代表香港出席海外會議，地點通常都是身處航空樞紐的美國城市。去年春天的會議卻有別於過往，因為是在土耳其的伊茲密爾 (Izmir) 召開。在古代，伊茲密爾被稱為士每拿 (Smyrna)，也就是《啟示錄》2:8-11 中提及的教會所在。會議過後，我有機會去參觀一些城市遺址[1]感謝香港基督教會的支持，讓我和太太能跟許多其他與會成員一起，參與這趟亞細亞眾教會的城市遺跡學習旅程，就是《啟示錄》2-3章中所提到的，古代亞細亞 (Asia) 的七教會。本文將聚焦《啟示錄》所記載的第七間教會 —— 老底嘉 (Laodicea) 教會，希望透過這趟遺跡之旅，加上重新研讀《啟示錄》3:14-22中具有挑戰性的訊息，讓我們今日在香港實踐基督教信仰時，能在知識及信念上有所更新。
Continue reading “你寧願自己是熱還是冷？(Dan Liu)”
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| ↑1 | 感謝香港基督教會的支持，讓我和太太能跟許多其他與會成員一起，參與這趟亞細亞眾教會的城市遺跡學習旅程 |
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Representing Hong Kong at an overseas meeting usually means visiting an American city well-served by an airport hub. This past spring, we convened in a different place: Izmir, Türkiye. In antiquity Izmir was known as Smyrna, the place that lent its name to the church in Revelation 2:8-11. After our formal meetings I had the opportunity to visit some of the city ruins where the seven churches in Asia, mentioned in Revelation 2-3,[1] were located. This article will focus on the church in Laodicea, in the hope that a visit to the ruins and a re-study of the challenging message of Revelation 3:14-22 can awaken understanding and conviction as we practice our Christianity in Hong Kong today.
Continue reading “Would You Rather be Hot or Cold? (Dan Liu)”
在今日節奏急促、焦躁不安的生活中，我們似乎無處不在。我們借助現今技術，工作中與客戶面對面的同時，也能無間地「現身」在 Instagram、Facebook 或其他社交媒體平台上，藉著發放最新帖子去分享自身經歷、興趣和負評，隨心所欲地放閃。
從一個會面到另一個會面，我們如何保持頭腦清醒？當我們幾乎無處不在的能力與基督徒的身份有所抵觸時，又會怎樣？不管身處何時何地，《聖經》都能教導我們真誠和心無旁騖地與人共處之道？神與我們同在的榜樣，會提醒和引導我們的生活？我的猜測是，我們都不難承認自己會在很多情況下分心，「人在」但精神或情感上卻不完全「心在」。藉著簡述神的同在或「專注當下」的經文，希望這篇文章會是我們學習如何與神與人共處時「心無旁騖」寶貴的一課。
Continue reading “忙碌的生活中，與人共處時如何能心無旁騖 (fully present)？ (Dan Liu)”
Alejandro Escamilla alejandroescamilla, Man with smartphone and laptop (Unsplash), CC0 1.0
Today in our fast-paced, restless lives we can be seemingly present everywhere. We can be sitting face to face across from a client at work while simultaneously, with the help of today’s technology, maintain a “presence” on Instagram, Facebook, or other social media platforms, burnishing each with the latest postings of our experiences, interests, and dislikes as frequently as we like.
Continue reading “How Can We Live Fully Present with Others in our Busy Lives? (Dan Liu)”
今時今日，香港普羅市民提及「餐旅服務業」時，腦海中浮現的多是高級餐飲或豪華度假酒店。高檔食肆和酒店被鋪天蓋地的社交媒體所點評，讓我們對餐旅服務的識見與期待，提升到一個新的層次。
Anonymous icon painter, Hospitality of Abraham (Zakynthos, 15th c., Byzantine museum), marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons
Nowadays, when the casual Hong Kong citizen mentions the term “hospitality industry,” our imaginations easily wander toward gourmet dining or a fine hotel resort. Social media bombards us with ratings on the best restaurants and accommodations, and we all can be quite discerning in our expectations of the hospitality industry.
Continue reading “What Does It Mean to be Hospitable? (Dan Liu)”
閱讀時間: 13 分鐘
大約公元50年，保羅和同工在腓立比地區停留 (《使徒行傳》16章)，呂底亞和獄卒一家，還有一些當地人都因為他們的見證而改變受洗了。隨後不久，使徒們就起程前往帖撒羅尼迦 (《使徒行傳》17:1)，那麼是誰繼續建立腓立比教會門徒的信心成長呢？除了保羅激勵的講道和個別的特殊經歷外，他們還可以怎樣更加認識耶穌？又從何知道神對他們生命的期望呢？
對我們來說，簡單直接。手指輕輕一滑，就有《新舊約全書》在面前，還有五花八門的工具軟件幫助我們了解生與死、耶穌的復活和早期教會的生活。互聯網上提供了眾多的《聖經》譯本、評論講解和靈修資料，帶領我們每天與神同行。那麼，第一世紀的外邦門徒又有甚麼可以依靠呢？最早的《新約》書信，估計是在公元49年左右[1]Ben Witherington III, The New Testament Story(Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004), 48.寫成的《加拉太書》，並且在各地教會傳閱誦讀。可是，在書信還沒有送達之前，這些早期門徒是如何學習耶穌的生命和教導呢？
Continue reading “早期門徒如何認識耶穌？(Dan Liu)”
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| ↑1 | Ben Witherington III, The New Testament Story(Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004), 48. |
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閱讀時間: 26 分鐘
Bifolio from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the end of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians and the beginning of Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, from a codex containing the Pauline Epistles. Greek on papyrus. Egypt, c. 200 AD. CBL BP II ff.15&90, University of Michigan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In Philippi around 50 C.E., Lydia, the jailer, his family, and the other converts there were transformed by the witness of Paul and his companions during their stay in the city (Acts 16), but as the apostle traveled on to Thessalonica (Acts 17:1), to whom did the Philippian church turn to grow in their faith? After this inspiring experience, how could they learn more about Jesus and how He wanted them to live?
Continue reading “How Did the Early Disciples Learn about Jesus? (Dan Liu)”
閱讀時間: 10 分鐘
此文章乃中文譯本。英語原版在此 (Click here for the original English version)
誰是「撒瑪利亞人」？《新約》對他們的描述，能怎樣幫助我們去了解他們？讓我們從耳熟能詳的《約翰福音》第4章耶穌與撒馬利亞婦人的故事開始，他們的對話凸顯猶太人與撒瑪利亞人不少相同或相異的地方：他們有共同的祖先 —— 婦人稱「我們的祖宗」是雅各（4：12），她部分血緣可追溯到亞伯拉罕；而婦人和耶穌相遇的地方就在雅各井（《約翰福音》4：6，《創世紀》33：19，《約書亞記》24：32）。接下來的對話讓我們知道，撒瑪利亞人和猶太人對應當在哪裡敬拜意見不同 —— 猶太人認為必須在耶路撒冷，撒瑪利亞人則一向在撒瑪利亞的基利心山敬拜。最終，撒瑪利亞人與猶太人一樣，都正等待「彌賽亞」的降臨（4：25）。
