Saturday, August 3, 2013

DAY 441 - Wait for God to Speak in The Midst of A Storm (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)


**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)

Update  for Leslie Saturday July 29, 2013:
Wow! Leslie came to our 11a.m. service yesterday and received communion. He could eat the communion bread! He can start eating now! Praise the Lord! Thanks for your prayers! God is so, so real! Jesus is Lord!
There will be a thanksgiving gathering at Richmond Emmanuel Church on his birthday, August 23, 6p.m. to 7p.m. All are welcome!



Today's Reading: Acts 27:13-32

** 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:


To use this simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link:


Bible Study
      Remember what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6: 4-5, 9 

     but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger...as dying, and behold, we live!

     All those sufferings happened to Paul especially in this passage as all the people in that ship were hopeless(v.20). Was Paul in fear? Yes, because the first word the angel said was to tell him not to be afraid which means he was afraid, right?

     So, everybody were afraid including Paul. What is the main difference between God's servant and other people in the midst of great fear? God speaks! God speaks through an angel in this passage. Jesus speaks himself. Jesus speaks through other people, just like that angel. Anyway, God speaks! That's the difference!

     When you and other people are in some kind of severe danger or suffering, wait for God to speak. When He speaks, you will be encouraged, receive instructions, visions and every tailor-made plan from God to take you out of that fear and darkness.

     
     You got to wait for the Lord to speak! 

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"



Spiritual Journal

 
    What I heard from Jesus today is: Wait for God to speak in the midst of a storm

     What I received from Jesus is a the secret to face a storm.

Bishop N.T. Wright's says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright):

     There are many Christians who have been taught that once they have faith everything ought to flow smoothly.  Acts replies: you have not yet considered what it means to take up the cross.  If the gospel of Jesus the crucified and risen Messiah means anything at all, it means that those who carry it will have it branded into their own souls.  The idea of the church as a little ship was probably not invented at this stage, but Luke was there already.  The storms do not mean that the journey is futile.  They merely mean that Jesus is claiming the world as his own, and that the powers of the world will do their best to resist. 

N.T. Wright. Acts for Everyone, Part 2. Louisville,KY:Westminster John Knox Press, 2008, p.230.

     So, do you know that you are in that little ship and cannot avoid a storm to come right on. We need to wait for Jesus to speak to us before we use our own wisdom and pride to do foolish things.

     As Bishop Wright reminds us that our home church is somewhat like a little ship, or the Church is a little ship, do not be part of the storm to sink that little ship, your own church. Save your ship from the storm and not sink it please!      

Dear Lord Jesus,                                                                                 Lead us to wait for you to speak in the midst of a storm so that we know what to do to save the ship you entrusted us to protect and care.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

     

Please click this link to worship with us - 

Be strong and take courage (Don Moen)

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

Chinese praise song - 

請差遣我 Here I Am Lord, Send Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muJD3NYxZKc

You may choose to follow my other daily blog: 

Daily Devotion on Fire 2(One year New Testament): 

Daily Devotion on Fire (3 years and 3 months plan, one chapter a day to finish reading the whole Bible): 

Break.Build (40 days daily devotion- First Baby Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 

Bible in One Year blog by Rev. Nicky Gumbel

誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢?

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