Daily Devotion

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 16:11-15 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis...On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. Evangelism must be done by faith and not by sight. When Paul received the vision of Macedonia, he got up and went there. He did not hesitate, but rather followed the vision from God by faith. The work is evangelism is a work by faith. Jackie Pullinger was the founder of St. Stephen's Society in Hong Kong. At the age of 19 she received God's calling to enter the mission field. She asked God where she should go, but God didn't respond to her. She was only instructed to buy a ticket to board a ship, and then God will guide her way. This sister of 19 went on the way of evangelism purely by her faith. When the ship reached Hong Kong, God told her to disembark and go through custom check. They asked her what she was doing there and where she was going to stay, she didn't have any answer. They asked her who sent her, and she said she knew that it was God who sent her. Miraculously, the custom officer allowed him into Hong Kong, and God asked her to go to preach the gospel in the slums and red light districts. Today, her benevolence work in the slums and red light districts has been so effective that the Hong Kong government greatly praised the ministry of St. Stephen's Society. Jackie Pullinger stepped out by faith, and we saw how God provided her needs abundantly. Similarly, Paul went to Macedonia by faith and began a brand new ministry. Prior to this, when Paul goes to a city, he used to first go to the synagogue because that's where most Jews were, and then he would preach the gospel with the men in the synagogue. In Macedonia, however, there weren't that many Jews or even a synagogue. He heard there was a place of prayer, but only women were there. Paul, however, started to preach the gospel by faith, and some accepted the Lord. Hallelujah! God is faithful, so let us learn to live by faith and not by sight in our daily life!    Pray with Pastor Tong Liu     Lord, I thank you because you are a faithful God. You provided for the needs of Paul when he went on mission trips, and today you can manifest your faithfulness to us in our daily life. Let us live by faith and not by sight. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!