Today's Passage - John 18:25-32

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 18:25-32     Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, "You aren't one of his disciples too, are you?" He denied it, saying, "I am not." One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the garden?" Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.   Prior to arrest of the Lord, He prophesied that Peter will deny Him three times. Don't you remember how Peter vowed not to fall even if everyone else fell? Not only he said it, he declared it forcefully. That's how Peter was - He was zealous by nature and liked to rely on himself. Peter symbolized our natural life and represented our physical being. When we serve God, we often rely on our own abilities, but now the power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you and I are not as impulsively zealous as Peter, we might calmly analyze and thinking that's less worldly than being impulsive, but in reality being rational is can be just as worldly. If we try to accomplish the Lord's work with our natural life will ultimately fail completely.   When I served as chairman of a bible study group in Philadelphia, I eagerly wanted to serve the Lord and hoped that the bible study group will blossom. When I saw how the coworkers were busy with studying and often couldn't focus on the ministry, however, I became anxious. I started writing letter to the coworkers weekly; I urge them to love the Lord, but on the other hand I was sort of rebuking them. After a while, I noticed that nothing changed, so I wrote even more frequently. After a while, a close coworker of mine told me: "Tong, to be honest to you, every time we receive your thick and heavy letters, we were fearful to open them, and we just tossed them into the garbage can." At first I was really hurt, but on a second thought I knew that the Lord was teaching me not to reply on my own power to serve, because such ministry will never bring out positive result.   Brothers and sisters, you cannot rely on your personality or skills to be successful in ministry, it must be built upon power of the Holy Spirit. If you reply on personality and rationality to serve, some day you will fail like how Peter failed. May the Spirit pf God help us, enable us to know how to rely on the Spirit of God, and to seek God's will in your daily life and your ministry. May we also have the courage to obey God's Word and follow Him earnestly.   Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please help us because we cannot see how blind we are, and it's easy for us to serve by our own might. May you shine your light upon us, let us know how to seek your will only, and rely of power of the Holy Spirit to serve. Thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!