Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

1 Corinthian 4:1-5   So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.  Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.  I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.  Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.   A believer in the Lord is a child of God and also a steward of the "secret things of God."  God has given us different gifts, and we need to serve God and people with the gifts that He has entrusted us.  The Bible teaches us that the stewards have several responsibilities.  First, we are stewards of God's word.  God has given His Word to us, and we ought to study the Bible faithfully every day and share the Word with others, that way everyone will be edified.   Second, we are stewards for God's resources.  God has given us all kinds of resources, such as time, talent and money, and He wants us to use them for His Kingdom.  Particularly in terms of offerings, God has given us wealth and expects us to tithe.  If everyone in the Kingdom of God tithes faithfully, we'd not see any shortage of resources for evangelism around the world.   Third, we are stewards of God's gifts.  God indeed has given everyone different gifts.  May the Holy Spirit enlighten us to find out what our gifts are, so that as we serve together in a team we know how to complement each other and give God all the glory.   This scripture passage says that "now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful."  According to God, being faithful is much more important than being capable.  A person can be extremely capable, but might only be putting in effort for his own kingdom, reputation or benefit, not for the Kingdom of God.  God asks us to be faithful to Him, to live for Him all our life and see do all things for Him so that He will may be done.  While we are serving Him, we inevitable may draw criticism and judgment, because even Paul was treated that way.  During his time, many criticized and judged him, but Paul didn't take them seriously because he's solely focused on working for God and being faithful to Him.  Brothers and sisters, let us set our sight on God, and He will lead to serve Him the way that pleases Him.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you because you asks us to serve faithfully.  May you open our hearts so that we will understand your will.  Let us not be intimidated when we are criticized and judged, but we just want to focus on letting your will be done.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!          See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 3:18-23

1 Corinthians 3:18-23   Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future-all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.   The reason for disputes among people is primarily because we think we are smarter than the other person.  As such Paul said, if any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. We need to learn humility before God, and definitely not boast about ourselves. We do not follow people, but we follow Jesus Christ.  As such, let us rely solely on Him and look to Him. In fact, as the body of Christ, we really need to understand one thing, which is not to cause strife within the body. Strife causes problems or sicknesses in the body.  This is a health principle that we all understand. However, we find it difficult to apply this principle in the Church.  As a result, the church is divided as we compare ourselves with others and compete with others. Pray for God to help us, to learn to accept one other.   The truth is we have all things in Christ. Everything is ours.  What is there to fight about? Whether it is death or the present or the future, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, everything is perfect in Christ, and in Christ we have all things.  When we are in the body of Christ and one member gets the glory, we should rejoice with that person because we belong to the same body.  When someone else gets the glory, we enjoy the glory along with that person since we are part of the same body. When one member of the body suffers, we suffer with the person, showing that we belong to the same body.   If you see rebuke another church which you are not part of, you are saying that you do not belong to the same body as them.  However, in Christ, there is only one body.  Everyone belongs to Jesus, and all things are ours.  When we understand this truth, we will no longer criticize or debate or compete with one another.  We will focus on lifting up the name of Jesus, because He is the sole foundation of our faith, and He alone deserves all the glory.    Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you, because you are the Lord of all things.  Only in you, all things are ours.  Help us learn, within the church of Christ, to accept and to work collaboratively with one another daily.  In this way, the whole body of Christ can manifest its most glorious power, that you may get all the praise.  We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!           See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

1 Corinthians 3:16-17   Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.   From the beginning to the end, God's heart was to dwell among His people.  In the Old Testament, this was done by building the tabernacle.  God wanted to meet His people in the tabernacle.  As such, when Moses, representing the Israelites entered the tabernacle, a cloud would cover the temple, representing that God was with the Israelites.  When it came to the time of King Solomon, God told Solomon to build His temple. When the magnificent gold-plated temple was built, the temple on Mount Zion shone with God's glory. If a child were to ask his parents where God was in those days, the parents would point to the temple on Mount Zion and say, "Children! You see the glory that fills the temple on Mount Zion? God is there!" When the people of Israel saw the temple, they knew that God was with them.   History tells us that the temple had been destroyed, but God's will to dwell with man has never stopped. When Jesus came to the world, and died on the cross for our sins, and was resurrected from the dead, he sent the Holy Spirit to live inside each one of us. We now have become the temple of God. Verse 16 says very clearly.  In other words, the temple of God is in us. If our children were to ask us, "Mummy and Daddy, where is the God you believe in?" How should you answer? The world that we live in is full of wars, terrorists, evil and violence, and everyone is afraid. When our children ask where God is, do you quickly point to the Bible, or do you dare say to your child, "My child, God dwells inside of us!" Hallelujah, this is the real meaning of "God with us".   Did you know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? God lives in us. But how can people throughout the world understand the reality and presence of God? They can only see God through our life testimony.  When we understand this truth, we would not dare to live casually because God is in us.  When we feel tired, depressed, discouraged, we can quickly turn to the God who lives inside of us. Let us meditate on this truth and live out the truth of "God with us" in our daily lives.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you, because you are glad to be with us.  Since the Old Testament time till now, God has been with us, and through Jesus Christ, walked in our midst.  Thank you for this infinite grace. Manifest your presence in our lives each day so that we may have victory in you. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!           See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

