CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAM

TEAM MANUAL
COUPLES FOR CHRIST
CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAM
TEAM MANUAL

The Christian Life Program (CLP) is the initiations course lead­ing to

membership in Couples for Christ (CFC).

This Team Manual is intended for the use of CLP discussion group
leaders (facilitators).

Contents Page

1. Overview of the CLP 3

a) Goals
b) Structure

2. Roles and responsibilities 6

3. The sessions: goals, main points and discussion guides 9

4. Discussion group leader’s guide 21
a) Purpose of discussion groups
b) The role of a discussion group leader
c) Leading a discussion group
d) Team meetings
e) Make‑up sessions
f) Guidelines for personal dialogues

5. Supplementary materials
a) Commitment to Christ 31
b) Guidelines for praying for the Pray-over Session 32
c) Praising the Lord 38
d) Titles of Jesus 42
e) Fasting 43
f) Covenant of CFC 46

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 Christian Life Program

OVERVIEW OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAM (CLP)

A. GOALS OF THE CLP

1. Evangelization.

To take the basic message of Christianity and to proclaim it anew

so that those who hear it can make a renewed com­mitment to the
Lord in a way which will allow them to receive a fuller experience
of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

2. Renewal.

a) Individual ‑ to bring individuals to a stronger rela­tionship with

God by discovering and living more fully the power and gifts
they received through the Holy Spirit.

b) Family ‑ to bring married couples to a renewed commit­ment

to Christian family life. To build up a community of committed
Christian families.

c) Church ‑ to strengthen and revitalize Christian commu­nity

life in the parishes.

B. STRUCTURE OF THE CLP

1. Content.

The CLP is normally held over a period of three months, with 12

separate weekly sessions. It consists of an orien­tation session
and 12 sessions.

The CLP proper is divided into three modules of four ses­sions

each. They are as follows:

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 Module One: The Basic Truths About Christianity
1. God’s Love
2. Who is Jesus Christ?
3. What it means to be a Christian
4. Repentance and Faith

Module Two: The Authentic Christian Life

5. The Christian Ideal: Loving God
6. Loving your Neighbor
7. The Christian Family
8. Life in the Holy Spirit

Module Three: Living a Spirit‑filled Christian Life

9. Receiving the Power of the Holy Spirit
10. Growing in the Spirit
11. The Life and Mission of CFC
12. Transformation in Christ

Module One of the CLP focuses on the basics of Christian

belief and life. It makes clear the need to turn to Jesus Christ in
repentance and faith in order to attain salvation.

Module Two spells out the ideal of life that a Christian ought
to aspire to. The Christian life is a life of love and service that
revolves around Jesus Christ and is lived in the power of the
Holy Spirit.

Module Three helps people to commit their lives in a seri­ous

way to Jesus Christ, by appropriating for their lives the power of
the Holy Spirit and by entering into a suppor­tive environment for
continued personal growth and forma­tion.

2. Dynamics.

The program should have an atmosphere that cultivates good

relationships, wins respect, attracts people to the Lord, and gives
people faith. The leader and the team set the tone.

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 Christian Life Program

Each session, except for the ninth and twelfth talks, follows the
following format:

30 minutes ‑ arrival, fellowship, practice

of songs
5‑15 minutes ‑ opening song, prayer,
remarks
45 minutes ‑ talk
45 minutes ‑ discussion groups
20‑40 minutes ‑ fellowship
5 minutes ‑ announcement and
closing prayer

Thus the sessions would normally last about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Handouts are given out to participants at the end of each talk.

They include a brief talk outline, a discussion starter, daily
Scripture readings for the week, and recom­mended additional
readings.

3. Attendance.

The CLP is open to all Christian couples who are validly married,
or to unmarried couples who have no impediment to becoming
validly married. The CLP is open to Catholics and non‑Catholic
Christians, and occasionally to non‑Christians (the latter subject
to the approval of the Chapter Head). Participants need not have
any current religious or spirit­ual involvement.

Every participant is expected to attend all sessions, since the

CLP is offered as an integrated package for spiritual renewal.
However, some absences can be expected. In such cases,
the participant should be given a make‑up session by his/her
discussion leader. If either husband or wife expects to be absent
for any reason, the spouse should still be encouraged to attend.

Participants will be allowed no more than one (1) absence in

Module One of the CLP, and not more than an over‑all total of three

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 (3) absences for the whole program. Beyond this, a participant
will be required to take the whole program again at another time.
Any exceptions will be granted only upon the recommendation of
the team leader and the approval of the Chapter Head.

Participants who finished Module One or Modules One and

Two in a particular CLP but who did not continue for any reason
(other than not being allowed by us to continue) may be allowed
to resume where they left off in any other CLP, subject to the
recommendation of the Chapter Head over the first CLP and the
approval of the Chapter Head over the second CLP.

4. Personal Dialogue (one‑to‑one).

There are two (2) occasions when the discussion group leader
meets individually and privately with each of the members of his
group. The first time is at the end of Module One and the second
is at the end of Module Two.

These meetings are often referred to as “one‑to‑one” meet­ings.

Please see the appropriate section in this manual.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A. THE TEAM

The Lord reaches out to men and women through the members of
His body. The new life He wants to give He offers through men and
women in whom His spirit lives. More than anything else, the CLP
is the forum whereby the body of Christians who have been given
a fuller life in the Spirit come together to share that gift with others.

The team members are above all witnesses. They are men and women
who are living the life of the Holy Spirit and who can witness to its reality
and effectiveness for themselves. In order for them to be witnesses,
they have to be able to speak the truth in a simple way. People should
not only see the life in them but also learn about it from them.

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 Christian Life Program

It is essential for the team members to be faithful and reli­able. They

have to be persons who can be counted on. They need to do their
best to care for the persons who are entrust­ed to them. And in order
to be faithful, one has to have certain characteristics:

1. He has to be growing in commitment to the Lord and to the life

and mission of CFC.

2. He has to be committed to the renewal of individuals in the power

of the Holy Spirit. He has to believe in the message of the talks
and to see the importance of helping a person become firmly
established in Christ.

3. He has to be committed to his part in the CLP.

B. THE TEAM LEADER

He oversees the entire program. He focuses his attention on the

participants and the dynamics of the CLP. He cares for the team
members and helps them to better serve the Lord. He should get to
know everyone in the program by name and be available to them
to some degree. All administrative tasks should be entrusted to his
wife, to the assistant team leader, and to the servant.

C. THE TEAM LEADER’S WIFE

She listens with a special ear to the sensitivities and pecul­iarities

being reported at the women’s discussion groups.

