Today's Passage - Luke 23:44-49

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 23:44-49   It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.'  When he had said this, he breathed his last.   According to the Torah, the curtain in the Temple was made from only one piece of cloth weaved with fine linen threads of three colors, so it's quite sturdy and won't fall apart easily.  This curtain was placed between the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.  Holy of Holies represents God's presence and only the chief priest could enter into it once a year.  In the Old Testament time, people were fearful of God, because God is holy and righteous, so sinners are afraid of standing before God; when the chief priest enters the Holy of Holies each year, he would also be fearful; he must first bath himself, quiet down for three days, and then he would enter the sanctuary.  When he entered into Holy of Holies, there would be bells hanging around his robe, and others could only tell that he was alive by listening to the sound of the bells.  Not only were there bells, a rope was also tied to him.  If the chief priest died inside because he's unclean, people could use the rope to drag him out.   Therefore, people were fearful to come before God back in the Old Testament time, because God and people were separated by sin.  We thank God, because when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple broke into two, which represents that the barrier of sin between God and people has been removed, and people can now go directly to Father God through Jesus Christ.  The author of book of Hebrew said: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body...."  The moment the body of Jesus broke up on the cross was the moment when the curtain was torn to two; God has prepared a new way to life for those who trust in Him, and we no longer need to be afraid and worry.   That is why when we pray, we need to pray in the name of Jesus.  "In the name of Jesus" is not just an expression to wrap up a prayer; "in the name of Jesus" carries tremendous authority.  When we pray in the name of the Lord, we can claim victory against the enemy by the victorious authority of Jesus Christ on the cross.  When we pray in the name of the Lord, not only will your sins be forgiven, your soul will also be delivered, and your body will be healed.  Whenever you pray by faith, you will experience the authority brought forth by the name of the Lord.    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because on cross you already opened a new way to life, so that we can come before you without any fear.  Please give us more faith, so that we may experience all the grace and authority in you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Luke 23:39-43

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 23:39-43   One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!'  But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.'  Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'  Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'   When the Lord was on the cross, all the voices asked Him to come down: Those who were passing by said "He could save others, but can't save himself!"  That's actually true.  If the Lord had saved Himself, then He couldn't have saved others, but people of the world didn't understand it.  Even the robber had the wrong attitude.  First, he was still thinking about himself, so he asked Jesus to save them.  Second, he didn't believe that Jesus was Christ, so he made fun of Jesus: Didn't you say you are Christ?  He didn't believe that Jesus was Christ.  Third, he didn't know about the upcoming judgment, and that salvation of the soul is more important than salvation of the body.  He didn't know that Jesus Christ is the Savior, and the Savior of the soul.    The other robber also faced the same persecution, but had different attitude.  First, he recognized his own sin, so he said "We are punished justly."  Second, he recognized the innocence of Jesus, and believed Christ is the Savior, and that's why he said "this man has done nothing wrong" and they got what they deserved.  Third, he believed in the judgment that is coming, so he asked the Lord to remember him when His Kingdom comes.  Fourth, he believed Jesus Christ will resurrect from death and His Kingdom will come.  Fifth, he firmly believed that Jesus could save him.  What a faith he had!   This robber really knew the Lord, which is quite amazing, because how could he have known so much about the truth?  If it wasn't for the wisdom given by God, how could he have known?  How did he know that Jesus will resurrect from death, and that the death of Jesus was not to enter into a tomb, but rather into His Kingdom?  It's only possible because of God.  We can understand, believe and depend on these truths and to live by them only because of the wisdom from heaven.  Jesus said, "today you will be with me in paradise."  "Paradise" is the place where believers in the Lord go to after they pass away, and when the Lord returns our bodies will resurrect and be with the Lord forever.  Lord said that "today you will be with me in paradise," and it will take place today, not in the future.  If you put your trust in the promise of the Lord, His grace will come upon you today!    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you died for us so that today we can enjoy all the precious promises that you have made.  Please give us strength today just like how you gave the robber the promise for salvation at your time.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Luke 23:33-38