1 Corinthians 1:3-10-15   By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.   Paul speaks of himself as the master builder who has laid the foundation. In the entire church history, Paul was indeed a great apostle who laid a strong foundation of the church. Since that time, people started the construction work. The question is, how do we build? God clearly said, that judgment will begin at the house of God. Judgment, as mentioned here, does not refer to the judgment of life and death.  Believers who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, are all saved. We will never fall into the lake of fire. However, we will still have to come before the judgment seat of God, to be judged for our work, to see if our work will withstand the test of fire. This is the reason we have to stand before God, to given an account of how we lived our lives.    Is the work that you and I are doing today built upon the foundation of the rock of Jesus Christ? As verse 12 says, if any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is. How can we distinguish between gold, silver and costly stones, from the wood, hay or straw? The most basic answer is whether or not what we are doing is within the will of God for you.  We can do a lot of things, but Jesus himself said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing," Indeed, if you do not rely on Jesus Christ, you could still be preaching in the church, leading praise and worship, or helping with the administration of the church, but these will merely be the work of man.  One day, when we come before God's judgment seat, these things that we do according to our human mind, no matter what the good intentions were, they will be like wood, hay or straw. Only when we come before God and seek His heart, and built the church according to His will, will this work endure the fire and last for eternity.      Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you, because you are the God who tests us. May our ministry be like gold, silver and costly stones, so that when we stand before your judgment seat one day, we will hear you say, "Good and faithful servant!".  This will be our greatest reward.  Help us serve you loyally, so that your heart may be satisfied.  We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!          See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

1 Corinthians 3: 6-9   I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.   Paul clearly saw his identity and role, and understood that he was co-laboring with God. God has work to do: there are fields to be farmed, houses to be built, but the work must be done according to His plan, according to His timing, and according to his method. We need to learn to be humble before God. Everyone has a different calling and different tasks. We need to be faithful to do what God entrusted us to do, and do the job well, so that God's will may be manifested.    From a human perspective, planted the seed may seem the most important task. If no seed is planted, how can it grow?  However, the one who waters the seed will feel that he is important as well.  There is no use planting the seed, if you do not water it as well.  Herein lies the problem in ministry.  People love to put themselves above others. It does not matter who plants or who waters, only the God who causes the seed to grow is the most important One.  Only when we understand this truth, can we humble ourselves and acknowledge that although I may be planting, or watering, my ministry is useless until God causes the seed to grow.  We are only humble vessels of God, and we cannot accomplish anything by our own strength.  We have to willing to surrender under the sovereignty of God, and allow God to use us. In the course of our ministry, we need to ask God to put a sense of humility in our hearts, so that we may understand that we can do nothing. However, in the hands of the mighty God at work, we can accomplish great things according to His will.  The important thing is not whichever method we may choose to use, it is how God will cause us to grow as we serve Him.  The way God leads each person is not the same.  God leads each church differently as well.  This does not mean that we do not learn from one another, but that we have to humble ourselves to seek Him.  We have to open up our hearts and come before God in humility, in order to become His vessel, and to be used by Him.     Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we pray you give us the spirit of humility.  Forgive us for thinking that our work is the most important, and comparing ourselves with others.  Open our eyes once again to help us recognize that we need to all work together, and surrender ourselves under your authority, so that we may act according to your will. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!       See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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Today's Passage - 1 Corinthians 3:1-5

1 Corinthians 3:1-5   Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-as the Lord has assigned to each his task.   Paul divided Christians into two categories: one is spiritual and the other carnal. The so-called "carnal" Christian is a baby in Christ, because eating solid food requires a process of digestion, it is costly. Here we see that the believers of the church of Corinth is like a baby, unable to distinguish between good and evil, so often fall into envy and strife. This is the case for babies, and is a reflection of the carnality of man. In the church, some people say I belong to Paul, or that I follow Apollos. They feel that Paul is more powerful, so they want to follow these leaders and feel very proud about it. The church today is exactly like that as well.  People often say that I follow a certain pastor, or that this certain church is more spiritual. People always love to compare! In the midst of the envy and strife, Paul says that we are still babies, we are carnal people. We do not really live out the truth of Christ, but we fall into envy and strife, which is not the way to manifest Jesus' beauty. Being able to live out what we hear in the Word, is the true spirituality. It does not matter how many equipping lasses we have taken, and it does not matter how many Bible verses we have memorized.  If we cannot live out the life style of Jesus Christ, we are still babies, and carnal human beings.   There was a pastor from Argentina who only preached four sermons in a year.  He said if Christians cannot live out the message, he will repeat the same message.  One Sunday he preached his sermon, and when the next Sunday came, he preached the same sermon again.  Everyone said, "Haven't you already preached this message?"  He said, "Well, I preached it last week, but none of you lived out what I preached, so I need to keep repeating it until you live out what you have heard to your lives.  From this incident, we can see that living out God's Word is extremely important.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we pray that you forgive us, because in many instances, we live in the flesh, just like babies. Lord, help us see the reality of our own condition. Help us live a life that is more like Christ each time after we hear your Word, and to become a truly spiritual Christian. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!        See Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - on Facebook!

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