Stephen Tong is Going to Preach in his own Funeral?

While studying the book of Jonah for tomorrow's Men's Fellowship, I came across this 唐崇荣牧师 圣经难解经文 第七十七讲 约瑟最后的话:

在圣经里面有两个先知,是上帝吩咐专向一个民族说预言的。第一个是约拿,另外一个是那鸿。上帝说约拿你到尼尼微去传福音,免得我把灾难灭亡临到他们。所以约拿就到尼尼微去。他一传道从皇帝到平民全国上下都悔改。他也没有想到他有布道家的恩赐,他也没有想到他一讲道全国会悔改。他根本有布道家的恩赐,没有布道家的心肠。布道家如果看见有人举手信主,感谢主还有没有?感谢主还有没有?这个约拿完全反过来。当全国悔改他说怎么会信主?那这个国家就死不成了,这个国家就灭不掉了。他有这么大的恩赐的传道人,原来是爱人家灭亡的。

这个人可爱到一个地步。为什么呢?因为到几千年以后你知道他这么坏,因为他自己写下来,不然你永远不知道他这么坏。所以我念神学的时候,老师说你最佩服的先知是哪个?我说约拿。别人说什么,以赛亚、耶利米、但以理啦,我说不,约拿。因为他是最诚实,他写下他这些日记,使我们可以讨厌他一直下去。

所以因为约拿书,你知道尼尼微城曾经全国上下同一天悔改。从坚忍的意志来说,世界最大的布道家是挪亚。120年,终身不悔从头到尾,始终贯彻,统一的精神,做到最后一天。数目来说,最多听众的是葛培理。但是我告诉你,从讲道一次的果效来说,世界最大的布道家是约拿。讲一次全国悔改。彼得讲的半死才3000个人。他全国上下悔改。以后到天堂我要问他你的口才那么好,录影带给我听。

但是虽然他有过这样轰轰烈烈、惊天动地的成就,150年以后,上帝叫另外一个先知,对尼尼微讲一个预言。你们要永远灭亡,人要永远忘记你,好像你从来不存在一样的,你的名字要被涂抹直到永永远远。到现在,有没有尼尼微族啊?有没有尼尼微城啊?有没有尼尼微文化留下来?当人去找到可能是尼尼微旧址的时候,在一个都被沙土遮盖了,那一个发现可能是尼尼微遗址的考古学家,他看见有两只鸟在沙漠呼叫。他就想起那鸿所讲的话,将来你要变成沙地,鸟在你那边啼叫,世界要把你们遗忘掉,你们要永远灭亡。

我问你啊,从约拿到那鸿所预言的这一段时间有多久啊?150年。完了。为什么呢?因为没有儿童布道会。因为上一代不把福音传给下一代。所以这一次新加坡的布道会我有儿童布道会啊,我不要作约拿,我也不要做那鸿,我要新加坡人在150年,1500年,继续有福音传下去。这种为下一代焦急的传道人太少,所以从约拿传福音大果效,到那鸿说预言永远灭亡,这不过是一个世纪半的时间。

今天我们读这段圣经的时候,看见有一个人年老的时候记得上帝的应许,就是约瑟。你们不要忘记,把我的骸骨带回迦南地。我虽然要死在这里,我没有办法像我处理父亲的后事来处理我自己的死了以后的情形。你们活着的时候,你可以帮助别人帮助别人怎样埋葬他们,送他们最后一程。但是你自己死了,谁送你最后一程完全不是你有把握的。

我最近一两年,有一个想法。就是我死的时候,丧事礼拜讲道我自己讲。你笑什么?这么严肃的事情你笑什么?我不开玩笑的。我要录下一篇文章,在我的棺材放在坟墓的时候播出来。今天你们看见这个人死了,这个人就是讲的这个人。这个是破世界纪录的事情吗。除非你今天听到我的秘密,你先去死先去讲。但是我很严肃的,为什么呢?因为我们死了以后,我们没有人可以知道我们怎样被处理丧事的问题。

Rather interesting.

