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4Ws for Week 7, 11-17 Feb 2019 WELCOME (15minutes) Choose one of the following icebreakers: (If you have first-time guests, begin with a round of introduction and warmly welcome the new visitors.) 1. Chinese New Year Celebrations

The Lunar New Year ushers in the season of Spring (春) and celebrates a fresh new beginning.

It is also a time to visit family, relatives and friends to give our well wishes for the新年. Share with one another one eventful visit you’ve made. 2. Valentine’s Day (14th Feb)

This day is marked on the calendar year and celebrated in many parts of the world. Let’s use this occasion to share your love and appreciation for one another. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Transition to Worship: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus answered, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Let’s heed this commandment and worship the one true God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. WORSHIP (20 minutes) You may use the following suggested worship songs:

1) Forever Reign (E) 2) Let The Praises Ring (E) 3) Great Are You Lord (D) 4) How Great Is Our God (D)

Be sensitive in waiting upon the Lord for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Encourage members to seek the Lord and by faith exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit through prophetic utterances for the purpose of ministering to all who are present. Transition to Word: Lord Jesus, you are the incarnate Word of God that made your dwelling on Earth with us. You came to reveal the person of God to us. The Written Word became the Living Word for us to behold! May You, the Living Word, dwell richly in our hearts so that we know that you are faithful and is for us always. Amen! WORD (45minutes) Memory verse of the week: Mark 13:31 (NIV) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Sermon Title: Heart Truths To Keep Us Growing By DSP Daniel Khong on 9-10 Feb 19

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Scripture Passages: Matthew 15:10-11, 17-20 (NIVUK) 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth that is what defiles them.’

17 ‘Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.’ Introduction On this journey called life, we don’t just want to endure and survive. We want a good life, we want a happy life and also a full life. However, there are many things that work against us to realize the abundant life promised in Christ. One of these is the ideology in the world that tells us to follow our hearts if we want to find real happiness. Feelings and emotions are part and parcel of life and as human beings it is normal for us to have emotions. But as disciples of Jesus, we are not to let these emotions rule our lives because God’s Word tells us clearly that the heart is actually evil. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts” (Matthew 15:19). So, what should we do and how do we live out our lives?

Firstly, we need to know and understand what the Bible says concerning the hard truths of the condition of our hearts, and they are:

Our Hearts are Deceitful … and Our Hearts are Divided

But don’t stop here as these two hard truths concerning our hearts speak of discouragement and a sense of hopelessness for our lives. However, there is hope for us who have come to know Christ and are children of God. Secondly, our hope to have a good, happy and full life is that we must know the key to our growth in God is not to follow our hearts (what the world says) but instead to follow God's heart (what the Bible says) because:-

Even when our Hearts are Deceitful, God's Heart is Faithful… and

Even though are Hearts are Divided, God's Heart is for Us Discovery and Understanding Questions: Q1. What does the Word of God say about our hearts being deceitful? A1. In Matthew 15:3-9, Jesus was against some of the Pharisees when He called them hypocrites because they were bending the “rules” for their own profit. This revealed that their hearts are deceitful. God's Word through the prophet Jeremiah says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9). If we think we are standing firm, be careful that we don't fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). “There is nothing so deluding as feelings. Christians cannot live by feelings. Let me further tell you that these feelings are the work of Satan, for they are not right feelings. What right have you to set up your feelings against the Word of Christ.” Charles Spurgeon We need to know that our heart is deceitful and that is why we cannot follow our feelings to rule our life. We must follow God’s heart.

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Matthew 15:3-9 (NIVUK) 3 Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, “Honour your father and mother” and “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.” 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is “devoted to God,” 6 they are not to “honour their father or mother” with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 ‘“These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”’ Jeremiah 17:9 (NIVUK) The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIVUK) So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! Q2. How can we know that our hearts are divided for God? A2. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus warns us that we cannot serve two masters i.e. God and Money. Jesus also tells us to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind.” (Matthew 22:37). We are warned in 1 John 2:15-16 not to love the world or anything in the world because they are not from the Father. The Psalmist in Psalm 86:11-12 prayed and asked God to give him an undivided heart so he can praise God with all his heart.

“It is Christ who is to be exalted, not our feelings. We will know Him by obedience, not by emotions. Our love will be shown by obedience, not by how good we feel about God at a given moment. "And love means following the commands of God." "Do you love Me?" Jesus asked Peter. "Feed My lambs." He was not asking, "How do you feel about Me?" for love is not a feeling. He was asking for action.” Elisabeth Elliot

The solution to having an undivided heart is to be willing to sacrifice all that we have. Loving God with all our heart is an action that must be followed through.

Matthew 6:24 (NIVUK) ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 22:37-38 (NIVUK)

37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 1 John 2:15-16 (NIVUK)

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. Psalm 86:11-12 (NIVUK)

11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name for ever. Q3. Knowing our hearts are deceitful and divided, what should we do and how do we move

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forward? A3. The Bible never tells us to follow our hearts but to follow God’s heart. Though David sinned against God when he followed his heart, he was not consumed by God’s anger. Instead with repentance, David’s relationship with God was restored and this revealed that God is faithful and that He is for him despite the condition of his heart. God called David a man who seeks after His own heart. In Romans 8:31-32, the Bible clearly tells us that God is for us as He did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us. When we have sinned against God, we need to repent and ask for His forgiveness and turn away from our sin and continue to follow and seek after God’s heart, for He is faithful and is for us. “Though our feelings come and go, God's love for us does not.” C. S. Lewis Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIVUK) 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Romans 8:31-32 (NIVUK)

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

1 Peter 5:7 (NIVUK) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Application Questions: Break into smaller groups, share, pray and minister to one another. Q1. The Bible clearly tells us to guard our hearts. How can we protect and align our hearts to God’s heart?

