R.E.A.C.H

Topic: R.E.A.C.H
Speaker: Rev.Renny Khoo
Date: 23/02/2020

Introduction

This is our 3rd year in discipleship journey and this year focus is on reaching out using the
acronym REACH which stands for Readily Exceedingly Available to Connect to Humanity.

1. Discipleship journey focus a lot on transformation and not just getting information and
knowledge but life lived out. We do things for God not to win favour from Him. Instead,
we want to serve God and man out of appreciation and gratitude for what he did for us. We
have been bless so that we can continue to be a blessing to others especially to be gospel
bearers as shown in the four quadrants of our faith stations from connecting, equipping,
mentoring to releasing.
Jesus engaged with his disciples in a life transformation process and we are also in that
process to transform us to influence others too.

2. Complacent – Consumer – Connected – Committed – Compelled
Jesus call us out of our complacent culture to be gospel bearers to bring the lost back to his
kingdom. We must not just be a consuming Christian or else we will miss out His call to
bless others with all the resources given to us as selfish consumers. In order to mature in
Christ we need to grow in connecting to others as a community since relationship is the
key to grow to maturity. That is why we must belong to a connect group to engage with
one another.
We are saved and justified by faith but need to continue to be sanctified to overcome all
our shortcomings. We are to grow in commitment to serve and give whatever we can in
order to make an impact for God's kingdom just like the little boy offering his 2 fishes and
5 loaves of bread and God used them to feed 5000 people. We are reminded to store up our
treasures in heaven that have eternal values by winning souls for Christ.
We are also to beware that sometimes blessings can be an obstacle to serve God due to the
demands of our commitment to matters that draws us away from God. So it is necessary to
get the correct perspective to be good stewards for the blessings from God.
Rev. Renny shared her experience of how she is bless with a new place of stay and is
reminded that "much is given much is required of you", so she managed to use new place
to host visitors and be a blessing by sharing. However we must not do it out of obligation
but find joy in serving and giving because we are compelled by God's love. We love
because He first love us.
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus command us to go and make disciples of all man...
When Jesus made a difference in our lives we cannot hold back but share with others. We
are to respond to his call and count it a privilege and not an obligation since we are
compelled by his love to go empowered by his authority. So we are to grow from
complacency to consumer to being connected and committed to allow Christ’s love to
compel us to reach out for the lost for His kingdom.

Questions for discussion:
1. Share a testimony, an experience where you reached out to others or how others have
reached out to you.

2. Complacent – Consumer – Connected – Committed – Compelled
Where are you in the above? Describe what it is like in said stage. What would it take to
move to the next stage?

3. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied
grace (1 Peter 4:10).What are some gifts you like to affirm, for yourself and for others in
the CG? How do you plan to steward these gifts?

Jesus' Hands and Ours

Rev Renny Khoo
16 Feb 2020
Sermon Outline Reach out series
Topic: Jesus' Hands and Ours
Text: Mt 8: 1-17, Jn 13: 1-17

To see ourselves as the hands of Jesus in the world
Our hands are used as part of a language of communication to convey a range of
emotions and feelings, to show friendship and affection, love, praise, enjoyment and
clapping in appreciation and other times in anger as we point in accusation or raising
our fist to express our displeasure of an incident.

1. Jesus 'Tangible and intangible touches
Jesus used His hands to touch to heal the sick, washes the disciples’ feet, break
bread at the Passover, cooks and serve fish for the disciples at the lake of
Galilee and at the cross his hands were pierced on both ends. They were used
also to embrace his friends, to clasp a shoulder or hand in affection or
encouragement, waving a greeting or farewell, emphasising a point He was
teaching, holding out His hands in open prayer to the Father, a tradesman’s
hand as they were use in carpentry with Joseph, his earthly father. Jesus chose
in many times to reach out and touch even though he did not have to. The
Centurion soldier was healed without physical touch but Jesus touch Peter’s
mother in law to heal her.

