February 6

Wednesday

I heard that the retail business in the US does half of its business in December, and the busiest time in December is before and after Christmas.  People visit their friends and family laden with gifts.  Giving Christmas presents is a big deal.  Just look at the crowds in the post-Christmas sales and you will get an idea of how big it is.  Generally speaking, those who choose to go to the mall these few days either want to grab bargains or are anxious to return or exchange the presents they received.  Of course, there are always those who have nothing better to do than joining in the excitement.

Frankly speaking, if I receive a coat that is not my size, I would take care of it at once, to avoid more hassle later on.  However, if I receive a booklet autographed by my CEO, I would carefully put it away.  The value of a gift does not just depend on how much it is worth.  It also depends on the attitude of the giver and whether the receiver finds it suitable.  Another factor is how it changes the relationship between the two.

Evangelism

The Beginning of the Gospel (A Gift to be Enjoyed)

Read:

Mark 1:1, 14-15

Isaiah 9:6-7

Colossians 2:2

Ephesians 3:4-6

In actual fact, everyone has a Christmas gift from God – Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6-7).  Mark 1:1 clearly tells us The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  This gift was prepared for us by God before the world was created; it affects all nations; it determines life and death, blessing or curse; it is accomplished by God sending His only beloved Son to live on earth, giving up His life; it is the sin offering of men; it is indispensable or the reconciliation of God and man; it is the only way for man to become the child of God; it is eagerly handed out by those who love it and the more it is handed out, the bigger it becomes and the more it is enjoyed.  Do you find this gift suitable?  Does it satisfy you?  Can you enjoy it?

If you love this gift and help to hand it out, then the one who began all this is pleased!

February 7

Thursday

God chose Moses to deliver Israel from the oppression of Pharaoh.  The sign of His selection of Moses is that the Israelites and Moses will worship God at Mount Sinai. After the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai, God began to instruct them how worship; in chapters 20 to 40, there are detailed descriptions of what please God and what are prohibited by Him; how should His people behave, and ceremonial laws as well as moral laws are established.  All these are for the purpose of proper worship.  In Exodus 20, the very first instructions from God to Israel are the Decalogue, or the Ten Commandments; through the Decalogue, Israelites may know what the essentials are in worshiping God. Therefore, in the worship devotionals of this 40 Days of Faith Building, we will study the part of the Ten Commandments which deal with our relationship with God in order to understand what worship is all about and what God wants in worship.  We will then move on to study commands on worship in the New Testament.

Worship

Worshipping the Great God

Read:

Exodus 3:12; 20:1-2 Ephesians 2:1-7

In Exodus 20:1-2, we see that worship is about relationship, a relationship initiated by the great God who is our Lord and Savior.  Before the Decalogue was given, God reminded the Israelites that He is the one who brought them out of the bondage of slavery, He is the great God deserving His people’s total obedience to the commands which were about to be given.  The Israelites knew Yahweh is God because they have witnessed His power of the ten plagues in Egypt and the dividing of the Red Sea.  God is their God, not the Egyptian’s; the Israelites are His people.  Exodus 24:3 tells us that all the words that the Lord has spoken to the people, they would be willing to obey.  We can see that worship is about a relationship and about the response of human being based on the understanding of such a relationship; worship is our conviction of the greatness of God and His Lordship over us.

Therefore, the very first thing about worship is a proper understanding of the greatness of God and the grace which has been given to us.  His Son Jesus has saved us from the depravity of humanity, from eternal punishment into the kingdom of eternal life.  We must realize our former condition (dead in transgression), and the blessing we have received which brought us alive together with Christ as depicted in Ephesians 2:1-7. Do you have the conviction that God is not only the God of Israel but is our Lord and we owe our lives to Him?  Let’s pray to God that He will give us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  So we may know the why and the how in worshiping Him.

February 8

Friday

According to the Scriptures, the Christian church was initiated on the Day of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts ch.2).  As recorded by Luke, three thousand people accepted the Lord and were saved on that day, and the first church was born. (Acts 2:41).  The Bible tells us that “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  This is the mode of the early church in the first century, and is also the model of today’s Christian church life, with the 4 characteristics reflected by the present day pulpit teaching, Sunday school, fellowship life, Holy Communion, and prayer meeting.  In other words, fellowship life is one of the main components of Christian life, and is therefore an important function of the present day church.

We are grateful to the Lord for blessing RCCC with more than 20 fellowship groups, providing enriched spiritual fellowship with one another in the Lord.  These groups include sisters’ Bible study groups and various groups by age, language, and background, thereby meeting the needs of all our church members.  Every believer ought to belong to a fellowship, which is part of a normal Christian life.  According to Hebrews 10:25, “let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Fellowship

Fellowship with Each Other

Read:

Acts 2:42