BASIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL SEMINAR BLUE Edited

BASIC CHARISMATIC
RENEWAL SEMINAR
BY: REV. FR. LEONARDO A. POLINAR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rev. Fr. Leonardo A. Polinar is a Catholic Diocesan Priest from the Diocese of Tagbilaran, Bohol,
Phillipnes. In May 1975, as he was experiencing the darkest period of dryness in his life and priestly vocation he was
introduced into the Charismatic Renewal. This was the time his priestly vocation was lifted up to immediate
transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit. His personal encounter with God inspired the good priest to
commit himself to the Charismatic Renewal.
Since then, he has been devoting full time giving Life in the Spirit Seminars, Growth Seminars, and Retreats
for priests and lay people all over the world. The ever-growing range of his service has already reached out to distant
places, beyond the boundaries of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao extending even to other countries and continents. His
ministry has already brought him to the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, to the Asian countries like
Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, facilitating administrative work to teach leaders. The likable priest also
organized workshops for laymen, seminars and retreats for priests and recollections for seminarians here and abroad.
Spirit-filled, the strengthening of his commitment has led him to establish charismatic communities in
countries mentioned above.
Through constant prayer for the success of his mission entrusted to him, the Lord led him in March 27, 1988
to establish a new community of priests and seminarians. The community has now 14 priest including himself and 62
seminarians. The community takes for its name PACEM which is an acronym for Pastoral Assistance and
Community Education Mission. Their charisms are evangelization and community organizing. They just don’t
preach, they help parishes build the parish community or prayer groups to become committed communities.
Fr. Polinar has written several books to meet the needs of the people calling for his help. He has his own
version of Life in the Spirit Seminar which is already widely used in the Philippines and abroad like the U.S., Canada,
Europe and Asia. The book is called Basic Charismatic Renewal Seminar. Other growth seminar manuals are:
1) The Lordship of Christ

2) Growing in the Character of Christ
3) Growing in the Powers of Christ
4) Community Building (3 manuals)
a) Orientation to Community Life
b) Covenant Community Building
c) Strengthening the Community
5) Christian Leadership
6) Live the Word, Evangelizing the World
7) Search the Truth
8) Christian Warfare
9) Knowing God’s Will
10) Overview of the Bible
11) Discipleship
12) Community Building LSS
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
TITLE PAGE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OVERVIEW
PURPOSE OF MAN
BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY
SIN AND REPENTANCE
PRAISING THE LORD
CHRISTIAN GROWTH
CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO LAY HANDS
HOW TO ORGANIZE A PRAYER MEETING

OVERVIEW
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The whole seminar is geared towards initiating the participants into a personal encounter with God,
experience the power of the Holy Spirit and making them persevere in this new life through their
involvement in a committed community where they can grow and become fruitful Christians.
SCOPE
1. PREPARATION
Above all, we need the grace of God to make the seminar effective. Those who are going to
conduct this seminar are urged therefore, to prepare themselves in prayer several days before the
seminar and even to ask other people to offer prayers for its success.
2. ACTIVITIES
All the activities in the seminar are for a definite purpose. The following are the different
activities to be undertaken:
A. SINGING
Songs will be taught that are going to be used during, before and after the seminar, likewise
during regular meetings. Thus, simple songs are preferred and highly recommended.
B. FORMATION AND MEETINGS OF SMALL GROUPS
These groups are supposed to continue meeting every week. The grouping should be
homogenous. As much as possible, members should be neighbors of more or less the same age
group.
C. NOTE-TAKING BY THE PARTICIPANTS
The participants are encouraged to take notes so that they may have something to review at
home and share with others.
D. ORGANIZATION AND MEETING OF ALL LEADERS OF THE SMALL GROUPS THAT

BELONG TO THE PARISH
To make the renewal effective in the parish, the organizers should see to it that the leaders of
the small groups are established before they leave the place. An over-all leadership should be
organized. As much as possible, we encourage the over-all leader to be a male. Once a week, the
leadership group should meet by themselves and every other week, the general leadership should join
them. It is here that the shepherds of the parish can guide the renewal in the whole parish.
E. TESTIMONIES AFTER THE PRAYER SESSION FOR THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT
These testimonies should be given to praise and glorify God for what He has just done to the
participants. They make participants realize that their experience may have been similarly experienced by
others.
F. SAMPLE PRAYER MEETING
In the place where the Charismatic Renewal has just been introduced, the seminar team should not
leave the place without first conducting a sample prayer meeting. During this prayer meeting, there should
already be people assigned by the parish priest to lead the prayer meeting regularly in the parish. It is
essential that they observe closely how the prayer meeting is conducted.
3. TOPICS OF THE WHOLE SEMINAR
A. PURPOSE OF MAN
This topic shows the participants the real direction of their lives according to the plan of God who
created them. That is, UNION WITH GOD in this present life and to continue on in heaven.
B. THE BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY
After a person accepts Christ and openly acknowledges Him before men, he becomes a Christian.
That is, he becomes one with Christ and alive with the Divine Life. The topic therefore, shows the
participants what a tremendous privilege it is to be a Christian with the hope that they will see the goodness
of God. Thus, they should praise Him more.
C. SIN AND REPENTANCE
This topic shows what sin is and how it adversely affects the sinner. It also teaches the sinner how to
reconcile himself with God.
D. PRAISING THE LORD
If they have already decided to accept Christ Jesus who is the way to the Father, then they should
openly acknowledge Him. In other words, they must praise Him. This topic tells the participants what
praising the Lord means, why they should praise the Lord, what to praise the Lord for, and how to praise the
Lord.
E. CHRISTIAN GROWTH
It is the characteristic of life to grow. If life does not grow, it dies. They topic portrays to the
participants the nature of Christian growth and basic means to attain it.
F. CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
As Christians grow in the life, they should reach a certain stage when they become conscious of the
powers of the Lord in them. This consciousness should move them to operate. This precisely is what this
topic tries to achieve. The initial experience of the release of the Holy Spirit is what the Bible calls Baptism
in the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION
The seminar ends with a prayer session for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If there are priests present
it is advisable to close the seminar with Holy Mass.
BRIEFING
1. This seminar that we are about to give is a Charismatic Renewal Seminar. This is given to initiate
people into the renewal. This is a ___ (length of time) seminar.
2. The lectures or topics in this seminar are s arranged that every lecture builds on the preceeding
one. Because of this, it is therefore important that the participants attend all lectures from the beginning to
the end. Furthermore, the first three topics constitute the foundation on which we build the Charismatic
Renewal. Only those who have faithfully attended the first three lectures should be allowed to complete the
seminar. We don’t encourage new comers who will be attending at midstream only.
3. Our activities will be the following:
A. SINGING
Singing plays a very important role in the Charismatic Renewal. The seminar team will teach
short easy-to-learn songs which you can learn and memorize in two or three minutes. You will need these
songs not only during the seminar but especially after the seminar. That is why we encourage you to copy
and memorize them.
B. LECTURES
Since we cannot remember everything we hear, we encourage you to take notes during the
lectures, so that when you reach home you can review them and ensure a better comprehension and a lasting
understanding of the message. This will also enable you to share your knowledge with others. For those who
don’t have a pen and paper during the initial session, try to ensure them for the succeeding sessions.
C. GROUP MEETINGS
During the seminar we would like you to form small homogeneous groups consisting of 5 to
7 members each. As much as possible, see to it that your group is composed of neighbors or people who are
working in the same office, company or area.
Once your group is gathered, select two temporary leaders to provide the two basic services of the
group namely:
1. servant- to preside over the meeting
2. secretary- to note down the proceedings for record purposes
Why is a small group advisable?
In our several years of experience in the renewal it has consistently been shown that renewed
Christians who are not committed to a small group usually do not last long in the renewal. What usually
happens is that immediately after the seminar they are full of enthusiasm. They would attend prayer
meetings even everyday. But after some time that enthusiasm dies down. They begin to miss one meeting,
then another, until finally they just completely shy away from it.
Once this period of spiritual dryness comes and he does not have committed brothers and sisters to
lift him up, to push him, encourage or even drag him, he will just fade away and get lost unnoticed. This just
proves the fact that man is really a social being by nature. He needs help from his fellowmen for his own
personal salvation. Jesus who knows human nature arranged it this way. He organized his followers into one
body – the Mystical Body! As members of one body we belong to each other. We should therefore, support
each other. Jesus knows that the weak fallen nature of man tends to be lazy and to cool off.
God’s word for backsliders is frightening,
“When men have fled a polluted world by recognizing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then are
caught up and overcome in pollution once more, their last condition is worse than their first.” – 2 Peter 2:20
“For men have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and become sharers in the
Holy Spirit… and have fallen away, it is impossible to make them repent again, since they are crucifying the
Son of God for themselves and holding him up to contempt.” –Hebrews 6:4-6
Definitely, we do not want anybody here to backslide and get lost forever. God forbid! That is why
we really want everybody to have a group of his own.
Why 5 to 7 members?
Because the objective of the group is to grow closer and closer to the Lord and to one another so that
they may become of “one heart and mind”. To attain this, there is a need of frequent and close personal
interaction. For this purpose, the number of 5 to 7 members is just right. Jesus had a small group of only
twelve members.
Other reasons favoring the small grouping are accomodation, length of meeting time and the life of
the meeting.
Accomodation- The group is supposed to meet in their own private houses. If the group is too big,
then the meeting space becomes a problem.
Length of time- The small group meeting should never be more than two hours. And everybody
should be given the opportunity to speak out. If they are too many in the group. The meeting will surely last
longer.
Life of the meeting- We believe that limiting the group to 5 to 7 memebers will ensure a lively
meeting. Everyone is given the chance to interact and join in the animated dialogue. No one will be left out.
Why should it be composed of neighbours or people working in the same office or company?
This composition is preferred and ideal since the small group is supposed to meet at least once a
week. The closer they are, the easier it would be for them to meet. Furthermore, the fact that they are
neighbors or officemates means that they already know each other to certain degree of familiarity. That is
already one step towards getting the unity of heart and mind among the members. In other words, we want
the group to develop into a committed small Christian community later on.
D. PRAYER SESSIONS
Throughout the whole seminar we will be having time with the Lord to praise and worship Him. We,
therefore, ask you to participate actively. It is during these moments of worship that the Lord will move to
release His Holy Spirit in us.
N.B. Explain the seminar procedures.

SEMINAR PROCEDURES
ONE DAY SEMINAR
7:30 A.M. – Opening Activities:
Opening prayers
Welcoming of the participants by the parish priest of his representative
Presentation of seminar team
Briefing about the seminar activities:
-Singing (copy and memorize)
-Lectures (take notes)
-Group meetings (try to figure out the possible members of your group)
-Prayer sessions (actively join)
Teaching of songs:
-“Come Holy Spirit I Need You”
-“Oh. I Love You with the Love of the Lord”
-“This is the Day”
-“Thank You Lord or Thank You God” or “Lord I am Searching for You”
8:00 – First topic: PURPOSE OF MAN
9:00 – Instructions pertinent to the formation of small groups and other details such as how they
are going to meet
9:15 – Actual group meeting

The purpose of this meeting is to ensure the organization of group with its leader and
conduct a little sharing on the topic just discussed.
9:45 – Review of the lively songs:

-“Oh, I Love You”
-New Song: “I’m Sorry Lord”
10:00 – Second topic: BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY
11:00 – New songs:

-“I have decided to follow Jesus”
-“God is so Good”
11:15 – Third topic: PRAISING THE LORD

Brief period of praising the Lord to demonstrate and practice what has just been learned
12:00 NOON – Announcements:

-1:00 p.m. – Small group meeting
(In this meeting there should be sharing of testimonies besides the salient points of the
two preceding topics discussed.)
-Resume at 1:45 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK
1:00 P.M. – Group meetings
1:45 – Songs:
Review
New songs (teach new songs)
-“Give Me Oil”
-“All Over the World”
2:00 – Fourth topic: CHRISTIAN GROWTH
2:45 – Group meetings
3:30 – Songs
3:45 – Fifth topic: CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
4:45 – A short 10 to 15 minute break for personal necessities and disposal of obstacles
preparatory to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Announcement! (This is only a request)

-No eating until the end of the prayer session. Just a little sacrifice for the great gift we
are asking from Him.
-For smokers, no smoking!
-Sitting arrangements
4:45 – PRAYER SESSION For the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with sharing of testimonies
5:45 – CLOSING MASS

Announcements:
-Next seminar…
-Monthly fellowship…
-Weekly Parish Prayer Meeting
-Bible Study classes
Dismissal: Go and bear fruit abundantly!

