DAY 769 - (English podcast click here)

DAY 769 - You Must Die, Jesus Must Come (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

I started to write my "Devotion on Fire 2" blog again two days ago. Please read today's blog, a very important message to all of us about Esther, about how the Lord is calling us to take the role of Esther to fight spiritual warfare: http://bishopsilas2.blogspot.ca/

                               Today's Reading: 2 Peter 1:12-21

** 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 2 Peter 1:12-21

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2 Peter 1&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=彼 得 後 書 1&version=CUV

Bible Study

     Peter talks about the importance of sharing God's nature in yesterday's passage. In John Stott's word, it is one word: Christlikeness. Peter then tells his readers that Jesus will come back like a morning star soon, and all those who have been able to share God's nature will be able to meet Him and to be receive by Him. 

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

      
      I am writing in the middle of winter. First thing in the morning, when I get up, there is no sunlight visible at all.  The sky is dark.  But, if the clouds are not too thick, there is a light which from ancient times has been seen as an early herald of dawn: 'the morning star', though actually it's a planet, Venus…
     For Peter, 'the morning star' which 'shines in your hearts' (verse 19) is the promise of Jesus himself, returning at last to signal that God's great coming day is about to dawn.  Everything the early Christians believed had this as its further horizon: that the time would surely come when what had begun with Jesus would be completed at his return, his reappearance.
     That helps us to understand why Peter says what he does in verse 12-15.  He knows his own time to die is drawing near.  Jesus had warned him of this (John 21.18-19), and verse 14 may refer to a later word which Peter had received.  But it was important to be sure that his readers would be able to hold on to the truths which he had taught.  The death of an apostle must not mean the decline of the apostolic faith. 

N.T. Wright. The Early Christian Letters for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.105-106.

      Peter accepted that he had to die soon and he points all people to be able to see that morning star, Jesus will reappear. Dying will happen to all of us. But, the returning of Jesus will also happen. What has the returning of Jesus lto do with you knowing that you have to die? 

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 must die, Jesus must come

    The message I got from Jesus today are so astonishing. I got a new understand in a passage of our Eucharistic liturgy that everybody need to read together:

基督曾經受死。

基督現已復活。

基督將要再臨。

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

     What I got from Jesus is that we have to understand what Peter was thinking at that time knowing that he was going to die and leading his followers to see the hope of Jesus coming is a prophecy that will surely happen.

     What I got are:
1.  The limitation of us as human beings that we have to die
2.  The reality that we are being saved by Jesus
3.  The motive of us to bring as many people as we can to meet Jesus when he returns

     Ten days ago quite a number of our brothers and sisters started to pray for Lucy, one of our two interns who is now studying at Regent College, that she could successfully led her dying brother, Rocky to receive Jesus as his Saviour and Lord. Lucy's brother in Hong Kong got cancer and was going to die in a short time. Lucy went to Hong Kong last Monday, arrived on Tuesday, be with Rocky 12 hours a day and he received Jesus on Saturday, died next day.

    This morning I wrote Lucy an email. This is part of the message:

You know what I saw when Michelle told me she received your message that your brother passed away? I saw one day when you completed God's mission on earth and go to our heavenly home, Rocky is the first one standing there welcoming you and telling you that, "Sis, thank you for giving me to catch the "last train 尾班車" to be here. I love you so much!" That's what I saw and is now what I am seeing again.

    I have to die, you have to die and everybody has to die soon. What is so important to use our time each day if it is not the urgency to bring more people to see Jesus, receive Him as Saviour and Lord and in one day we are all laughing, rejoicing and embracing each other when we are in heaven?

    Is there anything more important than that? How are you not wasting your precious time to do more about that?

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to know that we have to die and you must come so that we won't waste our time and be able to bring more people into your Kingdom.  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

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/


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

DAY 768 - Come to Share God's Own Nature (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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: 2 Peter 1:1-11

** 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 2 Peter 1:1-11

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2 Peter 1&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=彼 得 後 書 1&version=CUV

Bible Study

     There are three things Peter wants to tell us in this passage. 

