"For those who are considering to do DISCIPLE 1 (D1) next year, it is another form of studying His amazing Word at a more Macro level where we would cover 80% of the entire bible in about 9mths! This form of bible studies are different from the Precept Inductive Bible Study classes which I use to participate in for about 2-3 years where we did bible study at a more micro level focusing on a topic or a book on for few mths."
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| 5 months since 6 Jan 2012, where we started our first introductory session on this Disciple 1 class, we started with this group of 20 leaders in YM/YA, and right now we have stood strong with at least 75% of the group still attending consistently after 17 sessions! |
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| 17 Topics we covered from the Old Testament in a Chronological way! |
The last 5 months has been an amazing spiritual learning journey going through the entire Old Testament(OT) in a very holistic way of studying His Word. The amazing communal learning, deep academic dicussions, studying various methods of biblical passages together & praying for one another throughout the past 17 topics has definitely made God's Truth being so real in our lives & it has definitely impacted me greatly. Being able to see God's fingerprints throughout the entire OT and His amazing redemptive salvation plan through out the bible has never been more alive then before! This is probably the first time I've actually covered almost every aspect of bible history from Genesis all the way even to the Inter-testament period of the bible in a much more thoughtful & reflective way. All this readings has definitely made me appreciate the Old testatments so much more now.
Looking back the past 17 sessions...
There were some topics that resonated deeply in my heart, some actually changed the way how I related to God and People, some sessions just exposed me to a new perspective of God. And then there were those topics which I had to prepare to facilitate, where I felt the need to research and read up abit more before I can actually lead a session and those are the topics that I have benefitted the most. *[Errm...that statement was to encourage others in this class to facilitate in future D1 class too ;) ]
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| Disciple 1 reflections of the old testaments after 17 Sessions of study! And noted down topics along the way that resonated in my heart that actually changed the way how I related to people and God now. |
The First topic that resonated deeply in my heart was the Topic on Sin, "The Rebel People" in Session 3. It made me realise our limitations of our Human Condition that made us to lead self-centered lives.
Flash back!
Friday, February 01, 2012
SIN, is not an act, but a condition where we are "inherently sinful".
Romans 3:10-11New International Version (NIV)10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;11 there is no one who understands;there is no one who seeks God.
The part below is extracted from Mag's blog after Ps Raymond shared this insights to us during that session.
"Spiritual idleness. When we think we have reached a spiritual high. When we think we are there; walking right with God. Then we let our guard down. At the least expected moment, we give in to our sinful nature. Fall from glory.
King David, the man after God’s own heart. He won battles a-many; all seemed well between him and God. Then he let his guard down by sleeping in one day; it let to one sin which eventually leading him to laid with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. He tried to cover up. And he fell from glory.
And it all started from just one small mis-step of spiritual idleness."
This resonated deeply in my heart, as that was a season of my life when I was going through a "Spiritual High", it was still right after YM Camp2011, I was deeply inspired on how we can live that Empowered Spirit-filled life daily, even wrote a note about it, I was keeping to my sabbath, did my D1 readings diligently, led bible studies! I was doing everything supposedly "good". I was basically enjoying where I am, at a state of being comfortable at what i'm doing. And it did scare me, that I may get too overly complacent and one day make one mis-step of being spiritually idle and fall like how David fell.
The following Session 4 on Covenant, "The Called People", on the early patriachs which eventually led to the True messiah, Jesus Christ to come was another topic which I enjoyed. This was a good re-cap of my 3months study similar to this 1 week study on The Covenant few years back when I was still doing Precept Inductive bible study. To see God's amazing covenantal plan thoughout History just makes one in awe of God's soveriegn plans!
Wrote a reflection note on Jacob's wrestle with God after that session...
