pastor's column

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/6/21

2009-06-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/6/21
本周默想分享
在父親節的今天，我們不但要紀念父親，也要尊敬父神。正如瑪拉基書1章6節說：“兒子尊敬父親，僕人敬畏主人，我既為父親，尊敬我的在哪里呢？我既為主人，敬畏我的在哪里呢？” 人間的關係，和世界上的事物，能說明與神的關係，和靈界的事物。人世的一切如同影兒，屬靈的一切才是實體。對於信徒來說，應當更注意與神的關係和屬靈的事物。因為那是真實而永遠的，但以今生屬世的問題可以得教訓，神也常用此講明真理。
這段經文特別提到我們與神的關係，如父與子，主與僕的關係。這在聖經中說的很多，神是我們的天父，是我們的主宰，我們是祂的兒女和僕人。但事實上，許多信徒都沒有對神如同兒子對父親，僕人對主人一樣。因為沒有尊敬和敬畏祂，這使神時常不悅，甚至發怒。有的信徒對神還不如對世上的父親，和有權位的主人那麼尊敬和敬畏。對神沒有事奉，對神的話也沒有聽從，與神沒有親近，也不求討神的喜悅，這都叫神極為難過，正如以賽亞書上所說的。
“天哪，要聽，地啊，側耳以聽，我養育兒女，將他們養大，他們竟悖逆我。牛認識主人，驢認識主人的槽，以色列人卻不認識，我的民卻不留意。。。你們屢次悖逆，還要受責打嗎？”（賽1：2-5）又如耶利米書上說：“可見你離棄耶和華你的神，不存敬畏我的心，乃為惡事，為苦事”。（耶2：19）
如果我們不認識神的慈愛和恩典，真是牛驢都不如。若不尊敬，不敬畏神，不聽神的話乃是惡事，也是苦事。神今天在那裏尋找誰尊敬祂，要賜大恩典，福氣給他。
Spiritual Thought for the Week
On this Father’s Day Sunday, we honor not only our earthly father but also our heavenly father. God asks us the question, “A son honors his father and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the respect due me?” (Malachi 1:6) Human relationship is parallel to divine relationship. Earthly relationships are shadows. But divine relationship is the real thing. As Christians we pay attention to our relationship with God. It is because it is real and eternal. Nevertheless earthly relationship reminds us of our relationship with God. Like today’s passage for instance God is making an analogy to us.
Our relationship with God is analytical to that of the father and his son or that of the master to his servant. The Bible tells us many times that God is our heavenly father. He is our lord. We are his children and servants. In fact many believers do not treat God like a son to his father, or a servant to his lord. We do not give him the fear and respect. This up sets God and causes his wrath. Some believers honor their earthly fathers and their company’s bosses more than they do to God. They do not serve God; they do not hear his words. They do not come close to God. They do not seek God’s favor. This makes God very sad. Just like what the prophet Isaiah said.
“Hear O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand…Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion?”(Isaiah 1:2-5) Prophet Jeremiah also said,: “how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,”(Jeremiah 2:19)
If we do not recognize God’s mercy and grace, we are worse than ox and donkey. If we do not honor God, fear God, obey his words, we are doing evil and bitter deeds. God is searching everywhere today. He is looking for people who would respect him and fear him. When he finds them he blesses them with great gift of blessing and grace.

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/6/14

2009-06-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

Spiritual Thought for the Week
Have you ever thought of the characteristics of a Christian? Now that we are Christians, is there any distinction that makes us different from others in this world? Paul tells us a Christian is one who lives only for Christ. “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.”(Romans 14:8) The basic characteristic of a Christian is that he/she confesses Jesus Christ as Lord. We are saved by the Lord. We belong to him. We are no longer that old, self possessed person who belongs to himself and lives to himself only. We no longer use the Lord to meet our own ends, and to satisfy our own demands. For not letting Jesus be Lord is wrong. Our direction in life is wrong. This is because our past life has been crucified and we cannot live in the past any more.
The Lord’s salvation is to free us from the bondage of sin. In fact it is to rid us from the old person which is the old Adam. For that life was rotten corrupted and defiled. It was adversary to God. It was inconsistent to people. Only through dying together with the Lord on the cross we can find a new way out. This is the only route to righteous living before the pleasing sight of God.
If any one should believe in Christ let him live no longer for himself but live a life holy and acceptable to the Lord. Otherwise we can not call ourselves Christians. And our lives will lead to the wrong direction. It will give no meaning or value. All it can do is nothing but offending and showing unworthiness before God. But living for the Lord gives us peace and strength. We can bear witness to men and give glory to God.
Men are used to live for themselves only. Christians have to learn to live for the Lord. Our life belongs to him. He died for us. He rose from the dead for us so that we can live for him. It is only fair and right that we live a life that belongs to him. As Paul said, “For Christ’s love compels us,” (II Corinthians 5:14) And he admonish us, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (I Corinthians 6:20)
--End—

Sermon Date: 2009/6/14

2009-06-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/6/14
SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 16:24-28
SERMON: What are the characteristics of a Christian?
講道題目: 甚麼是基督徒的特質
How do you spot a Christian in a crowd? What makes a Christian different from any other person in his behavior? If you were to make a list of things which are distinctive of a Christian’s behavior, what would they be? (a) We would eliminate from our list the habit of going to church, saying our prayers, and making our pledge, because these things we would take for granted as the normal activity of a Christian. (b) What we would want to indicate would be the things that this kind of religious activity might be expected to produce, the attitudes and qualities that are the natural result of such religious beliefs and practices.
These are the things which to me are most noticeable in Christian behavior and things which I should most like to cultivate myself.
I. There is a quietness about a Christian that you cannot miss. (1) By quietness I do not mean necessarily that he is any less noisy than other people, although he may be. By quietness I do not mean that a Christian is necessarily any more placid by way of temperament than any other person. He may be, or he may not be. I mean rather that he is less jittery, more at peace with himself, his world, and his God, less anxious, less fretful, less fearful of the future than the rank and file of people that he lives with. (2) There are two kinds of quietness. (a) One comes from resignation. It is really more like dumbness than quietness. You see it in people who have been so badly beaten by life that there is nothing left in them. They are silent because they have neither the strength nor the will to say anything more. (b) Another comes from a confidence in God. It is a willingness to trust in resources that are beyond your own and a certainty that after you have done your best there is God who will carry forward what you have begun, supplement your inadequate efforts, and correct your mistakes. It is the sense that whiles everything depends in you, nothing depends on you. Therefore, there is a stillness about Christians that is like the stillness of water that runs deep.
II. There is an unworldliness about a Christian that is very noticeable, particularly in our society which is worldly and materialistic to the extreme. (1) The average Christian has not withdrawn from the world, and he has not renounced the world; he loves the world because God loves it and gave himself for it. A Christian enjoys the food on his table, but he doesn’t live to eat but eats to live. He makes money to live on, but he doesn’t live for the money he makes. (2) The things God has given us to make life beautiful are not to be scorned and are surely too precious to lose. Yet you realize the minute you go into a Christian’s home that he is not smothered by things he doesn’t need, and that he has left himself room to be aware of the things that other people do need. If he should lose all his possessions tomorrow, he would have lost nothing essential to himself. (3) This is the kind of freedom from the things of the world that Jesus had. I suppose that is why he makes such an enormous appeal to the world at his particular time, because he moves through life traveling so lightly and so unencumbered by the things that weigh us down.
III. A Christian is gentle, not because he is weak and not because he doesn’t care one way or the other, but because he is strong and cares so much about another’s life that he would sooner die than violate, crush, or inhibit it. (1) He believes that love can do things that nothing else can do. He has learned that you can fight your way through a crowd, but you can never fight your way into another person’s life. You can only win your way. And that is love. (2) He believes that there is something stronger than physical force to bring about the things that he wants to bring about for the people that he knows and loves. He is not the kind of person who puts on pressure, who is high-powered and quick to resort to temper, force, and violence. He is the sort of person who tries to cultivate in himself the gentleness he sees in Jesus, the strong Son of God, yet who would not lay hands on another’s life, even to save his own, inasmuch as that life too is a child of God.
IV. A Christian is the kind of person that other people like to have around. (1) He quickens them. They are more alive when he is there. He draws something out of them that they didn’t know they had. He communicates to them something of his own extraordinary vitality, and they are aware of what they call his good character. (2) He possesses real joy, and he enjoys life. A person has real joy only to the degree that he is really unselfish. If you are trying to spot a Christian and you see someone glum and grim, casting a cold damp blanket on a group of people, you know he hasn’t the joy of the Lord Jesus. I cannot imagine the tax collectors, sinners, and people on the street wanting Jesus in their company if he hadn’t quickened them because of his own joy in them and in life.
V. Two things will help you to become more like a Christian. (1) Your relationship with God does not depend on the score you make. God accepts you even if you make a score of zero. Don’t be afraid and discouraged. If your relationship with God is what it ought to be, you should be improving from year to year. (2) You cannot improve by trying harder. You can do it only when and if God comes to you, as he will come in many different ways and in ways that you least expect if you are at the time ready to receive the light and life, the power and inspiration that come from another person who crosses your path, flashes that come from a book that you read, insights that come from an experience which plows you to the depths. If you are ready to receive this coming of God to you, this inflow of life, you will improve, and you will behave more like a Christina as the years go by.
Amen

Synopsis
How do you spot a Christian in a crowd? (a) We would eliminate the habit of going to church, saying our prayers, and making our pledge, (b) What are the attitudes and qualities that are the natural result of such religious beliefs and practices.
I. There is a quietness about a Christian that you cannot miss.
II. There is an unworldliness about a Christian that is very noticeable, particularly in our society which is worldly and materialistic to the extreme.
III. A Christian is gentle, not because he is weak and not because he doesn’t care one way or the other, but because he is strong and cares so much about another’s life that he would sooner die than violate, crush, or inhibit it.
IV. A Christian is the kind of person that other people like to have around.
V. Two things will help you to become more like a Christian. (1) Your relationship with God does not depend on the score you make. God accepts you even if you make a score of zero. (2) You cannot improve by trying harder. You can do it only when and if God comes to you, as he will come in many different ways.

讲道大纲
你能在人群中把基督徒找出来吗？（1）我们不会因他去礼拜堂，祷告，奉献，便说他是基督徒。（2）我们要问他在这些宗教活动後，有甚麽态度和品质表现出来。
甲．基督徒是安静的。
乙．基督徒不是一个世俗的人。
丙．基督徒是温柔的。
丁．基督徒是人人乐意亲近的。
戊．两件事帮助你更像基督徒：（1）你与神的关系不在乎你的表现。你的表现就算是零分神仍然接受你的。（2）你不能靠努力改变自己，当神来到你面前时，你就得到改变。

Sermon Date: 2009/6/7

2009-06-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/6/7
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 4:11-16
SERMON: Speaking the Truth in Love
講道題目: 惟用愛心說誠實話

Many people claim that there is no such thing as Christian criticism. All would agree that criticism which is destructive of other person is completely inconsistent with the way of loving Christians. However Jesus himself was a critic of others. There is no way for you and me to live this life without criticizing others, but woe to us if we are not careful and loving in making our criticism to others.
(a) All criticism which is Christian must be made in the context of love for the person criticized. Paul uses the word “”edification.” (verse 12) That means “building up” other persons. Jesus never criticized any person except to lift and improve the other’s life.
(b) All Christian criticism is built on complete honesty and justice. You can never know all of the facts about another person. You have to be honest enough to get as many of the facts as you can if you truly desire to make any criticism Christian.
(c) Christian criticism always leaves the door open for the criticized to improve. No criticism that you and I ever make can be final. Only God can make final judgments. If your criticism is really to be constructive and helpful to other persons then it ought to challenge, to inspire those persons to newer and greater heights. Other persons will live up or down to the expectations we have of them.
(d) Christian criticism must always be in a spirit of humility. No matter what you may criticize in another person, you stand just as much in need of help as he does, even though perhaps in some other area of life. Christian criticism is never made from the level of superior to inferior. Christian criticism is always one sinner standing with another sinner on level ground beneath the cross.

It is difficult to criticize others in a Christian spirit in a constructive way, but how much more difficult it is to receive criticism in a Christian manner.
(a) Evaluate the criticism to see if there is anything valid in it at all, if there is any truth, profit from it. Use it as an experience of growth.
(b) Take your criticism, realizing that you are not on this earth to please men. It does not really matter whether you ever please another person, be he a critic or not. Paul said, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Gal. 1:10)
(c) As criticism comes at you realize that by taking it you may be able to help those who criticize you. There are persons who need to get rid of the hostility which is in them. God’s spirit cannot work in the life of a man who is on the defensive. So if you can become like a blotter and absorb the critic’s hostility this may be opening the door for God to work in his life.
(d) As criticism is shot your way be certain you keep a sense of humor. Humor always cushions the shock of criticism. As Jesus faced his critics, the scribes and Pharisees, he tinged his replies with humor. In reality humor is the ability to get off and objectively look at self and laugh about it.
(e) When you face the criticism which comes to you in this society, don’t be surprised. Jesus has promised that you are going to be criticized. Take it in humility, but don’t take it with humiliation. Don’t let it crush you. Don’t let it agitate you. Stop to understand that Jesus has promised that all who live according to Christian convictions will be criticized. He even says that you will be happy or blessed when you are “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”
(f) Even if you can follow all of these principles in facing criticism, there is one more important principle: pray for those who criticize you. (Matt. 5:44) Never forget that two wrongs do not make a right, two hates do not make a love, but sometimes when hate is followed by your love the result can be two loves.
Synopsis
Is there such thing as Christian criticism? Yes, if we speak the truth in love.
How do we give criticism in a Christian way?
(a) All criticism which is Christian must be made in the context of love for the person criticized.
(b) All Christian criticism is built on complete honesty and justice.
(c) Christian criticism always leaves the door open for the criticized to improve.
(d) Christian criticism must always be in a spirit of humility.
How do we receive criticism in a Christian way?
(a) Evaluate the criticism to see if there is anything valid in it.
(b) Take your criticism, realizing that you are not on this earth to please men.
(c) Realize that by taking it you may be able to help those who criticize you.
(d) Be certain you keep a sense of humor.
(e) Jesus has promised that you are going to be criticized.
(f) Pray for those who criticize you.