Song: Oh I Love You with the Love of the Lord!
N.B. A one-day seminar is not advisable to start a renewal in a place. This may be given only when there is
already an established group that can follow up or take care of the new graduates.
TWO DAY SEMINAR
FIRST DAY
8:00 A.M. – Opening Activities:

Opening prayers
Teaching of songs:
9:30 – Instructions for group formation and meeting

Group meetings. What is vital to be accomplished in this meeting is the formation of groups with
their corresponding leaders. If they can pray and sing a song or two and share their thoughts about the
preceding topic, so much the better.
10:00 – Break (Snacks)
10:30 – Brief review of songs plus “God is so Good”
11:00- Second topic: BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY
11:45 – Brief prayer session to put into practice what they have just learned, the decision to accept Christ

-Group meeting after lunch to discuss the striking points of the topic just discussed
-The third topic will be given at 2:15 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK
2:00 – Songs:
-“All Over the World”
-“Now is the Day of Salvation”
-“The Joy of the Lord”
-BRIEF WORSHIP with Singing in the Spirit
2:15 - Third topic: SIN AND REPENTANCE
3:00 – Break (Snacks)
3:30 – Fourth topic: PRAISING THE LORD

4:45 – Prayer session
5:00 - Dismissal
DINNER BREAK
7:30 – Organizational meeting of the Parish leadership to be attended by the different cell servants and
secretaries at 7:30 p.m. this evening. Those interested to serve the Lord in a more committed way are also
welcome to the meeting.
SECOND DAY
8:30 – Songs:
Review yesterday’s songs
New songs
-“Mga Kristyanos”
-“I’m Sorry Lord”
9:00 – Opening worship with Singing in the Spirit
9:15 – Fifth topic: CHRISTIAN GROWTH
10:15 – Break (Snacks and fellowship especially with people we do not know yet)
10:45 – Group meeting following the format
11:15 – Teach song- “I have decided to follow Jesus”
11:05 – Sixth topic: CHARISMATIC RENEWAL

-Leaders’ meeting at 1:00 p.m.
-No merienda (Sacrifice offering) in the afternoon session
1:00 – Leaders’ meeting
2:00 – Songs:
Review
New song: “Salamat”
2:15 – Break for personal necessities and disposal of obstacles
3:45 –PRAYER SESSION

-Instructions and preparations for those who are going to lay hands
4:30 – CLOSING CHARISMATIC MASS

Announcements:
-Sample prayer meeting this evening at 7:30 p.m.
-Presentation of the Pastoral Team and all leaders of the different small groups
-The regular weekly Pastoral Team meeting (day, time, place) which the other leaders should attend
every week.
DISMISSAL
EVENING SEMINAR
N.B. This type of seminar is only advisable if the renewal is already established in the place. There is no
more need of organizing the leaders and giving a sample prayer meeting.
FISRT EVENING
7:00 P.M. - Opening Activities:
Opening prayers
Teaching of songs:
8:45 – Instructions about the formation of small groups and how it should meet
9:00 – Actual Small Group Meeting

(The purpose of this meeting is to have the group formed with its leader and go through a little
sharing of the salient points about the topic just discussed)
9:30 – Review of songs:

-“Oh I Love You or Jesus in You”
-Teach new song: “Thank You God for sending Jesus”
9:45 – Second topic: BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY
10:45 – Announcements:
-Tomorrow we start at 7:30 p.m.
-No more newcomers
DISMISSAL
SECOND EVENING
7:00 P.M. – Songs:

Review of yesterday’s songs
New songs:
-“I’m Sorry Lord”
-“Oh Lord our God You made us”
-Other lively songs
Opening worship with Singing in the Spirit to get them used to praising the Lord
7:30 – Third topic: PRAISING THE LORD
8:30 – Group meetings

(This time, the meeting should be more complete than yesterday. Like, there should be sharing of
testimonies of their experience since they came yesterday.)
9:10 – One or two songs to enliven the congregation
9:15 – Fourth topic: CHRISTIAN GROWTH
-Tomorrow will be the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. We would not like to have latecomers. We
will start at 7:30.
-We will end the seminar with the Holy Mass. You do not have to attend mass in the
morning.
-Meeting of leaders of the small groups at 6:30 p.m.
DISMISSAL
THIRD EVENING
6:30 – Organizational meeting of the Parish Leadership
7:30 – Songs:
Review of yesterday’s songs
New songs:
-“Give me Oil in my Lamp”
-“He is Lord”
-Other songs
Opening worship with Singing in the Spirit
8:00 – Fifth topic: CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
(Note: While the discussion of the topic is going on. The seminar team, together with the more or
less mature members of the place will hold a meeting for instructions and spiritual preparation for the laying
of hands.)
9:00 – Break for personal necessities and disposal of articles akin to superstition.
Announcement! (This is only a request)

-No eating until the end of the prayer session. Just a little sacrifice for the great gift we
are asking from Him.
-For smokers, no smoking!
-Sitting arrangement for the prayer session
9:15 – PRAYER SESSION for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
10:00 – Testimonies of experiences during the prayer session to praise and glorify the Lord and build up the
participants
10:15 – CLOSING MASS
-Next seminar…
-Monthly fellowship…
-Weekly Parish Prayer Meeting…
DISMISSAL: Go and bear fruit abundantly!

Fellowship song: “Oh I Love You…” etc.
N.B. This evening seminar may be scheduled and conducted also for five evenings.
CHAPTER ONE
PURPOSE OF MAN
OBJECTIVES
1. To make the participants realize that life has a purpose and that it is determined by God
2. To make them know when this purpose should be attained and how
3. To move them to do everything possible to attain it
OUTLINE
I. IMPORTANCE
The knowledge of one’s purpose is the most important knowledge a person can ever have, because:
a. it provides him the direction in his life
b. it gives meaning to all his actions
c. it makes life more meaningful to him
II. WHO DETERMINES IT?
So many people think it is their right to decide for themselves the ultimate purpose of their lives.
Ultimately, that is the sole prerogative of the maker. Among the many purposes that people attach their
hearts to are: money, pleasures of drinking, gambling, drugs and sex. They live their lives seeking these
things and they destroy themselves in the process.
Since God is our maker, He alone can determine our purpose. Whatever He has set for us that is what
we should always to attain. Surely, it can only mean the best for us.
III. MEANS OF KNOWING GOD’S PURPOSE
How can we know God’s purpose for us? There are two ways of finding it out, namely:
a) by investigation or research. Study man’s nature, his behaviour, his desires etc. In short, disect
man, study every part of him and come up with a conclusion. Just like when you know the purpose of a
thing which you have seen for the first time.
b) By asking the maker Himself. In other words, what does God say about it. We can find this out
from the Bible and from the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.
For example, God says:
“Let us make man to our own image and likeness…” –Genesis 1:26
In another passage God says:

“What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him? You have
made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor.” –Psalm 8:5-6
Furthermore, we have Jesus Himself saying:
“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places, … I am indeed going to prepare a place for you, and
there I shall come back to take you with me, that where I am you also may be.” –John 14:2-3
Finally, we have the Church speaking to us.
Vatican II, Church in the Modern World, Section 24 says:
“All men are created to one and same goal, namely God himself!”
From these Words of Scriptures and the Church we know clearly that God’s purpose in creating us is
UNION with Him.
IV. WHEN SHOULD MAN BE UNITED WITH GOD?
If man is to be united with God, the next question is when? Should it be now or later in eternity? It
has to be now because man is man right now.
Now within TIME. This is God’s plan. A normal man should be united with God. Our eternity is just
a continuation of what we are at the end of our time.
V. HOW CAN THIS UNION BE ATTAINED?
Since man is a limited being, how can he reach God who is limitless? Indeed by his own power it is
impossible. God knows it. That is why He decided to come to man.
Jesus is God who entered into time to make Himself accessible to man. Through Him and in Him
humanity was provided a way to be united with God.
VI. THE BIG PROBLEM – BACK TO SQUARE ONE
Yes, in Jesus and through Jesus man has the way to be united with God. But Jesus, the solution or the
way to our union with God, died. He resurrected, yes, but He ascended to heaven. Thus, we are back square
one.
VII. THE GREAT SOLUTION
Certainly, Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection. But before Jesus went up to heaven He
already promised:
“Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world.” –Matthew 28:20
What did he do to fulfil His promise?
Jesus established His mysterious presence in the world on Pentecost Sunday.
THE MYSTICAL BODY OF JESUS

He fulfilled His promise! He established his MYSTICAL BODY composed of so many individual
bodies (believers of Jesus). He made them one by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday
(Romans 11:19-20; Colossians 2:12).
TODAY WE CAN BE UNITED WITH JESUS BY BEING UNITED WITH HIS MYSTICAL
BODY – THE CHURCH THROUGH BAPTISM.
CONCLUSION
Reflection…
Song – “Lord I am Searching for You”
EXPLANATION
I. IMPORTANCE
A very basic point that has been taken for granted by many people in the world is the ultimate
purpose of their lives? Have you ever asked yourself why you are here in this world? In other words, have
you ever asked yourself about the purpose of your life on earth? You know, this is such an important
question! In fact, it is the most important question a man can ever ask himself. Why? Because the
knowledge of this purpose provides the direction in one’s life. A person who does not know his purpose in
life is like a traveller who does not know where he is going. Life for him becomes meaningless and dull!
That is why, many of those who take this question for granted end up frustrated.
On the other hand, if you clearly know your purpose in life every act becomes meaningful as you do
it in relation to that purpose. Not only are they meaningful, but you also know how to execute each act. For
example, your purpose is to be at a certain place at such a time in order to attend a conference or party. Each
individual act takes its meaning from the relationship it has to your purpose of going to that certain place.
Like, you wake up early, take a shower, take an earlier breakfast, put on better clothing, etc. All these are
done because of your purpose to go somewhere.
II. THE CREATOR DETERMINES IT.
If life has a purpose, then who determines it? Definitely not you. The simple reason is because you
did not make yourself. To determine the purpose of anything you made or created is the sole prerogative of
the maker or creator. For example, it is not for the clay to dictate to the potter what it wants to be. It is for
the potter to determine whether to make it into a flower pot, a cooking pot or whatever else he desires.
Some people try to determine their own purpose and live their lives to attain it. What happens? They
destroy themselves! Why? They live lives that are not in accordance with their creator’s design. Their
purpose in life is to seek, for example, money or the pleasures of drinking, gambling, drug addiction and
sex. In the process they destroy themselves because of their misguided purpose in life. It’s just like using a
microphone as a hammer. You will surely destroy it simply because that is not what it was made for. Since
we believe that God is our maker, it is, therefore, God who determines purpose. Whatever that is, that’s what
we should strive to follow. That is truly the best for us. My whole nature is made for that and only when I
attain it will my whole being find rest and fulfilment.
III. MEANS OF KNOWING GOD’S PURPOSE

There are two ways of knowing God’s purpose for creating man. First, by investigating or studying
himself, and second, by finding out what God says.
1. BY INVESTIGATION AND STUDY
Here, we don’t need sophisticated research. A simple, ordinary observation of people’s lives
anywhere in the world is enough to make us conclude that human beings are not made for this world. We
can say this because there is nothing in this world that can satisfy the human heart.
In every person, there is a craving for real happiness. Many people have the wrong notion that they
can satisfy themselves with the things of this world like money, vice and power. True, they can get some
amount of happiness from these but never enough to genuinely satisfy the human heart. In the end they still
feel empty and restless. The more money they have, the more they crave for more. They even resort to
dishonest means in trying to acquire more. The more power they have, the more they desire to get more
power even if this means becoming sinfully corrupt.
2. FROM WHAT GOD SAYS
From the words of God Himself, we know that human beings are made to be united with God. In
other words, this is God’s plan. He made us for Him, to be one with Him. No wonder, deep in the heart of
every person, there is a longing for God.
The Bible says:
“As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. Athirst is my soul for
God, for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?” –Psalm 42:1-3
“Oh God, you are my God, whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth,
parched, lifeless and without water.” –Psalm 63:1
What does all these mean? It’s very clear that, there is in every human being a deep longing for God
purposely placed there by God because of His purpose for man.
Furthermore, here are still more direct and striking scriptures:
“”Let us make man in our image and likeness.”-Genesis 1:26
“What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?
You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor.”- Psalm 8:5-6
“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places; otherwise, how could I have told you that I
was going to prepare a place for you? I am indeed going to prepare a place for you, and then I shall come
back to take you with me, that where I am you also may be.” –John 14:2-3
Jesus praying to the Father, says:
“I do not pray for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their word, that
all may be one as you Father are in me, and I in you; I pray that they may be one in us, that the world may
believe that you sent me.” –John 17:20-21
Surely, Jesus would not ask something from the Father which is not according to His will. If
therefore, He asked the Father, “that they may be one”, this must be the Father’s will.
Vatican II, Church in the Modern World, Section 24 says: “All men are created to one and the same
goal, namely God Himself.”
(ILLUSTRATION)
From God’s Living Word, we know that He created human to be united with Him.
This is our destiny- union with God.
Jesus prayed:
“Father, I pray that they may be ONE IN US, just as you are in me and I am in you.”
–John 17:21
The word “they” refers to the people of the world whom He loves and cares for. The words: “one in
us, just as you are in me and I am in you” refer to the very same union that should exist between God and us.
Such was the loving prayer of Jesus. Just imagine the concern of Jesus in that prayer – telling the Father to
unite us with Him and with the Father in the very same union that exists in the Blessed Trinity. Isn’t that a
tremendous union? Consider the human dignity so highly elevated by Jesus Himself. In Psalm 8:3-5, we
read:
“When I observe the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in
place. What is man that you be mindful of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels, and you
crowned him with glory and honor.”
That is the Bible, the Word of God, revealing to us that man has such lofty dignity, destined to be
united with God in a perfect union.
IV. WHEN SHOULD MAN BE UNITED WITH GOD?

