Today's Passage - 2 Corinthians 1:1-3

2 Corinthians 1:4   ...Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.   Paul said here that God will comfort us "in all our troubles."  We can clearly understand one thing here - Comfort is from God, but troubles are not.  God indeed want us to be comforted so that we may comfort others, but troubles are definitely not from God.  Troubles are direct or indirect results from the sin of humans.  Direct results are the painful consequences from sins that we committed, and indirect results are how the sins committed by others impacted us.  For example, a famine could be the result of inability to carry out farming activities as a consequence of excessive tree-cutting and loss of top soil.   The world is filled with suffering because of sin; however, in the midst of all the suffering, God can provide comfort and strength to those who believe in Him.  John 16:33 says that "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  The Lord promised us that in the time of troubles He will give us comfort.  Many believes in the churches in China were persecuted and locked up in prison, but they lived out testimonies of Christ.  Some of the prisoners only have one slice of bread, but they would give it away to those who need it more desperately.  Such testimonies have touched many to turn back to Jesus, and thus the gospel spread out among them.   God will provide us with sufficient comfort and grace in the time of trouble.  When we are comforted, we can't just hide in inside us, but we need to comfort others who are in trouble.  "Queen of the Dark Chamber," Christiana Tsai, was bedridden for 50 years, but whoever visits her are encouraged by her faith.  She often says that throughout the 50 years she seldom asked God why, but she kept on asking what she could do for the Lord today.  Through her testimony, the weak were uplifted, non-believers accepted the Lord, and the depressed were encouraged.  I felt that her testimony can be so touching because she has experienced all kinds of temptations, but also abundance of the Lord.  That's why she can comfort those in trouble with the comfort from God.  May God help you and I to comfort and help others!   Pray with Pastor Tong   God, we thank you because you love us, and you give us comfort in the midst of trouble.  May the Lord open our hearts so that we'd never complain about the circumstance, but to be filled with joy and peace.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!                      See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 2 Corinthians 1:1-3

2 Corinthians 1:1-3   Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort...   In 1 Corinthians, Paul harshly rebuked all kinds of sin in the Corinthian church, and the church repented in these sins; therefore, in 2 Corinthians, Paul sought to comfort the Corinthian church, as true grace and peace can only come from God.   When United Nations was founded in 1945, the world was hoping that there'd be no more wars; the reality is, however, that there has been wars every single day since its founding.  Peace from people is the peace of compromises.  Some parents wanted peace at home and they would give their kids whatever they ask for, and of course their kids can only become more demanding.  Peace from people is also worrisome, because there's no real guarantee.  In order to seek peace, Chinese people often put the word "peace" everywhere in their house, like in the staircase so they'd have peace while walking up and down, or at the door so that they'd have peace coming in and going out.  We need to understand that true peace, however, is not from people or the circumstance, and definitely not from ourselves, but true peace must come from God.   In verse 3, Paul says that "...Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort..."  Our God is the father of compassion; even if we are weak and not worthy of His grace, He's always full of mercy.  Hebrews 4:16 says that "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  He's the father of compassion, so you just need to bring your needs before Him, and God will give you peace that transcends all understanding.  He 's also God of all comfort, and He will always comfort you in time of difficulty.  When God revealed His name of "Jehovah Shalom" to Gideon, Gideon was in danger during a time that had no peace.  Gideon was hiding in a winepress and threshing wheat to escape from persecution from the Midians, and God told him that His name is Jehovah Shalom.  Jehovah Shalom means "I am your peace."  This is such a precious promise!  Gideon was able to defeat the Midians by such promise.   Do you have peace in your heart?  Do you know that true peace can only come from God?  Let us come before Him and humbly ask for His peace!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because you are the king of peace.  Our hope and our peace rest in you.  May you once again reveal your peace in our hearts, so that no matter what the circumstance is, you will give all kinds of comfort to those who seek you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!                      See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 16:19-24

1 Corinthians 16:19-24   The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.  All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.  I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.  If anyone does not love the Lord - a curse be on him. Come, O Lord!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.  My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.   Paul clearly taught us here that "if anyone does not love the Lord - a curse be on him."  We need to remember about how much the Lord loves us - how He was willing to come to the world to take on all the human sufferings in order to redeem us, and how He was nailed to the cross and died for us.  The Bible says that He took on all our worries and born all our pain, and that "he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."   Not only did Jesus die for us, He's also with us all the time in our daily lives, and He leads us like a shepherd leads his sheep.  Sheep are actually easily intimidated and can go astray, so the Bible uses sheep to describe people because we are also easily intimidated and lost.  God, however, is our shepherd, and He can lead us in our daily lives.  Beyond that, God also listens to our prayer.  When we have needs and cry out to God, He will listen to our prayer and save us.  Which god can love us like our God?  That's why Paul said that whoever doesn't love the Lord should be cursed.   Let us think again about how much the Lord loves us.  The more you think about it, the more you will love Him.  Paul continued to say that the Lord will come again, which is a reminder that the promise we have in Christ is true and we must be prepared to welcome the Lord when we are on earth.  We should not just live our life mindlessly and waste our time to pursue satisfaction in the world.  Paul didn't mean that we ought to abandon everything and just go to the mountains to wait for the Lord, but we be prepared in our heart.  No matter what we are doing, we must do our best to testify for the glory of the Lord.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I once again thank you and praise you, because your grace is sufficient for us and your love is everlasting.  We thank you and we want to follow you for the rest of our lives.  We want to know you more and serve you better.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!                    See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 16:15-18

