Today's Passage - John 2:1-3

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 2: 1-3 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."    We often experience "the wine was gone" moments in our lives. It is similar to the immediate letdown from the good time we had at a party when someone came and said: "The party's over!" Indeed, the good times are always so short in the course of our lives; then we stare into the endless void of the future. Especially once you reach mid-life, they tell you: "It's going downhill now; you are no longer the promising youth!" Then we discover that time is really running out. The feeling of disappointment is so prevalent at this life juncture. The wine was gone; this is not just the party scene during the time of Jesus Christ, as this is also the common mindset of the modern man.                 In this miracle of turning water into wine, however, Jesus Christ is here to lead us out of our crisis. If you think carefully the gospel of Jesus Christ, the angel proclaims the great news that the Savior is born. We think this Savior is an almighty person; we cannot imagine that this savior came to birth as a baby! What a great contrast! The baby is a symbol of helplessness, yet this Savior is an almighty person! Jesus Christ was born humbly in this world to experience our rejection and brokenness; He even died for our sins on the most shameful sign of the cross! Jesus lived for us through crisis, suffering, hardship and misery, finally died on the cross for us, and then rose from the dead. Jesus Christ has transformed the most shameful sign into the most glorious and the sign of victory.                 Someone said the gospel of Jesus Christ is the English letter V, representing the sign of Victory. Jesus descended to humility from the most high in heaven and died on the cross for us, and then He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, bringing us glorious hope, because He is the God that leads us out of crisis, suffering and hardship. Hallelujah! Although we have many of "the wine was gone" moments, thank God our Lord is still the God that turns water into fine wine! Let us come and look up to Him. Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank you for you have become the greatest miracle of all, which surpasses our imaginations and understandings . We pray that your spirit dwells in our hearts so that as  sojourns on earth, our faith  is once again reaffirmed.  With thanksgiving we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

Today's Passage - John 1:48-51

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 1: 48-51   Nathanael asked, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree.  You shall see greater things than that." He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see the heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."        The reason that Nathanael came to the Lord was because of the word of wisdom from the Lord. Wisdom of the word is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit from God, which predicts what is going to happen.  Because the fig tree is the national tree of Israelites, when Nathanael stood under that tree, he was contemplating the future of Israel.  So when Jesus called out his inner thoughts, he replied immediately, "You are the son of God and the King of Israel. "  As spiritual events includes not only miracles,   Jesus, therefore,  told him, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree.  You shall see greater things than that."        What exactly are "greater things" ? This is the great salvation that Jesus wanted to accomplish.  Man is  separated from God because of sin.  As a result, man can no longer communicate with God.  But when Jesus came to this world and died on the cross for our sins, he took   upon himself all the punishment of sins. He took all our inequities and burden, carried our pain and removed the barrier caused by sins between man and God.  All of a sudden, the bridge between man and God is restored.  The sky has opened up!  The curtain of the temple was torn into two from top to bottom.  Initially, there was a barrier between man and God, but this path is now cleared so that the angels can ascend and descend freely.        From the human point of view, this may not mean much, but in the spiritual realm,  this is earth shaking.  This is the greatest miracle of all!  God's son has taken the form of man, died for us on the cross, and resurrected from the dead on the third day.  This opens a new and lively path between God and man.  Today, the heaven has opened! The path is cleared! We can now come before the Lord without hindrance. What a precious truth this is!  No greater miracle happens beyond the great salvation that Jesus Christ has accomplished for us.    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank you for you have become the greatest miracle of all, which surpasses our imaginations and understandings . We pray that your spirit dwells in our hearts so that as  sojourns on earth, our faith  is once again reaffirmed.  With thanksgiving we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

