DAY 713 - Maturity Is What You Really Need (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Four years ago today, April 9, 2010, Michelle went to see her family doctor and was told that she got leukaemia. She was admitted to Vancouver General Hospital the next morning (http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2010/04/day-234-my-wife-michelle-has-leukemia.html ). Michelle is not feeling well lately!  Her family doctor is now having a series of check-up for her to see what is happening. On this day, I would like to invite you to join us in a 100 days of prayer (From April 9 to July 17) for Michelle, our family and my ministry. Please click this link to join us to pray:
New 100 Days Prayer Campaign (2014.04.09-2014.07.17)

What you need to do is very simple. Choose one hour slot for the whole week to pray for Michelle, our family and my ministry. You may use the whole hour in prayer or you can still do you work in your office but use as much time as you can to pray and the other time work prayerfully that hour to pray for us. I encourage you to participate. We need you to join us! Trust in the power of prayers!

This blog/podcast has people from 111 countries visiting and more than 1/2 million visits.

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: Hebrews 6:1-8

** 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 Hebrews 6:1-8

English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews 6&version=ESV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=希 伯 來 書 6&version=CUV

Bible Study

     Yesterday's passage gives us a warning that we can not always have our faith like babies but have to grow up. Today's passage talks about what does that means by still babies and not mature. Still staying in the Christian ABC, the rudimentary teachings.

     It may be to your surprise that the basics as described by the author may not be basics to modern Christians. Why? Let's have an examination now.

     First, according to verses 1 and 2, the basics are:
1. Repentance: That is repentance from dead works. Referring to the practices of paganism and the Jewish Temple rituals.

2. Faith towards God: Belief and trust in God but not idols.

3. Learn the teaching about baptisms and laying on of hands(laying on of hands is similar to Confirmation)

4. Clear about the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment

    Second, according to verses 4 and 5, Christian beginnings are:
1. Enlightened: your eyes being opened to see the light and everything about God and His purpose of your life.

2. Tasted: begin to experience your new life in Christ

3. A share in the Holy Spirit: Being filled with the Holy Spirit, receiving gift of the Holy Spirit and start to exercise those gifts.

4. Taste the goodness of the Word of God: Your longs and thirst to read the Bible and learn more about what it says in the Bible as the Word of God.

5. Taste the powers of the coming age: By following Jesus as your Lord, you start to taste the powers of the coming age.

    Now you know what I mean? Are all those basics for you? But, those are basics in the Early Church. And, the author is telling them and us that we need to go into a deeper understanding and to be really mature. How about that?

    Verses 6 to 8 is frightening because the author says if we are away from those basics and we may enter into a road of darkness and eternal death that may not have a chance to return. 

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      If you have learned the ABC thoroughly, and have started off enthusiastically on the Christian path, you can't expect to be restored if you then renounce it and go off in a different direction…
     When the author speaks of 'falling away', and of 'crucifying God's son all over again', the writer seems to have in mind people who have belonged to the church, who have taken part in its common life, but who then decide it isn't for them, abandon their membership, and join in the general public contempt for the faith.  

N.T. Wright. Hebrews for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.59.

      So, when you go through those important messages today, what do you think? Are you still a baby? How can you start your journey of maturity? 
     

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: Maturity is what you really need

    The message I got from Jesus today is an eye opening message. The basics in Early Church may be to most Christians not basics, and many Christians do not have those basics. That's why John Stott says the faith of Christians nowadays is ten miles wide but one inch deep.

    You may be doing lots of things for your church and elsewhere, but your faith is just one inch deep! How sad! 

    Today Michelle and I started the first day in the Leadership Conference of Holy Trinity Brompton in London. Rev. Nicky Gumbel had a powerful interview with Rev. Rick Warren and his wife Kay. Their son Matthew committed suicide last April. Rick and Kay shared their journey of faith in a very transparent way. I learn a lot of what it means by maturity through their deep sharing. They look ed differently and talked differently because what they have been through is not what we can think of. That's maturity! What I have been experiencing is that maturity comes when we go through darkness and crisis. Although we don't want that to happen!

    Today I had one of my dreams come true. We had Matt Redman leading us to sing "10,000 reasons". Oh! It was like heaven! I experienced maturity with 5,000 people praising the Lord singing, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul!"

    Come on, wake up! Don't be a baby! Be mature! 
     
Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to be willing to enter into a deeper and deeper relationship with you and with everything you want us to learn. Help us to be a mature disciple of you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -

從心合一

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJWZQyLzDRQ

Because He Live: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-zwE33zHA

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)

http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/


Rev. Nicky Gumbel's daily devotion: Bible in One Year
http://www.htb.org.uk/bioy