Manna issue 71 - What the Lord Requires of You 神對你的要求是什麼
God’s requirements are reasonable. 神的要求是合理的。
Based on a sermon by Nathanael Chin—Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
馬來西亞沙巴?庇哥打基 陳拿但業 傳道講道
Parents naturally have certain
expectations towards their children.
Today, we have become the children
of God and He is our heavenly Father.
Hence, He has specific expectations
towards us.
父母對他們的小孩自然而然就會有某種期待。
今日，我們已經成為神的小孩，而祂是我們天上的父親。
因此，祂對我們有特別的期許。
During creation, God created
Adam and Eve, and placed them in
the Garden of Eden. God gave them
the following instruction, “But of the
tree of the knowledge of good and
evil you shall not eat, for in the day
that you eat of it you shall surely die”
(Gen 2:17).
在神創造世界的時候，神造了亞當和夏娃，並且把他們放在伊甸園中。
神給他們如下的指示，"17只是分別善惡樹上的果子，你不可吃，因為你吃的日子必定死！"
(創 2：17)
This was God’s requirement of
the first man, Adam. Unfortunately,
Adam and his wife did not meet the
requirement of God; they sinned and
were cast out of the Garden of Eden.
Since then, men have been dwelling
in sin.
這就是神對第一個人，亞當，的要求。
很不幸地，亞當和他的配偶無法達到神的要求；
他們犯了罪。
God also had expectations for
the Israelites because they were His
chosen people. Deuteronomy 10:12–
13 records, “And now, Israel, what
does the LORD your God require of
you, but to fear the LORD your God,
to walk in all His ways and to love
Him, to serve the LORD your God
with all your heart and with all your
soul, and to keep the commandments
of the LORD and His statutes which I
command you today for your good?”
神對以色列人也有期待，因為他們是祂的選民。
申命記 10章 12-13節記載，
12以色列阿，現在耶和華─你神向你所要的是甚麼呢？只要你敬畏耶和華─你的神，遵行他的道，愛他，盡心盡性事奉他，
13遵守他的誡命律例，就是我今日所吩咐你的，為要叫你得福。
(申 10：12-13)
THE PRINCIPLE 原則
From these two examples, we can
see that God had requirements for
His people since the creation of man.
For Christians today, God requires
us to observe the teachings in the
Bible. However, we must first have a
correct understanding—what is the
principle of God’s requirements? Are
His requirements impossible for us to
meet? No! God’s requirements for us
are not excessive. Parents today may
impose excessive requirements on
their children and have expectations
that are beyond their capabilities, but
God’s requirements are different.
從這兩個例子，自從人類被創造，我們可以看見神對祂的子民都有要求。
對今日的基督徒，神要我們去遵守聖經裡面的教導。
然而，我們一定先要有正確的了解，神所要求的原則到底是什麼？
他的要求對我們來說，是很難達成的嗎？
不是的，神對我們的要求並不會很過份。
今日的父母有可能會把過份的要求，加諸在他們的小孩子身上，對小孩子有超過他們能力的要求，
但神的要求是不一樣的。
“For if there is first a willing mind,
it is accepted according to what one
has, and not according to what he
does not have.” (2 Cor 8:12)
12因為人若有願做的心，必蒙悅納，乃是照他所有的，並不是照他所無的。
(林後 8：12)
Although the specific focus of this
verse is on offerings, the underlying
principle of God’s requirements can
be seen here. Firstly, there must be a
“willing mind” with which anything
that is done will be pleasing to God.
Secondly, these requirements are
based on “what one has” and do
not surpass a person’s ability. Every
one is different; God’s requirements
for each person are also different and
based on individual ability.
雖然這個經節是特別集中在討論奉獻的事，但是在這經節下面所隱含神的要求，卻在這裡可以被看到。
首先，一定要有一顆"願作的心"，用這種心來作任何事，這才可以讓神喜悅。
第二，這些要求只會跟據"一個人自已所擁有的"，並不會超過一個人的能力。
每個人都是不一樣的；神對每一個人的要求，也是不一樣的，並且會依照個人的能力有所分別。
Take for example an elderly man. If
there were a race, we cannot expect
this person to run as fast as a young
man. Both men need only to run to
the best of their abilities. This is also
the principle of God, which is why
the requirements of the Bible are
reasonable and based on individual
ability, for God knows what each of
us can achieve.
若是以上了年紀的人為例。
若是有一個比賽，我們不能期待這個年長者，能夠像年輕人一樣，跑得一樣快。
不論是年長者或是年輕人，只需要去盡他們的能力去跑。
這也是神的原則，這也是為什麼聖經裡面的要求是合理的，並且可以跟據個人的能力，因為神知道，我們每一個人所能完成的事。
With this principle in mind, what
does the Lord require of us today?
