撒迦利亚书 第九章 — 毁灭与拯救都属于神
在当今的时代，阅读先知书的过程往往会让我们感到难以产生共鸣，甚至有些抽离感；必须翻阅看似虚构或抽象的内容，这些内容似乎也与现实相距甚远，而每卷先知书中使用的深奥的语言更是阻挡我们前进的另一障碍。 然而，我们首先必须认清一个事实：“圣经都是神所默示的，于教训、督责、使人归正、教导人学义都是有益的，叫属神的人得以完全，预备行各样的善事。”（提摩太后书 3:16-17） 在仔细、且系统性地查考本章内容的过程便会发掘出以下促使人省察自己内心的问题： 纵使要完全解读并清楚、如实地传达先知书中的含义是非常困难的一件事，但其中一个反复出现且同样的信息是： 对于神所拣选，所爱的人，祂必专一地保护、坚固并保守，尤其对于也同样地爱神、尊崇祂且认识祂名的人。 对于神视为敌对之人的，祂必向他们大大发烈怒，彻底地毁灭，以致祂绝对的主权与权柄得以持续得胜，直到地极。 “神非人，必不至说谎；也非人子，必不至后悔。他说话岂不照着行呢？他发言岂不要成就呢？”——民数记 23:19 我们的主耶稣，为了拯救我们，曾经以如此卑微的样式被差到这世界。身为基督徒的一生中，让我们效法耶稣的脚踪，埋头勤奋地为主工作、存心谦卑、团结一致、力挽狂澜，直到我们神那永恒坚固的保障。
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3 分钟阅读
And They Overcame
In life we face countless temptations and attacks from Satan, let us learn how to overcome Satan from those who have emerged victorious.
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6 分钟阅读
撒迦利亚书 第七章 – 岂是丝毫向我禁食吗？
撒迦利亚书7章的开头提到了百姓询问神是否还当继续斋戒，因为他们被掳时已经这样行了很多年。作为回应，神质疑他们的动机— “ 你们这七十年，在五月、七月禁食悲哀， 岂是丝毫向我禁食吗 ？ ” (撒迦利亚书 7:5) 神深知人的心，祂知道百姓的禁食并非出于悔改，而是为他们所经历的苦楚来哀悼。然而，神所要的是他们顺从祂借先知所多次发出的警告 (撒迦利亚书 7:7)，这凸显出神看重的是顺服和真诚的悔改，而非空洞的行为。 同样的，以赛亚书58章进一步说明神所喜悦的禁食，着重强调禁食时的动机以及与之相伴的行为。 “ 他们说：我们禁食，你为何不看见呢？我们刻苦己心，你为何不理会呢？看哪，你们禁食的日子仍求利益，勒逼人为你们做苦工。你们禁食，却互相争竞，以凶恶的拳头打人。你们今日禁食，不得使你们的声音听闻于上。 ”(以赛亚书 58:3-4) 以色列人的禁食神所厌恶，因为他们仍旧行恶，而不是以公义和怜悯相伴。(以赛亚书 58:6-8) 出于一颗正直之心 的禁食表达了我们对神的虔诚。如今我们通常在灵恩会以及大型布道会之前都会全教会一同禁食祷告，来祈求神的带领和圣灵在我们当中大大运行。当我们参与到这些禁食祷告时，让我们也来省察我们的心是否正确。 对于我们动机的反思不光适用于禁食祷告，也包括了在祷告、读经、关心同灵、甚至于来教会。就像耶稣在马太福音6章所说的，让我们的心不要像那些假冒为善的人一样，得到他们所渴慕的从人而来的认可和荣耀，而不是神的赏赐。相反，当我们在暗中向那位在隐密中之父所行的，并且以真诚顺服祂话语的心在祂面前自卑，我们那位察看隐密的父，必在明处报答我们。 我们很容易习惯性地去做一些事，甚至于与我们信仰有关的。因此我们更应时常省察我们做事的目的并确保在我们所做的一切事上神都是中心。愿我们的心能够常蒙神的喜悦，使我们所做的一切也能被祂所悦纳。 (额外内容)阅读这篇Manna文章来了解更多关于禁食祷告的意义以及应有的态度： 你需要知道的有关禁食的事 (Manna 5) https://ia.tjc.org/elibrary/ContentDetail.aspx?ItemID=12690&langid=1
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5 分钟阅读
撒迦利亚书 第五章 - 你看见了吗？
你看见了吗 薄雾冥冥，天空挤出一抹鱼肚白 惊涛滚滚，海水涤荡大地的灰暗 霎时间 烈火如神的铮铮铁骑， 无声无息地由远方浩浩荡荡地逼近 你看见了吗 这火先时转左 巍然耸立、辉煌如梦的所多玛城 精雕细琢的大理石板 璀璨耀眼的镶金帷幔 霎时间 赤焰滔天的审判书卷 吞噬一切暗哑的奢华糜烂 撒下一片公义的茫茫灰烬 你看见了吗 这火又时转右 众商云集的大巴比伦 遍体写满亵渎名号的淫乱妇人 罪恶在量器中满溢犹如喷发的火山 倾倒在直插云霄的巴别塔塔身 霎时间 地面倒映出鲜红的火光 巴别塔不过一根木头 在火焰中噼啪作响 每一寸纤维都在痛苦呐喊 你看见了吗 这火又向你袭来 手中紧攥着金、银、宝石、草木、禾秸的你 又打算怎样来建造？ 你的蓝图在哪里？ 你的根基又是否稳固？ 霎时间 当烈火的末次号角响彻天空 你是 灰飞烟灭？ 还是 浴火重生？ 如果 你看见了 你会 怎样去行？
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3 分钟阅读
Back To Basics
Anyone starting university will immediately appreciate the increase in autonomy and independence. For any university student, it may be tempting to join in hall activities and university societies, to pursue even greater academic heights like joining competitions, or to start building up a portfolio for our careers. If throughout our academic journeys we have always felt overshadowed, university may seem like the time to finally shine and show our worth. Moreover, a common feature of the “university experience” is being able to live alone away from home, regardless of whether you study abroad or locally in Singapore. The newfound independence and freedom can be both intimidating and exciting. If we are serious about our faith, we must consider how to ensure our time in university is something beneficial to our faith. Too many youths have lost their faith whilst in university. As Christians, we have a higher purpose and calling in this life. We have been empowered to transcend all the frenzy and chaos our peers may find themselves in. With a larger portion of your time under your control, the question is, how should we best use it? As we continue to further our education, many classes often start with a "Back to Basics" introduction, going through and reviewing some of the key concepts that one needs to know to be able to understand the subsequent lessons fully. Likewise, in our faith, it's often helpful to return to the basics and grow in these things. With the increased independence and freedom, many are caught up with the allures of university life and drift away in their faith. And quite a key deciding factor on whether we grow or drift is our daily cultivation routine. How much time do we