Today's Passage - Hebrews 5:13-14

Hebrews 5:13-14   Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.   What is the difference between adults and children? Firstly, the ability to distinguish good from evil. Little children have no ability to do so. When you give them a $10 bill and a pack of stickers, it is highly probable that they will pick the stickers. The dead sea scrolls were found by a little shepherd boy who took them to a junkyard for 10 shekels. Yet the owner of the junkyard was able to sell them for $750,000. In fact, many Christians are like that today. Although they have so much treasure, they have no ability to distinguish, and as a result, they cannot receive God's blessings. Christians are busy seeking earthly luxuries and do not know how to return to God's Word to seek God's treasures. May God open our eyes so that we may discern between what is temporal and what will last for eternity. May our hearts seek after the riches and promises of God.   Secondly, adults will obey and act according to God's Word. God's Word is not for merely hearing and forgetting. Many people read God's Word as reference materials, yet do not act according to it. As a result, they do not grow. In the past when I was in seminary, there were two students with excellent grades. Yet they could never get along with each other and kept fighting with each other. What is the point of studying seminary then, if there is no transformation in your life? May God help us to grow up and not stay at the stage of spiritual infants.   Is your spiritual life at an infant stage or an adult stage? May the Lord help us to focus on His Word, to read His Word every day. Although it may seem mundane, there is no shortcut to spiritual growth. You have to read the Word of God and you have to pray in order to grow in your spiritual life. May the Lord help us so that God's Word is not just something that we talk about, but that we will live according to it and show the example of Christ. May the Lord have mercy on us and help us to grow from a spiritual infant stage to a mature adult.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because you are the Lord who causes us to grow. When we bring our needs before you and admit our weakness, you will be our strength and help. May the Lord give us a heart that hungers for your Word and a heart that longs to act according to your Word, so that we can grow every day and live a life that pleases you. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!      Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!

Today's Passage - Hebrews 5:11-12

Hebrews 5:11-12   We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!   The author of Hebrews rebuked the believers at that time, saying that they need milk instead of solid food. After being processed, milk can be easily absorbed by the babies, whereas solid food need to be chewed and digested before it can be absorbed. In the same way, as Christians grow and mature, they move from drinking spiritual milk to solid food.    Firstly, when in the course of maturing, Christians will need to start with drinking milk. You need to teach them the basic truths of God's Word so they have a good foundation. The author rebuked the Christians at that time because they should have been teachers by then, but yet, are still feeding on milk. It is natural for children to drink milk, but there is a problem if they remain at drinking milk all the time. However, some churches do not provide an environment that will allow believers to take solid food. For example, attending Sunday service to listen to the pastor preaching is like drinking milk. Attending Sunday school is also like drinking milk because you are listening to the truths that the teacher is teaching. The church is filled with activities to feed the believers with milk. No wonder there are so many spiritual babes in church. We need to constantly provide an environment in which believers can consume solid food, reading the Word of God, digesting it, and then sharing it with others. This is eating solid food. In the cell group, we need to constantly share the Word of God with one another, and not just listen to the cell leaders share. Each brother and sister should share how God has changed and influenced their lives during that week.   Not only so, but we need to learn how to disciple others one on one. True learning comes by teaching others. In Sunday school, the one who benefits the most is the teacher because as he spends time preparing for the class, he gains the most. In the same way, as you disciple others, there is true learning. The church has a lot of materials for one-on-one discipleship. We encourage brothers and sisters to use these materials to disciple others. Only when you disciple someone, you can truly grow. May the spirit of God help us to move from a place of drinking milk to consuming solid food, so we can truly grow and mature.    Pray with Pastor Tong   May the Lord help us not to stay at the stage of drinking milk, but give us a desire and willing spirit to move from milk to solid food. May we read your word, apply your word and teach your word, so that it will fuel our lives each day. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!     Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!

