乐龄小组上周举办了“诗歌观摩会“。

这里与大家分享其中的两首歌：

ἀγάπη (agapa)

对他人的温馨关怀与关注；尊重、感情、爱。
（不限于亲密的关系；但几乎不指性爱。）

a)       人与人之间的爱。如：林前13章
b1)      神/基督对人的爱；罗8:39、约一4:8 等。
b2)     神与基督之间的爱的关系；约15:10、17:26 等。         

（节译自 BDAG 《新约及早期基督教文献希腊文大词典》（英文版））

前几天，在纽约时报看到一则访谈报导，是一名美国福音派牧者Bill White与他的同性恋儿子的对谈，谈及身为父亲的Bill在儿子出柜后的反应；这位牧者说他不是没有挣扎，但是，他最终的结论是“能够摆脱那僵化的确定、那关闭的信仰体系，转而拥抱一种以耶稣的爱为中心的更为开放的信仰，实在是令人倍感释然的。”(“…it was wonderfully freeing to have lost that rigid certainty, that closed system of belief, and to have a more open-ended faith that centred on the love of Jesus.” Bill White)
姑不论这样的一个对谈出现在高举自由派精神的纽约时报对美国基督教界（尤其是福音派）的意义和冲击，于每个认真努力跟随耶稣的人而言，这个对谈是又一次的提问：耶稣的爱到底是怎样的一种爱？

在新约圣经中，用以讲述“爱”的有几个词，我们最常提到的，就是ἀγάπη 这个词，主要就在于这个词除了可以用以讲述人与人之间的关系和感情之外，也用来讲述神对人的爱，以及神与基督之间的关系。而综观这个词在新约的用法，在讲述神对人的爱时，经常都与神藉着基督所成就的救赎有关，从神的拯救耶稣基督的十架牺牲来谈神的“爱”。
神的拯救——在我们还与祂为敌，在我们还是悖逆灭亡之子时——神的拯救诚然是“奇异”的；而主耶稣竟然愿意为了我们这样的人，以他的无罪圣洁换我们的罪恶败坏，他的十架牺牲肯定是我们不配得的“恩典”！连保罗在思想这个事实时，也禁不住要向罗马的信徒们大声宣称：他“深信，无论是（什么）……都不能叫我们与神的爱隔绝——这爱是在我们的主耶稣基督里的。”（罗8:38-39）我们在讶异中喜乐地享受着这奇异的恩典，神的爱、耶稣的爱，何其宝贵！又何其无敌！

是的，耶稣的爱诚然无敌，因为他的爱战胜了死亡，将必死的我们从死亡的权势中夺回来，重新归属于神，有份于神的生命和性情。
也许，这就是为什么许多像那美国牧者一样，当自己本身或至亲至爱的人选择了同性相亲的道路时，最终的结论总是：神是爱。不是么？耶稣深爱罪人以至于死。不是么？所以，不需要被其他的“教条”辖制；重要的，只要活在神的爱里，有耶稣的爱，彼此忠贞，就像一般异性婚姻伴侣，那么，同性相亲也是蒙神祝福的道路。
（这里必须确切地认识一个关键点——面对同性吸引的挣扎与选择同性相亲的生活方式是截然不同的；前者为了要活出符合神关乎两性的教导过一个合乎神心意的圣洁生活而苦苦挣扎，后者则认为这方面的教导是可以商榷的，重点是只要有神的爱，有耶稣的爱，就可以了。）

只是，看着纽约时报的报导，想起一众类似的说法，却担心这里头是不是有什么误会了——对耶稣的爱的误会？耶稣的爱，正如圣经一再让我们看到的，是神对陷于罪的泥沼中无法自拔不能自救的我们，深重的怜悯，宽厚的包容，慷慨的接纳，无限的耐心，是无求于我们的爱的表彰。换言之，就是我们一再被提醒的——神的爱，耶稣的爱，是白白赐予我们的，是我们无法赚取的，是“无条件”的。
只不过，真是这样么？——对于承受祂的爱的人，确实是无条件的！——然而，神的爱并不是全然无条件的，神的爱的条件，就是祂的公义必须得到满足，否则，所谓的爱也不过是滥爱罢了。而耶稣的爱就是这公义得满足的彰显了。
耶稣赦免犯奸淫的妇人，因为他要为她的罪钉上十架。
耶稣接纳众人嫌恶的税吏长撒该、因为他要为他的罪钉上十架。
耶稣驱逐污鬼邪灵，医治痲风病人、瘸子、生来瞎眼的、濒临死亡甚至已经死了的，因为有一天，他要在十字架上，把这一切罪所带来的恶果一并钉死在他自己的身上。

所以，如果我们一面拥抱神明明白白斥责厌恶的行为，一面诉诸祂的这份爱，这份彰显于耶稣的生与死的爱，我们是不是误会了些什么？我们是不是拿耶稣的爱，拿神的爱，与世界当下积极鼓吹的所谓不批判的包容的爱混淆了呢？