We ask this question because whether we like it or not man has to live in two different stages
namely, TIME and ETERNITY. From TIME man has to go to eternity passing through the door of DEATH.
So going back to our question. “When should man be united with God?” Our answer is: Now in
TIME! The main reason is because we don’t become human beings only
ILLUSTRATION
in eternity but right now we are already humans. Since God’s plan for man is to be united with Him, this
must be the normal human life. If so, to live in this present life separated from God is abnormal. Are there
abnormal people here with us now? God knows! The other reason for this union with God to take place now
is because our eternity is just the continuation of our time. Either we will be united with God for all eternity
or be separated from God forever and ever.
V. HOW CAN THIS UNION BE ATTAINED?
If we are to be united with God now within time, how can this be achieved since God is in eternity
and we are in time? God is limitless or infinite while man is only limited or finite. How can a limited being
reach Him who is limitless? As far as man is concerned it is simply beyond his power! God knows this?
Precisely because He knows man cannot reach Him, God decided to come out of eternity and enter into
time. This He did in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.
ILLUSTRATION
John 3:16 says:
“Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be
lost, but may have eternal life.”
With Christ present in the world, in TIME, God makes Himself reachable or accessible by man.
Now, man can be united with God through Jesus and in Jesus. The moment we are united with Jesus, we are
united with God. The most important question, therefore, now in life is: Am I united with Jesus?
VI. THE BIG PROBLEM – BACK TO SQUARE ONE
Yes, we already have Jesus as the solution to our problem on how to be with God? Jesus is the
solution! The unfortunate thing, however, is that this Jesus who was already accessible and reachable by us
died and was buried. It’s true, He resurrected but then, He ascended into heaven. Thus, we could say, we are
back to square one.
ILLUSTRATION
VII. THE GREAT SOLUTION
Indeed, it looks like we are back to square one. But the truth is: we are not. Before Jesus ascended
into heaven He already had a preconceived plan of continuing His physical presence all throughout the ages.
Jesus Himself said:
“And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world.” –Matthew 28:20
THE MYSTICAL BODY OF JESUS
What did He do to make His promise a reality? He established His Mystical Body. This He did on
Pentecost Sunday when He released His Spirit upon His followers. So that, although they were many, they
became one body, but made up of many individual bodies “joined together” in Christ by one Spirit – the
Holy Spirit of Jesus. This Mystical Body is what we now call the Church.
ILLUSTRATION
Thus, if you want to be united with Jesus, be united with the Church or be “grafted in” as St. Paul
says:
“Branches were cut off that I might be grafted in. well and good. They were cut off because of
unbelief and you are there because of faith.” –Romans 11:19-20
This “grafting” officially takes place at the moment a person receives the Sacrament of Baptism.
This is the outward sign of the inner reality that the person has accepted Christ as his God, King and
Master.
“In Baptism you were not only buried with him but also raised to life with him…” –Colossians 2:12
“Through baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.” –Romans 6:4
PERSONAL INTROSPECTION
Now, look at yourself and answer the question: Am I united with Jesus at this present moment?
Don’t ever say: “I’m still young, I’m still far from the door of death” or, “I’m not young anymore but
I’m still strong. Later on when I get old I’ll be united with Jesus. But not now yet; let me enjoy living as I
like.”
Remember, it’s not only the old people or the sick people who die. Death comes to everybody, to the
young and the old, to the sick and the healthy, yes, even to the rich and the poor. The Bible says, “Death
comes like the thief in the night. It comes when you least expect it.” According to statistics, every tick of the
clock ten people die in the world. Are you sure that by the next tick of the clock you will not be among the
ten? Right now, you may not be among the ten but from now until tomorrow there are thousands more ticks
to come. Are you sure that not one of those is meant for you?
Every person has his own length of time to live. Some are good for one hundred years. They are very
rare! Others are good for eighty, seventy, sixty, forty or even for just one day. Now, how about you? Do you
know how many years you are good for? Suppose you are only good for forty and now you are already
thirty-nine years and tomorrow is already your birthday. So, today is your last day. Well, whether today or
tomorrow or fifty years from now, the fact is you will surely die.
The most important question, is not when, or how, or where I die? But, am I ready to die? That is, am
I united with Jesus? If I am, then, Jesus is my companion. I can reach the door of death without any fear
because I know where I will go. If on the other hand, I know my companion is not Jesus but Mr. Smoky (the
devil), because I am living in sin, then I have all the reasons to tremble at the mere thought of death.
CONCLUSION
Let us now bow our heads for a moment, close our eyes for better concentration and put ourselves in
the presence of the Lord Jesus (Pause for a minute of silence).
With your eyes of faith, look at Jesus intently and listen to Him saying to you:
My Child, are you with Me?

Am I your main concern in life?
Look at yourself now and with all honesty and sincerity answer the Lord from the depth of your
heart. Be open to the Lord and Him to touch you today. And feel free to communicate with the Lord as He
touches you with His Spirit. As you listen to the song, open up your heart to Him.
Song: “Lord I am Searching For You”
Lord I am Searching For You

I am searching for You, my God
For You alone are the joy of my heart
Lord, I am searching for you
//: Reveal Lord, I pray, Yourself to me

Reveal Lord, for I have no other way. ://
CHAPTER TWO
BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY
OBJECTIVES:
1. To make the participants understand clearly the basic meaning of Christianity; so that, they may
appreciate their dignity as Christians, and realize how much God loves them.
2. To make the participants know that they can be united with Christ.
3. To make them realize the tremendous consequences of this union, so that they may leave no stone
unturned to attain it.
OUTLINE
I. MEANING OF A CHRISTIAN
Who is a Christian?
-The common wrong concept: the people who go to Church or pray the Rosary, etc.
-The correct meaning: the person who is united with Christ in a perfect union. (Example: coffee and
water)
QUALITIES OF THIS UNION:

1. A PERFECT UNION
2. A CONSISTENT UNION
II. HOW CAN THIS UNION WITH CHRIST BE ATTAINED?
BY MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE.
That is, Jesus accepts man and man accepts Jesus. Has Jesus accepted man? Yes.
-John 3:16
-Ephesians 1:4
-Revelations 3:20
-John 1:12
How about you? Have you already accepted Jesus? This is where you have to make a personal
decision.
III. PROCESS OF MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE
How can a person accept Jesus?

1. As a child through the parents in the Sacrament of Baptism.
-John 3:5
-1 Peter 3:20-21
2. As an adult or matured person through a personal decision by making an act of Faith.
-John 1:12
-1 John 2:5-6
-Galatians 2:20
-James 2:26
IV. CONSEQUENCES OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST
1. WE BECOME ALIVE WITH THE LIFE OF GOD.

-John 3:16
-1 John 5:11-12
2. THE FATHER OF JESUS BECOMES OU

-Romans 8:14-16
-Galatians 3:26; 4:6
3. THE MOTHER OF JESUS BECOMES OUR MOTHER

Because Mary is the mother of Jesus not only as man but also as God. There is no Jesus that is only
God or only man.
-John 1:14
-Matthew 1:22
In fact, the Holy Spirit proclaimed Mary as the Mother of God. –Luke 1:41-43
Jesus entrusted us to her. – John 19:25-26
4. WE BECOME MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY OF GOD- THE BLESSED TRINITY

-1 Peter 2:10
-1 Corinthians 3:16-17
5. WE BECOME BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Because we belong to one and same body.
-Romans 12:4-5
-1 Corinthians 10:17
Because there is one and the same life that is in us.

- 1 John 5:11-12
Thus, we are commanded to love one another.

-John 13:34-35
6. WE BECOME HEIRS.
-Galatians 4:7
-Romans 8:14-17
-Galatians 3:29
-Colossians 3:23-24
V. CLOSING
EXPLANATION
INTRODUCTION
Christianity is such a broad topic. It is simply impossible to exhaust discussion of its many
dimensions. In this regard, therefore, we only intend to point out the basic meaning of Christianity.
I. THE MEANING OF A CHRISTIAN
We have discussed that we are destined to be united with God through Jesus who came to the world.
Now, we shall consider the question: “Who or what is a Christian?”
We claim to be Christians, but oftentimes we do not know the right answer to such a question. A
common concept is that a Christian is one who goes to Church, attends Mass, prays the Rosary and receives
communion. True, but these are only the actions of s Christian.
There is an aspect which if not clearly understood, can make one’s Christianity very superficial and
meaningless. This is the perfect union that exists between a person and Christ. Unless this is properly
understood, a person can never truly appreciate his Christianity. So,what makes a person a Christian?
MAN + CHRIST = A CHRISTIAN!
A Christian is “MAN plus CHRIST! In other words, a Christian is a person who is united with Christ. So
that, he and Christ are ONE.
QUALITIES OF THIS UNION:
1. A PERFECT UNION
The union between man and Christ is a real union by which the whole Christ is in him, and the whole
of him is in Christ. It is like the inseparable union of the heavenly Father and the Son Jesus. That is the same
union that now exists between us and Jesus.
In John 17: 20-21, Jesus prayed to His Father an effective prayer:

“I do not pray for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in me through their
word, that all may be one as you, Father, are in me, and I pray they may be one in us, that the world
may believe that you sent me.”
Imagining that awe-inspiring union! That is why it is a tremendous privilege to be a Christian. The
moment you understand what it is, you cannot help but shout with joy: “Praise the Lord, I am a Christian!” It
is an extraordinary privilege. You are not elevated to the level of the Creator. God gets down to your level to
become one with you and raises you up, so that you begin to live like Him. Realize what privilege that is!
2. A CONSISTENT UNION
Many Christians would say, “As long as I go to Church, say my prayers, that’s all that matters.” He
does not realize that to go to Church, recite plenty of prayers and then lead another kind of life would be
inconsistent with Christianity. He does not realize that wherever he goes, whether up in the sky or down
under the sea, Jesus is in him. Our union with God is likened to that of coffee and water in a cup. The coffee
and water have blended, fused or merged together into one that you cannot touch one without touching the
other. After stirring it, you cannot say, you would drink only the water or only the coffee. The moment you
drink the water, you also drink the coffee, because both water and coffee have become one solution.
The same union exists between the iron and the fire. If you put a piece of iron into a fire, the piece of
iron becomes a glowing fiery iron. The two elements of iron and fire have become one, though the iron is
still iron and the fire is still fire.
That is what happens to you when you become a Christian. Nobody can touch you without touching Christ,
and nobody can destroy you without destroying Christ. That is a tremendous reality which many of us do not
realize.
II. MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE
1. GOD’S ACTION
Because God knows man cannot come to Him by his own human power, God decided to come to
man by sending His own Son Jesus. From the side of man it is simply impossible because of the infinite gap
between God and man. That is why, the solution has to come from God’s side. He decided to come down to
man through His Son Jesus.
“Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be
lost, but may have eternal life.” –John 3:16
2. MAN’S RESPONSE
Now that Jesus Christ is already in the world, man can now be united with God by going to Jesus. He
is the Way to the Father. In fact, the moment we are united with Christ, we are united with God also.
“Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.’”-
John 14:6
How can this union between man and Christ be attained?
By mutual acceptance!
That is the only way by which union can be attained between two persons be it in business or in
friendship, in marriage or any kind of union. On the part of Jesus, there is no problem because He already
accepted us.
“God chose us in Him before the world began, to be holy and blameless in His sight, to be full of
love…” –Ephesians 1:4
3. ON THE PART OF MAN

The problem is on our part! Have we already accepted Him?
“Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his
house and have supper with him, and he with me.” –Revelations 3:20
In Biblical language, the meaning of “to accept” is “to accept” or “to receive”. Thus, to believe in
Jesus means to accept Jesus into one’s self.
“Any who did accept him, he empowered to become children of God. These are they who believe in
his name.” – John1:12
III. PROCESS OF MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE
How can a person accept Jesus?

