Good morning everyone.!!!

Welcome to our EXPERIENCING GOD RETREAT

-Look around you – do you see strangers? - Today and tomorrow, they will be your FRIENDS, can you tell
the person in your left and right and front and back that hi can you be my friend.
Now here in our EGR we have key verse which is in

James 4:8

Can you recite again our them versem

And now I will roam around and ask what is your expectations here in our experiencing God Retreat?

EXPECTATIONS: WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

Thank you for all your expectations, your expectations is our expectations too. We expect that you will
really experience God, you will become more closer to Him, yo u will grow, of course change.

Here in the Experiencing God Retreat you will experience 3 F

Cover – 3 F’s

FIRE –

FREEDOM – God doesn’t want us to have all the baggage’s but He wants us to be free.

FOCUS –
-If you focus your life – you will begin to have an effect on those around you
-on your neighborhood, on this city.

Now to have a wonderful EGR we have set house rules that we should obey

HOUSE RULES
1. Must follow every instruction given by the EGR DIRECTOR, our staff and marshalls.
2. This is a close and isolated Retreat. So going in and out of the room is prohibited for the participants,
speaker, and counsellors. If necessary, must ask permission to our EGR Director (Kuya Jerome)
3. No texting and No phone calls. Cell phones will be surrendered to the staff. So, can I ask everyone please
get all your cellular phone, turn it off and surrender it right at the back.
4. No talking and joking during lecture.
5. No using of CR during the lecture.
6. During prayer, pray softly just enough that your partner will hear you.
7. When your finished praying, No talking to others that are praying.
 8. Obey our marshals, God put them in authority.

INTRODUCE STAFF OF EGR

EGR Director -
Worship Team –
Tech –
Speakers – Many you will encounter for 3 days
Staff
Registrar –

****Introduce First Speaker: Topic is How to Experience God

*** One like one dislike

HOW TO EXPERIENCE GOD

ENTRY

• I recall an experience I had when Tacloban City celebrates Fiesta. When watching Parade of lights,
everyone wants to get close to watch in a closer and clearer view. But, I got no height advantage so I
have no clear view from the back. I am in the crowd, struggling to see their performances and
customes.
• It should be difficult when you are surrounded by taller people. You must find and transfer to a spot to
get a good view.

CONNECT

• That is exactly what the main character of my story tonight did.

• His name is:
• Zacchaeus!
• He wanted to see Jesus but he’s having troubles.

VIDEO

PRAYER

READING OF Verse

Luke 19:1-10
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was
a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he
 could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus
was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I
must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions
to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of
Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

To understand our passage we will watch a video about Zacchaeus

ZOOM IN ZACCHAEUS PICTURE

This man is very interesting!  Say it- Interesting Why? Let’s see why by knowing him.  So Who was
Zacchaeus?
Ask me: Who was he? (View power point)

I have learn that when in describing a person there two things you can introduce and describe, first is the
physical and second is the heart.

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was
a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he
could not see over the crowd

 He was a short man – vv 3

• Let’s not just focus in his physical appearance but let’s look at the heart of Zaccheus.

THE HEART OF ZACCHEUS

• No doubt that this man is short but his testimony of Experiencing God is standing tall.
• Zacchaeus is a special man. But his heart is EXTRA SPECIAL!
• Say it- EXTRA SPECIAL! Why? because….

He was humble.
o Zacchaeus can be called nowadays a Regional BIR Director who is respected by the community.
o You don’t normally see a BIR officer hanging out with the crowd and climbing a tree to see an
important person coming to town. It would be embarrassing to do it
o But with all humility Zacchaeus climbed to a sycamore-fig tree just to see Jesus.
o He could have used his authority and power to make way and see Jesus.
 o But Zacchaeus did it humbly.

He hungered to meet Jesus.

o Zacchaeus wanted to meet Jesus so badly.
o If he did not, he could have just looked at Jesus from a afar or from a two-storey building
watching him pass through Jericho.
o But he wanted to have a close encounter with Jesus and He wants to experience Him that he
took the odds of going with the crowd and climbing that tree.

He also had high expectations of Jesus.

o Zacchaeus could have just ignored Jesus and did his daily routines but he didn’t.
o He believes that Jesus is a very important person.
o He exerted extra effort to see Jesus.

He was honest and repentant.

o I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,
I will pay back four times the amount."
o Zacchaeus acknowledged that if there was an instance that he cheated on anybody, he is willing
to pay back the amount- even four times the amount.
o We don’t know if he cheated on anyone but he recognizes that he is a sinner and admits it.
You might find that some people try to deny their faults or mistakes. You might say nga dire
man inin para ha ak na EGR kay buotan man ak, or magsiring na “agi maaram na ak hinin” iton
pala nagshoshow na kita hin pride so we already sinned.
o But Zacchaeus was honest about his mistakes and repentant.

THE OBSTACLES

There were obstacles that could have hindered Zacchaeus from encountering Jesus

JERICHO (v.1)
• Jericho was formerly a fortified city surrounded by tall, strong walls.
• In our lives, the ‘walls’ of doubt, unbelief, insecurity, pride, unforgiveness are obstacles that needed
to be dealt with before we can have an experince with God.