She supports and advises her husband (team leader) in address­ing

and meeting the needs of the women in the CLP.

In some cases, she coordinates with the servant‑couple in

administrative and practical work.

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D. THE ASSISTANT TEAM LEADER
He assists the team leader in running the program, and is in training
for leading a future CLP. He takes over in case the team leader is
absent. His wife serves with him.

E. THE SERVANT
He carries the main administrative burden and should assume that
he needs to cover every need that may arise. He should not be a part
of a discussion group. His job includes the following (which may be
delegated to others):

1. Man the reception table, have a checklist of those attend­ing,

give out nametags.
2. Make available song sheets and handouts.
3. Arrange for a book table.
4. Make available a guitarist and lead singer.
5. Set up the sound system.
6. Set up the physical facilities like chairs, lights, lec­tern, etc.
7. Record the talk (audio or video).
8. Arrange for refreshments.
9. Clean up after the sessions.

F. THE DISCUSSION GROUP LEADERS

They take responsibility for the over‑all care of individuals in their

groups. They will personally oversee and bring to issue each person’s
relationship with Christ during the CLP.

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 Christian Life Program

THE SESSIONS: GOALS, MAIN POINTS AND DISCUSSION GUIDES

A. SESSION No. 1 ‑ GOD’S LOVE

1. Goal: To communicate the truth that God loves us and provide

a better understanding of that love.

2. Core Message:

God is love. Thus he is compelled by his very nature to create

so that he can share that love. God demonstrates his love by
creating man in his image. God’s love creates. But man, in the
exercise of his God-given gift of free will, has rejected his Creator
by sinning. But even when we sin and abandon him, God still
loves us and patiently waits for us to come back to him. God’s
lavish and generous love is best described in the parable of the
father and his two sons (Lk. 15:11-31). The parable tells us that
God’s love forgives. But the greatest expression of God’s love is
the sending of his only Son to suffer and die that we may have life
eternal. Therefore, God’s love is, most of all, a love that redeems.

3. Discussion guides (see note below).

a) Share with one another how you came to the Christian Life
Program and what you expect or seek to experience. Start
with a brief introduction about your life.

b) Share about how you have personally experienced God’s love.

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B. SESSION No. 2 ‑ WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

1. Goal. To provide a better understanding of Jesus Christ and

thus attract people to him.

2. Core Message:

Jesus of history is an absolutely unique figure. He was the only person in

history ever pre-announced. He was born in Bethlehem of a virgin named
Mary, but grew up in Nazareth. He became an itinerant preacher but his
three-year ministry attracted only a modest number of disciples, mostly
fishermen and their relatives. He was crucified in Jerusalem for stirring up
the people.

From a purely historical perspective, Jesus should have been forgotten

by now. Yet we are confronted by the fact that he divided history into two,
before his coming (B.C.) and after his death (A.D.), and after two thousand
years, billions of people profess him as Lord. Christ of faith did many signs,
forgave sins, gave life to the dead, claimed to possess all power in heaven
and on earth, claimed that he will sit on the right hand of the Father and
come to judge all mankind, and claimed straightforwardly to be God. But it
is his suffering and death on the cross that reveals his true identity.

The cross is the central point of our knowing and understanding Jesus
Christ. His cross is both language and parable. But Jesus’ death on the
cross would have been meaningless without the resurrection. The most
conclusive proof that Jesus is Lord and God is his resurrection. Jesus
Christ is true God and true man. Being God we can pray to him and he can
answer our needs. Being human, he feels our feelings, suffers our pains,
understands our loneliness, and we can have a very personal relationship
with him.

3. Discussion guides.

a) Share about your Christian background.

b) Discuss how you saw or thought of Jesus before, and

what new insights you have gotten through the talk.

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 Christian Life Program

C. SESSION No. 3 ‑ WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN

1. Goal: To make clear what Christianity is and to get people to

appreciate the blessings of being a Christian.

2. Core Message:

To be a Christian means having a loving, personal relationship

with Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, there have been misconceptions
or incomplete notions about Christianity. For some people,
Christianity is a mere religious system, a mere moral system,
a mere social or humanitarian system, or an escape from the
realities of life. But the truth is that Christianity is a relationship
initiated by God out of his mercy and love for us. As Christians,
we become a new creation and participate in the very life of
Christ. As Christians, we become children of God and take on
his nature. Accordingly, to be a Christian means to become a
disciple of Christ, to live the Christian theological virtues of faith,
hope, and charity. To be a Christian is to know the Father through
the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit. To be a Christian is to
have faith in God, to live in hopeful expectation of the fulfilment of
the plan of God, and to love God above everything else. For this,
we have the Blessed Virgin Mary as our model, for she is Christ’s
most perfect disciple.

3. Discussion guides.

a) What misconceptions about Christianity do you identify with?

b) Are you experiencing the practical implications of Christianity

in your life?

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D. SESSION No. 4 ‑ REPENTANCE AND FAITH

1. Goal: To lead people to repent their sins and turn to renewed

faith in Jesus Christ.

2. Core Message:

The only proper response to all that God has done for us is
repentance and faith. “Repent, and believe in the gospel” is
precisely what Jesus calls for from the beginning of his ministry.
Repentance and faith go together. It is a double-action response.
But repentance is not just being sorry for sin because of adverse
consequences. It is also not dependent on feelings. True
repentance is metanoia, a change of mind, a change in direction.
Repentance is turning away from sin and evil and surrendering
to Jesus as Lord of our life. And if Jesus is Lord, there is no room
for being lukewarm. Authentic repentance requires honesty, to
admit that a sin is a sin, and humility, to admit that we are weak
and need help. But true repentance requires faith in God. Faith
is not a feeling or wishful thinking or a blind leap. Faith is the
realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
It is man’s response to God. It is belief in the gospel, a personal
act and decision. Most of all, faith is a pure gift from God. The
consequence of repentance and faith is a promise of salvation
from sin and death, and at a personal level, freedom from fear
of death. Jesus sounded the call to repentance and faith two
thousand years ago. It is the same call to us today. Like the
Blessed Virgin Mary, let us have complete faith in God and say,
“Let it be done to me according to your word.”

3. Discussion guides.

a) Share with one another areas where you need to turn more
fully to God.

b) Share areas where you need to grow in faith.

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 Christian Life Program

E. SESSION No. 5 ‑ THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL: LOVING GOD

1. Goal: To explain the meaning of loving God and to teach how

to live out this Christian ideal.

2. Core Message:

Loving God is our highest ideal. This is God’s first and greatest
commandment. We are asked to love God with all our heart, with
all our mind and soul, and with all our strength. To love God with
all our heart is to be totally committed to him. It means putting
God first in our life and doing things to make this happen. It
means spending a lot of time with God, talking with him, listening
to him. It requires a decision to obey God.

