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Welcome to the first in a new series called mission monthly, every month, we will concentrate on a country and people group for Prayer. This month, we start with Buddhism and Myanmar. This will always be in English JANUARY 2025 This month, we will focus on Buddhism and the country of Myanmar Please view the links below: BUDDHISM PRAYER MONTH https://www.110cities.com/blog/buddhistprayerguide/ https://www.110cities.com/blog/buddhistpg-children/ https://www.110cities.com/global-day-of-prayer-for-the-buddhist-world/ https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/buddhism/ Please view the following links https://my.secure.website/hopechristianchurch/ https://loveformyanmar.org/ https://myanmaragape.org/ https://www.northburmachristianmission.org/ PRAYER CENTRE FOCUS ON THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE OF MYNAMAR https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/myanmar-burma/ https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11459/BM https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11029/BM https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/10892/BM https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12237/BM https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18998/BM https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12948/BM HOW TO REACH BUDDHISTS SERMONS in English https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/23091613253 https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/96171532531 https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/81422131337536 SERMONS IN CHINESE https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/420201832526555/a?autoplay=1 https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/11817137224/a?autoplay=1 https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/12120175743282/a?autoplay=1

This Week's Prayer Guide December 29 - As we close 2024 and enter 2025, we are doing a special week of prayer where we pray Philippians 2:5-11 over the house church in China. To begin, pray that, in their relationships with one another, our brothers and sisters in China would “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:5) December 30 - Pray that the church in China would model Christ, who “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.” (Phil 2:6) December 31 - On this New Year’s Eve, pray that Christians in China would live like Christ, who “made himself nothing, by taking the very nature of a servant.” (Phil 2:7) January 1 - As we enter this new year, pray for Christians in China to “die with Christ,” to be humble and obedient as Christ was, “even death on a cross!” (Phil 2:8) January 2 - Praise God for Christ’s ascension! Pray for Christians in China to cling to the fact that Christ has been raised “to the highest place” and has been given “the name that is above every name.” (Phil 2:9) And they have been raised with him! January 3 - In the midst of difficult times, pray that Christians in China will remember “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (Phil 2:10). No earthly kingdom can overcome him! January 4 - Pray for the church in China to be an active witness to Christ, that more people in China may take part in this promise: “every tongue [will] acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:11) 12月29日--在2024年即将结束、2025年即将来临之际，我们将进行一个特别的祷告周，为中国的家庭教会用《腓立比书》2:5-11来带领我们祷告。首先，求主帮助中国的弟兄姐妹，在他们彼此的关系中，能够 “以基督耶穌的心为心”（腓2:5）。 12月30日--求主帮助中国的教会能够以基督为榜样，祂 “本有上帝的形像，却不坚持自己与上帝同等”（腓2:6）。 12月31日--在这个新年前夕，求主帮助中国的基督徒能够活出基督的样式，祂 “虚己，取了奴僕的形像”。(腓 2:7） 1月1日--进入新的一年，为中国的基督徒祷告，让他们 “与基督同死”，像基督一样谦卑顺服，“且死在十字架上！”（腓2:8）。(腓2：8） 1月2日--为基督的升天赞美神！为中国的基督徒祷告，让他们紧紧抓住基督已经升到 “至高之处”，并“赐给他超乎万名之上的名”（腓2:9）。他们也与祂一同被高举！ 1月3日--在艰难的时刻，求主帮助中国的基督徒记住 “一切在天上的、地上的和地底下的， 因耶稣的名， 众膝都要跪下，”（腓2:10）。没有任何属世的国度能够胜过他！ 1月4日--为中国教会祷告，让他们成为基督的积极见证人，让更多中国人能够参与这个应许：“众口都要宣认： 耶稣基督是主， 归荣耀給父上帝 (腓2:11）。”

WHICH WAY ARE YOU LOOKING? 2 Timothy 4 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. It's the end of another year, what have we done with the year just gone? Millions have died, most to a lost eternity, so are time on earth is so short. Paul reflecting on his life, penned these amazing words to hos protege, Timothy. He looked at his life, he looked squarely into the eyes of the death shortly to happen to him and had the utmost confidence. In 2025, which way will we look: Backwards In verse 7, Paul reflects on his life, he looks back and says that he has fought a good and finished the race. Can we say that? I wonder if I could, you know as you get older, you look back, I certainly look back and think about my past and I know that the words penned by Paul couldn't be mine. I Have failed the Lord so many time, but he has been so gracious and merciful to me. There is good in looking back, but there is bad in looking back, remember that our focus mustn't be on the past, we can't change it, however much we want to, we can learn from it. If we are truly saved, we have to remember that God is merciful and has forgiven all our past failures. Many of carry the past with us, it is like a ball and chain round our feet, but only the devil reminds us of our past, it is his aim, to kee us looking at our past, it is the Holy spirit's aim to help us learn from our past. Are you continually looking at your past or learning from it? Forwards PHILIPPIANS 3 7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Paul was a mature believer, but still he wanted to obey the call of God, the call of God to the Christian, is always to go FULLER, DEEPER AND HIGHER. Standing still in the Christian life, is never an option, If a climber, wants to climb Mount Everest, he never stays at base camp, he moves onwards and upwards. The Christian needs to constantly be going forward, to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, the christian should be always on an upward trajectory. Are you moving fowards in your Christian life? Are you spending quality time in your bible? Are you spending more time in prayer? UPWARDS TITUS 2 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Jesus is coming soon, we see what's happening all around us, the last days are upon us, we need to be awake. Jesus makes it clear that we need to keep awake, as we do not know what time the son of Man, would come and blessed is that one who have their lamps trimmed and ready。Matthew 25. Philippians 3 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working

