Weekly Sermon Reflection Questions

READ | SERMON NOTES (Sermon notes and recording available after 30 Jul 2024.) PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS

The verses on the Great Commission are well known. The fields are ripe for harvest. Jesus commanded his disciples to make more disciples, preach the Gospel, baptise and teach.

Mark 16:15 (NLT): “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” This verse encapsulates The Great Commission, a foundational text that has shaped Christian missionary work since the earliest days of the church.

We, as a church at Wesley, have a sacred responsibility to bear witness and reinforce collective memory of God’s almighty acts and faithfulness; warn every generation against repeating past sinful mistakes.

This Next Generation Weekend, we look at how to pass on Godly heritage from generation to generation.

On this Pledge Sunday, it is appropriate to consider how to counter our modern culture of getting and gaining with God’s Word to pledge and give. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul wrote to churches about raising funds for the poor and needy in Jerusalem.

New Testament, Paul urged us to give from our heart (2 Cor:6-8). Exodus 35 is a powerful example of giving as an act of worship in our discipleship when people give out of their hearts and commit their will to God’s cause.

What happens when biblical stewardship is observed? God can work through people who trust in him.

Salvation joy leads us to steward spiritual treasures that build God’s Kingdom.  

Walking in God’s confidence begins with faith in Jesus. Faith is not subjective philosophy or emotional experience that people seek to help overcome their pain and suffering.

In today’s world, enhancing productivity and managing time efficiently are key priorities. Resources such as articles and team management software offer guidance on organising time effectively for better productivity, but it’s crucial to pause and reflect on why productivity matters and its deeper purpose.

Jesus was criticised by the Pharisees (Luke 15:2) for dining with sinners. The Lord responded by telling three parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. These parables reveal God’s heart for seeking the lost.

According to the dictionary, Prodigal can mean recklessly extravagant, very generous or lavishly abundant. This famous parable is not only about two sons, but also sheds spotlight upon the prodigal Father who lavishes extravagant love and abundant grace upon his wayward son.

After the reign of King Solomon, the people split into the Northern and the Southern Kingdom (between Israel and Judah).  This division led to frequent conflicts.  The Kingdom struggled to maintain its identity and to protect its territory from the surrounding nations. 

Unless we think like our LORD Jesus Christ – having tender, compassionate, selfless love for others, how can we imitate His example of humility?

As we usher in the month of June, it’s an opportune moment to conduct a mid-year review of our discipleship and walk with God. Let us draw inspiration and encouragement from today’s Scripture text from Luke 5. It presents us with three discipleship lessons.

The Bible does not portray aging as an issue. On the contrary, it shows that the elderly were respected and seen as bearers of wisdom. In Exodus 18, Jethro, who was Moses’ father-in-law, counseled Moses to assign judges and distribute his tasks to avoid exhaustion. Job 12:12 tells us “Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.” (NLT)

Today, we observe Aldersgate Sunday, a day of celebration. This day is dedicated to remembering the profound spiritual encounter that John Wesley had, often described as a ‘strangely warmed’ experience with God.

Millennials and Gen Z often find their jobs meaningless and repetitive, leading to stagnation, disillusionment, and stress. Burnout is increasing across all generations. Ecclesiastes 2:23 states, “All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.”

Pentecost Sunday is celebrated each year to commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon believers. On that day, the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples in Jerusalem as rushing wind and tongues of fire, symbols of God’s presence and might.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. This familiar verse is a pledge to follow and serve God as a family. But when life gets very busy and there are many distractions, we risk crowding God out of our life and taking our eyes off Him. May we recapture the Joshua spirit, when serving the Lord.

Jemima has been a missionary to East Africa (Congo, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda) primarily working with refugees who have been caught up in war, famine and genocide for the past 12 years. Conditions in the camps are harsh, with families having little hope of even seeing their kids survive. Mission workers try to provide clean water, food, housing, education and address their trauma.

John talks about Christian love for the 3rd time. In v8 and 16, John says God is love.

Which is worse?  To start a project and not be able to finish or not to start at all?  Haggai 2 is about starting and finishing well.

How we respond to difficult relationships and situations shows whether or not our living is “all about Jesus”, and “to live is Christ”.

Paul’s situation was not ideal. He was captured and imprisoned for preaching the gospel. He faced opposition and rivalry from both the pagans and Christians. Despite his chains, Paul had a certain lightness in his spirit. He used the words ‘joy’ and ‘rejoice’ at least sixteen times in his letter (Philippians 1-4).

After Jesus’s resurrection, for the next 40 days, he taught and ministered to His disciples, in preparing them for His ascension into heaven. The road to Emmaus encounter took place just days after the resurrection.

At the end of David’s life, he showed how real and vulnerable a king and God’s servant he is. He modelled authentic discipleship.

The first two verses of Psalm 22 seem to be full of complaint and therefore unworthy to be used in a ‘Call to Worship’. However, prayer should be an honest and truthful expression to God even when we are at the lowest point in our lives. Even as we have honest exchanges with a friend, so we can bring our complaints, anger, despair, doubt and fear to the Lord.