Dr Rolland Baker preached about Pursuing Jesus. He shared from Philippians 3:7-11 and covered the following points.
He shared that we must become like children to enter the Kingdom. The ability to enjoy God is a gift of God. When we are in the presence of God, our lives, motivations and priorities are changed. We have been saved from eternal fire and we do not live very long on this earth. It is only appropriate to have childlike joy and faith! He shared examples of pastors being passionate about preaching the gospel, and how it is completely normal for God to do miracles. Miracles happen because it is a gift of God – it is not whether the preachers have taken classes, or because of their training and equipping. The purpose of Christianity is about a relationship with God.
Dr Rolland also shared the following verses: Matthew 10:34-38 and emphasised the importance of taking up the Cross to follow Jesus. Jesus is our great and exceeding reward, and it is important to set our hearts on Him and make Him our first priority. He shared about how Mozambique, a nation which is the poorest of the poor and where he serves, is a place with active spiritual oppression. When we see human suffering, we know that only Jesus is the answer.
Christianity is in a Person, and that Person is Jesus. We have power in Jesus’ name! The heaviest burden we can carry is our own self will. He exhorted the congregation to look at what matters for eternity, to live as those made alive in Christ (Colossians 3:1-4). God is with us and for us (Romans 8:31-32). We have everything in Him and we do not need to strive. We are not in love with prayer, worship or discipline but we are in love with the Person whom we pray to and worship, and whom we find worthy to discipline ourselves for. We are to be humble before God and be empty-handed. God is everything we need!
Discussion Questions
1. Dr Rolland Baker asked at 1st service: “What is the Christian life all about?” What would you say? [10 min]
2. Read Hebrews 12:2. What is your relationship with Jesus like today? Share briefly an experience, a lesson or any characteristic you learnt about Jesus in your faith journey. [10 min]
3. What to you, is childlike Joy? What are things that steal or crowd out your joy? How do we remain joyful in God? [10 min]
4. What will you trade your life for? What would be the priorities of a life that is pursuing Jesus and living for eternity? How can we as a cell encourage each other to live that out? Choose one / two steps you want to take in response to this. [10 min]