"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." ~ Hebrews 13:3 ESV SPECIAL VIDEO EDITION "2024 IN REVIEW" Throughout the year of 2024, VOMC's Persecution & Prayer Alert reports continued to call attention to the current challenges being encountered by Christians in different countries of the world. Considering that these persecuted believers were experiencing serious forms of suffering for their faith – whether it be imprisonment, the threat of death, and/or other situations of concern – the prayers of God's people have been both timely and critical. In this week's specially produced year-end video report, host Greg Musselman interviews Anita Hanna, who serves as the Manager of International Ministry for the Voice of the Martyrs Canada. We encourage you to listen to their discussion as they address four of the international nations that were featured most frequently throughout the year in the ministry's weekly Persecution & Prayer Alert reports. During the interview, Greg and Anita also discuss the various ways in which VOMC is providing for the immediate needs of those experiencing persecution. Hear how our Christian brothers and sisters in Pakistan, India, Nigeria and Iran have received urgently needed assistance. On behalf of VOMC's ministry team, we greatly appreciate your faithful prayers for these believers and so many others who have been encountering persecution in their respective countries. By engaging in prayer for them, you are aptly heeding the words of Hebrews 13:3. Watch Video Now

MY TESTIMONY https://www.tblfaithnews.com/tbl-china/but-god-my-testimony-part-2-chinese-english https://www.tblfaithnews.com/tbl-china/but-god-a-personal-testimony-part-1-chinese-english

wishing you all a very happy christmas please view my christmas devotions https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/tbl-china

PSALM 149 149 Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. 2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord. It's a new year, the need for fervent prayer is more and more needed. Here in China, we need fervent prayer for our church, we area small house church here in Nanjing. PRAISES God has kept us safe during this past year, several churches in Nanjing have been raided and even closed down. People are still being saved and brought into the kingdom of God. People are growing in their faith and going on with Him. God graciously allowed my family and I to travel to the UK and Europe and share the gospel in several churches. PERSONAL REASONS For my health in China, recently I have suffered broken bones in my right foot, now fully recovered. For the strengthening of my marriage to my wife, we are one of the handful of Christian couples in our church. For protection from harm, physically, spiritually and emotionally. Demonic attacks are very powerful. For protection on my teaching, for my dear students, esp Little C, a nine-year-old girl, who has recently been baptized and E another Christian girl, who is going through stressful times. For My daughter's health, please pray as she and boyfriend, will probably marry this year. Pray for more opportunities to travel and to share the gospel with many other churches. Below are prayer requests for every day of the week, please take a few minutes to pray each day for China. Sunday 周日 Please pray that the Chinese church, would be filled with purity, power and boldness as it meets today. Please pray for the pastors as they preach, for boldness and empowerment. Please pray for the protection of all services. 请祷告中国教会，就像今天一样充满洁净，权柄和胆魄。请在牧师传道之时为他拥有胆魄、允准而祷告。请祷告所有侍奉都得到保护。 Monday 周一 Please pray as the church is 80-90% women. Men need to be challenged and activated into leadership. Please pray that each church would have a group of godly men, who fear nothing but God, and who are prepared to sacrifice themselves for the gospel. 请为教会80％-90％的女士祷告。男士需要经历挑战并活跃在领导岗位。请祷告每个教会都将有一群神的仆人们，他们除了神无所惧怕，也准备好为福音奉献自己。 Tuesday 周二 Plese pray for the next generation, most of the church is made up of middle-aged people. Please pray that there would be an influx of young people and children into the church. The next generation is only interested in the latest fashion and cell phone. Please pray for the children of China, who are under severe pressure to achieve a good score at school. 请为下一代祷告，绝大多数教会是由中年人组成，请祷告教会有年轻人和孩子们进入，下一代仅对最新的时尚和手机有兴趣。请祷告中国的孩子们，他们在学校为了获得好分数面临严重的压力。 Wednesday 周三 Persecution is real, but we can and do share the gospel. Please pray that God would open up opportunities to share the gospel. People are in great need. Many people have mental problems, the society seems stable, but people are hurting very deeply. Please pray that the church, would be salt and light. 迫害真实发生，但我们能做的就是分享福音。请祷告神将开启分享福音的机会。人民有巨大需求。许多人有精神问题，社会看似平稳，但人们内心被深深伤害，请祷告教会将成为盐和光。 Thursday 周四 https://joshuaproject.net/countries/CH 140 million are unreached. The size of the task is huge, to walk down a street is to be overwhelmed by this mass of humanity. Please pray that every person in China, would hear the gospel. 一亿四千万人未领受福音。这项任务数字巨大，走在街上都会被大量民众所征服。请祷告中国每个人将听到福音。 Friday 周五 Many millions are trapped in Buddhism (500 Million), Communist Ideology (130 Million) and Atheism (500 Million). These ideologies are deep strongholds for the Chinese people and can only

Over the past four years, we haven't had anyone to report, as Covid has curtailed our travel, but this year, we more than made up for it. At Chinese new year, we went on a ten day trip to Chongqing, Chengdu and Libin by train, bus and plane. First of all, I don't recommend travelling at this time, why because over 1 billion people, decide to do the same thing! First up was Chongqing, a mega city and wow this is an extraordinary place, our first stop was the cave in the cliff, houses literally hanging on the side of a cliff, and at night it was even more spectacular, as it was lit up with thousands of lights. It got more amazing, as we saw the train going into a block of houses, yeah really, there is a train station in the middle of this block, with people living above and below it. This city is out of this world and the next day, we went to see an old town again built o a hillside, totally amazing. Oh and of course, we had the famous Chongqing hotpot, it is very delicious, they bring you all the food and a big boiling pot and you boil the ham, the fish and everything else in this big pot, ours cost about 80 yuan, well worth it. On to Chengdu, the food got so spicy, my wife and daughter loved it, but I was on the bread and rice diet, the street food was totally amazing and smelled really good. Our final stop was Libin, a small city near Chengdu, near the city was an old Chinese town with many old houses and streets, which we found very interesting as Keith is an expert at History, well he was once long ago at school. Subway travel was very difficult, as it was so crowded, we took an hour to go 200 yards and were packed in like sardines on the subway, so if you come to China, don't come at Chinese new year. I haven‘t been back to my homeland of the Uk, for nine years, so we decided to take the whole of the summer there, to make it more interesting, my wife and daughter, got a months visa to travel in Europe. My dear cousin Elaine and her wonderful children John and Claire hosted us, we arrived in the middle of June, staying near Cambridge, after day trips to afore mentioned Cambridge and London, we set off around Europe. We are so grateful to Elaine for hosting us, we owe you so much, Thank you. Our first port of call, was Norway, arriving in Oslo, was amazing, it's midnight and it's still daytime. We got on a bus from Oslo to visit, Helen's cousin and her son in Avdal, a five hour journey. What can I say about the hospitality from Leyuene and Ole, we were taken up into the high mountains, had reindeer meat and walked around this beautiful location and saw some of the highest waterfalls in Norway. On the Sunday, we had church in the forest, absolute amazing experience. After five days in Avdal I had to be dragged away, as i loved it so much, we departed for Prague. This is the most wonderful city, the castle is absolutely huge and the climb up to it, is lung bursting. The city itself is a treasure trove, it is a place that is covered with history, with its cobbled streets, magnificent churches and coloured houses. The euro football was on at that time, England were playing, this Englishmen was trying in vain to find a television in the middle of Prague to watch the football, eventually I found of all things an Irish bar, England losing 1-0, deep in Injury time, one last chance, a long throw, a header on and an overhead kick, this Englishman, jumped up and down and got very excited. England won 2-1! Vienna was our next stop, now every year I used to watch the Strauss concert from the Golden hall, and we were able to go to an all Mozart concert played by an orchestra in period costume, we had to stand up, but that was on my bucket list, what a night! They played the Blue Daube and Radetzky march to finish, my hands have never been so sore after clapping... I was very happy clappy that night. Onto Italy, Rome was amazing, the Coliseum was beyond words and it is a truly amazing place as is Florence, with its wonderful art galleries, which were free on that Sunday, my daughter, who is an artist, was so happy. But my favourite w