To love God with all our mind and soul means to keep our minds
preoccupied with things of God, using it according to God’s truths
and not according to the ways of the world. It means to fill our
mind and soul with thoughts of God and to use our mind to know
God more closely and learn his ways and teachings more deeply.

To love God with all our strength means giving God our resources:
time, talent, and treasure. We need to be generous with the time
we devote to serving God and others. We need to use our God-
given talent for the kingdom of God. We need to have the right
attitude towards our treasure by believing that everything belongs
to God and thus use these resources in accordance with God’s
plan. Our perfect models for loving God are Jesus and Mary. This
love is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Discussion guide.

a) How have I loved God in a concrete way?

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F. SESSION No. 6 ‑ LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR

1. Goal: To explain the meaning of Christian love for neighbor

and inspire people to practice it.

2. Core Message:

Loving God and loving neighbor form the inseparable core of the
Christian life. These two go together. We cannot love God without
loving our neighbor. The characteristics of Christian love are described
by St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. But Jesus elevated
loving one’s neighbor to a higher plane. We are to love our neighbors
not only as we love ourselves, but as God loves us. Our model for
loving our neighbor is our Lord, Jesus Christ. He washed the feet of
his disciples. He died for us.

The full depth of the meaning of Jesus’ teaching on loving our neighbor
is revealed in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable,
Jesus took pains to describe in great detail the various actions done
by the Samaritan in helping the victim – “approached the victim,”
“poured oil and wine,” “bandaged him,” “lifted him up,” “took him to
an inn,” “cared for him” – in order to convey the message that “being
a neighbor” entails “doing things” and not merely wishing others well.

Loving our neighbor is not a passive attitude but an active involvement.

It involves a lot of “going” and “doing”, and “approaching” and “caring
for others”. In the parable, Jesus does not directly answer the question,
“Who is my neighbor?”, since this opens up the possibility that some
will be “neighbor” and others are not. Jesus does not want to make
any distinction. The relevant question is, “Am I neighbor to others?”
And Jesus commands us to be so.

3. Discussion guides.

a) Do you understand the Biblical meaning of love as contrasted

with that of the world?

b) How have you failed to love in everyday life?

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 Christian Life Program

G. SESSION No. 7 ‑ THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY

1. Goal: To stress the importance of the Christian family and give

practical advice for building up a strong Christian family.

2. Core Message:

The family is under attack from many fronts. We want to face

up to this attack and to come out with our families intact and
even stronger. For this we need to put on God’s mind and to
follow his plan for the family. God has intended the family for the
transmission of life. It is a place for teaching children and training
leaders. The family is a domestic church. But in this modern
society, God has lost central place in the family. The family itself
is losing its importance. The pace of modern life has become
very fast making it difficult for lasting relationships to develop.
We thus find the family to be under attack by evil forces.

To make God’s plan happen, we must make a decision to make it

happen in our family. This requires praying together and making
time for the task of building a strong family. We must learn more
about God’s plan for our family and seek other couples who
share our concern about family life and be in regular fellowship
with them. Fathers, in particular, should take steps to assume full
responsibility for the spiritual and material needs of the family.

The Holy Family of Nazareth is our model. We should seek the

protection and guidance of the Holy Family of Nazareth to make
God’s plan happen. With all the challenges that families face, we
need God’s power, the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Discussion guides.

a) For the men: Have I assumed full responsibility for the

spiritual and material needs of my family?

b) For the women: Have I supported my husband in his role and

done my share in building up a Christian family?

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H. SESSION No. 8 ‑ LIFE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. Goal: To stir up expectant faith and an eager desire for a

greater working of God in people’s lives through the
Holy Spirit.

2. Core Message:

The starting point for understanding life in the Holy Spirit is to

realize that it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to experience
God and have a living relationship with him. The early disciples
received and experienced the power of the Holy Spirit on the
day of Pentecost, a Jewish holiday celebrated fifty days after
Passover. We too can receive and experience this life in the Holy
Spirit since God has promised us the Holy Spirit. Thus we simply
take God up on his promise and we will experience the same
relationship with Jesus, the same transforming power, and the
same courage for proclaiming the gospel.

We will also receive the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. But we
need to avoid the obstacles to these gifts through: unrepentant
attitude, feeling unworthy, fear, doubt, pride, and being selective
as to what gifts we want. This new life in the Spirit is the authentic
Christian life. And God desires it for all. We should thus look
forward to this new life and to experiencing your own “Pentecost,”
remembering that “there is no Pentecost without the Virgin Mary.”
Thus with the Virgin Mary, we can live a life in the Holy Spirit.

3. Discussion guide:
Share about your experience of God’s Spirit in your life.

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 Christian Life Program

I. SESSION No. 9 ‑ RECEIVING THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. Goal: To lead people to understand and receive the power and

the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

2. Core Message

God promised to give his people the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
that God promised through Ezekiel, Jesus gave to his disciples
and is giving to us. With the Holy Spirit, we gain a new nature, a
new spiritual power, a power to serve.

We also receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are two teaching
gifts: wisdom and healing; three sign gifts: faith, healing, and
miracles; and four revelational gifts: prophecy, discernment of
spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

During the pray over session, we will claim God’s promise. We

should desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit and, in particular, the gift
of tongues. We should ask for these spiritual gifts in faith, and
then cooperate with God’s Spirit in order to receive them. God
makes the offer. We accept and receive the power of the Holy
Spirit.

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J. SESSION No. 10 ‑ GROWING IN THE SPIRIT

1. Goal: To teach the basic tools to growth and maturity as

Christians.

2. Core Message:

The Christian life can be pictured as a wheel that has three

components: the outer rim, the hub, and the spokes. The outer
rim represents the daily Christian life; the hub, our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the spokes, the tools through which the Holy Spirit is
transmitted from the hub (Jesus Christ) to the outer rim (our daily
life). There are five spokes corresponding to the five tools that
we can make use of to grow in the Holy Spirit: prayer and study,
service and fellowship, and the sacraments.

Our prayer must be faithful, led by the Holy Spirit, and centered
on Jesus. We study to know more about God by reading the
Scriptures and Christian publications and attending teachings.
We serve by making ourselves and our resources – time,
talent, and treasure – available for God’s work. Fellowship is
the expression of the spiritual reality that we are brothers and
sisters belonging to one family and doing things together. The
sacraments, particularly the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the
Sacrament of Holy Communion, are the most important means
to grow in the Spirit. If we are faithful in using these tools, we will
grow in the Holy Spirit and be more blessed in our family life.

