Panalanging Walang Patid

ASK

Kung maibibigay ng Diyos ang lahat ng iyong ninanais anu-ano kaya ang mga hihingiin mo?

Basahin: Luke 2:25-38

• Ano ang pangalan ng lalaking na sa kuwento? Ano ang kanyang mga kakaibang katangian? Ano ang kanyang misyon sa buhay sa pagkahayag ng Banal na Espiritu? (vv. 25-28)
  
• Ano-anu ngayon ang kapahayagan ng Banal na Espiritu sa yong buhay? (life corrections/directions) Ano ang mga action steps na kailangan mo nang isagawa?
  
• Ano ang ibig sabihin ng kanyang panalangin? (vv. 29-32) What kind of prayer did he prayed?
  
• Was there a moment in time you have prayed almost the same prayer? Similar?
  
• FACT: Where there’s prophecy there is a sure destiny.
  
• Ano kaya ang magiging destiny ng batang tangan nina Maria at Jose (vv. 34-35)
  
• Sino naman ang babaeng nakapaloob sa kuwento? Ano ang kanyang kinatatayuan at kalagayan? (vv. 36-37)
  
• Ano ang kayang patuloy (walang patid) na ginagawa? (v. 37)
  
• Ano ang kanyang ginawa nung nasumpungan niya ang bata? (v. 38)
  
• If you were at her place, with the same situation, what would you do?
  

BOTTOM-LINE LESSONS...

• Prayer is all about patience and continuity - patience to really wait for God’s answer while living your daily life, and continue doing it until something happens. Always PUSH it. “Pray Until Something Happens.”
  
• A leader is a man/woman of prayer - prayer is the greatest expression of your dependence on God. God wants us to pray because he wants to see and experience our need of him.
  
• In prayer, being a “roaring lamb” is much more realized - as lambs, like our Lord Jesus being the lamb of God, we are to express our humility before our great and big God. We roar when we do “intensified prayers.” Prayers of extreme intensity due to an all sufficient and power God. No wonder why great Christians of history like Martin Luther, John Wesley, et.al. prayed 3-hours basic because they really experience the presence of God.
  
• Prayer puts a period to you longing and weary soul - prayer quenches your thirst for God. When we  pray all our search for God stops because if our hearts are pure we will just see God.
  

PRAY

Write down your “five” major prayer request this Christmas...

Ministry of Reconciliation

MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2

SHARE Think of a kind of “ulam” that would describe the status of your quite time and prayer life?

READ 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2

• What compels us to live excellent Christians? As a result, what kind of lives should we live ? (5:14-15) 
  
• In living the new life, as Christians, what should we always keep in mind? (5:17)
  
• What are your life evidences which points to the fact that you are already a “new creation”?
  
• What must we call the ministry God has given to us? Please describe it. (5:18-19)
  
• What is an ambassador? What kind of work does he perform? Please create a mind picture of what an ambassador of Christ should be. (v. 20)
  
• As ministers of reconciliation we must remember that...
  
• We are new creation
  
• We are Christ’s ambassadors
  
• We are God’s fellow workers
  
• We are receivers of God’s favor and salvation 
  
• What have you realized upon learning this lesson? What are you planning to be, change, and do especially this coming Christmas? 
  

MEMORY VERSE 2 Corinthians 6:2

PAG-ALAY

“PAG-ALAY” (Lukas 2:8-20)

INTRO

Kadalasan, pinaparanas ng Diyos ang panahon ng kahirapan at pagdarahop upang masubukan niya kung iaalay pa rin natin sa kanya ang pinakamainam (“the best”).

Basahin: Luke 2:8-20

• Ano ang pangkaraniwang ginagawa ng mga pastol nung panahon na iyon? (v. 8) Ano ang mga “regular” na ginagawa mo sa araw-araw? (daily routine)
  
• Ano ang di-pangkaraniwang naranasan ng mga pastol nung panahong iyon? Please describe (vv. 9-14)
  
• FACT: We need “extraordinary” experiences to happen just to wake us up from the “ordinariness” of our common lives.
  
• REMEMBER: God comforts the afflicted but he also afflicts the “too” comfortable. 
  
• Ano ang naging tugon ng mga pastol sa pangyayaring iyon? (v. 15)
  
• Fact: Obedience first before sacrifice (or offerings)
  
• Ano ang pangunahin nilang natuklasan? (v. 16) If you were there at the scene, what will be you initial reaction?
  
