启示录 mp3录音06 如何寻回起初的爱2章1至7
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- 问孩子：道德行为良好、殷勤事奉主、懂神学 VS 爱耶稣。不爱耶稣可以吗？why?
- 2章1至7
- 7封书信：有重要的属灵含义：
- （1）给这七间教会信中的内容主题，也是全本启示录不断强调的
- （2）历代众教会常见的问题都可以在7所教会看见
- （3）能够预防教会陷入属灵危机
- 背景：应该是使徒保罗所建立 (Acts 19 and 20:31)
- 3 Pic以弗所教会处在繁华的城市。
- Pic教会曾因亚底米女神的银匠与崇拜者，遭受以弗所人激烈反对（徒19:8-40）
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- （I）主掌管众天使与教会
- 启2:1 你要写信给以弗所教会的使者，说:『那右手拿著七星、在七个金灯台中间行走的，说:
- 教会的使者 ἄγγελος = 天使。 看守神子民的天使 （但10:21、12:1）
- Pic主耶稣掌管七星（所有的天使），七个金灯（所有教会）V1:20 预示符号 signifying symbolism
- Pic 教会在王图密善逼迫的期间。主提醒教会祂掌管众天使与众教会。
- 提醒：无论你遇见什么困难。主提醒我们，祂掌管一切。
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- （II）行为无法取代对神的爱
- 启2:2 我知道你的行为、劳碌、忍耐，也知道你不能容忍恶人。你也曾试验那自称为使徒却不是使徒的，看出他们是假的[1]来。3 你也能忍耐，曾为我的名劳苦，并不乏倦… 6你恨恶尼哥拉一党人的行为…
- 8件[2]被主称赞的事：（1）行为、（2）劳碌、（3）忍耐、（4）不能容忍恶人（5）分辨出假使徒（6）忍耐 repeat（7）曾为主的名劳苦 （8）不乏倦 （9）恨恶尼哥拉一党人的行为
- 在人的眼中，以弗所是一级棒的教会
- 问：为什么行了这样多事，还不足够？
- Pic e.g.当夫妻关系不好时：我为你作了这么多还不满足？你要我作的我都作了，你还要我怎样？
- e.g.有时配偶生气可能是因为，他/她 觉得你不爱 他/她。
- e.g.以前巴不得每天听见他/她的声音。 现在都懒得与他/她说话。
- Pic因责任为他/她作事 vs 爱一个人为他他/她作事
- e.g.机器人,女佣也可以做饭，洗地，为你作事。
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- (III)离弃了起初的爱被主责备
- V4 然而有一件事我要责备你，就是你把起初的爱心离弃了[3]。
- 其实是严重属灵危机[4] Lord warn us out of love
- checklist信徒：我来聚会、读经、祷告、过圣洁生活、奉献金钱、事奉。你不要再要求了！
- 主要求我们的全心来爱祂！(太22:36-38)
- O 太22:37耶稣对他说:你要尽心、尽性、尽意爱主你的神。38这是诫命中的第一，且是最大的。
- 问：神这样的要求我们，合理吗？过分吗？
- 不过分！我只知主为我死，祂比任何人都更爱我。（可惜不是每一个人都有这样的认知）
- 你若是感受不到主的爱，你要向主求。向主说！
- 神要的是我们的心。我们是无法单单用行为来满足神的
- Pic加尔文印章Calvin Seal。永约教会与恩约徽章「主啊，我们诚心即时献上我们的心给你」[5]
- 3 slides 失去起初对主的爱的一些可能迹象：
- 1以前享受与主说话，如今不渴慕亲近主。2曾经为认识主而兴奋,如今你不追求认识主。3当你开始说“我以前如何属灵、或爱主”。 4每一天无法有任何感恩的心。 5你认为主不爱你，给你遇苦难。6事奉主不再是喜乐满足，只是重担。7你想不起你最后一次向谁见证主耶稣。8你越来越爱世界[6]。9你陷入一些神厌恶的罪恶习惯。10你发现你有无法爱教会的弟兄姐妹[7]，不爱教会 。 11很少读经祷告 12.偶尔来教会敬拜神。
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- (IV) 找出问题然后认罪与悔改
- V5 所以，应当回想你是从那里坠落的，并要悔改，行起初所行的事。…
- （第一：找出问题所在）
- 回想在什么事或物，使你对主的爱冷淡
- 问：因你背的沉重十字架？ 一些罪恶习惯？ 嫉妒羡慕不满？
- 问：什么事占用你工作家庭孩子以外, 最多的时间？ 调整时间！
- 🙏 祷告主，求主祢开我的眼睛，让我们看见我们的问题
- （第二：在主前不断认罪悔改）
- 认罪与悔改，向神祈求帮助。
- 🙏 主啊，求祢帮助我爱祢更多。
- 问：也能祈求爱主？ 是的！
- （第三：重新追求爱主）restart the process
- e.g.夫妻关系不好时也是如此，需要努力回到起点
- (V) 不爱主的严重后果
- V5 …你若不悔改，我就临到你那里，把你的灯台从原处挪去[8]。
- 教会从原处挪去，是一个严厉的警告。
- 难道是: 信徒受逼迫而离开以弗所？教会慢慢衰败然后渐渐消失？真的不知。
- 唯一肯定的是，一定是有严重的后果。
- e.g.夫妻。告诉对方，你如果不再爱我，就请你搬出去。是严重的。
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- (VII) 信心是爱主与得胜的
- 7圣灵向众教会所说的话,凡有耳的，就应当听！得胜的,我必将神乐园中生命树的果子赐给他吃[12]
- 注意：圣灵是透过圣经向众教会说话！Spirit communicates via scriptures
- 生命树的果子给他吃 = 预表永生
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- Encourage ! 上帝把祂的话赐给我们是因为祂爱我们
- 神的话与圣灵会苏醒我们沉睡的灵魂，使我们爱主
- 在主的恩典下 ， 我们一定能过悔改，得胜！
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- 🙏 祷告主：
- （1）求主开我们的眼睛，让我们看见自己的问题
- （2）求主帮助我们，寻回起初的爱
- （3）像大卫与彼得一样对主说：主我爱你 （诗18:1、约21:15）
[1] Paul had told the Ephesian elders in his farewell, “After I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock” (Acts 20:29), and the message to the Ephesian church in Revelation confirms the accuracy of his prediction.