3. Discussion guide.

What tools to Christian growth have not been fully

utilized in your life?

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 Christian Life Program

K. SESSION No. 11 ‑ THE LIFE AND MISSION OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

1. Goal: To explain the life and mission of Couples for Christ

and to inspire people with the desire to be part of this
community.

2. Core Message:

Couples for Christ (CFC) is a Christian community for the renewal

and strengthening of family life and making the love of God felt
among the poor. It started in June 1981 in Manila, Philippines, with
16 couples. It is a highly evangelistic community. It is officially
recognized by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council of the Laity as a
private international association of pontifical right. As such, it has
a God-given vision and mission, a statement of philosophy, and a
5-point commitment – The Covenant of Couples for Christ – which
is embodied in a small white card that we carry with us all the time.

In CFC, we support one another primarily through households,

which are small groups composed of from 4 to 7 couples and
headed by a leader-couple. The households meet once a
week in the home of members. We also have teaching and
formation programs as well as regular activities such as leaders’
conferences, theme weekend retreats, anniversaries, and others.
We invite everyone who completes the CLP to be a part of God’s
work in Couples for Christ and to be ready to make the covenant.

3. Discussion guides.

a) Do you agree with the CFC statement of philosophy, which

embodies its beliefs and ideals?

b) Do you see the covenant of Couples for Christ as the ideal of

Christian family life that God calls us all to?

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L. SESSION No. 12 ‑ TRANSFORMATION IN CHRIST

1. Goal:

To encourage people to live out actively the new life in the power
of the Holy Spirit, and to excite them about becoming a part of
the CFC community.

2. Core Message:

This talk marks the end of the Christian Life Program. But it is
not really the end, but just the beginning. The Lord has laid the
foundation for our transformation throughout the Christian Life
Program. Our transformation, and what we have gone through,
may be likened to the story of the man born blind in the Gospel
of John 9:1-38. To continue our transformation, we need to grow
in holiness and discipleship and have a greater commitment to
service. This we can attain in Couples for Christ.

Christ could have restored the sight of the man born blind by
merely saying the words “be healed.” But Jesus has chosen to
go through a “process” of making mud paste with spittle, rubbing
it on the eyes of the blind man, and sending him to the Pool of
Siloam. In the same way, Jesus could have transformed us and
opened our eyes to his plan by some other means. But he has
chosen to open our eyes and transform us through the “process”
of the Christian Life Program. Let us thus praise and thank the
Lord for calling us, for opening our eyes, and for starting the
process of our transformation in Christ.

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DISCUSSION GROUP LEADER’S GUIDE

A. PURPOSE OF DISCUSSION GROUPS

1. To help the participants to understand and digest the material

presented.

2. To allow them to express their thoughts and feelings, and to give

them a chance to ask questions.

3. To help people to open up and respond to God’s invitation and

grace.

4. To provide a place for them to begin to experience Chris­

tian fellowship, preparing the way to participation in Christian
community (CFC) after the CLP.

B. THE ROLE OF A DISCUSSION GROUP LEADER

1. To help set the right tone.

a) Come promptly to each session at the time indicated by

the team leader, so that the team meeting may be held as
scheduled and there will be enough time for you to greet the
participants as they come in, especially the members of your
discussion group.

b) Be warm and friendly, even if people are a little stiff at first. New
people will warm up as you are warm with them. Take special
care to establish an atmosphere of love and interest in the group.

c) Be joyful and outgoing. Meet other men and women who are
not in your group. Encourage your group members to get to
know more people outside their own group.

d) Participate enthusiastically in whatever is going on. Sing

the songs, listen attentively (even if the talk is familiar), and
follow quickly any lead the team leader gives.

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 e) Pray out where there is an opportunity. Express your prayer
in a way that teaches the new people how to pray,
but does not overwhelm them (e.g., grant that we may be
martyrs), and does not use unfamiliar jargon (e.g., Jesus,
thank you for your all‑sufficient and substitu­tionary sacrifice
that purchased my redemption).

2. To help evangelize those in your discussion group.

a) Remember the names and important details of your discus­

sion group members. By this you communicate a great
amount of concern.

b) Tailor the program inputs to your members’ needs during the

discussion. You have freedom to lead discussions as you
think best, with the goal of making the message of the talks
connect with each one in a personal way.

c) Follow up regularly with your group members during the

week, especially during Module One of the CLP. If neces­sary,
meet with them for further discussion. Encourage them to be
open, to persevere and to turn to the Lord to seek out His will
for them. Contact those who miss talks and get together with
them for make‑up sessions.

d) Intercede for them and do spiritual warfare on their behalf.

Fast and pray for them.
e) Do whatever is appropriate to bring to issue each one’s
relationship with Christ. It is your responsibility to help them
personally and to do all you can to bring them to commitment
to Christ.

3. Important general comments:

a) The team members’ love for one another and for the
participants is a crucial element of the program.

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b) Participating in the singing and fully in the prayers is crucial,

because that is the way the participants will learn how to pray.

c) Faithfulness to all meetings is absolutely essential. Being

punctual is presupposed.

d) Prepare for the sessions by studying the goals and content of

the sessions beforehand. Pray and think about the discussion
starters and guides. Know what your members should be
taking home from the session and help them to appropriate
that.

e) READ AND STUDY THIS TEAM MANUAL!

C. LEADING A DISCUSSION GROUP

1. The discussion groups form and begin right after the talk. The
men meet separately from the women.

2. When first meeting as a discussion group, try to establish a

relaxed atmosphere. Don’t be overly serious, but main­tain control.
Inspire confidence in others that you know what everybody is
supposed to be doing. Remember that many people have never
been in this type of discussion group. Be clear about instructions
like sitting in a circle, etc.

3. Start and end every discussion with a short prayer. Moving into
Module Two and Module Three, you may ask others in your
group to lead the prayer if they seem ready, but don’t put them
on the spot.

4. For the first session, start with introductions and let everyone get
to know one another.

5. Assure them that the principle of confidentiality is at work in your

discussions. Whatever is shared basically remains only within
the group. General reports during team meetings maintain the
anonymity of sharers.

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 6. Let the group know that they are free to ask relevant questions or
bring up relevant problems.

7. For Module One, if the participants are still not very open or are
still shy, you may have to begin the sharing your­self. This also is
a good way of showing them how the discussion/ sharing is to be
handled.

8. If the group is eager to respond to the talk, allow them to without

bothering with the discussion starter.