Today's Passage - Hebrews 5:9-10

Hebrews 5:9-10   ...And, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.   The submission of Jesus is not only an example for us, but also a source of salvation. Firstly, because of His obedience, salvation was accomplished. Philippians 2:6-11 tells us, "He, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father. The salvation that comes through Jesus Christ was accomplished because of His obedience. Jesus not only obeyed God and came in the nature of a servant, He also humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. When Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins, it was the lowest point in His life. Yet God exalted Him up and gave Him the name above every name. Hence some say, salvation can be represented by the alphabet "V". He who had all the riches and glory in heaven came to the lowliness place on earth and rose from the dead so that God exalted Him to the highest place.   Secondly, because of His obedience, we can receive such a great salvation. The gift of salvation has already been paid for, but we need to cooperate with God in order to receive the full benefits of this salvation on earth. We need to be humble and willing to listen to the Word of God and receive the Word of God. We often harden our hearts and have a rebellious spirit, making it difficult for us to truly receive God's Word even though we may hear it. We need to come before God humbly and receive His Word so that we may be healed and enlightened.        Thirdly, we need to obey the Word of God. Not merely listening to God's Word and receiving God's word, but also acting in accordance with God's Word so that His Word may become the force that changes our lives. When you come before God, do you have a heart of submission? If you hear God's Word, but have a hardened heart, God's will cannot be fully accomplished in our lives. If we have rebellion and insubordination in our hearts, may the Lord help us to remove these things so that we can fully surrender ourselves before God, and His grace may come upon us.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, because of your submission, salvation has been made complete. May you teach us to submit to you, to listen and to receive your word each day, so we may act according to it. May the Spirit of God pour out His grace into our lives. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!     Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!

Today's Passage - Hebrews 5:7-8

Hebrews 5:7-8   During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered   The most precious example that Jesus gave us is His submission. When the Lord walked the road to Calvary, He was reluctant to do so. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He cried out three times, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." According to the flesh, He was not willing, but the Lord did not stop there. He went on to say in those three times, "Yet not as I will, but as you will."   Jesus submitted to the will of God and walked the road of Calvary. When He obeyed, He demonstrated love in action. When the Bible tells us to love, it is not referring to a feeling of love, because it is not possible to feel any love when we face our enemies. If we feel love, that cannot be our enemy. But the Lord gave us an example of love through the act of submission. Although there may be no feeling of love, we can obey God in action and when we do so, our feelings will follow our actions. How do we obey God? Matthew 5:44 says, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. The Lord tells us that in "loving your enemies", God is requesting that we pray for those who persecute us and bless them. When we truly submit under the Lordship of Christ to pray for those who persecute us, the Spirit of God will pour out the love of God into our lives. Loving our enemies is a difficult task and perhaps we really cannot feel love in our hearts. But as we obey the Lord and pray for those who persecute us, the Lord will pour out his love and free us from all bitterness and hatred.   When you come before the Lord, you can also experience the grace of being set free. Do you have some unlovable people in your lives that you find difficult to forgive? All you have to do is to come before the Lord and surrender before Him saying, "Lord, I want to pray for those who persecute me!" When you submit to God, you will experience the power released by the Holy Spirit in your life! Are you willing to pray for those who persecute you?   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you for your example of submission that allows us to be set free by submitting to you each day. I pray for my brothers and sisters who are trapped in bitterness and hatred. I pray that when they say, "Lord, I submit to you and I am willing to pray for those who persecute me.", Lord you will release your power, and they may experience joy and freedom. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!  Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!

Today's Passage - Hebrews 5:5-6

Hebrews 5:5-6   In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father." And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."     Many people have incorrect view of "glory".  They feel that it is holy and can not be spoken of carelessly.  It says here that Jesus did not take on the glory himself.  That does not mean Jesus was not worthy of the glory.  In fact, after Jesus' resurrection, he came into power in glory.  Do not be afraid that glory is bestowed upon yourself.  But be prudent that you do not take on yourself the glory.  Satan was an archangel in heaven, named Lucifer.  He took the glory upon himself and resulted in falling from heaven.  King Herod Agrippa I of the New Testament, did not gave glory to God when people cried that his voice was the voice of God in a theatre in Caesarea.  As such, he was eaten by worms and died.  Roman 3:23 says:" For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".  When one takes glory upon oneself, it takes glory away from God.  And this is sin.    On the other hand, our church's vision is to "build God's glorious church".  However, we don't take on the glory by ourselves.  It is because: first, the reason we want to build a glorious church is because Lord is our glorious savior, and the church is His body.  It is God's will that this church to be a glorious church so that it befits this glorious savior.  Second, we build this church in accordance of God's will.  He wants this church to be glorious, such that it befits Jesus.  God wants church to a glorious bride together with Jesus Christ in heaven.  We are building in accordance with God's will, not by our own will nor our own preference.  We should not be embarrassed proclaiming building a glorious church.    Because this is God's will, ever lasting from the beginning of time.  When we labor with God, building our church, his glory will manifest, drawing everyone turn towards Him.       When we build God's church, when He reveal His presence, we want to be wittiness that Jesus Christ is indeed God's son.  We welcome holy spirit descending upon us.  Let God's glorious presence be among ourselves, ridding of all sins and evil.  Let Jesus Christ be held upon high, drawing everyone turn towards him.  We welcome God's glory, yet we need to be prudent not to give glory to ourselves.  May God help us to guard our hearts.   Praying with Pastor Tong Liu   Lord, we thank you because you are willing to share your glory with us.  We welcome your glory presence to be revealed among us,  not only in the church, but also upon ourselves.  Your spirit, move freely within us.  Drawing everyone coming to you.  We thanks and we pray in the glorious name of Jesus Christ.  Amen! Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!