There are to levels:
1. PARENT’S DECISION
For a child, it is through his parents. At the moment of baptism, it is the parents who decide to accept
Jesus for their child. Since the child has no mind yet of his own, this decision is valid. It is the parents who
decide for the child on what to eat, what to drink and what clothes to wear.
“Jesus replied: ‘I solemnly assure you, no one can enter into God’s kingdom without being begotten
of water and Spirit.’” –John 3:5
2. PERSONAL DECISION
For a mature person, it has through his personal decision. And this happens at the moment of Faith.
This is what he says in John 1:12:
his name.”
We know that one has already personally accepted Jesus when he begins to live the way Jesus lived.
That is, he thinks, acts, talks, and relates with people the same Jesus did.
“But whoever keeps his word, truly has the love of God been made perfect in him. The way we can
be sure we are in union with him is for the man who claims to abide in him to conduct himself just as he
did.” -1 John 2:5-6
“… and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life but it is a
life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” –Galatians 2:20
“Be assured then, that faith without works is as dead as a body without breath.” –James 2:26
We, therefore, don’t become Christians just by claiming that we are such but by living like Christ. To
sum it up, a Christian is a person who is united with Christ and alive with his divine eternal life. This is
indeed, a tremendous gift and privilege man can ever receive.
IV. CONSEQUENCES OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST
1. WE BECOME ALIVE WITH THE LIFE OF GOD
The moment you become a Christian, you become alive with the life of Christ.
“Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him may not die, but
may have eternal life.” –John 3:16
The word “believe” in biblical terms means “receive”.
his name.” –John 1:12
The moment you accept Jesus into you, you receive eternal life- God’s life. And you become alive
with that life- the life of God – the eternal life! John says:
“The testimony is this: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the
Son possesses life; whoever does not possess the Son of God, does not possess life.” -1 John 5:11-12
In other words, you begin to have two kinds of life: the human life as a human being, and the divine
or eternal life as a Christian. You become like Jesus who has two lives, the human and the divine.
2. THE FATHER OF JESUS BECOMES OUR FATHER
The Father of Jesus is our Father. Jesus told us to call his Father, “ABBA”.
“All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading
you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, ‘Abba!’ (that is ‘Father’). The Spirit
himself gives witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”- Romans 8:14-16
“Each one of you is a son of God because of your faith in Christ Jesus.”
“The proof that you are the sons is the fact that God has sent forth into our hearts the Spirit of his
Son which cries out ‘Abba’ (‘Father’).” – Galatians 3:26; 4:6
It is a privilege that God is our Father. But a privilege carries with it a responsibility. Because God is
our Father, we must live a life that will honor and glorify Him. That is why as Christians, everything we do
must be done always according to His will.
“The fact is that whether you eat or drink – or whatever you do, you should do all for the glory of
God.” -1 Corinthians 10:31
3. THE MOTHER OF JESUS BECOMES OUR MOTHER
If you are united with Jesus, Mary, the Mother of Jesus becomes your mother. It is very important to
know this so we will know how to relate with Mary. If Mary is our mother, then it is our duty to honor her,
since it is the duty of all children to honor their parents. You have to relate to her the way Jesus relates to
her, and love her the way Jesus loves her.
Mary is the Mother of Jesus as the man and as God because we do not separate the man and the God
in Jesus. Jesus is wholly God and wholly man. Otherwise only the man-Jesus died on the cross. In that case
we are not yet saved.
“In the beginning was the Word; the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God.” –John
1:1
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory: The glory of
an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love.” –John 1:14
Jesus is the Word because He is God. He is flesh because he is man. So, Jesus is both God and man
at the same time. And whoever is the Mother of Jesus is indeed the Mother of Jesus as God and as man at
the same time. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who declared and proclaimed Mary as the mother of Jesus as
God.
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: Blest are you among women and blest is the fruit of your womb.
But who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” –Luke 1:41-43
The Bible tells us that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, John the Baptist in her womb jumped for
joy. At the voice of Mary, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Spirit,
Elizabeth exclaimed: “Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to visit me!”
“Near the cross of Jesus there stood his Mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and
Mary Magdalene. Seeing his mother there with the disciple whom he loved, Jesus said to his mother,
‘Woman, there is your son.’ In turn he said to the disciple, ‘There is your mother!’” –John 19:25-27
Are you a disciple of Jesus? These same words are addressed to you: “There is your mother”. Unless
of course, you say, you have nothing to do with Jesus then you can also say you have nothing to do with
Mary.
4. WE BECOME MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY OF GOD- THE BLESSED TRINITY
The whole of God is in us, and the whole of us is in God. The same life that vibrates I God is
vibrating in us. We therefore, become members of the family of God. We are a holy people.
“Once you were no people, but now you are God’s people; once there was no mercy for you, but
now you have found mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:10
“Bear with one another and forgive whenever there is any occasion to do so. As the Lord has
forgiven you, forgive one another. Let all this be done with love; through it everything is united and made
perfect.” –Colossians 3:13-14
Put on love, because you are God’s chosen ones. You are holy! Christians are holy people and
whoever hurts a Christian is in danger of rousing the anger of the Father.
“Are you not aware that you are the temple of God, and that Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone
destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.” -1
Corinthians 3:16-17
God will destroy whoever destroys His temple. And that is what you are! That being so, you have to
be very careful when you deal with a fellow Christian.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Word will never pass away.” –Matthew 24:35
His Word remains forever.
5. WE ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS
The same life of Jesus in you is also in me. Whether you like it or not, we are all brothers and sisters
in the Lord. This relationship is even much deeper than any blood relationship. Blood brothers and sisters
are related because they have the same parental blood. But as Christians, we have the same life – the eternal,
divine life.
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all the members have the same
function, so too we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another.” –
Romans 12:4-5
“Because the loaf of bread is one, we, many though we are, are one body, for we all partake of the
one loaf.” -1 Corinthians 10:17
Because of this divine life, we are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. That is why we have to love
one another because God expects us to accept and love one another. There are people whom we do not like,
because they do not live up to our expectations or standards. Nonetheless, we have to love them all. Even
among blood brothers and sisters, there are those whom we do not like, yet we care and feel for them.
“I give you a new commandment: Love one another. Such as my love has been for you, so must your
love be for each other. This is how all will know you for my disciples: your love for one another.” –John
13:34-35
You have to love me the way Jesus loves you. It is a commandment of the Lord; take it or leave it.
Christians must live the life of love. Otherwise, He will never recognize you to be His followers.
6. WE BECOME HEIRS
Our new identity as sons and daughters of God and our new relationship with the Father is not the
only wonderful thing that Jesus did for us. Paul says, “if a son, then an heir”. Thus we have the privilege of
sharing in the Father’s authority and in the Father’s ownership of all creation. This is our right as heirs, as
sons and daughters of God.
In John’s gospel, Jesus says: “All that the Father has is mine. Therefore I say that He will take what
is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:15)
“You are no longer a slave but a son! And the fact that you are a son makes you an heir, by God’s
design.” – Galatians 4:7
“All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading
you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, ‘Abba!’ (that is ‘Father’). The Spirit
himself gives witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with
him so as to be glorified with him.” – Romans 8:14-17
“Furthermore, if you belong to Christ, you are the descendants of Abraham, which means you
inherit all that was promised.” – Galatians 3:29
“Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being. Do it for the Lord rather than for men, since
you know full well you will receive an inheritance from him as your reward. Be slaves of Christ the Lord.” –
Colossians 3:23-24
CLOSING
Let us now bow our heads and close our eyes before the Lord to evaluate our former understanding
of the meaning of Christianity. Do you understand the way it was explained to you today?
Whatever is your answer, tell it to the Lord now, with all your heart. And ask for his mercy and
consideration for all your failures due to your wrong understanding of the basic concept of Christianity. The
Lord is a loving God!
Talk to Him…
Song: “Christians All Over” or “Thank you God for sending Jesus”
CHAPTER THREE
SIN AND REPENTANCE
OBJECTIVES:
1. To make them understand what sin is and how ugly it is.
2. To impress on them the urgency of repentance and reconciliation with God.
OUTLINE
I. INTRODUCTION
Relation with the preceding topic
II. MEANING OF SIN
Any thought, word, action or omission by which a person rejects Christ (God) in him and substitutes
Christ with something else.
TWO KINDS OF SIN: (1 John 5:16-17)

1. mortal
2. venial
III. EFFECTS OF SIN
1. SEPARATION FROM CHRIST (GOD)

2. LOSS OF DIVINE LIFE (ETERNAL DEATH)
-Romans 6:23; Matthew 8:22
3. THE SINNER BECOMES AN AGENT OF THE DEVIL
-1 John 3:8; John 8:44
IV. REPENTANCE
1. MEANING
2. REPARATION OF DAMAGE
3. THE PROCESS OF REPENTANCE
Repentance includes the Sacrament of Reconciliation. –John 20:22-23
CONFESSION IS LOGICAL
SACRAMENTAL PENANCE
V. CONCLUSION
Relate the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-31)

Point out the love of God for sinners.
Lead the people to repentance.
Song:
I’m Sorry Lord (3x)
For having offended You.
I now repent,
For all my sins.
Jesus, I love You
My Lord.
EXPLANATION
I. INTRODUCTION
From the preceding teaching, we said that a Christian is a person who is united with Christ (God).
And the only thing that can break or separate this union is sin. That goes to show how bad, ugly and terrible
sin is. Imagine nothing in the world can break up our union with Jesus, except sin.
II. MEANING OF SIN
Sin is any thought, word, action or omission by which a person rejects Christ (God) in him and
substitutes Him with something else.
For example, you steal the pig or money of your neighbour. What did you do? You rejected Christ
Jesus (God) in you in lieu of a pig or sum of money. You have the pig or money with you but you don’t
have Jesus anymore. You are now living in a state of sin.
Take note that we said, sin is any thought, word, action or omission. In other words, a person can
commit sin not only by action but even by his thought.
For example, you thought of killing somebody. As you keep thinking about it, you finally decided to
do it at midnight that same day. When the time came, you went to his house but the person was no longer
there. Right there and then you also decide not to proceed with your plan anymore. Question, did you
commit sin? What sin? The sin of murder in thought. How serious is it? Very serious! Do you need to
confess it? Definitely!
Sin takes place in the mind, long before the act is done. The moment you decide to do evil, sin
occurs. At that moment, you decided to reject Christ (God) in order to satisfy your evil intention. And in
God, there is no time difference; no past, no future, everything is present. Thus, the time of the decision in
your mind to do evil and its actual fulfilment are not past and future for God but all present.
TWO KINDS OF SIN:
Sin can be mortal, that is deadly; it takes away the life of God in you. Or venial, that means, not
deadly but damaging.
“If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give
him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as a deadly sin, about which I
do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin but not all sin is deadly.” -1 John 5: 16-17
In the context of this talk, we refer to mortal sins as the sins that cause the loss of the divine life
(death) in a person.
III. EFFECTS OF SIN
1. SEPARATION FROM CHRIST (GOD)
Because of his rejection of Christ (God) the sinner becomes separated from God. He throws Him
aside in preference for something else, whatever that may be. Imagine, rejecting the loving and all-powerful
God for sin – for something ugly and destructive.
2. LOSS OF DIVINE LIFE (ETERNAL DEATH)
The moment you reject Jesus through sin, you lose Jesus and the divine life. You then, become dead,
a corpse, (a “mayat”, “bangkay”, “minatay”). Those living in sin are “mayats”, corpses, “bangkays”,
“minatays”. This is what Paul says in his letter to the Romans:
“The wages of sin is death.” – Romans 6:23
“… leave the dead to bury their own dead.” –Matthew 8:22
Jesus was referring to those who are living in sin and are therefore spiritually dead. The spiritually
dead are not united with Him and could not follow Him, so leave them to take care of their own “dead”,
their own kind.
Someone in your household could possibly be spiritually dead. Imagine what a terrible thing it is to
be living with a dead person – a corpse (“mayat”, “bangkay”, “minatay”). That is why parents should realize
that they have a serious responsibility towards their children, to ensure that they and their children are
spiritually alive. They should make sure they are not bringing up spiritually-dead persons.
Within the family, it is not only the parents who have responsibilities towards their children, bit
husbands and wives, too, have mutual responsibilities towards each other. Each one should see to it that
his/her partner is spiritually alive in the Lord. How terrible it is to be moving around with a dead person or
even sleeping with him if he is your husband.
3. THE SINNER BECOMES AN AGENT OF THE DEVIL
A living dead is more dangerous than a corpse in the coffin. Because the corpse in the coffin is
harmless but the sinner is an agent of the devil and he or she may be your own husband or wife, son or
daughter living within your house.
“The man who sins belongs to the devil…” -1 John 3:8
Jesus says: “The father you sprang from is the devil and willingly you carry out his wishes. He
brought death to man from the beginning, and has never based himself on truth; the truth is not in him.
Lying speech is his native tongue; he is a liar and the father of lies.” –John8:44
You give up the fatherhood of God because you prefer the fatherhood of the devil. How stupid
indeed! Come to think of it, sin is an act of stupidity.
IV. REPENTANCE
Can a person who is spiritually dead be alive again? Yes, happily, through or by repentance!
1. THE MEANING OF REPENTANCE
What is repentance?
Repentance is the antidote for sin. It is the sinner’s decision to reject sin and reaccept Jesus into his
life again.
For example, when you stole the money of your neighbour you rejected Jesus in you and substituted
Him with that sum of money you stole. Now that you repent, you must reject the money, return it to the
owner and reaccept Christ Jesus in you. Without that rejection there can be no repentance because Jesus and
sin cannot be together.
As long as sin is still in you, Jesus will never come into you.
2. REPARATION OF DAMAGE
There are two things that go with every sin a person commits, namely, guilt and damage. The
moment he repents, guilt is erased and he is reconciled with God. But the damage still remains. Thus,
besides rejecting sin and reaccepting Christ, the repentant sinner also has the duty to repair the damage
caused by the sin he committed. For example, you must return the money that you stole. If you cannot do it
now, you must promise the Lord you’ll do it as soon as you can. This is a matter of justice.
3. THE PROCESS OF REPENTANCE
Some people think they can fool God. They commit sin, and then go to confession hoping that
repentance is all there is to it. We must understand that there is no repentance without restitution, no matter
how often we go to confession.
It is important to know that repentance also includes the desire to go the Sacrament of
Reconciliation.
“Then he breathed in them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins, then they are
forgiven him; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.” – John 20:22-23
It is the will of Jesus that sins are forgiven through the Sacrament; through his authority. The Jews
were scandalized at Jesus when he said to the paralytic: “Your sins are forgiven”. Jesus knew the hearts of
those people, and He asked them: “Which is easier to say: Your sins are forgiven, or arise and walk?” To
prove that God has given to the Son of Man the authority to forgive sins. Jesus proceeded to perform the
miracle of healing the paralytic to whom he said: “Your sins are forgiven,” and He commanded him to “rise
up” and the paralytic was healed, he rose and walked!
The power to forgive sins is given to man in Jesus. Jesus gave it to his apostles: “Receive the Holy
Spirit, whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.” (John 20:22-23). The twelve apostles later gave this
power to the other 72 disciples. The power is intended for all peoples of the world, and the power is present
in the world right now. Your contrition and repentance must include your desire to go to the Sacrament of
Reconciliation at the first opportunity. If you have this disposition, the Lord will forgive you right there and
then. That is why you should not delay your repentance to get the Lord’s forgiveness. But there must be
your desire to go to confession. You confess to a priest because He has given him the power to forgive sins –
he has that authority which others do not have.
You may want to confess straight to God and not to anybody else. That may be what you want, but
that is not what God wants of you. People do not go to heaven doing what they want, but by doing only what
God wants. You may have your reservation or your own interpretation for John 20:22-23. That is what you
think. If your interpretation is wrong, you would be the loser. When it is a matter of salvation, you must play
safe and be very sure. Granting, it is not true that God wants you to go to confession and you went, what
have you lost? But if it is true and you did not go, you lose everything. There is nothing in the bible that says
you need not go to confession. On the other hand, there is that passage that clearly tells us, “Whose sins you
forgive, they are forgiven.” (John 20:22-23)
CONFESSION IS LOGICAL
When you receive Jesus for the first time you needed a sacrament, the Sacrament of Baptism. Is it
not quite logical that when you reaccept Him you would also need a sacrament, an outward sign that you
have reaccepted Him?
It is biblical that you needed a sacrament the first time you accepted Jesus.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). If there was a need for an outward
sign when we first accepted Jesus, why should there not be a need for another outward sign when you
reaccept Jesus? It stands to reason to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Even the priests, and the Pope
too, go to confession, because that is what God wants. And we preach confession because it is according to
the will of the Lord.
Don’t delay your repentance, for Paul says: “Now is the day of salvation.” Repent now because we
do not know when we shall reach the gate into eternity. Remember, “death comes like a thief in the night.” It
comes when you least expect it.
SACRAMENTAL PENANCE
After confession, depending on how great or less our contrition was, some temporal punishment may
remain unpaid. This is made up either through our sufferings, prayers and good works in life, or through the
purifying pains of Purgatory in the next. To help us make this expiation or atonement for our sins, the
minister of the sacrament imposes upon the penitent a penance to be fulfilled (some prayers or good works)
as a token for the sins committed. Penance is an integral part of the sacrament.
As a supplement, to reduce whatever temporal punishment still remains for our sins, and also in
order to help others expiate for their sins, we should generously add some other works of piety (exercises of
devotion, especially the Holy Mass), charity (almsgiving, works of mercy), mortification (fasting or
abstaining from some unnecessary pleasure or frivolous gratification, or patient endurance of ills permitted
by God) to our Sacramental penance.
V. CONCLUSION
Relate the Story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-31). Point out to them the love of God for sinners,
His longing for them and His unconditional forgiveness if they only come back to Him and say: “I’m sorry,
Lord!” Lead the people to repentance. Allow a few minutes of silence to make the people examine their
conscience. Let them bow their heads and close their eyes so they can pray better.
Sing the song: “I’m Sorry Lord”
After the song, make the participants externally express their rejection of sin and reacceptance of
Jesus by making them rise up or kneel down as a sign of their reacceptance and raise up their hands to the
Lord as a sign of their surrender to Him. Let them talk to the Lord all together in a voice that can be heard to
show him that we are not anymore ashamed of Him.
“Whoever is ashamed of me before men, I will be ashamed of them before my Father in heaven.” –
Mark 8:38
CHAPTER FOUR
PRAISING THE LORD
OBJECTIVES
1. To convince the participants that praising the Lord is our CHRISTIAN VOCATION.
2. To initiate them in the actual praising of the Lord.
OUTLINE
I. MEANING
What does the word “to praise” mean? It means to acknowledge the truths in the person we
are praising. Thus, to praise God is to acknowledge the truths in God.
II. REASON FOR PRAISING THE LORD

