计算花费

当你降服于耶稣后，你所“拥有”的一切：你的房子、你的船、你的车、你的草坪、你的财产、你的床、你的沙发，甚至是你自己，都是祂的了（哥林多前书6:20）。难怪耶稣要我们“计算花费”了（路加福音14:27-35）。在认识基督之前，你会误以为你的一切都是你的。但是，当你“在基督里”，你才意识到实际上万物都归上帝所有，你只是一个管家—一个金钱，事物，时间和人的管家（申命记8:17）。你管理你的（上帝的）孩子。你管理你的（上帝的）财务。你管理你的（上帝的）时间。你恍然大悟，原来上帝是要你精明地经营祂所赐给你的一切（路加福音19:11-27）。

领养家庭 

早期的门徒们就是这样生活的，他们为教会的使命和事工献出了生命。不单是牧长，每个人都参与了布道、教导和社区服务，他们为传扬福音变卖了财产，凡物公用。

尽管现今钱的用法有些许不同（取决于你所在的环境），上帝仍呼召你我怀着相同的意念，彼此分享祂所赐给我们教会和社区的资源。早期教会时期，信徒们邀请他人来到家中，与那些没有血缘关系的，特别是那些因信仰的缘故而失去家人和朋友的人亲如一家。耶稣曾应许，即使你因信仰之故失去家庭，也会在教会中感到家庭般的温暖。上帝的国度将成为你的家（马可福音10:28-30）。这是上帝为祂的教会所定的旨意。 惟有你们是被拣选的族类，是有君尊的祭司，是圣洁的国度，是属上帝的子民，要叫你们宣扬那召你们出黑暗、入奇妙光明者的美德（彼得前书2:9）。在基督被钉和复活之后，上帝建立的教会不同于古以色列，她基于一种新的模式。“以色列”成为了地缘政治实体之外的一个术语。上帝所救赎的每一个罪人都是“以色列人”—亦称为“圣徒”。这就是耶稣所传讲的上帝的国度（马可福音1:14,15）。祂应许所有来到祂面前并信靠祂的人都是上帝的儿子（加拉太书3:26）。当我们受洗时，不论性别、阶级或种族，在耶稣基督里我们成为了一（加拉太书3:26-29）。我们都在上帝的国里得了基业（以弗所书1:10-14）。关于此事以弗所书1章给出了一个概略，情况是这样的：

命中注定 

上帝在创世之前就预见到了人类的堕落，但祂因着无限的慈爱仍然制定了救赎的计划。祂渴望帮助人类脱离即将临到的堕落，祂不想永远地失去他们。祂希望他们回到起初被造的模样。上帝并没有预定人类的堕落，但祂明白自由意志会带来这样的危险，祂知道他们将会堕落。祂知道他们会被撒但所欺骗，许多人将会拒绝祂的救恩。但祂也看到许多人将会悔改，并渴望他们的生活可以摆脱罪的咒诅。因此，祂自己将成为人类的拯救计划；也就是说，祂会为他们而死，然后在天国为他们辩护，最终让他们与上帝在天国团聚。这就是救赎计划的核心和精髓，一个在起初就由上帝制定的计划。上帝的目标是恢复堕落的人类，使其与所有被造物完美合一。这不仅仅是整个宇宙的合一，而是在建立一个以自我牺牲和神圣纯爱为基础的国度上，所有的被造物都能同心作出自己独特的贡献。

受骗 

亚当和夏娃是人类的代表，是我们的始祖，他们被造时是完美的。但当他们跟从了撒但这个谎言之父时，就失去了这种完美。在那一刻，上帝失去了祂的儿女。 所有在他们之后出生的人都是在罪孽中生的，成了魔鬼的儿女（诗篇51:5；约翰一书3:8,9）。虽然亚当和夏娃难辞其咎，但上帝仍会拯救他们。新约《圣经》中早期教会的事迹，就是上帝拯救人类的最佳明证。

