Chinese for Christ Church of San Jose
English Worship Service
Worship Service: 10:00 –11:10 am followed by snacks in the Fellowship Hall.
Call To Worship* – Alison Law
Praise & Worship*- Praise Team and Congregation
Welcome & Announcements – Daniel Chen
Sermon “Introduction to Ephesians” Ephesians 1:1-2 (page 976) – Joey Wang
Song(s) of Response* – Praise Team
Doxology (Words of Praise)*- Congregation
Prayer & Benediction (Lord’s Blessing)* – Joey Wang
*Please stand, if physically able. Also, please set your cell phones to “silent.”
Please exit through the ‘front’ of the sanctuary at the end of service. Thank you.
Last Week’s Sermon Notes
Philippians 3:7-15 “A Lifelong Resolution”
Last Sunday we had a special one-shot message as we looked back at the year 2015 and look ahead to this new year.
Background of Philippians: Written by the Apostle Paul while imprisoned and awaiting his sentencing. Paul wrote the letter to encourage the Philippian church as well as to remind them of the true Gospel and their calling.
- Everything Means Nothing… (vv.7-8, cf. vv.3-6)
– In this verses we see that while Paul had lots of things he could put on his “resume” in regards to spiritual accomplishments, he saw these things as “rubbish” (or garbage) — not because they were not good things but rather in comparison to knowing Jesus.
– What things in life are so important to you that other things seem like they’re worthless in comparison?
- …Compared to Knowing Jesus (vv.8 & 10)
– For Paul, knowing Jesus was that one thing that made everything else seem worthless — because He had experienced the goodness and mercy and love of Jesus! And he wanted to continue to know Jesus more (relationship) — not just know things about Jesus.
– The Christian faith is about just doing things for God or just following and obeying His commands. The Christian faith is about knowing Jesus, loving Him and knowing His love and grace for us!
- Paul’s Lifelong Resolution (vv.12-16)
-In the journey of faith, no one has “arrived.” Following Jesus is a lifelong pursuit and growing process of understanding His love and grace towards more and more (re: layers of an onion) as well as personalizing it more and more (vs. an inherited faith).
– While often times in the Bible we are reminded to remember (not forget) God’s past provisions, here, we are reminded to not let past failures, frustrations, difficulties — and even successes – hinder us in our pursuit of knowing Jesus more.
Application/Reflection:
– What are some of the difficulties, challenges and frustrations that you need to “forget” from the past year in order to move forward in this upcoming year?
– Pray that as individuals and as a church community our “lifelong resolution” would be to know Jesus and the Gospel message — that we would continue to press on!
We are glad you are here this morning to worship God together with us! This morning we’re continuing through the season of Advent, the season of waiting and preparation for the celebration of Christmas. We pray that during these weeks you would be reminded of God’s extravagant love in entering into this world to rescue us!
If this is your first time here, please fill out one the pink cards in the pew and pass onto any of our ushers if you would like us to contact you with more information about our church.
Announcements
- Winter Youth Retreat: Our Youth Winter retreat is coming up soon. Please don’t miss out on this opportunity! The retreat will take place during President’s Day Weekend (Fri, 2/12 – Mon, 2/15) at Mount Hermon. The deadline for the early bird is today, so please turn in your completed form as well as a check. For more information, please see Daniel Chen (dantchen83@sbcglobal.net).
- Inheritance Magazine: This month’s issue of Inheritance magazine is now available! The theme for this month is, “The Next Step: stories about vocation, calling and discovering God’s purpose in our everyday lives.” Inheritance is a monthly magazine that focuses on how Christian faith interacts with Asian and American cultures. (Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Inheritance do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of CFCCSJ.)
- Serving Lunch:8th and 11th graders are scheduled to serve lunch today. For more information, please see David Tsao.
