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* – Albert Liu
Praise & Worship*- Praise Team and Congregation
Welcome & Announcements – Daniel Chen
Sermon “Living as Faithful Exiles…” Daniel (page 737)- 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.
Previous Week’s Sermon Notes
“…For Such a Time as This…” (Esther 4:12-17)
- Mordecai’s Rebuke (vv.12-14)
- Mordecai’s Conviction, Urgency and Insight (vv.12, 14)
- “You (Esther) Can’t Hide in Comfort Forever” (v.13)
- Mordecai Reminds Esther of Her Identity and Her people
- Also Reminds Esther of Her Purpose and God’s Plans (Sovereignty)
Reflection/Application
- Who do you have in your life that is a “Mordecai” that cares for you enough to speak into your life? To whom are you called to be a “Mordecai” to speak into their lives?
- In what ways have you been “hiding in comfort” this past year – to the neglect of others and to the denial of your identity in Christ and purpose for Him?
- Esther’s Response (vv.15-17)
- Turns to Prayer (Fasting)
- Steps Out in Faith (v.16b)
- Grasps the Importance of Her Role in History (v.16)
Reflection/Application
- In what specific areas of your life do you need to step out in faith – for others and for God – in this coming year? What are the fears that prevent you from doing so?
- In what ways can you incorporate God’s Word and prayer in this coming year to help you be reminded of your identity in Him and purposes for Him?
We are glad that you have joined us this morning as we begin the new year worshipping Jesus together and being reminded of who He is!
If this is your first time here, please fill out one of the cards in the pew and give the card on to any of our ushers if you would like us to contact you with more information about our church.
Announcements
- Bible Reading in 2017: One of our goals this year as a church is to know God’s Word (the Bible) better together as a church community. Please join us in reading through the Bible together with the “5 Day Bible Reading Program” plan! You can sign-up online here: https://goo.gl/f0UIj8.
- Inheritance Magazine: December’s belated issue on “Homeland: Stories about Origin, Journeys, and Finding a Place to Belong” is now available! 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).
- Prayer Meeting: We’ll be gathering to pray for our church for revival and renewal this Wednesday from 8:00-9:15pm at Jeff & Ruth’s house (4544 Winding Way, San Jose 95129).
- Saltshakers: We will be gathering for Large Group this Saturday (1/14) from 7-9pm in the Church Sanctuary. For more information, please contact Daniel Chen (dantchen83@gmail.com)
- Winter Youth Retreat (2/17-20): Today’s the last day to register for the early bird special. Regular registration ends 1/29. For more information, please see Daniel Chen.
- Summer Retreat Planning: We are looking for 2-4 individuals (adult and/or youth) to be a part of our 2017 Summer Retreat Planning Committee. Our 2017 Summer Retreat (6/16-18) will be a special entire church (English-Chinese) joint retreat. Please contact Pastor Joey (joeywang@cfccsj.org) if you’re interested (or for more information).
Prayer Requests & Praises
- Pray that as a church we would grow in greater love for God, His Word, and prayer in this new year!
- Pray for our students (middle/high school & college) as they transition back to school in these coming weeks.
- Pray for Daniel Chen as he plans to move to Los Angeles at the end of May to be closer with Sachi and his family. Pray also for Daniel as he figures out future ministry/calling.
- Praise God for Elder Stan Yang’s faithful leadership and service through the past four years and pray that his year-long sabbatical in 2017 will be a time of renewal and refreshment. Pray for Elder Raymond Hung as he serves a more active role in the English ministry in 2017.
Recommended Resources on the Book of Daniel
The following are some of the commentaries that are consulted in preaching through the book of Daniel:
Daniel (Reformed Expository Commentary) by Iain M. Duiguid
- This commentary strikes a good balance between interpreting the text (exegesis) and applying the text (application). If you can only refer to one commentary on Daniel, use this one!
Daniel (NIV Application Commentary) by Tremper Longman
- Similar to Duiguid’s Daniel, this is also a good balanced commentary for general readers.
Daniel (Word Biblical Commentary) by Jay Goldingay
- Probably the best technical (in-depth) scholarly commentary on Daniel which not only gets into the original languages (Hebrew & Aramaic) of Daniel but also interacts with other scholarly works and interpretations of Daniel.
Preaching Christ from Daniel by Sidney Greidanus
- Less a commentary but more a guide for pastor/teachers to see and teach Christ in the book of Daniel.
Daniel (Geneva Series of Commentaries) by E.J. Young
- An older but just as useful more technical commentary on Daniel. This is a good companion commentary to Goldingay’s.
New City Catechism (from www.newcitycatechism.com/intro.php)
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 & for your smart phones.
Question 13: Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?
Answer: Since the fall, no mere human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly, but consistently break it in thought, word, and deed.
Passage(s): Romans 3:10-12