復 原 耶 穌 基 督 教 會 台 灣 佈 道 所
The Church of Jesus Christ Taiwan Restoration Mission
November 13th, 2016 讚 美 Praise
(牧師史提芬 Pastor Stephen Henson)
今天, 我想分享的是讚美 神, 我們在祈求禱告時, 就可以也應該讚美 神, 感謝祂差遣主耶穌基督, 來人世間傳揚天國福音, 最後為人們犧牲性命, 以換得人們救贖的新生.
腓立比書 Philippians 4:4-7
4 你們要靠主常常喜樂．我再說、你們要喜樂。
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 當叫眾人知道你們謙讓的心。主已經近了。
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 應當一無罣慮、只要凡事藉著禱告、祈求、和感謝、將你們所要的告訴 神。
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 神所賜出人意外的平安、必在基督耶穌裡、保守你們的心懷意念。
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
懷著謙卑的心, 祈求禱告, 神一定會給我們回應的.
摩賽亞書 Mosiah 1:48-49
４８ 我對你們說，我並非因為要自誇而對你們說我曾將我的日子用在為你們服務上，因為我祗是在為 神服務而已。
48 Behold, I say unto you, that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.
４９ 我告訴你們這些事是要你們學得智慧，使你們知道當你們在為人類同胞服務時，你祇是在為你們的 神服務而已。
49 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.
這裡是班傑明為王時, 對臣民所說的話, 他以身作則抱持謙卑的心, 以服侍 神的心來對待臣民, 因為他明白, 所作所為都是在為 神而做.
摩賽亞書 Mosiah 1:50-54
５０ 你們已稱我為你們的國王；如果我，你們稱為國王的，在辛勤地為你們服務，那末你們難道不應彼此辛勤服務嗎？
50 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then had not ye ought to labor to serve one another?
５１ 再說，如果我，你們稱為國王的，曾將日子用在為你們服務上，而一直在為 神服務的我，如果值得你們任何的感謝，那末你們更應如何感謝你們在天上的王！
51 And behold, also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, doth merit any thanks from you, O how had you ought to thank your heavenly King!
５２ 我的弟兄們，我告訴你們，你們對那位創造你們、保護你們、使你們快樂、允許你們和平相處的 神，即使獻出了你們整個靈魂所能具有的一切感謝和讚美；
52 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole souls have power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another;
５３ 即使你們事奉他，那位從開頭就創造了你們，藉著賜給你們氣息，天天保護你們，使你們得以生活、行動，並照著你們自己的意志而行事，甚至時時刻刻在扶助你們；
53 I say unto you, that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and art preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move, and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another;
５４ 我說，即使你們用你們整個的靈魂來事奉他，你們仍然是些無用的僕人。
54 I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole soul, yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
班傑明王, 以他待臣民的心, 如同侍奉 神的心, 並以同理心來訓勉臣民, 以他自己待臣民, 如同侍奉 神般謙卑的心, 獲得臣民讚賞; 希望臣民也應該抱持相同的心意, 互相的敬愛幫忙; 如此一來, 是否應該對一直眷顧人們的 神, 更加的讚美不已?
摩賽亞書 Mosiah 1:55-61
５５ 所有他需要你們做的祗是遵守他的誡命；他已應許了你們，你們如果遵守他的誡命，你們必在這地上順利繁榮。
55 And behold, all that he requires of you, is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments, ye should prosper in the land;
５６ 他決不會改變他所說過的話；因此，如果你們遵守他的誡命，他一定祝福你們，並使你們順利繁榮。
56 And he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments, he doth bless you, and prosper you.
５７ 如今，第一，他創造了你們，賜給你們生命，因此你們是欠他的。
57 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.
５８ 第二，他要你們照著他所吩咐你們的去做；你們若照著去做，他就立刻賜福你們；所以他已償付了你們。
58 And secondly: he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you, for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore, he hath paid you.
５９ 你們仍然是欠他的，現在如此，將來也如此，直到永永遠遠；因此你們有什麼好自誇的呢？
59 And ye are still indebted unto him; and are, and will be, for ever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
６０ 現在我要問，你們能說你們可以算做甚麼嗎？我來回答你們，不能。
60 And now I ask, Can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay.
６１ 你們甚至不能說你們像地上的塵土，雖然你們是由地上的塵土所造的；但那塵土是屬於那位創造你們的他的。
61 Ye can not say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth: yet ye were created of the dust of the earth: but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.
什麼是謙卑的心? 簡單來說, 保守誡命, 遵守旨意, 就是懷著謙卑的心, 就能得到祝福和祈求的應允; 生活因此而順利圓滿, 生命也能因而繁榮昌盛.
想得到源遠流長的福報嗎? 神是萬物的創造主, 人不須自誇, 只要謙卑, 只要持誡守恆, 把自己奉獻給上主, 自然就能得到應有的福份. 而聖靈也會長伴左右, 不離不棄.