- Piano Concert: We will be having two piano concerts, “Tales of Love From the East”, at church by pianist Sandra Wright Shen (Sat, 2/6 at 7:30pm & Sun, 2/7 at 2pm). Please invite non-Christian family members and friends to join. For more information, please check online at https://youtu.be/uPzRlDqSqbU
- Bible Reading Plans: The start of the new year is a great opportunity to read through the Bible! We’ve included several Bible reading plans for you — feel free to peruse other plans and resources online: http://goo.gl/h5zLNT.
- Community Groups: Our small group fellowships for college/post-college (working, single/married, etc.) meet weekly on Saturday morning (10 am – 12 pm) as well as Sunday afternoons (4-6 pm). Please contact either Pastor Joey or Kenny for more information.
- Saltshakers: We will be gathering for Large Group this coming Saturday (1/16) from 7-9pm at the Beacon Building. For more information, please contact Daniel Chen (dantchen83@sbcglobal.net).
Prayer Requests & Praises
- Praise God for this season of Christmas and the New Year! Pray that as we look back on 2015 we can be reminded of God’s grace and mercy in our lives and that as look ahead to 2016 that we might seek Him and honor Him in all that we plan and do!
- Pray for our upcoming Winter Youth Retreat (2/12-15). Pray for the planning, coordination, and preparations involved as we partner with Mountain View Chinese Christian Church (MVCCC), Canaan Taiwanese Christian Church (CTCC) and Spring Valley Chinese Christian Church (SVCCC). Pray also for more volunteers to help out. Ultimately, pray that through this retreat our students would grow closer to God and one another.
- Pray for Orchard Community Church which meets in dowtown Campbell. Pray for Todd Burgett (lead pastor) and Tyler Schmidt (associate pastor) as they lead, equip and proclaim the gospel. Pray that as a church they would be faithful to the Gospel and living out the Gospel as a witness to those around them.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE BIBLE IN A YEAR?
Less than 10 minutes a day. (There are about 775,000 words in the Bible. Divided by 365, that’s 2,123 words a day. The average person reads 200 to 250 words per minute. So 2,123 words/day divided by 225 words/min equals 9.4 minutes a day.) If you want to listen to a narrator read the Bible, they are usually about 75 hours.
DOES THE BIBLE EVER COMMAND US TO READ THE WHOLE BIBLE IN A YEAR?
No. What is commends is knowing the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) and meditating or storing or ruminating upon God’s self-disclosure to us in written form (Deut.6:7;32:46; Ps.119:11,15,23,93,99;143:5). It is compared to bread and water—not nice things to have when there is time but that which is essential for survival.
The point is not to check off a list or punch in your time but rather to meditate on the Word in such a way that your mind, heart, and actions are transformed in a godly, gospel-drawn way.
As Joel Beeke writes: “As oil lubricates an engine, so meditation facilitates the diligent use of means of grace (reading of Scripture, hearing sermons, prayer, and all other ordinances of Christ), deepens the marks of grace (repentance, faith, humility), and strengthens one’s relationships to others (love to God, to fellow Christians, to one’s neighbors at large).”
Thomas Watson put it like this: “A Christian without meditation is like a solider without arms, or a workman without tools. Without meditation the truths of God will not stay with us; the heart is hard, and the memory is slippery, and without meditation all is lost.”
So reading the Bible cover to cover is a great way to facilitate meditation upon the whole counsel of God.
(The above information is quoted from Justin Taylor’s “Reading the Whole Bible in 2016: FAQ”)
New City Catechism (adapted from www.newcitycatechism.com/intro.php)
Catechisms are a helpful tool in teaching and learning the essentials of the Christian faith. They are written in question and answer form to help memorize. We hope that this will be a tool for us to use in disciplining our children, one another and ourselves as a church community. [The New City Catechism is also available online and for your smart phones]
Question 18: Will God allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished?
Answer: No, every sin is against the sovereignty, holiness, and goodness of God, and against his righteous law, and God is righteously angry with our sins and will punish them in his just judgment both in this life, and in the life to come.
Passage(s): Ephesians 5:5-6