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Those who want to join SFC go through a seminar which is called
a Christian Life Program (CLP). The CLP starts with an orientation
session, then goes through 12 weekly meetings, thus involving
a total time period of 3 months. The weekly meetings are usually
held in the evenings and last about 2-1/2 hours per session.
The
CLP is an integrated course leading into a renewed understanding
of God's call to Christian couples. It is divided into 3 modules
of 4 sessions each. Most sessions consist of a talk, group
discussion, and some time for fellowship.
The
first module (first 4 talks) presents the absolute basics
of Christian life, with emphasis on our hearing it through
a single adult perspective. The second module (next 4 talks)
presents the kind of life that God calls us to. It spells
out the personal response involved in receiving Jesus as Lord
and Saviour and helps singles to make a reorientation of their
lives around Jesus. The third module (last 4 talks) helps
singles commit their lives in a serious way to Jesus. It helps
them appropriate for their lives the power of the Holy Spirit.
It provides the basis for continuing spiritual growth.
Teachings
/ Talks
MODULE
ONE
BASIC TRUTHS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY
SESSION
1 :
God's Love
SESSION
2 :
Who Is Jesus Christ?
SESSION
3 : What
It Means To Be A Christian
SESSION
4 : Repentance
And Faith
MODULE
TWO
THE AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN IDEAL
SESSION
5 : The
Christian Ideal : Loving God
SESSION
6 : Loving
Your Neighbor
SESSION
7 : Christian
Family
SESSION
8 : Life
In The Holy Spirit
MODULE
THREE
LIVING A SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIAN LIFE
SESSION
9 : Receiving
The Power Of The Holy Spirit
SESSION
10 : Growing
In The Spirit
SESSION
11 : Singles
For Christ Family
SESSION
12 : Dedication
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GOD'S LOVE
Brief
Outline
- Today,
the modern world is in serious disorder. There is war, poverty,
social injustice, murder, abortion, etc. On a personal level:
loneliness, fear, mistrust, insecurity, etc. Something major
is needed to correct the situation. Man makes various efforts
to improve the world but not succeeding because they are
not based on God’s wisdom.
- What
is the way of God? Does God have a plan for bringing us
out of our confusion and disorder? Yes! The starting point
for understanding God’s plan is found in the story of creation.
What God creates is good (Gen. 1:31). The confusion, disorder,
ugliness, and sin in the lives of people today are not in
accordance with God’s will. Original sin entered the picture.
And from then, man continued to turn against God and His
ways. But still, even if God punished man, God did not abandon
him. In fact, God wants to bring us all back to Himself,
to restore our fellowship and intimacy with Him. (Eph 1:9-10).
This is God’s plan! It is an expression of His love.
- How
can God’s plan happen? We need to turn to God’s wisdom.
We need God’s point of view. Our human efforts apart from
Him will prove useless (John 15:5). Jesus Christ is the
answer! He is the vine from which we draw life, strength
and power. In fact, Christ is the fullness of God’s love
(John 3:18). Thus, in Jesus we experience the love of God.
And in Jesus, God’s plan for restoration can begin to happen.
- What
do we need to do? God has done His part. It is now our move.
The choice is ours; to live under the dominion of darkness,
a life of slavery under sin, or to live in the kingdom of
God, a life of freedom, dignity, peace and happiness. Let
us accept Jesus and the salvation that He brings. Let us
begin to truly experience God’s love.
Our Challenge
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God
does not want us to live lives of pain, poverty, injustice.
God wants the world to be a place of peace, justice
and happiness. A place in which He would reign! We need
to simply accept Jesus as Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9).
What this means will become clearer as we move on in
this CLP. But for now, what is important to know is
simply this: God loves us. God sent Jesus His own Son.
In Jesus we are saved and restored to our relationship
with God, with the fullness of life He intended. Some
even question the divinity of Jesus Christ. Is Jesus
really God? For the answer, come back next week. The
choice is given to each of us. Are we going to continue
to investigate how God’s plan can work in our lives?
Will we continue to explore how God’s love can make
a difference in our lives? Or will we just walk away
like the disciples who left Jesus?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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WHO
IS JESUS CHRIST?
Brief
Outline
- Having
been born and raised as Christians, we take for granted
our conviction that Jesus is the Son of God. But aside from
this inborn conviction, is Jesus really worth paying attention
to? Is there any reason not to put Jesus on the same level
as Buddha, Confucius, Lao-Tze, Socrates or other wise man?
