2016年5月9日
继续攀爬！Keep Climbing!
读经: 帖撒罗尼迦前书4章1-12节
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
天天彼此相劝。-希伯来书3章13节
Encourage one another daily. Hebrews 3:13
全年读经: 列王纪下7-9章;约翰福音1章1-28节
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 7–9; John 1:1-28
理查需要人推他一把，而他也得到了这股推动力！那时，他正和朋友凯文一同攀岩，并由凯文控制绳索。当理查精疲力尽，准备要放弃时，他请凯文让他垂降到地面。但凯文鼓励他继续往上爬，说他已经爬得很高，不该放弃。于是悬在半空中的理查，决定继续尝试。很奇妙地，因为朋友的鼓励，他竟然能再次使劲继续攀岩，成功地爬到顶端。
在初代教会，耶稣的门徒彼此劝慰，要继续地跟随主并且体现怜悯。在当时道德败坏的社会文化中，门徒热切地相互激励要过圣洁的生活（罗马书12章1节；帖撒罗尼迦前书4章1节）。门徒也日日彼此劝勉，因为上帝督促他们应当如此行（使徒行传13章15节）。同时，门徒也相互提醒要为肢体祈祷（罗马书15章30节），要帮助人们不停止聚会（希伯来书10章25节），并且要越发地彼此相爱（帖撒罗尼迦前书4章10节） 。
耶稣藉着祂的死和复活，让我们成为主内弟兄姐妹。因此，靠着上帝给我们的能力，我们当鼓励众信徒信靠顺服祂，坚持到底，这是我们的责任，更是我们的殊荣。
你最近曾激励人继续跟随耶稣吗？
有谁曾经鼓励你，激发你追求圣洁，常常祷告，
并让你更爱耶稣和爱人呢？
你们该彼此劝慰，互相建立。–帖撒罗尼迦前书5章11节
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Richard needed a push, and he got one. He was rock climbing with his friend Kevin who was the belayer (the one who secures the rope). Exhausted and ready to quit, Richard asked Kevin to lower him to the ground. But Kevin urged him on, saying he had come too far to quit. Dangling in midair, Richard decided to keep trying. Amazingly, he was able to reconnect with the rock and complete the climb because of his friend's encouragement.
In the early church, followers of Jesus encouraged one another to continue to follow their Lord and to show compassion. In a culture riddled with immorality, they passionately appealed to one another to live pure lives (Rom. 12:1; 1 Thess. 4:1). Believers encouraged one another daily, as God prompted them to do so (Acts 13:15). They urged each other to intercede for the body (Rom. 15:30), to help people stay connected to the church (Heb. 10:25), and to love more and more (1 Thess. 4:10).
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has connected us to one another. Therefore, we have the responsibility and privilege with God's enablement to encourage fellow believers to finish the climb of trusting and obeying Him.
When was the last time you needed to urge someone to keep following Jesus? Who has encouraged you or stirred you to pursue holiness, to keep praying, or to enlarge your love for Jesus and others?
Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11.