Today's Passage - Col 1:15-16

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Colossians 1:15-16   He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.   If you drive through Stanford University on Highway 280, you'll pass by the famous linear accelerator underneath you.  Scientists are still trying to find out what kind of force is out there to keep the universe revolving.  Through speeding up particles, they are hoping to uncover the secret of the world of energy in the universe.  Actually, the Bible has long ago answered this question - it is Lord Jesus Christ.  Lord is the center of all things in the universe.  Many heresies interpreted the word "firstborn" to mean that Jesus Christ was the first creature, therefore He was also created, but that is an erroneous interpretation.  "Firstborn" doesn't mean he was the first one to be born, otherwise Paul wouldn't have said that Lord was the first one to be resurrected, because in terms of time Jesus was not the first person ever resurrected.  Lazarus, for one, was resurrected from death before Jesus was.  The resurrection of Jesus, however, is more significant than the resurrection of anyone else because it is everlasting.  In the same way, the "firstborn" also doesn't mean the first in time, but rather the most significant one who was born.   Not only is Jesus the son of God, He is God Himself.  In the four gospels, you not only find the great teachings of Jesus, but you also find that Jesus proclaimed that He is God.  In the Gospel of John, He said: "I and the Father are one," and those who know me knows the Father, those who see me see the Father, those who welcomes me welcomes the Father, and those who rejects me rejects the Father.  Because He claims to be God, the Jews nailed Him on the cross.  Jesus Christ is not only God, but also ruler of the universe.  Before He resurrected and ascended to the heaven, He announced to the disciples that "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."  Even though the world is still being dominated by sin and work of the devil is ever increasing, let's not forget that all the evil deeds are under the permissive authority of God until the righteous judgment comes.  The whole world is in God's hand, and Jesus Christ is the center of the universe.   Do you know that the God you believe in is the ruler of the universe?  All authorities in heave and on earth have been given to Him, and He deserves all the honor and praise.  I hope you will learn to open your mouth and praise Him loudly, because the Lord says that if we don't praise, even the stones will shout and praise.  No matter where you are, praise Him out loud now!   Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord Jesus, we praise you, because not only are you the Lord who created us and saved us, you are also the Lord who's sitting on the throne.  I exalt you and I ask you to come and sit on the throne of my life.  Rule over my life with your mighty power so that I can manifest your beauty in my life!  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Col 1:10-14

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Colossians 1:10-14   And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.   Paul has mentioned four things that please God:  "Bearing fruit in every good work."  The good work here doesn't refer to benevolent acts, but according to the Bible it's whatever God wants us to do.  It's to not only listen to the word, but live the word.  Many Christians are great at listening to sermons and study the Bible, but bear no witness in life.  No matter how many sermons they listen to, their life remains unchanged.  The Bible says that if one knows the need to do good deeds but doesn't do it, it becomes a sin.  When you stand on trial before God, God will not ask how many sermons have you listened to, but rather how well have you followed what He asked of you. "Growing in the knowledge of God."  We cannot completely trust God because we do not know Him enough.  When we were kids, we gazed the stars in the sky and sang "twinkle twinkle little stars," but the reality is that many of those little stars are planets far larger than Earth.  When we are self-centered, from our little eyes we think the stars are little.  We cannot trust God because God is so little in our eyes.  In the same way, the prodigal sons misunderstood his father, so he ended up wandering around and couldn't even have the food that pigs ate.  When he turned around, he finally realized that he had misunderstood his father and he suffered unnecessarily.  The more you understand God, the more you will trust me and enjoy His faithfulness and grace. "Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might."  "All power" and "endurance and patience" might seem to contradict each other, but God's mightiness is best demonstrated when a person can exercise endurance and patience during great suffering.  This is not an easy lesson to learn, and a brother who was suffering once said that "the worst is when God doesn't seem to be doing anything."  Actually, God has never stopped working.  We need to learn to rest in His working hands, because the Bible says that "in quietness and trust is your strength. Keeping a thankful heart.  Give thanks for God for salvation, and also give thanks for brothers and sisters.  When we know how to thank God, we can humble ourselves and be released from our narrow self-centeredness.  Our heart will be at ease and we will be able to enjoy more of God's grace.  Brothers and sisters, are you willing to following these in your life. Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord Jesus, I thank you because you've clearly shown me your will.  I ask that you strengthen me to do all these things, and help me to be committed to following your will.  Let my heart be attracted to know you more so that my life will be filled with love and gratitude towards you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Col 1:9-10

