Thursday, May 31, 2012

DAY 54- (English podcast click here)

DAY 54 - Who's Your Most Beloved? 誰是摯愛 (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)



Today's Reading: Mark 14: 1-11

**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.

Please click this link to read Mark 14: 1-11

Bible Study

The 9.0 earthquake I got yesterday is now heading up to Jesus. That's how N.T. Wright describes today's passage:
If the storm clouds are gathering over Jerusalem in chapter 13, in chapter 14 they are coming together over the head of Jesus himself. The parallel between the two is important: the fate Jesus has predicted for the Temple is precisely what will now happen to him...From this point on, Mark's story is entirely focused on the coming crucifixion of the Messiah.

The first part of this passage shows how the woman anointed Jesus with a very expensive perfume(vv. 1-9). The second part of this passage shows how Judas got the similar amount of money from the chief priests to betray Jesus! What a contrast!

The action of the woman gives us two important messages:
1. Jesus is our most beloved
The value of the perfume is a year's wages! Any one of you have ever make an offering of a year's wages before? You do not need to do that unless you have this kind of ""Alabaster" call. But, you do have to know that we as human beings will give the most to those we love the most. The woman's giving is a good example of what does it means by giving it all, though not like Jesus to give His life to us!

2. When we give it all we may fulfill God's purpose yet we do not know
The woman just wanted to give it all to Jesus as her most beloved. Yet, what she did not know is that by giving like that she fulfill God's purpose in human history to set a good example of what is "giving" and what is "betraying"! That's the contrast of the woman and Judas!

What cast do you want to play? What cast have you been playing? Loving money, power and your own way instead of loving Jesus?


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 God as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"


Spiritual Journal


What I heard from Jesus today is: Who's your most beloved?

Today Jesus put before us two powerful pictures or movie to change our lives from "getting" to "giving".

The first picture is how you use your imagination now to see the scene of the woman anointing Jesus. What can you see and feel of the woman's eyes loving Jesus and how Jesus' eyes loving the woman of her giving.

The second picture is how wicked the high priest and Judas were. Their eyes of selfishness, bitterness, darkness and emptiness!

What have you seen? How are you going to be willing to let Jesus to change your life from now on following the woman and Jesus good examples to give rather than to get?

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to put these two contrasting pictures into our mind that we can be transformed by your love to love you the most. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.


Please click this link to worship with us -
You Are My All in All
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC617kE1maU&feature=related

Chinese praise song - 你是我的一切 You Are My All In All


You can subscribe to my podcast feed here:http://feeds.feedburner.com/discipler123



You may choose to follow my first blog which I started in July 2009:http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

DAY 53- (English podcast click here)

DAY 53 - A 9.0 Earthquake Is Coming to You! (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)



Today's Reading: Mark 13: 28-237

**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.

Please click this link to read Mark 13: 28-37

Bible Study

The scaring title today "A 9.0 earthquake is coming to you!" is not a prophecy from me but an example of what really happens in this chapter.

N.T. Wright says, "The first level of meaning, clearly, is once more about the imminent destruction of the Temple; this is the subject of the entire chapter. Jesus' main concern is to warn his followers of the signs that will immediately herald the end - the end of the Temple, the end of the Jewish national way of life up to that point.
Unlike the fig tree two chapters earlier, which suffered from having leaves but no figs, Jesus now uses the image of a fig tree in leaf, signalling that summer is almost here, as an illustration of how his hearers are to react."

In less than 40 years after Jesus said that it happened. All those who were still staying in Jerusalem was like in an 9.0 earthquake or more severe because as record in history they even ate their own babies so that they could survive of not starving to death!

What do people need to do in this situation? Jesus says we need to be like gatekeepers to stay awake so that the first part of John 10: 10 won't happen:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10: 10

Keep watch! Watch! Watch out! Be on your guard!

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 God as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"


Spiritual Journal


What I heard from Jesus today is: A 9.0 earthquake is coming to you!

Today Jesus uses this passage to give us a warning and challenge.
What if the city you are living have a 9.0 earthquake and quite a number of your family members died but not you. You walk out on the streets and what you see are corpses and fallen buildings. You do not have your church to go to because it just collapsed.

When that happen, do you still believe in Jesus as your Saviour, Lord and King? Can your intimate personal relationship with Jesus helps you to get through all those sufferings and you can become a better disciple of Christ after that or you just do not believe in Jesus any more?

What is your answer?

In fact, I am helping some Christians to go through their 9.0 earthquake recently. I really don't know whether they can make it or not? What I know is that it is only a "challenge", nothing more, nothing less! Are you going to survive spiritually if that happens to you? This is a test and a challenge of your real relationship with Jesus if you have any?

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to prepare for this kind of challenge and that because of our daily intimate personal relationship with you we can prevail. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.


