发人深省的决定

昨天苏格兰政府释放了洛克比班机爆炸案主犯-麦格拉希。这件事引发的强烈的震撼，产生两派对立的观点：应该还是不应该。美国政府对苏格兰政府的决定大为不满，因为空难270人丧生绝大多数为美国人，因此被视为911事件前最严重的恐怖活动。

释放麦格拉希更是在那些丧生者的亲属之间产生两派对立的观点。绝大多数的美国人是“震怒”；不少的苏格兰人赞同，特别是小镇洛克比的居民。

虽然有人认为，这次行动是因为英国看上了利比亚的石油资源了。但苏格兰政府的立场明确：释放是基于人道，基于悲悯，他依然是罪犯，因他造成的伤害永远无法弥补。苏格兰司法部长麦可阿斯基尔说"Our beliefs dictate justice be served, but mercy shown", 他还说 a higher authority had imposed its sentence and "it is terminal, final and irrevocable"

朋友你是怎么看的呢？倘若你是基督徒，又是怎么看的呢？

对于麦可阿斯基尔的第一句话，我想到了耶稣在十架上忍着剧痛面临死亡，他说：“父啊，赦免他们！因为他们所做的，他们不晓得。”路加23：34

对于他的第二句话，我想到了主说：“伸冤在我、我必报应。”

原来我对苏格兰人在基督信仰上“羞羞答答”深感遗憾：例如在许多大学得毕业典礼上取消传统的基督徒式的祝福； 在学生宿舍里收起原来摆放的基甸圣经；禁止空中小姐佩戴十字架的首饰等等。

这次我表示欣赏、赞同，同时引以为荣（我入了籍，苏格兰政府也是我选的政府）

阿汪

院長勸募信

苏牧师转发了一封信：

主內敬愛的台神兄姊同工：平安！

這一年來在金融海嘯不斷地侵襲之下，雖然年度決算經常費與維修建築合計赤字超過一千萬元，但在面對風災造成的哀傷與痛苦聲中，我們也盡力募集奉獻，關懷魯凱區會、東排區會、霧社與望鄉教會幾處可能比較容易被忽略的災區，並且於 8月17日至8月20日 暫停暑期語言班，差遣神學生與老師前往旗山教會投入災區服務，從災區清掃、災民服務到心靈安慰與詩歌見證，因為我們深信神學教育不是止於神學院的教室內， 而且是在真實人生的百般體驗當中去經歷耶穌基督的愛。由於募款情況並不理想，在此懇請各位台神董事會兄姊同工大力協助募款。（募款帳號：郵政劃撥 0001881-4 台灣神學院。請註明「救災奉獻」）

以下是教務長 陳尚仁 老師匯集台灣神學院「信仰關懷團」第一晚的消息：

台灣神學院「信仰關懷團」師生一行近六十人，於 8月17日(週一)乘高鐵南下，經接駁後於下午抵達旗山救援重建站，再分成四個小隊，分駐旗山、木柵、鹽埕、岡山教會，分別由牧育長阮介民牧師、公關主任張紹宏傳道、道碩主任曾宗盛牧師、及基督教關顧與協談主任莊信德老師率隊，配合當地教會，參加安撫災民的工作。

原本 8月17日是新生報到日，及暑期希臘文和希伯來文密集課程開始的日子。在過去一週來，台神師生為了南下加入撫慰災民的工作，不斷密集禱告與開會，最後決定以救災重建工作為先，語言班延後一個禮拜開始。今天上午9點在台神的教堂，在總指揮阮牧師的說明下，志願參加安撫工作的同學一一上前簽下志願書，馬上領取所需用品，在不到一個小時之內，同學隨即整裝完畢，在院長林鴻信牧師的祝福下，出發南下。

台神師生在抵達安置災民的教會的第一個晚上，立即與當地教會牧長同工開會，以決定接下來幾天的服務內容，其中主要以帶領敬拜及禱告會、兒童夏季主日學、青少年生活營、醫院探訪、及心靈關顧訪談為主。

據安置中心的同工的說法，受災的弟兄姊妹已經有出現災後症狀群的現象，談到下雨或水災時會有強烈的心理反應。參與安撫的教會同工及台神師生，希望能夠藉由詩歌及聖經信息分享，幫助災民穩定情緒，建重心靈的平安。

「你們知道我們主耶穌基督的恩典：他本來富足，卻為你們成了貧窮，叫你們因他的貧窮，可以成為富足。」（林後8.9）

主內台神院長

林鴻信 敬上

2009/8/18

继续为莫拉克飓风受灾灾民祷告

Apart from many floodings over many parts of Mainland China, another natural decarster inflicts areas on bothside of Taiwan Straight.

