The zest for success sometimes will distort the real purpose in attaining success.
But the opposite extreme is also not worth following---Just doing nothing but waits for miracles.
The real loser is the one who avoids losing.
2008年1月30日 星期三
2008年1月28日 星期一
從赦罪的主而來的反思
我把馬可二章1-12節經文稍作改動，成了今早同工會的靈修分享
主那穌所作的對教牧有的四個反思 :
面對突發--講道中不速之客
面對求助--四人邦帶來朋友
面對批評--經學家心中論斷
面對需要--啟迪眾人蒙赦罪
主那穌所作的對教牧有的四個反思 :
面對突發--講道中不速之客
面對求助--四人邦帶來朋友
面對批評--經學家心中論斷
面對需要--啟迪眾人蒙赦罪
2008年1月27日 星期日
With the young people
Yesterday afternoon I spent time with our church's youths in a bible study session.
They invited me to have two afternoons for Jan and Feb to have bible studies.
Long time ago did I spend time with young people in bible study. It's my delight to have them in Mark 2:1-12 past afternoon.The theme was on Jesus'claim on forgiveness on the lame visitor by his four friends who had faith on Him.
Through the passage I delivered several points for thoughts:
1. Interruption management.
Jesus handled the preaching interruption well and brought to the amazement of those who were there with His claims.
2. Both are easy (Visible healing and invisible forgiveness)
It's both easy for His claim to forgive sins as well as His power in healing the crippled.
3. Mind reading.
Jesus knew pretty well the complaints in the hearts of the Scribes sitting there which they considered His saying to be blasphemous.
4. Affirmed faith
The helping act of the visitors was rewarded and it's faith that healed the crippled and his sins were released.
5. The precedence of forgiveness over healing
It seems not making any sense when Jesus told that his sins were forgiven instead of healing him immediately. But He claimed both in forgiving and healing for people coming to Him through faith. He demonstrated instead the priority of forgiveness of mens' sins.
They invited me to have two afternoons for Jan and Feb to have bible studies.
Long time ago did I spend time with young people in bible study. It's my delight to have them in Mark 2:1-12 past afternoon.The theme was on Jesus'claim on forgiveness on the lame visitor by his four friends who had faith on Him.
Through the passage I delivered several points for thoughts:
1. Interruption management.
Jesus handled the preaching interruption well and brought to the amazement of those who were there with His claims.
2. Both are easy (Visible healing and invisible forgiveness)
It's both easy for His claim to forgive sins as well as His power in healing the crippled.
3. Mind reading.
Jesus knew pretty well the complaints in the hearts of the Scribes sitting there which they considered His saying to be blasphemous.
4. Affirmed faith
The helping act of the visitors was rewarded and it's faith that healed the crippled and his sins were released.
5. The precedence of forgiveness over healing
It seems not making any sense when Jesus told that his sins were forgiven instead of healing him immediately. But He claimed both in forgiving and healing for people coming to Him through faith. He demonstrated instead the priority of forgiveness of mens' sins.
2008年1月23日 星期三
Quotations on Biblical Interpretations
"If God has condescended to address men in the full particularity of their peculiar historical and cultured environments, then we have got to immerse ourselves fully and sympathetically in those environments, with their customs and values, ways of thinking and patterns of imagery, before we can understand either his demand or their response."
—D.E. Nineham,The Church's Use of the Bible Past and Present (London: SPCK, 1963), p. 161.
"As a Protestant I cherish the New Testament teaching on the priesthood of believers—that each Christian has the right to his own interpretation, but also that each Christian has the responsibility to get it right. If an individual Christian wrongly interprets and then misapplies the Word, the scope of his error may not be very wide. But when the leaders of the church do this, the impact can be vast. For this reason Paul tells Timothy to 'be zealous to show yourself approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed'; and why James declares that 'Not many of you should become teachers.'"
—Daniel Wallace, "Biblical Gynecology" (2001).
"... the main reason for studying texts, particularly old ones, is to expand the mind by introducing it to the immense possibilities in human actions and thoughts — to see and feel what other men have seen and felt, to know what they have known. Furthermore, none of these expansive benefits comes to the man who simply discovers his own meanings in someone else's text and who, instead of encountering another person, merely encounters himself."
—E. D. Hirsch, Validity in Interpretation (New Haven: Yale, 1967), pp. 25-6.
"[Dynamic equivalence] translations (again, most Bibles today) often change the language, images, and metaphors of Scripture to make understanding easier. But for serious study, readers need a translation that is more transparent to the 'otherness' of Scripture. We need a translation that allows the Bible to say what it says, even if that seems strange and odd to readers at first glance. If God is 'other' than we are, we should be willing to work at the 'otherness' of the Bible, in order to understand what the Lord is saying through his Word. The purpose of the Bible is not to make Jesus like us, but to make us like Christ. The Bible is designed to change us, to make us different, heirs of Abraham according to the promise fulfilled in Christ (Acts 2) ... By seeking familiar modern meanings, these newer translations make it much harder to see the deep biblical pattern of Paul's thought. They obscure the words and metaphors by which the Spirit has woven a coherent tapestry of meaning that stretches from Genesis to Revelation. This practice removes the information we need to understand, because it hides the Bible's dynamic unity and coherence ... Biblical metaphors drop into our hearts like a seed in soil and make us think, precisely because they are not obvious at first. The translator who removes biblical metaphors to make the text 'easier' for readers may defeat the purpose of the Holy Spirit, who chose a metaphor in the first place. Metaphors grab us and work on us and in us. They have the spiritual power to transform our minds. The abandonment of basic biblical metaphors in many translations follows naturally from [dynamic equivalence] theory, because the target languages may not use such expressions. But it is the foreignness of metaphors that is their virtue. Metaphors make us stop and think, Now what does that mean? ... The Bible creates a vast context of meaning through cross references and allusions, phrases and metaphors, echoes and types. For readers to discover this type of biblical meaning in their translations, translators of the Bible must be constantly aware of parallel passages, expressions, and images. Where this does not happen, much of the text's actual meaning may be lost, often to be replaced by modern meanings.
