DAY 758 - From Living Stone to living stones (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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                               Today's Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-10

** 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:

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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 1 Peter 2:4-10

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

Chinese: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=彼 得 前 書 2&version=CUV

Bible Study

     Here in today's passage, Peter uses the imagery of "Living Stone" and "Living stones" to describe our relationship with Jesus. What is it about? 

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

      
      God is no longer to live in a Temple in Jerusalem, but in the 'spiritual house' which, made up of 'living stones', is being 'built' all over the world.  God wants, after all, to fill the whole world with his glory (see Numbers 14.21; Psalm 72.19; and other similar passages).  To establish a people around the world who already make up a 'house' for him to live in is an important development in that overall project…
     But Peter, like Paul, saw that God had brought non-Jews into this family, to share Israel's destiny with those Jews who, like Peter and the other apostles, had believed in Jesus despite the enormous shock to the system of having a crucified Messiah.  They were the 'holy priesthood' offering 'spiritual sacrifices'.  They were the 'chosen race, the royal priesthood' spoken of in Exodus 19.3-6.  They were to show the world what the true God had done.
     The 'Temple' had been rebuilt - not in Jerusalem but all round the world!  That is the great truth on which everything else in the letter will depend…
     Only by being firmly anchored in the truth of who Jesus is, and who we ourselves are as his followers, will we be able to live in the way the rest of this letter urges us to. 

N.T. Wright. The Early Christian Letters for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.62-63.

      So, what does the singular number "Living Stone" and the plural number "living stones" mean to you? Do you know who you should become?

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: From Living Stone to living stones

    The message I got from Jesus today is a wonderful imagery for us to know who we are and our purpose of life: living stones.

    When we are willing to come to Jesus as our Living Stone, we can become holy and be the living stones offering our holy sacrifices all around the world. 

     No matter we are having a one-on-one follow-up with new believers as a discipler, or making all kinds of sacrifices using our time, money and everything to build up our home churches or helping other Christians organizations, needed people or elsewhere. We are the living stones, the holy priests bringing people to Jesus.

     But first, we need to come to Jesus everyday because He is the one and only one true Living Stone. In Him, we can become living stones taking people out of darkness into His wonderful light. (verse 9) 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to come to you each day for the spiritual milk and your presence that we can become holy and one of numerous living stones taking people out of darkness into your wonderful light. 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/


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