Dear Friend First of All, I wish to wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas and new year. Thanks to you all for reading my devotions, you can find all of them on the bottom line website. See below For all those who have replied to me and sent me tremendous encouragement during the year.. THANKYOU For all those, who have shared my devotions...THANKYOU You are all such a blessing to me. Thanks so much for being part of my life. Please keep praying for me, my dear wife and daughter and our church here in China. God bless you KK Please read and share my devotions, they are many here to bless you. THE BOTTOM LINE https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/tbl-china SONGS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmR0z4EWUjw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5nUTO4m9oA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jlZZvamB8U&list=RDGMEMMib4QpREwENw3_jAc0YgNw&index=4 SERMONS JOHN LENNOX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFw_CQF-RNg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqh6JrhOERY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88WMQVpHZCU

EMMANUEL GOD WITH US Matthew 1:23 What does this mean? Today, we will see what this means for us in real life, how does it apply for us today? Let's take every letter of this wonderful word and explore the true meaning of Christmas E- Poor Entrance Luke 2:6-7 First impressions count.. or do they? When royalty is born, they are usually born with lots of excitement, they are born in privilege and position. But Jesus was born in a stable and not a palace, he was born to poor parents, he was born in a backwater so to speak. He was not welcomed into the world by many the first time he came. One day, all will see him and be forced to admit that he is Lord of Lords and king of Kings. M- Magnificent announcement Luke 2:13-14 It's interesting that thousands and thousands of angels announced the birth of Jesus, they must have made such a racket, but no one but the shepherds heard them. The star was up in the sky, but no one saw it but the wise men. Today, we as Christians, make the same magnificent announcement, but very few hear us, we tell of Jesus, but all people want to know of is: Santa, Presents and all the other things that really do not matter. The announcement is being made, but are you hearing it? M - Lowly manger The stable was the lowest place in the house, it was the place for animals, it must have been smelly and dirty and yet, Jesus was born in a place like that. He left the majesty on high, to come to a place like the stable . It had been prophesised that he would be born this way Micah 5:2. The lowering of Jesus was incredible, he came to us, he was a king, but he gave up all that to come to us, he was born like us, he knew hardship right from the moment of his birth. We couldn't go to God, we have no inclination to go to God, so he came down to us. A-Acknowledge Him Both the shepherds and the wise men came and worshipped him, Herod was frightened of him and the religious leaders, who knew all about him, were unconcerned, just like the Romans. All these attitudes still exist today, you either reverence and worship him, you are scared because of how he will expose your sin, or you are completely unconcerned and he means nothing to you. Times do not change do they, people's attitudes to Jesus do not change. The most important question is WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS? N- Wonderful name/names Isaiah 9:6 We all have names, some more than others. But no one has ever been called what Jesus was called, and that was 700 years before his birth. He is the wonderful counsellor, one whose wisdom is beyond anything that has been seen before, even from Solomon. Whatever your needs are, He is there to help you with His counsel, His truth and by His Spirit. What do you need counsel for today? He is the Mighty God, a name that shows his deity. He is fully God, one with the Father. He has power and authority over all things, all people and all spiritual powers. You have nothing to fear if He is your Lord and Savior. What fears do you need His help to overcome? He is the everlasting father; he is the King. He is a king that cares for his people. He has always existed. The Hebrews means "Father of Eternity," and He has not only always existed, He has authority over time, events in history and your life too. Because He is one with the Father, though He is the Son, He has the same authority as the Father. In what areas do you need to remember that He is the authority, and you are not? He is the prince of peace, he is the one, who brings peace. He is the one who brings peace between God and man. He not only gives peace between Himself and you, but also between you and others, as well as inner peace, because of His grace, forgiveness and gives honour by adopting you into His family for eternity. If you do not know Him as your Lord and Savior, you cannot have peace with Him. If you do not have peace with Him, you cannot have peace. Do you have His peace today? If not, the only way is to turn away from your sin and shame and put your faith or full trust in Him alone for salvation. U- Undoing the fall in the garden Genesis 3:15 Satan had lied