Typhoon Morakot slams first Taiwan and then China. In addition, there have been severe downpours and flooding damaging properties and causing life lost.

http://news.sina.com.cn/z/morakot/index.shtml

台风袭击台、闽、浙三省。数百村镇被淹，浙江1人死亡340万人受灾，福建1人死亡140多万人受灾，台风受灾最甚-15人死亡65人失踪。
莫拉克飓风对高雄等地造成巨大人员财产损失。

请为灾民祷告。
愿我们不仅仅为自己的需要祈求，也学习常常了解到他人的需要，替他们祈求。
祈求我们的领袖能够带领人民
1 不片面地追求物质的丰富，而巧取豪夺自然资源；
2 不片面地追求经济的增长、而牺牲环境为代价；
3 按照当初神托付亚当的使命 - “修理看守”神赐给我们的家园。

今年梵蒂冈提出全球化时代的新七宗罪，其中有：污染环境、引发社会不义、造成贫穷、成为极富、吸毒与贩毒。认识这些毒瘤在社会上蔓延和对人类文明的影响，对现今大陆年轻一代又深远的意义。
“愿神的旨意行在地上如同行在天上”
阿汪

為愛和合一禱告

主啊，求你怜悯医治这地
所有纷争仇恨远离这地方
求主的爱，医治一切的伤口

你是医治者，你是真爱的源头
主啊，求你赦免我们一切软弱
赐我们一颗谦卑爱人的心

求主的爱抚平一切的伤痕
我们仰望你，你是和平的君王
遵行主教导，我们彼此相爱

只有爱能使我们合而为一
心连心，手牵手，我们同心祷告
愿真爱充满每一个角落

SH

又见老朋友

白天参加完了一对新人的订婚典礼，情绪体力精力几乎被耗尽；
之后晚上如约来到中餐馆给住了多年的邻居如今马上要搬到英格兰生活的一家人送行，体力精力再次被殆尽；
看着时间掐着钟表的吃完了晚饭后，赶去我们今天的最后一个约会，如邀去见了张文忠一家，他们来去匆忙，所以这次相见是见缝插针。
解释一下这本是私人博客，之所以被公开放到教会的博客上，是考虑到这家人几年前是曾经生活居住在爱丁堡的，教会里的人都认识他们。
只要看到照片，就会想起他们，所以放了这样简短的一篇。
想说我们身边的朋友来了走走了又来，但他们在走后还不时的来电话关心我们、在属灵生命中帮助我们、更在我们前段时间当中遇到困难及困惑时开导过我们。
相聚虽短暂，但这种情谊却是长久的....。


张文忠、张睿丽、张恩达一家

忙完了一天马不停蹄的社交活动，
12点终于可以回家睡觉了。
想到为了向源瑛珺忙活了那么多天的可爱的他们（她们）也终于可以安稳的睡上一觉了，
心里有说不出的甜蜜。
朋友，
就是人生中最璀璨的钻石，
那种特别的钻石，
可以发光发热，
不仅珍贵，
还能温暖你.....。


朱静

A Vision and What It Takes

I preached in the English congregation last Sunday. I hope they were motivated. Likewise, I believe the stories in the Exodus and Numbers are really good ones in which many spiritual principles God have prepared for his people. Therefore, I like to share this same sermon to you all. Hope that the word of God may once more stirs us up in one way or another.

A Vision and What It Takes:
To Leave Egypt and Into the Promised Land

Out of Egypt, a visionary idea. People who have been slaves for their whole life being abused not knowing themselves being abused. Studies show that children grown up in an abusive family don’t normally acknowledge their situation. They have learn to accept it, accommodate it, rationalize it, and maybe think that this is the right and normal and only way. Children growing up with abusive background tend to fall into another abusive relationship or form an abusive family of their own, creating a bedrock for next generation of abused children.

