DAY 785 - Love & Hospitality Go Together (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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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: 3 John 1:1-8

** 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 3 John 1:1-8

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=3+John+1&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=約 翰 三 書 1&version=CUV

Bible Study

     This is a special letter from John to someone called Gaius. No one knows who Gaius was, which church he belonged to or why he received this letter from John. What we know is that this letter tells us more about what does it means by "walking in the truth". At that time, missionaries were travelling everywhere and they needed the local groups of believers to provide them with board and lodging, usually two to three days. It is in this context that John wrote this letter to Gaius praising him for his gift of hospitality.

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

     Gaius, it seems, had gone out of his way to be generous.  Those from John's church who had visited Gaius had come back with a glowing report, and part of the reason for this letter seems to be to thank him.  This is love in action, as John was urging in 1 John 3:18: not in word only, but in deed and in truth.  In fact, as we have seen in other New Testament passages, 'love for the early Christians was not primarily something you did with your heart and emotions.  It was something you did with your whole life, not least your money and your home. So it had been with Gaius. 

N.T. Wright. The Early Christian Letters for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.185.

      Are you walking in the truth? Do you love only in your heart and emotions or you love with your whole life? How is hospitality means to you today? 

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: Love & hospitality go together

    The message I got from Jesus today is an invitation to receive the gift of hospitality or to exercise more gift of hospitality if you have already received this gift. 

     Jesus reminds me now of how we exercise the gift of hospitality to Chinese restaurant workers to start our "restaurant church - Emmanuel 330" three and a half years ago. We baptized nine people already and last week we had our 10th baptized. Danny Moy who is the manager of Richmond Susui came to 330 half a year ago, received Jesus as his Saviour and Lord three months ago and was baptized by me last Wednesday. Every Wednesday from 3:30p.m. to 5p.m. since March 2011 we have our weekly worship and small groups. For the past three and a half years we have at least ten leaders from Richmond Emmanuel Church who are willing to spend their time with those people who do not know Jesus or do not have time to go to church on Sundays. We have been exercising lots of hospitality at Emmanuel 330. Seeing this new paradigm church established and flourish, I have the similar joy as John had in his letter we read today.

     Yes, love and hospitality go together. If you say that you are willing to love, show me your hospitality. 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to know that love and hospitality go together so that we can love more people. 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