Friday, January 3, 2014

DAY 594 - I Am A Fool (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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 Corinthians 11:16-21a
** 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 Corinthians 11:16-21a

Bible Study

     Those false teachers accused Paul as a fool and Paul said, "Sure, let me do a little boasting, I am a fool." 
Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      At the start of the earlier letter he had spoken of the foolishness of God which was wiser than humans, and the weakness of God which was stronger than humans (1 Corinthians 1.25).  Now, in a spectacular burst of 'foolishness', he is going to boast of his weakness, thereby showing what it means to be truly wise, and truly strong.
     Simply at the level of strategy and tactics, this is a bold move, and I wonder how many church leaders would dare attempt the equivalent in their own settings. 

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:2 Corinthians. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.123-124.
     
     So, just as Bishop N.T. Wright says, do you dare to have this bold move to admit that you are a fool when you are being accused as a fool? What good is that to say that you are a fool? 

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture 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

    What I heard from Jesus today is: I am a fool

    What I got from Jesus today is a word of wisdom. What? To tell other people that you are a fool is a word of wisdom? Yes, that was what Paul did. Do you have the courage to follow his wisdom?

     There are so many people who want to tell other people that they are top of the world, elite and genius. Those people would get very angry if they are being accused of as a fool and fights will arise. 

     The Cross, the suffering of the Messiah and other Christian leaders is such a foolish idea to those false teachers. In the same situation, many people still think that being a Christian is a fool. It is just foolish! That's why some Christians are pursuing a model of "Prosperity Theology". When you become a Christian, then Jesus will give you wealth, success, health and everything you can think of. Why? Because they do not want to be called a fool, they want to be a genius, and yet they are idiots. Because the Cross is never talking about success and to get what you want, but to fail and give what you have, even death, death on a cross.

     I am a fool. How about you? 

Dear Lord Jesus, 
Help us to be willing to become a fool so that your name will be glorified and your Kingdom be extended.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Happy New Year!

Please click this link to worship with us -


10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman
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)
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Thursday, January 2, 2014

DAY 593 - (English podcast click here)

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DAY 593 - True or False Apostle? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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 Corinthians 11:7-15
** 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 Corinthians 11:7-15

Bible Study

     After yesterday's passage of how Paul warning the Corinthians not to be a runaway bride following those false teachers, here in this passage Paul points out that those false teachers are actually false apostles who are working for Satan. Wow! This is a very strong accusation. So, Paul is being accused as false apostle and then Paul accused those who accused him to be false apostles. Who is right and who is wrong? Have you been in this situation before? 
Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      Now Paul drops the irony and declares, forcefully, that they aren't 'super-apostles' at all; they are false apostles, proclaiming and teaching a false gospel.  Worse: they are servants of the satan.  That is one of the strongest accusations anyone can make, but it's not simply a bit of miscellaneous religious name-calling.  The teachers in Corinth had been accusing Paul of all kinds of things of which he knew he wasn't guilty. 

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:2 Corinthians. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.118.
     
     When someone accuse your pastor or leader as false teacher, false prophet or false apostles, how do you react? How do you know who is right and who is wrong? 

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture 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

    What I heard from Jesus today is: True or false apostle?

    What I got from Jesus today is a situational question. It always happens in all kinds of churches. Rumours, accusations and finger-pointing always happens at church. When that happens, many Christians would become confused. Most of them do not have the spiritual gifts to discern who is right and who is wrong, especially when Satan is acting forcefully. 

     Actually I have been named false teachers, false prophets and false apostles so many times and many times I was nearly got wiped out. It just happened to Paul, happened to me and happened to many Christian leaders. So, can we get any answer from this passage to have the wisdom to know who is true servant of God and who is not? Yes and No. Why, because you need time to tell the difference. You can get a clue in verse 15 that:
    Their end will be what their actions deserve.

     But, can we have the patience waiting to see their end. How if you can never see their end? Just as I said in my blog/podcast two days ago:

 There is a Chinese saying I quote quite often when someone asks me whether this leader is a good leader or that Christian is a faithful disciple of Christ. I frequently use that saying:
The longer distance it is, the better you know a horse;
The longer time it is, the better you know a person.

   Time will tell whether someone is a true or false apostle. And, most of all, your daily intimate personal relationship will lead you not to do foolish things to accuse true servants of God before those time comes! Agree?

Dear Lord Jesus, 
Help us to be able to know who are your true servants and who are not because we have a daily intimate personal relationship with you.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Happy New Year!

Please click this link to worship with us -


10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman
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)
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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

DAY 592 - (English podcast click here)

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DAY 592 - Are You Going to Be A Runaway Bride? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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 Corinthians 11:1-6
** 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 Corinthians 11:1-6

Bible Study

     The problem Paul wants to bring up is the deceiving plan of those false teachers in Corinth. They want to show to the Corinthians that Paul is a fool, ignorant man lacking basic social and cultural skills. If they succeed, what Paul has been working on would be destroyed. So, Paul asks the Corinthians a very important question: Are you going to be a runaway bride? 
Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
      Paul imagines himself as the father of the bride, arranging a marriage for his daughter.  Everything has been agreed; the husband-to-be is delighted, and so is the bride - or at least she was;  but the father is suddenly worried that she's going to get itchy feet, and run off with someone else.  The bride, of course, is the church in Corinth; the bridegroom is the Messiah himself; here as elsewhere, Paul has taken the biblical theme of Israel as the bride of God and has transposed it into the theme of the church as the bride of the Messiah (see, e.g., Romans 7.4; Ephesians 5.25-33).  But while his back is turned, the bride starts eyeing other men instead…
       At which point Paul draws on another well-known stock theme in Jewish and Christian thought: the temptation and rebellion in Genesis 3…  Paul seems to be worried about the danger of a second 'Fall': the 'new creation' which he spoke of in 5.17, which is after all at the heart of the whole gospel (see Galatians 6.15), might be followed by a 'new fall'. 

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:2 Corinthians. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.113.
     
     So, what kind of bride you are to Christ? Are you going to be a runaway bride too? 

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture 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

    What I heard from Jesus today is: Are you going to be a runaway bride?

    What I got from Jesus today is a painful question being asked by a husband-to-be: Are you going to leave me, runaway to be with another man?

     You may think that it would never happen to you, right? Wait a minute, are you sure? If you have been reading the passages in the past few days, you should aware that the running away from Christ starts with the running away from God's servant, Paul in this case. Satan has all kinds of plans to blind people's eyes so that they break a good relationship with God's servant first, and then the relationship with Jesus later.

      It is so difficult for us as pastors to build up trustworthy relationship with our people. The pain is that some time when you feel that some people have a trustworthy relationship with you, they have been your good friends, even your best friends for years, but suddenly everything changed and they become strangers or even enemies. How can that happen? Well, if it can happen to Paul it can happen to you and me. And, I have experienced this kind of most painful experience many times! Every time, Jesus comforts me and say, "It's fine, son. Blindness happens only to those who are in darkness. You are in the light, you are in me. It's fine, son." 

      May you have a better relationship with Jesus in this New Year and never become a runaway bride. May you be able to help some runaway bride to come back to the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ our Lord.

      Happy New Year!

      By the way, Richmond Emmanuel Church starts our 100 days fasting today. We fast and pray for our church building project that we can be able to experience God's provision greatly. 

Dear Lord Jesus, 
Help us never to become a runaway bride running away from your love and protection.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Happy New Year!

Please click this link to worship with us -


10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) Matt Redman
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)
-
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