Today's Passage - John 1:46-47

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 1: 46-47   Nathanael asked, "Nazareth! Can anything come from there?" Philip said, "Come and see. "   When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."        We may encounter some obstacles when we try to share the gospel.  People may even laugh at us just like when Philip told Nathanael, " I have found the savior and He is Jesus of Nazareth." Philip was immediately silenced by Nathaniel's rebuttal, "Nazareth! Can anything come from there?"The same is true when we share the gospel with others, we may be rejected, but let us continue to pray for them and  bear witness for the Lord with our lives.        Rev. Moses Chow had always illustrated that sharing the gospel is like feeding someone with bums.  When you feed this person the first bum,  there may be little reaction.  But when he is fed by different people at different times, perhaps, one day, he suddenly feels full and come to believe in the Lord.  Obviously, when you feed him the bum,  you have no idea whether this is the first or the last bum, or even the bum in between.  Let us ask for help from our Lord not to give up.        Of course, I do not mean that we need to constantly bombarding our friends and relatives with gospel. Instead, we should pray for a heart with sensitivity so that we may share the gospel at the opportune time.  Gospel need  not  to be shared by words alone, giving away spiritual books may also help them coming to know God.  May the Lord give us wisdom in sharing the gospel.  Help us to lead people to Christ just as Philip did when he was not sure what to do next , he just said, "Come and see!" He was able to lead Nathanael  to Jesus Christ as a result.        How can we lead people to God?  It needs prayers.  Through prayers,  people are brought to the Lord.  We also pray for a thirsty spirit, a hardened heart to be softened, so that  non-believers  may come to understand the preciousness  of salvation and the importance of a saved soul.  In addition,  we may also bring people to God through our actions.  Whenever we have a chance, we can bring people to our Sunday services or a special evangelistic meetings through which people's hearts may be opened to God.   God may also speak  to their hearts through the words of the speakers. May the Lord help us not only that we preach with our mouth, but also through prayers and action so that gospel of the Lord may be spread.                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, give us wisdom we pray, so that we may seize the opportunity you have given  us to share the gospel with people around us, and bring them to you.  We pray that we may have strength to spread the gospel to the end of the earth.  With thanksgiving we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Today's Passage - John 1:43-45

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 1: 43-45   ....Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."        When a person comes to meet the Lord, it is only natural that he shares the gospel and  bear witness to  the  people around him. You do not need to read through the Bible once in order to share this good news.  Just as the good news shared  and proclaimed by His disciples,  " Look, we have met the Savior! We have met the One we have been hoping and longing for!  We were strayed in the past, but now we have returned to the Lord's bosom .  We were without direction in the past, but now we understand the purpose in our lives! We did not have peace in our hearts, but  we have  now found joy and fulfillment.  We were weak and unable to do good deeds, but now with the help of Christ, we can do anything. Hallelujah!          Effective testimony is one which draws a  contrast  like day and night. The most effective advertisement is one that displays a picture contrasting  the past and  the present.  In weight loss ads, those who were over-weight, have now become slim after taking their medicines making it irresistible for you to buy their products.  This contrast of 'before and after' is so important!  In sharing the gospel with others,  it is not only our words , but also our transformed lives that make  our testimonies effective.   There is a saying in English: " Action speaks louder than words!"  What we  are bringing to this world is not only a set of teachings, but a practical  way of live  as well as  true salvation.         In our church baptismal services, brothers and sisters share their simple testimonies of how their lives have been transformed.   I recall the changes that a couple had after  believing in the Lord, even their own family members  testified, " We truly see the differences before and after they have come to  the Lord.  They used to squabble all the time,  but now they are so much  in love!"This is the message of life that we should bring to this word. I recalled a brother once gave a testimony after which he made a calling to those willing to accept Jesus as their personal savior. Little did he know that both his parents, after listening to his testimony, were willing to accept Christ at that moment!  Brothers and sisters, this is the most glorious testimony.  Whenever people notice that our lives have been transformed,  they  give  glory to God.  May the Lord help us so that we may bear witness for our  Lord everyday of our lives with courage.                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, we praise you because you are God who changes our lives. We pray that you help us and give us the opportunities to share this precious gospel with people around us.  With thanksgiving we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

Today's Passage - John 1:42

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 1:42   Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).   After Andrew accepted the Lord, he immediately shared the Gospel with his brother Simon Peter, and later Simon Peter also followed Jesus.  We usually envy Peter, because he was the chief apostle used by God.  When he preached the Gospel, three thousand accepted the Lord.  Did you know, however, that the work done by Andrew was also important?  When he fulfilled his duty, God did His wonderful work.  Think about it - If you can bring just one Peter to the Lord in your lifetime, you'll have endless stories to tell!  "Oh that Peter guy?  I led him to Christ!"  Hallelujah!  If we lead just one Peter to Christ, you'd be filled with joy before God rest of your life!  If you are someone like Andrew, don't underestimate yourself, just fulfill your duty and God will do His wonderful work!   When Andrew brought Simon Peter before Jesus, Jesus said this as soon as he saw Peter: "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas."  Cephas means Peter, which means rock.  Peter was originally named Simon, which means willow; willow is an unstable plant, for wind blows it all directions in the wilderness.  That was Peter's natural personality - He was emotional unstable.  One minute he saw Jesus Christ walking on the sea and he said "Lord, let me follow you!"  When he was on the sea, however, he had doubt in his water and therefore fell into water.  One minute he would say to Lord Jesus: "I will follow you always, even till death!"  Next minute he denies Jesus for three times.  The wonderful thing is that when Jesus called Peter, He clearly said to him: "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas."   In the time of Acts, God's Spirit continued to work on Peter.  In the books of Peter, he became a different man, stood firmly just like a rock!  From Simon to Peter, from an unstable man to a rock in God's Kingdom!  May God help us, let us welcome the Spirit of God to work on us.  Don't just focus on your circumstance now, but welcome Spirit of God to work inside you.  God will turn your life around, just like He did on Simon Peter, and He will make you a vessel in His Kingdom!                  Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we ask that you bless all brothers and sisters.  No matter what circumstance we are in, may the Spirit of God come and shape me.  Let us not underestimate ourselves, but to offer ourselves for you to use.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - John 1:40-41

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 1:40-41   Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).   Sharing the Gospel should be something spontaneous, because it should be part of our nature to do so.  The American Institute of Church Growth surveyed more than 4000 new believers on how they first attended church.  They found out that 70 to 80 percent went to church by invitation of their family or friend, 6 to 8 percent went to church by themselves, 2 to 3 percent were attracted by church program, 6 to 8 percent were drawn by a preacher who's famous or delivers good sermon, and 3 to 4 percent have particular needs.  From the result, we can see that it's important for everyone to do their job in sharing the Gospel.  Don't feel that there's not much you can do for the Gospel; as long as you play your part, invite your friends and family before God, and God will do wonderful work!   When Andrew followed Jesus after witnessing the testimony of John the Baptist, he immediately shared the Gospel with Simon Peter, and Peter accepted the Lord.  Sharing the Gospel is indeed part of our nature life; when we hear a good news, we naturally want to share it with others, right?  An evangelist once said: "What is evangelism?  Evangelism is for one beggar to tell another beggar, 'there's a piece of bread here,' that's how simple it is!  He doesn't need to study why the bread exists, or research to know clearly why bread can fill us up, he just needs to tell others, 'there's food here, come and eat,' and that's good enough!"   The Bible has many examples of those who started sharing the Gospel as soon as they accepted the Lord.  Gospel of John, Chapter 4 says that the Samaritan woman was fetching water from the well, but as soon as she recognized the Jesus was the Messiah, she put down the water jar and went around to tell people about Christ.  In Chapter 5, when the sick man was cured after 38 years, he immediately went around and told people that Christ had healed him.  We Christians ought to do the same; we shouldn't wait to share the Gospel when we are perfect, but we should start sharing the Gospel with people around us now!   The first step in sharing the Gospel is to look for people.  Andrew was very proactive, for he immediately shared the Gospel with Simon Peter.  There's no need to target every single person around you, for we need specific targets.  May God help us to see who around us have particularly great needs, and we should pray for them and share the Gospel with them.  When we do our due diligence, God's Spirit will do His wonderful work through us!                  Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, thank you for having Andrew set such great example for us.  May the Lord help us to see the needs of our family and friends; give us wisdom and power to pray for them and also share the Gospel with them.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - John 1:35-39