SHORT (v.3)
• Zacchaeus was so short it was hard for him to see Jesus.
 Our ‘shortness’ too has made it impossible for us to see Him. Romans 3:23 said, “For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.”
• Like Zacchaeus, we were all sinners too and our sins have separated us from God.

THE CROWD (v.3)

• If you’re always thinking of what others will say, you’ll never be able to make a decision for Christ. You
can’t please everybody! People-pleasing is one of the major obstacles to experiencing God.
• This EGR is between you and God.
HOW TO ENXPERIENCE GOD

• Now, you have come this far for this retreat with a purpose- to Experience God.
• You spent money for this activity and sacrifice your vacation. You made a choice.
• After the retreat you can go home as a changed person, fired up with God or you can go home the
same, unchanged person. You can make the choice.
• You see the goal of this retreat is for you to Experience God.
• But the change in your life, for the most part in this EGR, depends on your response to God.
• There are few things that you need to settle first to get the best out of this EGR.

 Have a heart that is humble.

o What does it mean to have a humble heart?
o During this encounter, it may mean turning in your phones as they may distract you during the
sessions.
o It may mean keeping yourself attentive and participative. o It can also mean respecting house
rules set for you. Humility equals obedience.
o Throughout this Experiencing God you may realize your mistakes you made in the past. It takes
a humble heart to admit and be sorry about it.
o I encourage you to settle in your heart that God will change you as a person and it will take you
to humble your heart before God to change.

• Have a hunger to know Jesus

o You did not come here because you just want to have vacation.
o Rather you came here because you desire to know Jesus.
o During the sessions, you might catch yourself sleeping- demo this for emphasis.
o Now that does not show a hunger for Jesus.
o If you caught yourself sleepy, take initiative to overcome being sleepy. You take coffee or wash
your face. Now, that shows a hunger to know Jesus.

• Have high expectations of what Jesus will do

o Expect Jesus to do extraordinary things to you.
o But as the saying goes, “it takes two to tango”
o You have a job to do.
o Jesus is ready to erase your sins, but it takes for you to confess it.
o Jesus is ready to give His love, but it will take for you to acknowledge and receive that.
o Expect Jesus to change you to be a better son/daughter, student, brother or sister- if you let him
do so.
• Be honest and repentant
o The speaker can try his best to convey the message to you but you will never receive the message
until you are honest and repentant.
o What does that mean?
o At some point, you will be asked to accomplish a sin list to help you recall your sins in the past,
acknowledge your bad choices and be sorry about it. And I encourage you to ask forgiveness
from God.
 o But if you are not honest to yourself and to God, you will not encounter God. You will miss the
main purpose of why you are here today.

BENEFITS FROM ENCOUNTERING GOD (3F’s)

• Prayerfully, after the Experiencing God Retreat you will reap the benefits of Experiencing Jesus.
• FREEDOM. In this EGR you will be FREE.
• Say FREE.......
• Say I will be free....
o Free from the bondage of sin, free from guilt, free from fear, free from doubt, free from the
curse of sin. You will be free. You will have freedom to worship, freedom to praise with all your
might and being, freedom from the worries of your life

 FIRE. Your relationship with God will be fired up.

o Maybe your relationship with God is boring and lukewarm. After this retreat, your relationship
with God will be “hot”.
o You will find yourself wanting to spend time with God more often than before.
o You will also notice that you will be smiling with people, loving people, gracious to people as a
result of your fellowship with God.
o Say I will be “hot”.

• FOCUS-
o Maybe right now you are distracted, confused and overwhelmed with different pressures in life.
o But, I tell you God will direct your path and you will be able to figure out His plans for you. You
will have peace of mind, you will have peace in your heart because you are focused on God.
o This retreat will give you an opportunity to eliminate the distractions thus improving your
relationship with God, parents and other people.
THEME VERSE

 This is our theme verse throughout this encounter.

 James 4:8- “Draw near to me and I will draw near to you”.
 It would be best to memorize it.
 Let’s recite it. James 4:8- “Draw near to me and I will draw near to you”.
 Let’s recite it without the powerpoint. James 4:8 Draw near to me and I will draw near to you

THE MECHANIC

STORY:
• There was once a young man who was on a road trip.
• On a highway, his car broke down.
• Even though he was a mechanic, he couldn’t fix it.
• Then a man with gray hair came up and asked him if he had a problem.
• The young man said: “I’m a mechanic and I can’t fix this car, what can you possibly do?”
• Then the old man got under the car and fixed it so that it started up and ran perfectly.
• The young man said, “Who are you?”
• With a smile the old man said, “I am Henry Ford, and I invented this car.”

 God alone, your Maker, knows you inside out.

• He knows your present situation, what you have been through.
• He loves you
• He is concerned about you
• He has a wonderful plan for your life
• And He desires you to have a true experience with Him and be set free in this retreat!  Are you
ready?
• Music blends in. No gap if possible
• Let us pray