要学像耶稣，至少必须常常把耶稣的爱这件事放在心上，反复思想。

（按：当然，这其中牵涉了更广的问题——比如教会如何接纳面对罪恶引诱而挣扎的弟兄姐妹并与他们同行这条艰难的路？比如神的爱与神的公义要如何同时表现？……等等，都不是这里简单一两句话就可以厘得清说得明的。这是我自己的反思，与你分享；你可以接受或不同意，我们也可以继续讨论，但请不要照单全收。）

Today, I’ll be preaching on this portion of Philippians, but will not be addressing the kenosis controversy found in the passage. I just felt that it is too huge of a rabbit trail to deal with in the sermon itself with regards to the flow of the message. So I thought it would be best to discuss it here.  Kenosis is the Greek for “emptying” or “self-emptying.” The key question is: What did Jesus emptied himself of in verse 6? 

Philippians 2:5-7
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Why it is Puzzling:
A cursory reading of this passage gives the feeling that Jesus was not 100% God, especially when He came down and dwelled among us. Verse 6 speaks of Jesus being in the “form of God”, which sounds like He was not actually God, but merely having some semblance of God. To make matters worse, verse 7 goes on to say He “emptied” Himself. People may read this and have thoughts that maybe Jesus gave up His divinity to become fully human. We know this cannot be since the theologically correct stance to take is Jesus being 100% God and 100% human when He walked this earth.

Alternative Interpretation:
We can be confident that the pre-existent Christ before His incarnation was not just merely having a semblance of God but was always fully God because verse 6 itself spoke of Jesus having “equality with God.”  Furthermore, verse 7 spoke of Jesus “taking the form of a servant.” Jesus really became a servant and not just a semblance of a servant. In the same way Jesus was born in the likeness of men where He really became a man and not just a semblance of a man.

So back to the big question: In verse 7, what did Jesus emptied Himself of? For sure, Jesus did not empty Himself of His deity. He did not became any less than fully divine. In fact, it was also Paul who said of Jesus in Colossians 2:9, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”

With regards to the kenosis, we should think of the emptying as a laying aside of the rights and privileges that were Jesus’ in heaven. The reference verse to head to is John 17:5 where Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” From here, we can see that there were aspects of Jesus’ glory which he had laid aside when He descended to earth. Therefore it is the restoration of these aspects of Jesus’ glory that He prayed for that forms the contents of the kenosis.   

Why it Matters:
We must take care not to go beyond what Scripture says. The passage did not say that Jesus emptied Himself of His divine attributes, nor did it say that Jesus ceased to be God, or became a lesser god. If we take the concept of kenosis too far, and say what the Scripture did not say, we cross the line into heresy territory. 

Ling Siew Kim’s Testimony   林秀金的见证

信耶稣以前我我是一个多愁善感的人, 经常忧虑许多的事, 忧虑女儿的工作、母亲的健康, 心中许多的重担, 工作遇到老板的责备就很懊恼, 不开心的时候经常发脾气, 生活一天过一天, 非常的平淡。
我信主的妹妹经常向我传福音, 劝我不要为生活忧虑, 要向耶稣祷告, 祂会帮助我. 我就开始学习祷告, 祷告后心情比较放松, 很感谢耶稣听我的祷告, 后来女儿工作比较顺利、母亲的健康也比较稳定. 妹妹也鼓励我看圣经; 约翰福音3 : 16 “神爱世人, 甚至将祂的独生子赐给他们, 叫一切相信祂的, 不至灭亡, 反得永生.” 我认识了耶稣是救主, 相信祂得永生. 后来我开始在教会上基督教教育课程, 认识到我在思想与行为上有得罪神的, 我必须认罪, 求耶稣赦免我的罪并接受祂做我的救主与生命的主. 明白了什么是信耶稣, 妹妹就邀请教会的传道到我家为我做决志信耶稣的祷告。
信主后, 我的生命有许多的改变, 我想我既然信耶稣. 我必须像耶稣, 要宽恕人, 不要计较别人的过错. 于是我就祷告, 求耶稣帮助我. 我渐渐变得比较乐观、开朗. 从此, 我积极读经祷告, 继续参加教会的聚会还有上课, 更多的认识神, 了解神的教导. 我今天接受洗礼, 在撒旦、上帝与众人面前宣告我已经接受耶稣为我的救主与生命的主, 一次相信永远相信. 阿门！

Zac Low’s Testimony   刘子杰的见证

Growing up, I was no stranger to bible stories and hymns like “To be like Jesus”. While I did profess Christ as my Lord and saviour when I was 10, as a young child I still thought to be like Jesus meant being perfect. So I tried, I aimed to be polite, said my please and thank you’s, obeyed my parents, and tried to eat my vegetables. 
But as I got older, I realised there was one thing that I couldn’t control: My thoughts.
I tried to fix it on my own, thinking that if I scrubbed hard enough, the sin would go away. But an eraser can never erase what’s permanently written in pen. So I began to take more “extreme measures”, imagining or burning the thoughts away, hoping that would work, but the more I fought, the more bad thoughts plagued my mind. 
So I began to wear masks, not just to fool others but to fool myself. I became a version of myself others expected to see.
I thought, if I looked like a good christian boy, that must mean I was one.
Things started to change in JC2 during Timothy fellowship when we went through “The Gospel Centered Life” by Thune and Walker. One thing that stood out to me was the Cross chart. 

