QT 11/03/2024 Monday Read Luke 14. Count and pay the price of discipleship. 计算并付出做门徒的代价。
QT 11/03/2024 Monday Read Luke 14. Count and pay the price of discipleship.
http://www.esv.org/luke14
We wish to remind readers that:
a. The books of Luke and Acts are to be read together. "Luke-Acts" was written by Luke to Theophilus, "that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught" (Luke 1:4). This would strengthen the faith of subsequent readers too.
b. Luke describes the journey of Jesus, from Galilee to Jerusalem. Acts describes the journeys of Jesus' disciples from Jerusalem to Rome. These journeys of the gospel of the kingdom testify to the power of the God behind it, and throw light on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Here in Luke 14, there are a few teaching points:
A disciple should not get stuck with legalistic interpretations of the law. Even "lawyers" (Luke 14:3) got it wrong here. The Pharisees "could not reply" (Luke 14:6) because they knew that their answer was "None"!
Humility is an essential mark of a disciple (Luke 14:7-11). Clamouring for "places of honour" (Luke 14:7) betrays the heart beneath it.
Excuses for becoming a disciple are not new. Busyness with investment ("bought a field", Luke 14:18), assembling factors of economic production ("bought five yoke of oxen", Luke 14:19) and family life ("married a wife", Luke 14:20) were excuses during the time of Luke.
REFLECTION: These aspects of the busyness of everyday life are NOT wrong per se, but you know deep down in your heart whether the interests of THE KINGDOM OF GOD take priority over these. Do you?
Luke 14:25-33 does not teach neglect of our next of kins. But it does teach the demands of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, who needs to "bear his own cross and come after me" (Luke 14:27).
If you are NOT willing to pay the costs and conditions of discipleship, then your involvement in the church of Jesus Christ becomes less than worthless, it is even "no use either for the soil or for the manure pile" (Luke 14:35).
REFLECTION: Are you willing to count (Luke 14:28-32) and pay (Luke 14:33) the costs of discipleship?
星期一 2024年3月11日 今日读经：路加福音14章. 计算并付出做门徒的代价。
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/Luk/14/
我们想提醒读者：
a. 路加福音和使徒行传应该同时阅读。“路加福音-使徒行传”是路加写给提阿非罗的，“让你晓得所学到的道理，都是确实的”(路1:4)。这样也会加强以后的读者的信心。
b. 路加描述了耶稣从加利利到耶路撒冷的路程。使徒行传描述了耶稣的门徒从耶路撒冷到罗马的路程。这些为神国的福音奔跑的路程见证了神的大能，也让人清楚地知道身为耶稣基督的门徒是什么样的。
在路加14章里，有几个教导：
一个门徒不应该被夹在法律上墨守成规的解释中。就连“律法师”(路14:3)也会弄错。法利赛人“不能回答这些话”(路14:6)因为他们知道他们的答案是“没有”！
谦卑是门徒该有的印记(路14:7-11)。想居“高位”(路14:7)就出卖了背后的居心。
不想成为门徒的借口并不稀奇。忙着投资(“买一块地”，路14:18)，组装经济生产的因素(“买了五对牛”，路14:19)和结婚生子(“结了婚”，路14:20)都是路加时期人们所用的借口。
反思：这些日常生活中所忙碌的事都没有错，但在你内心深处，你应该知道，神国度的事是否占优先。你知道吗？
路14:25-33并没有教导我们忽略我们最亲的家人。但却教导我们，成为耶稣基督的门徒的要求，就是必须“背着自己的十字架跟随我”(路14:27)。
如果你不愿意付出成为门徒的代价和条件，那么参与耶稣教会的事奉就变得毫无价值了，甚至“或用在田里，或放在粪里，都不合适”(路14:35)。
反思：你愿意计算(路14:28-32)和付出(路14:33)成为门徒的代价吗？
