Today's Passage - John 15:5-6

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 15: 5-6   "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing......"                  The Lord says, "I am the vine; you are the branches." In other words, the Lord is our life, strength and the source of wisdom. We as branches need to receive all of our needs from the Lord every day. Brothers and sisters, when you are afraid, you can come before the Lord to receive his peace; when you are restless, you can receive his patience; when you face a decision, you can receive his wisdom; when you are lonely, you can receive his presence; even in sickness, you can receive his health and life! The Lord is your vine; he is the vine of your work, family and your personal life.                  Once I met a person from mainland China while preaching at Denver; he would very much like to go home. I asked him, "Why? Everybody would want to stay in the United States, and why would you rather go home?" He said he worked in the restaurant and he had enough flak from his boss. Then I told him, "If you only live for your boss, you are happy when he is happy, you are unhappy when he is unhappy! This is so meaningless! Come and believe Jesus, He can set your heart free!"                  Later while I was getting ready to fly home, there was heavy snow, I called ahead to check if it would affect my flight, the airport official said there was no hurry as the flight would be delayed. I called again later, another staff then told me to report to the airport immediately regardless of plane delays! Rushing to the airport, I then discovered that the flight was overbooked and I became a standby! Instantly filled with complaints, "What kind of service, it's so ridiculous!" Suddenly, I heard a voice inside talking to me, "Didn't you say to that brother this morning that he truly will be set free once he believe in Jesus? Why do you become like this just because there are no seats?"                  Immediately I proclaimed loudly, "Lord, you are my vine, you are my patience, you are my joy, you are my wisdom!" I calmed down right away, went to dinner, and came back full of joy. Then I met an old couple in anxiety; they were nervous because they wanted to return to San Jose, but neither did they hear nor speak English. I told them, "Don't worry, follow me and everything will be fine!" They are at peace right away, Hallelujah! I experienced at that instant: Once we join ourselves to the vine, the Lord becomes the vine in our surroundings.                  Brothers and sisters, you have to proclaim the Lord is your vine! When the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed "It's done" on the cross, he talked not only about the salvation; in addition all of God's promises will be fulfilled in you! The lord is your vine, you have to believe, and you have to receive!                                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, thank you, because you are our vine. I proclaim by faith: you are the source of our lives, strength and wisdom! You are our Lord; all your promises will be fulfilled upon us! Thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!