讲道大纲
究竟有没有基督徒的批评这回事呢？是有的！如果我们能够用爱心说诚实话。
如何以基督徒的爱心作出批评：
甲．一定要在爱的考虑范围中作出行动。
乙．要建立在诚实和公正的基础上。
丙．让被批评的人有改善的门径。
丁．要用谦卑的心互相提点。
如何以基督徒的爱心接受批评：
甲．评估那批评是否属实。
乙．接受批评因为你不是要讨人欢喜。
丙．接受批评因为你或者可以帮助这个批评你的人。
丁．最紧要保持幽默感。
戊．耶稣保证你一定会被人批评的。
己．为批评你的人祷告。
Pastoral Prayer:
Almighty and ever-living God, on this Trinity Sunday we praise you for the strong consolation that we find in your love. We rejoice in the thought of your aggressive grace, ever seeking us, ever giving us blessings if we open our hearts to receive them. We gather together to praise your name in this time of holy worship, to honor you as our living God and the God of the entire universe. We praise you in the name of our Savior who is the Lord of Lords and King of kings. We praise you in the name of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts as comforter, strengthener, and friend and guiding us in the way of life.
We thank you fro the privilege of being called to be your colleagues in strengthening and advancing the holy cause of the kingdom of Christ in our time. Give us guidance and direction. Give us spiritual strength that we may see what is to be done and have the power to do it. Above all give us that deathless spirit of love which was in Jesus Christ and grant that as we love you and love our Savior we may learn to love one another and make this a world after the pattern of your holy will.
We ask your special blessing upon those of our fellowship who are sick. We thank you for the privilege of turning to you for healing and help, and now we ask that your blessings may come into the lives of those who have distress, who have physical illness, who have depression of spirit or problems of mind. Be a healer and helper to all, and through the very hours of trouble you bring the shining light of an eternal hope.
We pray for parishioners who are seeking for jobs or are in between jobs. May the blessing and promise of Jehovah Jireh be assured in their steadfast faith. May they know that your faithfulness will never fail them and that you promise them you the Lord of grace will provide. We pray for Sister Hao Shu Ge, as she had taken her nursing graduation test last Thursday. We look forward to her passing the exam and commencing her professional career soon.
We pray for China as we remember it was the 20th anniversary of the June 4 movement last Thursday. May the passion and warm blood of the patriotic students continue to prevail in China. May the spirit of liberty and democracy continue to grow in China despite the crack down of the up rising 20 years ago.
We pray for world liberation from tyranny and dictatorship. Yesterday we celebrated the liberation of Europe from the Nazi occupation through the invasion of Normandy by the Allies into France. We remember the courageous soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation. May the world continue to maintain and enjoy the peace they established through the sacrifice they made.
We would remember the faith that led our fathers to settle this country, establish its laws, fight its battles, share its goods, and declare its faith. Whatever was true in their lives, whatever was honorable, whatever was just, whatever was pure, whatever was lovely, whatever was gracious, whatever worthy of praise, let us think on these things and be thankful.
In Christ name we pray. Amen.

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/6/7

2009-06-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

本周默想分享
亞伯拉罕經歷了信實的神。神要他把兒子獻上，他就獻上。神預備公羊為燔祭代替他的兒子。亞伯拉罕給那地方起名叫耶和華以勒。意思就是耶和華必有預備。今天我們經歷不到耶和華以勒的福氣，究竟是甚麼原因呢？原來亞伯拉罕經歷神的信實，是因為他有信心。“耶和華說，你既行了這事，不留下你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，我便指著自己起誓說，論福，我必賜大福給你”（創22：16-17）
在宇宙中，實在說來，只有神和我們有真實的關係，永遠的關係。因為只有神是永存的，不變的，我們的一切都是從祂而來的，也都歸於祂。此外一切萬有，包括我們所在的世界和人物，都是因為神而發生某種暫時的關係，然而人常迷糊了，以為和別的甚麼關係是真實的，重要的，不可少的。卻不知神若收取，加以解除，就甚麼也不剩下，一切都不存在了。
我們所有的，無不是神所賜的，我們應當感謝祂，祂若取去，也當讚美祂。但祂願意向我們要，叫我們有機會自動地獻給祂，表示我們對神的尊敬，順服與愛心，來討祂的喜悅。神叫亞伯拉罕獻以撒就是這樣，好像祂所要求的太大了，太利害了，其實也不過要求將祂所賜的東西還給祂，叫我們從受造之物，歸向造物之主，從虛空的轉到真實的。
結果呢？是神自己預備了代替之物，並因著我們向著祂的敬畏和愛心，將加上千萬倍的賞賜還給我們。今生看不見，將來會得著。獻上給神不會是損失，只會是更豐富的得著，且得著神自己。神曾把祂的獨生子賜給我們，沒有留下甚麼不肯給我們的，我們還有甚麼捨不得的呢？神並不是真的要叫我們失去所最需要的，不過試驗我們對祂的信心和順服罷了！我們若真愛祂勝過愛一切，難道祂不會將最寶貴，最豐富的賜給我們嗎？
Spiritual Thought for the Week
Abraham experienced his faithful God. God asked him to give his son Isaac as an offering. He did as he was asked. Then God prepared a ram for him for the offering. Abraham killed the ram instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh meaning the Lord has provided. Today we find it hard to experience the blessedness of Jehovah Jireh and we ask why. In fact it took Abraham great faith to experience that faithfulness of God. “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you…”(Genesis 22:16-17)
In the whole universe, only our relationship with God is real and eternal. Only He exists from everlasting to everlasting. He never changes. We come from Him and one day we return to Him. So everything we do and have our being comes from God. All our temporal relationships are derived from God who is the ground of being. Foolishly men took the temporal as the eternal. We thought all relationships are real, important and indispensable, without knowing that if God wants to take back, and disband what He gave, everything will come to non existence.
Everything we have comes from God. We need to thank Him. Even if He takes everything away we still need to thank Him. However His holy will is that He wants to ask us to give voluntarily to Him. So that we have a chance to show our gratitude, respect, obedience and appreciations to Him. We can make Him happy. That’s the reason why God wanted Abraham to give Isaac to Him. One might say God is asking too much from Abraham. In fact God was only asking for things He gave us in the first place. This is a test to see if we the creature are willing to return to the creator things we were given by Him. If we pass the test we are moving from temporal to eternal.
Consequently, God provided for the substitution. And because of our willingness to love and respect He gives us a hundred million times more than what we originally offered. Although we may not see it here and now, yet we will see it in the future. Giving to God will never be a loss. It will pay off in abundance. The reward is God Himself. God gave His only son to us. There is nothing more important than this that He would not give. Do we have something which is more important than this that we can not give? God does not really want us to lose what we most need. But He wants to see our faith and our obedience. If we love Him more than anything on earth, He will give us the most precious thing He has in heaven for us.

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/5/31

2009-06-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

我离开这礼拜堂的日子已定了。我的心满有平安。因为觉得我在这里过去的三年时光，没有一分是浪费的。我爱惜光阴，过去如是，将来也如是。正如使徒保罗说的，"要爱惜光阴，因为现今的世代邪恶"（弗5：16）我们在世馀下的光阴实在有限，几乎只有一点点的时间了，或者主再来或者我们死去，都可能随时发生。所以机会并不常有，一旦错过，失去就在不能挽回，永远後悔莫及。今天的光阴就是机会，可能是最後的，每一分一秒的光阴，关系到永恒的的祸福，得失，这一分一秒该是何等的珍贵，无价可估，真是太重要了。
那末此时可能是最後一刻了，当怎样度过呢？首先当认罪，悔改，转变。那就是说，如果有甚麽心中不安的事，或明明知道是罪，是不合理的，神所不喜悦的事，对不起神，对不起人，对不起自己永生的事，都必须立刻解决，免得留到审判臺前受报。因为不彻底转变，就要过到那边被定型了，永远的前途没有了，那真是可怕的。
就在最後一刻，将自己完全献给神，放在死的祭坛上做活祭。绝对地对世界，对肉体和对自己死了，只有向神活着，让主在里面活着。这馀下的光阴，完全顺从圣灵的引导，照神的旨意而行，一刻不能放松，随己意而行。因为这可能就是最後的一刻，如果主来正遇见我们是在放纵，散漫，悠闲，那是何等的羞耻，损失，懊悔。每分钟的光阴都当爱惜，不是说要自己尽量的忙乱做事，而是要认真的活在神的面前，在祂的光中，遵行神的旨意，每一分钟都用得有永恒的价值。
Spiritual Thought for the Week
My time of leaving this church has been fixed. My heart is filled with peace, because I know I have not wasted one minute during my three years of tenure here. I treasured every moment in the past. I will treasure every moment in the future. Just like Paul said, “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) Our remaining days on this earth are limited. There is not much time left. Either the Lord returns or we die will end this time. So opportunity is not always available. Once we lose it we can not retrieve it. Today’s time is our opportunity. It could be the last opportunity. Each minute and second are so preciously related to our eternity that we can not afford to look at it lightly.
Now is the time for the last opportunity. How do we make the most of it? First let us repent. If there is something in your heart that makes you uncomfortable, acknowledge it. Could it be things that you did wrong to God, to other people or to yourself? If you don’t face it now, you will have to face it before the judgment seat in eternity. Then it will be too late because your future in eternity will be all gloom and doom. What a terrible scene to behold.
Before it is too late, let’s offer up our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. We treat our flesh, our selves and our earthly desire as dead things. We are living things only to God who let Christ to live in us. In this way we are totally submitted to the guiding of the Holy Spirit. We can not lose sight but keep on guard always knowing that this could be the very last day. What if the Lord returns and finds us off guard, lazy and not doing anything productive? What a shame! Every moment has to be lived with dignity and integrity. This is not to say that we necessarily live in fear and panic. But we live with great care before God, walk in His light, and do His will. Then every moment we live will be a moment that brings meaning to eternity.

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/5/24

2009-06-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Spiritual Thought for the Week
Have you ever felt lonesome? Jacob had had that experience before. We are told in Genesis 32:24, “So Jacob was left alone...” Being left alone makes us feel desolate, solitude and lonely. But it is in such time we think of God. When family members, friends and love ones have left, and we find no one we can turn to for help. It is time to turn to God. When things seem void and empty, God is there. We may forget God. We leave God. But God never forgets us or leaves us. He does not change. He is always faithful and He loves us to the end.
Being left alone may not be a bad time. Often it is the critical time in our life. When no one is there with us, it makes it easier for us to hear God’s voice, see His face and feel His mighty loving power. He has good will and nice plan for us. When He first came, we might not know it was Him. We thought He was our foe. We did our best to go against Him. We did not want to surrender. We wrestled with Him and wanted to win over Him so as to have things our way. But God gave us a big blow that quieted us down and we could do nothing but to yield under His power.
At this time we can not help but beseech Him for His blessing. We won’t insist on our way any more. Without God’s mercy everything will be finished. It is in moment like this that changes a man completely. From a man with cunning and selfish deceit Jacob changed to a man who no longer rely on the strength of his flesh but totally on God’s grace and blessing. Jacob lost himself but in return he found God. Jacob became Israel. This is a turning point not only for the well being of an individual but also for the beautiful future for the whole tribe of Israel. Today we the new Israelites of the new covenant are also blessed because of this faith. Being left alone is not a bad thing. It is an opportunity for us to see God. Once we see His face, everything will not be the same again.

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/5/17

2009-05-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/5/17
本周默想分享
朋友您有没有感觉孤独的时候？在圣经里雅各有过这种经历。创世记32章24节说"只剩下雅各一人"。当剩下一个人的时候，会感到孤单，凄凉，寂寞，然而也正是孤单的时候，才能使人想到神。亲人离开，朋友疏远，人都显得不可靠，抓不住的时候，才能促使寻找神。似乎甚麽都空了的时候，你的神，祂仍在那里。你可能忘记，离弃祂，祂仍不改变，依然对你忠诚，爱你到底。
只剩下一个人不是一件坏事，它常是我们生命的转折点。当没有人同在的时候，我们容易听见神的声音，看见神的面容，感到他的慈爱，伟大，能力，神在我们身上有他的美意和目的。祂初来的时候，可能我们并不认识，还以为是来与我们为敌，作对的。我们竭力争论，奋斗，不甘屈服，并想要得胜对方，使自己的意愿得成，直到神给我们极重的打击，叫我们再也站不住了，失去了依靠和力量，只有屈服投降了。
这时只有求神祝福，不能再凭自己挣扎，奋斗。神若不怜悯，甚麽都完了，也正在这时，是人有了彻底的改变。从一个善用心计，设法取巧，靠自己聪明，凭肉体奋斗的人，变为无计可施，无力可用，完全投靠神，只有求神祝福，否则就活不下去的人。失去了自己，得着了全能的主，雅各变成以色列，这一个转机不止关系他自己，也关系到整个以色列民族，以及对新约信徒也给以极大的教训。剩下一人不是一件坏事，是一个遇见主的机会，一见到主的面，甚麽都改变了。
Spiritual Thought for the Week
Have you ever felt lonesome? Jacob had had that experience before. We are told in Genesis 32:24, “So Jacob was left alone...” Being left alone makes us feel desolate, solitude and lonely. But it is in such time we think of God. When family members, friends and love ones have left, and we find no one we can turn to for help. It is time to turn to God. When things seem void and empty, God is there. We may forget God. We leave God. But God never forgets us or leaves us. He does not change. He is always faithful and He loves us to the end.
Being left alone may not be a bad time. Often it is the critical time in our life. When no one is there with us, it makes it easier for us to hear God’s voice, see His face and feel His mighty loving power. He has good will and nice plan for us. When He first came, we might not know it was Him. We thought He was our foe. We did our best to go against Him. We did not want to surrender. We wrestled with Him and wanted to win over Him so as to have things our way. But God gave us a big blow that quieted us down and we could do nothing but to yield under His power.
At this time we can not help but beseech Him for His blessing. We won’t insist on our way any more. Without God’s mercy everything will be finished. It is in moment like this that changes a man completely. From a man with cunning and selfish deceit Jacob changed to a man who no longer rely on the strength of his flesh but totally on God’s grace and blessing. Jacob lost himself but in return he found God. Jacob became Israel. This is a turning point not only for the well being of an individual but also for the beautiful future for the whole tribe of Israel. Today we the new Israelites of the new covenant are also blessed because of this faith. Being left alone is not a bad thing. It is an opportunity for us to see God. Once we see His face, everything will not be the same again.
--End—

Sermon Date: 2009/5/10

2009-05-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/5/10
SCRIPTURE READING: John 19: 25-27
SERMON: Behold Thy Mother
講道題目: 看！你的母親
John 19:26-27 recorded one of the seven words of Jesus from the Cross. At the moment of his greatest agony, Jesus looked down and saw the sorrowful face of his mother. He was on the mission to bear the pain of the world. But he still could not look lightly on the responsibility of being a son to his mother. He knew he can not provide for his mother any more. The only thing he can do is to entrust his mom to the care of John his beloved disciple. He said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Today is Mother’s Day. It is the day to remember the love of our mother. Taking Jesus example we should look at our mother with a grateful heart and look at our children with a sense of mission and service.
While the white carnation has been taken as the symbol of motherhood, the cross is also a mother’s emblem. The carnation may express her purity and beauty, but the cross speaks her unselfish love. If we look at motherhood from the standpoint of the cross we discover the nearest natural expression of its thought. The secret of the cross is Divine Love; the secret of mothers care and self-denial is Love. As mother is the center of the home, so Christ is the center of the Church.
Today’s text suggests two wonderful themes: The Cross from the standpoint of a mother, and, Motherhood from the standpoint of the cross. The mother of Jesus standing before the cross saw more than a tragedy, she saw what love would do. She beheld a reflection of her own mother-love. And Jesus looking down upon his own mother, heart-broken at his suffering, beheld more than a weeping woman. He saw an imperishable type of Divine love.
Let us look at two of the parallels of the Cross and Motherhood.
I. First parallel: “Mother” suggests personal righteousness. One of the sayings of the old Jewish rabbis was: “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” I think their thought was that God was omnipresent in mothers. Even where God is unknown, and theology little understood, the voice of the Creator is speaking through mother-love. The relation of motherhood antedates that of the atonement and asserted itself in the very midst of the catastrophe of the crucifixion. “Behold thy mother” were almost the last words of the Son of God. A boy knows motherhood before he has a thought of Deity. In the thought of childhood, next to the omniscient God, should be the almost omniscient mother. One is meant to lead up to the other. “A little lower than the angels” is a good starting point for a child’s conception of his mother’s personality. Every true mother wants her child to be good. Mothers see evils that fathers sometimes overlook. She has an instinct for moral dangers. Her influence for righteousness is stronger than all the laws, all the education, and all the preachers. Of course, there are the wicked mothers, like Jezebel of old. There are the unnatural mothers, who sell their children into sin, there are the harlots, the depraved, the drunken; but these are the perversions that shame the name of motherhood. The number of women without the true mother-instinct is small. Even sinful women have numberless influences for good. It is this innate sense of right and wrong that makes women most susceptible to the preaching of righteousness. There are more women like the godly Hannah who lent her son Samuel to the Lord from his birth. The Christian mother leads all other forces in power for personal righteousness. “All that I am or hope to be,” said Lincoln, “I owe to my angel mother.”
II. Second parallel: “Mother” suggests Christian service. The unselfish devotion of motherhood to children is the truest illustration of the Christian ideal of service. Women of to-day feminist advocates tell of what they would do in the great world. But no achievement is greater than the simple, inconspicuous ministries of motherhood. How bravely mothers have borne the heavy burdens laid upon them! How courageously they have met every deprivation and pain! They are the types of Christian ministers and martyrs. To think of mother is to recall her unselfish devotion, her limitless, unfaltering love through good and evil report, never wavering, but growing stronger and stronger with the years; and to remember that she asks nothing in return for herself; she asks of us and for us that we be good citizens of the society. If we fail she does not love us less, but more. Wonderful, constant, miraculous mother’s love! It is up to us whether we make the life of our mothers worth while. She lives in vain if after pouring out her love and life to make us achieve, we grovel in the mire of sloth and sin. Let us honor her, both by kindness toward her and by deeds done in her name.
Conclusion: Jesus wants John to behold his mother. In actual fact Mary is not John’s mother. Jesus also wants his mother to behold her son. In actual fact John is not her son. But under the cross, human relationship is readjusted. That’s why in Christ we love not only our mother but other’s mothers too. We love not only our own children but other’s children also. That’s why Jesus said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34-35)