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, "We Really Do Need Another Bible Translation," Christianity Today, Vol. 45, No. 13 (October 22, 2001), p. 28.
"Individualistic reading of the Bible is unbiblical."
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, "We Really Do Need Another Bible Translation," Christianity Today, Vol. 45, No. 13 (October 22, 2001), p. 28.
"In the holy scriptures you can make no progress unless you have a guide to show you the way ... The art of interpreting the scriptures is the only one of which all men everywhere claim to be masters ... The babbling old woman, the doting old man, and the wordy sophist, one and all take in hand the Scriptures, rend them in pieces and teach them before they have learned them. Some with brows knit and bombastic words, contrary to one another, philosophize concerning the sacred writings among weak women. Others (I blush to say it) learn from women what they are to teach men; and as if even this were not enough, they boldly explain to others what they themselves by no means understand. I say nothing of persons who, like myself have been familiar with secular literature before they have come to the study of the holy scriptures. Such men when they charm the popular ear by the finish of their style suppose every word they say to be a law of God. They do not deign to notice what Prophets and apostles have intended but they adapt the most incongruous passages to fit their own interpretation, as if it were a grand way of teaching—and not rather the faultiest of all—to misrepresent a writer's views and to force the reluctant scriptures to do their will.
—St. Jerome, to Paulinus (Letter LIII), A.D. 394.
"Liberal preachers have tended to use Biblical texts as ornaments, attached to already arrived-at conclusions and convictions — a 'resource' rather than a 'source.' As an atheist put it: 'You hear what the psychologist says, what the historian says, what the New York Times editorial writer says, and then the sermon concludes with, And perhaps Jesus said it best..."'
—Martin Copenhaver, 'The Making of a Postliberal,' Christian Century, Oct. 14, 1998, p. 937.
"Since we ought to be satisfied with the Word of God alone, what purpose is served by hearing sermons every day, or even the office of pastors? Has not every person the opportunity of reading the Bible? But Paul assigns to teachers the duty of dividing or cutting, as if a father in giving food to his children, were dividing the bread and cutting it in small pieces."
—John Calvin
"I am persuaded that without knowledge of literature pure theology cannot at all endure, just as heretofore, when letters have declined and lain prostrate, theology, too, has wretchedly fallen and lain prostrate; nay, I see that there has never been a great revelation of the Word of God unless he has first prepared the way by the rise and prosperity of languages and letters, as though they were John the Baptists …. Certainly it is my desire that there shall be as many poets and rhetoricians as possible, because I see that by these studies, as by no other means, people are wonderfully fitted for the grasping of sacred truth and for handling it skillfully and happily. ... Therefore I beg of you that at my request (if that has any weight) you will urge your young people to be diligent in the study of poetry and rhetoric."
—Martin Luther, Letter to Eoban Hess, 29 March 1523. Werke, Weimar edition, Luthers Briefwechsel, III, 50.
—D.E. Nineham,The Church's Use of the Bible Past and Present (London: SPCK, 1963), p. 161.
"As a Protestant I cherish the New Testament teaching on the priesthood of believers—that each Christian has the right to his own interpretation, but also that each Christian has the responsibility to get it right. If an individual Christian wrongly interprets and then misapplies the Word, the scope of his error may not be very wide. But when the leaders of the church do this, the impact can be vast. For this reason Paul tells Timothy to 'be zealous to show yourself approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed'; and why James declares that 'Not many of you should become teachers.'"
—Daniel Wallace, "Biblical Gynecology" (2001).
"... the main reason for studying texts, particularly old ones, is to expand the mind by introducing it to the immense possibilities in human actions and thoughts — to see and feel what other men have seen and felt, to know what they have known. Furthermore, none of these expansive benefits comes to the man who simply discovers his own meanings in someone else's text and who, instead of encountering another person, merely encounters himself."
—E. D. Hirsch, Validity in Interpretation (New Haven: Yale, 1967), pp. 25-6.
"[Dynamic equivalence] translations (again, most Bibles today) often change the language, images, and metaphors of Scripture to make understanding easier. But for serious study, readers need a translation that is more transparent to the 'otherness' of Scripture. We need a translation that allows the Bible to say what it says, even if that seems strange and odd to readers at first glance. If God is 'other' than we are, we should be willing to work at the 'otherness' of the Bible, in order to understand what the Lord is saying through his Word. The purpose of the Bible is not to make Jesus like us, but to make us like Christ. The Bible is designed to change us, to make us different, heirs of Abraham according to the promise fulfilled in Christ (Acts 2) ... By seeking familiar modern meanings, these newer translations make it much harder to see the deep biblical pattern of Paul's thought. They obscure the words and metaphors by which the Spirit has woven a coherent tapestry of meaning that stretches from Genesis to Revelation. This practice removes the information we need to understand, because it hides the Bible's dynamic unity and coherence ... Biblical metaphors drop into our hearts like a seed in soil and make us think, precisely because they are not obvious at first. The translator who removes biblical metaphors to make the text 'easier' for readers may defeat the purpose of the Holy Spirit, who chose a metaphor in the first place. Metaphors grab us and work on us and in us. They have the spiritual power to transform our minds. The abandonment of basic biblical metaphors in many translations follows naturally from [dynamic equivalence] theory, because the target languages may not use such expressions. But it is the foreignness of metaphors that is their virtue. Metaphors make us stop and think, Now what does that mean? ... The Bible creates a vast context of meaning through cross references and allusions, phrases and metaphors, echoes and types. For readers to discover this type of biblical meaning in their translations, translators of the Bible must be constantly aware of parallel passages, expressions, and images. Where this does not happen, much of the text's actual meaning may be lost, often to be replaced by modern meanings.
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, "We Really Do Need Another Bible Translation," Christianity Today, Vol. 45, No. 13 (October 22, 2001), p. 28.
"Individualistic reading of the Bible is unbiblical."
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, "We Really Do Need Another Bible Translation," Christianity Today, Vol. 45, No. 13 (October 22, 2001), p. 28.
