Today's Passage - Romans 12:12-13

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 12:12-13    Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.   How can we be joyful in hope and patient in affliction? Paul told us a secret, which is to be faithful in prayer. When we face all kinds of difficulties in our life, are we faithful in prayer, for all our backslides and weaknesses all start with being unfaithful in prayer? The night before our Lord Jesus was betrayed, he was facing the road to the cross, and his heart was filled with fear and sorrow. So he took some apostles to pray, hoping that these apostles could pray with him in unity. When Jesus Christ was receiving more and more power and faith through prayer, the hearts of these apostles were filled with fear and sorrow, and they fell asleep instead.   How is your prayer life? Aren't we just like these apostles, working throughout the day like fighting a battle, taking care of household chores and children after returning home, then feeling sleepy after finally getting our own quiet time? Many people would start their prayer before sleep, and conclude with amen on the next morning. They would fall asleep right after they started to read the scripture and pray. We just pardon ourselves, saying: "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Brothers and sisters, I know that your flesh is weak. But you cannot keep being weak. We have to learn how to pray in order to face our everyday life. Never think prayer is useless. Rather, prayer can bring to you spiritual wisdom and perception to overcome all the attacks from Satan. After Jesus finished his third prayer in Gethsemane, he saw the apostles still asleep. So he told them: "Get up. Let's go!" Jesus meant getting up to pray. They thought he told them to get up from sleep. Two orders were same in the "getting up" part, but the results were totally different. Jesus' heart was filled with peace and assurance, and wisdom and power to face interrogations and whipping by Pilate and the officials. Even Pilate didn't know how to deal with him, for his speech was full of authority. But these apostles who just got up from sleep panicked right away. One of them cut off an ear of the servant of high priest with a sword. Peter was filled with fear so he disowned Jesus three times before a group of servants and maids, while others fled after they sensed the danger. You see, praying or not praying may bring about totally different results.   After the Lord Jesus was resurrected and ascended, the apostles waited for the arrival of the Spirit by praying in a house for ten days. When they received the Spirit, they were filled with wisdom and authority. If you compare how the apostles were in the Gospels and in Acts, you will find that they are totally different. The apostles in the Gospels were so weak and sleepy. They wanted promotion and wealth, but they were afraid of afflictions and death. They were just like you and me. But in Acts, they were no longer afraid of death or beating. When they were in jail, they sang hymns. And they were so powerful in preaching, healing and casting the demons.   Brothers and sisters, when we face all kinds of stress, trial and afflictions every day, do you want to be alert with Jesus Christ and pray to conquer, or fail and backslide in sleep like the apostles?             Pray with Pastor Tong            Dear Lord, thank you for setting a good example for us. May the Spirit give us a zealous spirit of prayer, so that we not only pray for ourselves, but also intercede for God's kingdom. May the Lord let us experience your released power in prayer, so as to make your grace flow in prayer. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 12:10-11

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 12:10-11   Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. The most terrifying thing inside the church nowadays is people being lukewarm. Many people would shout: "We want balance and rationality instead of impetuosity and overzealousness, since we are intellectuals." But balance and rationality can never become our excuses to be indifferent to God's ministry. We have to have zealous love in our heart, unless we have never experienced the love of Christ. There is one hymn that says that actually Christ can send tens of millions of angelic hosts to save us, but He was willing to be crucified alone for us to become atonement for our sins. He'd rather experience the afflictions in the world, so as to take over our burdens. Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son, ruler of the universe, didn't have to go down to this world. But he still chose to die for you and me on the cross. Many seekers would always ask why Jesus had to save the world in this way. Wouldn't there be a better way? Maybe so, but I know that Jesus was willing to take the road to the cross out of his love for me. Love cannot be explained. When you feel the love, there will be zeal in your heart. When we realize how much the Lord loves us, we can't help telling the Lord from the bottom of our heart: "Lord, I love you, too, in my heart." Just like what a hymn says: "My tears roll down, my heart is broken. Lord, I love you, now and forever, till the end of the world." It sounds like a love song, doesn't it? It is indeed a love song, for the love of the Lord is greater than any love in the world. This love overcomes the circumstances and withstands the trial. Even in afflictions, the love between the Lord and us stays unchanged. I always encourage brothers and sisters in the church to hunger for the Lord as if they are hungering for the lover. Isn't our Lord more lovable than the most lovable person in the world? Doesn't he attract you more than the wisest person in the world? Can't he protect you more than what the most powerful person in world can do? Are you zealous for the Lord? Let this fire of love keep burning, free from the influence of the world and voices of your family and friends. Keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.      Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, may you touch our heart with the fire of revival. Let us be attracted by your love again, so we are no longer indifferent, free from the impact of this world. Let us love you, praise you and serve you, and run to follow you. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 12:9