THE INNKEEPERS STORY This person had a front row seat to the birth of Jesus, I wonder if he told his story it would go something like this. It's been a long day today, my inn which is one of the biggest in Bethlehem is full to overflowing, people have been coming to this small town, they all need somewhere to stay, many come from out of town, they were born here, but have no house or residence here, so they have to stay somewhere. The inns are all so full, mine included, it's been a long day, why oh why did the Romans have to start all this census nonsense, they are so precise, but they are our rulers, it does bring in good business for me, money is flowing in. It's been a long day, and I try to rest my weary body, but just before I close my eyes, there's a knock on my door, who could it be so late at night? Wearily I go down to answer the knocking on my door, under the moonlight, I can see a young man, please help us sir, my wife is heavily pregnant, she is about to give birth and I have been to every other inn in Bethlehem, they all have said there's no room, please help us. He is beyond anxious, the pleading look in his eyes, I don't mean to say this to him, but truly I have no rooms, but I do have a stable where the animal feed, there is hay and straw where you can rest and I can give you some water and a little food. His eyes light up, thank you so much, so I take him to the stable, there is an oxen and my cows asleep, the couple are just so happy, she can't be anymore than in her late teens, she has a great glow and he is very attentive to her. They settle in, my animals have never had human company, they seem fascinated by their new visitors, they soon go back to sleep. But during that night, well two things happened, first of all, the girl gave birth, her name was Mary, it was a boy, her firstborn, they called him Jesus, and they laid him in the animal trough used for feeding the animals. Amazingly, they had visitors, you see these shepherds came because they had heard thousands of angels, telling them that the Saviour, would be born in Bethlehem and in my stable. They told everyone, I don't think many believed them, after all they are shepherds and shepherds are always telling tall stories. You know, long ago, one of our Prophets Micah told us that the saviour would be born in Bethlehem, I wonder, if this was him. Jesus came into the world to save sinners like you and me, he came humbly and without any pomp and majesty. He was born in a humble stable, no one recognised him, no one wanted to know, he came because we couldn't get to God, He had to come to us. Most if not all of the inns in Bethlehem refused entry to Jesus, that's like the world today, it refuses to accept Jesus, it puts up a no entry sigh to Jesus. Others are like the innkeeper, they put Jesus in the stable, they will accept Jesus in, but place him away from their celebration of life, Jesus you go to the stable, we will celebrate with you outside in the stable. The shepherds however heard the good news and came to see Jesus and they were transformed, they told everyone. This Christmas, which one of the three are you like? Who am I? I am an ordinary Christian just like you and me, I love to study the scriptures and share what God shows me. I am from the UK, and at present live in Nanjing China. I am an English teacher. I have been saved from my teenage years, am now eligible for Pension. I believe the whole of the bible, especially love the five Solas of the reformation. I am saved by GRACE alone by FAITH alone in CHRIST alone through the WORD OF GOD alone for the GLORY OF GOD alone. RESOURCE CENTRE.. If you are in China, you may need a Vpn to access some of these links. Please make use of the resources BELOW, either click on the links or copy and paste them into your browser. Please share these devotions. If you are not yet subscribed to receive these emails, please reply to keitherichobkirk@... THE BOTTOM LINE https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/tbl-china PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THIS MINISTRY AND PRAY FOR CHINA http://chinapartnership.org/prayer/ So

Joseph, the other dreamer. My name is Joseph and I saw it all, I have a wife and several children, all great, but it is the oldest that is beyond remarkable. His name is Jesus, he is special beyond words, in every way. Let me tell you my story. I am a carpenter, I work hard designing and crafting all kinds of things in wood, it is a very skilled job. My parents were happy when I found a lovely young girl called Mary, a virgin, a sweet girl to be my wife. Preparations for the wedding were going well, when a really big problem arose, she was pregnant, how could this happen？ She told me this amazing story that an angel visited her and said the child was God's son. People thought I was crazy, surely I should have her stoned to death, but something stopped me, God does things outside of our thinking you see, he works through humble servants like me and Mary. I am a thoughtful person and so I decided to get rid of her quietly, but how to do this？ One night I had a dream, God himself spoke to me telling me to marry Mary and not be afraid of anyone. So I proceeded with our engagement, many in the town objected to Mary, so she went away to Elizabeth her cousin, who was also pregnant after years of trying. When she returned, we had to go to my hometown of Bethlehem, as I am of the line of David, it was a long and dangerous journey, and Bethlehem was packed out with people, there was no room for us at any inn, one of the innkeepers, kindly gave us his stable and it was there that Jesus was born. Even more incredible was the visit of the shepherds to us, they too, had heard from angels, my espoused wife had seen an angel and now these shepherds had. The law demanded we go up to Jerusalem to present Jesus at the temple, we offered the required sacrifice, but we were met by two people who spoke of Jesus in the most amazing way. Both Simeon and Anna, said things so amazing, we are pondering their true meaning years after. We settled down to family life, but later on, we had a visit from three magi or astrologers from some far country, they had seen a star and had followed it to our home, they gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and they bowed down and worshipped him, this child is extraordinary. This is beyond incredible, Jesus was being worshipped by these men, they indeed were wise, because wise men seek and worship Jesus. After they had gone back to their home country, another dream told me to go to Egypt, because something the wise men had told King Herod, he was killing all the babies under two years old, so we got out quick. We returned from Egypt, but being warned in a dream, not to go to Bethlehem, we headed to Nazareth. Every year we went to Jerusalem, with our children, when Jesus was twelve, he went missing. Being the oldest, we thought he was with our party, so we continued to Nazareth, but after checking with all our co-travellers, we found out Jesus was missing. He is in Jerusalem on his own, his mother and I were beside ourselves with worry, we searched for three days, we asked everyone, no sign of him. Let's try the temple, oh He will never be in there, we were amazed, there sitting in the midst of the temple was Jesus, asking questions of the leaders of Israel. No one would ever do that, but HIM. We scolded him, but he just looked up at us and said Didn't you know I would be doing my father's business He came back to Nazareth and was and is the perfect son, nothing upsets him, he is subject to us in all things, we couldn't wish for a better son. Now tradition tells us that Joseph died, probably before Jesus started his earthly ministry. What we do know that Joseph was an eye witness of Jesus, he saw him up close and personal. Jesus was and is unique, he was conceived differently, lived differently, spoke differently, but he was perfectly human and perfectly God.. in human form. He was tempted in all points like we are, but without sin. Joseph knew Christ, my question this Christmas is. Do you know Him? During his earthly ministry, his family thought he was mad, his mother Mary believed in Him and later two

