In this week’s Christmas Message, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung shares the message of hope we have in Jesus Christ. In this world, man is powerless in the face of sin and death. But Jesus came to earth and made the greatest exchange: His life for ours, to grant mankind freedom and salvation. 

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Rev. Cheung concludes the series on Stewardship by studying the lessons we can learn from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25.

He urges us to be faithful stewards of what God, the Master, has entrusted to us so that when it is time to settle accounts, we may hear Him say “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Discussion Questions

1. How is a Talent different from a Gift? What does it mean when a talent is sanctified?

2. What are the characteristics of the Master described in the parable? What do we learn from the way the Master distributes talents to his servants? What talents have you received?

3. What are the characteristics of a good and faithful servant? Compare such a servant to one who is lazy and wicked. What kind of servant are you? What talents do you put to good use? Are there talents that you have kept buried?

4. How did the Master treat the three servant from the parable? Did the Master’s response to the second and third servants surprise you?

5. What kind of excuses do we give ourselves to justify our lack of faithfulness? What three things can you start doing to become a better and more faithful servant? What things should you keep doing? What should you stop doing?

Prayer Guide

Express your gratitude to God for your body, your time, your money, and your talents. Ask Him to remind you that these resources are entrusted to you for a reason. Pray that God touches your heart. Ask God to guide every decision you make, and to help you recognize that the choices you make today determine the kind of steward you are. Pray that God helps you become a blessing to others. Ask Him to grant you a heart that eagerly wants to know and serve Him, so that you will one day be recognized as a good and faithful steward.

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Message by Ptr. Genesis Tan

Discussion Questions

1. What would you like to remember from today’s message?

2. What specific actions will you take to apply what you learned? What support would you need?

3. What God-given skills would you want to develop? How will you do it? When will you start? And how will you know that you have already achieved your goal?

4. What specific actions can you do to honor God in your work?

5. What specific steps can you take so that your work can bless more people?

6. Which enemies of excellence do you tend to side with? Is it complacency or perfectionism?

Prayer Guide

Ask God to forgive you for either being complacent or a perfectionist. Ask God to forgive you for using your work to honor yourself instead of honoring him. Ask God to forgive you for working for your selfish desires instead of blessing others. Declare to God that your significance and security is not in work but in His love, forgiveness, and acceptance through Jesus Christ. Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower you to do your best in your work and be excellent for the LORD.

Did you know?

CBCP welcomes co-workers who are willing to share their time and talents with the church and its ministries. Learn more.

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This week, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung continues our message series on Stewardship by examining two types of people based on their attitudes towards money. He also shares biblical principles that we each can apply to manage finances in a manner that glorifies God.

Discussion Questions

1. Most people feel that they are not rich and that they never have enough. The question is, when will we achieve contentment? Are you rich or poor? Why?

2. We need but simple things to live, so why do so many people feel that what they have is not enough? What do you think are the reasons for this? How can we be truly contented?

3. Paul offers three exhortations to the rich: (a) Do not be arrogant; (b) Trust in God; (3) Share your wealth. What are practical applications for these three points? How can we be humble? How do we trust God? How can we share our wealth?

4. What do you think of Jim Elliott’s statement: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose”? What is your response? What actions will you take?

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“Can people tell you are a Christian by how you spend your time?”

Rev. Jeremiah Cheung poses this thought-provoking question and shares three key principles to help us manage our time.

Discussion Questions

1. The Bible teaches us that we must use our time wisely and that we must likewise make good use of opportunities that come. Please share how you have been using your time wisely and making good use of opportunities.

2. Do you feel that you don’t have enough time to do everything you want to do? Please pause and reflect: What activities do you spend time on? In light of your answer, what changes, if any, would you want to make? Please share.

3. Do you consider yourself busy? What things or causes do you invest time on? Are the things that keep you busy related to eternity? What is the value of the things or causes that keep you busy?

4. Which of these four do you think is the best method — addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division? Why? How do you intend to plan/count your days?

Did you know?

CBCP welcomes co-workers who are willing to share their time and talents with the church and its ministries. Learn more.

Recommended Reading

Does the thought of your to-do list give you a headache? Does it always feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day? Are you exhausted, forgetful, or trapped in an unbalanced lifestyle? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then Tools for Time Management: Christian Perspectives on Managing Priorities may be just the book you need. Author Edward R. Dayton has identified 23 pitfalls that keep wreaking havoc on our schedules. He also provides actionable advice that will help us overcome poor habits, define clear goals, find purpose and energy, manage interruptions, and more! Visit the CBCP Library any Sunday to borrow or reserve this book.