Amen
Synopsis
Hanging on the Cross the only thing Jesus can do is to entrust his mom to the care of John his beloved disciple. He said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” While the white carnation has been taken as the symbol of mother’s love, the cross is also a mother’s emblem.
I. First parallel: “Mother” suggests personal righteousness.
II. Second parallel: “Mother” suggests Christian service.
Conclusion: Jesus wants John to behold his mother. In actual fact Mary is not John’s mother. Jesus also wants his mother to behold her son. In actual fact John is not her son. But under the cross, human relationship is readjusted. That’s why in Christ we love not only our mother but other’s mothers too. We love not only our own children but other’s children also.
讲道大纲
在十字架上耶稣只有把他的母亲托付他亲爱的门徒约翰。他对母亲说："母亲，看你的儿子。"又对那门徒说："看你的母亲。" 白色的康乃謦可以代表母亲节，十字架也可以代表母亲。
甲．因为母亲代表了人应怎样行公义。
乙．因为母亲代表了基督徒应怎样服侍别人。
在十字架下，人的关系是重新调整了。所以在主里，老吾老，以及人之老；幼吾幼，以及人之幼。耶稣说："看哪，我的母亲，我的弟兄。凡遵行神旨意的人，就是我的弟兄姐妹和母亲了。"
Pastoral Prayer:
Father God, on this Mother’s Day Sunday we pray for the home and Christian family. O Lord, you set the solidarity in families, we lift before you the dear and sacred interests of our homes. Make our families radiant centers of joy and schools of character. Grant unto those who wed true love and loyalty; grant unto parents, for their children’s sake, the persuasiveness of good and faithful lives; grant unto youth the gladness that has no bitter fruit and integrity that need not be ashamed. We rejoice in memories of the dear and holy dead who live unto you in your house of many mansions; by their love, cherished in our hearts, may your love grow more real, and by their death may heaven become more homelike to our imagining. Make their remembered presence a hallowed shrine for our thought and their unfailing love a sacrament where we hold dear with you. O God, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, save us from betrayal of the great love wherewith our homefolk have loved us. For the nation’s sake, whose foundations are in the family, we pray for the homes of our people. From marriage vows lightly planned, carelessly plighted, and trivially broken, deliver us Lord. O Christ, you have called God Father and all men brethren, give us your spirit of goodwill and fidelity that we may build homes with the shadow of the Almighty for their covering defense; within their shelter may tranquility abide and joy abound; may Christian faith and fruitful character find there congenial soil; may the world’s vulgarity and selfishness cease at their peaceful door; and from them may the zeal of youth and the strength of maturity go forth to make at last the whole earth a home and all mankind one family.
We pray for the health and well beings of our parishioners. Lord keep us free from contracting disease especially during this time of swine flu epidemic widespread. We pray for people who are traveling and will be traveling. We thank you for Winson and Mary who are flying out of town this weekend to join with their children and enjoy the holidays. We thank you for Sun Jia Fu and Lin Li Ru who will be flying to California next week to live with their daughter and look after the grand children.
Almighty God, you have given us this good land as our heritage. Help us always to remember your generosity and constantly do your will. Bless our land with honest industry, sound learning, and an honorable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and give those whom we have entrusted with the authority of government the spirit of wisdom, that there might be justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous , let our hearts be thankful; in troubled times, do not let our trust in you fail.
Now teach us to pray like the way you taught your disciples…
Amen.

Sermon Date: 2009/5/3

2009-05-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/5/3
SCRIPTURE READING: II Sam. 11:1-5
SERMON: Moral Competency
講道題目: 誠實無偽的品格

At the very height of his career, at the moment of success, when power and riches are in his possession, David demonstrates a moral incompetence and falls flat on his face. He was a good shepherd; he was a skilled musician; he proved himself to be a good organizer; he was a brave soldier. But when power and wealth came to him, he showed stark incompetence and irresponsibility. The severest test of character is not on the fields of struggle, work, or danger. The real test comes when men are past the stage of battle and have in their possession power and riches.
How directly this principle speaks to our present age! It has been almost three thousand years since the time of David. The progress of these years has put power and wealth into our hands. The most serious question for our time is this: Do we have moral competency sufficient to use the power and wealth at this age to the glory of God and the good of man?
How can wee achieve a moral competency for the living of our days?
I. To be morally competent one must attain a unified personality with a clear vision of what is right. -- Jesus was never confused or oppressed with a sense of uncertainty. He was never found hesitant between two opinions. But he had achieved a state of mind in which his will was identified with the will of his heavenly Father. Acquiring this state of mind cost him dearly. He was conscious of the will of God for his life involving complete loyalty to the moral right and suffering and eventual death on the Cross. There were no tensions within his soul. He was a unified personality. A person with integrity. Becoming a unified person is always costly. Few people are willing to pay the price today for such a state of mind. Before one can have a self that is morally adequate to our time, one must pass through a soul struggle that will identify the self with the will of God.
II. To be morally competent one must have an informed and disciplined mind.-- In the temptations of Jesus it is clear that he was never caught off guard. It is significant that he met each temptation with a relevant Scripture verse. The childhood and youth of Jesus had been concerned with the learning of the Old Testament. Jesus was mindful of the great truths set forth in the law and the prophets. Moreover, he had anticipated the temptations and was ready to meet them with his own moral armor and spiritual skill. Jesus could be said to be educated for life. He had studied the great moral and spiritual experiences of the past set forth in the prophets. He had disciplined and prepared himself for all that life had to offer.
III. To be morally competent one must understand that God is the source and basis of moral right.-- Modern man has been told that it is expedient to do right, that honesty is the best policy, that one must be good to be socially approved, and that one should be righteous in life for health’s sake. These are all valid reasons, but they are not adequate. The one good and sufficient reason is that this is God’s world and we are God’s people and if we are to be at home in this world and fulfill our destiny and purpose in life, we must share the righteousness of God and fulfill his expectations. Morality is not custom or conventionality or taboo. It is the rule and way of God for us. The roots of morality are set in eternal reality.
IV. Conclusion. At the moment of greatest privilege and power, David proved himself morally incompetent; but the strong Son of God stands firm in the will of the heavenly Father and counters all that evil can beat against him because he understood the moral problems of life. His mind was made up to do the will of God. He knew that his peace and the fulfillment of his life were in the will of God.
Amen
Synopsis
At the very height of his career, at the moment of success, when power and riches are in his possession, David demonstrates a moral incompetence and falls flat on his face. How can we achieve a moral competency for the living of our days?
I. To be morally competent one must attain a unified personality with a clear vision of what is right.-- Jesus was never confused or oppressed with a sense of uncertainty. He was a unified personality, a person with integrity.
II. To be morally competent one must have an informed and disciplined mind.-- The childhood and youth of Jesus had been concerned with the learning of the Old Testament. Jesus was mindful of the great truths set forth in the law and the prophets.
III. To be morally competent one must understand that God is the source and basis of moral right.-- The one good and sufficient reason to do right is that this is God’s world and we are God’s people and if we are to be at home in this world and fulfill our destiny and purpose in life, we must share the righteousness of God and fulfill his expectations.
IV. Conclusion. Jesus achieved moral competency because he understood the moral problems of life. His mind was made up to do the will of God. He knew that his peace and the fulfillment of his life were in the will of God.
讲道大纲
当大卫事业最成功的时候，他在品格修养中却是个很无耻的人。现今的时代里，我们处於富庶的境况中，我们可以怎样保持诚实无伪的品德呢？
甲．诚实无伪的人，是个异象清析，人格完整的人。-- 耶稣常常都是一个有诚信，言行一致的人。
乙．诚实无伪的人，是个有修养有学问的人。-- 耶稣从少就熟读圣经，明白律法和先知的道理。
丙．诚实无伪的人，了解上帝的旨意是道德行为的源头和依据。 -- 我们有好的道德行为，唯一的原因是，因为这是上帝的世界，我们若要得生命的意义，就只有做公义的神所要求我们做的事。
丁．结论：耶稣能做我们诚实无伪的榜样，因为他知道我们在生命上道德的失败。他心无二志。他一心以完成上帝的旨意为目标。
Pastoral Prayer:
Gracious God, the heavens declare your glory. The whole earth proclaims your praise. Yet only man—of all your creation—is capable of discordance, prone to evil, and slothful in good. Hear our prayer of confession which springs to our hearts out of the tragedy and confusion which engulf us all. Our sins are ever before us , and we do not seem to discard them as we live our days before you..
The sin of hatred and prejudice is intensified by the fact that we have different colors of skin, and is unrestrained, even though we know that you have made of one blood all the races of men to dwell upon the face of the earth as brethren. The sin of idolatry is everywhere in evidence because we think more of possessing than of giving, more of security than of challenge, and more of power than of character.
We implore your forgiveness. We seek your promise that the burden of transgression will no longer be a hindrance to our progress to the city of God. We pray that you will enliven us with prophetic vision, that the days ahead of us may reveal a new Canada to the world: one that practices what it preaches, one whose citizens are men and women of integrity, and one which citizens are proud to be Asian Canadians. Let this Asian Heritage Month of May begin a journey of openness—in our senses, heart and soul, spirit and body—so that the colors already present in our lives are lifted and celebrated. Let this month begin a continual remembrance of our troubled roots and a celebration of the liberties we enjoy.
We pray for our parishioners’ concern. Give those who are eagerly seeking jobs, good opportunity and favor from the employer who interview them. May they find good industry that appreciates their skill. We pray for people who experience death in their family. Grant them peace and hope at the bereavement of losing their departed loved ones. We pray for people who are applying for visas to the US to visit their family members. Make their process smooth and effective. We pray for people who are bothered by the epidemic H1N1 flu that began in Mexico. We ask that the spread of the virus be stopped and that people can go on with their normal life again. We pray this in Jesus name
Amen.

sermon 2009/4/26

2009-04-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/4/26
SCRIPTURE READING: John 21:1-19
SERMON: The Dawn of another Day
講道題目: 新的一日又天明
After Jesus died on the cross, Peter lost hope in everything. He resumed to his former occupation which was fishing again. Peter and his fisherman friends vowed to follow Jesus. Now they were back to square one before they saw the appearance of the risen Lord. Here was a boatload of men on the Sea of Galilee. They were cold. They were hungry, for they had been out all night fishing. They were unhappy because “that night they caught nothing” (v. 3). But just at daybreak they saw a figure moving about on the shore. Presently a familiar voice called out and they recognized the voice, (see vv.4-7.) Jesus presence there and his personal interest in those men put another look upon the entire situation. The presence of the Divine Spirit in this troubled, bewildered, disappointed world of ours put new meaning into it.
I. His first word to those men was one of friendly interest: “Children, have you any meat?” (v. 5)—have you caught anything? (1) He knew the hunger, the weariness, the unhappiness in that boat. The people who think that the Lord of life does not concern himself with these bodily necessities of ours had better read their Bibles again. (2) How much it means that there is God, not far from any one of us, who knows and cares! How much it means to have God standing by not with scorn for our weakness but with words of friendly interest on his lips! “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6.) The Lord of life stood there on the shore; he is always there. The eyes of Divine Love looked out upon the troubled sea of human life to show what daylight might bring. “The dawn of another day”—how many people are anxiously looking for it!
II. The Lord who stood there met the needs of these discouraged men. “Cast the net on the right side of the boat” (v. 6). He knew where to fish and how to fish. When they drew the net to land, there was a fire kindled by his hands, with fish broiling and bread toasting on the coals. “Jesus said unto them, Come and dine” (v. 12). (1) That divine readiness to help us with our physical problems reaches a long way. But his ministry did not stop there. Man does not live by bread and fish alone. The Master knew that heart and soul have their needs. When he had fed those men, he said, “Simon...do you love me?”(v. 15). He would restore a satisfying relationship between himself and that fickle, impulsive man who had fallen down. The man’s whole future would turn upon his attitude at that point. (2) “Do you love?” There is no other joy like love in this world, and without it there would be no joy in the world to come. It would not be worthwhile to live if we did not love people. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” (I John 4:16.) (3) When those seven men had declared anew their loyalty to Christ, it was the dawn of a new day. When those men had eaten the bread and fish which he gave them and had assured him of their love, they faced the future with their heads up. They felt that hence-forth their lives would be “hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). He had met their deeper needs.
III. He gave those men something definite to do. (1) Jesus knew full well the futility of any generous impulse which does not speedily find expression in wholesome action. Impression precedes expression, but the good impulse functions properly only where it is uttered in some form of useful effort. “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them” (John 13:17)—and only then. If you love me, do something about it. Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. Tend my flock. (2) The men who had fished all night without catching anything were sent out to become “fishers of men.” They were to use the skill and patience they had acquired in that familiar occupation for higher ends. (3) Jesus sent them out to teach the nations what he had taught them, to make disciples of the nations as he had made disciples of them, and to baptize the nations into a richer sense of the divine helpfulness and into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Here was work cut out for them and laid ready to their hands. He promised them his guidance and cooperation: “Lo, I am with you always,” in that high task, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20).
IV. Conclusion. Here in that scene by the lake we find the three basic interests of human life. (1) Something to eat: food, books, pictures, music, friends, the great outdoors, which feed and satisfies, strengthen and enrich the inner life. (2) Something to do: tasks worthy of our best powers, where we work out our salvation, knowing that God is working in us to accomplish his good pleasure. (3) Someone to love: worthy recipients of the best our hearts can offer, answering back in terms of affection. (4) “Now abide these three”: something to put into one’s life—faith; someway of expressing one’s life—hope; and someone to cherish within the heart—love.
Amen.
Synopsis
After Jesus died on the cross, Peter lost hope in everything. He and his fisherman friends resumed to their former occupation. Then Jesus appeared to them.
I. His first word to those men was one of friendly interest: “Children, have you any meat?” (1) He knew the hunger. (2) It means that there is God, not far from any one of us, who knows and cares!
II. The Lord met the needs of these discouraged men. “Cast the net on the right side of the boat” (1) When he had fed those men, he said, “Simon...do you love me?” (2) “Do you love?” “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” (3) When those seven men had declared anew their loyalty to Christ, it was the dawn of a new day.
III. He gave those men something definite to do. (1) Jesus said, “Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. Tend my flock.” (2) The men who had fished all night without catching anything were sent out to become “fishers of men.” (3) Jesus sent them out to teach the nations what he had taught them.
IV. Conclusion. Here in that scene by the lake we find the three basic interests of human life. (1) Something to eat.(2) Something to do.(3) Someone to love.
Amen
讲道大纲
耶稣被钉之後，彼得对一切都失了信心。他和他的同伴们再次出海打鱼。那时耶稣显现在他们面前。
甲．耶稣第一句话就是亲切的问候： "小子！你们有吃的没有？" （1）他知道他们肚子饿。（2）神是关怀我们的。他离我们不远。祂知道也关心。
乙．主满足这群失望丧志之人的需要。“你们把网撒在船的右边，就必得着” （1）让他们吃饱之後，耶稣问西门彼得：你爱我吗？（2）“神爱我们的心，我们也知道，也信.” (3) 当这七个人宣告他们肯向耶稣效忠时，新的一天已见黎明。
丙．他派给他们工作。（1）耶稣说：你喂养我的小羊；你牧养我的群羊。。。（2）这班整夜劳苦一无所获的渔夫再一次成为得人的渔夫。（3）耶稣差派他们去传福音给万民听。
丁．结论。主在提比哩亚海边的显现，把人生最需要的三大问题都给解决了：（1）人需要食物。（2）人需要工作。（3）人需要爱和被爱。
阿门
Pastoral Prayer:
O God your mercy is over all, we beseech you for our brothers and sisters in every place, and most especially for those who are in any way distressed.
Visit the sick with your comfort and healing power. Come to the bereaved with your peace, and increase in them the faith that love is stronger than death. Hasten with your protection to those who are sorely tempted; make them strong to resist and conquer. Draw near to all who are lonely, all who are anxious, all who are cast down and discouraged, and to those who suffer in the suffering of those they love, that they may be strengthened with all power for all endurance and patience.
Look in your might upon those who have no helper. Defend the poor, and save the children of the needy. Make haste for the relief of those who know the pains of hunger and those who are persecuted and those who are discriminated against, exploited, and oppressed. Show your compassion to every victim of injustice, and to those who inflict loss and pain upon others show the demands of your righteousness and the inexorable working of your holy laws.
Reveal unto us, we beseech you, those things in ourselves which are adding to the sum of human misery. Help us to repent of these our sins, and give us grace to consecrate ourselves to your service, that we may be used by you to help one another and to set forward the blessed kingdom.
We thank you for the family of Huo Yan and Mu Ai. You give them a beautiful and healthy baby girl last week. The arrival of their daughter Kathleen（可磬）born on April 16 at Ottawa hospital has brought joy, hope and happiness to all who love them. May this child grow up full of grace and gain favor from God and men.
We pray for the in-law’s family of brother Tom Doon, (譚耀棟)，whose daughter in law’s grand mom passed away at the age of 101 years old. We ask for peace and comfort to the bereaved family who are experiencing grief and loss.
We pray for the joint Mandarin devotional meeting which is concluding this evening. Bless the speaker Rev. Felix Liu as he delivers the message that the glory of the Lord will be revealed. May we see more and more people come forward to make commitment to Christ. And may the healing and teaching ministry he involves receive heavenly benediction from you.
Now teach us to pray as you once taught your disciples how to pray… Amen.

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/4/19

2009-04-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/4/19
本周默想分享
受难节过了，复活节来了。受难节那天耶稣的祷告还言犹在耳："然而不要照我的意思，只要照你的意思。"（太26：39）复活节的今天，主旨得成，原来已经实现了。
我们走属灵道路的时候，常遇见一个难处，就是自己的意思与神的意思不同而发生干扰。当神的旨意是叫我们遭遇损失和痛苦的时候，就不容易顺服或者别有自己的欲望和喜好，而不是神的旨意所许可的，这就发生了矛盾和冲突。如果不肯放下自己的意思去遵行神的旨意，在属灵的路上就无法前进，甚至跌倒後退了。
许多信徒就是在这里发生了问题，如果神的旨意与自己的意思相合，就愿意遵行。否则就要坚持自己的意思，不肯照神的旨意行。并且要求神成就自己的意思，否则对神感到不满和不服，这实在是可怕的光景。如果神真的让我们成就了自己的意思，後果岂不是很危险。
我们应当相信，神的旨意比我们自己的意思好，比我们的目的高，对我们最有益，且有永恒的价值。自己的意思是目光短浅，只顾眼前的利益。而且神常不让我们自己的意思成就，因为那样心中必没有平安，喜乐，信心和盼望，将来的损失更不必说了。主耶稣在最艰难困苦的时候，仍然求父说，不要照他的意思，只要照父的意思。
凡愿意放下自己的意思，只求神的旨意成就，这是神最喜悦的。神绝不会将对我们无益的旨意强加在我们身上，乃是预先计划决定的，为我们拣选最好的，最高的，最美的事。我们要安息在神的旨意中，并要欢喜迎接那按神旨意临到我们身上的事。
Spiritual Thought for the Week
Good Friday has gone. Easter has arrived. While Jesus words of prayer still resonate in our ears, “Yet not as I will, but as you will”, the realization that God’s will be done is already a fact before our eyes in this Easter season.
In the spiritual journey, we often come across such difficult times when our will is different from God’s will. When God’s will makes our days miserable we tend to move away from his cause and go our own ways. While we insist on our likes and desires, God’s will become a hindrance. If we let this conflict continue without giving up any of our interests, our spiritual journey can not proceed.
Many believers find themselves stuck in this problem. They go along with God’s will only when it makes them happy. If it doesn’t they go against His will. They want God to comply with their thoughts. Otherwise they feel discontent towards God. This is a dangerous undertaking. Say if God does everything according to our likes, wouldn’t the consequence be disastrous?
We need to believe that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God’s way is wiser than our ways. His plans have everlasting value. Our eye sight is narrow-minded. We often look at the temporal while God looks at the eternal. God doesn’t let our will be done because God knows we won’t get peace, joy, faith and hope if we get only what we want. While we lose life in the eternity, what good do we get even if we gain the whole world? That’s why we see Jesus Christ in his time of greatest sorrow still says the words, “Yet not as I will but as you will.”
Whoever puts down his own will for the fulfillment of God’s will will be most pleasing in God’s sight. God will not impose harmful things on our life. Everything to Him is planned. He wants the best for us. So let us rest in His will. Let us accept and enjoy whatever things in life He has prepared for us.
--End—

Sermon Date: 2009/4/12

2009-04-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/4/12
SCRIPTURE READING: John 20:11-18
SERMON: Tears turn to joy
講道題目: 眼泪变成喜乐
The angels and Jesus asked Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She explained that she was weeping because she could not find the body of Jesus. These were tears of sorrow. But when Jesus revealed himself to her, her tears turned to tears of joy as she exclaimed, “Rabboni,” meaning “Teacher.” Her day began with tears but ended with smiles. Easter makes us shed tears of joy. As in the case of Mary, tears of sorrow are transformed into tears of joy.
I. As Mary was asked on the first Easter, “Woman, why are you weeping?” so we are asked on this Easter Sunday why are we weeping. We might say these are tears of joy.
(1) These tears of joy result from the victory Christ won over death. We cannot appreciate this victory until we realize the horror and finality of death.
(2) Death is man’s worst enemy. Death takes away the meaning of life. If death is the ultimate, life is absurd. Then, we can say with Paul, “Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
(3) It took God to gain the victory over death. God caught death on the Cross in the person of Christ. There was a cosmic battle between life and death. When Jesus died, the strife was over and the battle was won. The paradox of the situation was that God used Jesus’ death to defeat death. When Jesus came out of the tomb under the power of God, death instead of swallowing up everything as in the past was now itself swallowed up by the grace of God. Never was there a victory like this.
(4) Easter, therefore, is a day for the blowing of trumpets, the singing of alleluias, the crashing of cymbals, and the beating of victory drums.
(5) This victory has personal implications. It means that a Christian funeral has a note of triumph about it. Of course, the body is dead, but because of the resurrection we know the soul, spirit, or mind of the departed is alive with Christ. There is no need to feel sorry for the deceased. He is more alive than we are.
II. On this Easter day, why are we weeping tears of joy? The Christian answer is, “Because of the assurance of the truth the resurrection brings.”
(1) The resurrection assures us that Jesus is the Christ, Lord and Saviour. If there had been no resurrection, Jesus would have been just a man. Indeed, he would have been considered a martyr to a good cause, but that is all. Now we know for sure that Jesus was more than an ordinary man. True, he was all man, but he was a God-man. On Easter you are sure that this Jesus of the Cross was the very Son of God whose death was a vicarious sacrifice for the sin of the world. Because of the resurrection, we know he shares in the Godhead and is worthy of our worship, devotion, and our very lives.
(2) Easter assures us that good will ultimately overcomes all opposition. Sometimes we wonder whether good is as strong as evil. Easter assures us that life will outlast death. Truth is greater than lies. Love is stronger than hatred. The righteous will finally succeed, and the wicked will come to nothing.
III. Why are we filled with joy?
(1) The resurrection comforts us with the knowledge that we have a living Christ here and now. This was the good news for Mary Magdalene. She came to the tomb which she expected to be filled with a dead body. The empty tomb meant to her only that Jesus’ body was stolen. Then Jesus came to her and called her by name. At once she saw him alive and she rejoiced.
(2) We too can rejoice that Jesus is alive, for it means that we have a living Christ who knows our very name. You are that important, that valuable. It shows his interest and concern in you and what happens to you.
(3) We have a living Christ right now to forgive us. We need forgiveness daily. Without this forgiveness, we get farther and farther apart from Christ. Life gets tied up, and our minds and hearts get into knots of tension. Christ daily comes to us upon our invitation and forgives us and by this forgiveness brings us life and freedom to live as a person.
(4) This living Christ who came to life again on Easter comforts us by his presence. He comes to us and asks our help. Christ asks us this Easter Sunday to be his witnesses. He wants us to go to all the world and tell the good news that death has been conquered, that truth is eternal, that he is really alive. Amen.
Synopsis
Easter makes us shed tears of joy. As in the case of Mary, tears of sorrow are transformed into tears of joy.
I. As Mary was asked on the first Easter, “Woman, why are you weeping?” so we are asked on this Easter Sunday why are we weeping.
(1) These tears of joy result from the victory Christ won over death.
(2) Death is man’s worst enemy.
(3) It took God to gain the victory over death.
(4) Easter, therefore, is a day for beating of victory drums.
(5) This victory has personal implications.
II. We are weeping tears of joy because of the assurance of the truth the resurrection brings.
(1) The resurrection assures us that Jesus is the Christ, Lord and Saviour.
(2) Easter assures us that good will ultimately overcomes all opposition.
III. Why are we filled with joy?
(1) The resurrection comforts us with the knowledge that we have a living Christ here and now.
(2) We have a living Christ who knows our very name.
(3) We have a living Christ right now to forgive us.
(4) He wants us to go to the entire world and tell the good news that death has been conquered, that truth is eternal, that he is really alive.
讲道大纲
复活节叫我们流出喜乐的眼泪。正如马利亚伤心的眼泪变成喜乐的眼泪一样。
甲．马利亚被问：妇人你为甚麽哭？今天我们也要被问：你为甚麽哭？
（1）我们流喜乐的眼泪因为基督胜过死亡。
（2）死亡是人的大敌。
（3）只有神能打败它。
（4）复活节就是击鼓庆祝胜利的日子。
（5）这胜利对个人尤其意义深长。
乙．我们喜极而泣因为复活真实的确据。
（1）复活肯定耶稣是基督，是主，是我们的救主。
（2）复活肯定好人最後必能克胜所有反对的势力。
丙．我们为甚麽充满喜乐？
（1）复活安慰我们，叫我们知道活着的基督时刻与我们同在。
（2）活着的基督记得我的名字。
（3）活着的基督今天饶恕我的罪。
（4）祂要我们到世界宣扬好消息，死亡已被征服，真理是永远可靠的，祂是真正活着的主。
Pastoral Prayer:
Almighty Father, for the beauty of the earth, for the joy of living, and for all the good things which are ours, we give you hearty thanks and praise. We are glad for the springtime when all the out-of-doors is awakening to begin anew the process of growth. We rejoice in the blooming flowers, the budding trees, the singing birds, and the thousand voices that proclaim the fact that spring is in the air. But even more do we rejoice in the fact that above and beyond this manifestation of life at our feet there is within us a life that is eternal and everlasting. Father, be gracious unto us and quicken this divine life so that we may be raised up in the image and likeness of the Man of Galilee, the One who was not defeated by death but came forth from the open tomb to live forever with you.
Merciful Father, separate us from all false delusions and remove from us all vain desires so that the life of the Son of God may have full sway within our hearts. Kindle anew within us the joy of your salvation. Grant unto us the joy of finding the stone rolled away from the tomb of our dead selves. May the discarded garments of all our vain desires be left behind as mute evidence that we have been released from all that hampers and restrains.
O Lord God, grant that this life of faith may become a growing power, able to surmount all barriers, re-creating itself in the hearts of men and women of every race and every creed. In the providence of God, may all the difficulties that delay the coming of your day be removed, so that your spirit may exercise its full power over death and destruction. May the voice that was once stilled be heard again in amplified form, and may the message of salvation, declared on Calvary’s mountain, find prophets to declare it. So, may the kingdoms of this world become indeed the Kingdom of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
We pray for our parishioners well being. We pray for May Wong’s recovery from her flu last Sunday and that her coarse voice be resumed to normal. We pray for Bruce Newman’s safe travel as he is vacationing in Florida now. We thank you Lord for Wudi’s mother who’s heart valve repairs itself naturally and does not need a heart surgery. We thank you for our life together with Xu Dunqi and Zheng Xiangfei who have spent several months worshipping with us during their stay in Ottawa last year. Next week they are flying to Vancouver to stay with their other children and grand children. We ask for your continue blessings for their future. We pray for Mu Ai’s smooth delivery this week as she is expecting her baby to be born in a few days. We thank you for the baptism of Huo Yan and David Li this morning. May their new life in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior find abundance and fulfillment in your Kingdom.
Now teach us to pray as you once taught your disciples how to pray… Amen.

Sermon Date: 2009/4/10

2009-04-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/4/10
Good Friday Evening Service
SERMON: Meaning of the Cross
講道題目: 十字架的意義
For a long time in Christian history there was a quest to define the meaning of the Cross.
I. So there arose the traditional theories of the atonement.
(1) There was the ransom theory (suggested by early church fathers like Irenaeus, Origen, Augustine, and others), which held that the death of Jesus was a payment to Satan to obtain the release of mankind from hell, where man was sentenced for the sin of Adam.
(2) In the eleven century Anselm, in his satisfaction theory, the first systematic theological statement of the atonement, interpreted that Christ’s death met God’s requirements of punishment of man for his sins.
(3) There was also the moral influence theory (suggested by Abelard), which said that Christ’s death moves man to moral transformation, thus making him acceptable to God.
(4) A more modern view of the Cross is that Christ’s suffering reveals the suffering God experiences because of the sins of the world.
(5) Preceding all of these ideas is Paul’s declaration, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (II Cor. 5:19). Paul stressed not how or why but what God had worked through Christ, acknowledging the overwhelming place of the Cross in the work of Christ: “”May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal. 6:14)
II. We should always be seeking to find the meaning of the Cross, and we should appreciate and apply the rich insights about the Cross which our fathers in the faith have passed on to us. But the need now is not so much for the defining of the meaning of the Cross as it is for the understanding and accepting the meaning of the Cross.
(1) The Cross means that Jesus is greater than all the powers that oppose him. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (I Cor.1:18)
(2) The Cross made it forever clear that we are precious to Christ. God so loves us that he gave his only begotten son to us. (John 3:16)
(3) The Cross tells us the principle of sacrifice. The role of suffering is the means by which Christ manifests his dedication to save us. Thus He furthered the Kingdom of God in the world.
Amen
Synopsis
For a long time in Christian history there was a quest to define the meaning of the Cross.
I. So there arose the traditional theories of the atonement.
(1) There was the ransom theory
(2) There was the satisfaction theory
(3) There was the moral influence theory
(4) There was the suffering God theory
(5) Paul’s declaration, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” precedes all the theories.
II. But the need now is not so much for the defining of the meaning of the Cross as it is for the understanding and accepting the meaning of the Cross.
(1) The Cross means that Jesus is greater than all the powers that oppose him
(2) The Cross made it forever clear that we are precious to Christ.
(3) By his sacrifice Jesus furthered the Kingdom of God in the world.
讲道大纲
自基督教历史开始以来，人不断的寻求十字架的定义。
甲．於是开始了古典的赎罪论
（1）付赎金的理论
（2）满足神要求的理论
（3）道德感动人的理论
（4）上帝受苦的理论
（5）保罗说：神在基督里，使世界与祂复和。
乙．今天我们应少谈十字架的定义，而多谈明白和接受十字架的意思。
（1）十字架表示耶稣胜过一切对抗祂的权力。
（2）十字架清楚的告诉我们，在神的眼中，我们非常宝贵。
（3）藉着基督的牺牲，把天国带到人间。
Pastoral Prayer:
Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for the holy church of God throughout the world that God may guide it and gather it together so that we may worship God in peace and tranquility.
Almighty and eternal God, you have shown your glory to all nations in Jesus Christ. Guide the work of the church. Help it to persevere in faith, to proclaim your name, and to offer salvation to people everywhere.
Let us pray for our pastors and other lay ministers, for all servants of the church, and for all the people of God.
Almighty and eternal God, your Spirit guides the church and makes it holy. Strengthen and uphold our pastors and our leaders; keep them in health and safety for the good of the church, and help each of us to do faithfully the work to which you have called us.
Let us pray for those preparing for baptism, that God may make them responsive to God’s love and give them new life in Jesus Christ.
Almighty and eternal God, you continually bless the church with new members. Increase the faith and understanding of those preparing for baptism. Give them a new birth as your children. Keep them in the faith and communion of your holy church.
Let us pray for those who do not believe in Christ, that the light of the Holy Spirit may show them the way of salvation.
Almighty and eternal God, enable those who do not acknowledge Christ to receive the truth of the gospel. Help us, your people, to grow in love for one another, to grasp more fully the mystery of your Godhead, and so to become more perfect witness of your love in the sight of all people.
Let us pray for those who do not believe in God, that they may find the God who is the author and goal of our existence.
Almighty and eternal God, you created humanity so that all might long to know you and have peace in you. Grant that, in spite of the hurtful things that stand in their way, all may recognize in the lives of Christians the tokens of your love and mercy and gladly acknowledge you as the one true God of us all.
Let us pray that the almighty and merciful God may heal the sick, comfort the dying, give safety to travelers, free those unjustly deprived of liberty, and rid the world of falsehood, hunger, and disease.
Almighty and eternal God, you give strength to the weary and new courage to those who have lost heart. Hear the prayers of all who call on you in any trouble that they may have the joy of receiving your help in their need. We ask this through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Sermon Date: 2009/4/5

2009-04-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/4/5
SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 19:28-40
SERMON: Walk with God and cry out for Christ
講道題目: 與神同行向主歡呼
Apart from Easter, no day is more joyous than Palm Sunday. Yet we hear other noises sounded in this event of Christ’s life. Luke tells us that when Jesus entered the city, some of the Pharisees urged him to keep his disciples quiet. Then Christ answered in the words of the text which seem strange even to this day. “Jesus said, I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”(Luke 19:40)
The words reveal that underneath all of the outward commotion, Jesus saw something else. He knew that time was running out. There were decisions which had to be faced and made. Is there really anything in the Christian faith that is as urgent as Jesus expressed it?
I. There is urgency in the fact that your life is always changing one way or the other. Every day character is in the process of becoming better or worse. There is urgency about the direction in which it is going. How urgent it is that we look to those things that make for an expanding, unfolding life as against the things that close it and keep life from its fullness.
II. There is urgency in our personal relationships. They do not stand still either. If we are really acclaiming Christ in our hearts today, it could well lead us to re-evaluate the way in which we have given ourselves or neglected ourselves in the basic relationships of life.
III. There is urgency to acknowledge our walk with God. Today is Palm Sunday. It marks the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. People were waving palm branches to welcome him. Christians should do the same today even though the unbelief world tried to stop us from doing so. Those who walk with God can not help it but to cry out their salvation from Jesus Christ. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin.”(I John 1:7) Thank God that since we are saved we have fellowship with God. Before, we merely had fellowship with people. People could be selfish, hypocritical and unintelligent. They hurt us more then they comfort us. But having fellowship with God gives us the assurance of love and heavenly benedictions. Many Christians lose sight of this blessing. We are too occupied with relationships in worldly things. Even though we spend time with God, it becomes nominal and superficial. We only ask what we want in our prayers and don’t bother to wait for an answer. We don’t worship in spirit and in truth. Thus we never experience the joy, peace, grace and blessedness. To have real fellowship with God takes certain pre-requisites. If we can not speak from heart to heart with God, there must be some obstacles which have to be cleared out of the way. Light and darkness; holiness and filth; honesty and deceit etc. are contradictory terms. If we still walk in darkness, filth and deceit we can not walk with God. Only when we walk in true light and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can walk with God. If our life, deeds, thoughts and words were not in accordance with God’s word in the Bible, we are walking in darkness. Especially when we know we have sinned and we don’t want to confess our sin, God’s fellowship can not prevail, not to mention fellowship with other Christians. No wonder when the world stops us from crying out for Christ we become silent.
IV. The need to shout for joy for Christ has hope in it. Why was it so urgent that Christ should be proclaimed? It was because in him God was bringing a new life, a new way of living, a new world for the sons of men. The alternative to Christ’s way becomes unthinkable, so God confronted us with the decision in the clearest way possible in One who came and said, “Follow me.”Surely it must have been the very grace of God that made it possible for all of us to understand the answer to the urgent decisions with which we are confronted. To see the hope that is in Christ means that we cannot keep silent, for even the stones would cry out.
Amen
Synopsis
The Pharisees urged Jesus to keep his disciples quiet. Then Christ answered in the words of the text which seem strange even to this day. “Jesus said, I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”(Luke 19:40)
I. There is urgency in the fact that your life is always changing one way or the other.
II. There is urgency in our personal relationships.
III. There is urgency to acknowledge our walk with God.
IV. The need to shout for joy for Christ has hope in it.
To see the hope that is in Christ means that we cannot keep silent, for even the stones would cry out.

讲道大纲
耶稣荣耀的进耶路撒冷，人们夹道欢迎。法利赛人对耶稣说："夫子，责备你的门徒吧！" 耶稣说："我告诉你们，若是他们闭口不说，这些石头必要呼叫起来。"（路19：40）
甲．有一种催逼告诉我们生命每一刻都在改变中。
乙．有一种催逼叫我们正视人的关系。
丙．有一种催逼要我们立志与神同行。
丁．向基督欢呼包含了一个盼望。

当我们看见基督给我们希望时，我们不能闭口，否则石头也要呼叫起来了。

sermon 2009/2/29

2009-03-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

In this time of Lent, let us learn the lesson of remaining silent, trusting, obeying, and waiting on the Lord. As the Psalmist said, “I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this.”(Psalm 39:9) What God has done is love. But love demands a terrible burden.
I. Consider this demand which love makes: “Love bears all things.” Another way of articulating this truth is: “Love can overlook faults.” Still another way of saying this is: “Love is not quick to anger and slow to expose wrongs” The idea suggested here is that love is intelligent. It knows that there is a time to expose and a time to refrain from exposing, a time to speak and a time to refrain from speaking. Love is sensitive. It knows how to be silent in moments of great suffering.
(a) To say that love knows when to remain silent is not to belittle speech. Words are the vehicles for feelings and ideas that link soul to soul. I have the greatest admiration for those who are skilled in the gift of the right use of words. But words are powerful and can be dangerous. There are emotionally charged words that can excite to violence or that can rob another human being of his will to live. And there are great empowering words which, spoken at the right time, can heal and inspire.
(b) Paul tells us that love knows how to overlook faults, to keep silent in those moments when it would be far easier to form words to vent our anger or disappointment. Every parent knows that there are times in relationship to the growing child when the temptation to speak in anger is great. And surely everyone must fail, perhaps many times, to live up to the high standard. But after each failure love will rededicate itself to the high resolve: bear all things; overlook faults, slow to expose. “Ah, the terrible burden of love!”
(c) This dimension of love that calls upon us to bear all things is a hard saying, but then the best things of life are bought with a price. As one psychiatrist says, “It is easier to hate, but healthier to love.” What is needed is a religion that knows how to be firm without being inflexible; that hates the sin but loves the sinner; that is able to forgive and trust and respects the person who is different from us. This is the love that bears all things.
II. There is a further dimension to love that we must consider: “Love hopeth all things” In other words, “Love is always hopeful.” It never gives up. The good father is always hopeful that the prodigal son will come home again. Man cannot live without hope. He must always be able to hope that in any difficulty things will right themselves.
(a) No wonder that the other name we have for God is love. For love is the spirit of hope brooding over the darkness, coaxing light out of the shadows, giving form to that which is without form and void. It is the force that holds the world together, the organizing principle.
(b) Love is the positive force, playing over the darkness, yet never giving up. Even over the grave love never ends. After everything visible has been telescoped into the invisible, three things abide, faith, hope, love, but the greatest is love. It never gives up; it always begins again.
(c) When the wholeness of life is threatened love is the silent cohesive force that is always hopeful. It is the greatest force for good in the world. In the language of John the loving disciple of Christ, it was said, “Love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.” So we confidently say, “Our hope is in God,” for God is love and love never ends.
Amen
Synopsis
What God has done is love. But love demands a terrible burden.
I. Love bears all things. Love is sensitive. It knows how to be silent in moments of great suffering.
(a) To say that love knows when to remain silent is not to belittle speech.
(b) Paul tells us that love knows how to overlook faults, to keep silent in those moments when it would be far easier to form words to vent our anger or disappointment.
(c) It is easier to hate, but healthier to love.
II. Love is always hopeful. It never gives up.
(a) It is the force that holds the world together, the organizing principle.
(b) Three things abide, faith, hope, love, but the greatest is love.
(c) Love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.
讲道大纲
上帝为人所作的都是爱。但爱的负担是很沉重的。
I. 爱是凡事包容。它懂得在最痛苦的时候，默然不语。
甲．默然不语不是贬低言语的能力。
乙．不计算人的恶，就是不因人的错动怒。
丙．憎恨叫你发泄，但爱叫你健康。
II. 爱是凡事盼望。它永不放弃。
甲．它是把整个世界维系和组织的原则。
乙．如今长存的有信望爱，其中最大的是爱。
丙．上帝是爱，爱的人都是由上帝而生的并且认识上帝。

Sermon Date: 2009/3/22

2009-03-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/3/22
SCRIPTURE READING: I Corinthians 13:1-6
SERMON: Do What the Word Says
講道題目: 聽道行道
The Bible said, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”(James 1:22) God’s word is for us to do. Not for us to hear only. Paul said, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”(I Corinthians 13: 1-3) We heed what the word says by doing what love demands.
I. Paul tells us that love is faithful to the end. “Love is patient, long suffering and is kind.” It never gives up. It is the eternal spirit brooding over life’s brokenness, bringing light out of darkness, reducing chaos to order. Paul does not say that love is never discouraged, never makes mistakes; he simply says, “Love never ends.” It is deathless.
(a) During the excavations of the ruins of Pompeii it is reported that the workers came upon the skeletal remains of a mother and her child, with the mother’s arm under the child. There in the darkness and the dust, through centuries and centuries they lay, symbolic of the unending love of a good mother. “Ah, the terrible burden of love!”
(b) In the story of the prodigal son the father knew the dreadful burden of love. After months and months of wandering in a foreign environment, spending his resources foolishly against his father’s wishes, the lad came to himself. We are told that in the travail of his soul he decided to go back home, and hopefully he might be accepted as one of his father’s servants. What happened upon his return? The father saw him at a distance and went out to meet him. The love that had suffered long was patient and kind. What an opportunity to have chastised the lad! But there was not a word of bitterness. “Love keeps no score of wrongs.” For love it was a time to rejoice. “This is my son who was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” The family once broken was made whole again. And that which made it whole again was the endless love of a good father who had suffered long and was patient and kind. “Ah, the terrible burden of love!”
II. Let us note another dimension of love: “Love believes all things.” To some this may seem like credulity. The person who literally believes all things must be confused; a weak mind that is easily exploited. In the original Greek it helps us to a clearer understanding of Paul’s thinking. “Love is always eager to believe the best.” That makes sense.
(a) Admittedly this is a difficult standard to embrace. Psychologists have shown us that there is something within our nature which makes it easy for us to believe the worst. We have an appetite for bad news. At worst we may become scandalmongers and gossipers, dispensers of half- truths. There is something within human nature that makes it easy for us to rejoice in the failure of another human being. It was against such temptation that Jesus directed his warning, “Judge not lest you be judged.”
(b) This tendency to believe the worst has more than individual application. There are some who look at the whole of life in this manner. It is a destructive approach to life. But love, not blind to the failures and weaknesses of man, is always eager to believe the best. This is the creative force in life. Love begets love; it evokes good will and trust. Jesus was aware of the creative nature of love. He encouraged his disciples to take the tiny seeds of love and faith and hope and to nurture them so that they could multiply and conquer the evils of hate and discord.
(c) When Jesus selected those who would be most closely associated with him in kingdom work, he looked for people with obvious weaknesses as well as strength. Peter, a rough, impulsive man, under the love and teachings of the master blossomed into greatness of character. Love that is eager to believe the best is the redemptive force that often saves us from surrendering to the beast that is within us. We draw strength from those about us who are eager to believe the best about us.
A good and genuine Christian is distinguished from a bad and false one not by how much word he listened but by how much love he practiced. God’s word is not just knowledge that comes out from our mind. It is love from within that comes out through faith and through help from the power of the Holy Spirit. One day when we come before God, he will ask us not how much word we have heard but how much love we have practiced. Amen
Sermon Synopsis:
The Bible said, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”(James 1:22) Paul said, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal。” We heed what the word says by doing what love demands.
I. Love is patient, long suffering and is kind.
(a) Symbol of the unending love of a good mother.
(b) In the story of the prodigal son the father knew the dreadful burden of love.
II. Love believes all things.
(a) It is easy for us to believe the worst
(b) Love, not blind to the failures and weaknesses of man, is always eager to believe the best.
(c) We draw strength from those about us who are eager to believe the best about us.
One day when we come before God, he will ask us not how much word we have heard but how much love we have practiced.
讲道大纲
圣经上说，"只是你们要行道，不要单单听道，自己欺哄自己。"（雅1：22）保罗说，"我若能说万人的方言，并天使的话语，却没有爱，我就成了鸣的锣，响的钹一般。"（林前13：1）我们听道後，是要用爱把它行出来的。
I. 爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈。
甲．母亲的爱永不止息。
乙．浪子的父亲忍耐到底。
II. 爱是凡事相信。
甲．我们都喜欢信最坏的事情。
乙．爱不是盲目的不看人类的失败和弱点，而是凡事相信人的好处。
丙．我们是在相信我们的人面前得到力量的。
有一天我们站在上帝面前，上帝不会问我们听了多少道，却会问我们行了多少爱！
Pastoral Prayer:
O almighty God, from whom every good prayer comes, and who pours out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and supplication, deliver us, when we draw nigh to you, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thought and kindled affections we may worship you in spirit and in truth.
In this time of global economic recession we pray for patience of endurance. Experts predict that the recovery time may take months to a year or two. This is scary and we pray for your peace that can drive away fear. As more and more people are being laid off, and more and more people are desperately looking for jobs, we pray Lord that you would open up the resources so that they can find what they look for. We know many of our parishioners are seeking jobs. Give them guidance and directions that they know where to get hold of their opportunity. And when it takes time for them to see results, let them not be in despair but fill their hearts with hope and perseverance.
O Lord, open our eyes, that we may see the needs of others. Open our hearts, that they need not be without help. Let us not be afraid to defend the weak because of the strong, not afraid to defend the poor because of the rich. Show us where love and hope are needed, and use us to bring them to those places. Open our eyes and ears, that this day we may do some work of peace for you.
We pray for the new leadership of this church. We are thankful that new council is formed, and new ministries are starting out. We pray for the new Sunday school English adult class led by Brother Miguel Stack. We look forward to the young adults having more opportunity of receiving spiritual nourishment in this new program. We pray for the new series of home fellowship, where upon a systematic Bible study and discipleship training course will be launched. We are thankful that younger Sunday School children are having good religious training and they are presenting what they’ve learned and share with us through their songs in the service. We are excited about all these and many other programs and ask that God will bless our leaders to continue equipping our members in this meaningful way.
We are thankful Lord for keeping our parishioners safe during their travel. We are happy that the family of Joe Wong and Xu Dunqi have finished their vacation and are worshipping with us again in the service. As we travel in a world that sometimes seems a trackless, hostile wilderness, we ask that your Spirit sustain, encourage, and enable us to go on.
Let us recite the Lord’s Prayer now…
Amen.

