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以西结书 第四十和四十一章(英文)

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From Chapter 40, it marks the start of the vision shown to Ezekiel of a new temple that is to be built in Jerusalem.

Did your eyes glaze over as you read the 2 chapters?  

Imagine you were Ezekiel and you were told to pay close attention to everything that he was being shown and then go and tell the people everything he had seen.  

4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.” 

~ Ezekiel 40:4 ~

What follows is Ezekiel being first led to see the Eastern Gateway of the Temple, then the Outer Court, Northern and Southern Gateway to the Temple, Gateways to the Inner Courts, where the sacrifices were made, the chambers for the priests and singers.  And then, very careful recordings of the dimensions of the different parts of the temple were specified and recorded down.

Why do you think this was done?

Being a person who is not very detail oriented, I cannot quite understand the need for all the exact measurements to be spelled out.  What’s wrong if the measurements are out by an inch or two?

Then it struck me.  God cares for His people so much that He does not want to leave any stone unturned for His people. 

In our daily lives many things happen - big or small.  Some are blessings and some are trials.  Some are good things, some are bad. 

God is interested in us, His People.  Even to the most minute detail!

And He has given us specific instructions in His Holy Word for many areas of our life. 

The question is, do our eyes glaze over the Words from the Bible.  Or do we, like Ezekiel, listen carefully and then tell it to others?

Last night I had a dream and in that dream, I had a very big pain in my leg and could not figure it out.  And for some reason, a Deacon of the church was examining me as if he was a doctor.  And then after he diagnose that there was some issue with my leg (could not remember what was said), his conclusion was this…

“This is why you need to get better and after that, go out and preach the Gospel!”

Tears welled up as I recall this and am writing this now.  

Was this a rebuke?  Areminder?  A warning?  An admonishment?  An encouragement?

God through His infinite wisdom. Mercy and grace has given us all the details (truth) of Salvation.

Should we not go and tell others about it so that they also know of it?

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
~ Mark 16:15-16 ~

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
~ Romans 1:16 ~

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
~ 2 Timothy 4:2 ~

May we be interested in all the little details that God reveals to us and after listening carefully to it, tell it to others as well.

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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。

我们应该施行婴儿洗礼吗?

我们应该施行婴儿洗礼吗?

