Today's Passage - Acts 19:8-12

Acts 19:8-12 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. We can see the pattern of Jesus' ministry from Paul's ministry. On the one hand, he preached in the synagogue and lecture hall of Tyrannus, and on the other hand, he prayed for the healing of the sick. In fact, some people even took the handkerchief and aprons that Paul touched to lay on the sick, and when they did that, the sick were completely healed and the demons were cast out of them. This was what Jesus did when He was on earth. When we read the four gospels, we see that whenever Jesus ministered to people, he did two things. The first was preached God's Word, the other was to heal the sick. This was the model of Jesus' ministry on earth. When he sent the seventy disciples out two by two, he instructed them to preach God's Word, and gave them authority to heal the sick and cast out demons. The Gospel of Matthew talked the Great Commission, where the Lord commanded his disciples, "Teach them to obey what I have instructed you." In other words, Jesus commanded us to preach the Gospel. The Gospel of Mark mentions "laying hands on the sick, the sick were healed". The Gospel of Matthew focused on preaching God's Word, while the Gospel of Mark focused on laying hands on the sick and healing them. Jesus has entrusted this mission to us. He preached God's Word and healed the sick, and He commissioned us to do the same. Paul received God's commandment and His power, and hence was empowered in his ministry to preach boldly in the synagogues. He also performed many healing miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the point that when the handkerchief he touched was put on the sick, the sick were healed. In addition, we need to understand that the work of healing is God's sovereignty. Our responsibility is to be obedient vessels, so that God's power can flow through us to others. What you and I need to do is to follow God's instructions, to preach the Gospel and lay hands on the sick. We need to believe that the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of these people, and in accordance with God's sovereignty heal them of their sickness and forgive them of their sins. May the Lord's Spirit help us, that we may have power and authority in our ministry, to manifest the glory of God. Pray with Pastor Tong Lord, we thank you because your ministry on earth was filled with power and authority. May you grant us the same authority and power when we preach the gospel, so we can release people from the bondage of darkness, from the enemy. We give you all the glory and honor. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen! Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow the project on Facebook ! Help us to reach our Phase I Target, and witness how God expands His Kingdom on earth!  Click here to donate online.

Today's Passage - Acts 19:1-7

Acts 19:1-7   While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."  So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied.  Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus."  On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.  When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.  There were about twelve men in all.   This passage mentioned two types of baptism - John's baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  John's baptism was a baptism of repentance, which refers to a "turning back", turning away from our sinful ways, and returning back to God.  In fact, this baptism of repentance did not only happen in the New Testament era, it was already there in the Old Testament time. God set up the ritual of sacrifice in the Old Testament times, so that people can repent, turn back to Him. However, repentance by itself is not enough.  We need the energy and motivation for life, and this is the difference between the New Testament and the Old Testament.  Jesus Christ came to this world for us to become the sacrifice for our sins once and for all.  He is our true motivation for life.   The baptism of the Holy Spirit has two meanings.  The first is what is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:13, "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."  In other words, when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we have individually received the gift of salvation.  However, when the Holy Spirit comes upon, it is like superglue that connects every individual to a body of Christ.  Secondly, the baptism of the Holy Spirit also represents His power.  Acts 11:16 mentions that when Peter preached in the home of Cornelius in Caesarea, he remembered what the Lord has said, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."  This indicates that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the experience of Pentecost, in which for the first time, many people spoke in tongues. In fact verse 6 says that When Paul placed his hands on the Corinthians, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. This does not mean that the baptism of the Holy Spirit will always be manifested by speaking in tongues - that is only one phenomenon. However, the Holy Spirit allows us to enter into a life of supernatural power and effective ministry.  May the Spirit of the Lord come upon us, that we may once again be filled with the Holy Spirit!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, may your Spirit move in our midst right now.  Holy Spirit, rain down on us, so that we may turn away from sin and turn back to God.  Unite us as one body and empower us to do your work. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!    Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow the project on Facebook ! Help us to reach our Phase I Target, and witness how God expands His Kingdom on earth!  Click here to donate online.