[2] Jesus states nine positive things he knows about the church in Ephesus:The Ephesians had toiled to the point of exhaustion8 and borne patiently the hostility of a society at odds with their goals and efforts (cf. the problems of Paul in Ephesus with disbelieving Jews, the seven sons of Sceva, and the mob aroused by Demetrius the silversmith; Acts 19:8–40). Mounce, R. H.
[3] our greatest obligation as wholehearted love for God (Matthew 22:36–38), which declares to us that God is not pleased by dutiful obedience that does not flow from genuine love.Hamilton, J. M., Jr.
However, they have lost their first love (v. 4). This probably means they had lost their passion for the message of the gospel. Their focus was on maintaining the inward purity of the church, for which they are commended, so the rebuke must deal with their focus toward the outside world. This is why Christ chooses to introduce Himself in the way He does in v. 1. The mention that He walks among the seven golden lampstands is intended to remind the introverted readers that the primary role in relation to their Lord should be that of a light of witness to the outside world. A passionate love for Christ leads us to love those outside and seek to win them. This they have lost. That losing their first love was tantamount to becoming unzealous witnesses is suggested further by seeing a link with Matt. 24:12–14, which shows such an end-time expectation: “Most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.” The Ephesians were to remember how far they had fallen in the loss of their first love, and to return to what they had done at first (v. 5)—a reference to those days in which the entire province of Asia heard the word of the Lord through Paul and the Ephesian church (Acts 19:10). Otherwise, their lampstand will be removed. Those who had contained and shed abroad so much light through their possession of truth might lose it entirely.5 Israel had been a lampstand (Zech. 4:2, 11), but when they forsook their call to be a light to the nations (Isa. 42:6–7, 49:6), their lampstand was removed and the church in Christ continued the role of true Israel. The primary meaning of lampstand is that of witness, as is shown by Rev. 11:3–7, 10, where the lampstands refer to the prophetic witnesses. Jesus talked of the church as a lamp to be put on a lampstand (Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16), emphasizing the church’s role as witness to the nations. The lampstands also generally represent the power of the Spirit, since this is how they are implicitly identified in Zech. 4:6, although we have seen more precisely that John views the “lamps” as the Spirit which burns on the lampstands (the churches), thus empowering them for witness (see on 1:4, 12–13). Therefore, it is possible that the Ephesians’ leaving their first love refers to their lack of dependence on the Spirit, which was necessary for an effective witness. In fact, 11:3–7, 10 shows that witnessing is carried out through exercising a prophetic role.Beale, G. K., & Campbell, D. H.
