. Why are Christians behaving like this in a modern world? Others point to sociological reasons. If everyone is doing it, it must be okey. In society today, there is a lack of objective moral norms for right conduct. Why are Christians behaving like this in a modern world? But these can only be partially correct. Because we see that throughout history, especially for the early Church, Christians did not easily trade their Christian values, even in the face of imprisonment, pain and death. Thus, we can only conclude that the Christianity we know today is no longer the same brand of Christianity as the one the early Christians knew. Our Christianity today is lacking in power and effectiveness. There are a number of reasons Sin in our lives blocks the power of God. 1. Some are unwilling to give up sin. or there may be no serious sin, but many still live a split-level Christianity. There are a number of reasons 2. One may be a good person, but conversion to the Lord is not full. We may be satisfied with an emotional experience and not allow our conversion to effect concretely the way we think, live, act and relate to others. There are a number of reasons 3. Many do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. For many Christians, Jesus is out of reach. He is a God who is far away in heaven. But in order for us to receive power, we must have direct link up to the source of power. John 15:5 There are a number of reasons 4. There are those who have no Christian support. We are called to be part of a body, the body of Christ. We need the care and support of others in order to become better Christians. The world is a hostile environment for Christians. We can easily become assimilated into the values and points of view of the world. There are a number of reasons 5. Some Christians are not living in the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the Trinity and we know well the Father and the Son. But many Christians do not know the Spirit nor understand his role. Jesus affirms the Spirits importance. Before His ascension, Jesus told the disciples to wait for power from on high. This power will be given when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. John 1:7-8. But Im telling you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go away I will send Him to you. And when He comes He will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about Gods judgment. Acts 1:8. but when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will witness for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Luke 24:49. And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above will come down upon you. And the Spirit did come, on the day of the Pentecost. The disciples were emboldened and empowered. Christianity spread quickly. And within a couple of centuries, the whole Roman Empire was converted. This is the power of the Holy Spirit at work. And this same Spiritual Power is available to us. What then must we do about our situation? To begin with, understand that we are not meant for this world but for a higher life with God. If true, then we should not just invest ourselves in this world. We should invest for the next. Our stay in this world is transitory. Our true citizenship is in heaven. Phil 3:20. We however are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ to come from heaven. What then must we do about our situation? Investigate for yourself what Jesus is offering. Dont just pass it up. Right now, approach this in faith and know that your God is extending to you an invitation. I stand at the door of your heart and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and eat with him and he will eat with me. Revelations 3:20 Concretely, what does this invitation mean for you? Concretely, what does this invitation mean for you? MODULE ONE: The Basic Truths About Christianity 1. Gods Love 2. Who is Jesus Christ? 3. What it means to be a Christian 4. Repentance and Faith MODULE TWO: The Authentic Christian Life 5. The Christian Ideal: Loving God 6. Loving your Neighbor 7. The Christian Family 8. Life in the Holy Spirit MODULE THREE: Living a Spirit-filled Christian Life 9. Receiving the Power of the Holy Spirit 10. Growing in the Spirit 11. The Life and Mission of CFC 12. Transformation in Christ CFC started in June 1981 in Manila, philippines with 16 couples. CFC started in June 1993 in general santos city with 36 couples. It is highly evangelistic and grows rapidly, such that as of today we are already more than 1 million couples in more than 161 countries. (Last is SIERRA LEONE) In 1993 it has established the Family Ministries Kids for Christ Youth for Christ Singles for Christ Handmaids of the Lord Servants of the Lord In 1998 it has established the Social Ministries Flame Ministry (Social Communication) Medical Mission (Medical related profession) STMA (Lawyers and Politicians) Teodora (Women) FEED (Education) Tekton Guild (Economic) Oikos (Environment) Isaiah 61:1 (Prison Ministry)
In year 2000 In year 2000 All these will bring you to the doorway to spiritual freedom, maturity and power in Christian living! God bless!!!