Today's Passage - Acts 18:26-28

Acts 18:26-28 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. Apollos was a true disciple of Christ. He was on fire for God, and knew how to share God's Word with others. Verse 26 says he was bold in preaching God's Word, and preached to the Jews vigorously. This shows us that when we receive God's grace, we need to be proactive in sharing our faith with others. Perhaps some will say this is because Apollos was a learned man, and a learned man naturally would have courage to preach God's Word boldly. What does it mean for the rest of us? If you take a closer look at the book of Acts, you will discover that Paul and Apollos were not the only ones who were preaching boldly. There was Peter, John, and others whom the government officials consider "unschooled". Although they are not as learned or eloquent as Apollos, but when they have hearts that were willing to be used by God, and made themselves available for God, He used them mightily to accomplish His work. As such, knowledge and eloquence were never the prerequisites for someone to be used by God. God looks only at your heart and your willingness to be used by Him. Actually, you and I do not need to be great preachers to share God's Word. In our day to day lives, through worship and what we learn at Sunday school, we can be sharing these things with our friends or coworkers. The Bible has a principle that the more you give, you will receive, and the more we can give. When our mouths are closed and we do not share God's grace with others, the more spiritual poverty we will experience. Secondly, Apollos is constantly learning. As he was speaking boldly in the synagogue, Paul's co-workers Priscilla and Aquila heard him. Although Apollos recognized that Jesus is the promised Messiah of God, he only knew of John's baptism, which is John the Baptist preaching about the coming of Jesus. However, Apollos did not understand the baptism of the Holy Spirit which Jesus had promised when He ascended to heaven. Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit will come to live in the hearts of every believer. Hence, Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos to their home and preached the Word of God more adequately to Him. Thank God Apollos had a humble heart and was willing to learn. Afterwards when Apollos went to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. This was because Apollos had a heart that was willing to be discipled. Let us model after Apollos - his humility and his desire to keep learning as we study God's Word, so that we may be able to serve God and others effectively. Pray with Pastor Tong Lord, thank you for giving us the example of Apollos. We pray you will grant us the desire to keep learning and to keep sharing your word with others, so that through us, others may see your glory. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!    Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow the project on Facebook ! Help us to reach our Phase I Target, and witness how God expands His Kingdom on earth!  Click here to donate online.

Today's Passage - Acts 18:25

Acts 18:25   He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.   Apollo was truly in love with the word of God.  First, he was teachable in the truth.  Apollo was already a knowledgeable person, but his knowledge didn't prevent him from coming before God with a teachable heart to learn His word.  I've really seen the importance of having a teachable heart.  Today, many of us go to work with the attitude of learning while working, hoping that what we may put what we've learn into use later; in spiritual matters, however, few of us have such teachable attitude and determination to learn.  We don't think it makes any difference for us to do devotions or to attend Sunday school classes; therefore, we only read the Bible when we think of it, and we attend Sunday school only when we get up in time.  No wonder we seldom experience the power that the Lord's word can bring us in our daily life.   May God give us a humble and teachable heart to come before Him to learn His word.  People often have different reactions towards the same word; for example, when we hear "love one another," some of us feel it's just gospel verbiage, but others feel that God is teaching them about how to live and love one another.  In the same way, when we repeat a song during worship, some feel more touched by the song, but others feel annoyed by the repetition.  Why are there such distinct reactions?  The difference lies in the attitude.  If you have a humble and teachable heart, you will receive new guidance and strength from all the teachings.   Apollo was not only truly teachable, but also one with a heart that was on fire.  Knowledgeable people often have cool heads, but unfortunately their hearts are often cool as well.  They don't have any zeal and hunger for word of the Lord, and some even study the newspaper more carefully than studying the Bible because they are afraid to miss some major news or tabloid material.  After reading the news, they'll discuss with others too.  We, however, seldom study God's word so rigorously, as if we may miss one of God's promises.  If you preach the gospel with coolness, then how can you expect anyone to be eager to hear?  When they ask you whether it's good to believe in Jesus, or what the Bible says, if your response lack any excitement or enthusiasm, then they will obvious feel that the gospel is nothing.  May the Lord help us to make an effort in studying God's word so that others may benefit from our lives.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we ask that you grant every brother and sister a humble and teachable heart so that we may become zealous toward your word.  Let us thirst for your word and seek your word every day, and let your word become our strength and help so that the lives of people around us may also be changed.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!       Participate in Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - by Donating a Seat for a future new believer!

Today's Passage - Acts 18:24

Acts 18:24   Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.   There was a man named Apollo, who was not only extremely knowledgeable, he was also good at teaching the Scripture, so he should have been someone who loved the word of God.  In the Great Commission, it is God's will for us to become the Lord's disciples.  Disciples means students; in other word, when someone is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the person did not graduate, but rather it was only the process of registration into the school of God to become a student of God.  In the entire Book of Acts, the terms "believer" and "saint" only appeared once, but the term "disciple" appeared more than forty times.  I believe that's the reason for the mighty power that the early church possessed: When they preached the gospel, they didn't just invite people over to attend the service, but they taught and trained them to become disciples of the Lord.   We often sing a hymn with lyrics that say "the greatest thing that happened in my life was getting to know you."  Perhaps you may not agree with it inside; you might think that the greatest thing that happened in your life should be the time of your marriage or when you made a fortune from stocks, how could it be knowing God?  One day, however, when you look back at the path of your life, you'd realized that, just like what the Bible says, the world and everything in the world will go away, and only knowing God will give you eternal value.   God's word helps us to know Him, and God's word cleanse our hearts.  The Bible says that God's word is like a mirror in front of us which allows us to see what we really look like.  If we don't look in the mirror in the morning, we don't know how messy our face looks; once we look in the mirror, we see our face and we quickly want to wash it.  In the same manner, God's word is a mirror that lets us see our filthiness, and thus we will seek God's help and salvation.   Besides that, God's word also provides guidance to our lives.  Today, we've heard lots of principles for successful marriage, and they actually all come from principles in the Bible.  There will be changes in generations, culture and social structure, but principles in the Bible will always be truthful and practical.  If we are willing to seriously study God's word and live by it, we will surely be able to experience a wonderful life granted by God.  No wonder the author of Psalm says that "God, Thy word is the lamp to my feet and the light to my path."   We must place God's word inside us and also be willing to follow it in our daily lives, so that we may really experience the benefits of the truth.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, may you grant us an eager heart to study your word and let your word enter our lives in a practical way, so that we may enjoy the help and strength from your word.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!       Participate in Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - by Donating a Seat for a future new believer!

Today's Passage - Acts 18:18-23

Acts 18:18-23   Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.  They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.  When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined.  But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.  When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.  After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.   Numbers Chapter 6, verse 1 to 5 talk about vows of the Nazirites, which is the pledge of thanksgiving that the Jews offered before God.  When the period of the vow ended, those who took the vow would cut their hair down, and if they were out of town they would have their hair sent back to Jerusalem.   Paul took a vow of the Nazirites to God when he was in all kinds of difficulties.  He asked God to keep him safe, and he asked God's Spirit to manifest His righteousness during debates about the truth.  He then saw that the vow he made before God was accomplished by Him: The church or Corinth has grown, God's truth was manifested during the debate about circumcision of the gentiles at the council of Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 15; God also personally comforted him when he was suffering, as God told him to "I am with you."  After he encountered all sorts of hardship and was protected by God, Paul witnessed the grace of God and was willing to give thanks before God.   God made the vow of Nazirites for three purposes: First, Paul was a Jew, but when he debated the truth that gentiles should no longer need to be circumcised, many Jews thought Paul didn't want to be a Jew anymore and no longer respects his own culture.  The truth was that Paul was a Christian but also a Jew, so he did keep his identify as a Jew.  Even though he had stressed that gentiles should not be circumcised, he still respected his own culture; he made the vow according to Jewish tradition, which unveiled his heart.  Next, to the Jews, the vow of Nazirites is a vow of thanksgiving, and also a channel for God's grace.  When Paul made the vow, it's a manifestation of his commitment before God, so that God will continue to use him in his life.  Third, Paul's vow was a prophetic action; even though we may encounter all kinds of persecution and even whipping, but God is still real!  Our Lord is still sitting on the throne!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because you are such a faithful God!  You have helped Paul to persevere all kinds of hardship and led him to land of peace, so in the same way you will release us from all kinds of attacks in our life so that we may experience your faithfulness and abundance.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!       Participate in Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - by Donating a Seat for a future new believer!

Today's Passage - Acts 18:9-17

Acts 18:9-17   One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."  So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court.  "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."  Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.  But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law--settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things."  So he had them ejected from the court...   Paul encountered a crisis in ministry, and God's comfort came upon him and God told him that "don't be afraid...  For I'm with you."  Very often, our circumstance makes us fearful and our faith may be lost; pressure from work, burdens on life, bondage of diseases, and weakness of our body can put tremendous pressure on us, causing us to be afraid of bravely moving forward for the Lord.  Very often we come before God and believe in His mercy and grace, but we undeniably have fear deep inside us, because we don't know what God plans to do on us.   God will eventually lead us to perfection, but we don't seem to have any control over the process.  Therefore, we are fearful and we'd rather stay put and not move forward.  The Lord is more than happy to help us, for He has given us words and promises that are truly precious.  He wants to tell us "don't be afraid, for I am with you."  In other word, God will move forward with us and He will personally battle for us.  Livingston is a missionary who entered Africa; one time he encountered great difficulty and had to decide whether to cross a river to minister to the people on the other side, because they were dangerous cannibals.  That night he knelt down before the Lord, and the Lord's word reminded him: "I am with you always, to the very end of the age."   His heart was immediately comforted, and he responded: "Lord, you are a gentleman, and a gentleman will keep his promise.  I will go in peace because of your word."   God's grace is not only prepared for Paul and Livingston, but also for you and me.  No matter what circumstance you are in, no matter who the giant inside you is, let's look upon him and depend on him, so that you will be set free from any fear.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you because you are always with us.  No matter how the circumstance and relationships change, in you we still have hope that you will hold us up with your mighty arms.  We don't need to be fearful, and we ask that you once again grant peace and joy to all the brothers and sisters.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!       Participate in Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - by Donating a Seat for a future new believer!