1. The Lord is our creature and we are His creatures.
2. It is our vocation as Christians.
- Ephesians 1: 11-14
- 1 Corinthians 10: 31
3. The word of God explicitly tells us to do so.
- Psalm 22: 23
- Psalm 150: 6
- Hebrews 13: 5
4. Praise is the Throne of God.
- Psalm 22: 3
5. Praise is the key that unlocks the power of God.
- Joshua 6: 15-20
- Acts 16: 25-26
6. Jesus Himself teaches us to pray.
- Luke 11: 2
III. WHAT TO PRAISE IN GOD

1. We praise God in all His perfections.
2. We praise God for allowing trials, difficulties, problems, persecutions and evils to come
into our live. –Romans 8: 28
3. For the blessings He gives u every day.
IV. VARIOUS WAYS OF PRAISING GOD

1. By speaking out our praises
- Hebrews 13: 15-16
- Psalms 66: 1-2,8
- Psalms 150: 3-6
2. By songs and singing in the Spirit
3. By testimonies
- Luke 8: 38-39
4. By raising our hands
- Exodus 17: 8-13
- 1 Timothy 2: 8
5. Holy Mass
V. CONCLUSION
Lead the people into praising.
EXPLANATION
I. MEANING
What does the word “to praise” mean?
Praise is an expression of commendation, or admiration, to bestow approval upon, to

honor, to worship or to glorify, as defined. To praise is to acknowledge the truths in the person we
are praising. Like, when a person is generous we say: How generous you are! We acknowledge his
generosity. When we talk, therefore, of praising the Lord we mean our acts of acknowledging the
truth in the Lord like, His perfections, His goodness to us, His generosity, etc.
II. REASONS FOR PRAISING THE LORD

1. THE LORD IS OUR CREATOR AND WE ARE HIS CREATURES
It is but proper and fitting that creature should acknowledge their creator and
give Him the honor and the glory that is due Him. If it is the duty of children to
acknowledge their parents how much more for creatures towards their creator.
“Praise the Lord, all His creatures, in all the places he rules.”
Psalm 103: 20-22
2. IT IS OUR VOCATION AS CHRISTIANS.
From the scriptures, we see that God made us Christians so we could praise Him. We
saw earlier, that God’s purpose in creating man is for man to be united with Him. The
moment you are united with God in Jesus, you become a people of God. He wants
you, as people of God, to praise Him.
“They are my own people and I created them to bring me glory.”
Isaiah 43: 7
“In him we were chosen; for in the decree of God, who administers everything
according to his will and counsel, we were predestined to praise his glory by being
the first to hope in Christ.”
Ephesians 1: 11-12
“He is the pledge of our inheritance, the first payment against the full
redemption of a people God has made his own to praise his glory.”
Ephesians 1: 14
As Christians we are God’ people. If the purpose for which He made us His
people is to praise His glory, then, praising the Lord must be the most important act
we can ever do. In fact, praising must become our main occupation so that every
moment of our life becomes a praise to the Lord. Precisely, that is what Paul says:
“The fact is that whether you eat or drink – whatever you do – you should do
all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10: 31
3. THE WORD OF GOD EXPLICITLY TELLS US TO DO SO.
“You who fear the Lord, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, give glory
to Him; revere Him, all you descendants of Israel!”
Psalm 22: 23
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Alleluia.”
Psalm 150: 6
“Through him let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the
fruit of lips, which acknowledge his name.”
Hebrews 13: 15
4. PRAISE IS GOD’S THRONE
“Yet you are enthroned in the holy place, O glory of Israel.”
Psalm 22:3
God dwells in the praises of Hi people. God deserves all praises. The fact is,
we cannot praise Him enough. For instance, you might say: “God you are so good.”
God is not only good, He is Goodness himself! Or you might praise Him saying:
“God, you are so generous.” God is not only generous, He is Generosity himself! He
is the perfection of everything.
5. PRAISE IS THE KEY THAT UNLOCK THE POWER OF GOD

Jesus teaches us to praise God because praise is power. It is the key that
unlocks the power of God. We have seen miracles happening at the moment of
praising. From the Bible, for example, we have Joshua 6: 15-16:
Here we are told that the walls of Jericho collapsed after the Israelites praised
the Lord in the procession around the city together with the Ark of the Covenant.
“About midnight while Paul and Silas were praying and singing
hymns to God as their fellow prisoners listened, a severe earthquake suddenly
shook the place, rocking the prison to its foundations. Immediately all the
doors flew open and everyone’s chains were pulled loose.”
Acts 16: 25-26
If there is any movement in the world where the power of God moves so
mightily, it is the CHARISMATIC RENEWAL. The power of God is so strong in
the Renewal, not because Charismatics are God’s favorites, but because they are the
people who know the power of praise. They hold the key to the power of God. They
know how to praise God, and how to obtain favors from Him. Charismatics have
learned to praise the Lord.
They give continuous testimonies of God’s manifestations of power because

they are constantly praising the Lord. (Here the speaker may give his own
testimonies.
6. JESUS HIMELF TEACHES US TO PRAISE.
Jesus says:
“He said to them, when you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.”
Luke 11: 2
The first part of the “Our Father” is definitely praise. In other words, Jesus is
saying every time we pray, we should start our prayer with praise. Only then should
we ask or petition, as in the second part of the Lord’s Prayer.
III. WHAT TO PRAISE IN GOD
1. WE PRAISE GOD FOR HIS PERFECTION.
God is all perfect. We are the ones who knows His perfections because it is to
us that God has revealed Himself.
2. WE PRAISE GOD FOR THE TRIALS, DIFFICULTIES, PROBLEMS,
PERSECUTIONS AND EVILS THAT HE HAS ALLOWED TO COME INTO
OUR LIVES.
We believe that nothing will happen unless God allows them to happen.
We also believe that whatever God allows to happen, He has a good purpose in
allowing them. Since God’s purpose is good, we, therefore, praise Him not for the
bad happening but for His good purpose.
“We know that God makes everything work together for the good of
those who love him, whom he has called according to hi decree.”
Romans 8: 28
The early Christians in Rome praised God even when they are persecuted.
History tells us that Rome was lighted with Christians burning t the stakes. The pagan
people were amazed that these Christian could sing praises to God while they were
being burnt. The power of God enabled them to praise Him in spite of the torture. The
test for genuine Christians is the ability to praise God in difficult times and during
trials and calamities.
Paul exhorts us:
“Give thanks to God the Father always and for everything in

the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 5: 20
3. WE PRAISE GOD FOR THE BLESSINGS HE GIVES US EVERYDAY.
Are we aware of the countless blessings that God so freely gives us

every day? Yet people say they do not receive anything. The truth is they have
become insensitive to His countless blessings. For example, you were able to
wake up and get up from bed this morning. There were people who slept last
night and never got up. Would you not consider having received a big
blessing? You had already two blessings as you woke up. Again, you have
been breathing normally. Many people have been struggling to breathe. Many
had stopped breathing. Can you count the number of times you have been
breathing since this morning? Consider how unceasingly God has been
showering you with His blessing even in your breathing.
We have so much to praise God for. Even when we fail to praise Him,
He continues to shower upon His blessings. God is so kind. He is so good.
And He does not force us to say: “Thank You and praise You Lord.” Does He
not deserve our praise?
Now, what about the food we eat three times a day? Some people eat
five times or more often than that. Not only do we have food to eat, we also
have the appetite. This is another blessing. There are people who can afford
the luxury of food, yet they are skin and bones because they have not the
appetite to eat. We may not have the money but we have the appetite. Praise
the Lord! For some people the problem is how to stop eating! Isn’t the appetite
a blessing? Again, we also can eat anything. There are people who are allergic
to all kinds of food.
Are all these not blessing from the Lord? Yet we take God’s goodness
for granted. How can we be so blind as not to know what to praise the Lord
for? If only we can see the goodness of the Lord and count His blessings He
showers upon us, we should be praising God without end. God is so good. He
fills every minute of our life with His blessings!
IV. VARIOUS WAYS OF PRAISING GOD
How shall we praise God? Are there specific ways of doing it? Indeed, the ways are
so many. They are all over the Bible.
1. SPEAK OUT OUR PRAISES

“Through him let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise,
that is, the fruit of lips which acknowledge His name.”
Hebrews 13: 15
We speak out our praises: PRAISE THE LORD; GLORY TO GOD;

ALLELUIA. Wherever you go in the Charismatic Renewal, you hear these praises.
God expects us to praise Him aloud.
“Shout joyfully to God, all you on earth, sing praise to the

glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. Bless our God, you
peoples, loudly sound his praise.”
Psalm 66: 1-2, 8
“Praise him with the blast of the trumpet, praise him with lyre
and harp, praise him with the timbrel and dance, praise him with
string and pipe. Praise him with sounding cymbals, praise him with
clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Alleluia.”
Psalm 150: 3-6
We do not proclaim anything in whispers, but in a loud voice, - a shout! The

more your praise is heard the more powerful the praise becomes; and the more
pleasing it is to God. Do not be ashamed to praise God aloud.
Jesus says:
“If anyone in this faithless and corrupt age is ashamed of me

and my doctrine, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he
comes with the holy angels in his Father’s glory.”
Mark 8: 38
Say your praise aloud and be proud of Jesus before others. Of course, you
have to be cautious and know where you are, and whom you are with, to praise the
way you should praise.
2. BY SONGS AND SINGING IN THE SPIRIT

Songs and singing in the Spirit are other ways of praising the Lord.
Singing in the Spirit can be in tongues or in any language or dialect. Where
there is singing in the Spirit at a gathering everybody should join in.
everybody should get involved in the praise and worship. (Give them a sample
of singing in the Spirit.)
3. TESTIMONIES
We praise to God by giving testimonies manifesting His power in our

midst. The testimonies should be given briefly and direct to the point. It is the
good news of God’s power working in our lives.
4. RAISE YOUR HANDS