• TAKE NOTE: Even at Jesus’ birth, the first group of people he met were those who are from the common masses. (“masa”)
  
• Ano ang ginawa ng mga pastol pagkatapos ng pangyayaring iyon? (vv. 17-18)
  
• Ano ang kahuli-hulihang ginawa ng mga pastol? (v. 20) Kung ikaw ay isa sa mga pastol, anu-ano ang gagawin mo upang alayan ng pagsamba ang ating Diyos especially ngayong pasko?
  

BOTTOM-LINE LESSONS...

• Daily live an “extra-ordinary” life - when sometimes you feel you are falling in the “ordinary trap” always ask yourself “what can I do to advance (even a centimeter) the kingdom of God?” By moving the kingdom of God you are actually changing this world!
  
• Always remember that you are a leader - according to Carly Fiorina, "A leader's greatest obligation is to make possible an environment where people can aspire to change the world."
  
• Be a “roaring lamb” - after encountering Jesus the shepherds became “roaring lambs.” According to Bob Briner, “Being a roaring lamb is not about special days, special emphases, special people, and special professions. Rather, it is about everyday people doing everyday jobs with a very special goal---that of effectively representing Christ in all areas of society. Our churches should exist for this.”
  
• Practice “Obedience first then Sacrifice” - It’s so hard to offer the best for God if we are not submissive. Check Mary’s reaction to everything that’s happening at that time (v. 19) and match it with the shepherds action (v. 15). You will seek that obedience is key to a breakthrough!
  

Theology of Discipleship

Theology is not just about God. It is also about us. We live out of our understanding of who we are in relationship to God, to one another, and to the world. The Christian faith is grounded in the love and grace of God, experienced through Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is our response to God’s love and grace.

The church calls our response to God Christian discipleship. Discipleship focuses on actively following in the footsteps of Jesus. As Christian disciples, we are not passive spectators but energetic participants in God’s activity in the world. Because of what God has done for us, we offer our lives back to God. We order our lives in ways that embody Christ’s ministry in our families, workplaces, communities, and the world.

Loving God

When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, his response was: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38. See Matt. 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; and Luke 10:25-28.)

Discipleship is about loving God….It is more than an acknowledgement of God’s existence or a statement of belief regarding God. It is total devotion, head-over-heals-in-love-with adoration. It is the deep desire to know God, to be one with God, and to worship God.

There are a variety of ways that we can develop our knowledge of and love of God. These include

• Prayer

• Bible study

• Worship

• Fasting

• Conversation with other Christians

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, called these practices means of grace. They are means for developing our relationship with God and for experiencing God’s presence in our lives. These practices help us spend time with God, a significant factor in loving God.

Loving Neighbor

Jesus responded to questions about the most important commandment by quoting the Hebrew Scripture’s admonition to love God with our whole being. (See Deut. 6:4-9 as well as gospel passages listed in the above section.) Then immediately he broadened the meaning of this admonition: “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Mark 2:31).

These verses about loving God and loving neighbor as ourselves are known as the Great Commandment. Again and again, the Bible teaches us that loving God and loving neighbor are two sides of the same coin. We cannot do one without the other. Check out some of these passages for a glimpse at how prevalent this understanding of Christian discipleship is:

• Matthew 5:43-48

• Matthew 25:31-46

• Luke 10:25-37

• John 15:12-17

• Romans 12:9-18

• 1 Corinthians 13

• 1 John 4:19-21

From these passages and others we can draw several conclusions about what it means to love our neighbors. First of all, loving our neighbors means responding to specific needs—hunger, illness, imprisonment, loneliness, and so forth. Love is more than a feeling; it is behavior. It is practical and concrete.

Secondly, our neighbors include many people. Within the context of the Christian community, our neighbors are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Neighbors may also refer to the contemporary understanding of those who live near us. However, from a biblical perspective, neighbors often include people whom we might not normally consider:

• strangers;

• prisoners;

• people who mistreat us (who are our enemies);

• people from other cultural and ethnic backgrounds;

• people from different religious traditions;

• people who irritate us and push the boundaries of our patience.

Therefore, loving our neighbors requires attention and sacrifice. We have to pay attention to what is happening around us in order to see our neighbors and to recognize their needs. We must also consider their needs to be as important as our own in order to live faithfully. Loving neighbor is more than random acts of kindness. It takes time, energy, and commitment. It is a lifestyle carefully cultivated in response to God.

Finally, these passages emphasize that loving our neighbors is not optional; it is mandatory. It is what Christians do and what Christians are. Our lives are a testimony to our love—our love for God and our love for neighbor.

From What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Theology (Discipleship Resources, 2002), pp. 35-38. Used by permission.