OT DAY 503 - Worship God Alone, Not Being Assimilated by This World (Please click here for English podcast)

Please forgive me of not posting this blog for 12 days because I have been feeling very tired since my car accident on June 6.

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

       Though an army encamp against me,
          my heart shall not fear;
         though war arise against me,
         yet I will be confident.

                                     Psalm 27:3

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (1 Kings 18:1-24)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=列+王+紀+上+18&version=ESV

17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?”18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.”

20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 

                                         1 Kings 18:17-21 

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

    My Listening

          Today's passage is somewhat similar to the power of Moses to take out all those Egyptian soldiers. All four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah were killed. Do you know what really happened?

    Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 

     (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) : 

      We often picture Israel in Elijah's day simply as a nation that had descended from the Israel of Moses' day, though we allow for the "conversion" of some individuals such as Rahab and Ruth and maybe for the submission of some people like the Gibeonites who tricked Joshua into giving them green cards. In actuality, it doesn't require much reading between the lines of the story from Joshua to Kings to see that the people who came into Canaan from outside have assimilated thousands and thousands of people who were in Canaan already. The problem is that the assimilation easily goes the other way. Throughout the story, the faith of Canaan threatens to overwhelm the faith of Moses, and archaeological investigations confirm that fact in the evidence they have unearthed of religion as it was practiced in Israel. To most Israelites, for a prophet such as Elijah to urge them to worship Yahweh alone would seem like a religious revolution. 

         

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Kings for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.83-84.

          Do you know that we are living in a kind of similar culture as in the time of Elijah?  We have all kinds of witches and weird religion everywhere. There are less and less Christians and a lot of Christians have been assimilated by this worldly culture living in a worldly way and not Christlike.

          We need to raise up more leaders following Elijah's example to bring people back to God's Kingdom and to worship God as the one and only God!

          Are you willing to become one?

Dear Lord Jesus,

Open our eyes to see that we are in similar situation as in the time of Elijah. Lead us to become one like Elijah to bring people back to you and to worship you as the one and only God.   In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

    1. What kind of problems have you seen in today's worldly culture? Do you agree that we are in similar situation as in the time of Elijah?

2. What can you do you to change your life not to be assimilated by this worldly culture? 

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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The offering of our First Fruit every morning have changed lots of things: unity, lifestyle, character …and many more!

Pictures of yesterday 6:30a.m. Prayer Meeting: