2015年8月30日 星期日

2015夏令特會主題1 以認識神為至寶

《以認識神為至寶》

參考資料取自士林錫安堂網頁

  • 神想讓人認識祂,所以祂是有名字的;人的名字有時只是他的代稱,名字有「富」不一定很有錢,名字有「力」不見得很有力量。但神的名字都表現祂的本性與作為。
  • 自古以來,神臨到一個人,常伴隨著啓示出祂一個名字,讓人更認識祂某一個屬性。聖經中有些聖徒一生的經歷,就成為神某個名字的詮釋。
  • 像亞伯拉罕的一生,與「全能全豐全足的神」這個名字相連;雅各為他的一生下了一個註腳:「一生牧養我直到今日的神」;大衛則使神能將祂好幾個名字留在世上:好牧人、君王、基督受膏者、奇妙、策士。
  • 神有時主動以祂的創造,或是安排,以象徵方式來介紹或表明祂自己;像公義的太陽、明亮的晨星、火、江河、大磐石、葡萄樹、獅子,甚至母雞!還有逾越節的羊羔、嗎哪等。
  • 舊約時代神最偉大的名字可能是「耶和華」,共出現六千多次;表達了神奧祕超越的屬性。英文譯成「I Am Who I Am我是我所是」,說出了神的自主實存、永恆性、無限性、包羅萬有。
  • 約翰福音記述著,神兒子道成肉身時,有時自稱「我是」,很可能祂用的正是「耶和華」這偉大的名字。你可以在後面加上許多東西,約翰提到祂是神的羔羊,是活水泉,是生命的糧,是世界的光,是生命的光,是好牧人,是羊的門,是復活,是生命,是真理,是道路等等,祂是一切,又在一切之內。
  • 也許新約時代最偉大的名字就是「耶穌」了!這名字表明了神來道成肉身,取了人性,而且成全了偉大的救贖。
  • 神不只用祂的名字來使我們認識祂,祂也在祂的道,就是聖經裡啓示祂自己;祂也用祂與人交往的歷史與經歷,使人將對祂的認識傳承下來。還有,祂所造的大自然,也說出一些祂的屬性。
  • 主自己說,認識獨一真神並認識耶穌基督,這就是永生。但當我們遇見祂時,我們將不再只是為了永生,為了天堂,而追求認識神;我們會被祂吸引,像保羅一樣,「以認識我主基督耶穌為至寶」,一生渴慕追求要更認識祂,直到永恆。
《尋求神的禱告》
喔,主啊!教導我來尋求你
而當我尋求你時,請將你自己顯明給我
因為除非你先教導我,我就無法尋求你
除非你先將你自己顯明給我,否則我無法找到你
我要在渴慕中尋求你,也在尋求中渴慕你
讓我在愛裡找到你,也在尋找你中愛你
──米蘭的聖安波羅修
《A Prayer Seeking God》
O Lord, teach me to seek you,
and reveal yourself to me when I seek you.
For I cannot seek you unless you first teach me,
nor find you unless you first reveal yourself to me.
Let me seek you in longing, and long for you in seeking.
Let me find you in love, and love you in finding.
─Saint Ambrose of Milan(AD 340~397)

請思想下面真理與問題:

  • 請用最簡潔的話來描述您心目中的神。
  • 您家中若有小孩,包括小小孩,讓他們說說他們心目中的神是怎樣的一位。
  • 怎樣追求更認識神呢?新的一年您預備如何追求更認識神呢?

《認識神的金言雋語》


  • 一旦你意識到,你活在世上最主要的任務是認識神,你生命中其他問題都會得著定位,回歸和諧。(巴刻《認識神》)
    Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.(J.I. Packer《Knowing God》)
  • 我們如何將對神的認識,轉變為真認識神呢?其法則是簡單卻是必要的,我們必須將每一項我們所學習關於神的真理,轉化成在神面前的默想,並帶向禱告與頌讚。(巴刻《認識神》)
    How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is simple but demanding. It is that we turn each Truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.(J.I. Packer《Knowing God》)
  • 讓我們完全被追求認識神所淹沒,我們越認識祂,就會越加渴望認識祂。愛隨認識而增長,我們越認識神,越能真實愛祂。我們會學習在患難中愛祂,如同在大喜樂中愛祂一般。(勞倫斯弟兄《與神同在》)
    Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God. The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly love Him. We will learn to love Him equally in times of distress or in times of great joy.” (Brother Lawrence,《The Practice of the Presence of God》)
  • 在我們能愛之前,必須先有認識。為了認識神,我們必須時常想到祂;而當我們前來愛祂時,我們也必須時常想到祂,因為我們的財寶在哪裡,我們的心也在那裡。(勞倫斯弟兄《與神同在》)
    We must know before we can love. In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure.(Brother Lawrence,《The Practice of the Presence of God》)
  • 雖然我們追求認識這位聖者是一件好事,但若以為自己已經完成這項工作,那就不太好了。(潘霍華)
    While it is good that we seek to know the Holy One, it is probably not so good to presume that we ever complete the task.(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

2015年夏令特會主題介紹

2015年令會主題:
認識耶穌為至寶--
當我們來認識神時,起動者是祂那一邊;如果祂不顯示祂自己,你做的任何事都無法使你找著祂。事實上,祂向一些人比向其他人更多顯示祂自己;不是祂有偏愛,而是因為祂不可能向一個心思意念與品德個性都走向錯誤方向的人顯示祂自己。就如同陽光,雖然它並不偏愛什麼,但它無法從一面骯髒的鏡裡返照出來,如同從一面乾淨的鏡子返照一般。(魯益師)When you come to knowing God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not show Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him. And, in fact, He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others-not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition. Just as sunlight, though it has no favourites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as a clean one. (C.S. Lewis)



神只能對真實的人顯明祂真實的自己,那意謂著祂不只是向個別的好人顯明祂自己,而是向一群在身體的合一中,彼此相愛、彼此相顧、彼此活出神樣式的人顯明祂自己。因為那是神心目中人類的樣式,像樂團裡的樂手們,像身體裡的各個器官。(魯益師)
God can show Himself as He really is only to real men. And that means not simply to men who are individually good, but to men who are united together in a body, loving one another, helping one another, showing Him to one another. For that is what God meant humanity to be like; like players in one band, or organs in one body.(C.S. Lewis《Mere Christianity)

神要使我們認識祂時,祂以人格的型態來進行;祂沿著我們的心思、意志、情感的大道,來與我們相交。
In making Himself known to us He stays by the familiar pattern of personality. He communicates with us through the avenues of our minds, our wills and our emotions.(A.W. Tozer《The Pursuit of God》)


 一旦你知道神,你就不再懼怕將不知道的未來信託給祂。(彭柯麗)
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.(Corrie ten Boom)

禱告的藝術.-- 
一旦你意識到,你活在世上最主要的任務是認識神,你生命中其他問題都會得著定位,回歸和諧。(巴刻《認識神》)
Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.(J.I. Packer《Knowing God》)

我們如何將對神的認識,轉變為真認識神呢?其法則是簡單卻是必要的,我們必須將每一項我們所學習關於神的真理,轉化成在神面前的默想,並帶向禱告與頌讚。(巴刻《認識神》)

How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is simple but demanding. It is that we turn each Truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.(J.I. Packer《Knowing God》)

其餘相關延伸資料 可至士林錫安堂參考: 以認識神為至寶