羅馬書 Romans 12:1-3
1 所以弟兄們、我以 神的慈悲勸你們、將身體獻上、當作活祭、是聖潔的、是 神所喜悅的．你們如此事奉、乃是理所當然的。
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 不要效法這個世界．只要心意更新而變化、叫你們察驗何為 神的善良、純全可喜悅的旨意。
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3 我憑著所賜我的恩、對你們各人說、不要看自己過於所當看的．要照著 神所分給各人信心的大小、看得合乎中道。
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
我們施行 “活獻” 給至高無上的 神, 謙卑、持誡就是 “活獻” 的依據, 而遵守 “敬愛 神, 愛鄰如己” 的誡命, 就是 “活獻” 的行為準則. 擴大來說, “十一奉獻”, 也是 “活獻”的良好表現.
創世記 Genesis 2:5-9
5 野地還沒有草木、田間的菜蔬還沒有長起來、因為耶和華 神還沒有降雨在地上、也沒有人耕地。
and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground,
6 但有霧氣從地上騰、滋潤遍地。
but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground--
7 耶和華 神用地上的塵土造人、將生氣吹在他鼻孔裡、他就成了有靈的活人、名叫亞當。
the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 耶和華 神在東方的伊甸立了一個園子、把所造的人安置在那裡。
Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
9 耶和華 神使各樣的樹從地裡長出來、可以悅人的眼目、其上的果子好作食物．園子當中又有生命樹、和分別善惡的樹。
And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
聖經裡明確的告訴我們, 萬物的創造主- 我們的天父- 神, 以靈氣創造人類的始祖亞當, 也創造了提供生命所需的伊甸園, 所以每一個人都是有靈性的生命體.
以弗所書裡提到, 人應該守誡命, 以獲得賜予的福份, 就可能擁有永生的契機. 對照亞當夏娃被趕出伊甸園, 可以明白不守誡命的下場, 通常都很不好過.
Testimony
說到這裡, 我想起一件事, 不久以前, 某晚來這裡上課, 記得當晚是弟兄傑瑞(長老丹大公子)講道, 我個人很喜歡聽他的講道.
課後, 有人告知我車子的玻璃被敲破了, 看來是蓄意砸壞的, 當下氣憤不已, 幸好長老丹和牧師瑞克, 在一旁幫忙打掃收拾玻璃碎片, 一邊勸導我說都是天意, 才壓抑下怒氣.
第二天上班, 老闆看到鐵青著臉的我, 告訴我他朋友是修理廠的, 代為問價後, 說一塊玻璃連工帶料要價美金250大洋(約台幣七仟五百多), 當場嚇一跳- 好貴喔! 打消叫修, 想自己找便宜點的, 一時間又沒找著.
因為找不到禍首, 光生悶氣, 也不是辦法. 忽然靈光一閃, 想起經文裡, 不是一直要我們原諒他人嗎? 況且, 主耶穌都赦免我們的罪了, 我怎麼會無法寬恕他人呢? 於是平息忿忿不平的心, 探詢堂兄弟的意見, 他們說打電話問一下, 事故車回收廠, 可能有 “剩貨”(沒有損害的部份). 只是要撥空自己前往回收廠去尋寶.
找了個假日, 相偕友人一同去回收廠挖寶, 果然真給找到一塊符合的玻璃, 問了一下價錢, 才美金22元而已; 哇! 這下真的是挖到寶了.
一念之間的轉變, 讓我忿忿不平的心, 得到平靜, 當找到玻璃時, 我知道因為原諒別人, 使我的福報又來了; 至此除了感恩和讚美主耶穌, 我真的感動到說不出話來.
這也許只是我人生中的一個小插曲, 可是這樣的見證, 讓我深刻體會到, 神真的有在傾聽我們的禱告, 而給予最好的安排, 甚至於偶爾的、奇蹟似的驚喜… 讚美主!
今日, 教會依然會有對人事物, 意見相左的會眾, 但是, 神也依然給予賜福和驚喜.
如同當年, 小時候的我, 聽聞長老山姆和夏琳夫婦, 相偕遠渡重洋, 夫唱婦隨的來到台灣佈道, 受到無數的祝福和驚喜, 促使我信靠 神, 走進基督的生命裡, 而不是盲目的崇拜偶像.
我很慶幸我選擇了一條正確的路, 如同你們所選擇的一樣.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 應當一無罣慮、只要凡事藉著禱告、祈求、和感謝、將你們所要的告訴 神。
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 神所賜出人意外的平安、必在基督耶穌裡、保守你們的心懷意念。
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Those Who Came: Eric Ho, Eileen Chen; Paul Lin; Sharon Wu)(Joanna Lin; Ruby Chen)
(Interpreter: Paul Lin)
(Skype to: <Henson> Stephen, Kelvin; Frank Van Fleet; <Moellmann> Matthew, Jai-yu, Joshua; <Lade> Rick, Nancy, Sarah, Amanda, David, Anna, Joseph; Maggie, Sashy, Uncel)
P.S
長老山姆和夏琳夫婦(Sam & Charlene Kemple)
約2000 ~2002 年間, 來台傳福音佈道. 如今長老山姆年事已高, 日前小跌一下, 住院數日, 感謝你的祝福和禱告.
May 2016
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