Please click this link to worship with us -
You Are My All in All
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC617kE1maU&feature=related

Chinese praise song - 你是我的一切 You Are My All In All


You can subscribe to my podcast feed here:http://feeds.feedburner.com/discipler123



You may choose to follow my first blog which I started in July 2009:http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

DAY 52- (English podcast click here)

DAY 52 - Do Not Be Deceived! (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)



Today's Reading: Mark 13: 14-27

**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.

Please click this link to read Mark 13: 14-27

Bible Study

This passage is very special because up to verse 13 Jesus warned his followers not to panic when all kinds of destruction come, but from verse 14 the mood changes. N.T. Wright says that at a certain sign they need to run without looking back, without picking up belongings, to flee so quickly that those with young children will have difficulty keeping up. N.T. Wright says that Jesus was prophesying the terrible tale of the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70, how people starved, ate their own babies to stay alive, fought each other for dirty food. Jesus clearly wanted his followers to get out and run.

N.T. Wright stresses that this passage "is not a prediction of 'the end of the world', though many in Jerusalem at the time must have wished it was. Had it been the end of the world, what would have been the point of running away so frantically? No; but it was the end of their world."

We may not have a chance to see the end of the world but the end of our world would be at hand. The way of how we live comfortably in our own lifestyle. We are so easily being deceived by the world we are living in and not willing to be changed by a lifestyle of christlikeness.

Be on your guard!

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 God as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"


Spiritual Journal


What I heard from Jesus today is: Do not be deceived!

When sufferings comes usually we have quite some reactions in common:
Fear, panic, deceived.

What Jesus wants us to do in the time of our sufferings are:
Be on guard, Stand firm and trust Jesus.

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for warning us that our world may come to an end anytime. Help us to be on guard, stand firm and trust you totally. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.


Please click this link to worship with us -
You Are My All in All
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC617kE1maU&feature=related

Chinese praise song - 你是我的一切 You Are My All In All


You can subscribe to my podcast feed here:http://feeds.feedburner.com/discipler123



You may choose to follow my first blog which I started in July 2009:http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/

Monday, May 28, 2012

DAY 51- (English podcast click here)

DAY 51 - Be Ready for Your Birth Pain! (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)



Today's Reading: Mark 13: 1-13

**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.

Please click this link to read Mark 13: 1-13

Bible Study

Many Christians take Mark 13 and its parallels in Matthew and Luke as a warning and prophesy about the end of the world. N.T. Wright says it is not at all. He says the real message is about "the beginning of birth pains"(v. 8) and better things are coming out from those sufferings. He says that this chapter tells us that "Jesus' disciples will face what Jesus has faced and what he will shortly face - trials, beatings, the threat of death - and all because of their allegiance to him. He sees them as a group continuing, after he has gone, to be defined as his follower. And he sees that they will suffer for it."

Well, this is what God is expecting us to do for His Kingdom sake. To be prepared for the beginning of birth pain. Not to fear of anything happens in our lives because everything is not moving to "the end" but a better future in God's preparation. What we need to do is just to stand firm at any time. Are you ready for the beginning of your birth pain?

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 God as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"


Spiritual Journal


What I heard from Jesus today is: Be ready for you birth pain!

Jesus reminds me of a movie I watched recently. The name of the movie is "Mongol" and it is a wonderful story about the rise of Genghis Khan (1162-1227 A.D.). Since he was nine years of age he suffered a lot. But, all the sufferings made him to be the famous Genghis Khan!

At the end of the movie, his best friend and comrade who wanted to kill him for years was captured by his army after a huge warfare. He asked Genghis Khan, "All Mongols fear the thunder, but not you?" Khan answered, "I had no place to hide from the thunder, so I wasn't afraid anymore."

Yes, that must be Jesus plan for each one of his apprentice. All those following Jesus will go through the similar sufferings Jesus had but all those sufferings help us not to fear any more. Why? Because we know that we have no place to hide but God is our only hiding place! Sometimes we have too many places to hide and we are so afraid to change, we just do not want to change.

Be ready for your birth pain to experience you have no place to hide when those sufferings come: loss of jobs, health, family members, money or even your life!

Yesterday I pray for a dear brother who is afraid that he might have nose cancer. There is no place to hide when cancer comes. But, if you take "cancer" as a birth pain then you might experience what Michelle and our family experienced - a renewed relationship with Jesus, a daily intimate personal relationship with Jesus! Everything perspective changed! Your suffering is just a birth pain, and you are getting a new "baby"! Wow!

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for giving us this new perspective to face our future or present suffering. Help us to stand firm in you knowing that we have no place to hide but only to hide in you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.


Please click this link to worship with us -
You Are My All in All
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC617kE1maU&feature=related

Chinese praise song - 你是我的一切 You Are My All In All


You can subscribe to my podcast feed here:http://feeds.feedburner.com/discipler123



You may choose to follow my first blog which I started in July 2009:http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/

眷顧有需要的,主會搭救你,為你鋪牀!

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