Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu

Friday, March 5, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 9:36-43

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

Acts 9:36-43

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!" Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive...

In this passage, we see a testimony of how prayer brings about healing, and serves as an example for us:

First of all, Peter is a person who knows how to create a faith-filled environment. Although the widows were grieving and were holding on to the robes and other clothing Dorcas had made while she was still with them, they did not have faith to pray for her. When we pray for healing, it is important to have a faith-filled environment. Sometimes we can create a faith-filled environment through worship, lifting up the sovereignty of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to move in this environment. Sometimes, we preach God's word and His promises, because faith is founded in the Word of God, because the foundation of faith in God words, and when people start to seize the promise of God, faith can rise up from within us.

Second, we see the need to seek God's will in prayer. As we pray for healing, we need to listen to the voice of God, because the real healer is not us, but God Himself. This is why Peter got down on his knees and prayed after he asked the widows to leave the room. He needed to seek God's will, listen to God's voice and wait on God's healing anointing to come.

Third, we must proclaim with confidence. After Peter understood God's will, he turned to the dead woman, and said, "Tabitha, get up!", and she opened her eyes. Peter proclaimed the truth when he understood God's will, and a miracle of raising the dead took place, drawing many more people to God. We pray that God will help us to place our faith in Him, seek His will and also proclaim by faith!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we pray that you have mercy on us. In the name of Jesus, we rebuke every sickness and pray that God your Holy Spirit will come and work in us to bring about healing. God, we pray that you will bring the same healing to us as you brought to Anenas and Dorcas! We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 9:31-35

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

Acts 9:31-35

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord. As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

In this passage, we see that there are some principles for church growth:

First, the early church did everything in reverent fear of the Lord. Like Acts 2:43 said, an important secret in the growth of the early church was that people lived in awe of the Lord. What is awe? It is knowing that God really exists. When a person fears God, he will see God in his life. When you know that God is in every detail of your life, suddenly your whole lifestyle will change. You understand that God is watching over you, leading and guiding you in everything.

Secondly, the early church was comforted by the Holy Spirit. The church is not an organization, but a place where the Holy Spirit dwells. The Holy Spirit must be able to move freely within the church, so that by the work of the Holy Spirit, people may be comforted. The church today may not face any external persecution, but many times, we endure much suffering in our hearts, indescribable suffering. At these times, we desperately need the comfort of the Holy Spirit among us. Only with comforting by the Holy Spirit we can be strengthened, not discouraged; not lose heart, but continue to move forward.

Thirdly, healing power was manifested in this place. When Peter met Aeneas, Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up and was healed. This generation today, is full of brokenness. Apart from the physical body that needs healing, many people need emotional and spiritual healing. We preach a Gospel that is not only about the salvation of the soul, but it brings about healing to the physical body, mind and emotions as well. Let us come before God, and act according to His Word, so that God's grace can come upon us. We need to believe that Jesus is not only the Savior of our souls, but He is our healer as well. Place your hand on wherever you have pain in your body and pray with me right now!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we pray that the Holy Spirit lay hands on the brothers and sisters right now. We pray that the life of Jesus will flow inside us and bring about complete healing. In the name of Jesus, we rebuke all diseases, and we pray that you will restore health into our bodies. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 9:26-30

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

Acts 9:26-30

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

When Saul left Damascus and returned to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but the church in Jerusalem was not willing to accept him. Why wasn't he accepted? This was because he had severely persecuted the Christians in the past when he was in Jerusalem. The disciples were skeptical when he tried to join them as they thought this might be his new way of persecuting them. As such, the church did not accept him.

When Paul began to serve, he ran into all kinds of obstacles. Why was this so? This was because there were two things that was lacking in his ministry. One is "timing", and the other is "relationships". Often, we do not notice these two things and rely only on our own enthusiasm and ability. In our ministry, timing and the relationships are more important. If God's timing is right, your serving will bear fruit. If it were not the timing intended by God, no matter how hard you work, it will bear no fruit. Relationships are equally important. When you have good relationships, people can easily establish their trust in you.

