Today's Passage - Acts 24:1-9

Acts 24:1-9   Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor.  When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation...  "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.  By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him."  The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.   A group of Jews went to Caesarea to bring their charges against Paul, and they were led by high priest Ananias, some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus.  As a Roman citizen, Paul needed to go through due process of law in order to be convicted.  God gave Paul a very special status to carry out missionary work, which was a Roman citizen.  Without Roman citizenship, he would have been beaten to death long ago.  Because of this status, anyone who wants to convict him must go through trial in the court.  On the one hand there's a system of equality in place, and on the other hand God had already prepared to have Paul protected.   God's selection began before we were made; the Bible says that God already knew us when we were in the womb and we ought to give thanks to Him.  Our entire life is in the hands of God, so don't ever complain about what you had to go through because every step in your life is how God prepares you for the next step.  I was called by God to enter full-time ministry after I came to the US to study and work for several work.  At first, I asked God why He didn't call me into full-time ministry earlier and why it happened after I got my masters degree and entered the workforce.  Looking back, I realized that the experiences of studying and working in the U.S. really helped me to serve in the churches here because I can better identify with what others have gone through in this land.   The status that God gives us also provides us with opportunities.  In the book of Esther, Mordecai told Esther: "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"  Every position is an opportunity; many of us are U.S. citizens, and did you know that such status is also an opportunity for missions?  You need to understand that you are not here to work, make money and feed a family, but God has given you opportunities to take part of expansion of His kingdom.  In fact, joining short-term mission trips is the best opportunity for you to be built up.  When you place yourself in the hands of God, He will surely use you.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you because every status we have in our lives is an opportunity.  Lord, come and open our eyes so that we would see the opportunities you have given us, and we ask that you give us a courageous heart to seize these opportunities to be your glorious witness.  I thank you and I 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 23:23-25

Acts 23:23-25   Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.  Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix."  He wrote a letter as follows: Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings.  This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen...   Our God is an incredible God who's far beyond what we can imagine.  When Paul was in a desperate crisis, not only did God prepare his nephew to come to rescue, God also prepared a centurion to protect him.  It was an unbelievable surprise that the centurion wholeheartedly wanted to protect Paul.  We can't help but to stop and praise our wonderful and marvelous God.  Paul didn't have anything, but God sent his army on earth to protect him.   Some have said that when we venture onto the journey of spirituality, God has actually prepared miracles for us at every turn.  When the Israelites were preparing to cross the Red Sea, the sea was ahead of them and the enemy force was behind them; from human perspective there was no way out, and that's why Moses told them "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today."  We need to learn to stand firm and watch when we are in any difficulty.  When we are in difficult circumstances, we often try to make way with our own understanding and wisdom, but we end up making things even worse.  We need to remember God's word: "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit."  We need to come before God, to look upon Him and see how He has already made way for us, and we can completely put our trust in Him.  After all, God's ways are higher than our ways and God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts.   Are you encountering all kinds of hardships?  Bring them before God and entrust all your needs to Him, and you will see how God makes way in the desert and streams in the wasteland for you so that you may be rescued from your difficulties.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because you are a truly faithful God.  You understand our needs and difficulties, and you've already prepared people and ways to rescue us.  May the Lord help us to solely focus on you, so that your will and salvation may come upon us.  I thank you and I 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 23:12-22

Acts 23:12-22   The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.  More than forty men were involved in this plot.  They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.  Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here..."   It was a real crisis - Forty men vowed together to kill Paul!  They would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul.  If it happened to us, we'd be startled and afraid.  This type of situation, however, was part of Paul's daily life.  Ever since he accepted the Lord on the way to Damascus, he kept on receiving threats to his life and there was no sign of slowing down.  How did Paul confront all these persecutions and hardships?  I believe it's because he had faith in God.   First of all, Paul had faith in God's promises.  In verse 11 God had promised that he would testify for God in Rome the way he testified in Jerusalem.  Paul trusted that God will make whatever he had promised happen.  Brothers and sisters, did you know that you have a faithful God?  The meaning of faithful is that God will do what he says.  2 Corinthians 1:21 says that "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ."  God's promises will never change and every word from God carries power; therefore, we must believe in the word of God.   Paul also had faith in God's work.  When Paul was in peril, God prepared someone - his nephew - to help him.  This is the only relative of Paul that was mentioned in the Bible.  We thank God because salvation not only came onto Paul, but also his whole family.  The testimony of the life of Paul truly brought tremendous impact.  After Paul led his nephew to accept the Lord, it must have totally surprised him that God would use this nephew to save him later.  Psalm 68:20 says that "Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death."  Even when you are facing a ton of difficulties, you must believe that God has prepared helpers who can rescue you.  He has all kinds of blessings on you, and he wants to help you and strengthen you in your daily life so that you may experience his salvation.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you and praise you because you are a faithful God.  Your promises are true and your almighty arm is carrying all of us today.  Give us sufficient faith so that we may believe in your word and your work, and let us experience your faithfulness and abundance in our daily life.  I thank you and I 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 23:1-11

