Imitate me as the model of a father!

 

 

Please click this link for the video version of today's blog :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIGGgf36uZg

Bishop Silas conducting Vancouver Oratorio Society, VOS Chamber and Schola Cantorum singing Parry's I was Glad:

https://youtu.be/Qr4RThsdEjY?si=wh3sT_i3QE8kTgX6

Bishop Silas conducting Schola Cantorum Emmanuel and Vancouver Oratorio Chamber Choir singing Palestrina's O Beata Trinitas:

https://youtu.be/O4wiyr8oa_Y?si=l_cp4aRfVMRzaL6b

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

      2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

     Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile. 

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.          **Sing a song to praise the Lord

      Please click this link to worship with us - 

      

       Be with You: City Harvest Church, Singapore

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epkh71WTUFs&list=RDEpkh71WTUFs&start_radio=1

      10,000 Reasons

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3K3roEF36k

      

     Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method) 

      https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sins to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

**Please click this link to read how God used John Stott to change my life:https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Today's Time with Abba: Psalm 84:9-12, Ezra 7:1-8:20; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21; Proverbs 20:28-30

Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link:http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

Key passage:  

    14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

                                                        1 Corinthians 4:14-17

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through today's TWA passages we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to Him.

The topic I received today from Jesus is:  Imitate me as the model of a father! 

      

     Do you know what kind of Christians the Church needs most?

    Since the Early Church to nowadays, what we need most are those who can demonstrate to us the model of a father like how Paul did! And, we have Timothy to witness of how Paul really demonstrated that important model as Paul was Timothy's spiritual father!

    I do hope and pray that you have a spiritual father or fathers to give you a model to follow and that one day you can say to those you train successfully to be Jesus disciples: "Imitate me as the model of a father! "

    Today's message leads me to think of July 18, 2009 when I brought my son, Ignatius to visit my spiritual father, Rev. Dr. John Stott. When we sat down in his small room of a senior home for Anglican priests, Uncle John said, "Let us celebrate!" Then he told Iggy,  "Ignatius, read 1 Thessalonians 2:6-12":

       6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you.

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

     Then, when Iggy read to the word "Mother", Uncle John asked Iggy to stop and said, "Silas, when you become a bishop, an apostle, you need to be the mother of many."

     Then, when Iggy read to the word "Father", Uncle John asked Iggy to stop and said, "Silas, when you become a bishop, an apostle, you need to be the father of many." 

      Then we had some time to chat and share. I told him that what I received from Jesus as my main job as a bishop, Jesus asked me to turn to Acts 6:4 and do that mainly:

           "give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

      Then I asked him, "Uncle John, Jesus calls me to live out Acts 6:4 by writing a daily devotion blog everyday to lead more people to have a daily intimate relationship with Jesus. What do you think? "

        He looked at me with smile and said, "Silas, you are right on! "

       I believe that is how Jesus used John Stott to give me confirmation of His command to me to write my daily devotion blogs. My "Day 1" of my blog was August 20, 2009 and I have not stopped since that day. Now I have more than 2.7 millions visits helping many people to have a daily intimate relationship with Jesus.

       Please click this link to see some photos of that day when Iggy and I visited John Stott. He went to be with the Lord two years later.

       https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/blessings-from-rev-dr-john-stott.html

     

     

     Dear Lord Jesus,  

     Help us to be a model of a father for others to imitate as how Paul shows us. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

Reflect on these questions:    

1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?

     2.  What is your next step to be more closer to Jesus, to be holy - that is to do what Jesus wants you to do and not to do what Jesus wants you not to do?

    

     Family Corner:

     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

       

       Please click this link to Old Testament Psalm 84 blog: 

         https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/05/day-84-2021-where-do-you-spend-most-of.html

       

     

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Ezra 7:1-8:20 blog and video:

https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningenglish.blogspot.com/2025/08/provide-with-diligence-to-gods-servants.html

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Proverbs 20 blog:  

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/07/day-170-2021-how-to-take-your-next-step_31.html

   For the Chinese version of this daily blog and video, please click this link (中文版請按此連結):

    https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningchinese.blogspot.com

     

     

       My first blog "Devotion on Fire"  was written in English only  (July 17, 2009年7月17日至November 22, 2012年11月22日). Each day one chapter of Bible, from New Testament and then Old Testament. Completed in four months and three years:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/blessings-from-rev-dr-john-stott.html

My second blog "Discipler 123"  was written in both Chinese and English (March 6,2011to December 31, 2016 ):

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-1-choose-light-away-from-darkness.html

and "Time with Abba" blog and video (January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2024): 

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2017/01/1-2017.html

 

 

Connecting Workshop 2025(Session 2)

Bishop Silas Ng on Three Streams

 https://youtu.be/xiSOSFF9Iw0?si=puDWFD9Cx01ADm-o