Daily Devotion

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 1 Corinthians 16:10-14   .... Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.   Paul reminded the Christians to be alert, to stand firm in the faith. The church at Corinth was a very gifted church, but they were often fighting amongst themselves. Some held the apostles in high regard others held in high regard certain gifts and teaching. Hence, they often fought about these individual differences and preferences. Paul reminded them to turn back to the truth, and not fight about these things which are of secondary importance, so that they can be truly united and experience the freedom in their hearts. Paul warned them to be on their guard, so that they do not give the devil Satan a foothold, and not allow their different gifts and opinions to cause division in the church. We need to stand firm in the faith, resist the enemy so he shall flee from us!   Not only that, Paul also exhorted them to be men of courage, to be strong, but not to be harsh against their brothers and sisters in Christ. To be gentle and patient towards other brothers and sisters, to be compassionate and restore them when they fall, to have a tender heart and pray for them. To be strong is referring to being strong against the enemy, to be strong in the midst of our circumstances as well as not to fear or lose heart. Just like Joshua during the old testament times, God commanded him to lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan in the face of much opposition. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous because God was with him. Similarly, the Church today is fighting a spiritual battle, and there are a lot of opposition in front of us. Paul exhorted everyone to be strong to fight the enemy, and that God will fight for us to triumph over our enemies daily.   Paul said, "Do everything in love." There is actually a limit to a human's love. This love needs to come from God to be patient, kind and enduring. Let us love one another, not just love the pastors, but all our brothers and sisters in Christ as well, so that we are united in the love of Christ. May the world see this love in us and know that we are disciples of Christ.       Pray with Pastor Tong Liu          Lord, we pray that your love will once pour out into our lives. Let us not only stand on the foundation of truth, but also be filled with more of your love so that others may see our witness and give glory to you. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

Forward email This email was sent to devotion1.withpastortongliu@blogger.com by edevotion@rolcc.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Daily Devotion

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 1 Corinthians 16:7-9   I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.   Paul mentioned that God had opened a great door for effective work for him. In this generation in which we live, God has opened a great door for effective work because He is at work all around the world. God is at work in mainland China. The house church has been revived and, according to statistics, there are tens of thousands of new believers each day. God is bringing revival to South America. In the past, the attendance at most South America churches was single-digit, but now that God's revival has come, the number of believers in the church in Argentina is approximately one to two hundred thousand. The Spirit of God is also moving upon the Muslim countries. We hear stories of how Muslims become Christians. Many of them saw Jesus in their dreams after they read the gospel, and they receive Christ as their personal Savior. This is the case in Africa as well. The renowned German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke held many large-scale evangelistic meetings there. It was recorded that the number of who receive Christ is more than three hundred million people. These figures are far more than we could have imagined. God is doing wonderful work around the world. He brought revival to North America, Canada, Florida, Pensacola and other places. We firmly believe that God wants to bring in another great harvest in the end-time generation.   On the other hand, there are a lot of people who are against the move of God. When God is doing something new, there will be a lot of resistance from the traditional forces. Let us focus on God, and be sensitive to what He is doing in this generation, so that our hearts will grow old, but will be renewed each day. In addition, there are many in this generation who are opposed to the work of God. Although the United States is a Christian nation, there are many in the government and the society who are anti-Christian, and are against the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The media is also against the spreading of Christianity. Besides these, there is also the opposition of the devil Satan. The enemy uses all kinds of false religions and the occult to confuse the hearts of people, so that they do not depend on God. You and I can only rely on prayer to face these opposition forces. Strong and powerful prayer can destroy the strongholds and take back the hearts of people, so they may return to Jesus Christ.         Pray with Pastor Tong Liu          Lord, we thank you, because you have truly opened a great door for effective work. Although there is much opposition, we pray Lord you will use us as vessels of prayer, to tear down all the strong holds so that your work may continue to expand around the world. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

Forward email This email was sent to devotion1.withpastortongliu@blogger.com by edevotion@rolcc.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Daily Devotion

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 1 Corinthians 16:1-6   Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me...   Paul taught the Christians that they should help and give to one other. The early church did not have any insurance or social welfare policy, so it was in the church we help one another. When people were in need, others were willing to help meet their needs. How about the modern church? Because we are too dependent on government, and other social organizations, we tend to neglect the most basic love, which is caring for one another.   Sometimes we say we love one another and know logically we should love one another, however we fail to realize that love is a very simple thing. When we see people in need, and we show concern for them and take care of their needs, this is love. Believers should do so all the more, because the Lord first loved us and gave himself for us. We should also love brothers and sisters with the love of the Lord. When the world sees the love of among brothers and sisters in church, it will bring glory to God.   Pastor Otis is a servant that God used greatly during the Argentina revival. He had testified, saying, God used his church to teach the lesson of loving one another. One time during his sermon, he only said one sentence, "Brothers and sisters, God said to me, we should love one another". After he said that, he sat down. The church initially did not know how to respond. After a while, some brothers and sisters said, "I understand!" So they stood up, and began to ask the person next to them whether they had any needs. When someone said they have a need, others would say how they could help. Some brothers and sisters were unemployed, and others immediately picked up the phone to call around asking if there were jobs available. Within half an hour, the whole atmosphere of the church was changed. That day there was no preaching, but a simple phrase "love one another", caused all these miraculous things to happen during the half hour. May God help us to use actions to express the love in Christ and take the initiative to care for the people around us.       Pray with Pastor Tong Liu          Lord, we thank you, because you are love, and the source and the motivation of love. Lord, help us learn to care for the people around us every day. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

