Centerfold Articles 主日刊文章

Centerfold Articles 主日刊文章

fruitful

Living in the Fullness of Christ

16 April 2023 shared by Elder Jonathan Loo

         “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10  

         Christ has promised us whoever in Him can experience an abundant life. Why does it mean by that? The blessing of God in Christ surpasses material enjoyment.  Except for the souls of man, everything on earth will come to pass one day. So, God’s desire is for us to enjoy blessings that are imperishable.

         Time and time again Jesus reminded us to focus on things above and not on earth. Also, in His letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, He warned us sternly to repent of our sin and live a life that is pleasing to God to avoid the eternal regretful consequences.

         To live in Christ’s fullness is to live by God’s nature in our daily life. This may seem abstract. But the Lord has kindly made it clear to us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22

         We cannot measure how much love, Joy, Peace…etc we have attained.  How then do we know whether we are doing well or we short fall of the expectation of God? Praise God for He does not judge us by how much we produce, but by how much effort we put in. The Lord told the parable of the talents to assure us that He is well pleased with those who put in efforts to work on His assignment.

         While it is hard to tell whether one is living in Christ’s fullness, it is easy to tell if one is not. Firstly, when one is not contented with what he possesses, e.g. family, work, health, …etc. and strives to have more. Adam and Eve were one example. They had the best garden in the whole creation to enjoy, above all, communion with God. But they wanted to be like the Creator and they lost them all. As one tries to own what God did not give, one would lost God and His abundance.

         Secondly, when one is constantly anxious, which is a result of not trusting God’s perfect providence. One good example is when one became so fearful and anxious during the Covid pandemic. Let us know that without God’s permission we would not even lose one hair.

         Thirdly, when one has no spiritual appetite. Many think that being a Sunday Christian is good enough. When one does not take God seriously, one’s soul is not healthy.

         Fourthly, when one tends to trust money and power more than trusting God. When one’s pace is too fast, one fails to slow down to reflect and appreciate God’s guidance, provision and protection in every step we take. Abraham’s nephew Lot is a warning to us.

         To live in Christ’s fullness, we need to walk closely with God. We walk with God by meditating His words, praying to Him and obeying his will. Last but not least, we ought to serve the Lord and His people diligently. May you live in the abundance of Christ!  

Living in the Fullness of Christ

Living in the Fullness of Christ 16 April 2023 shared by Elder Jonathan Loo          “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10            Christ has promised us whoever in Him can experience an abundant life. Why does it mean by that? The blessing of God in Christ surpasses material enjoyment.  Except for the souls of man, everything on…

活在基督的丰盛里

活在基督的丰盛里 2023年4月16日 吕立仁长老分享；武泽原中译           「盗贼来，无非要偷窃、杀害、毁坏；我来了，是要叫羊得生命，并且得的更丰盛。」约翰福音10：10         基督应许我们，凡在祂里面的人必得享丰盛的生命。这话当如何理解呢？上帝的祝福远超越物质的享受，因为除了人的灵魂，一切地上的事物都将过去；而神的心意却是使人类享受那永恒的福分。         耶稣一再提醒我们，当常想天上的事而不是地上的事。籍着《启示录》给七个教会的书信，耶稣也严严的告诫我们当为罪悔改，过讨神喜悦的生活，以逃避在永恒里可怕的结局。         活在基督的丰盛里就是遵照上帝的心意过每天的生活。主把这抽象的要求变得简单而具体，祂说：“圣灵所结的果子，就是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、 温柔、节制”。加拉太书 5:22         我们无法测量自己有多少仁爱、喜乐、和平… 那么，何以得知是否达到上帝的期望呢？感谢神，上帝看重的不是我们产出多少，而是我们付出了多少。主用按才受托的比喻告诉我们，凡努力而行的人都蒙祂喜悦。         活在基督的丰盛里或许不易被人察觉；但没有活在基督的丰盛里，却显而易见：         第一，对已有的感到不满足，如家庭、工作、健康等等。亚当和夏娃是一个例子，他们本生活在完美的园子里，享受着上帝的一切创造及上帝本身，但他们却想要更多——想要变得和神一样，因此失去了全部。一旦我们觊觎上帝所没有赐予的东西，便可能连已有的丰盛也失去了。         第二，持续的焦虑。焦虑的产生是因为未能完全信靠上帝是我们的完备供应。比如,在新冠疫情期间的过分焦虑就是没有活在基督的丰盛里的一个例子。因为若非主许可，我们连一根头发也不会掉落。         第三，没有属灵的胃口。很多基督徒觉得礼拜天去礼拜就足够了。事实上，不能尽心敬畏上帝之人的灵魂是抱恙的。         第四，信靠钱财权力过于信靠上帝。比如，生活节奏过快，以至于无法放缓脚步来反思和寻求上帝的带领、供应及保护。亚伯拉罕的侄子罗得便是一个很好的警示。         要活在基督的丰盛里，就要与上帝亲密同行，默想祂的话，向祂倾心吐意，遵行祂的旨意。最后也是最重要的一点，当殷勤地服侍主和主的民。         愿我们都活在基督的丰盛里！

