Today's Passage - Romans 16:1-2

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 16:1-2   "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me."     Phoebe was a deaconess of the church in Cenchreae, which is very hard to achieve in that society, for men were favored over women then. The fact that Paul could do his best to support this sister in her ministry shows that he was supportive to sisters in ministry. If you read Romans 16 carefully, you will find that many sisters were listed as his coworkers with good reputation.   In fact during Paul's mission trips, he met a couple who became his best coworkers, namely Aquila and Priscilla. Many people were against sisters in ministry. Actually they didn't understand the Biblical teaching very well. Aquila was the husband of Priscilla. They joined the ministry together originally. But later on Priscilla the wife's ministry became more and more fruitful. So the Bible changed the order of their names. Originally when they were mentioned, Aquila was mentioned first. But in Acts 16:18, Priscilla the wife was mentioned first. This seems opposite from the practice of forbidding women to preach in some traditional churches today. According to the Bible Priscilla not only preached, but also behaved as a spiritual leader to lead the Ephesian church back then. If a sister wants to serve the Lord, she has to get the approval and blessing from the husband. If a husband is willing to support his wife's ministry like Aquila, then the wife serves under the spiritual cover of the husband. That is some kind of blessing for the protected ministry. But if the husband is not willing to be supportive, then the wife has to obey the husband and serve the Lord in the back scene. Once everyone understands this truth, he will no longer blindly oppose to sisters serving in the church or taking the position of a leader. Single sisters should seek the spiritual cover of the elders, so that their ministry may be recognized under the authority of the spiritual elders.   Phoebe was the deaconess of her church then. She was so zealous that she was ready to help brothers and sisters, and to participate in the ministry. She took part in all kinds of ministries and became a good helper in Paul's ministry. Let me encourage the sisters around me to rise for the Lord. If the Lord could use Phoebe and other sisters in that environment two thousand years ago, He can use you in a much more open society right now. May God give you a brave heart to follow His guidance.           Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, may your Spirit raise sisters in your ministry. May the Lord give them a wise heart and a soft spirit, so that they are willing to follow your guidance bravely every day. May you use each and every sister in the end days to form a great army to fight the great battle for you. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 15:32-33

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 15:32-33   "...So that I may come to you with joy, by God's will, and in your company be refreshed. The God of peace be with you all. Amen."   Our God is the one that gives us peace. This world is the one without peace. There is not only turmoil between countries and disturbance in the society, but also restlessness inside people's heart. Many people are afraid to face the future because they don't know what the future will be like. Everyone in the world is looking for peace. He also desires for peace in his heart. Once someone was looking for peace, so he posted the word of peace everywhere in his house. Other people saw it and asked him: "So there is peace in your house?" He replied: "Not really", for the peace doesn't come with the circumstances, nor can it be forced out from the bottom of our heart. The real peace only comes from God, who is our support, our shield, our fortress and our refuge. There is true peace in Him. In fact one of God's name is "Jehovah Shalom", which means the Lord gives peace. In the time of Gideon in Judges, the Medianites came to attack the Israelites and abuse them. At that time Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press instead of doing it one the field, because he was afraid of the Medianites. So when an angel appeared and said to him: "you mighty warrior", he looked around, wondering "how can I be the mighty warrior, otherwise why would I hide in here to beat out wheat?" God said to him: "Peace be with you. Do not fear, you shall not die." Then He revealed to him that His name is "Jehovah Shalom", which means the Lord gives peace.   The peace of the Lord doesn't just come when everything is all right. It even keeps us still and satisfied in turmoil. Actually the greater the turmoil is, the more precious God's peace seems. A better interpretation for "Jehovah Shalom" is "I am your peace", like what God tells us. May the Spirit help us receive His promise by faith, and proclaim by faith that God is Jehovah Shalom, our peace.      Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, thank you for being our peace. No matter how much disturbance we may face, we will always proclaim by faith that Jehovah Shalom is our God. We rebuke all the attacks from the enemies and Satan in the victorious name of Jesus. May you hide us under your mighty arms so that we may enjoy the true peace. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 15:30-31

