连接我们
教会的历史是从哪里开始的呢？历代历世的圣经教师，对这个问题都议论纷纭，也有不少这方面的著作，尝试提供一个答案。
在这个月，基督徒将会庆祝升天节和五旬节，这两个节日乃是初代教会发展的重要日子。从某些角度来看，我们可以视这两件事为教会“开始” 的日子；然而，若单单考虑这两个特别的日子，我们便会遗漏了其他事件的开始，以致我们不能全面明白耶稣的传道工作及那些事件的重要性。
我相信，藉着回想神起初创世的计划，最能帮助我们明白教会的发展。从创世开始，神便把祂自己和我们、以及我们的世界连接起来了。神为我们作了安排，以祂的创造大能，祂已经为按祂形像造成的人，预备了一个他们可以工作、玩乐、敬拜，和在祂里面休息的环境。
当我们晓得神起初创造这个世界的计划时，我们便会更深明白，教会是神复兴万物计划中的一部份，藉着建立教会这个群体，神让我们看见真正的爱是怎样的。
虽然我们每一个人都“犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀”（罗马书3:23），但是我们都是按神的旨意被造的，所以祂是永远不会放手不理会我们的。
亲爱的神，我们当记着，祢看我们和所有人为至宝，祢甚至差遣祢的儿子来拯救我们，惟愿我们因此得到激励。求祢藉祢儿子我们救主耶稣基督的能力，保守我们更亲近祢。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。
创世记 1:26–31
26 神说：“我们要照着我们的形象，按着我们的样式造人，使他们管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟、地上的牲畜和全地，并地上所爬的一切昆虫。”
27 神就照着自己的形象造人，乃是照着他的形象，造男造女。
28 神就赐福给他们，又对他们说：“要生养众多，遍满地面，治理这地，也要管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟和地上各样行动的活物。”
29 神说：“看哪，我将遍地上一切结种子的菜蔬和一切树上所结有核的果子，全赐给你们做食物。
30 至于地上的走兽和空中的飞鸟，并各样爬在地上有生命的物，我将青草赐给它们做食物。”事就这样成了。
31 神看着一切所造的都甚好。有晚上，有早晨，是第六日。
Linking Us Together
God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness. . . .” — Genesis 1:26
Where do we begin the story of the church? Bible teachers have wrestled with that question for centuries. Volumes have been written in attempts to provide an answer.
This month Christians will commemorate Ascension Day and Pentecost as key dates in the development of the early church. In some ways, we can look at those events as “beginning” dates of the church, but then we would miss some of the other beginnings that help us understand the ministry of Jesus as well as those special days.
I believe we can best understand the church by remembering God’s original design. From the beginning of creation, God was linking himself to us and our world. God was making room for us. He was preparing in all his creativity a setting by which people, made in his image, could work, play, worship, and rest in his presence.
When we know God’s original design for this world, we have a deeper understanding that the church is part of his renewal of all things by developing a community in which God wants to show what real love looks like.
Though all of us human beings “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), we have been made in his image for God’s purposes, and he will never let us go.
Dear God, may we be encouraged to remember that we and all other persons are so precious to you that you sent your Son to save us. Keep us close, we pray, by the power of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
编辑进度:
发布时间:
繁體版:
Line:
栏目:
机构:
作者: