A megachurch pastor urged Christians to see God's works in the midst of times of danger, fear, and anxiety that we live in today.
"God performs signs which go beyond what we ask or think," said Pastor Tong Liu, senior pastor of River of Life Christian Church in the United States in a Sunday sermon in August.
"Signs are not necessarily what overturn the mountains or shake the heavens and earth, but often they are what you see in your life personally when God himself makes a way when you fail to find a way out and turn to Him."
The Bible tells about a widow whose husband was a disciple of the prophet. When the debtor came one day to take her two sons as slaves, the first thing she did was to bring her need to God through the prophet Elisha.
Pastor Liu said, "You might think this is the easiest thing to do, but it is not an easy act. We’re prone to rely on our own strength and will refuse to give up until all hope is gone. However, you, a child of God, need to remember that our God, who sits on the throne, is pleased to give you grace."
"The Lord said to the Samaritan woman next to the well, ‘You don't have to rack your brains trying to solve your problems.’ He explained, "God already has the answers, if you had asked Him earlier, He would have made the way for you earlier. Likewise, I deeply believe that this is also what God wants to say to us, if we had asked Him earlier, He would have opened the door for us quicker."
One of the reasons we failed to seek God sooner was because we were not sure God had the answers for us, he added.
"But as a Christian, you need to know that you have a loving heavenly Father." Pastor Liu Tong said, "Think of earthly fathers who have limited abilities but do their best to satisfy their children's need. Chinese parents, in particular, prepare almost everything for their children in advance: a crib is prepared before the child is born; a child's highchair before the child can eat; a walker before walk; a college fund is set aside before the child goes to school. Would not our earthly Father, who is imperfect, be more attentive to our needs than what we expect, let alone our Father in heaven?"
He continued, "What a precious promise is Psalm 138:8. It says that the LORD "will", not "may", "probably", or "perhaps". It will be done, not about others, but about you. The Lord knows about you and will do what is necessary concerning you. God is willing to make a way for you at the time you bring your need to Him."
"Another reason is pride. Although we often say the Lord's way is higher than ours, what we think in our hearts is that our own way is quite satisfying to us, so we are willing to choose our own way instead of His.
He said pride was a habitual reliance on oneself. When you had difficulties in your work, God had seen it for a long time. God was willing to be your strength and help as long as you came to Him in humility.
According to 2 Kings 4:2, instead of asking this widow what her family needed and lacked, Elisha asked what she had in here home.
"When we are in a difficult situation in life, we expect some help from outside. We always look to others to do something for us, hoping God to perform signs and lift us out of our difficulties," said Pastor Liu Tong. “Elisha reminded us once again that God's miracles always start with what we already have, just like the miracle of the five loaves and two fish," the pastor shared.
"When we get into trouble, if we only see our lack, what we don't have, we will be at a loss all our lives like Philip. However, once we can see and offer what we have, as Andrew did, God can use what we offer to make a sign."
"Elisha asked the widow what she had, and rather than saying she had nothing, she saw the only bottle of oil she had. From a human point of view, a bottle of oil is worthless. But when she offered it to God, the bottle appeared to be the beginning of a miracle."
As every sign shows God's guidance, God has given us many guidelines for a victorious life long ago in the form of the Bible.
He quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. "‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ It tells us how to experience God’s will.”
"Sometimes, when you are faced with a difficult situation in life and don't know where to go, you need to come to God and ask Him to guide you."
Liu said, "God makes it very clear (through Jeremiah 33:3) that if we don't understand or don’t know some things, we can ask God. God will always answer ‘I will show you the way’. This verse makes it very clear that when we seek God, God will direct our paths. It is important that we don’t just take God's guidance as a mere reference, but obey it, for signs always happen when you obey."
When the widow did what Elisha said and poured the oil into the empty vessel, the miracle happened. The oil kept filling inside the empty vessel.
"It says here that she ‘stopped’, but not because the oil ran out." He stated, "but because there were no more vessels. God didn't stop performing signs unless there were no other empty vessels. In other words, the amount of faith the widow had to borrow empty vessels, in the beginning, determined the number of signs she experienced later. The capacity of your faith determines how many signs you can experience. Remember that never let your little faith limit what God can do”.