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 12:9    Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. After reading this passage, the first question you would have is: "What is the standard for good and evil?" The Bible clearly tells us that there is only one in the universe that is truly good, and it is God himself. Whether something is good or evil is judged not by your perspective, but by God's perspective. For Christians, God's wants us to live a holy life. 1 Peter Chapter 1 says: "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." How can you be holy? Paul told us that we have to hate what is evil and stay away from sins. What is sin? We might think of some outward sins. But people actually judge by outward appearance, only God judges by our inner being. The true sin is based on our inner motivation. A preacher once said that there are two reasons behind anything we do. One is the good reason, the other is the real reason. When my daughter was little, after she did something wrong, she would come to me with kisses and hugs, and kept saying "Daddy, I love you." In the beginning I was really pleased to hear she say that. Later on I realized something was going on. Actually not only little children do this. We are just like them. There are many real reasons inside us that we are afraid to share. Brothers and sisters, I wonder how many real reasons inside you can be exposed to God and other people. Once in a meeting a father told me that his teenage son just passed the road test for driver's license. So he was anxious to get a car and kept asking for one every day. The son said: "Daddy, if I have a car, I don't have to get ride from you to the church. Instead I can also take many friends of mine to the church and serve the Lord together." The father was convinced and agreed to take him for car shopping. To his surprise the son said: "I already found a red car I like!"  He said actually his son was getting a car for himself, not the Lord. You can pretend to be a good person, or even a person with zeal for ministries, but what is your true motivation inside? Paul said that we have to not only hate the outward sins, but also ask the Lord to purify our heart. 1 Peter says: "Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour." We will run into different kinds of temptations in our everyday life. We cannot keep being passive to the influence of the world; instead, ask the Lord to help us become active, offer ourselves to the Lord, stay us away from sin and let us be used by the Lord!        Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, may you guard our heart so we can stay pure before you. May you remove any selfishness from us so that we can live for you every day!  We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 12:7-8

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 12:7-8   "If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."   In this passage, Paul talked about the attitude for serving, what I would summarize as "the two 'lizes' for serving."  First, serving needs to be specialized.   There are many lay believers who seem to be playing musical chairs while serving in the church, they will take whichever seat when music stops every year.  That is the way to serve by position, not by gift, and the result is stalled church ministry.  A ministry might be going well, but with a new leader the work may be disrupted.  Another reason for such mistaken belief is  the concept of promotion in the church.  The administrator this year should become the coordinator next year, and given another promotion the year after to something like devotional coordinator.  This is the typical phenomenon of serving by position, not by gift.  Actually, those who are great as administrators may become poor coordinators.  Whenever I conduct training for ushers at church, I always tell them that ushering the most important position at church, because whenever a newcomer arrives at the church, he sees the ushers before he sees Jesus.  Unfortunately, to most brothers and sisters being an usher is just a stepping stone, and therefore church ministry suffers.   Second, serving needs to be professionalized.  Paul has used many adverbs here - generously, diligently, cheerfully, etc.  In other words, our serving needs to be professional and we need to focus on doing the best we can.  When you are serving according to your gifts, you must have the spirit of professionalism so that you will constantly think about how to make your ministry a top-notch ministry.  Today, many of our church ministries cannot thrive because we lack the spirit of professionalism.  Too many people treat serving as a side job, they'll do something when they have time, but forget about it when they don't.  The result is a ministry that is half-hearted.  Why can't the users at the church be like those at Disneyland?  If they extend such warm welcome to people into an amusement park, shouldn't we be more welcoming to people coming into heaven?  Why can't we perform truly professional service in everything that we do?  Being professional doesn't mean being technically perfect, but it is an attitude of being willing to pay a top-notch price in ministry in order to glory God and benefit people.  Brothers and sisters, are you willing to do it?      Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please forgive taking ministry lightly in the past.  Help us to turn back from the state of being lukewarm, and let us have a focused and professional attitude in ministry, so that your name may receive glory.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 12:6-7

