Daily Devotion

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River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 5:1-6    Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.   In Acts chapter four, Barnabas sold all his properties and put all the money at the apostles' feet. In chapter five, Ananias wanted to do the same thing, but he kept some of the money and deceived the church by telling them that he offered all the money he got from the properties. The Holy Spirit clearly knew the temptation based by Ananias and his sin of deceit, so in verse three Peter asked Ananias: "How is it that Satan has so filled your heart?" Apparently Ananias committed sin because he surrendered to the temptation by Satan. One day, when we stand before God for his judgment, he can't blame everything on devil Satan. James 4:7 tells us clearly that "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Believers in God have the responsibility to defend themselves against work of the enemy, and God has promised that as soon as we resist the devil, the devil will flee from us. May the Spirit of the Lord help us, because the devil likes to tempt us through all kinds of things in our daily life, and may God give us a vigilant heart so that we would know how to resist devil's ploy everyday.   On the other hand, how did Peter know that Ananias was deceived by the devil? I believe it was because Peter was prompted by the Holy Spirit. He knew how to listen to the voice of God, and he could discern between good and evil or right and wrong. Therefore, when Ananias was in front of him, Peter could tell immediately that he had darkness inside. We need the Lord to help us to see that we always have choices. We can choose to listen to the voice of Satan, or choose to constantly listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. When we choose to listen to the world, we enter darkness and death; but when we choose to listen to God's voice, we will receive wisdom, life and peace. The choice is yours, so may the Lord give us the wisdom to choose His way each and every day.   Pray with Pastor Tong Liu        Lord, may you bless each brother and sister, help them to resist and reject the voice of Satan in their daily life, and instead listen to the voice of the Lord. May your word become their help and strength. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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Daily Devotion

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River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 4:32-27    All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.     The early church was not only a church that testified courageously, prayed earnestly, and was filled by the Holy Spirit, it was also a church filled with life of love, where the lives of the believers were truly changed by God. Verse 32 says that "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." A life that hasn't been changed by the Lord can only think of his own interest, and he would claim that "this was mine before, why is it not mine anymore?" When a person's life was changed by the Lord, he no longer seeks for his own interest, holds on tight to the blessing God granted him or only cares about his own needs; rather, he cares about what God wants us to testify for Him in the world. Therefore, in the early church, many were willing to give up all the properties that God gave them and to completely put themselves in God's hands for His to use. That's how we can tell it was a church that has been changed by God.   Next, there was an example of love. In verse 36, there was a man named Barnabas who was gifted in encouraging and comforting people. After Paul repented and turned back to the Lord on his way to Damascus, he was on fire for the Lord and was preaching the gospel all around. He said that he used to persecute the Lord, but then he knew the Lord. He preached everywhere, so not only the Jews wanted to kill him, but brothers and sisters in the church didn't accept him either, and everyone kept distance from him. Barnabas was the only one who sought for Paul and brought God's comfort to him. Barnabas brought Paul out and trained Paul until he became a servant who was used by God mightily. Aren't there also people around us whose have been hurt inside before? I often feel that the gift that the church needs to most is not preaching, but rather the gift of encouragement. It we look around, we would see that the greatest need is not food and drink or deep knowledge, but rather providing comfort and encouragement for people who are in sadness. You and I are loved by the Lord, so are we willing to bring comfort and truth from the Lord to those who are in need?   Pray with Pastor Tong Liu        Lord, I thank you because you've place the example of Barnabas before us. May the Lord use us to comfort others in our daily life, so that people around us may be encouraged by God through us. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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Daily Devotion