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 23:33-38   When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left.  Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'  And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, 'He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.'  The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, 'If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.'  There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.   In this day and age, it's hard for us to imagine the humiliation and pain that the cross will bring about.  Nailing on the cross was the cruelest method of execution back in those days, but Jesus Christ had to persevere through all that suffering.  When Jesus was nailed on the cross, all the voices were asking Him to come down; the passersby asked Him to come down, priests and scribes asked Him to come down, and even the women who were looking from a distance was hoping He would just come down!  Seeing how the beloved Lord whom they had followed getting humiliated and nailed on the cross, the women's hearts must have been crying out: "Lord, wouldn't it be great if you could just come down, to show your authority and power to those people!"  Jesus, however, did not listen to his flesh and voice of the people, and He just quietly persevered all the penalties imposed by God on the entire human race.   The sacrifice that was manifested on the cross was the great one of all time; not only did Jesus sacrifice Himself, but it was also Father God sacrificing His beloved son.  The pain on the cross was not only pain from the broken heart and soul, but also physical pain.  This is not a pain that we can imagine, but whenever we remember the day the Lord suffered for us, we call it "Good Friday."  Why would we call such a painful day a "Good Friday?"  It's because the Lord has accomplished the wonderful salvation for us on the cross, which allows us not to be bound by sin because our faith in Him, and to enjoy freedom and joy in Christ.    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you sacrificed yourself for us, and on the cross you were willing to take on all the penalties by God on our behalf.  In you, our sins are forgiven and our hearts are freed, so please grant us the joy of freedom.  I thank you and I pray in the name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Luke 23:26-32

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 23:26-32   As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.  A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.  Jesus turned and said to them, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.  For the time will come when you will say, "Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!"  Then they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"  For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?'  Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.   The man who was forced to carry the cross for Jesus, who's named Simon, later became a Christian, and he even became a good coworker of Paul.  In Matthew chapter 15, we found out that he had a son named Rufus; in Roman chapter 16, we saw that Rufus became a good coworker of Paul, and their family because close friend of Paul.   To us, carrying the cross doesn't look like a good job, but it became the turning point of the life of Simon, most likely because the example left behind by the savior who suffered.  Simon saw how much Jesus was persecuted but didn't complain or curse.  When Jesus was on the cross, He even asked Father God to forgive those who persecuted Him because they didn't know what they were doing.  Simon saw that when Jesus died, the weather changed instantaneously and even the curtain in the4 temple was torn in two halves.  He realized who Jesus really was and came to know Jesus with a reverent heart, so his whole family ultimately became believers.   Jesus not only cast out demon when He was preaching and testified for God with mightiness, He also witnessed for God's beauty while He was suffering.  When He was suffering, the testimony that He demonstrated was even greater than His testimony at normal times.  God doesn't just want us to testify for the Lord when times are good, but He also wants us to testify for Him when the times are tough.  Are you still like a Christian when you are suffering?  Many Christians don't look that devout when they go through hard times; they start to complain and their heart drifts away from God, and they always claim it's not their fault.  The believers behind the Iron Curtain of the past, however, suffered tremendously for their faith and some were even imprisoned, but they also demonstrated the sacrificial love of Christ, and the testimony of such love brought forth tremendous impact.   In our daily, we have many opportunities to testify for the Lord.  Jesus was able to testify for Father God when He was suffering, so we ask the Lord to help us to live like Christ during any circumstance.    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, may your Holy Spirit sir up our heart, let the kind of power Jesus had when He testified while suffering also fill our life.  No matter what the circumstance is, let us live diligently for the Lord.  I thank you and I pray for the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Luke 23:13-25

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 23:13-25   With one voice they cried out, 'Away with this man!  Release Barabbas to us!'  (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)  Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again.  But they kept shouting, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!'  For the third time he spoke to them: 'Why? What crime has this man committed?  I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty.  Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.'  But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.  So Pilate decided to grant their demand.  He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.   Pilate didn't want to cause any trouble.  When Jesus was brought before Pilate, he could find any sin committed by Jesus, so three times Pilate told the crowd: "I find no basis for a charge against this man."  In the meantime, the priest lured the crowd to ask Pilate to release Barnabas, but to put Jesus to death on the cross.  Pilate knew that they brought Jesus to him because of jealousy, but he also knew that he didn't want to upset this crowd.  Between the rock and a hard place, Pilate chose to listen to the voice of the crowd.   Today, we live in a time of confusing truth.  What is the truth?  Whoever has the loudest voice holds the truth, whoever has the strongest opinion holds the truth, and sometimes even who ever throws the hardest punch holds the truth.  We are often impacted by the trend of the world, and we're afraid to take on the way of the truth.  In this time of wickedness and disobedience, would you courageously stand up for the Lord and for the righteousness and fairness of God's Kingdom?  Would you courageously testify for your faith?  I've heard a preacher said with a heavy heart that in today's world, God's Kingdom doesn't need more master and PhDs, but more martyrs and warriors, those who can sacrifice themselves for God's Kingdom.  Brothers and sisters, are you willing to be such a person for the Lord?    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please give us a courageous heart, so that we may testify in glory for your truth in this wicked and disobedient age.  May your light of truth shine into this time of darkness, and let the world completely turn back to you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Luke 23:8-12