Was Jesus more than just a great religious man or moral
teacher? How is Jesus different from all the others who
claimed that they came from God, or that they were Gods,
or that they bore messages from God?
- We
are confronted with the startling fact that no other human
being has had anything like the impact of Jesus Christ on
the course of human history. Every other person who came
into this world came into it to live. Jesus came into the
world to die. His death was the goal and fulfillment of
his life.
- Who
is He? Some popular misconceptions --- Jesus Christ Superstar,
social-political revolutionary, great religious leader,
great moral leader. What did He say about Himself?
- Jesus
makes a most extraordinary claim. Jesus says simply that
He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
He told people that He would die for the salvation for all
sinners. He gives life like God does. He is to judge the
earth (Mt. 25:31, Mk. 14:61-62). He claims to be God (John
8:51-58)
Our
Challenge
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Jesus’
life and words demand a response from us. We must decide
whether to take Him as a madman, a demon or the Lord.
Jesus forces the issue upon us: "You will surely
die in your sins unless you believe that I am He"
(John 8:24). God confirmed Jesus’ claims (in the raising
of Lazarus, in Jesus’ resurrection, in Peter’s testimony).
Jesus offers us a personal relationship. Accept Him and
see your life change. Have you experienced what it means
to have a personal relationship with Jesus? Will you refute
or defend Jesus’ claim to be God?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN
Brief
Outline
- What
are misconceptions or incomplete notions about Christianity?
Christianity is reduced to a mere religious system. Christianity
is a mere moral system. Christianity is a social or humanitarian
system. Christianity is an escape from the realities of
life.
- What
is Christianity? The essence of Christianity is union with
God, made possible through the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:16). What makes us Christian is our
loving, personal relationship with God. Our whole life becomes
an expression of this relationship.
- What
are the practical implications of being a Christian? We
can trust in God our Father (Mt. 7:9-11). We can stop worrying
(Luke 12:16-21) We are to be brothers and sisters to one
another. Look to things that will enrich us for our eternal
life rather than for this earthly life (Luke 12:16-21).
We have peace and joy inspite of circumstances.
Our
Challenge
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A
Christian is a person who has given his life to God and
lives for God and God’s plan according to the will of
Jesus. Being a Christian means putting our lives in the
service of one another. Put your lives now completely
on God’s hands and experience the tremendous peace flow
into your lives and your family. Are you willing to be
a true Christian?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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REPENTANCE AND FAITH
Brief
Outline
- God
extends an invitation and we need to respond freely. Our
response requires a double action: REPENT (reform our lives)
and BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL (have faith in Him and the message
He brings).
- Repentance
is turning away from evil, sin, wrongdoing and running your
own life. Repentance depends on an objective decision to
accept only God’s righteousness into one’s life and reject
anything not compatible with this.
- Faith
is belief in the gospel, which is the good news of salvation
in Jesus Christ. Faith is both belief in the messenger,
Jesus, and in the message that he brings.
- As
a consequence, repentance and faith brings us salvation
from sin and a promise of eternal life with God through
the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Our Challenge
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Take Jesus up on His challenge which He gave 2,000 years
ago. Repent and believe in the Gospel. Turn from sin and
all obstacles to God, and accept Jesus as Lord. Then take
God up on His promise for a new life. God is faithful
to His promises. Can you also be faithful to Him?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL : LOVING GOD
Brief
Outline
- God
wants us to make LOVING HIM our highest ideal that He made
it into a commandment of the highest priority. (Mark 12:28-30)
- We
are to love God with all our heart, with all our mind, with
all our strength.
- Jesus
is our model in loving God
Our
Challenge
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Loving God is not as vague and impractical as you may
think. It involves specific, practical actions and decisions
and commitments. Can you make the love of God your first
and highest ideal? Are you ready to make Christ the model
of your life?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR
Brief
Outline
- Loving
our neighbor, together with loving God, form the core of
our Christian life.
- Love
is not only having positive feelings, not always saying
‘yes’, not defensive, not self-seeking, not manipulative.
- Christian
love is connected with keeping God’s commandments. It is
a self-sacrifice love and is committed service to others.
- Our
neighbor is anyone who is in need of our help.
- Characteristics
of Christian love in 1 Cor. 13:4-7. Substitute ‘I’ for love.
