DAY 400 - Joyfully Continue or Give Up? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Today's Reading: Acts 14:1-7

** 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 Acts 14:1-7

• English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts 14&version=ESV
• Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts 14&version=CUV

Bible Study

      We got two different groups of people in yesterday's passage and Luke used two sets of words to describe who they were and what they did. Today Luke continuously used different words to describe the two groups:

1. Those stiff-necked Jews

    stirred up, poisoned their minds, divided, sided, mistreat, stone them. 

2. Paul and Barnabas and those Jews and Gentiles who believed the Gospel

    entered together, believed, remained for a long time, speaking boldly, vote witness, granting signs and wonders, continued to preach the gospel. 

    There might be a third group of people, those who gave up facing with such kind of discouragement and persecution. But, there wasn't a third group. Why?

                              

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: Joyfully continue or give up?

    What I got from Jesus is an encouragement to all of us as disciples of Him that we need to joyfully continue rather than give up. I got a key word in verse 7 that the Chinese translation does not have: continued.

    Another key word is from 13:52: filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. The only reason for us as disciples of Jesus do not give up is because we are being filled by the Holy Spirit that we can joyfully continue in the midst of discouragements and persecution. 

    Rev. Ed Hird called me one day before Father's Day sending his greeting. One of the thing he told me was this: "Silas, thank you for never giving up. You have given me great encouragements because you never give up for the past four years as my bishop. Happy Father's Day." Oh, I was in tears! Ed, thank you for your wonderful and powerful encouragement!

    You never know how much discouragements and persecutions I have got the past four years since I became a bishop. Yes, the reason for me to joyfully continue and not give up is because I am being filled with the Holy Spirit each day when I am having my daily personal intimate relationship with Jesus. 

    Satan is going to try all his best to make us give up. The only way for you to joyfully continue not giving up is to be filled by the Holy Spirit each day. To be filled by the Holy Spirit you need to have a real daily relationship with Jesus. A sweet, intimate relationship with Jesus each day. Not once every two to three days, but each day. Any day you do not have that relationship you are in danger to be swallow by Satan's trap!

    So, joyfully continue to preach the good news or giving up is your choice, your daily choice.  

Dear Lord Jesus,

Lead us to make the right choice each day to be as close as we can be to you so that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit that we will never give up.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

**NEW link for the  14th: 13th 100 days 24 hours prayer campaign (We are going to use this 13th list leads up to the 14th. 13th from March 15 to June 22, 2013. 14th from June 22 to August 31, 2013)

 Leslie is in good progress. Let's pray on until Leslie is completely recovered.

My email address: bishopsilasng@gmail.com

Please click this link to worship with us - 

Amazing Grace – My Chains Are Gone (Chris Tomlin)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbe7OruLk8I

Chinese praise song - 

这一生最美的祝福 The Most Wonderful Blessing of My Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FinxnwONLBE&feature=related

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Daily Devotion on Fire 2(One year New 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- First Baby Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 

http://emmanuel330.blogspot.ca/

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