Today's Passage - Acts 17:1-9

Acts 17:1-9   When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd...   Paul and Silas were known to be people who disrupt the world.  In reality, the world was already in chaos.  Paul and Silas were preaching the gospel to try to put some order back into the world.  They were indeed a great influence on society at that time, so the world could not tolerate them, and were persecuting them. Let us learn from Paul and Silas, to preach the gospel with courage.  I often feel that this generation of Christians, are so afraid that they do not even dare to go out to hand out a tract.  They hesitate to give thanks for their food, and do not dare to come forward as a witness for Christ.   Brothers and sisters, the world is indeed a chaotic world.  The gay and lesbians march on the streets, but the Christians are hiding in their homes, and afraid to admit their identity. When I see the weakness of Christians today, I am deeply grieved.  We need to be strong and courages for the Lord.  I remember this testimony from a sister.  Her son had to write an essay on evolution at school. In his heart, he wanted to be a witness for the Lord, hence he wrote his whole essay about how God created the universe.  The teacher gave him a big "F".  If you were the child's parents, what would you do?  The Chinese parents may say, "Silly boy! This is just homework, just write what the teacher wants you to write.  Why get an F for this?" However, I really admire this boy for being willing to suffer an "F" so that he can proclaim God to the world!    We rarely come forward for our faith, and we try to stay out of trouble.  This causes us to lose our witness in this world.  May God have mercy on us and give us with courage to bear witness for him in the community and society we live in.      Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you because you are the resurrected true God, and you also live in our hearts. We ask that you'd give us courage to proclaim that we are Christians, and to share the gospel with others in our daily life.  Let our good deeds bring glory to you. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!       Participate in Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - by Donating a Seat for a future new believer!