Tuesday, 27th July 2021
Pastor Kathy Poon
Section One: V1-21 Bear Fruits Glorify God
The Pharisees want to show Jesus that they were better people, than those who experienced disasters. But Jesus reminded them, when bad things happened to others, it doesn’t always mean they were wicked and deserved sufferings. We should not compare but repent, if we don’t repent then we’ll perish. Perish is different to death, perish is to disappear eternally. Therefore it’s important for us to repent.
Jesus told a parable, a person planted the fig tree, the person is Jesus and the fig tree is Israel. This parable teaches us to be a true disciple, are we being the faithful servant? We are the people who take care of the fig tree, and when the fig tree is not bearing fruits, what is our attitude? Do we have a heart to pray for others? To plea before God for others, to dig around the tree and to add fertiliser. When we see people’s lives don’t bear fruits, do we just criticise them and watch from aside? Or do we plea before God for them, and find out what we can do to bring them back to God?
Jesus was healing in the Sabbath Day, He saw the crippled woman and asked her to come. Jesus always saw those people who were in need the most. Do we see what Jesus see? Jesus has so much compassion, for people, He not only saw but He also put out both hands and healed her. As true disciples, we not only see the need but also release the love and power of God to become the blessings of others. The Synagogue leader saw what Jesus did and they came out to stop Jesus. Often we are like the Synagogue leader, when things are happening out of ordinance, do we have a heart, righteousness and love of Jesus, or hold onto our old ways?
The mustard seed is very small, and it’s being planted and buried in the ground. We must be willing to be planted and buried, then when it grows up it can bless many people. Nobody can see us when we are buried underground, but do we have this heart that even when nobody sees us we are still willing to be planted here? We need to be influential, like the yeast, to bring transformation to the people and environment around us.
Section Two V22-35: Strive to Follow Don’t Give Up
In the last half year of Jesus’ time in the earth, people who followed were less and less. Because every time when Jesus performed a miracle, many people followed, but when He started to teach the truth, about repentance and about salvation, the people started to leave. Jesus taught the people to strive and enter the narrow way, because the doors might be closed.
There are many kinds of people, some just wanted to see miracles, some came to social, some thought they could rely on their family and friends to enter the narrow way, and some wanted to wait for a later time when they feel ready. But people who can really enter are those who obey God’s teaching and act it out! Our being needs to be connected with the truth in order to enter the Kingdom of God.
We also should not just focus on what we have done in the past, but our relationship with Jesus in this very moment. Otherwise those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last. Jesus knew His timing, there were people came to threaten Him but He was not afraid of them. When we glorify God there will be threatening of the evil ones, but we must stand firm in God’s Kingdom.
Jesus strived to run until the last minute, He didn’t give up. We also must keep going until the last minute. Jesus also didn’t give up on Jerusalem, He continued to give a chance to the people, to gather them and to call them out. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Jesus is calling us right now. Do we pray for our city? Plea before God for them, for their salvation and repentance?
Jesus’ heart is for Jerusalem and for the world, He has the compassion for the people, many times He gathers us, He loves us unconditionally, but we are unwilling. Don’t let our house, our city, our nation be desolate. Let God come to solve every problem in our lives.
Prayer & Pursuit
Lord, shine Your light upon us, show us what do we need to bring before You, surrender before You. Let us give You everything we hold onto tightly. Lord we want to be like the mustard seed, to be planted and buried in Your church. Help us to have the heart of Jesus, have compassion, righteousness and fail fullness. Lord we must move forward, to strive to follow. Adjust our eyesight, to see what Jesus sees, let us arise and shine, to be built up by You and bear fruits. Amen.
