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道成肉身：当代诠释

2025-12-03 in , /by

腓立比书 2:5-8  你们当以基督耶稣的心为心。 6 祂本有神的形象，不以自己与神同等为强夺的， 7 反倒虚己，取了奴仆的形象，成为人的样式； 8 既有人的样子，就自己卑微，存心顺服以至于死，且死在十字架上。

看完电影《亲爱的，我把孩子缩小了！ 》后，我再次意识到「大小」在我们日常生活中的重要性。

对许多人来说，大小意味着重要性、力量和可靠性。尺寸越大，分量越重，也越重要。基督教教会也存在着同样的思考模式。教堂越大，信众越多，教会就越受尊重。教会的预算规模也可能起到一定作用。这有时被称为“规模综合症”。

当门徒听到天国的教导时，他们以为耶稣说的是地上的王国，于是开始询问他们当中谁最伟大。他们认为，这个人会在基督的国度里占据最有权势的位置。甚至连父母也开始为自己的孩子争取。 有一位母亲甚至向耶稣恳求：「耶稣，当你的国降临时，请让我的儿子们坐在你旁边，一个坐在你的右边，一个坐在你的左边。」

耶稣指著一个孩子告诉他们，通往天堂的门是很小的。只有极其渺小的人才能进去。即便如此，你也不能带任何东西进去。耶稣对他们的劝告是：“你们若不回转，变成小孩子的样式，断不得进天国。”（太18:3）现代的解释是：“你们必须先变得渺小。”

The White Flag of the Heart

2025-12-03 in /by

Maybe your past isn’t much to brag about. Maybe you’ve seen evil and you have to make a choice. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses? Many choose the convalescent homes of the heart. Healthy bodies, sharp minds, but retired dreams. Lean closely and you’ll hear, “If only.” The white flag of the heart. “If only…”

Maybe you’ve used those words. Maybe you have every right to use them. Perhaps you were hearing the ten count before you even got into the ring. Can I show you where to turn? Go to John’s gospel and read Jesus’ words in John 3:6 (NCV). “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from one Spirit.” Your parents have given you genes, but God gives you grace. God is willing to give you what your family didn’t.

Stunning Grace

2025-12-02 in /by

I’ve never been surprised by God’s judgment, but I’m still stunned by his grace. God’s judgment has never been a problem for me. In fact, it always seems right. Lightning bolts on Sodom. Fire on Gomorrah. Good job, God! Egyptians swallowed in the Red Sea. They had it coming. Discipline is easy for me to swallow, logical to assimilate. But God’s grace? Anything but.

Examples? How much time do you have? Peter denied Christ before he preached Christ. Zacchaeus, the crook. The cleanest part of his life was the money he’d laundered, but Jesus still had time for him. The thief on the cross – hung-out to die one minute, heaven-bound and smiling the next.

Story after story. Surprise after surprise! Search the pages, read the stories. Find one person who came seeking a second chance and left with a stern lecture. Search. You won’t find it.

圣诞快乐

2025-12-02 in , /by

以赛亚书 9:2  在黑暗中行走的百姓看见了大光，住在死荫之地的人有光照耀他们。

以赛亚书 9:6  因有一婴孩为我们而生，有一子赐给我们，政权必担在他的肩头上。他名称为奇妙、策士、全能的神、永在的父、和平的君。

最近朋友送给我一首歌，歌名叫「Christmas With a Capital “C”」，是几个美国福音歌手新推出的一首圣诞歌曲。它是这样开始的：「当我去咖啡店时，女店员对我说：假期快乐。我说，我很快乐，但是只有一个节日能让我如此快乐，那就是圣诞节，一个记念耶稣基督降生的日子。不管你怎样称呼它，你也没办法改变它。圣诞快乐，以一个大写的C字开头…..」

自从北美的公立学校禁止庆祝「圣诞节」以来，我想我们都别得很辛苦，不知道如何去表达心里的那份抗议，这首歌实在把我们的心事都唱出来。是的，没有一个节日能够带给我们今天有如此的喜乐，因为耶稣基督降生在我们中间。

万鬼节刚刚过去不久，在许多机关和学校都大事特事地庆祝。有的公司特令职员当天可以穿睡衣上班，打扮成鬼怪；有的银行也命令职员打扮成妖精魔鬼；学校里更不用说了，在小学里为了庆祝鬼节，为了开万鬼会，老师只上半天课，下半天都拿来搞鬼。

天使的方言

2025-12-01 in , /by

路加福音 1:26-33  到了第六个月，天使加百列奉神的差遣往加利利的一座城去，这城名叫拿撒勒； 27 到一个童女那里，是已经许配大卫家的一个人，名叫约瑟，童女的名字叫马利亚。 28 天使进去，对她说：「蒙大恩的女子，我问你安，主和你同在了！」 29 马利亚因这话就很惊慌，又反复思想这样问安是什么意思。 30 天使对她说：「马利亚，不要怕，你在神面前已经蒙恩了。 31 你要怀孕生子，可以给祂起名叫耶稣。 32 祂要为大，称为至高者的儿子；主神要把祂祖大卫的位给祂， 33 祂要做雅各家的王，直到永远；祂的国也没有穷尽。」

