团契生活 – 卫理公会女皇镇礼拜堂 Queenstown Chinese Methodist Church

“当羊入狼群” – 青年团契生活营分享

Lois Chng — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 07:32:43 +0000

“当羊入狼群” - 青年团契生活营分享

青年团契在2023年6月29日至7月1日于Praisehaven Retreat Centre举办了3天2夜的营会，并且邀请了樟宜堂的许巽然牧师担任讲员。今年的营会主题是“当羊入狼群”（Among Wolves），主讲经文取自马太福音10章16节：“我差你们去，如同羊进入狼群，所以你们要灵巧像蛇，驯良像鸽子”。青年人通过营会有了什么得着？来听听4位弟兄姐妹的分享！

卓于譞（营长）

Are we among wolves? Do we want to be among wolves? Or are we like wolves?

Going through this year’s Qing Tuan camp has helped answer many of these questions in many of our minds. I believe many of these fundamental questions are the kind of challenges we face day in and out when we interact with our colleagues, friends and even our families. Like many young adults, I also struggle with these challenges.

In the workplace, there are bound to be non-believers amongst my colleagues. However, the question is whether do I even want to step into the situation where I am among them? By saying this, I don’t just mean to interact with them as a normal colleague. But to take the step further and to build friendship and trust with them. I think the message from the camp is a very simple reminder: God called me not to be just a happy sheep living in my own happy sheep pen with my fellow sheep. Matthew 10:16 says “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” So, the message is simple, to go out there and know the wolves. It’s not a matter of preference but it’s a command.

However, notice the verse also talks about the way we are to interact with the wolves. We need to be shrewd, not in a way that is dishonest, as the verse adds that we are also to be innocent as doves. In other words, we are not to cause harm or to take advantage of them. But rather, we ought to be that Godly example through the way we live among them. This brings to another point which I was also reminded from the camp and that is that: God wants me (us) to live in a way that is different from the wolves. Because how else will the wolves know that we are not the same as them? If we talk the same, act the same, spend money the same, treat our time the same, then we can’t really blame it that the wolves do not recognise us as any different. Therefore, even as we live among the wolves, we also need to live in a way that can help point them towards the Christ that lives in us and the faith which we so strongly believe in. Then one day, perhaps the wolves will be interested to shed its wolf skin and become a godly sheep.

林礼彤

青团活动结束后，生活中听到最多的一句话就是“你不是一个人”。在我最脆弱的时期，这句话使我记得我不是一个人。无论环境如何，无论日子过得如何，在哪一个狼群中，我不是一个人，我有耶稣的陪伴。我想介绍大家一首来自新心音乐的诗歌《以爱担待》，其中的歌词让我印象深刻：

“蹒行坎坷窄路，翻越高山低谷， 才知祢的眼目未曾远离我的脚步。”

这一路上，在最艰难、低潮、难过、无助的时刻，尽管有过无数次想放弃的念头，但因着那深不见底的爱，没有别处能找到，那就是耶稣。

因着爱我的主，他绝对不会忘记我。他在暗中保护着我！

愿我以喜乐的心来面对我的环境，用积极的心来战胜我的沮丧，因为凡事都有神的美意。

我要感恩，称谢到底，一切都会安然度过的。

江颂华

The 2023 Qing Tuan Camp was the first church camp I had attended in a long while. While I went with an open heart and mind, I was also in the midst of exploring other church communities. I could not help but wonder if that would be my last Qing Tuan Camp. The games, morning walks, and fellowship were all truly enjoyable and impactful, but the thought of searching for a new community still weighed on my heart. Those feelings of uncertainty and frustration became more apparent as I spoke to my remaining two friends who were still serving in the church. We discussed our plans for the future, and where we saw ourselves serving for the years to come. Then, it was time for the last sermon of the camp.

It was as if the speaker had overheard our conversation. As he spoke on persisting in the church, he mentioned that there were increasingly more youths and young adults leaving their churches in search of something elsewhere. While there is nothing wrong with leaving a church if there are questionable theological teachings, I was prompted to examine my own heart on why I desired to find a community elsewhere. I still do not have a definite direction for the years to come, but one thing I am sure of — God has placed me here for a purpose that He is still fulfilling. My prayer is for the youths and young adults to have the courage to go where God has called them to be, and to find true joy in serving the Lord wherever they may be.