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Colossians 1:9-10   ...asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God...   Paul was constantly praying for churches.  When he prayed for the Colossian church, he didn't pray for gifts or positive circumstance, but he prayed that they would have "knowledge of His will."  Why is understanding God's will so important?  In Ephesians 5:17, Paul said "do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."  In other word, one who doesn't understand God's will is foolish, for he or she can easily be devoured by the trend of the world.  If a person doesn't have the right principles in his heart, he or she will be easily influenced by the world and thus live according to the principles of the world.  When a person understands God's will, he or she will live up to the standards of the Lord by following the principles of God.   So how do we understand God's will?  Paul said that we can acquire "the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding."  It's like when I first learned to use the computer in Chinese, which composes letters by Chinese writing strokes.  It sounded easy, but was difficult for me because the right strokes according to the computer were different from the strokes that I was used to.  I was furious and thought the computer got it wrong.  The reality was that the computer knows the correct strokes, but it was me who didn't do it the right way.  After I learned principles of entering Chinese characters according to the computer, I could quickly determine the right strokes and start typing faster.   The spiritual matters work the same way too.  When we insist on our own ideas, principles and ways, we will suffer because we can't understand God's will.  When we understand the principles of God and His basic will, we will have better judgment on everything in life.  What is basic will of God?  Paul mentioned a few things that will please God: "bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God," "being strengthened with all power," and keep a thankful heart.  Are you pleasing God in all these things?  May God help us, let us understand God's will daily, and live a life that is worthy of the Lord's calling!      Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, please help me to be a responsible Christian starting today.  Do not be foolish, but to understand your will.  I am willing to live by your will everyday, to live a life that is worthy of the Lord's calling.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Col 1:6-8

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Colossians 1:6-8   ...that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.   The Colossian church has set wonderful example in faith, love and hope.  So why did this church have such great testimony?  We can derive three reasons from this passage: They were willing to listen, and they benefited from listening.  When we want to give someone advice, the worst is when the person doesn't want to listen.  Why is listening so difficult?  Because everyone is self-centered and we think we are always right.  No matter how fiercely you point out someone's problem, the person still may not think he or she has the problem.  Roman 10:17 tells us that faith comes from listening, so faith can be generated from listening to God's Word only when a person is willing to be humble and listen. They were willing to learn.  It is necessary to have an attitude of learning in order to make progress in the way of faith.  We often envy the spiritual giants who are successful in ministry and fruitful in intercession; however, we do not see all the effort they made in learning, the price they paid and tears they shed, and al the failures they experienced.  Chinese people like to save face - preserve their esteem - so we often have a wrong conception about serving: if I cannot be the best, then I shouldn't do it.  The reality is that if you do not even try, how can you be the best?  God has also taught me a lesson: He said that if you do not reach out your hand, if you do not proclaim healing with your mouth, how could you experience the power of healing?  In a spiritual journey, the worst is not to fail and stumble, because failure can teach us to be humble and to follow God's will.  The worst is the lasting failure when we lose the determination to learn! They were willing to bear fruit.  Colossian church is one that can grow and bear fruit.  Fruit doesn't only mean growth in attendance, but also growth in life.  They were able to bear fruit of the spirit, which has the attributes of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, and others could see the beauty of Christ in them.  What is your attitude towards faith?  Are you willing to listen, to learn and to bear fruit?  May God grant us such a determination!     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord Jesus, I once again humbly come to you and I ask you to open my ears and become one who's willing to listen; give me a submissive heart so that I am willing to learn, and let me learn from failure and paying the price; let me bear fruit in my life, so that I could let the fragrance of your life flow through me.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Col 1:3-5

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Colossians 1:3-5   ...because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints -- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven...   The Colossian church became the role model for other churches in many ways, and Paul specifically mentioned about faith, love and hope here.  First of all, their faith in Jesus Christ was not based on their circumstance or feeling, but rather on Lord Jesus Christ alone.  If faith is based on things that could change, it's easy for us to be weakened or shaken.  When Peter was walking towards Jesus on the sea, as long as he focused on Jesus he walked just fine; however, as soon as he turned to focus the turbulent waves around him, his faith weakened and he started sinking.  We can only focus on Jesus because the Bible says that Jesus will never change; His faithfulness and grace is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is the God who will accomplish great things according to our faith.   Next, Paul mentioned about the love they had for fellow believers.  Love must have a target, for you can talk all you want about the theory of love, but if you don't actually love anyone, the love is merely a "resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."  But who is the target of our love?  Besides the Lord, it's our brothers and sisters in Christ!  Love is acceptance; many brothers and sisters are different from you and you may never really try to understand them, so are you willing to spend some time with them?  Love is also helping one another; when some brothers and sisters have physical needs, are you willing to help them?  Love is also forgiveness; when you cannot remove bitterness towards some brothers and sisters, are you willing to follow the Lord's example to love them again?   Third, Paul mentioned that their hope is in the heaven.  The Bible says that this world and everything in it will come to pass, and our hope ought to be in heaven.  This refers to what happens when the Lord returns and we will be with Him forever, for the Lord will remove all the tears and deaths.  As a pastor, I have presided over many funeral services.  The biggest difference between the funeral service of a believer and a non-believer is that in a service for a believer there is hope in the midst of sadness, but for a non-believer there is  hopelessness in fear.  Brothers and sisters, is your hope on earth or in heaven?     Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I ask that you strengthen my faith.  If I used to focus on the circumstance and people, please help me to focus on you.  Give me courage so that I will take the first step in loving others, and may the Lord become my hope and satisfaction each and everyday.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Col 1:1-2

