一本可以讀懂的啟示錄註釋書A Readable Commentary onRevelation

作者:  shane lems   譯者: Maria Marta

https://reformedreader.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/a-readable-commentary-on-revelation/

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/aATqoNsHb81

假如你想找一本清晰、簡明、易讀、可靠的啟示錄註釋書，我推薦你閱讀溥偉恩（Vern S. Poythress）博士著的《再臨君王──幫你讀懂啟示錄》The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation。 雖然這本註釋書沒有解釋啟示錄的所有細節，但它絕不失為一部優秀作品，為讀者提供了啟示錄概貌的完整圖畫。

我十分欣賞溥偉恩博士的註釋。通常，解經者將太多的時間和精力放在啟示錄的更瑣碎的細節上。細節成為主要焦點，大圖畫便丟失了。但溥偉恩卻能恰到好處的把握住重點：

「神統管歷史，並要在基督裡使歷史達到完滿。如果你在讀這卷書時牢記這一點，你就可以讀懂它。你末必明白每項細節，我也一樣；但即便如此，你仍舊可以從它獲得屬靈的益處。」（9頁）

他繼續說道，有時我們解釋啓示錄的信息相當困難，因為我們的方法錯了。

「假設我首先問：『啓示錄十三章2節中 [熊的腳] 代表什麼意義？』如果我們先從這種細節著手，卻忽略了全貌，這樣我們就會遇到困難。神是啓示錄的中心（啓四至啓五），我們必須從祂開始，並從祂與屬撒但的仇敵的對比開始。反之，如果我們馬上苦心思索細節的答案，這就好像我們想要藉著握住刀刃（而非刀柄）來使用這一把刀。我們從一開始就錯了。」

「啓示錄是一本圖畫書，而不是一本謎語或拼圖。不要費心猜測它背後的答案，不要沈迷在個別的細節裡，我們乃是要全神貫注於整個故事：贊美主；為聖徒歡呼；憎惡那獸；盼望最後的得勝。」（11頁）

假如你想了解更多，還有一些優秀的註釋書與溥偉恩的著作有很多能產生共鳴的地方，它們是：《More than Conquerors》，William Hendriksen著；《Triumph of the Lamb》，Dennis Johnson著；《NIGTC on Revelation》，Gregory Beale著。溥偉恩的註釋書是一本研讀啟示錄的好書（可以將內容分解成14節課程左右），此書附有詳盡的研讀指引和研讀問題，它們對我們的研讀很有幫助。假如你想找一本可以讀懂的啟示錄註釋書，就讀這本溥偉恩所著的《再臨君王──幫你讀懂啟示錄》，並且一定也要查閱我剛才提到的其他註釋書。

附：

《再臨君王──幫你讀懂啟示錄》The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation，溥偉恩（Vern S. Poythress）著/詹益龍譯，改革宗出版有限公司，2018年3月。

http://www.crtsbooks.net/product/thereturningkingaguidetothebookofrevelation.aspx

A Readable Commentary on Revelation

by Reformed Reader

 If you’re looking for a clear, concise, readable, and solid commentary on Revelation, I recommend Vern Poythress’ The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2000).  Though this commentary doesn’t comment on all the details in Revelation, it does a fine job of providing a big picture overview of the book.

I appreciate Poythress’ commentary because so often commentators spend too much time and energy on the smaller details of Revelation.  Because the details are the main focus, the big picture is lost.  Poythress keeps the main point the main point: “God rules history and will bring it to its consummation in Christ.  If you read it with that main point in mind, you will be able to understand it.  You will not necessarily understand every detail – neither do I.  But it is not necessary to understand every detail in order to profit spiritually from it” (p. 11).

He continues by saying we sometimes have trouble interpreting Revelation because we approach it from the wrong end.

“Suppose I start by asking, ‘What do the bear’s feet in Revelation 13:2 stand for?’  If I start with such detail, and ignore the big picture, I am asking for trouble.  God is at the center of Revelation (Rev. 4-5).  We must start with him and with the contrasts between him and his satanic opponents.  If instead we try right away to puzzle out details, it is as if we tried to use a knife by grasping it by the blade instead of the handle.  We are starting at the wrong end.”

“Revelation is a picture book, not a puzzle book.  Don’t try to puzzle it out.  Don’t become too preoccupied with isolated details.  Rather, become engrossed in the overall story.  Praise the Lord.  Cheer for the saints.  Detest the beast.  Long for the final victory” (p 12-13).

In case you are wondering, Poythress’ work resonates with other commentaries such as William Hendriksen’s excellent More than Conquerors, Dennis Johnsons’ Triumph of the Lamb, and Gregory Beale’s NIGTC on Revelation.  Though there aren’t any study questions, Poythress’ commentary would be a good book to use for a Bible study on Revelation (one might break it up into 14 lessons, give or take).  There’s an exhaustive Scripture index as well, which I’ve found helpful.  If you’re looking for a readable commentary on Revelation, get Poythress, and be sure to check out the other ones I’ve just mentioned.

