POWER: Empowered & Gifted for The Missional Life

Speaker: Pastor Shu-Ling Lee

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Alive By the Spirit - PERSON: More than a Force

Speaker: Pastor Angela Luk

Scripture: John 14:15-21, 26-28

Who…or what do you seek for guidance in life?

Person of the Trinity: The Holy Spirit is more than a force

Personal God: The Holy Spirit interacts personally with believers

Personal Relationship: The Holy Spirit brings us into relationship with God

Big Idea: The Holy Spirit is more than some distant all-powerful “force” of divine energy from God.

The Holy Spirit is God who is a faithful guide, companion, and helper in our lives for God’s purposes.

Mission: Lessons from China

Speaker: Pastor Quang Nyguyen

Scripture: Luke 12:16-21

16 And he (Jesus) told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” —Luke 12:16-21

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1. Life is not about becoming more and more comfortable

Application:

• Where in your life are you just coasting, trying to become more and more comfortable?

• Is it in accumulating riches but not being rich towards God?

• Are you trying to keep relationships with others too comfortable?

• Is your spiritual life too comfortable?

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2. We all need to do something meaningful with our lives

Rick Warren

a. God designed us to make a difference.

b. We were created to make a contribution.

c. We were knit together to meet needs.

“[God] has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do” —Ephesians 2:10 TEV

“Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.” —Jeremiah 1:5 NCV

Application:

• What are you doing for Christ that will last?

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3. People need Jesus

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[c] by which we must be saved.” —Acts 4:12 ESV

Application:

• Who are you reaching out to?

Being With

Speaker: Pastor Jesse Sudirgo

Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:1-5, 7-11

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1. Idealism and Realism

The Year for Canceling Debts

1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.

2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.

3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you.

4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,

5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.

6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

7 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them.

8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.

9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.

10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

—Deuteronomy 15:1-11

God’s law calls for both idealism and realism:

“There need be no poor among you” (v.4) a vision of justice and abundance.

“There will always be poor in the land” (v.11) a recognition of ongoing human need.

Idealism grounded in the eschatological hope, Realism grounded in an unreasonable grace

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2. Moving from Doing for to Being with

(Based on Samuel Wells)

There are different ways to engage in God’s mission:

• Working for – Doing things on behalf of others.

• Working with – Partnering alongside others.

• Being for – Advocating for change at a larger scale.

• Being with – Sharing life, presence, and relationship.

“Being with” shifts our focus from outcomes to relationship. It is not about fixing others but about entering their experience and walking with them in mutual trust.

“Being with is not about finding solutions, but about companionship amid struggle and distress.”

—Samuel Wells

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3. Faithful Presence and Proximity

God’s call to love the poor is not fulfilled from a distance. It happens through presence, proximity, and participation.

Henri Nouwen reminds us that compassion requires entering another’s pain:

“No one can help anyone without becoming involved, without taking the risk of being hurt, wounded, or even destroyed in the process.”

—Henri Nouwen

We meet Christ when we draw near to those who suffer. Transformation happens not through power, but through presence.

Mission: A Well-Meaning Conversation

Speaker: Pastor Alex Chan

Scripture: John 4:1-42

the Gift of God is Surprising

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”

—John 4:9

the Gift of God is Satisfying

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

—John 4: 13-14

My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

—Jeremiah 2:13

the Gift of God is Spreading

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

—John 4:27-42

Jesus’ Invitation

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

—John 7:37-39

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

—Revelation 21:6

Sermon notes

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Who was Matthew?
1. Writer of the gospel bearing his name
2. Tax collector
3. Gospel is silent as to what Matthew said and did except for chapters 9-10

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This gospel is the story of Jesus through the perspective of Matthew

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Jesus saves us from not only our SIN, but also from our RELIGION

“TORAH”: from a root word used in archery, Yareh (ירה)

But over time, the rules began to rule.

1. You follow a set of laws teaching you how to follow God.
2. You patrol the boundaries to see whose in and whose out.
3. Your ability to follow rules became your

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When Jesus came, everything changed.

The new wine is here, but where are the new wineskins that are going to carry it and expand with it?

Good enough?

• How do we know what the right standard is?
• How do you know if you’re achieving that standard?
• Can you actually achieve the standard?
• Do you have time or energy the achieve the standard of goodness?

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Jesus is about to inaugurate a new way of relating to God.

What are the structures of our lives that cannot coexist with the new wine of Jesus?

Is the fabric of your life built on the grace and mercy of God?

Sermon Notes - Our Vision: Who We Are Becoming

Speaker: Rev. Ho-Ming J. Tsui

Our Vision: “To be a Church for the Whole Person, For the Whole World”

1. “To be a Church…”

What is a church? Let’s examine what Jesus has called the church to be…

“Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

—Matthew 22:37-39 (The Great Commandment)

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

—Mathew 28: 18 20 (The Great Commission)

By examining these two “great” statements, we can identify five purposes that God calls us to fulfill….