1 Corinthians 16:15-18   You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it.  I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you.  For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.   In this passage, Paul compliments a saint named Stephenas, who was performing the valuable ministry of serving the other saints.  Many people are interested in the topic of wanting to become leaders, but very few are interested in how to become a servant for Christ.  Everyone wants to be a leader, but do not understand how to serve others.  Jesus actually set an example of leadership for us; while on earth, Jesus said that "the Son of Man has not come to be served, but to serve."  This is the attitude of the Lord - He had compassion for those in needs through healing, caring and teaching them.  May God help us to start from the most minuscule thing when we serve God.  Many would like to serve on the pulpit, but few would to do janitorial work in the church.  If you and I are not faithful on small things, how are we going to serve the Lord on big things?   Paul said that the church was lacking them, but Stephenas saw it and made up for it, so that both church and Paul were refreshed.  This is such a glorious work!  When your ministry and make church and ministers refreshed, you ought to feel privileged.  This type of ministry, however, is not easy to do, because it takes meticulous observation to sense the needs of the ministers and congregation.  Brothers and sisters, are you willing to play such a role no matter what position you are holding at church?  Let us learn from the example of Stephenas so that we don't just seek a superficial position, but instead live out the example of how Jesus served people from the bottom of our heart.   Paul said that "such men deserve recognition."  Let us all envy those who can serve others!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you because we saw the testimony of Stephenas.  May your Spirit uplift us once again so that we may live out the example of Jesus Christ.  Let us not just be served, but to serve others.  May you help everyone who read this message today to become someone who serves.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!                    See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 16:10-14

1 Corinthians 16:10-14   ....Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.   Paul reminded the Christians to be alert, to stand firm in the faith. The church at Corinth was a very gifted church, but they were often fighting amongst themselves. Some held the apostles in high regard others held in high regard certain gifts and teaching.  Hence, they often fought about these individual differences and preferences. Paul reminded them to turn back to the truth, and not fight about these things which are of secondary importance, so that they can be truly united and experience the freedom in their hearts. Paul warned them to be on their guard, so that they do not give the devil Satan a foothold, and not allow their different gifts and opinions to cause division in the church. We need to stand firm in the faith, resist the enemy so he shall flee from us!   Not only that, Paul also exhorted them to be men of courage, to be strong, but not to be harsh against their brothers and sisters in Christ. To be gentle and patient towards other brothers and sisters, to be compassionate and restore them when they fall, to have a tender heart and pray for them. To be strong is referring to being strong against the enemy, to be strong in the midst of our circumstances as well as not to fear or lose heart.  Just like Joshua during the old testament times, God commanded him to lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan in the face of much opposition. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous because God was with him. Similarly, the Church today is fighting a spiritual battle, and there are a lot of opposition in front of us. Paul exhorted everyone to be strong to fight the enemy, and that God will fight for us to triumph over our enemies daily. Paul said, "Do everything in love." There is actually a limit to a human's love. This love needs to come from God to be patient, kind and enduring. Let us love one another, not just love the pastors, but all our brothers and sisters in Christ as well, so that we are united in the love of Christ.  May the world see this love in us and know that we are disciples of Christ.       Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we pray that your love will once pour out into our lives. Let us not only stand on the foundation of truth, but also be filled with more of your love so that others may see our witness and give glory to you. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!                    See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 16:7-9

1 Corinthians 16:7-9   I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.   Paul mentioned that God had opened a great door for effective work for him. In this generation in which we live, God has opened a great door for effective work because He is at work all around the world. God is at work in mainland China. The house church has been revived and, according to statistics, there are tens of thousands of new believers each day.  God is bringing revival to South America. In the past, the attendance at most South America churches was single-digit, but now that God's revival has come, the number of believers in the church in Argentina is approximately one to two hundred thousand. The Spirit of God is also moving upon the Muslim countries. We hear stories of how Muslims become Christians. Many of them saw Jesus in their dreams after they read the gospel, and they receive Christ as their personal Savior. This is the case in Africa as well. The renowned German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke held many large-scale evangelistic meetings there. It was recorded that the number of who receive Christ is more than three hundred million people. These figures are far more than we could have imagined. God is doing wonderful work around the world.  He brought revival to North America, Canada, Florida, Pensacola and other places. We firmly believe that God wants to bring in another great harvest in the end-time generation.   On the other hand, there are a lot of people who are against the move of God. When God is doing something new, there will be a lot of resistance from the traditional forces. Let us focus on God, and be sensitive to what He is doing in this generation, so that our hearts will grow old, but will be renewed each day.  In addition, there are many in this generation who are opposed to the work of God. Although the United States is a Christian nation, there are many in the government and the society who are anti-Christian, and are against the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The media is also against the spreading of Christianity. Besides these, there is also the opposition of the devil Satan. The enemy uses all kinds of false religions and the occult to confuse the hearts of people, so that they do not depend on God. You and I can only rely on prayer to face these opposition forces. Strong and powerful prayer can destroy the strongholds and take back the hearts of people, so they may return to Jesus Christ.         Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you, because you have truly opened a great door for effective work. Although there is much opposition, we pray Lord you will use us as vessels of prayer, to tear down all the strong holds so that your work may continue to expand around the world. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!                  See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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