A BLESSED NEW YEAR!! FGA GENESIS CELL GROUP 2 nd January, 2009...
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Transcript of A BLESSED NEW YEAR!! FGA GENESIS CELL GROUP 2 nd January, 2009...
A BLESSED NEW YEAR!!
FGA GENESIS CELL GROUPFGA GENESIS CELL GROUP
22ndnd January, 2009 January, 2009--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
““LET US RETURN : LET US RETURN :
BEING THANKFUL ALWAYS”BEING THANKFUL ALWAYS”by Peter Huangby Peter Huang
--------------------------------------------
Last Sunday 28 December, 2008 sermon – Key passage
• Hebrews 10:35-36 35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the
Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!
36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
• 2009 FGA’s Theme: Let us return – relationship, word & servanthood.
Colossians 3:12-17 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves,
you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BETWEEN
THE TWO EXPRESSIONS BELOW?THE TWO EXPRESSIONS BELOW?
Big difference betweenSAYING we are thankful,and truly BEING thankful!
Act of thankful response
Continuous living expression
of our gratitude to God for everything
This is ALWAYS This is ALWAYS a Correct Attitudea Correct Attitude!!
““We Ought To Be Thankful We Ought To Be Thankful Because God Has Given Us Because God Has Given Us Everything We HaveEverything We Have””
contentment
We can go through life We can go through life complainingcomplaining or or being being
thankfulthankful. Or we can find . Or we can find reasons to be thankful !!!reasons to be thankful !!!
COMPLAININGCOMPLAINING
Adds no value to the situationAdds no value to the situation Does not resolve the situationDoes not resolve the situation
See what the Bible has to say about See what the Bible has to say about ….complaining and being thankful….complaining and being thankful
Philippians 2:14-15
14 Do everything without complaining and arguing,
15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
Ephesians 5:19
“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving
thanks to God the Father for everything.”
1Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Two occasions when we should be Two occasions when we should be thankfulthankful
_____________________________________
James 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.
James 1:2-3My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
Story – The Butterfly’s Struggle
A man once watched a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. In an effort to help it, he took a razor blade, and carefully slit the edge of the cocoon. The butterfly escaped from its problem ... But it had a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It couldn’t fly and died very soon after.
It is God's way to have the butterfly struggle. It is the struggle that causes it’s tiny heart to beat fast, and send the life's blood into its wings.
TRIALSTRIALS
have their purposehave their purpose are like the cocoon are like the cocoon
we find ourselveswe find ourselves make us struggle: make us struggle:
they bring us to our kneesthey bring us to our knees
It’s God’s It’s God’s will/commandwill/command
Psalm 95:2Psalm 95:2 Let us come before his presence Let us come before his presence
with with thanksgivingthanksgiving, and make a , and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.joyful noise unto him with psalms.
1Thessalonians 5:16-181Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without Rejoice evermore. Pray without
ceasing. ceasing. In every thing give In every thing give thanksthanks: for this is the will of God : for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.in Christ Jesus concerning you.
ProblemsProblems
ROMANS 1:21ROMANS 1:21 Yes, they knew God, but they Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and their minds became dark and confusedconfused..
Psalm 77:3Psalm 77:3 I remembered God, and was I remembered God, and was
troubled; I complained, and my troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.spirit was overwhelmed.
AGREE or DISAGREE?
A person who takes an occasional shower or bath is not necessarily a clean person!!
A person who is occasionally thankful is not necessarily a thankful person!
“ “A thankful spirit is one of A thankful spirit is one of the key distinguishing the key distinguishing marks of a Christian. It marks of a Christian. It sets us apart from the sets us apart from the
world, it makes us world, it makes us different.”different.”
-Alan Perkins
The whole Christian life is one The whole Christian life is one big "big "Thank YouThank You," the living ," the living
expression of our gratitude to expression of our gratitude to God for His goodness.God for His goodness.