9. Encourage shy people who don’t speak much by asking them

questions. Don’t put them on the spot, however. Start with easy
general questions at first, then work your way up to more specific
things about themselves. Make sure every­one gets to talk during
the discussion. Don’t allow any­one, including yourself, to take
too much time and dominate the discussion.

10. One way to control dominant people in discussion groups is to

speak to the person before the session begins. Encour­age their
sharing but impress them with the limited amount of time and
the need for everyone to share.

11. Don’t let the discussion get off the subject. Gently but authoritatively
tell them that it is time to stop this line of conversation. Suggest
another time or place to the people involved.

12. It is usually best to open up the discussion to any ques­tions only

after you are sure they have understood the main points of the
talks, or if they won’t share. Quite often questions asked do not
have anything to do with the talk.

13. When answering questions, you don’t need to offer every­thing on

the subject, but only what will help the person most at this time
in his/her life. On the other hand, be willing to say “I don’t know”
and/or “I’ll find out.”

14. Don’t take up serious theological issues in the discus­sions.

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15. Don’t talk down to people or appear to be an expert on something

you are not.

16. Avoid Christian jargon. New people may not be able to enter into
the meanings of the phrases we know so well.

17. Take notes and write down significant details of conversa­tions in

your group so that you can keep track of your people’s progress
and also as a basis for the team meeting afterwards.

18. As you listen to the talk, discern which points your people
especially need to hear and try to bring those out in your sharing
or in theirs.

19. Keep your eye on the time. Make sure that there is enough time
for everyone to share.

D. TEAM MEETINGS

Team meetings are usually held both before and after the session
itself. The pre‑session meeting helps prepare for the session. The
post‑session meeting is for evaluating what happened in the session.

The team meeting is almost the only opportunity that team members
have to discuss the progress of the CLP. It should be a time for
support and encouragement, a time that builds unity, faith, and love.
The team should spend time not talking about administrative details
but having a concrete discussion of the problems and situations they
are facing.

Aside from these, the team meetings also help to create a spiritual
unity among the team members, help the team members to learn to
better serve the Lord, and communicate what is happening in the
CLP as a whole.

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E. MAKE‑UP SESSIONS

Any participant who misses any talk will have to have a make‑up
session, which consists in listening to a recorded talk (audio or video)
and having a short discussion with his/her leader.

It is the discussion leader’s responsibility to give personal­ ly the

make‑up session. It should be done within the week immediately
after the session missed. The purpose is to ensure that the participant
understands the talk and to give him/her an opportunity to discuss
the same.

F. GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL DIALOGUES (one‑to‑one)

1. First Dialogue.

After the talk on Repentance and Faith ending Module One,

the discussion group leaders meet individually with each of the
members of their group. These meetings should be held within
the week prior to the start of Module Two.

The purpose of this meeting is to see how the participants are

doing, and more importantly, to see whether they are ready to
go on.

Readiness to go on consists in being willing to repent and

turn away from serious wrongdoing. Has the person repented
for serious sin? You need to ask them directly and get a
direct response. If they are unclear as to what is serious sin, go
through the list. Note that what is important is willingness to turn
away from sin. Sometimes the actual turning away may not be
accomplished in a single, immediate act (e.g. breaking off with a
mistress or giving up addic­tion to liquor). But if they are willing to
repent and continue with the CLP, they may be allowed to go on.
Work out with them a timetable for finally setting their lives right,
and follow up on them through the succeeding weeks.

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NOTE: No one should be allowed to take module two if there

are serious things that the person is not willing to take steps
to amend.

Readiness also involves a willingness to follow Jesus and to

learn more about Him.

These individual meetings may be held at any place conven­

ient to both leader and participant. It may be at either’s home
or office, in a church, in a restaurant, at a park, etc. The only
requirements are privacy and a peaceful atmosphere.

If there are any issues on wrongdoing that you cannot resolve,

refer them to the team leader. Also inform the team leader of any
participant who cannot be allowed to go on, prior to the start of
Module Two.

Guide questions for the meeting

a) We have been talking and discussing basics of our faith. Are

there any questions that have not been answered? Is there
any unclarity that I can help you with?

b) The first step to a full and committed life with the Lord is
repentance, i.e., turning away from serious wrongdoing and
turning toward the Lord. If there is serious wrongdoing in your
life, are you willing to make a definite break with it? Serious
wrongdoing includes the following:

· Non‑Christian religions and non‑Christian practices (e.g.,

Freemasonry, New Age, Transcendental Meditation, etc.).
· All forms of the occult, spiritualism, witchcraft.
· Sexual wrongdoing (adultery, masturbation, active
homosexuality, perversity, etc.).
· Murder, stealing, cheating.
· Lying, slander, gossip.
· Drunkenness, drugs.

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 Note for Catholics: To make repentance full and
effec­tive, go to sacramental confession and make a
firm resolution to lead a new life acceptable to Jesus.

c) Is there anything you wish to share or discuss with me? Is

there any other way I can help you?

d) Are you ready to turn away from sin, confess (if there is serious
wrongdoing), and commit your life to the Lord? Accept Him
as Lord and Savior?

2. Second Dialogue.

After the 8th session on “Life in the Holy Spirit” ending Module
Two, the discussion group leaders once again meet individually
with each of the members of their group. These meetings should
be held prior to the next session (Receiving the Power of the
Holy Spirit) which is the start of Module Three.

The primary purpose of this individual meeting is to help the

participant prepare for the prayer session where the participant
is prayed with for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The
Pray-over Session sometimes causes unclarity in the mind of
the participant. The discussion group leader will try to clear up
any question concerning this. The meeting also serves to give
encouragement and support to the participant and to find out
specific areas where he/she needs to be strength­ened and
prayed for.

These individual meetings should be held as early as possi­ble

during the week so that the participant may have enough time
after this meeting to adequately prepare himself/herself for the
prayer session. Don’t wait till the last minute!

Guidelines for the meeting

a) Start with a prayer. Foster an atmosphere of concern,

friendliness, and informality.

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b) Find out if there are any questions regarding what has transpired
in the program or if there are any problem areas. Discuss these.

c) Check the participant’s understanding of the gifts of the Holy

Spirit, particularly the gift of tongues. Explain these concepts
again. If there is any hang‑up or fear in any of these areas,
help the participant to get over them.

d) If the participant has any involvement in the occult and the like
(fortune telling, card reading, spirit of the glass, etc.), which may
or may not have been brought out in the first individual meeting,
lead the participant to renounce verbally this involvement.

e) Make sure that any serious wrongdoing which the partici­pant

disclosed during your first individual meeting is no longer
present in his/her life. Find out if there are other areas of
wrongdoing which the participant has not disclosed.

f) Find out if there are other obstacles to the full re­lease of

the Spirit in his/her life. Check areas of unforgiveness,
resentments, hatred, bitterness, etc. Lead the participant to
forgive the cause(s) of all these negative emotions. Pray for
a repentant and forgiving heart.

g) Find out if the participant has had any traumatic expe­riences, so that
you can pray for healing of memories during the prayer session.

h) Find out if there are other areas of concern or diffi­culties that

the participant would like to share with you.

i) Ask if the participant has any prayer intention, or any specific areas
that he/she would want to pray for during the Pray-over Session.

j) Encourage the participant (if Catholic) to go to confes­sion, to

go to Mass and receive Holy Communion, and to pray prior
to the Pray-over Session.

k) Pray together at the end of the meeting.

