Ministry in Word

A Lost Person

失丧的人

Lk 19:1-10
路加19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house,because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
耶稣进了耶利哥，正经过的时候，有一个人名叫撒该，作税吏长，是个财主。他要看看耶稣是怎样的人；只因人多，他的身量又矮，所以不得看见，就跑到前头，爬上桑树，要看耶稣，因为耶稣必从那里经过。耶稣到了那里，抬头一看，对他说：撒该，快下来！今天我必住在你家里。他就急忙下来，欢欢喜喜的接待耶稣。众人看见，都私下议论说：他竟到罪人家里去住宿。撒该站着对主说：主阿，我把所有的一半给穷人；我若讹诈了谁，就还他四倍。耶稣说：今天救恩到了这家，因为他也是亚伯拉罕的子孙。人子来，为要寻找，拯救失丧的人。

Introduction
前言

We all know the Bible story of Zacchaeus. It is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, verses 1 to 10.
我们都知道撒该的圣经故事，它记录在路加福音第19章第一至十节。

In the last verse of the passage we see that Jesus’ goal was evangelism- For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. This is Jesus’ mission when he came into our world.
从这段经文的最後一节-人子来，为要寻找，拯救失丧的人- 我们看到耶稣的目的就是传福音。

Who are the lost? As it is illustrated by the parable of the lost sheep, they are those who have wandered away from the Shepherd. That is, 1. Those who don’t know our Lord; 2. Those whose life does not connect with our Lord.
那麽失丧的人是谁呢？从迷失的羊的比喻我们清楚看到他们就是走离了大牧者的人。那就是，一、那些不认识我们的主的人；二、那些生命不与我们的主连接的人。

Some lost people do not know they are lost; some know but have no clue on how to find their way home. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6) Anyone who has not found Jesus has not found their way home.
有一些失丧的人不知道他们失丧，有一些知道但完全不知道如何归家。耶稣说「我就是道路、真理、生命；若不藉着我，没有人能到父那里去。」〔约14:6〕任何人若没有找到耶稣就仍未找到归家的途径。

In 1984 my employer moved our family from Canada to Singapore for 2 years. When our son Justin was 2 years old, my parents visited us. One day Tehwan took my parents and Justin sight seeing and they came to pick me up after work. When I came down to meet them they all looked panicky, because our son Justin was nowhere to be found. We spread out to look for him, searching the many shops there. For a 2-year old these shops must have been like a maze. If we couldn’t find him, he wouldn’t be able to find us. Finally we found him in a toy store, obviously attracted by the toys. The store keepers said Justin was not anxious at all. He didn’t behave like a boy who was lost.
1984年我的雇主从加拿大把我们一家搬到新加坡去住两年。当我们儿子以德两岁的时候我的父母来看我们。一天德菀带着以德和我父母观光去，然後在我下班的时间来接我。当我下去见他们的时候大家看来都很紧张，原来因为到处都找不到我们的儿子以德。我们分头去找他，搜索那里的商店。对一个两岁的小孩这些商店就像迷宫一般。如果我们找不到他，他一定无法找到我们。我们终于在一家玩具店找到他，很明显他是被玩具吸引进去。那些店员说以德一点都不惊慌，他的举动完全不像一个迷失的小孩。

Like my son Justin, before we were saved we also didn’t know we were lost, that is why Jesus had to come into this world to find us and to save us.
就如我儿子以德，我们得救以前也不知道我们是失丧的，那就是为什麽耶稣须要进入这世界来寻找和拯救我们。

In today’s story it looks like Zacchaeus was looking for Jesus, but in fact it was Jesus who looked for Zacchaeus. By man’s effort alone a man cannot find God. It is because our God never stops seeking us, so we have the opportunity to be saved. Let us learn from Jesus’ example how to reach people for Jesus.
在今天的故事中看来是撒该在找耶稣，事实上是耶稣找撒该。单凭人的力量人不能找到神，是因为神从来没有不在寻找我们，我们才有得救的机会。让我们从耶稣的模范中学习如何为耶稣得着人。



May we be found and be saved. May we be found in the sanctuary of the Lord praising
Him for His grace.
愿神找到我们让我们得救。愿神在耶和华的殿中找到我们为他的恩惠在赞美他。

Tom and Tehwan Tso
仲谋与德菀

“The outcome of your faith is the salvation of your souls.” 1Peter 1:9

“信心的果效， 就是灵魂的救恩” 彼得前书1：9