Sermon Date: 2009/3/15

2009-03-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

DATE: 2009/3/15
SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 28:18-20
SERMON: Who should go out into the world?
講道題目: 誰要出去進入世界?

By now you should have been very familiar to the words I use when pronouncing the benediction. “Go out into the world in peace…” These words have a lot to say about you as a member of the church. A church does not cease to exist when the benediction is pronounced Sunday morning and the congregation leaves the sanctuary for home and return to the routine activities of the week.
(1) A church is as real when she is scattered as when she is gathered. She is as real when she is an invisible corporate body as when she is a visible congregation worshipping inside a beautiful building.
(2) When the church is scattered, when she is invisible, she is doing the work to which Christ sends her. This is implicit in Christ’s analogy of his disciples as salt: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”(Matt. 5:13) and seed: “The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one.”(Matt. 13:38) Salt and seed are useless in their gathered form. When they are put to use they are scattered, and they disappear—salt into food, seed into soil.
(3) Awareness and acceptance of this reality are pressing needs among believers today. Most of our thinking, talking, planning, and programming presupposes the church in her gathered, visible, corporate form. Her influence in the world is measured on this basis by result-oriented and result-obsessed administrators, and failure to see “success” in these terms intimidates and discourages the whole church.
(4) This inadequate view of the church and her mission should be readjusted to the right understanding of the great commission.
I. The focus of the commission traditionally has been on the word “go.” The emphasis, the challenge, the pressure, the mandate has been “go!”
(a) The measure of a congregation’s commitment in mission has been the number of people who have gone out into the world to preach and teach in a far off land, or it has been the amount given to those who go out into far off land to preach and teach.
(b) The word “go” has been identified almost exclusively with a relatively few professionals (the missionaries), who take specialized training for a work somewhere else. Generally speaking lands beyond an ocean have been thought of as the primary mission field, the place where those who are sent out into the world “go”.
(c) “Go” is not the only big word, the mandate, in the great commission. Nor was it intended that a relatively few “professional missionaries” be the only ones to take it seriously, unless we assume it was intended only for the Eleven. The mandate in the great commission is “make disciples…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.” The measure of our response is in terms of making disciples, not the number of converts or baptisms which are recorded in our book.
II. The word “go” as it is used in the great commission (Matt. 28:19) is for all the people of God, as demonstrated in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And in Acts 8:1, 4. “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”
(a) The word “go” is addressed to all the peoples of God with reference to their dispersion. It is as if Jesus said, “Go back out into the world” or “Wherever you are…make disciples.”
(b) Here is the exciting strategy of our Lord Jesus Christ. He scatters his church like salt and seed everywhere to accomplish his purposes. And everywhere she is dispersed she is enlisting and teaching followers of Christ. This is the work of the church, and it involves every single member.
(c) You are not alone, for Christ has promised to be with you with all authority. Christ has equipped you his servant with all that you need to do his work in the person of the Holy Spirit.
III. Why are you there? Is it not to make disciples?
(a) As a witness to Jesus Christ you are to share his reconciling, redemptive love. As an ambassador of Christ you are to beseech those nearby, in Christ’s stead, to be reconciled to God. You are there to share all you know and have experienced with others, that they might receive the benefits of the love of God for the world and conform to God’s will.
(b) This is something each and every one of you can do. As you learn you transmit your knowledge to another; as you grow you share your life with another. Think of the network of believers at any given moment scattered everywhere. Literally encircling the earth, penetrating all the institutions like salt in food, like seed in soil.
(c) In the economy of God every believer is called to full time service for Jesus Christ. You should accept your daily task as your holy vocation and accept the place you are in as the place where you are to do it. The work of the ministry belongs to all believers, and those who are professionals, such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers, are to equip them for this work. Paul said, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received…But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men…It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Eph. 4:1-12)
Who should go out into the world? You and I. Each and every one called by our Lord Jesus Christ. What are we to do when we go there? We make disciples for Christ. Amen..
Sermon Synopsis:
讲道大纲
一個教會並不是在主日崇拜祝福後散會就不再存在的。
（1）教會在分散時和聚集時都是同樣真實地存在著。
（2）當教會分散時，她是隱形地做基督要她作鹽作種籽的工作。
（3）我們設定教會工作只限於有形的看得見的事工。
（4）這個不完整的設定，須由大使命的真義去改正。
I．以往我們把大使命的焦點放在那個【去】字。
甲．以往我們捐錢和派人【去】世界外面傳福音。
乙．【去】成為了海外宣教士的任務。
丙．【去】不是大使命的唯一中心。【誰】和【做甚麼】才是。
II．【去】是指所有神的子民都要去。
甲．【去】是對所有分散的神的子民說的。
乙．耶穌把他的教會分散在地上，作鹽作種籽來完成他的旨意。
丙．你不會孤單，因為主把權柄賜給了你。
III．【去】是使人做主門徒。
甲．作為主的見證人，你可以與人分享主救贖的愛。
乙．這是每一個人都可以做的事。
丙．神預算所有信徒都是全時間的牧者。誰要去？你和我！去做甚麼？去叫人信耶穌。

sermon 2009/3/8

2009-03-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 6:5-9
SERMON: When You Pray
講道題目: 你们祷告的时候
Lent is the time for praying and fasting. We often want to ask why praying? Why fasting? Jesus never answered the question why but always answered the question when. Jesus often says when you pray…when you fast… That means praying and fasting are not questions of should we? Or would we? But they are questions of how we can do praying and fasting when we try.
I. We pray because we cannot help to do otherwise. We have a basic need as real as our need for food. Not to eat is silly. It is likewise silly not to pray, for as Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone” (Matt. 4:4). We never forget to eat when it is time to eat. But we often forget to pray when it is time to pray. Fasting is a way to remind us, do we yearn for praying as much as we yearn for food? If so we would easily skip one meal time and devote it to praying. No one can keep himself from the innate longing to be in touch with God, to know him to be close to him, and to seek to do His will. God searches us out; he yearns for us as we yearn for him.
II. Jesus’ disciples made the simple request, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). That is our plea too. Jesus leads us into the wonder of prayer, ever deepening, ever widening, ever growing as we persist and as we mature. Childish prayers are a good beginning, but as grown-ups we should know how to pray as mature men and women, never satisfied with merely asking for favours. We are content only when we can offer our total selves to God as a living sacrifice. This we do, first, through prayer, and secondly, we follow up our prayer with effective action.
III. Prayer is not an option in life. Prayer is not a panic button to press only when in extreme trouble. Prayer is conversation with God, presenting ourselves honestly before God. Prayer is listening as we hear what God wants to tell us. Prayer is practicing the presence of God in every moment.
(a) Jesus revealed that God is a loving friend as well as eternal judge. So prayer should be as easy and as natural and as irresistible as conversation with a friend whom one knows and trusts.
(b) One can pray anywhere and at any time, but it is only in the fellowship of faith that we hear God’s Word and respond to God’s initial acts of undeserved kindness. We Christians are protected from our whims of devotion by regular worship through the life of the church.
IV. There is much about prayer that we do not understand. Most puzzling is the question many people ask, “Why are my prayers not answered?” We dare not assume that there is only one answer to prayer, the answer we want to hear. God does not always deal with us that way. Nor do we give our children everything they ask for. Sometimes we must say “No.” Sometimes we must say, “Perhaps later, but not yet.” I believe that God does answer our every prayer, though it may not be in the way we expect or desire.
V. Surely God must yearn for conversation with us not only when we ask him for the necessities of life but also when we are thankful, when we are joyous, when we are filled with adoration and praise, and often when we must say we are sorry.
(a) The best way I know to begin to grow in the life of prayer is to pray for someone in particular who needs help. Pray for the sick, the afflicted, the troubled and the lonely. Quickly you will see how blessed, how fortunate you must be by comparison and how much more appropriate is your prayer of thanksgiving rather than one more request for yourself.
(b) It has been said that anyone who spends more time before a mirror than he spends on his knees in prayer is in love with himself. And that is a rejection of what the Christian religion is all about. The complication and troubles of life begin to get sorted out and straightened out when we can put God first, others second, and ourselves last.
This is not easy. But we can try. Here’s a good suggestion. 2009 Joint Mandarin Devotional Meeting will be held April 24-26 (Friday to Sunday) evenings 7:30 pm at the Emmanuel Alliance Church Ottawa. Theme title: “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed.” Theme speaker Rev. Felix Lau encourages us to enter into a program of fasting and praying relay which last 40 days starting from March 15 and ending on April 23. You can fast one meal per week. With another 20 people signing up one form we will cover every meal with a person praying and fasting for the devotional meeting. Please pray for personal need, church revival, families, seekers to the faith and all others that have specific needs when you fast. Please come to me after service for the sign up sheet. Amen
Sermon Synopsis:
Praying and fasting are not options but imperatives in this time of Lent.
I. We pray and fast because we cannot help to do otherwise.
II. We are content only when we can offer our total selves to God as a living sacrifice.
III. Prayer is practicing the presence of God in every moment.
IV. God does answer our every prayer, though it may not be in the way we expect or desire.
V. The complication and troubles of life begin to get sorted out and straightened out when we can put God first, others second, and ourselves last.
Let us enter into a program of fasting and praying relay which last 40 days starting from March 15 and ending on April 23. You can fast one meal per week. Please come to me for the sign up sheet.
讲道大纲
祷告和禁食是大斎节所强调，我们所须要做的事：
甲．我们祈祷禁食因为我们别无他法。
乙．我们心里没有满足除非我们把自己献上当作活祭。
丙．祷告是每时每刻与上帝同行。
丁．上帝必听祷告，虽然祂的答案不一定是我们想要的答案。
戊．我们的问题必得解决，如果我们把神放在第一，人第二，自己第三。
让我们实践一个40天连锁接力禁食祷告的活动。你可以一周禁食一餐，加上其他弟兄姊妹的努力，每天每餐都有人为培灵会祷告了。请向我索取签名表格。
Pastoral Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you fasted and prayed forty days in the wilderness, teach us how to pray in this time of Lent.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. We draw near to you with all holy reverence and confidence, coming as children to a father able and ready to help us as we pray together and for others. Enable us and others to glorify you in all that we do as we live and work in the creation that displays your power and mercy, and be pleased to dispose all things to your own glory.
Your kingdom come. We pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.
Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. We pray that you, by your grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to your will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. We pray that of your free gift we may receive a sufficient portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy your blessing with them.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. We pray that you, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins—and we are encouraged to ask this because by your grace we are able from the heart to forgive others.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We pray that you would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.
We pray for our parish concerns. As the 2009 Joint Mandarin Devotional Meeting will be held April 24-26 with entitled: “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed” help us to enter into a program of fasting and praying relay starting from March 15 and ending on April 23. Encourage us to fast at least one meal per week. While we fast inspire us to pray for personal need, for church revival, for families, for seekers to the faith and all others that have specific needs.
We pray for our parishioners. We thank you for looking after Lin Li Ru during the past months when she is recuperating from her heart condition. We thank you for keeping Lai Wei Chee and her husband Richard healthy and strong and that they are starting a restaurant business again in the spring. We thank you for watching over Joe Wong and his wife En Wei while they are having vacation in Hai Nan Dao for a month. We pray that you will watch over XuDunQi and his wife ZhengXingFei as they are leaving town with their son’s family for vacation for two weeks. We pray for Cui Guang Ming as he is doing some work in China now. We pray for his wife Ge Qin and son who are continuing to work and study in Canada. We continue to pray for Peter Lee as his Parkinson is giving him a hard time but is doing quit well lately.
We take our encouragement in prayer from you only, and in our prayers we praise you, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to you. Let us recite the Lord’s prayer now…
Amen.

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/3/8

2009-03-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

DATE: 2009/3/8

本周默想分享
耶稣说：虚心的人有福了，因为天国是他们的。意思是说：肯虚心承认自己是灵性贫穷的人是有福的，因为天国，即灵性丰富的地方，是他们的。在路加福音第六章20-26节，耶稣更直接地说：你们贫穷的人有福了，因为神的国是你们的！你们饥饿的人有福了，因为你们将要饱足！你们哀哭的人有福了，因为你们将要嬉笑！人为人子恨恶你们，拒绝你们，辱骂你们，弃掉你们的名，以为是恶的，你们就有福了。当那日，你们要欢喜跳跃，因为你们在天上的赏赐是大的！他们的祖宗待先知也是这样。很明显这些话是对信耶稣的人讲的。因为信耶稣的人都是灵性贫穷的人。
但对於灵性丰富的人，耶稣有另一翻话对他们说。耶稣说：但你们富足的人有祸了，因为你们受过你们的安慰！你们饱足的人有祸了，因为你们将要饥饿！你们嬉笑的人有祸了，因为你们将要哀恸哭泣！人都说你们好的时候，你们就有祸了，因为他们的祖宗待假先知也是这样！很明显这些话是对不信耶稣的人，比如那些法利赛人讲的。
法利赛人所信的上帝和耶稣所信的上帝有一个很大的分别。法利赛人信的上帝是一个富足人的上帝，饱足人的上帝，嬉笑人的上帝，人都说他们是好人的上帝。但耶稣所信的上帝是一个贫穷人的上帝，饥饿人的上帝，哀哭人的上帝，被人恨恶，拒绝，辱骂，身败名裂的人的上帝。旧约时的真先知，就是这样被人对待的。
今天不少的信徒，去教会只想找那个富足人的上帝，饱足人的上帝，嬉笑人的上帝，灵性上被人称赞的人的上帝。他们不想找那个贫穷人的上帝，饥饿人的上帝，哀哭人的上帝，灵性上身败名裂的人的上帝。他们认为自己是强者，只能找那个配做强者的人的上帝。他们不能容忍，也不能接受一个弱者的上帝做他们的上帝。这样的信徒，一天不改变他们的上帝观，一天他们都不会找到耶稣所信的上帝的。
灵性贫穷的人有福了，REV.GERRY FULLER 领查经班的时候，曾说灵性贫穷的人就是承认自己是一个灵性破产的人。让我们在大斋节的期间，向神谦卑，忏悔，认罪。让我们放胆的，真诚的对神，也对人这样的说：我是一个灵性破产的人，你可以饶恕接纳我吗？

Spiritual Thought for the Week
Jesus says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What he means is this: Blessed are those who humbly admit they are spiritually poor, for the kingdom of heaven which is the dominion of spiritual richness belongs to them. In Luke 6:20-26, Jesus says it even more plainly. He says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.”Obviously these words were said to the people who believed in Jesus. They were people who were spiritually poor.
But for those who were spiritually rich, Jesus had some other words to say to them. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.”Obviously these words were spoken to those who did not believe in Jesus, like the Pharisees for instance.
The God the Pharisees believe and the God Jesus believes have a lot of difference. The Pharisees believe in a God who belongs to the rich, the well fed, the laughing, and the ones who are well spoken of. But Jesus believes in a God who belongs to the poor, the hungry, the weeping, the ones who are hated, excluded, and insulted, and the ones whose names are rejected as evil. In Old Testament times, the true prophets were treated like wise.
Today many believers go to church to find the God who belongs only to the rich, the well fed, the laughing and the ones who are well famed spiritually. They do not want to see the God who belongs to the poor, the hungry, the weeping and the ones who are spiritually incompetent. They think they are strong and deserve to have a God who is comparatively strong. They can not accept a God who belongs to the weak. Such believers will never find the God Jesus believes until they are willing to change their understanding of God.
Blessed are the poor in spirit. In one of our Bible study sessions Rev. Gerry Fuller paraphrased this line by saying this. Blessed are those who admit they are spiritually bankrupt. In this Lenten season, let us humble ourselves, repent our sins and ask God for forgiveness. Let us concede boldly but sincerely, both to God and to men and truthfully say, “I am spiritually bankrupt. Please forgive me. Will you please accept me?”

sermon 2009/3/1

2009-02-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

DATE: 2009/3/1
SCRIPTURE READING: Col. 3:5-14
SERMON: Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
讲道题目: 主怎样饶恕了你，你也要怎样饶恕人。
Today’s scripture talks about the transformation of the Christian in character and conduct. Paul here uses the method of contrast to make his point; he contrasts the old and the new, the good and the bad. His point is that the gospel completely transforms the believer, making him a new person.
I. Being a Christian requires a “putting off.”This is a foundation of everything Paul understood by the Christian faith. He believed deeply that one who becomes a Christian must put some things behind him. Christianity is a new way of life. It means giving up some former practices or attitudes, a change we call “conversion.”However obvious this may seem, it is often at this point that the church fails. When someone comes to unite with the church we welcome him, we congratulate him, and surely we should do this. But how often do we confront him with the real and difficult demands of the gospel? How often do we say, “There are some things you have to leave behind”? We hardly ever speak so bluntly. We don’t wish to offend. Paul was not timid about this. He spoke plainly and clearly: “seeing that you have put off the old nature.” We should be so blunt with ourselves. Have we put off some things? Are we done with the type of things Paul lists: anger, slander, foul talk? Paul is right in saying that those who are Christians ought to be rid of these things.
II. Being a Christian requires a “putting on.”Paul was not content to be negative. He was not concerned with only reminding Christians what they must give up. He said also that the Christian must “put on the new nature”. He must become a new person in Christ. There is an important lesson here. We tend to define Christianity in terms of what we don’t do. We don’t curse, we don’t cheat on our spouses, we don’t steal from our customers, and we don’t ell lies. This misses the whole point. The Christian should be known by the positive things his life stands for. His life should be an indication of the freedom that was evident in Jesus, the freedom from the law that Paul constantly referred to. To put on the new nature was, to Paul, a positive thing. What are the positive evidences of the new birth? Paul lists some of them: compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, patience, and love. These are the things by which the Christian ought to be known.
III. Being a Christian requires forgiving one another. Paul’s point is that putting on the new nature has great results. Those who are truly changed will give evidence of it is their relationship with others. Because they are Christians they will regard other brothers and sisters in an entirely different light. What is the result of becoming Christian? It is brotherhood. For the Christian such distinctions as Jew and Greek, slave and free man do not hold any longer. In our time the Christian looks at another without seeing a Chinese man, or a Caucasian man, or a Latino man, or a black man, or a poor man or a foreign man. He sees a brother. The classifications so casually applied are no longer valid. Christians see their brothers and sisters as people whom Christ has forgiven. “Christ in All,” in Paul’s words. Paul pointed to what we ought to see, what we need to see, but often what we often refuse to see. The relationship of men to Christ overcomes all human relationships and destroys the barriers we have built to separate us from our brothers.
“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”(Col.3:13-14) In this season of Lent let us confess our sins to God and receive God’s forgiveness so that we can forgive one another too.
Let me be the first one to make a confession. Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ. In the past I have sinned against you. I told you a lie. I said I dreamed one day I will fill up the pews in this church. I was boasting when I said those words. I was glorifying myself and not glorifying God when I said those words. I am sorry. I cheated you. Will you forgive me? I sincerely ask you for your forgiveness. Will you forgive me? Those who will, please, raise up your hands. Thank you. Now I am speaking to those who do not put up their hands. I want you to know I confessed my sin to God. And God told me He had forgiven me. So I am not worry even though you do not forgive me today. I pray that you will go home tonight and ask God for forgiveness. God will forgive you if you ask sincerely. Then next week you will come back and tell me, you can forgive me. Then we will all work together as one church to deal with this corporate sin of the church.
Before I end this sermon I want to step down from the pulpit and receive that blessing of forgiveness from you. Can those of you who just raised their hands come out and give me a hug to tell me you have forgiven me? I want to hear those words of forgiveness once again from your own mouth... Amen.

Sermon Synopsis:
Today’s scripture talks about the transformation of the Christian in character and conduct.
I. Being a Christian requires a “putting off.”
II. Being a Christian requires a “putting on.”
III. Being a Christian requires forgiving one another.
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

讲道大纲
今天的经文讲到基督徒品格和行为的改变。
甲．基督徒要脱去旧人。
乙．基督徒要穿上新人。
丙．基督徒要彼此饶恕。
倘若这人与那人有嫌隙，总要彼此包容，彼此饶恕；主怎样饶恕了你们，你们也要怎样饶恕人。在这一切之外，要存着爱心，爱心就是联络全德的。

sermon 2009/2/22

2009-02-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

DATE: 2009/2/22
SCRIPTURE READING: Hebrews 10:32-39
SERMON: Be a Man of Integrity
讲道题目: 做个有诚信的人
A man of integrity is one who is true to himself; to his God; and to his fellow men. He prays like the Psalmist did, “let the Lord judge the peoples. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.”(Psalm 7:8)
Integrity is a searching word. It probes us at every level of our personal, social, and religious life. The high summons of God is that we become truly integrated personalities.
I. A man of integrity is emotionally true to himself. Emotional integrity is an imperative. Parents and teachers alike have been too little concerned about this aspect of life. The disciplines of home and school have been aimed to promote social behavior but have neglected the emotions which determine behavior. Children have been taught how to think but not how to feel. As a result the emotional life of an individual is in anarchy. Love and hate, fear and confidence, desire and aversion are in perpetual conflict. Only a man of integrity can acknowledge the true feelings to himself.
II. A man of integrity is intellectually true to God. Intellectual integrity is too often neglected if not scorned. We use our minds to discover the facts which please us and ignore those which disturb our complacency. We put interpretations on our experiences which inflate our spiritual pride but which are not justified by critical intelligence. We do not set our wits to work on a problem at all, trusting God to guide us. We fail to realize that God has never offered to be a guide to lazy minds. Loving God with all our minds means using our minds to discover truth. Unless we love truth we do not love God, for God is truth. Unless we accept our responsibility to learn his truth for ourselves and to receive truth from whatever source we do not love God, for all truth is God’s truth. Frightened obscurantism and blind faith are not integrity but the absence of it.
III. A man of integrity is morally true to others. Moral integrity is often less realized though perhaps more appreciated. We are all sinners. Some find it difficult to admit that. The Pharisee is still among us: “God I thank thee that I am not as other men.” However others of us are ready to confess moral failure. That confession is both intelligent and honest. But it also means that we have not achieved integrity; a part of us condemns what another part of us indulge, and that is a wretched state of soul. No one is as miserable as the man who must point an accusing finger at himself. No scorn wounds like self-scorn. No accusation slays like self-accusation. Abraham Lincoln knew the transcendent importance of moral integrity: “I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me.” When one is his own friend, when one can be at home with himself, all of him, then one knows the true meaning of integrity. Then one can be a friend both to God and to men.

A man of integrity is a man who is sincere and trustworthy. He knows what he is doing. When he starts a job he will not leave it undone until it is completely finished. A Christian is a man who by the grace of his saviour Jesus Christ does the will of God until his life purpose is accomplished. In Hebrews 10:36, it says, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” The mission of a Christian is to accomplish the will of God. This is the way to heaven, the fulfilment of the covenant and the assurance of blessedness. Such undertaking is not easy because selfish desire always gets in the way. Pride and self centeredness may not seem to be obvious sins. But when we recognize they are derived from the flesh, we know they are in conflict with the will of God. Do we listen to the voice of our earthly nature or do we listen to the voice of the Divine will? This is a stern and hard spiritual war we have to fight everyday. If we don’t stand up against the foe, we will never be able to advance in our spiritual pilgrimage.
The foremost important procedure is to recognize that God’s way is the best way. God’s will is the best will. Even though sometimes our way seems to prevail over God’s way, yet eventually we reap failure and disaster. The outcome produces nothing for us in this life. Not to mention in the life after. So lets not pray for our own will be done. Pray for God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Why wouldn’t we pray for God’s will be done? The reason is not because we don’t know His will. It is because we don’t want His will be done. We do not want to surrender our will under God’s will. It is time we should ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for us and grant us that willingness. In Romans 8:27, it says, “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” If we surrender our will to Jesus, then he would, “equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him.” (Hebrews 13:21)
A man of integrity will see to it that God’s will be done. He will not rest until he finishes his job. “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.” (Acts 13:36)
Amen.
Sermon Synopsis:
A man of integrity is one who is true to himself; to his God; and to his fellow men.
I. A man of integrity is emotionally true to himself.
II. A man of integrity is intellectually true to God.
III. A man of integrity is morally true to others.
A man of integrity is a man who is sincere and trustworthy. He knows what he is doing. When he starts a job he will not leave it undone until it is completely finished. A Christian is a man who by the grace of his savior Jesus Christ does the will of God until his life purpose is accomplished.

讲道大纲
一个有诚信的人是一个对自己，对神，对别人，都绝对真诚的人。
（一）一个有诚信的人能够在情感上面对自己。
（二）一个有诚信的人能够在理智上面对上帝。
（三）一个有诚信的人能够在道德上面对别人。
一个有诚信的人是一个忠实可靠的人。他知道自己在做什么。他开始了一件工作，一定把它做完才会离开。一个基督徒就是靠着救主耶稣基督的恩典，贯撤始终，完成上帝在他生命中要完成之旨意的人。

Pastoral Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Help us to really know you, to bless, worship, and praise you for all your works and for all that shines forth from them: your almighty power, wisdom, kindness, justice, mercy, and truth. Help us to direct all our living—what we think, say, and do—so that your name will never be blasphemed because of us but always honored and praised.
Your kingdom come. Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you. Keep your church strong, and add to it. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force that revolts against you and every conspiracy against your Word. Do this until your kingdom is so complete and perfect that in it you are all in all.
Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey your will without any back talk. Your will alone is good. Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven.
Let us pray for those who suffer from illness, Elderly Sister Wu Huang Mei Jin, Elderly Sister Zhu Ying, the family of Brother Pan Wen. People who suffer from the pain of memory, from torture, from victimization, especially those hurt by the church or its members…
Let us pray for those who are hungry, or homeless, or poor, and for those who are unemployed, like people in the oil industry in Alberta, people in the auto industry in the US, or people who are exploited…
Let us pray for the coming of justice in the world, assured by the recent visit of the US President Barack Obama, that USA and Canada will continue to lead the world in freedom and democracy, we offer what we have, and receive what we need of the earth’s beauty…
Let us pray for peace that is a just reconciliation, in the Middle East, in Afghanistan, in Iraq etc.,
Let us pray for the earth on which we walk and to which we will one day return…
God our creator, you made all things in your wisdom, and in your love you save us. We pray for the whole creation. Overthrow evil powers, right what is wrong, feed and satisfy those who thirst for justice, so that all your children may freely enjoy the earth you have made and joyfully sing your praises.
Now teach us how to pray by reciting the Lord’s prayer…

Sermon Date: 2009/2/15

2009-02-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

DATE: 2009/2/15
SCRIPTURE READING: Phil. 2:1-8
SERMON: Same Attitude as Christ’s
讲道题目: 以基督的心為心
Paul challenged us to have the same attitude in us which was in Christ Jesus. As we think of these things three persistent questions demand our honest consideration.
I. Who are we?
(a) In every area of life it is important to know who you are. Nothing is as important as when you seek to fulfill your purpose in life.
(b) What a heartening faith—that we are creatures made for God, that our spirits are restless until they find their rest in him, that only in God’s will is our peace, that we carry the image of God as we live our earthly life.
(c) The clue to understanding who we are is not to be found in the world of nature beneath us but in the world of God above us. When we look to Christ we see mirrored in his eyes of love the person we are meant to be. When we know whose we are we know who we are.
II. Why are we here?
(a) There is sometime in every man’s life, when he is a philosopher and ask himself the question “why?” We are not content just to make a living; we also want to make a life. We sense that life holds a purpose even though the purpose is sometimes not clear to us.
(b) We come from God, we live for God, and we return to God. God has a purpose and plan for everyone. Not the years in our life, but the life in our years, is of supreme importance. When we live for God we find life illumined by the wonder of his friendship and we know why we are here.
III. Where are we going?
(a) Does life have a destination as well as a direction? Is our activity purposeful in the sense that we are going somewhere or is it like the scrambling of little feet in a squirrel cage, much energy but no progress?
(b) If we live for God we know that heaven is our destination. God not only lifts a standard beneath which we march; he also flings before us the vision of his eternal world where the good life finds fulfillment in the perfect fellowship of moral love.
(c) To understand earth we must know heaven. It is the light of eternity that lights our pilgrimage in time. This is a good world, and our life in it has a glorious goal. That goal is when Jesus returns we have the same attitudes as Christ has.

Today is Annual Congregational Meeting Sunday. We hold this meeting year after year. Is it a formality we have to go through or is it a vision we have to affirm every year? Paul knew what he was doing in the church when he admonished Titus in these words: “while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13). Without vision and hope, a man will run without any aim. He will work but lacks incentive. Many believers turn into neither hot nor cold followers because they miss this vision. They go after success which promises them worldly results. They end up in vanity. They feel deceived. They thought they came with a noble reason. But now they leave with their worldly purpose not being realized.
What advice can we give to such unfortunate people? The Bible gives us a very clear direction. It calls us back to the vision. If we grab hold of this vision, other pieces will fall into place. This vision is nothing but the waiting for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we have this vision and hope, we are the most blessed believers of Christ. When we have hope, our fear is gone, our path is straightened, our spiritual life has direction, our destination is focused and our strength is renewed.
Let us ask ourselves these questions every day. Are we hoping for Christ’s glorious appearing? Are we welcoming His return? Are we ready any time for His return? Or are we caught up with another endeavor for another hope? Is that other hope taking up all of our time and energy leaving us no time for Christ’s return? If we lose our vision, our loss will be great and irreversible. Regrets will not get us anywhere. But repentance will. There is not much time left. We will never have enough time to get ready for Jesus’ appearing. Why bother wasting time on other hopes and goals?
Whenever we lose the hope of Christ’s return, our problems arise, our progress stop, our spiritual life decline. Let us have the same attitude that Christ has which attracts us like magnet attracts iron. The vision is to have the same attitude in us which was in Christ Jesus. Let us put aside things that get in our way and strive on the journey until one day we meet our Lord face to face.

Amen.
Sermon Synopsis
讲道大纲
能够做到以基督的心为心,首先要回答三个问题:
I. 我是谁?
(甲) 我是一个要找人生意义的人.
(乙) 我是为了神而被造的.
(丙) 当我们知道自己是属於谁的时候,我们就知道自己是谁了.
II. 我为甚麽在这里?
(甲) 我不甘心只渡日子而不是活着做人.
(乙) 上帝对每个人都有计画和目的.
III. 我往哪里去?
(甲) 生命是有方向和目的的.
(乙) 我们若为神而活,我们就知道天堂是我们的目的地.
(丙) 要明白地上的事,必须首先明白天上的事.
保罗知道自己在做甚麽,他说:等候所盼望的福,并等候至大的神和我们救主耶稣基督的荣耀显现.(提多书2:13)我们每天都要这样问自己,是否有这个盼望.倘若有的话,我们就可以以基督的心为心,快乐平安的度日,直到见主面.

Pastoral Prayer:
Our most gracious heavenly Father, your spirit meets us in the valley of shadows as well as on the mountaintop of triumph, we come before you in this hour of worship, praying that you would sustain our spirits this day.
Sustain us as we seek to understand ourselves. We pledge ourselves to be the cause for which your Son gave himself, but then in unguarded moments we reveal attitudes and actions that are unworthy of his love. Speak to our hearts of your forgiving grace, set our minds on the lofty heights of fulfillment, and send us on our way.
Sustain us, O Lord, in our relationships with our fellow men. Plant within our hearts the seeds of trust that will allow us to reach out unafraid to those around us. Give us vision to see the refinement that is a part of every heart, though it might not be perceived at first glance. Remove from us, O Lord, feelings of suspicion, bitterness, mistrust, and cynicism that rise against our souls like waves that pound the rocky shore.
Sustain us, O God, in life at home with our families. As it was Valentine’s Day yesterday we pray for husbands and wives and for intimate lovers. So often we leave our loved ones at home when we enter the sanctuary which in fact is our dwelling place for love. Alert us, we pray, to the intimate needs that go unnoticed day after day because we are preoccupied with less important concerns. Let love flow unchallenged through the dry, parched land that we might glimpse what it means to speak of the redemptive love of Christ to our family love ones.
Sustain this nation, our father, we pray. When Canada as well as other countries in the world is plunging into the economic depression we ask for God’s mercy and deliverance from our predicament. As the US president has signed a new law to stimulate economic growth, we ask that it will benefit Canada too. We pray that Americans will buy not only from America but also from Canada. Remove the weeds of bitterness that have strangled our sensitivity to the needs of other people. Show us what reconciliation really means and help us to understand it when we see it.
Sustain the church we pray. As we are having the annual congregational meeting today, we pray for loyalty and faithfulness of all the members in this congregation. Help us to prepare ourselves for the other that lies ahead within your vineyard. Hold our tongues when we would speak pious but empty words. Let actions and attitudes stand side by side so that others will know that the church is indeed alive and at work in this world.
Sustain our spirits now as we come before your altar in prayer. Hear our innermost thoughts and bring your healing spirit forth to meet the uncountable needs that are ours this day.
We thank you Lord, for answered prayers that Brothers Yan Jian’s grand daughter Xia Ming Yu has had a very successful heart operation last week in Tian Jin. We pray for Sister Zhai Xiao Mei who had a car accident two weeks ago. Lord you protected her from physical injury. Although monetary loss was substantial, we thank you Lord for watching over her with your guardian angels. We thank you Lord for looking after Sister Au Yang Yan Hong after her fall on the ice last Saturday night. We pray for her continue healing.
And now teach us how to pray by saying the Lord’s Prayer together…

Sermon Date: 2009/2/8

2009-02-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

SCRIPTURE READING: Gal. 5:1-15
SERMON: Faith and Freedom in Christ
讲道题目: 信耶穌，得自由

Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians when Christians there were facing a crisis in the faith. Paul said, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Gal. 1:7) These people insisted that although salvation was accomplished by Jesus Christ, Christians still had to follow certain rules and regulations before they would be accepted as completely saved. To denounce such misleading teaching Paul said these words in today’s Scripture lesson, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”(Gal. 5:1)
Misleading teachings occurred in the churches of Paul’s time. Misleading teachings also occur in the churches of our time. We are in the midst of challenges in the faith. We are in the midst of conflicts in the church. This is the tension in which we live. Where do we take our stand? How are we responding?

I. We must really listen to the challenges that are being raised.
(1) The scribes and Pharisees refused to listen to Jesus. He came to them with the truth that would have liberated them from their error and brought them to God and eternal life. They did not like what they were hearing, so they silenced his voice by crucifixion.
(2) Is anybody listening today? Are we listening? Surely not all challenging voices are speaking the truth. Some are vomiting filth that can only be sourced in the Devil himself. Many protest voices are motivated by sheer negative emotions and self-centeredness. But we must keep on listening, discerning as best we can truth from error. By remaining sensitive to the truth, we will repent when sin and hypocrisy are exposed in us; we will be willing to change when change is needed; we will do what is right where injustice prevails; and we will provide enlightened opinion leadership within the circles of our influence. We must listen to the voices that are now being raised, for we know not when nor from where the voice of truth will be speaking.

II. We must live by established principles. These are difficult days in which we live. Time and time again we are confronted with the necessity of making a decision. How do we stand fast in this kind of a world? The principles that brought us to faith and freedom under God have not changed.
(1) There must be a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. What does this mean? It means we are cleansed, pardoned, and set free from the guilt of all past sins by the virtue of God’s grace and not our own works, no matter how good they may appear. God’s grace is in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. When our eyes are opened to behold this wondrous love and by faith, we respond to him and accept him as Saviour. Then and only then do we come into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
(2) Lest your commitment to Jesus Christ becomes too subjective and becomes sentimentalized, too easily moulded and adapted to the accepted life styles which are typical of the 21st century, remember that you are committed to Jesus Christ as he is revealed in the Scriptures. The most memorable and the most important legacy for freedom was Martin Luther’s declaration: “My conscience is captive to the word of God. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.”
(3) A Christian is called by God to live as a man for others. This is the “universal priesthood of all believers.” This affirms, not only that each Christian believer had freedom to pray to God directly, through Jesus Christ himself, but also to serve others through love. The pastor has no privilege on God when it comes to intercessory prayer, and surely when one intercedes on behalf of another at the throne of grace, he is performing the function of a priest.
(4) As Christian freedom is not license to do as I please in the indulgence of my flesh, so Christian freedom is not freedom to do as I please irrespective of the welfare of my neighbour. Thus Paul said, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Gal. 5:14) Love cannot exploit a neighbour for selfish or personal reason.

Our faith and freedom under God is established by our commitment to Jesus Christ as personal Saviour, our serious acceptance of the Scriptural norm, our obedience to God’s call to live as a man for others and to live in obedience to God’s will. Amen.

Sermon Synopsis
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”(Gal. 5:1) We are in the midst of challenges in the faith. Where do we take our stand?
I. We must really listen to the challenges that are being raised.
(1) The scribes and Pharisees refused to listen to Jesus.
(2) We must keep on listening, discerning as best we can truth from error.
II. We must live by established principles.
(1) There must be a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as personal Saviour.
(2) You are committed to Jesus Christ as he is revealed in the Scriptures.
(3) A Christian is called by God to live as a man for others.
(4) Christian freedom is not license to do as I please in the indulgence of my flesh.
Our faith and freedom under God is our obedience to God’s call to live as a man for others and to live in obedience to God’s will.

讲道大纲
"基督释放了我们,叫我们得以自由,所以要站立得稳,不要再被奴仆的轭挟制"(加拉太书5:1).我们生活在一个信仰受挑战的时代里.我们怎样才能站立得住呢?
I. 我们要听挑战的声音.
(1) 法利赛人和文士都不肯听耶稣的.
(2) 我们要听下去,才能分辨是非.
II. 我们要建立原则.
(1) 要接受耶稣基督为个人救主.
(2) 要向圣经所启示的耶稣基督委身.
(3) 基督徒被神呼召为别人而活.
(4) 基督徒的自由不是放纵情欲.
信耶稣得自由我们便能够顺服神为别人而活.

Pastoral Prayer:
When the day breaks and the shadows flee away, our hearts awake, O God, in gratitude to you. Your peace is our enduring treasure, and your presence our delight. What are we that you have taken knowledge of us and redeemed us by the gift of your beloved Son! Uphold our strength that we may labor joyfully as children in the free service of the Father’s house. Remember us in your merciful kindness every hour of the day that we may be content in you. Show us yourself in even fuller measure that our peace may flow as a river and our joy endure forevermore. Holy Spirit be the Helper of the friends whom you have given. Make our homes glad with your presence. You have filled our lives with cheer; help us to carry it to others by true witness of your power in cheerful days. And for your love in Jesus Christ our Lord, the love that brightens all our days, our hearts shall bless you evermore.
As election day is coming in one week’s time, we pray for the leadership of this church. We thank God for the faithful service of last year’s church council under the leadership of chairman Brother Frank Pan. We pray for continued wisdom, discernment and intelligence for members in the new council. We pray for economy recovery for our nation as well as for the world. Unemployment rate has risen to an unprecedented high this month. We pray for families whose bread winners are in search of jobs or in between jobs. Eternal God, you knew us before we were born and will continue to know us after we have died. Touch all who suffer in this job market depression time. Anoint them with your grace and presence. As you give your abiding care, assure them of our love and presence. Assure them that our communion together remains secure, and that your love for them is unfailing.
We pray for those who need healing. O Christ, our Lord, in times past many servants of yours brought their friends and loved ones to your side, that they might be blessed and healed. So today we bring to your attention those who need your loving touch. For Sister Yang Yu’s allergy rash, for Elderly Sister Wu Huang Mei Jin’s eye sight after cataract operation, for Sister Amy Yi’s eczema in the fingers, and for Brother Yan’s grand daughter’s heart condition. We lift them up before you. Please look on our faith, small as it is, bring your healing and your peace upon them. Almighty and everlasting God, you can banish all affliction both of soul and of body, show forth your power upon those in need, that by your mercy they may be restored to serve you afresh in holiness of living.
And now teach us how to pray by saying the Lord’s prayer together…

Spiritual Thought for the Week 2009/2/1

2009-01-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

本周默想分享
以色列王国的分裂是始於罗波安和耶罗波安的对抗。罗波安在耶路撒冷的圣殿，神的面前，领导国家。耶罗波安却在伯特利和但铸造了两个金牛犊，对众民说，以色列人哪，你们上耶路撒冷去，实在是难。这就是领你们出埃及地的神。。。这事叫百姓陷在罪里。因为他们往但去，拜那牛犊。（王上12：20-33）
主耶稣来到世上的目的，不但是将人从罪恶救出来，也是将人带到神面前，完全归给神。祂钉十字架流血，复活，升天，就是为人开创一条到神那里去的路。神舍去祂的独生子，为了要得着我们，在他面前成为圣洁，毫无瑕疵。但今天有多少信徒是真的来到神面前，也把人带到神面前，完全归给神呢？
我们的教会只将人领到十字架那里，求恩，得救是不够的。我们还要将人领到神的宝座前，否则我们还没有完成使命。因为主的宝血是为我们亲近神，开了一条又新又活的路。我们的教会必须带领信徒追求良善，勿以恶报恶，勉励灰心的，扶助软弱的，常常喜乐，不住地祷告，凡事谢恩，与弟兄姊妹彼此和睦，活在神的面前，让神得到喜悦和荣耀。
正如保罗劝勉歌罗西教会的信徒说，“劝诫各人，教导各人，要把各人在基督里完完全全引到神面前。”（西1：28）
到神面前是人最需要的。神是宇宙的中心，万有的主宰，万福的泉源，找到了别的东西而没有找到神，那是太可惜了。谁能与神相比呢？祂是真神，也是永生。在祂那里有永远的福分，无穷的喜乐，今生既可以预尝，将来更要完全得着。
所以将人带到神的面前，是我们教会也是每一个教友，唯一追求的路径和目标。牛年已到，我们有甚麽新春大计吗？唯愿我们不要学耶罗波安，只把人带到喜欢拜金牛犊，不喜欢重返圣殿的罪恶里。要学罗波安归回耶路撒冷的圣殿，来到神的面前。

Spiritual Thought for the Week
The split of the kingdom of Israel began when Rehoboam combated with Jeroboam. Rehoboam led the country by presenting the Lord in the Jerusalem temple to the people. In the mean time Jeroboam made two golden calves. One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there. (I Kings 12:28-30)
The purpose of Jesus Christ coming to this world is not only to deliver man out of the bondage of sin but also that He can present God to man and lead man back to God. He was crucified, bled, died, resurrected and ascended to heaven for the sole purpose that He can present us the love of God. God gave His only begotten Son to us for the sole purpose that we can come back to Him and worship Him. I wonder how many Christians really know their mission to present God to others so that others will present themselves to God.
Our church may bring people to the cross to seek blessings and get salvation. But this is not enough. We have to bring people to come before the throne of our gracious God Otherwise our job is only half way done. The blood of our Lord has opened up a new way of coming before God. Our task is to present the love of God to people so that people will respond to his love in a lively way. They will live in peace with each other. They will encourage the timid, help the weak, and be patient with everyone. They will make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. They will be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances. Because this is God’s will for them in Christ Jesus.
This is the task of the church. Paul defined our task in his letter to the Colossians, “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.”(Colossians 1:28)
Bringing man to come before God is the best work we can do to man. Man needs God. God is the source of all goodness, happiness and blessings. Bringing man to come before another man will only bring idol worship which leads to nothing but vanity and disappointment.Let us follow the example of Rehoboam who led his people to return to Jerusalem and worship the Lord. Let us refrain from following the example of Jeroboam who led people into idol worship which brings nothing but vanity and futility.