"In the holy scriptures you can make no progress unless you have a guide to show you the way ... The art of interpreting the scriptures is the only one of which all men everywhere claim to be masters ... The babbling old woman, the doting old man, and the wordy sophist, one and all take in hand the Scriptures, rend them in pieces and teach them before they have learned them. Some with brows knit and bombastic words, contrary to one another, philosophize concerning the sacred writings among weak women. Others (I blush to say it) learn from women what they are to teach men; and as if even this were not enough, they boldly explain to others what they themselves by no means understand. I say nothing of persons who, like myself have been familiar with secular literature before they have come to the study of the holy scriptures. Such men when they charm the popular ear by the finish of their style suppose every word they say to be a law of God. They do not deign to notice what Prophets and apostles have intended but they adapt the most incongruous passages to fit their own interpretation, as if it were a grand way of teaching—and not rather the faultiest of all—to misrepresent a writer's views and to force the reluctant scriptures to do their will.
—St. Jerome, to Paulinus (Letter LIII), A.D. 394.
"Liberal preachers have tended to use Biblical texts as ornaments, attached to already arrived-at conclusions and convictions — a 'resource' rather than a 'source.' As an atheist put it: 'You hear what the psychologist says, what the historian says, what the New York Times editorial writer says, and then the sermon concludes with, And perhaps Jesus said it best..."'
—Martin Copenhaver, 'The Making of a Postliberal,' Christian Century, Oct. 14, 1998, p. 937.
"Since we ought to be satisfied with the Word of God alone, what purpose is served by hearing sermons every day, or even the office of pastors? Has not every person the opportunity of reading the Bible? But Paul assigns to teachers the duty of dividing or cutting, as if a father in giving food to his children, were dividing the bread and cutting it in small pieces."
—John Calvin
"I am persuaded that without knowledge of literature pure theology cannot at all endure, just as heretofore, when letters have declined and lain prostrate, theology, too, has wretchedly fallen and lain prostrate; nay, I see that there has never been a great revelation of the Word of God unless he has first prepared the way by the rise and prosperity of languages and letters, as though they were John the Baptists …. Certainly it is my desire that there shall be as many poets and rhetoricians as possible, because I see that by these studies, as by no other means, people are wonderfully fitted for the grasping of sacred truth and for handling it skillfully and happily. ... Therefore I beg of you that at my request (if that has any weight) you will urge your young people to be diligent in the study of poetry and rhetoric."
—Martin Luther, Letter to Eoban Hess, 29 March 1523. Werke, Weimar edition, Luthers Briefwechsel, III, 50.
Quotations on Biblical Interpretations
I found useful web quotes on bible interpretations this morning and laid down here for further thoughts:
"If God has condescended to address men in the full particularity of their peculiar historical and cultured environments, then we have got to immerse ourselves fully and sympathetically in those environments, with their customs and values, ways of thinking and patterns of imagery, before we can understand either his demand or their response."
—D.E. Nineham,The Church's Use of the Bible Past and Present (London: SPCK, 1963), p. 161.
"As a Protestant I cherish the New Testament teaching on the priesthood of believers—that each Christian has the right to his own interpretation, but also that each Christian has the responsibility to get it right. If an individual Christian wrongly interprets and then misapplies the Word, the scope of his error may not be very wide. But when the leaders of the church do this, the impact can be vast. For this reason Paul tells Timothy to 'be zealous to show yourself approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed'; and why James declares that 'Not many of you should become teachers.'"
—Daniel Wallace, "Biblical Gynecology" (2001).
"... the main reason for studying texts, particularly old ones, is to expand the mind by introducing it to the immense possibilities in human actions and thoughts — to see and feel what other men have seen and felt, to know what they have known. Furthermore, none of these expansive benefits comes to the man who simply discovers his own meanings in someone else's text and who, instead of encountering another person, merely encounters himself."
—E. D. Hirsch, Validity in Interpretation (New Haven: Yale, 1967), pp. 25-6.
"[Dynamic equivalence] translations (again, most Bibles today) often change the language, images, and metaphors of Scripture to make understanding easier. But for serious study, readers need a translation that is more transparent to the 'otherness' of Scripture. We need a translation that allows the Bible to say what it says, even if that seems strange and odd to readers at first glance. If God is 'other' than we are, we should be willing to work at the 'otherness' of the Bible, in order to understand what the Lord is saying through his Word. The purpose of the Bible is not to make Jesus like us, but to make us like Christ. The Bible is designed to change us, to make us different, heirs of Abraham according to the promise fulfilled in Christ (Acts 2) ... By seeking familiar modern meanings, these newer translations make it much harder to see the deep biblical pattern of Paul's thought. They obscure the words and metaphors by which the Spirit has woven a coherent tapestry of meaning that stretches from Genesis to Revelation. This practice removes the information we need to understand, because it hides the Bible's dynamic unity and coherence ... Biblical metaphors drop into our hearts like a seed in soil and make us think, precisely because they are not obvious at first. The translator who removes biblical metaphors to make the text 'easier' for readers may defeat the purpose of the Holy Spirit, who chose a metaphor in the first place. Metaphors grab us and work on us and in us. They have the spiritual power to transform our minds. The abandonment of basic biblical metaphors in many translations follows naturally from [dynamic equivalence] theory, because the target languages may not use such expressions. But it is the foreignness of metaphors that is their virtue. Metaphors make us stop and think, Now what does that mean? ... The Bible creates a vast context of meaning through cross references and allusions, phrases and metaphors, echoes and types. For readers to discover this type of biblical meaning in their translations, translators of the Bible must be constantly aware of parallel passages, expressions, and images. Where this does not happen, much of the text's actual meaning may be lost, often to be replaced by modern meanings.
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, "We Really Do Need Another Bible Translation," Christianity Today, Vol. 45, No. 13 (October 22, 2001), p. 28.
"Individualistic reading of the Bible is unbiblical."
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, "We Really Do Need Another Bible Translation," Christianity Today, Vol. 45, No. 13 (October 22, 2001), p. 28.
