晚安，你们听诗班唱得好不好？ 有没有想上来唱？ 阿? 这几首诗歌都很好 而且如果我们要练到这个样子 可能我们要练好几个月 不但要练好几个月，还要有很好的歌喉 有音乐的才干，我们才能唱得很好 没有一个宗教有像基督教这么多的 这么好的诗歌 所以呢有人问 到底基督徒所唱的歌有多少？ 我相信没有人算过 没有人曾经算过在历史上 基督徒所唱的诗歌有多少首 如果要算的话 可能你算完了，把数目宣布出来的当时 已经很多人在写新的诗歌了 所以永远算不完 英国有一本书叫作 Guinness Book of World Records 是两个兄弟在几十年前 定意来印一本世界记录大全的书 那有一年里面提到一句话： “基督徒唱的诗歌，最少有五十万首。” 五十万首！ 我看了以后，感到很多很多 我说：“一定比这个更多 不可能只有五十万首。” 为什么？因为我写的还没有放进去嘛 所以一定不可能只有五十万首 就在我们讲这几句话的时候 世界各地的人，还有很多人在写诗 做什么？ 赞美上帝，赞美耶稣 奇怪啊，宗教这么多 为什么只有基督教 会产生这么多的音乐？ 产生这么多的诗歌？ 人唱诗大概有几个理由 第一，就是为爱情 第二，就是为革命、为国家 第三，就是为文化 第四，就是为宗教 而宗教的音乐，是从历史最远古 与人类共同传下来 非常深、非常有生命力的音乐 所以当人在敬拜的时候，他们要用音乐 那这个音乐呢，从节奏开始的 不是从旋律开始的 咚、咚、咚咚咚、咚 咚、咚咚咚、咚 这样就把人集合起来 然后一大堆的群众就预备他们的心 要敬拜他们以为是神的那些神明 这样，每一个民族就有他的神明 印度人有印度的神明 中国人有中国人神明 福建海岸旁边有妈祖神 有的人就把物质当作神 把树当作神，把山当作神 把海当作神 有的人把人当作神 把孔子当作神，把释迦牟尼当作神 而这些是人的，他们从来没有说他们是神 孔子从来没有说：“我是神，你要拜我。” 释迦牟尼从来没有说： “我是神，你要拜我。” 那么，把物当作神 把自然现象可怕的地方当作神 把伟大的民族英雄当作神 这个东西呢在每一洲、每一国 每一时代、每一个地区里面都有发生过 奇妙的是什么？ 英国的社会学家史宾塞 （Herbert Spencer, 1820-1903） 跟另外一个同名同代的人赫胥黎 （Thomas Henry Huxley, 1825-95） 他们两个人不约而同的得到一个结论： “从来没有发现过一个民族是没有宗教的。” 而每一个宗教都有某种音乐 在他们的敬拜中间产生过 但是呢，他们也同时 发现一件很奇怪的事情： “从来没有发现任何动物有宗教。” 没有一种人，没有一种民族是没有宗教的 相反的，没有一种动物是有宗教的 所以你没有看过猫祷告 你没有看过猴子敬拜 你没有看过动物还没有吃饭以前先谢饭 没有可能的 动物从来没有宗教观念 而没有一种人类没有宗教观念 而这些宗教是与生具来的 这种观念哪里来的？ 这是人性里面最基要的几个特点 里面的一个点 宗教是人的最基本的本性 文化也是人类最基本的本性 宗教跟文化，一个主内，一个主外 宗教是人内心的深处，为了一些生命的意义 为了人终极性的目的，为了死后的价值 产生出来的必须的一种依靠 一种愿望、一种目标 所以宗教呢，是里面一种对某些很神秘性 的东西的回应 所产生出来的价值系统 文化呢，也是如此 但是文化不是从最里面的 乃是注重外面我们所需要的 我们要穿怎样的衣服 我们要用怎样的语言表达 我们要怎样把里面的情操 我们的感受把它发泄出来 我们怎样用戏剧来表达 我们里面所追求的、想像的东西 那这些东西呢 从衣、食、住、行，各种文物 以及呢，各种意义的表达就产生文化 从基督教的神学思想来看 这两大本性就组成人之所以是人 如果你没有宗教性，你不是人 你没有文化性，你不是人 在最古最古没有什么科学以前 宗教，文化就存在了 我们中国的远古的时候，有洪山文化 有仰韶文化，有龙山文化 那么，这些的文化呢 是在科学技术 没有来到人间以前就有的 但是这个宗教跟文化本质 乃是对一个东西的回应 那个东西在基督教的神学里面叫做什么？ 叫作上帝的普遍启示 什么叫作启示？ 启示这个字在希腊文叫作 ἀποκαλύπτω ἀποκάλυψις，ἀποκαλύπτω 的意思 就是把奥秘打开来的意思 女人结婚的时候，古代一定要用面纱 到现在还是如此 从前盖得很密，连脚都要把它盖得很密 到结婚的那一天的时候把它打开 你看见她真正的面目是什么 这个叫作 ἀποκάλυψις，这个叫作“启示” 所以真理到底怎样使我们明白的？ 我们以为我发现真理 我如果能发现真理 这就表明真理本来是存在的 不过因为我不知道呢 所以我不知道我就不能说它存在 但是我发现以后，我就认为我知道了 所以我就认为我发现了真理 但是真理不会因为你没有发现，它就不存在 真理也不会因为你发现，它就更存在了 真理的存在就在真理存在的本体的事实里面 而真理的存在，在你的发现的过程中间 使你从不知变成知 所以真理的本身，不因为你知的过程有所变化 但你因为不知变成知 在过程中间你产生变化 这样说来呢 是人发现真理呢？ 或者真理让人发现呢？ 人是主体性的？或是人是客体性的？ 真理是主动性的？或者真理是被动性的呢？ 我这样讲下去你们就很有兴趣的思考这些问题 因为我们平常受我们现代文化的影响 已经把一些很重要的，或者比现在 我们所已经习惯的文化更重要的课题 都丢在脑外去了 我们就在这十分钟中间 已经把你的思想拉回来了 你会思想到：“是啊，我从不知道 变成知道是因为妈妈告诉我 是因为老师教导我 是因为实验室化验的时候观察 使我觉悟过来的。” 所以我们常常说：“我寻找真理 我发现真理，我明白真理 我发现，我明白，我知道。” 那我变成一个主体性的了 真理变成一个客体的东西 是我发现它的，是我找到它的 是我认识它的 所以它就变成一个被动的东西 但是我刚才讲的 你不知道到变成你知道的时候 真理没有改变啊，是你改变 你从什么都不懂 变成懂的时候，是你在变化 而真理的本身没有变化 二加二等于四 我们读了数学，我们两岁就知道了 我们可能一、二年级就很明白了 但是二加二等于四，在没有苏格拉底以前 本来就是这样 真理的本身是永恒的 寻找真理的人本身是暂时的 所以暂时的人不能成为永恒的真理的主体 是永恒的真理使我们可以明白它的时候 我们变成一个客体 The Eternal Truth Supposes To Be The Subject And Man Who Is In The Procedure Of Knowing The Truth Should Be The Object 为这个缘故呢 我们对真理的了解是我们的享受 是我们的改变 是我们从领受真理得到的喜乐 因为“知”使人享乐 “知”使人生命有充实的意义 所以呢，我对真理的了解是被动的 不是主动的 那么你说这样讲跟我们 平常的想法很不一样 那个主动的真理是永恒的 是什么意思呢？ 这就是要把真理跟生命结连起来讲 什么意思呢？ 真理如果是被动的，是死的 那么，生命的本身为什么需要真理？ 而真理充实生命的本身 真理的本身怎么可能没有生命？ 这几句话把它连起来 这就是圣经的意思了 真理是有生命的 真理又是主动的生命 真理又是光照生命的生命 真理又是充实生命的真理 而充实生命的真理 是比生命更大的真理 也是比生命更大的生命 这样，能明白真理的生命 是变成被动的生命 所以这个把真理启示给人的生命 这一位就是基督教信仰所说的上帝 上帝不是关公，上帝不是孔明 上帝不是孔子，上帝不是苏格拉底 因为这些都是历史中间 活几十年以后就不存在的 生的时候是一个婴孩 死的时候是一个已经老朽的人 所以这些有生有死的，都是偶存性的人 这个英文叫作 Contingency 偶存性的意思就是说 没有你宇宙照样有的 你的存在不过是在永恒过程中间 一个很短很短暂的那个存在罢了 你的存在又不是根据你自己 你的存在 是根据你父母的存在你才存在的 所以圣经说“亚伯拉罕腰里有了亚伦” 意思就是说，在亚伦没有生出来以前 他是在亚伯拉罕的腰里 亚伯拉罕的存在决定了他的存在 你的父母不结婚你就不存在 你的存在是根据你父母的存在 而你父母的存在 是根据你父母的父母的存在 而你父母的父母的存在 是根据你父母的父母的父母的父母...的存在 讲到你嘴巴歪了还没有讲完 所以这个存在的本身就叫做偶存性 那么偶存性既然是暂时的 那永存性的生命是谁呢？那就是上帝 所以我们讲的上帝 不是天上一个老公公坐在那里 我们讲的上帝是整个生命的源头 生命的永存、生命的赐予 的主体性的那一位 所以那一位上帝呢 祂不但自己存在，而且自己就是生命 又是把真理从祂生命的里面启示出来 使人可以明白祂是谁的那一位叫作上帝 所以从基督教真理来看，这一位上帝 启示真理的时候，就用两个办法 一个办法叫作普遍启示 普遍启示处处在 这样呢 那个启示就是打开面纱，打开遮盖 当把这个面纱打开来的时候 你说：“啊，我现在看见了！” 我举一个很简单的例子 月亮我们从来不知道它背后是什么 因为月亮只有公转，没有自转 你明白我讲什么吗？ 月亮没有自转，所以我们从过去到现在 所看到的月亮都是这一面 我们不知道它后面是什么 直到我们用火箭 把太空飞行的东西，飞到月亮后面去 拍了照片寄回来的时候 我们才知道原来 月亮的后面是怎么样的 那这个就是说什么呢？ 有一面是我们可以知道的 另外一面不告诉我们知道 那谁定地球有公转有自转呢? 谁定月亮有公转没有自转呢? 难道是月亮自己决定的吗? 月亮无意识，月亮无计划，月亮无思想 月亮怎么会定说我要这样、我要那样呢？ 你说：“这是自然律。” 连自然律的背后 有一个操纵者的最高的智慧 所以这样呢，那这个主动启示者 就是神、就是真理，就是生命的本体 那么，当启示者把祂的真理启示的时候 祂用的办法是很特别的 我现在提到的第一个叫作自然启示 自然启示是什么呢？ 就是借着大自然，把智慧隐藏在里面 那么我们就在大自然中间看到很奇妙的事情 为什么会这样？为什么会那样？ 是谁决定这样？是谁决定那样呢？ 结果我们发现，从来没有任何一个工程师 所做的东西会比自然更完美 更周密，计划更精细，更准确 这是一个很好的室内体育馆 而这样大的室内体育馆 最难处理的是回音问题 所以我们今天请了工程师 来处理音响的问题 而这个音响的问题为什么很困难呢？ 因为所有礼堂超过一千八百个座位 已经是一个人的声音用电器怎么放大 都很难得到完美果效的礼堂 所以必须有很智慧的人 很有经验的人 然后用很适当的音响设备来做的工程 这个设计呢，就花很多的心血 但是呢，你看好的设计需要智慧 但有没有比上帝所创造的宇宙 更伟大的设计呢？没有 所以德国的哲学家Leibniz，讲一句话语： “This World Is The Best Possibly Created World。” 这个世界是最大的 最好的可能被造的世界 没有一个人可以想像到比这个世界 更好的世界应当是怎么造出来 因为这已经是最好的了 没有可能超越的 这个人是一个很大的天才 这个人十几岁发明了计算机 跟法国的Blaise Pascal 都是全世界计算机之父 他不到二十岁的时候发现了微积分 所以成为世界历史最大的天才之一 他看宇宙的设计 他感到太伟大太伟大了 那莱布尼兹呢，他是一个敬畏上帝的人 所以他佩服得五体投地 宇宙万物的设计，就显明上帝最高的智慧 上帝不但显明祂的智慧 把祂的智慧隐藏在祂所造的世界万物中间 让我们去寻找，让我们去观察 然后体会到祂自己的智慧 所以达文西讲一句话语：“知识不是 从课堂学来的，知识是观察自然体会出来的。” 这一句话是非常正确 他从年轻的时候，观察鸟怎么展翅 怎么产生流体，就是空气的动力 结果呢，使笨重的身体变成轻飘飘的飞上去 而鸟有这种功能 却没有这种功能的知识 因为牠是本能的被赋予这种功能 而不是分析产生出来的这种知识 但这个功能放在牠身上，是谁设计的呢? 这个设计的智慧就隐藏在其中 所以呢，上帝造万有 就把祂的智慧隐藏在 万有的自然律里面 人呢，就从其中体会： “哦，我知道了。” 所以科学是什么？ 科学就是发现上帝的智慧 这种知识叫作科学 大家讲一次，一、二、三 “科学就是发现上帝的智慧 的这种知识叫作科学。” 我们华人讲科学，我们中文讲科学 科学，什么叫科，什么学 啊，我知道了 一科一科的学问叫作科学 什么叫作科学呢？ 科学这个字呢，在拉丁文叫作 Scientia 原来是从 S-C-I-O 这四个字母来的，Scio Scio 的意思是什么意思？ 就是我知 我怎么会知呢？因为我发现了 我为什么发现了？ 因为我寻找 ，我观察，我分析，我归纳 我研究，我计算，结果我知道了 这个叫作Scio 而知识这个字呢 后来就是英文的Science 从 Scio 变成 Science 表示我因为知道 把知道的东西分成各科来学 这个叫作科学 那么怎么会知道呢？ 你说：“我发现。” 怎么会发现呢？因为本来存在 本来存在跟我的发现有什么关系呢？ 这个存在就是为了要叫我受刺激 用好奇，好知的心去把它找出来的 所以这样呢 上帝造了客观的隐藏在自然界的智慧 又造了能够寻找智慧的人 去把智慧的原理 把它找出来，结果产生了科学 好，现在我再讲下去了 所以我把整个科学 这个名词把它归纳起来 科学是什么？是人用被造的理性 作为工具去寻找，研究 结果发现上帝隐藏在万有中间的创造智慧 结果得到的知识 就变成我对自然的了解 这个发现叫作科学 所以，I Discover The Hidden Truth Of The Wisdom Of God In The Created Nature 那这个叫作普遍启示 普遍启示本来就在那里 是神启示，但是神不讲话 今天你看一０一大楼 你有智慧你会找到 这个工程师跟别的地方不同的地方 原来这座楼是全世界唯一有一个钟摆 有很大的六百五十吨的摇晃的东西 来避震的功用 哇，为什么帝国大厦不用？ 为什么 RCA 大厦不用？ 为什么经贸大厦不用？ 为什么双塔不用？ 为什么吉隆坡的，这个马来西亚的 加拿大的都不用？为什么台北用？ 因为这个公司是想到一个平衡律 是别人没有想到的 哇，这个思想是很特别的 你观察细致的时候 你会发现有创造性功能的头脑 隐藏在许多地方，他不讲话 所以那个公司不必讲话 那个工程师也不必每天告诉你 ：“你看哪！注意啊，这个东西！” 他就让你去观察，神也是如此 上帝创造这个宇宙 创造好了，祂不讲话 圣经说：“穹苍传扬祂的作为 诸天述天祂的荣耀。” 所以呢整个宇宙天天正在讲 一些没有声音的话 让那些被造而有好奇心的人 借着他们的求知欲 他们就发现，他们找到了 然后说：“我知道了！” 科学就这样产生了 所以我自己没有办法明白 一个科学家发现了真理以后，就骄傲起来 到底有什么理由？ 一个发现被造界的智慧 而把这些定律变成各样的工程 来作教授教导学生的人 为什么会变成无神论者？ 他们不是真理的本体 他们不过是 受启示去发现那些知识的被造者 为这个缘故呢，科学是我的发现 我发现的时候，这个叫作 Discover 什么叫作Discover 呢？ 就像一瓶东西里面你不知道是什么 因为被盖住 你把这个盖拿开的时候，你Discover 这个叫作什么？ 你的工作就是把盖拿开 没有别的工作 You Only Dis-The-Cover 你把盖拿开，“哦，我发现了！ 原来里面是什么东西。” 那你把盖打开的功劳存在不存在？ 不存在 这不过是你用一点点 你已经被赋予里面的本能 去做你应该做的工作 所以这样呢，上帝启示 就隐藏在自然界中间 而我们对启示的反应是什么呢？ 一个作父亲的人，知道孩子不对 他眼睛看他一下 聪明的孩子一看爸爸眼睛的眼色 他就知道爸爸要讲什么话了 但是有一些人你怎么讲 你大喊，他也不听 因为他是不受教 所以对上帝的启示呢，人有两个反应 第一个反应是什么？ 就是里面的反应 第二个反应是什么？ 就是外面的反应 外面的反应就产生了文化 里面的反应就产生了宗教 这是人之所以为人 一个和所有动物不同的地方 那么今天很多人对这些都不反应 为什么呢？ 你问他为什么作人？ 我也不知道为什么作人 那你为什么现在是人？ 因为爸爸结婚把我生下来 我就是人了 那你作人做什么？ 我也不知道做什么 那你今天一天到晚做什么？ 就是赚钱 赚钱为什么？才能生活 生活为什么？才能赚钱 所以他除了活下去，才能继续赚钱 赚钱才能继续活下去以外 他完全不想别的事情的 你说这种人可怜不可怜？ 你今天朋友把你邀请来听这些话 那你实在很有上帝的恩典 我告诉你，有的人一生一世 从来没有听过你今天听的这几十分钟 这些话，对不对啊？ 为什么呢？没有机会听啊 那么，这些东西重要不重要？ 重要到一个地步 决定你以后人生怎么走 但是呢，你不觉得这是决定性的 决定性的就是到底今天台币升值不升值 到底股票有没有起价 你以为那个决定你的生活吗？ 我们这几天看见四川大地震 我在想的事情是，那些人到哪里去？ 他们曾经活在世界上，他们曾经作过人 突然间，一场的灾祸来到了 生命无存了 但是他们是永恒的 他们不但有身体，他们有灵魂 我们很多人死以前才发现 我应当做的事我从来没有做 我要做的事情都没有做 我竟然做了一些根本不需要做的事情 你真正重要的事情是你为人的价值 为人的意义，为人永恒的方向 为人与创造你的神之间的关系是什么？ 那才是作人真正的价值 所以我这四个晚上要跟大家谈的 是你本来早就应该想 早就应当明白的事情 但是呢，你根本因为现有文化 在我们的生命中间对我们的影响 我们完全失去，完全忽略 完全压在我们心头里面 从来不注意的东西 我今天单单提到了宗教跟文化 是人以为自己主动 其实是神启示以后，我们被动 不得不要回应，产生出来的东西 所以在宗教里面呢 就回应到三样的事情 第一样的事情 就是我应当怎样过敬拜的生活 每一个宗教都有敬拜性 凡是没有敬拜性的宗教 就不能构成宗教的基础跟本质 所以宗教，Religion Is The System Of Worship 在宗教里面一定有敬拜 你敬拜的对象是谁 就决定你敬拜的价值是什么 正像妳把最伟大的爱情 最纯洁的少年的爱 交给一个玩世不恭的男人的时候 他就践踏妳，他就蹂躏妳，他就强暴妳 妳把妳伟大的爱情 交给一个有非常高的道德 有非常忠诚的心，有非常纯洁的爱 又有永恒厮守约的那种 伟大的男人的时候 妳的爱情就变成有价值 信仰也是如此 宗教的第一个本质，就是我要敬拜 为什么我要敬拜呢？因为人有敬拜性 而这个敬拜性是与生具来的 正像刚才我提到两个进化论的学者 异口同声讲的： “从来没有见过有任何动物，有宗教性的敬拜 的任何现象跟记录，因为牠不是人。” 人会敬拜 结果呢，我们把我们的敬拜性 交给我们以为最可靠的对象的时候 才知道我们错了 我刚才说： “释迦牟尼从来没有讲过你们要拜我 孔子从来没有讲过你们要拜我 关公从来没有讲过你们要拜我。” 所以这些人所敬拜的对象 是不是应当接受敬拜呢？ 他们说：“不！” 所以有一些人把你带到敬拜真神的地步 有一些人把你带到敬拜他的地步 这就是像世界的那些侵犯宗教领域的亵渎者 我举例，毛泽东把自己当作神 要人好像敬拜他才甘愿 这是最大的冒犯 这是亵渎，这是误导 结果呢，就在他统治之下 中国变成世界最穷、 最乱 最没有道德，最多杀人的国家 为什么呢？因为他不是神 不是神就不是神 神就是神，所以你不能乱的 敬拜性就是宗教的第一个本质 第二个本质是什么呢？ 就是我一定要想到我应该要怎么作人 我可以这样待人吗？我可以不诚实吗？ 我可以不讲信用吗？我可以乱来吗？ 我可以多妻吗？我可以寻花问柳吗？ 我可以用钱做一些不应该做的事情吗？ 有良心的人就是不能 而这个良心功用呢 就是道德功用，宗教的第二个本质 所以宗教的第一个本质是什么？ 就是敬拜 宗教的第二个本质是什么？ 就是伦理，就是道德 这样呢，宗教是人与神之间的关系 宗教也论到人与人之间的关系 在拉丁文里面宗教这个字呢 叫作Religare Religare 的意思是什么？ 就是关系 我与你的关系怎么样 我与我的关系怎么样 我与上一辈的父母的关系怎么样 我与我的儿女下一辈的关系怎么样 我与我的邻居、朋友、同学、同事 我的老师、我的师长 我的邻居的关系是什么？ 这个人与神，人与人之间的关系的总和 这个叫作Religare，这个叫作宗教 怎么可以呢？我对父亲乱来 我怎么可以强暴我的女儿 不可以的，这个可以跟不可以谁定的？ 这个原则从哪里作基础的？ 这个命令是用什么权威发出来的？ 我为什么要遵行？ 所以德国的哲学家讲一句话，他说：“ 有一个无上命令，逼我们一定要照着去做。” 