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 15:30-31   "I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord's people there..."   Verse 30 is very important, because it talks about the Person of the Spirit. The God we trust in is the true God of trinity, which means there is only one God but he is in three Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three Persons have the same divinity, but different jobs. The Father plans the salvation; the Son carries out the salvation; while the Spirit finishes the salvation. For the salvation, the Father was its designer. But the one who actually came to the world and died for the sins of the world was Jesus the Son. He was the one that carried out the salvation. However, after the salvation was done, it is the Spirit through whom the grace comes upon us to make people born again and holy so as to enter into God's glory. Therefore, the three Persons have the same divinity but different jobs.   The so-called Person means that He has the independent mind, will and emotion. The Father, the son, and the Spirit all have their independent minds, wills and emotions. 1 Corinthians 2:10 says that the Spirit searches everything, which shows that the Spirit has his mind. 1 Corinthians 12:11 says that the Spirit allots all the gifts to each one individual just as He chooses, which shows the Spirit has his will. Romans 15:30 talks about the love of the Spirit to show us that the Spirit has his emotion. So the Spirit as an independent Person has his independent mind, will and emotion.   I can really feel the love of the Spirit in my life. His love is like the motherly love that never forsakes. So is the work of the Spirit on us. When I was backsliding and rejecting God, the Spirit kept supporting me with his loving hands. His guidance for me is like the motherly one, which is the never-forsaking love that keeps guiding me. Likewise, God has been guiding you through the Spirit like this. Do you know that God loves you? The Spirit is the best counselor and guide God provides to you, so that you can understand His grace and love throughout your life. Let's welcome the work of the Spirit together.      Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank you for giving us the Spirit in our life so that we can experience the love of the Father and the grace of Christ. May your Spirit flow so we can experience your experience every day. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 15:28-29

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 15:28-29   "So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.  I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ."   Paul said here that no matter where he goes, he will always go "in the full measure of the blessing of Christ."  "Full measure of the blessing" shouldn't just be preached and felt in the church, because blessing of Christ should be brought out of the church.  We shouldn't just sing Jesus is Lord at church, but also bring full measure of the blessing of the Lord back home.  Many people go to church dressed neatly because they are prepared to meet God; it's great to have such proper and respectful attitude, but often when they leave church, they say "see you next week" to Jesus.  They never brought Jesus back to their homes or offices.  Actually, the church is not a building with four walls, but it's you and me.   The real church has no walls, for it is present wherever we are.  When you are in the market, the church is there; when you are in the office, the church is there; when you are at home, the church is there too; even when you are alone, the church is with you.  No matter where you go, you should bring the abundant blessings of Christ with you and to proclaim God's blessing no matter what your daily circumstances are.  When you are in difficult circumstances and your heart is filled with bitterness and heavy yoke, you must proclaim that the Lord's blessing is sufficient for you; when you are hurt and your heart is filled with sorrow and bondage, you must proclaim that the Lord is our help and strength, our refuge and our shield.   As soon as you start proclaiming, your life will be filled with the Lord's blessing that will even overflow.  Not only should you proclaim it for yourself, you also need to proclaim it on people around you.  When you see someone in despair you need to say to him "you must believe that God's your help"; when you see someone in sorrow, you need to him "depend on God, because He is your hope."  No matter where you are, remember to bring the abundant blessings of Christ with you.       Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank you because in you we have abundant blessings.  Not only should we talk about it at church, we should also bring the blessings into our life.  May your Spirit come and release us; let us experience your abundant grace everyday, and let us proclaim that such blessings will come upon people around us.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 15:25-27

