DAY 454 - Only Jesus Can Save You, No One Else (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)

Today's Reading: Romans 3:21-24

** 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 Romans 3:21-24

• English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans 3&version=ESV
• Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans 3&version=CUV

Bible Study

      Today's passage gives the answer to yesterday's message. Yes, we are all guilty, that is why we need Jesus' redemption. 

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

     Israel, called to be the messenger of God's saving plan, had corrupted the vocation into mere privilege and had failed to pass the message on.  Now we see the faithful Israelite Paul had in mind: Israel's representative, the Messiah, Jesus...

     'Faithfulness' and 'obedience' turn out to be two ways of saying much the same thing.  'Faithfulness' highlights Jesus' role in fulfilling Israel's commission; 'obedience' highlights his submission to the father's will.

     The result (verse 24) is 'redemption'...Paul sums up in verse 23 where he has got to in the argument so far: Jew and Gentile alike both sinned, and failed to reflect the glory of God which, as his image-bearing creatures, they were called to do.  In the classic biblical picture, all together are enslaved, like Israel in Egypt.  What God did for Israel then, he does for the whole world now, in Jesus: he provides 'redemption'.

     The word is a technical term for buying back a slave from a slave market, or an object from a pawnshop...He uses it because, for him, the death of Jesus is indeed the New Exodus, the moment when the slaves are freed. 

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone: Romans:Part12. Louisville,KY:Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.54-55.

     So, how do you understand the reality that you are guilty and being enslaved by sin? How does redemption means to you? 

                                    

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: Only Jesus can save you, no one else

    What I got today from Jesus is a revelation of a truth. We are all guilty and we can't get away from the power of sin, only Jesus can save us.

    Emmanuel 330 (Our restaurant church) had our annual dinner two days ago. The owner of the Restaurant, Tony told us a horrible story. He said one of his friends told him that her eight years old daughter asked her to give an expensive necklace she was wearing to her. She told her daughter she would when she grew older. Then her daughter asked, "How about your house, are you going to give me too?" She nearly fainted out. Eight years old with such greed! Well, that's why Paul says:

     for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God  Romans 3:23

     

     That's the story of us, human beings. We are all being enslaved by sin and we need to be freed. Only Jesus can save us, no one else! 

     Yesterday was my birthday. The first thing I did was to kneel down on the floor with Michelle to pray. Remember that in this blog on June 27 I received a vision called Kneel Down to Pray for 3 Minutes a Day Campaign? Yes, since then I knelt down to pray for at least 3 minutes a day and yesterday I got Michelle to kneel down with me to pray so that we could start my birthday focusing ourselves to our Lord. Many wonderful things have happened since June 27 and so far as I know, many people have followed this call to kneel down to pray for at least 3 minutes a day. We really need that so that we have a better chance to have Jesus as our Lord, saving us, protecting us, guiding us and loving us.

    

Dear Lord Jesus,

Lead us to understand that we do not have the power to overcome the power of sin as a human being. Help us to understand that only you can save us, no one else. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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

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- First Baby Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 

http://emmanuel330.blogspot.ca/