今日的生活

这一切都令人充满希望并倍受鼓舞。然而，尽管上帝应许我们内心得平安，不再感觉有罪和羞愧，未来得享永生并在天国与祂相伴，但我们现在仍在这世界上。天国是遥远的，我们现在仍需面临疾病和死亡。歧视仍然存在，压迫仍然存在，依然有人向寡妇和孤儿取利。有人欺骗我们，有人诬告我们，我们会生病或受伤，我们也会濒临死亡。战争、饥荒、瘟疫、贫穷都在威胁着我们。上帝看到这一切了吗？还是上帝只顾念我们归回天国之后的生活，而我们现在只能靠自己咬牙挺住呢？上帝不仅看到了这世界上一切的罪恶，并且在其中为我们提供了帮助。你可能想知道，在艰难的日子中，上帝是否会帮助你。上帝赐下许许多多的应许，祂会眷顾我们，我们可以信靠祂（玛拉基书3:10；马太福音6:25-34）。

供应者

祂向处在黑暗中的人供应光明（马太福音5:14-16）。祂为处于生活风暴中的人供应船只。

祂安慰伤心的人，赐平安给忧伤的人，供应缺乏的人。这就是上帝的国度，祂称之为教会大家庭（马可福音10:28-30）。这也是上帝呼召我们在世作祂好管家的原因。也就是说，祂希望我们作为祂的教会和选民，要尽最大努力帮助祂补救罪给这个世界带来的恶行。祂的教会要成为那些需要帮助之人获得安慰、得到医治、重获盼望的地方。虽然罪恶在基督再来之前一直都会存在，但我们需要竭尽所能地使用上帝给我们的恩赐，减轻罪恶给这个世界所造成的痛苦。因此，上帝赐给我们得货财的能力使我们富足，是为了救济贫穷、缺乏和受辖制的人。那是祂的财富，不是我们的。我们只是管家。祂赐给我们祝福他人的才能，但这都是祂的才能，我们只是管家。祂赐给我们物质财富，不是让我们私自享用，而是为了祝福他人。这都是祂的财富，不是我们的。我们只是管家。祂赐给我们时间。但时间也是属于祂的，是让我们祝福他人用的。你明白了吗？上帝是伟大的供应者，祂拣选我们成为祂的分享者。当我们成为基督徒时，对这种管家身份的理解就成为了我们的指导思想。基督说，你们的财宝在哪里，你们的心也在哪里。你的财宝是在天上，还是世界上围绕着你的这一切呢？因为，你的财宝在哪里，你的心就在那里。

呼召

你有兴趣加入这个天国信徒的团契吗？你想和这群人分享你的信仰，并向世界宣告基督的复临吗？你在寻找一群可以共同敬拜并颂扬上帝荣耀的人吗？

至少70年后；上帝；一个应许：启示录22:20-看哪，我必快来。

弟兄姐妹们，我们想通过本平台分享更多国外本会优质影像资料。因为人手有限，希望招募一些志同道合的主内同工，做英文视频字幕翻译，视频字幕合成制作，视频中文配音，配音对轨制作。有意者请留言输入“义工申请”。以马内利！

Stuff

Count The Cost

When you surrender to Jesus, everything you “own” becomes His: your house, your boat, your car, your grass, your property, your bed, your couch, even your own body (1 Corinthians 6:20). No wonder Jesus tells us to “count the cost” (Luke 14:27-35). Before you come to Christ, you are under the delusion that everything you have is yours. But, after you are “in Christ,” you realize that God owns everything, and that you are merely a steward—a steward of money, things, time, and people (Deuteronomy 8:17). You are a steward of your (God’s) children. You are a steward of what you do with your (God’s) finances. You are a steward of how you choose to spend your (God’s) evenings. Your whole perception changes to realizing that you are called to wisely manage everything that God has blessed you with (Luke 19:11-27).

Adopted Families

This was how the early disciples lived. They gave their lives to the mission and ministry of the church. It wasn’t just the pastor who alone did the preaching, teaching, or community service. Everyone was involved. And they shared money as was needed to spread the gospel. Even though money today works differently (depending on your context), God is still calling us to have the same mindset, that of sharing what we have been blessed with by God as a church and a community. The early church community invited people into their homes, and they became family to people who were not blood relatives, especially those whose Christian faith cost them their original family and friends. But Jesus promised that even though you may lose family, you will gain a family in the church. The Kingdom of God will become your family (Mark 10:28-30). This is what God intended for His church. He wants it to be a chosen family of believers united in the singular purpose of glorifying God, who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). The church, after the death and resurrection of Christ, was based on a new model different from the model of ancient Israel. “Israel” is now a term outside of a geo-political entity. Israel is now everyone who is part of God’s redeemed sinners — saints. This is the Kingdom of God that Jesus came preaching about (Mark 1:14, 15).

