Local Church is the Hope of the World

藝術一直不是我的領域。去過台北巿立美術館、去過故官、去過大都會；去，不代表著了解；去，更不能說是認識。看了 大尋寶家 ，讓我對文化與藝術有了一些學習。 You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground and somehow they'll still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it's as if they never existed. That's what Hitler wants and that's exactly what we are fighting for. 中文的翻譯如下（取自網路）： 他們會告訴我們死了這麼多人，誰還關心什麼藝術品？他們錯了，因為這恰恰就是我們為之戰鬥的原因。為我們的文化，我們的生活方式。你可以消滅整整一代人，可以把他們的家燒成平地然而他們還是會回來，但是如果你毀了他們的藝術成就和歷史，那他們就像是沒有存在過，就像是灰飛煙滅，那就是希特勒想要的結果，這是我們決不允許發生的事。 話說希特勒真是有眼光啊，不僅明白藝術品的價值，更明白文化、歷史、與精神上代表的意義。而這群人，從保護文物的軍人掩護，到最後發現，沒有人可以置身事外。 We questioned if we would ever really be called soldiers….  We are no longer observers.  We are active participants. 第一個死亡的人名叫 Donald Jeffries，一個企圖重新找回尊嚴與價值的人，在獨自一人保護文物的那晚，他寫給他父親： 我知道戰爭期間我的努力看起來很微小，可能確實很小，但我勤奮而堅決的堅持我的信仰，偉大的作品永遠不能只屬於任何一個個人，至少在精神上不能，聖母像對我與對拿破侖一樣，她輕柔地保護著我免受我知將至的命運 Donald 的死暗示著每一位為信仰而死的人，數年後多數人會忘記你的名字，但因著信仰而保留下來的果實，卻會成為新的流水，滋潤...

放假不用服事的主日，我遲到了～ 走進全新的 iM 主日，我居然遲到了～～ 今天的主日崇拜，很不 iM，因為沒有誇張的燈光音效。 今天的主日崇拜，又很 iM，因為有從神來的平安。 祝福 iM ： 不假冒偽善、可以有真實的喜樂、真正的歡笑、真情的怒氣、但也充滿真心的接納。 能夠有繽紛的外貌、多變的色彩、跳脫傳統的親近感、甚至是挑戰極限的尺度，但內心卻有令人無法否認的火熱與愛主的心。 永遠擠滿著會犯錯的、在犯罪的、不完美的；但又同時越來越像耶穌的真基督徒！ 有形的牆在迦南建立，保護家人；無形的温暖，吸引需要牆保護的人回家。

今年是台灣學園傳道會設立五十週年，曾經當過三年學園同工的我，因為人不在台灣，沒能參與到盛會。 白立德博士是國際學園傳道會的創辦人（1921-2003） 今日整理資料時，突然發現這個檔案「白立德博士的七十七項決定.ppt」，也不知是當初是誰寄給我的？重讀了一下，過去是毛頭小子時不以為然的事，今天再看，才知其深與難： 他選擇以「思考、默想神的存有與同在」作為他的生活方式。 他認定耶穌基督是全宇宙最、最獨特的「那位」。 他接受基督是個人的拯救者與生命的主，並認定一切都是出於祂。 在個人研經時，他特別留意神的屬性。 他選擇一位有好品格且聰穎的妻子，並且尊重她，把她列入自己每天生活中的優先重點。 他特意在兒子面前樹立敬虔的榜樣。 他深愛自己的父母，持續與自己的家鄉故里保持連繫。 他不讓金錢成為自己行事的動機。 他定意要改變自己的世界。 他和妻子與神簽署了一份白紙黑字的合約，要放棄所擁有的一切，決心一生順服神，讓神作他們一心跟隨的主要伙伴—他是主人，而他們是奴僕。 他決定每日都要學習。 他決定不以平庸為滿足。 他決定要與權傾一時之人（在公務與私人機構中有權位的成功人士)相交，但也不放棄與貧困潦倒之人接觸的機會。 他求問神，也期待祂的回答。 他徵求專家的意見。 他讓妻子作自己最重要的伙伴。 他視婦女的角色為事工成功的要素。 他想盡辦法來實踐神的原則，竭盡所能來榮耀神。 他盡力以聖經經的標準來評估每個態度、行動、動機、渴求及話語。 別人發言時，他安靜聆聽。 他閱讀許多書，並隨手做筆記。 他很有組織能力，並一直保持有系統的運作。 為了能夠分享自己的學習心得，他苦讀鑽研不斷。 當他不想愛人的時候，仍舊憑著信心去愛。 當他不想工作時，依然認真工作。 他想盡辦法改善自己的溝通能力。 他盡量簡單明瞭地傳遞自己的觀念 ，好讓其他人也能同樣清楚有效地與人溝通。 他誠摯歡迎有建設性的批評。 他承認自己的罪，也相信神會饒恕這些過犯。 他尋求神的幫助，並期待神的援手。 他試圖為神做大事，藉此來榮耀神。 當他有機會可行宏大計劃時，絕對不會採取輕省之路。 他刻意與不同領域的領袖相交。 他從別人成功的例子學習，並記取自己失敗的教訓。 他邀請人參與自己的事工。 他著手做需要做卻沒人做的事。 他孝敬自己的父母。 他肩負起教...

