Friday, February 28, 2014

DAY 649 - Nothing Will Happen When ... (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: Ephesians 2:1-7


** 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 Ephesians 2:1-7

Bible Study

     Paul shows us one of the most important piece of puzzle why we as human beings, families, churches, societies and nations have so many problems. 


Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      Simply following the desires of the physical body, and equally of the mind, will lead you to ruin.  The problem is, though: even if you recognize this, what can you do about it?  If you are already 'dead' as a result of all this - already heading the wrong way down the road, with no hope of turning off, let alone turning back, and apparently no brake on the car to enable you to stop - what hope can there be?…
      In verse 2 Paul shows that there are forces which pull you, lure you, compel you to go in the wrong direction.
      First, there is the present age: the way the world is now is not the way God intends it to be in the age to come.  What seems right, especially to those who are simply 'going with the flow' of the world around them, actually isn't.
     Second, there is the 'ruler of the power of the air'. This seems to be a way of referring to the satan, the devil, and a way of suggesting that his deadly ideas, his schemes for defacing God's beautiful creation and particularly his image-bearing human creatures, are, as we say, 'in the air'.
      
N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:Te Prison Letters. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.19.

     So, nothing will happen when you are not willing to die in your sins. And, nothing would happen even you are willing to die in your sins becausesatan is going to pull you back to the wrong route, your old self. What can you do? 
     
Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage 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

    The title I heard from Jesus today is: Nothing will happen when ...

    What I got from Jesus today is a life or death warning to our present state:
1. Nothing will happen when you are not willing to die in your sins.
    You know well how easy you can turn back to the old route, your old-self and let your anger, your bitterness … all kinds of sins to control you again that you become one of the instruments for the Deceiver to destroy God's wonderful work.

2. Even if you are willing to die in your sins but you can't stay long. Why? Because you cannot win Satan. Only Jesus can.

    So, what is the answer. The answer is in yesterday's passage and message. Jesus is the true King, the only one who can protect you and take you through all kinds of Satan's deadly trap. Whenever you do not have Jesus with you.  Whenever you are not following Jesus as your King, listen and obey to His call, you are done and back into the darkness.

     How can you let point 1 and 2 to become a reality of your life? 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to following you in a real sense that you can cast off the deadly scheme of Satan and that we can be your true disciples. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -


Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus 

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)

Thursday, February 27, 2014

DAY 648 - Knowing The Power of The King (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: Ephesians 1:15-23

** 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 Ephesians 1:15-23

Bible Study

     Paul concludes the first chapter proclaiming the power of Jesus as the true King. Ephesus is a city full of religious and political power. All sort of cults and beliefs and all kinds of rulers and authorities controlled people there and there eyes had been blinded, unable to see the truth. 

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      When Paul speaks of Christ as exalted over all possible rulers and authorities, we know that he means what he says.  The local magistrates and officials; provincial rulers and governors; kings, princes and the emperor himself: all are subject to King Jesus. 

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:Te Prison Letters. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.17.

     Do you believe in the sovereign power of King Jesus? If you believe, how could that encourage you in your daily journey with Him? 
     
Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage 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

    The title I heard from Jesus today is: Knowing the power of the King

    What I got from Jesus today is a reminder that Jesus as King is always in control. Many times, especially in the midst of darkness and sorrow we forget that Jesus is the King and He is always in control.

    Many times, we do not trust the power of our King can remove mountains. See how Paul starts this passage. It is Paul prayers that he believe that when we pray, God will open the eyes of many people so that they can see and experience the power of our King Jesus.

    You know this, right? But, how much do you pray so that those people who cannot not see will be able to see the King's glory? 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Leads us to be able to trust in you that we can experience your great power. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -


Open Our Eyes/Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus 

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)

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

DAY 647 - (English podcast click here)

DAY 647 - Do you have the seal and the deposit? (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: Ephesians 1:11-14


** 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 Ephesians 1:11-14

Bible Study

     Paul continues his love story telling of God in today's passage. He concludes his praise and worship declaring the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit in us as the seal and the deposit as the 'guarantee' of the promised inheritance. 


Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      The spirit is actually part of the promised inheritance  because the spirit is God's own presence, which in the new world will be fully and personally with us for ever.  The spirit marks us out, stamps us with God's official seal, as the people in the present who are guaranteed to inherit God's new world.
     We see this in verse 14 in particular.  The word Paul uses for 'guarantee' here is a word used at the time in legal or commercial transactions.  Suppose I wanted to buy a plot of land from you, valued at 10,000 dollars.  We might agree that I would pay you the first 1,000 dollars as a 'down payment', guaranteeing the full sum to come in the future when the details were complete.  The spirit is the 'down payment': part of the promised future, coming forwards to meet us in the present.

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:Te Prison Letters. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.13.

     So do you have the Holy Spirit as the seal and the deposit in your life recently so that when the day comes you can receive the inheritance? 
     
Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage 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

    The title I heard from Jesus today is: Do you have the seal and the deposit?

    What I got from Jesus today are two very practical questions:
1. The seal: This word is to other people seeing you, your lifestyle and your life witness of whether Jesus is your Lord. 
    When someone received a sealed envelope hundreds of years ago they knew it right away who sent the letter. Usually the seal is from someone's signeted ring. If you have the seal of the Holy Spirit, then people knows that you belongs to God and from God. What does the seal of the Holy Spirit means? It's all about whether you have the fruit of the Holy Spirit and your lifestyle of Christlikeness.

     Have you got that seal?

2. The deposit: This word is to you personally. You should know whether you are walking in the same step with the Holy Spirit and filled by the Holy Spirit. If you are, then no matter what kind of critical condition you are in, you would never lose hope and you would have total trust in the Lord that you are going to receive your inheritance and that is your eternal salvation. Today I received a bad news that Archbishop Kolini's son, John died of brain cancer yesterday and he was only 40 years of age. I know that the Archbishop and his wife Freda must be in mourning. But I am sure that they won't lose hope because they are spirit-filled children of God. They have that deposit in the midst of deep loss and sorrow. 

     So, do you have the seal and the deposit? How do you know you really have that? 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Leads us to be able to live out a lifestyle of Christlikeness so that people can recognize your seal in us. Help us to be sure of the presence of the Holy Spirit as the deposit that we would never lose hope even in deep loss and sorrow. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -


Open Our Eyes/Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus 

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)

神啊,求你不要耽延,救我啊!

  大齋期四十日 "破。立"每日靈修,請按下面連結: http://breakbuild.blogspot.com/   楊平忠大主教領受 "使命113"異象之見證 Archbishop Yong’s MISSION 113 videos,...