The Shepherds and the Angels LUKE CHAPTER 2 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”[d] 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. THE LOWLY SHEPHERDS We are the lowest of the low. We look after the sheep near Bethlehem, there are thousands of them. Many of them are used in sacrifice. Hundreds are fattened ready for Passover each year. It's a lonely job. It's a boring job. We don't sleep... we just count sheep. Every day it's the same and every night it's long and lonely. 每天都是一样的，每一个夜晚都是漫长而孤独的。 But there was a night like no other! Let me tell you about it! I was a young man then, but now I am old. The memory is imprinted of my brain. The night is usually dark, lit only by the moon and the stars. That night... suddenly, it was like the lights of all the world had been turned on. There was a great noise, like the sound of many waters. Angels, thousands of them saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” At first, we were terrified. Fear gripped us. But this wasn't anything to be feared. This was good news. The angels were telling us what many had hoped for; a Saviour, a Redeemer, [was born, who] would he set our people free from Rome. At last God was speaking to us. He hadn't for many years, despite all the sacrifices and offerings we gave. The angel told us where to go. Was it to a royal palace? No it was to a lowly stable! This King, this Saviour, was being born in a stable. I don't get this! Then all was quiet. The angels had gone, so we decided to find out for ourselves. Let's go to the stable. We found the stable and sure enough there was the Child, just born. His mother was so young, and hey I know that man... it's Joseph, the carpenter from Nazareth. We stayed a while. It was so touching; the baby cried a little. He snuggled up to His mother. She was holding Him in cloths from the stable. We left, and wondered, "Why us?" Why not tell our rulers? We decided to tell everyone about what we had seen and heard, but despite us telling people the truth, they looked at us and thought we were mad. They thought we had been dreaming. After all it does say in Isaiah 53: 1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? We knew and believed what we saw was true. After all, we heard it from the mouth of angels, the messengers of God. My eyes are dim now, but I still remember that night. I remember that Baby safe in His mother's arms. During my time as a shepherd, I have seen millions of sheep, but now I have seen the promised Messiah who came as a Lamb to be slain and to give His life as a ransom for many. Sheep... let me tell you are the most disobedient creatures on the planet. They need someone to turn them the right way. They are like us. Isaiah 53:6-7: 6 All we

aa3abraham miao;?aa3abrahamtitus;?AA3ACE;?aa3ailsa;?Aa3ALICECH ;?aa3aliceli;?aa3allyson;?aa3angel;?aa3anna;?aa3annie ;?aa3banner ;?aa3baoshi ;?aa3bei ;?aa3better;?aa3bible;?aa3billy;?aa3bob;?Aa3BROTHER CH ;?aa3caleb ;?aa3carlos;?AA3christiana;?aa3cross? Thu 05/12/2024 18:11 Dear Friend 亲爱的朋友， Soon it will be Christmas. 圣诞节快到了。 We celebrate the birthday of Jesus, it is a big build up. It is planned and organised by us, all our presents are bought, all our food has been cooked. 我们庆祝耶稣的诞生，这是一件需要大力准备的事情。我们好好地做了计划和行动，所有礼物都已购买好，所有的美食都已准备就绪了。 But the birth of Jesus was planned before time began, Jesus came in God's time. 但耶稣的诞生在创始之前就已经被计划好了，耶稣在神的时间里降临。 All of history rests on the birth of this little baby, God speaking after 400 years. 整个历史都建立在这个小婴儿的诞生之上，这是神在400年后的再次发声。 He came to bring life, he came to bring us the love of God. 他来是为了带来生命，他来是为了带来神的爱。 But he came in human form, he had to enter our world. His conception was supernatural, his birth was natural. He was born humbly. 他以人的形象降临，甘心乐意进入我们的世界。他的受孕是超自然的，但他的诞生是自然的。他以谦卑的方式诞生。 He lived an ordinary life, perfect in every point. 他过着普通的生活，每一点都完美无瑕。 He died an atoning death and rose again through his resurrection to give life to ungodly sinners. 他死于赎罪的死，并通过复活为不敬虔的罪人带来新生命。 Have you trusted Him? 你信任他了吗？ Thank you from my family to yours. 我家向你的家人表示感谢。 To everyone, who has received and replied to my devotions over the last year. 感谢在过去一年里接收并回复我灵修信息的每一个人。 Thank you so much 非常感谢。 Here are some devotions /sermons sharing the truth of With love and blessings at Christmas and always 这里还有一些灵修/讲道继续分享真理。 在圣诞节以及所有的日子饱含爱和祝福， Keith and Family. 基思和他的家人 THE LOVE OF GOD 神的爱 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life…John 3:16.” “神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的不至灭亡，反得永生。——约翰福音3:16” As we reflect upon this blessed Christmas season and the New Year to come, let us be thankful for God the Father who so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. What joy and gratitude flood our hearts for the personal relationship we have with Him each and every day. 在我们回顾这个蒙福的圣诞季节和即将到来的新年，我们心存感激。感谢神，他如此爱世人，赐下他的独生子，叫一切信他的人不至灭亡，反得永生。每一天，我们都为自己与神的亲密关系而充满喜悦和感恩。 Indeed 确实， “The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled and pardon from his sin. O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure the saints and angels’ song.” “神的爱，远远超越人所能言表。它超过最高的星辰，触及最深的地狱。带着愧疚的罪人，背负着忧虑，神赐下他的儿子来拯救；他宽恕了他迷失的孩子，赦免了他的罪。哦，神的爱是多么富足纯净！多么不可度量的强大！它将永远流传，是圣徒和天使的歌。” What glorious words of truth penned by Frederick Martin Lehman so long ago but so relevant today. It is our hope you have made room in your hearts for the babe lying in a manger where God displayed for the whole world His Love for mankind. That child in the manager is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Son of the Living God. In Him alone, are forgiveness, abundant life, and life eternal. Make room for Him today. 这些真理之言由弗雷德里克·马丁·雷赫曼在很久以前写下，但在今天仍然适用。我们希望你已在心中为那躺在马槽里的婴儿预留了一席之地，神向整个世界展示了他对人类的爱。那个在马槽中的孩子是万王之王，万主之主，永生神的儿子。在他里面，只有宽恕、丰盛的生命和永生。今天就为他留出空间吧。 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Bruce and Kathy 圣诞快乐，新年快乐，布鲁斯和凯西 THE MOST FORETOLD EVENT IN HISTORY 历史上最精准预言的事件 “But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you are little to be among the clans of Judah; [yet] out of you shall One come forth for Me Who is to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from ancient days (eternity). Therefore shall He give them up until the time that she who travails has brought forth; then what is left of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; and they shall dwell [secure], for then shall He be great [even] to the ends of the earth…Micah 5:2-4.” “伯利恒以法他啊，你在犹大诸城中为小；将来必有一位从你那里出来，在以色列中为我作掌权的；他的根源从亘古