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3. Reminders.

a) The principle of confidentiality is still very much in force. Keep

to yourself whatever information is brought out, except what
you cannot handle, in which case you should bring the
same to the team leader. Any discus­sion of serious problems
should be only with the team leader (or if necessary with the
supervising Unit Head or the Chapter Head), and should not
be specifically taken up during the team meeting. The team
meeting is a time of sharing in general, to see where people
are at. Always avoid gossip, slander, or any wrong way of
speak­ing about any participant.

b) Inform the team leader immediately of any problem you

cannot handle or of any obstacle to being prayed with for the
Pray-over Session. Don’t wait till prior to the prayer session
itself.

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ANNEX A

COMMITMENT TO CHRIST

Do you renounce Satan and all wrongdoing?

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died to free
us from our sins, and that he rose to bring us new life?

Will you follow Jesus as your Lord?

Lord Jesus Christ, I want to belong to you from now on.

I want to be free from the dominion of darkness and the rule of

Satan, and I want to enter into your Kingdom and be a part of

your people. I will turn away from all wrongdo­ing, and I will avoid

everything that leads me to wrongdo­ing. I ask you to forgive

all the sins that I have commit­ted. I offer my life to you, and I

promise to obey you as my Lord. AMEN.

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 ANNEX B

GUIDELINES ON PRAYER FOR THE PRAY-OVER SESSION

1. Much of the effectiveness of the prayer session on the partic­ipants

will be related to the kind of atmosphere which the team itself
establishes. Thus the atmosphere should be one of:

a) FAITH. We need to turn to the Lord and put our faith in Him.
We need to be centered on the Lord. And the more we have
faith, the easier it will be for the participants. Faith catches. In an
atmosphere of worship and faith, it is much easier to have faith.

b) PEACE. We do not want to encourage emotional excitement.

Rather, we want to encourage relaxed joy. Those conducting
the prayer should we warm and friendly and relaxed and should
themselves convey a mood of peace and calmness to the
participants.

c) OPENNESS. We should be especially open to spiritual gifts

during this time. The Lord will work through the team with
prophecy and words of wisdom, with discernment and faith, and
even with healing. If we obey the promptings of the Spirit, we will
see God work in many ways that we might not have expected.

2. The gift of tongues.

a) The participants should come to see tongues as another means

of growing closer to Christ. It is a gift we can all use right from the
start of our new life in the Spirit. A person should claim this gift in
confidence. No one needs to wait for this gift or shy away from
it because of unworthi­ness. It is a gift God gives freely, simply
because we ask for it. No one has to “psych himself up” or feel
emotional­ly ready to receive the gift.

b) Three conditions dispose a person to receive the gift of tongues:

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· He should desire the gift. Simply because it is a gift that

comes from God.

· He should ask in faith for the gift. Faith means relying on

God’s promise (Lk.11:13) and looking expectantly to Jesus
to give the gift.

· He must cooperate with God by speaking out in faith and

expecting God to give him the utterance. What is needed is
active, not passive, faith.

c) There are some people who come seeking to receive the gifts of
the Spirit who say that they do not want to have the gift of tongues.
This is a wrong attitude because it would be placing limits on
God’s working. It is not being open to the Lord. Everyone should
want to receive the gift of tongues.

d) Tongues may not be of first importance in itself, but it has great

consequences in a person’s spiritual life. It can revolutionize a
person’s prayer life. A person who prays in tongues can normally
pray more easily, and his prayer will be more likely to be filled
with praise and worship. But even more significantly, tongues
usually turns out to be the gateway to the charismatic dimension.

It builds a person’s faith in a very concrete way. It gives him a

clear experience of what it means to have the Holy Spirit forming
something new through him. Yielding to tongues is an important
first step, and it is worth putting effort into encouraging a person
to yield to tongues.

e) At the same time, we should make it clear that speaking in

tongues is neither a necessary sign, nor by itself a cer­tain sign,
that a person has received the power of the Holy Spirit. We should
encourage the participants to be open to this gift, as a valuable
way of praying, especially in praising God, but we should not put
too much stress on it that their attention will be on tongues and
not on the Lord and his gift of the Holy Spirit.

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3. Suggested Procedure in the Pray-over Session.

a) Ask the participant to sit down, just relax, and be open to the
workings of the Holy Spirit.

b) Ask if there are any other specific areas that he wishes you to
pray for, aside from those already discussed in your individual
meeting. Ask if he desires any specific gift(s) from the Holy Spirit.

c) Start with praising the Lord. Ask the participant to join you here.
Then ask the Lord’s protection for the partici­pant and his loved
ones and also for yourselves. Claim God’s power and victory
over the situation.

d) Do a short prayer of exorcism, which means the casting out of

evil spirits or the telling of spirits to leave a person or place free.
It should be done simply and undramatical­ly, in a quiet voice, so
that only those praying for a particular person will hear it. Simply
command whatever evil spirits there are to depart. If you have
any discern­ment as to the kind of evil spirit present, then
simply command that spirit to depart.

(NOTE: This is not the kind of exorcism called for when an

individual is actually possessed. It is simply the same kind of
prayer that is part of every Catholic celebration of the sacrament
of Baptism. To avoid misconception some prefer to use the term
“praying for deliverance from evil spirits”). Then always ask for
an infilling of the Holy Spirit for the void left by evil spirits.

e) Pray that the participant be delivered from the bondage of sin.

Pray for all those areas of wrongdoing or of weak­nesses, all
negative emotions, all areas of concern and difficulty, and any
other obstacles to the full release of the Spirit in his life.

f) Pray for healing of memories and for inner healing.

