Hebrews 4:12-16
There are several Scriptures that are commonly used to talk about the power and authority of the Bible. One of the most famous is 1 Timothy 3:16-17. Another is Hebrews 4:12; it reminds us that “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Although we frequently use these verses in reference to the entire Bible, when they were written, they were only meant to refer to what we call the Old Testament. We have very good reasons to consider the New Testament to be authoritative Scripture, but we need to remember when we read the New Testament that the claims it makes about Scripture are actually not claims about itself, but about the tradition from which it came. Furthermore, the New Testament tells us, in John 1 especially, that Jesus is ultimately the Word of God—the “Logos” in Whom the whole cosmos comes together. How can all these things be true? How can the Word of God be both a divine person of the Trinity and the Scriptures which testify to the coming of that Divine Person? These are questions that early church fathers and mothers wrestled over at length and that we still discuss today.
Reading Hebrews 4 in the light of all this, though, helps us to understand why the author of Hebrews pairs a statement about the word of God being active, alive, and holding us accountable with a statement about who Jesus is and what He does for us. The Scriptures reveal us, Hebrews 4:12-13 says, in all respects: our hearts are seen, our sin exposed, our entire being known. This could be the most terrifying piece of news we ever receive.
​But it isn’t. goes on—because Jesus the Word is not judging us from outside (vv. 14-16). He has been exactly where we are. He knows what it feels like, and has been tempted, but did not sin. We can approach Him with boldness and know we will find help. This entire passage follows a much longer exhortation to the readers (Heb. 4:1-11) that encourages us to do what is necessary to enter into “a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” (v. 9). The most important thing you can do to enter into that Sabbath rest, the writer of Hebrews seems to say, is listen to the One who has been there before you: Jesus the Word.
I do believe that the empty cross is a powerful testimony. But knowing that Jesus had experienced everything a human being could go through, including a painful death, is deeply meaningful to us (v. 15). The words of that great old gospel hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” comes to mind. Sometimes, when I look at the Catholic crucifix I am reminded that Jesus, on the cross, knows and experienced my every weakness.
Jesus knows your every weakness, too, and He will be there in your hour of need.

Precious and Gracious Lord, thank You for knowing our every weakness and meeting us at the throne of grace. Amen.

​From reading my FB’s news, an interesting and helpful “Numbers of Emergency Call” appeal to our spiritual needs. Just post them out for your reference, you may find the numbers’ true value in different situation of your needs.  With my blessings for your calls to God -

When being hurted  Jn, 14
When committed sin  Ps. 51
When crisis comes  Ps. 91
When bing disappointed  Ps. 27
When feeling God in distance  Ps. 139
When faith needs encouragement  Heb.11
When loneliness and fear comes  Ps. 23
When worries comes  Mat.8:19-34
When anguish comes  1 Cor.13
When doubt comes  2 Cor.5:15-18
When being abandoned/isolated  Rm.8:31-39
When peace is needed  Mat.11:25-30
When the world seems overwhleming  Ps. 90
When assurance needed  Rm.8:1-30
When launch out  Ps.121
When petition needed  Ps 87
When courage needed  Jos.1
When inflation comes  Mk.10:17-31
When becomes moody  Ps. 27
When encounter evil men  Ps. 37
When hostility comes  1 Cor.13, Jh.15
When hope losed  Ps.126
When life needs to be fruitful  Jn. 15
When joys is needed  Col.3:12-17
When promise and hope are needed  Is. 55
When harmony relationship needed  Rm. 12
When need to adore God’s greatness in His creation  Ps.19

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
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It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to our Summer Conference after a two-year hiatus. We are very excited to have you with us in this special occasion as we are also celebrating our church’s 34th anniversary. Our life is full of challenges and difficulties, and God is our only ray of hope. 
“Be a loving family to a broken world” is our annual theme as well as the vision for our church. It is also our conference’s theme. This theme has dual components: first, we desire to be a loving church family so that, second, we can have an eternal impact on those around us for the Kingdom of God. It is my prayer that we will grow into the former so God can accomplish the latter through us, for His glory  
As you come to the conference, I want to encourage you with something that I learned from Pastor Jamin Goggin at a pastoral retreat. The temptations for a conference such as this are: first, there is a temptation to fix ourselves. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve tried to “cover” themselves after their disobedience. Likewise, we are tempted to look at what maybe wrong with our life and hope to learn something here to fix it. Instead, this weekend is an opportunity to reach out to God. Second, we come to the conference to “escape” everyday life and its difficulties. We have not come to escape, but to be with a God who is present in all of life’s events. God is as present with us in our daily lives as He is with us this weekend. Lastly, we are tempted to make this a “mountain top” experience, looking for something new and exciting. And if we do not feel that kind of experience, we are tempted to manufacture one.
 
Instead, Jesus simply invites us to be with Him, wherever He is. We can be with Jesus on the mountain top (in His transfiguration), during a meal (Mark 2:15), or with the two thieves by His side. I want to encourage you not to go hunting for an experience or an event. Instead, go out looking for Jesus, for He knows what we need and what He wants to give to us. This weekend, look for Jesus in your quiet time, in prayer, on a stroll through campus, in conversations with people, during meals, and yes, during the sessions with our speakers. This weekend is an opportunity for us to respond to Jesus’ invitation, “Come away with Me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while.” (Mark 6:31). 
God invites you to draw near to Him in the truth and reality of your life, in the honesty of your situation. It is my prayer that you will encounter God powerfully there. Be aware and open to what the Holy Spirit is telling you in what is going on in your life. For He is praying for you with “groans too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). 
We look forward with great anticipation the messages that God will give to us through His faithful servants: the Rev. Sam Song (English), the Rev. Lawrence Fung (Mandarin) and the Rev. Andrew Ma (Cantonese). May we grow together into a loving family in the Lord and bring glory to His eternal Kingdom and His holy Name!