Our
Challenge
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Jesus showed us the way to true Christian love by the
parable of the good Samaritan, by His washing of His disciples’
feet, and most of all by His dying for us on the cross.
Are you prepared to love others in the way Jesus loved
you?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY
Brief
Outline
- God’s
plan for families: The family is to be the basic unit of
the society. (Gen. 1:27-28, Gen. 2:18-24) A place for teaching
and training children. A place to transmit wisdom and values
of life. A place for training leaders for the church. A
domestic church.
- Parents,
especially the fathers are to be the priests of their family
by presenting God to their family and presenting their family
to God.
- God’s
plan for families is not happening because God lost His
central place in the family.
- What
can we do? Make a decision that in your family you want
God’s plan to happen. Pray together as a family. Seek other
Christian families that share your concern about family
life. Be in regular fellowship with them.
Our
Challenge
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Take time and give attention to the task of building a
strong Christian family. Fathers should take steps to
assume full responsibility for the spiritual and material
needs of their families. Learn more about God’s vision
for your family. What can you do to help your parents,
brothers and sisters build a Christian family? How can
you prepare yourself now so that you could build a strong
Christian family?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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LIFE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Brief
Outline
- God
wants all men to have new life. This new life in the Holy
Spirit is available to all who receive Jesus as Lord and
savior.
- Receiving
the Holy Spirit
- What
to do during the prayer session
- Preparation
for the prayer session
Our
Challenge
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God is calling us to live a life of holiness. We can do
this by allowing ourselves to be under the power of the
Holy Spirit. Will you now put your lives completely on
God’s hands and experience the tremendous peace flow into
your lives and your family?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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RECEIVING THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Brief
Outline
- God
has promised the Holy Spirit to His people. With the Holy
Spirit, we gain a new nature, spiritual power, and the power
to serve.
- Jesus
is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit. We turn to Him and receive
the new life in the Holy Spirit from Him.
- God
offer us various gifts. One of these is the gift of tongues.
- We
must nurture the new life and God’s gifts.
Our
Challenge
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You have claimed Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit to
anyone who asks. You have been baptized in the Holy Spirit
and have received a new life from the Lord. You are “a
new creation: the old things have passed away; behold,
a new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have
begun a new life in faith. Will you commit yourself fully
to Jesus Christ and grow into the life in the Holy Spirit?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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GROWING IN THE SPIRIT
Brief
Outline
- The
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is only a beginning. Now we need
to grow in the life of the Spirit.
- The
steps to growth and maturity are prayer, study, service,
and fellowship.
Our
Challenge
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"My entire intention is on the finish line as I run
toward the prize to which God calls me --- life on high
in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). Throughout these
past twelve weeks, you have heard the call of the Lord.
Will you heed this call?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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THE SINGLES FOR CHRIST FAMILY
Brief
Outline
- A
history. In June 1981, 16 couples, who had attended a new
program initiating people into authentic practical Christian
living, made their commitment of Christian support to one
another, and the Lord. This was the beginning of Couples
For Christ and its ministries including the Singles For
Christ.
- We
are called to bring families and individuals back to the
plan of God. CFC/SFC beliefs and ideals flow from its Christian
attitudes, values and behavior.
- We
support one another in committed relationships, cell group
meetings called households and other support activities.
Our
Challenge
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God is trying to restore the Christian family back to
His original plan. We are called to respond to His divine
efforts and to be part of His work. Are you ready to be
part of God’s work?
BACK
TO CLP OUTLINE
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After the CLP, those who finish are invited to join SFC. When
they do, they are made part of a small cell group called a household.
The household is composed of from 5 to 7 singles who meet
weekly for mutual support and encouragement in the Christian
life, under the direction of a household leader.
The
purpose of the household group is to build an environment
for the support of the Christian life of singles, and to provide
a means for encouraging and hastening spiritual growth. It
provides friendship and brotherhood. It helps people overcome
obstacles to growth in the Christian life.
The household meeting is held in the homes of the group members,
on rotation basis. A typical meeting would involve some time
for prayers, a time for sharing or discussion, and finally
some time for fellowship. It would normally last about 2-1/2
hours.
Finishing
the CLP is just the beginning of a long process of growth
and transformation in Christ. As such, CFC provides a continuing
program of formation, which includes teachings, recollections,
retreats, etc.
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