Vern Poythress, The Returning King (Phillipsburg; P&R, 2000).

shane lems

我们是怎样误解了「你們應當這樣行，為的是記念我」？HOWWE'VE MISUNDERSTOOD "DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME"

作者:  Adriel Sanchez   譯者: Maria Marta

https://corechristianity.com/resource-library/articles/how-weve-misunderstood-do-this-in-remembrance-of-me

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/GjrNVnicKtj

就在耶穌死前，祂為祂的教會設立特殊的晚餐，在教會中遵守。 歷史上這次晚餐稱為「聖餐禮」（the Eucharis），是「感恩」的意思。今天我們通常稱為聖餐或主的晚餐。盡管教會在「應隔多久領受聖餐」這問題上的觀點不一致，但「聖餐是我們信仰的重要部分」是基督徒的普遍共識。

耶穌和使徒一同吃飯，祂拿起餅來，擘開遞給他們，說：「這是我的身體，為你們捨的，你們應當這樣行，為的是記念我。」（路廿二19 ；《聖經新譯本》）許多基督徒對此話的理解是：在領受聖餐的過程中，我們必須盡最大的努力記念基督的死亡故事。 我們記念福音，和當我們想起福音，福音便振奮著敬拜中的每一個人的心。毫無疑問，這是一件好事，但這是耶穌說「你們應當這樣行，為的是記念我」時所指的意思嗎？ 

記念的意義是什麽？

記念的語言在巴勒斯坦猶太教中是比較常見的。在舊約，尤其是與聖殿事奉有關的背景，多次提及「作為紀念/象徵的」的祭物（利二2，9，16）。上帝的百姓在敬拜是這些段落的背景，記念通常不是指以色列敬拜者在記念;  而是上帝在記念。

例如，上帝對以色列人說：「在你們快樂的日子和指定的節期，以及月朔，你們獻燔祭和平安祭的時候，也要吹號，這都要在你們的神面前替你們作為記念；我是耶和華你們的　神。」（民十10；《聖經新譯本》）。上帝信實於與祂的百姓所立的盟約，在這樣的背景底下，上帝常常賜給百姓盟約的記號，這些記號的作用不單是提醒以色列人，也是提醒祂自己！

「這就是我與你們，與一切跟你們同在有生命的活物所立之約的記號，直到萬代；我把天虹放在雲彩中，作我與大地立約的記號。我使雲彩遮蓋大地時，彩虹出現雲彩中，我就記念我與你們和一切有生命的活物所立的約……」（創九12-16；《聖經新譯本》）

彩虹作為盟約的記號，顯示上帝永遠不會淹沒地球這一核心應許。 它提醒上帝祂自己的應許。聖餐也是一個聖約的記號。耶穌稱晚餐的杯是用我的血所立的「新約」（路廿二20）。

當祂告訴門徒遵守聖餐，為的是記念祂時，並不是指福音被回憶那麽簡單，而是指福音再次呈獻，或藉著可觸摸的記號在上帝面前傳達出來。事實上，「記念」這片語在「新約」的其他地方用作「上帝記念」，當彼得對哥尼流說：「你的禱告和你的賙濟達到神面前，已蒙記念了。(徒十4)

這對我們的崇拜有什麽意義？

教會領受聖餐，主要不是我們個人對耶穌的生平與死亡的主觀回憶的時間；而是福音透過如餅和酒這些普通記號的客觀傳遞。 兩千年前，耶穌獻上自己的犧牲的祭已蒙上帝記念。毫無疑問，這不是基督再次「獻上自己的祭」（來十12明確表示基督只獻一次祭），而是聖靈藉著在我們心𥚃作成的信心, 藉此將基督一次永遠的贖罪祭的恩福施予我們。

當教會聚集一起尊守聖餐，「為的是記念我〔耶穌〕」時，教會是在宣告將基督的死亡（林前十一26）作為記念，獻在上帝面前，上帝看到記號，祝福我們，透過聖靈，用基督的身體和血滋養我們。 在聖餐中，上帝記念，我們領受！上帝記念對我們-----祂的子民的應許，祂在餐桌上，在我們面前確定這些應許。 基督的身體是為你們舍的;  基督的血是為你們流的。 耶穌說：「你們應當這樣行，為的是記念我」！

Adriel Sanchez is pastor of North Park Presbyterian Church, a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, he also serves the broader church as a contributor on the White Horse Inn radio program. He and his wife Ysabel live in San Diego with their three children.

HOW WE'VE MISUNDERSTOOD "DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME"

Adriel Sanchez

Right before Jesus’ death, he instituted a special meal for his church to observe. Historically, this meal was called the Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving.” Often today we call it communion or the Lord’s Supper. Although churches differ on how frequently we should take communion, the universal consensus among Christians is that this meal is an important part of our faith.

When Jesus was reclining with his disciples, after breaking some bread and distributing it to them he said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Lk. 22:19) Many Christians have taken this to mean that during communion, we are to do our best to recollect the story of Christ’s death. We remember the gospel, and as we’re reminded, the gospel stirs our hearts in worship. This is, without a doubt, a good thing, but is it what Jesus was really getting at when he said, “Do this in remembrance of me”?

What is the significance of remembering?

Memorial language was not uncommon in Palestinian Judaism. In the Old Testament, especially in contexts relating to the service of the temple, there were “memorial” offerings (Lev. 2:2, 9, 16). In these passages, where the context is the people of God at worship, typically it was not the Israelite worshiper who was remembering; it was God remembering.