In the scripture recording Matt 8: 1- 7 of the healing of the man with leprosy,
Jesus reached out to the leper in the midst of the multitudes because it was at
the time when Jesus teaching was gaining popularity. The leper said to Jesus
that if He chose to, he will be healed. He was not in doubt of Jesus ability but His
generosity to heal him. Jesus reply was that he chose to make him clean and
immediately his leprosy left him. The leper must had lived without any human
touch for most of his life due to his condition. He was an outcast. Likewise in this
world where many still in relative isolation and devoid of human contact, a kind
word, a prayer, a practical help will go far as a way of reaching out and touching
hearts of recipients.

2. Jesus' hands that wash feet
In Jesus time, part of the culture to welcome visitors and show hospitality are to
have their feet washed by servants. When Jesus wanted to do this to His
disciples, Peter could not accept it as he felt it would be beneath Jesus’ status to
perform this task of a servant.

"As the Father sent me so I send you. (John 20: 21)
We are now to be Jesus' hands in the world, we are called to reach out and touch
others in care and compassion, connection, in ever willingness and in humility.
This is in conjunction to the launching today the Discipleship Journey 3.0 of “Lets
reach out” through the adoption of a local mission projects as listed by the various
zones for a year. The length of 1 year is to enable time to regularly connect with the
NGO that we have chosen to build relationship with. It is the hope that through the
community projects that we can cultivate in our hearts room for those who are
different or people that we do not normally come in contact with or having friends
that can join us to carry out this community project to “ Lets reach out” in unity and in
tandem with our mission statement of being in the process of following Jesus Christ.

We are also reminded of the 4 quadrants of the Discipleship Journey of to Connect
and be part of a Connect group and be part of Christ cause, to Equip in the ways and
work of Christ. To pursue God in our daily quiet time and reading scripture in one
year and be Mentored by the various Zone Leaders. And this year, to be Released to
reach out for the community and schools near us where part of our community
pledge will be utilised. We see ourselves as the hand of God reaching out to the
world through us and also in tandem to reaching out will the launching of the 2nd
Service on 1st March 2020, 10.30am at Kyrugma house.

Questions:

How can we, as messengers of Jesus, participate to make this community a better
place? * Community includes homes, workplaces, church, Connect group and Kota
Kinabalu.
Share some ideas and possibilities in adopting the said local mission project / NGO.

What do you think are their needs? What are your resources? Do a quick research
through past experiences, stories and even google!

Think of some friends or non CG members who might be interested in joining these
outreach activities and make plans to invite them along. Pray, plan and invite!

Stretch Your Faith

Topic: Stretch Your Faith
Text: Isaiah 54:2
Speaker: Pr. Annie Wong

Introduction

The word “stretch” makes us think about stretching our body and muscles before we start to
exercise or play sports. Life happens in the stretch. Over the years, we’ve been changed and
stretched physically in different ways. We’ve been stretched and grown taller, not so sure about
shorter but definitely wider.

1. God is out to stretch us
God is out to stretch us. God is out to stretch our faith. Stretching is something God wants to do
in our lives. It is our spiritual life that God wants to change and transform. To stretch is to expand or extend something to a greater size or length. When it comes to life, being stretched means we’re growing. God stretches us so that we can grow more and more into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. To grow our faith, we need to have our faith stretched.

We need to learn in the spiritual how to be flexible and bendable in the hands of God.
Gumby can bend and stretch to incredible lengths but in real life, nobody likes to be stretched like him.

If we want to grow in faith, we must be willing to have our faith stretched. If we want to grow in patience, God will have our patience tested. If we want to grow in leadership, God will put our leadership to the test. If we want God to grow our love for Him and others, He will put some really unlovable people in our path. The point is that if God is stretching us, it’s best to cooperate with Him in the stretch.

There is a phrase that says, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.”
If we don’t stretch before exercise or sports, it’ll be easy to get injured. To be stretched by God,
we need to learn to be faithful in small things. It is important we learn how to stretch properly in
small tests of faith so that we will know how to stretch in major ones.
Israel’s wilderness – The Israelites were tested and stretched in their faith in their wilderness
experience.

For some, it’s too much of a stretch to come to church at 7:30am on Sundays. It’s too much of a
stretch to give tithes and offerings. It’s too much of a stretch read the Bible and pray everyday.
It’s too much of a stretch to join a CG. It’s too much of a stretch to commit to serving in the church.