- Translated by Wylie Sun
一位牧师呼吁，在当今所处充满危险、恐惧和不安的时代，是的时代，身处疫情期间的我们多么需要看见神的作为。
“神迹就是神的作为，而且是超乎我们所求所想的作为。”矽谷生命河灵粮堂的刘彤牧师在8月一次主日证道中讲到神迹时，说：“神迹不一定是排山倒海、震动天地的，反而是在你我的生命当中，你靠着自己的智慧和能力找不到出路，只好靠着绝对顺服神的信心跟随神的时候，你就会看到神亲自开道路。”
有一个先知门徒的妻遭遇丈夫离世，债主来要取我她的两个儿子作奴仆时，她所做的第一件事情就是通过先知以利沙把需要带到神的面前。
刘牧师说：“也许你会以为这是最简单的事，但是事实不是一件容易的事。我们总是想要依靠自己的力量，而不倒山穷水尽总是不会回转，不到黄河心不死。但是作为神的儿女，你不需要到黄河。因为坐在宝座上的神祂乐意施恩给你的。”
“主在对在井旁的撒玛利亚妇人说：你不必绞尽脑汁想解决自己的问题，”刘彤牧师解释到：“神已经拥有答案，你若早求她，她比早给你开道路。同样，我也深深相信也是神要对我们说的话，当我们面对人生各样困境的时候，神也要对我们说：若是我们早求祂，祂早就为我们开道路。”
现实中我们常常不早求神的原因之一是不确定神拥有我们的答案。
“但是作为基督徒，你要知道你是有一位慈爱的天父的。”刘彤牧师说：“想想看我们在地上的父亲，我们这样不完全，我们都尽力供应我们儿女的需要，特别是中国的父母。孩子还没有出生，婴儿床都买好了；孩子还不会吃饭，高椅都已经买好了；还不会走路学步车都已经买好了；还没有上学，大学基金都已经预备好了。我们在地上的父亲这么不完全都会如此，更何况我们在天上的父亲岂不更加顾念我们的需要吗？”
“诗138:8是何等宝贵的应许。这里说耶和华“必”，没有说可能、大概、也许。必定，要成全，不是别人的事，而是我的事。耶和华知道你的事，必要成全关于你的事。你要早知道，就早把你的需要带到神的面前来祈求，神就早就为你开道路。”
另一个原因是骄傲。虽然我们口里说主的道路高过我们的道路，但是我们心里想的是，其实我的道路也不差了。所以我们至终选择自己的道路。
他说：“”骄傲，是一种习惯性的依靠自己。当你在工作上找不到问题的所在，神早就一眼就看见了。只要你谦卑来寻求祂，神就愿意成为你的力量和帮助。”
据王下4:2，以利沙没有问这个寡妇家里需要什么，缺乏什么，反而问，你家里有什么。
“很多时候，我们遇到人生困境的时候，我们都期待外面来的帮助。” 刘彤牧师说：“我们总是期待别人能为我们做什么，我们也期待神给我们行神迹，救拔我们脱离困境。以利沙再一次提醒我们，神的神迹永远是从我们所有的事物开始的，就好像五饼二鱼的神迹。”
“在我们面对困境的时候，如果我们只是看到我们的缺乏，我们所没有的东西，我们一生就会想腓力一样一筹莫展。但是什么时候我们能够像安德烈一样，看到我们所有的，献上我们所有的，神就能使用我们所有的成为神迹。”
“当以利沙问寡妇你有什么的时候，她不是看见她没有的，而是看见她仅有的一瓶油。从人的角度来说，一瓶油算得了什么？但是当她把这一瓶油献给神的时候，这瓶油就成了神迹的开始。”
每个神迹都是有神的指引的。神在圣经中，早就给我们很多得胜生活的指引了，我们不需要去求什么特别的指引。
他引用帖前5:16-18节。“你怎么说不知道神的旨意。你只要常常喜乐、不住祷告、凡是谢恩，你就可以经历神的旨意了。你做就是了。”
有时候，当你在面对生活的困境，或是前面的道路不知道如何选择，也不知道当行的事。你就需要来到神的面前，求神来指引你。
刘彤牧师说：“神（通过耶33:3）讲的很清楚，我们有不明白、不知道的事情就可以求告神，神说我必要指引你的道路。这节圣经很清楚讲到，当我们寻求神的时候，神必指引我们的道路。而当神指引我们道路的时候，很重要的一件事情是我们不是把神的指引当作参考资料而已，而是顺从神的指引。因为神迹的发生永远是你顺从的时刻。”
当寡妇按照以利沙的话去做，把油倒入空器皿的时候，神迹就发生了。油不断的充满在空器皿里面。
“这里说油止住了，不是因为油用完了，”刘彤牧师说到：“而是因为没有器皿了。不是因为神不能继续行神迹，而是器皿用完了。话句话说，寡妇当初有多少信心去借空器皿，就决定了后来她所经历的神迹有多少。你信心的容量，你决定你的神迹。所以求主帮助我们，永远不要让我们自己信息容量的狭窄来限制上帝的作为。”
刘彤牧师：在这个充满不安的时代，你需要用信心经历神迹
A megachurch pastor urged Christians to see God's works in the midst of times of danger, fear, and anxiety that we live in today.