I didn’t fully get it then, but it planted a seed.
Years later, I realized I never grasped how broken I was. 
Sure I hadn’t done any of the “bad stuff” that would get me into serious trouble. But the issue wasn’t my outward behavior, it was my heart. My pride. My self-dependence. I had convinced myself I was “okay” but in reality, I was a hypocrite. That realization hit hard.
At that point in time, I thought it would be hard to see God’s holiness, so I asked God for the opposite: to be able to see my own sinfulness. I thought maybe if I knew what was wrong, I could fix it and be good enough, no need to be perfect anymore, just… enough. 
Did I really know what I was asking for? No. 
But God answered and began exposing the dark corners of my broken, sinful heart, even places I didn’t even want to admit were there. 
My life went from a seemingly straight line to a super wavy line
But even in that mess, I began to understand Romans 3:23 that “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”. I couldn’t fake or hide it anymore. From the beginning, I was and still am, a sinner through and through. And no amount of effort could save me. This problem was something I never could fix on my own and never will. 
At that point, I began to doubt. Could God really love someone like me? 
That’s when Romans 5:8 hit me differently: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Not when I got better.
Not when I finally became ‘good enough.’
But while I was still broken.
Because of God’s great love, He gave His only son, the only truly perfect man, Jesus Christ. Who took the punishment I deserved by dying on the cross. And three days later, His resurrection proved that He truly is the Son of God.
And because of that, I found a new kind of rest, not a false sense of security propped up by my own effort, but a deep peace in knowing that even when I fall short, I am already forgiven, because the work is finished.
Now, when I strive toward Christlikeness, it’s no longer out of guilt or to prove my worth, but as a response to His love, not relying on my own strength, but His.
While my journey so far hasn’t been a dramatic overnight change, that’s okay. God, in His love, has been guiding my steps, growing me through both the highs and the lows. And now, I no longer need to wear a mask but I can be authentic and genuine with others.
So, please pray for me, that I will continue to maintain my focus, fixing my eyes on Jesus and when I fall, to get back up again, persevering till the very end. All in all not forgetting that it is also He who holds me fast. 
As part of the body, to grow and spur others on in Christ-likeness and by His spirit, to be continuously sharpened to proactively emulate Christ, this time, from the inside, out. 
In short, to be like Jesus. 
For His glory and my good. 
Amen.

从小我就对各种圣经故事耳濡目染，也常常唱诗歌，比如《要像耶稣》。虽然我十岁那年就承认耶稣基督是我的救主但我以为 “要像耶稣” 就是言行举止要做到最完美。于是我尽我所能：要有礼貌、说 “请” 和 “谢谢”、听父母的话、乖乖吃蔬菜。
但随着年龄渐长，我发现有一件事是我完全无法控制的：我的思想。
我尝试靠自己解决，以为只要足够努力地“擦干净”，罪就会消失。但用橡皮檫是无法擦去已经用墨水写下的东西。所以，我开始采取一些“极端”的方法，比如试着在脑海中 “烧掉” 那些想法，想看看是否奏效。但越是挣扎，那些负面想法反而越缠绕我。
于是，我开始戴上 “面具”，不仅是为了骗别人，也是为了骗我自己。努力表现得像一个“好基督徒”的样子。
我以为，只要看起来像是个好的基督徒，那我就真的是了。
直到我十八岁时，在提摩太团契里，我们一起查考《以福音为中心的生活》（The Gospel-Centered Life）这本书，其中有一个“十字架图”（The Cross Chart）让我印象特别深刻。
当时我还不完全明白，但它在我心中埋下了一颗种子。
后来，我终于意识到，我从来没有真正认识到自己有多破碎。
我或许没有做什么 “大错事”，没有闯祸。但问题不在于外表的行为，而是在我的内心；我的骄傲，我的自恃。我一直说服自己 “我还好”，但其实我是个假冒为善的人。这个认知对我打击很大。
我以为，要看见神的圣洁有点难，于是我向神祷告，求祂让我看见自己内心的罪恶。我认为，只要我知道哪里错了，就可以自己去修复，不需要完美，只要 “够好” 就行了。
当时的我知道自己在求什么吗？其实，我不知道。
但神回应了祷告，祂开始显明我心中那些黑暗的角落。甚至是我自己都不愿意面对的地方。
我的生命轨迹，从一条看似直的线，变成了一条崎岖波动的曲线。
但也正是在这混乱当中，我开始真正明白罗马书3章23节所说：“因为人人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀”。 我无法再假装，也无法再隐藏。从一开始，我就是个罪人，现在仍是。而且，无论我多努力，都无法靠自己解决这个问题。
就在那时，我开始怀疑：神真的会爱像我这样的人吗？
这时，罗马书5章8节以全新的方式触动了我：“唯有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死，神对我们的爱就在此显明了。”
不需要等到我变好了， 也不是等我变得 “够好”， 而是就在我仍然破碎的时候。
正因着神伟大的爱，祂赐下了祂的独生子，耶稣基督，唯一真正完全的人，代替我承受应得的惩罚，为我钉在十字架上。三天后，祂从死里复活，显明祂真的是神的儿子。
正因如此，我得着了一个全新的安息。这不是靠自己努力营造出来的虚假安全感，而是一种深深的平安。知道即使我再一次跌倒，我已经被赦免了，因为救恩的工作已经完成。
如今，当我竭力追求效法基督，不再是出于愧疚或想证明自己的价值，而是出于对祂的爱，是一种回应。我不再倚靠自己的力量，而是靠祂的大能。
虽然我的属灵旅程并不是一夜之间就翻转改变，但没关系。神在他的爱中一步步引导我，无论在高山还是低谷中塑造我。现在，我不再需要戴上面具，而是可以真实地、坦然地面对人。
所以，请你们为我祷告，求主帮助我持续定睛在耶稣身上，跌倒时能重新站起来，持守信仰直到最后。我要记得，不是我抓住祂，而是祂一直在扶持我。
作为基督的肢体，愿我能继续在基督里成长，并激励他人追求效法基督，同时也愿圣灵不断地磨炼我，使我从内心开始，真实地活出基督的样式。
简而言之：要像耶稣。为着祂的荣耀，也为我自己的益处。
阿们。