陈侄濠

额？羊入狼群！？有什么样的羊会敢进入狼群呢？为什么羊要进入狼群里送餐呢？可想而知，羊进入狼群是一个很可怕的画面，因为他们将面对可怕的危机—被欺负、被吃。如马太福音10章16节所说，耶稣差我们（羊）去到世界（狼）中去宣扬福音，让更多人都能认识并接受世界的真光——耶稣。耶稣也知道我们将会面对逼迫困难，所以他要我们要有智慧和温柔地去把神国的信息分享出去。当然，我们同时也要常常领受上帝的话语，并把从他那里领受的都结出果子来，好让身边的人都可以从我们身上看到基督。我很感恩，因为在这次的生活营，我领受太多太多了。愿我们都可以定睛仰望上帝，并靠着上帝的大能进入狼群，让更多人都可以认识耶稣——这世界的真光。

弟兄和姐妹很不一样吗

风铃编委会 — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 14:42:16 +0000

弟兄和姐妹很不一样吗？

陈祎婷姐妹

自很久以前，听说青年团契每年都会举办“弟兄之日”和“姐妹之日”，源由是为了鼓励弟兄姐妹发挥所长来学习彼此服事，同时也展现才艺，互相欣赏。

今年，青年团契把这两个节日合起来办，通过4个环节的活动，让弟兄和姐妹知道虽然很多时候男女的思维模式非常不同，但不是所有男生都来自火星，金星里也不是只有女生。

当天，我们玩了二选一情境题，回答了像“你宁愿世上的人变得更聪明，还是更善良？”、“你宁愿办一场盛大还是简约的婚礼？”、“他人生气时，你宁愿对方跟你冷战，还是对你大吼大叫？”等问题。另一个环节是举旗子游戏，举绿旗表示认同或可以接受另一半的行为，举红旗则表示不认同，看看自己能不能接受另一半“吃饭坚持AA制”、“每天打游戏或看剧超过1小时”或“一定要一起灵修”等行为。从以上两个活动得出的结论是：每个选择有男有女，没有出现男女对立的局面。

之后的第三个活动，我们将男女被分开，自成一组。大家的任务一样，就是各想两道想问异性的问题，然后先让异性写下他们的答案，最后自己也回答那道问题。女生组问了男生“婚后是否和男/女方父母住？为什么？”以及“当原生家庭有困难时，比如需要超过1万块的经济援助，另一半是否应该共同承担”？男生组问了“为什么女生总问有双关意义的问题”以及“你认为一个精心计划的盛大求婚仪式是必要的吗”？女生很快地想出了这两道问题，也很容易地回答了男生的问题；男生……想问题想了蛮久，回答女生的问题时还算快，却花了好长的时间想着怎么回答自己设的问题……这说明了什么呢？哈哈。

总结一下大家的答案：

男女生都觉得如果可以，婚后应该两夫妻自己住就好，并且共同承担另一半的家庭问题。女生不要求奢华的求婚，更不要在大庭广众下被求婚（有人写“觉得丢脸”），心意在就足矣；男生的想法有差，有的觉得简单就好，有的觉得有必要隆重，因为“要证明我们的爱是真的”，也有人说“要创造美好的回忆”。

女生真的会问有双重意思的问题吗？“是男生想太多。”“这是刻板印象。”“那你要更细心了！”“我很直接的啊。”所以，是怎么一回事？结果，男生自己答不上来……

最后一个活动，就是大家匿名写出自己理想的另一半该具备什么条件，然后大家一起讨论，看看列出的条件是必需且合理，还是只是个人喜好，以此让弟兄和姐妹思考自己所的条件当中，是否过于理想化？

结束之前，陈振福传道为我们简单讲解圣经怎么看待男女之别。

创世记1章27节说：“……神创造了他们，有男有女。”从起初，男人和女人就有不同。男女在肉体上就有极大的差异。而神定意要男人和女人不同，不是要使他们彼此竞争或对立，乃是彼此互补，最终反映出神的形象。

比如，男人的思考能力能帮助他们看到整幅图画，而女人注重细节，使男女在计划任何活动或在讨论中能彼此互补。或许男人比较能专注地做一件事，而女人能做多项任务，那就此互补，做事更有效力。

男女也要彼此尊重，放下对彼此的偏见，不可自私自利，不要单顾自己的事。带着谦卑顺服的心，彼此相待、彼此肯定和欣赏，建立神所喜悦的关系。