Forward email This email was sent to devotion1.withpastortongliu@blogger.com by edevotion@rolcc.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Daily Devotion

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 1 Corinthians 15:55-58   "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.   Paul explained about the working of sin, power and death in the human body. Why does everyone have to experience death? Why is death inevitable in the human life? Paul clearly tells us that the sting of death is sin, and when we sin, the book of Romans said tells us - the wages of sin is death. When a person sins, whether directly or indirectly, the result is death. Everyone must face death.   Why do people live in sin? Paul explained that the power of sin is the law. The law convicts us of our sins. As each person comes before God, he or she discovers that they are not able to achieve the standard of law. As such, no one is able to stand before the law. Therefore, our sin bounds us, and we have to go through the path of death. Thank God, this is why Jesus Christ came into the world.   This passage tells us clearly that, Jesus overcome the power of death and sin, by going through the process of the death. When He resurrected, He proved that He had defeated the power of sin, and could rescue us who are bound in our sins. The death and resurrection of Jesus was not only a historic event, but because of His death and resurrection, He completely crushed the power of sin, and delivered us from the bondage of sin, to regain freedom in truth. Today we live in the grace of Christ, and Jesus Christ lives in our hearts, to live according to the spirit of the law. For this reason, Paul says, "Thanks be to God, He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." In our everyday life, do not give the enemy a foothold. Stand firm and let nothing move us. Give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Because our Lord is so precious and glorious, He is worthy of us spending our lives to serve Him. When we understand this truth, we will not go back to our old ways, because in Christ, you and I are walking in the light!       Pray with Pastor Tong Liu          Lord, we thank you once again, because you are victorious. You have defeated the power of sin. We ask you once again to free us from the bondage of sin, so we may live a victorious life in you and never walk the path of sin again. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

Forward email This email was sent to devotion1.withpastortongliu@blogger.com by edevotion@rolcc.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Daily Devotion

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 1 Corinthians 15:50-54   I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."   Where does someone go when they die? In Luke 16:19 31, Jesus used the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man does not believe in God while Lazarus believed in God; After they died, the rich man was in hell and in great torment. He looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' But he discovered that there was a great chasm that has been fixed between them, so that no one could cross over from one side to the other.   When Jesus was crucified on the cross, next to him was a robber who said to Him, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus clearly promised the robber saying, "Today you will be with me in paradise!" His soul will enter paradise because of his faith in the Lord. Hence, those who do not believe in God will go to hell, and those who believe in Him will enter paradise. Nevertheless, this is a temporary condition. When Jesus Christ comes again, the book of revelation chapter 20 says all the dead will be made alive as described in verse 13: The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.   Hence, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul mentioned that when the Lord comes again, our bodies will be changed to that which is similar to the body of Christ, that we may dwell with God forever. May the Lord help us to understand that we have this glorious hope and know that death is not the end to our lives, but the beginning of eternal life.         Pray with Pastor Tong Liu          Lord, we thank you once again for giving us such a wonderful promise, so we know that after we die, we have the hope of dwelling with you forever in Christ. May you put this hope of glory in us, so that we may hold fast to this hope of eternal life and strive to run the race ahead of us. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

Forward email This email was sent to devotion1.withpastortongliu@blogger.com by edevotion@rolcc.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054

Daily Devotion

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 1 Corinthians 15:42-49    So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit...    Paul said here that the first Adam was a spiritual living being, but the last Adam is a life-giving spirit. Adam represents the human race, for God breathed into Adam to make him the first living being. The first Adam, however, was a failed person, for he chose his own way which not only led him to death, but also led all subsequent generations to live under the shadow of death. We thank God, however, because the last Adam represents Jesus Christ; because Jesus was raised from death, He became a life-giving spirit.    Wherever the resurrected life of Christ is, the scent of death will be wiped out. Anyone who's disappointed will come alive by the faithfulness of the Lord; anyone who's in hatred will come alive by the forgiveness of the Lord; anyone who's lonely will come alive by the presence of the Lord; anyone who's in fear will come alive by the victory of the Lord. What is the significance of Easter? It's the occasion when God bring down hope into the lives of you and I. The Bible says that: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"    Did you know that all our failure, wound, regrets and even emptiness can become the past? As long as you are willing to be in Christ, the Lord can renew your life. We just need to open ourselves up and let Jesus enter our lives to bring down renewal. Just like the first Adam, who was a failed person, we often experience failure and weakness again and again in our journey as Christians. We thank the Lord and we want to proclaim again and again that Jesus, who lives inside us, can resurrect us from the scent of death. May God help us to live out a resurrected life in our daily lives!     Pray with Pastor Tong Liu          Lord, we thank you once again because you became the spirit that gives us life. In the victorious name of Jesus, I now rebuke all the darkness and sin in the lives of brothers and sisters.   We ask that your Spirit come alive in all our hearts and fill us with your vibrant life. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Forward email This email was sent to devotion1.withpastortongliu@blogger.com by edevotion@rolcc.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd. | Santa Clara | CA | 95054