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The Benefits of Speaking in Tongues

Do you know just how precious it is to speak in tongues when you pray?

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Speaking in Tongues and Receiving the Holy Spirit

Speaking in tongues is important, because it’s the only evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. Out of 4 occasions when the believers received the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles, thrice they spoke in tongues (Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:6).

Receiving the Holy Spirit is important. But if our focus is just to tick a checkbox to say we speak in tongues, then not only are we neglecting the importance of the Holy Spirit, we may be looking down on this precious spiritual experience meant to benefit you

How Speaking in Tongues Helps You

First, God gives us the ability to speak in tongues so that we can speak directly to God (1 Cor 14:2). It may be gibberish to us. But the Bible tells us clearly that tongue speaking is our intimate connection to God that no human being can understand.

Next, the Holy Spirit helps us express our heart’s deep struggles. You may not have the right words, yet when you kneel down to pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit makes it easier for you to tell God what you mean.

That’s the Spirit Himself praying for you, expressing to God your groanings too deep for words. After all, He searches us and knows us really well (Rom 8:26-27). 

Beyond this, as we speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit prays for us according to the will of God. I imagine this spiritual battle: In our stubbornness, we pray for God to lead us into temptation… but the Holy Spirit pleads in tongues for God to protect our souls. 

That is why speaking in tongues edifies ourselves (1 Cor 14:4). As the Spirit of truth and our Helper, the Holy Spirit reminds us all things that Jesus has said to us (John 14:26). I’ve experienced how as I pray in tongues, suddenly a verse that answers my predicament comes to mind. Or how through prayer, He softens my reluctant heart into obeying God.

It’s God’s wonderful mystery: we don’t understand, literally, what the tongues mean, yet we are spiritually nourished.

More fundamentally, when I was younger and struggled to believe that God is real, I used to walk around my school and pray to God quietly in tongues. I knew I wasn’t faking my tongue movement. It was a tangible experience that edified me greatly in my doubts.

Finally, tongues help us preach. Tongue speaking is a sign for unbelievers that God is real. Or at least, it helps them realise that a spiritual world exists (1 Cor 14:22). If you struggle to preach to your friends, invite them to church so they can witness this sign—or even receive the Holy Spirit if God wills!  

What is your attitude to praying in tongues, and how will you appreciate it more today?

Note: Tongue speaking is also meant to benefit the church as it is a spiritual gift, though this refers to preaching in tongues. It by no means contradicts tongue speaking as being the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit.