"In the holy scriptures you can make no progress unless you have a guide to show you the way ... The art of interpreting the scriptures is the only one of which all men everywhere claim to be masters ... The babbling old woman, the doting old man, and the wordy sophist, one and all take in hand the Scriptures, rend them in pieces and teach them before they have learned them. Some with brows knit and bombastic words, contrary to one another, philosophize concerning the sacred writings among weak women. Others (I blush to say it) learn from women what they are to teach men; and as if even this were not enough, they boldly explain to others what they themselves by no means understand. I say nothing of persons who, like myself have been familiar with secular literature before they have come to the study of the holy scriptures. Such men when they charm the popular ear by the finish of their style suppose every word they say to be a law of God. They do not deign to notice what Prophets and apostles have intended but they adapt the most incongruous passages to fit their own interpretation, as if it were a grand way of teaching—and not rather the faultiest of all—to misrepresent a writer's views and to force the reluctant scriptures to do their will.
—St. Jerome, to Paulinus (Letter LIII), A.D. 394.
"Liberal preachers have tended to use Biblical texts as ornaments, attached to already arrived-at conclusions and convictions — a 'resource' rather than a 'source.' As an atheist put it: 'You hear what the psychologist says, what the historian says, what the New York Times editorial writer says, and then the sermon concludes with, And perhaps Jesus said it best..."'
—Martin Copenhaver, 'The Making of a Postliberal,' Christian Century, Oct. 14, 1998, p. 937.
"Since we ought to be satisfied with the Word of God alone, what purpose is served by hearing sermons every day, or even the office of pastors? Has not every person the opportunity of reading the Bible? But Paul assigns to teachers the duty of dividing or cutting, as if a father in giving food to his children, were dividing the bread and cutting it in small pieces."
—John Calvin
"I am persuaded that without knowledge of literature pure theology cannot at all endure, just as heretofore, when letters have declined and lain prostrate, theology, too, has wretchedly fallen and lain prostrate; nay, I see that there has never been a great revelation of the Word of God unless he has first prepared the way by the rise and prosperity of languages and letters, as though they were John the Baptists …. Certainly it is my desire that there shall be as many poets and rhetoricians as possible, because I see that by these studies, as by no other means, people are wonderfully fitted for the grasping of sacred truth and for handling it skillfully and happily. ... Therefore I beg of you that at my request (if that has any weight) you will urge your young people to be diligent in the study of poetry and rhetoric."
—Martin Luther, Letter to Eoban Hess, 29 March 1523. Werke, Weimar edition, Luthers Briefwechsel, III, 50.
"If God has condescended to address men in the full particularity of their peculiar historical and cultured environments, then we have got to immerse ourselves fully and sympathetically in those environments, with their customs and values, ways of thinking and patterns of imagery, before we can understand either his demand or their response."
—D.E. Nineham,The Church's Use of the Bible Past and Present (London: SPCK, 1963), p. 161.
"As a Protestant I cherish the New Testament teaching on the priesthood of believers—that each Christian has the right to his own interpretation, but also that each Christian has the responsibility to get it right. If an individual Christian wrongly interprets and then misapplies the Word, the scope of his error may not be very wide. But when the leaders of the church do this, the impact can be vast. For this reason Paul tells Timothy to 'be zealous to show yourself approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed'; and why James declares that 'Not many of you should become teachers.'"
—Daniel Wallace, "Biblical Gynecology" (2001).
"... the main reason for studying texts, particularly old ones, is to expand the mind by introducing it to the immense possibilities in human actions and thoughts — to see and feel what other men have seen and felt, to know what they have known. Furthermore, none of these expansive benefits comes to the man who simply discovers his own meanings in someone else's text and who, instead of encountering another person, merely encounters himself."
—E. D. Hirsch, Validity in Interpretation (New Haven: Yale, 1967), pp. 25-6.
"[Dynamic equivalence] translations (again, most Bibles today) often change the language, images, and metaphors of Scripture to make understanding easier. But for serious study, readers need a translation that is more transparent to the 'otherness' of Scripture. We need a translation that allows the Bible to say what it says, even if that seems strange and odd to readers at first glance. If God is 'other' than we are, we should be willing to work at the 'otherness' of the Bible, in order to understand what the Lord is saying through his Word. The purpose of the Bible is not to make Jesus like us, but to make us like Christ. The Bible is designed to change us, to make us different, heirs of Abraham according to the promise fulfilled in Christ (Acts 2) ... By seeking familiar modern meanings, these newer translations make it much harder to see the deep biblical pattern of Paul's thought. They obscure the words and metaphors by which the Spirit has woven a coherent tapestry of meaning that stretches from Genesis to Revelation. This practice removes the information we need to understand, because it hides the Bible's dynamic unity and coherence ... Biblical metaphors drop into our hearts like a seed in soil and make us think, precisely because they are not obvious at first. The translator who removes biblical metaphors to make the text 'easier' for readers may defeat the purpose of the Holy Spirit, who chose a metaphor in the first place. Metaphors grab us and work on us and in us. They have the spiritual power to transform our minds. The abandonment of basic biblical metaphors in many translations follows naturally from [dynamic equivalence] theory, because the target languages may not use such expressions. But it is the foreignness of metaphors that is their virtue. Metaphors make us stop and think, Now what does that mean? ... The Bible creates a vast context of meaning through cross references and allusions, phrases and metaphors, echoes and types. For readers to discover this type of biblical meaning in their translations, translators of the Bible must be constantly aware of parallel passages, expressions, and images. Where this does not happen, much of the text's actual meaning may be lost, often to be replaced by modern meanings.
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, "We Really Do Need Another Bible Translation," Christianity Today, Vol. 45, No. 13 (October 22, 2001), p. 28.
"Individualistic reading of the Bible is unbiblical."
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, "We Really Do Need Another Bible Translation," Christianity Today, Vol. 45, No. 13 (October 22, 2001), p. 28.
"In the holy scriptures you can make no progress unless you have a guide to show you the way ... The art of interpreting the scriptures is the only one of which all men everywhere claim to be masters ... The babbling old woman, the doting old man, and the wordy sophist, one and all take in hand the Scriptures, rend them in pieces and teach them before they have learned them. Some with brows knit and bombastic words, contrary to one another, philosophize concerning the sacred writings among weak women. Others (I blush to say it) learn from women what they are to teach men; and as if even this were not enough, they boldly explain to others what they themselves by no means understand. I say nothing of persons who, like myself have been familiar with secular literature before they have come to the study of the holy scriptures. Such men when they charm the popular ear by the finish of their style suppose every word they say to be a law of God. They do not deign to notice what Prophets and apostles have intended but they adapt the most incongruous passages to fit their own interpretation, as if it were a grand way of teaching—and not rather the faultiest of all—to misrepresent a writer's views and to force the reluctant scriptures to do their will.
