"Going Back to Unlock the Future” (Gen 50:20)

Many things passed on from generation to generation. In most cases, you are not aware of it, because it’s so natural for you and for your family. It’s a big part of you, but you don’t recognize it, you don’t think about it.
              There are good things which help you to live out the word of God, develop you to be mature disciples. But there are bad things which direct you to different direction from the word of God. I call it “emotional garbage.” In order to go forward, to be a more mature Jesus’ follower, we need to be set free from this garbage.
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For Lifenet groups and personal reflection
1) How would you describe the family atmosphere you grew up in? Try to use just a few words.
2) Imagine yourself in Joseph’s shoes sitting in a prison cell without any hope of freedom (Gen 39:1-40:23). What thoughts, feelings or doubts might come to your mind about your family? About yourself? About God?
3) List the life messages you received from your family. Take time and ponder the concept you’ve received from your family and the way you’re expected to act/handle in your family on the following issues: Money, Conflict, Sexuality, Grief and loss, Expressing anger, Family, Relationships, Attitudes towards different cultures/religions, Success, Feeling and emotions. (You may add more)
4) What might be one specific message from your family of origin that God has revealed to you through this study? What do you want to change?
5) Read Eph 1:3-5, 5:1. What does God speak to you? What truth is revealed to you?
Some are taken from “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course Workbook,” by Peter Scazzero, Zondevan, 2014, p.45-51, and “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality,” 2006, p.99-100
 
NLIF is an international church in Yangon. Come and join our English Sunday worship service.

“A Life Flourishing in Love” (Eph3:17-20)

​Be deeply rooted in his [Christ] love… Then your lives will be filled with all that God is. The fullness of God, the love of Christ may flood through our entire beings (Eph3:17-20 CEV, Voice).
              Basically, we can and will grow when we remain in God’ love. When we are deeply directly connected with God’s love, we are nurturing our emotion. When our lives are deeply directly empowered by God’s love, we are nurturing not only ourselves but also for others. It’s about contemplative spirituality. That’s the source of love. That’s the most fundamental and essential thing, what we can offer to ourselves as we love God and love ourselves.
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​For Lifenet groups and personal reflection:
1) Read 1 Cor 13:4-7. What do you think is hindering you from loving yourself?
2) How did people close to you (parents, siblings, friends, etc) show love to you? How did those experiences shape you to love you and love others?
3) What do you think might be one of your “birthright” gifts from God that you have ignored in your life? Why did it happen?*                                              
4) “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved. (Mother Teresa)” What do you think about this? How would you respond?
 
* Taken from “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day” by Peter Scazzero, Zondevan, 2014, p.44.

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

“Knowing yourself in knowing God”
(1 Samuel 17:26-45)

While turning away from God, we cannot know our true self, because we are created by God. He knows who we are because he designed us.
Today we will look at Saul and David. Saul as an example of Desolation, and David as an example of Consolation. We will observe what they do, how they think, how they feel, how they react, and so on. You can see Saul knew himself through the false ways. And it brought him into a broken life, real disaster, and it became from worse to worse. And in David’s life, you can see how he knew himself in knowing God. And how it led him to overcome different kinds of emotional and spiritual attacks.
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​For Lifenet groups and personal reflection
1) Read 1 Samuel 17:26-45. What feelings would you have if you were David? Toward his brothers? Toward Saul? Toward Goliath?
2) How did David live out his true self overcoming those feelings?
3) What forces and pressures from circumstances and people cause you to shrink back in fear or wear “armor” that does not fit your true self?
4) How would you develop “Knowing yourself in knowing God”? What would you do or change something in your daily life as the first step?
(Some are taken from “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course Work Book” by Peter Scazzero, Zondervan, 2014, p.38)

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

Luke 7:36-40; 19:1-10; Psalm 34:8
 
A tale of 2 meals – 2 hosts, among many, which were written for "ensamples" of stories (1 Cor. 10:11)
 
Meal One – Simon invites Jesus (Luke 7:36-40)
Hosting a meal in Jesus' Day

• It was a sign of importance.
• The host should get meal well prepared, greet the guest with a kiss, anoint the head with oil (for a special guest), and have a servant provide water and oil for washing the hands and feet.

 
Simon's failure to provide such a customary treatment to Jesus – was it studied insult? or laziness or forgetfulness?
Imagine –

• What did Simon think of himself? (Simon was full of himself.)
• What was his attitude to the bad woman who interrupted? What did Jesus think of her? (The woman had come to the end of herself totally.)
• Did she earn forgiveness by her action? By no means. Did she get extra-merit by her actions? (You can't do anything to make Jesus love you more.)
• Is she remembered and celebrated for her actions? (Exactly.)

 
Another Meal with another host – Zachaeus welcomed Jesus gladly (Luke 19:1-10).

• This host is surprised and overwhelmed.
• His response – thankfulness, gratitude, repentance.
• Many "sinners" also came to Jesus at this meal.

 
Final Reflection and Introspection:

• How do WE respond to "sinners"? (Grace is enough for all sinners. Why don't we forgive other sinners?)
• Do we remember WE have been forgiven much?
• The table/meal is the place where broken sinners find connection and belonging.

 
 
Come join us at our English service of the International Church in Yangon!

“Look into under the surface” (Jonah 1:1-4)
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