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Let Us Worship

On Mount Carmel, in full view of 850 false prophets, “Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:30).

Why? Why did the prophet rebuild the altar? Because it was a tool of worship. Do we long to see revival? Then let us begin at the altar.

Why does worship matter? Simple. The devil wants the top spot. When you worship God, when you publicly praise Jehovah in song and sacrament, Satan is defeated. He has no recourse to a worshipping church—none. When we sing, angels stand. When we pray, demons flee. When we look to God, heaven hearkens to listen, and hell hurries to leave. Wonder happens when God’s people worship.

肋下的荊棘

〈士師記〉 2:16  耶和華興起士師,士師就拯救他們脫離搶奪他們人的手。

閱讀經文:〈士師記〉 2:1-23

波金,是一個地名,意思是weeper哭泣者,因為這名字只在《聖經》裡出現過一次,現在已無法證實它確實的地點在哪裡。不過,如果七十士譯本正確,那大概就是在伯特利附近。因為直到〈士師記〉的末了,約櫃都放在中央山地的伯特利 ,伯特利有一顆樹叫亞倫巴古,就是「哭泣的橡樹」之意,與波金似乎有相當的關係。從吉甲上到波金,意味著當時敬拜中心的轉移。從約書亞死後到耶和華的使者來波金傳信息,這當中應該有幾十年了。因為諸支派都已逐漸穩定下來,並且接納了迦南地的原居民,給他們當中有的人做苦工雜役。現在我們曉得,神對這種情形極為不滿,因為百姓把神的話打折扣了。因此神差遣使者從吉甲到波金向以色列人傳信息。

平原居民的鐵車

〈士師記〉 1:19 耶和華與猶大同在,猶大就趕出山地的居民,只是不能趕出平原的居民,因為他們有鐵車。

閱讀經文:〈士師記 〉1:1-36

有人說〈士師記〉是整本《聖經》中最悲哀的一卷書,描寫神的子民離開神,倚靠自己的力量去生存,不但無法奪取未得之地,甚至喪失已得之地,成為異族蹂躙的對象。這也是形容信徒離開神的光景,不但無法過得勝的生活,反而被罪惡所勝,再度成為罪的奴僕,被罪奴役。約書亞帶領以色列人進入迦南,打下了基礎,以色人卻無法完成神的託咐、剩下的使命;正如基督為我們完成了救恩,我們也接受救恩成為神的兒女,但是卻未能倚靠神去戰勝老我,以致老我居首,又把聖靈關到地下室。

Serve the Lord Only

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) reads, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Our enemy is the devil. At the end of this age, his time will end. Until then, expect our Father to show up. He will not sit still while Satan harms his creation.

Our days are as dark as were the days of Elijah. Our God is as alive as he was in the days of Elijah. Dare we dream of a renewal that silences the stewards of Satan and reveals them for the frauds they are? Let’s imitate Elijah: Serve the Lord only! God wasn’t one of his options. God was his only option.

我們必定侍奉耶和華

〈約書亞記〉 24:15 b   至於我和我家,我們必定侍奉耶和華。

閱讀經文:〈約書亞記〉 24:1-33

我以前不大明白,為何神的僕人從舊約的摩西到新約的司提反,都要一再地提到神呼召亞伯蘭,以及帶領色列人出埃及的過程。直到有一次我跟一些年輕人相處時,才發現追本溯源十分重要。那些年輕人的父母大多白手起家,年輕時創業維艱,又要照顧家庭,很不容易。但是他們的兒女長大之後,大都只會拚命享用父母的錢,覺得那是天經地意的事情。他們以為白白得來是他們的權利,絲毫不感激父母的付出和辛勞,反而動不動就埋怨,跟父母頂嘴,根本沒有動力去工作和建立自己的人生。

約書亞之遺命

〈約書亞記〉 23:10你們一人必追趕千人,因耶和華你們的神照祂所應許的,為你們爭戰。

閱讀經文:〈約書亞記〉 23:1-16 

人的肉體總有一老和一死,但是像摩西和約書亞這樣,可以做完神託咐的工作,安然去見主,是何等有福啊!人老了,身體逐漸衰落,便知道神給自己在世上的時間已經快要結束了。人生有限,神給每個人在世上的日子都是可以數算的,因此我們當求神給我們智慧的心去過世上的歲月。

當約書亞年紀老邁,便召集眾人做最後的交代時,他講了一件很重要的事,他提醒以色列人:「那為你們爭戰的是耶和華你們的神」,這位神不只是要帶領約書亞,也將帶領以色列人面對將來的戰事,只要他們願意好好跟隨祂。約書亞沒有說他自己很厲害,而是說這位神才是帶領爭戰的,所以不要因為他的離開而難過;因為每一個人都可以被取代,唯有神不能被取代。

Deceive No More

1 Kings 18:40 (NIV) reads, “Elijah commanded them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!’ They seized them, and Elijah had them…slaughtered there.”

This moment does not sit well in our modern, westernized mindset. Elijah, a man of God, brandishing a sword and executing several hundred men? Except for the fact that these weren’t just men; they were disciples of the devil. They were demonic in their devotion to the cause of hell, all in the name of God.

In the final days, as recorded in Revelation 20:3 (NKJV), God will “cast him [Satan] into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more.”

證壇

〈約書亞記〉 22:34 流便人、迦得人給壇起名叫證壇,意思說:「這壇在我們中間證明耶和華是神。」

閱讀經文:〈約書亞記〉 22:1-34 

很奇妙的,當我們偏離神的話語時,我們很自然就會有不安全感,因而想盡辦法要討神的祝福。例如,藉著功德或清修等等,希望得到神的悅納,卻總是覺得無法完全。選了河東之地的以色列人就有這樣的不安全感。他們看中了那塊可以蓄牧的美麗草場,可是心裡卻明白,那不是神應許的迦南地,還隔了一條河。雖然很近,但還是差了一點點。當你想要用自己的方法去尋求神的祝福時,你就要小心省察自己了。

The Lord He is God

Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a duel on Mt. Carmel. He dared them to call on Baal to send fire. From morning to evening they cried. Satan had no response. With the prophets of Baal exhausted and defeated, Elijah “repaired the altar of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:30 NASB).

Twelve stones symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel. They saturated the altar with water three times so that everything was soaked. Then Elijah prayed. He didn’t even request fire. But the Lord sent it. A blaze from heaven consumed the water, the rocks, the wood, even the dust. For the first time in three generations, the nation of Israel cried to Jehovah, “The Lord, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39 NASB).

Is it time for our generation to rebuild the altar?

利未人所得之邑

〈約書亞記〉 21:45 耶和華應許賜福給以色列家的話一句也沒有落空,都應驗了。

閱讀經文:〈約書亞記〉 21:1-45

事奉神的人得不到地上的基業,你覺得合情合理嗎?你還敢事奉神嗎?在卅幾年前,溫哥華刮起了傳銷之風,我們也被捲進去了。那時大家都有一個夢,好像再過幾年都可以變成百萬富翁了。但是逐漸地,我發現當自己的心思和時間都花在組織聚會和推銷貨品時,那種感覺就好像用生命去換錢。我問自己值不值得?答案是不值得。世界上的錢可以賺,但是若要用生命的時間去換,值得嗎?事奉神雖然賺不到什麼錢,但是神是我們的供應,賺到靈魂的喜樂,讓人感到付出一生的光陰都值得。那種心靈的滿足是沒有什麼物質可以替換的。物質和享受都會成為過去,但是神同在的滿足卻一生一世都不會消失。