If we fail in these small stretches of faith, we won’t be ready for the bigger challenges in our lives.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” – (Luke 16:10 NLT)
We need to trust in God even when it doesn’t make sense, inconvenient or uncomfortable. When we trust God in small stuff, we will be able to trust God in big stuff. And when the much larger trials come our way, we will not only be able to handle them but also have victory in them. Our life of faith is won or lost in the stretch. It is in the final stretch that our destiny is determined. Learning to stretch in a tug of war (of what we should or shouldn’t do) is another area God wants to stretch us.

Romans 7:15, 19, 24-25a NIV
Tugs-of-war are stretches that transform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. God uses tugs-ofwar to grow our faith. If we refuse to stretch because it is too hard, then we will stop growing.
Maturity doesn’t come with age. Growing old is not the same as growing up. Our maturity happens in the stretch. If we want to have the victory, we need to allow God to stretch and bend us.

Prophet Isaiah said, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff
out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice.” – (Isaiah 42:3a)

The Lord says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)

How can we sustain in the stretch? A rubber band is known for its stretching ability. Like a rubber band, we are not effective unless we’re stretched. We need to know who is doing the stretching.

A rubber band cannot stretch by itself. It needs someone to stretch it so it can fulfil its purpose.
“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” – (Phil. 2:13 NIV)

As believers of Christ, we want the Lord to stretch us but we also need to know that not every
stretching comes from the Lord.
Satan is a deceiver and the father of all lies (John 8:44)
Daniel, Shadrach, Mishach and Abednego – Daniel 3

“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and
learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” – (Daniel 1:17 NIV)
“…. We want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image
of gold you have set up.” – (Daniel 3:18 NIV)
“Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued
his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” – (Daniel 3:28-29 NIV)
“Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.” –
(Daniel 3:30 NIV)

2. Don’t resist the stretch
When God is stretching us, we shouldn’t resist the stretch.
Rubber bands will dry out and lose their elasticity if they’re not used and stretched from time to
time. It’s never easy to be stretched, but if we don’t allow God to stretch us, we’ll never be what
He has created us to be.
Jesus healed the man’s paralysed hand (Mark 3:1-6). Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled
hand, “Stretch out your hand.”
We need to pull or stretch in the direction of God.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well.” – (Matthew 6:33 NIV)
God will never made us into who we’ve not been created to be nor will He take us where He has
not created us to go. God stretches us into what He has designed for us. We need to cooperate
with Him by making those conscious choices to walk in His ways, to seek His kingdom and
become everything He has created us to be. Once we’ve surrendered to Jesus Christ and become
serious about serving Him, we’ll find it possible to stretch in ways we never thought imaginable.
God is out to stretch our faith but if we refuse, then ultimately not only will we lose out, but so also
will all those around us. The continuous stretching on God’s part is that we can cover more ground
and be a blessing to others.
3. Stretch to reach out further
“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your
cords, strengthen your stakes.” – (Isaiah 54:2 NIV)
The word “enlarge” is an encouragement for us to think big, dream big and get a larger
perspective. A small black dot on a big white screen stands out and always becomes the focus rather than the big white screen. Enlarging our territory and sphere of influence requires us to move out of our comfort zone. Pr. Annie shared how God has stretched and carried her through in the past and also examples of Praise Kids team members stretching their faith and moving out of their comfort zones. God will see us through when we’re being stretched, especially in trying new things. Let’s stretch our faith and reach out more! Stretch and expand your tent pegs beyond your limitations. God is calling us to grow. God has a breakthrough this year for you and me that He has preordained. In this season, God is waiting for you to step out and experience what He has set for this moment in your life. Let’s reach further than where we’ve reached before. Let God enlarge our capacity and enlarge our thinking. Let’s step out in obedience and in faith! May God breakthrough the boundaries in our lives, in our church and in our community!

Questions for reflection and discussion

1. How is God growing and stretching your faith right now? In your CG share and encourage one another how you can grow and cooperate with God when he is stretching your faith. (Luke
16:10; Romans 7:15, 19, 24-25; Isaiah 42:3; 55:8-9)

2. Share how the Scriptures can sustain or keep our faith alive in the stretch? (Philippians 2:13;
John 8:44; Daniel 3)

3. This year the theme for our discipleship journey is “Let’s reach out.” Share in your CG how
we can encourage and help one another to “enlarge our territory”, to serve Him by reaching
out and fulfilling His purpose in our lives, in church and in the community. (Isaiah 42:2)

Come, Fish with me

1 | P a g e
SERMON OUTLINE: 02 /02/ 2020
TOPIC: COME, FISH WITH ME 

(REV. RENNY KH00)
TEXT: MARK 1:16-20

Mark 1:16-20 narrates how Jesus calls Peter (Simon), Andrew, James and John to follow Him.
Seven out of twelve of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen, and they know how to fish (literally).
Interestingly, when Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector to follow Him, Matthew was also able
to ‘fish’ for Jesus by inviting his tax collectors friends to a dinner and to meet Jesus. Whenever
Jesus calls us, His heart is a heart for us to fish for people.

The different versions of Mark 1:17 illustrate what Jesus wants to convey to us in this season:
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” (RSV)
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (ESV)
Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!” (NET)
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (NLT)

This verse highlight 3 important things:

I) Its command is pointed – “Come follow Me”
Jesus is not making a suggestion, nor giving good advice, nor is He giving an opinion
when He said “Follow Me“. To “Follow” means to ‘get under authority, to emulate an
example, to imitate’. It means to look highly up to someone, to esteem highly someone,
and therefore to obey and submit to that authority. In this statement, Jesus is saying
that if you follow me, then you will obey me and submit to my authority. Then I will
make you, show you, and turn you into fishers of people. This is a command. We may
have excuses not to witness ranging from ‘Not my gift’, ‘I will pray……’, ‘I will donate to
organization/ church that does evangelism….’, ‘I hope and pray one day my friend will
come to know the Lord…’ Just as a fisherman will go and find a spot where there are
fish, active witnessing is also going out to where the people are. Fishing for man is the
heartbeat of God. God pursue man, just as He pursued Adam even when Adam sinned.
God desire is none should perish. R.A. Torrey (American pastor and evangelist)
questioned the right of a person to call oneself a follower of Jesus Christ if he/she is not
a soul winner. There is not such a thing as following Christ unless we make His purpose,
our purpose. He further stated: “If you are Not Fishing, you are Not Following”.

II) Its call is personal – “Follow Me”
Jesus is making a personal call here. In today’s age of social media, we follow groups and
celebrities and we too may have many followers/friends but we probably do not know many of them personally. Jesus’ call did not say follow a church or an organization but
“Follow ME”. It is a personal call, a call to a relationship. It is through relationships in our
lives that we reach and fish for people and let them see that they too can have a
relationship with Jesus. However, the right order is Fellowship with God comes before
fishing; Worship comes before witness. God wants us to build a relationship with Him
first before we do any fishing. Then go and find the fishing grounds – be it in your social
or chat groups. 

III)	Its company is powerful – “I will make you become” Before the call of the Great Commission, (read Matt 28:18-20) is God’s claim of Who He Is.

When Jesus said “Follow me and I will……”, He is asking us to follow Him 1st, then, He
will change us, convict us, transform us and make us to be fishers of man. Jesus is doing
the fishing with us but we have to GO. Jesus will do the converting, our job is to do the
introduction. Fishing for man is tedious and laborious and requires patience – do not
give up. When we fish, we are snatching family members and friends away from the
flames of eternal judgment. This year our church is doing bi-lingual Alpha. We have to
start casting our nets far and wide. We need to care for souls. Do the invitation and
introduction and leave the result to God.

Summary:
Follow = Fish
Follow Jesus = Fish for people
Call to Salvation = Call to be a Soul-winner
Called to be saved = Call to serve
Come TO Me = Come AFTER Me

Questions for discussion:

1.	“Follow Jesus = Fish for people” Share your questions, thoughts and experiences on the above

2. Share on how you came to know and to grow in the Lord. Who are some people that have
helped you in your faith journey? How is this inspiring you to do likewise?

3. As a CG, talk about reaching out together this year.