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Vocab: Merism

Kathy’s Word of the Week

Weekly Brain Food brought to you by our CHRO

merism

Pronunciation:
muh-riz-uhm

Definition:
A rhetorical term for a pair of contrasting words or phrases.

As used in a sentence:
“Near and far” is an example of a merism.

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Sermon - Stephen Tong Sunday Service 11/22/2020 Matthew 6:25-34

It says don't "worry", not don't "think".

China = culture of cow (farmers). Small bowls, plates.
Mongolia = culture of horse (robbers). Big plates.

Observe ants. Do you see any ants hanging out chit chatting?

Socrates ridiculed Sophists for taking money for teaching. Knowledge is free. Not necessary to pay for.

Contrasting Confucius, who educates without discrimination. 有教無類, 因材施教.

中国文化:人民公社内部工、农、商、学、兵五业俱全。

Chinese Sermon:

Aristotle hated those who make money with money. (I would guess bankers, stock brokers, etc.) Because the most honored person is one who labors with his skills, sweat, and thus deserves his wages.

Chinese cultural order: 士(scholars, highest value),农(those who feed the society),工(shoes, clothes, building, etc.),商(main focus is to make profit, so not so valued, greedy, etc.),兵(possible bullies)。The old Chinese culture is one of the society that is very biblical. During President Mao, the army is the highest, 无产阶级专政。Using unjust means. Said to free civilians but end up bullying them.

Charity works today don't necessarily mean it's good. Because there are those beggars who are actually very wealthy, Tong eluded o the verse: 不要行义过分 (Ecc 7:16)

忧虑更计划是相反的。思想,计划,考察。
忧虑(worry, 要不劳而获)变成挂虑=一大堆忧虑挂在那边。一天到晚担心。
挂虑变成焦虑 (德文:angst), 中文很少用 = the totality of worry.
Therefore, GRII founded kindergarten, high school, etc.

God: more is given more is required.
Plato/Aristotle: (different equality with biblical justice): given work based on one's skills. This is passive (静性), not active (动性).

Tong once used 8 hours/day to listen to / learning music.

Why Jesus used his saliva? because saliva is the best medicine. Age 65 (Tong) to get diabetes is quite healthy. Diabetes brings 4 great ails: 1. blindness, 2. kidney failure, cardiac side effects, abnormal blood pressure. Blood bleeds nonstop, feet may have to be amputated. So young people watch what you eat.

Blood sugar under 160 not so bad, 180+ is very risky, 200+ is rather fatal.

Medicine is toxic. Liver detoxes. Body important, but life more than body.

First things first:
Spirit over body
character over action
God's will upon our lives over our entertainment in the world

You life is more than birds, life, etc.


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Sprouts

Not bad from 8 Passengers:
I should do this project as well.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7e-B44JDq28
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Sermon - Stephen Tong Sunday Service 11/15/2020 Matthew 6:24

Tong gave testimony of church members who give a lot, some anonymously to help others in their hardship.

1 King 18:21 Elijah referenced similar "do not serve both God and Baal".

Definition of Vision: The Sharing of God's secret planning to be shown to the chosen people to share with his people. Mission follows with promise.

Testimony of Sundar Singh: Indian missionary to Tibet who kicked out by Sikhism dad due to Christian conversion with a vision of Jesus telling him to "be My disciple".

Chinese Sermon:

What is Vision. Tong had several come up giving definitions.
Tong: 异象:上帝分享他的计划给他拣选他要使用的人。The plan which God shares to His elected servant.

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Gospel Tracts in Halloween 2020

This time we did right. The sign and the stool were clear and rightly positioned, and the kids are taking them candies and of course, the Gospel tracts I slipped in those candy bags.

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Yesterday Gladius Mini at Keansburg Beach - Belvedero Beach

Not much to look at..either it's really dead. Don't think I saw many anglers before either. I thought the further away from the bay the more life. Water is still brackish though.

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Couple of Weeks ago in Perth Amboy - Gladius Mini

The beach boardwalk has these history panels telling you how it was vibrant for fishing industry until the effect of the lead from the biggest American paint manufacturer in the 60s polluted the area which wasn't apparent until the 80s.

