MAY 2024

The May 2024 SERIES

at HLM PHILIPPINES ASIA

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May 05, 2024  

Living Gracefully and Kindly

(Kick off)

Colossians 4:6 NIV
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

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May 12, 2024  

Love Unconditionally 

(Mother’s day) 

1 Peter 4:8 NIV
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

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May 19, 2024 

Learn Humbly 

Philippians 2:3-8 NIV
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 

4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 

7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross!

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May 26, 2024 

Live Wisely

Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 

16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

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The PRAYER POINTS

1

PRAY THAT THIS SERIES WILL ENABLE OUR HEARTS AND MINDS TO EXPRESS GRACE AND KINDNESS TO PEOPLE WE ENGAGE DAILY

2

PRAY THAT EVERY WORD WE SAY WILL BRING HEALING, BLESSING, RESTORATION, AND ANSWER TO PEOPLE'S NEED

3

PRAY THAT WE MAY REPRESENT JESUS IN EVERY CONVERSATION WE DO, INCLUDING SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION

4

PRAY THAT UNCONDITIONAL LOVE WILL BE FELT BY THE PEOPLE, THROUGH PREACHING, TEACHING AND LIVING

5

PRAY FOR THE UPCOMING MYX, THAT THESE MISSIONERS AND MISSIONARIES WILL BRING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM

6

PRAY FOR OUR JULIUS HALL FACILITY, THAT IT WILL SERVE AS A LAUNCHING PAD OF MORE GOSPEL BEARERS AND WILL BE OUR HOME FOR THE NATIONS

7

PRAY THAT HLM WILL CONTINUE TO LAUNCH CHURCHES, LIFE GROUPS AND NEED MEETING MINISTRY PROJECTS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD AROUND THE WORLD

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Living Gracefully 

and Kindly

His Life Ministries 

May 2024 Series

 

Main Verse

Colossians 4:6 NIV

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so they may know how to answer everyone.

 

Series Overview

Our words are more powerful than we often realize and more challenging to control than we want to admit. Paul commands us to always be gracious in our speech, seasoned with salt, so we may know how to answer each person. This is an entirely different perspective from our speech.

 

Do you see the connection Paul makes between how we speak and the opportunities it gives us to answer? We are to be gracious in our speech so that we may know how to answer. There is a clear connection between what we say, how the other person responds, and how we answer. The context of Colossians 4 is about declaring the mystery of Christ to those who don't know him.

 

Paul is saying that we must strive to be gracious in our speech and to speak with wisdom (seasoned with salt) so that we can both guide conversations toward the gospel and be in the habit of responding in winsome and kind ways.

 

Having a gracious and seasoned speech with salt does not come naturally to us. Therefore, by God's grace, we must put our work, energy, and effort into striving to tame the tongue and train it to speak gracefully.

 

Weekly Topics

Kick Off 

(May 05)

Gracious Living

Week 1 

(May 12)

 Love Unconditionally/Mother's Day Special

Week 2 

(May 19)

Live Wisely

Week 3 

(May 26)

Learn Humbly

 

 

 

 

 

Kick Off (May 05)

Gracious Living

 

Colossians 4:6

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so they may know how to answer everyone.

 

Paul is reminding Christians that they are recipients of grace. They now belong to God through the Lord Jesus. They have hope and a future with God forever; however, those who don't know Christ do not. They remain under the judgment of God. 

 

Every soul is accountable to God. Every soul is accountable to God according to God's standards. In Christ, God makes a way for men to be accepted through promise. He declares that all who come to Christ shall be accepted based on what Christ has done and not their works. This is why the gospel is literally "good news." There is no other way to be accepted by God.

 

So, when Paul tells Christians to conduct themselves with wisdom toward outsiders, he means to consider their great need to know Christ as their need. Paul says in Colossians 4:5 to make the most of every opportunity. The Scriptures commonly teach the shortness of life, to be wise, and to number your days. We are to understand time is in short supply.

In verse 6, he says, "Let your speech be gracious, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer each person." The apostle connected gracious conduct with people asking about the faith of a Christian. Thus, he tells Christians to be prepared to answer people and to speak with grace, meaning humbly and respectfully, as one who knows the Lord's grace.

Paul directs Christians to have their speech seasoned with salt. This carries with it the meaning of speaking the truth. Being gracious does not mean compromising or diluting the truth. Sinful people, estranged from God, must clearly know what the gospel says.