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说方言是领受圣灵的唯一凭据

说方言是领受圣灵的唯一凭据

圣经中清楚地记载了人领受圣灵的情况。当一个人领受圣灵时,他/她会说方言。在使徒时代,这是一件可以看见也可以听见的事情。不是凭感觉来判断的,而是有明确的迹象表明神的灵已住在那人里面。这也是使徒用来判断一个人是否已经领受圣灵的唯一标准。圣经告诉我们神的话是真实的。从几千年前直到如今,神的灵一直在带领这项工作。圣经中也提到“真理的圣灵”,说明真理与圣灵是不能分开的。因此,我们今天对圣灵的认识,不能也不应该改变。 我过去并不是一个基督徒。但当我来到真耶稣教会时,我看见教会中有圣灵同在。我观察到,当一个人领受圣灵时,他会说方言。在我寻找真理的过程中,我亲身经历了圣灵的感动,后来也领受了圣灵,并通过说方言表现出来。当时我心中有许多疑惑。我问一个也是基督徒的朋友:“圣灵是什么?”他回答:“圣经里有记载,但我也不太确定。”后来我来到真耶稣教会,开始查考圣经,才明白自己所经历的,正是2000年前信徒所经历的——他们领受了神所应许的圣灵,并说起方言。 如今,在基督教界中,每个人对圣灵的凭据有不同的看法。但既然我们都相信耶稣是救主,就应该相信主所赐下的唯一真理。因此,我们要回到圣经中查考。在这么多关于圣灵凭据的说法中,圣经到底怎么说? 我们来思考五种对圣灵凭据的主张: 使徒行传19:2 :保罗来到以弗所时遇见几位门徒,问他们:“你们信的时候领受圣灵没有?”他们回答说:“没有,也未曾听见有圣灵赐下。” 这节经文清楚地告诉我们: 信主不等于领受圣灵 。面对不同的观点,我们要回到圣经来看。若是信主就一定有圣灵,那这些门徒为何回答说“连圣灵有没有都没听说”?这令人费解。更何况,如果信主就有圣灵,保罗就不需要多此一问。 那么,保罗如何判断他们有没有领受圣灵?甚至这些门徒自己也不知道自己有没有领受。 有人可能说:这些门徒只是接受了约翰的洗,而非耶稣的洗,所以信仰还不完全,自然没有圣灵。 真是这样吗? 使徒行传8:1-4 :耶路撒冷教会受逼迫,门徒四散。第5节记载腓利下到撒玛利亚,向百姓传讲基督。注意,这里传讲的是 基督的福音 。第6节提到群众都一心听腓利所讲的,看到他行的神迹奇事。接着第9-13节记载,有一个行邪术的西门也信了。腓利所传的是 基督的福音 ,撒玛利亚人(8:12) 和西门 (8:13) 都相信了。可是却 没有 领受圣灵使徒行传8:14-17 记载圣灵还未降临在他们身上。由此可见,这些人即使信了主,也还未得着圣灵。 我们若回到使徒行传19,然后假设说这些门徒没有圣灵是因为信的是约翰,不是耶稣基督,那请思考撒玛利亚人信的是耶稣,却同样 还未 领受圣灵。 可见,无论是信约翰还是信耶稣,这些信徒都没有领受圣灵或有圣灵的凭据。 使徒行传 8:7 - 腓利能行神迹奇事,并传讲基督。撒马利亚的人听了基督的福音,就信了,也得了医治。但我们必须认识到,这里出现了两个不同的现象。西门是个行邪术的人,他曾使撒马利亚人惊奇很久(第9节)。然而,当人们见到腓利所行的神迹时,他们比之前更为惊奇。我们可以从中得出一个结论:行神迹不一定代表能力来自神。就连西门行邪术也能使人惊奇。但神的大能胜过了邪恶的力量。 然而,我们还没有看到圣灵降临在这些人身上。因此我们可以进一步明白:神迹奇事的出现,并不代表圣灵的同在。神通过神迹奇事彰显祂的存在,是为了帮助人明白真理,使人信主,引导人认识圣灵。 虽然腓利已经传了真理,也行了神迹奇事,撒马利亚人也相信了,但圣经清楚记载圣灵还没有降在他们身上。这说明即使在使徒时期,有神迹奇事随着福音的传讲,圣灵的降临却是按神的时间成就的。 因此我们必须明白,要回到圣经的教导中去认识圣灵,而不能单凭神迹奇事就断定某人有圣灵。