若是在心中有這些原則，神對今日的我們有什麼要求呢？
FAITH 信心
“But without faith it is impossible
to please Him, for he who comes
to God must believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him.” (Heb 11:6)
6人非有信，就不能得神的喜悅；因為到神面前來的人必須信有神，且信他賞賜那尋求他的人。
(來 11：6)
Faith is the foundation of our
belief. Today, we say that we believe
in Jesus in order to enter heaven and
have eternal life. But we have never
seen Jesus, heaven, or experienced
eternal life so what makes us believe
in them? The answer is simple—faith.
This is why faith is the foundation of
our belief.
信心是我們信仰的根基。
今日，為了進入天國和得到永生，我們會說我們相信耶穌。
但是我們從來沒有看過耶穌，天國，並且有機會體會到永生，所以到底為什麼可以讓我們來相信這些事？
事實上，這個答案是簡單容易的-要有信心。
這也是為什麼，信心就是我們信仰的根基。
Through faith, every Christian
can receive grace and blessings. In
the time of Jesus, people received
grace because of their faith. There
were numerous instances of Jesus
commending certain people for their
faith, saying, “Your faith has made
you well,” after they had received
grace and were healed (cf. Mk 5:34;
10:52; Lk 17:19).
透過信心，每一個基督徒都可以得到恩典和祝福。
在耶穌的時代，人們可以領受恩典，是因為他們有信心。
有許多例子，耶穌稱讚某些人的信心，在他們得到了恩典，並且得到醫治之後，說"你的信救了你"。
(cf. 可 5：34；10：52；路 17：19)
So what does the Lord require of
us in the aspect of faith? The first
requirement can be seen in the first
part of Hebrews 11:6, which states
that through faith we are required to
“believe that He is.” In other words,
we must believe in the existence of
God. This is of utmost importance,
for when we preach the gospel and
tell others of God, we ourselves
must believe that there is a God
who created the heavens and earth.
If we do not have this conviction,
we cannot convince others of the
existence of God.
那麼，在關於信心的方面的事上，到底主對我們的要求是什麼呢？
我們在希伯來書11章6節的第一段可以看到第一個要求，上面這樣記載，透過信心，我們要去"相信祂是真神。"
換句話說，我們一定要相信神的存在。
這是最重要的重點，因為當我們傳福音的時候，告訴別人神的存在，我們自已一定要相信，有一位真神，祂創造了天和地。
若是我們自已沒有這種確信和深信，我們就不可能可以說服別人，神是存在的。
Why is Abraham known as the
father of faith? The Bible records that
God reckoned Abraham as righteous
because “he believed in the LORD”
(Gen 15:6). Abraham believed in God
and was fully aware of His presence.
This recognition guided his footsteps
throughout his life.
為什麼亞伯拉罕被認為是信心之父呢？
聖經記載，神認為亞伯拉罕是有義的，因為"他相信主"(創 15：6)。
亞伯拉罕相信神，並且完全相信祂的存在。
這樣的認知，在他的一生之中，不斷的指引他的腳蹤。
Another example is Joseph.
Although he was sold to the foreign
land of Egypt, he did not murmur
against God but overcame the
temptations of Potiphar’s wife
instead.
另一個例子是約瑟。
雖然他被賣到外國埃及地，他並沒有不斷向神抱怨，反過來能夠勝過波提乏妻子的引誘。
“How then can I do this great
wickedness, and sin against God?”
(Gen 39:9)
"我怎能作這大惡，得罪神呢？" (創 39：9)
Joseph’s statement shows that he
had God in his heart. Hence, he could
live a godly life in Egypt. Today, we
too must know that there is God, and
this recognition will guide us to lead
a steady and godly life.
約瑟的話語就代表了，在他的內心裡面有神存在。
因此，他可以在埃及地上，過著聖潔的生活。
今日，我們也一定要知道，有神的存在，這樣的認知會引導我們過著穩定和聖潔的生活。
The second requirement that can
be seen from Hebrews 11:6 is that
we “must believe that … He is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek
Him.” Not only must we believe in
the existence of God, we must also
know He listens to our petitions and
rewards those who seek Him. In
doing so, we will learn to rely on Him.
We can take Hannah as an example.
She was extremely sorrowful because
she was barren. The Bible states that
“her rival also provoked her severely,
to make her miserable, because the
LORD had closed her womb” (1 Sam
1:6).
