DAY 643 - Are You out of Line? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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Confirmation from John Stott in 2009: 
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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: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

** 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:

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

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Please click this link to read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2 Thessalonians 3&version=ESV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=帖 撒 羅 尼 迦 後 書 3&version=CUV

Bible Study

     Almost at the end of this book, Paul brings up a serious problem concerning with the Thessalonians. 

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      It is a problem that only appears in a community that is seriously attempting to live as a family, in mutual financial support.  As in 1 Thessalonians 4.9-12, Paul is firmly committed to the church putting into practice a kind of love, agape, which is not simply a matter of feeling warmly towards one another, nor yet a matter of treating one another kindly and with sincere friendship, but rather of actual financial support…
     The problem with this is that it is all too easy for some in such a community to slacken their own work and to rely on the efforts of others.
     It appears that some in Thessalonica had been out of line in just this way.  'Busybodies', Paul calls them, going around visiting people, showing up here and there, but never actually settling to a job of work, relying instead on the goodwill of other Christians…
     The main reason was Paul's teaching that the church was indeed a family, and that its members should therefore take care of one another.  Just as in any household it is sometimes tempting for one member to sneak out of regular domestic duties, and rely on the others to be 'nice' and 'not make a fuss'. 

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:Galatians and Thessalonians. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.156-157.

      How well are you taking part to support your church financially?

      
Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage 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: Are you out of line?

    What I got from Jesus today is a reminder of our duty, to build up our faith community, our home church. Statistic shows that most churches are being supported financially by on 20% of their family members and 80% of their family members don't really care. 

     Do you belong to that 20% or that 80%? Don't tell me you are in the middle. There are only two sides, you love your family, you don't care your money and you give beyond your ability. Just like it is time for you to buy your first house and you pour out what you have got and more, a beyond your ability mortgage, may be. Right?

     But, when concerning with support to your home church, it might be another picture. This is what Paul describes as "out of line".

     So, are you "in line" or "out of line"? 

Dear Lord Jesus,

Lead us to be able to support our home church fully just like we support our own home fully.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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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/