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 15:25-27   "Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there.  For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.  They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings."   In this passage, Paul talked about brothers and sisters supplementing for each other's needs, which is actually a precious asset in our faith.  Christians are not supposed only seek our own good; since the Lord was a great example of supplementing for us, we ought to supplement for the needs of one another in our daily life.  When the Lord was in the world, He turned water into wine in Cana when He saw that the wedding banquet was running out of wine, and He used five loaves of bread and two fish to feed five thousand when He saw that the crowd listening to His sermon had nothing to eat.  In another part of the Bible also describes how He fed four thousand people with seven loaves.  He ultimately died on the cross for us, sacrificed His life so that we can gain life.  Corinthians 8:9 says that "for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."  Since we have received all types of grace, we ought to follow the example of the Lord to supplement one another.  Paul mentioned one example in this passage, which was between the churches of Jerusalem and the gentiles.  The church of Jerusalem was rich spiritually and they sent coworkers to gentile lands to preach the gospel.  The gentile church gained spiritually from the church of Jerusalem, so when Jerusalem had famine and people became poor, the gentile church was willing to make contribution to help resolving the crisis at the church of Jerusalem.   Brothers and sisters, do you ever think about the needs of people around you in your daily life?  The main reason why we don't supplement for each other's needs is that we don't know where the needs are.  We need to come before God and let the Holy Spirit help us.  First, we ask God to reveal the needs of brothers and sisters or friends around us.  When we pray, let the Holy Spirit guide our thought and mind; when the Holy Spirit prompts you to have burden for someone, we must keep on praying for them.  Second, when you find out who you ought to be helping, ask the Holy Spirit how you should be helping them.  Holy Spirit clearly knows the needs of every brother and sister among us and He will prompt others to meet their needs.  In the church today, the reason there would be anyone with unfulfilled needs is because someone in the church is not following the prompting by the Holy Spirit.   May the Holy Spirit freely move among us today, help us to supplement each other's needs like back in the early church so that everyone's needs will be fulfilled.  Starting today, may God help us to become more sensitive to the needs of brothers and sisters around us.      Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you are our God who supplements our needs.  May the Spirit of the Lord give us wisdom and insight to follow your example in our daily life in order to supplement each other's needs.

Today's Passage - Romans 15:22-24

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 15:22-24   "This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.  But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while."   Paul was indeed a man of the gospel.  In verse 19 he said that "from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ."  He wasn't boasting at all, as in verse 23 he said "there is no more place for me to work in these regions."  Think about it - He worked so hard for the gospel that he left no more place to preach the gospel in a city!   Why was Paul so motivated to preach the gospel?  There are several reasons.  First, Paul had a clear vision.  When he encountered the Lord on the way to Damascus, a great light shined on him, and he knew that the one speaking to him was the master who would change his life.  Although he didn't know this master, he knew that it was his Lord.  He then fell on the ground and asked two very important questions.  First he asked "who are you, Lord", which acknowledged that the one shining the light on him was his Lord; then he asked, "what should I do?"  Paul knew that he needed to commit his life completely to this master and he needed to followed whatever the master commanded him.  Therefore, as soon as He met the Lord, he committed his life to Him and had a clear vision.   Second, Paul had a clear mission.  God clearly told him through Ananias that he was going to become the apostle for the gentiles.  God gave him a mission of pioneering - Not in Jerusalem or Antioch, but going where the gospel was never preached.  God entrusted a clear mission of becoming the apostle for the gentiles.   Third, Paul had a clear motivation.  In Romans chapter one, he said that he felt obligated or indebted to the non-believers of the time.  When someone indebted is chased after by creditors, he will tried hard to repay.  When Paul said that he felt indebted, he felt that the non-believers were chasing after him, compelling him to preach the gospel to them.  When he was in Lystra, he was almost beaten to death and dragged out of the city for preaching the gospel, but even then he went back into the city as soon as he woke up.   Brothers and sisters, you need to have clear vision, motivation and mission so that you won't feel drained in your ministry, and you will be able to keep on serving God until you see Him face to face.      Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we thank you because you are our vision, motivation and mission.  As we serve you, we ask that you open our eyes to see your glorious beauty so that we will follow you closely.  Let us not be hindered by circumstances or feel sad about discouraging things, but let us only focus on you.  We will be empowered in our ministry because of you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 15:20-21