不是每一个神迹都出于神。有时就像西门那样,虽然能行奇事,人们却误以为是从神而来。因此我们不能以神迹奇事作为判断一个人是否领受圣灵的标准。 使徒行传 8:12-13 - 撒马利亚人信了基督,也受了洗。但圣灵尚未降临在他们身上。使徒行传 8:14-15 告诉我们,当时在耶路撒冷的使徒听说撒马利亚人领受了神的道,就差派彼得和约翰去为他们祷告,使他们可以领受圣灵。由此可见,一个人即使受了洗,也不代表自动就领受了圣灵。 使徒行传 19:5 - 我们回到在以弗所的门徒。当保罗为他们施洗之后,他还必须为他们按手,因为圣灵还没有降在他们身上(使徒行传 19:5-6)。 那么,领受圣灵的记号是什么呢?圣经记载的记号是说方言(使徒行传 19:6)。因此,圣经清楚指出:无论是撒马利亚的信徒,还是以弗所的信徒;虽然他们已经信了耶稣基督,并奉主耶稣的名受洗;虽然他们当中也有神迹奇事的显现;但他们仍然还没有领受圣灵。 “我信了耶稣之后,感到非常喜乐。这说明我已经领受了圣灵。信主以后,我不再抑郁了,这一定是圣灵在我里面的证据,不然我怎么会这么开心呢?” 使徒行传 8:7-8 记载:有病的得了医治,污鬼被赶出去,那城里就大有欢喜。然而,根据本章事件的时间顺序,当时撒马利亚人还没有领受圣灵。那他们为什么会那么喜乐呢?因为有病的、被鬼附的都得了释放!主的话语充满能力,带来盼望。人听到真理的福音,自然会感到喜乐。但这并不能作为判断一个人是否已经领受圣灵的根据。 使徒行传 10:2 - 有一位外邦人名叫哥尼流,是一个虔诚人,他爱神也爱人。圣经说他敬畏神,乐意赒济百姓,常常向神祷告。但当我们继续读下去,就会发现他当时还没有领受圣灵。 其实,不信耶稣的人当中,也有许多行善、有爱心的人。但我们不会因此就说他们已经领受了圣灵。当然,我们盼望他们有一天能领受圣灵。但圣经清楚地告诉我们:领受圣灵的凭据是说方言。圣经对此有明确的记载。 所以我们不能以一个人是否有爱心,来判断他是否已经领受圣灵。 那么,领受圣灵的凭据到底是什么?我们如何知道领受圣灵的凭据是什么?我们可以看到,那些相信基督的人并不是立刻就领受了圣灵。 使徒行传 8:17-19 记载,使徒为信徒按手之后,他们才领受圣灵。撒马利亚人和以弗所的信徒都是如此。他们有一个共同的现象: 领受圣灵是可以被观察到的。 那么,能观察到什么呢?使徒行传 19:6 说,门徒们开始说方言。而在使徒行传 8 章中,行邪术的西门“看见”了这一现象,并愿意出钱向使徒购买这能力。西门听见也看见了当时发生的事情,所以他愿意出钱,但他却有错的观念。 我们已经讨论过几种被认为是领受圣灵的“凭据”: 使徒行传 2:38-39 - 彼得告诉那些守逾越节的犹太人要悔改、受洗, 就必领受所应许的圣灵 。在这之前我们看到,门徒们聚集祷告时,圣灵降临(使徒行传 2:1-4)。圣经描述,当时有从天上来的响声,门徒开始说出他们自己也不明白的语言。这是门徒首次领受圣灵的现象,是别人可以“看见”的。 更重要的是, 这个教导不是彼得自己说的,而 是耶稣亲自的吩咐。 在耶稣复活后、升天之前,他吩咐门徒不要离开耶路撒冷,要等候父所应许的圣灵(使徒行传 1:4-8)。彼得遵从主的吩咐,留下来祷告,圣灵就降在他们身上。当时,许多人都看见这个现象,他们的信心建立在耶稣的教训和吩咐上。 马可福音 16:15-17 中,耶稣升天前告诉门徒:信而受洗的必然得救,并且有神迹随着他们——他们奉主名赶鬼, 并要说新方言 。 因此, 领受圣灵是一个神迹 , 也是一个“记号” 。当一个人领受圣灵,他/她自己应该是知道的。因此,使徒约翰在约翰一书 3:24 中说:“遵守神命令的,就住在神里面,神也住在他里面。我们所以知道神住在我们里面,是因祂所赐给我们的圣灵。” 