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

      
      First, God has already given us everything we need: a starter kit, if you like, for all that we need to become (verse 3)…
      Second, he wants nothing less for us to share his own very nature (verse 4)…
     Third, God has indeed called and chosen those who find themselves following Jesus (verse 10). 

N.T. Wright. The Early Christian Letters for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.102-103.

      Do you know God's has given you that starter kit to come to share God's own nature, to be His image-bearer and to be Christ-like?

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: Come to share God's own nature

    The message I got from Jesus today are the way for us to come to share God's own nature. What I got are two steps:
1. Step One: We need to be sure that we are being chosen to follow Jesus each day and need to try everything we got to follow Him.

2. Step Two: Check more often whether you have what Peter says from verse 5  to verse 9:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

3. If you have those qualities, which means you are really sharing God's own nature because those are His nature.

You can't do that. You have to follow Jesus each day in order that you can live that out each day, not to do that each day. It is not "doing", but "being" with Jesus makes everything and you totally different. 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to follow you each day that we can live out your own nature.  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

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/


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

DAY 767 - (English podcast click here)

DAY 767 - Real Warfare, Severe Sufferings, Big Award, Great Joy! (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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: 1 Peter 5:8-14

** 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 Peter 5:8-14

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Peter 5&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=彼 得 前 書 5&version=CUV

Bible Study

     When you finish this passage and complete reading the whole book of 1 Peter, you should have a clue of what Peter wants to tell you. It is all about the great joy in sufferings. What kind of sufferings?

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

      
      The devil will try to swallow you whole with persecution and other attacks.  If that isn't working, he will try to tempt you to live in ways that are destructive of your faith and, ultimately, of your entire humanity (see 1.14; 2,11: and so on).  That will go on for a while, and it may well (to put it mildly) be most unpleasant.  But, as Peter explained in the previous chapter, this 'fiery trial' is there to do for us what the fire will do for silver and gold: to consume the imperfections and make the true metal shine the more brightly.  That bright shining will consist of God's setting right of all things - eventually, as we know, and perhaps in various ways even in the present time.  He will 'establish and strengthen you', and 'set you on firm foundations'. 

N.T. Wright. The Early Christian Letters for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.97.

      What is your 'catch' today? Are you in sufferings? What kind of sufferings? Are you being strengthened and on firm foundations? 

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: Real warfare, severe sufferings, big award, great joy!

    The message I got from Jesus today are four stages:
1. Real warfare: We are like soldiers in a real warfare, not exercise or drill but real war.

2. Severe sufferings: Peter wants to tell his readers that the severe sufferings going to happen is because of Satan as the roaring lion who wants to swallow all the Christians.

3. Big award: There will be big award for those soldiers who fight loyally following the Supreme Commander. Awards and promotion will come!

4. Great joy: A soldier will never become a real soldier not going through real warfare. Great joy will come after big warfare that their nation is safe, they are being strengthened, promoted and receiving awards.

     How do you know if you are in a spiritual warfare? Very simple. Follow this simple discernment process: God is good, Satan is bad.

     When you suddenly feel everything inside you and around you becoming dark, discouraged and hopeless. When you feel angry, seeing people and things negatively. When everything suddenly turns 'bad' and you want to 'quit"! Then, the army of Satan should be very close to you.

     How do you know if you win? Very simple, when everything turns good. God is good, Satan is bad. God's goodness determines everything in you! Everything becoming bright, light, encouraged, hopeful, peaceful, positive, joyful and good!

     Now, what you need to know is which stage are you in? Who is leading you to fight this severe warfare? Which army do you really belong? Don't die of friendly fire! Don't fire on your own team member!

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us as our Supreme Commander to fight this sever spiritual warfare so that we are being strengthened, awarded and promoted to secure and extend your mighty Kingdom.  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

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/


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