DAY 615 - Show Your ID (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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: Galatians 4:21-31

** 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 Galatians 4:21-31

English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians 4&version=ESV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=加 拉 太 書 4&version=CUV 

Bible Study

      Paul uses the story of Genesis 16 and 21 to explain his repeated point of Gentile Christians do not need to have circumcision. 

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      Paul makes two final moves.  First, all those who believe in Jesus, trusting God's promise rather than their 'fleshly' identity, belong on the Isaac-side, while those who claim to represent present Jerusalem belong with Ishmael…
     Finally, Ishmael-people will persecute Isaac-people; but they will eventually be cast out.  It is the Isaac-family, not the Ishmael-family, who will inherit the promises …
     Paul is not concerned to speculate about the fate of the agitators.  The point he wants to emphasize is that 'we' - Paul himself, and those who believe the gospel he has preached - cannot be labelled as outsiders, second-class citizens, or Abraham's illegitimate family.  Those who believe the gospel are, like Isaac, promise-people, the free family of God. 
    

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:Galatians and Thessalonians. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.59-60.
     

      What is that to do with you? What kind of identity do you have? A 'relational and faith' identity or a 'fleshly' identity? 

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

    The title I heard from Jesus today is: Show you ID

    What I got from Jesus today is a question whether we belong to Isaac's family or Ishmael's family. You may say, "How can you relate to that? We are all Gentiles and not Israelites." Well, Paul just makes that comparison, right?

    The answer is not difficult. But to accept this simple answer is not easy! It depends on whether you have a true intimate personal relationship with Jesus.

    If you have your true ID, then you won't persecute your brothers and sisters in your church just like those agitators did in Paul's time. If you have your true ID, then you won't step down other people making them second-class and you are better off.

    Do you have your ID to show me? 

Daddy,

Help us to have our true identity as your beloved children and never become agitators making our church suffer. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -

從心合一

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd2cO2sHbZY

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman

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

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- For Renewal or First Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 

http://emmanuel330.blogspot.ca/

This blog:

Discipler 123 (Daily devotion using N.T. Wright's NT for Everyone as source)

http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/