AFC Good Read 好讀部落

Many Christian workers have left Jesus Christ alone and yet tried to serve Him out of a sense of duty, or because they sense a need as a result of their own discernment.

There is no tragedy greater thnn the work of a servant of God not being recognized by God himself. Lord, help me stay close to you and in obedience. Only obedience.

But when we do something out of obedience to the Lord, there can be no other explanation-just obedience. That is why a saint can be so easily ridiculed and misunderstood.

-My Utmost for His Highest, Feb 28

Labels: My Utmost For His Highest

Have you ever said to yourself, "I am impressed with the wonderful truths of God’s Word, but He can’t really expect me to live up to that and work all those details into my life!" When it comes to confronting Jesus Christ on the basis of His qualities and abilities, our attitudes reflect religious superiority. We think His ideals are lofty and they impress us, but we believe He is not in touch with reality— that what He says cannot actually be done. [...] We say, "It’s easy to say, ’Trust in the Lord,’ but a person has to live; and besides, Jesus has nothing with which to draw water— no means to be able to give us these things."

最近與一位姊妹傾偈，她談到當她與一些弟兄姊妹分享她在主裡的領受與決心時，換來的總是冷冷的反應。「你就得囉！我就無你咁屬靈囉！」當她鼓勵他們要在主裡進步時，他們便會說：「駛唔駛去到咁盡呀？你中哂毒啦。」

They totaly got it wrong. 只有信，與不信。不完全信，就是不信。若是信，就當完全按照所信的生活。

Lord, I have had misgivings about You. I have not believed in Your abilities, but only my own. And I have not believed in Your almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it."

-My Utmost For His Highest, Feb 26

Labels: My Utmost For His Highest

哥林多前書,我選擇咗睇Good News,唔想睇中文因為唔想睇住和合本,唔明但又familiar,會唔知自己在做甚麼.

同時又找不到一本新釋本.

書架有本Good News,所以開始睇.

I stopped @ chapter 5. and I am now writing the blog.

等隻眼睜番開再睇.

Labels: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

自問不是一個讀書容易入腦的人,所以當我需要了解 "How to read the Bible for All it's worth" 的時候,確實是比想像中難.

我正在讀Chapter 3,是解釋聖經新約書信的格式的.他首先叫我們要一口氣讀完整卷書,了解它的整體意思,這樣才能了解作者想講甚麼.

就好像人家給你寄一封信,無論信的內容有多長,他也是整封寫給你的,你要明白信的內容,一定要全封信一次讀完才能明白.

說來也是,人家寫email給你,你也要整個看完才可以呀.

說來有道理,但是做起來呢?

書中以哥林多前書作例子,逐段介紹內容,講層次和格式.

"喂大佬,哥林多前書喎唔係講笑!" That's the first thought came to me...

當我一邊看書,卻一邊發現其實我必須先讀完哥林多前書,才可以明白的內容,否則會很浪費.

所以我現在正努力地讀哥林多前書.

一次過,成本讀.

I'll let you know how long it takes for me to finish it.

Labels: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

凡稱呼我‘主阿、主阿’的人、不能都進天國．惟獨遵行我天父旨意的人、纔能進去。
當那日必有許多人對我說、主阿、主阿、我們不是奉你的名傳道、奉你的名趕鬼、奉你的名行許多異能麼。
我就明明的告訴他們說、我從來不認識你們、你們這些作惡的人、離開我去罷。
(馬太福音 8:21-23)

From Ch. 8, on "Functional" vs. "Relational" modes. (Emphasis mine).

Jesus seems to be making our discipleship functional, all based on our doing the will of God. But then he goes on, "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord'" (claiming that relationship), "did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?". Talk about having the functional aspects of the christian life all together! These people had developed the functional aspects of the Christian life to the optimum. They would certainly have been called 'super-Christians' by observers. But look at Jesus' response; 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers."

我們錯得太多...
... 究竟到了那一天﹐祂會認識我嗎?
求主憐憫... 改變我們的價值觀。不是為主做甚麼﹐為主做幾多﹐或是做得幾「勁」... 而是單單去建立和主這份關係..

Labels: Shaped by the Word

Screwtape Letters Ch. 24:

The hidden danger of being among greatness...

I've been working at AFC for close to 9 months now. I have seen/felt some of those traps myself, too. Good thing now that Screwtape has showed me what other ones I should look out for.

Yikes.

(Stupid Satan, always laying down traps to trip us...) -__-!

Labels: Screwtape Letters

From Shaped By the Word, Chapter Six:

... What, on the one hand, are icons for those whose lives are intimately involved in the reality portrayed by the text are, on the other hand, but pictures, ideas, myths, and images for those who still stand outside that reality.

I believe this is where the conundrum of biblical interpretation lies. No matter how perfectly we reproduce the perceptual horizon of the New Testament world as the context for understanding the terms and images used by the New Testament writers, no matter how objectively and accurately we reproduce the dynamics of human existence in that era, no matter how adequate our cognitive grasp of the life experience of the Christian community; unless we also participate in the experiential reality of life shaped by the living Word, our ultimate understanding of the New Testament writings will be one of seeing images, myths, ideas, and pictures that we can only analyze or "demythologize" in the light of our own experience of human existence.

正!