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Colossians 1:1-2   Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse...   Paul has referred to the believers in the Colossian church as "saints" (in Chinese translation). I believe that when the brothers and sister in Colosse read this letter, they at first might not even know who Paul was addressing to.  We often think saints are those who are those significant moral figures who have been dead for a long time, but actually Paul often referred to all the believers as saints in his epistles.  The definition of "saints" is "those who are set apart," so as soon as you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, God has already set you apart from millions of people, and to make you belong to Him alone.   The most important role in the Kingdom of God is not pastor, apostle or prophet, but every saint whom God has called.  Ephesians 4:12 says that the jobs of apostle, prophet, pastor or teacher are to complete the saints and make everyone complement each other; they are there to serve the saints but not to rule over the saints.  Church often has the wrong conception that only pastors and teachers are important, and rest of us, the "lay believers" are not important.  Because of this wrong conception, many lay believers never think about their role and position in God's Kingdom.   God has chosen us and set us apart so that we can accomplish His plan.  I like to draw parallel between the various types and characteristics of believers and a set of keys.  Some keys are long and others are short, some are highly visible but others are tiny; however, each key has its distinct purpose.  Each believer is like a key in a set of keys; God wants to use us to open different doors to bless different people.   The Kingdom of God doesn't distinguish between ministers and lay believers, for everyone's called in His grace and we are all saints who have been set apart.  God has placed us on different positions so that we can glorify His holy name.  Today I am serving Him as a pastor, and you might be serving Him as an engineer, and a housewife is serving Him as a housewife.  Do you understand that the Lord has set you apart because He wants to complete the work of a witness that He has bestowed to you?  Are you serving Him loyally in whatever He has entrusted you?    Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, thank you because you have chosen me, and also set me apart to be your witness.  Lord, please help me so that I won't take myself lightly, and I won't be wasting the time that you have given me.  I want to be loyal to your everyday, to glorify your name in everything that you have entrusted me.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

Today's Passage - Phil 4:18-23

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Philippians 4:18-23   ...I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.  And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus...   "...My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  This is a great promise from God, but it is not free of any condition.  Paul gave such a reassuring promise to the Philippian church because it was a church that could stand with those who were suffering, a church that provided for the needs of others by faith, and a church that often remembered God's workers.  Paul said that because of the offerings that they brought before God by faith, God will also meet their needs.  So how will God meet their needs? "According to His glorious riches."  We need to acknowledge that we know nothing about God's riches.  We often hold on to what we have, not realizing that God's riches are far beyond what we can imagine!  The Bible says that "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."  Do you believe it? "In Christ Jesus."  2 Corinthians 1:20 says that "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ.  And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."  The fulfillment of God's promises must be done through Jesus Christ.  If we want to enjoy God's promises, we must also be in Jesus Christ.  We need to examine whether our life is connected with the Lord everyday.  All of God's riches are in Christ, so as soon as our life is connected with the life of the Lord and our life starts to flow with Lord's will, God's abundance will naturally come upon us. Are you short of anything that you need?  I want to pray a special blessing on you!  But before I do that, you must ask God to give you the determination to serve the Lord, because God's blessing is not just for you to enjoy, for He wants you to become a blessing for others!  Put your hand on your heart and I will pray for blessing on you.   Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I bring my brothers and sisters before you, and once again I proclaim that you are Jehovah Jireh, and you will provide us with all we need!  You are Jehovah Rapha, and you will heal all imperfections in us!  You are Jehovah Shalom, and you will bring forth peace in our spirit!  Lord God, in your name I rebuke all the attacks and curses from the enemy, and in the name of the Lord I reclaim everything that the enemy has robbed from them!  May you have mercy on us, and by your glorious riches I pray that in Christ Jesus all the needs of my brothers and sisters will be met.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!