二○二一年一月三十日/三十一日 Click here for English 從「講傳福音」到「廣傳福音」
麥肇聰牧師
一首 20 年前的粵語流行曲〈Shall We Talk〉今天被重新演繹,歌中有一句:「陪我講,陪我講出我們最後何以生疏?」這句歌詞相信在現今人心裡引起了不少迴響和反思。歌詞隱約指出溝通就是開啟緊閉和不安心靈的鑰匙,甚至能夠重修撕裂的關係,尋回失落了的盼望。 Pastor's Sharing
From Preaching to Living Out the Gospel
Rev Vincent Mak
A new version of the canto pop song from 20 years ago, “Shall We Talk,” carries a line like this: “Tell me, tell me why we have grown apart like strangers?” The lyrics resonate with many and inspire reflection. It says implicitly that communication is the key to unlocking closed hearts and disturbed minds. It can even repair torn relationships and recover long-lost hope. In the modern world, individualism is the order of the day. Everybody has his own truth. They are skeptical about everything. When we preach the word, what we encounter is often not “accept" or “reject”, but “no interest” or “indifference.”. If we try to convince others of the gospel with our words only, it would be very difficult, particularly in these days with information overload on the Internet, where everybody can speak their “truth”. Therefore, for those who embrace a postmodern worldview, gospel spread by evangelism by words alone without the practice of faith is powerless. Seekers of truth often observe the work and lifestyle of believers to see what life will be like if they are converted. Would these lifestyles be agreeable to them? As such, what we say or do will be vivid testimony which attracts people to the Lord. Only positive testimony will get people to open their hearts to God and listen and talk to Him. If Christians can live out faith, the gospel will spread widely. A genuine faith is the blueprint for life. We need to hold on to the truth and have a kind of courage and strength unlike any others in the secular world. That is real faith. If we live out our faith amid the present difficulties, we will be proclaiming our faith loud and clear. We need to let the world see from our lives that the end of man is where God begins. Even before we hit the end, God’s work can already be seen. If our speech and deeds can reflect the change that the gospel brings, we will have responded to the call to preach the gospel. Of course, all of us who truly believe in biblical truths and who follow the Lord know that preaching the gospel is God’s calling and commission. Down the ages, countless believers have testified to the gospel. Every life is unique, and each is a testimony that the Christian faith is a worthwhile life choice. Today, let us not forget why we first believed and what God has called us to do. Let us make an effort to preach God’s redemption through the cross so people can return to the grace of God. May the gospel bring people the life change they long for. May they have real peace on earth in the Lord Jesus Christ! |
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