Seeing the END Result

Being Contagious 

Matthew 5:13-15

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. ¹⁴  You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. ¹⁵Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. ¹⁶In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Have you ever ask the question why are some people are more effective than others? There are people who walk into a room and they change the complexion of that room. They are influencers! 

By nature, each one of us is an influencer, people looked at you in different ways and manners and people usually judges us according what they know and seen in us. This is a matter of life that people looked outwardly. But the question is how contagious our life is to other people?

Please note

“Contagious means: infectious, catching or transferable and the good news is that every one of us can be an influencer on our own field.”

Why is it that we are not effective influencer? It is        because of the following:

1. Selfishness – Selfishness together with self-centeredness and stinginess because if you really want your life to be contagious it will cost you something.

As Pastor Jeff Kenney of “Full Gospel International” said;

“Each time you go to another "influence level", you’ll need to make another sacrifice. But if you’re selfish, self-centered, and stingy, you will never influence others!”

2. Failure and Missed Opportunity. We always look back to our failures and missed opportunities.

But Paul instructed us in Eph 5:16-17,

“So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. ¹⁶Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.”

3. Failure to see the END result  for the task given.

As the Bible say, that seeing the end from the beginning,  we fail to see how our people will be in the future. We focus more on training skills rather that character 

How to INFLUENCE

1. You are  made to be Contagious. Matthew 5;13

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth.

It is the Lord’s will that you become an effective influencer. There are lots of people looking for models to follow.

2.  You are already  contagious. (positive or negative)

“¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?

Can you make it useful again?

The Lord Jesus describes you as a salt and light. The salt flavors and preserves food, you are called to affect the people positively around you.

3.   You should be a kingdom-minded influencer.

¹⁶In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,

so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

And as the light showing others what Christ is like. Your effective influence can only be measured by the truth of how much you affect others.

 Isaiah 46:10-11 King James Version (KJV)
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Never forget that you do have an influence on others –

either for good or for bad. Be contagious for Jesus!

1. What do you think Jesus meant about salt losing its flavor? How is it possible to become ‘unsalty’?

2. Can you think of ways we sometimes hide our light? (Go to our 6 list again)

3. If we are living as ‘salt and light’, what impact should we be having in our               community and church as 1) salt and 2) light?

4. What things could we do to have more impact on our community and church as 1) salt and 2) light?

Influence Ruth and Naomi

WELCOME

Ice Breaker:

In 10 minutes - Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and answer the following questions. Your answer only counts if it’s different from everyone else’s.

1.       Name a TV show featuring a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship.

2.       Name a mother in the Bible.

3.       Name a word used to describe mothers.

WORSHIP

WORD

Ruth 1:16-17

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deals with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

The book of Ruth is the account of a love story, and the key personalities in this book are Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. Its purpose was to demonstrate the kind of love, and faithfulness that God desires for us. There are many interesting things you can learn from this book, but for the purpose of our series NEXT we will just focus on Naomi and Ruth.  Like, what did Ruth saw in Naomi that she wants to stay with her, and what influence Naomi has to Ruth that made Ruth stay loyal to her?  

1.       Naomi move forward.  Ruth 1:6

⁶ When she (Naomi) heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.

Naomi, whose name means “sweet” or “pleasant,” is an Israelite woman from Bethlehem. Early in the story, she becomes a widow when her husband and her two sons die suddenly. As she wrestles with the loss, she asks to be called “Mara,” which means “bitter.” But  Naomi did not remain in defeat, she didn’t allow her past to hold her back but believed there was life still to be lived and move forward in that confidence. Throughout the story, Naomi begins to see God’s providence in her life.  This must have influenced Ruth to stay with her.  Key: Don’t Let the Past Hold You Back   

2.       Naomi demonstrates faith in action. Ruth 1:7

⁷ With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

Naomi showed remarkable faith as a believer, she demonstrated faith when she left  the place where she had lived and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah, her home. In faith she  believe that God was who He said He was, and faith to believe that God would provide for her and her daughter-in-laws. Key: Examine your Faith.

3.       Naomi demonstrated Great Character. Ruth 1:8

^8” Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me.”

It wasn't an easy life for Naomi. She lived in poverty in a wicked nation. She suffered the loss of her husband, a very difficult circumstances to say the least. However she did not saw these as reasons to hold on to her daughter-in laws. She wants them to go and find new life and prayed that they may receive kindness from God. Key: Value Great Character

Ruth maybe is the main character of this story, and Naomi stayed in the background when Boaz entered the picture, but we believed that Naomi’s influence in the life of Ruth make her to say our main text today. Please READ our text AGAIN!   