For example, God says to the Israelites, “On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feast and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the LORD your God” (Numbers 10:10). In the context of God’s covenant faithfulness to his people, he would often give them signs that didn’t just serve as reminders for them but for him!

This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and he earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and ever living creature… (Gen. 9:12-16)

The rainbow served as a covenant sign that displayed front and center God’s promise to never flood the earth. It reminded God of his promise. Communion is a covenant sign, too. Jesus called the cup of the Lord’s Supper the cup of the “new covenant” in his blood (Lk. 22:20).

When he told his disciples to observe the meal for his memorial, it wasn’t simply so that they’d be reminded of the gospel but that they would re-present, or convey it through the tangible sign before God. In fact, the phrase “in remembrance” is used elsewhere in the New Testament to refer to God’s remembrance, when Peter told Cornelius, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” (Acts 10:4)

What is the significance of this for our worship?

When the church takes communion, it’s not primarily a time for our individual, subjective recollection of Jesus’ life and death. It is the objective transmission of the gospel through ordinary signs like bread and wine. The sacrifice of Jesus two thousand years ago is being set forth now, before God, as a memorial. This, to be sure, is not a “re-sacrificing” of Christ (Hebrews 10:12 makes clear that Christ could only be sacrificed once), but by faith it is the application of the benefits of Christ’s once-for-all death.

When the church gathers together to “do this in remembrance of me [Jesus]” she is proclaiming Christ’s death (1 Cor 11:26) as a memorial before God, who sees the sign and blesses us, nourishing us with Christ’s body and blood by the Holy Spirit.  In communion, God remembers, and we receive! He remembers his promises to us, his people, and he sets these promises before us on the table. Christ’s body was given for you; his blood poured out for you. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me”!

關於你的牧師你應該知道的五件事5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUTYOUR PASTOR

作者: Nicholas Davis   譯者:  Maria Marta

https://corechristianity.com/resource-library/articles/5-things-you-should-know-about-your-pastor

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/6ZMrxC7qJEC

有時我對此大惑不解： 美國人如此迅速地相信一個他們不認識的，卻要負責照顧他們的靈魂的牧師。當我們考慮一個工作機會或為我們的孩子尋找一所學校，在投入之前，通常我們會花些時間了解這間公司或學校。

但很不幸，我認為在宗教問題上很多人採用不同的處理方法。大體上說，大家避開面談程序，讓應（受）聘者直接投入工作。

關於你的牧師，你應該知道以下五件事。(如果你找不到關於你的牧師的個人資料信息，或者你從未見過擔任領導的牧師，那麼也許是時候換間新教會了。)

1. 我的牧師曾在哪所學校受教育？

我明白神學院的教育不會自動培育出一個好（或者甚至相當好）的牧師。 在某些案例中，有些學院的教育甚至可能制造出一個怪物，如果這是你的經歷，我深感抱歉。

在教會歷史上，有些神仆從不需要任何神學訓練，今天仍有一些卓越的神仆可能屬於這一類別。但這些案例只是常規中的例外，而不是一般規則。 不幸的是，在成為牧師之前不進行任何培訓已演變成美國教會的常規------也是今日如此眾多的基督徒不了解基本的基督教信仰的一部分原因。每當我們開車經過突然出現在我們社區的新教堂時，我和妻子都會在網上調查一下，每一次都是牧師「感到上帝的呼召」，於是便開始一間教會。  

然而對於大多數人來說，你的牧師上過學堂，或者受過一些既定計劃或課程的裝備訓練，有能力正確解釋聖經，應該是很重要的事。我們接受提供醫療服務機構的治療時，我們總希望得到訓練最有素，最受尊敬的醫生的最佳照顧。 沒有人願意邀請曾有醫療事故記錄的醫生，或要求未經訓練的醫生醫治他們的身體疾病，那麽，為什麽牧養關懷就應當有別於檢查醫治呢？ 我們應該希望我們的靈魂與我們身體獲得同樣的醫治。受委託管理上帝聖言的管家不應該有所不同。

所以提問一些誠實的問題：

我的牧師是否受過足夠的訓練，對教會歷史上一些最重要的異端和爭議有全面的了解？

他掌握註釋聖經的基本原則嗎？ 我相信他能照顧我的靈魂，就像我信任我的醫生醫治我的身體那樣嗎？

2.我牧師的信仰符合聖經嗎？

擁有信經和信仰告白，或信仰聲明至關重要。 對你牧師來說，它們是使他能持守的外來的客觀標準。 所有牧師都需要這種問責（交帳）標準。 不管多麽有智慧和多麽的敬虔，牧師個人都不可能擁有所有的答案。 我們不能把這種負擔加在我們的牧師身上，我們的牧師也不應該把兩千年來的基督徒的智慧的重擔壓在自己肩上。

因此，他們的官方信仰是什麽？他們是否告訴你有某種聲明，概括說來，就是他們做什麽和不相信什麽的聲明，他們承諾持守一個可以被其他人公開訪問的教學體系？假如他不再忠於上帝的話語，他願意服從教會的紀律嗎？

3. 關於教會，我的牧師的信仰是什麽？

基督教有多種傳統。對教會應該強調什麽，有各種不同的觀點，而牧師（和教會）所持的觀點取決於他們源自何種神學背景。然而，在兩件關鍵事情上-------區分基督教與任何其他類型的團契、團體、福音機構，以及坦率地說邪教，應該強烈關注任何基督教傳統的每一位牧師所持的觀點。

