DAY 650 - You Are God's Workmanship (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: Ephesians 2:8-10

** 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 Ephesians 2:8-10

English(NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians 2&version=NIV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=以 弗 所 書 2&version=CUV

Bible Study

     Paul shows us two very important things here in today's passage:
1. Faith is not something we as human do so that we are being acceptable to God. Nothing we can do to achieve it so that we cannot boast.

2. We are God's workmanship being used to demonstrate God's good works. 

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      The 'good work' which Paul mentions in verse 10 are not, therefore, the same as the 'works of the law' which he rules out as part of justification in Romans, Galatians and Philippians.  They are the way of life which he will describe more fully in chapters 4-6 of the present letter.  They are the road which Christians must now travel in the right direction, after the disastrously wrong journey described earlier.
     Verse 10 is one of Paul's central statements of how Christians are the centre of God's new creation.  We are, he says, God's workmanship.
      

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:Te Prison Letters. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.23-24.

     So, you should be a piece of God's workmanship, right? Can your life, your lifestyle demonstrates that kind of workmanship? 

     

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: You Are God's Workmanship

    What I got from Jesus today is an encouragement to us that we are God's workmanship. What does that mean to you?

    I just received some update photos of our Vintage Garden project in Toronto. If you do not know how God miraculously leads us in this God-size 150 million dollars project, please click this link: http://english.vintagegarden.ca/

    When I looked at the pictures yesterday, I see God's workmanship through a small group of faithful disciples of Christ.  I received an email from Archbishop Yong today sharing his thanksgiving of seeing this workmanship:

Dear Silas, Edmund and Dr. Lee,

What a joy it is to see the loving and firm hand of God upon this God size project in Toronto and nearing its completion - all to the glory of God! We want to join you in praising and thanking God for His mighty work from the beginning, to now and to the future. This is the fruit of prayer and faith.This will continue to be the glorious testimony of you all to the faithfulness of God. God size project needs the firm faith of the people of God to begin and to continue. What an encouragement it is to witness your unwavering trust in, and obedience to, God to marked this miracle project.  God is good, all the time - blessed be the name of The Lord!  May His name be lifted up and glorified.

     How willing are you to be used by God so that you will one day become His workmanship? 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to be willing to listen and obey to your commands so that we can become your workmanship. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -

從心合一

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

Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czxd5oa-gi0

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/