一些人会争辩说因为婴儿不能独立思考并信主,所以他们不应接受洗礼。而为了支持该说法,他们就引用了腓利及伊索比亚太监的例子。在此例子中,腓利告诉太监只要他全心相信,就可接受洗礼(使八36-37)。 但是真耶稣教会相信我们应该,而且必须施行婴儿洗礼!虽说水洗是信心的表现,但这不仅是表明一个人的信仰,其中也蕴含着重要的属灵意义。就让我们从几个角度探讨。 首先,要得救,就必须接受水洗。耶稣就命令门徒要传福音,为众人施洗。这说明了得救与水洗是有密切关系的。 “信 而 受 洗 的 , 必 然 得 救 ; 不 信 的 , 必 被 定 罪 。” 可十六16 一些人会争辩说让人得救的是信心,而并非水洗。但是彼得在彼得前书三21清楚说明洗礼能让人得救! “这 水 所 表 明 的 洗 礼 , 现 在 藉 着 耶 稣 基 督 复 活 也 拯 救 你 们 ; 这 洗 礼 本 不 在 乎 除 掉 肉 体 的 污 秽 , 只 求 在 神 面 前 有 无 亏 的 良 心 。” 彼前三21 洗礼之所以能让人得救,是因为藉着洗礼,我们才能有无愧的良心来到神面前。换句话,我们的罪因此得赦了!使徒行传二章38节和二十二章16节就印证了这点。 “彼 得 说 : 你 们 各 人 要 悔 改 , 奉 耶 稣 基 督 的 名 受 洗 , 叫 你 们 的 罪 得 赦 , 就 必 领 受 所 赐 的 圣 灵 。” 使二38 “现 在 你 为 什么耽 延 呢 ? 起 来 , 求 告 祂 的 名 受 洗 , 洗 去 你 的 罪 。” 使二十二16 从这些章节,我们可以看出,要得救就必须接受洗礼。因为藉着洗礼,我们的罪才可被洗去。圣经告诉我们死藉着亚当的罪进入了世界。而且因为众人都犯了罪,所以死亡临到众人!死亡是罪的结果。而因为亚当的罪行,众人都被定罪。 这 就 如 罪 是 从 一 人 入 了 世 界 , 死 又 是 从 罪 来 的 ; 於 是 死 就 临 到 众 人 , 因 为 众 人 都 犯 了 罪 。 罗五12 因 一 人 犯 罪 就 定 罪 , 也 不 如 恩 赐 , 原 来 审 判 是 由 一 人 而 定 罪 , 恩 赐 乃 是 由 许 多 过 犯 而 称 义 。 罗五16 所有人类一出世,就面临死亡。这就是我们心里罪的影儿。因亚当的罪,我们也理当成为了罪人,理应承受永刑。 换句话说,当一个婴儿死去,他也会承受永刑!因此,教会必须为婴儿施行洗礼,以洗去他们的罪。因为婴儿也一样需要救恩! 第二,我们是藉洗礼成为基督身体的一份子,成了一个身体。 我 们 不 拘 是 犹 太 人 , 是 希 利 尼 人 , 是 为 奴 的 , 是 自 主 的 , 都 从 一 位 圣 灵 受 洗 , 成 了 一 个 身 体 , 饮 於 一 位 圣 灵 。 林前十二13 你 们 就 是 基 督 的 身 子 , 并 且 各 自 作 肢 体 。 林前十二27 保罗也把基督的身体与救恩联系。他说耶稣基督已让犹太人和希利尼人和好,在主里成了一个身体。 “既 在 十 字 架 上 灭 了 冤 仇 , 便 藉 这 十 字 架 使 两 下 归 为 一 体 , 与 神 和 好 了。” 弗二16 若没有水洗,婴儿则无法成为这已与神和好,基督身体的一部分,那他们又怎么能得救呢? 第三,新约的洗礼与旧约的割礼是相似的。 “ 你 们 在 他 里 面 也 受 了 不 是 人 手 所 行 的 割 礼 , 乃 是 基 督 使 你 们 脱 去 肉 体 情 欲 的 割 礼 。你 们 既 受 洗 与 他 一 同 埋 葬 , 也 就 在 此 与 他 一 同 复 活 , 都 因 信 那 叫 他 从 死 里 复 活 神 的 功 用 。” 歌二11-12 有趣的是,一个人若要成为神的百姓,他就必须先受割礼!因为这是成为神百姓,必须符合的条件。就连外邦人,若要成为神的选民,都必须守逾越节,并受割礼。 “但 不 受 割 礼 的 男 子 必 从 民 中 剪 除 , 因 他 背 了 我 的 约 。” 创十七14 “若 有 外 人 寄 居 在 你 们 中 间 , 愿 向 耶 和 华 守 逾 越 节 , 他 所 有 的 男 子 务 要 受 割 礼 , 然 后 才 容 他 前 来 遵 守 , 他 也 就 像 本 地 人 一 样 ; 但 未 受 割 礼 的 , 都 不 可 吃 这 羊 羔 。” 出十二48 从以上章节我们可看出割礼非常重要,也是要成为神选民必须符合的条件之一。但行割礼的意义到底何在?这纯粹是一种形式或是有其律法上的作用? “ 并 且 他 受 了 割 礼 的 记 号 , 作 他 未 受 割 礼 的 时 候 因 信 称 义 的 印 证 , 叫 他 作 一 切 未 受 割 礼 而 信 之 人 的 父 , 使 他 们 也 算 为 义 ;又 作 受 割 礼 之 人 的 父 , 就 是 那 些 不 但 受 割 礼 , 并 且 按 我 们 的 祖 宗 亚 伯 拉 罕 未 受 割 礼 而 信 之 踪 迹 去 行 的 人 。” 罗四11-12 保罗解释说割礼是神赏赐亚伯拉罕,作为他因信称义的印 证!让他成为所有相信(但未受割礼)之人的信心之父。让那些已受割礼之人,可按他的踪迹去行!换句话说,割礼是一种印记。印证一个人是亚伯拉罕,信心之父的后裔。是与他一样,行在神的信心中的人。 那以色列人又是在什么时候受割礼呢?当他们只有八天大! “你 们 世 世 代 代 的 男 子 , 无 论 是 家 里 生 的 , 是 在 你 後 裔 之 外 用 银 子 从 外 人 买 的 , 生 下 来 第 八 日 , 都 要 受 割 礼 。” 创十七12 虽然这是信心的记号,但我们看到神命令以色列人在仅八天大的时候,就要受割礼。在这个年龄,新生儿不可能对神有任何信心的行为。但神希望这些孩子尽快成为祂的子民!既然洗礼在各方面与割礼相似,即:成为神百姓所需有的举动,也是对神信心的表现,那么我们岂可因婴儿太年幼,无法宣誓自己的信仰而不允许他们进入基督的身体? 圣经非常看重父母的信仰。以腓利比的禁卒为例,就因为他一个人的信心,让他全家得救。其中必定也包括他的孩子。 他 们 说 : 当 信 主 耶 稣 , 你 和 你 一 家 都 必 得 救 。 他 们 就 把 主 的 道 讲 给 他 和 他 全 家 的 人 听 。 当 夜 , 就 在 那 时 候 , 禁 卒 把 他 们 带 去 , 洗 他 们 的 伤 ; 他 和 属 乎 他 的 人 立 时 都 受 了 洗 。” 使十六31-33 我们也看到耶稣如何拯救大臣及迦南妇人的孩子。这都是凭着父母对耶稣的信心。 “那 大 臣 说 : 「 先 生 , 求 你 趁 着 我 的 孩 子 还 没 有 死 就 下 去 。 」 耶 稣 对 他 说 : 「 回 去 吧 , 你 的 儿 子 活 了 ! 」 那 人 信 耶 稣 所 说 的 话 就 回 去 了 。” 约四49-50 “ 耶 稣 说 : 妇 人 , 你 的 信 心 是 大 的 ! 照 你 所 要 的 , 给 你 成 全 了 罢 。 从 那 时 候 , 他 女 儿 就 好 了 。” 太十五:28 圣经也记载,教导孩子敬畏神,是父母的责任。 “ 你 们 作 父 亲 的 , 不 要 惹 儿 女 的 气 , 只 要 照 着 主 的 教 训 和 警 戒 养 育 他 们 。” 弗六4 “教 养 孩 童 , 使 他 走 当 行 的 道 , 就 是 到 老 他 也 不 偏 离 。” 箴二十二6 因此,只要父母有信心,信徒的孩子,即便还年幼,还无法明白何为信心,也能够接受洗礼。事实上,他们必须接受洗礼,成为基督身体的一部分,让他们的罪得赦!而洗礼之后,父母就有职责教导他们敬畏神,教导他们行在信心的道路上。 作为结论,让我们谨记耶稣所说的,“让小孩子到我这里来,不要禁止他们;因为在神国的,正是这样的人(可十13-16)。”让我们不要禁止孩子们成为基督身体的一部分,不要禁止他们得救。