spend each day in prayer? Practical tip number 1: Even amidst the busy university term, you must fight the temptation of setting a limit on your cultivation time. Don't just pray for 15 minutes because that is your habit. When your alarm rings, if you feel like you are having a good conversation with God, keep going! If you realise you've been distracted the whole prayer, quieten your heart, resolve to focus, and try again. And if you've been praying for 15 minutes for the past year, why not make it 20 minutes? And if 20 minutes is your current routine, why not work towards 30 minutes? Just as we go through university hoping to grow in knowledge and skills, as Christians we must also strive to grow in our prayers. The independence and flexibility of university life greatly aid and enable us to grow in our daily cultivation. (And if you aren't already using a timer to ensure you pray for a minimum amount of time, I highly recommend using one) Practical number 2: To set your prayer life in order, you must set the rest of your life in order. If we are often out late having supper, if we always return home late, we will struggle to find time to pray before we sleep. If we are doom scrolling on social media past midnight, when it’s time to pray, we will be tired and just say a short and quick prayer. And because we sleep late, we wake up late in the morning and say a hurried prayer (if any) before rushing to start our day. It’s called “life of prayer” for a reason - if we are serious about our prayer life, we must be willing to adjust the rest of our life around our cultivation habits. We must esteem our daily cultivation time and do our best to protect it. Practical tip number 3: On top of our routine prayers, make spontaneous and unscheduled prayers. Don't limit yourself to a fixed routine of "X minutes in the morning" and "X minutes before bed". Bow the knee whenever you're stressed with deadlines. Call out to God whenever you're feeling stuck with your work. Pray while you prepare for church work. God is faithful, and if we put in the effort to seek after Him each day, we will surely find Him. A sister from the UK testified how she would pray for a total of two hours through the day whilst living alone during her difficult university days. It got to a point where prayers were the highlight and joy of her day. And though those days were decades ago, her encounters with God back then still play an important part in her journey of faith even today. She actively serves in church and still runs around actively attending various church events despite no longer being so "young". A brother from the US did something similar, and he shared how each day when he returned to his college dormitory, it was as though God was waiting for him there because he had spent much quality alone time with God on his knees in his room. His relationship with God was something so real and living. He could clearly feel the presence of God in his life. University life isn't easy. Living alone, whilst liberating, can also be lonely and sobering. You will face new challenges that you may have never faced before. You will face even greater lows in your academic journey. But it is precisely these times when we learn to turn to God and pour out our hearts to Him in prayer. When we are alone in the dormitory, when it feels like no one around us understands or has time for us, God allows us to gain a slightly deeper understanding of what Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (You see, many of the teachings we've learnt from RE since young, about God being our refuge, about praying and entrusting to God, about God's love towards us... these are lessons we continue to learn for the rest of our lives. Time and time again, God teaches us these same lessons, but each time, we have a slightly deeper appreciation for His precious words. This precisely is what it means to grow as a Christian, to grow in our relationship with God and His words.) Unlike everything else from