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River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 4:29-31     Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.     The early church was not only a church that testified courageously and prayed earnestly, it was also a church that was filled by the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Book of Acts, the church was continuously filled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowered Peter so that three thousand people accepted the Lord after he preached; the Holy Spirit led the gospel with the eunuch of Antioch, and the gospel was spread to North Africa; the Holy Spirit commissioned Paul and Barnabas from the Antioch church to become the first couple overseas missionaries, and He also guided Paul to preach the gospel in Macedonia. The early church is closely tied to the work of the Holy Spirit, and in Ephesians 5:18 Paul clearly told all the believers: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." "Be filled with the Spirit" is actually a commandment, just like the other commandments from God in the Bible; they are not optional and must be followed wholeheartedly, thus we must active seek such blessings.     In addition, every believer needs to be filled by the Holy Spirit. It's not just for pastors or church coworkers, but every believer needs it. Sometimes we practice a spiritual dichotomy. We think pastors are full-time Christians, but the lay Christians are only part-timers who just need to follow part of the commandments in the Bible and don't need to take them too seriously. The fact is that every Christian should be full-time believers who are serving God in different capacities in the marketplace. In the same manner, it is God's commandment to have the Holy Spirit fill every believer, and it is a blessing that we must actively seek so that our life may be filled with power!   So, how can we be filled by the Holy Spirit? First, we must have an eager heart for the Holy Spirit and can't just treat the matter casually. Esau in the Old Testament treated God's blessing casually, and thus was abhorred by God. We also need God to help us to take the blessings from the Holy Spirit seriously. Next, we must obey the Holy Spirit; when the Holy Spirit starts to work in our heart, all we need to do it to obey. If the Holy Spirit reveals any sin inside us that we've never confessed, we must confess them; if the Holy Spirit reveals any shortcoming in our life, we must follow the Holy Spirit by confessing our sin and repenting. Third, we must receive by faith. It is God's grace that we can be filled by the Holy Spirit, therefore when we come before Him by faith, the grace will come upon us. If you have never been filled by the Holy Spirit, come before God today and let the Holy Spirit fill you!   Pray with Pastor Tong Liu        Lord, I ask that the anointing of the Holy Spirit come upon every brother and sister right now, and let your power come upon them mightily. Give them an eager heart and an obedient soul, so that your grace and blessing will come upon every brother and sister through the Holy Spirit. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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Daily Devotion

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River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 4:21-28   ...Because all the people were praising God for what had happened... On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.'...   The early church was not only a church that testified courageously, but it was also a church of prayer. After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples gathered at one building and prayed together. In Acts chapter one, they selected another apostle to replace Judah through prayer. In chapter two, Peter preached for the first time and three thousand people accepted the Lord, and the first thing they did was to pray. Here in chapter four, all the saints prayed together to praise God, and in chapter six, when they were selecting deacons, they prayed and also said that the apostles should treat prayer and preaching as important matters; in chapter seven, when Steven was being stoned to death by the mob, he was still praying to God.   The early church was indeed a church of prayer, and their prayers were different from ordinary prayer. We often pray for ourselves, "my job, my family, my diseases, my weakness...", much like the parable of praying in the sanctuary by Jesus recorded in Luke. In the parable, the prayer of the Pharisee was filled with "me", and Jesus said it was not difference from murmuring. Aren't our prayers the same sometimes? The prayers of the early church were filled with praises to God, because they recognized that God is indeed the all mighty master of the universe. Praising God, according to the Bible, was never the result of God making everything smooth for people; in fact, most of the most marvelous praises were written when the circumstance was difficult.   When Paul and Silas preached the gospel at Philippi, they were thrown in to jail, beaten and locked up. It was a terrible circumstance, but they could still worship and praise God in the jail. I believe that Paul saw that God was the true ruler on all, so they could praise God solely because of his greatness and faithfulness. The Bible says that the praise from Israel is the throne of God. When we life up our voice to praise, we are acknowledging that his throne will be established in our midst. As soon as you shift your eyesight to our great God, your perspective and outlook will start to broaden. More importantly, you will allow room to let God work on you. Therefore, the transformation of the early church took place because they were praising God in one accord and were no longer intimidated by the difficult circumstance around them. When they praise God, God show them that things that are destined in His will ultimate will come true!   Pray with Pastor Tong Liu        Lord, we thank you for giving us the early church as an example for us. Pray that you will grant us courage to stand up for you in our daily lives. By the grace you poured down upon us, let us be a testimony of your glory. Help us and use us. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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Daily Devotion