那个无上命令就是证明神的存在 用德文的哲学名词叫作Categorical Imperative 就是最高最高的命令 在我们心灵的深处对我说： “你可以这样做，你不可以那样做 你应当这样做，你绝对不可以这么做。” 里面那个必的力量，那个最高的命令 是连法律都没有讲的 那个东西哪里来的？ 那就是神放在每一个人心中的一个法版 神放在人心中的那个律法的原理 所以我告诉你，人不是空白的 这个英国的 Tabula Rasa (白板理论) 就是 John Locke (1632-1704) 的教育理论 我是不接受的，他认为人生而空白 你里面是一个白板 你写什么他就变成什么 这是不对的，因为神造人的时候 已经把道德律最基本的原理 当作那个道德原则的基础 放在我们里面了 所以第一，人有敬拜性 第二，人有道德性 你的天良、你的良心 是不准你随便乱来的 所以你犯的罪没有人知道的时候 你的良心的深处会控告你 你做的好事，没有人赏识的时候 你里面的良心会安慰你 人全部误会我，我只要心安理得 我就可以好好活下去 虽然全世界的人都反对我 我还是一个正人君子 相反的，全世界的人奉承我 全世界的人欺骗我 我的良心还是对我讲实话 因为人是按照上帝的形像样式造的 所以呢，除非你回到圣经的道 你没有办法真正了解人性的尊严 人性的价值 以及作人的责任是什么 这是宗教的第二个本质 第三个本质是什么呢？ 除了敬拜跟道德以外 宗教的第三个本质 就是意义跟永恒盼望的建立 我作人的意义是什么？ 我死了以后到哪里去？ 我真正的目的是什么？ 我永恒在哪里度过？ 这个东西是科学没有办法告诉你的事情 是自然一切的知识理论 没有办法填满的东西 根本不是金钱所能代替的东西 所以你不奇怪 为什么最美丽的电影明星会自杀？ 为什么最有钱的财主会枪毙自己？ 为什么世界最伟大的人 有的是自己饮弹而死的？ 海明崴自杀 玛莉莲梦露自杀 许多电影明星自杀 柯达的第一个老板自杀 这些人不是普通人 他们美貌过人，他们富可敌国 他们是一代的名人，为什么自杀？ 自杀不分贫富 自杀不分你漂亮或者丑陋 自杀真正的原因，就是没有找到 生命的意义，也没有找到永恒的盼望 所以在这个地方我们看见了 宗教带来的三大本质 第一，就是敬拜 第二，就是道德 第三，就是永恒的价值跟盼望的建立 所以这些东西呢是神放在我们里面的 所以人之所以为人 很多时候我们不记得我们是人 所以我们过的生活一点不像人 我们过的生活呢，像牲畜一样的 虽然身为大学生 但是过的生活不是学生，是畜牲的生活 身为教授忘记是人的时候 教授过的生活像野兽一样的 美国柏克莱大学一个教授 杀人六十二个人 最后被抓来放在高等法院受批判 终生监禁 为什么呢？他不是有学问吗？ 有学问不等于有伦理 有知识不等于有道德 有科学不等于有意义 有知识不等于你有永恒的盼望 所以，这样的东西呢，这三大东西 就变成宗教从内心的深处 对神所启示的真理 的一个永恒性的、个人性的 很神圣的一个回应 很可惜的很多神学家放弃了上帝的启示 很多哲学家放弃了人生的价值 就在一些的知识学术里面打滚 我们不是不谈学术 但是我们知道有比学术更高的东西 就是那真正照着真理 而产生的信仰的这个东西 所以呢，康德年老的时候 他写一封信给他的朋友，也是哲学家 他说：“某某人，我要老实讲 我这一生真正要明白的，其实只有四件事 第一，我是谁？ 第二，我能知什么？ 第三，我应当行什么？ 第四，我有什么盼望？ 我现在重覆一次 Who Am I? 我到底是谁？ How Can I Know? What Can I Know? 第三，我应当怎么做？What Should I Do？ 第四，我有什么盼望？ What Is My Hope? 今天下午我跟我的同工谈话的时候 提到自杀的问题 他说：“唐牧师你提到自杀，我告诉你： 『刚刚在师大八点钟上课的时候 七点半有一个人从最高的楼跳下来死了。』” 今天我报纸也看见了，为什么呢？ 因为他感到没有意义 感到没有盼望 而这些结束自己生命的人 有一些是长得很英俊，很漂亮 长得很青春，令人羡慕的人 因为他没有在这些最终的问题上 找到了他们生命的价值跟人生的方向 所以今天晚上我要你注意 康德的这几句话是他年老的时候讲出来的 他对他的朋友说： “我要问的是我是谁？” 请问你问过这个问题吗？ 你知道你是谁吗？ 你知道是你什么构成的吗？ 你知道你在这个世界的意义是什么吗？ 你知道你为什么活在台北吗？ 你知道你今天为什么到这个地方来吗？ 你是谁？你的生命是什么？ 你找到答案了没有？ 第二，人能知什么？ 我们得到知识的时候就高兴得不得了 我们看书的时候忘记吃饭 因为知识的吸引力 使我们享受对真理的了解 我们的生命进到更丰盛，更滋润 更有价值，更有内容的地步的时候 我们得到的快乐是不能换的 我要知什么？ 你知的是你当知的吗？ 你知了一大堆不需要知的 而应当知的你都不知 你好意思吗？ 你到底这一生知道些什么？ 第三，我应当怎么作人？ 我怎么行？ 我所做的，我已经做过的 做对了吗？ 应当作的事我还没有做 我什么时候开始做？ 我做的原则是什么？我做的目的是什么？ 为什么我这么做？我的动机如何？ 我应当重新省察 一个没有盼望的人 是一个很可怜的人 而一个不能找到盼望的人 是一个不知道自己存在价值的人 一个人失去历史 就失去了他自己的身份 一个人失去盼望，就失去他的未来 一个人失去现今，就失去他存在的价值 A Man Who Lost History Lost His Own Identity A Man Who Lost His Future Lost His Own Hope And A Man Who Lost Presence He Lost His Meaning Of His Own Existence 我盼望我们有这种永恒生命本质的人 在这些事情上好好思想 所以我告诉你 我们的布道会不是每天讲同一个题目 我四天讲完全不同的东西 而里面整个总结合起来的题目 才叫作"耶稣是谁" 现在我已经把宗教、启示、对启示的回应 宗教的本质，谈到一个地步以后 我告诉你，在这些最重要的课题中间 人类的历史出现过一个人，叫作耶稣 这个人在这四件事情上 从来没有追求 祂没有说：“我是谁啊？ 我为什么叫耶稣啊？ 我要来知道一些什么？ 我要上什么课程？ 我要追求哪一个学校？ 我要投考哪一个大学？ 我要知道什么？我应当怎么行呢？ 请告诉我怎么做好吗？ 那我还有什么盼望？” 这些事情是每一个人所需要的 但是这些事情 从来没有发生在耶稣身上 为什么？ 你看所有的书，论到耶稣的书 再把那些讲论耶稣所有的书 归回到原本四福音记载的耶稣 你发现我刚才讲的话 你从来没有注意 耶稣从来没有问：“我是谁？” 耶稣从来不需要我知道些什么 耶稣从来没有说：“我应当怎么行？” 耶稣从来不需要说： “我有什么盼望？” 因为在这些人类共通问题的里面 千千万万、几亿、几百亿 所有各时各代的人所要问的问题 在祂不是问题，因为祂是答案 所以基督是与所有的宗教领袖不一样的 为什么释迦牟尼把太太丢掉 他跑出去要寻找真理呢？ 因为他需要 为什么苏格拉底 说：“我唯一知道的 就是我什么都不知道。” 为什么穆罕默德到四十岁的时候 有天使加百列对他显现：“写！读！” 他说：“我没有读过书，我不能写 我不能读。” “好，我现在教你。” 他才知道 为什么孔子说：“吾信而好古。” 我是很真诚的学习古人所有的学问 这些东西在耶稣身上没有 耶稣从来不需要 因为这些千千万万万人所求的 所要明白的 所需要知道的，所最重要的东西 人家在寻求 耶稣说：“我就是答案。” 祂凭什么？祂什么资格？ 从来没有人像祂的 我唐崇荣，是生在非基督教的家庭 我的爸爸、我的祖父 是当时友孝父母出名的人 所以满清的宫廷 赐下一个匾额【三孝堂】 放在我们厦门房子的大厅前面 我从小就看见了 我们是有名的家族，是孝顺的儿女 我的父亲是写诗写得很好 又是一个商业，被称为商业博士 全南洋两个最大的公司 把他请去做总经理的其中一间 这样一个家庭是从过去世家 世世代代有学问 非常敬畏祖先，也是尊重孔学的人 我不是一个基督教家庭生的人 我从来没有基督教的信仰的背景 我三岁的时候，我父亲离开世界 我十二岁听了上帝的道，大受感动 十四岁的时候离开 十七岁的时候变成相信进化论 无神论、辩证唯物论 共产主义跟近代哲学 完全离开上帝的人 我在我的时代，是最难信主的青年 我十七岁的时候，在所有的同学中间 我相信没有几个比我更聪明 因为他们考试 应付考试几个月读得半死读不会 我两天就搞清楚了 我那个时候喜欢的是哲学 喜欢的是辩论 喜欢的是逻辑 喜欢的是辩证法 我的同学都不搞这些的时候 我搞清楚了，我就认为 我不可以信耶稣 因为这是古代的迷信 这是与人性不相合的，一个很落后的思潮 是帝国主义对中国文化的侵略 这是我们背叛祖先的一种学问 所以我对基督教完全不怀好意 我以自己，以为自己是当代的青年人中间 比较聪明，比较有学问的人 所以我不应当跟着西洋人走 信基督教的道路 直到有一天我在上帝的面前说： “如果祢存在，祢为我解决我所有的问题 所有思想辩证中间的疑难，祢给我答案 如果祢真的是上帝，祢真的是活的上帝 祢给我明白以后，我向祢立志 我到全世界各地去，一生一世传祢的真理 解答别人的问题。” 这就是我最简单的自我介绍 我年轻的时候向神面前的一个回应 就这样呢 后来神把我所有的答案给我搞清楚了 我就奉献自己，全身都是眼泪 对上帝说：“我今天奉献，至死不收回。” 所以从一九六一年开始 我就开始解答问题 那个时候我才二十一岁 每一年收的问题有七千到一万题 我一题一题解答，就这样走遍世界 现在我游历世界已经超过了九十三次 我到台湾来已经过了三百多次了 我讲道已经超过差不多两万八千次了 听我讲道的人次有两千九百多万人 我告诉你 我没有发现有任何一个问题是太困难的 我只发现人根本不要好好想问题 人根本逃避真理，人不追求真理 人追求金钱，追求平安 追求福气，追求发财，追求顺利 追求子孙万代兴隆 追求各样暂时的荣华宴乐 追求面皮，追求人的尊重 人不在追求真理 我今天提出一件事情 你认为世界最伟大的人 他们所寻求的东西里面呢 他们的方向就是要知什么 要信什么、要行什么、要盼望什么 而这些最伟大的 在文化宗教里面最高峰的 最顶层的人所追求的东西 竟然在耶稣的生命中间从来没有发生过 可能你今天第一次听见这样一句话 对你们讲了很多话是书里面没有的 那你把这个观念搞定了以后 我请你再想，耶稣是谁阿？ 为什么祂不像苏格拉底? 为什么祂不像孔子? 为什么祂不像穆罕默德? 为什么祂不像释迦牟尼? “里面什么声音？”释迦牟尼问 “那是音乐的声音。” “什么事情发生？” “你的妻子生了孩子，你来吧，进去吧。” 释迦牟尼说：“我不进去，我现在知道生 老、病、死、苦，就是人生的真意 我要走，我要寻找意义。” 就把妻子撇下，做了一个负心的人 他寻找意义，然后呢 让太太生了孩子 就变成没有丈夫照顾的人 他去寻找、寻找 到有一天在菩提树下，他说他找到了 他就开始教导别人什么叫作人生 他在找，为什么人找真理？ 因为人里面没有真理 为什么人找真理？ 因为人的生命需要真理 一个没有真理做为内容的生命 是一个枯干的生命 所以找真理的人是很伟大的 孔子说：“君子谋道不谋食。” 我们竟然做一个天天找饭吃的人 但是我们不是找真理的人 我们为了找到更多的钱 我们把真理摔在地上 我们为了找到更多的财富 我们的信用、名誉 我们签的约全部当作废纸 我们寻找真理吗？ 如果你是一个寻找真理的人，你是伟人 如果你只寻找饭吃的人 你跟狗差不多一样 因为所有的动物不过是找东西吃 没有别的真理的追求 你要找真理 但是你找真理就证明你没有真理 对不对？ 这就是基督跟所有的宗教领袖 文化学者不同的地方 因为耶稣不是说：“我寻找真理。” 耶稣不是说：“我拥护真理。” 耶稣也不是说：“我高举真理。” 耶稣也不是说：“我传扬真理。” 耶稣说：“我就是真理。” 从来没有人这么讲 从来没有人在这个境界里面 耶稣是谁？ 耶稣是谁这个题目 我不是四天，我可以给你讲二十天 每天讲不同的 到最后呢，你才发现 祂不是普通的人 耶稣基督是谁？ 祂是真理的本体 祂是那一位神来寻找人 来结束人对神寻找的无知 神学家Paul Tillich讲一句话，我非常认同 虽然他有很多的神学理论我不赞成 他说：“基督在历史上的显现 也就是等于 结束了人在宗教上追求的必须。” 人不需要再找了 因为你要找的已经来了 基督在历史上的显现 The Appearance Of Jesus Christ In The History Is To Cease All Search In Religions 今天晚上我把这些东西抛在你外面 抛在你的面前 使你开始思考一个你过去不注意 或者你曾经在思想闪过的题目 但你没有严肃，你没有认真去回应的东西 然后当这些东西刺激你的时候 你就开始思想 是啊，历史上怎么有这样的一个人 这一个人生的时候是在最贫穷的地方 是动物的马槽里面 这个人死的时候 是最凄惨，最残忍的死状里面 被钉在十字架上流血而死 生而在马槽，死而被钉在十字架上 基本人权完全没有，作人而无人权的人 这一个人在历史上 从来不需要向有钱的人奉承 不需要向权位的人低头 从来没有向穷人作威作风 从来没有向社会大众求赦免 祂从来没有需求真理 祂从来没有需要一种信仰的安慰 从来没有寻求真理的必要 这一位耶稣到底是谁？ 这一位耶稣 如果你从祂在世界上的年日来看 祂只有活了三十三年半的时间 是所有宗教家里面寿命最短的一个人 孔子活了七十二岁 老子活了八十多岁 亚伯拉罕活了一百七十五岁 释迦牟尼活了八十岁 穆罕默德活了六十二岁 这些最伟大的宗教领袖 都有足够长寿的年日 来宣扬他们所谓的教义 他们所寻找到的真理 唯有耶稣基督 祂只有三十三年半 在这三十三年半中间 从三十岁出来传道 三年半以后被钉在十字架上 一个三十三岁死的人 能对历史有什么贡献呢？ 能对人类有什么教导呢？ 有什么东西可以影响？ 但是，历史中间从来没有一个人 比祂对人类的贡献更大 产生了道德革命 产生了民主革命 产生了社会运动 产生了文化刺激 产生了艺术灵感 是绝无仅有的一个人 而这些都不是祂最大的成就 你看米开朗基罗 (Michelangelo 1475-1564) 达文奇 (Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519) 拉斐尔 (Raffaello Sanzio 1483-1520) 加纳莱托 (Canaletto 1697-1768) 所有最伟大的艺术家 从祂领受了最深的灵感 你看 约翰·密尔顿 (John Milton 1608-1674) 查尔斯·狄更斯 (Charles Dickens 1812-1870) 塞缪尔·詹森 (Samuel Johnson 1709-1784) 最伟大的文学家 从祂领受了最伟大的灵感 而这些灵感不是单单人与人之间的关系 是人与神、人与己 人与永恒之间的关系 因为受基督的启发 受基督的感染，受基督的影响 而成为世界最伟大的文学的 这种国家多得不得了 不但如此，凡是抛弃君主制度 而采取民主的运动的地方 都是受了基督的影响 不是回教 在回教里面完全没有民主的种子 在儒家思想里面，完全没有民主的种子 在中国文化里面，没有民主的种子 在神道教里面，没有民主的种子 在印度教里面，没有民主的种子 这些东西的改变，这些东西的演进 都是受了基督的刺激 因为祂是创造万有的神 祂是人类的主 在祂眼中没有一个贵族 生命比那些平民更尊贵 没有一个最穷的人到祂面前 被祂拒绝过 也没有一个最道貌岸然的宗教家的罪恶 祂不揭发的 基督是谁？我们从这几天的聚会中间 慢慢的找到了答案 而这个答案 使我们带到一个没有办法逃脱的事情上： “你怎样回应祂？” 我们在宗教里面看见了对自然启示 对普遍启示的回应 而到基督面前的时候 已经超脱了自然启示 普遍启示的回应范围 乃是对神把祂的儿子赐下来 的这一个伟大的计划 你有怎样的回应？ 亲爱的弟兄姐妹们 我今天第一个晚上，我不要讲太长 我就要讲到这个地方就要做结束 虽然我们这一次是花了很多的心血 而且是天文数字的经费 来预备这个布道会 但我们感到应当作，我们感到值得做 为什么？因为你是人 你是尊贵的，你的生命是有价值的 我盼望我们对你的爱，对你的关心 会刺激，会影响你自己回想到 上帝这么爱你，你更应当自爱 而我们这个伟大的生命 这个只有几十年过去，永远不回来的 这种人生的特权 我们竟然放在犯罪 宴乐，麻痺自己 我们醉生梦死的日子中间 你满意吗？ 你满意你这种人生吗？ 你感到这样做对吗？ 或者你说：“我愿意好好寻找 我要重新在神的光照之下 在圣经真理的引导之下 重头找到我人生的价值。” 你愿意不愿意？ 你愿意不愿意来到 上帝的面前，认识耶稣是谁？ 我们低头祷告 我们低头的时候 我要用你们刚才唱的诗歌问你这句话： 你的灵魂在哪里？ 他在罪恶之中 他在黑暗之中 他在灭亡之中 为何不救他？ 圣经说：“基督耶稣降世，为要拯救罪人。” 耶稣基督自己说：“ 人子来要寻找拯救失丧的人。” 今天晚上有哪一个人你听了这一席的话 你说：“我愿意回到上帝的面前。” 你好好思想，闭着眼睛祷告 我们大家唱这首诗歌的时候 你就为自己好好的回想 以后我给你们一个机会 对上帝做一个回应 你的灵魂在哪里 你的灵魂在哪里？你的灵魂在哪里？ 他在罪恶之中，他在黑暗之中 他在灭亡之中，为何不救他？ 再唱 我们最后一次很小声的唱 把"你的灵魂在哪里" 我们改成"我的灵魂在哪里" 一同唱，一、二、唱 我的灵魂在哪里？ 你问自己 他在黑暗之中，他在罪恶之中 当我们低头闭眼睛的时候 我今天奉主的名 以基督仆人的身份对你说 你有永远的灵魂 你是上帝所造 上帝所爱，上帝所寻找的人 今天晚上，你听了这一篇简短的信息 你知道耶稣是谁 祂来到这个世界 要寻找我们脱离我们的罪恶 脱离我们的黑暗 脱离罪恶，灭亡的命运 今天晚上，有哪一个人你说： “我愿意明白这些真理 我也愿意唐牧师为我祷告 我愿意寻求上帝的恩典。” 我要为你祷告 今天晚上有哪一个人 你愿意把你的灵魂带回到上帝的面前 重新找到生命的价值 重新认识你的主 有这样的人，要我为你祷告的 请你把你的手举起来 让我看一下，有哪一个人？ 感谢主！感谢主！感谢主...... 感谢主！还有哪一个人？ 你说：“别人要，我也要 因为这些真理正是我所需要的 我以人的身份回到上帝面前 基督带我回来，我愿意跟随祂 你要我为你祷告的，有这样的人 请你把手举起来。还有哪一个人？ 感谢主！感谢主！感谢主... 我现在问最后一次，还有哪一个人？ 我刚才两次问的时候，你还没有回应 因为你正在思考，你正在犹豫不决 你还没有做决定 我再一次对你说：“只有基督是你的答案。” 因为基督的生命的本体 是上帝到地上作人，是真理的本体 是我们寻找的答案 你说：“我愿意到祂面前，请你为我祷告。” 有这样的人请你把手举起来，还有哪一个人？ 有没有最后的一批人？ 感谢上帝，感谢上帝，感谢上帝... 有没有最后的人？ 请不要等候，因为上帝爱你 这样严肃，这样庄重 这样重要的问题 你说：“我不要忽略过，我愿意到主面前 请为我祷告。” 那么，现在我恭敬请你把手 在主的面前举起来，还有哪一个人？ 感谢上帝，还有人，还有人，好 现在我请所有举手的人都站起来 刚才举手的人都站起来 离开你的位子，走到前头来 我们到主的面前来 一同向祂祷告，现在出来 还有哪一个人？上帝爱你 祂不要你流亡，祂不要你失丧 因为人子来为要寻找拯救失丧的人 你站起来，你恭敬回到主面前来 基督徒聚会还没有结束，没有人回家 我们还要祷告，我们要看神的工作 我们要奉献，我们要同心同力 支持成全主的工作 还有哪一个人？ 你说：“主啊，祢这么爱我 祢把真理告诉我，我现在回到祢的面前 现在出来，还有哪一个人？ 感谢上帝！感谢上帝，还有人出来 感谢上帝，还有哪一个人？ 凡是你坐下你没有平安的，请你站起来 哪一个人愿意到主面前，请你站出来 我很严肃的说： “神伟大的真理你不要忽略它。” 而这样的布道会 在全球已经差不多没有了 因为大家谈的是热热闹闹的场面 是搞花样的聚会，是群众心理的音乐 是刺激你的感情回应的那些聚会 我们不走那条路 我们要把真理跟信仰的原则交待清楚 让你对上帝做一个责任感的回应 对主说：“主啊，我在这里。” 我们感谢上帝 神在每一个时代继续工作 今天晚上我们看见祂对台北的人说话 我们请所有的人都站起来 所有与会者都站起来 我们大家低头，请你们跟着我祷告： 主啊，感谢祢！ 祢今天晚上，爱我，吸引我 带领我到祢的面前 使我安静听祢的话语 因为祢创造了我 给我明白真理的权柄 今天再赐下听祢真理的恩惠 明白真理的机会 主啊，千千万万人 在祢的恩典外面 祢呼召我回来 听见祢的话语 祢寻找我 不是我寻找祢 祢拣选我 不是我拣选祢 今天晚上，我知道耶稣基督 祢是真理的本体 祢是生命的主 祢来到世界的时候 用祢真理的光照耀人的生命 用祢的爱寻找人的失丧 今天晚上，我听了祢的话 我愿意回到祢的面前 求天父赦免我的罪 求耶稣基督拯救我的灵魂 求圣灵引导我前面的道路 祢把纯正的信仰赐给我 祢把活泼的盼望赐给我 祢把圣洁的爱赐给我 使我重新建立好的信仰 永远的盼望、跟随祢的人生 直到见祢面的日子 感谢赞美，奉主耶稣基督的名 阿们！