Zann Low’s Testimony   刘子岩的见证

My childhood was quite a simple one. My parents were Christians who brought me to church every week where I would usually attend Chinese Sunday school, which honestly felt more like Chinese tuition. During sermons, I’d be at the back of the hall sleeping under the bench on the floor or folding origami completely in my own world, not really paying attention or understanding what was being said.
I wasn’t exactly the perfect son, nor was I trying to be. I understood what I should do, but I never really bothered. I was probably the most rebellious one at home, got caned a lot for doing all sorts of bad things, and generally didn’t like doing anything except what I wanted.
From early on, I was exposed to what it meant to be a Christian through church and I understood the idea that Christians shouldn’t lie, must obey their parents, and should honour God. But I never really lived that way so I just followed my parents to church and only thought about God during those times.
I generally enjoyed reading books, and around Primary 6, My school introduced this Manga Bible series (Annex 1). Which i really enjoyed as It helped me visualize biblical stories and really sparked my interest. I remember asking my parents to buy the whole series , which I read multiple times. It really helped me in familiarising myself with the biblical events which was helpful for Sunday school, especially when we went through familiar stories.
After my PSLE, in Primary 6, my dad posed a very intriguing question to me which was “Do you believe in Jesus as your Saviour?” At that time I said yes instinctively, without thinking too much about it. But the next day, while walking across the school plaza on my way home after playing Uno during the post-exam period, I was struck with a moment of realization of how much of a hypocrite I was. I called myself a Christian, told others I believed in God, went to church but I didn’t live like one. I didn’t even understand what it meant to believe in God. I realized I actually knew nothing about God which brought me into despair and fear of going to hell.
This sparked a desire in me to want to know more, I wanted to know God for myself. I already had a bit of understanding from the Manga Bible and Sunday school, but I wanted to know what the Bible really said to see if there was more information or details I had missed from the summarised Manga bible series. So from around October of Primary 6, I started reading the Bible from the old testament (Genesis) till the new testament (Revelation) (skipped Deuteronomy cause I couldn’t take it when i was young, too long) and, at the same time, I also wanted to change my behaviour starting with trying to stop lying and swearing.
It was also around this time that I tried listening to sermons more intentionally instead of sleeping (still happened very often), especially during bilingual services. I paid more attention during Christian Education (CE) lessons and was invited to join a cell group called Timothy Fellowship (TF). All these helped me grow in my understanding of who Jesus really is and what He has done for me. As I learned more about God, I also began to see more clearly my own sinful nature and tried to slowly correct my attitude.
After about three and a half years I finished the bible then. I reflected on what I had done the past few years and realised that honestly not that much has changed, I knew about God, but I didn’t know God but I also didn’t know what else I could do so I decided to read the Bible again but this time trying to do more reflecting and absorbing of his word instead of plain text reading.
Around 2020 – 2022 during the second read through of the bible along with what I learnt from TF, Sunday school and sermons where I understood more about the attributes of God and the more I learned about God and His holiness, the more I became aware of my sin and I saw how much grace God has given me to be allowed the chance  to be saved which highlighted to me how much I needed Jesus in my life. This was when I truly accepted Christ into my life as my Lord and Saviour but as much as I accepted Jesus into my life this also marked the start of a lot of doubts, questions and struggles as to what it means to live out the faith or to follow Jesus. In my heart I struggled with the idea of grace that salvation is a free gift from God through Christ and not something I could earn through effort or good works which took awhile for me to accept.
And in my head the question I had was how true is the Bible, because having grown up with all these stories, the most important question to me was knowing whether what I read was actually true. Because if these bible stories were all true, then there would be no doubt that God was real. 
I searched for external sources to verify the truth of the Bible, many of which cited all sorts of credible historians. But eventually, I realised that I’m not a historian myself, and I don’t actually know who these “credible historians” are. Believing them would still require a certain level of trust just like believing the Bible. In the end, it didn’t really help in convincing me, because it still came down to choosing what and who I was willing to trust.
Then I started looking into reasons for God’s existence. I remember a Sunday school lesson  (it happened much later but I already had a rough and not fully fleshed out idea of this then) that summarized what I had been thinking about: “The probability of God’s existence.” It categorized arguments such as:

