Parable of the Sower

Pray that I am good soil; that the seed planted in me will yield an abundant crop.

BSF (27 May 2014) Matthew Lesson 14

Had missed 2 weeks of BSF lessons due to reservist, now back for the last lesson before we break for the June school holidays.

1. Mustard Seeds & Yeast (Matthew 13:31-35)

Principle 1: God's work is unstoppable & His purposes will be accomplished

2. Treasures & Net (Matthew 13:44-50)

Principle 2: God's people, the church, who treasure Jesus Christ will be united with Him when He comes again.

3. House owner & Rejection (Matthew 13:51-58)

Principle 3: The revelation of things old unveils & unravels the new things

John 12:25 Self vs Jesus

This is at the heart of man's problem
- He who loves self shall not see fulfillment
- refers to putting self last and putting Christ first in all things

12 Apostles - Andrew

1. Andrew (name means "manly") was the first apostle of Jesus Christ.
- He was a follower of John the Baptist
- when John proclaimed Jesus "the lamb of God," Andrew went with Jesus and spent a day with him.

2. Andrew found his brother Simon Peter and told him "We have found the Messiah." (John 1:41, NIV)
- He brought Simon to meet Jesus.
- Matthew notes that Simon and Andrew dropped their fishing nets and followed Jesus as he was passing by.

3. The Gospels record three episodes involving the Apostle Andrew.
- He and three other disciples asked Jesus about his prophecy that the Temple would be torn down (Mark 13:3-4).
- Andrew brought a boy with two fish and five barley loaves to Jesus, who multiplied them to feed 5,000 people (John 6:8-13).
- Philip and Andrew brought some Greeks to Jesus who wanted to meet him (John 12:20-22).

4. Accomplishments:
Andrew brought people to Jesus. After Pentecost, Andrew became a missionary like the other apostles and preached the gospel.

Do not worry for God will provide

Had a pleasant surprise that I was selected for mid year core cycle review ... Truly God will provide abundantly to his children ... In a year when I started BSF and committed to return to Cell Group Bible Study; this means being disciplined to finish work on time twice a week .... God has always allowed me to finish work on time, even during the peak reporting periods!! I had always been able to deliver on my work and deadlines as well as leave on time to study God's word.

Thank you Lord for always looking after me and giving me abundant blessings.

The Apostles - Peter (Simon)

1. One of the most prominent characters in the Gospels
- a rough and tumble man whose emotions often got him into trouble
- was one of the favorites of Jesus Christ

2. Peter's true name was Simon.
- his brother is Andrew
- Simon was a follower of John the Baptist.
- Andrew introduced Simon to Jesus
- Jesus renamed Simon Cephas (in Aramaic meaning "rock.")
- His aggressiveness made Peter a natural spokesman for the twelve.

3. Jesus included Peter in his inner circle - he took Peter, James, and John into the house of Jairus, where Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead (Mark 5:35-43).
- Peter was among those same disciples Jesus chose to witness the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9).
- one of the 3 who saw Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33-42).

4. Most of us remember Peter for denying Christ three times during the night of Jesus' trial. Following his resurrection, Jesus took special care to rehabilitate Peter and assure him he was forgiven.

5. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the apostles. Peter was so overcome that he began to preach to the crowd. Acts 2:41 tells us 3,000 people were converted that day. Through the remainder of that book, Peter and John were persecuted for their stand for Christ.

6. Early in his ministry, Simon Peter preached only to Jews, but God gave him a vision in Joppa of a huge sheet containing all types of animals, warning him not to call anything made by God impure. Peter then baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household and understood that the gospel is for all people.

7. Accomplishments of Peter the Apostle:
- After being invited by Jesus to come, Peter got out of his boat and for a brief few moments walked on water (Matthew 14:28-33).
- Peter correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:16), not through his own knowledge but the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
- He was chosen by Jesus to witness the transfiguration.
- After Pentecost, Peter boldly proclaimed the gospel in Jerusalem, unafraid of arrest and persecution.
- Most scholars consider Peter the eyewitness source for the Gospel of Mark.
- He penned the books 1 Peter and 2 Peter.

BSF (6 May 2014) Lesson 12

Was assisting in the Children ministry and was only able to listen to the recording today.

1. Jesus' Compassion (Matthew 9:35 - 10: 4)

Principle 1: God calls ordinary people to work for Him.

2. Apostle's Commission (Matthew 10:5-16)

Principle 2: When Jesus calls His disciples to a task, He will fully equip and enable them.

Oswald Chambers: “If Jesus ever gave us a command he could not enable us to fulfill, He would be a liar; and if we make our inability a barrier to obedience, it means that we are telling God there is something He has not taken into account. Every element of self-reliance must be slain by the power of God. Complete weakness and dependence will always be an occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His power.”

3. Disciple's Costs & Rewards (Matthew 10:17-42)

Principle 3: Serving Jesus is about Him & not about you.

All mum's love their children ... happy mother's day

Thanks for all mums ..... their love for their child is selfless. Happy Mother's Day.

I think all mums that are in Christ will love this song

The 12 Apostles

Who were the 12 Apostles ... what were they called to do?

Matthew 10:1-8

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 

These are the names of the twelve apostles:
first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew;
James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew;
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. -

Our God does not stay angry but he delights to show mercy

Micah 7:18-19 (NIV)

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

John 15:5

We have a intimate / close relationship with Jesus, just like the branch & the vine .... if we are to bear fruit. My I become a fruitful branch in Jesus' vine, Lord plse prune me that my life is transformed. 

Today in reservist, was able to be the salt & light .... to discuss why I believe in Jesus as my saviour. Truly with the Holy Spirit, we will know what to say.

Noah performing in Joyful Voices

Feeling blessed that Noah is loving his JV singing performance ..... "He's Still Working on Me"

Matthew 10:22

What it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

10000 REASONS .....

One of my favourite songs

"10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)"

[Chorus]

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

[Chorus]

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

[Chorus]

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

[Chorus x2]

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name

I'll worship Your holy name

Perspectives on Prayer from Daniel 9–10

Latest Bible Study mail was useful

1. Position yourself for prayer by reading Scripture first.

2. Follow Scripture’s lead toward what you should pray for. (If prayer’s the train, make Scripture the rails.)

3. Pray humbly, recognizing your utter unworthiness before an all-holy God.
“...prayer and petition in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” (v. 3)

4. Begin by praising God for His attributes, His greatness and faithfulness. Let God’s character provide the context for prayer, so He’s the center of gravity, not you.

5. Confess your sins, taking full responsibility, without rationalization, spin or self-exemption.
“We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.” (v. 5–6)

6. Permeate prayer with affirmations of God’s amazing grace and your profound gratitude—never asking for what you deserve, but thanking Him that He’s given you infinitely better than you deserve.

7. Before bringing your requests, repeatedly affirm God’s worthiness and your unworthiness—never forget who you are, and Who you’re talking to.

8. Never blame God for sin, its consequences or for life’s hardships.

9. Make requests in light of God’s past acts of faithfulness. Rehearse those acts to God, as demonstrated in Scripture, history, and your own personal and family life.

10. Pray for God’s sake, His glory, and His reputation, reminding yourself it’s all about Him, not you.

11. Pray with a heartfelt recognition of God’s undeserved grace on behalf of you and others.

12. God hears our prayers and starts responding to them (when we pray with Daniel’s attitude and perspective) before we can see results, and even when we can’t see results at all.

13. God deploys angels on missions in response to humble, biblically-based, God-centered prayers.

14. Prayer mobilizes righteous angels, who engage in intense turf warfare against fallen angels, with kingdom claims at stake. Answers to prayer may be hastened or delayed as a result of this warfare.

Conclusions
1. Prayer isn’t passive, it’s active. It’s really doing something. Prayer isn’t the least we can do, it’s the most.

2. Prayer is supernatural. It’s reaching out of the visible world into the unseen world, and tapping into powers beyond this dimension. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12).

3. Prayer is never secondary, it’s always primary. It’s not the last recourse, when options run out, it’s the first and best recourse. Prayer is the central work which causes all other work to bear fruit. (No prayer, no power.) “Therefore put on the whole armor of God...take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the gospel.... Pray that I may declare it fearlessly” (Eph. 6:13, 17, 18-20).

4. God’s greatest works, accomplished through prayer, are often invisible to us for now. (What’s visible to us, except in rare moments of clarity, are not God’s greatest works.)

5. We pray now in faith, believing our prayers are making an eternal difference; we anticipate heaven, where we’ll learn God’s breath-taking answers to our prayers, including many that seemed unheard and ignored.

6. There is no greater ministry, no higher calling, no better investment than prayer. (It’s not just right, it’s smart.)

7. Prayer is trusting God that He can accomplish more when I’m on my knees than I can accomplish on my feet.