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 12:6-7   "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.  If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach..."   In this passage, Paul talked about collaboration of various spiritual gifts in Christ.  God has given every believer different spiritual gifts, and it is His will for us to serve according to these gifts.  Spiritual gifts are the talents and strengths that the Holy Spirit gave to each believer in order to serve God.  Paul brought up several examples here: there are those who prophesy, serve as deacon, teach, encourage, contribute to the needs of others, lead and show mercy.  While there are seven examples here, there are actually at least twenty spiritual gifts in the Bible.  These gifts are granted by the Holy Spirit according to His will, and we need to come before God and ask God to reveal to us what our own gifts are.  Besides pleading God in prayer, we should also try out different roles in ministry, because through trial and error we will really know which areas of ministry are we most effective and which ones are not.  If we don't ever try, it's difficult to know what special gifts we have    Some Christians have the wrong concept that if we cannot be the best at what we do, then we shouldn't even do it.  This is completely wrong and it leads to people afraid of trying or developing their own gifts, thus robbing the Holy Spirit opportunity to use us.  On the other hand, spiritual gifts need to be confirmed; not only do should you feel joyful while serving in such capacity, others should also notice the effectiveness of what you've done.  It is a problem if you are the only one who think you have the gift while everyone else are just tolerating you.   The discovery and application of gifts should be carried according to our faith too.  Don't be afraid to fail, because no one can do things perfectly the first time.  That's why Paul said that we ought of think ourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given us.  It doesn't mean that the bigger our faith is and greater our gifts are, and vice versa, because every gift needs to be used with different levels of faith.  God has given us the faith to discover and apply our gifts, and all we need to do is to be who God wants us to be by faith.  May God give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, let us become more effective in serving God.      Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please put the spirit of wisdom in our heart and let us see the gifts that you have place inside us, so that we may exercise and apply these gifts by faith in our daily life.  May your Holy Spirit guide us and let us become more effective in serving you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 12:4-5

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 12:4-5   "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."   In this passage, Paul specifically talked about collaborating in ministry.  Not only should we know our own gifts, we also need to understand that God has given different gifts to everyone.  There's not need to compare or reject each other because of the differences between us.  When we see people who are different from us, our first reaction often is "we are different, so we just go our own ways," and that happens in church as well.  Have you ever considered the fact that even though you can avoid some brothers and sisters when we are on earth, one day we will meet each other in heaven.  When are you in heaven, are you going to notice people who are different from you and thus claim that you don't belong there?  May God give us an open mind to face those who are different from us.   There are a few things that we need to learn as we face people who are different from us.  First, do not compare ourselves with others.  The purpose of spiritual gifts is for us to serve, thus there's no greater or lesser gifts.  Many years ago when I lived in Philadelphia, I experienced a strike by street cleaners for many weeks, and at the end there were tons of filthy trash everywhere.  Suddenly we realized that the most important person in the city is the not the mayor, but rather the street cleaners.  Evidently every role is important, and in the same way every gift is important before God, thus there's no need to compare.   Second, do not reject each other because of differences in gifts.  Verse five says that in Christ we are all one body, therefore we must collaborate with each other in the body.  We can't claim that we don't need other gifts, because such statement is from our pride.  When Paul encountered Jesus through the great light that shined on him on the way to Damascus, we asked two most important questions in his life.  First question: Lord, who are you?  Second question: Lord, what should I do?  Jesus only answered the first question, but didn't directly answered his second question.  He, however, later answered his second question through young believer Ananias, who explained to Paul God's plan for his life.  God wanted to teach Paul to be humble and recognize that he also needs to be helped and ministered by other brothers and sisters.  Therefore, we need to collaborate in the Lord in order to know what our gifts are, and that's how the beauty and glory of God's Kingdom will be completely manifested.  May the Lord help us to have a soft and humble heart, and let us to united with one another in the Lord.        Pray with Pastor Tong            Lord, please give us a humble heart so that we will always consider others better than ourselves and accept our differences.  May the Lord send down all kinds of gifts to the church so that the beauty and perfection of Christ can be manifested through us.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 12:3