2021年7月27日 星期二
-Kathy师母-
路加福音 13
真门徒的元素
一、结出果子荣耀主 (v.1-21)
V1-5 “正当那时” – 就是接上一章耶稣在教训法利赛人的时候。当时有人把天灾（西罗亚楼倒塌）和人祸（加利利人被官府镇压）的事告诉耶稣。这些法利赛人想要证明自己是了解时事、明白事理的，自以为那些受灾的人“比一切住在耶路撒冷的人更有罪”。耶稣当下纠正他们的观念。我们身为门徒，不要跟人比较就自以为义，而要从里面真实的悔改，不然我们的灵性就会灭亡。
V6-9 栽种无花树的人代表耶稣，无花果树指的是以色列人，“管园的”代表每一个被神托付的人。这个比喻教导我们作为一个管家在别人的问题上要看到自己的责任 – 特别是那些神所托付给我们去带领的人。我们在传福音带门徒的时候，若看到弟兄姐妹不结果子、犯了错误，要先为他们恳切代求，然后做松土的工作，使他们刚硬的心柔软，再加上养分帮助这棵无花果树结出果子。
V10-17 这是耶稣在安息日治病的故事。耶稣“看见”（v12) – 他虽然在会堂教训人，但他看见的是那些最可怜最有需要的人，作为耶稣的门徒，我们又看见什么？耶稣不仅看见那被压制18年的女人，又伸出“两只手按着她”，使双重的爱和能力进入到她生命里。我们的爱是否只是停留在嘴巴上？还是能行动出来，成为这个需要医治的世代的祝福？V14 “管会堂的”人在会堂里服事神有一段时间了，有他自己的方式传统，看见耶稣在安息日行了这件事就强烈抗议。我们作为服事多年的同工，当看到别人服事神时做事的方式跟我们过往的行为模式不一样时，是否会看不顺眼甚至气愤指责，还是愿意谦卑看到耶稣所看到的？我们要以基督的心来看到我们的事工和我们所服事的人。V15-16 耶稣在斥责那些只有外表好行为的人，因此我们里面也要有耶稣基督美好的性情。
V18-19 芥菜种非常的小，就好像我们的教会虽然很小，但不要忽略，因为将来会增长，而增长的关键是我们愿意先被“种在园子里”，愿意被埋在别人看不到的地方。我们的教会不再只是召聚要得祝福的信徒，而是能够栽培门徒的地方。我们若愿意看到我们教会复兴蒙福，就要愿意在这里被种被埋、扎根成长。
V20-21 我们的教会虽然人数不多，但我们若愿意兴起被装备，我们就有生命力能影响别人的生命。我们是用什么心态来看待神的国、看待教会呢？我们是否有热诚来面对我们的服事？
二、竭力追求不放弃 (v.22-35)
V22-30 耶稣在地上服事的日子只剩下半年了，但跟随耶稣的人似乎却越来越少 – 一开始大家看到他施行医治赶鬼和神迹奇事的时候都蜂拥而至，想要得丰盛、祝福，然而当耶稣开始教导真理的时候，那些人就渐渐离开了。耶稣告诉我们要“努力进窄门”。他的话语里讲到四种人：凑热闹的，交际应酬的，靠家人信主关系的，以及找借口说等等的人。马太福音7章21节也讲到同样的事：“凡称呼我‘主啊，主啊’的人不能都进天国，唯独遵行我天父旨意的人才能进去”，所以真正进天国的人不是前面所讲的那四种人，而是遵行天父旨意的人。神所要的忠心，就是我们要去听他的话又行出来。当我们有神的真理在里面，我们就是被神掌管的人，就能行出神的旨意在地上如同行在天。“学如逆水行舟，不进则退”- 我们在神的面前不要夸口自己过去多敬虔，只要看自己当下的属灵光景如何，当我们被神、被我们的牧者调整的时候，是否依然竭力追求、跟随主？
V31-35 那些被教训的法利赛人非常生气，就用当权者希律来恐吓耶稣。我们在服事当中也会受到仇敌用现实的事来恐吓我们。当时的希律家族有权有势，甚至杀死了施洗约翰，然而耶稣并没有因此害怕退缩，而是坚定地说“今天、明天、后天我必须前行”（V33)。耶稣依然要做父神要他做的事。他告诉我们每一个真正的门徒，当我们面对属灵争战的时候，我们要有耶稣的心志，不管前面有多大的困难都要竭力奔跑到最后一分钟，不放弃。V34-35 这两节回应一开始第5节的经文，是耶稣为耶路撒冷的哀叹。耶路撒冷是拒绝上帝的城市，神“多次愿意”给我们机会、不放弃爱我们，但我们“不愿意”（V34)。“荒场”- 预言耶稣撒冷的圣殿被罗马摧毁。耶稣说他们不得再见主的面，直到他是被欢迎的时候才回来。我们是否为我们所在的城市拒绝上帝而哀痛代求？
*追求祷告：
我们看见耶稣的心 – 他为耶路撒冷哀叹，他心里满有怜悯，他多次愿意聚集他的儿女，好像母鸡把小鸡聚集在翅膀底下，只是我们不愿意，以至于我们的家、教会、城市、国家“成为荒场”。求神带我们进入真实的悔改，让我们主啊，求你赦免我们短视、只想得祝福，当牧者来教导、调整我们、与我们的行为模式有冲突的时候，我们心里气愤愤的说不可以，求主赦免；我们说要成为你的门徒，但当真理的光照进来的时候我们拒绝你。求主你来光照我们，让我们看到里面有哪些部分需要放到十字架面前，将我们紧紧抓住的、想要逃避的、甚至让我们气愤的东西都交托给主。
主我们来到你面前，再一次愿意如芥菜种子一样愿意被栽种被掩埋，愿意放手给你，求主帮助我们有耶稣基督的心志，有怜悯，又刚强站立、竭力追求。主我们愿意进窄门，让我们看见耶稣基督所看见的，让我们兴起发光，成为真门徒，有真实的悔改，在你所托付给我们的岗位上担起责任，给我们影响力和热情，让我们说“今天、明天、后天我必须前行”，宣告“那奉主名来的是应当称颂的”，愿万国万族在这里称颂你的名，愿我们弟兄姐妹都愿意在南奥克兰灵粮堂被栽种被栽培！奉耶稣基督的名祷告，阿门！