Life Group Discussion

1.       When was the last time you disagree with your mom? What happen?

2.       How would you describe Ruth’s attitude towards Naomi as you read again our main text?

3.       As a mom, can you think of how will you influence our younger generation? (Not necessarily your children.)  

4.       Think about something you can do for your mother tomorrow (Mother’s Day) Ask each one in your group to share if they have one.

WORK

1.       Continue to invite people to your Life Group and to our Sunday Worship Experiences.

2.       Don’t forget to Cross Roads this week.

Unleashing the NEXT Generation

Searching the Bible, one will find 53 verses referring to “youth,” It is clear from the Bible that God most often calls His servants in their youth.  And not only does the Lord call them He trains them and uses them as youth. The stories of Joseph, Joshua, Samuel, David, Esther, Daniel, Mark, John, Timothy, and many others bear this out.”

Reason we have to UNLEASHED our youth

1.       Conviction is formed here.

Most decisions for Christ are made here. 19 out of every 20 who become Christians do so before the reach the age of 25. After 25, only 1 in every 10,000

2.       They are ready for everything.

They are active, vibrant, aggressive and wanting to win.

3.       We are seeing our tomorrow in them.

To know what will our church be like 5 years from now depends on what our youth is today.

Dr. Dann Spader

Walking As Jesus Walked

“Christianity began as a young people's movement. In thinking of Jesus and His disciples, that is the first to make quite clear. Unfortunately, it is a fact which Christian art and preaching have too often conceal. But it is quite certain that the original disciple band was a young men’s group. Most of the apostles were probably still in their twenties when they went out after Jesus.”

How to unleashed the next generation

1. Prepared them (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

Being young is exciting, so help us YX bring this excitement closer to God, and His mission of reaching the campuses and nations.

2. Support them (Titus 2:6-7)

Get involved not just in encouragement, but also in resources. Support our missionaries and students.

One of the ways that you can assess where your business, family legacy, and the church will be five to ten years from now is on how you to cable men and women that you trained today.

2 Timothy 2:2

“²And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” NIV

Life Group Discussion

1.        What three major problems do you think young people face today?

2.       If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?

3.       Is there a change in your perspective about our YX after you heard the message today?

4.       What steps will you do to support the mission of our YX?

5.       Will you lead our your Life Group to support our YX?

Fully Unleased - Your are Fully FREE

Welcome

• When we say freedom, what is the first thing that come in your thought?

Word
John 8:36 GNT“If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free”

Real Freedom goes far deeper than life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is More than the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Deeper than rights outlined in our constitution.

True freedom comes from within and it only comes from Christ. Real freedom is freedom from fear, guilt, worry, bitterness, and death. You’re free to quit pretending because you’re free to be who God made you to be.


The Lord Jesus gave us the following Freedom

1. Freedom from our SIN.
Revelation 1:5
“Unto Him that loved us, and washes us from our sins in His blood...”

2.  Freedom  from our OLD NATURE.
2nd Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.”

3. Freedom from the power of Satan in your life.
Acts 26:18
“To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light,  and from the power of Satan unto God.”

4. Freedom from Condemnation.
Romans 8:1-2
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

5.  Freedom to Approach God.
Ephesians 3:12
“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”


Application: Guard Your Freedom In Christ

One of the biggest tasks in the Christian life is to guard against wandering off from the freedom that has been won for us through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

How to Guard your Freedom
1. Stand firm in your freedom by realizing what’s at stake.

Galatians 5:1a
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

Our Lord Jesus has provided us a faith which frees us from the bonds of sin and frees us for the purpose of following Him. When you realize how much God loves you, you’ll begin to live in true freedom.

2. Stand firm in your freedom by rejecting those who want to enslave you.

Galatians 5:1b
“do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

You’re free, definitely free. Now stand firm in that freedom and don’t wander off. Our Lord Jesus has provided us a faith which frees us from the bonds of sin and frees us for the purpose of following Him.


Life Group Discussion
1. How often do you reflect on your freedom in Christ?
2. In which areas are not enjoying the freedom to worship God?
3. How has God shown his love to you?
4. How can you express your freedom in Christ?
5. In which spiritual discipline do you have the greatest opposition from your friends and  
    family?