CFC Singles for Christ

Christian Life Program

First Session
ORIENTATION SESSION
GOAL : To present a relationship with Jesus as the only way out of the sorry state
of the world today and to ofer the audiene a onrete way of entering
into that relationship through the CLP and ultimately an ongoing
in!ol!ement in CFC Singles for Christ"
#$PA%&#& O'TL(%#
(" (ntrodution"
A. )hy should we ta*e time and efort to partiipate in a program suh as
this+ To answer that, we ha!e to onsider -rst why Jesus himself ame
into this world"
B. Lu*e .:/012/" Jesus prolaims his mission"
1. The sal!ation promised 3y God was to 3e ful-lled in and through him"
4e was to announe the good news of God5s reign 6Lu*e .:.78"
2. 4is mission is for all" 4is prolamation is timeless" The promise
applies to us too"
((" &o we understand Jesus5 message+ (f for us, how ha!e we reei!ed his ofer
of sal!ation+
a" Jesus refers to four *inds of people" &o we reogni9e oursel!es among
them+
/" The poor" These are those who li!e li!es apart from God"
2" The apti!es" )e an 3e in apti!ity to things, desires and ideas of no
real worth" )e an 3e sla!es to money, power, wor*, ahie!ements :
those things the world !alues"
7" The 3lind" )e an 3e 3linded 3y pre;udies, pride, wrong self1image,
false ideals and ideologies" )e often do not reogni9e the things that
are of real !alue"
." The oppressed" )e an 3e oppressed 3y our 3ondages : to
unrighteous relationships< to hatred or intolerane< to greed and
immorality in 3usiness< to fears, worries, an=ieties, inseurities< to
alohol, drugs, illiit se="
3" >ut Jesus ame preisely to 3ring sal!ation to us in all these areas"
/" 4e 3rings glad tidings to the poor" )hat is of real !alue is the good
news of sal!ation and a real relationship with God"
2" 4e prolaims li3erty to apti!es" Jesus an free us from our apti!ity to
worldly things that are of no true and lasting worth"
7" 4e gi!es sight to the 3lind" )ith Jesus, we will ne!er 3e in dar*ness,
una3le to see" John ?:/2"
." 4e lets the oppressed go free" Only Jesus an truly set us free from our
3ondages"
(((" >ut are we e=periening today the sal!ation that Jesus ofers+ &o we ha!e
spiritual a3undane, are we li!ing in freedom, do we see with God5s eyes+
a" )hat do we see in the world today+ @oral degeneration in all le!els of
soiety"
/" 'psurge in se=ual promisuity, homose=uality, and per!ersity"
2" Aampant greed and dishonesty"
7" )or*aholis lea!ing no room for God"
." Alarming 3rea*1up of families due to a la* of ommitment of spouses"
B" Spiritual 3lindness, gi!ing rise to man1made religions and ults"
3" )hy are Christians 3eha!ing li*e this in the modern world+
/" Super-ially, one may point to Ceonomi hard timesC as the reason"
)hen times are hard, people loo* for onrete things that an help
them"
a" >ri3ing in order to win a ontrat"
3" Alohol, drugs and illiit se= to o!er up diDulties"
" Turning to the oult for good lu*"
/" Others point to soiologial reasons"
a" (f e!eryone is doing it, it must 3e OE"
3" (n soiety today, there is a la* of o3;eti!e moral norms for right
ondut"
/" >ut these an only 3e partially orret" >eause we see that
throughout history, espeially for the early Churh, Christians did not
easily trade of their Christian !alues, e!en in the fae of
imprisonment, pain and death"
2" Thus we an only onlude that the Christianity we *now today is no
longer the same 3rand of Christianity as the one the early Christians
*new" Our Christianity today is la*ing in power and efeti!eness"
(F" )hy are we la*ing in spiritual power as Christians+ There are a num3er of
reasons"
a" Some are unwilling to gi!e up sin"
/" Sin in our li!es 3lo*s the power of God"
2" Or there may 3e no serious sin, 3ut many still li!e a split1le!el
Christianity"
3" One may 3e a good person, 3ut on!ersion to the Lord is not full" )e may
3e satis-ed with an emotional e=periene and not allow our on!ersion to
efet onretely the way we thin*, li!e, at and relate to others"
" @any do not ha!e a personal relationship with Jesus"
/" For many Christians, Jesus is out of reah" 4e is God who is far away in
hea!en"
2" >ut in order for us to reei!e power, we must ha!e a diret lin*1up with
the soure of power" John /B:B"
d" There are those who ha!e no Christian support"
/" )e are alled to 3e part of a 3ody, the 3ody of Christ" )e need the
are and support of others in order to 3eome 3etter Christians"
2" The world is a hostile en!ironment for Christians" )e an easily
3eome assimilated into the !alues and points1of1!iew of the world"
e" Some Christians are not li!ing in the power of the 4oly Spirit"
/" )e 3elie!e in the Trinity and we *now well the Father and the Son" >ut
many Christians do not *now the Spirit nor understand his role"
a" Jesus aDrms the Spirit5s importane" John /0:G1?"
3" >efore his asension, Jesus told the disiples to wait for power from
on high" Lu*e 2.:.H"
" This power will 3e gi!en when the 4oly Spirit omes upon them"
Ats /:?"
/" And the Spirit did ome, on the day of Penteost"
a" The disiples were em3oldened and empowered"
3" Christianity spread Iui*ly" And within a ouple of enturies, the
whole Aoman #mpire was on!erted"
/" This was the power of the 4oly Spirit at wor*"
And this same spiritual power is a!aila3le to us"
F" )hat then must we do a3out our situation+
a" To 3egin with, understand that we are not meant for this world 3ut for a
higher life with God"
/" Our stay in this world is transitory" Our true iti9enship is in hea!en
6Philippians 7:2J8"
2" (f true, then we should not ;ust in!est oursel!es in this world" )e
should in!est for the ne=t"
3" (n!estigate for yourself what Jesus is ofering" &on5t ;ust pass it up" Aight
now, approah this in faith and *now that your God is e=tending to you an
in!itation" Ae!elations 7:2J"
" Conretely, what does this in!itation mean for you+
/" Our Lord wants to ofer you a personal, onrete e=pression of his
reality in your li!es in an ongoing way"
2" The -rst step is to ;oin this Christian Life Program"
a" The CLP has 7 modules of . sessions eah"
3" Kou do not ha!e to ommit yourself to the whole CLP, 3ut an ta*e eah of the
sessions as they ome"
/" At the end of the CLP, you will 3e in!ited to ;oin CFC Singles for Christ
so you an ontinue to reei!e support for your Christian life"
2" All these will 3ring you to the doorway to spiritual freedom, maturity
and power in Christian li!ing"