The Hebrew word “yadah” means “to stretch out the hand” and is
translated as “praise.” That is why we Charismatic stretch out our hands as a
sign of reverence to God. We open our hands to signify that were letting go of
everything as we concern ourselves with nothing but praise for our God.
Raising hands is a posture of praise. It is a posture by which we

acknowledge that God is above us; we surrender to Him and we open up
ourselves to His blessings. It is pleasing to God.
In Exodus 17: 8-13, we read that Moses was on a hilltop praying for
the victory of the Israelites fighting against the Amaleks. It tells us that Moses
lifted up his hands in prayer, the Israelites were winning the battle, but when,
in tiredness, he dropped his hands, the Israelites were defeated. Moses then,
struggled to keep both hand raised; and two people (Aaron and Hur) held the
hands of Moses on both sides the whole day till the sun went down. And the
Israelites completely destroyed the army of Amalek. There id power when you
praywith lifted hands!
The Bible tells us to raise our hands in praise to the Lord in 1 Timothy
2: 8, Paul exhorts:
“It is my wish, then, that in every place the men shall offer
prayers with blameless hands held aloft, and be free from anger and
dissension.”
1 Timothy 2: 8
The raising of hands has been the practice of the Catholic Church from the
beginning, since apostolic times. At Mass, the priest raise up his hands when he
praise. Furthermore, Jesus has approved this by many miracles that have taken place
when people pray with lifted hands. (Here the speaker may give samples of
testimonies of healing during prayers with lifted hands.)
God is pleased if you praise the Lord with lifted hands. I encourage you to do
that at home. Teach your family to do so. But, here again, be cautious, and do not
raise your hands just anywhere, you may turn people off instead.
5. THE HOLY MASS

The highest form of praise we can give to God is the Holy Mass. We
begin the Mass by offering to God our gift of bread and wine which represent
each one of us. That is our praise to God. At consecration, what we offer to the
Father is no longer bread and wine but Jesus Himself. Jesus becomes our
praise. At Mass, we offer Jesus to the Father. Through Him, with Him, and in
Him we come before the Father to praise and worship Him. That is why; the
Mass is the highest form of praise man can ever give to God, i.e. offering God
His own son, Jesus. No amount of prayer can equal the power of the Mass!
A genuine Charismatic who knows this truth will always strive to

attend Mass. Because the Mass is a praise you should come with a correct and
happy disposition. Come to Mass with a long face, and you will leave with a
longer one.
If you come to praise God, forget your problems. Bring them but give
them to the Lord, so that you can be in a happy disposition when you praise
Him. In that way the Mass will be more meaningful.
V. CONCLUSION
Now that you know the meaning, reasons, and ways of praising the Lord, let
us put all these into action. Let us then close this session with a short period of praise
and thanksgiving to the Lord for the many things He has given us in our lives
including this seminar that we are attending. When we praise the Lord let us praise
Him from our heart with feeling, not from our mind. Let us pause for a moment with
our heads bowed down and our eyes closed. Recall the many blessings God had given
you and even enumerate them (a minute or two of silence)
Let us now stand up to praise and worship the Lord. Now make an act of
surrender of yourself to the Lord. Tell Him you are sorry for all your sins. Remove all
obstacles to the moving of the Holy Spirit, namely: unforgiveness, resentment, ill-
feelings, deeply buried hurts, superstition, spiritism, occultism, etc. And as we sing
the song, “Come Holy Spirit”, sing it from your heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to move
in you as He likes. If He moves you to speak out your praise to the Lord, give way …
speaking out even if others are still singing. If He moves you to kneel down, again
give way … kneel down. Do not resist, just give way to the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Now start the song: “Come Holy Spirit I need You.”
ACTIVITIES
1. What point strikes me most in the topic just discussed?

2. What is the striking point telling me to do?
3. Why? How is my actual situation in relation to the demand or order of the striking point?
4. What specific, concrete action have I decided to do to accomplish the order of the Lord?
CHAPTER FIVE
CHRISTIAN GROWTH
OBJECTIVES
1. To make the participants realize that a Christian must keep on growing.

2. To make them understand what it is.
3. To make them know the basic means of growth.
OUTLINE
I. THE MEANING OF CHRISTIAN GROWTH
Ephesians 4: 15
Definition:
The process of becoming more and more like Christ in thoughts, words, and deeds.
Explain the definition.
II. MEANS OF GROWTH
- FOOD
a. Body of Christ
- John 6: 53
- Matthew 25: 26-28
- 1 Corinthians 11: 26-29
b. Word of God
- Matthew 4: 4
- Jeremiah 15: 16
- 2 Timothy 3: 16
Vatican II on Divine Revelation
- CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Christian life is communitarian. The moment you become a Christian you become a
part of Christ’s Body, the Church.
- ACTIVITIES
a. Prayer
- Mark 1: 35
- Psalm 37: 7
b. Study
- John 17: 3
- Hosea 4: 6
c. Ministry or Apostolate
- Matthew 28: 20
III. PERSEVERANCE
- Philippians 3: 16
IV. CLOSING PRAYER
Song: I have decided to follow Jesus.
EXPLANATION
I. THE MEANING OF CHRISTIAN

Growth is a basic characteristic of life. If life does not grow, it is going to die. As
Christians, we are alive not only with our own human life but most of all with a new life: the
divine life of Christ which we received when we were born again of water and Holy Spirit in
baptism. We may have died in that life by sin but by repentance and sacramental absolution,
we have come back life again. We are resurrected.
In Ephesians 4: 15 the Apostle Paul says:
“Rather, let us profess the truth in love and grow to the full maturity of Christ
the head.”
From these words of the Apostle Paul, we define, therefore, Christian Growth as:
“The process of becoming more and more like Christ in thought, word, and deed.”
Explanation of terms:
1. “PROCESS”
By this, we mean that Christian Growth is an ongoing and continuing activity. You
don’t become a mature Christian overnight after attending a seminar or reading a book, etc.
2. “OF BECOMING”
To “become” implies giving away something at hand and acquiring something new.
For example, the youth becomes an adult; the single gets married; the pagan becomes a
Christian.
Christian Growth then implies the giving away of our former worldly ways and
attitudes in order to acquire the new ways and attitudes of Christ. It is dying to SELF, so that;
Christ may become more alive in us.
“He must increase; while I must decrease.” John 3: 30
Ephesians 4: 22-23 says:
“ … namely that you must lay aside your former way of life and the old self
which deteriorates through illusion and desire, and acquire a fresh, spiritual way of
thinking.”
3. “MORE AND MORE”
Growth is a slow process. In the physical life, a child who is born today does not go to
school the next day. So it is also in the spiritual life. It is a lifelong process. It entails plenty of
patience and perseverance.
Growth cannot be forced. It is principally the work of God!
“I planted the seed and the Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. This means
that neither he plants nor he who waters is of any special account, only God, who gives
the growth.”
1 Corinthians 3: 6-7
4. “LIKE CHRIST”
This means that in the process of growing as Christians, we should keep on looking at Jesus
Christ as our model.
“… whoever has seen me has seen the Father…” John 14:9
This He said because the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. As Christians, we are in
Jesus and Jesus is in us. In the process of growing, therefore, we should aim at being able to
say, “Whoever sees me sees Jesus.”
“All of us, gazing on the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces, are being transformed from
glory to glory into his very image by the Lord who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3: 18
“Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the
flesh.”
Romans 13: 14
“You are my children, and you put me back in labor pains until Christ is formed in
you.’’
Galatians 4: 19
5. “IN THOUGHTS, WORDS AND DEEDS”
a. “Thoughts”
The mind and heart of the person which makes up his attitude should be the first to
conform to Christ. Unless this happens, there is no real, genuine change, it’s all superficial.
“Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your
mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and
perfect.”
Romans 12: 2
“… and acquire a fresh, spiritual way of thinking.”

Ephesians 4: 23
“Your attitude must be that of Christ.”

Philippians 2: 5
b. “Words”
Words are the expression of our thoughts. If our thoughts are Christ-like, our –
like words should be Christ-like too.
“Never let evil talk pass your lips; say only the good things men need
to hear things that will really help them.”
Ephesians 4: 29
“Nor should be there be any obscene, silly or suggestive talk; all that
is out place. Instead give thanks.”
Ephesians 5: 4
For more Scriptures, read Matthew 15: 17-19: Ephesians 2: 5)
c. “ Deeds”
We must not only talk like Christ. We must live and act like Christ. “Action speaks
louder than words”, as the saying goes.
“But whoever keeps his word, truly has the love of God been made
perfect in him. The way we can be sure we are in union with him is for the man who
claims to abide in him to conduct himself just as he did.”
1 John 2: 5-6
(For more scriptures read Luke 6:46; Ephesians 2: 4: Galatians 6: 9; revelation 22:
12)
II. MEANS OF GROWTH

Christian growth is the process of becoming more and more like Christ in thoughts, words
and deeds. I would like to point out three ways or means of growth, namely:
1. FOOD
Physical life needs physical food. Plant life needs plant food. Consequently, spiritual
life needs spiritual food.
a. The Body of Christ

“There upon Jesus said to them: Let me solemnly assure you, if you do
not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no
life in you.”
John 6: 53
(For more scriptures read Matthew 25: 26-28; 1 Corinthians 11: 26-29)
b. The Word of God

“… not on bread alone is man to live but on every utterance that comes from
the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4: 4
“When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and
happiness of my heart, because I bore your name, O Lord God of hosts.”
Jeremiah 15: 16
“All scripture is inspired of God and useful for teaching reproof, correction,
and training in holiness.”
2 Timothy 3: 16
The word of God makes you competent and equipped for every good work. Christians
who read the Bible become acquainted with the Word of God and are able to listen to God
through Hs word. St, Jerome said: “Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.” If we love
somebody we are interested in his words. If you love God therefore, you must be interested in
His word – the Bible!
VATICAN II DEVINE REVELATION (DV 21):

“For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children
with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is o great
that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength and faith for her sons, th
food of the soul, the pure and perennial source of spiritual life. Consequently, these words
are perfectly applicable to sacred scripture: “For the word of God is living and efficient”
(Hebrews 4: 12) “and it is able to build up and give the inheritance among all the
sanctified” (acts 20: 23-35; cf. 1 Thessalonians 2: 13)
(For more scriptures read Hebrews 4: 12; Isaiah 55: 10-11; Psalm 119: 105)
The word of God, however, is not confined only to the Bible. It includes all the
official teachings of the Church. In fact, this is what the New Testament was, during the first
century of the Church – the teaching of the Apostles and other teachers appointed by them.
There were writings that surfaced after the Apostles died. In the course of time, the
Church accepted only those that now compose the New Testament of the Bible. None of the
New Testament writers ever thought their writings would eventually be incorporated into the
Bible.
The Church is the authority on the Bible.
The Church is Christ present in the world, and when the Church teaches, actually it is
Christ teaching His people.
Jesus said to Peter:
“I will entrust to you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you
declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you declare
loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16: 19
And Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations… teach them to
carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you
always, until the end of this world.
Matthew 28: 19-20
To listen to the Church, therefore, is to listen to Christ.
Jesus said:
“He, who hears you, hears me, He who rejects you, rejects me. And he,
who rejects me, rejects Him who sent me.”
Luke 10: 16
It is unfortunate that only the Bible is identified as the Word of God. The fact
is, Jesus never told His Apostles, “Go and read the Bible.” On the other hand, it is
very clear that He commanded them, “Go and make disciples … etc.”
2. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
For a Christian to function properly and effectively in the Body of Christ, he

must be a member of a small unit of this body – the Pastoral Cell.
Just as in the physical bod , for instance, you don’t see fingers sticking out of
the forehead or neck and functioning effectively, so also in the Body of Christ. The
individual members function in this small unit.
“As it is, God has set each member of the body in the place he wanted
it to be.”
1 Corinthians 12: 18
That is why at the beginning of this seminar, we already told you to form yourselves
into pastoral cells. We hope you will continue to be faithful in attending your pastoral cell
meeting every week. It is there that you will live a normal Christian life where you have a
specific people to count on and to interact with as part of your life. You help mold them into
“CHRIST” as they do the same to you in a spirit of love it is there that you will go strong and
healthy and bear abundant fruits.
Of course, your group is not yet a community, much less a Christian community at the
moment it is organized. But we hope that as you continue to meet, it will eventually develop
into a real Christian community. That is, that the members will come to love one another with
a real committed love just as the Lord has commanded, “By this shall all men know that you
are my disciples if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) this is, therefore, the goal of
the pastoral cell – to be of “one heart and one mind”, to be a genuine Christian Community
where the members are committed to buid up one another in the Lord.
3. ACTIVITIES
Any life that does not have activities weakens and dies. In order, therefore, to keep
ourselves strong and growing in the spiritual life, we need to have spiritual activities.
Apostle Paul says:
“Be rooted in him and build up in him, growing ever stronger in the
faith, as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.”
Colossians 2: 7
The activities then that we undertake should make us “rooted in” and “build up” in
Christ. What do these mean?
Those that make us “build up” in Christ are those that extend Body of Christ and
strengthen it. These would be the apostolic works. Let us consider them.
a. Prayer
By prayer we mean conversing with God talking and listening to God.
Although there should be more listening than talking because God has more
things to say to us that we have to say to Him. In prayer, God must be the
center. As long as we still seek ourselves in our prayer, it will be difficult for
us to hear God.
“Rising early in the next morning, He went off to a lonely place in the
desert; there he was absorbed in prayer.”
Mark 1: 35
“Keep calm before the Lord, wait for him in patience … “

