Forerunner School Monthly 2020

The First and Great Commandment -
The Ultimate Call of All Believers
**Course confirmed**

Day and Time: Sundays, 4pm – 6pm (online)
Dates: 2 & 16 Feb, 1 & 15 Mar, 5 & 26 Apr, 17 May, 28 Jun, 12 Jul, 2 & 23 Aug, 13 Sep 2020 (This course is extended to September due to the COVID-19 situation. Sessions from Jul-Sep are held online).
Teacher: Kay-Chong Yeo / Sarah Ng
Cost of course materials (Book + MP3): $18
Venue: IHOP-One Thing Ministries, 165 Sims Ave, Harvest Care Centre, level 6

Registration for this course is now closed.
Participants are required to purchase the course materials (notes and MP3 recordings on a thumb drive) so that they can prepare and complete the course assignments.

SYNOPSIS

The Holy Spirit is restoring the First Commandment to its rightful place in the Church worldwide. It is the First Commandment because loving God is of utmost priority to Him. It is not an option for it is commanded by Jesus.

This is also the Great Commandment because our highest calling is to love God and move His heart with our love. God’s people loving Him has a great impact on His heart, and this is our highest purpose.

God is looking for lovers first. More than accomplishments, great impact and success in the eyes of man, He considers us successful when we live out the First and Great Commandment. When we understand why God calls this the First and Great Commandment, we will discover and encounter the truth of how God defines us and who He calls us to be.

Join us for 8 sessions over a period of six months, to grow in understanding from the Scriptures and learn how to walk out the First and Great Commandment in our lives. Besides teachings, there will also be small group discussions and Q&A times to spur one another on to understand the material and grow to be His Voice in this generation.

Topics include:

1. What is God looking for in His people? (Deut.10:12)
2. What is the First and Great Commandment?
3. Defining the First and Great Commandment
4. Loving God Wholeheartedly
5. Loving God with all our soul
6. Loving God with all our mind
7. Loving God with all our strength
8. Growing in Wholehearted Love
9. Cultivating Confidence in Receiving the Love of God
10. The Second Commandment – Loving Others
11. Restoration of the First and Great Commandment

REQUIREMENTS
Participants should be committed to complete the following before coming together with fellow participants every month:

• Listen to recorded teachings (~ 1.5 hours of audio recordings)
• Read up on sessions based on syllabus (~5 pages of notes)
• Complete any given assignments by the teacher

The Course Administrator will inform participants of the specific readings and audio teachings to listen to for each month.

SESSION 1 (2 Feb 2020)

What is God looking for in His people? (Deut.10:12)

Thinking Questions:
1) The Fear of the Lord
a) Define the fear of the Lord.
b) Why is the fear of the Lord important to believers?
c) How do we cultivate the fear of the Lord in our lives?

2) Intimacy with God
a) Why does God desire intimacy with us? 
b) Why is intimacy with God important?
c) How do we cultivate intimacy with God?
 

SESSION 2 (16 Feb 2020)

What is the First and Great Commandment? (Part I)

Thinking Questions:
1) When did Jesus give the First and Great commandment during His ministry? What is the context?
2) Why is the First and Great Commandment important to God? Is it important and first to you and me?

SESSION 3 (1 Mar 2020)

What is the First and Great Commandment? (Part II)

Thinking Questions:
1) What does loving God mean to you?
2) What are the hindrances in living out the First and Great Commandment? How do we overcome them?
3) How do we define greatness in our life? 
4) Does loving God make you feel great?
 

SESSION 4 (15 Mar 2020)

What it means to love God – The Five-fold Expression of Loving God

Thinking Questions:
1) Do I have any misconceptions about what it means to love God? Have I been influenced by what the world calls “love”?

2) Have I settled it in myself that no matter what, I will put loving God first? Are there any “bottom-lines” that I have with God before I’ll love Him?

3) There are five areas where we can express our love for God – in radical obedience, rapt adoration, relentless trust, loyal love and reckless abandonment. Do I see myself loving God in these ways?

4) Am I able to surrender my all to God?
What are the areas that I can’t surrender and why? How do I overcome these hindrances?
(Replace the word surrender with trust, obey, love. Take time to ask God to search our hearts as we seek Him)

SESSION 5 (12 Jul)

Four Spheres of Loving God I – with all our heart & soul

Thinking Questions:
1) Why is the setting of our hearts to love God important in our walk with God?
What are some specific applications that we can put into immediate effect when it comes to “setting” our hearts to love God with our all?

2) What does it mean to love God with all our heart? How does loving God with our heart relate to the rest (soul, mind, strength)?

3) What does removing everything that hinders my love for God mean?

4) Why and how is loving God with our soul related to humility? How can we mature in the area of humility and become primarily consumed with the interests of God?

5) How does our speech play a part in loving God with our soul?

6) In what ways can we cultivate a heart that is concerned about the interest of God first?

SESSION 6 (2 Aug)

Four Spheres of Loving God II & III – with all our mind and strength

Thinking Questions:
1. Why is meditation and the renewing of our minds so important to loving God as a whole?

2. Am I aware of any strongholds or mindset in my mind (whether regarding my past or future) that are not in alignment with God and His Word? How do I love Him with my mind in this?

3. How can I love God with all my strength with where I am at the moment?

4. Which of the five areas of living the fasted lifestyle do I want to especially grow in?

SESSION 7 (23 Aug)

(a) Perfecting & Growing our Love for God (1 John 4.17-18)
(b) The Call to the First & Great Commandment Matt 22.1-14

Thinking Questions:
1) What is the 4-fold progression of growing in our love? What are some key Scriptures and ways for us to mature in the 4 stages of growing in love for Jesus and others?

2) Can we identify with the five reasons why believers don’t pursue and perfect love for God? How do we overcome these stumbling blocks?

3) Why is perfecting love and living a life of perfect obedience the goal of every believer’s life? What are the Scripture references that point to this truth?

4) Why do we often slip into passivity in our faith? And thus what are some new paradigms to embrace to grow in our journey of loving God?

5) Why is the Holy Spirit emphasising the First and Great Commandment in this generation and season? How should we proclaim the gospel of the kingdom in this hour?

SESSION 8 (13 Sep)

The Second Commandment (Matthew 22.39-40)

Thinking Questions:
1) What is the new commandment in John 13:34? How is it related to the first and second commandment?

2) Who is our “neighbour” in Matt. 22:38? Why does Jesus emphasize the importance of us loving our neighbours? What does loving our neighbour look like on God’s terms? Where in Scripture can we find God’s definition of what “love” is? What are some practical ways to love our neighbours?

3) What does it mean in Matt. 22:40, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” What are some areas in our lives that we need to align to God’s heart concerning the Second Commandment?