我的牧師是否相信教會的中心使命是傳福音、施行聖禮（洗禮和聖餐）、與執行教會紀律？

4. 我的牧師真的關愛人嗎？

我的牧師真的相信他所談的愛，即我們彼此相愛是因著福音的緣故？ 他持有真理的信念，和持有同情心去幫助其他人相信真理嗎？ 抑或他以贏得爭論，並順利應對來界定真理呢？

顯然，人各有異，表達愛的方式各有千秋。由於性格的原因，有些人看起來一點也不熱情，而實際上他們對福音懷有滿腔熱情------只不過不如約翰·派博（John Piper）那麽激情澎湃罷了。

這沒關系，但我的意思是指你的牧師關愛你嗎？你看到他關愛失喪的人嗎？

5.我的牧師是一個敬虔人嗎？

我並非試圖用這問題來擠壓福音裡的其他同工。我同樣也屬於被問的對象，這也是我所聽到的棘手問題。 但使徒保羅為所有福音傳道人樹立了一個可以跟隨的敬虔榜樣，免得我們「被棄絕了」 (林前九27)。他經常提醒所有的基督徒，「該效法我，像我效法基督一樣」 (林前十一1)------保羅期望每一個人都效法他，當然也期望每有一位牧師都這樣做。此外保羅也在其他地方指示我們，「監督」(或牧師、教牧人員、長老、主教、神甫、委員會成員等等) 必須是一個虔誠的人。

這是按立牧師的最低限度的資格條件，所以提問這個關於我們的問題不應讓你難以啟齒。「我的牧師是一個虔誠的人嗎？」「他過一種值得我們效仿的生活，抑或他的生活的目標方向面臨觸礁呢？」如果你是牧師，相信我，我和你和使徒保羅都會異口同聲：

「對於滅亡的人，這是死亡的氣味叫人死；對於得救的人，這卻是生命的香氣使人活。這些事誰夠資格作呢？我們不像那許多的人，為了圖利而謬講　神的道。相反地，我們講話，是出於真誠，出於　神，是在　神面前、在基督裡的。」（林后二16-17；《圣經新譯本》）

牧師職分是一種崇高的呼召，它不適合內膽小懦弱的人。它也不是一盤生意，不幸的是，人們需要學習如何辨別這兩種教會的差別：為了你的錢財的教會，和忠心尋求讓這垂死和饑餓的世界知道福音奧秘的教會。提出問題，了解差別-----在這種情況下，你的身體和靈魂都依賴於它們。

明白以上五個問題，你應該能夠區分忠心仆人和那些試圖通過建造平台成為超級使徒的人。我祈禱這些指導性的問題能幫助你識別基督的仆人，他們行事為人與他們所宣揚的基督的福音相配，盡管我們當中沒有一個人-----包括我！------真正足以應對（問題所涉及的）這些事情。

請為你的牧師禱告。 假如你有一位好牧師，為你的牧師感謝上帝。

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PASTOR

Nicholas Davis

Sometimes I’m baffled at how quickly Americans trust a pastor who they don’t know with care over their souls. When we consider a job opportunity or are looking for a school for our children, usually we spend a little bit of time getting to know the company or school before jumping right in.

Unfortunately, I don’t think many people operate the same way when it comes to religion. In general, people avoid an interview process and just start attending.

Here are five things you should know about your pastor. (And if you can’t find any of this information about your pastor, or you can’t ever meet the head pastor, then it’s probably time for a new church.)

1. Where did my pastor go to school?

I realize that a seminary education doesn’t automatically create a good (or even decent) pastor. In some cases, it can create a monster, and if that has been your experience, I am deeply sorry.

There are some men in church history who never required any theological training, and there are some remarkable people today who might fall into this category. But this should be an exception to the rule and is not the norm. Unfortunately, not pursuing any training before becoming a pastor has become a staple in American churches—and is part of the reason why so many Christians today are ignorant of basic Christian beliefs. Whenever we drive by a new church that pops up in our neighborhood, my wife and I look it up online and every single time the pastor has "felt called by God" to start the church.

For most people though, it should matter if your pastor went to school or through some established program or curriculum that equips him to rightly interpret the Bible. When we are being treated by our medical provider, we want the best care possible with the most highly trained and respected doctors. Nobody willingly invites malpractice or asks for untrained physicians to work on their bodies, so why should it be any different with pastoral care? We should want the same treatment for our souls as we do for our bodies. It shouldn't be any different with stewards entrusted with handling God’s Word.

So ask some honest questions:

Is my pastor trained enough to know some of the most significant heresies and controversies in the history of the church?

Does he know basic principles of interpreting the Bible? Can I trust him to care for my soul in the same way I trust a doctor to take care of my body?

2. What does my pastor believe is “biblical”?

Having creeds and confessions, or a statement of faith matters. That’s something external to your pastor that holds him to an objective standard outside of himself. All pastors need this kind of accountability. No matter how wise and godly, an individual pastor can’t possibly have all the answers. We can’t put that burden on our pastors, and our pastors shouldn’t try to bear the weight of two thousand years of Christian wisdom on their own shoulders either.

