1. A BLESSED NEW YEAR!! FGA GENESIS CELL GROUP 2nd January, 2009
“LET US RETURN :
BEING THANKFUL ALWAYS”
by Peter Huang

2. Last Sunday 28 December, 2008 sermon – Key passage
Hebrews 10:35-36
35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!
36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
2009 FGA’s Theme: Let us return – relationship, word & servanthood.

3. Let us start the New Year 2009
with the
RIGHT ATTITUDE
WITH
A CONTINUOUS
ATTITUDE OF
GRATITUDE

4. Colossians 3:12-17 
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

5. THE TWO EXPRESSIONS BELOW?
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
THE TWO EXPRESSIONS BELOW?

6. Big difference between SAYING we are thankful, and truly BEING thankful!
Continuous living
expression
of our gratitude to God
for everything
Act of thankful
response

7. Is This A Correct Attitude?
“We Ought to Be Thankful Because We Have So Much!”

8. This is ALWAYS a Correct Attitude!
“We Ought To Be Thankful Because God Has Given Us Everything We Have”
contentment

9. We can go through life complaining or being thankful
We can go through life complaining or being thankful. Or we can find reasons to be thankful !!!

10. COMPLAINING
Adds no value to the situation
Does not resolve the situation

11. See what the Bible has to say about ….complaining and being thankful
Philippians 2:14-15
14 Do everything without complaining and arguing,
15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

12. Ephesians 5:19
“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.”

13. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you.

14. Two occasions when we should be thankful
_____________________________________
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.
James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

15. Story – The Butterfly’s Struggle
A man once watched a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. In an effort to help it, he took a razor blade, and carefully slit the edge of the cocoon. The butterfly escaped from its problem ... But it had a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It couldn’t fly and died very soon after.
It is God's way to have the butterfly struggle.
It is the struggle that causes it’s tiny heart to beat fast, and send the life's blood into its wings.

16. TRIALS have their purpose are like the cocoon we find ourselves
make us struggle:
they bring us to our knees

17. Why be thankful?

18. It’s God’s will/command
Psalm 95:2
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
1Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

19. Problems
ROMANS 1:21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
Psalm 77:3
I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.

20. WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM ALL THESE?

21. AGREE or DISAGREE? A person who takes an occasional shower or bath
is not necessarily a clean person!!
A person who is
occasionally thankful
is not necessarily a thankful person!

22. “A thankful spirit is one of the key distinguishing marks of a Christian. It sets us apart from the world, it makes us different.” Alan Perkins

23. The whole Christian life is one big "Thank You," the living expression of our gratitude to God for His goodness.