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 1: 35-39   The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"...   It is not easy to be the person who's making way for the Lord, isn't it?  Before Jesus appeared, people followed John and listened to John.  They recognized John as the prophet of their time, and a servant of God, so crowd surrounded him to listen to his sermon and witness his ministry.  What a glorious work it was!  As soon as Jesus surfaced, however, John saw Him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"  He uplifted Jesus Christ because he clearly knew that He is the Son of God and the Lamb of God, who's here to wash away all our sins.  When his disciples heard the message, their hearts were drawn to Jesus and they left John to follow Jesus.   On the one hand, John the Baptist uplifted Jesus and the name of Jesus was exalted, but on the other hand he had to face the cruel reality that his disciples would no longer follow him as they went on to follow Jesus instead.  Rationally speaking, we know that totally makes sense because Jesus Christ is the Son of God!  From human perspective, however, it was not an easy thing for John.  John was the one preparing the way for the Lord, but when the Lord came, John had to step aside from the his lead role; he wasn't even in a supporting role, but no one paid attention to him anymore.  What a drastic transition that would have been!   Nevertheless, John the Baptist was indeed a true servant of God.  He clearly understood what God wanted him to do.  That's why he said, "He must become greater; I must become less."  It's easy for us to read this scripture passage, but it involved much tears and sacrifice!  One who makes way for the Lord must be one willing to make sacrifice.  They must sacrifice their esteem, their pride and their glory, to simply be willing to seek God's glory.  May the Lord help us, let us have the attitude of John the Baptist, for the Lord must become greater and we must become less.  May the Lord help us to set our mind to become less for the Lord, so that the way of the Lord and His name can be uplifted!                 Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, may you give us the mind of John the Baptist, let us uplift your name all our life.  Not to see our own glory, but to glorify you.  May your spirit guide us and give us more strength to serve you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - John 1:32-34

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 1: 32-34   Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the spirit came down from heaven as a dove and remained on Him.  I would not have known Him , except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit came down and remain is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."        When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, a strange event happened!  There was a voice from heaven saying : " This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." Not only so, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus as a dove.  This is the only the Biblical verse where Trinity God appeared all three at the same time: The Holy Son was on earth,  God's voice descended from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended as  a dove.  Not only was this a testimony for the Trinity God, John 1:33  also   states clearly the importance of the coming of  the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit will come upon all  who have been baptized.  In other words, Jesus Christ is the one who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit,  and as a result the Holy  Spirit descended as a dove not only upon Jesus Himself, but this also upon  us as  a consequence of our baptism of the  Holy Spirit by Jesus.        What is baptism by the Holy Spirit?   There are two types of baptism by the Spirit  as described in the Bible.  The first is recorded in I Corinthians 12: 13 where the Holy Spirit is the one who conducts the baptism, as a result we become the body of Christ.   The pre-condition for us to experience this Spirit descending upon us as a dove like   Jesus had experienced, is to become a part of the body of Christ.  It is also because we are part of His body, we are now united as brothers and sisters, and this is the first baptism with the Holy  Spirit.       The second type of baptism is recorded in John 1:33 where Jesus is the one who conducts the baptism with the Holy Spirit for us.  This brings forth power similar to that given by the  Holy Spirit .  Act 1:5 and 1:8   unite  this type of baptism with the testimony  of power:  when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we will receive power.   This second kind of baptism by the Spirit is what we are in need of.  We have  to be part of the body of Christ first, then Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit  like a dove.  We will  have strength to lead a victorious life as a result.        How can we receive this baptism of the Holy Spirit from Jesus Christ?  First ,  we have  to understand our needs, come before the Lord and  recognize our shortcomings.  Pray to God asking for His Spirit to come upon us, so that our strength may be renewed.  Secondly, we need to seek actively and long for this Spirit,  without which we would not succeed.   Thirdly , we need to submit to His will.  Act 5:23 states that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Him.  Lastly, we need to wait upon the Lord as God has His sovereignty. God will bestow us with His grace in His own time. Let up seek together for Him.                  Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank you because you have willingly given us your Holy Spirit. You are also the one who baptizes us with this Spirit.  We pray that we may be a channel of blessing through the Holy Spirit.  Fill us and grant us fully with this Spirit.  With thanksgiving we pray, in the name of our victorious Jesus, Amen!