2021.12.25/26
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

A. Living in a dark world with artificial light

• ⁴  … the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor. 4:4)
• The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” (Mat. 4:16)

B. Pointing a dark world to the true light

• “And you, child (John the Baptist), will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Lk 1:76-79)
• Jesus said, “… I am the light of the world.” (Jn. 9:5) Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (Jn. 8:12)
• For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor. 4:5-6)
• And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Rev. 21:23)

C. Being the shining lights to the dark world

• … Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
• Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.³⁵ Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. (Lk. 11:34, 35)
• But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
• But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (I Pet. 2:9)

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Simon

2021.12.25/26
作者:李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

一.活在五光十色的黑暗世界

 這些不信的人被這世代的神弄瞎了他們的心眼，使他們看不見基督榮耀的福音的光；基督就是　神的形象。(哥林多後書4:4)

…住在黑暗中的人民，看見了大光；死亡幽暗之地的居民，有光照亮他們。 (馬太福音4:16)

二.指黑暗世界走向世真光

孩子[施洗約翰]啊，你要稱為至高者的先知，因為你要行在主的面前，預備他的路，使他的子民，因罪得赦，就知道救恩。因我們神的憐憫，使清晨的陽光從高天臨到我們，光照那坐在黑暗中死蔭裡的人，引導我們的腳，走上平安的路。(路加福音1:76-79)

耶穌說：「… 我在世上的時候，是世界的光。」(約翰福音9:5)；耶穌又對眾人說：「我是世界的光，跟從我的，必定不在黑暗裡走，卻要得著生命的光。」(約翰福音8:12)

我們並不是傳揚自己，而是傳揚耶穌基督是主，並且為了耶穌的緣故成了你們的僕人。因為那說「要有光從黑暗裡照出來」的神，已經照在我們的心裡，要我們把　神的榮光照出去，就是使人可以認識那在基督臉上的榮光。(哥林多後書4:5-6)

這城不需要日月照明，因為有神的榮耀照明，而羊羔就是城的燈。(啟示錄21:23)

三.成為光輝照耀黑暗的世界

照樣，你們的光也應當照在人前，讓他們看見你們的好行為，又頌讚你們在天上的父。(馬太福音5:16)

你的眼睛就是你身體的燈，你的眼睛健全，全身就明亮；如果不健全，全身就黑暗。所以要謹慎，免得你裡面的光黑暗了。(路加福音11:34-35)

我們若行在光中，像他在光中一樣，就彼此心靈相通，他兒子耶穌的血也潔淨我們脫離一切罪。(約翰一書1:7)

然而你們是蒙揀選的族類，是君尊的祭司，是聖潔的國民，是屬神的子民，為要叫你們宣揚那召你們出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德。(彼得前書2:9)

主僕,
李耀全牧師

2021.11.27/28
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Real mentoring relationship is hard to find

I have had many teachers all my life, most of them good. The earliest teachers that I can remember were in my secondary schools’ years and it is interesting that I have kept in touch with some of them till now. The reason being that they really dedicated their lives to more than teaching to discipleship. Then I can remember some of my professors in my graduate school years in medical school, mainly because we saw each other in the lab daily, not just in a big lecture room. The teachers that influenced me most are (and were) those I became connected to in theological schools and professional circles, either as a student or fellow professors or theological educators and professional colleagues.

But if you ask me who were those who really “mentored” me, the list becomes much shorter, because a mentor-mentee relationship goes beyond a teacher-student relationship. It goes beyond the sharing of information and knowledge; it goes beyond the giving of advice, counseling, and coaching; and it goes beyond a teaching or co-worker relationship, to a caring and mutual supporting / enriching relationship. It may or may not happen in some spiritual director-directee relationships. In some cases, the relationship often changes as it develops in different stages into a mentor-friendship, the roles of mentor and mentee may even at times reverse, with the growth of the mentee.

