Opportunityisnowhere | 現在機會在這裡
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” Jeremiah 8:20
This is one of the saddest verses in the bible. Jeremiah, whom bible scholars also gave the name ‘the weeping prophet’, is a prophet of the Lord during the time of the sacking of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. He lamented for Judah, hence the name ‘the weeping prophet’. If Isaiah talks about the Son of God and Ezekiah talks about the Holy Spirit, then surely Jeremiah is telling us about the Father’s heart of God.
There was a time when Judah could have repented and been spared the destruction if they had heeded Jeremiah’s word, instead of the false prophets’.
However, sadly, Judah did not repent and Jerusalem was destroyed.
“There was a time” … Now, this is an interesting phrase that denotes that in the chronology of time, there was a window — a period in time — that something significant had happened or could have happened. An opportunity seized or an opportunity missed. In this scenario, Judah had missed that opportunity and that window for that specific time had closed.
[1] In 1271, the great Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan and also the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty of China, (which comprises most of modern China and the northern states of inner and outer Mongolia) sent an invitation to the Church in Rome, through Niccolo and Maffeo Polo – the father and uncle of Marco Polo, respectively. Here is an excerpt from the letter to Pope Gregory X.
“Send me 100 men skilled in your religion … and so shall I be baptized, and then all my barons and great men, and then their subjects. And, so, there will be more Christians here than in your parts.”
This was an open door for the Kingdom of God to advance. Sadly, the church did not immediately respond to the invitation and when she did respond, after many years, she sent only two missionaries along with Marco Polo. But alas, it was too late. Shamanism and Buddhism had taken root in the Mongol culture. The window had closed, an opportunity missed.
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and Mongolia was not saved.”
‘Time’ is an interesting word study. There are basically two Greek words for time: Khronos (Χρόνος) and Kairos (καιρός).
Khronos – The science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. This is where the word chronology comes.
Kairos – The moment of time in which something special happens, a passing instant when an opening or window of opportunity appears which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved. It is the appointed time in the purpose of God.
[2] In 1945, Japan was defeated by the allied forces. The Japanese now saw that their emperor is not a god but a man defeated. General Douglas MacArthur knew this. What would replace emperor worship in the Japanese people? In a bold historic move, he sent word back to America, and the churches there, to send missionaries and bibles. Over the next five years, Japan experienced an influx of 5,000 missionaries. From 1945 -1950, Japan showed much interest in Christianity but in a land of 71 million, 5,000 missionaries was not enough. Very soon, the genuine interest in Christianity became almost non-existent. Today, less than 1% are Christians. The window closed, an opportunity missed.
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and Japan was not saved.”
[3] In 2001, after September 11, the church in America experienced phenomenal growth. Americans were looking for answers in the church. Sadly, the church in America did not know how to respond and very soon the pews were left empty again, the window closed, an opportunity missed.
What Do You See?
“Opportunityisnowhere” … now here is a phrase for you. What do you see? Be honest, do you see it as “opportunity is nowhere”? Or do you see it as “opportunity is now here”?
Currently, in Laos, for the first time in her history, we are given the licence to build a Christ-Centred College. It will consist of a handicap association, Lao International Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, a Business and IT College and a Worship Center. To complete this college, we will need $230,000. Would you help us be a part of this historic moment in time?
A window of opportunity has presented herself, a kairos moment. Opportunity is now here. Let us be able to proclaim, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and Laos is saved.”
Thank you my friends.
If you would like to know more, please contact our SEAPC office in Oakmont.
Hubert
Disclaimer: The author does not mean Mongolia, Japan or the U.S. will never be saved, but rather that we, as Christians, missed a window of opportunity. We do not know when the next one will arrive, for both these countries that will allow us to see a people group movement coming to the Lord in masses.