2014/3/19-21, 3 days in Hong Kong. Main theme is Grace to City. Rev. Timothy Keller spoke on 4 topics with Mandarin translation. Grace Dynamics - 恩典的動力 ( my notes ) Contextualization - 福音的處境化 ( my notes ) Integrative Ministry - 事工的整合 ( my notes ) Movement Dynamics - 福音運動的活力 ( my notes ) Q & A ( my notes )

Tim did a Q & A with church planters, pastors, and core members. Just quick notes but from my perspective, it's extremely helping because of these customized questions. (Spending time to a person) - We can't not spend too much time to a needy sheep and ignore the other 99 sheep (not preparing sermon well feeding them). Distinguish a lost person, a potential christian leader, and a needy person. (Church model) - prefer doing church planting rather than an multi-site church Recommend St. Gregory the Great's book:  The Book of Pastoral Rule: St. Gregory the Great (Popular Patristics Series) (Confidence or calling to doing ministry in NT city) - He didn't have one. He didn't have any confidence or arrogance. He went because no one wanted to go after his asking. He went because there was an opportunity over there. "It's a duty," Tim said. Why not for out of "duty" and "should?" For almost beginning 2 years in NT city, he was a...

Personal revival, church renewal, to the whole city movement. Let't dive into the last speech by seeing what is movement, what is gospel movement, and how to promote the movement. What is movement? There are 2 different organizations (not 2 entirely different, like an spectrum) Movement Institution Core Common Visions Hold by rules and traditions New ideas From all over (collaboratively) From top to down Format Constantly changed (innovated, creative, always moving) Hard to change, resist to change, Job to conserve things, refuse to change, rules and bylaws Power Willing to share Is guarded Question: a church is a movement or an institution? Both! Acts 7, a great persecution, Steven murdered. Acts 8, apostles stayed, else scattered. All results are not planned. It's a movement. At the same time, in Samaria, they called the apostles from Jerusalem. Why approval from them needed? They have authorities give by Churc...

God blessed Abraham, so that he may become a blessing to others. God brought him in, then sent him out. God will never call you in without sending you out. We are all in mission. The 2nd night, on the topic of Integrative ministry, Timothy Keller is going to walk through Luke 5 and show us 3 aspects of mission: out into work, out into margin of society, out so that people may return to Jesus. 1st: Take faith out and into our work (Luke 5:1-11) Meeting Jesus means change your identity and then change your view of work. Change your identity If God is infinitely good (beautiful), don't you fell bad (ugly) in front of him. See Isa 6:1-5 and Job 42:5-6. This is exactly what happened to Peter. He feels more truly than he is. His greatness destroys Peter's self-image. So Peter said in Luke 5:8, "Depart from me, for dI am a sinful man, O Lord.” In stead of throwing him away (remember the good vs. bad, beautiful vs. ugly contrast), Jesus included him. Now the true Peter bec...