Psalm 37: 7
Prayer is an art that we have to learn. And the only way to learn it is to be
consistent and regular in doing it. That is why; it is always advised that we
have a regular prayer time every day.
(For more scriptures read Ephesian 6: 18; Colossians 4: 2; 1 Thessalonians 5:

17)
b. Study
Jesus said:
“Eternal life is this; to know you, the only true God, and him whom
you have sent, Jesus Christ.”
John 17: 3
God says:
“My people perish for want of knowledge! Since you have rejected
knowledge, I will reject you from my priesthood; Since you ignore the law of your
God, I will also ignore your sons.”
Hosea 4: 6
Study is really a “must”, if we have to grow in our Christian life. We cannot love
what we do not know.
We have to know the Lord in His word and in His Church. That is why, we have
to study not only the Bible but also the teachings of the Church.
c. Ministry or Apostolate
This means continuing the work of the Apostles Matthew 28: 20), namely, the
extension of Christ’s kingdom bt getting more and more people centered in
Christ ( 2 Corinthians 5: 19-20), and the strengthening of this same kingdom,
the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12). Christians are to be witnesses of
Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 8).
III. PERSEVERNCE
“It is important that we continue on our course, no matter what stage we have
reached.”
IV. CLOSING PRAYER

Song – “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus”
CHAPTER SIX
CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
OBEJCTIVES
1. To make them realize that to be an effective Christian it is not enough to have the power (Holy Spirit).
They must experience the release or operation of this power.
2. To create a hunger in them for this experience by making them see its tremendous and beautiful effects
among the apostles and the Christians of our time who have gone through it.
3. To lead them to the experience.
OUTLINE
I. MEANING
II. THE GIFT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. The Promise of Jesus
- John 16: 7
- John 7: 37-39
2. Jesus Fulfilled His Promise to the Apostles
- John 20: 22-23
- Acts 1: 8
- Luke 24: 49
3. The Experience of the Holy Spirit
- Acts 2: 1-17
4. Effects of the Experience
a. Inner Transformation
b. The Manifestation of the Power of the Holy Spirit
5. The Difference Between Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Baptism of Water.
6. The importance Of Baptism in the Holy Spirit for Living our Christian Life.
a. it makes us realize the power that is at our disposal.
b. Peter and John had to go to Samaria to lay hands on already baptized Christians.
c. It makes us see its transforming effects on the Apostles and on thousands of people
today.
d. We cannot avail of a power that we have no experience of.
III. THE PROCESS TO EXPERIENCE THE RELEASE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. It’s a pure gift of God, we cannot earn it. We just ask and trust.
- Luke 11: 13
2. We should do the following:
a. Surrender
b. Remove all obstacles
c. Ask
d. Praise God from your heart
3. Gift of Tongue
Be open to the Gift of Tongue, by surrendering your tongue and your voice for the
Holy Spirit to use.
- Mark 16: 17
IV. PRAYER SESSION

Instructions
Actual Prayer Sessions
EXPLANATION
I. THE MEANING OF CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
There’s a movement that is fast spreading in the world nowadays. This is called the Charismatic
Renewal Movement. You must hear of it. What is this? What does the word “charismatic” mean? Actually,
this comes from the Greek word “charisma” meaning “gift”. So that the word “charismatic” therefore,
means “gifted”. This refers to the person who has received the gift. Now what is this gift in this Renewal
Movement which makes a person Charismatic the moment he receives it? Could it be a birthday gift or a
Christmas gift? Of course not!
II. THE GIFT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. THE PROMISE OF JESUS
This is what Jesus promised in the Gospel of St. John:
“Yet I tell you the sober truth, it is much better for you that I go. If I
fail to go, the Paraclete will never come to you, whereas if I go, I will send
him to you.”
John 16: 7
Earlier in the same gospel Jesus said:
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me: let him drink who believes in
me.” Scripture has it: “From within Him rivers of living water shall flow.”
John 7: 37-39
Here he was referring to the Spirit, whom those that came to believe in Him
were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit as yet, since Jesus had not yet been
glorified.
2. JESUS FULFILLED HIS PROMISE TO THE APOSTLES
In John 20:22-23, we read that after the crucifixion of our Lord, the Apostles were hiding in
fear. Jesus appeared to them and He breathed on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit…” Right
there and then the Apostles received the Holy Spirit.
In the Book of Acts, it is written that the Holy Spirit is power. Thus, the moment you receive
it, you receive power.
Jesus says:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; then you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, yes, even to the ends of the earth.” -
Acts 1:8
On Resurrection Sunday the Apostles indeed received the Holy Spirit. They received the
Power of God! However, they remained in hiding, and feared to go out to preach. They had received
power, no doubt, but the power was not yet operating in them . They had not yet experienced it. They
had no idea what it was. Give a person a fully loaded flashlight, if he doesn’t have any experience
how to handle or use it, that flashlight will not be of any use at all. He may have power in his hands,
but having no experience, that power remains ineffective and inoperative.
It’s true, Jesus gave his Apostles the Holy Spirit (Power ) on Resurrection Sunday, but he told
them to “wait” in the city of Jerusalem, “UNTIL YOU ARE CLOTHED WITH POWER FROM ON
HIGH” (Luke 24:49). In other words, they had the power, but that power must first be vested on
them to be operative. It is like the Presidential candidate who won by landslide victory during the
elections. Can he already go to the office and start functioning as the President the day after the
counting of the ballots? Of course not yet! Although he has already received the power, it has not yet
been vested on him.
It is just like bringing a man from the jungles who never had any experience of electricity to a
fully furnished house. For all you know, when evening comes, instead of turning on the switches to
put on the lights, he would go around and try to build a fire.
3. THE EXPERIENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

On Pentecost Sunday, 120 believers including the Apostles and Mary, the mother of Jesus,
gathered in the upper room. All of a sudden a mighty wind blew across the room and tongues of fire
came and rested on all of them . Immediately, they all began to talk in different languages they had
never spoken before.
Thousands of people flocked there and were amazed to hear them speaking, each in his own
native tongue. That was the first Baptism in the Holy Spirit! – the tremendous outpouring of the
Holy Spirit! (See Acts 2:1-17).
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the experience of the release of the Holy Spirit and his power in
us. Note, however, that you do not receive the Holy Spirit at the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
As a Christian, you already received Him at the time you were baptized in water. At the
Sacrament of Baptism, the Holy Spirit was “installed” in you, but it is at the Baptism in the Holy
Spirit that He, the Spirit is released – you experience His presence and His operations.
4. EFFECTS OF THE EXPERIENCE
a) Inner Transformation
The effect of this in the person is inner transformation. The Pentecost experience proved it.
After that event no one could stop the Apostles from talking about the Lord. Peter, who had
cowardly denied Jesus three times, was now emboldened to preach Jesus in the presence of 3,000
people. The Apostles were transformed! They were renewed and all their fears were gone. They were
emboldened to preach even in the face of imprisonment. What great power had come on them!
The same effect is happening the world over where there is the Charismatic Renewal. The
people experience the release of the Holy Spirit. You see the marked difference – a transformation –
in these people who are baptized in the Holy Spirit. If only you would open yourself to the Holy
Spirit and allow Him to move in your life, He will also transform you to your own amazement. (Give
testimony about the inner transformation.)
b) The Manifestation of the Power of the Holy Spirit
This happens the world over at every baptism in the Holy Spirit. With that inner
transformation, the Holy Spirit begins to operate in you. Like the Apostles, you will feel the power of
the Holy Spirit manifesting in you. The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit will begin to function one after
another as you continue to allow it to respond to the needs of God’s people at the moment. You
begin to experience the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment,
tongues and interpretation of tongues.
In the Apostles, the first gift to operate was the gift of tongues. And the effect of that was
over 3,000 people were converted.
After the experience on Pentecost Sunday, Peter preached for the first time, with wisdom and
knowledge, that thousands were touched and converted. His preaching was empowered by the Holy
Spirit.
Then, with John at the temple gate, Peter healed a lame beggar. “Silver and gold I have none;
but what I have I give you,” he commanded: “In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and
walk!”(Acts 3:6) And the lame man stood up and walked.
Everybody was amazed by the miraculous healing. Power! The Holy Spirit is Power!
Wherever the Apostles went, signs, wonders, and miracles happened. Even the dead were raised to
life!
Miracles are signs of the presence of the Messiah. When John the Baptist sent delegates to
ask Jesus if He was the Messiah, Jesus said: “Go and tell John what you have seen – the lame walk,
the blind see, lepers are cleansed, the dead rise again…”
In other words, Jesus was saying: “Tell John the Baptist that you have seen the signs and
proofs of the Messiah.” The signs and miracles that happened 2,000 years ago are still happening
now, even the miracle of resurrection from the dead! (Give testimony about raising of the dead.)
5. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BAPTISM OF
WATER
In the Christian world, the word “baptism” is used with two meanings, “baptism of water and
baptism of the Holy Spirit”. That is why in the letter to the Hebrews 6:1-2,
“Let us then, go beyond the initial teaching about Christ and advance to maturity;
not laying the foundation all over again: repentance from dead works, faith in God,
instruction about baptisms and laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal
judgment.”
To see more clearly the difference between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and water, we put it
this way:
6. IMPORTANCE OF BAPTISM OF BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR LIVING OUR

CHRISTIAN LIFE
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is very important:
a) Because it makes us realize the power that is at our disposal.

Without this baptism in the Holy Spirit we are like fully armed soldiers who have never fired
a gun in their lives. Or a well-equipped carpenter who has never touched his tools. No wonder, Jesus
commanded His Apostles not to leave Jerusalem until they were soaked or vested with the Holy
Spirit. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5)
Because the Apostle Peter said on Pentecost Sunday that the promise (namely baptism in the
Holy Spirit) is for everybody who believes. (Acts 2:38-39)
b) Because Peter and John went to Samaria and laid hands on the believers who were already
baptized in the Name of Jesus (water baptism) that they might receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)
c) Because we have seen how the first baptism in the Holy Spirit transformed the Apostles and how
this same baptism in the Holy Spirit is now transforming thousands of people in the world today and making
the powers of the Holy Spirit move very strongly in their lives.
d) Because reason tells us that we cannot avail of the power until we have had an experience of it.
III. THE PROCESS TO EXPERIENCE THE RELEASE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. Since this is purely a gift of God, we cannot earn it or work for it. There is, therefore, no set
formula as to how we can get it. On the other hand, it is a promised gift.
“If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” –Luke 11:13
2. What we can do then is to predispose ourselves to the operation of the gifts so that, the Lord may
give it to us. For this, we should do the following:
a) Surrender your whole being to the Lord, so that He may do with you as He likes.
b) Remove all obstacles to the moving of the Holy Spirit:

-sin
-unforgiveness
-resentments and ill-feelings
-superstitions
-spiritism
-occult practices, etc.
c) Ask the Lord to release the Holy Spirit and His gifts.
d) Praise the Lord with all your heart as the apostles and disciples did on Pentecost. Let your praising
be from your heart and not from your mind.
THE GIFT OF TONGUE

The gift of tongue is important to us. There are two types of tongues: The gift of tongue as a
message, and a tongue as a prayer language. For the gift of tongue as a message, you would need another
person with the gift of interpretation to make the message be understood; to interpret the message (1
Corinthians 14:16). The tongue we ask for, at the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the prayer language.
“He who speaks in tongue, speaks not to men but to God because no one understands him, but in the
Spirit he utters mysteries.” -1 Corinthians 14:2
Remember also, that the gift of tongue builds us up spiritually.
“He who speaks in tongues builds up himself.” -1 Corinthians 14:4
And in the next verse, Paul exhorts, saying:
“I would like that you all speak in tongues.” – 1Corinthians 14:5
Above all, Jesus Himself considers “Tongue” to be among the signs of a believer (Mark 16:17).
Should we not then believe the words of Jesus and follow Paul’s exhortation and ask God for this gift of
tongues? Allow the Holy Spirit to use your tongue as He pleases so that He may be able to bring to the
Father the many needs of your person that you do not know. The Holy Spirit will not use your tongue unless
you give Him full permission to do so.
In a few minutes, we shall have a prayer session for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In this session we
will ask the Lord to release in us His Holy Spirit and his gifts. But before we have the prayer session, we
will give you a five-minute break for your personal necessities and also for you to dispose of whatever
superstitious articles you may have with you.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO LAY HANDS
NOTE: These instructions should be given before the talk on the Charismatic Renewal.
1. Who should lay hands?

Only those who are already baptized in the Holy Spirit and who are requested to do so by the
seminar team. There are those who have been in the renewal for a long time and yet for some reason are
requested not to lay hands. This is done for the sake of order and discipline. Instead, they should join the
prayer session and act as spiritual warriors praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
2. What to pray for as we lay our hands?

For the release of the Holy Spirit and His gifts, inner renewal and the gift of tongues.
3. How to pray?
Pray in your own words and in a voice that can be heard by the person you are laying your hands on.
Those who have already received the gift of tongues should pray distinctly in tongues.
4. How to lay hands?