Footnotes:
1-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_X
2-http://www.aproundtable.org/history-blog/blog.cfm?ID=743&AUTHOR_ID=9
3-USA Today – http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2002/01/08/ncguest2.htm-Fox News – http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,62674,00.html
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” Jeremiah 8:20
“麥秋已過，夏令已完，我們還未得救！”耶利米書八章20節
這是聖經裡最消沈的經節之一。聖經學者稱耶利米為“淚眼先知”，是在巴比倫掠奪耶路撒冷時期一位主的先知。他為猶大哀哭，因此得名“淚眼先知”。若以賽亞書是說到聖子，以西結書說到聖靈，那麼耶利米書就是在告訴我們天父的心。
當時，猶大國本有機會悔改，免於亡國，只要他們留心耶利米所說的話，而不聽從那些假先知。然而，很不幸地，猶大沒有悔改，耶路撒冷因而被毁。
“曾有一段時期”‥‥這是一種很有意思的表達方式，意指在時間推進的過程中，曾有一個窗口 ，一個階段，某件重大的事發生了，或本會發生。機會不是抓住，就是錯失了。在此情況中，猶大錯失了那個機會，而那個特別時期的窗口就關上了。
[1]元朝的皇帝忽必烈汗是成吉思汗的孫子，統治目前中國大部分的疆域、北方各省、以及內外蒙古。一二七一年，他透過馬可波羅的父親和叔父Niccolo 和 Maffeo Polo，先後兩次去信邀請羅馬的教會。以下摘錄的是他寫給教宗貴格利五世的信：
「派一百熟習你們宗教的人來給我‥‥這樣我就可以受洗，還有我所有的諸候貴族以及他們的屬下。然後，我們這裡的基督徒就會比你們那裡多了。」
當時，真是有又寬又大的門開向神的國。不幸的是，教會並沒有立即回應他的要求，一直等到好幾年以後，才派了兩名宣教士與馬可波羅同行。然而，一切都太遲了，黃教和佛教已經在蒙古的文化中生根。這扇窗關了，機會錯失了。
「麥秋已過，夏令已完，蒙古還未得救！」
“時”是一個值得深究的字。希臘文裡有兩個詞 ：時序Khronos (Χρόνος) 和 時間Kairos (καιρός)。
Khronos –將事件按著時間的先後排列，像是使用時間表，這是年表的一詞的字根。
Kairos – 某件特別的事發生的時刻。在稍縱即逝的瞬間，出現機會的窗口，必須用力把握、推動，才能達致成功。在神的旨意裡，是有特定時刻的。
[2] ，一九四五年，日本被聯軍打敗，日本人民終於看清他們的天皇不是神，而是一個被擊敗的人。麥克阿瑟將軍明白這一點：什麼會取代日本人民對天皇的崇拜？他採取了大膽的行動，把消息傳回美國，請眾教會送宣教士和聖經過來。五年之內，日本湧入五千名宣教士。從一九四五到一九五○年，日本對基督信仰相當敞開。然而，在這片有七千一百萬人口的土地上，五千名宣教士實在不夠。很快地，那份對基督信仰由衷的興趣幾乎蕩然無存。今天，在日本只有不到百分之一的基督徒。這扇窗關了，機會錯失了。
「麥秋已過，夏令已完，日本還未得救！」
[3] 二○○一年，九一一事件之後，美國的教會經歷了顯著的增長。美國人想在教會裡找到答案。然而，美國的教會並不知道如何回應，不久，教會的座椅又空出了許多位子。這扇窗關了，機會錯失了。
你看到了什麼？
“Opportunityisnowhere” … 請看這句英文，你看到了什麼？老實說，是「沒有機會」（opportunity is nowhere），還是「現在機會在這裡」 （“opportunity is now here）?
目前在寮國，有史以來第一次，我們拿到政府的許可，成立一所以基督為中心的大學。這所大學將包含一個殘障協會、寮國紓解貧困國際基金會、商業學院、科技學院和一座敬拜中心。要建成這所大學，我們需要二十三萬美元。你願意有份於此歷史時刻，助我們一臂之力嗎？
時機出現了。現在機會在這裡。讓我們可以宣告： 「麥秋已過，夏令已完，寮國得救了！」
謝謝你，我的朋友們。如果你們想了解更多詳情，請和我們位於賓州Oakmont 的SEAPC 辦公室連絡。
Hubert
聲明：作者的意思並不是說蒙古、日本或美國永遠不會得救。他是要提醝我們基督徒，若是錯失了一個機會之窗，我們不知道下一個機會什麼時候才會再來。我們將會看到，在這些國家會有大規模的歸主運動。
註：
1-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_X
2-http://www.aproundtable.org/history-blog/blog.cfm?ID=743&AUTHOR_ID=9
3-USA Today – http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2002/01/08/ncguest2.htm-Fox News – http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,62674,00.html