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Discussion Questions

1. If the Lord were to come today and call you to account, do you think the Lord will call you a good and faithful servant? Or a lazy and evil servant? In view of our accountability before God someday, what changes will you do today?

2. Paul instructs us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Why our bodies? How are our bodies and our lifestyle related? According to Paul, how should we offer our bodies?

3. Why did Paul say, “For to me to live is Christ”? How about you, for whom do you live?

4. Paul said we must offer our hearts and minds to God. How do we do so?

5. Our minds must be renewed and transformed. Humans dislike change, but without change, there can be no growth. As God’s children, how are we to change?

6. Are you willing to change? In what areas do you need to change?

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Pastor Mike Cariño opens our new message series on Stewardship by going directly to the seat of control in our lives, the heart. More than just a blood-pumping muscle, the heart is the very center of our being. What we allow our minds, emotions, and will to dwell on defines the state of our hearts and consequently, our lives.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you sometimes speak words that distort, discourage, or damage yourself and others? How can you produce more uplifting speech?

2. What are some shows, movies, books, blogs, or websites that fill your eyes and pollute your heart? How can you discipline what your mind dwells on?

3. Are you a slave of some things, activities, habits, places, or people that replace God as your master? Explain your answer.

4. When do you say that your heart is filled with trash? What changes do you need to make today to purify your heart?

Recommended Reading

The CBCP Library recommends these two books to complement this week’s message.

Seven: The Deadly Sins and the Beatitudes by Jeff Cook looks at the seven deadly sins and the Beatitudes. These two offer distinctly different paths. Both call to us. Both present themselves as life choices. Only one, however, leads to restoration. Only one will make us happy.

In Gods at War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart, author Kyle Idleman helps us recognize the false gods that are at war within each of us. We can’t truly follow Jesus if our hearts are pursuing something or someone else. These pursuits are the modern-day equivalent of graven idols. According to Idleman, idolatry isn’t just an issue — it is the issue that keeps us from an intimate relationship with God.

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Through difficult times, God’s grace helps and transforms us. Dr. Eddie Lao reflects on the life of Joseph — a life of many ups and downs — and how every step in Joseph’s life helped prepare him for the role that God had in store for him.

Discussion Questions

1) Can you relate to the life and experience of Joseph?

2) Why do you think God leads us to difficult situations?

3) There are three things we can do in the midst of hard times. What are these three things? Share some specific and practical ways for you to see God’s grace through difficult times.

4) God’s grace transforms. Are you going through a difficult situation? How may God be using this time to transform you?

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As Christians, we are called to ‘arise and shine’ for Christ (Isaiah 60:1-3). To bring light to the people around us, Rev. John Ong urges us to “Be Rich”.

What does it mean to be rich?
– Be rich towards God
– Be rich by preserving a Good Name
– Be rich in doing Good Works

Message by Rev. John Ong

Discussion Questions

1) Is it challenging to develop an intimate relationship with God? Why do you say so? In what ways might you be ignoring Him?

2) “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth.” Do you agree? Do you think this is still true in our present times?

3) Good works is not the source of our salvation, but the Bible instructs us to be rich in good works. This is so that we may lead others to believe in Jesus, who alone can save. What good deed can you commit to do to help those who are in need?

4) What do you think makes it hard for you as a Christian to “Arise and Shine” for God? Which area(s) do you personally need to focus on right now?

5) How would you respond to the challenge of “doing 50 good deeds for 50 days”? How can your lifegroup help you to be consistent in this challenge?

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Rev. Cheung concludes our current series on Restoring God’s Plan for the Family by answering the last three of Seven Questions on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage.

Missed one of the earlier messages? You can still catch up with previous messages from this series.

by Rev. Jeremiah Cheung

The last three questions on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage are:

Q.5: Should those who are unmarried get married?
Q.6: Should parents allow or stop their children from marrying?
Q.7: Can widows remarry?

Discussion Questions

1. Paul cited three reasons for saying that to remain single is better. What are these reasons? Do you agree?

2. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of marrying and not marrying?

3. As a parent, what are your expectations on the matter of your children’s marriage? What do you believe is better for them – to marry or not to marry?

4. Widows may remarry, but statistics indicate that the percentage of widowers (men who lost their wives) who remarry is very high, while most widows (women who lost their husbands) choose not to remarry. Why do you think this is the case? Can you give some advice to help widows or widowers as they face life after their loss?

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