ALTERING COURSE “Here is the test to find whether your mission

on earth is finished.

If you’re alive, it isn’t.”

-Richard Bach

Quick Facts

Full country name: Republic of Singapore

Area: 699.1 sq km 1/5 size of Rhode Is. 3.5 x D.C.

Population: 4,987,600 (36% foreigners)

People: 74% Chinese, 13% Malay, 9% Indian, 3% Others

Language: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil

Religion: 9% Taoist, 42% Buddhist, 15% Muslim, 15% Christian, 4%

Hindu, 15%

Government: Parliamentary democracy

Major industries: Shipping, banking, tourism, electrical &

electronics, chemicals, oil refining

Major trading partners: US, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan

Health risks: None

Time: GMT/UTC+8

Electricity: 220-240V, 50 Hz

County code: +65

Mobile Phone network: GSM 900, GSM 1800, 3G

SERVING WITH THE

BOARD OF NTMS

REPRESENTING NTMS AT

CONFERENCES etc.

SUPPORTING EXISTING

MISSION ORGANIZATIONS

ASSISTING CHURCH

PLANTERS IN SE ASIA

EXPLORING ACCESS TO

CLOSED COUNTRIES

CHALLENGE TO OUR FAITH

HOUSING: (Data from Singapore Cost of Living 2012)

EXAMPLES RENT PER MONTH:

PRIVATE HOUSE - $14,000 -

$27,500

CONDO – $5,500 - $12,000

PRIVATE APT – $4,000 - $5,500

HDB (GOV.) - $2,125 - $2,500

SHARED APT (1 BDR) - $630 – $1,400

Info. found at www.guidemesingapore.com

PRAYER

REQUESTS

HOUSING NEEDS

QUICK ADJUSTMENT TO OUR NEW ROLES

BUILDING NETWORK with others

BUILDING TRUST AND CONFIDENCE with the NTMS BOARD

Hebrews 11:8–11, John 15:13-16

Being friends with God

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he

would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went,

even though he did not know where he was going. 9By

faith he made his home in the promised land like a

stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did

Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same

promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with

foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and

Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a

father because he considered him faithful who had made

the promise.

Hebrews 11:8–11, John 15:13-16

Being friends with God

13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay

down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if

you do what I command. 15I no longer call you

servants, because a servant does not know his

master's business. Instead, I have called you friends,

for everything that I learned from my Father I have

made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I

chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—

fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you

whatever you ask in my name.

Hebrews 11:8–10, John 15:13-16

Being friends with God

Abraham’ actions

Obeyed (8)

Was enabled (11)

Trusted to the point of sacrifice (17)

His thought process (faith) was

He looked forward (10)

He considered God’s faithfulness (11)

He reasoned that God could (19)

What was his obedience based upon?

Faith!

Was this faith some kind of a bold leap in

the dark?

What was it that generated Abraham’s faith?

The New Testament in Rom.10:17 puts it this

way. Faith comes by hearing ……….

How did Abraham hear God’s message?

Gen 12:1, 7, 8, 13:3, 14, 15:1, 17:1 18:1 19:1 20:17 22:1

James 2:23 “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to

him for righteousness,

AND HE WAS CALLED GOD’S FRIEND.”

Isaiah 40:22 2 Chron. 20:7

What does God’s communication with Abraham

and Abraham’s communication with God

suggest?

A RELATIONSHIP!!

Faith is grounded in a relationship

What does James 2:23 teach us?

God saves us through HIS PROVISION

FAITH is the PERSONAL APPLICATION of

God’s Provision to the heart

OBEDIENCE is the loving response of Faith

BOTH DEPEND UPON A TRUE RELATIONSHIP

John 15

• 1- 9 Branches - Fruitfulness

• 9-17 Friends - Fellowship

• 18-27 Servants - Faithfulness

• 1- 9 Branches - Our Purpose

• 9-17 Friends - Our Privilege

• 18-27 Servants - Our Perseverance

John 15:13-15

“13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay

down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends

if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you

servants, because a servant does not know his

master's business. Instead, I have called you

friends, for everything that I learned from my

Father I have made known to you.”

Faith and Obedience are based upon

RELATIONSHIP

Jesus calls us to be His friends.

A slave could never be a friend.

A slave was defined by Greek law as a “living tool.”

The master never shared his mind with the slave.

The slave simply had to obey without reason or

explanation.

Jesus said: you are NOT my slaves, you are my

friends (vs. 14-15).

Imagine the court of a KING. Angels are called

servants, but He calls us His friends. What a

privilege.

A slave had to obey out of duty. But to us, his

church Jesus said: you are my friends. As friends

He didn’t keep them in the dark, He informed

them of the present and things to come

(John 13-14).

In Gen.18:17 God took Abraham into

confidence regarding His plans. There was

dialogue between them regarding the plans.

A servant knows what, but a friend knows why.

Ps.25:14, Ps. 103:7, Mt. 13:11, Job. 15:8, Exod

33:11.