Many people neglect these two basic things in their ministry. We feel that we have the gift and others should accept or agree with us. However, there are things more important than our enthusiasm and abilities, which is gaining the trust and confidence of others, and establishing those relationships. Even when we have established a relationship, we also need to discern if it is God's timing for us to do the work. Otherwise, we will still miss God's timing.

The work of the Holy Spirit always has His timing. Your ministry will only be effective if you understand when God wants you to work. And when you have the right relationships, your ministry will be smooth sailing. Have you had setbacks in your ministry? Think about whether you have been working in God's time and whether you have the right relationships. If not, you need to wait for the right timing, and at the same time work actively on building the right relationships!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we ask that you help us to serve with the right attitude and discernment. Let us examine ourselves to see if we are acting according to your timing and whether we have good relationships. Lord, may you always help us and remind us how to serve effectively. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 9:20-25

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

Acts 9:20-25

At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

After Apostle Paul accepted the Lord, he went to Damascus and began preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. This is a very simple message, but also has tremendous power, which is why verse 21 tells us that all who heard him were baffled. The main reason for the power in his message was his life testimony and his personal change. The most effective form of witnessing is a changed life! When others see the difference in you, they will be surprised by the contrast between the past and the present, which is the most effective evangelism tool. Saul had such a great testimony; he had persecuted Christians and thrown them in prison, but became one of the Christians himself. His testimony was powerful, and when he preached this message no one could resist!

When a person is passionately preaching the gospel and serving the Lord enthusiastically, persecution will come naturally. Verse 23 tells us that the Jews conspired to kill Saul. In Philippians 1:29, Paul clearly spoke of the call to not only believe on Christ, but to suffer for Christ as well. This truth is something that Christians in the present generation may not be able to comprehend. We often think that faith in Christ means we just enjoy all the grace and riches in the Lord Jesus, but we forget that we have to be prepared to suffer for Christ as well. This so-called suffering, which could be persecution by the world, or could be the internal struggle in your heart for the sake of Jesus Christ. This struggle could mean giving up a lot of things that you love in the past. We pray that the Lord will help us and prepare us so that we are willing to suffer for Christ!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we thank you because your grace is sufficient for us. Although sometimes we may face hardships or even suffer persecution, we've witnessed how you can help and protect us each day. We ask that you be our strength, our wisdom and our help! We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

Monday, March 1, 2021

Today's Passage - Acts 9:17-19

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english

Acts 9:17-19

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord - Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

When Saul met the Lord, he asked two most important questions in his life. First, he asked the Lord: "Lord, who are you?" Later on, as recorded in Acts 26, he also asked: "Lord, what shall I do?" The Lord answered his first question - He was Jesus whom Saul persecuted, but the Lord didn't really answer his second question. I always wondered why the Lord didn't answer such an important question that concerning life. The Lord just asked Saul to go to Jerusalem and that someone will guide him. Then, God sent Ananias, who was an unknown believer in Damascus, to guide him.

If God was to tell us our mission in life, we would hope that God will send a major apostle or prophet, like Billy Graham, to talk to us. God, however, sent someone unheard of like Ananias to deliver His will in Saul's life. Not only that, Saul spent three days blind and without food, and he prayed earnestly for God to remove the scales on his eyes; the scales, however, didn't fall off till Ananias prayed for him. Why did God make the scales fall off when Saul was praying for himself? Many people whom come before God to seek healing have the same attitude. We often pray that God will heal us when we pray for ourselves so that we don't need others to lay hands for pray for us. God nevertheless sent Ananias to lay hands on Saul, and Saul's eyes were opened.

What happened was important for Saul; if God had directly answer Saul's question, or answered his prayer for restoring his eyesight, perhaps he would think that he'd never need other brothers and sisters and he could everything by himself. God, however, clearly taught him a lesson when he was just starting to enter ministry, which is that he needs brothers and sisters, and he must humble himself to work with others. For those of us who are serving God, may God also give us a humble heart, so that whenever we feel weak or ill, or when need guidance, we know that we need brothers and sisters in order to support each other and race forward!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, I thank you for teaching us such an important lesson. As we serve you, let us not just depend on ourselves, but to understand that we need to work together with our brothers and sisters in one accord, so that your beauty and glory may be manifested. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!

River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website