約翰福音 第17章 中英摘要

 

  本章是主耶穌知道祂即將離世前的禱告文,是大祭司的禱告文,充滿了愛與掛慮的代求。主耶穌知道在末世,黑暗權勢會擄掠、迷惑、分化世人;仇敵是披著羊皮的狼,經常偽裝的讓世人毫無警覺、全無防備,所以主耶穌一直告訴我們要儆醒;但是主也知道我們的軟弱,所以祂向天父祈求,求父神讓祂的兒女能脫離惡者。世界會恨我們,因為我們雖在世界,但是不屬於世界,我們被分別為聖,是因著神的真理,這真理就是神的道。

  主耶穌也為我們祈求,使我們都能在祂的愛中,彼此相愛,合而為一。基督徒常會分你是某某教會或教派,而我是屬另一個教會或小組;如此的分門別類是得罪神的,因為世上只有一個教會,就是耶穌基督的教會,我們都同屬一個教會,只是在不同的地方聚會。

  我們很難去形容「榮耀」,榮耀在希伯來文字根的意思是重量的、有份量的,榮耀是神的屬性。神已經將榮耀賜給耶穌,而耶穌又將榮耀賜給了我們;信徒是神給耶穌愛的禮物,耶穌是神給世人愛的禮物。因著神的榮耀在我們裡面,我們可以合而為一,去傳揚耶穌基督榮耀的福音,去服事那些未信主的人。

  常有人說我們做事太急了,這是態度與認知的問題,舉例:我們都是消防員,有人家裡著火了,我們是慢條斯理的先把飯吃完、洗個澡、回個LINE,再出發救火?還是我們會立刻出動救援?今天若是你的房子著火,家人孩子都還在裡面,你會有絲毫的怠慢或等待嗎?肯定不會的!這是職業道德,有良好的職業道德,就不會鬆懈敷衍;有愛人如己的心,就不會輕忽怠慢。今天在福音的禾場上,我們都是工人,我們都要束緊腰帶,有忠心,有良好的職業道德,救人如救火。你我今天已經在方舟裡,眼看周圍還有那麼多人在洪水中,尚未得救,我們可以說:慢慢來,不要急嗎?

葉長老 風美小組信息 / 高雄 錦泰 摘錄回應

 

John 17

  This chapter is Jesus’s prayer before He leaves this world. It is the intercession of the High Priest. A prayer that is filled with love and concern. The Lord Jesus knows that in the last days the devil will pillage, deceive and disunite people. Our enemy is a wolf in sheep’s clothing; he approaches us in disguises so that we lose our caution and are thoroughly unprepared. Therefore, Jesus warns us to be watchful. Jesus knows our weakness as well, so He prays to our Father in Heaven for His children’s escape from the devil. The world will hate us, because we live in this world but we do not belong to it. We are separated by the Truth of God, and the Truth is God’s Word.

  Jesus also prays for us to live in the love of God, to love each other, and to unify. Christians are often divided by churches or denominations; I belong to another church or another group. This classification displeases God, because there is only one church in this world—the church of Jesus Christ. We all belong to the same church, we just gather at different places.

  It’s difficult, if possible, for us to describe “glory.” The original word for glory in Hebrew means weighty. Glory is a character of God. God has given glory to Jesus, and Jesus has bestowed glory upon us. Followers are God’s gifts to Jesus, and Jesus is God’s gift to men. We are unified, and we can spread the Gospel of the Christ and serve the non-believers because the God’s glory is among us.

  People often say that Elder Yeh’s pace is too fast. To this, Elder Yeh’s response is that it is a matter of attitude and understanding. He also gives us an example: suppose we are all firefighters, when someone’s house is on fire, do we slowly finish our meals, take a bath, and reply messages before we leave for the scene of fire? Or do we set out immediately? What if it’s your house that’s on fire, with your families still in there? Will you hesitate or wait for a split second? Of course you won’t! It’s a matter of professional ethics; people who has  good professional ethics won’t be slack or perfunctory. Those who love others as themselves would not be indiscreet or neglectful. In God’s threshing floor we are all workers. We should all tighten our belts and be faithful. We should hold good professional ethics. Saving people is like fighting a fire. We are already in the ark, but people around us are still in the flood. They are drowning! Can we still talk ourselves into taking it slowly? Can we convince ourselves there’s no rush?

Message by Elder Yeh / Summary and response by Jim Lin