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g) Pray specifically for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For example:

“Father, we now ask you, in the name of your Son Jesus Christ,
that you pour upon _____ the Holy Spirit so he/she may receive
new life” or any other variation. The important thing is that you
ask specifically that the Holy Spirit descend upon the participant.

h) Pray that the participant receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit,
especially those he specifically desires.

i) Pray in tongues. Then you can ask the participant to pray in

tongues. But you may have to help the participant to yield to
tongues. Many will not understand or follow the instructions given
in the opening remarks. Thus after praying with a person, you
should lean over or kneel down and suggest that he should try
to start praying in tongues. You should encourage him to speak
out, making sounds that are not English or any other language
he knows. You should then pray with him again.

When the person begins to speak in tongues, you should

encourage him. Many will still be afraid that it is “just them.” You
can often supply the faith that will allow them to yield to the Spirit.
Once the participant is able to pray in tongues, say a short prayer
of thanksgiving to the Lord. If no tongues come, or the person
feels inhibited, try encouraging but 1never force the person.

j) Pray that the participant be given the grace to become a strong

Christian. Pray that he commit himself to the Lord.

k) Have a closing prayer for the participant, some words that will
encourage and upbuild him. End with the Glory be.

l) Let the participant go back to his seat, exhorting him to continue

praying until everyone is finished.

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4. Pastoral notes.

a) You should get a prayer partner to provide support. Howev­er, you

as the discussion group leader will lead the pray­er. The prayer
partner is in a supporting role. It is the discussion group leader
who has been with the participant for the past 8 sessions and who
has had two individual meetings with him. Thus he best knows
the participant and what his needs are. However, as is called for,
the prayer partner gives support to the extent necessary. And in
some cases where the discussion leader himself does not have
the gift of tongues, it would be the prayer partner who should
handle this portion.

b) Pray in a low but audible voice. Usually there will be other praying
teams in the same room. Your prayer should be loud enough to
be heard by the participant and your prayer partner, but not too
loud as to disturb the other groups.

c) Apply the right amount of encouragement and understanding for

each participant. Some people will yield to the Spirit beautifully
without any encouragement at all. Some will need just a little
push. Some will need patient encourage­ment. Some should not
be pushed at all. Let the Spirit lead you and give you wisdom on
how to help your people.

d) Should the participant become restless, immediately pray that

the peace of the Lord be upon him.

e) If the participant cries, alleviate his embarrassment by telling him

that tears are a gift from the Lord. It is called the gift of tears or
the gift of cleansing.

f) Be aware of what is happening to the participant. Don’t be lost

in your own prayers. Be sensitive to the situation and adopt your
prayers, your procedure, and your whole self to it.

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g) There is no set length of time to the prayer of this sort. It can

range from as short as five minutes to as long as 30 minutes
or more. It is not how long it takes that is important, but how
effectively the participants are led to receive the power of the
Holy Spirit through the pray-over. However, your prayers should
also not be so long that the whole session is stretched out. A
good rule‑of‑thumb is to take no more than one hour to pray over
your whole group.

5. Remember:

a) Study this guide and other available materials well.

b) Prepare yourself spiritually, throughout the week but especially

on the day of the prayer session. Pray, read Scripture, fast, and
intercede for your people.

c) Have faith and trust in the Lord!

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 ANNEX C

PRAISING THE LORD

Praising the Lord is an essential element in our lives as Chris­tians. We

in CFC are a people who are to live and serve for the praise and glory
of His name.

Why praise the Lord?

1. Because the Lord is our Creator and we are His creatures. It is but
proper and fitting that creatures should acknowledge and give glory
to their Creator.

2. Because it is our vocation as Christians.

· Eph. 1:11‑12: “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...”

· ‘Eph. 1:14: “... a people God has made His own, to praise His
glory.”

As Christians, we are God’s 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, it must
be our main occupation so that every moment of our life should give
praise to the Lord.

1 Cor. 10:31. “The fact is that whether you eat or drink ‑ whatever
you do ‑ you should do all for the glory of God.”

3. Because the Word of God explicitly tells us to do so.

· Psalm 9:12: “Sing praise to the Lord enthroned in Zion.”

· Psalm 22:24: “You who fear the Lord, praise Him.”

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· Psalm 103:1: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being bless
His holy name.”

· Psalm 104:33: “I will sing to the Lord all my life, I will sing praise
to my God while I live.”

* Psalm 150:6: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Alleluia!”

* Heb. 13:15: “Through him let us continually offer God a sacrifice

of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.”

4. Because praise is the key that unlocks the power of God.

· Joshua 6:15‑16,20 – The walls of Jericho collapsed after the

Israelites praised the Lord in procession around the city.

· Acts 16:25‑26 – Paul and Silas are delivered from their chains
and imprisonment while they were praying and singing praises
to the Lord.

5. Because this is how Jesus taught us to pray.

· Luke 11:1‑4 – The Lord’s prayer has two parts. The first part is
a prayer of praise and the second is a prayer of petition. Thus
one thing Jesus teaches us here is to start our prayers always
with praise.

What are we going to praise God for?

1. For His perfection.

· Eph. 5:19‑20: “Sing praise to the Lord with all your hearts. Give
thanks to the Father always and for every­thing in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. For all the innumerable blessings He has given us.

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 · We praise God for His greatness, goodness, generosity, mercy,
patience with our weakness, etc.

3. Even for the evils He allows to happen to us.

· Romans 8:28; Eph. 5:20.

· We should praise Him even for the trials and difficulties that came
our way. As Christians, we believe that nothing happens which
God does not allow to happen. If something bad has happened,
then God must have a purpose in allowing it to happen. Since
God’s purpose can only be good, we therefore still praise Him,
not for the bad happening but for His good purpose. So that
“always and for everything” we praise the Lord.

How do we praise the Lord in a group prayer?

1. Speaking out loud our praises to the Lord.

· Psalm 66:1‑2,8: “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.”

· Hebrews 13:15: “Through him let us continually offer God a

sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which acknowledge His
name.”

2. Songs and singing in the Spirit.

· Eph. 5:18‑19: “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in
psalms and hymns and inspired songs. Sing praise to the Lord
with all your hearts.”

· Col. 3:16: “Sing gratefully to God from your hearts in psalms,

hymns and inspired songs.”

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3. Raising of hands.

· 1 Tim. 2:8: “... in every place the men shall offer prayers with
blameless hands held aloft.”

4. Clapping of hands.

· Psalm 47:2: “All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with
cries of gladness.”

5. Dancing.

· 1 Chronicles 13:8: “... David and all Israel danced before God
with great enthusiasm, amid Songs and music on lyres, harps,
tambourines, cymbals and trum­pets.”

· 2 Sam. 6:14‑16: “Then David, girt with a linen apron, came

dancing before the Lord with abandon, .... King David leaping
and dancing before the Lord...”

· Psalm 149:3: “Let them praise His name in the festive dance.”

· Psalm 150:4: “praise Him with timbrel and dance...”