SCRATCHING THE SURFACE PSALM 119 97 Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. There are many people who say that you should read many chapters of the bible each day, but I am going to disagree. In our church, we encourage church members to read five chapters per day, now I have used for several years the Murray mccheyne method of reading the bible, which I have been really enjoyed, indeed I would strongly recommend it, here is a link to it. https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/24-mcheyne-one-year-reading-plan Over the past year, I have been struck that the best way for me to move forward in my walk with God, is to read the bible in short segments. I am currently reading the psalms one by one, making notes on each one. Earlier this year, I spent ten days in John chs 1-3, now I am not seeking to glory himself in doing this, this is what is working for me at the moment. You know we are told to study 2 Timothy 2:15, let the word dwell.. or take up residence Colossians 3:16 and meditating on God's word Psalm 119:99. Let me give you two illustrations, a number of years ago, we went to Oslob in the Philippine's to dive with whale sharks, my wife and daughter dived with them and I sat on the boat and saw them, but not as close up as they did. Let me ask you, which one of us, had the best experience? Surely that was the one my wife and daughter had as they came face to face with these wonderful creatures. This is like bible reading, we need to go up close and personal with the word of God to dig out it's treasures. My friend Adam, loves to scuba dive. If he went to the Great barrier reef in Australia and used a jet ski to skim over the surface of the reef, would he of seen the reef?. Only when we went below the surface could he truly see the reef in all it's beauty. Again it's like our bible reading, are we prepared to ride on a jet ski or are we prepared to scuba dive and go below the surface. My aim in this devotion is not to say reading five or more chapters is wrong, it isn't, it works for some people and I praise God for that. My aim is for you to go below the surface and dig out the treasures from God's word. I often say about God's word, we have our own personal gold mine, so why do we stick a sign on ours that says.. unused. To get gold you must dig for it, you must take time and it takes time and effort. Most Christians spend more time on social media that they do studying the bible. When reading the bible: Pray open my eyes to see your beauty Pray that God would speak a personal word to you Meditate on a particular verse or promise throughout the day Take notes of what you have learned If you have learned something, share it with your wife, pastor or friends. The bible is like no other book, it cannot be rushed, it is beyond any other book. Let it's words, it's promises, it's truth, take up residence in your heart. Get yourself off Facebook and get your face in the book.. amen God bless you KK Who am I? I am an ordinary Christian just like you and me, I love to study the scriptures and share what God shows me. I am from the UK, and at present live in Nanjing China. I am an English teacher. I have been saved from my teenage years, am now eligible for Pension. I believe the whole of the bible, especially love the five Solas of the reformation. I am saved by GRACE alone by FAITH alone in CHRIST alone through the WORD OF GOD alone for the GLORY OF GOD alone. RESOURCE CENTRE.. If you are in China, you may need a Vpn to access some of these links. Please make use of the resources BELOW, either click on the links or copy and paste them into your browser. Please share these devotions. If you are not yet subscribed to receive these emails, please reply to keitherichobkirk@... THE BOTTOM LINE https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/tbl-china PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THIS MINISTRY AND PRAY FOR CHINA http://chinapartnership.org/prayer/ Soundslikereign.. beautiful music, you can download this music for free https://www.soundslikereign.com/ Persecuted church News of the persecuted church https://www.persecution.com/ SERMON CEN

This December, to close out our year of praying for Chinese cities, we are praying for the city of Xiamen. This southeastern coastal city has a long history as a port city, and was once an important part of the tea trade. Because of this access to the outside world, it was also an a major site of Protestant missionary activity, and has a rich historical significance in Chinese Christianity. Today, the house church continues to operate in Xiamen. As one local pastor shares, this inheritance of faith has had great influence over the churches in the region, and “the long years of pastoral care have enabled the present house churches to interact with each other and pass on the faith from generation to generation. It is all by God's grace.” As we finish the year, will you join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in Xiamen? This Week's Prayer Guide December 1 - This December, we are praying for the southeastern city of Xiamen. Pray for the gospel to go deeper and wider among the churches and people of Xiamen. December 2 - Xiamen has a history as an entry point for foreign influence in China, including the establishment of the first Chinese-built Christian church. Pray for God to continue building on this rich spiritual history, that the gospel will grow deep roots in the city of Xiamen. December 3 - A pastor in Xiamen shares that, spiritually, the city of Xiamen has rich resources but struggles with comfort-driven complacency, superficial ministry depth, and inconsistent spiritual vitality. Pray for the Holy Spirit to awaken a hunger for spiritual things in the people of Xiamen. December 4 - A pastor in Xiamen shares that the city is picturesque, with favorable weather and a relaxed lifestyle. Pray for the church in Xiamen to be an example of true joy and hope to people who are living in comfort. December 5 - In recent years, the once-thriving economy in Xiamen has grown worse. Housing prices have gotten very high, causing many people to leave the city. Those that stay have deprioritized spiritual pursuits. Pray for churches to adapt to these challenges and know how to engage deeply with local residents. December 6 - A pastor in Xiamen shares, “Churches face challenges such as persecution, loss of gathering spaces, and declining faith engagement. Yet, despite this, there has been a shift towards gospel-centered life-building.” Pray for the church to continue to mature in the gospel even in the midst of these challenges. December 7 - A pastor in Xiamen shares, “In 2019, the government started to ban house churches in the Xiamen area, and all the house churches that met openly went underground. It became the norm for churches to move their meeting places or meet online.” Despite this, this pastor shares that Christians have exercised faith in the midst of fear and have gone on to plant churches in the surrounding region. They have experienced “growth in numbers, more involvement in kingdom ministries, and a closer relationship with the congregation.” Praise God for how he works to strengthen his church, even in the midst of hardships. 12月1日——今年12月，我们为东南部城市厦门祈祷。祈祷福音在厦门的教会和市民中传播得更深更广。 12月2日——厦门是海外文化进入中国的门户，包括建立了中国的第一座基督教教堂。祈祷上帝继续在这段深厚的属灵历史基础上发展，让福音在厦门扎根。 12月3日——厦门的一位牧师分享道，从精神层面来看，厦门拥有丰富的资源，但同时也存在安逸自满、事工肤浅、属灵不稳定等问题。求圣灵唤醒厦门人对属灵事物的渴望。 12月4日——厦门的一位牧师分享道，厦门风景如画，气候宜人，生活悠闲。为厦门的教会祷告，愿他们成为生活在舒适环境中人们的真正喜乐和希望的榜样。 12月5日——近年来，厦门一度繁荣的经济状况每况愈下。房价高企，导致许多人离开这座城市。留下来的人也不再重视属灵追求。请为教会祷告，希望他们能够适应这些挑战，并知道如何与当地居民深入互动。 12月6日——厦门的一位牧师分享道：“教会面临着迫害、聚会场所减少和信仰参与度下降等挑战。然而，尽管如此，人们还是逐渐转向以福音为中心的生活建设。”请为教会祷告，让他们即使在挑战面前也能继续成长。 12月7日——厦门的一位牧师分享道：“2019年，政府开始禁止厦门地区的家庭教会，所有公开聚会的家庭教会都转入地下。教会转移聚会地点或在线聚会成为常态。” 尽管如此，这位牧师表示，基督徒在恐惧中仍然坚定信仰，并在周边地区建立教堂。他们经历了“人数增长、更深地参与国度事工以及与会众的关系更加紧密”。赞美上帝，即使在艰难时刻，祂仍然努力巩固自己的教会

