Community Church HK Podcast

Freedom: Free to Care

This Sunday, we will be learning how, as followers of Christ, we are bestowed with a unique freedom to care, especially as we are called to love one another, bear each other's burdens, and do good to all. As we prepare our hearts for the service, let us reflect on the words of Galatians 5:25, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit.”
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================This Week's Scripture:// Galatians 6:1-10 (NET) //Support One Another
Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else. For each one will carry his own load.
Now the one who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with the one who teaches it. Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.

Freedom: True Freedom

This Sunday, we look forward to hearing from our guest speaker Pastor Esther Tung, who will be exploring what it means to have "True Freedom." Can one truly be free in any circumstance—even whilst imprisoned? Pastor Esther serves with Hong Kong Christian Kun Sun Association, a ministry that serves prisoners, rehabilitated persons and their families throughout Hong Kong. Let us prepare our hearts for the message by meditating on John 8:36, which proclaims "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." 
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================This Week's Scripture:// Luke 4:18 (NIV) //“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,    because he has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners    and recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free..."

Freedom: Free in the Spirit

What does it look like to love and serve one another in the midst of disagreements? Pastor Brenda will be tackling this topic today, giving us a message on the practical aspects of loving and relating to one another especially during disagreements and conflicts. Let us prepare our hearts by meditating on Romans 12:10, which tells us to "Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another," and pray for deeper a understanding as we study God's Word together. 
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================This Week's Scripture:// Galatians 5:13-26 (NET) //Practice LoveFor you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.

Freedom: Free to Love

This Sunday, we will be hearing from guest speaker John Teng as we learn to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ, by being reminded of the freedom we have to love and be loved. Love is not just a feeling—it is an action done with intention, sacrifice, and vulnerability. We are asked this week to reflect on Galatians 5:13, which says, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
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================This Week's Scripture:// Galatians 5:1-12 (ESV) //Christ Has Set Us FreeFor freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

Freedom: Free to Trust

When we trust in Jesus Christ, we are no longer bound by the law and we are, instead, free to live our lives based upon following God's love. This freedom gives us the confidence to trust God with our lives, and know that He will never let us down. Galatians 3:11 says, "Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because 'the righteous will live by faith.'" Join us for a message on the freedom to be able to trust God this Sunday!
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================This Week's Scripture:// Galatians 4:12-31 (NIV) //I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written:
“Be glad, barren woman,    you who never bore a child;shout for joy and cry aloud,    you who were never in labor;because more are the children of the desolate woman    than of her who has a husband.”
Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Freedom: Faith that Risks (with Guest Speaker Tom Allen)

In Mark 5:27-28, which says, "She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well,’" we see a faith that risks as we follow the story about a woman who had great faith and was willing to risk shame and condemnation in order to complete her faith. Let us gather this Sunday and learn from guest speaker Tom Allen about what a faith that risks looks like.
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================This Week's Scripture:// Mark 5:25-34 (NRSVA) //Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Immediately her haemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, 'Who touched me?'" He looked all round to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

Freedom: Free to Receive

We will be continuing our journey through Galatians this week as we look at how, in Christ, there is no distinction or discrimination based on race, social status, or gender. We are all equal and united in Christ, and as heirs of God's promise, we have the freedom to receive His blessings and grace.⁠ As we prepare our hearts for this message, let us be reminded and encouraged by Paul as he writes in Galatians 4:7: "So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir through God."⁠
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================This Week's Scripture:// Galatians 3:28–4:11 (NRSVUE) //There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than those who are enslaved, though they are the owners of all the property, but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir through God.
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental principles? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted.

Freedom: Free to Fail

This week, we dive into Galatians 3 where Paul writes that the law served as our guardian until Christ came, but now that Christ has come, we no longer require to be under the guardianship of the law. This means that we no longer have to live under the weight of perfectionism or legalism, or the constant striving towards impossible standards; and instead, we can trust in God's grace and know that we are justified by faith in Christ. As we prepare to understand the contours of the service and message, let us continue to reflect on Galatians 3:26, where the Bible reminds us, "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith..."
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================This Week's Scripture:// Galatians 3:15-27 (NIV) //Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.Children of God
Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Freedom: Free to Believe

This Sunday, we will be looking into the freedom to believe—a precious gift that we should continue to cherish and defend. As we move deeper into Galatians, Paul reminds us that our faith in Christ is what saves us, not our works or adherence to the law; and certainly, we are justified by faith alone. As we look forward to continuing learning in this series, let us reflect on Galatians 3:2, which poses the question: "I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?"
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================This Week's Scripture:// Galatians 3:1-14 (NIV) //You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Freedom: Free to Embrace

This week, we look into how we have the freedom to embrace. In Him, we are free to embrace our identity as children of God, to embrace our uniqueness as individuals, and to embrace everyone who are different from us. As we look forward to this weekend, let us meditate on the epiphany seen in Acts 10:45: "The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles."
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================This Week's Scripture:// Galatians 2:11-21 (NIV) //When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”