Two mentors I had that most influenced me were Rev. Dr. Arnold Yeung (楊牧谷博士牧師)and Rev. Dr. James Chueng(張慕皚博士牧師). Both of them saw in me what others did not see and were willing to invest in me (when I was a no-body) in giving me opportunities to serve and grow in my writing ministry and in my pastoring/teaching career respectively. I cannot thank them enough for shaping my life in my most productive years. I cannot pay them back, and can only pay forward, as in the many mentoring relationships and groups (教牧菁英小組)from my days in seminary and university teaching in Hong Kong that I have maintained, some for over 15 years.

A classical Biblical mentoring relationship

In studying the growth of the Early Church in Acts of the Apostles, one fascinating relationship is that of Barnabas and Paul, a classical Biblical mentor and mentee relationship. Paul clearly is most prominently featured in Acts, and we study the 14 important Epistles in the New Testament that he wrote. But all the success of Paul is intimately tied to one person, Barnabas, who became his one and only mentor. Barnabas appeared first in Acts before Paul as a leader in the early Church (Acts 4:36; 11:22, 13:1). His relationship with Paul (then Saul) started when as a devout follower of the Jewish faith, he was vehemently persecuting the followers Jesus Christ (Acts 9). Barnabas guided Paul each step of the way during his development from a new convert to the great apostle to the gentiles. But I believe that such a mentoring relationship often is formed intentionally (and/or by divine providence). From experience I have found it cannot be successful unless it is mutual. It also must have certain prerequisites and may goes through several stages.

Prerequisites in spiritual mentoring

First, true to his name, Barnabas was a “son of encouragement” known for his enduring character of encouragement in the Jerusalem Church (Acts 4:36, 37) as well as to the new believers in Antioch (Acts 11:22). Barnabas was in his own right, a prominent teacher (Acts 13:1), a respected leader (Acts 14:11, 12). The important thing is that he was a person who was submissive to God as seen in his willingness to take risk with Paul (then, Saul) (Acts 9:27). In my experience, this takes courage and is a deliberate choice which may or may not succeed depending on whether a mutuality can be established.

On the other hand, Paul who was a devout follower and staunch defender of the Jewish faith but who was totally misguided in his zeal and became a persecutor of the followers of Christ (first called “Christians” in Antioch). It took a dramatic divine encounter on the road to Damascus, as a result blinded Saul for several days, for him to find his real blind spot in his religious zeal. Once a proud and self-confident man, a scholar par excellence, he had to be converted and became first a blind, humble and helpless person, and “be told what you are to do.”(Acts 9:6) As we see later in the life of Paul, he was able to turn his negative energy to positive energy in taking on the enormous task of taking the gospel to the whole of the gentile world. This we can see in the Lord’s divine plan in His word to Ananias on Paul: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15,16) To being a “chosen instrument” requires both a call to honour to serve Christ and also a call to suffer for Christ. It is ultimately in being willing to suffer for Christ that we truly understand what it means to serve Christ, with honour, humility and integrity.

Next: Mentor and Mentee: The relationship between Barnabas and Paul 2: Sponsorship, nurturing and multiplication

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Simon

2021.11.27/28
作者:李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

可遇不可求的師徒關係
我一生曾有很多老師，這些老師大多數都很好。我記得最早的老師是在我的中學時代，有趣的是，有一些老師我至今仍保持聯繫，原因是他們真的把自己一生不單單的奉獻給教學，而是作門徒訓練。然後我記得我在醫學研究院就讀的一些教授，主要是因為我們每天在實驗室見面，而不僅僅是在一個大的教室裡。對我影響最大的老師是我在神學院和專業中結識的人，無論是我作為學生或與他們同當教授、神學教育者或專業人士。