EPHESIANS 1 15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. KNOWING CHRIST IN ALL HIS FULLNESS I wonder what it was like to be one of the believers in Ephesus, as this letter was read to the whole church, it must of been so eye opening to hear these words read in their original written language of Greek. Paul has said the longest sentence in the bible and now he is going to pray the first of his greet prayers for the church and the individual believers in Ephesus. Paul has outlined all that we have in Christ and who we are in Christ, now he prays that we fully grasp and grow in this wonderful knowledge. He doesn't want these things in vs 3-14, just to be head knowledge, he wants these things to deepen and develop in the life of the church and each individual believer. In verse 17, Paul states that the believers be given the spirit of wisdom and revelation, they would have a passionate heavenly mindset to all the things mentioned in vs 3-14. The believers would fully grasp all that Christ has given them, to do this, we need God's wisdom, because these things cannot be discerned by human wisdom, how can human wisdom understand redemption, adoption and election? God through his holy spirit is continually revealing to us new things, Paul is saying, may God continually reveal new and exciting things about Christ to you. Let me ask you as you read your bible, Is God revealing new things about Christ? Are you grasping more of what you have in Christ and who you are in Christ? SEE John 1:14-16, Colossians 3:11. Romans 13:14, John 15:5 He prays for three P's: To know God's amazing plan verse 19 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will God had a plan, before time began, he choose you, he predestined you. Do I understand these things? No! I do not wish to get into an argument over this subject, the bible teaches it and so I believe it. Some things are beyond our mind's scope, all we can do is to wonder at the glory of it...amen We praise God although we see through a glass darkly, there are things, we don't understand, but we know and praise God that he had a plan for each and everyone for us. These verses in Romans 8, are so wonderful: 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. To know God's amazing power vs 19-20 The ESV says: 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might We all know that hurricanes and earthquakes can be measured, but God's power cannot be measured, it is immeasurable, and it works in us, it is to us who believe, it is working in and through us, by his p

EPHESIANS 1 15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; TRUE PURPOSE DRIVEN PRAYER How do we pray for each other? What is our motivation for praying for your fellow believers. Paul has stated what we have in Christ, he has shown us that we have everything IN Christ. When we see believers trusting in and serving Christ, then we should pray for them. How do we pray for people: We pray profitably for them, Paul says for this reason. For what reason you say, well to gain a thorough knowledge of all he has outlined in verses 3-14, because if we truly grasped what we have in Christ and who we are in Christ, then we would have true Christian assurance and security, most of the problems in our Christian lives, lie in a lack of security and we have no knowledge of who we are in Christ. He prayed precisely for them, look at the rest of the prayer, he is praying for specific things for the believers, he is praying for wisdom, hope, knowledge of God and power. He is not praying for worldly things, but for things relating to the kingdom of God. We pray for them personally. Note he talks of your faith, he prays for each of the believers in Ephesus. As we read further in this prayer, we see how personal this prayer is. When we pray every day, we pray for individual believers, sure we pray for the church, but we pray for individual believers. Paul had spent years in Ephesus, he knew many of these believers in person, many in churches today, only know those in their little cliques. We pray for them passionately As soon as Paul heard about these believers, he started to pray. As you read the prayer, can you hear the passion, he is praying with. Do you pray for your fellow believers with passion?. Is it just bless X or Y, or do you pray with passion for them? He prays persistently, he does not cease to give thanks for these believers. His prayers were ongoing and constant for the believers, he did not pray once in a while for these believers, he brought them before the throne of grace on most days. He prays with a positive result in mind, look ahead to the prayer, what is the result, that they would know the power of God manifested in their lives. Prayer is power and the result of you praying into believers lives is that they are infused with the very power of God. As you pray for your fellow believers, you need to pray in these five ways: Profitably Personally Passionately Precisely Persistently If we pray like this, our prayers, will have a positive result, that the very power of God would be unleashed in the people and churches you pray for. God bless you Who am I? I am an ordinary Christian just like you and me, I love to study the scriptures and share what God shows me. I am from the UK, and at present live in Nanjing China. I am an English teacher. I have been saved from my teenage years, am now eligible for Pension. I believe the whole of the bible, especially love the five Solas of the reformation. I am saved by GRACE alone by FAITH alone in CHRIST alone through the WORD OF GOD alone for the GLORY OF GOD alone. RESOURCE CENTRE.. If you are in China, you may need a Vpn to access some of these links. Please make use of the resources BELOW, either click on the links or copy and paste them into your browser. Please share these devotions. If you are not yet subscribed to receive these emails, please reply to keitherichobkirk@... THE BOTTOM LINE https://www.tblfaithnews.com/category/tbl-china PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THIS MINISTRY AND PRAY FOR CHINA http://chinapartnership.org/prayer/ Soundslikereign.. beautiful music, you can download this music for free https://www.soundslikereign.com/ Persecuted church News of the persecuted church https://www.persecution.com/ SERMON CENTRE PILGRIMS PROGRESS sermonaudio.com/sermon/91617181898 sermonaudio.com/sermon/9161718184710 sermonaudio.com/sermon/916171819300 sermonaudio.com/sermon/916171820182 sermonaudio.com/sermon/916171820563 PRAYER CENTRE PRAY FOR ITALY https://prayercast

Ephesians 1 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. SIGNED SEALED AND DELIVERED What happens when a person truly trusts Christ for salvation?, One of the things, is that he/she receives the precious Holy spirit, who is their teacher, guide and comforter. One of the things that the Holy spirit does is to seal us, to authenticate us in the sight of God. When you have a piece of porcelain from a world famous factory, it will usually have the makers or artists mark on it, it is the same with us, we are sealed with God's seal or stamp, we are his. God has purchased us as his prized possession, he now seals us, remember that the Spirit of God is fully God, he can and does do this, the seal is the guarantee we will receive the inheritance. One day we will receive our full inheritance, it is a sure thing, there should be no doubt in our minds. I come to all these verses and they are my favourite verses in the whole bible, their focus is on God and what Jesus did for us on the cross. They go back to the dawn of history and look forward to heaven and to the glorious realisation that we will be his forever. They are reassuring words for the believer, but also thay are words to motivate you, to share and proclaim what Christ has done for you. It's truly awesome, but it's no good keeping it to yourself. I pray as we delve deeper into Ephesians, these truths will resonate in your heart and mind. God bless you Keith EPHESIANS 1 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. THE BEST INHERITANCE If salvation, redemption and adoption weren't enough, we now come to the promise of an eternal inheritance. Jesus mentions this in John 14:1-3 and Peter must of been thinking of this, when he wrote these words under the urging of the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 1 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Our parents and other relatives leave us money, but that inheritance will not last, the inheritance we received through Christ, never loses it's value, it remains constant. As I have read this passage, I realise one thing, God doesn't have to do any of this, he makes a deliberate choice, he gives all these blessings, simply because of his love and mercy towards us. The counsel of his own will, he does these things, not to glorify us, but to glorify himself, our salvation , our redemption, adoption and inheritance are about Him and always will be. God does all things for us glory and our good, he saves us that we should bring praise to his glory and supreme majesty. Heaven is our inheritance, intimate fellowship for eternity is our privilege, we shall see his face and serve Him forever.. amen. We are heirs of this promises and joint heirs with Christ, have we received our inheritance yet? No, but we will, it defies description, it simply blows our minds to even think of it. If you have this inheritance, then you want others to have it too, this is a motivation to share the gospel. Do you know Christ and have this inheritance? Let's finish with this amazing verse from Romans 8, rejoice Christian, you are an heir and a joint heir with Christ. Romans 8:17 King James Version 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Next time the devil, tells you that you ar

"I never realized what a great privilege it is to be able to use the voice for Christ until I was deprived of it." ~ Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) Served as a missionary in Myanmar PAKISTAN: Rape Cases Demonstrate Legal Inequality for Christians Sources: International Christian Concern, Morning Star News Girls in Pakistan. Photo: Flickr / European Union (cc) Christians in Pakistan frequently face discrimination when having to deal with matters relating to governmental and/or legal concerns. Two recently occurring sexual assault cases demonstrate the ways in which believers often encounter unjust treatment from the authorities because of their faith. (To review other reports addressing the suffering of our Pakistani brothers and sisters in Christ, go to our country profile.) In late October, a six-year-old girl was raped at a private school in Lahore. When she returned from school, her family noticed blood stains on her clothing, as well as bruises on her body. When the parents asked their child what happened, she told them about the sexual assault, identifying the school's security guard, Husnain, as her attacker. The parents met with the school principal who told them that the girl had merely fallen, resulting in her injuries. When they shared the truth about what had actually occurred, according to their young daughter's explanation, the principal threatened that they would encounter problems if they sought any legal action. Despite the threats, the parents took their little girl to a local hospital for treatment and filed a complaint with the police. Husnain has since been arrested and, at the time of publishing this report, was being investigated. The parents believe that Husnain didn't hesitate to attack their daughter because of their family's Christian faith. As members of a minority group in Pakistan, those who practise Christianity generally receive unfair treatment, and thus tend to be financially poor and lack influence within their communities. As a result, believers are frequently perceived as easy targets by their persecutors, who usually face little to no risk of consequential legal implications. In a separate incident, an 18-year-old Catholic woman was raped at gunpoint on November 7th in the Kot Ranjeet Singh area of Punjab Province. While returning home from work, Imaan Khurrum had been abducted and taken to an abandoned brick kiln where she was beaten and raped. Imaan's mother believes that her daughter was targeted because of their Christian family's impoverished state. While the incident was reported to the police, and Imaan could identify her attacker, no proper action has been taken by the authorities. According to the young woman's uncle, the police initially took two of the assailant's relatives into custody but then released them after receiving a bribe. Adding to Imaan's heartbreaking situation, relatives of the accused have been pressuring her family to withdraw their police report. Meanwhile, the lawyer of the victimized teen is calling on the government to ensure that justice is served, and that protection is provided for Imaan and her family. In the wake of these two devastating incidents, please pray for the physical and emotional healing of the two young victims. Throughout the healing process, may they tangibly sense the strengthening presence and peace of "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3). Pray that the Lord's divine compassion, protection and support will supernaturally sustain them and their families as they await justice. In the meantime, may appropriate action be taken against those who are responsible for committing these horrific assaults – ultimately leading to greatly needed cultural and legislative changes to Pakistan's laws so they will apply equally to all citizens, regardless of their faith or social status. CHINA: Coordinated Church Raids Continue Throughout China Source: ChinaAid Christian worshippers in China. Photo: ChinaAid Recent incidents of police action against churches in China demonstrate the ongoing persecution of believers througho