Introduction "If what we have learned yesterday could be summarized as gospel into personal motivation ( see Gospel Dynamics ), today we're going to see how the gospel goes into the community," Keller spoke. If a person is greedy, we can tell. What if the whole society becomes greedy, it will be invisible. Don't ask a fish about water, because it doesn't know. Most of the time, culture is invisible. If a foreigner goes to a new country, the culture becomes more visible. Each culture has it's particular sin, and the gospel provides the particular redemptive hope. More people move into a city, the city culture becomes more complicated. For example, to the same church, the its neighborhood with Hindu and Pakistan background thinks the Christianity not conservative enough, while with Caucasian background views the Christianity way to conservative. If you want to address to them, contextualization is a skill. Tim Keller will presents this topic: Definition Ca...

Opening Timothy Keller goes back to Luke 15:11-32, traditionally called "The Parable of the Prodigal Son" but titled "The Prodigal God" by Keller, as the foundation of this 3-days conference. This is the focal points of the spiritual renewal. He believed. And Keller tries to show the concept , the problems, and the remedies from the text. We must carefully notice the audience of the original text. It's Pharisees and the scribes (Luke 15:2) Jesus was address to. Besides, at the end of the text, the father is talking the elder brother, not the younger. It gives us confidence that it's the elder brother we should think and address more deeply Concept: two ways of controlling God Controlling God means being you own savior. Either being very bad or being very good could be ways of controlling Him. Being very bad is obvious and easily understood. Being very good, acting morally and perfectly, still could be a form of selfishness inside you heart. Whatever ...

圖片出自：http://leadselfleadotherspink.com/ 近日的韓國大教會事件，與新加坡的大教會，都出現了在財務上的狀況。似乎兩案中，其中注目的不是財務是否合乎該國法規，而是公私不分加上因其職務之便，有圖利之可能性，或是在道德上站不住腳。 這不是我要談的，而是 教會的回應 ！ 我看到許多回應，都是優先肯定某某牧師多年來服事的辛苦，以及對於台灣教會的影響與貢獻。但我沒有看到的，是一種對於牧師傳道人需要忠心、小心、且用心的跑完服事全程的期待。讓我懷疑，似乎「有貢獻」是重要的，而「Finish Well」不重要！這是一種很可怕的苟且與神學上的漏洞。 對於不是台灣基督教會圈的人，去重申那些過去的功勞是沒有意義的。 對於不是台灣基督教會圈的人，誰沒有過去、誰沒有貢獻，但就是硬生生地看見「教會」被國家裡的法治單位給狠狠地修理。 對於台灣教會圈的我，往往不知許多人的發言，到底是為了自己、為了教會名稱、還是忠於聖經在發言？ 對於台灣教會圈的我，看見人家新加坡與韓國教會都在承認的錯誤，為什麼連根本不在我們國家發生的事，教會似乎都不敢面對？ 對於台灣教會圈的我，看見神學的應用與堅持消失殆盡（沒錯，我就是請華神對號入座），即使不傳講成功神學的教會卻早已用人數、策略、增長等成功指標來橫量自己與別人！ 對於台灣教會圈的我，渴望看見一個榜樣，無柰檯面上盡是陳腔濫調！ 至於我，也不是什麼好東西，也是爛人一個，只在學習跟別人講實話，也在等待有人敢跟我說實話！ Go deeper, keep going, and finish well.

 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power, for it is God’s holy ordinance, through which He wills to perpetuate the human race till the end of time. In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of the generations, which God causes to come and to pass away to His glory, and calls into His kingdom. In your love you see only the heaven of your own happiness, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind. Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more that something personal – it is a status, an office. Just as it is the crown, and not merely the will to rule, that makes the king, so it is marriage, and not merely your love for each other, that joins you together in the sight of God and man. As you first gave the ring to one another and have now received it a second time from the ...