在希伯來書11章6節，我們可以看到第二個要求，就是我們要"必須信有神，且信他賞賜那尋求他的人。"
我們不只要相信神的存在，我們一定也要知道，祂會垂聽我們的祈求，並且賞賜那些尋求祂的人。"
如果能夠這麼作，我們才學得會去依賴祂。
我們可以用哈拿來當例子。
因為祂不能生育，所以就極度的悲傷。
聖經這麼說"6毗尼拿見耶和華不使哈拿生育，就作他的對頭，大大激動他，要使他生氣。"(撒上 1：6)
Instead of wallowing in her
miseries, Hannah prayed before God
when she was in Shiloh. She poured
out her burdens before Him and once
this was done, the Bible records how
she got up, went to eat, and was no
longer in sorrow because she trusted
in God. When she had a son, she
named him Samuel, because “I have
asked him from the LORD” (1 Sam
1:20). This was a woman without any
hope of having children. Yet, because
she believed in God and was willing
to bring her petition before God, God
rewarded her with a son.
她沒有一再沉溺在哀傷之中，當她在士羅的時候，哈拿就在神的面前禱告。
她把自已的重擔在神的面前傾心吐意，當她作完了這件事之後，聖經記載，她就起身，去吃飯，並且不在悲傷，因為她相信神。
當她有兒子的時候，把他取名叫作撒母耳，因為"這是我從耶和華那裡求來的。"(撒上 1：20)
這是一個婦人，已經沒有了生育的希望。
然而，因為她相信神，願意把她的祈求帶到神的面前，神就賜給她一個兒子。
Today, what is the stage of our faith?
I believe all of us acknowledge the
fact that we believe in the existence
of God, but do we believe that God
will reward those who diligently seek
Him? Do we know how to pray to
God and rely on Him in the midst of
sorrows and helplessness?
今日，我們信心的狀態到底是什麼呢？
我相信，我們大部份的人都承認的事，就是我們相信神的存在，但是我們是否也相信，神會賜給那些努力尋求祂的人嗎？
我們真的知道如何向神禱告嗎？在我們在悲傷和無助的時刻，我們會依靠祂嗎？
In summary, God’s requirements
concerning faith are that we
acknowledge He exists and believe
He rewards those who diligently
seek Him. Are these not reasonable
requirements that we are able to
fulfill?
總而言之，關於信心，神的要求就是我們會承認祂的存在，相信祂會賞賜那些努力尋求祂的人。
這些難道是不合理的要求嗎？我們很難達成這個要求嗎？
OFFERINGS 奉獻
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have
robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what
way have we robbed You?’ In tithes
and offerings.” (Mal 3:8–9)
8人豈可奪取神之物呢？你們竟奪取我的供物。你們卻說：我們在何事上奪取你的供物呢？
就是你們在當納的十分之一和當獻的供物上。
(瑪 3：8-9)
The above verse tells us that the
people of Israel failed to meet the
requirements of God in terms of
offering tithes. Hence, God rebuked
them through Prophet Malachi.
These people even had the audacity
to ask God when they had ever
robbed Him.
上面的經節告訴我們，以色列人在什一捐的事上，不能達到神的要求。
因此，神透過先知瑪拉基，斥責他們。
這些人已經搶奪了當獻給神之物，甚至還可以厚顏無恥的到神面前來祈求更多的賞賜。
Today, the offering of tithes is a
basic requirement for Christians. If
all of us recognize this and make our
offerings, the house of God will not
be short of funds to finance His work.
We need to take heed of the warning
of Prophet Malachi and not rob God.
今日，什一捐的奉獻是基督徒的基本要求。
若是我們全部的人都認知這件事，並且把我們的奉獻，獻給神，神的家就不會短缺經費，並且可以有經費供給祂的聖工使用。
我們一定要留心先知瑪拉基的警告，不要搶奪了神的財物。
Through offering tithes, we
acknowledge that what we have
comes from God. King David, while
preparing materials for the temple,
prayed in this manner:
透過獻上什一捐，我們承認一切所擁有的都來自於神。
大衛王，當他在準備蓋聖殿的物質時，他用這種心情來向神禱告：
“Both riches and honor come from
You, [a]nd You reign over all. In
Your hand is power and might; In
Your hand it is to make great [a]nd
to give strength to all. But who am
I, and who are my people, [t]hat we
should be able to offer so willingly
as this? For all things come from
You, [a]nd of Your own we have
given You.” (1 Chr 29:12,14)
12豐富尊榮都從你而來，你也治理萬物。在你手裡有大能大力，使人尊大強盛都出於你。
14我算甚麼，我的民算甚麼，竟能如此樂意奉獻？因為萬物都從你而來，我們把從你而得的獻給你。
(歷上 29：12，14)
David knew that although he had
offered much, all that he had was
from God in the first place.
大衛知道，雖然他已經獻上了很多了，但他所有的都是一開始從神而來的。
Do you think that the requirement
of tithing is reasonable? Let’s say
we earn $1000, and we offer $100
to God. Is this reasonable? Applying
David’s viewpoint that everything
comes from God, the whole amount
of money actually belongs to God.