university that will end one day, your relationship with God is eternal . And all your encounters with God during your university days will become your own personal testimony and experience which no one can take away from you. We see this in Job chapter 2. Everything can be taken away from you, but no one can ever take God away from you. Most of the above can also be said of our Bible reading. How much time do we spend on the Word of God? You will have to do a lot of reading in university, be it papers or textbooks. We probably have experienced times where we dedicate hours trying to read and understand something, but still glean nothing out of it. The Bible is different. Unlike all other books, Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the word of God is living. The Bible is the only text in the whole world that is living. What does it mean for it to be "living"? Imagine each time we read the Bible, God is before us, feeding us with His teachings! After all, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord, and His words truly are spirit and life. Essentially, this means that whenever we quiet our hearts and put in the effort to read the Bible, we will always gain something and be edified. And this is even more so for those of us who have the Spirit of truth dwelling in us! This assurance that no time spent reading the Bible will ever be spent in vain (unlike that extra hour you might try to spend on your assignment) should naturally motivate us to spend more time reading His word. Practical tip number 1: Don't stop reading until you are edified. Just like for prayer, it's helpful to train ourselves not to set a "limit" on our daily Bible reading (e.g. one chapter or 15 minutes) but rather to read until we are edified. Perhaps initially, we are a little distracted, but we need to muster up that resolve and determination to read through the passage and meditate on His words slowly. And just like how when we are full we will naturally know to stop eating, when we are edified from the word of God and have received our daily spiritual bread, we will know when we have read enough for the day. It's a hard feeling to explain, but a very spiritually satisfying one. And as shared above, all of us can experience this spiritual satisfaction each day. Practical tip number 2: Do not treat church work (e.g., preparing RE) as a substitute for your daily Bible reading. As university youths, chances are we are taking on more church work, be it as an RE teacher or in leading fellowships. However, church work is not an excuse to slack in our Bible reading. In fact, being diligent in our daily Bible reading is often what makes it easier to prepare for our church duties. By storing up the word of God in our hearts and actively meditating on His words, we have more to draw from when preparing for fellowships or lessons. On top of reading His words (emphasis: "on top of"), listening to sermons is worthy of our pursuit. One of the biggest blessings from the pandemic is the plethora of sermons on YouTube that we can listen to. Many of our peers in church do actively listen to sermons as part of their daily routine, and they can all testify of how much it has benefitted their spiritual lives. Living alone greatly enables this. While we head out to buy groceries, cook in the kitchen, eat our meals, do the laundry, why not listen to a sermon? The flexibility that comes with university life makes it the best time to grow in our service and fellowship attendance. By God's grace, the church provides us with many services and fellowships for us to attend. While attending all of them may seem like a tall order, we should be constantly pursuing to attend more. And as we become more present in the church, naturally, there'll be more church works for us to begin serving in. While studying in university, many youths grow to be actively involved in church. Practical tip number 1: It takes faith to make time to do church stuff Some may quote Luke 14:25-33 to