五旬节的时候,有些人虽然不信,却看见了这个记号,这应验了耶稣的应许。但最关键的是:人必须求圣灵。门徒遵守耶稣的命令,留在耶路撒冷祷告。使徒行传 1:5 记载这命令是主升天前亲自交代的。 事实上,在耶稣被钉十字架之前,他已经在 路加福音 11:11-13 中告诉门徒,要像儿子向父亲求食物那样,向天父求圣灵。 在约翰福音 4 章,耶稣与撒马利亚妇人谈论“活水”,这“活水”其实指的就是圣灵(约翰福音 4:10)。这可以从主耶稣在约翰福音 7:37-39 中提到“活水”时清楚看出,当时祂所说的就是指着圣灵而讲的。 约翰福音 7:37-39 - 圣灵还没有赐下,是因为耶稣尚未得荣耀。在主耶稣被钉十字架之前,祂已经将这件事告诉了门徒。而在五旬节的现象中,门徒开始说方言。因此, 领受圣灵唯一的凭据就是说方言 ,这是 可以“看见”也可以“听见”的现象 。这不是一种感觉,也不是其他外在现象所能取代的。信主、受洗、有喜乐、有爱心,甚至有神迹奇事的发生——都不能作为领受圣灵的凭据。 领受圣灵说方言是唯一的凭据。这个证据很重要,因为若没有这个凭据,就表示那人没有基督的灵。正如 罗马书 8:9 所说:“ 人若没有基督的灵,就不是属基督的。 ” 使徒时代,众人看见门徒领受圣灵时的表现,还以为他们是醉了(使徒行传 2:5-13),但彼得站起来解释说: 这就是圣灵的恩赐,说方言是其凭据。 有些人误解圣经,例如引用哥林多前书第 12 章和第 14 章。我们必须分辨清楚:“ 使徒行传 2:38 ”中彼得所说的“圣灵的恩赐”在原文希腊文是 单数,dorea(礼物) 。当耶稣在约翰福音 4:10 向撒马利亚妇人谈到“神的恩赐”时,用的也是 单数 dorea 。 但哥林多前书第12章和第14章中所提到的“恩赐”( gifts )这个词,与使徒行传 2:38 和约翰福音 4:10 中的“恩赐”是 不同的字 。 在哥林多前书 12 章和 14 章中, “恩赐”是复数 ,希腊文是 charismata 。首先,圣灵本身就是神赐给人的恩赐(dorea);其次,圣灵还会赐下多种不同的恩赐(charismata),在这里圣灵是恩赐的赐予者。 我们在研读哥林多前书12章和14章时必须非常清楚:这里提到的恩赐是"charismata",这与使徒行传2:38中主耶稣所应许的恩赐(dorea)是不同的。我们必须明确:在使徒行传2:38中,圣灵本身就是神赐给人的恩赐(dorea);而在哥林多前书12章和14章中,圣灵则是赐下各样属灵恩赐(charismata)的赐予者。 让我们仔细分辨其中的差异:哥林多前书12:10提到的"说方言的恩赐"(charismata)只是赐给 少数人的 ;而使徒行传2:38所应许圣灵的恩赐 (dorea) 带来的说方言,是赐给 每一个 领受圣灵之人的。哥林多教会中有人领受了"用方言讲道"的恩赐,但这只是少数人所得的。神也会赐给另一些人"翻方言"的恩赐(林前12:10)。 用方言讲道和用方言祷告是两回事。前者是偶尔性的(为造就教会);后者是持续性的(为造就自己)。在会众中用方言讲道必须有人翻译(林前14:27),但圣灵所赐说方言的恩赐,是为了让我们能用灵祷告(林前14:2)。哥林多教会过分推崇用方言讲道,导致聚会混乱。保罗劝诫他们: 不是否定恩赐的重要性;也不是比较恩赐的优劣;而是要纠正聚会无序的问题。 他的意思是:若用方言讲道却无人翻译,听众不明白,就不能得造就。这样,倒不如用易懂的话讲道使人得益处(林前14:1-5)。保罗从未轻视这些恩赐,只是强调:若无人翻译,就当在私下用方言祷告(林前14:2),而非禁止说方言。 有人因哥林多前书12章和14章就推断"我们不需要说方言",但根据我们刚才查考的经文,说方言始终是领受圣灵的唯一明证。愿神开启我们的心,使我们能明白这真理。