The expression includes both love of God and love of humanity at large, but here it seems to refer mainly to the love that the Ephesian converts had for one another (as in 2 John 5).15 Jer 2:2 is instructive. God speaks through the prophet to apostate Israel, “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert” (cf. Judg 2:7, 10–11; Hos 2:14–16). A cooling of personal love for God inevitably results in the loss of harmonious relationships within the body of believers. Jesus had made it clear that “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Love for other believers was the distinctive badge of Christian discipleship,16 but at Ephesus hatred of heresy and extensive involvement in the works appropriate to faith had allowed the first fresh glow of love for God and one another to fade.17 Mounce, R. H
[4] （一些学者建议是指不传福音、一些建议是指不爱弟兄）
[5] cor meum tibi offero domine prompte et sincere「主啊，我们诚心即时献上我们的心给你」
[6] 约壹2:15 不要爱世界和世界上的事。人若爱世界，爱父的心就不在他里面了。
[7] 约壹4:20人若说我爱神,却恨他的弟兄,就是说谎话的;不爱他所看见的弟兄,就不能爱没有看见的神
[8] The city of Ephesus had been relocated because of the gradual silting up of its river, the Cayster. By analogy, Christ threatens to remove the church unless its people repent. If the church does not shine its light of witness, then God will “remove” them as a lampstand, i.e., no longer consider it a true lampstand, that is, a true church. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015)
If they do not respond, Jesus Himself will come in judgment and the church at Ephesus will be no more. It is interesting to note that a coming of Jesus is referred to here which is definitely not His final return. The actual wording I will remove your lampstand from its place indicates the removal of the church as a light of witness to the world, which points to the removal of it before Christ’s final coming.Beale, G. K., & Campbell, D. H..Otherwise, Christ threatens to remove your lampstand (v. 5). He alludes to the fact that the city of Ephesus had had to change location because of the gradual silting up of its river, the Cayster. It had been “removed” from earlier locations. By analogy, Christ threatens to dislocate and restructure the chur9ch unless she repents. Vern Poythress
[9] 2:6 Nicolaitans. A heretical group, probably holding views similar to the teaching of Balaam and Jezebel
The Nicolaitans probably taught that Christians could participate in the idolatrous culture of Ephesus. The city was dominated by the cult of the goddess Artemis, goddess of fertility, and her temple had thousands of priests and priestesses, with heavy involvement in prostitution. Part of the prosperous economy of the city was dependent on trade associated with the temple (Acts 19:23–41). The city had also been declared a “temple warden” of two temples dedicated to the imperial cult (worship of Caesar), which meant that this cult also played an essential part in the city’s life. Therefore, the church’s resistance to internal pressures to accommodate aspects of this idolatrous society was very commendable. Beale, G. K., & Campbell, D. H
Paul had told the Ephesian elders in his farewell, “After I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock” (Acts 20:29), and the message to the Ephesian church in Revelation confirms the accuracy of his prediction.Mounce, R. H..
[10] 2:6 Nicolaitans. A heretical group, probably holding views similar to the teaching of Balaam and Jezebel
The Nicolaitans probably taught that Christians could participate in the idolatrous culture of Ephesus. The city was dominated by the cult of the goddess Artemis, goddess of fertility, and her temple had thousands of priests and priestesses, with heavy involvement in prostitution. Part of the prosperous economy of the city was dependent on trade associated with the temple (Acts 19:23–41). The city had also been declared a “temple warden” of two temples dedicated to the imperial cult (worship of Caesar), which meant that this cult also played an essential part in the city’s life. Therefore, the church’s resistance to internal pressures to accommodate aspects of this idolatrous society was very commendable. Beale, G. K., & Campbell, D. H
[11] This heretical group is mentioned both here and in the letter to Pergamum 别迦摩教会 (2:15). The mention of eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality in the letter to Thyatira 推雅推喇(2:20–21) as well as in the letter to Pergamum (2:14, where this is connected with the teaching of Balaam and closely related to the teaching of the Nicolaitans)23 indicates that all three of the churches were in some way affected by the sect.24 Broadly speaking, they had worked out a compromise with the pagan society in which they lived.25 But this compromise violated the requirements of the apostolic decree in which Gentiles entering the fellowship should abstain from “food sacrificed to idols … and from sexual immorality” (Acts 15:29; cf. v. 20). Mounce, R. H. (1997).
Paul had told the Ephesian elders in his farewell, “After I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock” (Acts 20:29), and the message to the Ephesian church in Revelation confirms the accuracy of his prediction.Mounce, R. H..
[12] If the seven churches are also representative of the universal church, as we have further argued, then the contents of both the letters and the visions are also applicable to the church through the ages. …. Christ promises the inheritance of eternal life with Him, an inheritance which uniquely corresponds to His attributes or to the churches’ situation. Therefore, the logical flow of each letter climaxes with the promise of inheriting eternal life with Christ, which is the main point of each letter. Beale, G. K., & Campbell, D. H. (2015).