—St. Jerome, to Paulinus (Letter LIII), A.D. 394.
"Liberal preachers have tended to use Biblical texts as ornaments, attached to already arrived-at conclusions and convictions — a 'resource' rather than a 'source.' As an atheist put it: 'You hear what the psychologist says, what the historian says, what the New York Times editorial writer says, and then the sermon concludes with, And perhaps Jesus said it best..."'
—Martin Copenhaver, 'The Making of a Postliberal,' Christian Century, Oct. 14, 1998, p. 937.
"Since we ought to be satisfied with the Word of God alone, what purpose is served by hearing sermons every day, or even the office of pastors? Has not every person the opportunity of reading the Bible? But Paul assigns to teachers the duty of dividing or cutting, as if a father in giving food to his children, were dividing the bread and cutting it in small pieces."
—John Calvin
"I am persuaded that without knowledge of literature pure theology cannot at all endure, just as heretofore, when letters have declined and lain prostrate, theology, too, has wretchedly fallen and lain prostrate; nay, I see that there has never been a great revelation of the Word of God unless he has first prepared the way by the rise and prosperity of languages and letters, as though they were John the Baptists …. Certainly it is my desire that there shall be as many poets and rhetoricians as possible, because I see that by these studies, as by no other means, people are wonderfully fitted for the grasping of sacred truth and for handling it skillfully and happily. ... Therefore I beg of you that at my request (if that has any weight) you will urge your young people to be diligent in the study of poetry and rhetoric."
—Martin Luther, Letter to Eoban Hess, 29 March 1523. Werke, Weimar edition, Luthers Briefwechsel, III, 50.
Hermeneutics
I shall teach hermeneutics coming March.As all my books at home have been clothed due to renovation work,I can hardly access to them. Last evening as I had to deal with some happened interruption with the works,I went back home and managed to find a few relevant books for reference.
This morning I read through general works on the history of Hermeneutics,I came across names like Schleiermacher, Dilthy, Husserl,Heidegger,Gadamer,Ricoeur,Derrida and Foucault etc.I just had surface understandings of these names before and now I need to know more of their respective contributions to explanation and understandings.
It's a challenge in thoughts and preparation.Though our course is confined to biblical explanation,it's a chance to deal more in depth for my own input.
This morning I read through general works on the history of Hermeneutics,I came across names like Schleiermacher, Dilthy, Husserl,Heidegger,Gadamer,Ricoeur,Derrida and Foucault etc.I just had surface understandings of these names before and now I need to know more of their respective contributions to explanation and understandings.
It's a challenge in thoughts and preparation.Though our course is confined to biblical explanation,it's a chance to deal more in depth for my own input.
2008年1月19日 星期六
United for the gospel
I preached on Phil 1:3-11 this morning in CCC Hai Nan church. Three points out of this passage are my focus.
Remember the christians by Paul
Overcome difficulties by all
Pray for Growth for the church in love,in discernment and in bearng fruits for the Lord.
Remember the christians by Paul
Overcome difficulties by all
Pray for Growth for the church in love,in discernment and in bearng fruits for the Lord.
2008年1月18日 星期五
Human Being
I received email sharings from Canada relatives on the following insights from Rick Warren,the senior pastor from Saddleback Church in US,famous for his purpose driven church worldwide. Rick experienced tough times when his wife Kay got cancer and became rich for his 1.5 million book sales.
"No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for." We're called human beings, not human doings.
So,when we face
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
A good pastor helping us face reality and walking on the right path.
"No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for." We're called human beings, not human doings.
So,when we face
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
A good pastor helping us face reality and walking on the right path.
On STCC 's 5 th Annivesary
I have been asked to give Greetings wanted for the 5th anniversary of STCC
I dropped down the followings:
Studying aimed for Personal Growth
Training fit for life & continual learning
Character built for blessings of our Society
Christians gained for His Kingdom
Would our education these years attain God's expectation ?
I dropped down the followings:
Studying aimed for Personal Growth
Training fit for life & continual learning
Character built for blessings of our Society
Christians gained for His Kingdom
Would our education these years attain God's expectation ?
Books again
Since I went to China training past two weeks,as well as the works at MF,I stopped borrow books.But in Tsuen Wan as staying with LM,I went to public library again.I picked up 12 books with the two cards.
One book deals with In praise with Slowness. I have not read it yet,but hopefully can help improve my rushness and always going with efficiency. Another one on learning in latter life,concerning about the areas of learning in aged life.
I chose Confessions by Augustine to meditate too. One other book on time use and one on global history. I won't miss sociology books as my previous studies need updated. There' one on the future of society in 21st century.
Well,I would try to finish them within two weeks before returning.
One book deals with In praise with Slowness. I have not read it yet,but hopefully can help improve my rushness and always going with efficiency. Another one on learning in latter life,concerning about the areas of learning in aged life.
I chose Confessions by Augustine to meditate too. One other book on time use and one on global history. I won't miss sociology books as my previous studies need updated. There' one on the future of society in 21st century.
Well,I would try to finish them within two weeks before returning.
A Succesful Trip training
The past 12 days in China saw God's great work with us in the provided training.It's my gladness to see the studies in Hosea which could help pastors in China to get a refreshed understanding.
Thanks to His kindness also to provide us with sufficient support in terms of housing and daily meals. We all felt His goodness and love in leading us.
I slept more though had to give lessons everyday.
Thanks to His kindness also to provide us with sufficient support in terms of housing and daily meals. We all felt His goodness and love in leading us.
I slept more though had to give lessons everyday.
2008年1月6日 星期日
What is education ?