So, what do they officially believe? Do they have a statement of some sort that tells you, in general, what they do and don’t believe? Have they promised to remain faithful to a body of teaching that can publicly be accessed by others? Is he willing to submit to the discipline of the church if he ceases to be faithful to God's Word?

3. What does my pastor believe about the church?

Christian traditions vary, and there are different views on what the church should be emphasizing depending on what theological backdrop a pastor (and church) is coming from. However, there should be a strong focus on every pastor in any given Christian tradition on two vital things that distinguish Christianity from every other kind of fellowship, group, parachurch organization, and frankly, cult.

Does my pastor believe the central mission of the church is to preach the gospel, administer the sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper), and exercise church discipline?

4. Does my pastor really love people?

Is my pastor someone who really believes what he says about the love that we have for one another because of the gospel? Does he have a conviction for truth and compassion for others to believe in the truth? Or is he defined by winning arguments and getting it right?

Obviously, every person is different and will express love in different ways. Some people don’t seem to be passionate at all, but for their temperament they are actually really excited about the gospel—they’re just not as passionate as John Piper.

That’s okay, but what I mean here is, does your pastor love you? Do you see his love for the lost?

5. Is my pastor a godly person?

I’m not trying to crush fellow co-laborers in the gospel with this one. I equally fall under this gutting question too and it’s a tough one for me to hear. But the apostle Paul uses himself as an example of godliness for all ministers of the gospel to follow after, lest we are "disqualified" (1 Cor 9:27). And he often makes it a point to remind all Christians to “imitate me as I follow Christ” (1 Cor 11:1)—if Paul expects that of everybody, he certainly expects it of every minister. Elsewhere, Paul instructs us that “overseers” (or pastors, ministers, elders, bishops, priests, board members, etc.) are to be godly.

This is a bare minimum qualification for ordained ministry, so you shouldn’t feel bad about asking this one about us. "Is my pastor godly?" "Does he live a life that is worthy of imitating or is he headed for shipwreck?" If you are a pastor, trust me, I cry out with you and the Apostle Paul, saying:

“Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” (2 Cor 2:16-17)

The ministry of the word is a high calling, and it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s also not a business, and unfortunately, people need to learn how to discern the difference between a church that is out for your money, and a church that seeks to faithfully make the mysteries of the gospel known to a dying and starving world. Ask questions and learn the difference—in this case, both your body and soul depend on it.

With these five questions, you should be able to separate faithful servants from those who are just trying to become super-apostles by building a platform. I pray that these guiding questions will help you identify servants of Christ who are worthy of the very gospel they are proclaiming, even though none of us—myself included!—are truly sufficient for these things.

Please pray for your pastor. And if you have a good pastor, thank God for your pastor.

參加集體崇拜Attending Corporate Worship

作者: Jared C. Wilson  譯者:   Maria Marta

https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2018/04/attending-corporate-worship/

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/5MfSJ2AtXt4

有許多好的理由促使你聚集你的兄弟姐妹參加每周的神聖崇拜。你可能輕而易舉地想出所有主要的理由，那怕你在苦苦掙紮著固定參加一間教會。而「這是上帝的命令」是最重要的一條（來十24-25）。假若這是我們必須參加集體崇拜的唯一理由，那就足夠了。

你可能也毫不費力地從聖經了解到，參與當地教會對你在信心中成長是何等的重要。教會是基督徒運用他們的屬靈恩賜榮耀上帝，彼此服事的地方。我們是個人蒙拯救，但卻並非被救入個人的信仰中。基督徒參加集體崇拜為何重要的理由還有很多，包括一些不常討論到的理由。

以下是基督徒應該參加主日聚會的四個重要卻被低估的理由。

對其他人來說是一種鼓勵

你參加教會聚會，對其他人來說是一種鼓勵。對中小型的教會來說尤其真實，甚至對大型的當地教會來說也是如此，你可能受試探以為大家對你的缺席毫不察覺。 而實際上你的出現令人印象深刻。 聖徒聚集在一起，弟兄們的實體接近，甚至聖所的相對滿座，都有助於會眾的屬靈成長。

哪怕你犯了不與任何人交談的錯誤，哪怕你認為自己從教會所得甚少，或者他們從你身上所得甚少，但你的實際出現會向你周圍的人傳達一種信息：「聚會是值得的。 對你和對兄弟姐妹來說都是值得的。」  我可以告訴你，在牧養教會的過程中，盡管我不是每個星期天都和所有出席者說話，但我看到大家周而覆始的忠心出現，我很受鼓舞。我敢說，你的出現也同樣鼓勵著你的牧師。

           

更不用說你用友善意的說話，或伸出援助之手去幫助你每周相見的兄弟時，那種巨大幫助和鼓勵。

是一種自我釘死在十字架上的行動

你參加教會聚會，是對你的自治主權(self-sovereignty)的反抗。 是的，我知道有時證道比你喜歡的長一點（或很多）；歌曲不適合你的品味；大家太含蓄，以至不能適當地接待你；或者太熱情，以至你感到不知所措。 但我知道有時候假若你負責這些工作的話，你會有一大堆會不同方法，並做得更出色。 所以試想想，上教會是多麽的神聖！

各式各樣、被賦予聖靈能力的聖徒的聚會，是一個有組織的團體，其部分作用是抑制人類自治的自私欲望。 在一個太過迎合我們的自我主權感的世界，上教會可能是背起十字架的一種方式------不是憑我們的意志力量完成，而是出於天父的意願，首先不是出於我們的利益，而是我們兄弟的利益 ------從這方面說，有助於我們越來越像基督。

