“Jesus Bears Contempt” (Matt 27:39-44)
 
Every one of them who surrounded Jesus on the cross mocked him. Roman soldiers, the people passing-by, religious leaders and even robbers, they all mocked Jesus. But he didn’t turn his face away from them, nor did he talk back. He just received all their mockery silently.
    God will not just be mocked. He calls us to repent – or face His cruelest mockery.
    All the contempt that should be directed against us because of our sins, God left upon His glorious Son, Jesus.
   "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
    Read more…
 
For Lifenet groups and personal reflection:
1) Read Matt 27:39-44. People who surrounded Jesus on the cross mocked him. Who were they? What thought might they have when they saw Jesus on the cross?
2) It is said that contempt appears in three faces in daily interactions: all gossip, most boasting, and all blame shifting. What may drive us to say or think like that? What would be its consequences?
3) God mocks (Ps 37:12-13). Whom and why does He mock? (Ps 2:3-5)
4) Jesus bears contempt. What does it mean for you today? How would you respond to him now?
 
NLIF is an international church in Yangon. Come and join our English Sunday worship service.

Matthew 13:1-23
 
Jesus grew up and live in a primarily agricultural society.
Agriculture is all about fruit bearing and hence the parable of the sower is a great way to illustrate the concept of spiritual fruitfulness.
 
We must persevere in bearing fruit because
>  Fellowship with Christ is integral to bearing fruit.
>  Struggles, hardships, BUT abundant grace and joy, are a necessary part.
>  Perseverance in faith is central to redemption and fruitfulness.
 
The Seed is the Word of God).
The Sower (of the Word of God) is an evangelist, Jesus being the original sower (John 1:1).
The Soils are various conditions of the human heart.
>  Only the good soil can help the seed to produce fruit.
>  All the other soils (hard-packed, shallow & weedy) cannot help produce fruit at all.
 
All of us fall into one of these types of soil (state of heart) at any given point in time, and can fall into different states of heart over time.
Hence, we need to learn from the parable:

• What gives rise to a particular soil type (heart condition)?
• How to avoid unfruitful soil (heart condition)?
• How, by God's grace, to be fruitful soil (heart condition)?

Key point: Recognize our heart condition and know how to respond.
 
Good soil and miraculous harvest

1. Good soil is the heart of the disciple in which Christ is fully formed: knowledgeable, obedient, faithful. We become good soil by knowing Christ in our heart.
2. We begin our spiritual life as good (the living truth of God’s word implanted in our hearts)
3. We bear fruit in the form of seed (the living truth of God’s word implanted in the hearts of others);
4. We grow as disciples by discipling others (through Christ in our hearts);
5. This is not a repetitive loop but an upward spiral of faith and learning through obedience
6. Different harvests come from the same good soil indicates that the quantity is not important, but faithfulness in bearing fruit.
   

 
The Holy Spirit is our daily mentor as we seek to grow in fruit bearing.
The purpose of the parable is to prepare for the Great Commission.
Key Point in the Parable: the kingdom of God is realized by proclamation of the Gospel (sowing) accompanied by discipleship (teaching and mentoring) in the presence of Christ (by the Holy Spirit).
 
Keys to fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus:

• Take care of the soil of your heart.
• Be willing to be a disciple (be teachable).
• Be willing to disciple others (pray for them, encourage and mentor others).
• Persevere because Jesus promises: "I am with you always to the end of the age."
• Follow the example of Paul: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead (Phil. 3:14, 14).

 

Come worship with us at this English Service of International Church in Yangon!

Click here to“Crafting the Rhythm of Life” (Psalm 16:8-9)
 
Crafting the rhythm of life. It must be done intentionally. Because we are usually too busy to maintain our inner world or soul, which is the central point of a life in touch with God. (Gordon MacDonald “Ordering Your Private World”)
When you practice “Selah” or a “between time,” you are crafting the rhythm of your day. Practicing the Daily Office is centering myself in Jesus through whole day.
Since I practice the Daily Office, my life’s got new rhythm. God, work, work. God, work, work. God, work, work. It’s like you’re dancing waltz with God all through the day. It’s so good!
Read more…
 
For LifeNet groups and personal reflection:
 
After being forcibly removed from his country and home, Daniel was given a prestigious education and high-level job in government. The pressure on him to conform to the worldly, pagan values of Babylon was great. The following example gives us insight into one of the secrets of his faithful devotion to God.
Scripture: Daniel 6:6-10
1. Reread verse 10 aloud. How do the words in this verse speak to you?
2. How do you think this practice anchored Daniel in God and enabled him to resist the great pressure he was facing?
3. What costs were involved for Daniel?
4. What are the greatest obstacles preventing you from stopping to be with God two or three times a day?
(Taken from “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course Workbook, by Peter Scazzero, Zondevan, 2014, p.81-2
edit.)

NLIF is an international church in Yangon. Come and join our English Sunday worship service.

“Be More God-Confident!”
 
Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10-11
How confident are we? Highly, moderate or low? What's the right kind of confidence? (Not confidence in self but in God)
 
Sermon
Self-confidence is one of the keys to success in life.
The good news is that every one of us has every reason to be confident (in God's good purposes for our life, Romans 8:28). Out part is to trust and believe.
 
The root of the problem FEAR.
Fear of any kind has an effect on our confidence.
We might have fear of (1) failure, (2) being blamed, (3) rejection, (4) looking foolish, (5) what others may think/feel/say about us.
 
Sometimes, we have the opposite problem, too. We are driven by too much PRIDE. It is a wrong kind of confidence, when we are so consumed with our glory, so determined to prove our worth, so crushed by lack of success.
 
What’s needed – A SHIFT IN OUR FOCUS (from self-centeredness to God's purposes & the needs of Others).
Our purpose in life is to glorify God and to serve the needs of others.
Our main concern must be to just faithfully use our gifts for that purpose – confidently and humbly.
So, you don't just come to church as consumers but participants in the congregation in creating the vibrancy that will attract those multitudes out there who badly need to see it.
 
The difference God-confidence can make
1. Your self-image will grow stronger, because you will focus more on how God views you rather than what everyone else might be thinking or saying about you. (Philippians 1:6; 2:12-13)
2. Instead of comparing yourself to others all the time, you will shift your focus to how you could best serve Christ’s purposes today. (Ephesians 2:10)
3. You will stop procrastinating.
4. You’ll find yourself working harder to offer your best to God, because you feel so grateful.
5. You will make a conscious decision to trust that God will do good things through you. (Philippians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 4:7)
 
Trust in God's calling and presence in your life (Philippians 1:6)
You have every reason to be confident. God has called you to serve him in various ways and to be in loving relationships that honor him and bring joy to you and others. You must believe that and believe that God has given or will give you whatever you need to be able to fulfill his good purposes for your life. That is the proper basis for confidence in all that you do. Everything else needs to be built upon that solid foundation.
 
 
Come worship with us at this English service of our Yangon International Congregation!