| 1 Thessalonians 1:9 ...For they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. We have this power in Christ to preach the Word of God and win the hearts of people towards Jesus. The Thessalonica church was such an example. After they believed in Jesus, they stopped worshiping idols and turned towards God. The devil often uses idols to trap people. The truth is idols are man-made and cannot save anyone. People often worship idols, but idols cannot bring real peace to our hearts, Idols trap people with fear. Many years ago, I went to a fishing village in Taiwan to preach the gospel. Life was difficult for the people living in that village, but yet they had many gold-plated temples. The villagers were giving lots of money to different temples. I asked them, "Why do you give so much money to the temple when you are so poor yourself?" They answered, "Our family members are at the mercy of the wind and waves when they are out fishing in the ocean. We do not know if they can make it back each day, so we have to go to the temple to pray." I asked them, "Do you pray only to one God?" They said, "No. You have to pray to all in case you miss the true God?" I discovered that they hearts are filled with fear and they are forced to pray. The false gods use fear to trap people, but the true God accepts us for who we are. Perfect love casts out all fear. The true God loves us. Not only so, but He gave Himself up for us. A person who worships the true God will have no fear. Once, the evangelist, Benny Hinn was in a Muslim village and heard a Muslim say, "Allah, you are great!" He asked this man, "Does Allah love you?" Suddenly, this Muslim could not speak because He did not know whether Allah loves him. He knows that Allah is powerful, but he was not sure if Allah loved Him. The false Gods use fear to trap people, but the true God loves you and has a plan for your life. God created each person different. You are unique in the entire universe. There is only one of you. Even your twin sibling cannot replace you. When I think about this, I know God loves each person and accepts us for who we are. Jesus even died for us on the cross so that our lives can be changed. What we have is such a precious gospel. This gospel is the power of God unto salvation. May the Lord strengthen our faith to preach His Word. Pray with Pastor Tong Liu 
Lord, I thank you because your word has power and authority. May God give us a strong and courageous heart to preach your word boldly each day, and also give us fruit for our labor. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen! |
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