And then came Topic 13 on the Psalms, "Songs of the Heart", as i'm not a very "emo" person, I always found it hard to relate to the deep laments of the Psalmists. But in this recent season of my life. God actually taught me a great lesson of how human I am. I wasn't in that "Spiritual High" state as reflected during the period of Session 3. Even after recovering from being sick for 3-4 weeks, I was actually at a low, going back to the office daily became mundane. And for awhile , I was struggling to get back that amazing Joy i felt daily earlier part of the year. When I met my youths, I had to put a "facade" sometimes, trying to keep that "Spiritual image", but deep down, I know I was not as "okay" as I thought I was. Anyways below was the Psalms I wrote during my "lament" then.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/a-psalms-in-my-lament-which-led-to-praise/10150678500422315
30 April 2012, 7.50pm to 9.15pm, I was on my bed going through a hell lot of pain, and a thought came to me to take out my iPhone notepad and write down a live personal "psalm" of the feelings and emotions I was going through at that point of time. Like in my preparations for facilitating this week Disciple 1 readings on the book of Psalms , it says "The Psalms mirror our hearts and speak our deepest thoughts". And in my amazement, after all the lamenting in the first hour, a deep sense of God's presence came as I turn to Him and His healing hands actually touched me! :)
A "psalms" by Ben in my lament which led to praise!V.1 "O God,O God! As I'm going through this discomforting pain in my head & my jaw right now, I'm wondering why you allowed it?V.2 No matter what, I know your still an ever merciful God whose love endures forever!V.3 After rejoicing that you healed my throat, nose and headache last week. Thought I was better, came back from a holiday and had another round of illness!V.4 No matter what, I know your still an ever merciful God whose love endures forever!V.5 The irritating feverish feeling at night and the constant pain in my right jaw just gets more discomforting as the hour passed!V.6 No matter what, I know your still an ever merciful God whose love endures forever!V.7 Right now my head is feeling like a big angry man gripping my brain tightly and using a hammer to pound it at the same time!V.8 No matter what, I know your still an ever merciful God whose love endures forever!V.9 My right jaw is strangely discomfortingly strain as though I've been punched followed by a wisdom tooth surgery without anesthesia!V.10 No matter what, I know your still an ever merciful God whose love endures forever!V.11 I took down pills of medicines, hoping the painkillers will work & drank down litres of water! But somehow the pain & discomfort failed to subside. And all it resulted is me going to the toilet every 15 mins.V.12 No matter what, I know your still an ever merciful God whose love endures forever!V.13 As I pondered about this as I lament the pain and discomfort many of the psalmist faced! I figured that you allowed me to go through this same lament so I can empathise with them.V.14 Right now I can testify first hand that no matter what the circumstance and discomfort I'm going through. You our Sovereign Lord creator of heaven and earth still deserved all absolute praised!V.15 No matter what, I choose on my will to still Praise You & Thank You for this discomfort I'm going through!V.16 The amount of pain & discomfort I'm going through right now may compel me to exaggerate that I'm experiencing a level 10 pain but I know it's NOTHING compared to the unbearable pain you had to go through holding the sins of the world on that cross at Calvary.V.17 As I turned to you, the author and perfecter of our Faith. Your presence came so tangibly!V.18 An hour has passed and I decided to just pray in Faith touching my head and my jaw. That you will heal the pain in my head & my right jaw right now in the name of Jesus!V.19 And in amazement, slowly but surely. The pounding in my head is almost totally gone! My right jaw is slightly less discomforting now! And I know God healing hands has actually touched me!V.20 This small miracle has just brought me to praise you and thank you all over again for your faithfulness!V.21 And because of that it just adds on to your already surpassing greatness, love, mercy and graciousness for us all and it supersedes any other conceivable being to be even close to that.V.22 No matter what, in discomfort, sickness or happiness, just being in your presence gives me this everlasting Joy and this deep sense of peace and contentment in my heart! And I know that I know that I know that your still an ever merciful God whose love endures forever!"God be Praised!"
After the psalms we did thorough readings of the proverbs and then it came to my favourite topic of the story of Job. In Session 15, "When Trouble Comes". Reading Job, this time in the Good News Translation (GNT) became so fresh and drama again. This time I could actually digest and reflect a bit more on this entire story as a class. This topic, has actually changed the way how I relate to people in suffereing now.
Although his 3 friends gave many so called "wise" advices trying to point Job back to God,it irritated Job quite abit by their approach eventhough I believed they meant well. I find myself so much like them sometimes. In my optimistic nature, I would find solutions in my mind to somehow bring my conversations with such people and just say "Trust God; God will help you". But now I know, this may not be the case all the time. This topic have thought me how to emphatise with such people better. Sometimes there's no real answer. And sometimes is just being there for the person, and pray and hope that such people turn to Christ in their suffering. Even God didn't give Job an answer to his arguments. All He did was show His majestic sovereignty over all of creation and Job was in deep repentance of his behavior towards Him.
In Summary! We were went through various periods of from amazing Exodus where God showed His great deliverance, followed by the forming of the The Law, the Judges Period (where God kept faithful to His people even though they kept falling. Even though there were hope at some points when those judges came, they were only temporal "military victories". Then came the, Monarchy Period (The various King's Saul, David, Solomon & others that tried to hold the fort of the nation of Israel but still fell), The Division into Nothern & Southern Kingdoms. The various Prophets which came to warned them about the inevitable fall of Samaria & Jerusalem to the Assyrians and the Bablylonians. Their temple destroyed, the Israelites was in Exile, and came the Period of the Persian, Greek, Seleucids and then the Roman period... where the birth of Jesus Christ was next....
What an amazing chapter of the Old testaments!
"To see God's amazing redemptive plan throughout the Bible. Where He constantly reconciled His People back to Him eventhough we kept falling. Seeing His fingerprints throughout the OT has certainly paved the way for the true Messiah, Jesus Christ to come"...... And that's when the New Testaments (NT) starts soon! 17 more session of NT!!!! So excited! :)
