Wayne's House 偉恩的家

Basically there are three major types of church government. (There is a fourth, but it is NONgovernment.)
The first kind is rule by a class called “clergy” who are professional church leaders educated and set in a hierarchy that rules from the top down.

Usually when we speak about discipline we don't have nice comfortable feelings.
We think of acting according to rules such as military discipline. Or, we might think of being disciplined to rise early and read our Bible, a regimen to improve spiritual skills.

Why go to church?
Many people today find “church” to be simply irrelevant.

Donald Whitney in his book Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church tells the following story.
Eightyseven year old Giles Pellerin recently attended his 750th consecutive USC football game.

Maybe be you have one, or had one, or were one — a child that constantly asks, “Why?” to everything you say, or do, or tell them to do.
I have had six of them who tried my patience and intelligence with one three-letter word followed by a question mark.

Philip Yancey (The Jesus I Never Knew) describes what he thinks life would be like if Jesus did not rise from the grave.
“After time, as emotional wounds began to heal, the disciples would seek some way to memorialize Jesus.

The first of over 30 references to salt in the Bible is found in the Book of Job, recorded about 2,250 BC.
The most famous reference is when Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of salt. Jesus also uses salt as an illustration when he says, “You are the salt of the earth?” He is referring to the characteristics we will exhibit as his followers on earth. In many cultures salt plays a vital part in religious ritual, symbolizing purity.

What is it we really want out of life? Most people would say some amount of comfort and success. No one would say they are seeking to suffer or fail.
Isn't it odd that success almost always requires suffering to some degree and being a failure is often connected to the love of comfort? Yet, we all strive to maximize the easy life and minimize any discomfort and pain. Throughout history philosophers and theologians have discussed and pondered why humans suffer and how can it be overcome.

In the next two weeks we will bring our series on the Life of Christ to a close.
As I looked back on the different subjects we touched on regarding Jesus' life I was greatly impressed with how little we covered.

About a year ago I was given a book highly recommended by my oldest daughter titled The Shack by William Young.
My interest was piqued by comments made on the back cover. Evangelical recording artist Michael W. Smith states, “The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God.”

In our series, “Jesus, Who Is He?” we have looked at what the gospels have recorded of Jesus' response to many things: His response to sinners, to religious people, to Pharisees, to followers, to sickness, to poverty, etc..

(三) 神聖的約定
     經文：書四～五章

Our annual Bi-lingual Summer Camp this past week was a lot of fun. The attendance this year was low, but the enthusiasm was high.
Six young people placed their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior. One called up Pastor Dan Freeman late on Wednesday night to say he prayed in his room for salvation and wondered if God heard his prayer! Eleven campers made commitments to make a difference in their world by serving God. One of the highlights was learning how to do simple sign language and then meeting four students from the deaf school.

哥林多前書2:9上帝為愛祂的人所預備的，是眼睛未曾看見，耳朵未曾聽見，人心也未曾想到的。」
羅馬書8:2「不要效法這個世界，只要心意更新而變化，叫你們察驗何為神的善良、純全、可喜悅的旨意。」

今天我們教會 天母感恩堂 舉辦了連續兩天 四堂的研經特會
用聖經的話教導我們如何在教會中 家庭裡 工作中 生活中得勝

“Peaking these recruits’ curiosity is the issue, “Where are You staying?”
Possibly pushing this detail to the fore is their own leader John’s exalting of Jesus.

Multiplication is much more powerful than addition. It wasn't enough for Jesus to merely teach his disciples about the Kingdom. It was imperative he teach them to tell others.

Jesus' ministry began with the baptism of John the Baptist when he was “about 30 years of age.”
Of the thousands of followers twelve were chosen, “calledout,” and called “the twelve.”

For most Christians we understand our obligation to live our faith as a good testimony to those around us.

The difficulty arises in verbalizing our faith in Jesus Christ. It is even more challenging to present Jesus as that Savior everyone needs. This is called “witnessing.”

Do you like being around people or do you prefer the quiet evening by yourself? Someone might say, “I love being around people. I'm an extrovert.” That means they're outgoing, talkative and social. On the other hand, a person may be an introvert. Shy and not verbose they are mainly concerned with their own thoughts and feelings. Usually they don't like being around a lot of people. Was Jesus an introvert or an extrovert? That's an interesting question.

Reading through the Gospel of Mark again I noticed how often crowds gathered around Jesus, some large (6-7 thousand), and some small (30-40). Often when crowds gathered Jesus was moved with compassion. Does that mean he loves being around people? I also noticed how often he “withdrew” with his disciples to get away from the crowds. On several occasions Jesus simply wanted to be alone. He often sought solitude with his heavenly Father.