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 12:3   "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."   The Bible says that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."  No matter how talented and knowledgeable you are and everyone loves you, God cannot use you unless you are humble before God and men.  Paul said that we must "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought ", which is what I found to be a major weakness of human nature.  For example, when we have some small achievement, we'd be proud of ourselves, and thus we'd walk and talk differently.  When others praise us, we'd tell them that we're not worthy, but we feel ecstatic inside.  A once popular American country music song says: "Lord, it's too hard for me to learn to be humble, because when I look in the mirror every day I really like what I see."  This song was popular because that's exactly how a lot of people really felt.  It is truly difficulty to learn to be humble from deep down inside.  When we only look ourselves, we think we are really awesome, but when we turn around and look at God, we'd realized that we are next to nothing.  The more we know God, the more we would see that before Him we are merely sinners who are not worthy of His grace.    When Paul was writing the book of 1 Corinthians, he said he was the least of the disciples.  Later in his life, in the book of Ephesians, he wrote that he was less than the least of the saints, suddenly he depicted himself even smaller than before.  Before he passed away, in the Book of 1 Timothy, Paul wrote that he was the head of the sinners and the greatest sinner of all.  Apparently, the more he knew about God's grace, the more he realized that he was unworthy, and he clearly understood that if it wasn't for the grace of God he wouldn't be able to do anything.  Being humble doesn't mean that we don't do anything; some people think that they are humble if they don't do anything and let others do everything, but that's really being irresponsible.  Paul said that not only should we recognize our own unworthiness and weakness, but we must "think of yourself with sober judgment.""Sober judgment" is not about meeting a human expectation, but we must see ourselves from the eyes of God rather than the eyes of other people.  We need to come before God and find out exactly what His will is for us.   If we read on we would realize that what Paul described as grace of God here is actually the gifts of the Spirit.  God has given each believer different spiritual gifts, and it is His will for us to serve Him with these gifts.  Brothers and sisters, do see all the grace that God has given and the work He has done on you?  Don't think of ourselves more highly than we really are, for we must humble ourselves before God.    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please give a humble and soft heart so that we can see all the grace and mercy you have given us.  Let us not be boastful, but just serve you and serve people with the heart of a servant, and we need the Spirit of the Lord to help us.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 12:2

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 12:2   "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."   Paul said that a person who has offered his life to God has to not offer his body, but also offer his thoughts and mind.  "This world" refers to the authority of darkness behind the world.  A theologian has translated this passage into "don't let the world shape you into its form, but let God re-shape your thoughts and mind."  This world doesn't want to see us living a life offered to God, but it wants to shape us into its form.  In fact, this is exactly what devil Satan is doing today.  We are now inundated with news and media everyday and stuffed values and morals of the world.  We are merely products of the trend of this world, because we would go wherever is popular at the time.  I've seen a move before the depicted a middle-age couple.  One day they suddenly found most of the friends around them divorced, so they started asking: "Why are we still married?  Why are rest of them divorced?  Should we get divorced too?"  Then they started going down the route of getting divorced.  In our time, we are envious of those went from rags to riches overnight, but few of us envy the life of Saint Francis, who was extremely rich before but he gave everything to the poor and offered himself to the Lord to serve orphans and widows.  Our values are often affected by the world, thus we cannot offer ourselves to the Lord.   There was an American missionary who preached the gospel in Eastern Europe.  When he came back from a country in Eastern Europe that was against the gospel and saw what was happening in the American society, he said in grief: "To Americans, heroes are the athletes and entertainers, but in Eastern Europe heroes are those dare to offer their life for their faith and sacrifice their life for the Lord."  Who are your heroes?  Many believers cannot life for God because they allow the trend of the world to decided how they should live and carry out their faith.  Paul said here that we ought not to let world share us into its form, but to renew our mind.   We need to ask the Holy Spirit to live inside us and to place God's will in our heart.  Offering our life to the Lord is not just a one-time commitment, but we need to continuously "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" each and every day.    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please forgive us because we've lived under the authority of the world for a long time without realizing it.  May the Holy Spirit come and renew our heart so that we won't conform to the pattern of this world, but to be renewed and changed by the Holy Spirit everyday.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!