By putting your hand or hands on the person either on the head or on his shoulder. The hands should
be laid lightly, so the person will not be disturbed. Those who cannot control, therefore, the shaking of their
hands should not be allowed to lay hands.
5. How to deal with the following cases:
a. Screaming
Those who scream should be immediately approached and gently told to calm down. The one to do
this should be the person (those laying hands) nearest to him. As much as possible women must be handled
by women and men by men.
b. Uncontrollable shouting
First, he should be told to open his eyes and relax. If he still cannot be controlled then bring him out
of the hall so that the others are not disturbed.
c. Excessive moving of the arms that the neighbors are disturbed.

The person should be told to open his eyes and relax. If he still cannot be controlled then he should
be brought out of the hall. What is to be done to the person outside? If you discern that the person is
oppressed or worse still, possessed by the enemy, in the Name of Jesus, let him renounce Satan and all his
works. Pray the prayer of deliverance. If you feel you can’t handle it alone call the others, preferably a
priest, if there is one.
d. Falling down or resting (slain) in the Spirit.

Leave them alone! If they are women it would be good to cover them properly.
6. Preparation for those who are going to lay hands:

A period of praise and worship.
PRAYER SESSION
INSTRUCTIONS
We shall now have the prayer session for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. What we will do is what the
120 apostles and disciples did not Pentecost Sunday, namely, worship in the Lord in songs and spontaneous
prayers of praise and thanksgiving (Acts 1: 14).
During the whole prayer session, I advise you to close your eyes. Do not open them until the end of
the session, whatever happens, I repeat, whatever happens do not open your eyes. The purpose is simply to
minimize distraction and maximize concentration.
We encourage you also to raise up your hands to the Lord. Although we would like you to feel free
to raise them up, or put them down.
During the prayer session there will be brothers and sisters who will go around and lay hands on you.
They are not going to give the Holy Spirit because you have Him already in you. They will be praying for
you asking the Lord to release in you and soak you with His Holy Spirit. Of course, even without the laying
of hands, you can still be baptized in the Holy Spirit. But we do it this way because this is what the early
Christians did as the Word of God tells us. And we know from experience that this practice helps very much
for the release of the Holy Spirit. When you feel therefore, that somebody is laying his hands on you just
don’t get distracted, continue to pray.
As you close your eyes to worship the Lord forget yourself and seek the Lord. Then start praising
Him from your heart. He is there in your praises (Psalm 22:4). Be open to the Holy Spirit and yield to His
leading. Don’t hold back and just let go. For example, if you are moved to kneel or stand up or speak, etc.,
then go on. Be completely surrendered to the Holy Spirit so He can do with you as He pleases.
With these few instructions we are now ready for the actual prayer session. May we be seated
properly, therefore, so we can pray well.
ACTUAL PRAYER SESSION
Let us now close our eyes and put ourselves in the presence of the Lord. Ask Him to cleanse you
from all your sins with His Precious Blood. Renounce satan and all his works in the name of Jesus and call
on all the angels and saints of heaven to help you encounter the Lord.
Let us lift up our hands and call the Holy Spirit to move into our whole being by singing the song:
“COME HOLY SPIRIT I NEED YOU”. As we sing, feel free to talk to the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads
you.
(The laying of hands may start as we begin the song. After the song “Come Holy Spirit” other songs
of praise may be sung, like “GOD IS SO GOOD” or you may lead them into singing in the Spirit.)
When the prayer session is finished it is always good to make the participants give their personal
testimonies of what they felt or experienced the same thing. It becomes a confirmation for them. Besides, by
this we are also praising the Lord for what He has just done.
It is good to start with general testimonies. This will give the individuals later on the courage to give
their personal testimonies. This general testimonies can be done by making the people raise up their hands if
they experience the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring that you mention. For example, you may
ask them: “Who among you felt that your whole body was shivering as you praised the Lord?” etc.
After the sharing of testimonies, if there is a priest available conclude the seminar with the Holy
Mass. It is good for them to experience Holy Mass celebrated in the Charismatic way.
Last reminders:
1. The daily use of the gift of tongues.

For those who have not received it yet continue praising the Lord and yielding your tongue.
2. Attendance at prayer meetings is very important.

Inform them about the prayer meeting day and time in the parish. Tell them that it is not enough to
attend cell group meeting. Attendance at the parish prayer meeting is needed since this is the big community
where he belongs. It is here that he can witness to the people in the parish.
3. Encourage them to read the Bible everyday and pray with it.
4. Encourage them also to frequent Mass and Communion.
5. Remind them of their duty to “go and bear fruit abundantly.”
Close the seminar with a song of fellowship like, “OH I LOVE YOU WITH THE LOVE OF THE LORD”
or “JESUS IS IN ME AND JESUS IS IN YOU”.
HOW TO ORGANIZE A PRAYER MEETING
Many people would like to start a prayer meeting but their main problem is they do not know how to
do it. We are therefore writing this guideline with the hope that through little prayer groups, more and more
people will be able to praise the Lord.
To start a prayer meeting you don’t need to have many people. In fact, it is even better to start with a
few. Any number will do, Jesus said: “Whether two or three are gathered together in my Name there I am in
the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20). But to make the singing and fellowship alive it would be good to start
with about seven or eight people.
FIRST, get people to attend the prayer meeting. As we said, any number will do.
SECOND, start the meeting by teaching songs. Teach only short, simple but beautiful songs so they
can easily learn them and even memorize them. If the organizer does not know any of the songs that are
sung in prayer meetings then any of the songs they used to sing in Church will do. The fact that we do not
know the usual songs should not be an obstacle to the formation of a new prayer group.
We suggest, however, the following songs for organizers who know them:
*The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

*Ang Panginoong Dios Ating Sambahin (Simbahon Ta Ang Dios, in Cebuano)
*Come Holy Spirit I Need You
*God is So Good
*Come Oh Lord and Overflow Us With Your Love
*Oh I Love You with the Love of the Lord
THIRD, explain the following:
1. What is a prayer meeting?

A prayer meeting is a gathering of Christians or believers in the Lord Jesus in order to praise and
thank the Lord in songs, spontaneous prayers, testimonies, etc.
2. Why do we praise and thank the Lord?
a. Because it is our duty as creatures to acknowledge our creator just as it is the duty of children to
acknowledge their parents.
b. Because as Christians, we are a people God has made His own to praise His glory. (Eph. 1:11-12; 14)
c. Because the praise of Christians is the dwelling place or throne of God. (Ps. 22:4)
Since praise is the throne of God, whenever Christians praise the Lord, He is there with them. That is
why praising the Lord is always for our own good.
d. Because praise is the key that unlocks the power of God in our lives.
The Old and New Testament testify to this:
*Joshua 6:15-20
It is narrated here that the Israelites went around the city of Jericho seven times in procession
together with the Ark of the Covenant, singing and praising the Lord for seven days and the walls of Jericho
collapsed.
*Acts 16: 25-26

It is also narrated that Paul and Silas were imprisoned, placed inside the dungeon with their hands
and feet chained because of their preaching. At midnight, they started to sing praise to the Lord and a very
strong earthquake shook the whole place so that the chains binding their hands and feet just fell. They were
delivered.
3. How do we praise the Lord?
We praise the Lord in:
a. Songs
b. Spontaneous prayers of praise and thanksgiving that we offer to him.

“Through him let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which
acknowledge His name.” – Hebrews 13:15
We should praise the Lord for all His perfections, His goodness, love, patience with us, generosity,
etc.
c. Testimonies
Testimonies are news of God’s working either in our lives or in the lives of other people. We share
these news so that people who hear them may praise and glorify the Lord.
Since at this moment the participants do not still have testimonies to share, the organizer should give
his own. This will also serve as samples for them for the next morning.
d. Listening to the reading of God’s Word
e. Greeting one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord as we sing the song of fellowship, “OH I LOVE
YOU WITH THE LOVE OF THE LORD.”
N.B. However, the highest form of praise we can give to God is the Holy Mass. This is so because in the
Holy Mass we offer Jesus Himself as our praise to the Father. That is why our attendance at the prayer
meeting should lead us to love the Holy Mass.
4. Why raise up the hands in prayer?

a. Because this is a sign of humility on our part. We raise up our hands in surrender to the Lord. By this
posture, we tell the Lord that we need Him and that we have opened our wholeselves to Him for Him to take
over.
b. Because from the Word of God we know this posture is pleasing to the Lord.
Exodus 17: 8-13

Here we are told that when the hands of Moses were lifted up in prayer, the Israelites were winning
the battle against the army of Amalek. But when his hands went down, the Israelites were defeated.
“Let my prayer come like incense before you, lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.” –
Psalm 141:2
“…thus will I bless you while I live, lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.” –Psalm 63:5
“It is my wish, then, that in every place the men shall offer prayers with blameless hands held aloft,
and be free from anger and dissension.” -1 Timothy 2:8
c. Because this is the practice of the Church especially in the Holy Mass ever since the beginning of
Christianity up to now. Unfortunately, now it is only the priests who do it in Mass. But history tells us that
up to the middle ages all the people in the Church would raise up their hands when the priest in the Mass
says: “Let us pray…”
d. Because we know of so many wonderful things which happened when people prayed with lifted hands.
(share testimonies)
5. Why are we advised to close our eyes during prayer?

Because experience shows us that we can pray better with closed eyes. There is less distraction and
more concentration.
FOURTH, tell the participants before the prayer meeting:

1. To repent for their sins before going to the Lord to praise and thank Him.
2. To open themselves to the Lord and allow complete freedom for His Holy Spirit to move Him.
After this the prayer meeting may be started.

The following is a very simple prayer meeting format.
I. Opening Worship
A. Songs
B. Spontaneous prayers of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for all His perfection, His love, care,
kindness, patience, generosity, etc.
C. Petition for the success of the prayer meeting.
II. Sharing of:

A. Testimonies
B. Problems (This is only done in a small group meeting and only at the time when the small group
members have become closer to each other.)
III. Reading of the Word of God:
If there is a Church authority present (e.g. priest), he should be requested to read the Word of God
and explain it. Otherwise, a sharing of insights may be called from among the participants.
IV. Closing Worship

A. Songs
B. Spontaneous prayers of praise and thanksgiving for the success of the prayer meeting and other
gifts the Lord has given them.
C. Petitions for the needs of the brothers and sisters especially those that were just discussed during
the sharing of problems.
Usually, the prayer meeting ends with everyone exchanging greetings while a song of fellowship is
sung.
REMINDERS:
1. The prayer meeting should not be more than two hours.
2. The leaders should control length and number of testimonies. Two minutes is more than enough to make a
good testimony. When the testimony goes beyond the time limit, the leader should call the attention of the
speaker.
3. Although the reading from the Word of God can be taken from any part of the Bible, we suggest,
however, that the reading be taken from Mark 16:17-18. The purpose is to prepare their minds for the
praying over of the sick will be done after the prayer meeting.
4. The prayer meeting should always end with a joyful tone by singing lively and joyful songs.
POINTERS FOR PRAYER MEETING LEADERS:
1. Never conduct a prayer meeting without first personally praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit.
2. Be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
3. Observe orderliness.
“Make sure everything is done properly and in order.” -1 Corinthians 14:40

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BASIC CHARISMATIC

BY: REV. FR. LEONARDO A. POLINAR

1) The Lordship of Christ

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY

SIN AND REPENTANCE

PRAISING THE LORD

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO LAY HANDS

HOW TO ORGANIZE A PRAYER MEETING

B. FORMATION AND MEETINGS OF SMALL GROUPS

C. NOTE-TAKING BY THE PARTICIPANTS

D. ORGANIZATION AND MEETING OF ALL LEADERS OF THE SMALL GROUPS THAT

F. SAMPLE PRAYER MEETING

3. TOPICS OF THE WHOLE SEMINAR

B. THE BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY

C. SIN AND REPENTANCE

D. PRAISING THE LORD

3. Our activities will be the following:

1. servant- to preside over the meeting

2. secretary- to note down the proceedings for record purposes

Why is a small group advisable?

God’s word for backsliders is frightening,

N.B. Explain the seminar procedures.

ONE DAY SEMINAR

7:30 A.M. – Opening Activities:

8:00 – First topic: PURPOSE OF MAN

9:15 – Actual group meeting

9:45 – Review of the lively songs:

10:00 – Second topic: BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY

11:00 – New songs:

11:15 – Third topic: PRAISING THE LORD

12:00 NOON – Announcements:

1:00 P.M. – Group meetings

2:00 – Fourth topic: CHRISTIAN GROWTH

2:45 – Group meetings

3:45 – Fifth topic: CHARISMATIC RENEWAL

Announcement! (This is only a request)

5:45 – CLOSING MASS

Dismissal: Go and bear fruit abundantly!

8:00 A.M. – Opening Activities:

8:30 – First topic: PURPOSE OF MAN

9:30 – Instructions for group formation and meeting

10:00 – Break (Snacks)

10:30 – Brief review of songs plus “God is so Good”

11:00- Second topic: BASIC CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY

12:00 NOON – Announcements:

2:15 - Third topic: SIN AND REPENTANCE

3:00 – Break (Snacks)

3:30 – Fourth topic: PRAISING THE LORD

9:00 – Opening worship with Singing in the Spirit

9:15 – Fifth topic: CHRISTIAN GROWTH

10:45 – Group meeting following the format

11:15 – Teach song- “I have decided to follow Jesus”

11:05 – Sixth topic: CHARISMATIC RENEWAL

12:00 NOON – Announcements:

1:00 – Leaders’ meeting

2:15 – Break for personal necessities and disposal of obstacles

3:45 –PRAYER SESSION

4:30 – CLOSING CHARISMATIC MASS