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.

以西结书 第四十七章(英文)

以西结书 第四十七章(英文)

God subjected Ezekiel through an immersive experience in the vision of walking in the river. From Ezekiel’s first account that the water reaches his ankle, to the next encounter where the waters reaches his knees, to the point that the waters reaches his waist and finally when the waters became so deep that it was impossible to walk but one needs to swim, and even so the currents are so strong that one cannot swim across. From our personal experiences, such first-hand experiential activities leave a deeper and more lasting impressions, as compared to just seeing (visual) and listening (audial). So why did God use this approach? What key and essential message did He want to impart to Ezekiel? And what bearing does it have for us today? “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.” “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.” The power and significance of the river can be seen through the effects. The teeming vitality, the abundance of life brought about by the healing powers of the river. Jesus proclaimed on the last day of the feast (John 7:38 – 39), “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” And the scriptures continued to explain that the river of living water refers to the Holy Spirit. Paul also declared to us “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor 6: 19 – 20) Is this same power that God revealed to Ezekiel manifested in us as well. Do we bring God’s healing power to the people that we meet each day. Do we live up to God’s expectations of us? Have we truly and sincerely do all that we can to repay God for His great love and mercy towards us. There is definitely still much that we must do. Let us continue to stir up and encourage one another as we see the day of the Lord approaching. “But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt.” Alas, we do see also that there are areas that the healing power of God do not reach. Let us however not be mistaken thinking that it is the limitation to the power of God. Rather, it is sadly the deplorable state of man’s heart as Stephen declared in Acts 7:51, “ You stiff - neck ed and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” Let us thus guard our hearts with all diligence, that we do not fall in the same error in our ways. Let us not be the barren fig tree that waste the ground (Luke 13:6 – 9), nor should we be the enlightened but to fall away and put our Lord to open shame (Heb 6: 4 – 8).

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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