QT 13/12/2024 Fri. Church Camp Day 01. United in Reality. 合一是事实.
QT 13/12/2024 Fri. Church Camp Day 01. United in Reality.
About 280+ of us are travelling to a common place today, covering a few hundred kilometres. Why bother?
Not all would prefer to travel—many prefer to stay at home. Not all would choose this location—preferring to travel further or to other exotic places of their own choice. You do choose your own travel kakis, and also mentally blocked others—"I would never ever go on tour with them".
In today's world, phrases like "my preferences" or "my choice" carry more weight in advertising, education or even counselling. Not getting one's own preferred choice is painful. We do get heated up, lose our temper, or even "attack" that person who is obstructing us from getting our choices.
However, there are things which hold true regardless of your preferences or choices—gravity's pull regardless of your mood for today, the reality of being born and being in existence. For believers of Jesus Christ, the reality of being united ALREADY is one such thing.
Romans 15:5–7 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. (ESV)
In 2024, perhaps we encountered many times when we could not "accept one another" during ministry service. Differences arose over small matters, not only bigger ones. Except heresies which all should reject wholly, serving God together involved ways and methods which frequently numbered more than one.
Today, next 3 days, and forever, look at the other believers as "saints" (Romans 1:7). Firstly, Paul and God called the recipients "saints", referring to their positions and status in Christ. You might not like the way they talk or sing, but there should be no second thoughts about rejecting any inclinations to view others as "less than saints". Your attitudes would come out of you when you act and start to open your mouth to talk. So watch out!
Secondly, they were united by a common past—Gentiles stood condemned due to their rejection of what God had shown them through nature (Romans 1:18–19, 2:14–16). Jews, on the other hand, ALSO stood condemned by their own version of "law" which they attempted to embrace but failed in practising it (Romans 2:17–24). In fact, humility should be present among all who have (together) sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Thirdly, they are now united by the gospel, "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). If the Jews and Gentiles of Paul's time (which were far apart in many ways from one another) were told to be united and accept one another in their Christian walk henceforth, readers of this QT (who are less diverse in many ways compared with them) should do likewise as we continue to serve God in a renewed way.
QT 13/12/2024 星期六. Church Camp Day 01. 合一是事实。
今天，我们大约 280 多人要前往一个共同的地方，行程几百公里。何苦呢？
不是所有人都愿意旅行--许多人宁愿呆在家里。不是所有人都愿意选择这个地方--他们更愿意去更远的地方或自己选择的其他异国他乡。你确实选择了自己的旅行同伴，也在精神上屏蔽了其他人--“我永远不会和他们一起去旅行”。
在当今世界，“我的喜好 ”或 “我的选择 ”这样的用语在广告、教育甚至辅导中更有分量。得不到自己喜欢的选择是痛苦的。我们会发火、发脾气，甚至 “攻击 ”那个阻碍我们获得自己选择的人。
然而，无论你的喜好或选择如何，有些事情已成为事实--无论你今天的心情如何，地心引力都会牵引着你。出生及存在也是事实。对于耶稣基督的信徒来说，“已经合而为一 ”就是这样一种事实。
罗马书 15：5-7 但愿赐忍耐安慰的神，叫你们彼此同心，效法基督耶稣。6 一心一口，荣耀神，我们主耶稣基督的父。 7 所以你们要彼此接纳，如同基督接纳你们一样，使荣耀归与神。
在 2024 年的事奉中，我们或许多次遇到无法 “彼此接纳 ”的情况。分歧不仅出现在大事上，也出现在小事上。除了大家都应该全然拒绝的异端邪说之外，共同事奉神所涉及的方式方法往往不止一种。
今天、今后三天，直到永远，都要把其他信徒看作 “圣徒”（罗马书 1:7）。首先，保罗和神称接受者为 “圣徒”，是指他们在基督里的地位和身份。你可能不喜欢他们说话或唱歌的方式，但不应该拒绝任何把他人视为 “小于圣徒 ”的倾向。心理的态度常常会在你行动和开口说话时流露出来。所以要小心！
其次，他们因共同的过去而团结在一起--外邦人因拒绝神通过自然向他们显明的一切而被定罪（罗马书 1：18-19，2：14-16）。另一方面，犹太人因他们自己版本的 “律法 ”而同样的受到谴责，他们试图接受律法但却在实现律法失败了（罗马书 2：17-24）。事实上，所有犯了罪、亏缺了神的荣耀的人都应该谦卑（罗马书 3：23）之中。
第三，他们现在因福音而合一，“神有救赎的大能，要叫一切相信的，无论是犹太人，是希利尼人，都先得着”（罗马书 1:16）。如果保罗时代的犹太人和外邦人（他们在许多方面彼此相距甚远）被告知要在今后的基督徒道路上合一并彼此接纳，那么本《启示录》的读者（与他们相比，我们在许多方面的差异较小）在继续以更新的方式侍奉上帝时也应如此。
