When we follow Christ, transformation happens in every aspect of our lives – including the way we manage our wallets. In this message, Ptr. Genesis Tan shares three reasons why generosity is an important part of living an excellent Christian life. Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 4:14-23

Discussion Questions

1. Read v. 14-16. Generosity is a means for partnership in spreading the Gospel. Describe the relationship between Paul and the Philippians (Phil. 1:3-5). In what ways did the Philippians live generously? What was the impact of their generous living?

2. Read v. 17. Generosity results in profit for our spiritual account. What is your view on giving? (Is it a plus or a minus?) How is your view similar/different from Jesus’ view? (Acts 20:35). What was the mindset (2 Cor 8:4) and motive (2 Cor 8:5) of the Philippian church in living generously? What is your reason for giving?

3. Read v. 18. Generosity is a pleasing sacrifice to God. How is generosity a form of worship to the Lord? Do you worship the Lord in this area? Reflect on God’s promise in this verse (God is our Great Provider). According to v. 19, what is the guarantee for this promise? What is your understanding of God’s riches?

4. How has God shown you His generosity (Eph. 1:7-8)? The Lord is our Great God who owns everything. The Lord is our Good Provider who supplies all our needs. The Lord is our Generous Giver who gave us the Ultimate Gift of Salvation. Knowing these about our God, what is your response (Phil 4:20)?

5. In what way can you live generously? How does the Philippian church’s model of giving encourage you?

6. What is it that your heart is desiring and pursuing? Is there an idol that is preventing you from living generously? Please share.

The post The Excellent Christian Life 18 | Live Generously appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

True joy escapes us when we look for it in the wrong places. In this message, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung shares three joyful changes that await us when we seek God in all circumstances. Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 4:10-13

Discussion Questions

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this message? Please share.

2. What things did you find joy in before you became a Christian and after you became a Christian? How are they different?

3. When a person is rejoicing in the Lord, it can be seen in three ways. What are these?

4. Contentment is not inborn. Are you content with your life? Are you able to accept different situations? Are you able to find the strength to face them? Can you share some practical advice? (v.11)

5. What is your understanding of ‘rejoice in the Lord’? How is it similar/different from today’s message?

6. What is your definition of ‘success’? What is God’s definition of ‘success’?

7. How would you like to respond to the message?

The post The Excellent Christian Life (17) | Be a Joyful Christian appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

How we think determines how we live. In this message, Ptr. Mike Cariño urges us to manage our thoughts and choose to align our minds with that of Christ’s. Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 4:8-9

Discussion Questions

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this message?

2. In the story of the two wolves, which wolf are you feeding? In what way do you think you are feeding it?

3. Reflect on Proverbs 4:23 and Proverbs 23:7. Please share your thoughts on this.

4. Phil. 4:8 talks about the essence of having healthy thoughts. What kind of thoughts are we to think about? Why do you think Paul wants us to think such things?

5. Phil. 4:9 talks about the effect of having healthy thoughts. Why does Paul want us to practice these things?

6. In what way can you practice these things? In what area do you need help?

The post The Excellent Christian Life (16) | Think Right, Live Right appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

The key to standing firm in the faith is having an accurate view of the Christian life. It entails walking through both the good and bad times in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this message, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung shares the four stations for walking through the path of grace. Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 4:4-7

Discussion Questions

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this message?

2. C.S. Lewis said, “Expectation is everything.” What are your expectations of the Christian life?

3. G.K. Chesterton said that for the Christian, joy is central and sorrow is peripheral. For the unbeliever, he says it is the exact opposite: “Joy is peripheral while sorrow is central.” What is the reason for this?

4. V.5 “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” The Lord is near can mean nearness in space or nearness in time. What do these mean?

5. V.6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” How can we not be anxious about anything?

6. Paul said the Lord will give us a peace which transcends all understanding. What is peace which transcends all understanding? How can we have such peace?

7. What is your response to the message?

The post The Excellent Christian Life (15) | A Path of Grace appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

The quality of our spiritual life affects not only us but also the church and the people around us. In this message, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung shares three reasons why we need to stand firm in the foundations of our faith. Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 4:1-3

Discussion Questions

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this message?

2. Paul pointed out three reasons why we must stand firm, the first of which is we must stand firm so that we will not fall (Phil. 4:1, 1:27, 30). Who or what can cause us to not stand firm? How can we stand firm in such situations?

3. Paul wrote in chapter 3 to ‘press on’. Does this contradict chapter 4’s ‘stand firm’? When do we press on and when do we stand firm? Please share. Read Col. 1:23.

4. Paul said the second reason we should stand firm is so that we will not grieve the people who love us. If you fall today, who will be saddened? Why? Read 2:15b-16.

5. Paul said the third reason we must stand firm is so that we will not cause division in the church. Paul pointed out two women, who are they? What was their problem? What was Paul’s counsel to them? Read Phil. 4:2-3.

6. In which area of your life would you be most likely to fall? How should you manage it then?

The post The Excellent Christian Life (14) | Stand Firm appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

Are you a friend or an enemy of the cross of Christ? In this message, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung urges us to reflect on our testimony and live according to the gospel of Christ. Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 3:17-21

Discussion Questions

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this message? Please share.