It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated. --Alec Bourne--
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.--Aristotle--
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.-- Mark Twain--
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.--Aristotle--
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.-- Mark Twain--
A Combined worship for ECF today
We have a combined worship at the start of the new year.
16 churches gathered together at the Kowloon Bay Exhibition Hall.It's estimated that more than 1600 adults came together,a greater no. than other years so far. The whole procedure was quite smooth with worship songs,Holy communion and sermon of course till the end.We ended the service earlier than the planned time.
Rev.Carver Yu,president of CGST was invited to be our speaker and he preached from Philippians 1:27-2:4 on church unity as well as joint mission for the Gospel of Christ.I was invited to close the service giving benediction.
May the Lord's compassion be with us all throughout 2008.
16 churches gathered together at the Kowloon Bay Exhibition Hall.It's estimated that more than 1600 adults came together,a greater no. than other years so far. The whole procedure was quite smooth with worship songs,Holy communion and sermon of course till the end.We ended the service earlier than the planned time.
Rev.Carver Yu,president of CGST was invited to be our speaker and he preached from Philippians 1:27-2:4 on church unity as well as joint mission for the Gospel of Christ.I was invited to close the service giving benediction.
May the Lord's compassion be with us all throughout 2008.
2008年1月4日 星期五
2008年1月3日 星期四
2008年1月2日 星期三
何西阿書概要
1.不貞之痛 (何1:1-3:5)
歷史明鏡 (1:1)
哀愁之家
沒有丈夫， (1:2-10)
沒有收成 (2:1-13)
二度蜜月 (2:14-23)
伴侶回歸 (3:1-5)
相愛與愛護有何分別 ?
2.放縱的社會必然崩潰 (何4:1-5:14)
神被羞辱，人亦蒙羞 (4:1-10)
性有如新興宗教 (4:11-19)
公義也叫人噁心 (5:1-7)
腹背受敵 (5:8-14
高犯罪率、性雜交、性放縱、醉酒 !
今天的社會與何西阿的社會有何異同 ?)
3.真誠的敬虔，非虛有儀節 (何 5:15-7:16)
粉飾的悔改 (5:15-6:6)
教堂如同地獄 (6:7-7:2)
昏君 (7:3-7)
半熟的餅不能作食物 (7:8-16)
認識神與敬虔的外表與是同樣事情嗎 ?
4.政治性和宗教性的燒烤 (何8:1-9:17)
宗教與政治的混合 (8:1-6)
獨行的野驢 (8:7-10)
脂油和假宗教 (8:11-14)
收割死亡 (9:1-6)
我們不要你的宗教術語 (9:7-9)
胎墜乳乾 (9:10-17)
敬拜是人為神做的事嗎 ?人當如何敬拜神 ?
5.愛無堅不摧 (何10:1-11:11)
瘸腿者爬行 (10:1-4)
昂貴的假神像 (10:5-10)
種甚麼，收甚麼 (10:11-15)
神愛如父 (11:1-7)
愛，無堅不摧 (11:8-11)
饒恕是否很昂貴 ?
6.沙漠來的東風 (何11:12-13:16)
錯誤信靠 (11:12-12:6)
假貨 (12:7-9)
未經辨識的好處 (12:10-14)
受擊打之日 (13:1-3)
真理復甦 (13:4-12)
難產 (13:13-16)
人相信擁有財富權勢是神祝福象徵， 你又如何看此 ?
7.回歸 (何14:1-9)
醫治、愛、生機
神的公義和愛怎樣才能協調 ?
歷史明鏡 (1:1)
哀愁之家
沒有丈夫， (1:2-10)
沒有收成 (2:1-13)
二度蜜月 (2:14-23)
伴侶回歸 (3:1-5)
相愛與愛護有何分別 ?
2.放縱的社會必然崩潰 (何4:1-5:14)
神被羞辱，人亦蒙羞 (4:1-10)
性有如新興宗教 (4:11-19)
公義也叫人噁心 (5:1-7)
腹背受敵 (5:8-14
高犯罪率、性雜交、性放縱、醉酒 !
今天的社會與何西阿的社會有何異同 ?)
3.真誠的敬虔，非虛有儀節 (何 5:15-7:16)
粉飾的悔改 (5:15-6:6)
教堂如同地獄 (6:7-7:2)
昏君 (7:3-7)
半熟的餅不能作食物 (7:8-16)
認識神與敬虔的外表與是同樣事情嗎 ?
4.政治性和宗教性的燒烤 (何8:1-9:17)
宗教與政治的混合 (8:1-6)
獨行的野驢 (8:7-10)
脂油和假宗教 (8:11-14)
收割死亡 (9:1-6)
我們不要你的宗教術語 (9:7-9)
胎墜乳乾 (9:10-17)
敬拜是人為神做的事嗎 ?人當如何敬拜神 ?
5.愛無堅不摧 (何10:1-11:11)
瘸腿者爬行 (10:1-4)
昂貴的假神像 (10:5-10)
種甚麼，收甚麼 (10:11-15)
神愛如父 (11:1-7)
愛，無堅不摧 (11:8-11)
饒恕是否很昂貴 ?
6.沙漠來的東風 (何11:12-13:16)
錯誤信靠 (11:12-12:6)
假貨 (12:7-9)
未經辨識的好處 (12:10-14)
受擊打之日 (13:1-3)
真理復甦 (13:4-12)
難產 (13:13-16)
人相信擁有財富權勢是神祝福象徵， 你又如何看此 ?
7.回歸 (何14:1-9)
醫治、愛、生機
神的公義和愛怎樣才能協調 ?
A special victory
II Chronicles 20 recorded a special victory by king Jehoshaphat when facing the invasion from the Moabites and Ammonites.
His launching the Israelites to win the war is quite a spectacular act,just putting forth the whole army to march forth praising God already worths our attention in three aspects:
1. His taking simple faith as his strategy
2. His practice of praising God amid the predicament
3. His entire obedience to God
We can have all kinds of thoughts and invent all sorts of tactics to win out our warfare. But can we have simple faith and uphold the Lord's name in our worship ?