Good night Listen to the choir how well they sing Would you want to come up to sing? Yes? These hymns are very good And if we want to sing to this level It might take us months to practice Not only to practice but also have to have a very good voice With talent of music so we can sing well No other religion has so many good hymns like Christianity Therefore people asked how many hymns Christians can sing ? I believe no one has ever counted No one has ever counted how many hymns in history Christians had sung If it were to be counted Probably when you finish counting and announce it There have already been many people writing new hymns. So you can never finish counting There is a book in the UK called Guinness Book of World Records It’s about two brothers who were determined to print a book of world records decades ago There is a phrase mentioned in it in one year saying, The hymns Christians have sung are at least five hundred thousand songs. Five hundred thousand songs! I felt that’s so so many after I read it I say, there must be much more There are unlikely just five hundred thousand songs. Why? Because those I composed haven't been included So there must be unlikely just five hundred thousand songs. While we are saying these words People all over the world, there are still so many people writing hymns For what? To praise God, praise Jesus Christ It’s strange! For there are so many religions Why only Christianity can produce so many music Produce so many hymns There are a few reasons people sing a hymn First, it’s for love Second, it’s for revolution, for the country Third, it’s for culture Fourth, it’s for religion And religious music is inherited by mankind from the most ancient history It’s music that is so deep and so alive Therefore people use music when they worship As for music, it starts from rhythm not from melody Don Don Don Don Don Don Don Don Don Don Don It gathers people like this Then a large crowd of people get their heart ready To worship those who they think are gods This way, each ethnic group grows their own gods Indians have Indian gods Chinese have Chinese gods There is a Mazu goddess at HoKen coast Some people treat material as god They treat the trees as gods, treat the mountains as gods, and reat the ocean as god Some treat a person as god Treat Confucius(541- 479 BC) as god, treat Śākyamuni(623/563/480- 543/483/400 BC) as god However, these people never call themselves gods Confucius never said,’ You must worship me because I am a god.’ Śākyamuni never said,’ You must worship me because I am god.’ So, treat material as god Treat horrific natural phenomena as god Treat great national heroes as god It has happened in every continent, every nation, every age and every region What is amazing is that; British sociologist Herbert Spencer(1820- 1903) and Thomas Henry Huxley( 1825- 1895), his contemporary They both came to the same conclusion coincidently There is never an ethnic group that has no religion. And there is always some music created in every religion when they worship. But they also found something strange at the same time There has never been any animal that has religions There is no race nor any ethnic group that has no religion On the contrary, there is no animal having religions Therefore you have never seen cats praying or monkey worshiping You have never seen any animal saying grace before eating It’s impossible Animals have no concept of religion However, there is no mankind that has no concept of religions And these religions are innate Where does such concept come from It is one of those basic characteristics of human nature Religion is the most basic human nature Culture is also the most basic human nature Religion and culture, one masters internal and the other masters external Religion is from deep in the heart; for the meaning of life; For man’s ultimate purpose; for the value after death It’s generated due to a necessity of dependence A wish, a goal Therefore, religion is a type of response to certain mysteries It’s a generated value system So is culture But culture is not from the most inward It emphasis the appearance that we need The type of clothes we would wear The type of language we would use to express The type of emotion, our feeling, that we could let out The type of drama we use to express what we pursue or imagine inside of us Then these things from clothing, eating, living, walking and a variety of cultural relics And all sorts of meaningful expression generate culture From Christian theological point of view Those two major nature make humans as who they are You are not human if you have no religious nature You are not human if you have no cultural nature At the most ancient days when there is no science Religion and culture have already existed At our Chinese ancient times, there was Hongshan culture There were Yangshuo culture and Longshan culture As for these cultures They existed before scientific technology entering to the world But the nature of religion and culture is the response toward a subject What does it called in Christian theology It’s called God’s general revelation What is revelation It’s called ἀποκαλύπτω in Greek ἀποκαλύπτω means that the mystery is disclosed At ancient time, women must use veil when they get married. So does today It covered so thoroughly that even feet were covered tightly Until the day you got married, you uncover it to see how she really looks like It’s called ἀποκαλύπτω; it’s called revelation So how does the truth reveal to us to understand? We thought we find the truth If we could find the truth, it shows the truth has been existing Just because I am not aware of it. I cannot say it exists without knowing Once I found out, I think I know it Therefore I think I found the truth But the truth won’t be nonexistent just because you didn’t find it The truth won’t exist more just because you find it as well The existence of the truth is within the fact that the truth itself exists As for the existence of the truth in the procedure of your discovering It makes you become knowing from not knowing it So the truth itself won’t be changed by the procedure of you knowing But you are changed by the procedure of knowing from not knowing So. Do humans find the truth? Or does the truth let humans find it? Are the humans active? Or are the humans passive? Is the truth active? Or is the truth passive? As I continue talking, you would be very interested in thinking about these questions Because we are normally influenced by modern culture We have put some issues which are important or more important than the culture we are used to nowadays Out of our minds Within this ten minutes time, we had already pulled your mind back You would think that’ yes, I’d never known’ I became aware is because my mother told me It’s because the teacher taught me It’s because the observations in chemical experiment at lab made me understand So we often say’ I searched the truth, I found the truth and I understood the truth’ I found, I understood and I know.’ Then I became a subjectivity The truth became an objectivity It’s me who found it, it’s me who looked for it and it’s me who know it. So it became a passive subject But what I just said that when you become knowing from not knowing The truth doesn’t change. It’s you who is changing You became understand from not understand. It’s you who is changing The truth itself doesn’t change. Two plus two equals four We studied in mathematics and we knew it since two We might have known it very well at grade one or two But two plus two equals four has been as it is before Σωκράτης ( c. 470-399 B.C.) existed The truth itself is eternal Humans, who are looking for the truth, themselves is temporary Therefore temporary humans cannot be the subject of eternal truth When eternal truth makes us understand it We become an object 永恆的真理應當作為主體 而在明白真理的程序中的人應當為客體 For this reason, Our knowing of the truth is our enjoyment It’s our change It’s our joy from receiving the truth Because ‘knowing’ makes people joyful. ‘Knowing’ makes people’s lives fulfill of meanings So, my knowing of the truth is passive It’s not active Then what you said is very different from what we normally think The active truth is eternal. What does that mean? This has to be told by linking the truth to the life What does that mean? If the truth is passive or dead Then why does the life itself need the truth? Since the truth fulfills the life itself. How could the truth itself be without life? By linking these words, it’s what the bible meant The truth is alive. The truth is also active life The truth is the life lighting lives, too. The truth is the truth that fulfilled lives And the truth that fulfilled lives It is a truth greater than lives and a life greater than lives Thus the lives of knowing the truth become the passive lives So the life which reveals the truth to people Is the God which Christianity talked about God is not Guan Yu( 158/167- 220 AD), God is not Kong Ming(181-234 AD) God is not Confucius, God is not Σωκράτης Because in history those people are nonexistent after they had lived for decades They were babies at birth and very old men when they died So those who live and die are contingence humans It’s called contingency in English Contingency means that the university exists even without you Your existence in eternal process is only a very very short one. Your existence is not based on yourself Your existence is based on your parents’ existence Therefore the bible says’ for he was still in the lion of his ancestor (Abraham)...’ Hebrew 7:10 It means, before Aaron was born. He was in Abraham’s body Abraham’ existence decides his existence You won’t exist if your parents don’t get married And your parents’ existence is based on the existence of your parents’ parents And the existence of your parents’ parents is based on the existence of your parents’ parents’ parents You can’t even finish until you twist your tongue So this existence itself is called contingency Since tis contingency is temporary Who is the eternal life? That is God. The God we called is not an old man sitting in the sky The God we talked about is the origin of whole lives The subject who eternal maintains and gives lives So this God. He not only exists but also is life himself He is also the one who reveals the truth in his life The one who makes people understand who he is called God So from the point of view in Christianity truth, this God uses two ways to reveal the truth One is called general revelation General revelations are everywhere In this way, the revelation reveals the veil, uncovers When the veil was uncovered, you say’ oh! Now I see.’ Let me make a simple example We never know what is behind the moon Because there is only revolution without rotation in the moon. Do you understand what I am saying? The moon doesn’t rotate. Therefore from the past to today. We always look at the same side of the moon We don’t know what is behind it Until we launched rocket, A flying device in the space, to the back of the moon Until the pictures which it took were sent back We then realised how it is on the back of the moon What does that say? There is one side we could know And the other side we wouldn’t be told Who can decide that there are revolution and rotation in earth? Who can decide that there is revolution without rotation in moon? Can it be decided by the moon itself? The moon has no will, no plan and no thoughts How can the moon say, I want this or I want that? You said, ‘this is the law of nature.’ Even behind the law of nature, there is a controller with the highest wisdom Therefore the active revealer Is God, is the truth and the life itself Then when the revealer reveals his truth, The method he uses is very special The first one I am talking now is natural revelation What is natural revelation? It’s that the wisdom was hidden by nature Then we see wonderful things among nature Why is this? Why is that? Who could decide this? Who could decide that? As a result we found, there is no any engineer Could make things more perfect than nature. more thoroughly, could plan more precise and accurate. This is a very good indoor stadium In a huge indoor stadium like this, the hardest problem to deal with is echo So today we hire an engineer to solve the sound problem Why is it so difficult to solve this sound problem? Since there are more than eighteen hundred seats in this hall It’s a hall that it’s hard to achieve perfect result no matter how loud you amplify a person’s voice with electronics. There must be someone with lots of wisdom and experience And use appropriate sound equipment to engineer This design would take a lot of effort But as you can see, a good design needs wisdom But is there any greater design than the universe that God creates? No. Therefore, Germany philosopher Leibniz said, 這個世界是最好的可能被造的世界 This world is the biggest the best possibly created world No one can imagine how should a better world be created than this world Because this is the best. No one can surpass it. This man is a great genius. This man invented a calculator at his teens. French Blair’s Pascal and him are both the father of computer of the world. He found calculus when he was under 20-year-old. So he became one of the world historical greatest geniuses. He saw the design of the universe. He felt it is so so great. As for Leibniz, he is a God-fear. Therefore he was swept off his feet by God The design of everything in the universe shows God’s highest wisdom God not only shows his wisdom But also hides his wisdom among everything which he creates in the world For us to search, to observe Then experience his own wisdom So da Vinci (1452-1519) said, knowledge is not what we learn in the classroom. Knowledge is from experiencing on observation of nature. This phrase is so right Since he was young, he had observed how the birds fly. How fluid could be generated by the dynamics of the air As a result, the heavy body becomes light enough to fly upwards And the bird has this function but has no knowledge about this function Because it is given this function naturally. Instead of generating this knowledge by analysing. But who does the design to put this function in it? The wisdom of this design is hidden among it Therefore God makes everything And hides His wisdom within the natural law in everything As for humans, they experience and say,’ Oh, I know.’ So what is science? Science is the discovery of God’s wisdom This type of knowledge is science. Everybody says that again, One. Two. Three ‘ Science is the discovery of God’s wisdom. This type of knowledge is science.’ We Chinese talk about science. Our Chinese talked about science. Science, what is the subject? what is knowledge? Oh, I know. One and other subjects of knowledge are called science What is called science? This word science is called Scientia in Latin. It origins from S, C, I and O those four letters. Scio. What does Scio mean? It means I know. How would I know? Because I discovered. How did I discover? Because I search, analyse and conclude. I research and calculate then I know It’s called Sico And the word Scio is Science in English afterwards. It become Science from Sico It shows that I divide what I know into subjects to learn This is called science Then how would I know? You say,’ I discover.’ How would I discover? Because it had existed. What does that matter to me if it had existed? The existence is there to make me to be stimulated so I can discover it with curiosity and desire of knowledge Thus God creates the wisdom hidden within the natural law objectively. And creates the humans to discover the wisdom To look for the principle of the wisdom Which generates the science Ok. Now let me continue So I conclude the entire science, the noun. What is science? It is that humans use their created rationality to search and research as a tool. It turns out that we discover the hidden truth of the wisdom of God in the created nature As a result, the knowledge I gain became my understanding of the nature This founding is science So, 我發現上帝隱藏在萬有中間的創造智慧 It is called general revelation General revelation had been there It is God who reveals but God doesn’t talk You look at Taipei 101 building today You would tell the difference with this engineer from others with your wisdom This building is the only one with a pendulum in the world It uses a hug six-hundred-fifty-ton swing damper to sway the offset of movement Wow, why don’t they use it in the Empire Building? Why don’t they use it in RCA Building? Why don’t they use it in Trade Office? Why don’t they use it in Twin Tower? Why don’t they use it in Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia or in Canada? Why do they use in Taipei? Because this company thinks of a law of balance. Something that others didn’t think of Wow, this thought is special When you observe the details You’ll find a creative functional thinking hides in many places. It doesn’t have to talk. So that company doesn’t have to talk That engineer doesn’t have to tell you everyday that,’ Look! Pay attention to this thing!’ He just let you to observe and so does God God creates the universe Once finishing the creation, He doesn’t talk The bible says, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.’ Therefore the whole universe is saying some soundless words everyday Let those created humans with curiosity Use their desire of knowledge to realise that they find it Then say,’ I know!’ Then science was generated like this So I myself cannot understand What kind of reason would make a scientist get proud of after finding the truth? One person who discovered the wisdom of created world Then transformed those principles into all sorts of engineering to teach students Why does he become an atheist? They are not the truth itself They are just creations who are revealed to discover those knowledge For this reason, science is my finding. When I find it, it’s called discover Why is it called discover? It’s like a bottle which was covered so that you don’t know what is in it When you remove the cover, you discover What is that called? Your job is to remove the cover. Nothing else 你只是揭開蓋子 You remove the cover. ‘Oh! I found it! I found what is inside.’ Does the credit for you to remove the cover exist? No. This is just you using a bit of your instinct given inside you To do what you should do So, God’s revelation is hidden among nature What is our response to revelation? A man as a father knows when his children do something wrong He has a glance at them Clever children once see their father’s glance They know what their father is about to say But some people no matter what you say or yell, he won’t listen Because he is uneducable So humans have two response to God’s revelation What is the first one? It is the internal response What is the second response? It is the external response. The external response generates culture The internal response generates religions This is the difference why humans are humans from all animals So today there are lots of people don’t respond to these things. Why? You ask him why he becomes a human. I don’t know why I become a human. Then why are you a human now? Since my father had me after got married, I have been a human. What do you do as a human? I don’t know what I do, too. What do you work all day long for today? To make money. Why do you make money for? To live. Why do you live for? To make money. So apart from living to make money and making money to live He thinks nothing else entirely. How pitiful this kind of people is. If your friend invite you to listen to these words today, you are full of God’s grace indeed. Let me tell you. Some people in his whole life Never heard of what you heard in these ten minutes, right? Why? Because there is no chance to listen to . So, are these things important? It’s so important that It decides where you go in your future life. But you don’t think this is decisional. What decisional is if the Taiwanese dollar appreciate or not today. And if the stock appreciate. Do you think that is what defines your life? We see Sichuan Earthquake these days. What I am thinking is where those people went They were used to live in the world and used to be humans Suddenly, a disaster came. Lives were gone But they are eternal. They not only have bodies but also souls Lots of us find out that we had never done what we should before we die I didn’t do what I want to do. I actually did some of those entirely unnecessary things What is really important is your value as a human Your meaning and the eternal direction as a human What is the relationship between you being a human and God who created you? That is the true value as a human. So what I am about to talk about in these four nights. Is what you were supposed to think and understand long time ago. But because of the influence of modern culture in our life We entirely loose and neglect Those which are fully pressed down in our heart. What we never paid attention to. Today I only mention about religions and culture what humans think themselves actively create Are actually generated from what we had to passively respond to God’s revelation without choice So in religions, we respond to three things One is how we should live worshipping lives. Every religion has it’s worship A religion without worship is a religion lack of religious foundation and essence So religion是敬拜的系統 There must be worship in religions Whoever you worship decides the value of your worship Just like when you hand the greatest love the purest teenager’s love To a cynical man He tramples you, ravages you and assault you You gave your greatest love to someone with very high moral With a very loyal heart, very pure love And forever promise keeper, that type of great man Your love becomes valuable So do religions The first nature of religion is to worship Why do I have to worship? Because humans have the nature to worship And the nature to worship is innate Just as these two evolutionist I just mentioned said in chorus They have never seen any animal having any phenomena or record of religious worship because they are not humans. Humans worship At the end, when we give our nature of worship To whom we think is the most reliable, we realise we are wrong. I just said, Śākyamuni never says come worship me Confucius never says come worship me. Guam Yu never says come worship me So should those who these people worship be worshiped? They said, ‘No!’ So some people bring you to the levels of worshiping real god Some people bring you to the level of worship himself Such as those blasphemy to religion in the world For example, Mao Zedong( 1893- 1976) saw himself as god He has to have people worship him This is the biggest offence. This is blasphemy; is misleading It turns out, under his governor China became the poorest and the most dangerous country The most immoral country and the country with the most amount of killing. Why? Because he is not god. He is not one if he is not god. God is god which you can not easily say that you are. The nature of worship is the first nature of religions What is the second nature? It is that I must think how I should be as a person Can I treat people like this? Can I be dishonesty? Can I be unreliable? Can I just do whatever I want? Can I have multiple wives? Can I cheat? Can I spend money on what I shouldn’t do? Whoever has conscience just can’t As for the function of this conscience is the function of moral, the second nature of religions So what is the first nature of religions? It’s worship. What is the second nature of religions? It’s ethic. It’s moral. Thus religions are the relationship between God and humans Religions also talk about the relationship between humans In Latin, the word religion is called Religere What does Religere mean? It’s relationship What is the relationship between you and I? What is the relationship between myself and I? What is the relationship between my parents, the elder generation, and I? What is the relationship between my children, the next generation, and I? Between my neighbors, friends, classmates, colleagues, my teachers, my elders and I What is the relationship between my neighbors and I? The sum of the relationship between God and humans, humans and humans is called Religere. It’s religion. How could that be fine for me to do anything to my father? How could I rape my daughter? It’s not fine. Who decides fine or not fine? What is the foundation of this principle? What kind of authority could make this demand? Why should I follow? Therefore the German philosophers said,’ there is a command above all which make us to follow.’ The command above all is a proof of the existence of God A German philosophical noun called Categorical Imperative It means the most highest command It says to me deeply in our heart. You can do this. You cannot do that. You should do this. You should never do that. The power inside; the highest command is not even mentioned in law Where does that come from? That is a law which God put in each person’s heart. The principle of law which God put in humans’ heart Therefore I tell you. Humans are not blank. This British Tabula Rasa, the educational theory of John Locke(1632- 1704) Which I don’t agree with. He believes the mind of the child is like a blank slate when born It’s a blank slate inside you. You become whatever is written on it. This is wrong. Because when God creates humans He has put the basic principles of law of moral As a foundation of the principle of moral in us So first, humans have the nature of worship Second, humans have the nature of moral Your nature, your conscience, wouldn’t allow you to do whatever you want So when there is no one knows the crime you committed Your conscience deep down will accuse you When no one appreciates your good doing, your conscience in you will comfort you Anyone can misunderstand me as long as I have peace of mind. I can live well Even though the whole world is against me, I am still a man of honour Oppositely, even though the whole world flatters me, the whole world lies to me My conscience will still be honest with me Because humans are created in God’s image Unless you return to the ways of the bible You won’t understand what human dignity, human value And human responsibility are. This is the second nature of religions What is the third nature? Besides worship and moral The third nature of religions is to build the meaning and forever hope What is the meaning of me being a human? Where will I go after death? What is my true purpose? Where will I spend my time in eternality This is what science cannot tell you What all natural theories or knowledge cannot fulfill. It’s not what money can replace So you won’t think it’s odd why the most beautiful movie star commit suicide Why the richest man would shoot himself? why the greatest man in the world would turn gun on himself? Hemingway committed suicide Marilyn Monroe committed suicide Many movie stars committed suicide The first owner of Kodak committed suicide These people are not ordinary people Their good looks are better than others. Their fortune is bigger than nations Their fame is great at their time. Why do they commit suicide? Suicide was committed no matter rich or poor Suicide was committed no matter good look or ugly The real reason of suicide is not finding the meaning of life and having no forever hope. So here we see The three natures which religions bring First is worship Second is moral Third is to build forever value and hope These are what God puts in us That is why humans are humans A lot of time we don’t remember we are humans So we don’t live like humans The lives we live are just like animals Although as a university student, They live not like students but animals As professors who forget them are humans They live like animals There is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley Killed sixty-two people He finally got caught and sentenced to life imprisonment in High Court Why? Doesn’t he have knowledge? Having knowledge doesn’t equal to having ethic Having knowledge doesn’t equal to having moral Having science doesn‘t equal to having meanings Having knowledge doesn’t equal to having forever hope for you So, these things, these three big things Become a response of religions deep down in heart to the truth of God’s revelation A forever, personal and holy response Sadly many theologians give up God’s revelation Many philosophers give up the value of lives Dawdling about in some academical knowledge It‘s not that we don’t talk about knowledge But we know there is something higher than knowledge That‘s what generate religions by following the truth So when Immanuel Kant( 1724- 1804) was old He wrote to his friend who is also a philosopher He said,’ Someone, I am telling you the truth that what I really understand in my life are only four things First is who I am Second is what I know Third is what I should do And forth is what hope I have.’ Now I repeat again 我是誰？Who am I? Second, what can I know 我能知道什麼？我能知道什麼？ Third, what should I do? 我應當怎麼做? And forth, what is my hope? 我的盼望是什麼？ When I talked to my colleagues this afternoon, we mentioned of suicide He said,’ Pastor Tong you mentioned of suicide. Let me tell you Just now at eight o’clock during class hour in Taiwan Normal University, Someone jumped from the highest building at seven thirty and died.’ I read the newspaper today, too. Why? Because he felt no meaning and no hope As for those who ended their own lives Some are handsome, pretty Young looking and those who others are envy at Why? Because on the final topic they didn’t Find their value and direction in life So I want you to pay attention tonight To these words which Kant said when he was old He said to his friend,’ What I want to ask is who I am May I ask have you ever asked this question? Do you know who you are? Do you know what you are composed of? Do you know what the meaning of your existence is in this world? Do you know why you live in Taipei? Do you know why you come to this place today? Who are you? What is your life? Have you found the answer? Second, what can humans know? We are very happy when we got the knowledge. We forget to eat when we read Because the attraction to knowledge let us enjoy the understanding of the truth When our lives enter into a richer, more nutritious, more valuable and more content level There is nothing which we can exchange with our happiness What do I want to know? Is what you know what you should know? You know a lot of what you don’t need to know and don’t know what you should know Are you happy about that? What do you know exactly all your life? Third, how should I be as a human? What do I do? Do I do or have I done right? I haven’t done what I should do When should I start to do? What is my principle, my purpose to do so? Why do I do so? What is my motivation? I should reinspect myself. Forth, what is my hope? A person without hope is a poor person And a person who cannot find hope Is a person who doesn't know his value of existence A person who lost his history lost his own identity A person who lost hope lost his future A person who lost present lost his meaning of his existence 一個人失去歷史 就失去他的身份 一個人失去他的未來 就失去他自己的希望 一個人失去他的現今 就失去他自己存在的價值 I hope those who have forever life nature like us can think about this through So I tell you. Our evangelism doesn‘t talk about the same topic everyday I will talk about totally different things in four days。 And the combination of all topics in it Is called who Jesus is Now after I‘d already talked about religions, revelation, response to revelation and the nature of religion to a level Let me tell you that the most important topic among them Is a person called Jesus who presented in human history. This person had never pursued on these four subjects He didn’t say,’ who am I? Why am I called Jesus? What am I here to know? What lesson should I take? Which school should I go? Which university should I apply for? What should I know? What should I do? Would you please tell me? What hope do I still have?’ These things are what everyone needs But these things had never happen to Jesus The Jesus in all the books you read which talk about Jesus And in those books which talk about everything Jesus had Then back to the Jesus originally written in four gospels You will find what I just said what you have never paid attention to Jesus never asks ‘who am I’ Jesus never needs to say,’ what should I know?’ Jesus never says,’ what should I do?’ Jesus never says,’ what hope do I have?’ Because among human common questions Thousands, millions, billions and trillions Of questions which humans asked at every age Are not questions to him since He is the answer Therefore Jesus Christ is different from all leaders of all religions Why did Śākyamuni got rid of his wife？ why did he run away to find the truth？ Because he needed to Why did Socrate said,’ the only thing I know it that I know nothing’? When Muḥammad was forty-year-old Why the angel Gabriel showed and said to him,’ read and write.’ He said,’ I’ve never studied, I cannot read or write.’ ‘ Fine. I am teaching you now.’ Then he knew. Why does Confucius said,’ I believe and love ancients.’ I sincerely learn all knowledge of ancients. Because he needed to These things don’t appear on Jesus Jesus never needs it Because what these hundreds of thousands people want to know, need to know and the most important things Which people search. Jesus said,’ I am the answer.’ Who is he to say that? What qualification does he have? There is no one like him I Stephen Tong was born in non-christian family My father and grandfather are famous of filial piety to their parents at that time. So the palace in Qing Dynasty gave us a plaque said’ Hall of three dutiful sons‘’ Places in front of the hall in our house in Xiamen I‘d seen it since I was little We are famous family. We are filial children. My father wrote poems well He was also a businessman. They called him Dr. Business. The biggest two company in entire Nanyang One of them asked him to be the general manager This family is an aristocratic family with knowledge in each generation Who are very respectful to ancestors and confucianism. I am not a person who was born in a Christian family I never have the background of Christianity My father passed away when I was three I was seriously touched when I heard God’s words at the age of twelve. I left at fourteen. I became believing in evolution at seventeen. Atheism, dialectical materialism, communism and modern philosophy A person who left God entirely At my time, It was hard for me as a young man to believe in God When I was seventeen, among all students I believe there are not many who are smarter than me Because they had prepared hard to handle exams for months and still didn’t learn It took me just two days to understand I liked philosophy at that time I liked to debate I liked logic I liked dialectics While my classmates refused to think about these I’d figured them out. So I think that I can’t believe in Jesus because this is an ancient superstition It doesn’t match to humanity. It’s an outdated thought It’s the invasion of imperialism to Chinese culture It’s a type of knowledge which betrays our ancestors So I was up to no good to Christianity I thought myself a smarter and more knowledgeable person among contemporary young adult So I shouldn’t follow western people to believe in Christianity Until one day I said in front of God,’ If you exist, solve all my problems for me. Give me answers of troubles among dialectical thinking If you really are God and you really are living God After you make me understood, I would be determined to you I would go everywhere over the world to spread your truth all my life to answer others‘ questions.’ This is my simplest self introduction A response to God when I was young And then God made me figure all the answers out Then I devoted myself and my tears all over me I said to God,’ I devote myself to you today until I die’ Therefore since 1961, I’d been answering questions I was only twenty-one years old at that time I received seven to ten thousand questions a year I answered one by one like that around the world Now I’d traveled around the world more than ninety-three times I’d been to Taiwan more than three hundred times I’d preached more than twenty-eight thousand times There are twenty-nine million person heard me preaching Let me tell you. I didn‘t find any question which is too difficult to answer I only find that people don’t want to think their questions well People escape from the truth. People don’t pursue the truth. People pursue money, peace Blessing, fortune, success Thriving of generations and generations All kinds of temporary luxury and enjoyment Good looking and respect from others People don’t pursue the truth Today I point out one thing The greatest man you think in the world among those what they search for Their direction is what they want to know What they believe, what they do and what they hope And what these greatest, Highest and top people in culture and religions pursued Never happened in Jesus’ life It might be the first time for you to hear this Most of what I’d told you is not in the book After you figure this concept out Please think again. Who is Jesus? Why wouldn’t he like Socrates? why wouldn‘t he like Confucius? Why wouldn’t he like Muḥammad? Why wouldn’t he like Śākyamuni? ‘What is the sound inside?’, asked Śākyamuni It’s the sound of music What is happening? ‘Your wife had a baby. Come and go inside.’ Śākyamuni said,’ I don’t go inside. Now I know birth, old, sick, death and suffering are the true meaning of life. I am leaving to look for meaning.’ Then he left his wife and became an ungrateful person He looked for meanings and then He made his wife became a person having a child without a husband to take care of He searched and searched Until one day under linden tree, he said he had found it Then he started to teach others what life is He was searching. Why do people search for the truth Because there is no truth in them Why do people look for the truth? Because people’s lives need the truth A life without the truth as a content is a dry life So whoever looks for the truth is great Confucius said,’ a superior man aim at truth not at food. We actually look for someone who looks for food to eat everyday But we are not those who look for the truth In order to find more money We toss the truth on the ground In order to find more fortune We take our credit, reputation and contracts signed by us all as waste paper Are we looking for the truth? If you are a person who looks for the truth, you are great man. If you only look for food to eat, you are the same as a dog Because all animals just look for food to eat, there is no truth pursuing. You want to look for the truth But it’s you looking for the truth which proves you don’t have the truth, right? That is what Jesus Christ is difference from all religious leaders and cultural scholars Because Jesus said,’ I look for the truth.’ Jesus said,’ I advocate the truth.’ Jesus also said,’ I exalt the truth.’ Jesus also said,’ I spread the truth’ Jesus said,’ I am the truth.’ There is no one who has ever said that There is no one who ever in this realm Who is Jesus? The topic of who Jesus is Not just four days, I can talk to you for twenty days Talk about different things everyday Eventually you will find out that He is not a normal person Who is Jesus Christ? He is the truth itself He is the one God who looks for people To end the ignorance of humans’ searching for God I agreed very much with what the theologian Paul Johanes Tillich( 1886- 1965) said Although I don’t agree with many of his theological theories He said,’ the appearance of Jesus Christ in the history Is equal to The end of the necessity of humans’ searching in religions There is no need for humans to search anymore Because what you are looking for has come The appearance of Jesus Christ in the history 基督在歷史上的顯現 是為了終止宗教上的追求 Tonight I throw this thing outside of you Throw in front of you Make you start to think a question which you didn’t notice Or you once flash in your thought But you didn’t respond to it seriously and sincerely Then when these things stimulate you You start to think Right, how come there is such a person in the history This person was born in the poorest place Inside of an animal’s manger When this person died He died in the most miserable and cruel death He was nailed onto the cross and bled to death He was born in a manger and died and nailed on the cross. There is no basic human rights. Being a human without human rights In the history, this person never need to flatter rich people Never need to bow to authorities Never domineer to poor people Never ask the public for forgiveness He never needs to search for the truth He never needs a religious comfort Never needs to search for the truth Who is this Jesus? This Jesus. If you see him from the days he lived in the world He only lived for thirty- three and a half years. He had shortest life among all religionists Confucius lived for seventy-two years Laozi( 601- 531 BC) I lived for more than eighty years Abraham lived for one hundred and seventy-five years Śākyamuni lived for eighty years Muḥammad( 570- 632) lived for sixty-two years These greatest religious leaders all had lives long enough To preach their so called doctrine The truth which they found Only Jesus Christ He only had thirty-three and a half years In this thirty-three and a half years He came out to preach since thirty years old He was nailed on the cross after three and a half years A person died at the age of thirty-three What could he contribute to the history? What can he teach humans? What does he have to influence? But there is no one else in the history Can contribute more to humans than him. He creates ethical revolution, Creates democratic revolution, Creates social movement, Creates cultural stimulation, And creates art inspiration. He is one and the only And these are not his biggest accomplishment You see Michelangelo, DLeonardo da Vinci( 