WORD OF GOD

John 3:27

"No one can take on anything except 
what has been given him from above."

---- Mine, any gift,you are given. This is the will of the Father and you will be called to give an account of how you have used all that has been given to you. If at the end of time, you wish to hear the words, Well done, you good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!’ 

GOD'S WORD FOR TODAY - MARK 7:15-16

MARK 7:15-16

Nothing that enters one from out­side 

can make that person unclean. 

It is what comes out from within 

that makes un­clean. 

Let everyone who has ears listen.”

WHAT IS THE SPIRIT SAYING TO GCCRS

8th November 2011

WHAT IS THE SPIRIT SAYING TO GCCRS

Fr. Joy Menacherry

If our prayer groups are to be fruitful then let us be attentive to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.

The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Bible and the Magisterium of the Church and the silence of the mind which is the conscience.  Remember to  keep in mind that the Holy Spirit does not intrude and He speaks in whispers.

Revelation 2:2-5

• 2 I know your works, your difficulties and your patient suffering. I know you cannot tolerate evildoers but have tested those who call themselves apos­­tles and have proved them to be liars. 3 You have persevered and have suffered for my name without losing heart.   4 Nevertheless, I have this complaint against you: you have lost your first love. 5 Remember from where you have fallen and repent, and do what you used to do be­fore. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp­­stand from its place; this I will do, unless you repent. 

Revelation 3:6, 16

 6 Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches.”

16 You are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold so I will spit you out of my mouth.

John 20:27

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands; stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Resist no longer and be a believer.”

 Transformation

Revelation 3:14-15 Jesus is the AMEN  He is the faithful and true witness.

 14 Write this to the angel of the Church in Laodicea, “Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation:

15 I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!

We need to be a true advertisement for Jesus.

We have to grow, we must have a target, we have to set goals.

Ezekiel 33:30-33  We must have listening ears.

 30 Son of man, your people talk about you along the walls and at the doors of the houses, each one with his neighbor: ‘Come and hear the latest word of Yahweh.’

31 They go to you as they go to an as­sembly and sit in front of you. They listen to your words but do not do what you say. Instead they con­tinue to lie and look only for their own interest. 32 For them you are no more than a singer of lovesongs – a beautiful voice accompanied by beautiful music. They listen but do not practice what they hear.

33 But when what is foretold comes true – and it is about to happen – they will know that there was a prophet among them.”

COMMITMENT

We are partners with Christ to spread the Good News

Christ needs us to carry on the mission which He has entrusted to us.

We must be strengthened in our commitment

Humility is an essential characteristic of the renewal

God is the reason I must be humble because He humbled Himself.

Learn to love and respect the mother Church.

KEY NOTE ADDRESS - BISHOP COLIN CAMPBELL and CALL TO LEADERSHIP IS CALL TO HOLINESS

6TH NOVEMBER 2011


Bishop Colin Campbell

KEYNOTE ADDRESS   Luke 5:4


Effectiveness:  Today religion is considered a private matter.

Jesus' Strategy / Tactics  :

PATIENCE

Jesus uses Peter's boat as a pulpit.  He went to where the people were and uses where the people were as His starting point.  Jesus moves from the familiar to the unfamiliar.

It was the divine initiative to send His only Son to become as one of us.
Philippians 2

STEADFAST

Jesus is gentle  but firm in His desire to accomplish the Father's plan.  We cannot wait for the perfect time.  We are called to persevere in the face of difficulty and suffering.  Jesus is steadfast, resolute, single minded in the midst of changing ideas and attitudes and reveals the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus needs us.  He chose us to collaborate and share in His salvific work.
The gaze of love – Jesus sees the person as he is and sees the possibilities of what we can become.  What we become depends on how each responds and cooperates with the help of His Holy Spirit.  God's plans for us is not to be good but to be great.


INVITATION


Uncompromising call.  Jesus is the master of the imperative.  He does not give advice or offer suggestions or make recommendations. 

QUALITIES

Jesus looks for faith, trust, belief.  Lack of attention, individualism takes the focus away from God and we forget His Presence.
John 14:8
Drives out fear and anxiety.
Liberates us from self and self deception.
God is always with .us through the power of His Holy Spirit


OBEDIENCE

Defeats fear and worry.   God  judges us by our efforts not by our successes.  Failure should never stop us it is an invitation to keep trying.  Christ loves us regardless of whether we succeed or fail.  All that we do has eternal significance.


LOVE

Faith, trust, hope, obedience are all necessary but the greatest of these is love.  Love must determine all our actions.  Sacrificial, self- emptying, agape love.

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8TH NOVEMBER 2011

CALL TO LEADERSHIP IS CALL TO HOLINESS

1 Peter 1:2

Holiness of life is an inescapable fact for all God's people.

After Jesus chooses the 12 Apostles we hear Him preach the Beatitudes.  These are the qualities a disciple must have.  This is the disposition and attitude of a disciple. To become more like Jesus is to  become more holy. The leader needs to be a living example of Jesus.  A lived reality of holiness.  The disciples modeled Jesus to the people of their day.  We are called to mold ourselves to the mystery of the Cross.  We must model, reflect and imitate Jesus to others. We have to have an intimacy and familiarity like Abraham, Moses and the saints had with God.  A leader is one who listens to God.  The final Word of the Father is Jesus and we are called to listen to this Word of God.  A disciple is one who hears, listens and practices.