• The order and complexity of the universe (The universe and life exhibit intricate design and fine-tuning, it is more probable that the order and complexity of this universe is a result of an intelligent mind/designer (God) vs the universe came about by chance.)
• Life begets life (Life only comes from life, it is more probable that in the beginning God, who is life,  gave life vs in the beginning, matter came into contact with some random energy sources or lifeless matter and evolved into life-forms.)
• Moral absolutes (Most humans recognize objective right and wrong, it would be more probable that there must be a moral lawgiver who placed these rights and wrongs inside of us.)
• Love and selflessness (Acts of sacrificial love, altruism, and compassion are often irrational from a survival-only view, If we are just evolved animals, survival of the fittest will be our greatest ethical compass and therefore, it would be more probable that we would prize self-interest above selflessness.)
• Question after death (Humanity’s preoccupation with life after death, If we are just evolved beings, we ought to be just thinking about this life because there is nothing for us in the next life. But we keep asking: “What’s in the great beyond?” There is this innate sense that we must answer to somebody with regard to how we live our lives. This preoccupation makes it more probable that there is more to this life than just energy and matter.)

These understandings, along with my own personal experiences with God, assured me much more of His existence and prompted me to pursue Him more personally and not just intellectually.
As I was about to enter polytechnic, I spent a lot of time reflecting and I noticed the tendency I had to live as a Sunday Christian; someone who didn’t think or talk about God outside of church. I wanted to shift my direction. I wanted to know God, not just know about Him. I felt the best way to experience God was to immerse myself in Him, to put myself in situations where I would need to rely on Him and be reminded of Him.
So, I joined a Christian community in school called Cru, which had a Discipleship Group (DG) that helped me grow in perspective by surrounding myself with people outside of my church community. It gave me the space to talk about God with others who had different backgrounds and experiences. Joining Cru had a great impact on me as it helped me to  involve God more intentionally in my academic life as well as throughout the week. Through this community I was encouraged to explore new ways of serving and trusting in God through mission trips, evangelism, teaching, speaking, and leading. While each of these came with its own struggles they also helped me to experience God more personally.
Through these experiences, God has shown me just how much He cares for me and His people in different parts of the world. I have come to see how patient God has been with me, guiding me, teaching me and drawing me closer to Him even as I stumble through life. As I continue to follow Jesus, I want to obey His Word and follow Him. And for me, in this stage of life, baptism is the next small step of obedience that I believe God is leading me towards. Please continue to also journey with me and pray for me as God continues to reveal to me my shortcomings as I seek to live a life increasingly centered on Christ.

Jesus, the Son of God, came to this world so that we may learn to be like Him. Being like Jesus is how we become His true disciples. There are so many aspects of His life that we can imitate – praying is one of them.

From the numerous recorded instances of Jesus praying in the Gospels, I categorised them into the following reasons that Jesus prayed.