He allows us to use $900, and we
have to return just $100 to Him. If
we look at it from this angle, is this
not a reasonable requirement?
你認為什一捐的要求是合理的嗎？
讓我們這麼說，當我們賺了1000美金，我們獻出100美金給神。
這樣合理？
採用大衛觀點，任何事物都是來自於神，全部的金錢事實上都屬於神。
祂讓我們使用900美金，我們只不過要還100美金給祂。
若我們用這種角度來看待這件事，難道這不是一個合理的要求嗎？
MINISTERING GIFTS RECEIVED 用所領受的恩賜來服事主。
“But the end of all things is at hand;
therefore be serious and watchful
in your prayers. As each one has
received a gift, minister it to one
another, as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God.” (1 Pet
4:7,10)
7萬物的結局近了。所以，你們要謹慎自守，儆醒禱告。
10各人要照所得的恩賜彼此服事，作神百般恩賜的好管家。
(彼前 4：7，10)
Peter reminds us to put God’s gift
into good use by ministering it to each
other. Every one of us is a member
of the body of Christ and everyone
has a role to play. God has bestowed
different gifts upon us so that we can
work together as a common whole.
彼得提醒我們，要好好使用神所給的恩賜，用來互相服事弟兄姐妹。
我們每一個人都是基督身體的肢體，每一個人都有自已的角色要辨演。
神已經賜給我們每一個人不同的恩賜，這麼一來，我們可以一起工作，成為一個完全的整體。
This is what God requires of us
in terms of the gifts that we have
received from Him. Paul reminds us
that this gift is for “the equipping of
the saints for the work of ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ …
from whom the whole body, joined
and knit together by what every joint
supplies, according to the effective
working by which every part does
its share, causes growth of the body
for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph
4:12,16).
12為要成全聖徒，各盡其職，建立基督的身體，
16全身都靠他聯絡得合式，百節各按各職，照著各體的功用彼此相助，便叫身體漸漸增長，在愛中建立自己。
(弗 4：12，16)
The different types of gifts that
the members have received are to
be “knitted together” to build up
the church of God. There is no place
for individualism. For example, if we
decide to walk towards one direction,
both our legs and the muscles
therein as well as our torso must all
move together towards the same
direction. A limb cannot decide to do
something different and refuse to cooperate,
or else, the whole body will
not be able to move in a coordinated
manner. It is all about concerted
efforts where everyone applies the
gifts received from God to work
together and complement each other
with the common goal of prospering
the church of God.
不同弟兄姐妹所有的不同種類的恩賜，要一起連合，用來建立神的教會。
並沒有任何機會可以讓人表現其個人主義。
例如，若是我們決定走向同一個方向，每們的雙腳，和其中的肌肉，並且和我們的身軀一定要全部一起移動到相同的方向。
一個肢體不能決定作不一樣的事情，並且拒絕合作，或作其他的事，那麼整個身體就不能夠可以協調的方式來移動。
一切都和互相協調努力工作有關，每一個人使用從神領受的恩賜來一起工作，互相彌補不足之處，為了相同的目標來興旺神的教會。
In addition, Peter exhorts, “If
anyone speaks, let him speak as the
oracles of God. If anyone ministers,
let him do it as with the ability which
God supplies, that in all things God
may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belong the glory and the
dominion forever and ever. Amen”
(1 Pet 4:11).
11若有講道的，要按著神的聖言講；若有服事人的，要按著神所賜的力量服事，叫神在凡事上因耶穌基督得榮耀。
原來榮耀、權能都是他的，直到永永遠遠。阿們！
(彼前 4：11)
In all that we do, our goal should
be to glorify God. This is another
requirement—that we do not use
the gifts that God bestows upon
us to benefit ourselves. Instead, it
is required of us to bring glory to
God through our actions. Hence,
God bestows different gifts to His
children—so that they can unite
their efforts and work towards the
common goal of building up the
church and exalting the name of
God.
在我們所作的任何事，我們的目標就是要榮耀神。
這也是另一個要求，我們不要用神所給給我們的恩賜，只是用來是我們得益處。
相反地，我們需要透過行動，把榮耀帶給神。
因此，神賜給祂的兒女不同的恩賜 - 這麼一來，他們可以聯合大家的努力，一起努力工作來達成相同的目標，
建立教會，並且可以抬舉神的名。
In conclusion, God’s requirements
in terms of faith, offerings, and the
ministering of gifts received are
reasonable and within our capability
to fulfill. The question is: are we
willing to do so?
結論，神的要求在信心，奉獻，以及使用領受的恩賜來互相服事是合理的，並且是我們的能力可以達成的。
問題是：我們願意這麼作嗎？
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)