Jesus is the Master of the imperative.

Colossians 1:14

Hebrews 1:3

Every Christian is a pattern, a model, and imitation of Christ.  All leaders are to mirror Christ.  2Corinthians 3:18.

When people sees in us a reflection of Christ, we will know we are growing in holiness.  A leader must have time for prayer and more importantly to listen when praying.  A leader is a man or woman of the Cross.  A leader has to enter into the Paschal Mystery in imitation of the Master.  There are no detours around Calvary, it is a part of the Paschal Mystery.

Jesus has said, "Pick up your cross daily and follow Me."  The Cross is the greatest point of rejection, defeat, failure culminating in death and yet paradoxically we have the glory and the triumph of the Resurrection through the reality of the Cross.  Death is the springboard to life.  Failure can build leaders.  If we are to have a share in His victory we have to share in His defeat.  Real faith praises God when we are surrounded by defeat, darkness, failure and sorrow. 

Leadership is a call to wisdom and discernment.  

The 4 characteristics required for one who is called to serve as a priest are:

Spirituality

Academic Ability

Psychological and Human Stability

Common sense

In the Jewish understanding of wisdom it is a double dose of common sense.

Grace must build on nature.

A CALL TO HUMILITY

Archbishop Timothy Dolan said that the pivotal virtue of the interior life is humility. The road to perfection is humility.  St. Bernard of Clairvaux said that it is the mother of salvation.  A leader must think, speak and act like Jesus.  Each encounter with Jesus was an occasion to experience His love, to grow and to be healed.  Jesus' mind was fixed on the glory of the Father and the Good News of the Kingdom.   Jesus is the Servant King and all leaders are called to imitate Him in servant leadership. Secular leaders exercise power and authority over people.  The followers of Christ who are called to be leaders exercise power and authority for people.  Leaders must be an icon of Jesus just as Jesus is the icon of the Father.  We must all be pieces of the master who makes of us a masterpiece.

CALL TO BE INTERCESSORS & SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN INTECESSORY PRAYER

CALL TO BE INTERCESSORS

Brother Cyril John ICCRS-ICAO

Praying for others

1 Timothy 2: 1ff

CCC 2634

Philippians 1:4

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

78 Redemptoris Missio

1 Timothy 2:8

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7^th November 2011

SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN INTERCESSORY PRAYER

Brother Cyril John

Ephesians 6:12

KNOW THE ENEMY – HE EXISTS

Revelations 12:7 ff Battle with the devil

Revelations 12:17

2 Peter 2:4

Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-17

Paul V1 Defense from evil is the greatest need of the Church.

Intentions of the evil one 

1 Peter 5:8

Personal and universal attacks

1)      The enemy who has already been vanquished. Colossians 2:15 Jesus disarmed the devil and has won the victory over the enemy.

2)      The task of exercising authority that He has won for us. Luke 10:19

Warriors

In the spiritual battle the battlefield is the mind

2 Corinthians 4:4

Darkened and closed minds. People justify what is evil and sinful.

We need Protection

Defend ourselves we need to put on the armor of God Ephesians 6:10 ff

Verse 13

GIRDLE OF TRUTH

We must remain truthful, honest it is our source of protection.  Our speech and our actions must be honest.

CLOTHED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AS A BREASTPLATE

The breastplate  protects the heart.

FEET SHOD IN PEACE

Preparedness to share the Good News of peace

FAITH AS A SHIELD

How large must the shield be – as large as a door.

HELMET OF SALVATION 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Hope is the helmet of Salvation.  If we lose hope we become discouraged and  could lose the battle.

DEFENSIVE ARMOR IN BATTLE is necessary but to be completely successful in this war against evil we need both defensive and offensive armor.

THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT – The Word of God.

 

THE WORD PREACHED, SPOKEN, PROCLAIMED.

Know the Word well so it becomes a powerful tool. 

PRAYER

Praise and praise in tongues

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8^TH NOVEMBER 2011

THE CHALLENGE OF THE CCR TODAY

Brother Cyril John

1)    We need to return to the basics to the mission and goal of the renewal.
       What are the essentials the basics:  Revelation 2:4 and
        Revelation  3:15-16
        The renewal has lost its first love and fervor we have to reignite the first
        love that we received in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  We have to fan
        into flame our love of the Lord.
2)    We must have a renewed commitment to personal prayer, the Word of
       God, and the sacramental life.
3)    Fellowship in the Renewal is important. The strength of the renewal is the
       Life in the Spirit Seminar, prayer groups .  Growth takes place in the
       prayer group.
4)    Use the charisms which are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Every charism is
       given for the common good for lifting up the Church.

CHALLENGE II

Go deep.

The  2 main goals of the renewal are 

1) mature and continuous personal conversion to Jesus Christ and

2) Ongoing growth in holiness.

Go deep into our own spirituality and leave the shores of our comfort zone.