When Paul was on trial for his faith in Acts 24, we see how gracious and respectful he was to the leaders and the crowd. All Christians should promote the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether by prayer, generous support of the church and missions, or personal character and witnessing. The aim is to bring sinners to the only way of salvation, that they may have eternal life in Christ.

 

Week 1 (May 12) (Mother's Day)

Love Unconditionally

 

Isaiah 49:15 NIV 

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

 

 

A mother's love is often considered the strongest and finest in existence.

 

God's love transcends even the best this world can offer. Isaiah portrays Israel as a nursing child in her mother's arms—arms representing God's embrace.

 

God compares this affection towards us to that of a nursing mother. That incredibly tight and indescribable bond between a mother and her newborn child is how God chose to illustrate this love. 

 

He then goes further to say that even though a mother can abandon us, He will never do such a thing.

 

Have a special number, token or tributes to all the mothers.

 

Week 2 (May 19)

Live Wisely

 

Colossians 4:6

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so they may know how to answer everyone.

 

Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

 

Wisdom (6x in Colossians: Col 1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5) is mental excellence in its highest and fullest sense. It includes judging correctly and following the best course of action based on knowledge and understanding. In simple terms, Biblical wisdom can be defined as a skill for living. 

 

Biblical wisdom does not allow for separation between learning and living. Paul's wisdom is not simply a head knowledge of profound spiritual truths. True spiritual wisdom must affect our daily life. Biblical wisdom is practical, not theoretical.

 

What we say about Christ and the Christian life should be made as tasty as possible. When food is not salted, it is unappetizing. People don't want to eat it. Our words and communication with them are not supposed to be like that.

 

Jesus called believers to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). Salt is an essential mineral. It preserves food, brings out flavor, soothes and heals, and is necessary for life. Seasoned means to make ready, to prepare, to set in order, to prepare with seasoning, and to season food with salt to make it savory. And so, in Colossians 4:6, believers are encouraged to season their conversation with salt (Word-centered, Spirit-enabled appropriate, proper responses) so they will know how to respond to others. Believers filled with the Spirit will manifest pleasant, wise conversation and speech seasoned with salt.

 

It's hard to salt your speech with the deliciousness of Jesus when you haven't been enjoying the taste yourself. Every day, we should go to the Bible and look for reasons why knowing Christ is the greatest thing in the world. 

 

The content and tone of our words should impact those around us for the better, especially unbelievers.

 

We need wisdom on how to serve and wisdom on how to deal with other people.

 

Week 3 (May 26)

Learn Humbly

 

Colossians 4:6

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so they may know how to answer everyone.

 

The world is flooded with voices and opinions, and many of them profess to speak for Christianity. At the same time, many of them are rude, foul, abusive, and hateful, which is everything Jesus was not. The social media post is filled with half-truths and angry diatribes spewed by arrogant people claiming to represent "truth." 

 

We must learn humbly from the times we were so opinionated and loved to voice our thoughts. We have to learn to value God's Word over our own words. It's a necessary but painful dying-to-self process.

 

We must know how to say the right thing at the right time. Psalm 141:3 gives us a good "grid" by which we should filter how we respond to others. In our responses to others, we should imitate Paul, who said "To the weak I became weak, that might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:22)

 

No Christian should have a dull, tiresome, know-it-all monologue of his faith. Instead, Christians with the most exciting news in the world should be able to share that message with excitement, invoking interest, understanding the basics, willingness to listen and discuss, and a desire to answer everyone's questions graciously. 

 

No matter how much sense the message makes, we lose our effectiveness if we are not courteous. Just as we like to be respected, we must respect others if we want them to listen to what we have to say.

 

We must remember that becoming a Christian does not result in instant maturity. When a baby is born, it spends a lot of time dirtying diapers, crying, throwing fits, and making messes. As that baby grows, he develops manners and social skills and matures into a civilized human being. 

 

The same is true of those who have been born again. They receive a new heart and the Holy Spirit at salvation, but His work in them takes time. Newborn Christians, like babies, may spend a lot of time causing trouble, making mistakes, and sometimes acting "mean." But God's desire for all His children is that we conform to the image of Christ. 

 

He is patient as we grow and wants us to be patient with each other as He continues His ongoing work in us.

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Catalytic Events Include:

A

Mothers Day Celebrations 

HLM Sites Wide

B

Opening of HLM MANILA TRAINING Centre in Caloocan City

C

DeepBench Notch Up ORIENTATIONS and Trainings. Beginning with the Worship Teams in Bacolod City

D

And MORE!!!