Church Activities For This Week

Doing Something Of Eternal Value

By Rev. James Wong

We all know that we only live once on planet earth. If we ponder on life, none of us want to waste our lives on frivolous things and hope to invest our lives on some endeavors that brings wealth, meaning and most of all, of good value. Ever think of something beyond that. What about doing something of ’Eternal Value’? Yes, not just worldly value but eternal value.

God has given us a task, to be a partner with Him in sharing the Good News of his love, forgiveness, hope and abundant life in following Jesus Christ. This assignment of sharing the gospel is known as our ‘Life Mission’. Jesus said: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18 NIV).

Our Life Vocation
We may have our life vocation as a teacher, doctor, lawyer, homemaker, clerk, engineers, laborer, student, hairdresser, mechanic, nurse, businessman, politician and etc. God has given each one of us special gifts for specific tasks to enable us to make a living and make this world a better place. This is known as our life vocation and it is important that we are successful in this area. On top of our life vocation God has given us a life mission which is the assignment that God has given us to do.

Our Life Mission
This life mission that we receive from God is different from ministry. Our ministry is our service to believers in the body of Christ whereas our mission is our service to the unbelievers of this world. Mission is the assignment that God has given to us to share his message to those who are yet to believe. In fact the word "mission" comes from the Latin word for "sending." Being a Christian includes being sent into the world as a representative of Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18 NIV).

To put it simply, the mission that God has given to us is to introduce people to God. The Bible says, “… God gave us the task of making others his friends also. Our message is that God was making all mankind his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends” (2 Cor 5:18-19
TEV).

The sermon this week will highlight to you the significance of fulfilling this life mission. It is a task that has eternal value. It will impact the eternal destiny of other people. Because of this it is more important than any job, achievement or goal you will reach during your life. Nothing else you do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God. But why are we seldom doing it? Tune to the sermon.

Doing Something Significant With Your Life

Fulfilling Your Life Mission

The Importance of a Life Vocation
The Significance of a Life Mission

“16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.* 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."* ~Rom 1:16-17 (NLT)

1. IT IS A PRIVILEDGE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ ...” ~Romans 1:16a

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” ~John 17:18 (NIV)
“So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" ~2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NLT)

”If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." ~Mark 8:38 (NIV)

2. THE GOSPEL IS THE POWER OF GOD
“It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” ~Romans 1:16b

“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
~Matt 16:18 (NLT)

3. THE GREATEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR SOMEONE
“This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." ~Rom 1:17 (NLT)

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” ~Luke 15:7 (NLT)

Lessons On Relationship (Part 8)

Restoring Relationships: Reconciliation, Not Always Resolution
by Rick Warren

"Work hard at living in peace with others" (1 Peter 3:11 NLT).

The seventh biblical step toward restoring a relationship is to emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.

It's unrealistic to expect everyone to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the problem loses significance and often becomes irrelevant.

We can re-establish a relationship even when we are unable to resolve our differences. Christians often have legitimate, honest disagreements and differing opinions, but we can disagree without being disagreeable.

The same diamond looks different from different angles. God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm in arm without seeing eye to eye on every issue.

This doesn't mean you give up on finding a solution. You may need to continue discussing and even debating--but you do it in a spirit of harmony. Reconciliation means you bury the hatchet, not necessarily the issue.

With whom do you need to restore fellowship? Pause right now and talk to God about that person. Then pick up the phone and begin the process. The seven steps toward restoring relationships are simple, but they’re not easy. It takes a lot of effort to restore a relationship. That's why Peter urged, "Work hard at living in peace with others" (1 Peter 3:11 NLT).

But when you work for peace, you are doing what God would do. That's why God calls peacemakers his children.