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Dearly beloved,
Praise God for He is the Ruler of all nature, our wonderful
Redeemer and our soon-coming King! Welcome to the Lord’s
house. We especially welcome the new friends who have come
to worship with us in recent weeks. We also warmly welcome
the Vancouver B-P Church (VBPC) youths, who arrived this
past week and joined our youths (English & Mandarin) at the
Combined Youth Conference yesterday. Thank God for members
in our midst who have shown hospitality and Christian love
by assisting with the group’s logistics arrangements and
hosting two VBPC members. The Vancouver teens have left on a
missions trip to Batam this morning to minister to the
village children.
Friends, how has your week been? Have you done anything for
the Lord this past week? As Christians, we should always be
mindful that we are servants of God. We are His children and
we must be victorious in our Christian lives. Romans 8:9
says, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he
is none of His.” That is, if you do not have the Holy
Spirit, you are not saved. Do you know the Holy Spirit?
The work of the Holy Spirit in our salvation
The mission of the Holy Spirit here is to reveal the Lord
Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world. How does the Holy
Spirit do this work? He does it through the believers in
Christ. He works in and through them to bring the gospel of
Jesus Christ to the world.
His first work is the work of conviction. Our Lord says that
the Holy Spirit “will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). The Holy
Spirit convicts people of their sin, makes them realise that
a judgement day is coming, and shows them how much they fall
short of God’s standard of righteousness.
Can you recall how it was like for you when you accepted our
Lord Jesus into your heart? It was the Holy Spirit that
pricked your heart and drew you to Jesus.
It is interesting to note that there is one sin that the
Holy Spirit convicts. The sin of unbelief — of not receiving
Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord — is the sin that will send
people to hell (John 16:9). Only the Holy Spirit can open
our eyes. He can convict us of the depth
of our sin. He can convince us of the truth of the gospel.
Thus the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of
truth” (John 14:17). We should remember that the Holy
Spirit convicts others of sin by speaking to their
conscience through the Word of God and the testimony of
believers.
The Holy Spirit and Christian life
Perhaps you may have such experiences in your Christian
life. God may have spoken to you as you read His Word. You
experience His guidance and direction in your life. Perhaps
the Holy Spirit is speaking to you this morning. Do you turn
your attention elsewhere, especially if it is a topic or
task that you’re trying to shun?
Each believer has the assurance in knowing that the Holy
Spirit dwells in us. When you believe in Christ, the Holy
Spirit enters your life. Jesus says, “And I will pray the
Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth...”
(John 14:16–17). God has given the Holy Spirit to you and He
will never leave you (Gal 4:6). So it is impossible to be a
Christian without possessing the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9).
The Holy Spirit will always be in our hearts and lives; He
will never leave us (John 14:16). So when a Christian sins,
it grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30). This is why a
Christian should be holy.
The Holy Spirit offers us guidance
The Bible tells us that our lives must be led by the Spirit
(Rom 8:14). Today, we have God’s Word to guide us. And the
Holy Spirit speaks to us through His Word. Guidance from God
comes only when we spend time reading His Word and in
prayer. To neglect the Bible is one sure way not to be led
by the Spirit.
God never tells us to do anything that is contrary to the
principles of the Bible. We are commanded to be filled with
the Spirit; that, is to allow the Spirit to live in us and
to control our lives. We must yield to the Spirit and lead
Christ-centred lives. We need to ask for the filling of the
Holy Spirit and God will answer our prayers.
The Spirit-filled Christian is thankful at all times and
under all conditions. Have you accepted Christ as your
Saviour? Are you reading God’s Word daily and living
Spirit-filled lives? May the Lord speak to your hearts
today.
Loving in Christ,
Pastor James Chan
Pastoral
Letter Archive
2006
2007
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