Out of Egypt, a visionary idea that cannot comes from Israelites themselves unless they are pushed to the edge of collapse, of destruction. They might cry in suffer, crying for help. Israelites cried out for God’s delivery. Their cry didn’t form any vision to leave Egypt for a new land, a promised land, although their did reach their faithful God of hesed to send Moses to their rescue. But how far the Israelites being later brought out of Egypt did in fact follow the vision God had given to Moses: Let my people Go. Out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.

You shall gradually see as I unveil the story to you, that they, the Israelites hadn’t grasped the vision which God had given to them through Moses, even after they had gone out of Egypt. The Vision for what? For the new land according to God’s promise. They have followed Moses, leaving Egypt physically and crossed the Red Sea. Their heart, however, still stayed in Egypt, the environment and comfort zone they are familiar with, no matter how abusive it is, regardless of their freedom being robbed away from them. They didn’t know that. They don’t have the insight to acknowledge it, the true reality which is beyond their experience.

Two Steps of a Vision

1. Out of Egypt
2. To the New Land

We all know that they didn’t enter Canaan, the promised land. Moses sent twelve spies to Jericho. Their investigation was meant to bring useful information for the Israelites’ attack. However, totally unprepared, the brief encounter with the Canaanites brought a disaster to them.

Unpreparedness, What does it imply?
Have you ever joined a competition of something? Did you prepare for it? Whether it is a competition or it is a task or a ministry like leading worship, it takes preparation. The better you prepare, the more confidence you will reap; the more unprepared you are, the more you will reap defeat. The sense of defeatedness you collect and through years accumulate will form the character that tells other people who you are. That will be how you perceive yourself. That becomes your self-image--a defeated self, a mediocre self.
I am not saying everyone has to excel others and be the best; but one has to be the best out of him or herself.

If you haven’t prepared and didn’t put make the best effort and end up doing something which is way below what you might have been made to be, that’s the price unpreparedness will pay.
There is another story (Judges 7) which can well depict another aspect of preparedness. Remember once the Israelites had to fight the Midian people. He summoned the people for the fighting. 32,000 responded. God asked Moses to announce to them, “Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave.” Twenty-two thousand left.

But God said, “There are still too many men.” God asked Gideon to lead the people to the water, probably a stream. He instructed Gideon to separate “those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” The latter, those who kneel down to drink, which were only 300, were chose for the fight.

Although the purpose of that is that God wanted the Israelites know that it is he himself who rescues them that they don’t boast on themselves, the fact is that these 300 people were better prepared. There is a sense of readiness. The position of those kneeling down is easier for them to stand up to move.

Let’s go back to the story of Jericho and Israelites spies. Having spotted how big the people of Jericho are, they are defeated right away. They lost every confidence. Just like an athlete spots athletes far better than him before the race begins, and his heart sinks right away; similarly, these spies have lost faith and hope right away. No, I should say: they have lost their fantasy about this dream of entering the new land. Yes. It was a fantasy all along. They never really had a true faith. Right from the beginning, they never quite get the idea of why leave Egypt. Right from the beginning, it was Moses himself (the most with Aaron) who performed the miracles and confronted the Pharaoh. They thought, if you Moses really say so and insist, who are we to object, or what matters? who cares. These Israelites, they were never really with him. They might have witnessed the result, saw the miracles, and wondered God’s mighty works. But they have never truly experienced and worked side by side with Moses.

What is behind the motivation to go out of Egypt?

First: Awareness and Loathe your present situation

• Awareness--we don’t be to stay the same--don’t need be abused anymore; that there is new possibility; that you can’t leave this place that abuses you, leave the voice that says: you are useless.
• Fight the Pharaoh--what is your Pharaoh? Things that bind you to comfort zone, that rob your creativity, that take away your sparkling insight, that stop you from dreaming, and instead give you fear, excuses, all kinds of “impossible”, voices that shrink you than you really are or that curse you, which include that voice as if from you own inner self.
• This kind of awareness and loathing of your present situation create an urge. This is the first step.

But that is not enough. You have to have a vision to sustain the onward journey. Simply hating the present bondage is going to bring you too far. It takes a vision for you to persevere through all obstacles and hardships that will finally bring fruition of and a consummation of your vision.

Building on a Vision

• To have a vision, you need a calling.
• What is a calling? And how does it form?