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 ANNEX D

TITLES OF JESUS

A. From the book of Revelation.

1. Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:11)
2. First and last (Rev. 1:17)
3. Lord God almighty (Rev. 4:8)
4. Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
5. Root of David (Rev. 5:5)
6. Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11)
7. Word of God (Rev. 19:13)
8. King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)
9. Beginning and end (Rev. 21:6)
10. Root and offspring of David (Rev. 22:16)
11. Bright morning star (Rev. 22:16)

B. From the prophets.

12. Emmanuel (Is. 7:14)
13. Wonder‑Counselor, God‑Hero, Father‑Forever, Prince of Peace (Is. 9:5)
14. Root of Jesse (Is. 11:10)
15. Son of man (Dan. 7:13)
16. Shoot (Zech. 6:12)

C. From the gospels.

17. Messiah (Mt. 1:16)
18. Son of God (Mt. 4:3)
19. Lord (Mt. 7:21)
20. Son of David (Mt. 15:22)
21. Holy One of God (Mk. 1:24)
22. Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29)
23. Bread of life (Jn. 6:35)
24. I Am (Jn. 8:58)
25. Gate (Jn. 10:9)
26. Good shepherd (Jn. 10:14)
27. Resurrection and the life (Jn. 11:25)
28. Way and truth and life (Jn. 14:6)
29. True vine (Jn. 15:1)

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D. Others
30. Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:14)
31. Author of life (Acts 3:15)
32. Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)
33. Blessed and only ruler (1 Tim. 6:15)

ANNEX E

FASTING

The team is greatly encouraged to fast at least once a week during the
entire course of the program, not only as a means of personal spiritual
growth, but more so as a personal sacrifice for the intention of the
participants, the people whom the Lord has entrusted to our care.

What is fasting?

Fasting refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Fasting is not:

1. Dieting, which stresses abstinence from food for health for physical
reasons. It is motivated by vanity.

2. Hunger strike, which has for its purpose the gaining of polit­ical power
or the attracting of attention for a certain cause. It is motivated by the
desire for power.

How do we fast?

The normal means of fasting involves abstaining from all food, solid or
liquid, but not from water. However, one could also engage in a partial
fast, which is a restriction of diet but not total abstention. Just consider
what your body can take or how far you yourself want to go.
We can fast on the day of the session itself. We can start our fast after
the previous night’s supper or at midnight and end our fast with supper
before the session or continue the fast until the session’s fellowship.

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Who should fast?

The list of Biblical personages who fasted is like a “Who’s Who” of

Scripture: Moses the lawgiver, David the king, Elijah the prophet, Esther
the queen, Daniel the seer, Anna the prophetess, Paul the apostle, and
of course Jesus Christ the Son of God. So we’re in good company when
we fast.

Generally, the whole team should fast once a week during the whole
course of the CLP. But obviously there will be some people who for
physical reasons should not fast. For example: diabet­ics, expectant
mothers, and heart patients. If you have any ques­tions about your
fitness to fast, seek medical advice.

What is the Scriptural basis for fasting?

Mt. 6:16‑18 ‑ Jesus says, “When you fast...” Jesus already assumed
that people would fast, and what was needed was
instruction on how to do it properly.

Mt. 9:14‑15 ‑ Jesus says, “When the day comes that the groom is taken
away, then they will fast.” The “day” refers to the present
church age. Jesus expected his disciples to fast after he
was gone.

Why should we fast?

1. The first and most important reason is that fasting is a means of

worshipping God and centering our lives and our existence on the
Lord.

· Like the prophetess Anna, we need to worship in fasting and

prayer (Luke 2:37).

· As in the case of the apostolic band at Antioch, fasting and prayer

go together (Acts 13:2‑3).

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2. Fasting is also a weapon for spiritual warfare (Mt. 17:21). We can

expect Satan to be angry at the work we are doing, and he will be
trying to stop us and the participants from receiving what God has to
offer. We need to fast in our fight against evil forces.

3. Fasting is a way by which we can control our body and the desires
of the flesh. In life we crave for so many things (not just food) which
we do not need until we become con­trolled or enslaved by them. By
fasting, we learn to disci­pline ourselves and to keep our desires in
the proper perspec­tive. Fasting helps us keep our balance in life.

4. Fasting reveals the things that control us. We cover up what is inside
us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface.
If pride controls us, it will be revealed. Anger, bitterness, jealousy,
strife, fear – all these will surface during fasting. And knowing these
things within us is a great benefit to one who longs to be trans­formed
into the image of Christ. We can now come before the Lord and pray
for healing in these areas.

5. Fasting is a way by which we grasp the reality that we live not by

bread alone, but more importantly by the Word of God (Mt. 4:4). We
are totally dependent on the Lord for our exist­ence. And our spiritual
life is much more important than our physical life.

6. Fasting is a way by which we can relate, though admittedly in a very

small way, to the sufferings of people who don’t have adequate food
or other necessities of life. By actually experiencing doing without,
we can empathize more with their plight.

7. Other values of fasting are increased effectiveness in inter­cessory

prayer, guidance in decisions, increased concentra­tion, deliverance
for those in bondage, physical well‑being.

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 ANNEX F

COVENANT OF THE COUPLES FOR CHRIST

Trusting the Lord’s help and guidance,

1. I shall live as a follower of Christ.

· Pray everyday for at least 15 minutes.

· Read Scriptures everyday for at least 15 minutes.
· Participate regularly in the worship life of my church.
· Avoid sin and wrongdoing.
· Put good order into my private life.

2. I dedicate myself to the task of building a strong family for Christ.

· Seek regular weekly dialogue with my spouse; my

children.
· Exercise my duties actively as a parent.
· Pray with my family daily and celebrate the Lord’s Day together.
· Invest generous amounts of time for home and family.

3. I will make myself available to the Lord for service.

· Bring other couples to Christ.

· Make time to serve in COUPLES FOR CHRIST whenever

I am called to serve, and follow directions of those who have
responsibility for my service.

4. I will relate in love and loyalty to other families in COUPLES FOR CHRIST.

· Attend my small group meetings weekly and support the good

order of the meeting.
· Faithfully attend all other meetings.
· Accept other couples whom the Lord adds to our number.

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 Christian Life Program

5. I shall study and seek to grow as a Christian person and in

understanding and fulfillment of my marriage vocation.

· Attend all courses, retreats, workshops and conferences of

COUPLES FOR CHRIST.
· Diligently study all materials given to me.

May our Lord Jesus Christ help me to live the covenant of the COUPLES
FOR CHRIST everyday for His greater honor and glory and for the good
of my brothers and sisters.

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