Now, with my underwater drone, I do see some crabs and tiny fishes. Better than Keansburg somehow. I'm not sure if the weather season would have any impact on this as my Keansburg drone visit was much later and colder.

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Vocab: Intransigent

Kathy’s Word of the Week

Weekly Brain Food brought to you by our CHRO

intransigent

Pronunciation:
in-tran-si-juhnt

Definition:
refusing to agree or compromise; uncompromising; inflexible.

As used in a sentence:
Nobody wants to work in a group with Betty because she is intransigent and unwilling to be a team player.

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Sermon - Stephen Tong Sunday Service 11/08/2020 Matthew 6:19-23

Emmanuel Kant's Noumenal summarized into:
1. God
2. Freedom
3. Eternity

My Note:
True Christians can be determined from this, where the treasure is. It is said that it is sometimes too harsh a thing to say, that very few are truly saved. However, from the context of the Parable of the Sower, and many more, it shows that those who are still struggling, stand in danger of perdition. Even if they realized they are struggling, if they do not immediately triumph, they maybe fooling themselves to be among true saints. God is not mocked. Each must bear his own burden. Gal 6:5. I therefore conclude, perhaps 99.99% preachers preach not the urgency of this message and thus the problem of the world.

Tong: We speak because we imitate. Smart people good have sharp ears. Able to recall easily what was heard, understand.

4 things that close our eyes:
1. women/sex
2. power
3. money
4. profit

Chinese Sermon:

CHinese, good listening = 聪
Good seeing = 明

Testimony of a Q&A regarding would it not be boring worshipping in heaven for eternity?
Answer: Just like one who got bored with his/her spouse vs. one who keeps discovering new fantastic things about his/her spouse every day. The latter is like Heaven.

价值观,从下到上:
嗤之以鼻
藐视
轻看
看不起
讨厌
厌恶
不喜欢
喜欢
羡慕再上乃 佩服,低于尊重
尊贵价值的人值得 - 尊重
其上乃 敬重
再上乃 敬爱
再上乃 敬畏
最高乃 敬拜 (唯独给上帝)

Tong: Experts will tell you the Bank is not a good place to store money, due to inflation. Though it's no fault of the banks.

What does lay treasures in Heaven mean? (Matthew 6:20)
Ans: The offerings made to a church's missions, 民以食為天,耶穌是我以天為食。

The important of eyes. Though for the blind to attract others and vice versa.
The god of this age blinded the minds (2 Corinthians 4:4)

信心是靈性的看見。
信心是靈性的方向。
信心是靈性的寶物。
信心是靈性的支配。
信心是靈性的順從。
信心是靈性的行動。
(Supposed to be 6 episodes of these lecture according to Tong, I may already have them but may need to look up these 6 episodes on Faith)

The like and dislike of Trump per demographic in America is brought up. Dislike Trump, because the Coasts and DC love material more than religion.

President of Africa (Engruma?)
4 causes of world wars:
1. 權柄, 2. 厲害(錢財的關係), 3. 名譽, 4. 女人
America has the best constitution in the world but there are many that wish to break it. It shows that a good constitution does not guarantee good governance, because of bad government. Tong guesses perhaps George Washington's statue will also one day be pulled down, causing doom. Washington was great because he basically set the tradition of two term presidential limit when he stepped down despite being asked to continue pass 2. However, Americans today called him out as racist due to his 50+ black servants. Contrast that with those in Indonesia with native servants (babu), are these racists as well? - said Tong.

Tong: today the have-nots want the haves to be taken over and step down (out of vengeance, jealousy). But this truth is only contingent, not lasting, because after the have-nots gained leading power, they would need to become the haves themselves in about 50 years. Temporal truth taken as eternal truth is not wise. No peace in the nation. The French also suffered the same fate with the vengeance of their former colonies, thus failing in their revolution of justice. Karma. Now there are Muslim politicians even in UK.

Paul's eyes were blinded by God on Damascus but his inner sight was opened.



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