Today's Passage - Hebrews 5:3-4

Hebrews 5:3-4   This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.   High priesthood cannot be claimed by oneself.  It has to be through God's calling.  In fact, of those who are utilized by God, not one volunteered themselves.  Those who volunteered may ave enthusiasm and abilities.  However, God seeks those who possess not only enthusiasm and abilities, but also spiritual character, i.e. a keen sense for right spirit.  That person should understand what God is about to do, and has the right attitude of service.  Those who serve God not only can do the right thing, but more importantly, they should posses the right spirit.  Many want to serve God, yet they do not understand basic principles.  They want to accomplish goals.  They want to find the most effective strategy.  They want to find the secret of growthing a church.  Those strategy and secret are good indeed.  But the problem is you must first be called upon by God.  Otherwise, God can not use you.  Have you ever experienced God's calling in your life?  First of all, you must have a calling for life.  Bible frequently mentions that believers are those who are called upon by Lord.  Being called upon does not only pertain to pastors, but rather every believer of Jesus.  We are called upon by God, to fulfill His will.     Second, one must have a calling for service.  Through this calling, God let us know which direction to serve Him.  Does He want us to serve Him full time?  Or part time?  God calls upon some people to be pastors and preachers.  Some are called to be evangelists.  Some are called by God to serve Him in one's daily life.  A sister mentioned that there is a banner over her stove that says:"Serve God Three Times A Day".  She really understand calling for service.  God called her to serve Him in her position as a housewife.        Third, it is the calling of position.  Can you serve him at the place that God put you upon? Maybe you are serving full time.  But which position?  Maybe you feel that God wants you to serve him part time.  But where?  Brothers and sisters, do you have a calling for life?  Calling for service?  Calling for position?  If you don't, you need to come.   Praying with Pastor Tong Liu   Lord, we thank you.  You called upon me with no regret.  You guide everyone by yourself, so that your will will be done on us.  I pray that you give me a humble heart.  Show your will in our lives.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!

Today's Passage - Hebrews 5:1-2

Hebrew 5:1-2 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. First, a high priests is called upon by God. If a person is called upon by God to serve Him, then that person should not be judged in accordance to the criteria of men, but rather the criteria of God. People often judge whether others are worthy of God's calling using criteria of men: appearance, education background, and personal status. Those who are called upon by God are those who understand God's will in their hearts. Second, a high priest comes in front of God representing people. In Old Testament, people could not come into the presence of God because of sins. The reason for high priesthood is to represent sinners in front of Him. From the point of men, a high priest's duty is terrifying: bearing the sins of all people, he comes into the presence of God asking for forgiveness. That's why a high priest has to cleanse himself before entering the most holy. He cleanses not only his body, but also his heart, so that he will not be struck down by God in the most holy. Third, a high priest presents offerings for others. Since a high priest comes into the presence of God bearing sins of others, he has to present offerings for those sinners. Leviticus chapter 1 through 5 mentioned five kinds of offerings. Those are: burnt offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, and fellowship offerings. These offerings are sometimes for dedication offering, sometimes for giving thanks, sometimes for our sins, sins that we have committed whether intentionally or unintentionally. The duty of a high priest is to present those offerings for us, so that we receive peace and grace through God's forgiveness. Fourth, He will deal gently with those who are ignorant and with those who are astray. "Deal gently" means tenderness and forgiveness. In Bible, we are often likened to sheep, the animal that gets frightened and lost most often. We often live in ignorance and lost. As such, when we are young, we often proclaim that we are the lost generation. When we reach middle age, we cry out "middle life crisis", the stage in our life when we find out that all we have strived for in the past have lost meaning to us. Suddenly, we come back to the same question we faced when we were young: "What's the purpose of life?" Even when we reach old age, we ask the same question: "What on earth do I life for?" What a high priest have prepared here is the work of Jesus Christ. Our lord emphasizes our ignorance and lostness. He emphasizes with us full of tenderness and forgiveness. As long as we come to the Lord, He will understand and help us in all we ask. Praying with Pastor Tong Liu Lord, we thank you. You are the high priest in our lives. You carried for us all our weaknesses and you bore all our sins. Today we bring our prayers to you. You surely will provide us your glorious richness. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!