在这个圣诞季，我们总是听到天使的歌声。事实上，圣经从未提及天使会唱歌；只提到他们在圣殿里彼此呼喊，他们有自己的语言，并用言语赞美主。那么，我们为何会有天使唱歌这种美好的误解呢？

首先，天使的声音在我们听来如同音乐一般悦耳动听。相反，我们现代的音乐听起来却像是叫喊、呻吟和争吵。所以你看，我们的歌声甚至不如我们说话的声音悦耳。你知道汉语比其他语言更具音乐性吗？我们应该利用这个特点，好好说话。

Who Can Be Against Us?

2025-12-01 in /by

Paul asks the question in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The question isn’t simply, “Who can be against you?” You could answer that one. Who is against you? Disease, inflation, corruption, exhaustion. Calamities confront, fears imprison. Were Paul’s question, “Who can be against us?” we could list our foes much easier than we could fight them.

God is for us. God is for us. God is for us. Your parents may have forgotten you, your teachers may have neglected you, your siblings may be ashamed of you. But within reach of your prayers is the maker of the oceans – God! God is for you. Not may be, not has been, not was, but God is! He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you hear this, he is with you. God is for you.

To Be Just Like Jesus

2025-11-30 in /by

God rewards those who seek him. Not those who seek doctrine or religion or systems or creeds. Many settle for these lesser passions, but the reward goes to those who settle for nothing less than Jesus himself. And what is the reward? What awaits those who seek Jesus? Nothing short of the heart of Jesus. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB), “And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.”

Can you think of a greater gift than to be like Jesus? Christ felt no guilt; God wants to banish yours. Jesus had no bad habits; God wants to remove yours. Jesus had no fear of death; God wants you to be fearless. Jesus had kindness for the diseased and mercy for the rebellious and courage for the challenges. God wants you to have the same. Isn’t it just like Jesus!

待降节(Advent)的意义

2025-11-30 in , /by

以赛亚书 7:14   因此，主自己要给你们一个兆头，必有童女怀孕生子，给祂起名叫以马内利。

以赛亚书 9:6-7  因有一婴孩为我们而生，有一子赐给我们，政权必担在祂的肩头上。祂名称为奇妙、策士、全能的神、永在的父、和平的君。7 祂的权与平安必加增无穷，祂必在大卫的宝座上治理他的国，以公平、公义使国坚定稳固，从今直到永远。万军之耶和华的热心必成就这事。

「待降节」是基督教节期的开始。所谓「待降」（Advent）这名辞原出于拉丁文，意思是「来临」，就是等待耶稣基督的再度降临，一方面纪念祂曾降临，一方面则期待祂二次降临。「待降节」更好是说「待降节期」，因为这个节期包括了四个礼拜，就是圣诞节的前四个礼拜。所以一般来说都是从十一月最后的那个主日开始算起，持续四个主日，直到圣诞节达到节庆高潮。今年的待降节从11月30日开始到12月24日。

从教会历史来看，「待降节」可以溯源至主后第四世纪的末期，在那个时候是称为「圣诞节前的准备期」，当时基督徒以40天的灵修、禁食祈祷预备心来迎接救主的圣诞，到了第七世纪时才缩减成四个主日。为何「待降节」需有四个主日呢？这四个主日代表了四个意义：纪念主的道成肉身、主的死、耶路撒冷的毁坏，以及基督即将再来的审判。

结出圣灵的果子-良善

2025-11-28 in , /by

以弗所书4:32   要以恩慈相待，存怜悯的心，彼此饶恕，正如神在基督里饶恕了你们一样。

马丁·路德·金恩博士是美国历史上重要的民权运动领袖之一，他也是一位敬虔的基督徒牧师。面对种族歧视、暴力与不公，他选择非暴力抗争与爱的回应，显出圣灵结出的「恩慈」果子。

在1950-60年代，金恩博士与他的追随者常常面对辱骂、暴力攻击、甚至死亡威胁。然而，他坚持以「恩慈」来回应仇恨。他在演讲中不止一次提到：

「黑暗不能驱逐黑暗，只有光可以做到；仇恨不能驱逐仇恨，只有爱可以做到。(Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.)」

Always the Same

2025-11-28 in /by

God will always be the same. No one else will. Companies follow pay raises with pink slips. Friends applaud you when you drive a classic and dismiss you when you drive a dud. Not God. God is always the same.

James 1:17 says, with him, “there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Catch God in a bad mood? Won’t happen. Fear exhausting His grace? A sardine will swallow the Atlantic first. Think he’s given up on you? Wrong. Did he not make a promise to you?

You see, God is not a human being, and he will not lie. He is not a human, and he does not change his mind. What he says, he will do. What he promises, he will make come true. His strength, truth, ways, and love never change. Hebrews 13:8 declares he is “the same yesterday and today and forever.” What he says, he will do!