Shall Not Become Cain’s Clan

On Father’s Day two weeks ago, MG leader Eben shared the message on the parable of the prodigal son. In last Sunday’s service, we returned to the Ten Commandments and started the first preaching on the Sixth Commandment: You shall not murder. Pastor Jason Tuan chose the Old Testament story of Cain and Abel. It is also a story about two brothers and again the elder brother was jealous of the younger one, reminding us not to become Cain’s clan. I was amazed by the wonderful leading of the Holy Spirit.

The heartified Ten Commandments need to be meditated day and night and expounded in detail before they can be planted in the heart. Each Commandment has to be fully digested before going to the next. For each of the first five Commandments, I preached the specific Commandment first, followed by the responding messages of different speakers in the following weeks. However, for the Sixth Commandment, the arrangement is reversed. We will preach four times – the first three speakers share stories of the Old Testament, followed by my preaching at the end. I find Holy Spirit’s leading in this way very good as it gives me more insights into the Ten Commandments and the relevant scripture.

The message on “Shall Not Become Cain’s Clan” reminded me of my disciple Joey Hui whose younger brother was physically abused by their father. She was so furious that she wanted to take revenge. Thank God for leading her and her family into 611 where they were loved and discipled under the Tree of Life. Gradually she has been able to forgive her father. Subsequently, her anger and rage have been removed. Her life is getting more and more upright and she has become the department head of Mercy House. She and her family members are serving at God’s temple and they now belong to God.

Another co-worker, Boaz, used to be distant from his parents as he lived with his grandparents since young. He was not angry at his parents but from the message on the Fifth Commandment, he realized he had buried this relationship unintentionally. From the lives of the two co-workers, I see that the Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother, is closely related to the Sixth Commandment: You shall not murder. They were unable to honor their parents – one wanted to murder while the other wanted to bury a relationship. But thank God that their lives have been transformed by love in the Tree of Life community and they are entering a stage of breakthroughs and blessings.

When I read Genesis 4 again this time, I realised that not only that we as individuals shall not become Cain’s clan, but also that all cities and countries shall not too. Different cities all over the globe today are full of Cain’s culture, belonging to the evil one and opposing God. Let’s pray for our countries and cities to turn from Cain to Abel and the land will yield its strength for us and we will receive God’s blessings.

Dear brothers and sisters, we shall not become Cain’s clan facing people’s attack. Instead, we shall become Abel’s clan. God’s Spirit is always with Abel and will judge those who hurt us. May all of us belong to God and we will be blessed by God from generation to generation!■【2022.07.03】