Worship: Love the Lord with all of your being

Ministry: Love your neighbour as yourself

Evangelism: Go and make disciples of all nations

Fellowship: Baptizing them - i.e. incorporating them into the family of God; we’re baptized into the body of Christ

Discipleship: Teaching them to obey what I have commanded

2. “…for the Whole Person…”

(a) We take all dimensions of a person seriously.

Deepen their understanding (mind)

Ignite their passion (heart)

Strengthen their practice (body)

Help heal wounds in any of the above areas (we can offer physical, emotional, mental support)

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

—Matthew 9:36

(b) We minister for the duration of a person’s lifetime

We are a church for the whole person, for their entire life, for their whole family, for generations to come.

We envision RHCCC to be a spiritual home for every generation.

3. “…For the Whole world”

We aim to be a healthy church that nurtures the whole person (internal focus).

We also aim to be a strong one that blesses the whole world (external focus, i.e., carrying the burdens of two).

RHCCC’s enduring calling is to be a church for the unchurched, a spiritual home for all generations, and a missional community that serves the city and reaches the world. We aim to build up the whole person for their whole life so they can become fully who God created them to be. We accomplish this by living out the five biblical purposes: Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry, and Mission based on the Great Commandment and Great Commission. This includes reaching the whole world globally, acknowledging that “the world” has also been brought to our doorstep in the Greater Toronto Area.

“Focused” - Jesus’ Temptation

Speaker: Pastor. Kelly J. Tam

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Trial (What is the hardship or struggle?)

Trust (What draws us closer to God?)

Transition (What is being refined?)

Transformation (Who Are we Becoming?)

Hardships are unavoidable, growth is our choice, and transformation is God’s work.

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Matthew 4:1-11

3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.""

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Deuteronomy 8:3

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord

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Matthew 4

6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:

"'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

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Deuteronomy 6:16

16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.

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Matthew 4

9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan!

For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."

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Deuteronomy 6:13

13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.

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The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

—Matthew4:3-4

Trial: Self-sufficiency

Trust: Dependence

Transition: Endurance & Courage

Jehovah Jireh (יְהוָ֣ה יִרְאֶ֑ה)

“The Lord will Provide”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

—Matthew4:5-7

Trial: Faith

Trust: Obedience

Transition: Patience, Resilience & Confidence

El Emunah (אֵל אֱמוּנָה)

“Faithful God”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”

—Matthew 4:8-10

Trial: Idolatry and Compromise

Trust: Surrender

Transition: Humility & Peace

אֵל שַׁדַּי (El Shaddai)

“God Almighty”

“Rested”- Moses, Israel and the Manna

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Shu-Ling Lee

Scripture: Exodus 16:1-12,17-20,27-30

How has God provided in the last 40 years at RHCCC?

BIG IDEA: If you don’t trust in God’s provision, and rest/work in the way He’s designed you for, the fruits of your labour will eventually rot.

Will we, in the church, take His sabbath command seriously?

TRIAL - What does the trial look like in this story?

Background of Exodus 16

16:1-12

16:17-20

16:27-30

TRUST - What does trust look like in this story?

Can you learn to trust that God is your provider? (Reject Greed)

Can you learn to trust that God’s rest for you is part of your good? (Reject Control)

Is Jesus your ultimate reason to trust God? (Reject self-salvation)

TRANSITION - God does provide… but can you CONTINUE to trust and rest in Him?

TRANSFORMATION - What does Transformation look like in this context? In our context today?

TRULY “RESTED” - A transformed person in Christ 

 the Lord of the Sabbath… and they know the sabbath was made for them!

REFLECTION

1. Have you taking Sabbath Rest seriously before the Lord? Why or why not?

2. Will you learn to embrace your own God-given limits and trust the Great Provider?

Part 2– “Strengthened” — Israel’s in the Wilderness

Speaker: Pastor Joey Ho

Scripture: Numbers 32:13

The Series Framework: Trial → Trust → Transition → Transformation

Book of Numbers Storyline

1. The beginning of their journey from Mount Sinai (Numbers 1-10)

2. Wilderness of Paran (Numbers 10-19)

3. Wilderness of Moab (Num. 20-36)

Trials

God used 2 ways to lead and guide the Israelites during their time in the wilderness: Pillar of Cloud & Pillar of Fire

“Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.”

—Numbers 12:1-2

Trust

Trusting in God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.

- God wanted the Israelites to trust in Him for their daily dependence for manna and water.

- God wanted the Israelites to trust in Him for physical protection from the enemies

- God wanted the Israelites to trust in Him for direction as they were aimlessly following a cloud by day and fire by night without knowing the destination.

“The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.”

—Numbers 32:13

Transition

Transition: A period or phase in which change is happening

Every step of the way in the wilderness and in the people’s rebellion, God was always providing for them.

Transformation

God strengthens His people through trial, trust, transition, and transformation—using wilderness hardships not to break us, but to build us into a covenant nation.

Where has God strengthened our church in the last 40 years?

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

—Joshua 1:9

The last 40 years of YLD stand as a testimony to God’s provision, protection, and power.