Monday, December 30, 2013

DAY 590 - Why We Need Spiritual Weapons? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Want to know why I have been writing and recording my blogs and podcast daily since August 10, 2009? Click these three links:

Confirmation from John Stott in 2009: 
http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html
My MicroMacro Discipleship, A missing DNA in Discipleship Development: http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/introduction-micromacro-discipleship.html
Subject Shifting Devotion Method(Inspired by John Stott in 1991: http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

                               Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 10:1-11
** If you would like to learn a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please read my “Count Down 5” from my Devotion on Fire blog:
http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html
To use this simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link:
 .Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf

Please click this link to read 2 Corinthians 10:1-11

Bible Study

     After two chapters talking about money and offerings, Paul comes to the subject of spiritual warfare and spiritual weapons. Is there any relationship between the money thing Paul talks about and this one? I let you think about that. I am not going to discuss about that here today because this is not the focus of today's passage.

      The focus of today's passage is that we are in a spiritual warfare. Satan has all kinds of tactics to capture human's mind. When people are being captured, they are either prisoners of Satan, unable to do anything for Jesus, stuck and downcast, or they change side to be Satan's messengers capturing other people into Satan's camp to oppose Jesus and His servants. This is for real! I have seen too many prisoners and quite a number of Christians suddenly changed side to steal, kill and destroy! Scary! Sad!
Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      In verses 3,4 and 5 Paul describes his strategy in the battle for the mind.  At its heart is the principle he states in verse 5: we take every thought prisoner, and make it obey the Messiah. It is a bold intention, and this whole passage is about boldness, the boldness of the apostle who somehow balances the meekness and gentleness of the Messiah with the boldness that tears down strongholds…Paul doesn't want to have to use that boldness, but he will if necessary.  And they need to know where it comes from.
      It comes from Paul's thought-out and long-practised strategy for the war he's engaged in.  Elsewhere (e.g. Romans 13.12, Ephesians 6.10-20, and 1 Thessalonians 5.8) he describes the weapons he uses for the fight;  here he says what they're used for.  They are what you need for the battle against all ideas, arguments, philosophies and world-views that set themselves up against the knowledge of the true God.

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:2 Corinthians. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.105.
     
     In the severe battle of this mind game of Satan, many are being captured. Do you know how to capture their thoughts back to Jesus? In another word, do you know how to save them and take them out of Satan's prison? 

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

Spiritual Journal

    What I heard from Jesus today is: Why we need spiritual weapons?

    What I got from Jesus today is a question most Christians have no interest in. Why? Because most Christians do not know why we need spiritual weapons, what are those spiritual weapons, how to use them and really using them!

     A major miracle is happening at Richmond Emmanuel Church now of our church building project. If you miss what has happened, please click these two links to the blogs/podcasts I shared some days ago:

 DAY 579: What on earth made you do that? http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/2013/12/day-579-what-on-earth-made-you-do-that.html
DAY 588: More about Giving? Why?
http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/2013/12/day-588-more-about-giving-why-cantonese.html


     What you may not know is that we have been using quite a number of spiritual weapons since the beginning of this year:
1. We had a 40 days daily fasting since January 1, 2013. I had another 40 days of fasting before that.
2. We are having a one year fasting since Easter Sunday this year till next March.
3. We are having a "kneeling three minutes a day campaign" since June 27 this year.
4. We have more people to join our Saturday's 9a.m prayer meeting, more than 30.
5. We add one more prayer meeting especially for our church building development 9p.m. 1st Thursday.
6. We are going to have a 100 days daily fasting from January 1, 2014. I started my daily fasting 54 days before that, November 8, 2013.

     I do not think the WAVE of offerings and enthusiasm would happen if we do not have those spiritual weapons. As you should know, when a church starts to have building plan, arguments, disagreements and division will come, most churches suffer heavy damage. We do hope and pray that by using those spiritual weapons we can capture people's thought back to Christ, just like what Paul says. 

      But, how many of us really believe and are willing to join in! That's the question! What's your respond and action today? Are you going to join our 100 days daily fasting starting on January 1, 2014?

 Dear Lord Jesus, 
Help us to be willing to use spiritual weapons to fight spiritual warfares so that we can capture people's thoughts back to you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -


10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman
You may choose to follow my other daily blog: 
Daily Devotion on Fire 2(2 years plan -One year New Testament, one year Old Testament): 
http://bishopsilas2.blogspot.ca/
Daily Devotion on Fire (3 years and 3 months plan, one chapter a day to finish reading the whole Bible): 
http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/
Break.Build (40 days daily devotion- For Renewal or First Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 
http://emmanuel330.blogspot.ca/

This blog:

Discipler 123 (Daily devotion using N.T. Wright's NT for Everyone as source)
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