"God performs signs which go beyond what we ask or think," said Pastor Tong Liu, senior pastor of River of Life Christian Church in the United States in a Sunday sermon in August.
"Signs are not necessarily what overturn the mountains or shake the heavens and earth, but often they are what you see in your life personally when God himself makes a way when you fail to find a way out and turn to Him."
The Bible tells about a widow whose husband was a disciple of the prophet. When the debtor came one day to take her two sons as slaves, the first thing she did was to bring her need to God through the prophet Elisha.
Pastor Liu said, "You might think this is the easiest thing to do, but it is not an easy act. We’re prone to rely on our own strength and will refuse to give up until all hope is gone. However, you, a child of God, need to remember that our God, who sits on the throne, is pleased to give you grace."
"The Lord said to the Samaritan woman next to the well, ‘You don't have to rack your brains trying to solve your problems.’ He explained, "God already has the answers, if you had asked Him earlier, He would have made the way for you earlier. Likewise, I deeply believe that this is also what God wants to say to us, if we had asked Him earlier, He would have opened the door for us quicker."
One of the reasons we failed to seek God sooner was because we were not sure God had the answers for us, he added.
"But as a Christian, you need to know that you have a loving heavenly Father." Pastor Liu Tong said, "Think of earthly fathers who have limited abilities but do their best to satisfy their children's need. Chinese parents, in particular, prepare almost everything for their children in advance: a crib is prepared before the child is born; a child's highchair before the child can eat; a walker before walk; a college fund is set aside before the child goes to school. Would not our earthly Father, who is imperfect, be more attentive to our needs than what we expect, let alone our Father in heaven?"
He continued, "What a precious promise is Psalm 138:8. It says that the LORD "will", not "may", "probably", or "perhaps". It will be done, not about others, but about you. The Lord knows about you and will do what is necessary concerning you. God is willing to make a way for you at the time you bring your need to Him."
"Another reason is pride. Although we often say the Lord's way is higher than ours, what we think in our hearts is that our own way is quite satisfying to us, so we are willing to choose our own way instead of His.
He said pride was a habitual reliance on oneself. When you had difficulties in your work, God had seen it for a long time. God was willing to be your strength and help as long as you came to Him in humility.
According to 2 Kings 4:2, instead of asking this widow what her family needed and lacked, Elisha asked what she had in here home.
"When we are in a difficult situation in life, we expect some help from outside. We always look to others to do something for us, hoping God to perform signs and lift us out of our difficulties," said Pastor Liu Tong. “Elisha reminded us once again that God's miracles always start with what we already have, just like the miracle of the five loaves and two fish," the pastor shared.
"When we get into trouble, if we only see our lack, what we don't have, we will be at a loss all our lives like Philip. However, once we can see and offer what we have, as Andrew did, God can use what we offer to make a sign."
"Elisha asked the widow what she had, and rather than saying she had nothing, she saw the only bottle of oil she had. From a human point of view, a bottle of oil is worthless. But when she offered it to God, the bottle appeared to be the beginning of a miracle."
As every sign shows God's guidance, God has given us many guidelines for a victorious life long ago in the form of the Bible.
He quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. "‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ It tells us how to experience God’s will.”
"Sometimes, when you are faced with a difficult situation in life and don't know where to go, you need to come to God and ask Him to guide you."
Liu said, "God makes it very clear (through Jeremiah 33:3) that if we don't understand or don’t know some things, we can ask God. God will always answer ‘I will show you the way’. This verse makes it very clear that when we seek God, God will direct our paths. It is important that we don’t just take God's guidance as a mere reference, but obey it, for signs always happen when you obey."
When the widow did what Elisha said and poured the oil into the empty vessel, the miracle happened. The oil kept filling inside the empty vessel.
"It says here that she ‘stopped’, but not because the oil ran out." He stated, "but because there were no more vessels. God didn't stop performing signs unless there were no other empty vessels. In other words, the amount of faith the widow had to borrow empty vessels, in the beginning, determined the number of signs she experienced later. The capacity of your faith determines how many signs you can experience. Remember that never let your little faith limit what God can do”.
- Translated by Wylie Sun
Pastor Liu Tong: 'Experiencing Miracles by Faith'