Be A Prayer Warrior in Christ’s Army!

Be A Prayer Warrior in Christ’s Army! From the desk of Rev Zheng 4 February 2024           Oswald Chambers, the writer of the classic work My Utmost For His Highest, “Prayer is not the preparation for the battle; it is the battle. The battle of Calvary was won in Gethsemane.”         This is taught both in the Old and New Testament. When the Israelites were battling the Amalekites, Moses was at the top of…

同作基督的祷告勇士！

同作基督的祷告勇士！  郑牧师 2024年2月4日19世纪         伟大的属灵导师章伯斯在他的经典著作《竭诚献上》中这么说：「祷告不是属灵战场的预工；祷告是属灵战场的冲刺！各各他的争战在客西马尼园已经得胜了！」         这是新旧约圣经的教导。旧约里约书亚带领以色列民与亚玛力人争战时，摩西在山上举杖；当摩西的手高举时，他们就得胜；当他的手疲倦下垂时，亚玛力人便胜利。摩西举杖意表神的百姓的祷告。         新约里使徒保罗在《以弗所书》第六章呼吁，圣徒当穿上神所赐的全副军装，并举起圣灵的宝剑，就是神的道，然后就是「靠着圣灵，随时多方祷告祈求。」（弗6:18）         换句话说，圣徒在属灵战场上，全靠祷告方能得胜。比如，在预备一场布道会时，祷告不但托住预备工作，也托住布道会当天的传讲、出席、音响、信息的接收…等。我们是以祷告来与那恶者争战的！         有一次司布真牧师接待一群人参观他们的教堂。他把他们带到一间地下室，说：「这是教会的机房。」他们往里头一看，没有看见发动机，只看见一群人在那里跪下祷告。         的确，祷告会是教会的脉搏。赖牧师教导我们：教会的奋兴必须从祷告会开始。然而，祷告会人数稀少几乎是常见的教会境况，特别是生活步伐匆忙的新加坡。我认识的几个教会尝试把祷告会移到主日礼拜前后，希望能有更多祷告的人。结果情况没有改善，最后祷告会也不了了之。         为了让我们的祷告会的火焰更热切，我们在2016年开始 “祷告勇士信约”。每年一月份的祷告会，弟兄姐妹在周三祷告会一起诵读，一同立志固定为教会祷告。         请你今天回家祷告，你可以如何安排时间在2024年固定到教会来祷告，可以是每周，也可以是两周、三周一次不等。我们定在下主日礼拜（2月11日）一起诵读。当天请你在进门时向接待员索取一张信约，填上你愿意出席的次数。让我们以坚定和喜乐的心同声诵读：「我是基督旗帜下一名士兵，一名祷告勇士！」

Why We Do Not Celebrate Easter

Why We Do Not Celebrate Easter Taken from Reverend Lai’s desk notes in 2009 Translated by Li Yixing     There are many important teachings that need to be repeated year after year. “Why we do not celebrate Easter” is one of them. This is because many Christians are still following the Easter traditions such as the Easter rabbit and the Easter eggs today. Just as the aged Apostle Peter solemnly declared, “So I will always remind you of these…