• Prayer for Intimacy with God
  • Mark 1:35: And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
  • Luke 5:16: But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
  • Jesus often and habitually spent time alone with God the Father. He did this purposefully, despite His hectic schedule and many people looking Him. I think it is a natural thing for Jesus to do, because of His intimate relationship with the Father.
  • The closer we are to God, the more we will want to spend time with God in prayer. This is the natural thing for us to do.
  • Are you willing to take time for intimacy with God? Do you have a quiet time every day for prayer?
• Prayer for Thanksgiving
  • John 6:11: Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated.
  • It would be easy to overlook this simple act of Jesus giving thanks for the food that they were about to partake. In contrast to privacy of the previous case, this was prayer done in the presence of many people. By His action, Jesus was also teaching the people to be thankful for all things that God had provided.
  • May we not neglect praying to give thanks, not only for food, but for all things that God has blessed us with.
  • When was the last time you thanked God for something “small”?
• Prayer for Intercession
  • Luke 22:32: but I have prayed for you (Peter) that your faith may not fail.
  • John 17:1-26: (v.20) I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word
  • Intercessory prayers are the longest recorded prayers by Jesus. John 17, also known as the High Priestly prayer, has 26 verses. I am sure that Jesus prayed for others more than for himself.
  • It is a privilege that we, powerless as we are, can pray for the needs of others. In doing so, we are not only following Jesus’s example, we are also blessing the lives of others through God.
  • Who are you currently praying for?
• Prayer for Guidance
  • Luke 6:12-13: In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles
  • Jesus prayed before major events or decisions. He prayed in Gethsemane before going to the cross. He also prayed before announcing his choice of the 12 disciples.
  • If Jesus had to pray for guidance, what about us? It would be presumptuous of us to think that we can make decisions without first committing them to God in prayer.
• Prayer for Strength
  • Luke 22:41-42: And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.
  • It would seem inappropriate for Jesus to ask the Father to excuse him from going to the cross. But the key is in the latter statement, that “not my will, but yours, be done”.
  • I think that sums up what Jesus’s prayers were about. He was praying so that He can accomplish the task the God the Father has given to him. He was praying so that He can obey God and submit to God’s will.

Jesus prayed for intimacy with God. He prayed to give thanks. Jesus prayed for others. He prayed for guidance. And Jesus prayed so that the can fulfil His mission.

Jesus has set us an example. May this motivate us to pray as Jesus prayed.

他们出去的时候，有人带着一个被鬼附着的哑巴来见耶稣。耶稣把鬼赶走之后，哑巴就说话了。众人都很惊奇，说：“这样的事，在以色列从来没有见过。”但法利赛人说：“他不过是靠鬼王赶鬼罢了。”耶稣走遍各城各乡，在各会堂里教导人，宣扬天国的福音，医治各种疾病、各种病症。 他看见群众，就怜悯他们，因为他们困苦无依，像没有牧人的羊一样。 他就对门徒说：“庄稼多，工人少； 所以你们应当求庄稼的主派工人去收割他的庄稼。”（新译本，太9:32-38）

那时，耶稣开始责备那些他曾在那里行过许多神迹的城，因为它们不肯悔改：“哥拉逊啊，你有祸了！伯赛大啊，你有祸了！在你们那里行过的神迹，如果行在推罗和西顿，它们早已披麻蒙灰悔改了。但我告诉你们，在审判的日子，推罗和西顿所受的，比你们还轻呢。迦百农啊！你会被高举到天上吗？你必降到阴间。在你那里行过的神迹，如果行在所多玛，那城还会存留到今天。但我告诉你们，在审判的日子，所多玛那地方所受的，比你还轻呢。”（新译本，太11:20-24）

最近灵修时，刚好遇上这2段经文，都是马太福音里相当熟悉的记载。

第9章的这一段，是耶稣连串神迹后的又一起；在众人惊奇的同时，这次还招来了法利赛人嫉妒的谤渎：“他不过是靠鬼王赶鬼罢了！”当时一读到这里，马上想到的，就是接下来在第12章里，耶稣就这样的认知和看法所作的关于亵渎圣灵的回应（见太12:22-32）；只不过，当时读将下去，却发现耶稣已经走开了，已经离开这个场景，已经继续去“走遍各乡各城”，在那些地方教导人、传福音、医病赶鬼了。
在耶稣这样的走动中，马太提到了一件事：“（耶稣）看见群众，就怜悯他们，因为他们困苦无依……”而这常常是我们忽略了的。
耶稣的怜悯之心自然是无法忽略的，只不过，我们总是很自然地把他这怜悯的心肠与他的“庄稼多，工人少”放在一起，成为召唤人以福音以宣教为事业的一个动机。我们忽略的，是——到底是如何深沉强烈的怜悯，让他即便面对再恶劣的谤言再恶毒的诋毁，也始终不受影响始终没有妥协？

在读着太11章时，一开始也是把重点放在耶稣的责备上，尤其是其中一再重复的“在审判的日子”，更凸显了这一小段里头，悔改或灭亡的主题。只不过，在反复阅读思想时，却发现有一个问题是我们在面对这一段时，并不常问的：“耶稣发出这样的责备时，他的心情到底如何？”
他的心情？谁能说得清楚呢？圣经没有明说，我们应该也不必多做猜测，不是么？而且，既然说是“责备”，那当然是生气的吧？……
确实如此。只不过，如果我们仔细阅读这一段的上下文，仔细聆听马太的用语，并且回想福音书的整体记载的话，我们也许就会看到耶稣对那冷漠无感的世代的“无奈”，也会看到他愿意人从他得安息的祈望；同时也要想起耶稣在另一处也发出过类似的“责备”，那就是他为耶路撒冷所要面对的厄运发出的叹息（太23:37-39；cf. 路13:34-35）。更何况，他在迦百农时，还遇见过那个信心让他极为“惊奇”的百夫长呐！（太8:5-13）
综观下来，耶稣在责备哥拉逊、伯赛大和迦百农的刚硬的同时，他的心其实也是深深地惋惜、切切地怜悯的吧？