His launching the Israelites to win the war is quite a spectacular act,just putting forth the whole army to march forth praising God already worths our attention in three aspects:
1. His taking simple faith as his strategy
2. His practice of praising God amid the predicament
3. His entire obedience to God
We can have all kinds of thoughts and invent all sorts of tactics to win out our warfare. But can we have simple faith and uphold the Lord's name in our worship ?
Tests of our living faith
The book of James is on our faith and walk.
The theme of living faith (1:3)is one that helps us grasp the whole book.While1:2-12 deals with tests and trials of believers,1:13-16 discusses the nature of temptation and in view of His beneficient activities to human expereinces,in cannot come from God(1:17-18).As the new year starts,may we have the following six reminders from this book on this major theme.
Our living faith is tested
by its response to God's word.(1:19-27)神言的考驗
by its reaction to partiality. (2:1-13)公平的考驗
by its production of works.(2:14-26)善行的考驗
by its production of self-control(3:1-18)節制的考驗
by our reaction to worldliness(4:1-5:12)世俗化的考驗
by its resort to prayers (5:13-18)禱告的考驗
May the new year see us increase in our obedience to God's word,
our being kind to all,our having works of faith,our control of tongues,our fleeing from worldliness and our dedication to prayers
The theme of living faith (1:3)is one that helps us grasp the whole book.While1:2-12 deals with tests and trials of believers,1:13-16 discusses the nature of temptation and in view of His beneficient activities to human expereinces,in cannot come from God(1:17-18).As the new year starts,may we have the following six reminders from this book on this major theme.
Our living faith is tested
by its response to God's word.(1:19-27)神言的考驗
by its reaction to partiality. (2:1-13)公平的考驗
by its production of works.(2:14-26)善行的考驗
by its production of self-control(3:1-18)節制的考驗
by our reaction to worldliness(4:1-5:12)世俗化的考驗
by its resort to prayers (5:13-18)禱告的考驗
May the new year see us increase in our obedience to God's word,
our being kind to all,our having works of faith,our control of tongues,our fleeing from worldliness and our dedication to prayers
2008年1月1日 星期二
Don't die like the frog
I received an email from Dave afar,a website coach on the disquiet of Man sent me the following words:
Several years ago, I had taken a lot of leadership courses as part of my job. Many of those classes required some sort of reflective writing and journaling. One rainy afternoon, I was cleaning out my desk and I read through about 2 years worth of writing.I was stunned.The themes of feeling dead in the water in my career and life were easy to see.
I didn't know what I wanted to do, how to change it or what steps to take. I just wrote how miserable I was. As the months passed, the comments and entries became less interesting and more monotonous - like the life had drained from my writing.
Looking back at the whole period,I felt like I was reading the diary of a zombie. Eventually,the complaining stopped,what remained was an occasional comment that revealed no new course had been taken, just a slow acceptance of hopelessness.
Reading those writings reminded me of the story about slowly killing a frog.The story goes like this: if you were to drop a frog into boiling water,it would immediately jump out. But if you placed a frog into a pot of cool water and very slowly turned up the heat over time, the frog would eventually die, failing to detect the subtle increase in heat that was reaching lethal levels.
What I saw looking back on those writings was that I slowly numbed out to my unhappiness.Ultimately,it took a series of life changing jolts to wake me up and into action.So the steady hum of Disquiet can be in the background,slowly getting louder. But if you aren't listening and don't take action, you might end up like that frog - metaphorically dying from a slow acceptance of your dissatisfaction.
It happened to me and I see it with my clients all of the time.And some don't ever get out of the water, even when there is a jolt like a firing or a divorce.
What can you do to avoid the frog's fate? Here is a 3-part process that can help.
1.Take stock of where you are at his moment.
You need to orient yourself - just like one of those "You Are Here" markers on a shopping mall map. Here are some ideas how you can do this. See if any of these trigger other ideas for you:
-Review any reflective writing, journals, even emails.
-Take a walk and think back over the previous year.What are the highlights and low-lights that stand out? Looking back now, what are the themes and possible learnings?
-How have you grown and progressed this year?
-Focus on those long nights where you couldn't sleep.What kept you up? What worried you?
-Interview your spouse, significant other or one who knows you best.Ask them what they have witnessed in you over the year. Ask them where you seemed to be at your best, worst and struggling.
-What do you wish for? Do you ever secretly play fantasies out like when you were a kid ? You know, like "If I had a genie, what would I wish for?" What are your dreams? And if you have none, what happened to the old ones? Blow the dust off them
and see if they still mean anything.
2.Get some long-range goals on the "map".
You need a point on the horizon to steer towards. Don't worry -you can always adjust it; you are not locking yourself in.
Some of my long time goals:I want to have saved a specific amount of money for my retirement.I want to write a book about the Disquiet.I want to live in a particular environment for the next phase of my life. I have specific goals for the physical, spiritual and emotional parts of me.
Where do you get ideas for these goals? From step one.It takes some detective work as you sift through the "evidence" from what you learned.But it's there.Keep sifting
3. Create some "good" tension in your life.
Once you have steps one and two completed, you now have a gap between where you are now and what you want for your future. Notice, it doesn't have to be this huge, heavily detailed vision statement.Just some markers for you to navigate towards. Now,like stretching a rubber band between where you are today and where you want to be going, you have "creative tension".This stretched rubber band generates energy for action.
This slightly uncomfortable tension is not something to ignore or sedate.It is something to stay aware of, because it tells you where to focus your attention next. Once you create the tension by identifying your goals, then you take steps in that direction.
With each small step toward your goals, you ease the tension. The daily question becomes: "What is the very next action I need to take and when will I take it?" I mean the actual next thing - what phone call, what meeting, what piece of information you need next.
And be very specific about when you'll take each step. Make a commitment to yourself to take that action by that time. That is how to build momentum for change - by taking one small step at a time toward the future you want. That is how to avoid the frog's fate, dying from a slow, unintentional acclimation to an unsatisfactory life.
A few words about "creative tension."
This term is used by Robert Fritz in his book, "The Path of Least Resistance", which is reviewed below.I highly recommend it and you can read more about it below.
As you start moving out and easing some of that creative tension, you will need to review and adjust your "map." As you get into action, you will uncover new or more specific goals.These will produce new creative tensions.This will keep you moving.