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River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 4:13-20   When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked... Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."   Peter declared here that there is no other name by which men may be saved. Jesus is indeed our precious Savior. Firstly, Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty of sin on our behalf. Through Him, we can receive the pardon from sin. Pardon and forgiveness are not the same thing. Forgiveness is forgetting the sin the other person committed. Pardon has a deeper meaning than that. It means wiping away every trace of evidence of that person's sin. In other words, there is no longer any evidence of sin in our lives. Jesus has borne it all. He took the penalty of sin on our behalf and pardoned us of our sins. We are as clean as a white sheet of paper before God. Praise the Lord! The early church is a strong and courageous church. They were bold in being a witness for God. This boldness did not come from their natural personality, and was not from their education. Verse 13 states that the rulers, elders and teachers of the law realized that they were unschooled, ordinary man. They were shocked that these men would have so much courage, to speak the truth in court.   The early church members were made up of people who seemed like ignorant man. However, they displayed great courage. Where did this courage come from? I believe that this comes from a heart that fears the Lord. As such, Peter and John mentioned in verse 19, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God." In other words, when a person chooses to listen to God and to revere Him, he will find courage to fight the persecution by the authorities. The early church has this reverent fear of God which gave them incredible strength and courage. Do we have the same courage in the church today, to be a witness for God?   Sometimes when pastors preach the gospel, the non-Christians do not treasure what they say, because they think that the pastors are doing this because it is their job. However, when other believers who are not employed by the church share the gospel with non-Christians, it gets their attention. The non-Christians are amazed at how these believers could be a testimony to God and live out the power of God in their day-to-day lives. I know that the Christians in North America are very capable and I know they can be effective witnesses for the Lord in preaching the gospel. Pray that the Lord will raise us up to be a vessel testifying for Him!   Pray with Pastor Tong Liu        Lord, we thank you for giving us the early church as an example for us. Pray that you will grant us courage to stand up for you in our daily lives. By the grace you poured down upon us, let us be a testimony of your glory. Help us and use us. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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Daily Devotion

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River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 4:8-12   Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."   Peter declared here that there is no other name by which men may be saved. Jesus is indeed our precious Savior. Firstly, Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty of sin on our behalf. Through Him, we can receive the pardon from sin. Pardon and forgiveness are not the same thing. Forgiveness is forgetting the sin the other person committed. Pardon has a deeper meaning than that. It means wiping away every trace of evidence of that person's sin. In other words, there is no longer any evidence of sin in our lives. Jesus has borne it all. He took the penalty of sin on our behalf and pardoned us of our sins. We are as clean as a white sheet of paper before God. Praise the Lord!   Secondly, Jesus took our sickness and pain on the cross and gave us healing. Isaiah specifically mentioned that because of His stripes, we have been healed.  He bore our suffering and infirmities on the cross, and His healing power is at work in our lives.   Thirdly, Jesus took on our sins upon the cross and by that, we are deemed righteous. God placed all of our sins upon Jesus and we can be called righteous. This is not self-righteousness, but a righteousness that comes through faith. We can stand before God today, to serve Him and worship Him freely because of the righteousness that comes by faith.   Lastly, on the cross, Jesus conquered death and gave us new life. This death is not a physical death, but a death in the spiritual sense. Jesus took away our spiritual death and revived our spirit life. By this, the spirit of God can now dwell in us and we can enjoy God's unlimited provision, strength and help each day.   Pray with Pastor Tong Liu        Lord, we thank you because you are our only Savior. You give us the peace of forgiveness, offer us justification by grace and bring healing to our lives. We are a new creation because of you. For all of this, we thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

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