He added to all who had come before and had faith in Him (Galatians 3:6). We join Him as brothers—regardless of gender, class, or race—when we are baptized (Galatians 3:26-29). We are adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:10-14). Ephesians 1 gives us a glimpse into the story. It went something like this:

Predestined

When the infinite God of love made the plan of salvation before He had even yet created the world, God saw the fall of humanity. But also He desired to save them from that upcoming fall. He didn’t want to lose them forever. He wanted them as He had originally created them. God didn’t plan for humanity to fall, but knowing the risk involved in free will, He knew that they would. He knew that they would be deceived and that many would reject His offer of salvation. But He also saw that many would repent and would want to live a life free from the curse of sin. Thus, He, Himself, would be the plan of salvation for humanity; that is, He would die on their behalf and then advocate for them in heaven and, ultimately, reunite them with God and heaven. This is the heart and soul of the plan of salvation, a plan instituted by the Godhead even before time began.  And the goal of the Godhead was restoration of fallen humanity to perfect oneness with all creation. Not identical uniformity throughout the universe, but rather all creation unified in their unique contributions to a kingdom built on self-sacrificing perfect holy love.

Deceived

Adam and Eve were the representatives of humanity. They were the parents of our species and they were created perfect. But they gave up that perfection when they adopted an evil father—Satan. God’s children were, at that moment, lost to him.

All humans born after that decision have been born in iniquity as children of the devil (Psalm 51:5; 1 John 3:8, 9). Though Adam and Eve really were without excuse for what they had done, God was going to save them. And the Bible, and the story of the early church as found in the New Testament, are God’s official record of Him saving humanity.

Life Now

All this is hopeful, even very encouraging.  But even with the promises of a heart of peace, and of freedom from guilt and shame, and of eternal life with God in heaven—we are still here. Heaven is distant, and we still get sick and die now. What about the discrimination we face? What about the oppression? What about those who take advantage of widows and orphans? What about those who cheat us? What about when we are falsely accused? What about when we are sick or hurt? What about when we are dying? What about war? What about famine? What about pestilence? What about poverty? Does God see all these things? Or is God concerned only about the time when we actually get to heaven and we just need to bite the bullet now? Not only does God see all those evils, but He provides for us in the midst of them. You may be wondering if God will provide for you when times get hard. God has made numerous promises that He will take care of us, so we can trust in Him (Malachi 3:10; Matthew 6:25-34).

Provider

He has provided a light in the darkness (Matthew 5:14-16). He has provided a boat in the storm of life. He has provided comfort for the broken-hearted, peace for the weary, and help in a time of need. He calls this the Kingdom of God. He calls this the Church Family (Mark 10:28-30). This is why God has called us to be good stewards while we are here on earth. That is, He wants us, as a church, as a people, to help remedy, to the degree possible now, in a fallen world—the evils that sin has brought about the world. His church is to be a place of healing, of hope, of comfort for those in need. Evil, until Christ returns, is never going to go away. But we need to do all that we can, with the gifts God has given us, to alleviate the suffering that evil causes. Thus, God gives us wealth and the means to get wealth in order to provide relief to the poor, needy, and oppressed. But it is His wealth, not ours. We are only the stewards. He gives us talents to bless others. But these are His talents. We are only the stewards. He gives us our material possession, not for our own selfish use, but to bless others. They are all His possessions, not ours. We are only stewards. He gives us time. But time, too, belongs to Him, and it was given to us to use to bless others. Can you see?  God is the great provider, and He has chosen us to be His distributors. When we become Christians, this understanding of us as only stewards becomes our guiding mindset. Christ says that where our treasure is, there are heart will be also. Is your treasure in heaven, or is it all around you on earth? For, where your treasure is, there is where your heart will be too.

Appeal

Are you interested in joining this community of Kingdom Believers? Do you want to go all in with a group of people that you can share your faith with and tell the world about the coming Christ? Are you looking for a people to worship God with and celebrate His Glory?