Moving purposefully is very important in working with your Disquiet. Many of you will remember the old cars we learned to drive on: the kind without power steering. Remember how hard it was to turn the wheel when sitting still at the curb? But once you get moving, even at a very low speed, turning becomes very easy. You can change your course often and most easily when you are in motion.
The New Year is a natural time to start this work.In these dark hibernating nights of winter, there is almost a primitive call to stake stock of where you've been and where you're going. Just acting on your Disquiet will start to change your life. You are becoming aware.You are no longer slugging through your life unaware of the rising temperature.
May 2008 be a year of awakening and action for you.I wish you good health, prosperity of the heart and a growing awareness of your life.
Several years ago, I had taken a lot of leadership courses as part of my job. Many of those classes required some sort of reflective writing and journaling. One rainy afternoon, I was cleaning out my desk and I read through about 2 years worth of writing.I was stunned.The themes of feeling dead in the water in my career and life were easy to see.
I didn't know what I wanted to do, how to change it or what steps to take. I just wrote how miserable I was. As the months passed, the comments and entries became less interesting and more monotonous - like the life had drained from my writing.
Looking back at the whole period,I felt like I was reading the diary of a zombie. Eventually,the complaining stopped,what remained was an occasional comment that revealed no new course had been taken, just a slow acceptance of hopelessness.
Reading those writings reminded me of the story about slowly killing a frog.The story goes like this: if you were to drop a frog into boiling water,it would immediately jump out. But if you placed a frog into a pot of cool water and very slowly turned up the heat over time, the frog would eventually die, failing to detect the subtle increase in heat that was reaching lethal levels.
What I saw looking back on those writings was that I slowly numbed out to my unhappiness.Ultimately,it took a series of life changing jolts to wake me up and into action.So the steady hum of Disquiet can be in the background,slowly getting louder. But if you aren't listening and don't take action, you might end up like that frog - metaphorically dying from a slow acceptance of your dissatisfaction.
It happened to me and I see it with my clients all of the time.And some don't ever get out of the water, even when there is a jolt like a firing or a divorce.
What can you do to avoid the frog's fate? Here is a 3-part process that can help.
1.Take stock of where you are at his moment.
You need to orient yourself - just like one of those "You Are Here" markers on a shopping mall map. Here are some ideas how you can do this. See if any of these trigger other ideas for you:
-Review any reflective writing, journals, even emails.
-Take a walk and think back over the previous year.What are the highlights and low-lights that stand out? Looking back now, what are the themes and possible learnings?
-How have you grown and progressed this year?
-Focus on those long nights where you couldn't sleep.What kept you up? What worried you?
-Interview your spouse, significant other or one who knows you best.Ask them what they have witnessed in you over the year. Ask them where you seemed to be at your best, worst and struggling.
-What do you wish for? Do you ever secretly play fantasies out like when you were a kid ? You know, like "If I had a genie, what would I wish for?" What are your dreams? And if you have none, what happened to the old ones? Blow the dust off them
and see if they still mean anything.
2.Get some long-range goals on the "map".
You need a point on the horizon to steer towards. Don't worry -you can always adjust it; you are not locking yourself in.
Some of my long time goals:I want to have saved a specific amount of money for my retirement.I want to write a book about the Disquiet.I want to live in a particular environment for the next phase of my life. I have specific goals for the physical, spiritual and emotional parts of me.
Where do you get ideas for these goals? From step one.It takes some detective work as you sift through the "evidence" from what you learned.But it's there.Keep sifting
3. Create some "good" tension in your life.
Once you have steps one and two completed, you now have a gap between where you are now and what you want for your future. Notice, it doesn't have to be this huge, heavily detailed vision statement.Just some markers for you to navigate towards. Now,like stretching a rubber band between where you are today and where you want to be going, you have "creative tension".This stretched rubber band generates energy for action.
This slightly uncomfortable tension is not something to ignore or sedate.It is something to stay aware of, because it tells you where to focus your attention next. Once you create the tension by identifying your goals, then you take steps in that direction.
With each small step toward your goals, you ease the tension. The daily question becomes: "What is the very next action I need to take and when will I take it?" I mean the actual next thing - what phone call, what meeting, what piece of information you need next.
And be very specific about when you'll take each step. Make a commitment to yourself to take that action by that time. That is how to build momentum for change - by taking one small step at a time toward the future you want. That is how to avoid the frog's fate, dying from a slow, unintentional acclimation to an unsatisfactory life.
A few words about "creative tension."
This term is used by Robert Fritz in his book, "The Path of Least Resistance", which is reviewed below.I highly recommend it and you can read more about it below.
As you start moving out and easing some of that creative tension, you will need to review and adjust your "map." As you get into action, you will uncover new or more specific goals.These will produce new creative tensions.This will keep you moving.
Moving purposefully is very important in working with your Disquiet. Many of you will remember the old cars we learned to drive on: the kind without power steering. Remember how hard it was to turn the wheel when sitting still at the curb? But once you get moving, even at a very low speed, turning becomes very easy. You can change your course often and most easily when you are in motion.
The New Year is a natural time to start this work.In these dark hibernating nights of winter, there is almost a primitive call to stake stock of where you've been and where you're going. Just acting on your Disquiet will start to change your life. You are becoming aware.You are no longer slugging through your life unaware of the rising temperature.
May 2008 be a year of awakening and action for you.I wish you good health, prosperity of the heart and a growing awareness of your life.
New year with rest
An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.--Bonnie Friedman--
We did not go out in the new year,just stayed home for rest.
Janet has not been well these past two days.I also need more rest rather than staying out all the time.Reading and sleep become my vacation activity.
2008 starts with silence and coldness.
The temperature drops to around 10 degrees Celsius.
I responded to an email today.L sent me a new year gift---his academic essay.
We did not go out in the new year,just stayed home for rest.
Janet has not been well these past two days.I also need more rest rather than staying out all the time.Reading and sleep become my vacation activity.
2008 starts with silence and coldness.
The temperature drops to around 10 degrees Celsius.
I responded to an email today.L sent me a new year gift---his academic essay.
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)