QT 29/07/2024 Mon. 2Cor 6. Serving God in anti-God environment. 在反上帝的环境中事奉

QT 29/07/2024 Mon. 2Cor 6. Serving God in anti-God environment. 在反上帝的环境中事奉

QT 29/07/2024 Mon. 2Cor 6. Serving God in anti-God environment.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/2cor6

To SERVE God in an anti-God environment has its perils. Are you mentally and spiritually prepared? 2Cor 6:3-13 sets out some of the challenges.

The Singapore context might not have "beatings" or "imprisonments" at the moment. But you might have experienced serving with "endurance", "afflictions", "hardships", "dishonour", "slander", misunderstood as "impostors", "unknown", "dying", "sorrowful" or "having nothing".

A big blow would be an unreciprocated "affection" (2Cor 6:12). For Paul, these sufferings formed part of his credentials. Are you still serving faithfully?

Living as Christians in a world dominated by lawlessness (2Cor 6:14), darkness (2Cor 6:14), Belial (2Cor 6:15) and idols (2Cor 6:16) is dangerous. "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers" (2Cor 6:14) is more than NOT marrying unbelievers.

It is not to fall into a situation that will cause you to slide, SLOWLY but SURELY, into fellowship with idols, with idolatry, sexual immorality and association with the "dark" practices of the world just around the corner somewhere.

In such a corner, usually a blind corner where you would not realise it UNTIL you TURN the corner, wickedness abounds, darkness reigns, harmony with pagan gods thrives. In such a corner, "agreement with pagans" compromises your witness. It numbs you into forgetting that "we are the temple of the living God" (2Cor 6:16).

Paul was not asking the Corinthian Christians to be detached from the world (including the pagans) altogether. He acknowledges that pagan markets (1Cor 10:25) and even accept invitations to meals from an "unbeliever" (1Cor 10:27) still exist. But he did want them to form their identity in Christ so that they can be clearly DISTINGUISHED from the pagan values and lifestyles that lurk around the corner.

APPLICATION: Are you sensitive to where you are standing now with reference to yoking yourselves with unbelievers, if any? You are the Father's "sons and daughters" you know (2Cor 6:18).


星期一 2024年7月29日 今日读经:哥林多后书6章. 在反上帝的环境中事奉
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/2Co/6/

在一个反上帝的环境中来事奉神是有其危险的。你在心理上和属灵上都预备好了吗?林后6:3-13列出了一些挑战。

新加坡的情况到目前为止或许不会有“殴打”或“囚禁”。但你在服事时或许会经历“持久忍耐”、“患难”、“贫乏”、“困苦”、“羞辱”和“坏名声”,被人误解成“骗人的”、“人所不知”的、好像是“必死的”、好像“忧愁”,好像是“什么都没有”。

最大的打击将会是得不到回馈的“感情”(林后6:12)。对保罗而言,这些苦难形成了他的凭信的一部分。你是否还在忠心服事?

身为基督徒,处在一个充斥着不法(林后6:14)、黑暗(林后6:14)、彼列(林后6:15)和偶像(林后6:16)的世界是很危险的。“你们和不信的人不可共负一轭”(林后6:14),这不光是不与非信徒结婚这么简单。

这是为了不要掉入一个让你慢慢地,但肯定地会滑向与偶像、偶像崇拜、淫乱和与世界“黑暗”的行径的关系里头,这些很有可能都在你身边的角落出现。

在这样的角落,通常是你看不见的,直到转头了才发现,恶行到处皆是、黑暗称霸、与偶像的和谐愈发愈多。

在这样的一角,“与偶像同一阵线”就妥协了你的见证。它会使你麻木,最后忘了“我们是永生神的殿”(林后6:16)。

保罗并没有叫哥林多的基督完完全全与世界脱节(包括非信徒)。他承认异教徒还是有市场的(林前10:25),甚至接受“非信徒”的邀请去他们的家用餐(林前10:27)。

但他希望他们把自己的身份建立在基督上,清楚地与非信徒的价值和生活方式分别出来。

应用:你是否敏感地意识到自己现在正与周围不信的人共负一轭? 你是父的“儿子和女儿”,你可知道?(林后6:18)