1452-1519), Raffaello Sanzio( 1483-1520) And Canaletto( 1697- 1768). All greatest artists received the deepest inspiration from him. You see John Milton( 1608- 1674), Charles Dickens( 1812- 1870), And Samuel Johnson( 1709- 1784). These greatest writers Received the greatest inspiration from him And these inspirations are not just the relationship between humans But also the relationship between men and God, men and themselves, and men and eternal Because they were inspired by Jesus Christ, affected by Jesus Christ and influenced by Jesus Christ. They became the greatest literary nations. There are plenty of them. Not only that, all those who ever abandon monarchy Then adopt democratic movement are all influenced by Jesus Christ Not Islam. There is no democratic seed in Islam at all In Confucianism, there is no democratic seed at all In Chinese culture, there is no democratic seed In Taoism, there is no democratic seed In Hinduism, there is no democratic seed The change of these things and the evolution of these things Are both stimulated by Jesus Christ Because he is the God who creates everything He is God of humans In his eyes, there is no noble’s life is more honourable than these civilian There is no poorest man who is ever rejected by him There is no sin of sanctimonious religionists which he would not reveal Who is Jesus Christ? We will slowly find the answer from the gatherings in these days And this answer leads us to an inescapable fact ‘How do you respond?’ In religions we see the response to natural and general revelation When we come back to Jesus Christ He has been above the response of the range of natural and general revelation As for this great plan that God sent his son to the world What kind of response do you have? Dear brothers and sisters This is my first night, I don’t want to talk too long I am about to end here Although we spend a lot of effort this time And enormous number of fund to prepare this evangelism But we feel that we should do it and it is worth to do so? Why? Because you are humans You are novel and your lives are valuable I hope our love and our care to you Will motivate and affect you to remind that God loves you so much that you should love yourself more And our great lives This kind of privilege of life which only last decades and never returned We actually spend on sins, banquets and paralyzing ourselves We live in self-indulgence lives. Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied with this kind of lives? Do you feel right to do so? Or you can say,’ I’m willing to search carefully. I want to return to God’s light Under the guidance of the truth in the Bible to find my value of life again.’ Are you willing to ? Are you willing to come to God to know who Jesus is? Let’s bow down and pray When we bow down, I want you to ask yourselves with the words in the song we just sang Where is your soul? It is in the sin It is in the dark It is in the death. Why don’t you save it? Bible says,’ Jesus Christ came to save sinners.’ Jesus Christ says,’ for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost.’ Is there anyone of you listen to these words tonight And say,’ I am willing to return to God.’ You think carefully and pray with your eyes closed When we sing this song You think carefully for yourself Later I will give you a chance to respond to God Where is your soul? Where is your soul? It is in the sins; it is in the dark. It is in the death. Why don’t you save it? Sing again It is in the death. Why don’t you save it? Let’s sing quietly one last time Let’s replace’ where is your soul’ To’ where is my soul.’ Sing together. One. Two. Sing. Where is my soul? You ask yourself Where is my soul? It is in the dark; it is in the sins When we bow down and close our eyes I say to you today in God’s name and as Jesus Christ’s servant Your have eternal soul You are created by God, who God loves and search for Tonight, you listen to this short message You know who Jesus is He came to this world To seek us so we and leave our sins Leave our darkness Leave sins and the fate of death Tonight, is there anyone of you who would say,’ I am willing to understand the truth I am willing to have pastor Tong to pray for me I am willing to seek God’s grace.’ I want to pray for you Tonight, is there anyone of you who is willing to bring your soul back to God? To find the value of life again. To know your lord again. If there is someone like this who would like me to pray for you Please raise your hand Let me see if there is anyone. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Who else? You say,’ I want it because others want it. Because this truth is exactly what I need. I return to God as a human since Jesus Christ brings me back, I am willing to follow Him Is there anyone who want me to pray for you Please raise your hand. Who else? Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Now I ask one last time. Who else? You had not responded when I just asked twice Because you were thinking and hastitate You had not made a decision yet Let me say to you again,’ Only Jesus Christ is your answer.’ Because the nature of Jesus Christ’s life Is that God became a human on earth; is the truth itself; Is the answer which we are looking for You say,’ I am willing to come to Him. Please pray for me.’ Please raise your hand if there is someone like this. Who else? Any last group of people? Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Any more? Please don’t hold because God loves you. This serious, solemn and important question You say,’ I don’t want to ignore. I am willing to come to the Lord. Please pray for me.’ Then now I’m asking you respectfully to raise your hand in front of God, who else? Thanks God, there is more, and more. Good. Now I ask all those who raised their hands to stand up All those who just raised their hands stand up Leave your seats and come forward We come in front of the Lord, pray to him together, and now come out Where is your soul? Where is it? It is among sins, it is in the dark. It is among death. Why don’t you saveit it. Sing again It is among sins. It is in the dark It is among death. Why don’t you save it? Who else? God loves you He doesn’t want you to plea. He doesn’t want you to get lost For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost You stand up, come to the Lord respectfully Christian’s gathering has not finished and no one goes home We still want to pray, to see God’s work We want to donate, to be one mind and one force support and complete Lord’s work Who else? You said,’ Lord, you love me so much.’ You tell me the truth. Now I return to you Now come out, who else? Thank you God! Thank you God! There are still people coming out Thank you God, who else? Please stand as long as those who sit and have no peace Who is willing to come to the lord? Please stand up. I say seriously,’ Don’t neglect God’s great truth.’ And this kind of evangelism is nearly gone all over the world Because everybody talks about lively scenes The gathering with tricks, the music the crowds wanted. Those kind of gatherings to stimulate your emotional response We don’t go that way We want to clear the principle of truth and religions To let you make a responsible response Say to the lord,’ Lord, I am here.’ We thank God God works in every age Tonight we see him talk to People in Taipei Let’s ask everyone to stand All who are involved to stand Let us bow down and say the prayers with me Lord, we thank you Tonight you love me, appeal to me And bring me to you Make my be quiet and listen to your words Because you create me Give me the authority to understand the truth Today you give me the grace to listen to your truth The chance to understand the truth Lord, hundreds of thousands of people Are outside of your grace You call me back To listen to your words You look for me Not I look for you You pick me Not I pick you Tonight I know Jesus Christ You are the truth itself You are the lord of life When you arrived in the world You brightened people’s lives with the light of your truth You found people’s lost with your love Tonight I listen to your words I am willing to return to you Please Father forgive my sin Please let Jesus Christ save my soul Please let the Spirit lead the road before me Please give me the purified believe Please give me the active hope Please give me your holy clean love So I can rebuild a good faith Forever hope and follow your life Until the day we see you Praise and thanks the lord in Jesus’ name A men