用中文講是 -
有人說過要遇見神﹐是需要通過在經文中的 images, mythologies, ideas, pictures﹐這一切之中尋求一個icon﹐一個途徑﹐從中希望達到寫聖經那時的屬靈現實。
但是反過來說: 對聖經的筆者來說﹐一些表達屬靈現實的 icon 和途徑﹐對於那些在那個屬靈現實以外的人﹐只不過是一些 images, mythologies, ideas, pictures!
所以如果我們沒有那種成熟﹐給雕琢過靈命的話﹐我們是永遠沒有辦法明白完全地解開經文的。

我覺得這裡說得很正確。有很多時你和一些牧者談話﹐或去問他們聖經問題時﹐你會發覺他越有那一方面的經歷﹐他就越會更對那種經文有深的了解。不單如此﹐你會很震撼地覺得"嘩﹐你打通了!"

可是我很記得有一位牧者對我分享過﹐他花了十年時間﹐經歷過﹐才真正明白以弗所書的其中一篇經文。

...要磨出來的。

Labels: Shaped by the Word

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

係充滿問題、疑惑的？
係帶著期望、肯定的？
係抱著怨恨、不憤的？

Are you letting go your will in order to "accommodate" God's will?
Are you having to sacrifice your wish for God to fulfill His?

OR

Are you lost and don't know how to make a decision?
Are you simply tired and give up on your dreams.

OR

did you fall into this trap...

"It is your business to see that the patient never thinks of the present fear as his appointed cross, but only of the things he is afraid of." p.34

Labels: Screwtape Letters

...darkness is the time to listen.

- My Utmost For His Highest, Feb 14

Listening is always a difficult lesson, especially in the dark.
When we cannot see, we yell, not knowing that it is in silence, in quietness, in listening that light will be found.
I was talking to a friend today, and he said he just realized that all the figures he drew have no ears.
It's not only him.

Labels: My Utmost For His Highest

The following is from one of our volunteers 阿中.

I'm reading through C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, as recommended by AFC Vancouver.

It's a good, satirical book. And as with all good satire, it has harsh truths that are illuminated through its irony.

The book is especially powerful in its narrative voice.
I've just finished the 8th letter, and I'm simply blown away by the devil Screwtape's explanation regarding God's withdrawl from man's spiritual life. Quote:

"He cannot 'tempt' to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys."

Hmm.... Stay strong.


Link to original post in the Keh Leh Feh blog. You may find him sharing about other books too in his blog.

Labels: Readers, Screwtape Letters

Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says.

- My Utmost For His Highest, Feb 13

我有時會有一個錯覺，以為屬靈生命好像打機。一個一個level的打上去，直線發展，只進不退。
屬靈生命沒有那麼簡單。
在這方面做到，不代表在那方面都做到。
在以前做到，不代表在以後都做到。
在這裡做到，不代表在那裡都做到。
只有謙卑，謙卑，謙卑，才能達到不斷，才能達到全然。

Labels: My Utmost For His Highest

Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your way.

-"My Utmost for His Highest", Oswald Chambers, Feb 6

如今，誠然如你所想地，
實在需要片刻的沉思和安靜；
因為，在前面的路途上還有更多的坎坷和不平，
更多的荊棘，困苦，和泥濘。
是的，當黎明快要來臨的時候，
人世間便越顯得黝黑，艱難，幽暗；
但是，你卻這樣地說過：
是自己的手甘心放下世上的享受；
是自己的腳甘心到苦難的道路上來奔走！』
「選中」這條不自由的道路並非出於無奈，相反地
卻正是大膽地使用了自己的「自由」！
所以，
寧肯叫淚水一行行地向內心湧流，
遙望著各各他的山頂，就是至死__
也絕不退後！

-《獻給無名的傳道者》，邊雲波

Labels: My Utmost For His Highest

Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good! Sex is good!









Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good! Dating is good!




Screwtape Letters: Chapter 19

Labels: Screwtape Letters

其實對於我嚟講，一直以來讀經都只係「睇經文」，仲要係睇和合本/NIV，最多都係而家加埋新譯本囉。不過當我一路睇"How to read the Bible for all its worth"嘅時候，我先至真正明白，「經，並唔係咁樣睇嘅」。

因為文化嘅差異，時代嘅唔同，有好多好多聖經嘅背境其實都係我哋唔明白嘅。通常講到呢度，好多人（包括以前嘅我）都會話：「我知！以前女人要蒙頭而家唔駛吖嘛！」，之但係背後整個歷史係點呢？當我哋大模斯樣話「我知」嘅時候，講真，其實我哋真係唔係好知㗎咋。

呢本書幫助我哋更了解聖經所寫內容真正意義，聖經背境同你慢慢睇。

遲啲同你講多啲。

Labels: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

第一次接觸王志學的《經歷神》是大約14年前。那時剛開始與女朋友拍拖，而我們都希望在我們的交往當中可以一起親近神。所以除了相約在午飯時一起禱告外，我們還會每月一次一起去退修半天。所用的退修資料就是《經歷神》這本書。

那個年代，這種退修資料在市面上並不多（到現在也還是不多），而且默想之類的靈修操練對大部份人來說都是陌生得很的。

但在那些練習當中，我開闊了屬靈生命的眼界。原來與神親近可以有很多途徑。也知道了安靜的重要。

現在過了這麼多年之後，再拿起這本書來看，上面那些自己親手寫下的密密麻麻的字，驚訝當年在靈裡的發現，在今日已不知不覺間成為了我的屬靈根基，自然得像呼吸。

我慶幸當年多花的功夫。

Labels: 經歷神