是你鄰居的基督見證人

你可以做的最反文化的事之一，就是星期天一早起床，穿上整潔的衣服，然後開車去教堂。在當今的美國，參加教會聚會已非一種文化期待。 在西方世界的許多地區，教會的出席狀況完全是不正常的。

所以在主日早上，街坊四鄰的花園都響起割草機的嗡嗡聲，所有其他的孩子都在遊泳池嬉戲，咖啡店的老顧客穿著運動服悠閒自在，在那一刻你展示出你家人所屬的另一個世界，和你獻身於上教會的反文化傳統。

這並非說你比其他人更好。反而是因為你意識到你實際上可能更糟糕。星期天早上，當你倒車出停車道時，你告訴鄰居你需要耶穌，怎麽再多的閒暇也不如祂那樣滿足你，沒有比在耶穌裡找到更好的安息了，當世俗之樂事的瑣碎脆弱飾面顯露出裂縫時，你可能是他們可以談論的，關於跟隨耶穌的「另類生活方式」的那種人。

是天堂的預嘗

在新約使徒書信，我們看到罪人聚集跟隨耶穌時，往往會卷入困難和分裂。教會經常很雜亂。 那麽我們從中得到什麽？我們可以大概了解一下啟示錄，上帝對我們這些罪人做了些什麽。祂正在加速這一天的到來，即祂的選民將從從各國、各族、各民、各方來聚集，不在乎彼此间的分歧，一起慶祝與基督的聯合和在基督裏的合一。 因此，上教會就是那一天的預嘗。

當我們這些陌生人、外來人象兄弟姐妹那樣聚集在福音的旗幟底下時，我們在預演那榮耀的一天，（現在所知道的只是一部分，）那一天我們將要全知道，好像主完全知道我們那樣，那一天我們的罪被徹底擊敗，我們的基督徒團契完全被喜樂充滿。 因此，上教會也許是你能做到的最屬天的事情。 參加集體崇拜能激發你對將要應驗的事的渴望。你發覺自己殷切盼望那一天，你也就找到了盼望星期天的動力。

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌2018年四月號 。

Attending Corporate Worship

by Jared C. Wilson

There are a lot of good reasons to gather with your brothers and sisters in the sacred fellowship of worship each week. Even if you struggle with regular church attendance, you can probably think of all the primary reasons quite easily. Most importantly, God has commanded it (Heb. 10:24–25). If that were the only reason we had to attend corporate worship, it would be enough.

You can probably also easily see in the Scriptures how important it is to grow in your faith through participation in a local church. That is where Christians exercise their spiritual gifts in honor of God and in service to each other. We are saved as individuals, but we are not saved to an individualized faith. But there are still more reasons why attending corporate worship is important for every Christian, including some reasons not frequently discussed.

Here, then, are four important—yet underrated—reasons Christians ought to attend the Lord’s Day gathering.

AS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO OTHERS

Your church attendance is an encouragement to others. This is especially true in smaller to medium-sized congregations, but it’s even true in very large local churches where you may be tempted to think your absence would go unnoticed. Presence is impressive. When the saints gather, there is something spiritually helpful about the physical proximity of the brethren and even about the relative fullness of the sanctuary.

Even if you make the mistake of not talking to anyone, even if you don’t think you’re getting much out of the church or they’re not getting much out of you, your actual presence communicates to those around you: “This is worth it. You, brothers and sisters, are worth it.” Having pastored a church, I can tell you that while I didn’t get to speak to every attendee every Sunday, I was encouraged when I saw people loyally showing up week after week. I’m willing to bet your presence encourages your pastors as well.

This is to say nothing of the immense help and encouragement you can be when you actually reach out with kind words or a helping hand to the brethren you see week after week.

AS AN ACT OF SELF-CRUCIFIXION

Your church attendance is a rebellion against your sense of self-sovereignty. Oh, I know that sometimes the sermon is a little (or a lot) longer than you’d like, the songs aren’t quite to your taste, the people are too shy to welcome you properly or so exuberantly friendly that you feel overwhelmed. I know sometimes there are a million things you’d do differently if you were in charge. So just think how sanctifying going to church must be!

The gathering of the diverse and divinely empowered saints is a community organized in part to stifle the selfish human desire for autonomy. In a world where we encounter so much that caters to our sense of self-sovereignty, going to church can be a way of taking up our cross—not our will be done, but the Father’s, not our interests be first, but our brothers’—and in that regard, it is extremely helpful to our growth in Christlikeness.

AS A WITNESS TO YOUR NEIGHBORS

One of the most countercultural things you can do is get up early on Sunday morning, put real clothes on, and drive to a church building. Church attendance is not a cultural expectation in the United States today. In many regions of the Western world, church attendance is downright abnormal.

And so on the Lord’s Day morning, while all the other yards in your neighborhood are buzzing with lawn mowers, all the other kids are making for the swimming pool, all the other patrons of the coffee shop are lounging in sweatpants, you show your family’s otherworldliness in that moment that you dedicate to the countercultural tradition of going to church.