A calling might be born out of individual and personal want, but this kind of calling does not last very long. Our personal feeling can change very easily. Once the feeling is gone, the call or the urge to do something will also be gone.

Therefore, a calling has to be deeper and greater. It might have started from personal feeling. For example, Moses senses an anger (which is a feeling) seeing an Egyptian bullying an Israelite. This feeling is also born out of his own identity crisis. Who am I? Why am being where I am? Why do I stay in palace be a prince which I am actually not and let my own people suffer under oppression and unrighteousness? But it has to grow into something bigger than a feeling.

In Moses’ case, we see that his feeling was later rekindled but this time it is linked with the destiny of his people. It is the community; it is his group. It is the English group, not only your personal unhappiness in your past (whether what you experienced at home and in school). It is beyond the English group--it is the young people who grow up with similar background. You have to feel, you have to ask more deeply--what do you, what do these people really experienced that have hindered them from becoming what are made to be, what God intended them and you to be.

To have this calling. There is something called faith. Faith as told in the bible carries different implication. I only want to emphasize one aspect today: that which is found in Moses, in Jacob even a later form of faith--faithfulness is evident. In early Moses, a sprout of faith is seen when he wants something more. In Jacob also one finds a yearning for more blessing. This disposition from one’s being is what attracts God.
This initial state of faith, how immature it is, is a starting point, a window, an entering opening where God’s calling can come in. There is a potential for change, a potential for challenge. A place where God sees suitable to sow his seed that prepares one to receive his call.
Then when God calls, everything comes together and is making sense in every way.

A calling for what?

A calling that is based on a vision. The vision comes with a promise. This is two parts of one thing, two sides of a coin. A vision that does not come with a promise will lose hope.
That’s how a calling is forming. But a calling that reaches a leader (like Moses) is not enough for a whole group to enter into the promise land.

This vision has to be shared and infuse into the whole group. Not to say everyone, but at least the vision needs to be shared and implanted to as many members of the group as possible. Not all people have the capacity to understand the vision. As I said, it takes faith to have a calling. It takes an awareness. It takes a feeling to want to see things change.

Moses did not bring all Israelites into Canaan. And no one Israelite except for Caleb and Joshua entered Canaan.

Brothers and sisters, do you want to go out of Egypt without really knowing why you do that? Do you want to leave Egypt and then lingering in the desert and always experience a feeling of defeatedness and blame all the defeats to others, and carry the nostalgia to go back to the old Egypt, the days of slavery but a comfort pampered place, no responsibility to bay and no need to face a life full of hazard and uncertainties that come with a vision. Is that what you want? Listen to what Paul has to say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7).” Will you be able to say the same thing at the day you see Jesus face to face?

有問題的教會才是真正符合聖經的教會、有罪的基督徒才是基督所要拯救的人

(接續 "心仍留在冬天" 的討論)

若是我們定睛在(將焦點放在)人身上，我們一定會失望的，因為每一個教會裡的每一個人都是罪人(包括牧師及傳道人)。

教會裡的某些基督徒讓我們感到很不舒服、甚至很心寒，他們事實上和我們或其他基督徒一樣，都是罪人，都是有缺點的人。可能只因為那些人比較多參與管教會事務、多表達自己的意見，或是多出了些鋒頭，所以就多有機會得罪別人。

相反的，某些人讓我們感到比較舒服，不是因為他們沒有罪、沒有缺點，而可能是他們比較不參與教會裡的事物，比較不願表現出自己的真實情況，甚至是因為他們將罪的本性掩藏的比其他人更好，所以我們才沒有機會看到他(她)裡面的惡罷了

即使是牧師或傳道人也一樣，他們在神、在人面前也都是罪人，即使他們外表再好看，但他們心裡面也是一大堆罪惡敗壞 (求主憐憫!!)。所以連保羅自己都說：「在罪人中我是罪魁(提前1:15)。」

或許與那些可愛的基督徒一起聚會，到那些興旺的教會去聚會，雖然我們心裡可能會爽快些，但在那裡所蒙受的祝福卻是小的。相反的，與那些討厭的人一起同工，到那些軟弱冰冷的教會去聚會，我們的賞賜是大的。甚至恰恰是在軟弱罪惡的人身上，我們才遇見那位犧牲的主。到有問題的教會或基督徒群體，雖然會遇到讓我們不舒服的人，但若是定睛在主的身上，為主而來到教會敬拜、事奉他，那麼那些討人厭的基督徒可能就比較不會影響我們這麼深了。此外，教會還是有很多可愛、熱心、且很愛你們的弟兄姊妹啊，別為了那些少數幾位有問題的基督徒，而離開了這些好的弟兄姊妹啊!!

的確，有些人的罪惡或行為舉止，我們很容易就能容忍。但另一些人我們卻極端的無法忍受，特別是那些(曾經)得罪我們、或是意見與我們不同的人。然而，那些我們覺得很可惡的人，在他們身上，我們更能看到主的愛與忍耐。事實上，耶穌正是為我們這些罪人而來到世上，並死在十字架上。

沒有完美的基督徒，就如沒有完美的教會。想要遇見(or找到)好的基督徒或好的教會是不可能的，因為連保羅親自牧養的教會都一大堆可怕的問題，更何況我們的教會呢? 事實上，有問題的教會才是真正符合聖經的教會。(聖經裡面的教會都有許多的問題，甚至連不信主的人都不會犯的罪，也都出現在教會裡)。相同的，有罪的基督徒才是基督所要拯救的人。那些有罪、又可惡、且冷淡的人，正是主要特別彰顯出基督之愛的對象。聖潔、完全、無瑕疵的教會及基督徒是在主在來的新天新地中才會出現的。

主拯救我們的方法，不是用審判、或處罰來對待我們這些罪人，而是用「愛」。我們在教會常常在說「愛」，所說的正是「基督的愛」，而不是「基督徒的愛」。因為「基督的愛」是無限是完全的，但「基督徒的愛」卻是有限，甚至還是敗壞甚至讓人痛心的。

此外，耶穌基督鼓勵我們，當我們遇到那些得罪我們，令我們心寒的「罪人」或「歹人」時，仍要愛他們、憐憫他們，為他們禱告。甚至把我們的左臉讓他們打、把我們外衣給他們、還陪他們走兩里路。

我知道這並不容易，我也無法完全做到 (求主憐憫!!)。我也遇過很多實在無法忍受、及的「各式各樣可惡的基督徒」。雖然我做不到可以完全愛他們，但我會盡量努力，至少不讓他們成為我來到主面前或來到教會的攔阻、至少不讓他們扭曲在我裡面那基督的愛、至少不讓他們冷淡我渴望服事主的熱誠。我雖然可能無法幫助其他人去悔改、無法幫助其他人不要冰冷，但只少我別讓自己也被別人影響而讓生命停留在冬天裡。

若是我就這麼被他們影響，這不但可能中了撒旦魔鬼的詭計，導致我自己生命的虧損，更可能還會失去了主在考驗中要給我的祝福，甚至還失去了主所賜給我那起初的愛。若是這樣，那我的損失可能就大、太可怕了。

別人越「冷」，我們反而越有「熱」的責任。
別人越「假」，我們反而越有「真」的責任。
別人越「得罪」我們，我們反而有「饒恕」的責任。(馬太18:21-35)

以惡報惡、「以冷報冷 (用冷淡回報冷淡的人或教會)」，這雖是一般人常用的方法，但卻不是基督希望我們用的方法。相反的，主總是要我們省察我們自己，是否有得罪人，是否自己眼睛中有樑木、是否讓人感到不舒服、是否失去了起初的愛、是否有盡心盡力的為主的教會及國度付出心力。(這真不容易，但這是我們的十字架。這是十字架道路。求主憐憫!!)　

然而，主雖然沒有給我們權柄去審判、教訓、論斷那些得罪我們的人、或是那些我們覺得他們很可惡的基督徒，但是相信主都會鑒察，主都會知道，主也會對他們有管教(教訓)的行動。

總之，或許我們還無法去愛那些不可愛(甚至很可惡)的人，但至少讓我們定睛在主的身上，從主那裡重新得力，為主繼續和魔鬼惡者爭戰，靠主得勝，並且繼續將主的愛透過我們帶入教會及基督群體，特別是帶到那些冰冷的教會、及那些冰冷的基督徒當中。

大家加油! 主也為我們打氣 !!

By Simon