但如果你問我誰是我真正的師父，名單會變得更短，因為師徒關係超越了師生關係，超越了信息和知識的傳遞；超越了提供建議、諮詢和輔導的範圍；超越了教學或同事關係，成為關懷和相互支持/充實的關係。在一些屬靈導引的關係中，可能會產生這種師徒關係。師徒關係可隨著不同階段的發展而轉變為師友情誼，隨著徒弟的成長，甚至青出於藍，師徒角色亦可能會逆轉。

對我影響最大的兩位導師是楊牧谷博士牧師和張慕皚博士牧師，他們當我是一個無名小卒時，都因對我的錯愛，在我身上看到了其他人沒有看到的，分別給我機會在我的寫作事工和牧養/教學生涯中服侍和成長。我非常感謝他們在我最豐盛的歲月裡塑造了我的生命，我無法回報(pay back)他們，只能承傳下去(pay forward)，就像我在香港的神學院和大學教書期間所建立的眾多師徒關係和教牧菁英小組，有些已經維持至今超過 15 年了。

聖經中一個經典師徒關係

在研究使徒行傳中早期教會的成長時，巴拿巴和保羅的關係是一份引人入勝、聖經中的經典師徒關係。我們研讀保羅在新約中所寫的 14 封教牧書信，他顯然在使徒行傳中最為突出，但保羅的所有成就都與一個人密切相關，這人巴拿巴成為他唯一的導師。巴拿巴比保羅早出現在使徒行傳中，是為早期教會的領袖（使徒行傳 4:36；11:22、13:1）。保羅（當時的掃羅）是猶太信仰的虔誠追隨者，強烈迫害追隨耶穌基督的人（使徒行傳 9）。在保羅從最初回轉歸向基督到後來成為外邦人使徒的成長過程中，巴拿巴每一步都引導他。但我相信這樣的師徒關係通常是刻意（和/或由神的安排）經營的，並且根據我的經驗，我發現除非是雙方面的互信配合，否則不可能成功。它還必須具有某些先決條件，並且可能會經歷幾個階段。

屬靈師徒關係的先決條件

首先，正如他的名字一樣，巴拿巴是一個「安慰之子」，他在耶路撒冷教會（使徒行傳 4:36、37）以及安提阿的新信徒（使徒行傳 11:22）中以持久的鼓勵性格而聞名，巴拿巴本身就是一位傑出的教師（使徒行傳 13:1），一位受人尊敬的領袖（使徒行傳 14:11、12）。重要的是，他是一個順服上帝的人，從他願意冒險提攜保羅（當時的掃羅）就可以看出（使徒行傳 9:27）。根據我的經驗，這需要勇氣和經過深思熟慮，成功與否取決於能否建立相互關係。

另一方面，保羅是一個虔誠的猶太信仰追隨者和堅抉的捍衛者，但他的熱誠完全被誤導了，使他強烈的迫害基督追隨者（最先在安提阿被稱為「基督徒」）。保羅在去大馬士革的路上經歷了一場戲劇性的神人相遇，結果他瞎了幾天，才在他的宗教熱誠中找到了他真正的盲點。他曾經是一個驕傲自信的人、一個卓越的學者，但他必須悔改，首先成為一個瞎眼的、謙卑和無助的人，並「被人告訴應當作的事。」（使徒行傳 9:6）正如我們所見在保羅人生的後期，他能夠將自己的負能量轉化為正能量，承擔將福音傳遍整個外邦世界的艱鉅任務，這一點我們可以從主在保羅對亞拿尼亞的話之預告看到：「你去吧！這人是我揀選的器皿，為要把我的名傳給外族人、君王和以色列人。 我要指示他，為了我的名他必須受許多的苦。」（使徒行傳 9:15,16）要成為「被揀選的器皿」，既需要被召服侍基督，也需要為基督受苦。最終，當我們願意為基督受苦時，我們才能真正理解以尊榮、謙卑和正直侍奉基督的意義。

下一篇：亦師亦友：巴拿巴與保羅的師徒關係2：推薦、培育和延伸。

主僕,
李耀全牧師