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 15:20-21   "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: 'Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.'"   This is what Paul pledged before God: He asked God for expanding the territory for the gospel so that he can go where the gospel has never been preached. I truly believe that God has entrusted the expanded territory to Paul. Peter and Paul have very different callings; when God called Peter, He wanted Peter to preach the gospel among the Jews, but when God called Peter, God wanted him, as it is clearly stated in Acts 9:15, to carry His name to the gentiles and their kings. Paul clearly knew the territory that God entrusted him, therefore he was responding to God's calling here, to go to places where the gospel has never been preached.   You need to understand when it comes to spiritual matters, territory of ministry is very important. When Abraham was called by God, God wanted him to leave his homeland and go the Promised Land. It's not just any place, but the one promised by God, and that's the only place where Abraham would be blessed. When Paul was seeking territory of ministry, he wanted to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit kept him from going; he wanted to go to Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit also did not allow him. It doesn't mean that these places don't need the gospel or Paul was not the vessel that God wanted to use at that time, nor was it that Paul's message wasn't right with God. Paul was the right person with the right message, but he might not have been in the right place - where God wanted him to be. Therefore, with the vision of Macedonia God drove him to preach the gospel at Macedonia.   Brothers and sisters, if we are not in the territory that God has entrusted us, our ministry will not be effective; when we serve God in the territory that He entrusted us, we will be blessed. Do you clearly know the spiritual territory that God has entrusted you? May God's Spirit open the eyes of our heart in order for us to better understand His will, so that we may preach the gospel more effectively in the territory that He has given us.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please open the eyes of our heart to know that the territory you want to give us is the most beautiful one. Give us the courage to stand on the territory that you entrusted us and to serve you there, so that we may preach the gospel effectively. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Romans 15:18-19

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Romans 15:18-19   "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done -by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ."   In this passage, Paul mentioned about four essential elements of spreading the gospel:   1. Our words. God's word needs to be preached. Romans chapter 10 says: "And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" We often neglect the importance of preaching God's word, thinking that we just need to share our personal testimonies with others. The fact is that if we don't preach the name of Jesus, how would others know the existence of true God? If we don't preach the holiness of the Lord, how would others know the horror of sin? If we don't preach the gospel, how would others know that there is hope in life? If you don't preach it, the gospel is muffled. When we speak out by faith, we will see that the gospel "is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."   2. Our action. Not only are our words important, so are the testimonies of our life. There are actually five Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and you. Everyone reads the first four, but people around you will read the fifth one. Not only should the gospel be preached by mouth, it should also be preached by our actions. The testimonies of our life speak louder than the testimonies from our mouths, and they will influence others to come to before God.   3. Power of signs and wonders. Although signs and wonders will not necessarily turn people back to God, they do convince people that God is full of mercy and grace. Mark 16:20 says: "Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." We need to focus on the presence of the Lord, and also His work among us. The early church worked with the Lord and testified what they preached with signs and wonders. When the Lord is working with us, signs and wonders will follow us in order to draw the hearts of people to turn back to God.   4. Power of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit has the power to "convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment", thus we must welcome the work of Holy Spirit. When we preach the gospel, we often end up debating with rationality; actually, rational debates will never convince someone to believe. If you win the debate, the person you defeated won't submit to the result and would just want another round of debate; if you lose, then forget about convincing anyone to believe. Only the Holy Spirit can work in the souls of people and let them understand their own needs. May the Spirit of the Lord help us, make us His vessel in our daily life, and welcome the Holy Spirit to use us to accomplish His work.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you have infinite power and grace. May your spirit use us as vessels through the words from our mouths, actions in our life and our deep confidence in you. Let the people around us feel your love, mercy and grace so that their hearts will turn back to you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!