2. Read verses 19 and 21. How are the destinies of those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and of those who are friends of the cross of Christ different?

3. Read verses 19 and 8. How are the objects of those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and of those who are friends of the cross of Christ different?

4. Read verses 19 and 20. How are the values of the faith of those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and of those who are friends of the cross of Christ different?

5. How can a person turn from being an enemy of the cross of Christ into a friend of the cross of Christ? What ‘end’ do you have in mind? What have you learned about God’s heavenly kingdom from the message?

6. Reflect on the following verses: Malachi 1:2-3a, Genesis 29:31, and Hebrews 12:16. Share your reflections.

The post The Excellent Christian Life (13) | Be Not An Enemy of the Cross of Christ appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

A focused pursuit of Christ leads to an incredibly powerful Christian life. In this message, Ptr. Jared Co gives us three reasons to press on in the journey of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection. Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 3:12-16

Discussion Questions

1. What are the three reasons why we should press on? Share what you have learned.

2. Let us press on because Christ took hold of us (v. 12-13a). How have you received God’s spiritual intensity? (Some may be through intellect, emotion, etc.) How can we respond to God’s spiritual intensity? Through knowledge, application, or pressing/focusing on Jesus and looking through Christ’s lenses? Please share.

3. Let us press on because Christ is our Prize (v. 13b-14). Share an experience when you were perplexed but had that one thing that kept you going. What was Paul’s prize in pressing on? Do you look heavenward or looking down? What is your attitude towards that prize?

4. Let us press on because God is with us (v. 15-16). We should expect our imperfection. Compare the word ‘mature’ with ‘perfect’ in v.12. In what area do you need to mature? We must also expect God’s grace. How does this truth encourage you?

5. In your current life journey, what is God’s truth-telling you? How are you experiencing Christ? Reflection: Do you want more and more of Christ?

6. How has this passage helped you gain a deeper knowledge of God’s heart? How has this helped you focus on Christ?

The post The Excellent Christian Life (12) | Press On appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

The Apostle Paul experienced radical changes in his life and values upon realizing the surpassing worth of knowing and having Jesus in his life. In this message, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung urges us to let go of things that could be holding us back from truly knowing and gaining Christ in our lives.
Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 3:4-11

Discussion Questions

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this message? Please share.

2. Paul listed six things he could boast about. What are these? Why can we take pride in these 6 matters?

3. Phil 3:7 “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” This statement shows two transformations that happened to Paul after he saw the light on his way to Damascus. In what ways was Paul transformed?

4. Paul lost all things for Christ’s sake, yet he also gained some things. Phil 3:7-11 tell us that Paul grew deeper and deeper in his knowledge of Christ (please note the different tenses of the verbs). Please share about how Paul grew or sought to grow in his knowledge of Christ.

5. Reflect and share: Do you love the blessings or do you love the Lord from whom the blessings come? “Do you love yourself or do you love Me?”

6. Please share how your knowledge of Christ has grown since the day you came to believe in Him.

The post The Excellent Christian Life (11) | Gain and Loss appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

True faith leads to lasting joy while false faith brings destruction. We can distinguish one from the other by how they manifest in the life and beliefs of a person. In this message, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung urges us to guard our faith against falsehood by knowing Christ and making Him the center of our lives. Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 3:1-3

Discussion Questions

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this message? Please share.

2. What is the difference between happiness and joy? Can you share some experiences regarding this?

3. Paul warned us to watch out for three ways false faith can be seen. What are these three manifestations?

4. What does it mean to watch out for dogs (Rev.22:15)? For evildoers (Luke 18:11-12)? For those mutilators of the flesh (Rom.2:28-29)?

5. Read Luke 18:11-12. Is God’s love for us dependent on what we do? Please share your thoughts.

6. There are also three ways true faith is seen; what are these three manifestations of true faith?

7. What does it mean to worship by the Spirit of the Lord (John 4:23), to boast in Christ (Proverbs 9:10, Acts 4:12), and to have no confidence in the flesh (James 4:6)?

8. What kind of faith do you have? Share your reflection and response to the message.

The post The Excellent Christian Life (10) | True and False Faith appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

Within the Body of Christ, the older generation must love, respect, and train up its younger members while the latter are urged to exhibit Christ-likeness in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12). In this message, Rev. Jeremiah Cheung gleans principles for ministry and living excellently from the examples of two young gospel workers, Timothy and Epaphroditus.

Audio and video for this message are now available.

Scripture Passage
Philippians 2:19-30

Discussion Questions

1. What is your greatest takeaway from this message?

2. What is the reason for Paul and Timothy’s unity of heart? What do you think are the reasons why people find it difficult to achieve and maintain unity?

3. What does God use to measure our ministry/service?

4. Who is Epaphroditus? How did Paul introduce him?

5. What kind of example did Epaphroditus leave behind?

The post The Excellent Christian Life (9) | Youth Workers appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.