It’s not that you’re better than everyone else. It’s because you realize you may in fact be worse. When you back the family car out of the driveway on Sunday morning, you are telling your neighbors that you need Jesus and no amount of Sunday leisure can satisfy you like Him, that no rest is better than that which is found in Jesus, and that when the thin veneer of worldly frivolities starts to show a few cracks, you might be the kind of person they could talk to about the “alternative lifestyle” of following Jesus.

AS A FORETASTE OF HEAVEN

In the New Testament Epistles, we see the difficulty and the division often involved when sinners gather together in following Jesus. Church is often messy. So what is it we’re getting out of this? In the book of Revelation, we get a glimpse of what God is doing with us motley sinners. He is hastening the day when His elect people from every tongue, tribe, race, and nation will gather despite their differences to celebrate their union with Christ and their unity in Christ. Going to church, then, is a foretaste of that day.

When we strangers and aliens gather as brothers and sisters under the banner of the gospel, we are rehearsing that glorious day when we will know as we are known, when our sin is vanquished and our Christian fellowship is fully enjoyed. As such, going to church is perhaps the most heavenly thing you can do. Attending corporate worship can whet your appetite for the fulfillment that is coming soon. If you find yourself excited about that day, you can find the motivation to look forward to Sunday as well.

Jared C. Wilson is director of content strategy at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., managing editor of For the Church, and author of Gospel Wakefulness and The Wonder-Working God.

我們榮美的上帝Our Beautiful God

作者:  R.C. Sproul  譯者: Maria Marta

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/our-beautiful-god/

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106695469993489516884/posts/HkRjLgKcsuo

聖經常常提到美事,  我總覺得有趣。 事實上，假若你花時間查考每一句提及美（beauty）的經文，或者經文彙編中提及的美事（the beautiful），你都會發現美這個字經常以這種或那種形式出現在聖經的書頁中，尤其在舊約。歷代志上十六章29節是我們讀到美的地方之一：「要將耶和華的名所當得的榮耀歸給他，拿供物來奉到他面前，當以聖潔的裝飾敬拜耶和華」（或譯：「在耶和華聖潔的光輝中敬拜他」《詩廿九2；圣經新譯本》）。  這節經文將上帝的聖潔、榮耀與莊嚴美观的概念柔合一起（譯註：祭司也必須穿上華麗聖服從事崇祀，因為真敬拜是一件聖事，也是一件美事）。 我們蒙召來到上帝面前敬拜祂的榮美-----即祂的榮耀與聖潔。

另一些經文也談到上帝的榮美。「有一件事，我曾求耶和華，我仍要尋求，就是一生一世住在耶和華的殿中，瞻仰他的榮美，在他的殿裡求問。」 （詩廿七4） 在詩篇廿九篇，大衛呼籲我們要在上主聖潔的光輝中敬拜祂。 在這兩個地方，上主（或祂屬性的重要方面）被稱為「榮美」。

當今的文化，無論在世俗社區還是在教會，上帝榮美的觀念恐怕已非比今昔。 我曾多次說過，聖經關注基督徒生活的三個維度：真、善、美。 但我們往往傾向於從三而一的美德中切除美的部份。有些基督徒將他們對上帝事情的關注，簡單減至在倫理領域，或關於我們正義或好行的討論的範圍之內。 而另一些人則太注重純正教義，以致犧牲行為或犧牲聖潔，以真理取代其位置。很少，但至少在許多更正教圈子裏，我們會找到對榮美的關注。

這個現象也反映出一種失衡狀況，因為聖經注重的是真、善、美。聖經告訴我們，上帝是一切善的基礎或泉源。萬善都在祂的屬性裡找到它們的定義。 歸根結底，上帝的屬性是善的準繩。 與此同時，聖經也說上帝是一切真理的作者、源頭、與根基。聖經以相同的方式，相同的維度，講述上帝的榮美。祂的聖言告訴我們，一切美的事都在上帝的屬性中找到它們的源頭和根基。 所以，上帝是真的最極規範；善的最極規範；美的最極規範。

在世俗文化中，在教會裏，我們生活在一個關乎美的危機時期。 我一直聽到來自基督教藝術家-----音樂家、雕塑家、畫家、建築師、作家、戲劇家，和其他人的感受------他們感到被基督教團體隔絕了。 他們告訴我，他們被視為賤民，因為他們的職業被認為是世俗的，不值得基督徒獻身從事。這是我們的現狀的不幸寫照，特別當我們回顧教會歷史，看到基督教教會在音樂、藝術、與文學領域興起的巨人的時候。除了在基督教歷史，你還能在哪個地方找到彌爾頓（Milton）、漢德爾（Handel）、巴赫（Bach）、莎士比亞（Shakespeare）等這些偉大的藝術先驅？

如果你要去巴黎的盧浮宮或阿姆斯特丹的國家博物館瀏覽藝術史，你會發現以宗教導向，特別是以基督教導向的藝術占據著主導地位。自從上帝的子民在社會存在以來，藝術一直倍受關注。舉例說來，在舊約，我們看到首批聖靈充滿的人是藝人和巧匠，他們蒙上帝揀選去準備會幕的各種物件。這就是上帝的默示-------這些巧匠受上帝聖靈默示。聖靈默示他們為會幕及其擺設進行工藝制作，為帳篷金工鑄造，為亞倫制作聖衣和外袍-------都是為榮耀與榮美而制造。在舊約，上帝不僅關注使用藝術家建造祂的聖所，而且還賜予這些藝術家聖靈的能力，以確保他們的工作符合祂設立的美的標準。