耶稣的怜悯之心，有时候似乎是老生常谈，以致于我们在面对福音书的多处记载时，习惯性的就顺手翻过去了。然而，我们如果可以稍稍停下来，让我们可以稍稍沉淀这些我们以为熟悉的事件我们以为没什么新意的记载的话，我们也许就能多少体会他那深沉的强烈的怜悯心怀，然后，在面对不惬意不顺心的处境时，能够学习坚持心存怜悯地去关怀去服事；在面对刚硬和冷漠时，能够学习因怜悯而惋惜，而不是咬牙切齿地认为是罪有应得咎由自取……。

要学像耶稣，我们真的需要更多时间坐在他脚前，细细聆听他的说话，认真看看他的做法。

Recently, during the June holidays, Ai Cheng, Bethley and I flew over to visit the ministry at Arunothai in Chiang Mai, which is a ministry that the church has been supporting since the year 2000. It was a fruitful trip as we witnessed how the ministry has grown from a small orphanage to a student centre, plus a school with three campuses.

The Home of Grace Student Centre houses 45 students. This is also where we stayed and had our meals. Some of the parents of the students there are separated or working in the city or other villages. There are also some whose parents were imprisoned or had already passed away. About 20 out of the 45 students are pre-believers. On weekdays, at 5 pm, they will be reciting Bible verses and At 9:10 pm is their Bible study time.

As for the school ministry, it now has three campuses.
Campus 1 consist of 410 students where 82 or about 20% are believers.
Campus 2 consist of 22 students where 4 or about 20% are believers.
Campus 3 consist of 130 students where 13 or about 10% are believers.

Campus 2 and 3 has children of new Myanmese refugees who fled from their country to escape the civil strife and unrest in Myanmar. These refugees are all pre-believers and therefore this is a great opportunity for the church to do gospel work among these refugees. Pastor Lee and his wife Ren Fang only employs Christian teachers for the school and so the school teachers themselves are very key points of Christian influence to the students.

Below are some of the ministries that we had the opportunity to get involved in while we were there.

We conducted a night sharing session where we explained the gospel and the Christian worldview to all the students at the student centre.

We went on several visitations. Above left is a visitation to new refugees seeking refuge in an old Chinese school. Above right is a visitation to an old deaconess, who is the sister of Rev Du Guang Yao who spoke at our church retreat in 1998.

We visited all three campuses in their various locations. On the right is a class watching the Jesus film.

We attended a house meeting after the Sunday church service and preached at a house meeting on Saturday afternoon (see above) where among them are three young adults who were the first and only believers in their household.

We preached a bilingual sermon (with Ai Cheng translating to Mandarin) at the church on Sunday morning.

We held a night session for the older youth in the student centre where we conducted games and ice-breakers to get to know them better and Bethley shared her testimony at the end.

Do continue to keep the ministry in Arunothai in prayer as Pastor Lee seeks to find a suitable successor to take over the reins of the ministry there.

“He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”   Luke 10:2

分别为圣                                                             吴赛贤

民 数 记 6:24-26

24 愿 耶 和 华 赐 福 给 你 ， 保 护 你 。

25 愿 耶 和 华 使 他 的 脸 光 照 你 ， 赐 恩 给 你 。

26 愿 耶 和 华 向 你 仰 脸 ， 赐 你 平 安 。

民数记第六章可分三段：v.1-12、v.13-21、v.22-27

背景：拿细耳人的严谨生活

一、 归为圣的条例 (v.1-12)

拿细耳人离俗归耶和华为圣，做法是首先要许愿，然后清酒浓酒都不喝，所有有关葡萄的都不吃；对于以色列人来说，葡萄是很重要，是他们日常的食品饮品，但当他们归耶和华为圣，这一切就都不可碰；这是一个警惕，他们的生活是要与别人的不一样，有些事情是不做的，因已归耶和华为圣。他们的头髮是一个凭据，代表他们完全归给神，所以不可用剃头刀剃头，其实是代表这人不再于头髮上打扮，不再花上时间。另外，不可挨近死尸，甚至家人也无例外，所以连亲情也要刻制。所以是有很多东西要控制自己，因为是归耶和华为圣。

二、离俗日子的条例 (v.13-21)

要脱离所许的愿，当满了离俗的日子，要献五种祭：没有残疾一岁的公羊羔作燔祭，没有残疾一岁的母羊羔作赎罪祭，没有残疾的公绵羊作平安祭，无酵饼献素祭和奠祭；然后祭司就要在会幕门口为他剃离俗的头，把头髮烧在平安祭下的火上，并要为他献摇祭；这之后，他才可以再饮酒。这是一个严肃的过程，不可以随便。

三、 祭司的祝福 (v.22-27)