Luke 11:5-8. A friend coming at midnight. Is

teaching about fellowship through prayer –

talking with him.

It speaks of access and availability, at any

time. Such is true friendship. The Lord as our

friend is accessible and available 24 hours per

day……………..but are we to him?

To know, serve, obey, follow, and to work for Christ

is a great privilege.

But an even greater privilege is this:

To be his friends. He saves us by grace and makes

us His friends.

Paul in Ephesians writes this:

17And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in

your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down

deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. 18And may you

have the power to understand, as all God's people should,

how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really

is.19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so

great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be

filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from

God.” (NLT Eph. 3:17-19)

Deepening your friendship with Him is

more important than anything else.

How do you rate your friendship with

Jesus?

A stranger is never a friend. A friend is

never a stranger.

He knows us, but do we know Him?

poor g

r

e

a

t

So how does trust develop and what does a

good friendship look like?

Have we fulfilled our side of the equation?

His side is settled, but what about ours?

His friendship is not conditional (v.15), ours is

toward Him (v.14).

FIVE WAYS TO BUILD TRUST (BUSINESS WORLD)

1. Engage in Meaningful, Individualized Interaction

1. Be Honest, Clear and Timely in Your Communication

1. Expect integrity and keeping of commitments.

1. Confront hard issues in a timely fashion.

1. Protect, aid and support

1) They were always eager to see me and spend time

with me.

2) They supported me when I was right and lovingly

told me when they thought I might be wrong.

3) They accepted me without judgment or criticism

and loved me for who I was as a person.

4) They cared when something was bothering me.

5) They had my best interests in mind at all times.

FIVE SIGNS OF A STRONG FRIENDSHIP (From people when asked)

DEVELOPING INTIMACY WITH GOD

1. Take time to be together with Jesus

James 4:8 Starting your day continue all day long

2. Be honest. Give Him the keys to unlock every

door of the heart Psalm 139:23-24 Jer.17:10

3. Open, read and meditate on the

Word of God. John 5:39, Lk.24:25-29, 31

4. Listen for His Word to us. Matt.11:15

5. Live in obedience to whatever He says

John 15:14

Jer 6:10 (NIV) "To whom can I speak and give

warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are

closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord

is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it."

Zech 7:11-13 (NIV) "But they refused to pay

attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and

stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as

hard as flint and would not listen... So the Lord

Almighty was very angry. "When I called, they did

not listen; so when they called, I would not

listen,' says the Lord Almighty."

Mat 13:12-17 (NIV)

The importance of His Word and our

obedience to it is repeated again and

again, vs. 14, 10, 12.

There’s no real friendship or fruit without

obedience and how can we do if we don’t

listen?

He spoke often stressing the issue of

obedience (Jn. 13:34, 14:15; 15:10, Mt.

28:20)

When we obey we are like Him (v.10)

Rom. 16:3-4. I Cor. 9:21

Obedience is not legalism (Rom. 15:3,

I Jn. 2:6). Jn. 8:31.)

John 10:2-5 (NIV) "The man who enters by the gate is

the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the

gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He

calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on

ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because

they know his voice. But they will never follow a

stranger; in fact, they will run away from him

because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."

What are the possibilities as a result of

this friendship?

Result 1. Lasting Fruit

(v.16)

We have been called out from among the people of

this world for a purpose.

We are His Ambassadors. His Friends and His

Servants.

Isa. 6:8, I Cor. 1:17.

It is eternal because it springs from an

intimate friendship with Him. John 15:5 - if it

is not everlasting, it is “nothing”.

What’s our mission and mandate? It is to

bear fruit. In John 15 we see a progression

of fruit, more fruit and much fruit.

This happens as a result of an ever

deepening relationship.

Some say: “love can’t be commanded”.

That’s not what the NT says. Love is not

the victim of our emotions, but a servant

of our will.

Result 2. Loving Obedience (v.14)

In . v.9 - “I have loved you” - now we should

love v.10. I Jn. 4:19. Jude 21, 2 Cor. 5:14.

His love is undeserved, costly, tender, and

extensive. Need to keep in mind as we talk

about His friendship - John 13:13.

Result 3. Genuine love for others

(vs.12,17)

The “vertical friendship” will be evident

horizontally.

Sign on a Drive In church in CA. “Come

worship in the privacy of your own car.”

That is not NT Christianity. The Lord is both

the motive and the model for our love.

Result 4. Answered prayers (v.16)

The privilege of being members of the family

of God is that we have access to the Father.

In the context of “greater works” than He,

Jesus talks about prayer. 14:13. He says

prayer is to be “in His name”, James says “in

faith.” Jesus demonstrates the right attitude

when he says, “Thy will be done”.

(I Jn. 5:14-15)

Conclusion

Are you a personal friend of Jesus

What can you do to deepen your relationship

this week.

www.walkingwithgod.com

Need help with having your quiet

time with God???