Today's Passage - Hebrews 4:16

Hebrews 4:16   Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.   Not only is Jesus Christ our savior, He's also the high priest who's ascended to the heaven.  This is a precious truth - Jesus not only saved us, He also understands our weaknesses in our daily life.  It's not difficult to save someone's life, but it's far more difficult if you need to life with the person and tolerate all his shortcomings.  Not only is our Lord the almighty savior, He also accepts us as who we are, so that we can completely open ourselves before God in confidence.  Such openness may not even be possible between husbands and wives, so we may never be able to experience this with other people.  With God, however, He has promised us that he will accept us as who we are, and He will touch us and heal us.   In the Bible, grace and mercy are two different terms.  Grace means that God gives us something that we don't deserve.  We are sinners, but because of the grace of Jesus Christ we have become sinless, and this is a change in our position.  When we accept Jesus as our personal savior, such transformation takes place.  It's like we were imprisoned before, but now we have been freed; we were sentenced as guilty, but now we are free of guilt and released.  This is what grace of Jesus means.  After we are released, however, we might still not have anywhere to go, and that when the mercy of God will work in our life.  God's merciful hand will support us when we are weak, dress our wounds, and help us to restore the glorious beautify that God has created us with.  Therefore, our Lord is not only Lord of grace, but also Lord of mercy.   When we are in any weakness or difficulty, we may come before God in confidence.  We will receive mercy and grace, and we will receive His help in time of need.  God helps us in our time of need, so you can come to the throne of grace any time.  You need not to fear, but just come before Him with your needs, and the Lord's help will come upon you.                              Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, not only are you our savior, you are also the high priest who has mercy on us.  We can bring all our weakness and problems before you and pray to you.  Thank you for having mercy on us and helping us in time of need, and I ask that you do the work of healing, comforting and turning around in our life until we are made complete before you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!

Today's Passage - Hebrews 4:14-15

Hebrews 4:14-15   Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin.   In the Old Testament time, God instituted three positions among the Israelites - prophets, kings and priests.  Prophets speak to God's people on His behalf, kings represent God to govern His people on His behalf, but priests serve by going before God on behalf of people.  Priests perform a terrifying job, for the priests entered the holy of the holies filled with fear.  They entered once a year and they had to be cleansed for three days.  Not only cleansed on the outside, but also the inside.  When they entered into the holy of the holies, they had to hang a bell on their robe.  When they walked around inside, the bell would ring; if people outside didn't hear the bell ring, they knew that the priest probably couldn't stand before God and was struck to death.  Because ordinary people could not just enter into the holy of the holies, they also had to tie the priest to a rope so that if he died they could drag his body out.   In the New Testament time, Jesus Christ already completed this work for us, for Jesus is the true high priest.  People were not complete in the Old Testament; in the New Testament time, people finally became complete through Christ as all the Old Testament standards have been met.  When Jesus worked on earth, He wasn't like the Pharisees who only rebuked people; He wasn't' like John the Baptist who only preached the judgment of God.  He had the touch of love - He didn't just severely rebuke people, but He used love and compassion to turn people back.  When the adulterous woman was caught and brought before Jesus, she should have been stoned to death according to the law.  She expected Jesus to rebuke her, but instead the Lord told her: "Has no one condemned you?"  She looked around and not one person condemned her, and then Jesus said: "Go now and leave your life of sin."  Lord accepted her just as she is and completely restored her.   No matter what we're like before God, we must always remember that Jesus and our high priest.  He cares for our weakness and He will help us wherever we are weak.  He stands between Father God and us, and He will bring sinners like us back the throne of grace to receive help from God.  Are you in great needs or do you have any major weakness?  You can come before God again without any fear, because Jesus is your high priest!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord Jesus, we thank you because not only are you our savior, you are also our high priest.  You care for our weaknesses, and you also support and help us.  May the Spirit of the Lord move among us, give us strength and help us in our time of need.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!