《民数记》6:22-27

耶和华晓谕摩西说：“你告诉亚伦和他儿子说：你们要这样为以色列人祝福，说：‘愿耶和华赐福给你，保护你。愿耶和华使祂的脸光照你，赐恩给你。愿耶和华向你仰脸，赐你平安。’他们要如此奉我的名为以色列人祝福；我也要赐福给他们。”

神说“他们要如此奉我的名，为以色列人祝福，我也要赐福给他们。”无论是利未人、以色列人，神都要祝福，神吩咐祭司如此为以色列人祝福，因为他们在多方面都圣洁，因为他们作拿细耳人，因为他们跟从神，可以让神在他们中间，所以神祝福他们，并且吩咐祭司要“这样”为以色列人祝福：

(1) “愿耶和华赐福给你，保护你！”神在营中保护他们，这是神赐福给他们。

(2) “愿耶和华使他的脸光照你，赐恩给你！”神要赐恩给他们，因为耶和华使祂的脸光照他们，去到那裡，神都的看顾，赐恩典。

(3) “愿耶和华向你仰脸，赐你平安！”神要赐他们平安，因为耶和华向他们仰脸。

从第七章开始，就会进到一个新的部分，就是他们开始往前，时间上往前推进了，然后开始献祭物，开始洁净利未人，然后开始军队准备往前行了。

所以拿细耳人就是这么一个角度，我们知道拿细耳的意思就是归主，离俗或者说归主。。。但今天对于我们来说，新约的我们并没有一个特别的条例给到我们，我们可以按照这个按照那个去行，然后就特别的归主了。。。所以我们也只能从日常研读圣经里读到神要教导我们所作所行和一些相关的原则，能够给到我们一些引导，指导我们平常过基督徒生活的意义。若我们常尊行主道，把圣道铭记在心并在生活中活出来这就如《利未记》所讲的；这就是人来到主面前，愿意把自己分别出来，全然归给主了。上帝愿意祝福祂的百姓；上帝透过祭司祝福祂的百姓：上帝透过你我祝福别人，他人也蒙上帝的祝福了。

（孙志纯弟兄著）

辱骂伤了我的心，我忧愁难过；我希望有人同情，却一个也没有；我希望有人安慰，还是找不到一个。
（诗篇 69:20）

开门见山的说，我有过很长一段时间的抑郁症状。人在抑郁的时候，身上就像有层厚重的乌云压着，完全无法思考和行动。不管怎样努力，都提不起任何的动力和热情，只想躺在沙发上机械般的刷着手机。我知道，如果能强迫自己离开沙发，哪怕就是站起来伸展一下四肢，抑郁都能有所缓解。如果能走出家门，到公园的树林里走一走，那些消极思绪纵使无法完全消失，也会大幅减少。所以有一次，我还是勉强自己出了门。我走进街角那片小小的公园，阳光透过树叶洒下来，像是从主照进来的信号。风吹动枝叶，沙沙作响，有几只麻雀叽叽喳喳地跳过树枝，好像它们根本不知道这个世界有什么好烦的。我坐在长椅上发呆，突然看见一只蜗牛慢慢地、倔强地朝某个方向走。没人催它，没人笑它慢，它只是在做它该做的事。

那一刻，我突然有种被理解的感觉。我开始试着每天出门一小会儿，不为锻炼，不为完成什么目标，只是去“在场”。对我而言，大自然是有神奇魅力的。在大自然里，我会不那么功利的评判自己，我能看见“我的看见”一片精致的树叶、一朵不起眼的小花、一个走的慢吞吞的蜗牛、一块奇形怪状的石头……在这个越来越快的世界，大自然从不随波逐流，它永远走在自己的节奏里，各按其时，不慌不忙。

心理学者07年，马德里大学和挪威生命科学大学一项联合研究发现，仅仅是观看自然景观，就可以加速缓解焦虑和精神疲劳，降低抑郁、焦虑和紧张低落的情绪。难怪和花草树木在一起，和泥土飞鸟在一起，哪怕只有五分钟，我都会感觉放松一点。原来造物主早就把止痛药藏进了树根的年轮里。我知道，很多人都在被抑郁、焦虑的情绪困扰，日常的烦忧持续不断，沉闷的情绪又挥之不去。或许我们也可以花点时间，将自己重新嵌入大自然。相信只要你愿意走进它，风就会帮你把烦心事吹成蒲公英，呼啦一下全散开的。

要知道春天会来的，黑夜会变短的，我们也都会从抑郁中解脱的。世界越快，我们越需要慢下来。

代祷事项：

• 为我的身体和要面对各项压力祷告
• 为我神学学习和个人本科的学习祷告
• 为我服侍的堂点祷告帮助他们灵性生命可以成长
• 为服侍的禾场祷告，面对洪水把2个教堂淹了
• 为我们在前方的同工虎弟兄身体祷告，刚做完手术一段时间，在恢复中，求主医治！