與此同時，我們也看到舊約嚴禁濫用藝術。十誡的一誡甚至禁止制作雕刻的形象，因為雕刻的形象會變為實踐偶像崇拜的一部分，因此舊約聖經有一道將籬笆，將藝術的使用範圍圍上。有一些藝術形式蒙上帝賜福，但也有另外一些藝術形式不蒙上帝賜福。

人不能從聖經的書頁得出簡單的結論：所有藝術都是好藝術，或所有藝術都是壞藝術，這門藝術一直是合法的，或那門藝術一直是非法的。但我們卻能明白上帝將藝術及藝術所傳達的信息視為重要，而將藝術應用於祂的帳幕，應用於美（聖）事-----人們聚會敬拜祂，就足以看出祂對藝術的重視。美對上帝很重要，因為祂是榮美的，所以美對祂的子民也同樣重要。基督徒藝術家應受鼓勵創作美的藝術，基督徒應受鼓勵欣賞真、善的同時，也欣賞美，因為上帝本身是榮美的。

本文原刊於Tabletalk雜誌。

Our Beautiful God

FROM R.C. Sproul

I’ve always found it interesting that the Bible often makes reference to the beautiful. In fact, if you took the time to look up every reference to “beauty” or every reference to “the beautiful” in a concordance, you would see that the word beauty in one form or another occurs frequently in the pages of sacred Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament. First Chronicles 16:29 is one of the places where we read of beauty: “Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!” (NKJV). This passage conjoins the holiness and glory of God with respect to the idea of beauty. We are called to come into the presence of God and to worship what is beautiful about Him—His glory and holiness.

Other texts also talk about God’s beauty. “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Ps. 27:4). In Psalm 29, David calls upon us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. In both places, the Lord (or significant aspects of His character) are called “beautiful.”

I’m afraid that the idea of the beauty of God has been all but eclipsed in our contemporary culture, both in the secular community and in the church as well. I’ve said many times that there are three dimensions of the Christian life that the Scriptures are concerned about—the good, the true, and the beautiful. Yet we tend to cut off the third from the other two. Some Christians reduce their concern for the things of God purely to the ethical realm, to a discussion of righteousness or of goodness with respect to our behavior. Others are so concerned about purity of doctrine that they’re preoccupied with truth at the expense of behavior or at the expense of the holy. Rarely, at least in many Protestant circles, do we find a focus on the beautiful.

This reflects a striking imbalance given that the Bible is concerned with goodness, truth, and beauty. God, Scripture tells us, is the ground or fountain of all goodness. All goodness finds its definition in His character. In the final analysis, God’s character is the measure of goodness. At the same time, the Scriptures speak about God as the author, source, and foundation of all truth. In the same way and in the same dimension, the Scriptures speak about the beauty of God. His Word tells us that all things beautiful find their source and foundation in the character of God Himself. So, God is ultimately the norm of the good, the norm of the true, and the norm of the beautiful.

We live in a time of crisis in the secular culture and in the church with regard to the beautiful. I hear all the time from Christian artists—musicians, sculptors, painters, architects, writers, dramatists, and others—that they feel cut off from the Christian community. They tell me that they are treated as pariahs because their vocation is considered worldly and unworthy of Christian devotion. That’s a sad commentary on our state of affairs, particularly when we look at the history of the church and we see that the Christian church has produced some of the greatest giants in music, in art, and in literature. Where else but in Christian history do you find a Milton, a Handel, a Bach, or a Shakespeare—men who have been pioneers of greatness in the arts?

If you were to go to the Louvre in Paris or to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and peruse the history of art, you would see that it’s dominated by a religious orientation, and specifically, a Christian orientation. Ever since the people of God have existed in community, art has been a significant concern. When we go to the Old Testament, for example, we see there that the first people filled with the Holy Ghost were the artisans and craftsman that God selected to prepare the objects for the tabernacle. That’s divine inspiration—these artists were inspired by God the Holy Spirit. He inspired them for their craftsmanship of the tabernacle and its furniture, for the metalworking in the tent, and for the making of the gowns and robes for Aaron—which were to be made for glory and for beauty. God was concerned not only to use artists in the building of His sanctuary in the Old Testament, but also to endow those very artists with the power of His Holy Spirit to ensure that what they were doing met with the standards of beauty He set.

At the same time, we also see in the Old Testament strong prohibitions against the misuse of art. One of the Ten Commandments even prohibits the making of graven images that become part of the practice of idolatry, and so there is a hedge put around the use of art in the Old Testament. Though there were some forms of art that received the blessing of God, there were other forms of art that did not receive the blessing of God.

One cannot come away from the pages of Scripture with a simplistic conclusion that all art is good art or that all art is bad art, that art is always lawful or that art is always unlawful. What we can come away with is the understanding that God saw art and what it communicates as being important enough to include in His tabernacle—to include the beautiful where people would meet to worship Him. Beauty is important to God because He is beautiful, and so what is beautiful must be of importance to His people as well. Christian artists should be encouraged to create beautiful art, and Christian people should be encouraged to appreciate the beautiful alongside the true and the good, for the Lord Himself is beautiful.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.