Acts 23:1-11   Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."  At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth...  Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead"...  The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."   Started from the time of this passage, Paul spent rest of his life in custody and went through many rounds of trials and persecution.  The Lord, however, gave his strength to stand firm in the midst of all the hardship that he had to endure.  In verse 11, Lord stood by Paul and said "As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."  There are two aspects to the strength that supported Paul.  First it was the presence of the Lord, which is the main source of momentum in our lives, like what the Psalm says: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."   When Paul stood in midst of Pharisees and Sadducees, the Spirit of God gave him wisdom.  Paul was persecuted because he was preaching about resurrection from death.  He knew that this subject has caused great controversies among Pharisees and Sadducees, so as soon as he brought it up it surely caused the Pharisees and Sadducees to start debating each other.  The center of attention shifted from Paul to the subject of resurrection and thus he escaped from further persecution.  The present of the Lord truly gave Paul sufficient wisdom.   Not only did the presence of God help Paul, the promises from God also provided tremendous momentum to Paul.  God told him that "as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."  No matter how much hardship Paul had to endure, he would not die before reaching Rome because God clearly told him that he would be testifying for God in Rome.  Also, as stated in Acts 28, when Paul encountered big storm he was not intimidated at all, because he knew that the Lord's promise will be fulfilled.  When we serve God, we must clearly know that the Lord is with us, and the Lord's promises are our most reliable source of momentum.  Let us depend God each and every day!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because your presence is so real in our daily life, and your promises will always be fulfilled.  Teach us to depend on you every day so that we may lead a victorious life.  I thank you and I 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 22:22-30

Acts 22:22-30   The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"  As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this...   The crowded called Paul "not fit to live."  According to law, we've all sinned and offended God, so we're supposed to perish; however, because of salvation of Christ, who died for us on the cross and pardoned all our sins, we can come before God fearlessly and are able to stay alive.  This is a simple yet the most important truth.  Christians may only be filled a sense of mission on earth if we truly understand this truth.  In fact, it's only possible for us to truly understand how to face our own life when we understand how to face death.   In Corinthians 4:11-13, Paul said that "To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world."  This is how Paul described his circumstance; he was indeed not fit to live, but he was only living for the Lord.   One only knows how to live his daily life when he knows how to face death.  If we understand that we are still alive only because of God's mercy, we will not be bothered by all the pressure around us.  If we understand that we don't deserve what we have, we will not be so defensive, but rather we'll happily accept our punishment.  If we know that Christ has taken over our worries and carried our pain, we will be able to live for Him amidst any suffering.  May God give us such attitude and strength!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because in you we have the power to overcome.  You died on the cross and resurrected from death for us, so we ask that you help us to experience the grace of resurrection after death in our daily life.  Let us not be affected by what happens around us, but to only live for you.  I thank you and I 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 22:12-21

Acts 22:12-21   "A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him.  "Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.  You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.  And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name"...   There are two people in this passage - Ananias and Saul.  Ananias was a man obedient to the Lord.  When the Lord asked him to look for Saul, lay hand on him and turn his heart around, it was a difficult thing for Ananias.  Before Paul accepted the Lord, his name was Saul, and he used to go to Damascus in order to persecute Christians.  Ananias was afraid, but he still obeyed God's will; he found Paul and prayed for him.  We saw a great example of obedience in Ananias.   Paul, on the other, was one who knew how to humble himself before God.  God taught Paul the lesson of humbleness on the way to Damascus.  By our standard, Paul was a great apostle, so shouldn't his prayer always be answered and wouldn't he always hear God's voice when he sought Him?  When God's light shined on him on the way to Damascus, Paul asked two questions: First, "Lord, who are you," and the second one, "Lord, what should I do?"  Lord only answered the first question, and to the second question the Lord only answered: "Once you reached Damascus, someone will tell you."  God, then, sent Ananias, a rather unknown small-time believer, to reveal His will to Paul.  It must have been a humbling experience for Paul, because God revealed His will to Paul only through other brothers and sisters.   God can humble us through people around us, so that we know we need other brothers and sisters, and we need to live in the body of Christ.  May the Spirit of God guide us to learn from one another so that we may grow together in the church of Christ.   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, I thank you because you've placed many Ananias around us, so that we may understand how to work with one another in the body of Christ.  Give us the spirit of humbleness so that we may complete your will in our lives.  I 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 22:9-11

Acts 22:9-11   "My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.  'What shall I do, Lord?'  I asked.  'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'  My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.   Once we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is our Lord, naturally the next question is what we ought to do.  "Christ is Lord" shouldn't just be knowledge in our brain; if He is really our Lord, we must abide by His words.  "Christ is Lord" must not just be a doctrine, but also a discipline in our life.  If all that we own belong to the Lord, then He has the right to use us whichever way He wants.  Jesus never told the disciples: "Go take a look at the lost souls;" instead, he commanded the disciples to go make disciples of all nations.  When Jesus called Zacchaeus, He said "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."  He didn't ask Zacchaeus to go home and check whether it's ok with his wife first.  When Jesus called Levi to follow Him, He didn't first consider the fact that Levi had a great job as a tax collector.  Finally, Jesus called the young rich man to sell all that He had to follow Him.  When following Jesus, there's no middle-of-the-road approach.  It is our responsibility to submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.   There's a book named "Growing up to maturity;" very often we think we are mature because we are knowledgeable in the truth, but that's not completely true.  If we want to grow to maturity, we must understand how to follow the will of God in our daily life.  When I was in the seminary, there were two classmates who were great students, but they had differences in opinion, and they often fight each other.  I thought about whether they were mature - They studied a lot of theology, but they fought all the time.  Therefore, real maturity has nothing to do with knowledge, but is the result of seriously following God's words and commands.   "Christ is Lord" is about discipline of life, not learning of knowledge.  We need to learn how to let the humility, tenderness, patience and submissiveness of Christ to grow in our lives.  We need to acknowledge that Christ, not we, has authority over our lives.  We ought to study the word of God and also take practical action to follow His word, so that His will in our lives may be done.    Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you once again because not only are you our Lord, you also give us strength for us to follow your will in our daily lives.  May the Lord's Spirit touch us once again so that our lives may take on the form of Jesus Christ.  I thank you and I 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.