DAY 737 - Don't Destroy Yourself! (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

I would like to invite you to join us in a 100 days of prayer (From April 9 to July 17) for Michelle, our family and my ministry. Please click this link to join us to pray:
New 100 Days Prayer Campaign (2014.04.09-2014.07.17)

What you need to do is very simple. Choose one hour slot for the whole week to pray for Michelle, our family and my ministry. You may use the whole hour in prayer or you can still do you work in your office but use as much time as you can to pray and the other time work prayerfully that hour to pray for us. I encourage you to participate. We need you to join us! Trust in the power of prayers!

This blog/podcast has people from 111 countries visiting and more than 1/2 million visits.

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: Hebrews 12:12-17

** 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 Hebrews 12:12-17

English(NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12&version=NIV

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=希 伯 來 書 12&version=CUV

Bible Study

     After the author tells people about how God disciplines those who are out of track and in sin, here comes the serious warning.  

Let's take a look at what Bishop N.T. Wright says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :

      
      Deuteronomy 29.18 warns that, even within the people of God themselves, there may be 'a root sprouting poisonous and bitter growth'.  Sometimes, from within an apparently happy church or fellowship, discontent can arise.  It may take the form of doctrinal or ethical disagreement; these can be real enough, but often they can provide a smokescreen for personal agendas.  The sign is always the sense of bitterness that accompanies it…
where that troubling and poisonous bitterness starts to make its presence felt, we should recognize what's going on…Like Esau, they can have a moment of madness which creates a new situation, and they can't go back. 

N.T. Wright. Hebrews for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.157.

      Do you know what the author wants to tell you? Do you have such kind of people in your church stirring up disagreement, bitterness or even madness like what Esau did? If you have, make sure you can recognize what's going on, and not joining those people trying to destroy the church. Because God's church can't be destroyed! You might just destroy yourself like Esau because of personal agenda, pride, selfishness, control, power and more! 

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: Don't destroy yourself!

    The message I got from Jesus today is a warning that we won't become those people trying to destroy their own church in the name of God. If you think only your church has this kind of problem, you are wrong. Since thousands of years ago, human beings have been doing this kind of madness. Destroying the family, the church, the society, the nation and the world. Why? One word: Pride. Pride leads us to pursue control, power and everything we can get. 

     They think that they can destroy their church and then they build another one. In fact, they might be destroying themselves into a kind of people full of bitterness, anger and frustration. That's why the author says we need to "make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy." Which way you follow makes the difference of sweet or bitter, sadness or joyful, life or death. Choose wisely!

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to choose wisely so that we won't destroy ourselves in an instance just like what Esau did.  In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.

     Please click this link to watch Rev. Dr. Paul Chun Chi Ng's encouragement to Richmond Emmanuel Church, Richmond, BC, Canada:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_h9VFwnVcU&feature=youtu.be 

     Please click this link to watch Dr. Kuhn's encouragement to Richmond Emmanuel Church, Richmond, BC, Canada:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ4tk08Gsz8&feature=youtu.be

Rev. Nicky Gumbel and Mrs. Pippa Gumbel's greetings to the Anglican Mission Canada's National Conference May 15-16, 2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHpAEv_kl3c&feature=youtu.be

Please click this link to worship with us -

從心合一

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

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbe7OruLk8I&noredirect=1

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/


Rev. Nicky Gumbel's daily devotion: Bible in One Year
http://www.htb.org.uk/bioy