Sunday, February 7, 2010

DAY 172 - Make Every Effort to Keep Unity?



Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4Welcome! The purpose of this blog is to encourage Christians to have daily devotion - a wonderful and intimate time with Jesus. There are three reasons for you to use this blog as your daily devotion:
1. A healthy spiritual diet - One chapter of the Bible daily. We really need at least one chapter of Bible daily so that we are well fed.

2. A good example of Spiritual Journaling - What I have committed for 1,189 days(the Bible has 1,189 chapters)to write this daily post is not for teaching purposes but this is my daily spiritual journal - I write down what I hear from Jesus and how I experience His intimate relationship with me each day.

I have launched a wide-spectrum research on daily devotion and have found out that there are less than 10% of Christians that are having daily devotion. Out of that 10%, many having daily devotion are doing so because of guilt (they know that they are Christians and need to have daily devotion and feel guilty if they don’t do that), duty (they need to fulfill their duty as a Christian) or study(lots of Christians primarily use their daily devotion as a time to study the Bible). I do pray and hope that you will make up your mind to have a relational daily devotion so that you can have an intimate time with Jesus. I pray that you will write your own spiritual journal as well.

3. An online discipler – One of the reasons that so many Christians do not have daily devotion is because they do not have a disciple. A discipler can help them build up this basic element of discipleship when they first become Christians. The best way for you is to have a discipler to walk with you for a certain period of time so that daily devotion become a good habit. Or, you may have a small group of two to three people to encourage and be accountable to each other so that you won’t stop your daily devotion. I offer myself as your online disciple to walk with you daily to enrich your spiritual journey. So, shall we start this journey with Jesus Christ our Lord now!


Please read Ephesians 3: 1 – 21 and listen to what the Lord Jesus Christ would like to tell you before reading my Spiritual Journal below. If you would like to learn a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please read my “Count Down 5” from this blog. You may click this link directly for the method: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf . (You may begin with a song to praise the Lord and complete you devotion by singing another praise song.)

Please click the links below to Ephesians 4:
Chinese: http://www.o-bible.com/cgibin/ob.cgi?version=hb5&book=eph&chapter=4
ESV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204&version=ESV
NIV: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204&version=NIV
Message: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204&version=MSG


Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4: 3


Why do we need to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit? Jesus used the three themes I received in the past three days showing me the reasons:
Day 169 Don’t Blow God’s Plan
Day 170 Are You Dead Yet?
Day 171 Are You Rooted and Established in Love?

The Deceiver’s main job is to destroy the unity of the Holy Spirit. If we are not rooted and established in love, we are more likely to return to the old way of our lives, for we have not died in our sins. We often act as infants and because of that, we can 'blow' God’s plan any time.

How do we know that we are not making every effort to keep the unity in the Spirit? Very simple, do a check-up using Ephesians 4:
1. Christlikeness (vv. 1 – 6, 20-24, 31)
2. Maturely building up in the body of Christ to exercise the five-fold ministry(vv. 7-16)
3. Saying “No” to ungodly behaviors(vv. 17-19, 25-31)

Unity is the fruit to live out these life examples as children of light. Let us not 'blow' God’s plan but to be obedient servants in His Kingdom plan.


Dear Lord Jesus,
Help me to be your good and obedient servant. Help me make every effort to keep the unity. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.


Prayer items today:
For ACiC/AI
Bishop: Rt. Rev. Silas Ng
Network Leader: Rev. Peter Klenner
Network Leadership Team: Rt. Rev. Silas Ng, Rev. Peter Klenner, Rev. Ed Hird, Rev. Simon Neill
Administrator: Mrs. Zenia Cheng

Pray for one ACiC/AI church one day at a time
Immanuel Church
Rector/Senior Pastor: Rev. Simon Neill

We have started our 2nd phase of 100 days of prayer. I am calling you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to fill in your names in the new list below. Many wonderful things have happened in the past 100 days. Can we follow our King, our Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ to use an hour’s time to pray for His protection and blessings to my new ministry as the Bishop of ACiC/AI, all our ACiC/AI clergy, leaders and people? Pray that in the Holy and Mighty Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we can win over Satan's tricks, in order to strengthen our brothers and sisters so that His Kingdom will be extended. Please click this new link to participate in our 2nd phase 100 days/24 hours Prayer Campaign (Nov 29, 2009 to March 8, 2010)

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