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIVUK) 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 4:23 (NIVUK) “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Family Altar Time (F.A.T.) (Cell Leader: Encourage your members to be faithful in keeping the weekly F.A.T. and refer them to this segment of the 4Ws for suggestions for their F.A.T. A possible time for the F.A.T. is after a meal together, say during the weekend.) Use either one of the two icebreakers in the WELCOME segment above or any other appropriate icebreaker, and select worship songs that are meaningful to your family. If your children are old enough, ask them to select worship songs and lead worship, and take this opportunity to teach them skills in waiting on God, praying, and leading with a servant’s heart and as a willing vessel for God. After worship, you may wish to:

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1. Discuss last Sunday’s Family Bible Study in the Living Life journal, or2. Review your children’s take-home materials from GKidz

(www.fcbc.org.sg/youthchildren/gkidz/parents), or3. Review and discuss this week’s memory verse, or4. Have one person read Matthew 15:10 11, 17-20, another to read Jeremiah 17:9 and

Matthew 15:8-9, and another to read Psalm 86:11, 12 and Lamentations 3:22-23.

With reference to the Introduction and the Discovery and Understanding Questions of the WORD segment above, lead in the following discussion.

Question: Why do we like to follow our heart? [Let your family members share freely. We may like to follow our heart because that gives us pleasure. It could cause us discomfort, or even great pain, not to follow our heart’s desires. We may like to follow our heart because we trust it – we believe that it is a good guide – that the feelings which we are experiencing are good and sanctioned by God.]

Question: Why should we, instead, follow God’s heart? [Let your family members share freely. Our heart is deceitful and divided. Share the story of David. He was only a shepherd, but God exalted him to become the King of Israel because he was a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22). Despite his intimate relationship with God, he fell into great sin when he followed his own heart. Encourage each other to share personal examples of how you had followed your heart and how that turned out. Sometimes our hearts may be aligned with God’s heart, but it may not be easy to know when those times are. Our hearts’ desires are strong and we could easily deceive ourselves to believe that it is what God wants, when it is only what we want.]

Question: How do we stay in alignment with God’s heart? [Let your family members share freely. We need to constantly pray for an undivided heart (Psalm 6:11, 12) and check/test our hearts against God’s Word. We can also seek counsel from godly mentors and communities, for example our cell leaders/pastors/members. As soon as we detect that we are going astray, we need to repent because we need to guard and keep our heart in check (Prov. 4:23). God is compassionate and faithful (Lam 3:22, 23) and will help us.]

End by praying for each other, that God will give us an undivided heart that is aligned to His heart. Pray also for the willingness to trust God, and yield completely to Him. Pray also for the salvation of pre-believing family members, relatives and friends.

Transition to Works: Lord Jesus, you said to your disciples, “Lift up your eyes and see! The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers into His harvest.” Lord, here am I, send me! I am available to be sent out into your harvest field.

WORKS (15minutes)

1. 幸福小组 (XFXZ) – Preparation Session 1 (11-17 Feb)• Invite your ‘Best’ to a meal or make time to visit them to try and understand their needs.

• XFXZ leader to share list of ‘Bests’, and list down their needs, situations and struggles.

• Discuss timing on how the group can gather weekly to intercede for the ‘Bests’.

• Plan or roster visits or find ways to meet the needs of the ‘Best’.

• Intercede together for the ‘Best’ to experience the power of the gospel.

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XFXZ group to share their personal needs and struggles; sincerely intercede and pray for one another.

2. 3x3 PrayerAsk the Holy Spirit to reveal the strongholds that bind the people. Ask Him to set divineappointments for us to minister His power over them (words of knowledge, healing, helps, etc.).Pray for one another for boldness, courage and obedience to follow through.

3. Inviting Friends to our ServicesContinue to encourage one another to invite pre-believing friends to our weekend Services,especially those who attended our Cell Christmas Party in Dec 2018. Make time to listen to‘The Voice of God’ for prophetic utterances that speak to our pre-believing friends’circumstances as a prelude to inviting them. In addition, take some time to discuss, plan anactivity and pray toward achieving the goal you have set as a cell.

4. Connecting with your prebeliever friendsCreate opportunities to do so - invite them for lunch/dinner/to go for a show; offer to babysit;buy groceries for them; buy them birthday gifts; do special things to make them feel loved andhonoured.

5. Consolidation of New ConvertsConsolidate those who have accepted Christ - contact them via phone calls; meet up withthem over a meal; make house visits; introduce them to members of the cell and invite themto fellowship with the faith community during cell meetings and celebration Services. Makethem feel belonged.

Introduce them to LifeClass. LifeClass is an exciting package of equipping that guides newbelievers through the foundations of their faith and leads them into a life-transformingencounter with Jesus. It does this through nine weeks of personal study, combined with funand interactive classroom sessions of Bible teaching and an Encounter Weekend. It replacesthe former Pre-Encounter Class, Encounter Weekend and Post Encounter. Please check out theEquipping page at our website or Mobile App. Visit https://fcbc.org.sg/equipping/event-listingfor more details.

Announcements: Please visit https://www.fcbc.org.sg/bulletin/ or our FCBC app for more details.