say that we should carefully plan our time and say "no" to church services or church work if needed. And yes, that is true, but often, the problem is that we are too quick to turn down. For the record, the start and end of that passage in Luke 14 talk about the necessity of bearing our cross and forsaking all that we have to become Jesus' disciples! We must remember that we walk by faith and not by sight. If we only agree to church works when they can clearly fit into our schedule, then perhaps we will only be walking by sight. Walking by faith means saying "yes" to church work even if we do not know how our schedule will work out, but we still say "yes" because we know that serving God is the purpose of our lives. And by faith, we know that somehow, God will provide. By faith, we know God will give us the gifts we need to do His work. By faith, we know that God will guide us to finish all our deadlines on time and to get the grades we need for whatever path He wants to lead us on. Yes, there will be times when we feel overloaded and overwhelmed, but these are all good opportunities for us to once again pray to God and reflect on our purpose and direction in our lives, to once again remember the great love and grace of Jesus towards us, shown to us by His death for us on the cross. Remember, God will never shortchange you for the time that you offer up to Him. And more often than not, what we need to sacrifice to make time for church activities and church work is not the time for our studies, but our leisure time. Is it really the case that we have no time to take on additional church things, if we spend hours doom scrolling on social media each night? Practical tip number 2: Use our hobbies and interests to serve God. If you like writing, why not write articles and devotionals for the church? If you enjoy filming and video editing, the internet ministry welcomes you with open arms. If music is your thing, you can consider writing hymns (especially hymns for children, hymns based on Bible passages, hymns based on our basic beliefs, etc.). If planning activities give you satisfaction, why not help to plan activities for the RE students? If you have an eye for design, the church greatly needs you. Our gifts and talents all come from God, and the most satisfying way to use our gifts is to use them to serve and benefit the house of God. As we navigate university and are exposed to more allures of the world, it is always good to return to the basics. Though we always hear these things while growing up in church, each time we transition into a new phase in our lives, our resolve to hold fast to these "basics" are challenged. Yet, each transition into a new phase is also an opportunity to renew our conviction and grow in these fundamental aspects of our faith. In particular, university life gives you much more freedom and independence, possibly more than ever. Many end up getting really involved in campus life, taking on many extracurricular activities, building up a portfolio, and crafting their dream lives. And with whatever time we have left, we often would want to have time for ourselves, to have "alone time", time to unwind and relax. To be clear, I don't want to present a false choice here: you still can do all those aforementioned things. But as you pursue those things, there will be times when you experience the vanity that's described in Ecclesiastes. In these moments, readjust and realign yourself. We can lead a more meaningful life beyond just chasing after things in this world. And our leisure time, alone time, self-care time, etc., does not need to be mutually exclusive from faith time, church time, and God time. Make God a bigger part of your life. Pray more, read the Bible more, be more present and active in church. God wants to give you a life where you can experience His true joy and peace. You'll find that, indeed, there's none but Christ that can completely satisfy.
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16 分钟阅读
