Time with Abba, Singing Praising 親親爸父，唱詩歌頌 : DAY 550 - What Builds People Up? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

DAY 550 - What Builds People Up? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

**NEW link for the 15th: 13th 100 days 24 hours prayer campaign (We are going to use this 13th list leads up to the 15th. 13th from March 15 to June 22, 2013. 14th from June 22 to August 31, 2013, 15th from Sept. 1, 2013 to Dec. 9. 2013)

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: 1 Corinthians 14:1-5

** 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 1 Corinthians 14:1-5

English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Corinthians 14&version=ESV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=歌林多前書 14&version=CUV

Bible Study

What builds people up? Is that speaking in tongues, is that prophecy, is that healing? Paul says all those gifts can be if those gifts can build up people and the church and if those gifts can lead people to love and to experience love. In today's passage, Paul especially speaks of two gifts, the gift of speaking in tongues and the gift of prophecy.

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :

The contrast is between the person who builds up their private spirituality and the person who, in public worship, builds up the whole community. Paul has nothing against private spirituality...
The problem centres on two 'gifts' from among those he listed in chapter 12. And the key question, which he highlights in the first verse, is: are you behaving according to the principle of chapter 13? Are you exercising the gifts God gives you in the spirit of love? The underlying contrast here is the same as we saw in chapter 8, verses 1-2: there are some things which can 'puff you up', making you proud and self-important, but what builds people up is love. And this chapter is all about making sure that public worship 'builds everybody up' rather than simply everybody developing their own spiritual giftedness and displaying it like so many strutting peacocks.

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:1 Corinthians. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.180-181.

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: What build people up?

What I got from Jesus today is a question of whether we are doing the right thing and exercising our spiritual gifts in a right way in our church.

We as human beings have a tendency to misuse our gifts to demonstrate our self-importance, to show off because of our pride. That's why pride is one of the seven deadly sins, or in some version, the first one(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins).

I have seen quite a number of cases that Christian leaders use their gifts to compete against each others or even worse, to envy and jealous other leaders' gifts. The consequence would be darkness, bitterness, hatred, discord, jealousy, selfish ambition, dissension and separation.

Are you using your spiritual gifts in a right way? Are you building people up with love?

Dear Lord Jesus,

Lead us to be able to follow you and be filled with the Holy Spirit each day that we are able to use our spiritual gifts to build up and not to puff up. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -

一首愛歌

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPU_66hrLi8

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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