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 23:8-12   When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle.  He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.  The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.  Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.  That day Herod and Pilate became friends--before this they had been enemies.   When Jesus was sent to see King Herod, Herod already heard about what Jesus had done.  He heard that Jesus was a powerful rabbi who could interpret the Bible and perform miracles, so Herod wanted to see Jesus perform a miracle.  In other word, just ONE miracle would have been sufficient.  Jesus, however, didn't perform any miracle, and didn't even say a word.  Clearly, Jesus knew that miracles cannot save our soul.  Today, many people want to see miracles, and some even say that they will believe if they see a miracle; the fact is that after they actually see a miracle, they will use all kinds of explanations to rationalize it, and still won't believe.   Miracle itself cannot save our soul; miracles are, nevertheless, God's tool to draw our heart closer to God, because it helps us to understand God's love and compassion.  There is no need to elevate the importance of miracles, and but there's also no need to reject miracles.  When God's Spirit is working, miracles will naturally come forth.  You and I will still need to decide whether we want to trust God or depend on our own intelligence and talent.   Herod met Jesus, but his heart wasn't prepared to welcome Jesus, so He still had a lost soul.  Is your heart eager to see Jesus?  If your heart is eager, your eyes will see miracles.  The truth is that the greatest miracle is not physical healing, but how life is changed after one accepts the Lord.  People's eyesight, however, are often distorted by rationality and erroneous expectation, and could miss the miracles.  It is interesting note here that Herod and Pilate were supposed to be enemies, but they became friends because of Jesus.  When Jesus Christ came, He wanted people to reconcile with God, and He also came to have people reconcile with each other.  Even when He was able to be nailed on the cross, He was still a peacemaker.   In your life, do you have enemies in your heart?  Are you willing to bring him or her before the Lord, and let the Lord's love once again fill your heart?  If the Lord wanted people to reconcile even when He was about to die, it is obvious His will now.  May God give us more strength, help us to better understand the Lord's will and to follow it.    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because your Spirit will move among us right now, to release us and heal us.  Let us not just focus our eyes on the miracles themselves, but to focus on you, the great shepherd who loves us and died for us.  May your Holy Spirit move within my heart and bring forth renewed power.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Luke 23:1-7

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 23:1-7   Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.  And they began to accuse him, saying, 'We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.'  So Pilate asked Jesus, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus replied.  Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and Are you the king of the Jewsthe crowd, 'I find no basis for a charge against this man.'  But they insisted, 'He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.'  On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.  When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.   This is the contrast between a true testimony and a false testimony.  When the crowd brought Jesus before Pilate, they accused Him of tempting the people and forbidding paying tax to Caesar.  Actually, the Lord never forbad the people to pay tax to Caesar, because when the teachers of law tempted Jesus with the question concerning tax, Lord responded that they ought to give Caesar what belong to Caesar to Caesar and give God what belongs to God.  These people were using false testimonies to accuse Jesus.  On the other hand, the testimony of Jesus was true.  When Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews," Jesus clearly answered "yes, it is as you said."  To the Jews and to those who don't believe that Jesus was the Son of God, what Jesus said was blasphemous; but to Pilate, the word of Jesus simply revealed the internal conflicts between the Jews.  Therefore, in order to please the people, He transferred Jesus to Herod.  Pilate was afraid to face truth, he listened to the voice of the crowd and let their voice replace truth.   This is a common phenomenon today; whoever has the loudest voice holds the truth.  In the congress, whoever fights most fiercely holds the truth; in an organization, whoever has the best connections holds the truth.  In the midst of such trend, abortion becomes the truth, homosexuality is the truth, but preaching the gospel of the Lord is illegal!  We need to turn back to God and stand up for the Lord to testify for Him.  The world today is wicked, not because hearts of the people are corrupt, but because church cannot testify the truth.  May the Lord give us wisdom to convey the truth, let us be courageous in spreading the truth; even though we may not be popular, but we'd be standing up for God's unchanging word.  Early church has tremendous power because they stood up and testified the truth courageously.  In the same way, the church today is weak because we have lost such courage.  May God stir up our heart once again, and let us be determined to live for the Lord!    Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please forgive us because we are weak in this wicked and distorted world!  Please give us a courageous heart to stand firm on the foundation of truth, to testify for you before the world, and please give us more strength.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!