我是否可以到任何教会去?

我是否可以到任何教会去?

今天,基督教界中有众多教派,而这些教会也与使徒时代当时所设立的教会大为不同。各教派对于圣经的解释各有其说。对于大部分基督徒而言,这些分歧并不重要。这是因为他们认为所有的教会,都是基督身体的一份子。因此,他们相信只要成为了基督徒,就可以得救。曾经有一回,我邀请了一位基督徒朋友到教会来。他不解地跟我说,“但是。。。我。。我已有去教会,你怎么不去邀请其他非基督徒呢?” 真的说我们一旦成为基督徒,无论到哪一个教会去都能够得救吗? 所有的教会真的都是基督身体的一份子吗?一些基督徒就持有这种观点。因此他们认为无论到哪个教会去都无妨。 “又 将 万 有 服 在 他 的 脚 下 , 使 他 为 教 会 作 万 有 之 首 。教 会 是 他 的 身 体 , 是 那 充 满 万 有 者 所 充 满 的 。” 弗一22-23 “他 也 是 教 会 全 体 之 首 。 他 是 元 始 , 是 从 死 里 首 先 复 生 的 , 使 他 可 以 在 凡 事 上 居 首 位 。” 歌一18 教会是基督的身体,而基督为教会的元首 - 这是圣经中教导的概念。圣经也进一步记载到: “身 体 只 有 一 个 , 圣 灵 只 有 一 个 , 正 如 你 们 蒙 召 同 有 一 个 指 望 。一 主 , 一 信 , 一 洗 ,一 神 , 就 是 众 人 的 父 , 超 乎 众 人 之 上 , 贯 乎 众 人 之 中 , 也 住 在 众 人 之 内 。” 弗四4-6 这些章节清楚记载只有一体、一主、一信、一洗、一神。但这是否是今天所有基督教所相信的呢? 我们是否能够说我们今天只有一个洗礼?不同的教会对于洗礼的教导各有其说。一些教会赞成婴儿洗礼,一些却反对。而每个教会对于进行洗礼的方式,还有洗礼是否与得救有关,看法也有所分歧。这是否还可被称为在基督身体里的“一洗”? 这就让我们来到圣灵的议题。在五旬节那天,神藉着圣灵的能力设立了教会(使二)。在使徒行传,我们也清楚看到圣灵如何带领使徒们(使十六6)。主耶稣曾说,圣灵就是真理的灵: “只等真理的圣灵来了,他要引导你们明白一切的真理,因为他不是凭自己说的,乃是把他所听见的都说出来,并要把将来的事告诉你们。” 约十六13 若所有的教会都是由同一个圣灵所带领并设立,那又怎么会有那么多不同版本的“真理”? 就如之前所提,不同的教会对洗礼有不同的见解。其他不同之处包括对说方言的解释。一些教会说方言,一些教会不说方言。不说方言的教会声称如今已没有说方言之事。一些教会在安息日聚会,并把该日守为圣日。而大部分的教会则在星期日聚会,并声称在安息日崇拜并不重要。这些相互矛盾的讯息难道都是来自同一个圣灵,来自真理的灵吗? 这就让我们来到下一点:一信。若我们在教义上有那么多不同之处,我们是否还可以说我们是一信的呢? 一些基督徒争辩说我们确实是一信的。因为我们相信同一位赏赐救恩给我们的主耶稣。所以,这些在教义上的差异并不重要。而很多人都引用这为理由,认为既然如此,那自己到哪一个教会去崇拜都无所谓。他们也常引用以下的章节为依据: “神爱世人,甚至将他的独生子赐给他们,叫一切信他的不致灭亡,反得永生。” 约三16 没错,圣经确实有记载信耶稣可以得救。但我们是否因此就否认圣经中其他的记载?难道圣经对于得救之事,就只有这个记载吗?耶稣在马可福音十六16不也说了,人必须受洗才可得救吗?难道就因为双方都信耶稣基督,即使一方相信得救必须受洗,另一方相信得救不需要受洗,我们都认为双方是出于一信的吗? 当加拉太人被迫要遵守犹太律法,包括行割礼,保罗特别警告他们要持守纯正的话语。从此,我们就可以看出保罗多看重福音的独一性。 我稀奇你们这么快离开那借着基督之恩召你们的,去从别的福音。 那并不是福音,不过有些人搅扰你们,要把基督的福音更改了。 但无论是我们,是天上来的使者,若传福音给你们,与我们所传给你们的不同,他就应当被咒诅。 我们已经说了,现在又说:若有人传福音给你们,与你们所领受的不同,他就应当被咒诅! 加一6-9 我们来看看主耶稣曾说过的话。这也许会让一些人觉得很震惊: 凡称呼我‘主啊,主啊’的人不能都进天国,唯独遵行我天父旨意的人才能进去。 当那日,必有许多人对我说:‘主啊,主啊,我们不是奉你的名传道,奉你的名赶鬼,奉你的名行许多异能吗?’ 我就明明地告诉他们说:‘我从来不认识你们。你们这些作恶的人,离开我去吧!’ 太七21-23 我们从这里可以看到虽然有些人已信主,但主耶稣却不拯救他们!若我们真相信耶稣在此所说的,我们就能清楚意识到,一个人并非相信耶稣、承认耶稣,就可以得救。 若我们说我们信耶稣,却不信祂所说的,比如,祂对于洗礼得救的教导,那我们是否真正相信了祂? 这就让我们来到最后一点:一体。若所有的教会都是圣灵所设立,那就不会有那么多不同版本的教义。这些不同的信仰,不可能都被视为一信,被统称为“相信耶稣基督”。如保罗所说,只有一个福音。只有一个完整的真理让人得救。若耶稣在圣经中只教导了我们一个有关得救的讯息,这个讯息岂不应该是由圣灵所启示,而不是按人意来解释吗? 而教会所扮演的角色则是要持守这个真理!如保罗所说写到: “ 假如我来迟了,你也可以知道在 神的家里应该怎样行。这家就是永活 神的教会、真理的柱石和根基。” 提前三15 教会是真理的柱石和根基。换句话说,教会是有责任持守真理的。若这些教会根本没有真理,那他们又怎么能被称为圣经中神的教会,基督的身体? 如以弗所书四章所记载,只有一信和一体。这意味着只有一个教会具有全备、拯救人的真理。若你到一个没有全备、让人得救真理的教会,一个不真正属基督身体的教会,你认为自己可以得救吗? 今天,真耶稣教会相信我们是神的独一真教会。我们所传的是全备的真理,是使徒们在圣经中所传讲的真理。真耶稣教会相信洗礼、洗脚礼和圣餐礼都是要得救,必行的圣礼。我们也守安息日,并相信领受圣灵即说方言,是得救的必备条件。而这些教义的相关章节,都记载在圣经中。而且也是圣经中,使徒们所信奉的同样的信仰。我们将不会在此文章中,详细阐述说这些教义。但您若有兴趣了解得救的真理,敬请与我们联系。

Back To Basics

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.

关于本会

我们是真耶稣教会,一间建立在耶稣与使徒们的教导上的全球性非宗派教会。藉由圣灵创立,我们的使命是把全备的救恩真理传向地极/世界尽头。

关于本会

We have four places of worship, and we gather for Sabbath and night worship services. We welcome you to join us for any of our in-person services!

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